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CNN Live Sunday
Fast-Burning Brush Fires in Eastern Florida; Polygamist Church Leader on FBI's Most-Wanted List; Forecasters Predict Active Hurricane Season; One More Day Underwater for David Blaine
Aired May 07, 2006 - 16:59 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Osama Bin Laden is on the FBI's most wanted list and so is this man. We'll tell you why straight ahead.
Not everyone on Capitol Hill wants General Michael Hayden as the new CIA director. You might be surprised by one of his critics. And frustration down under as miners and towns people wait for the rescue.
Hello and welcome to CNN LIVE SUNDAY. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. Here's what's happening right now in the news.
Brush fires in New Smyrna Beach in Volusia County, Florida. Officials have ordered evacuation for residents along Interstate 95 as a precaution. We will have more on the fires straight ahead.
President Bush says he would like to close the U.S. prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba and put prisoners on trial. In an interview on German television, Mr. Bush says he is awaiting a Supreme Court ruling on how Guantanamo suspects might be prosecuted.
Military families from Fort Drum are in mourning. The military says the 10 soldiers who died in a helicopter crash in Afghanistan were from that base.
Israeli police and troops evicted dozens of hard line Jewish settlers who barricaded themselves inside a house in the occupied west bank city of Hebron. Authorities say 17 settlers were arrested.
Senior citizens have just one more week to sign up for the Medicare prescription drug benefit plan. The government is making its final push to encourage seniors to sign up before the May 15 deadline. Some lawmakers want an extension.
And we've got this developing news coming out of Florida at this hour. A fast burning brush fire in the eastern part of the state near New Smyrna Beach. Meteorologist Jacqui Jeras is live with more.
JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Well Fredricka, we've been watching conditions very slowly and winds have been picking up. We've been getting gusts now between 20 and 25 miles per hour so not good news for the firefighters trying to put out those flames. We've seen a very pronounced signature on our Doppler radar here and that is from the smoke. That's the smoke plume the little particles of ash just reflects back to the Doppler radar and picks this up. But notice the last couple of images it's really gone down so maybe we're making progress, either that or the National Weather Service changed the sensitivity one their Doppler radar, one of the two. Hopefully it was the former rather than the latter and we're starting to see things improve just a little bit.
Conditions all across central and southern Florida are really ripe for fires to be developing here. We're down, we've got a deficit of about half a foot of rainfall for the year across much of central Florida. The storm prediction center has highlighted central and southern parts of the state as being a critical area because of the weather conditions today with the ongoing dry weather. The humidity very low here across central Florida today down to about 25 percent. And then we're also seeing those gusty winds kick up. That is just ripe. In fact not only do we have that one fire that we were showing you in New Smyrna Beach. We've got two other ones across central Florida which are burning. This could be a problem into tomorrow.
A little bit of rain is headed your way. We've got a frontal boundary and not moving very quickly but it is slowly making its way on down to the south. So Jacksonville up toward Daytona Beach might get a little bit of wet weather by tomorrow. Unfortunately about the southern half of the state is not going to get in on the action. Slight risk of severe thunderstorms going on in the southeast. Here's today too (ph), Two severe thunderstorms watches you can see, just kind of a sliver of them remaining into effect. We're a little more concerned about hail and damaging winds here outside of tornadoes.
And also another weather concern is going to be the travel weather for today, especially as you head into the mid Atlantic states. We've got very low overcast conditions. We've had problems into Atlanta Hartsfield Jackson Airport and here's a quick look at some of those delays, about an hour arrival delay into Atlanta, then we've got a 30-minute departure delay in Las Vegas. That's just due to some high volume, not weather. Fred.
WHITFIELD: All right, thank you so much Jacqui.
And now to our top story tonight, the heated debate over who should head the CIA. The White House is expected to nominate Air Force General Michael Hayden to the post as early as tomorrow. He would replace Porter Goss who resigned abruptly on Friday. But some on Capitol Hill insist General Hayden is not the right person for the job. Here is CNN national security correspondent David Ensor.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DAVID ENSOR, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): He has not been officially nominated by the president, but already word General Hayden is the choice for the CIA is prompting criticism even from a key Republican.
REP. PETER HOEKSTRA, (R) INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE CHMN: I do believe he's the wrong person, the wrong place at the wrong time. We should not have a military person leading a civilian agency at this time
ENSOR: But the Senate Intelligence Chairman said Hayden has a tremendous background in intelligence and there is an easy fix.
