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CNN Sunday Morning
Questions About Suspect in Missouri Kidnapping Case; Governor of Missouri Declares State of Emergency Due to Ice Storm; Mike Huckabee's Hope; Credit Discrimination
Aired January 14, 2007 - 07:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CRAIG AKERS, SHAWN HORNBECK'S STEPFATHER: To have one missing child found is -- is just extraordinary. To have two found at the same time is just one of those things that I don't know if you ever even read about things like that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: It is a story the whole country is still buzzing about this morning, and for good reason. But what happened to these two boys? One had been missing four days, the other four years.
We have the latest on the miracle in Missouri. That is straight ahead.
T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: And ice is everywhere. A winter storm causing big problems in the heartland. Weather the other big story that we are following this morning.
NGUYEN: Well, it's been busy.
HOLMES: Yes.
NGUYEN: From the CNN Center in Atlanta, this is CNN SUNDAY MORNING, January 14th. And it's feeling like January outside in many parts.
You know, we were just talking just a few weeks ago about how hot it is. Oh, we can't get over how hot it is.
HOLMES: Yes.
NGUYEN: Well, now Old Man Winter is back.
Good morning everybody. I'm Betty Nguyen.
HOLMES: And I'm T.J. Holmes.
It is 7:00 a.m. here in the East. And it still feels pretty good here in Atlanta. Not bad at all.
NGUYEN: Not too bad. I'm not going to complain.
HOLMES: Yes.
It's 6:00 a.m. in St. Louis, where they have got ice all over the place.
So, really, thank you very much for starting your day right here with us.
NGUYEN: Let's start with this -- ecstatic, euphoric, two families, they are still rejoicing this morning over what is being called the miracle in Missouri. They are celebrating the safe return of two boys, one missing for four days, the other for four years. Just imagine that.
But behind the elation, lots of questions about the suspect in this case.
The story now from CNN's Jonathan Freed.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JONATHAN FREED, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): While the families of Ben Ownby and Shawn Hornbeck hold their sons close, police and prosecutors are digging into the background of the suspect, 41- year-old Michael Devlin.
ROBERT PARKS, FRANKLIN COUNTY PROSECUTOR: We have charged Mr. Devlin with one count of the Class A felony of kidnapping. We will be reviewing this case to see if there will be more charges.
FREED: What is public at this point about Devlin's life would not paint him as an obvious suspect, as someone allegedly capable of holding 15-year-old Hornbeck captive for four years, and of abducting 13-year-old Ownby on Monday. Devlin worked at a pizza parlor and a funeral home here in the St. Louis suburb of Kirkwood. He is described by people in this community as a private man who never attracted much attention.
The funeral home, Bopp Chapel, released a statement saying Devlin was an overnight telephone attendant and was very prompt, well- mannered and efficient.
SHERIFF GARY TOELKE, FRANKLIN COUNTY, MISSOURI: The case, as far as we're concerned, is a successful conclusion. But there's still a lot of groundwork that needs to be done, a lot of legwork.
FREED: Devlin's modest apartment building is across the tracks from a more affluent section of Kirkwood. Police confirm they were trying to find this man, Harry Reichard, on Thursday, regarding an unrelated case when they spotted what turned out to be Devlin's truck in the parking lot. Reichard tells CNN he's lived upstairs from Devlin for a year and says he never spotted Shawn Hornbeck outdoors without Devlin at his side.
HARRY REICHARD, DEVLIN'S NEIGHBOR: They were always together. It was always a quiet walk-out, quiet come in. They never conversed outside the doors. FREED (on camera): The two police officers who spotted Devlin's vehicle and helped return the boys to their families are expected to talk about their role in all this later on Sunday.
Jonathan Freed, CNN, Kirkwood, Missouri.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: Eat and play video games. Sounds about right. And that's exactly what the two Missouri boys wanted to do after they were reunited with their families. Certainly typical for boys their age. But their ordeal has been anything but typical.
CNN's Sean Callebs joins us now live from Union, Missouri, with more on how the story unfolded and, of course, the incredible outcome.
Good morning to you, Sean.
SEAN CALLEBS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, T.J.
You're exactly right. Think about it. Any Saturday afternoon teenagers want to talk about video games, getting a haircut, McDonald's, and that's exactly what happened yesterday here in this area just outside of St. Louis.
After the euphoria, the emotion of the news conference, right now the families say they just want to spend time with both of the children. And they're asking for people just to give them a little space at this point. But at the same time, people are also looking closer into the background of Michael Devlin, which we just heard about.
We know that Devlin s being held on $1 million bail. He does have an attorney. And yesterday, the family finally issued a statement.
And we have that statement, saying, "Speaking on behalf of the Devlin family, these past few days have been incredibly difficult. This is not to diminish the anguish that Craig and Pam Akers have felt over the previous four and a half years, or the Ownby family has felt over four and a half days. Now, just as we are relieved that both Ben and Shawn are now safe, we hope that Michael will be safe as the facts of his case are revealed."
Indeed, the Akers have gone through a great deal of anguish over the past four-plus years. And in part, they have dealt with that grief by immersing themselves in the cause of lost children, trying to reunite those children with their loved ones.
Yesterday, Craig Akers talked about the fact that it is simply amazing that Shawn was apparently held right under their noses.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
AKERS: It just boggles my mind that someone thinks that they can get away with it. And obviously they do. I mean, this -- this has been going on for four years. And he's been right here under our nose the whole time.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CALLEBS: Indeed, what -- what was the motive behind all this? What led apparently Devlin to abduct both of these children? That's something else authorities are looking into. And apparently a couple of perhaps close calls over all the years involving Shawn.
We know on at least one occasion Devlin called the police to his apartment complex complaining that someone had parked in his parking space. Also, another time, a neighbor found a cell phone out in the yard in the apartment complex, returned it to Shawn, who simply thanked him for the phone.
So why didn't the young man not escape? Well, authorities are going to try to figure that out. But at this point they just want to give Shawn and Ben time to readjust to their families. The Ownby family, as you can imagine, their prayers were answered yesterday as well.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DORIS OWNBY, BEN OWNBY'S MOTHER: We are just ecstatic. Don't want to let him go or out of our sight. He doesn't want to us hold on to him, but we have. Just -- we're just excited and happy to have him home.
