Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Wolf Blitzer Reports

Serial Sniper on the Loose in West Virginia?

Aired August 18, 2003 - 17:00   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, CNN ANCHOR: It's Monday, August 18, 2003. Hello from Washington, I'm Wolf Blitzer reporting.
We begin fear that's gripping the Charleston, West Virginia area. We're going to get to that in a moment.

First, let's take a look at what else we're watching right now.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER (voice-over): Sniper on the loose, three people gunned down within a week in West Virginia.

SHERIFF DAVE TUCKER, KANAWHA COUNTY, WEST VIRGINIA: They were shot at a convenience store. They were shot in one single hit shot.

BLITZER: Almost a year after a string of shooting terrorized the Washington area is there a copycat killer?

Gunned down by U.S. troops; a news photographer's final image.

COL. GUY SHIELDS, U.S. ARMY: A battlefield is still a very dangerous place.

BLITZER: Sabotage, fire, and water, who's blowing up the pipelines?

Punch card politics, is California's recall race hanging by a chad? I'll ask Oakland mayor and former Governor Jerry Brown.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANNOUNCER: CNN live this hour, WOLF BLITZER REPORTS, live from the nation's capital with correspondents from around the world. WOLF BLITZER REPORTS starts now.

BLITZER: Hello from Washington. I am Wolf Blitzer reporting.

And, we begin with that fear that's gripping the West Virginia area. Police are trying to determine whether a serial sniper right now is on the loose. Investigators who worked on last year's Washington area sniper case have now been brought into the case.

Our Investigative Correspondent Art Harris is following the story. He's joining us now live from Charleston - Art. ART HARRIS, CNN INVESTIGATIVE CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, police believe they're looking for a country boy killer, someone who knows that narrow roads around these parts, is able to hunt his victims by night and so far get away.

They say he's in a dark pickup truck, maybe black, blue, or maroon, likely a late model Ford 150 and maybe an overweight White male. There were three victims last week all killed with a single shot to the head or neck and ballistics from two, and possibly all three killings, appear to match.

All victims were shot by a rifle from a distance late at night outside convenience stores. This afternoon Sheriff Dave Tucker said police had 100 leads and have developed a number of suspects. He hopes to catch the killer soon but there is no one in custody. That's why he warned people when they go to gas stations to be careful.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TUCKER: Know your surroundings, being able to look, being able to think but don't stop what you're doing. Now, with that said, because these happened at a certain time of night make sure when you do, when you do go out that you go in with somebody else. Don't go alone.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: We talked to one of the victim's relatives who we found at a gas station where another victim had been shot. He told us, Wolf: "I look around to make sure everything's all right but I cannot live in fear" - Wolf.

BLITZER: Art, they are putting out the word that they may be looking for a specific vehicle, what about that?

HARRIS: A witness saw a vehicle at one of the gas stations, Wolf, and other witnesses are certain it's a pickup truck because it lingered there in the parking lot for at least 20 minutes before one of the victims was shot.

BLITZER: Are they saying anything at all given the history of what happened with that white van in the Washington area sniper case? They were looking for the wrong vehicle. How concerned are they that they might be putting out misleading or wrong information that could actually hurt the investigation?

HARRIS: Well, Wolf, they say they've got two witnesses who saw this pickup truck. They did change the color just a little while ago at a press conference saying it's not necessarily black. It could be dark colors like blue or maroon that would appear black at night.

What's similar possibly to the copycat - to make it a copycat like the serial killer in Washington is that the shell casings were not found at the scene and they are looking at all angles. They have not ruled anything out yet - Wolf.

BLITZER: CNN's Art Harris covering the story for us from Charleston, West Virginia.

A lot of our viewers, of course, will remember originally they were looking for that white van in the Washington area. It wound up being a maroon Chevy Impala. We'll continue to watch this story and, as we said, all three shooting victims were gunned down within the time frame of only a few days and today they were all being remembered by family members and friends.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER (voice-over): Three people with no apparent personal connection now linked by the nature and place of their deaths all within four days.

TUCKER: They're connected by the site that they had. They were shot at a convenience store.

BLITZER: At the Go-Mart on the west side of Charleston a week ago yesterday, Gary Carrier, Jr., the first victim, using a pay phone killed with a single shot to the head. The 44-year-old mechanic a NASCAR fan described by his father in news reports as a patient guy who got along well with everyone reportedly divorced with four children ages ten to 25.

Laid to rest today, Jeannie Patton, 31 years old, a single mom with a 14-year-old son, she lived just outside Charleston, worked part time as a substitute cook and custodian for the Kanawha County school system. Jeannie Patton had just finished gassing up her car at a Speedway (ph) on Charleston's south side last Thursday, a single shot dead in an instant.

An hour later, 15 miles away, another convenience store, another solitary shot, another victim. Okey Meadows, 26 years old, Air Force veteran, former high school wrestler, fitness fanatic, applying for college to study electronics or criminal justice. He leaves behind heartbroken relatives.

WILLIAM SCHWAS, RELATIVE OF OKEY MEADOWS: You got to be a coward to shoot someone, to kill someone, I mean for no reason. You know, you don't take another person's life.

BLITZER: Meadows also had a three-year-old son Isaiah (ph) who friends say Meadows worshipped so much he had the boy's name tattooed on his arm. Okey Meadows went through a divorce and custody fight unable, family members told the local paper, to see Isaiah for over a year until recently. Friends tell CNN the boy is now asking about his dad.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: And, later this hour we'll speak with a former Washington, D.C. homicide detective who's got some insight how police, law enforcement, might crack this case, the search potentially for a serial sniper in West Virginia. We'll get to that. That's coming up.

But let's turn now to some late-breaking developments in Liberia right now. Following the departure of the former President Charles Taylor and the arrival of U.S. Marines the government has signed a peace deal with rebel groups aimed at ending almost a decade and a half of bloody conflict.

For that let's turn to CNN's Jeff Koinange. He's joining us now live in Monrovia - Jeff.

JEFF KOINANGE, CNN AFRICAN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Wolf, and that deal, that agreement was signed barely an hour ago. The ink is probably not even dry right now but the T's have been crossed, the I's and like you mentioned more than 14 years of a devastating civil war all but over.

Now what does this mean? Basically, the three warring factions, the government, the rebel side both LURD and MODEL they cannot vie for key positions in what's called an interim government but this will be picked from opposition groups in civil society.

Now, President Blah still has about eight weeks left in office. On October 15 a new interim government kicks in and that will be around for about two years made up of members like I said of civil society, opposition groups, and then after two years it will give way to multi party politics and anyone and everyone who qualifies can run for that.

So, for the most part the tough task is now out of the way. They have to start rebuilding a country literally from scratch. One more note, Wolf, this all comes exactly one week to the day that President Taylor stepped down and left town - Wolf.

BLITZER: And only a few days after the couple hundred U.S. Marines arrived in Liberia. How are they doing those U.S. personnel?

KOINANGE: Doing very well, Wolf, both on the ground and in the air. You can see their helicopter gun ships, the Cobras, patrolling the skies and also the Marines on the ground in their Humvees all up and down the city and everywhere they go.

Wolf, I can tell you they're being treated like heroes, people cheering them, people telling them thank you, welcome. We thank George Bush. That's what they keep saying we thank America. Thank you for finally coming.

Remember there are almost about 1,000 West African peacekeepers also on the ground making this city a lot safer right now. You can tell we're not wearing flack jackets anymore right now, Wolf. It makes this a much safer city as we speak.

BLITZER: That's good news from our Jeff Koinange. He's been doing a great job for all of us in Monrovia. Thanks very much, Jeff, for that report.

Killed in the line of duty...

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NAEL AL-SHYOUKHI, REUTERS CAMERAMAN: I saw the American soldiers around us and I spoke to the same soldier who shot him.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: A Reuters cameraman gunned down by U.S. troops, find out what triggered this deadly mistake.

Also, the California recall gets dirty as Schwarzenegger's lead slips away. We'll get the blow-by-blow with the former Governor Jerry Brown.

And, cameras banned from the courtroom, Scott Peterson protected from the limelight but will that help or hurt his case? We'll take a closer look, first though today's News Quiz.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER (voice-over): What was the deadliest place in the world for journalists to work last year, Colombia, Russia, West Bank, Iraq," the answer coming up.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Why are some Americans waiting hours in line for gasoline? Coming up a flashback to the '70s, we'll take you live to the latest energy crisis.

And, new information on what happened before the blackout of 2003. We'll be back in 60 seconds.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Sabotage is setting back efforts to restore Iraq's economy. The country's main oil pipeline to Turkey was hit by two explosions over the weekend.

Iraqi engineers and U.S. troops have extinguished a huge fire but officials say it could take at least several days before oil can begin flowing once again. The pipeline had resumed pumping only last week for the first time since the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq.

U.N. officials say a water pipeline which exploded yesterday in Baghdad has now been repaired. The blast which blew an enormous hole in the line flooded streets and left much of the city without running water. Repairs involve shutting down a water treatment plant.