SEN. PAT ROBERTS (R) INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE CHMN: You can solve that pretty quickly by simply resigning in terms of his post of being a general.
ENSOR: Behind the comments many say, a brewing battle between John Negroponte, the intelligence chief and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld over who really runs U.S. intelligence. The Pentagon controls nearly 80 percent of the intelligence budget.
JOHN McLAUGHLIN, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: I don't think Mike Hayden is likely to be Don Rumsfeld's man at Langley. He butted heads with the secretary of defense over fundamental issues. He has an independent streak. And he is capable of standing up for his views in the face of defense pressure.
ENSOR: Hayden could also face tough questions about the warrantless wiretap program at confirmation hearings for the CIA job since he was director of the National Security Agency when it started. Some ask whether he would be blunt with the president, as a CIA director sometimes must.
REP. JANE HARMAN (D) INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE: Mike Hayden is capable, but it's up to the Senate to ask him tough questions. Can he speak truth to power? Can he push back if the White House is doing something illegal? If he answers those questions well and he proves he can do this, well then let's hope that the president is making a sound choice.
ENSOR: Outgoing CIA Director Porter Goss is expected by knowledgeable U.S. officials to be joined in coming days by all or most of those he brought to the agency as well as the number three man he appointed.
(on-camera): The stage is set for more upheaval within U.S. Intelligence. One former senior official's comment, he hopes no one tries to attack this nation before the government figures out who is going to be in charge of what. David Ensor, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: Controversy or not, the White House is not expected to have a change of heart about General Hayden. Here to tell us why, CNN White House correspondent Elaine Quijano.
ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fredricka, General Hayden is certainly well respected in the intelligence community and even though Democrats are voicing strong concerns about the NSA surveillance program, which the general oversaw, the White House in the past has certainly not shied away from that debate. Officials here have dubbed it in fact the terrorist surveillance program. They believe their actions are supported by the public that concerns over civil liberties have not been enough to overcome that public support. Interesting to note that even though Democrats are being vocal about this program, no one so far has threatened to block or is calling for blocking a possible General Hayden nomination. In fact Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi today said she did not think a confirmation hearing was the place to investigate the NSA program. It is expected that Democrats will go after General Hayden if he is in fact nominated quite vigorously in the confirmation hearings, but they could risk looking weak on national security which traditionally has been President Bush's strong suit. And so far meantime no indications tonight from senior administration officials that President Bush has changed his mind about his choice for General Hayden for the top CIA post. Senior officials have told CNN that an announcement is planned for tomorrow. Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: Elaine Quijano at the White House. Thank you so much.
CNN is committed to providing the most reliable coverage of news that affects your security. Stay tuned to CNN for the latest information day and night.
Violence, military and sectarian continues to grip Iraq. In Anbar province a U.S. Marine dies after being wounded in combat. In Baghdad and the city of Karbala three separate car bombings claimed 14 lives. And Iraqi police report 43 bodies found scattered across Baghdad this weekend.
British officials say no more than five troops were killed when a helicopter went down in Basra. Local officials there say the British chopper was shot down by a shoulder-fired missile. The military would neither confirm nor deny those reports. At least four Iraqis were killed in fighting with British troops after the crash.
Iraq's national security adviser tells CNN that sectarian violence has spiked recently but is now on the decline. He also said he believes the insurgent efforts inside Iraq are being fueled by forces from outside the country.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MOWAFFAQ AL-RUBAIE, IRAQI NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: The insurgents in Iraq and the terrorist in Iraq are being helped by -- they are being helped ideologically, funding as well as arms by our neighbors, certainly not Iran in this case.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: Mowaffaq Al-Rubaie was on CNN's "LATE EDITION" with Wolf Blitzer.
People in a small town in Australia remain on edge. They are waiting on word on efforts to reach two gold miners trapped underground for 13 days now. Mark Burroughs of Australia's National 9 news has more on the mood as rescue efforts go on.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MARK BURROUGHS, NATL 9 NEWS (voice-over): Rarely have Sunday church services seemed so important here in Beaconsfield. For these locals praying somehow helps pass the time. UNIDENTIFIED CLERGYMAN: Give us new strength for the courage of Christ our shepherd.
BURROUGHS: There's plenty of courage around here. It's extra strength they need. The news from underground has been difficult.
BILL SHORTEN, AWU NATIONAL SECRETARY: The rock which is being encountered is just a lot harder than expectations. A fellow hit it as hard as he possibly could with a crowbar and did not mark the rock at all.
