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American Morning

Minister's Wife Being Questioned in Murder; Desperate Search for Missing Boys; Nightmare at Sea

Aired March 24, 2006 - 08:59   ET

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

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning. I'm Soledad O'Brien.
JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: I'm John Roberts, in for Miles O'Brien.

Good Friday morning to you. You're in the home stretch on your way to the weekend.

O'BRIEN: So are we.

A pastor killed in his Tennessee home is our top story. Police now questioning his wife. We're live with the very latest on this developing story.

Plus, federal agents join the search for two boys missing in Milwaukee. The community is praying for a miracle.

ROBERTS: One person is dead after a fire tears through a cruise ship. We'll have a live report ahead on what's next for the rest of the passengers.

And this...

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's like the hurricane has come again.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

O'BRIEN: A New Orleans church becomes a post-Katrina battleground. We'll take you there live for both sides of that story.

ROBERTS: And how much would you spend on a good night's sleep?

O'BRIEN: A lot.

ROBERTS: Would you spring for a $20,000 bed?

O'BRIEN: Yes -- no.

ROBERTS: No. I heard you say yes. Or would you spring for $500 sheets?

O'BRIEN: The $14 dollar hair -- maybe. Fourteen dollar nap, sure. ROBERTS: We'll see just how far people go to get a good night's sleep. Our continuing series, "Sleepless in America" on this AMERICAN MORNING.

O'BRIEN: We begin this morning, though, with a serious story, that minister's wife now being questioned about her husband who was shot and killed. Matthew Winkler found dead in his Selmer, Tennessee, parsonage on Thursday. A nationwide Amber Alert turned up his wife, Mary, and their three daughters 350 miles away in Alabama.

Rick Sanchez live for us in Selmer this morning.

Rick, good morning.

RICK SANCHEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey. Good morning, Soledad.

The big change last night is police came out and they talked to us and they said she, Mary Winkler, is now a suspect. Remember, throughout the day yesterday they were calling her a person of interest.

And there is something else in their developments that they shared with us last night. And that is that she was found alone in her car with her children. In other words, no other person there. In other words, taking out the possibility that many were talking about yesterday that she could have been abducted.

Still, you know, a lot of people here wondering and asking what possibly could have happened and what could have led to it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JENNIFER JOHNSON, TENN. BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION: We looked -- at the very onset, we looked to see if there was any history of domestic violence or anything that would lead us down a path of that nature, and there simply was nothing. You know, we've heard from various people who said, you know, maybe they may have been having problems about this, that or the other, but certainly nothing that would warrant something like this or would really even be unusual in any marriage.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: Police have been talking to us and telling us that she is going to be questioned an awful lot today. She's going to be questioned by the locals in Alabama, she's going to be questioned by the FBI, and she's also going to be questioned by TBI. And they said quite frankly the questions that we're going to be asking her have to do whether she had anything to do with her husband's murder -- Soledad.

O'BRIEN: Anything to do, or is she the murderer, of course. That's going to have to be one of the first and foremost questions, because it looks, at least at this point, that there's no other suspects, right, Rick? SANCHEZ: Yes, there's no signs of entry in the house. The person obviously was already in the house or was able to get in through an open door.

I mean, these are the things that the police are talking about. And things changed last night when I talked to the church members just down the street here. And I asked them after police had made their announcement -- they actually went in the church and told them all she's been found. And suddenly, you could see the attitudes had changed somewhat.

And some of the parishioners who hadn't said anything throughout the day because they had been real cautious and they're real concerned about the kids, finally started saying to some of the reporters, including me -- they said, "Well, we have some questions for her ourselves."

So, obviously a lot of doubt going on in this community about Mary Winkler this morning. We'll wait and see what authorities come up with.

O'BRIEN: Yes, I can imagine. All right.

Rick Sanchez for us this morning.

Rick, thanks.

ROBERTS: Milwaukee police say they are mystified. It's as though two boys just vanished into thin air. They have been searching since Sunday, but still no clues at all about what happened to 12- year-old Quadrevion Henning -- also goes by the name of "Dre" -- and 11-year-old Purvis Parker.

Melanie Stout of affiliate WTMJ is in Milwaukee for us.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MELANIE STOUT, REPORTER, WTMJ: Milwaukee police have said they don't have a good feeling about this case. It's been five days now and still no sign of those boys.

Hundreds of people, volunteers, police officers have been searching the area where the boys went missing, and nothing. Milwaukee police are switching their focus around. They're following up on the hundreds of tip calls they've received from friends and strangers of Dre and Purvis.

