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CNN Wolf Blitzer Reports

Violent Protests Mar G8 Summit; Leaders of Industrialized Nations Call for New Round of Trade Liberalization Talks

Aired July 20, 2001 - 20:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
WOLF BLITZER, HOST: Tonight, a summit under siege. Destruction, and death as thousands of protesters battle police guarding the G8 summit. Behind steel barricades, are President Bush and his fellow leaders in any danger? We'll get an update from Italy.

With no good leads in the Chandra Levy case, are police looking in the wrong direction? We'll have the latest developments and look at how investigators profile possible crime victims. And given strikingly similar cases in Washington, could a serial killer be on the loose? I'll ask former D.C. homicide commander Lou Hennessy and Roger Chiang, whose sister died under mysterious circumstances.

Good evening. I'm Wolf Blitzer, reporting tonight from Washington.

We'll get to our discussion on whether a serial killer may be on the loose here in Washington shortly, but we begin tonight with the angry and violent protests at the G8 summit in Genoa, Italy. Surrounded by thousands of security personnel, President Bush and the other leaders were kept well away from the tens of thousands of protesters, one of whom was shot and killed.

CNN senior White House correspondent John King is traveling with the President and has our top story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN KING, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The summit took place in Genoa's 13th century Palazzo Ducale, the leaders isolated from the latest violent chapter in the debate over global trade. Outside tragedy, angry sometimes violent protests by those who view big trade deals as the rich exploiting poor. Inside, a very different view of trade. The leaders of the world's seven leading industrial powers called for another round of trade liberalization talks beginning this fall.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Trade has been the best avenue for economic growth for all countries, and I reject the isolationism and protectionism that dominates those who will try to disrupt the meetings.

KING: Fears of a global economic slow down dominated discussions. Mr. Bush predicted his big tax cut would soon pay dividends. Japan's new prime minister promised swift action on an economic reform agenda. The leaders pledged more than $1 billion to a new United Nations effort to combat AIDS. But even as he said thank you, the U.N. Secretary General said it was not nearly enough.

KOFI ANNAN, U.N. SECRETARY-GENERAL: The battle against AIDS will not be won without the necessary resources. We need to mobilize an additional 7-10 million dollars a year to fight the disease worldwide.

KING: Scenes like these are now a staple at major international forums, the Bush team aggressive in making the arguments that it is the protesters, not the leaders who are truly isolated.

CONDOLEEZZA RICE, NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: The disconnect is not between the people in the streets and these leaders. I think that the people in the streets need to recognize that these are elected leaders who understand what's needed for their population's well being.

KING: Still, The White House said Mr. Bush considered the violence highly regrettable. One U.S. official called it "once again a tale of two cities and two very different views of whether more global trade will help the poor or exploit them.

John King, CNN, Genoa, Italy.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: And this note, U.S. Secret Service sources insist the President was never in any personal danger. From Genoa, Mr. Bush spoke via satellite to a U.S. Treasury processing center in Kansas City, Missouri. Addressing himself to taxpayers, Mr. Bush said, "Help is on the way," as the first batch of tax rebate checks went into the mail. Vice President Cheney was on hand for the ceremony.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DICK CHENEY, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: They represent a promise made to the American people, a promise remembered and a promise kept. They remind us that things really can get done in Washington and that the two parties really can work together in the service of important national goals.

To find out how much money you can expect, and when you can expect it, log on to our web site, www.CNN.com/Wolf.

Turning now to the Chandra Levy case, police spent another day searching for clues in Washington parks, with no apparent success. But they are hoping a search of the web may bear some fruit.

Let's go live to CNN national correspondent Bob Franken. Once again, he's in our Washington bureau -- Bob.

BOB FRANKEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And Wolf, they are hoping that when detectives go by a gathering of the Washington taxi cabs tomorrow outside Robert F. Kennedy Stadium, that a check of the logs might reveal something about Chandra Levy's travels about the time she disappeared. She did not have a car in Washington. So that is what's going happen tomorrow outside RFK stadium.

There was also quite a bit of discussion today about some activity of Congressman Gary Condit, who has been linked dramatically to Chandra Levy, activity that occurred about 4 hours before a search of his apartment. He left his apartment, according police sources, went to nearby Alexandria, Virginia, and was spotted by somebody who recognized him, dropping something in a garbage container.