DON OWNBY, BEN OWNBY'S FATHER: We would appreciate it if you would give us some time alone for a while.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CALLEBS: And talk about the community outpouring of support, really that had a lot do with all of this. We know a lot of people had been looking for Shawn over the past four and a half years. And apparently, T.J., the tip on that white pickup truck what led authorities to finding both these young men.
HOLMES: All right. Our Sean Callebs for us in Missouri.
Thank you so much, Shawn.
And you can stay with CNN for developments throughout this morning. And coming up In less than two hours, at 9:00 Eastern, we will talk with one of Ben Ownby's classmates. He gave police information that helped them find the missing boys. And at some point today we expect to hear from the two police officers who spotted the suspect's truck.
NGUYEN: Well, our other big story today is the crippling cold and ice in parts of the Midwest. You'll want to take a look at some of the trouble spots.
The accumulated ice is snapping trees all over Missouri. You can just hear the ice on that tree right there. Nearly 100,000 people lost power. A state of emergency has also been ordered in Oklahoma. A real travel mess across the state. The snow and ice caused travel troubles and power outages to more than 90,000 customers.
Take a look at this. In Texas, the National Guard has been activated to help deal with the weather emergency. The ice there making for treacherous roads.
In fact, travel was a big problem across the Midwest. Hundreds of flights both in and out were either canceled or delayed.
So let's get back to that severe weather in Missouri. The governor there has declared a state of emergency, activating the National Guard as well.
And for the latest let's bring in CNN's Sumi Das, who is live in St. Louis.
Has it gotten any better overnight or just worse?
SUMI DAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It has only gotten worse, Betty. And we can tell you that there have been four storm-related deaths, and three of those were caused by traffic accidents. One person died as a result of carbon monoxide poisoning.
It is leading emergency officials to remind residents that they should not bring generators or charcoal grills into their homes if they're trying to keep warm. Keep those things outside of your home.
Now, we mentioned that the outages only increased overnight. Ameren, the local power company, says that there are 132,000 customers in the metropolitan St. Louis area that are in the dark.
Now, as we have been standing here just this morning, we have heard trees cracking and snapping and seen them falling to the ground. This is why -- they are just coated in ice. If you can see that, it's actually kind of beautiful, but it's very dangerous, because as these trees come down they of course are bringing power lines with them.
And as you can see from the neighborhood I'm in right now, they are also blocking streets. So it's a difficult situation out there. It's very dangerous -- Betty.
NGUYEN: Well, are people heeding the warnings, Sumi? I mean, are they heading to shelters, are they staying inside with generators? What's being done?
DAS: You know, the people that we have talked to, they are definitely sort of storm weary. You know? They have been through a number of storms this winter already, but they're also weather wise.
They have prepared, they have gone out and gotten supplies, some nonperishable food items, canned items, that sort of thing, bottled water. They've got their blankets, they've got their camping gear to provide lighting. But this is going to be a severe storm. I think Chad Myers, our CNN severe weather expert, said this is the kind of event that comes along once every 15 or 25 years.
So it could be much worse than anything we've seen this winter so far. Up to an inch of ice could accumulate on trees and power lines. So certainly residents here need to take this seriously.
NGUYEN: Well, and considering the problems, Sumi, it's a good thing it only comes around about 15 or 25 years.
Thank you.
So let's get a check on that weather outside.
(WEATHER REPORT)
HOLMES: And want to take a look now at what the severe weather is doing across the nation's midsection. Heavy rains caused some flash flooding in central Texas.
NGUYEN: Look at it.
HOLMES: Yes. And about 13 homes were damaged by a tornado that touched down near Austin.
NGUYEN: Well, the flooding also a problem in central Arkansas, where heavy rains are threatening to send rivers over their banks. And meanwhile, an ice storm warning is in effect in the northwestern part of that state.
HOLMES: Also, there is some snow in southern California? Is that a typo?
NGUYEN: No.
HOLMES: No. Southern California, yes.
NGUYEN: Maybe not.
HOLMES: Some people taking advantage of snow in the mountains around San Diego. There's also a sinister side to the snow. The cold snap could cost citrus growers in the state about a billion dollars.
The cold also pushing homeless shelters to capacity. It led Governor Schwarzenegger to issue an emergency proclamation which provides state resources to help out.
NGUYEN: Well, you know what that's going to mean if the citrus crops are being doomed by all of this? We're going to be paying higher prices at the grocery store. It all trickles down.
HOLMES: All right.
Well, we will move on now to a guy who just lost his office, not to a political competitor, but to term limits in Arkansas. And you may remember he also lost something else, some pounds. You know that's the same guy, both pictures.
Former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee thinking about putting his political weight behind a bid for a higher office.
You'll see my interview with him coming up in about 10 minutes.
NGUYEN: Plus, good credit? What about bad credit? And what about even if you have no credit? How your credit score can help you or hurt you in getting that job that you always wanted.
CNN's Gerri Willis has details. It's all about your credit in 30 minutes right here on CNN SUNDAY MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: "Now in the News," federal arson investigators are in the Greenville, North Carolina, area this morning. And what they are doing is they're looking into two suspicious fires at two Baptist churches overnight. Police report a break-in at a third area church. Now, authorities spent much of the night checking on other churches.
We have a deadly apartment fire late last night in Huntington, West Virginia, to tell you about. At least three people were killed., 14 others were rescued from the five-story building. There are reports some residents may still be missing.
And "The New York Times" is reporting the Pentagon is looking at banking and credit records of hundreds of Americans. And they are doing it without any judge's approval. According to "The Times," the Pentagon is using the national security letter statutes to review the records. The statutes allow the executive branch to see records of people in terror and spy investigations.
A diplomatic scuffle in the Middle East. Iran demands Washington immediately release five men arrested last week in Iraq. Washington says the Iranians are suspected of aiding insurgents. Tehran says the men were doing diplomatic work. Washington has long accused Iran of meddling in Iraq's affairs and aiding the insurgency.
Meanwhile, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice continues her Middle East diplomatic trip. Her latest stop, a meeting with Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas in the West Bank. Washington is hoping to restart the stalled peace talks with Israel. Abbas, who is a moderate, is locked in a bitter power struggle with the militant group Hamas.
"Death to U.S. imperialism." That is the rallying cry from Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez. He is meeting this weekend with Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Among their shared goals, convincing fellow OPEC countries to further cut oil production and bolster international prices.
Well, he's been on a losing streak of sorts.