Also, the FBI is involved. They have about 40 agents that work with child abductions and profilers on this case. A supervisor with the FBI says it's highly unusual for two boys to go missing this long.

Milwaukee police detectives did go back into the homes of the boys last night looking for more clues. They searched the basement of Purvis' home. His bedroom is down there, and they spent hours questioning the family. Same thing at Dre's home.

We're not sure why, but a police spokeswoman says the department is very concerned about these boys.

ANNE SCHWARTZ, MILWAUKEE POLICE: These kids have no history of discipline problems in school. They're good kids. The families say not a problem. So we just don't -- we don't know what may have happened to them.

STOUT: Meantime, more than 200 people gathered outside Dre's home last night for a prayer vigil. It's a very emotional time for the family, but they are getting so much, tremendous amount of support from the community here.

Reporting from Milwaukee, Melanie Stout, today's TMJ 4.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

O'BRIEN: Another tragic accident for people on a cruise vacation. This time a fire on a luxury ship off the coast of Jamaica. One person died reportedly from a heart attack. Other people injured in that fire.

AMERICAN MORNING'S Bob Franken live in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, this morning. That is where that ship was originally supposed to dock today.

Hey, Bob. Good morning.

Obviously, we're having some kind of difficulties with Bob's audio. So we will instead take a look at the report that Bob filed earlier.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BOB FRANKEN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Eleven million people went on cruises last year, but it's been a tough week for the cruise ship industry. On Wednesday, 12 Americans were killed in a tour bus crash in the mountains of northern Chile. They were on a land-based excursion from the Celebrity cruise ship Millennium.

Then on Thursday, a fire broke out onboard the Princess cruise ship in the Caribbean. One passenger died and at least 11 others injured. The two incidents have renewed concerns about dangers associated with cruise ship travel.

The disappearance of a Connecticut man, George Smith, from a Mediterranean cruise while on his honeymoon last summer turned the spotlight on ship safety.

Industry officials say at least 28 people have gone missing from cruise ships in the past three years, and only five have been found. They were at least 177 reports of sexual assault.

Earlier this month, Congress heard testimony about high crimes on the high seas when Janet Kelly told lawmakers that a bartender on a cruise ship raped her.

JANET KELLY, CRUISE SHIP CRIME VICTIM: And I'm really hoping by coming and speaking today at Congress that they can fix it so that the next guy gets justice, because it just really wasn't right how it was handled. The crew member that did this to me was actually re- employed.

FRANKEN: And it's not only crime, but illness which has created a negative perception of the cruise industry. There have been outbreaks of the Norwalk gastrointestinal virus, most recently on a Royal Caribbean cruise month.

MATT VANDERLAAN, CRUISE SHIP PASSENGER: The captain did come and make an announcement saying that there an outbreak of a virus, and that we needed to take extra precautions and washing our hands and doing simply things, so as not to transmit it.

(on camera): So did all that and didn't get sick?

VANDERLAAN: I did all that and didn't get sick. But I was lucky. The rest of my group wasn't as lucky.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FRANKEN: With all of this, the industry points out that it's really infinitesimal the number of incidents when you consider that in the last three years from North America alone, Soledad, 25 million people have boarded cruise ships.

O'BRIEN: Yes, when you do crunch the numbers, Bob, it does make a difference.

Bob Franken for us this morning.

Bob, thanks a lot.

There are other stories making news this morning we wan to get to. Carol's got them. She's in the newsroom this morning.

Hey, Carol.

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning.

Good morning to all of you.

A few more details about that explosion in eastern France. We have been following this story since it happened.

Less than two hours ago, near France's border with Germany, that's where it happened. Emergency officials now tell us at least one person has been killed. The girl was pulled from the burning building but died on the way to the hospital. Rescuers have declared a code red. They're evacuating the surrounding area.

International pressure mounting on Afghanistan to free a man on trial for converting to Christianity. The case has sparked an outcry in the Western world.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice phoned Afghan President Hamid Karzai to press for the man's release. The senior Muslim clerics say if Karzai frees the man they will incite followers to "pull him to pieces."

Latinos across the country on the march against proposed tougher immigration laws. Thousands of demonstrators in Milwaukee on Thursday protesting a bill that would make it a felony to live or work in the United States illegally. More protests planned for today in Atlanta and tomorrow in Chicago and Los Angeles. The Senate opens debate on immigration next week.