BURROUGHS: They needed it to go a further 1.6 meters horizontally and then a meter and a half upwards. To do it, 50 holes have been drilled into the wall and small explosives about as strong as shotgun cartridges are being used to crack through the rock. It's hoped the remainder will be softer for the final push through the crust.
BRYAN GREENE, TASMANIAN DEPUTY PREMIER: When you're using explosives in the immediate area very close to the fellows that they have to operate cautiously, so that's what is taking time.
BURROUGHS: The explosives are using a state of the art new technology that packs plenty of punch without the rumble.
TERRY LONG, MINERALS COUNCIL: Its advantage is that it is able to split rock, but without the sudden explosive release of gases that you would get from a conventional explosion.
BURROUGHS: With each blast, Todd and Brant are reporting back to their rescuers, describing the vibrations and exactly what is happening in their tiny cramped cavity. So far, they have had no complaints.
GREENE: The two people that have been the most patient in all of this, they must be some sort of fellows have been Todd and Brent. Now surely we can be as patient as them.
WOLFGANG AMBO, PARAMEDIC: The expectation is not in the guys inside because they understand the process. They understand how hard their colleagues are working to get them out.
BURROUGHS: Those rescuers are now working six-hour shifts and it's exhausting.
SHORTEN: It's hard work. But none of the rescuers -- I think they are going to go and get them. This is just sheer muscle and willpower against rock.
BURROUGHS: The progress is painfully slow. This headline agonizing premature.
MATTHEW GILL, MINE MANAGER: We are all focused on getting the job done. We're not going to finish until it is done.
BURROUGHS: Beaconsfield, Mark Burroughs, national 9 news.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: Now crews are only feet away from reaching the trapped miners. Let's go now to Hugh Williams who is live on the phone with us. So, Hugh, is it a matter of hours or days? Is anyone willing to make the forecast?
HUGH WILLIAMS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on phone): Well, that's really the question that has been heard every hour on the hour. And one that mine officials are just simply not willing to put a deadline on this. As they said in the report, it is really painstakingly slow. Safety is the primary concern and really the well-being of the miners. And because they are not in a position of imminent danger, this gives the rescuers the luxury really of taking their time to do it right. And the way that they have chosen to rescue them obviously because of the instability of the surrounding rock that was caused by the landfall, you know that trapped the miners in the first place. Their route is through the hardest most solid substance and if that's what it takes to extract the miners safely out of that location, that's what they are going to do and it doesn't matter how long it takes.
WHITFIELD: Mining safety and the dangers of mining have made a lot of headlines here in the states over the last few months. There in Australia the ordinary Australian aware about how potentially dangerous this kind of job is?
WILLIAMS: Oh, yeah, absolutely. That's definitely been on everybody's minds. I think people really looking at it and thinking you know well accidents can happen, but you know safety is always a primary concern obviously. But for the meantime surrounding this incident in particular, those concerns are a bit premature to bring up before the miners have been brought out safely. But I'm sure in the coming weeks there will definitely be some very serious investigations into how something like this would occur.
WHITFIELD: Hugh Williams from Beaconsfield, Australia, thanks so much for the update. We wish everyone there the best.
The leader of a polygamist sect lands on the FBI's most wanted list. We'll show what it is like inside Warren Jeff's isolated religious community.
She was kidnapped from her bedroom and held captive for months. How is Elizabeth Smart doing today? You'll hear from her in about 30 minutes.
And up next, we'll take you inside a massive smuggling tunnel found along the U.S.-Mexican border.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: Families of those killed in the September 11 terrorist attacks are weighing in on the immigration issue. Today, at the ground zero site, a group called the 9/11 families for Secure America say they support tougher laws and tougher borders to stem illegal immigration.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROSEMARY CAIN, MOTHER OF 9/11 VICTIM: We're all products of immigration. But today people come here. They have evil in their hearts. All of the terrorists that came here had one agenda, to kill Americans. If the security had been proper, if the communications within the FBI, the CIA, the airlines, the immigration bureaus, if everything had been done the way it was supposed to be done, none of us would be standing here today.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: A bill already passed by the House that would make illegal immigration a felony awaits a Senate vote. Besides beefing up the law against illegal immigrants, the bill calls for a 700 mile fence along the U.S.-Mexican border.