The Arab satellite network Al-Jazeera has broadcast a tape showing a group of masked men who vow to continue resisting the occupation of Iraq. The U.S. administrator for the country told CNN today he has a good idea who's responsible for the sabotage.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PAUL BREMER, U.S. ADMIN. FOR IRAQ: We know in general terms who's behind it. It's people who are fighting against the liberated Iraq that most Iraqis have welcomed. It's people who do not share the vision of a free Iraq with a vibrant economy that the president has set forth and which Iraqis share. These are probably people left over from the old regime who are simply fighting a rear guard action by attacking Iraq's assets.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Paul Bremer said the so-called bitter-enders are living in a "fantasy world" thinking that Saddam Hussein's Ba'athist regime will somehow return to power.

Journalist groups are outraged over the weekend death of a Reuters cameraman in Iraq. They're demanding a full investigation into the incident in which 43-year-old Mazen Dana was shot and killed by a U.S. soldier.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER (voice-over): This is Mazen Dana's final work. He was filming Sunday outside a prison west of Baghdad, the scene of a deadly mortar attack the day before. Dana turned his camera toward an approaching U.S. tank. Then, shots rang out and the camera fell to the ground.

AL-SHYOUKHI: He screamed one time and he was putting his hand on his chest and fell down on the ground. (Unintelligible) you know. I saw him bleeding.

BLITZER: U.S. officials in Iraq say the soldier who shot Dana mistook his camera for a grenade launcher. At least six shots were fired. One hit Dana in the chest.

AL-SHYOUKHI: I looked. I saw the American soldiers around us and I spoke to the same soldier who shot him. Why did you shoot him you know? We're TV. You see him with a camera. Why did he shoot him? And I told him you shot him. Please to stop the bleeding. He's bleeding too much.

BLITZER: A U.S. coalition spokesman in Iraq promised a full investigation.

SHIELDS: We offer our condolences to the family and the coworkers. This is a tragic incident. It is under investigation and we will do everything in our power to make sure things like this do not happen again.

BLITZER: In the West Bank, a group of journalists marched in mourning for their fallen colleague carrying a camera on a stretcher and journalist organizations around the world are calling for full accountability.

Dana, a Palestinian father of four was an award-winning photographer who spent years covering the Israeli-Palestinian conflict where he said he'd been shot and beaten. He's the 12th journalist killed in Iraq and the second Reuters employee killed by American fire. (END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: And, as we mentioned a U.S. official now says the soldier mistook Dana's camera for a rocket-propelled grenade launcher. They've been used in numerous deadly attacks against U.S. forces in Iraq. You can see here that the two from a distance certainly could get confusing.

Wafa Amr is joining us now from Ramallah. She's Reuters' Jerusalem correspondent and was a friend of Mazen Dana, Wafa thank you very much for joining us. Tell us about this remarkable cameraman.

WAFA AMR, REUTERS JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Mazen is a very committed cameraman. He's also a very good journalist. He had deep feelings that he was - he had a message and a mission to his camera that he wanted to expose the truth, to tell the truth, to show the world what was happening both in the West Bank and in Iraq.

He firmly believed in his mission. He hardly had time for his family. He was always out on the streets following the news, covering the story. He was everywhere and he was a very popular journalist. He was known by everybody and loved by everybody.

BLITZER: There have been these kinds of incidents in the West Bank and Gaza, Wafa as you well know, Israeli forces firing on cameraman saying that they're confused by the camera thinking it could be a bazooka or a shoulder-fired missile or a rocket-propelled grenade launcher. Mazen fully understood the dangers given his experience in the Middle East.

AMR: I don't think that it's very difficult for a soldier to distinguish between a journalist carrying a camera and a gunman carrying a gun. It's very easy to distinguish a journalist, especially where the journalists wear flack jackets with press written all over them, so it's not really difficult for the soldier to distinguish and tell that that person is a journalist and that is a camera.

You know sometimes out of negligence or intentionally the soldier would shoot at a journalist. I mean he's got his own motive but journalists have been targeted in the West Bank and Gaza and elsewhere in war zones.

BLITZER: But in this particular case and I want to put it up on the screen and show our viewers, we showed it earlier, the kind of image. On the left you see a soldier with a rocket-propelled grenade launcher. On the right you see Mazen with his camera.

From a distance, though, from pretty far away given the tensions, given the attacks on U.S. troops, Wafa, it's possible that given the moment somebody sees that image, a U.S. soldier could get nervous and fire, obviously a tragic mistake. You're not suggesting that Mazen was killed deliberately by U.S. troops are you?

AMR: I cannot tell because I wasn't in Iraq and I don't have all the details of what happened in Iraq but if it's from a short distance I think the soldier can distinguish a camera from a gun and if it's from a far distance I can understand when a soldier feels frightened but to shoot directly at a journalist, I mean, that's not understandable.

But I cannot tell exactly what the details are of what happened with Mazen Dana in Iraq. The Reuters people in Iraq know better about the details there and I think that an investigation has been opened on that subject.

BLITZER: And that's why there should be a full scale investigation, you're absolutely right. It does cry out for an investigation, Wafa thank you for joining us from Ramallah.

And, let me just read to our viewers from Mazen Dana's statement that he made in 2001 when he received an award from the International Press Freedom Association. He said this.

He said: "Words and images are a public trust and for this reason I will continue with my work regardless of the hardships and even if it costs me my life," our deepest condolences to Mazen Dana's family and all of his friends and colleagues.

A bit of good news at the same time coming from Iraq, Britain's defense ministry says two Army soldiers have saved the life of a baby girl found inside a padlocked box in a hidden arms cache in Basra. The baby was surrounded by weapons, including assault weapons and grenade launchers. The soldiers say the two-day-old girl was not breathing when they found her but revived after mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. The mother has been tracked down and reunited with the baby whom the soldiers are now calling Baby Rose.

The power is back on but the finger pointing and the blame game are now in full swing. Find out who's denying responsibility right now.

Also, the U.S. at risk for another September 11 style attack, terror experts predict the worst.

And, massive shortages, Phoenix comes up dry at the pump.

First, though, the answer to today's News Quiz.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER (voice-over): Earlier we asked: "What was the deadliest place in the world for journalists to work last year," the answer the West Bank, Russia and Colombia. Three journalists were killed in each area during 2002.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Here are the latest developments in the power blackout. The northeast is plugged in again and ready for business. New Yorkers have got a relatively normal Monday commute. This is the first business day since the nation's largest power blackout ever.

But in Ontario, that's in Canada, things are not quite back to normal. Homes and businesses are being asked to cut energy use in half. Auto maker Daimler Chrysler said it would shut down an assembly plant to comply.

In parts of Michigan, contaminated water has been a concern but Detroit area residents were advised today that they no longer have to boil water for drinking.

While this crisis may have passed experts are looking for the causes of the massive blackout in hopes of preventing the next one. The search is centered on the nation's Heartland and that's where we find CNN's John Zarrella.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The early speculation had been that the blackout began somewhere here in northern Ohio but that may be changing at least to a degree.

Reports coming out today that a Wisconsin software company detected fluctuations in the voltage on the grid as early as Wednesday, not necessarily significant except the duration of time those fluctuations existed was significant.

The Midwest ISO, that's the Independent Transmission System Operator, is looking into that to see if there's any relevance. Midwest ISO is also saying that they don't believe that the cause of the blackout could have been simply four transmission lines here in Ohio that went down shortly before the blackout began. That had been the early speculation.

And, First Energy, the company that owns those four lines and co- owns one of them with another company, is saying they believe that other things were going on simultaneously outside their service area that it had to be more than their four power lines, their four transmission lines that caused the major blackout.

John Zarrella CNN, Eastlake, Ohio.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: "The Terminator" loses his lead in California while the two top Democrats start squabbling. I'll talk to the former Governor Jerry Brown about the political zoo in California.

Also, lights out on the media, the judge bars cameras from the Scott Peterson hearing. Will that help or hurt his case?

And, a world record set by good luck and exact science.

First, though, in case you were out enjoying the days off, here's our "Weekend Snapshot."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) BLITZER (voice-over): Rescued from an inferno, a motorist in Oklahoma is praising her rescuer. The woman was trapped in her vehicle by heavy smoke and flames after a tanker crashed and burned on Interstate 35 near Oklahoma City. Another motorist, Greg Parsons, helped lead the woman to safety.

Gruesome death, a man's long hair apparently was to blame for his death at the county fair in Washington State. The victim, who owns a roller coaster type ride, was spraying lubricant on the tracks while the ride was underway. His hair got caught in one car and he was pulled up to 40 feet into the air. Hundreds of fair goers witnessed the accident.

Democracy's new weapons, in Groton, Connecticut, the daughter of a president helped christen the first of a new class of submarines said to be the most advanced in the world.

Linda Johnson Robb, daughter of President Lyndon Johnson, cracked a bottle of champagne against the nuclear attack submarine The Virginia. Once it's completed the $2 billion sub will be put to use on the war on terror. Senator Jack Reid of Rhode Island calls it a formidable weapon in the arsenal of democracy.

