i'm susan hendricks.fire. officials say the fire is almost 50% contained and the part of the fire raging east poses less of a threat to people there. >> firefighters farewell to the brave fallen comrades this weekend. tedmund hall and quinones, they were scouting an escape route for a crew under their super vigs. investigators are evidence found in the charred hills as they try to determine who set the fire. >> indicators can be things such as burned rocks, soil that's been damaged. we will look at any area where we think the fire may have begun for those indicators. >> governor schwarzenegger is offering a $100,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the arsonist. >>> authorities in western pennsylvania are searching for a missing 4-year-old boy. why yet was last seen last night. the boy has a congenital heart defect. he needs to take medication three times a day. they have to move fast here. police say they think wyatt may have wondered off from his home. he was last seen wear

susan hendricks is joining us from atlanta and she is there to see how folks are coping. e? >> reporter: it's really devastating, virginia. people losing their homes, losing their lives. a bit of good news here. we pulled up to this site near the chattahoochee around 10:00 a.m. eastern time and the water was up to here. i was not able to stand where i am now. so it is receding just a bit as you see there. but that really doesn't put a dent into the folks' homes that are behind me that live here. 48 hours ago, this was a functioning neighborhood with a playground to the right and a pool and a swingset and now this no parking sign here is literally used as a dock for this canoe t means of transportation, how folks are getting around. i ran into a lot of folks who are looking here in disbelief, they can't believe this is their neighborhood. a young guy about 26 years old in from california visiting his parents said, i haven't seen them since easter. i decided to come here and it turned into literally a rescue mission. take a listen to him. >> we kind of cruised in, got about

i'm susan hendricks. >>> we are learning more about the three men involved in a terrorist investigation. >> reporter: najibullah zazi is arrested in denver. all charged with lying to the fbi in the course of a terrorism investigation. according to court documents authorities found on zazi's computer nine page december tails how to build a bomb, handwritten documents. according to the charging documents zazi told the fbi he had not written them or put them there. fbi forensics and handwriting analysis indicated that he had. also in these documents, reread zazi has admitted to the authorities he attended an al qaeda training camp in 2008. he and his attorney denied he had made an admission. the specifics of any alleged plot to set off explosives in the u.s. are not detailed in these documents. a department of justice official says that they still do not have any specific knowledge on the timing, the location, or the targeting of any such attack. but this investigation is continuing. these charges allow auth

i'm susan hendricks. we want to get you caught up now. oscar-winning film maker roman pulans ask i is in a swiss jail. he has been a fugitive since 1978, when he fled the u.s. to avoid a prison term. pulanski entered a guilty plea to a charge of having sex with a 13-year-old girl. after serving two days in a california prison, he thought he was a free man, but the judge overturned the plea deal and was ready to send the director to prison again. he left los angeles for europe, and has never returned. police arrested him on a 30-year-old u.s. warrant when he entered switzerland to attend the zurich film festival. >>> actress towny ketain has been arrested on the suspicion of driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol. she appeared on "celebrity rehab" with doctor drew. >>> the husband of a congresswoman died while on a mountain climbing trip in tibet. aides to carolyn maloney said he died after reaching the fifth highest mountain. carolyn maloney has served in congress since 1993, and recently announced she was giving up her bid for t

i'm susan hendricks.green jobs frlt u.s. economy is himself out of a jab. his adviser van jones resigned after coming under fire from con serbtive activists for signing an online petition in 2004. it asks for the investigation to determine whether the government played any role in allowing the 9/11 attacks to happen. jones apologized and said he did not fully read the petition before signing it. one congressional republican says it was time for jones to go. >> well, i think van jones did the right thing. his extremist views and, of course, rhetoric have no place in this administration. the administration did a disservice to van jones by appointing him to this high-ranking position without properly vetting him. >> in his resignation letter jones said this. i could not in good conscience ask my colleagues to expend precious time and energy depending on colleagues explaining my past. we need all hands on deck. >>> making the rounds on the sunday talk shows, white house adviser david axelrod said a public pla