And take a look at this. Just a couple of hours ago, more than a million square feet gone in seconds, literally. This used to be an old paint plant in Kannapolis, North Carolina. Once the dust settles, the site will be used to build a new billion-dollar biotech complex.

Oh, I love seeing implosions.

And say farewell to this giant tortoise in India. He was known as "The Only One," and you will not believe how old he was. At least 250 years old, possibly as old as 300 years old.

Its shell was will be carbon-dated to find the exact number. Now, imagine, this creature was in its 20s, its 20s when the Declaration of Independence was signed.

That's amazing.

ROBERTS: Incredible.

I'll tell you something else that's looking awfully old these days, are these cool temperatures. Time for the forecast. Chad Myers is off. Reynolds Wolf at the CNN Center with us this morning.

Good morning, Reynolds.

REYNOLDS WOLF, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Good morning, John.

(WEATHER REPORT)

O'BRIEN: All right. Thank you.

WOLF: You bet.

O'BRIEN: Well, some pretty disturbing videotape to show you out of Los Angeles.

ROBERTS: Oh, yes.

O'BRIEN: A hospital patient. Take a look at this. There she is in our hospital gown, dumped, apparently, right on skid row. Police say it's not the first time this has happened.

We're going to find out what's being done to stop it.

ROBERTS: We're also going to meet a Iraq war vet who is running for Congress as a Democrat. She says the war is a mistake. But is that going to help her to win?

O'BRIEN: And later, a new controversy in New Orleans, this time over plans to close one of the oldest churches in the nation.

We'll explain just ahead as we continue right here on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROBERTS: Iraq war veterans could make their political mark on the midterm elections. Ten of them are running for Congress, all but one of those are Democrats.

Major Tammy Duckworth, an Army pilot, helicopter pilot, lost both legs in Iraq and the partial use of one arm. She won the Democratic primary this week in the race for the House seat held by Illinois Republican Henry Hyde, who is retiring this year.

Tammy Duckworth joins us now from Chicago.

Good morning to you, and thanks for being with us. Appreciate it.

TAMMY DUCKWORTH (D), CONGRESSIONAL CANDIDATE: Good morning, John. Thanks for having me here.

ROBERTS: Good to talk with you.

Hey, a tough question right out of the box here. It was a very narrow victory that you had in your Democratic primary contest. Is that an indication that maybe this idea of running Iraq war vets for the Democratic Party isn't as hot an idea that some Democrats originally thought it was?

DUCKWORTH: Well, I've had 44 percent in a three-way race. That's pretty darn good. I think that the results at the race more reflected the dynamic personalities that were in the race.

Christine Shagalis (ph), the -- my opponent who got 40 percent, was a vibrant, dynamic person. And I think it was just more a wealth of great candidates.

I think this is the first time this district has a chance to elect a Democrat. The first time in 32 years for the Republicans to finally lose their grip on this district. And, you know, I think it's more a referendum on that than it is on anything else.

It was an exciting race. People were excited by the fact that there were two strong candidates. And, you know, I'll take a win wherever I can get it.

ROBERTS: Right. Well, certainly the Democrats are looking for some credibility on this issue of national security because polls historically, and particularly over the last few years, have shown that Republicans score much better on the issue of national security than Democrats. But there are some very smart political analysts who don't think that the Iraq war veteran thing is going to work for the Democratic Party, that you're not going to win the overall race, and that you're being held out there as sacrificial lambs just to get the Democrats a little more credibility and get that anti-war message across in this election.

DUCKWORTH: Well, you know, I'm going to let the pundits who get paid to analyze this race on a national level go at it. I'm just worried about the sixth congressional district. And I think the fact that I did win on Tuesday was a referendum from the voters for the issues that I'm fighting on -- health care.

I've been talking about health care this whole time. You know, I mean, these are issues that affect the people in this district.

The fact that there are kids who don't have access to health insurance, we need to be expanding S chip (ph). The fact that there are 25 percent of Americans between 50 and 64 who don't have access to health insurance, we need to let them buy into the federal employee health care system.

And we certainly need to fix the entire mess made out of Medicare Part D by this administration. So that's what I'm worried about.

ROBERTS: Right. OK. So -- and all politics is local, as people always say.

DUCKWORTH: Yes.

ROBERTS: But your position is that it was a mistake to invade Iraq. Why do you feel that way?

DUCKWORTH: Well, I felt that we should have been concentrating on the enemies that attacked us on our national soil. We needed to put all our energies into Afghanistan, we needed to be out there trying to catch Osama bin Laden, instead of diverting our resources and our energy towards Iraq.