Mangled music, Sharon and Ozzy Osbourne entertained fans during the seventh inning stretch of yesterday's game between the Chicago Cubs and the Los Angeles Dodgers. The couple sang "Take me out to the Ballgame," and while some of the words were missing, fans didn't seem to mind.

Horror times two, two of the scariest characters on the big screen teamed up to frighten away the competition. "Freddy vs. Jason" the showdown between the bad guys of "Friday the 13th" and "Nightmare on Elm Street" debuted at number one raking in more than $36 million, and that's our weekend snapshot.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: What does a message in the Arab world reveal about Osama bin Laden? We'll take a look at that.

And, look out Arnold Schwarzenegger, a new frontrunner in California, I'll speak with former California Governor Jerry Brown on who has the edge.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Welcome back to CNN.

The heat is on in California, where the recall race is getting down and dirty. The former Governor Jerry Brown joins me. That's coming up.

First, though, the latest headlines.

(NEWSBREAK)

BLITZER: Returning now to our top story, the West Virginia sniper attacks claiming the lives of three people.

Lou Hennessy is with me now to talk more about the investigation. He's a former homicide investigator here in Washington.

Lou, thanks very much for joining us.

Does it look like another serial sniper is on the loose?

LOUIS HENNESSY, FORMER D.C. HOMICIDE INVESTIGATOR: Well, I'm sure they're not going to rule that out. They're not ruling out anything at this time and what they are going to do is let the evidence dictate what theories they're going to pursue. But they're not going to rule anything out.

BLITZER: Well, the evidence would seem, without the hard ballistic evidence that you would probably want, similar kind of circumstances, a single shot, casings, the weapon and the bullet, in fact, looks similar. That would seem to suggest one individual, or maybe two working together?

HENNESSY: It would certainly seem to suggest that the same weapon may have well been involved. Hopefully it will just be one individual. But, as you said, as we found out a few months ago that sometimes they operate with more than one person involved in these incidents.

BLITZER: They put out already a description of one truck that apparently was at least one of the incidents. Is that a good idea, knowing the history of the white van in the sniper incident a year ago here in Washington, almost and turned out to be a Maroon Chevy?

HENNESSY: It's always good to elicit the cooperation of the community. It's always good to get as much information to the community as possible so that you can begin to get information back and then the job really becomes processing the information as it comes in.

BLITZER: What lessons can they learn from what we had to endure here in the greater Washington, D.C. area, that might be applicable down in Charleston, West Virginia?

HENNESSY: Well, I think what they're probably going to do is they are probably going to be in touch with the agents or some of the officers who were involved in that case and find out what worked and didn't work. How did they process all this information? How did they prioritize the information when they started following up on different leads? Because that is the real challenge that they have is when the information starts coming in, which leads should be prioritized. Which should be given top priority and jumped on right away and which one should be sat on?

BLITZER: What worked well in the Washington area, all the communities, Northern Virginia, D.C., Maryland, the suburbs of Washington, all the local law enforcement worked well. But they also had the FBI, the ATF, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, they had senior people involved and all of them had a sort of a combined task force. Is that the way they should go in Charleston, West Virginia or is it too early to do that?

HENNESSY: It's difficult to say.

We had the advantage here in the Washington area of work on task forces regularly. It's not unusual for us to have multijurisdictional task forces in law enforcement, particularly with the federal agencies involved. Not all agencies are used to that, and there is a learning curve, so to speak, when you initiate one of these task forces. But I'm certainly -- I'm sure that's something they are looking at.

BLITZER: What's the best advice you, as a former homicide detective, have for the people in the greater Charleston, West Virginia area right now? They obviously got to gas, they got to go to these convenience stores.

HENNESSY: Well, the most important you can give anybody is be conscious of what's going on around you. Look for things that appear unusual, and then report any unusual activities or suspicions that you may have to law enforcement. Try not to take anything into your own hands.

BLITZER: And even if you think it's marginal or probably irrelevant, make a call.

HENNESSY: Absolutely. It's better that they have more information, have information that they don't need than to have information, you know, information be out there that's necessary and they don't ever get it.

BLITZER: All right. Lou Hennessy, always giving us good insight, thanks very much.

HENNESSY: You're welcome.

BLITZER: Let's hope they catch this guy or guys.

HENNESSY: Absolutely.

BLITZER: Let's move on to some other news that's happening right now. The infamous hanging chad that gained notoriety in the 2000 Florida election are taking center stage in California's recall election. They're the subject of a lawsuit seeking to postpone the ballotting.

Our national correspondent Bob Franken is inside the courthouse. He'll bring us the latest as soon as he gets out. We'll be anxiously awaiting that.

In the meantime, we're learning new details about Arnold Schwarzenegger. Turns out the former bodybuilder is a formidable empire builder.

CNN's Jen Rogers has that part of the story.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

JEN ROGERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Everybody knew Arnold Schwarzenegger was rich. He got $30 million for his last movie.

What many people didn't know, until his recent campaign filings, was how successful he had been off screen in the business world.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is totally atypical, as either a Hollywood portfolio or as any other type of a business person's portfolio.

ROGERS: The disclosure form doesn't say how much he's worth, but it has some interesting information.

The usual blue chip stocks, including Starbucks, Citigroup and Wal-Mart. But then there are the creative investments. Multiple real estate holdings from California to Ohio, an annual fitness expo and a 747 he owns and leases to Singapore Airlines.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is not some celebrity who's going out and making a lot of money by opening a chain of chicken restaurants or selling, you know, perfume and body lotions or something like that. Arnold's portfolio is vast and it's wide reaching.

ROGERS (on camera): Maybe too wide. If Schwarzenegger wins, his investments could raise concerns over conflict of interest. Still, some say he could simply create a blind trust for his holdings.

(voice-over): For Schwarzenegger it would be a huge change. He's known as an active, hands-on investor who thrives on being involved. He doesn't complain about paying taxes, more than $9 million worth in 2001. In fact, the action star's money managers say they actively avoid tax shelters and offshore accounts. But he enjoys the money he keeps.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He loves to spend money. He loves to go shopping. But he is very calculated, that he should spend when he has the money, and you should take a percent of the money and save it.

ROGERS: Fiscal discipline, a habit his supporters hope will translate to the statehouse.

Of course, critic say there's a big difference between managing your own millions and closing the gap on a multibillion dollar deficit.

Jen Rogers, CNN Financial News, Los Angeles.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Jerry Brown has unique insight into the California political scene. He's a former Democratic governor of the state, as was his father. Brown is currently the mayor of Oakland. He's joining us now live.

Mr. Mayor, thanks very much for joining us. What do you make of this apparently two-man race right now between Arnold Schwarzenegger and Cruz Bustamante. We'll put the numbers once again up on the screen showing the latest Field Poll. Bustamante at 25 percent, Schwarzenegger at 22 percent.

MAYOR JERRY BROWN (D), OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA: Well, it looks like the electorate is polarized between Democratic voters and Republican voters. So Schwarzenegger is -- got lot of unfavorable among Democrats and Bustamante is picking up the loyalty. And it would seem to me with Davis signing some of these Democratic bills more liberal bills, in recent days and to come, that that's going to further polarize the electorate between the extremes.

I think the Republican conservatives will be making their case. The Democrats will be making theirs. And you're going to see increasingly this getting to a partisan effort.

The competition, of course, is you have the yes and no vote on Governor Davis and then you have all those other candidates scrambling to be the one, in case the recall should be approved.

BLITZER: Well, a lot of people are already writing off Gray Davis as the California governor, thinking that the recall part of it a slam dunk. He's going to be recalled. But is it a slam dunk?

BROWN: No, it can't be a slam dunk at this point in time.

First of all, these other candidates, other than just articulating the usual Republican bromides, have not added anything. Schwarzenegger has been silent. The other Republican candidates have been saying the same thing that they said when they ran against Gray Davis last November and then -- and so what does all that prove?

Davis is definitely in a hole. He's the underdog. But I remember the story in the Old Testament, which I called Davis versus Goliath and Davis has this slingshot in his discipline, his knowledge and his basic case that he knows a great deal and a lot of what has caused the problem are the partisan wrangling, which this recall may just emphasize.

It is a long shot. But I would not be writing any obituaries for the governor at this point.

BLITZER: As you well know, there's no apparent love lost between Cruz Bustamante and Gray Davis. They're the governor, the lieutenant governor. They're both Democrats. But if you're Cruz Bustamante, you have to say to yourself, you know what? I have a shot at becoming the governor of California.

BROWN: Well, he does, and I think his latest move there in attacking Davis' contributors, he's won a way to get himself on the media. He was all over the California press this morning. And television on Sunday. And then, of course, he's also carving out some independence and also trying to get some of these donors to give to him. So there is a struggle between the Bustamante interest and the maintenance of the Davis governorship.

So on the other hand, there is also the belief that Democrats should have a reserve option and insurance policy. That's what makes this thing complicated. I think it is early. And even though the election is only 55 days hence, nevertheless the amount of publicity and exposure and advertising will translate into an election that we're going to pack perhaps a year or six months of campaigning into this short period.