That person called police. Police retrieved a watch case and were able to trace it back to a woman who lived in California, a woman who said that she too had a romantic relationship with the congressman and had given this watch as a gift.

There was also a development near Modesto, California or near Modesto in Ceres, California, which is the home of Reverend Otis Thomas, a Pentecostal minister who had told FBI investigators that his daughter, seven years ago, when she was 18 years old had a relationship herself with Congressman Gary Condit. Well, now law enforcement sources tell CNN that was a lie that he told investigators there was a relationship. They believe there was not a relationship. What is quite interesting about that is Otis Thomas is also a gardener who works for among others, the family of Chandra Levy who live in Modesto, California

And the police in Washington also put out, as you pointed out Wolf, a list of web sites. These are a partial list, the ones that in fact Chandra Levy visited when she was last on her computer on May 1 before she disappeared. Many of them were not released because the police say they may "evidentiary purposes."

It's a very vague list, actually. It includes several of the search engines. It includes one listing that includes activities of Congress. Investigators say that she was somebody who was quite interested particularly in the activities of Congressman Gary Condit. There was also one for Baskinrobbins.com. There was an ice cream store, Baskin Robbins ice cream store, Wolf, near where she lived. Officials are hoping that maybe she went by the ice cream store and that by putting out this information, somebody who was there at the same time might remember seeing Chandra Levy after the last time police can account for her -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Bob Franken in Washington. Thank you very much.

And hoping to find new clues about her disappearance, D.C. police are enlisting the help of the FBI in putting together a profile of Chandra Levy in an effort to gain some insight into her behavior and motivations.

More now from CNN justice correspondent Kelli Arena.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KELLI ARENA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): How would Chandra Levy react if approached by a stranger? How did she deal with stress? How has she has handled relationships in the past? Analyzing everything from her work habits to the web sites she visited, and elite team of FBI profilers hopes to gain a better understanding of Levy's personality and help Washington police better focus their investigation.

ASSISTANT CHIEF TERRANCE GAINER, D.C. METROPOLITAN POLICE: I think that would help us determine whether she was suicidal, whether she's ducking and trying to hide out from people or whether it was none of the above.

ARENA: Police have said suicide is unlikely and from what is known about Levy's frame of mind, many profiling experts are also ruling it out.

ROBERT RESSLER, FORMER FBI PROFILER: Suicide by its very nature is a person who's depressed, who has a very bad state of mind, and who in fact punishing others by their death. And they always leave suicide notes. They leave their bodies in locations where they'll be found.

ARENA: One FBI veteran and former profiler says understanding the victims mindset and lifestyle can be the key to solving difficult cases.

PETER SMERICK, FORMER FBI PROFILER: You have to look at significant activities going on in that person's life just prior to their disappearance. And is there any cause and effect? In other words, if a person is about to leave a certain geographical area, why at this particular time is she attacked or does she disappear? Is it strictly a random crime of opportunity or is there some other motive behind it?

ARENA: FBI profilers are rarely asked to help find missing adults. Most often, they're used to track suspects, such as serial killer David Berkowitz. While sometimes successful, profiling is more of an art than a science.

JAMES STARRS, FORENSIC SCIENTIST: There are things that go on in the minds of people that you can't piece out by behavioral characteristics because they keep them concealed, and therefore you're being very selective. You're selective with only what you have to go on and that could be completely misleading.

ARENA (on camera): Even profilers admit the technique is most often a method of last resort, an indication that police may be at the end of their investigative rope.

Kelli Arena, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: In recent cases, eerily similar to that of Chandra Levy, two other women disappeared in Washington and were later found dead. Could there be a serial killer? I'll ask Roger Chiang, the brother of one of the women and attorney Lou Hennessy, the former D.C. homicide commander.

And the Pentagon says a Iraq fired a missile at the Kuwaiti airspace. What was the target?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Welcome back. Police concede they don't know what happened to Chandra Levy. They are reluctant to draw conclusions, but others draw comparisons to two women of similar backgrounds, who disappeared in Washington and later turned up dead. Christine Mirzayan vanished August 1, 1998. Her body was found a day later, in a wooded area, not too far from where Chandra Levy lived. Joyce Chiang vanished in January 1999. Her body was found three months later. She had lived in Chandra Levy's neighborhood.