That said, I went anyway, and I was proud of my service to serve. I'm proud -- I would go again tomorrow if my country called me to go.

I'm still a member of the Illinois Army National Guard. And, you know, the soldiers do a great job every single day. It's the administration that has failed our troops.

ROBERTS: Right. President Bush this week in a press conference vigorously defended his decision to keep troops in Iraq. Here's some of what he said on Wednesday on that front.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: If I didn't think we'd succeed, I'd pull our troops out. I cannot look mothers and dads in the eye, I can't ask this good Marine to go into harm's way if I didn't believe, one, we're going to succeed and, two, it's necessary for the security of the United States.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERTS: President Bush just said he wouldn't have sent people like yourself into war if he didn't believe that the war was winnable. How do you respond?

DUCKWORTH: Well, I respond that hope and belief is not a method. You actually need a plan to execute a military operation.

And as far as I can tell, there has been no plan from the very beginning. The only thing I ever heard was that we would be greeted with roses, with flowers and candy on the streets of Baghdad. And that didn't happen.

All I'm asking for is a plan for success, a plan to train up the Iraqi security forces, a plan to reach out to the Iraqi public, and then a plan to -- for bringing our troops home. You know, that's -- that's all I want. And I've seen no leadership from this administration.

And frankly, you know, he's sending other people's sons and daughters into combat. I think that there's a problem with this administration and, you know, politicians who have no direct connection.

One of the reasons why I decided to run was the fact that there were only two members of the House and the Senate combined who had children serving in Iraq. I think there's a real disconnect.

We need more people in the Senate, in Congress who can actually ask those tough questions and hold the administration's feet to the fire on issues like how come Halliburton has all of these no-bid contracts where we're spending -- you know, we're paying them $24 per soldier, per plate, per day.

ROBERTS: OK. A lot of issues to talk about, and you've got a few month to talk about it.

DUCKWORTH: Yes.

ROBERTS: Tammy Duckworth, thanks for joining us this morning.

DUCKWORTH: We sure do.

ROBERTS: Good luck with your race.

DUCKWORTH: Thanks for having me.

ROBERTS: Soledad.

O'BRIEN: Well, not only is Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld defending the U.S. military strategy in Iraq, he's defending himself, too. In a Pentagon briefing on Thursday, Secretary Rumsfeld said he has no intention of resigning. He dismissed recent criticism in an exchange with CNN Senior Pentagon Correspondent Jamie McIntyre. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN SR. PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Do you feel at all embattled at this point in your tenure given the fact that...

RUMSFELD: No.

MCINTYRE: Aside from the retired two two-star general calling you "incompetent" and asking you to step down in an op-ed over the weekend, you also had a call from Maureen Dowd, in which she quoted an unnamed administration official saying that you don't hold the same sway in meetings and that you're treated as "an eccentric old uncle who's ignored."

RUMSFELD: You like to repeat all that stuff don't you -- on camera? Did you get it? Let's make sure you got it. He love that is stuff. It's a sure way to get on camera.

He'll be on the evening news.

MCINTYRE: I know you like to have the facts in the premise of the question.

RUMSFELD: Yes, I do. And you did it very well. No.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You can do one-arm pushups and put all this to rest.

RUMSFELD: The answer is no.

MCINTYRE: Do you hold the same sway in meetings?

RUMSFELD: Oh, come on. I'm not going to get into that -- Pam.

QUESTION: Sir, in your opening statement you said...

RUMSFELD: If you believe everything you read from Maureen Dowd, you'd better get a life.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

O'BRIEN: Secretary Rumsfeld said the calls for his resignation are prompted by politics.

Railroad travel could soon be a whole lot safer. Coming up, we're going to show you a crash test. This one right here. This crash test, as unremarkable as it was, could actually help save lots of lives.

We'll explain just ahead.

And the latest controversy in New Orleans. Folks aren't upset with FEMA this time, or even the mayor. They're mad at the Catholic Church. We'll tell you why just ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) ROBERTS: As a sleep-deprived nation struggles to get some better shut-eye, some people will spare no expense to get the right bed, sheets, blankets and pillows.

AMERICAN MORNING'S Alino Cho found out more in the conclusion of our series, "Sleepless in America."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Which floor do you want?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Six.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you.

ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Every time Jan Tuckwood and her daughters visit New York they stay at the Benjamin Hotel. The location is great, so is the menu of pillows.