NGUYEN: Yes. He has dropped some pounds and lost his political office due to Arkansas' term limit laws. So what's he going to do next? Well, my partner here, T.J., talked with former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee about his possible political future. That comes your way in about three minutes.
HOLMES: Plus, Oklahoma City in the grip of a big ice storm. We will take you there live in about 15 minutes.
That's right here on CNN SUNDAY MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Well, he is used to winning elections. But he may be best known for losing -- losing weight. You might not even recognize the now former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee from his dramatic weight loss.
That's the old Governor Huckabee I used to work with in Little Rock for a few years. I don't even recognize this new guy over here. These are the before and after shots.
And this week, after 10 years on the job, term limits did what opposing candidates could not do and let Huckabee get out of office. But he now may be eying a higher office.
He's out with a new book, "From Hope to Higher Ground: Twelve Stops to Restoring America's Greatness." And I talked to the former governor Mike Huckabee a little earlier.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: Sir, like I said, been a while. Good to see you again. Thank you for being here.
I'll start with this -- let's just go ahead and get this out of the way. Do you want to be president of the United States?
MIKE HUCKABEE, FMR. GOVERNOR OF ARKANSAS: It's something I'm seriously looking at. And one the reasons I wrote the book "From Hope to Higher Ground" is so that people could get to know who I am, what I'm about. And if that resonates with people, that's going to be a real encouragement for me. If it doesn't, I may have that answer.
HOLMES: So is that going to be your test, how well this book does and how well that message plays?
HUCKABEE: Not so much how well it sells, as much as it is how well its message is received. Because it's more about the message.
I want people to know what kind of person I am, what kind of president I might be, if I did, in fact, run. But I think more importantly, what kind of country we could become if we started thinking, as I say, vertically, not horizontally, which is one of the key things of that book, to quit thinking everything is left and right and liberal and conservative and start thinking about taking this country up rather than taking it down.
HOLMES: All right. When are you going to make a decision? And tell me, how seriously are you thinking about it?
HUCKABEE: Well, over the next several weeks the decision will be made and announced, because, you know, the person who is going to do it is going to have to go ahead and make that decision fairly soon.
HOLMES: Well, you sure lost all that weight. You're going to look awfully good up there on that podium for inaugurations.
HUCKABEE: At least I'm a smaller target, T.J. That's the best part.
HOLMES: We just heard the president say he wants to send 20,000 more U.S. troops into Iraq and to Baghdad to stop some of that violence. Do you go along with that idea, or what would you do right now as president?
HUCKABEE: T.J., the biggest concern I have about the move to put more troops is the perspective of being a governor 10 and a half years. Most of these troop are going to be guardsmen and reservists. And if that's the case, we have got the challenge of these guys who have already been over there being asked now to go yet again.
These are supposed to be citizen soldiers serving on a part-time basis. They're being turned into full-time soldiers, away from their families, their communities, their careers. And I'm not sure how many more deployments their families and employers are willing to accept.
Now, the soldiers are willing to go, because they're soldiers who do their duty and I've never heard one of them complain. But it does put a real stress on our reservists and guard forces. And that's my immediate concern.
I hope it works. I hope the president, if he gets these folks in there, will be very sensitive to particularly these citizen soldiers.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: And if Governor Huckabee does decide to throw his hat into the race, his first debate as candidate Huckabee will be in April and it will be right here on CNN. The best political team in television is teaming up with New Hampshire's leading news organizations to host the first presidential debate of the campaign season.
The back-to-back debates are sponsored by CNN, the "New Hampshire Union-Leader," and WMUR television. You can see them right here on CNN, your election 2008 campaign headquarters.
NGUYEN: But right now we are following the latest developments this morning about the return of those missing Missouri boys and, of course, that severe weather out in the Midwest.
HOLMES: Yes. Gary Nurenberg is actually standing by now in Alexandria, Virginia. Reggie Aqui in Oklahoma City.
Gary, hello. GARY NURENBERG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: 24/7 includes Sunday morning before the sun comes up inside the National Missing Children's Center Hotline.
That story coming up.
REGGIE AQUI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And this is round three in Oklahoma City of that big ice storm. It's not just having an effect on the people of Oklahoma, it's having a major effect on its livestock.
I'm Reggie Aqui. More on that story when CNN continues.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: "Now in the News," firefighters suspend their search in a deadly apartment fire in Huntington, West Virginia. There are reports some residents may be missing, but the gutted building is in danger of collapsing. At least three people were confirmed killed, 14 others were rescued from the five-story building.
Federal arson investigators are in the Greenville, North Carolina, area this morning. They're looking into suspicious fires at two Baptist churches overnight. Police report a break-in at a third area church. Authorities spent much of last night checking on other churches.
And the Pentagon is the latest U.S. agency gaining access to credit reports and banking records. This according to a report in "The New York Times." A Pentagon spokesman tells "The Times" the agency is requesting financial information on hundreds of Americans under a little known national security letter statute. The statute allows the executive branch to seek records about people in terror or spy investigations.
NGUYEN: We are keeping a close eye on U.S. diplomacy abroad. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice in the West Bank this morning. She met with moderate Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas in hopes of restarting peace talks with Israel. Now, Washington is shoring up supporting for Abbas in his power struggle against the militant group Hamas.
From Capitol Hill to the realities of war, U.S. senator Hillary Rodham Clinton leads a congressional delegation to Afghanistan today. Here she is meeting with President Hamid Karzai. Now, yesterday, the bipartisan group visited Baghdad and met with top Iraqi officials and U.S. military commanders.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PAMELA AKERS, SHAWN HORNBECK'S MOTHER: We have a lot of catching up to do. He's grown up on me, that's for sure.
And I just really want to thank everybody, everybody who has been out there to help search for Shawn, everybody that's been out there to help us search for other missing kids, everybody that has searched for other missing kids that we re not even involved in. And most likely -- I want to give that hope to the families, to the families that their kids can come home. It may be years later, it may be days later, it may be weeks later, but they can come home safe. And just always keep that faith and hope.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Hope, that's been the theme this weekend, really.
NGUYEN: It has.
HOLMES: We've heard that word a lot. And it worked this weekend. That's the message from an overjoyed mother. She has her son home after four years of worry and agony.
This is being called, and rightly so, the miracle in Missouri.
Welcome back to you all. Good morning.
I'm T.J. Holmes.
NGUYEN: It is such a great story.
HOLMES: Yes.