So there's going to be a lot of information, a lot of opportunity for candidates to put their foot in their mouth and things to be exposed. And I'd say don't write off Gray Davis. He's a very tough competitor. And it reminds me of Pete Wilson, who is advising one of the other candidates. This guy was way down in the polls, but through discipline, by seizing on a couple of key issues, he brought himself back and was re-elected.

So I think this is an open race. Even though the position now makes it very difficult for the governor.

BLITZER: Let me -- let me guess -- tell me if I'm right or wrong. You're going to vote against the recall -- in other words, you're going to hope that Gray Davis stays in office, but you're also going to vote for Cruz Bustamante as a sort of a failsafe?

BROWN: That's it. And I think a lot of Democrats will. And a lot of people in the House of Representatives want that and a number of the senators. So you'll see more and more people mobilizing behind Bustamante as a very viable option here.

BLITZER: And he's the only serious Democrat on the ballot. There are several Republicans that could split the vote.

Jerry Brown, as usual, we'll continue this conversation. Thanks very much.

BROWN: OK.

BLITZER: And this important note to our viewers. Tomorrow, I'll speak with Cruz Bustamante. He'll be on this program tomorrow, 5:00 p.m. Eastern.

Here's your turn to weigh in on this story. Our Web question of the day is this -- do you support or oppose recall elections? We'll have the results later in this broadcast. But you can vote right now at cnn.com/wolf. While you are there, I'd love to hear directly from you, our viewers. Send me your comments. I'll try to read some of them on the air each day at the end of this program. That's also, of course, where you can read my daily online column, cnn.com/wolf.

It's a scene from the 1970s. Hour-long lines for gasoline in Phoenix. Find out what's causing the shortage.

And not caught on tape. A judge bans cameras from the Scott Peterson hearing. A look at the impact it will have on the case.

First, though, some other news making headlines around the world.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER (voice-over): A senior French health official is resigning after coming under fire for the government's handling of the recent heat wave. His boss, the health minister, is also facing calls for resignation and now says the heat wave may have killed as many as 5,000 people.

An amusement park in western Germany is offering visitors an unusual way to keep cool. It trucked in 120 tons of artificial snow and built a bobsled course. Admission is just over $5, and the park says there are plenty of takers.

Preparations are under way along the Russian-North Korean border for a large scale joint exercise. Thirty thousand people, 85 ships, and 50 planes will take part with China, South Korea and Canada sending observers. It comes a week ahead of six-way talks with the United States and others, aimed at diffusing nuclear tension.

Greenpeace activists targeted this train for protest as it crossed from the U.S. into Mexico. The cargo -- genetically engineered maize. Demonstrators say it threatens native species.

Three ships from Iceland are hunting endangered mickey (ph) whales for the first time since an international ban more than a decade ago. Iceland says the mission is for research. The U.S. opposes it.

And a world record for domino toppling. A 24-year-old Beijing woman knocked over 303,000 tiles, beating the old record by more than 20,000. It took her a month and a half to set up, and just four minutes to fall.

And that's our look around the world.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Suddenly filling up is not so easy for drivers in Phoenix, Arizona. The area is experiencing a severe gas shortage that has drivers waiting in long lines in triple-digit temperatures. Mike Watkiss of CNN affiliate KTVK is in Phoenix. He's joining us now live with more. Mike, tell us what's going on.

MIKE WATKISS, KTVK CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, I can tell you here in the sizzling Valley of the Sun, it's always bone dry this time of year. But usually we're talking about a lack of water, not a lack of gasoline. But throughout the Phoenix metro area, gas pumps either tapped out or rapidly drying up after a large gas pipeline that carries gasoline from Texas through Tucson and on up here to Phoenix ruptured about two weeks ago.

Since that time, demand has far outpaced supply. We are told that officials are now saying that it's going to be at least another week, possibly two, before that gas pipeline is back up and running.

In the interim, they are now trucking gas to gas stations around the Valley of the Sun. Stations lucky enough to get gas, but at this point they are going through an entire week's allotment in the space of about four or five hours. There have been reports of some gouging, prices as high as $4 a gallon. Average at this point, Wolf, seems to be about $2 a gallon. But all week long, the prices have been jumping like a toad on the hot asphalt out here, and there's really no relief in sight.

We're at a gas station in suburb of Phoenix, Chandler, Arizona, a long line at this gas station until about 10 minutes ago. And then a young man, perspiring and obviously nervous about the reaction, came out here to tell all these exasperated motorists, that they were out completely. So all those people dispersed now, looking for another gas station, lucky enough to get a truck load in here.

No relief in sight. And again, the temperatures are running at about 108 degrees. People encouraged not to use their air conditioning, because of course that uses gasoline. It's a bad situation, only getting worse -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Mike Watkiss, reporting for us from our CNN affiliate KTVK. Mike, thanks very much. Good luck to all of our friends in Phoenix.

The dog days of summer are gripping the Midwest. Parts of Missouri, Kansas, and Nebraska, as well as Oklahoma, are all seeing temperatures topping 100 degrees today. Factor in the humidity and in some areas it feels more like 110. A cold front should bring some to the plains -- a cold front should be coming into the plains starting Wednesday. Some relief coming up, we hope.

Will you get to see Scott Peterson's preliminary hearing next month? We'll tell you the judge's ruling. And I'll discuss the implications with an attorney who has been on both sides of the courtroom. That's coming up just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: No cameras in the courtroom for Scott Peterson's preliminary hearing next month. Peterson is charged with murdering his wife and unborn child. Announcing his decision, the judge cited the nature of the case and privacy rights for those involved.

Joining us now from New York to talk about it, Adam Rosman, a former federal prosecutor, now a criminal defense attorney. Adam, thanks very much for joining us.

ADAM ROSMAN, FORMER FED. PROSECUTOR: Good to be here.

BLITZER: Is this going to help -- is this going to help or hurt Scott Peterson?

ROSMAN: I think it helps this case. I think it helps to ensure that the jury pool is not going to be tainted by seeing the prosecution's evidence ahead of time and forming an opinion about the case.

BLITZER: This is just for the preliminary hearing that begins September 9. It doesn't necessarily mean -- doesn't necessarily mean that if there's a trial, if the trial goes forward months down the road cameras will or will not be allowed inside.

ROSMAN: Unclear. I think it's -- because the judge didn't rule on that yet. But I think the judge is going to rule the same way down the road on the trial as he did in the preliminary hearing, and I bet he won't allow the cameras in the courtroom at that time.

BLITZER: If there's a change, though, of venue, if they move it, let's say, to Denver or someplace else, would it be the same judge or different judge?

ROSMAN: Different judge. And I think that's another reason that the judge in California decided not to allow cameras at this point. He's trying to dampen that argument down the road that venue needs to be changed.

BLITZER: I didn't mean Denver, I meant some other place like Los Angeles, for example. Obviously, this is California. The Kobe Bryant case is something else down the road.

But wouldn't you think that this example set by the judge in Modesto, California, where Scott Peterson is having his preliminary hearing on September 9, could affect the judge in Eagle County, Colorado, where Kobe Bryant's preliminary hearing is set for a month later?

ROSMAN: Well, I think that judge is going to be taking notice of this ruling, and that judge, like the judge in California, might just draw a line in the sand as well and just put a dampen on this -- on the media frenzy surrounding that case as well. It's -- it certainly could influence him, I think, yeah.

BLITZER: Do you ever see a need -- do you believe there should be cameras in the courtroom as a general principle?

ROSMAN: As a general principle, I don't. I favor the public's access to the courtroom. I favor, of course, that the public itself should be allowed in, and that reporters should be allowed in, but I don't see the need for live continuous coverage while a trial is actually going on. I think it's fraught with peril on all sorts of levels.

BLITZER: Why? Do you think that the prosecution and the defense, the teams, the witnesses act differently knowing that it's on television live?

ROSMAN: I think that's one thing. The witnesses act differently. Another thing, as I mentioned earlier, is you have potential problems with the jury, especially during a trial. If you have ongoing coverage, I'm not convinced that some of the information that's reported doesn't get back to the jury room. And that's a real problem for the trial. BLITZER: All right. We'll be hearing about what happens inside, but we won't be seeing it or hearing it live. Adam Rosman, thanks for joining us today.

And our hot Web question of the day is this -- do you support or oppose the recall elections in general? Vote now. Cnn.com/wolf. We'll have the results immediately when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Now the results of our Web question of the day -- do you support or oppose the recall elections? Look at this, 24 percent of you say support; 76 percent oppose. Remember, this is not a scientific poll.

Let's read some of your e-mail. Gary writes: "Everyone is asking the wrong question about the blackout. The real question is why a failure, however it was caused, spread throughout the entire northeast United States and Canada, and why none of the safeguards or backup system worked."

Mike writes: "The blackout was a catastrophe. There's another one happening right now in Phoenix that isn't drawing much attention. Gas stations are closing like dominoes. When they reopen, prices will be outrageous."