JAN TUCKWOOD, SLEEP ENTHUSIAST: We try every one on the menu. We're like, "Give me one from Column B, one from Column A.

CHO: The Benjamin specializes in sleep. Customers can choose from 11 different pillows. Names like Snore No More, Buckwheat and Satin Beauty.

Eileen McGill is The Benjamin's sleep concierge.

EILEEN MCGILL, SLEEP CONCIERGE, BENJAMIN HOTEL: We talk to them about, are you back sleep, are you a side sleeper, do you move around a lot. Are you used to -- when you're traveling, are you used to having somebody sleep next to you?

CHO: If the answer is, yes, take the five-foot body cushion. McGill calls it the second husband. The most popular Swedish memory designed by NASA and made of high density foam.

MCGILL: Your body heat allows you to sink into it.

CHO: Call it the bedding wars. The Westin has its legendary "Heavenly Beds." The Radisson is unveiling its "Sleep Number" bed, featuring an adjustable mattress.

For the ultimate sleep experience at home, head to Duxiana. The Dux bed has five times as many springs as the average bed and takes custom sleeping to another level.

BOB PARRINELLO, REGIONAL SALES MGR., DUXIANA: Three sets of springs, a soft, a medium, and firm, and you'll find that on both sides of the bed.

CHO: There's even a napping room where potential buyers can take a test drive.

PARRINELLO: We put fresh linens on for them.

CHO: The top of the line model, $9,100 plus tax.

PARRINELLO: We actually have people who have told us they've passed the bed down from generation to generation. So the bed is going to last for a long time.

CHO: The most popular bed at New York's ABC Carpet & Home, the Hestons (ph) Model 2000 T. Kingsize bed, including tax and delivery, $21,000. ABC sells up to 30 a month.

Then there's the bedding. The choices are endless: plush pillows, lace throws, cashmere blankets. A set of linens can cost thousands.

(on camera): This doesn't come cheap.

ERIN JOHNSON, ABC CARPET & HOME: Not exactly, but, you know, you do spend a third of your life in your bed.

CHO (voice over): Or a sleep pod. In the heart of New York's financial district, there's Metronaps. People like Miguel Guadalupe come to sleep for 20 minutes. Cost, $65 a month or $14 per session.

(on camera): How do you feel when you wake up?

MIGUEL GUADALUPE, NAPPER: Like, you know, you're pretty much back at 100 percent.

CHO (voice over): That's exactly how Jan Tuckwood feels after staying at The Benjamin.

TUCKWOOD: The pillows are definitely a treat.

CHO: Seven times and counting, she and her family will definitely be back.

Alino Cho, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROBERTS: And this Sunday night be sure to catch Dr. Sanjay Gupta's primetime special on sleep. That's Sunday night at 10:00 p.m. Eastern Time.

O'BRIEN: Oh, that Metronaps thing sounds so good. I want to do that.

ROBERTS: Great idea. You should get one of those little pods right here.

O'BRIEN: Right here. Put it in the back. An idea.

ROBERTS: Sit back and catch some Zs.

O'BRIEN: This chair is not that comfortable.

Much more AMERICAN MORNING still to come. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

O'BRIEN (voice over): Ahead in "AM Pop," spring is in the air and there's a fresh batch of new movies to talk about. Sharon Stone gets back to basics with a sequel, Denzel Washington tries to take down "The Inside Man," and Jennifer Aniston finds "Friends with Money."

Which ones are worth the price of admission? Our spring movie preview is ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(NEWSBREAK)

JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: A new controversy is brewing in New Orleans today, but it's not with FEMA or the government -- surprise, surprise -- it's with the Catholic Church. It wants to close down one of the nation's oldest Roman Catholic perishes, and protesters are not quitting by quietly. They're holed up inside the church right now.

CNN Susan Roesgen reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SUSAN ROESGEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is St. Augustine's, a Catholic Church founded in 1842, part of the rich history of New Orleans. But today it's like the Alamo. A group of about half a dozen protesters is holed up inside the church rectory. They're out-of-state activists who joined parishioners against the archdiocese.

SUNCERE SHAKUR, PROTESTER: It's their fight, we're here to support their fight in the best way that we know how.

ROESGEN (on camera): How long do you plan to stay here?

SHAKUR: As long as it takes.

ROESGEN: Until?

SHAKUR: Until they give into our demands or until we're removed from this building.