NGUYEN: And we don't often hear...
HOLMES: No.
NGUYEN: ... of children surviving after being kidnapped. So we'll talk much more about that today.
Good morning, everybody. I am Betty Nguyen.
It is an amazing outcome to the story of those two missing Missouri boys, and it gives hope to other families.
CNN's Gary Nurenberg joins us now live from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children in Alexandria, Virginia.
So, my question is, after people saw what they did yesterday, the children home with their families, have the calls increased there at that center?
NURENBERG: You know, when we were on the air yesterday and letting people know about the number, 1-800-THE-LOST, where the public can call for any information about missing kids, and the Web site, missingkids.com, there was a spike here. They say that whenever television pays attention to missing children, calls here go up at 1- 800-THE-LOST. And that's really the message from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, that the public can become involved and lead to the kind of happy outcomes that we have been watching this weekend.
1-800-THE-LOST, missingkids.com, two things that the public personally can do. (BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
NURENBERG (voice-over): The National Missing Children's Hotline, 1-800-THE-LOST, got 319 tips about Shawn Hornbeck, who was in its database for more than four years. The age progression images of him, testament to the conviction here you never give up.
ERNIE ALLEN, CENTER FOR MISSING & EXPLOITED CHILDREN: The key message from Missouri is hope. So many people assume that because you don't recover a child in the first hours or days, that you're looking for a body, that it's gloom and doom. The reality is, children are recoverable. Most of America's missing children come home safely, and we've got to keep hope alive.
JOANN DONNELLAN, CENTER FOR MISSING & EXPLOITED CHILDREN: The poster that we have on Ben...
NURENBERG: Like Shawn's, William Ben Ownby's missing poster was also online at missingkids.com, where the public can see the details surrounding each case. In Ben's, that included a description of the white pickup truck a friend of Ben's saw in the area where he disappeared. A vital clue in this case.
DONNELLAN: That sort of information is critical when you're trying to find a missing child, because the general public then has information to go on. So, when they're driving down the street, they can look for that truck that has all of those, you know, critical descriptors.
NURENBERG: Although there is celebration here about Shawn and Ben, the Center for Missing and Exploited Children says it adds new cases every day.
DONNELLAN: Take the time. Take a few minutes. Go to our Web site and look. Erica is still missing, Avery is still missing, Tristan is still missing. There are thousands of children still missing, but the public has the power to help bring them home.
(END VIDEO TAPE)
NURENBERG: The lesson from this weekend, never give up. That really is the philosophy here.
Go to missingkids.com. You can find cases -- we're looking at one, a man, for example, who is now 28, missing since he was 11. That information is still on the Web site. They still haven't given up on that one. They don't give up on anyone -- Betty.
NGUYEN: Well, you can't. Because after we saw what we did in the past couple of days, it could still happen. These children can come home.
Gary, we thank you.
You'll want to stay with CNN for developments throughout the morning on this story. And coming up in less than two hours, at 9:00 Eastern, we're going to talk with one of Ben Ownby's classmates. He's the one who gave police information that helped them find the missing boys.
And at some point today we expect to hear from the two police officers who spotted the suspect's truck.
HOLMES: Severe weather making things pretty treacherous around the Midwest. Here's a look now at some of the trouble spots.
Nearly 100,000 people lost power in Missouri. The governor there declaring a state of emergency.
A state of emergency also ordered in Oklahoma. Three traffic deaths now being blamed on the icy conditions there.
And in Texas, the National Guard has been activated to help deal with the weather emergency. Besides the ice, heavy rains are causing some flooding in central parts of the state.
Travel a big issue, of course. Hundreds of flights both in and out of many Midwest and Texas airports were either canceled or delayed yesterday.
Well, the ice storm having a lingering effect in Oklahoma. Thousands of people still without power this morning.
And Reggie Aqui is live in Oklahoma City this morning with the latest for us there.
Reggie, we were thinking things were going to get worse when we were chatting with you yesterday. Is that what happened?
AQUI: It got worse in some parts of the state. But Oklahoma City was pretty much spared.
In fact, the first thing I did, T.J., when I woke up, I looked out the window to see what was happening on the trees. Because that was going to be a major indication of how this day was going to be. And look, still no ice on those trees.
When you were talking to Sumi Das earlier, it was a different situation in Missouri, where the ice is everywhere. And that is a major problem when it comes to electricity. Oklahoma City has been spared, for the most part, from those electrical outages, but if you were to drive a couple hours southeast of here, you would find a real mess.
Take a look at what it looks like on the roads out there. You wouldn't want to drive there. Trust me.
But we're told that about 90,000 people statewide are out of power. That has jumped dramatically from yesterday morning, when that number was only about 11,000. And actually, I was just talking to some of the folks here at our local affiliate, KWTV. They have relatives that have been out of power since Friday night who are just huddled by the fireplace trying to make it through this storm.
One major problem that is going on the western part of the state, the area known as the Oklahoma Panhandle, well, those farmers out there cannot feed their cattle. The cattle -- and it's called no man's land for good reason, because there are more cattle than there are people. They just can't get that feed to them.
As you might remember, a couple weeks ago they had another big storm. So this is on top of that. They tried to drop some feed with helicopters that time around, but as it keeps raining, and freezing rain and snow, well, they're not able to do that.
We talked to a farmer out there who is just trying his best.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BOBBY APPLE, CATTLE RANCHER: Just hollering at them, calling them in. They hear that siren, they come in for -- so I can give them a little feed. Cattle are our livelihood out here.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
AQUI: And so here's what we are talking about. It's this layer of ice that is on everything still. And the roads are still very hazardous out there in the entire region where this ice storm has hit. We are talking about a really big region, everywhere from St. Louis, to down here, to parts of Dallas.
We've heard about seven deaths so far connected to this storm. So, it's very dangerous.
We are still talking about delays in that airport system. And T.J., I can tell that you a lot of us are still waiting for our luggage, including me. Which will teach me not to check my luggage from now on, I guess.
HOLMES: Hey, come on. All you need is that CNN hat and you're good to go.
AQUI: That is all you need. I could use maybe a new, clean shirt. But we'll talk about that.
HOLMES: No, just that. All right.
NGUYEN: You can wash that out in the sink. You're good to go. No problem. Come on, Reggie.
HOLMES: Thanks so much, Reggie.
AQUI: Thank you, Betty. I'll do that.