"LOU DOBBS TONIGHT" starts right now.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com







Aired August 18, 2003 - 17:00   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: It's Monday, August 18, 2003. Hello from Washington, I'm Wolf Blitzer reporting.
We begin fear that's gripping the Charleston, West Virginia area. We're going to get to that in a moment.

First, let's take a look at what else we're watching right now.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER (voice-over): Sniper on the loose, three people gunned down within a week in West Virginia.

SHERIFF DAVE TUCKER, KANAWHA COUNTY, WEST VIRGINIA: They were shot at a convenience store. They were shot in one single hit shot.

BLITZER: Almost a year after a string of shooting terrorized the Washington area is there a copycat killer?

Gunned down by U.S. troops; a news photographer's final image.

COL. GUY SHIELDS, U.S. ARMY: A battlefield is still a very dangerous place.

BLITZER: Sabotage, fire, and water, who's blowing up the pipelines?

Punch card politics, is California's recall race hanging by a chad? I'll ask Oakland mayor and former Governor Jerry Brown.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANNOUNCER: CNN live this hour, WOLF BLITZER REPORTS, live from the nation's capital with correspondents from around the world. WOLF BLITZER REPORTS starts now.

BLITZER: Hello from Washington. I am Wolf Blitzer reporting.

And, we begin with that fear that's gripping the West Virginia area. Police are trying to determine whether a serial sniper right now is on the loose. Investigators who worked on last year's Washington area sniper case have now been brought into the case.

Our Investigative Correspondent Art Harris is following the story. He's joining us now live from Charleston - Art. ART HARRIS, CNN INVESTIGATIVE CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, police believe they're looking for a country boy killer, someone who knows that narrow roads around these parts, is able to hunt his victims by night and so far get away.

They say he's in a dark pickup truck, maybe black, blue, or maroon, likely a late model Ford 150 and maybe an overweight White male. There were three victims last week all killed with a single shot to the head or neck and ballistics from two, and possibly all three killings, appear to match.

All victims were shot by a rifle from a distance late at night outside convenience stores. This afternoon Sheriff Dave Tucker said police had 100 leads and have developed a number of suspects. He hopes to catch the killer soon but there is no one in custody. That's why he warned people when they go to gas stations to be careful.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TUCKER: Know your surroundings, being able to look, being able to think but don't stop what you're doing. Now, with that said, because these happened at a certain time of night make sure when you do, when you do go out that you go in with somebody else. Don't go alone.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: We talked to one of the victim's relatives who we found at a gas station where another victim had been shot. He told us, Wolf: "I look around to make sure everything's all right but I cannot live in fear" - Wolf.

BLITZER: Art, they are putting out the word that they may be looking for a specific vehicle, what about that?

HARRIS: A witness saw a vehicle at one of the gas stations, Wolf, and other witnesses are certain it's a pickup truck because it lingered there in the parking lot for at least 20 minutes before one of the victims was shot.

BLITZER: Are they saying anything at all given the history of what happened with that white van in the Washington area sniper case? They were looking for the wrong vehicle. How concerned are they that they might be putting out misleading or wrong information that could actually hurt the investigation?

HARRIS: Well, Wolf, they say they've got two witnesses who saw this pickup truck. They did change the color just a little while ago at a press conference saying it's not necessarily black. It could be dark colors like blue or maroon that would appear black at night.

What's similar possibly to the copycat - to make it a copycat like the serial killer in Washington is that the shell casings were not found at the scene and they are looking at all angles. They have not ruled anything out yet - Wolf.

BLITZER: CNN's Art Harris covering the story for us from Charleston, West Virginia.

A lot of our viewers, of course, will remember originally they were looking for that white van in the Washington area. It wound up being a maroon Chevy Impala. We'll continue to watch this story and, as we said, all three shooting victims were gunned down within the time frame of only a few days and today they were all being remembered by family members and friends.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER (voice-over): Three people with no apparent personal connection now linked by the nature and place of their deaths all within four days.

TUCKER: They're connected by the site that they had. They were shot at a convenience store.

BLITZER: At the Go-Mart on the west side of Charleston a week ago yesterday, Gary Carrier, Jr., the first victim, using a pay phone killed with a single shot to the head. The 44-year-old mechanic a NASCAR fan described by his father in news reports as a patient guy who got along well with everyone reportedly divorced with four children ages ten to 25.

Laid to rest today, Jeannie Patton, 31 years old, a single mom with a 14-year-old son, she lived just outside Charleston, worked part time as a substitute cook and custodian for the Kanawha County school system. Jeannie Patton had just finished gassing up her car at a Speedway (ph) on Charleston's south side last Thursday, a single shot dead in an instant.

An hour later, 15 miles away, another convenience store, another solitary shot, another victim. Okey Meadows, 26 years old, Air Force veteran, former high school wrestler, fitness fanatic, applying for college to study electronics or criminal justice. He leaves behind heartbroken relatives.

WILLIAM SCHWAS, RELATIVE OF OKEY MEADOWS: You got to be a coward to shoot someone, to kill someone, I mean for no reason. You know, you don't take another person's life.

BLITZER: Meadows also had a three-year-old son Isaiah (ph) who friends say Meadows worshipped so much he had the boy's name tattooed on his arm. Okey Meadows went through a divorce and custody fight unable, family members told the local paper, to see Isaiah for over a year until recently. Friends tell CNN the boy is now asking about his dad.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: And, later this hour we'll speak with a former Washington, D.C. homicide detective who's got some insight how police, law enforcement, might crack this case, the search potentially for a serial sniper in West Virginia. We'll get to that. That's coming up.

But let's turn now to some late-breaking developments in Liberia right now. Following the departure of the former President Charles Taylor and the arrival of U.S. Marines the government has signed a peace deal with rebel groups aimed at ending almost a decade and a half of bloody conflict.

For that let's turn to CNN's Jeff Koinange. He's joining us now live in Monrovia - Jeff.

JEFF KOINANGE, CNN AFRICAN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Wolf, and that deal, that agreement was signed barely an hour ago. The ink is probably not even dry right now but the T's have been crossed, the I's and like you mentioned more than 14 years of a devastating civil war all but over.

Now what does this mean? Basically, the three warring factions, the government, the rebel side both LURD and MODEL they cannot vie for key positions in what's called an interim government but this will be picked from opposition groups in civil society.

Now, President Blah still has about eight weeks left in office. On October 15 a new interim government kicks in and that will be around for about two years made up of members like I said of civil society, opposition groups, and then after two years it will give way to multi party politics and anyone and everyone who qualifies can run for that.

So, for the most part the tough task is now out of the way. They have to start rebuilding a country literally from scratch. One more note, Wolf, this all comes exactly one week to the day that President Taylor stepped down and left town - Wolf.

BLITZER: And only a few days after the couple hundred U.S. Marines arrived in Liberia. How are they doing those U.S. personnel?

KOINANGE: Doing very well, Wolf, both on the ground and in the air. You can see their helicopter gun ships, the Cobras, patrolling the skies and also the Marines on the ground in their Humvees all up and down the city and everywhere they go.

Wolf, I can tell you they're being treated like heroes, people cheering them, people telling them thank you, welcome. We thank George Bush. That's what they keep saying we thank America. Thank you for finally coming.

Remember there are almost about 1,000 West African peacekeepers also on the ground making this city a lot safer right now. You can tell we're not wearing flack jackets anymore right now, Wolf. It makes this a much safer city as we speak.

BLITZER: That's good news from our Jeff Koinange. He's been doing a great job for all of us in Monrovia. Thanks very much, Jeff, for that report.

Killed in the line of duty...

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NAEL AL-SHYOUKHI, REUTERS CAMERAMAN: I saw the American soldiers around us and I spoke to the same soldier who shot him.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: A Reuters cameraman gunned down by U.S. troops, find out what triggered this deadly mistake.

Also, the California recall gets dirty as Schwarzenegger's lead slips away. We'll get the blow-by-blow with the former Governor Jerry Brown.

And, cameras banned from the courtroom, Scott Peterson protected from the limelight but will that help or hurt his case? We'll take a closer look, first though today's News Quiz.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER (voice-over): What was the deadliest place in the world for journalists to work last year, Colombia, Russia, West Bank, Iraq," the answer coming up.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Why are some Americans waiting hours in line for gasoline? Coming up a flashback to the '70s, we'll take you live to the latest energy crisis.

And, new information on what happened before the blackout of 2003. We'll be back in 60 seconds.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Sabotage is setting back efforts to restore Iraq's economy. The country's main oil pipeline to Turkey was hit by two explosions over the weekend.

Iraqi engineers and U.S. troops have extinguished a huge fire but officials say it could take at least several days before oil can begin flowing once again. The pipeline had resumed pumping only last week for the first time since the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq.

U.N. officials say a water pipeline which exploded yesterday in Baghdad has now been repaired. The blast which blew an enormous hole in the line flooded streets and left much of the city without running water. Repairs involve shutting down a water treatment plant.