ROESGEN (voice-over): The protest is the latest move in the struggle to save a church that's been a little bit different. The somber saints in the stained-glass windows peer down on the jacuzzi tub used for full-body baptisms. And the altar is a tabletop on a tree trunk. A nontraditional church with a nontraditional priest. Seventy-seven-year-old father Jerome Ladu (ph) had been St. Augustine's paster for 15 years, but his last mass was Sunday. While the church is not being closed, parishioners are upset because Father Ladu has been relieved of his duties, and they've been told they'll have to join the congregation of a larger church nearby.

SANDRA GORDON, PARISHIONER: The one stable thing in our life is St. Augustine's, our church and our family in church. To have that destroyed and taken from us again is like the hurricane has come again.

ROESGEN: The archdiocese says the church has been losing parishioners and money for years, and that Katrina made things worse.

Father William Maestri say the protest is just a political stunt.

FATHER WILLIAM MAESTRI, ARCHDIOCESE SPOKESMAN: When the lights go out and you leave and others leave, who's going to be left? We're going to be left with the same reality that we had before.

ROESGEN: The parishioners still hope Father Ladu will be brought back, but he says he doesn't know what's in store.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I plan nothing. God plans everything. We pretend to plan.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROESGEN: Now, late yesterday, John, some of the parishioners met with the archbishop himself to ask him to give the church another chance, to give them more time to get more parishioners in the pews and more money in the collection plate. In fact, they say that the have found a benefactor, a local businessman who is willing to put up $1 million a year to keep the church going, but we don't know yet, John, whether or not the archdiocese will decide to go ahead and do that.

ROBERTS: What's immediately going to happen, at least on this Sunday, when the services would normally be held?

ROESGEN: Well, Sunday there's going to be the first mass with the new priest, the priest who runs the parish that absorbed this church parish. The protesters are still in the rectory behind me. They still say they will not come out. They will be barricaded in this church to try to prevent that new mass, unless their beloved Father Ladu is brought back.

ROBERTS: Right. All right, Susan Roesgen in New Orleans, thanks very much.

By the way, Susan's report first aired on "ANDERSON COOPER 360," which you can catch weeknights at 10:00 Eastern right here on CNN.

O'BRIEN: A disturbing sight caught on camera outside a Los Angeles homeless shelter. These are called dumping cameras that took this shot here, and this is what they saw, a 63-year-old woman just released from a hospital, they say. You can see her wandering about in her hospital gown and slippers.

To talk about this morning, Andy Bales, the president of the Union Rescue Mission, which recorded that videotape. Also with him this morning is L.A. City councilwoman Jan Perry.

Nice to talk to both of you. Thanks for being with us.

Andy, let's start with you if we can.

Carol Ann Rays (ph) has been identified as the woman in that videotape. what kind of condition is she in right now?

ANDY BALES, UNION RESCUE MISSION: She's doing really well. She's much more clear-headed and really realizing what happened to her, and I've had some great chats with her. She's a sweet, kind lady.

O'BRIEN: The videotape doesn't show anybody being dropped off. It does show her meandering down the street in her hospital gown. Can you tell me what you know now to have happened to her?

BALES: Well, I was standing out waiting on the children to return home on their bus, but there had been an accident. So I was out here longer than I expected, and I saw the cab do a U-turn and pull up to the curb, and I watched to see what was going to happen. And the cab driver didn't even get out of the car. She just opened the back door, stepped out on to the street and started wandering down the street, lost. Looked like she didn't know what was going on. And so I...

O'BRIEN: Go ahead.

BALES: Yes, I watched to see a little bit, and then a coworker of mine came out the door, and I directed Regina to go check on this lady, and she rescued her off the street and encouraged her to come in, and Carol came in.

O'BRIEN: How often does this happen?

BALES: Well, it's happened four times since last Wednesday. In fact, it happened yesterday while your trucks were out in front of our building, a lady was dropped off by a hospital nearly 40 miles away.

O'BRIEN: Let's turn to Jan Perry now.

Jan, the woman we know now was released from Kaiser Permanente's Bellflower Hospital. Before I ask you the question, I want to tell you what they said. They said this: "We offer the deepest apologies to the patient and the to the community. Our handling of this case violated our own standards and practices and is contrary to our mission to our mission and values. This incident should not have happened. We are extremely upset that it did. We will take appropriate steps to make sure that it doesn't happen again."

The way they're talking about it. It really sounds like it's this one case. Do you have evidence in fact that Kaiser Permanente and other hospitals are doing this over and over and over again?