For years underground tunnels have been a favorite route for smugglers. CNN's Anderson Cooper takes you on a guided tour inside one such tunnel found along the border.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: The tunnel isn't much to speak of. It's basically a 3 by 3 foot hole that's been knocked in the floor of this industrial warehouse south of San Diego. A concrete piece of tiling was removed and they found the tunnel here. When you go down the ladder you enter another world. So this is the tunnel. It's 2400 feet all the way through to Mexico. It's the size about eight football fields in length. Seven of the football fields are underneath U.S. territory. One football field is in Tijuana. It goes from this warehouse here all the way to a warehouse Mexico.
The tunnel immediately starts to slope down from ground level, goes down about 60 feet. And if you look down at the ground here, this is all concrete. The walls down here is a soft rock. They don't know exactly how this tunnel was dug but you can tell some sort of a drill was used. You can actually see the markings here on the side of the wall. They also done know how long it took to actually carve out this tunnel. But they found out about this operation about two years ago and there's no doubt it took years to dig a tunnel like this.
As you walk deeper down to the tunnel, it really slopes down, gets to about 60 feet here, on the Mexican side gets as far as 90 feet down, 90 feet deep. They've actually poured concrete here and they formed steps which makes it easier whoever was bringing drugs into the United States actually to climb up through the tunnel. It's a really sophisticated tunnel. There are also electrical cables running all through the length of it and if you look over here, there's a light bulb. They've actually -- these are actual light bulbs the U.S. authorities have put in and they've removed the original ones to fingerprint them all. But there are light bulbs all throughout the tunnel. Those were put in by the cartel or whoever it was who built the tunnel.
There's also some support beams every now and then to just try to make sure the wall and the ceilings don't collapse. All throughout the tunnel, you can still find these ropes. The immigration and custom enforcement agents believe that these ropes were actually used to help carry the bales of marijuana that they found. A worker would wrap it around the bale and maybe put it on their back like this or somehow use it to just carry it. But the ropes are spaced out all throughout the tunnel.
Also there's this which is a -- it's actually just another sign of how sophisticated this tunnel is. This is a pipe used to pump in fresh air. The pump was all the way over in Mexico. This would be used to pump in fresh oxygen. On the U.S. side, this is about the deepest part of the tunnel. It's probably estimated about 60 feet deep. As you can see it starts to get very slippery here. There's a lot of water, a lot of condensation on the ground. It's actually coming from the ceiling. Water has become a real problem for Federal authorities. They've actually installed these pumps to try to get the water out. This is an intersection in the tunnel. They're not quite sure exactly what happened here. That way is Mexico and as far as the eye can see if you look down, the tunnel just goes straight ahead but it also goes for a couple dozen feet over in this direction.
And they are not sure the people who were tunneling, if the smugglers made a mistake and just tunneled off in the wrong direction and had to backtrack and tunnel this way or if they were originally trying to find a different warehouse or had a different warehouse in mind. At this point they simply don't know. They're hoping to bring some miners in here who can examine the way the tunnel was made. That might give some clues about what the smugglers were thinking and also when this tunnel was built. Immigration customs enforcement agents have issued a warning to anyone who was involved in the construction of this tunnel or the operation of the tunnel itself. They are warning them that their lives could be in danger in past tunnels that they have discovered the cartel has tried to kill the people who built the tunnels, so that the information about the construction and who built it doesn't leak out.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: And be sure to stick around next hour as Anderson Cooper tackles border security and illegal immigration issues with his special 24 hours on the border. That's tonight at 6:00 p.m. Eastern right here on CNN.
Survival of the fittest. Up next, you might be surprised to find out what some thrill seekers are calling a vacation.
And still to come, the latest edition to the FBI's most wanted list. Find out why the Feds are on the hunt for this man.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: In news across America, the last U.S. citizen to survive the sinking of the Titanic has died at the age of 99. Lillian Gertrud Asplund lost her father and three brothers when the infamous ship sunk back in 1912.
A false alarm in Newark, New Jersey. The five men who were pulled from an American Airlines flight yesterday because of security concerns have all been released. The FBI questioned the men after a flight attendant saw some of them reading flight manuals. The FBI said none pose a security threat.
And in Raleigh, North Carolina, everyone has long checked out but more than 100 people did turn out to watch the old Sheraton Hotel blow up today. It was demolished to make way for a $240 million 43-story tower.
And now a vacation strictly for the adventurous at heart, a survival course held deep in the hills of Virginia. CNN's Sumi Das has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SUMI DAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): If life is about survival of the fittest, the mountain shepherd wilderness survival school in remote Virginia is a place where life's lessons can be learned.
REGGIE BENNETT, SURVIVAL SCHOOL OWNER: You will know how to start a wire in any wood situation.