(LAUGHTER)
NGUYEN: You know, we want to talk to Reynolds now about the weather situation, because it's one thing to have all this ice just packed on top of each other -- itself, I should say. But then, Reynolds, once this starts to melt off, are we going to see some flooding?
REYNOLDS WOLF, CNN METEOROLOGIST: You know, I don't think it's going to be a huge issue.
(WEATHER REPORT)
HOLMES: Well, the MLK national holiday is tomorrow. But in the meantime, you sure can go to our Web site, CNN.com, to read up right now about the legacy of the civil rights leader.
And Nicole Lapin here with more on what's happening at CNN.com.
Good morning to you, Nicole.
NICOLE LAPIN, CNN PIPELINE ANCHOR: Good morning, T.J.
Well, it's been almost 40 years since MLK's death and, still, so many people want to know more about what's behind the words, what's behind that legacy. So online we really have an unprecedented look at the papers of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., his notebooks, his essays, and his first drafts. It's all there online at CNN.com.
So take a look at this. And you know "I Have a Dream." It's a line almost synonymous with Dr. King, that famous march on Washington in 1963. But T.J., did you know that the whole speech was adlibbed?
Here you see right here the notes where he crossed out, where he underlined passages, playing with the whole idea of the dream. But that's not what was intended for that famous speech on the Mall.
It was originally called "Normalcy, Never Again." But you can see the thought process and the origins behind that idea, what, of course, came out when Dr. King was just adlibbing.
And these are so fascinating. These documents come from his alma mater, Morehouse College, in Atlanta. And online, what we've done is we scanned the originals. And you see the copies right there.
You can literally see every indent, every crease, every revision. And they span all periods of Dr. King's life.
this is from winning the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964, where you see different outlines and different versions of his acceptance speech, where scholars really believe this is when he produced his most profound work. And you can read it all online in his own handwriting. And this is something that you're not going to find anywhere else.
It's all there at cnn.com/mlk.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANDREW YOUNG, FMR. U.N. AMBASSADOR: The power of that speech, which was really one of the -- it was one of the less significant speeches. I mean, he had lots of speeches that had a lot more substance, but that one touched the nerve of America in 1963.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: And later in our 9:00 Eastern hour, my conversation with former U.N. ambassador and civil rights activist, Andrew Young. He's going to be talking about the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., how -- how the message back then might translate into the issues of today. So much, fascinating, always good to talk to him. So certainly stick around for that.
Meanwhile, job hunters beware.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GERRI WILLIS, CNN PERSONAL FINANCE EDITOR (voice over): To find good workers, more and more employers, like many lenders and insurers, are prescreening candidates using their financial history.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: So if you have bad credit, it could cost you that new job that you are trying to get. Our consumer expert, Gerri Willis, will explain the connection coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: All right. A good credit score equals a responsible employee? Sound a little crazy to you? Well, it is not so farfetched. More and more companies are using bad credit as a reason not to hire.
CNN's Gerri Willis tells us about one worker's claim against Harvard University.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WILLIS (voice-over): Your credit history is your financial DNA, and like DNA, when your financial history is damaged, bad things can happen.
LISA BAILEY, FEELS DISCRIMINATED AGAINST: I was crushed. I was crushed big time, because I was so excited on July 25th, so excited, I was moving up.
WILLIS: For Lisa, who has a hearing disability, moving up meant trading in temp work for a full-time position at Harvard. Her supervisor even encouraged her.
PIPER HOFFMAN, ATTORNEY, GUTTEN & GOLDEN LLP: Lisa was working as a temp for five months in the alumni office doing a lot of the same responsibilities that were involved in the permanent position that she applied for. She was handling very large checks from alumni, but Harvard didn't find it necessary to check her credit before she started doing that work as a temp.
WILLIS: But when Lisa applied for the job full-time... HOFFMAN: All of a sudden it mattered.
WILLIS: Lisa didn't get the job. And while she doesn't deny a less than perfect credit history, dating back to days when she was unemployed and relied on credit cards to get by, she also says she's a good worker. To find good workers, more and more employers, like many lenders and insurers, are pre-screening candidates using their financial history.
EDWARD SCHENKER, STERLING TESTING SYSTEMS: Fundamentally, the credit report gives you some indication of a person's future behavior based on their past behavior. And really what you want to mitigate is giving them access to company financials.
WILLIS: But consumer activists argue the system is unfair to many, especially those with little credit experience or tarnished records.
PAULA BRUNER, EEOC: Well, there's been no scientific evidence that credit reports are any indicator of one's able to perform jobs.
WILLIS: Lisa's attorney has filed a charge with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
HOFFMAN: We believe that this is race discrimination, because racial minorities are more likely to have credit problems than whites. So by using credit history as a hiring criterion, employers are having a disparate impact on minorities.
WILLIS: Harvard, for its part, told CNN: "Privacy considerations prevent us from commenting on specific cases, but in general, credit history reviews are conducted with the consent of an applicant only for positions with access to sensitive financial information or involvement in significant financial transactions."
The EEOC continues to investigate the case, as for Lisa, she's back to doing temp work and working to repair her credit history.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: And this case is still awaiting action from the EEOC.
Now, earlier I do want to tell you that I did speak with Gerri Willis, CNN's personal finance editor, and asked her how common this practice is.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WILLIS: It is very, very common. As a matter of fact, over the last five years, the number of employers who are using this kind of testing is up 55 percent.
NGUYEN: Wow.
WILLIS: Now, they think it's an indication of how competent you are, but, in fact, low credit scores correlate with people who are low-income or minorities. And what's more, having a low credit score may not be your fault at all.
Maybe you've had a death in the family. Maybe you've had some kind of medical emergency that was really expensive. Maybe you got divorced.
So this is really unfair in a lot of ways.
NGUYEN: OK. Let me ask you, there's so many questions here, but say you have a low score and this was used to determine if you are going to get this job. Do you even know if a company is using this to determine if you're going to get a job or not?
WILLIS: They typically have to ask you, Betty, if they can use it.
NGUYEN: OK.
WILLIS: So you will probably get the question, you know, hey, we want to look at your credit score. And you'll have the option of saying yes or no. But, I mean, think about it, are you going say no? You may not get the job.
NGUYEN: If you say no, what happens? You won't get the job. And if you say yes and you have, you know, like you said, a medical emergency or some other reason that your -- what if your credit score is incorrect? That's a whole other issue here, and you don't even know it.