The Arab satellite network Al-Jazeera has broadcast a tape showing a group of masked men who vow to continue resisting the occupation of Iraq. The U.S. administrator for the country told CNN today he has a good idea who's responsible for the sabotage.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PAUL BREMER, U.S. ADMIN. FOR IRAQ: We know in general terms who's behind it. It's people who are fighting against the liberated Iraq that most Iraqis have welcomed. It's people who do not share the vision of a free Iraq with a vibrant economy that the president has set forth and which Iraqis share. These are probably people left over from the old regime who are simply fighting a rear guard action by attacking Iraq's assets.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Paul Bremer said the so-called bitter-enders are living in a "fantasy world" thinking that Saddam Hussein's Ba'athist regime will somehow return to power.

Journalist groups are outraged over the weekend death of a Reuters cameraman in Iraq. They're demanding a full investigation into the incident in which 43-year-old Mazen Dana was shot and killed by a U.S. soldier.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER (voice-over): This is Mazen Dana's final work. He was filming Sunday outside a prison west of Baghdad, the scene of a deadly mortar attack the day before. Dana turned his camera toward an approaching U.S. tank. Then, shots rang out and the camera fell to the ground.

AL-SHYOUKHI: He screamed one time and he was putting his hand on his chest and fell down on the ground. (Unintelligible) you know. I saw him bleeding.

BLITZER: U.S. officials in Iraq say the soldier who shot Dana mistook his camera for a grenade launcher. At least six shots were fired. One hit Dana in the chest.

AL-SHYOUKHI: I looked. I saw the American soldiers around us and I spoke to the same soldier who shot him. Why did you shoot him you know? We're TV. You see him with a camera. Why did he shoot him? And I told him you shot him. Please to stop the bleeding. He's bleeding too much.

BLITZER: A U.S. coalition spokesman in Iraq promised a full investigation.

SHIELDS: We offer our condolences to the family and the coworkers. This is a tragic incident. It is under investigation and we will do everything in our power to make sure things like this do not happen again.

BLITZER: In the West Bank, a group of journalists marched in mourning for their fallen colleague carrying a camera on a stretcher and journalist organizations around the world are calling for full accountability.

Dana, a Palestinian father of four was an award-winning photographer who spent years covering the Israeli-Palestinian conflict where he said he'd been shot and beaten. He's the 12th journalist killed in Iraq and the second Reuters employee killed by American fire. (END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: And, as we mentioned a U.S. official now says the soldier mistook Dana's camera for a rocket-propelled grenade launcher. They've been used in numerous deadly attacks against U.S. forces in Iraq. You can see here that the two from a distance certainly could get confusing.

Wafa Amr is joining us now from Ramallah. She's Reuters' Jerusalem correspondent and was a friend of Mazen Dana, Wafa thank you very much for joining us. Tell us about this remarkable cameraman.

WAFA AMR, REUTERS JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Mazen is a very committed cameraman. He's also a very good journalist. He had deep feelings that he was - he had a message and a mission to his camera that he wanted to expose the truth, to tell the truth, to show the world what was happening both in the West Bank and in Iraq.

He firmly believed in his mission. He hardly had time for his family. He was always out on the streets following the news, covering the story. He was everywhere and he was a very popular journalist. He was known by everybody and loved by everybody.

BLITZER: There have been these kinds of incidents in the West Bank and Gaza, Wafa as you well know, Israeli forces firing on cameraman saying that they're confused by the camera thinking it could be a bazooka or a shoulder-fired missile or a rocket-propelled grenade launcher. Mazen fully understood the dangers given his experience in the Middle East.

AMR: I don't think that it's very difficult for a soldier to distinguish between a journalist carrying a camera and a gunman carrying a gun. It's very easy to distinguish a journalist, especially where the journalists wear flack jackets with press written all over them, so it's not really difficult for the soldier to distinguish and tell that that person is a journalist and that is a camera.

You know sometimes out of negligence or intentionally the soldier would shoot at a journalist. I mean he's got his own motive but journalists have been targeted in the West Bank and Gaza and elsewhere in war zones.

BLITZER: But in this particular case and I want to put it up on the screen and show our viewers, we showed it earlier, the kind of image. On the left you see a soldier with a rocket-propelled grenade launcher. On the right you see Mazen with his camera.

From a distance, though, from pretty far away given the tensions, given the attacks on U.S. troops, Wafa, it's possible that given the moment somebody sees that image, a U.S. soldier could get nervous and fire, obviously a tragic mistake. You're not suggesting that Mazen was killed deliberately by U.S. troops are you?

AMR: I cannot tell because I wasn't in Iraq and I don't have all the details of what happened in Iraq but if it's from a short distance I think the soldier can distinguish a camera from a gun and if it's from a far distance I can understand when a soldier feels frightened but to shoot directly at a journalist, I mean, that's not understandable.

But I cannot tell exactly what the details are of what happened with Mazen Dana in Iraq. The Reuters people in Iraq know better about the details there and I think that an investigation has been opened on that subject.

BLITZER: And that's why there should be a full scale investigation, you're absolutely right. It does cry out for an investigation, Wafa thank you for joining us from Ramallah.

And, let me just read to our viewers from Mazen Dana's statement that he made in 2001 when he received an award from the International Press Freedom Association. He said this.

He said: "Words and images are a public trust and for this reason I will continue with my work regardless of the hardships and even if it costs me my life," our deepest condolences to Mazen Dana's family and all of his friends and colleagues.

A bit of good news at the same time coming from Iraq, Britain's defense ministry says two Army soldiers have saved the life of a baby girl found inside a padlocked box in a hidden arms cache in Basra. The baby was surrounded by weapons, including assault weapons and grenade launchers. The soldiers say the two-day-old girl was not breathing when they found her but revived after mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. The mother has been tracked down and reunited with the baby whom the soldiers are now calling Baby Rose.

The power is back on but the finger pointing and the blame game are now in full swing. Find out who's denying responsibility right now.

Also, the U.S. at risk for another September 11 style attack, terror experts predict the worst.

And, massive shortages, Phoenix comes up dry at the pump.

First, though, the answer to today's News Quiz.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER (voice-over): Earlier we asked: "What was the deadliest place in the world for journalists to work last year," the answer the West Bank, Russia and Colombia. Three journalists were killed in each area during 2002.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Here are the latest developments in the power blackout. The northeast is plugged in again and ready for business. New Yorkers have got a relatively normal Monday commute. This is the first business day since the nation's largest power blackout ever.

But in Ontario, that's in Canada, things are not quite back to normal. Homes and businesses are being asked to cut energy use in half. Auto maker Daimler Chrysler said it would shut down an assembly plant to comply.

In parts of Michigan, contaminated water has been a concern but Detroit area residents were advised today that they no longer have to boil water for drinking.

While this crisis may have passed experts are looking for the causes of the massive blackout in hopes of preventing the next one. The search is centered on the nation's Heartland and that's where we find CNN's John Zarrella.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The early speculation had been that the blackout began somewhere here in northern Ohio but that may be changing at least to a degree.

Reports coming out today that a Wisconsin software company detected fluctuations in the voltage on the grid as early as Wednesday, not necessarily significant except the duration of time those fluctuations existed was significant.

The Midwest ISO, that's the Independent Transmission System Operator, is looking into that to see if there's any relevance. Midwest ISO is also saying that they don't believe that the cause of the blackout could have been simply four transmission lines here in Ohio that went down shortly before the blackout began. That had been the early speculation.

And, First Energy, the company that owns those four lines and co- owns one of them with another company, is saying they believe that other things were going on simultaneously outside their service area that it had to be more than their four power lines, their four transmission lines that caused the major blackout.

John Zarrella CNN, Eastlake, Ohio.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: "The Terminator" loses his lead in California while the two top Democrats start squabbling. I'll talk to the former Governor Jerry Brown about the political zoo in California.

Also, lights out on the media, the judge bars cameras from the Scott Peterson hearing. Will that help or hurt his case?

And, a world record set by good luck and exact science.

First, though, in case you were out enjoying the days off, here's our "Weekend Snapshot."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) BLITZER (voice-over): Rescued from an inferno, a motorist in Oklahoma is praising her rescuer. The woman was trapped in her vehicle by heavy smoke and flames after a tanker crashed and burned on Interstate 35 near Oklahoma City. Another motorist, Greg Parsons, helped lead the woman to safety.

Gruesome death, a man's long hair apparently was to blame for his death at the county fair in Washington State. The victim, who owns a roller coaster type ride, was spraying lubricant on the tracks while the ride was underway. His hair got caught in one car and he was pulled up to 40 feet into the air. Hundreds of fair goers witnessed the accident.

Democracy's new weapons, in Groton, Connecticut, the daughter of a president helped christen the first of a new class of submarines said to be the most advanced in the world.

Linda Johnson Robb, daughter of President Lyndon Johnson, cracked a bottle of champagne against the nuclear attack submarine The Virginia. Once it's completed the $2 billion sub will be put to use on the war on terror. Senator Jack Reid of Rhode Island calls it a formidable weapon in the arsenal of democracy.