i'm susan hendricks with brooke baldwin.r. this is the inland empire area. it's unclear whether the driver, male or female, at this point. we do know the car has been weaving in and out of traffic, a cop close on its tail. we were speaking earlier with a former motorcycle cop, steve karidan. right now we have wally on the lines. can you hear me? sorry about that, mike. thanks for calling in on this. we've covered these plenty times before in the past. tell us what you think. what do you see? >> caller: we don't know. we're trying to find out what initiated the chase. it's gone through ontario. the dodge stratus. and we don't know if this guy is wanted, but we see him going onto the shoulder of the road now and taking -- looks like he might be taken an exit off. looks like -- >> mike -- sorry to interrupt. this happens so often. i believe we just cover it more often in the state of california. they must have something down in terms of okay, another chase, this time, here's what we do. what's the protocol? >> caller: in califo

susan hendricks is there. she watched it with them. these are the kids at the ron clark academy. elle, as you know. i have to say the speech, as you know, was very captivating, no matter what side you were on in terms of the political undertones, if you thought there were any at all. it was very captivating and the kids here really made sure of that in terms of their comments to ron clark, who's teaching behind me and was nice enough to let me do this. here's some of the things they said -- if you mess up, keep trying. president obama was saying, it's okay no mat ter obstacles, keep striving, you're responsible for yourself. i want to introduce you to an eighth-grader, this is travis. travis, thanks for talking to me again. what did you think of obama and what he said to students your age? >> i think it was a great speech. i loved it. he really related to the kids' situations and i liked his thoughts on failure and how if you fail, keep trying and if you try hard enough, you can succeed at anything. >> and do you have any idea, although you're only in eight grade, of what you may

i'm susan hendricks. very sad news off the top. comes to a tragic end. wyatt smitsky's body was found in a septic tank this afternoon in western pennsylvania. now a man is in custody but police haven't released the suspect's name. the boy was last seen friday evening playing with his sisters near his home. when he didn't return with them, a search was soon started. hundreds of people joined in today. his body was discovered when a searcher noticed a neighbor's septic tank lid was open. the search had been even more urgent because wyatt had a heart condition that required medication three times a day. >>> police have arrested the son of one of the victims in the killings of eight people in south georgia last weekend. sean callebs is in the town of brunswick with the latest details on the arrest. >> most of the victims in the brutal slaying here in brunswick, georgia, are going to be laid to rest today. seven caskets were in a funeral home last night. family members wanted our cameras there. they wanted to show the community and remi

i'm susan hendricks. obama's eagerly awaited address on health care. it is beginning to look like the president is willing to compromise on a government-run health insurance option. while making the round on the sunday talk shows, the white house adviser david axelrod said a public plan isn't a core issue in health care reform. >> all the ideas are on the table, david. the president set forth principles at the beginning of this discussion, at the beginning of the year, and now all the ideas are on the table. and the president will say we agree on 80% of this. let's do the final 20%. let's get the job done. here's how i think we should do it. >> in his speech, the president is expected to lay out specific details he wants to see in a reform bill. up until this point in the debate, he has only spelled out general principles of what he would like to see. the man who headed the obama administration agency focused on creating a millions of green jobs for the economy. he himself is now out of a job. president o

i am susan hendricks. detention center likely will not be closed by a deadline set by president obama. the sources say they think the facility will be closed soon. during his first week in office, president obama signed an executive order. senate republican leader says the announcement proves there is no better alternative for housing detainees. >>> pretty brutal to watch. store chloric was attacked by a woman with a crowbar. this happened thursday night and police say the woman was paying for shirts when she suddenly pulled out the crowbar and hit the clerk several times. she fled in the car with no license plates. investigators are hoping this video will lead to the assailant. the clerk is doing okay. >>> an ohio mother mistakenly implanted with another woman's embryo has given birth to a healthy baby boy. the couple released the statement yesterday announcing the birth and congratulating the biological parents. she got another couple's embryo. they found out about this ten days after the procedure, if y

i'm susan hendricks. we start you off today with breaking news. police have arrested a lab technician in the killing of yale grad student annie le, but they're still not saying why they think he did it. remained clark's bond was set at $3 million. he was taken into custody near the motel and campus earlier today. he did not enter a plea. investigators say he is the only suspect, though. authorities compared dna from his hair, fingernails and saliva to more than 250 pieces of evidence collected at the scene at the lab. the state medical examiner says 24-year-old le was strangled to death while new haven's police chief wouldn't comment on a specific motive, he did rule out some possibilities. >> i think it's important to note, this is not about urban crime, it's not about university crime. it's not about domestic crime. but an issue of work-place violence, has become a growing concern around the country. >> le's body was found sunday stuffed in a wall in the building where she and clark worked together. last sunday would have been her wedding day. >