JAN PERRY, L.A. COUNCILWOMAN: That's right. I was with the city attorney yesterday as he was referencing some other cases they were filing, and we talked a bit about these hospital dumping cases. He's been gathering information for quite a while in anticipation of filing an action. Because it is so frequent and the abuse occurs on such a regular basis that they finally compiled enough to just be able to do something about it.

When hospitals discharge patients in this way, they are in violation of state law, so I would expect an action to be filed. But in addition to that, I am going to be working with the hospital association to get them to agree to some Memoranda of Understanding and then work with the city attorney to find some quick response type of enforcement, because this is just a form of abuse, and particularly abuse of elderly and frail people.

O'BRIEN: It seems like the patients are most often elderly, or homeless or maybe mentally ill, as well. Are you saying that some hospitals have this as a policy? You have a patient that you don't really know what to do with so you dump them?

PERRY: No, no, I'm not saying that. What I am saying, what I observed, I'm sure Andy has an opinion, too, that there is no follow- through. The level of engagement is, obviously, not significant. If somebody can be put in a cab and driven 40 miles away, 10 miles away, and basically dumped off on the sidewalk, then, clearly, hospital the hospital didn't call, they didn't make arrangements to make sure that the patient was met at the door or on the sidewalk. Otherwise this would not have occurred.

O'BRIEN: L.A. councilwoman Jan Perry joining us this morning. Andy Bales, as well, with the Union Rescue mission. Thanks for talking about this issue with us. We're going to continue to follow it, too, and see exactly what those penalties are and what's put in place.

ROBERTS: It's pretty obvious that somebody is putting these people in a cab. Somebody's paying for the cab.

O'BRIEN: The woman's homeless. Where did she get money for the cab? And why is he being told it pull up there if it's not someone's plan.

ROBERTS: Well, this is a great story to keep on following.

(WEATHER REPORT)

ROBERTS: Short skirts, low-cut tops, plastic surgery and questionable role models all major concerns for parents of preteens. Now help is on the way from a music superstar. Pink is challenging young girls to succeed in life by using their brains and not their bodies.

"CNN SUNDAY MORNING" rounds up some young fans to talk about the pop star's attempts to get them to think. Is it working? Find out this weekend on "CNN SUNDAY MORNING" at 7:00 Eastern time.

Straight ahead, we're "Minding Your Business." Coming up, more reason to kick yourself for not buying Google stock early on. O'BRIEN: And there's so many reasons, really, when you think about.

ROBERTS: Yes, I think there's About 400 of them right now.

O'BRIEN: Just about.

ROBERTS: "AM Pop" this morning, our spring movie preview. The start-studded "Inside Man" just one of the big movies hitting the big screen. We'll tell you which ones are worth seeing and which ones are not, ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(MARKET REPORT)

ROBERTS: "CNN LIVE TODAY" is coming up next. Betty Nguyen is in for Daryn today.

Good morning to you, Betty.

BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning.

Well, when you're in trouble and call 911, you expect someone to answer the phone, right? Well, there are reports that in Chattanooga, Tennessee, last month 20 percent of those calls went unanswered. Ahead we investigate why no one is answering.

Plus, keep your kids safe by showing them the tricks used by kidnappers and predators. We're going to tell you how. That's all coming up right here on LIVE TODAY.

ROBERTS: Betty, thanks very much. Look forward to seeing that -- Soledad.

O'BRIEN: Ahead this morning in "AM Pop," our spring movie preview. Sharon Stone is back on the big screen. She plays a murderous temptress, again, "Basic Instinct 2." Is it worth your time and your money? We'll take a look. Looks pretty good. That's ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.

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O'BRIEN: In this morning's "A.M. Pop," a spring movie review. Bradley Jacobs from "US Weekly" here to preview some of the big screen offerings for the spring.

Nice to see you. Good morning.

BRADLEY JACOBS, "US WEEKLY": Thank you, good morning.

O'BRIEN: Let's get right to it. "Inside Man." We talked to Spike Lee the other day. I loved this movie. It opens on Friday. Action-packed. I think he does a great job.

JACOBS: Yes. O'BRIEN: What do you think? How do you think it's going to do?

JACOBS: This is Spike's most mainstream movie in years, and I think we have a hit on our hands. Nice to see, because it's been such a bad couple months at the movies so far this year. But, yes, we gave this movie three stars in "US Weekly." Clive Owen plays a very clever bank robber...

O'BRIEN: You're really guessing to the last moment how he's pulling off this bank robbery.