DAS: Owner Reggie Bennett is a former U.S. Air Force SERE instructor.
BENNETT: SERE means survival evasion resistance escape.
DAS: From bond traders to chemical engineers, to avid campers, the students are a diverse lot.
BENNETT: I get other people that maybe their family members are over in Iraq and are actually going through these hard times. They want to get a little taste of what their family members have to go through.
DAS: This four-day course hidden pursuit, starts with the basics.
BENNETT: Number one is PMA, positive mental attitude. Number two is wilderness first aid. Number three is shelter craft, four is fire craft, five is signaling, six is water and seven is food.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's fresh water.
BENNETT: You can drink this. You do not need to purify it. Now if we had a whole day of sun, hot sun like it is in the desert, you can be expected to have almost twice as much of that water. The hotter this bag gets, the more this tree will start producing.
ANDERSON BERGERON, STUDENT: Putting a bag around the tree. Who would have thought you could get half a quart of water a day on sunny days.
BENNETT: Three of anything. Three fires, like a triangle, equally apart. That's an international signal of distress.
DAS: The class ends with students trying to evade a surprise mock enemy.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Come out now, GI. If I don't hear from you, I come get you.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Even days out here as an invader, it's a lot better than a second being a POW.
DAS: Bennett says popular reality shows are boosting the allure of survival savvy, but as the classes come in handy beyond deserted islands.
BENNETT: What happened down with Katrina with the hurricane, people were without power. Did they know how to purify water? Did they know how to make shelters out of plastic or tarps? Did they know how to make fires? All these things that I'm teaching here can work in any natural disaster.
DAS: And students say at the office.
BERGERON: Hopefully just take back a little bit more PMA, positive mental attitude.
DAS: Sumi Das, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: The leader of a polygamist sect on the run. Now Warren Jeffs is wanted by the FBI. I'll speak with a state attorney general about why the man hunt is now going national.
And Elizabeth Smart today. More than three years after her kidnapping and rescue find out what the Utah teen is doing now.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Stories now in the news. Evacuations are ordered in New Smyrna Beach, Florida, where a brush fire has forced the closing of a major highway. Officials say so far no injuries have been reported and no homes have been destroyed. Rescue workers are only feet away from two Australian miners trapped underground for nearly two weeks now. The final push to reach the miners is running into problems because of solid rock and fears for the safety of the men.
Mixed reaction from some in congress to reports that air force general Michael Hayden will head the CIA. Some republicans say appointing a general as CIA chief sends the wrong signal. But one democrat says Hayden is a logical choice.
Israeli police evict dozens of hard lined Jewish settlers who barricaded themselves inside a house in the occupied West Bank city of Hebron. Some police were slightly injured with clashes with the protesters. 17 settlers were arrested.
The U.N.'s top humanitarian aide official wants better access to Sudan's Darfur region. Jan Egeland arrived in Sudan today for meetings with government officials and rebel leaders. It's his first visit to Sudan since a peace agreement was signed.
A polygamist church leader is on the FBI's ten most wanted list. Warren Steed Jeffs faces various sex crimes charges. He's known to travel in the western United States, Mexico, and Canada.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TIM FUHRMAN, FBI SPECIAL AGENT: Though he is not considered armed himself, he is believed to be in the company of armed bodyguards so anyone coming into contact with him or who may know of his whereabouts should contact either their local FBI office or their local law enforcement agency.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: Last night Jeffs was profiled again on the "America's Most Wanted" program. CNN's Sean Callebs reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SEAN CALLEBS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: At the edge of the desert, straddling the Utah and Arizona border, a community of break away Mormon fundamentalists lives in shuttered houses behind walls and gates. Miles from other towns, in Utah it's called Hildale. And in Arizona, Colorado City. For generations this group of about 7,000 people has shunned the rest of America and the opinions of outsiders.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We put these walls up for privacy.
CALLEBS: County investigator Gary Engels has come to know a lot about this secretive group. Do they really believe they are the chosen one?
GARY ENGELS, DETECTIVE, MOJAVE COUNTY, ARIZONA: Yes.
CALLEBS: When judgment day comes what happens to these chosen people?
ENGELS: These chosen people believe that they'll be lifted up while God sweeps the earth clean of the wicked people and then they'll be sent back down to rebuild the earth and replenish it.
CALLEBS: Engels has been sent to this town to investigate a variety of disturbing allegations and criminal charges ranging from child neglect to rape and theft.