All three women were in their 20s, somewhat similar in appearance. Levy is 5'3", 110 pounds, Chiang was 5'2", 105 pounds, and Mirzayan 5'6", 130. All three came to Washington from California for internships. Chiang later became a government attorney. Recently, John Walsh, the host of "America's Most Wanted," was on my program and suggested a serial killer may be on the loose. Last night, the D.C. police chief, Charles Ramsey, told me he thinks Walsh is making "a huge leap."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHIEF CHARLES RAMSEY, D.C. METROPOLITAN POLICE: We've not found anything. We have laid all these cases side by side, as well as some other cases. And we have not found any connection between them as of yet, but obviously we're going to explore all possibilities

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: John Walsh later last night responded to that on "LARRY KING LIVE."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN WALSH, HOST, "AMERICA'S MOST WANTED": That's the typical response. I know Chief Ramsey. He's working hard on this case. And they don't want to create any hysteria, but I remember a couple years ago I went up to Rochester, New York, a quiet little college town. And they had 17 women missing. And they were very reluctant, police to say that the murders are related, but I think it's a possibility. And I think that police have to be doing the parallel investigation. They can't rule out anything at this point.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: And joining me now to discuss possible links in these cases, Roger Chiang. He shared an apartment with his sister Joyce and Lou Hennessy, an attorney, and former commander of the D.C. police homicide unit. Thanks to both of you for joining us. I want to begin first with Roger. First of all, our condolences on losing your sister, but tell us about her death.

ROGER CHIANG, SISTER WAS MURDERED: Well, Joyce disappeared from the Dupont Circle community just blocks away from where Chandra lived on January 9, 1999. She was missing for nine -- for three months and was later found in the Potomac River. Two weeks after her disappearance, her personal belongings -- some of letter personal belongings, her clothes, keys, etcetera were found along the banks of the Anacostia River. The FBI was the lead law enforcement agency in Joyce's disappearance and have been investigating her disappearance. And the D.C. police played a secondary role to that.

BLITZER: Why did some police officers or maybe only even one police officer initially at least suspect suicide?

CHIANG: I think it's a misinformed police officer who does not have all the evidence that the FBI has, who have continued to investigate Joyce's disappearance, even after finding her body. So I think it was a very misinformed or an investigator who was void of some information.

BLITZER: Lou, you've taken a look at these three cases somewhat. Should the police be making -- drawing any sort of connection?

W. LOUIS HENNESSY, FORMER D.C. HOMICIDE COMMANDER: Well I don't think the police have ruled it out. The police base their theories and their information basically on the facts that they uncover during the investigations. And they probably have no conclusive evidence that any of these cases are linked, but I doubt seriously that they've ruled out the possibility that they could be related.

BLITZER: There were some differences in the body of Christine Mirzayan and Joyce Chiang. The bottom line question is this, if there was a serial killer, and obviously we have no idea if there is a serial killer, but do serial killers normally kill the same way, the same techniques every time?

HENNESSY: It depends. You know, in some instances they do. I mean, obviously they get comfortable with one method and they tend to repeat that method, but that doesn't mean that they won't resort to other methods orders that they think are as effective.

BLITZER: So they could do it differently? They could do it the same? It depends on the killer?

HENNESSY: That's correct. And the circumstances of the situation.

BLITZER: You were frustrated in the way that police investigated the disappearance of your sister. Tell us about that.

CHIANG: There was a good lack of coordination between the FBI, the D.C. police and other police agencies here in Washington. For me to have to bring a box of flyers to the D.C. police because the police officers on the street didn't know that Joyce was missing. And I saw also during the investigation a waning off from the D.C. -- by the D.C. police of investigating Joyce's case. So I just left it in the capable hands of the FBI to continue with the investigation.

BLITZER: And to this moment Roger, there's no determination who is responsible for the murder of your sister? CHIANG: That's right. That's right, even though all the evidence suggests that foul play was involved with my sister's disappearance and death.

BLITZER: Is the D.C. police department qualified -- knows what it's doing in this kind of investigation in your experience?