WILLIS: Well, what if your credit score is incorrect? You know, four -- one in four credit reports contain some kind of mistake. That's the conventional numbers that everybody talks about right now. There are all kinds of errors in these reports, and you really have to check your report, which you can do at annualcreditreport.com. Find out what is on your report, and then you need to go get that number because you have got to understand it.
A couple of other tips for people out there. You know, you should do automatic bill pay if your credit score isn't great. And you can always get professional help at consolidatedcredit.org. It's a great place to go, but you can go to virtually any credit counselor, make sure they're on the up and up, because some of them are not -- are not very reliable either.
But this is something people need to keep in the back of their mind when they're looking for a new job -- Betty.
NGUYEN: And just remind us one more time, why is it that these scores are being used by companies?
WILLIS: They believe that there's a strong correlation between competency on the job and credit scores. And keep in mind that some people will be dealing with money on the job. So especially in those situations, employers often want to see a credit score.
But at the end of the day, you have to ask yourself, how reliable is it as a means of telling how good employees are? We just don't know. There isn't a lot of data on that right now.
So people out there need to be aware and need to get that credit score so they know how they're going to look in the eyes of employers.
NGUYEN: Absolutely. And if you are being asked for this, is there a way to protect yourself? Saying no may cost you that job, so what can you do?
WILLIS: Well, the main thing you can do to protect yourself is prepare ahead of time. Make sure that your credit score is solid, work on it. Make sure that you get it to the highest level you can and that your credit report is correct. Because that's where the credit score is pulled, it's from your reports.
So you need do that homework before you get into the job market to make sure that you're going to look attractive to all potential employers.
NGUYEN: Very good advice.
Gerri Willis, as always, we thank you.
WILLIS: Thank you, Betty. Good to see you.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: So I'm going to have to pay my bill and make sure that credit score is up. And for more information on these consumer stories, just like the one that you watched, you can watch "OPEN HOUSE" every Saturday at 9:30 a.m. Eastern right here on CNN.
We are back in a moment with more on that winter storm.
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NGUYEN: Take a look at this, Dallas, Texas, this morning, a live picture courtesy of WFAA, our affiliate there. You can barely make out the buildings here in downtown with all the fog. This fog is just an example of what is hitting the area, including rain. And I understand from Reynolds Wolf they're going to be getting some of that ice and nasty stuff headed their way at some point this weekend.
HOLMES: Oh.
NGUYEN: Yes, it's not a pretty picture.
HOLMES: Well, of course, yes, the two big, big stories we're following this morning. We're going to be back and get the latest on those in just a moment.
NGUYEN: Including the Midwest freeze -- snow, sleet, freezing rain. We're going to let you know where this winter storm is headed next.
HOLMES: And in that other big, big story, more on that miracle in Missouri. We have got some new information this morning on the man suspected in the boys' abduction.
NGUYEN: And later, pets on prescriptions. Really. Does Fido need a pill if he's fat?
HOLMES: No.
NGUYEN: There is a pill available. We will ask a nationally known veterinarian about this when CNN SUNDAY MORNING rolls on.
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(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There you go. Ooh, that was a big one. My wife -- there you go again.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(LAUGHTER)
HOLMES: Oh my goodness.
NGUYEN: Wow.
HOLMES: Just one of the hazards you've got to watch out for in the Midwest these days. Snapping tree limbs just one of the weather dangers in the Midwest. Icy power lines, hundreds of thousands of people without power this morning. We'll have a live report from St. Louis, that is just minutes away.
NGUYEN: Also this a suspect charged with kidnapping in the case of two Missouri boys. The boys they are back home safe, and the suspect well he is under investigation. Now his family is speaking out. We'll have a live report from Missouri in less than two minutes.
HOLMES: To the Middle East now. In the latest stop for Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, she met earlier today Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in the West Bank. Washington is hoping to restart the stalled peace talks with Israel. Abbas is locked in a bitter struggle with the militant group Hamas.
NGUYEN: And an investigation is under way into yesterday's deadly mining accident in West Virginia. Two miners killed in a roof cave-in. More than 30 of their colleagues managed to escape, and it happened in the southeastern city of Cucumber.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It seems kind of incongruous to think that he would take my money knowing that he wasn't going to be able to do anything for me, doesn't it?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: Well it is a profitable business of selling hope. How the Internet and a dream to walk led one paralyzed man to a Chinese doctor's door. That's coming your way at the bottom of the hour on today's "House Call" with Dr. Sanjay Gupta.
HOLMES: Meanwhile, from the CNN Center in Atlanta this is CNN SUNDAY MORNING, January 14, 8:00 a.m. in Buffalo, New York, 7:00 a.m. in Union, Missouri. Good morning to you all, I'm T.J. Holmes.
NGUYEN: Yes good morning, I'm Betty Nguyen. We want to thank you for being with us today.
Their safe return is being celebrated, and a suspect is under scrutiny. We're following the latest developments in what is being called the miracle in Missouri. And it truly is. Two missing boys back with their families, one after a four-day ordeal, and the other after more than four years. The families are obviously just ecstatic.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CRAIG AKERS, SHAWN HORNBECK'S STEPFATHER: Obviously, this is probably the best day of our lives. It's hard to even come up with words that can express the feeling that we've been going through.
DORIS OWNBY, BEN OWNBY'S MOTHER: We are just ecstatic, don't want to let him go or out of our sight. He doesn't want us to hold on to him, but we have. We're just excited and happy to have him at home.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: No doubt. Well, while the families of those boys rejoice, the family of the suspect is speaking out. CNN's Sean Callebs joins us live from Union, Missouri, with more on this. We don't know a whole lot about the suspect. What have we learned from what the family is saying Sean?
CALLEBS: Yes without question, yesterday was the emotion, the euphoria, loved ones reunited after one for such a long time, one after an agonizing four days. Now come the really tough questions, the litany of investigators say they've charged 41-year-old Michael Devlin with first-degree kidnapping. But what was the apparent motive of all this? Why did Shawn Hornbeck who was apparently held four and a half years, close to four and a half years not try and escape? Those are the questions investigators are wrestling with right now.
But we do have a statement from Devlin's family that was released. That says speaking on behalf of the Devlin family, these past few days have been incredibly difficult. This is not to diminish the anguish that Craig and Pam Akers the parents of Shawn Hornbeck have felt over the previously four and a half years or the Ownby family for the last four and a half days, Ben Ownby who was abducted after leaving school. Just -- it goes on to say, just as we are relieved that both Ben and Shawn are now safe, we hope that Michael will be safe as the facts of his case are revealed.