JACOBS: Right. Denzel, of course, plays a cop and then Jodie Foster is brought in as a fixer in this situation. And Jodie plays against type. You know, she's always the good girl, or maybe she's flawed, but she's great. In this one, she's sort of an anti-hero, which is kind of a new thing for Jodie.

O'BRIEN: So "Basic Instinct II." Sharon Stone is playing the role, again, that made her famous the first time around. How does this movie look?

JACOBS: Crazy enough, it's been 14 years since the first "Basic Instinct," which, of course, made Sharon Stone a star. Here she is back as Catherine Trammel, the treacherous, bisexual writer who is accused of murdering someone in London. This man opposite is David Morrissey, who is a shrink who is called in to learn about her, understand her, of course, ends up involved with her. She goes full frontal in this movie, she is very proud of that. She was 47 years old when she filmed this.

O'BRIEN: It looks good.

JACOBS: Yes. I talked to David Morrissey, actually, for this movie a couple weeks ago, and he said there was no body double. She was -- it's all her in every scene that they film.

O'BRIEN: You go, Sharon!

JACOBS: Go, Sharon, go.

O'BRIEN: How is the movie, do you think, good or bad?

JACOBS: We'll see. You know, I'm not expecting great things from this movie. The first one wasn't the greatest movie, either, but it really caught on.

O'BRIEN: Got a lot of buzz.

JACOBS: Kind of thrilling.

O'BRIEN: What is "Lucky Number Slevin" about? Not "Lucky Number Seven," but "Lucky Number Slevin."

JACOBS: Yes, it's kind of one of these weird titles that people have to, you know, wonder about. Slevin is a reference to the Josh Hartnett character in the movie, who gets caught up in a gang war between two crime bosses, Ben Kingsley and Morgan Freeman, in New York. Lucy Liu is also in it. She plays sort of an amateur detective who lives next door to Josh Hartnett. I'm thinking that this is going -- it's a violent mob thriller. It may catch on. We'll see. But it's definitely one to watch.

O'BRIEN: Jennifer Aniston, "Friends With Money" is her new movie, ironically titled as it is. How do you think -- they've talked about this movie a lot, a lot. Do you think it's going to be a big hit for her or no?

JACOBS: Well, I've seen the movie. I saw it at Sundance this year. It is a very good character study. It's an ensemble story. It's a small budget movie, though. It's about Jennifer Aniston, who plays a single L.A. woman who -- all her friends are married and all of them have money. So she admires them for their security and their financial security and they kind of admire her for her freedom.

And it examines, basically, how money comes between friends, comes between neighbors, comes between male -- you know, husbands and wives. It's an interesting, great movie. I'm not sure it's going to do killer box office, but it is definitely a good one.

O'BRIEN: Solid hit for her. Oh, good. And "The Sentinel"? What's that about? Who's in that?

JACOBS: "Sentinel." This is with Michael Douglas, Kiefer Sutherland and Eva Longoria from "Desperate Housewives," making her feature film debut. There she is. They all play Secret Service agents with the FBI and Michael Douglas, along the way, gets framed as someone trying to assassinate the president. So, you know, it's another one of these gritty thrillers that you see a lot at this time of year, pulling people back into the theaters.

O'BRIEN: It's so weird to see Eva Longoria wearing, like, a button up shirt and a jacket.

JACOBS: Yes, it's a big switch for her.

O'BRIEN: It's like, who is that?

JACOBS: From Gabrielle.

O'BRIEN: Who is that? That's not...

JACOBS: And we actually interviewed her in "US" a couple of weeks ago, and she said, also, she chose something different for her first movie, for her first foray into the big screen.

O'BRIEN: How do you think she does?

JACOBS: Well, we haven't seen it yet, so I will tell you -- report back to you in a couple weeks.

O'BRIEN: OK, all right, well, I'll be watching that. Good, we're all pulling for her to do well in that. Bradley Jacobs from "US Weekly," looks like there's some good, interesting options out there, finally.

JACOBS: Definitely.

O'BRIEN: Thanks.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

O'BRIEN: Big thank you to John Roberts for helping us out today. We appreciate it.

ROBERTS: Thank you very much. It was a real pleasure.

O'BRIEN: Early hours, I know, and you've stuck right there with us. We appreciate it.

ROBERTS: Anything for you.

O'BRIEN: Ah, he lies. Betty Nguyen's at the CNN Center, going to take you through the next couple of hours on CNN LIVE TODAY.

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