Mangled music, Sharon and Ozzy Osbourne entertained fans during the seventh inning stretch of yesterday's game between the Chicago Cubs and the Los Angeles Dodgers. The couple sang "Take me out to the Ballgame," and while some of the words were missing, fans didn't seem to mind.

Horror times two, two of the scariest characters on the big screen teamed up to frighten away the competition. "Freddy vs. Jason" the showdown between the bad guys of "Friday the 13th" and "Nightmare on Elm Street" debuted at number one raking in more than $36 million, and that's our weekend snapshot.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: What does a message in the Arab world reveal about Osama bin Laden? We'll take a look at that.

And, look out Arnold Schwarzenegger, a new frontrunner in California, I'll speak with former California Governor Jerry Brown on who has the edge.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Welcome back to CNN.

The heat is on in California, where the recall race is getting down and dirty. The former Governor Jerry Brown joins me. That's coming up.

First, though, the latest headlines.

(NEWSBREAK)

BLITZER: Returning now to our top story, the West Virginia sniper attacks claiming the lives of three people.

Lou Hennessy is with me now to talk more about the investigation. He's a former homicide investigator here in Washington.

Lou, thanks very much for joining us.

Does it look like another serial sniper is on the loose?

LOUIS HENNESSY, FORMER D.C. HOMICIDE INVESTIGATOR: Well, I'm sure they're not going to rule that out. They're not ruling out anything at this time and what they are going to do is let the evidence dictate what theories they're going to pursue. But they're not going to rule anything out.

BLITZER: Well, the evidence would seem, without the hard ballistic evidence that you would probably want, similar kind of circumstances, a single shot, casings, the weapon and the bullet, in fact, looks similar. That would seem to suggest one individual, or maybe two working together?

HENNESSY: It would certainly seem to suggest that the same weapon may have well been involved. Hopefully it will just be one individual. But, as you said, as we found out a few months ago that sometimes they operate with more than one person involved in these incidents.

BLITZER: They put out already a description of one truck that apparently was at least one of the incidents. Is that a good idea, knowing the history of the white van in the sniper incident a year ago here in Washington, almost and turned out to be a Maroon Chevy?

HENNESSY: It's always good to elicit the cooperation of the community. It's always good to get as much information to the community as possible so that you can begin to get information back and then the job really becomes processing the information as it comes in.

BLITZER: What lessons can they learn from what we had to endure here in the greater Washington, D.C. area, that might be applicable down in Charleston, West Virginia?

HENNESSY: Well, I think what they're probably going to do is they are probably going to be in touch with the agents or some of the officers who were involved in that case and find out what worked and didn't work. How did they process all this information? How did they prioritize the information when they started following up on different leads? Because that is the real challenge that they have is when the information starts coming in, which leads should be prioritized. Which should be given top priority and jumped on right away and which one should be sat on?

BLITZER: What worked well in the Washington area, all the communities, Northern Virginia, D.C., Maryland, the suburbs of Washington, all the local law enforcement worked well. But they also had the FBI, the ATF, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, they had senior people involved and all of them had a sort of a combined task force. Is that the way they should go in Charleston, West Virginia or is it too early to do that?

HENNESSY: It's difficult to say.

We had the advantage here in the Washington area of work on task forces regularly. It's not unusual for us to have multijurisdictional task forces in law enforcement, particularly with the federal agencies involved. Not all agencies are used to that, and there is a learning curve, so to speak, when you initiate one of these task forces. But I'm certainly -- I'm sure that's something they are looking at.

BLITZER: What's the best advice you, as a former homicide detective, have for the people in the greater Charleston, West Virginia area right now? They obviously got to gas, they got to go to these convenience stores.

HENNESSY: Well, the most important you can give anybody is be conscious of what's going on around you. Look for things that appear unusual, and then report any unusual activities or suspicions that you may have to law enforcement. Try not to take anything into your own hands.

BLITZER: And even if you think it's marginal or probably irrelevant, make a call.

HENNESSY: Absolutely. It's better that they have more information, have information that they don't need than to have information, you know, information be out there that's necessary and they don't ever get it.

BLITZER: All right. Lou Hennessy, always giving us good insight, thanks very much.

HENNESSY: You're welcome.

BLITZER: Let's hope they catch this guy or guys.

HENNESSY: Absolutely.

BLITZER: Let's move on to some other news that's happening right now. The infamous hanging chad that gained notoriety in the 2000 Florida election are taking center stage in California's recall election. They're the subject of a lawsuit seeking to postpone the ballotting.

Our national correspondent Bob Franken is inside the courthouse. He'll bring us the latest as soon as he gets out. We'll be anxiously awaiting that.

In the meantime, we're learning new details about Arnold Schwarzenegger. Turns out the former bodybuilder is a formidable empire builder.

CNN's Jen Rogers has that part of the story.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

JEN ROGERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Everybody knew Arnold Schwarzenegger was rich. He got $30 million for his last movie.

What many people didn't know, until his recent campaign filings, was how successful he had been off screen in the business world.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is totally atypical, as either a Hollywood portfolio or as any other type of a business person's portfolio.

ROGERS: The disclosure form doesn't say how much he's worth, but it has some interesting information.

The usual blue chip stocks, including Starbucks, Citigroup and Wal-Mart. But then there are the creative investments. Multiple real estate holdings from California to Ohio, an annual fitness expo and a 747 he owns and leases to Singapore Airlines.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is not some celebrity who's going out and making a lot of money by opening a chain of chicken restaurants or selling, you know, perfume and body lotions or something like that. Arnold's portfolio is vast and it's wide reaching.

ROGERS (on camera): Maybe too wide. If Schwarzenegger wins, his investments could raise concerns over conflict of interest. Still, some say he could simply create a blind trust for his holdings.

(voice-over): For Schwarzenegger it would be a huge change. He's known as an active, hands-on investor who thrives on being involved. He doesn't complain about paying taxes, more than $9 million worth in 2001. In fact, the action star's money managers say they actively avoid tax shelters and offshore accounts. But he enjoys the money he keeps.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He loves to spend money. He loves to go shopping. But he is very calculated, that he should spend when he has the money, and you should take a percent of the money and save it.

ROGERS: Fiscal discipline, a habit his supporters hope will translate to the statehouse.

Of course, critic say there's a big difference between managing your own millions and closing the gap on a multibillion dollar deficit.

Jen Rogers, CNN Financial News, Los Angeles.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Jerry Brown has unique insight into the California political scene. He's a former Democratic governor of the state, as was his father. Brown is currently the mayor of Oakland. He's joining us now live.

Mr. Mayor, thanks very much for joining us. What do you make of this apparently two-man race right now between Arnold Schwarzenegger and Cruz Bustamante. We'll put the numbers once again up on the screen showing the latest Field Poll. Bustamante at 25 percent, Schwarzenegger at 22 percent.

MAYOR JERRY BROWN (D), OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA: Well, it looks like the electorate is polarized between Democratic voters and Republican voters. So Schwarzenegger is -- got lot of unfavorable among Democrats and Bustamante is picking up the loyalty. And it would seem to me with Davis signing some of these Democratic bills more liberal bills, in recent days and to come, that that's going to further polarize the electorate between the extremes.

I think the Republican conservatives will be making their case. The Democrats will be making theirs. And you're going to see increasingly this getting to a partisan effort.

The competition, of course, is you have the yes and no vote on Governor Davis and then you have all those other candidates scrambling to be the one, in case the recall should be approved.

BLITZER: Well, a lot of people are already writing off Gray Davis as the California governor, thinking that the recall part of it a slam dunk. He's going to be recalled. But is it a slam dunk?

BROWN: No, it can't be a slam dunk at this point in time.

First of all, these other candidates, other than just articulating the usual Republican bromides, have not added anything. Schwarzenegger has been silent. The other Republican candidates have been saying the same thing that they said when they ran against Gray Davis last November and then -- and so what does all that prove?

Davis is definitely in a hole. He's the underdog. But I remember the story in the Old Testament, which I called Davis versus Goliath and Davis has this slingshot in his discipline, his knowledge and his basic case that he knows a great deal and a lot of what has caused the problem are the partisan wrangling, which this recall may just emphasize.

It is a long shot. But I would not be writing any obituaries for the governor at this point.

BLITZER: As you well know, there's no apparent love lost between Cruz Bustamante and Gray Davis. They're the governor, the lieutenant governor. They're both Democrats. But if you're Cruz Bustamante, you have to say to yourself, you know what? I have a shot at becoming the governor of California.

BROWN: Well, he does, and I think his latest move there in attacking Davis' contributors, he's won a way to get himself on the media. He was all over the California press this morning. And television on Sunday. And then, of course, he's also carving out some independence and also trying to get some of these donors to give to him. So there is a struggle between the Bustamante interest and the maintenance of the Davis governorship.

So on the other hand, there is also the belief that Democrats should have a reserve option and insurance policy. That's what makes this thing complicated. I think it is early. And even though the election is only 55 days hence, nevertheless the amount of publicity and exposure and advertising will translate into an election that we're going to pack perhaps a year or six months of campaigning into this short period.