Well here is how it all unfolded. About an hour southwest of St. Louis four and a half years ago, the town of Richwood's that is when Shawn Hornbeck was abducted he was last seen riding his bike. Then on Monday in the town of Beaufort, that's when Ben Ownby was abducted. The two boys were found in the town of Kirkwood in Michael Devlin's apartment, again Devlin charged with first-degree kidnapping. But authorities expect he will be facing more charges as well. So what went on? Neighbors say that it was a pretty normal existence. They thought that Shawn could have been Michael Devlin's son.
HARRY REICHARD, DEVLIN'S NEIGHBOR: They were always together. It was always a quiet walk out, quiet come in. They never conversed outside the doors.
CALLEBS: We also know that Devlin at least called the police to the apartment complex on one occasion because someone had parked in his parking space. Another time a neighbor found a cell phone and returned it to Shawn. We don't know if those were close calls or what. We know Shawn wasn't in school over the past four and a half years. So a lot of questions have to be answered. Daylight breaking here, investigators working this case. We'll bring you the very latest Betty.
NGUYEN: Well I just want to step back for a second. You said neighbors found a cell phone and gave it to Shawn. So at some point Shawn may have been able to call 911.
CALLEBS: That is what investigators are clearly going over at this point. Could he have simply walked away as well? We don't know what could have happened. We only know what psychological experts are saying, the people who investigate these kind of abduction cases. But all that is pure speculation at this point. We hope to find out more about that and what went on the past four and a half years as well.
NGUYEN: There are so many questions. Sean Callebs thank you so much for that. You do want to stay with CNN for developments throughout the morning on this story. Coming up next hour, we are going to talk with one of Ben Ownby classmates. He gave police that information which helped them find the missing boys.
And a little bit later today, we expect to hear from the two police officers who indeed spotted the suspect's truck.
HOLMES: The other big story today, the other big mess -- the weather. We're keeping a close eye on this. Dangerous storms causing trouble across the Midwest, from ice bringing down power lines to flash flooding and treacherous roads. So far seven deaths have been blamed on the weather. CNN' s Sumi Das is out in the middle of all this morning. She is live in St. Louis. Good morning to you Sumi.
DAS: Good morning T.J.. Well, a lot of St. Louis-area residents are waking up without electricity this morning, and they're going to have to clear their driveways and properties of downed tree limbs. There were more outages overnight. Last night, there were less than 90 thousand St. Louis-area customers were in the dark this morning; Ameren, the local utility company is reporting 132,000 customers who are without power.
They have hundreds of crews who are working to restore power, but they have their work cut for them. The National Weather Service says that another phase of this winter storm system is going to come through later today, and it's going to bring with it significant ice accumulation, up to an inch in some places. So this is what the tree branches are looking like now. It's going to be a lot worse tomorrow morning.
There have been four storm-related deaths in the state of Missouri; three of those were caused by traffic accidents. One person died as a result of carbon monoxide poisoning. Emergency officials are reminding residents that they should not bring generators or charcoal grills into their home in an effort to stay warm. They should keep those things outside. Missouri Governor Matt Blunt has declared a state of emergency; he says this is definitely a crisis. He's also activated National Guard troops, he has ordered 150 troops to help in the St. Louis area and 200 to assist in Springfield where more than half of the households are without power and shelters are filling up very quickly.
T.J.
HOLMES: All right. Sumi thank you so much for that report live today in St. Louis. Thank you so much.
NGUYEN: Let's get more on the weather outside. Because it's not just in Missouri it is through the center section of the U.S. And in fact folks down south are going to be seeing a lot more than just rain heading their way. Reynolds Wolf joins with that. Good morning Reynolds.
REYNOLDS WOLF, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Good morning. It's not only pinpointed on one part of the map. You've got birdshot of all kinds of weather around the nation. The biggest thing we're dealing with is not really the snow; it's not really the rain. It's the heavy ice we're talking about. And Sumi Das mentioned that if you don't have to get on the roadways in Missouri or Oklahoma or North Texas, stay home. Don't go out there. Roads are awful, no question about it. This is going to be the big weather maker. We have all that moisture that is just streaming in from the Gulf of Mexico, frigid air coming in from the north. When you have that combination of these two distinctively different air masses. You have this frontal boundary and that's going to be the big trouble spot, especially St. Louis, southward on I-44 it will get icy there. We're not done yet.
It looks like we're getting a little bit of a break in Dallas for the time being, but snow showers farther to the north in Oklahoma City back into Chicago, we are seeing some light snowfall. St. Louis, you're not done yet. You are getting a little bit of a breather but more is expected overnight and into tomorrow morning as well. For Monday, we can expect this area of low pressure to crawl its way to the southeast of the Great Lakes. We're going to see more of that rough weather move into portions of the Great Lakes as well. No question we'll have back-ups there due to freezing rain, ice, low clouds, also in Chicago as well as Denver, I would expect some back- ups.
Be patient. Lets send it back to you at the desk.
NGUYEN: Thank you Reynolds.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The key message from Missouri is hope.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: The miracle in Missouri. What does this case now mean for other missing children mysteries? We'll go live to Washington, next.
NGUYEN: Also, from Buckingham Palace to Baghdad? Why Prince Harry is undergoing Iraq training. We have that story in three minutes.
Now here's a preview of today's "House Call."
DR SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Betty thanks. We have a lot to talk about this morning. For one thing, new research shows folic acid may reduce a person's risk of Alzheimer's. It is great news for people worried about themselves or a parent. I'm going to have all the details on that.
Plus, we're covering politicians taking on health care. Also telling you about some companies offering a slew of free health services to keep their employees well. Sounds pretty good. All coming up on "House Call" at 8:30.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): It's over 2,000 years old and some will tell you it's one of the healthiest diets in the world. Inspired by the traditional cuisine of a country like Italy, Spain and Greece. Some health experts believe the Mediterranean Diet can have dramatic benefits.
DR. DREW WARNER, VALLEY VIEW HOSPITAL: They're very high in olive oil, which is unsaturated fat, which is really much better for us, it is better for our hearts and other things.