HENNESSY: As a matter of fact, I think that D.C. police department is probably more suited to handle these types of cases. I mean, there's probably been -- there's no department in the country probably has more experience handling murders than D.C. because of the murder rate that we had in the 90s. So the investigators certainly are very qualified.

BLITZER: At the same time though, there was an editorial in "The Washington Post" the other day -- in "The Washington Times," excuse me. And it said this. Let me put it up on the screen as well.

"D.C. police do not keep comprehensive missing persons data, and they have not since the 1990s. Consequently, they cannot compare information on one missing persons case to that of another or discover, heaven forbid, whether there was a serial killer in our midst."

HENNESSY: That's somewhat problematic. I do know that the police department has made efforts to start entering this type of information so that it's available also with the FBI. Detective Trainem, I know is taking a lead in that. And he's been very assertive in trying to put as much information in as possible. But this case has certainly drawn a lot of attention to the problems.

BLITZER: You've looked superficially, at least, at the Chandra Levy case and the Christine Mirzayan case. Do you sense that there's perhaps some similarity to the death of your sister?

CHIANG: Well, I wouldn't discount what the D.C. police did because they took a superficial look, I believe, in the examination of all three cases. Like I said before, the FBI continued to investigate Joyce's disappearance and death even after finding her body. And they have more information than what the D.C. police know. So I don't think they've made a fair assessment in analyzing all three cases.

BLITZER: There's been an incredible amount of attention, Lou, on Congressman Gary Condit in this missing persons investigation. Too much attention being focused on him?

HENNESSY: I think so. I think it's important to keep in mind that the D.C. police before they asked him to take a polygraph, had already two or three other people that they'd approached about taking polygraphs, which leads you to believe that they have at least two or three suspects that they think are probably as interesting or developed interest in them before they went to the congressman.

BLITZER: Did the police ask you to take a polygraph when your sister went missing?

CHIANG: They sure did and I did that promptly and was ruled out and they were able to continue with the investigation.

BLITZER: Because you were living at the time with your sister near the Dupont Circle area?

CHIANG: That's right and that's what they did was examine me, examine an ex-boyfriend and examine the last person that my sister was with.

BLITZER: Why is there no lead, Lou, in this intensive search for Chandra Levy? It's been extraordinary, the media attention. Why do you think there's no lead whatsoever?

HENNESSY: Well, I mean obviously missing person cases are more difficult to investigate than murder cases because in murder cases you have a body that yields evidence and you also have a crime scene that yields evidence, potential witnesses.

In this case they have neither. They've been unable to identify -- find her body or find her and they've been unable to identify to really identify the last place she may have been where she may have been abducted either passively or actively. So they are lacking this type of focal point for their investigation in which normally they would expand from there. And it makes it much more difficult for the police.

BLITZER: You can identify with what the Levy family obviously is going through right now?

CHIANG: Oh, absolutely. It's so heartbreaking. Nobody should have to go through this. And you don't -- this is something that you don't even wish on your worst enemy. This is heartbreaking. You have to empathize with them and extend to them as much support as you can just like the Dupont and Washington, D.C. community did to me and my family.

BLITZER: And obviously, we have no idea if there's a serial killer or not a serial killer. What advise, Lou, as a former homicide commander in the District of Columbia, a lot of young interns roaming around the streets of Washington this summer. What should they be doing?

HENNESSY: Well, I think the logical thing to do is just use common sense. If you feel uncomfortable about a situation, don't put yourself in it. If you feel as though you're being stalked or followed, let somebody know. Go somewhere where somebody will be able to see you easily. It's difficult to believe that people are being forcibly abducted in that neighborhood without people knowing it, which leads one to the conclusion that if they're abducted, they went with them thinking they knew the person.

BLITZER: Lou Hennessy, Roger Chiang, thanks for joining us. And once again, our deepest condolences to you and your entire family.

CHIANG: Thanks, Wolf.

BLITZER: Thank you very much. And CNN will have much more on the Chandra Levy case later tonight. There's a special report at 10:00 p.m. Eastern, 7:00 Pacific.