i'm susan hendricks. we are starting with the president's plan to reform health care.t night. this morning, he met with members of the american nurses association which supports health care reform. in his speech to the group, president obama pointed to new data that says that more americans are losing their health coverage due to the poor economy. >> over the last 12 months, it's estimated that the ranks of the uninsured have swelled by nearly 6 million people. that's 17,000 men and women every single day. and we know that during this period of time, the number of adults who get their coverage at the workplace has dropped by 8 million people. >> and as he did last night, the president also said the time for talking about health care reform is winding down. we'll break it down for you under president obama's proposals, you would be required to buy basic health insurance coverage. and tax credits could help people who aren't insured on their own. 95% of small businesses would be exempt as well. the president's plan would make it illegal for insurance companies to deny yo

i'm susan hendricks.in the bahamas where actor john travolta just finished testifying in an extortion trial. travolta described the circumstances surrounding the death of his son jett. he explained about a call he got from a friend in the bahamas. the friend had apparently heard about a man who said he had a piece of paper that would make the actor culpable in his son's death. he said the man wanted $25 million for that paper. the suspects indicates are a paramedic, there on the left, and a former bohemian senator. their attorneys haved travolta if either one had contacted him directly. travolta said no. his 16-year-old son died from a seizure last january. >>> all of the students in princeton, minnesota, they've been sent home. there are reports of suspicious packages all over the town, including the high school. so the school district, 50 miles north of the twin cities, sent all the kids there and the middle and two elementary schools as well, they've been sent home just as a precaution. the princeton u

i'm susan hendricks. as always, we welcome you to hln's "news and views" on this wednesday.ve pictures there for you. we do have video that was taken earlier this morning. right now, the fire is only about 10% contained. santa ana winds are fuelling the flames pretty fast. more than 850 firefighters are on the scene. three have been hurt. but not severely. governor arnold schwarzenegger has declared a state of emergency for the county. >>> the flood waters around atlanta are starting to recede, but now the real work begins. for one georgia family, that is going to be essentially painful. their 2-year-old son was swept away by the raging waters. lori gary of our atlanta affiliate wsb speaks with the grieving parents. >> i just told slate it would be already, and i loved him. and we would make it, but we didn't make it. >> reporter: craig and bridget crawford comfort one another after losing their 2-year-old son slade. bridget's motherly instinct kicked in when she looked out and saw that snake creek had turned into a raging river. >> it was a body suit, a little life jacket t

hope you're having a great one so far, i'm susan hendricks, and as always, we welcome you to hln "newse colorado man arrested last weekend on charges of lying to the fbi now faces a charge of conspiring to set off bombs. the indictment was filed in a new york federal courtroom. najibullah zazi will appear in a denver courtroom later today. court documents claim zazi and some of his associates have is been stockpiling chemicals that can be used to make bombs. zazi's father and a new york muslim cleric, ahmad after zaly are also charged, but are not named in the new indictment. we, of course, are following this breaking story. >>> in new jersey, two police officers are recovering from gunshot wounds in lakewood. one officer was shot in the face. his condition is serious but stable. another was shot in the foot. bullet proof vests protected the other two officers involved in executing the search warrant for suspected firearms and narcotics. the suspect also received multiple gunshot wounds, but is expected to survive. >>> to kentucky now where the fbi is investigating the death of a u.s.