So there's going to be a lot of information, a lot of opportunity for candidates to put their foot in their mouth and things to be exposed. And I'd say don't write off Gray Davis. He's a very tough competitor. And it reminds me of Pete Wilson, who is advising one of the other candidates. This guy was way down in the polls, but through discipline, by seizing on a couple of key issues, he brought himself back and was re-elected.

So I think this is an open race. Even though the position now makes it very difficult for the governor.

BLITZER: Let me -- let me guess -- tell me if I'm right or wrong. You're going to vote against the recall -- in other words, you're going to hope that Gray Davis stays in office, but you're also going to vote for Cruz Bustamante as a sort of a failsafe?

BROWN: That's it. And I think a lot of Democrats will. And a lot of people in the House of Representatives want that and a number of the senators. So you'll see more and more people mobilizing behind Bustamante as a very viable option here.

BLITZER: And he's the only serious Democrat on the ballot. There are several Republicans that could split the vote.

Jerry Brown, as usual, we'll continue this conversation. Thanks very much.

BROWN: OK.

BLITZER: And this important note to our viewers. Tomorrow, I'll speak with Cruz Bustamante. He'll be on this program tomorrow, 5:00 p.m. Eastern.

Here's your turn to weigh in on this story. Our Web question of the day is this -- do you support or oppose recall elections? We'll have the results later in this broadcast. But you can vote right now at cnn.com/wolf. While you are there, I'd love to hear directly from you, our viewers. Send me your comments. I'll try to read some of them on the air each day at the end of this program. That's also, of course, where you can read my daily online column, cnn.com/wolf.

It's a scene from the 1970s. Hour-long lines for gasoline in Phoenix. Find out what's causing the shortage.

And not caught on tape. A judge bans cameras from the Scott Peterson hearing. A look at the impact it will have on the case.

First, though, some other news making headlines around the world.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER (voice-over): A senior French health official is resigning after coming under fire for the government's handling of the recent heat wave. His boss, the health minister, is also facing calls for resignation and now says the heat wave may have killed as many as 5,000 people.

An amusement park in western Germany is offering visitors an unusual way to keep cool. It trucked in 120 tons of artificial snow and built a bobsled course. Admission is just over $5, and the park says there are plenty of takers.

Preparations are under way along the Russian-North Korean border for a large scale joint exercise. Thirty thousand people, 85 ships, and 50 planes will take part with China, South Korea and Canada sending observers. It comes a week ahead of six-way talks with the United States and others, aimed at diffusing nuclear tension.

Greenpeace activists targeted this train for protest as it crossed from the U.S. into Mexico. The cargo -- genetically engineered maize. Demonstrators say it threatens native species.

Three ships from Iceland are hunting endangered mickey (ph) whales for the first time since an international ban more than a decade ago. Iceland says the mission is for research. The U.S. opposes it.

And a world record for domino toppling. A 24-year-old Beijing woman knocked over 303,000 tiles, beating the old record by more than 20,000. It took her a month and a half to set up, and just four minutes to fall.

And that's our look around the world.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Suddenly filling up is not so easy for drivers in Phoenix, Arizona. The area is experiencing a severe gas shortage that has drivers waiting in long lines in triple-digit temperatures. Mike Watkiss of CNN affiliate KTVK is in Phoenix. He's joining us now live with more. Mike, tell us what's going on.

MIKE WATKISS, KTVK CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, I can tell you here in the sizzling Valley of the Sun, it's always bone dry this time of year. But usually we're talking about a lack of water, not a lack of gasoline. But throughout the Phoenix metro area, gas pumps either tapped out or rapidly drying up after a large gas pipeline that carries gasoline from Texas through Tucson and on up here to Phoenix ruptured about two weeks ago.

Since that time, demand has far outpaced supply. We are told that officials are now saying that it's going to be at least another week, possibly two, before that gas pipeline is back up and running.

In the interim, they are now trucking gas to gas stations around the Valley of the Sun. Stations lucky enough to get gas, but at this point they are going through an entire week's allotment in the space of about four or five hours. There have been reports of some gouging, prices as high as $4 a gallon. Average at this point, Wolf, seems to be about $2 a gallon. But all week long, the prices have been jumping like a toad on the hot asphalt out here, and there's really no relief in sight.

We're at a gas station in suburb of Phoenix, Chandler, Arizona, a long line at this gas station until about 10 minutes ago. And then a young man, perspiring and obviously nervous about the reaction, came out here to tell all these exasperated motorists, that they were out completely. So all those people dispersed now, looking for another gas station, lucky enough to get a truck load in here.

No relief in sight. And again, the temperatures are running at about 108 degrees. People encouraged not to use their air conditioning, because of course that uses gasoline. It's a bad situation, only getting worse -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Mike Watkiss, reporting for us from our CNN affiliate KTVK. Mike, thanks very much. Good luck to all of our friends in Phoenix.

The dog days of summer are gripping the Midwest. Parts of Missouri, Kansas, and Nebraska, as well as Oklahoma, are all seeing temperatures topping 100 degrees today. Factor in the humidity and in some areas it feels more like 110. A cold front should bring some to the plains -- a cold front should be coming into the plains starting Wednesday. Some relief coming up, we hope.

Will you get to see Scott Peterson's preliminary hearing next month? We'll tell you the judge's ruling. And I'll discuss the implications with an attorney who has been on both sides of the courtroom. That's coming up just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: No cameras in the courtroom for Scott Peterson's preliminary hearing next month. Peterson is charged with murdering his wife and unborn child. Announcing his decision, the judge cited the nature of the case and privacy rights for those involved.

Joining us now from New York to talk about it, Adam Rosman, a former federal prosecutor, now a criminal defense attorney. Adam, thanks very much for joining us.

ADAM ROSMAN, FORMER FED. PROSECUTOR: Good to be here.

BLITZER: Is this going to help -- is this going to help or hurt Scott Peterson?

ROSMAN: I think it helps this case. I think it helps to ensure that the jury pool is not going to be tainted by seeing the prosecution's evidence ahead of time and forming an opinion about the case.

BLITZER: This is just for the preliminary hearing that begins September 9. It doesn't necessarily mean -- doesn't necessarily mean that if there's a trial, if the trial goes forward months down the road cameras will or will not be allowed inside.

ROSMAN: Unclear. I think it's -- because the judge didn't rule on that yet. But I think the judge is going to rule the same way down the road on the trial as he did in the preliminary hearing, and I bet he won't allow the cameras in the courtroom at that time.

BLITZER: If there's a change, though, of venue, if they move it, let's say, to Denver or someplace else, would it be the same judge or different judge?

ROSMAN: Different judge. And I think that's another reason that the judge in California decided not to allow cameras at this point. He's trying to dampen that argument down the road that venue needs to be changed.

BLITZER: I didn't mean Denver, I meant some other place like Los Angeles, for example. Obviously, this is California. The Kobe Bryant case is something else down the road.

But wouldn't you think that this example set by the judge in Modesto, California, where Scott Peterson is having his preliminary hearing on September 9, could affect the judge in Eagle County, Colorado, where Kobe Bryant's preliminary hearing is set for a month later?

ROSMAN: Well, I think that judge is going to be taking notice of this ruling, and that judge, like the judge in California, might just draw a line in the sand as well and just put a dampen on this -- on the media frenzy surrounding that case as well. It's -- it certainly could influence him, I think, yeah.

BLITZER: Do you ever see a need -- do you believe there should be cameras in the courtroom as a general principle?

ROSMAN: As a general principle, I don't. I favor the public's access to the courtroom. I favor, of course, that the public itself should be allowed in, and that reporters should be allowed in, but I don't see the need for live continuous coverage while a trial is actually going on. I think it's fraught with peril on all sorts of levels.

BLITZER: Why? Do you think that the prosecution and the defense, the teams, the witnesses act differently knowing that it's on television live?

ROSMAN: I think that's one thing. The witnesses act differently. Another thing, as I mentioned earlier, is you have potential problems with the jury, especially during a trial. If you have ongoing coverage, I'm not convinced that some of the information that's reported doesn't get back to the jury room. And that's a real problem for the trial. BLITZER: All right. We'll be hearing about what happens inside, but we won't be seeing it or hearing it live. Adam Rosman, thanks for joining us today.

And our hot Web question of the day is this -- do you support or oppose the recall elections in general? Vote now. Cnn.com/wolf. We'll have the results immediately when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Now the results of our Web question of the day -- do you support or oppose the recall elections? Look at this, 24 percent of you say support; 76 percent oppose. Remember, this is not a scientific poll.

Let's read some of your e-mail. Gary writes: "Everyone is asking the wrong question about the blackout. The real question is why a failure, however it was caused, spread throughout the entire northeast United States and Canada, and why none of the safeguards or backup system worked."

Mike writes: "The blackout was a catastrophe. There's another one happening right now in Phoenix that isn't drawing much attention. Gas stations are closing like dominoes. When they reopen, prices will be outrageous."

"LOU DOBBS TONIGHT" starts right now.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com