More than 20 years ago, another young woman turned up dead in Philadelphia. Today her accused killer was brought back to the United States after two decades on the run. And there's a new challenge out there for computer users tonight. We'll tell you why the White House has a special interest in this one.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Welcome back. Iraq leads our look at other stories tonight. The Pentagon says Iraq apparently fired a surface-to-air missile into Kuwaiti airspace for the first time since the Persian Gulf War. Pentagon officials say the target is believed to have been a U.S. Navy surveillance plane on routine patrol yesterday morning, several miles inside Kuwait near the border with Iraq.

Also in the Middle East, an explosion today in the West Bank damaged the Hebron office of the Palestinian President Yasser Arafat's Fatah party. Fatah officials says the Israelis fired two missiles at the building. The Israeli army denies it. One death and six injuries are reported. After the explosion, gunfire erupted on the outskirts of Jerusalem between an Israeli settlement and a neighboring Palestinian town. Two Palestinians are reported injured.

Philadelphia's District Attorney says bail appears to be out of the question for convicted killer Ira Einhorn. Einhorn was extradited from France after 20 years on the run. He was convicted in absentia in 1993 for the 1977 beating death of his girlfriend, Holly Maddux. Einhorn denies killing her, saying he was framed by the CIA. Under terms of his extradition, he's to get a new trial if he requests one.

Burning rubber in this three-alarm fire near Los Angeles is sending thick, black smoke billowing into the air as you can see in this live picture. 70 firefighters are battling the blaze. A fencing company occupies the factory in Irwindale. A company spokesman says some propane gas tanks exploded. Methane gas lines are also a concern.

From Texas, three people aboard a medical helicopter were injured this afternoon when it crashed in a field about six miles north of Decatur. Another medical helicopter picked up the three people and took them to hospitals in Fort Worth.

Tonight on the "Leading Edge," authorities are trying to track the origin of a computer virus known as a worm that's disrupting business around the country. The virus, known as "code red" affected 225,000 web servers, deleting some files. The main target was the White House web site, but it was not harmed.

Personal home computer sales are slipping for the first time in at least 15 years. That dismal report from two market research firms. Their survey shows worldwide PC sales fell 2 percent in the second quarter from a year ago. Experts blame the sluggish economy. Up next, I'll open our mailbag. Lots of reaction to our report last night on Congressman Gary Condit's not being required to undergo any background check before having access to the nation's top secrets. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Welcome back. Time now to open our mailbag. Many of you responded to our report last night on Congressman Gary Condit's membership on the top secret House Intelligence Committee. This from Marjorie in Orlando. "I hope you're story is a wake-up call to voters that the people they send to Washington have some big responsibilities and they really need to learn all they can about candidates."

Karen in Minnesota: "We in the hospital nursing home industry are required to do criminal background checks on each and every employee. Isn't it interesting that a nice, small town high school kid who works as a nursing assistant must pass more stringent checks that our elected officials? What a travesty."

But Michael from Modesto, California writes this: "Gary Condit is a bright, caring person who has, for many years, fought for the people of this area. He is also human. I would wager that if we kicked everyone out of Congress that has been unfaithful, we would have a pretty empty House."

Remember, I want to hear from you. Please e-mail me at wolf@cnn.com. And you can read my daily on-line column and sign up for my e-mail previewing our nightly programs by going to my web site, www.cnn.com/wolf.

Please stay with CNN throughout the night. Much more on the Chandra Levy investigation on "LARRY KING LIVE" at the top of the hour, followed by a CNN special report on the case at 10:00 p.m. Eastern. Up next, Greta Van Susteren. She's standing by to tell us what she has. Greta

GRETA VAN SUSTEREN, HOST, CNN'S "THE POINT": Wolf, you reported about Ira Einhorn, who back in the United States, having been on the lamb for 20 years. Well, I'm going to have the police officer who discovered the woman in a trunk in his closet back a number of years ago. We're going to have him. Plus, we are going to have my guests are going to talk about the Chandra Levy investigation. Will it ever end? Surfing the web, trash, we're going to cover all those topics. Wolf?

BLITZER: OK, Greta. Sounds good. I'll see you Sunday on "LATE EDITION," the last word in Sunday talk. Among my guests, Senators Joe Biden and Chuck Hagel, Sunday noon, Eastern. Until then, thanks very much for watching. I'm Wolf Blitzer in Washington. "THE POINT WITH GRETA VAN SUSTEREN" begins right now.

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