ENGELS: And I came to be here because of all the different types of accusations and rumors that have been coming out of this place for some time.
CALLEBS: The Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints or FLDS has been here since the 1930s. It broke away from the mainstream Mormon Church more than a century ago. The breakaway sect wanted to pursue polygamy. A practice renounced by mainstream Mormons for more than 100 years and outlawed in every state. The group considers its leader Warren Jeffs a prophet to be obeyed without question. Former members say Jeffs has several dozen wives. He selects multiple wives for other church elders, sometimes reassigning wives from one man to another and imposes rigid rules.
SAM BROWARD, PRIVATE INVESTIGATOR: Warren Jeffs does need to be stopped. He has to be reined in and stopped.
CALLEBS: Sam Broward is a local private investigator.
BROWARD: If they argue with him or voice any dissension they are kicked out.
CALLEBS: Broward has been hired by some of those who have been kicked out. A group of adolescent boys. Over the last seven years investigators like Sam and Gary estimate as many as 400 boys, some as young as 13 years old, have been banished by Warren Jeffs for seemingly trivial infractions.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I was excommunicated by the prophet Warren Jeffs at the age of 16 because I decided that I wanted to go to public school.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I had nowhere to go, afraid to eat.
CALLEBS: Tommy Steed(PH) committed the crime he says of watching movies. Each of these boys has his own story. Having a girlfriend, using curse words, going to beer parties, refusing religious instruction, all causes for excommunication, for these and so many other boys.
There's also speculation that the boys are kind of drummed out because they're competition for these young brides.
BROWARD: Right. And that's -- I mean that can't help but be true mathematics alone would dictate that there has to be a lot more hens and roosters in the community.
CALLEBS: The prophet who investigators say created this situation, Warren Jeffs, is now on the run. He faces an arrest warrant issued by the state of Arizona which alleges a series of abuses including engaging in sex with a minor. Where is Warren Jeffs today?
ENGELS: I have no idea.
CALLEBS: Is he dangerous?
ENGELS: Well when you have a radical person like he is that has the control over the people he has, I think he's unstable.
CALLEBS: As for what the FLDS community in Colorado City has to say about all of this, it's hard to tell. We spoke with the mayor of Colorado City, David Zitting, and he says people in his community are content and that they don't want to speak with the media. He says people in Colorado City have had dealings with the press in the past and it's been a bad experience. That from the mayor of Colorado City. Sean Callebs, CNN. (END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: And the FBI is involved in the Jeffs' case because he is a fugitive in two states and has bumped up the reward for his capture to $100,000. For more on the legal case against Warren C. Jeffs, Utah's attorney general Mark Shurtleff joins us live on the phone with more on this. Good evening to you.
MARK SHURTLEFF, UTAH ATTORNEY GENERAL: Good evening Fredricka. Thank you.
WHITFIELD: Why now Warren Jeffs on the most wanted list?
SHURTLEFF: Yeah I know some people say (INAUDIBLE) a lot of bad people that the FBI is looking for they've added him to the top 10. And it's because the fact that he has been left alone for so many years that he considers himself above the law, just allowed him to be the demagogue and the tyrant that he is. And even though he's been on the run for two years, he's still breaking up families, he's still kicking boys out, he's still ordering arranged marriages and he really needs to be brought to justice.
WHITFIELD: Now somehow investigators have tracked him to move around various U.S. states as well as into British Columbia and even Mexico. How are you able to determine that?
SHURTLEFF: We do get a lot of people who are talking to us. We worked very hard to establish contact within polygamous communities. In fact, he doesn't travel alone. That's what makes it so difficult with him. He's not one lone guy out there trying to evade the police. He's got a major organization, he's got all the cash in the world. He's got people protecting and hiding him. He's got security guards who are armed. And so we believe that this is a major step and we really appreciate the FBI adding him to the list and upping the reward and focusing on him so that we can bring him to justice.
WHITFIELD: You said he's got all the cash in the world. Where does he get this money from and does it also mean that you're unable to track him from any kind of electronic transactions?
SHURTLEFF: He's very carefully with the electronic transactions. He does have a lot of cash. In fact, not too long ago his brother was arrested with $140,000 in cash on his way from Utah to Texas to deliver that cash to his brother. He ran an empire worth well over $200 million. We now -- the state of Utah, the court system, has restricted those funds, we've taken away his ability to control a lot of that money. We've seized $100 million worth of property that the people can be protected. But he does have that ability still to move around.