i'm susan hendricks. this just into hln. we want to get you updated.the internet and he threatens american allies in europe asking europeans, quote, how do you think you will fare after america pulls out? referring to afghanistan. we can confirm, cannot confirm if this is bin ladin or not. >>> we are also keeping a close eye on two unrelated target plots targeting two u.s. cities. federal agents say the suspects in both were ready to pull the trigger. arrests were made in illinois, also texas. investigators say neither case is connected with the alleged plot uncovered in colorado and new york. first, though, we want to update you in springfield, illinois, on this one where fbi agents arrested 29-year-old michael finton on wednesday. finton is also known as student of islam. he is charged with trying to dead night a truck bomb outside a federal building. the justice department says finton tried to blow it up with a remote control. he was arrested as he pushed the button. agents have been tracking him for two years, but this sting operation started back

i'm susan hendricks.nuary deadline set by president obama. administration sources say legal complications are delaying efforts to close the facility. the sources say they think the facility will be closed soon. during the first week in office, president obama signed an security order setting the january deadline. senate leader mitch mcconnell says the announcement proves there is no better alternative for housing detainees. [ screaming ] >> stay back. stay back right here. >> pretty brutal to watch. a clothing store clerk was attached by a woman with a crow bar. it was caught on tape. this happened thursday night in mesa, arizona. the woman was paying for shirts when she suddenly pulled out the crow bar and hit the clerk several times. she robbed the store of $200 and fled in the car with no license plate. investigators are hoping this surveillance video will lead to the assailant. the clerk by the way is doing okay. >> an ohio mother mistakingly implanted with another woman's embryo has given birth to a

i'm susan hendricks. top story this hour, president obama declaring four counties in georgia a federal disaster area because of this week's flooding there. people returning to their waterlogged homes need to be very careful. state officials say homes are probably contaminated with bacteria from the floodwaters. as one official put it, color ox is going to be your best friend. hundreds of people are waiting for the water to recede in shelters. these pictures of clarkdale elementary in austell have come to symbolize the severity of the flooding. 400 students are back in class today at two other schools in the district as well. school officials say the interior of the building is pretty much a total loss. the superintendent of clarkdale may have to be gutted -- the school has to be rebuilt, that is. >>> breaking news about a nationwide terrorism investigation. the colorado man facing charges of lying to the fbi faces a new count of conspiring to use a weapon of mass destruction. najibullah zazi will appear i

. >>> just a few moments ago susan hendricks had a chance to speak to i-reporter.nt at st. paul, college, in a classroom on campus when the lockdown began. >> caller: we were just in class. the announcement came in over the radio, the school intercom, about we just kept ongoing. we did not know what that meant. a while later security came over. school security came over to tell our teachers to lock the classroom. we said let's see what's going on. we all looked out the window, and yeah, there were cop cars outside. >> are you still on campus there. when were you evacuated? >> i got out at exactly 1:00. i got out of the building exactly 1:00. i'm still on the school campus right now. >> so when you were looking out the window and seeing all the cop cars, what was going through your mind after thinking about what has happened at other college campuses like virginia tech. were your fearful? >> exactly. that's what me and my class mays brought up in class. we were, of course, scared that goodness, that happened here. apparently our teacher said he's been here for 35 ye

i'm susan hendricks. here's what we're following.odies were found in a home near the campus of longwood university in farmville. that's about 50 miles west of richmond. police have arrested 20-year-old richard mckorski iii, he is charged with murder and robbery and grand larceny. no word on the identities of the four victims or cause of death. we're following this. >>> an intense manhunt is under way in washington state for an escaped killer who is mentally ill. his name is phillip arnold paul. he walked away from a group of patients during a field trip to a county fair on thursday. now state officials are facing intense criticism for allowing paul who has a violent criminal past to be on the field trip to begin with. he was committed to a mental hospital after he admitted to killing an elderly woman back in 1987. paul says he killed her because he thought she was a witch. >>> we may never know why yale graduate student annie le was killed. unless the suspect confesses or it comes out at trial, it is not clear what happened in the sc

i'm susan hendricks. we're learning more about the questioning of najibullah zazi.tarted questioning him this week following raids in new york and denver. sources tell cnn the 24-year-old had a video of new york's grand central terminal, which sees an average of a half million visitors per day along the rail and subway lines and in its shops and restaurants as well. we're hearing he maeld a stunning admission during questioning. jean is in denver with the latest developments. >> reporter: first a couple of new pieces of information about the investigation. a spokeswoman for uhaul says the fbi searched a u-haul location in queens new york last thursday. u-haul is cooperating in the investigation. in addition, two sources familiar with the investigation tell cnn that najibullah stzazi had in his possession video of grand central station when he traveled to new york shortly before 9/11. that contributed to law ep force. fears that a plot against a transit system might be in the works. zazi was scheduled to come in for a fourth day of questioning by the fbi. however we'