WHITFIELD: We're showing the pictures now on the most wanted list but is there anything more about him? Any distinguishing characteristics that you can give us? At least from the videotape we saw in Sean Callebs' piece, he looks like a rather slight man.
SHURTLEFF: Yeah, he's very tall, he's about 6'4" and very, very thin, skeletal thin, so that is something. Very gawky they say, he walks somewhat hunched over. He has a bit of a high voice. And his appearance could have changed that physical stature should be something that people should look for.
WHITFIELD: And people who have been involved with him even those who are helping you in the case of trying to prosecute him, are they afraid for their lives?
SHURTLEFF: I have talked to many who are. One of the doctrines of this church is that if you leave their organization, leave the church and become apostate, the teaching goes back to atonement -- and many of them have said that they've had threats. What atonement means, (INAUDIBLE) would be threats. We haven't had any direct evidence of an attempt at that, but they tell me that they are afraid of him.
WHITFIELD: All right before prosecution of course you have to catch him now on the most wanted list and $100,000 reward as incentive for people to step forward in the location of Warren Jeffs. Attorney General of Utah, Mark Shurtleff, thanks so much for being with us.
SHURTLEFF: Thank you very much. We hope people will listen and help us out. Thanks.
WHITFIELD: We'll take a look at this image of Elizabeth Smart. Not an image that has become that familiar to us but one we are able to see now. Three years after her abduction ordeal in Utah she talked to Larry King this week and in case you missed it, highlights from that interview when we come right back.
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WHITFIELD: Our best of CNN segment tonight includes Larry King's interview with Elizabeth Smart. You'll recall she's the Salt Lake City girl who was abducted from her own bedroom. She was held captive for nine months by a transient couple. Her interview coincided with the U.S. Senate passing legislation requiring the registration of convicted sex offenders. A bill the Smart family helped push. And as you'll see, Elizabeth Smart is doing quite nicely now after such a terrible ordeal.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ELIZABETH SMART, ABDUCTION SURVIVOR: I didn't know so much. Like I always have faith in my family. I didn't think they'd give up on me. But I didn't know how big it was. It seemed very unreal. I don't know. I couldn't believe it, because my family's always been safe, my mom's always, you know, call me when you get to your friend's house. You know you need to be home by this time. You know we've always been like a safe family. So I didn't know what was going on.
LARRY KING, CNN HOST: Did you ever think that during this time Elizabeth that you would be killed?
SMART: You know, when -- yeah. I did.
KING: When you were first taken?
SMART: Yes.
KING: After a while though, did that not enter your thoughts?
SMART: No, it was -- it was always a possibility. One day my mom sat me down and she said, you know, Elizabeth you can either forgive them and move on and just forget that it ever happened to you and just you know continue on in your life. Or you know you can just -- I mean, yes, what they did to you was horrible and no one -- you didn't deserve that. No one should deserve that. And you know you can just sit there and be mad at them but really then you're -- your whole life is going to be wrapped up in it and you won't be able to move on.
My whole life I have just you know -- I have been raised and taught that I have a heavenly father who loves me and he will always be there for me. And you know I believe that. There's you know -- there's nothing --
KING : That was always present to you?
SMART: No I always knew that he loved me and that whether I survived or I didn't, he would always be there. And that my family would always love me no matter what happened. Why someone else? I mean I ask myself the same question. I mean if it wasn't me, who would it be? And I mean I'm happy to say that you know I am here today and I'm doing great. And I want this bill to go through so that so many more people will be protected. Young children, girls, nobody should have to go through that. I'm touched to see how much my parents love and care for me. But I don't -- I don't try to think back. I don't try to look back.
I mean I like to see my life before and then now. And I just don't sit there and think about it, I just go on. I have a lot of people come up to me and be like, oh you look so familiar, where do I know you? You know and when they realize that it's me they'll, sometimes they'll start to cry and be like we prayed for you. And I appreciate it so much. I mean like I am so amazed at how much people did for me like everyday I have people come up to me like you know we just want you to know that we prayed for you and I appreciate it so much.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: Pretty remarkable composure. Elizabeth Smart is set to enroll at Brigham Young University. She plans to major in music. And as one might expect, she is now very careful when she is around strangers. Both of her alleged abductors Brian David Mitchell and his wife Wanda Barzee are in custody but have been ruled incompetent to stand trial.
Watch "LARRY KING LIVE" every weeknight at 9:00 Eastern, 6:00 Pacific right here on CNN. And later this evening, Larry talks with Massachusetts Senator Ted Kennedy. That's tonight at 9:00 Eastern.
David Blaine's still in the bubble. We'll let you know how he's doing and how long he has to go.
They're armed with fence post and barbed wire. The Minutemen step up their actions on the border and that's part of Anderson Cooper's special 24 hours On the Border which airs in 10 minutes. Stay with us.
JERAS: I'm meteorologist Jacqui Jeras. We are 25 days away now from the start of hurricane season. All month long the CNN weather team will bring you a series of facts and tips to help get you prepared. Today we're talking about what are the odds. What are the chances that the U.S. coastline is going to get hit by a hurricane this upcoming season? Well here's some numbers from Dr. Gray and Phil Klotzbach from Colorado State University, well known hurricane forecasters.
They say this year the east coast has an 89 percent chance of seeing a category one, two, three or five storm make landfall. That is up from the average of 62 percent. And what about you along the gulf coast from Texas over towards the Florida panhandle, a 79 percent probability. And what about an intense hurricane? This is for anywhere along the U.S. coastline. That means a category three or better. In an average year we have about a 50/50 shot this year we're looking at an 80 percent chance. Those aren't very good odds of course. Stay tuned to the CNN hurricane headquarters. We'll bring you all the latest on any tropical activity.
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WHITFIELD: So they say beauty is skin deep. Then how good looking can illusionist David Blaine be about now? Well this is no illusion. Blaine is seven days into an eight-day stunt to stay under water. And he's planning a grand finale tomorrow that could take your breath away. CNN's Jeanne Moos has a story which you may have first seen on "PAULA ZAHN NOW."
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Want to feel like a fish in a bowl? David Blaine is bowling them over with his mermaid act. Make that merman. They could have fish in there with you, right?
DAVID BLAINE, ILLUSIONIST: The fish would probably die right away because the water is 96 degrees.
MOOS: But lest you think this is like pretty woman frolicking in a tub.
BLAINE: It's not the prettiest sight to behold.
MOOS: Blaine is referring to his hands. Wow, you look like a corpse. I mean your hands do.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: When he gets out he's going to be a living prune.
MOOS: Blaine entered his sphere Monday. Now more than halfway through his week-long submersion his hands are looking like something out of a monster movie. These are hands only a diving Web site could love. Why are your hands so bad?
BLAINE: Anywhere that your body doesn't have hair is not meant for the water. So the hands and the feet are the first to really take a beating.
MOOS: But he's still having fun.
KELLY RIPA, TALK SHOW HOST: He's tickling my feet again.
MOOS: Kelly from Regis and Kelly joined Blaine live inside the sphere.
RIPA: How and where are you going to the bathroom?
BLAINE: You're standing in it. I'm just kidding.
MOOS: Actually he's wearing a tube to take care of liquids and he hasn't eaten solids for weeks. Fans hold up signs like "We're hooked on you" and form a line to pass by. Did you actually ask him if he was lonely?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I did. Yeah.
MOOS: What did he say, could he hear you?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No, I put a paper up there. Said are you lonely? Are you single? And then he said yeah.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That man is bigger than my daddy.
MOOS: Easy kid. It's just that the sphere magnifies everything. Blaine's sure not gaining weight on this diet, glucose and minerals through a tube. Not exactly our idea of lunch. Blaine relaxes on the bottom of his sphere and sleeps in there. Unlike the star of "Splash," he doesn't grow fins when submerged. Blaine's extremities require twice daily massages with beeswax cream. His hands are starting to look like fangs. But take it from Gertrude, you could teach him a thing or two about wrinkles ah?
BLAINE: It hurts even just to put these things back.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's like millions of little paper cuts on his palms.
MOOS: Yikes. Enjoy those bubbles David because you'll soon be holding your breath trying to hold it for nine minutes to break the record. Got to hand it to Blaine that's assuming he has any hands left. Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: And that nine-minute test is supposedly tomorrow. Well that report first aired on "PAULA ZAHN NOW." And you can catch the show each weekday night at 8:00 Eastern, 5:00 Pacific right here on CNN.
Learn what life is like along the U.S.-Mexican border for law enforcement and the illegal immigrants who try to elude them. That's next in the special edition of "ANDERSON COOPER 360." Then at 7:00 Eastern a new twist to the infamous Boston strangler case. And at 8:00 Eastern "CNN PRESENTS: Homicide in Hollenbeck." See what happens to a community terrorized by gang violence. I'm Fredricka Whitfield, up next Anderson Cooper's special, "24 Hours on the Border."
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