COSTELLO: Dr. Warner believes the Mediterranean Diet helps lowers the risk of cancer and obesity. This woman says she savors her food and eats less red meat than an average American does.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I like American meat, but I prefer Sicilian fish.
COSTELLO: Fish is a key part of the Mediterranean Diet, also lots of fresh produce, olive oil, whole grains and wine but only in moderation of course. Although the diet is higher in fat people in the Mediterranean region eat smaller portions so they consume fewer calories.
Carol Costello, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEO CLIP) (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PAM AKERS, SHAWN HORNBECK'S MOTHER: Everybody that has searched for other missing kids that were not even found and most likely I want to give that hope to the family.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: What's being called the miracle in Missouri is giving hope to the families of other missing children. Two Missouri boys back home, safe and sound. CNN's Gary Nurenberg joins us now live from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children in Alexandria, Virginia with more for us. Good morning to you Gary.
NURENBERG: Good morning. As the country celebrates the return of these two missing children, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children continued its search for thousands of others. The call center for the National Missing Children's Hotline 1-800-the loss is here in Alexandria, Virginia. It is staffed 24 hours a day, seven days a week, receives about 700 tips each day.
Yesterday, as we learned details of what Shawn Hornbeck went through, we asked how it was possible for him to live so apparently openly and publicly with his alleged abductor and why it took so long under those circumstances for him to be caught.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ERNIE ALLEN, CTR. FOR MISSING & EXPLOITED CHILDREN: We know that these offenders are very good at blending in. They do not match society's stereotype. They don't look like the guy hiding behind the tree or who crawls out from under the bridge. They look pretty much like the rest of us. They hide in plain sight. And, secondly, we live in a very transient time. This was a guy who held a job. This is a guy who was a member of a community. He lived in an apartment development where people came and went. So it's not always easy for people to stand out.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NURENBERG: Mr. Allen said the one message of the weekend is hope. Never give up. This is a story you can find on line at MISSINGKIDS.com of Jacob Wetterling. He's been missing since 1989. He was 11 then he would be 28 now but the center continues to keep his picture up he was last seen in October 1989 in St. Joseph, Minnesota, when he a brother and a friend were threatened at gun point by an abductor. He has a mole on his left cheek, a scar on his knee. Jacob Wetterling age progression technology, what he would look like in his early 20s. But evidence that even for a 28-year-old man, they never here give up. Mr. Allen says what happened this weekend is evidence that you never should.
HOLMES: All right. Gary, certainly the case and certainly the lesson here. Thank you so much. NGUYEN: Let's get you from Capitol Hill to regions of war. U.S. Senator Hillary Clinton with a congressional delegation in Afghanistan today. Here she's meeting with President Hamid Karzai. Yesterday the bipartisan group visited Baghdad; they met with top Iraqi officials and U.S. military commanders.
Also on the road, Iran's president. He is seeking to bolster alliances with countries in Latin America. Today he's in Nicaragua for the inauguration of President Daniel Ortega. Earlier he met with Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez. Both men are fierce opponents of the Bush White House, they want to convince fellow OPEC countries to further cut oil production and drive up international prices.
From Great Britain, a newspaper report that Prince Harry is training for duty in Iraq. The British defense ministry downplaying the report in today's edition of the "News of the World." It says no decision has been made on deploying the prince's regiment. Prince Harry is third in line to the thrown.
HOLMES: Well, is your pet out of control? They've got a pill for that. Is your pet overweight? They've got a pill for that, too. Coming up in the next hour we'll talk to a veterinarian to the stars about when to put your pet on Prozac.
NGUYEN: Rocking and rolling up next, glitz and glamour plus those stars. We're going to preview tomorrow's top Golden Globe contenders.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: "Dreamgirls" and the Golden Globes. Could tomorrow night's award show give new comer Jennifer Hudson what American Idol would not? Well Tom O'Neil is a columnist with the "LA Times" and THE ENVELOPE.com. He joins us now live from Los Angeles very early in the morning. But we do appreciate it. Good to see you.
TOM O'NEIL, THE ENVELOPE.COM: Good to be here.
NGUYEN: Let's talk about the movies first of all. And this comedy/musical category. Because "Dreamgirls" is getting all the talk. Is this the one to win?
O'NEIL: It is. And hallelujah, those globe voters love musicals traditionally. If it's successful, they go for it. "Dreamgirls" is a slam-dunk here in this win of course. Then we're going to see two of the stars win, too. We will see Jennifer Hudson win supporting actress and Eddie Murphy win. And of course they're the heart and soul of "Dreamgirls."
NGUYEN: You're 100 percent positive, because some of these categories have some stiff competition.
O'NEIL: Yes. I think, though, in this case those two supporting races are a lock.
NGUYEN: Right and Jennifer Hudson is going to be the breakout star here, correct?
O'NEIL: Absolutely. She's already been on the movie scene. Now she'll be on the award show. She's already got the Oscar won.
NGUYEN: Really?
O'NEIL: Yes.
NGUYEN: I saw it. It was such a strong performance. But let me just get you back to that comedy/ musical category. You say "Dreamgirls" is going to take it but I thought you were interested in seeing maybe "Borat" take that prize.
O'NEIL: That's what to watch out for among the strange possibilities that could happen. He's going to win best comedy/musical actor. However, remember who Borat is. He is a foreign journalist who feels a little silly and out of place in America. Well now remember who votes on these awards, the Hollywood foreign press association.
NGUYEN: I see the connection here, Tom.
O'NEIL: Yes. So if they get a little too carried away with this "Borat" business, I can tell you the voters loved this movie, that could screw up everything for "Dreamgirls" as it heads towards the Oscars.
NGUYEN: Oh, OK that is the one to watch. Now when it comes to best drama, there is a lot of really tough competition there.
O'NEIL: There is. It seems that "Babel" is the movie to bet on for best picture in this race. It's got the most nominations it has seven. Brad Pitt could pull an upset over Eddie Murphy in that supporting actor race. It's all about the "Departed" this year. Here is my prediction for best picture at the Oscar; I think that "Departed" has already won it. I think that we know that because they choose their best pictures at the Oscars based on who directed them. It's Scorsese's year. He's going to win best director.
NGUYEN: That was such a powerful movie. It really was on so many levels. Let's get to the best actor and actress category. Who will take those home?
O'NEIL: Best actor, Forrest Whitaker. He has won everything this year. I think it will be Helen Mirren for best actress for "The Queen." Both of these people have won every major critics award, they are going to win the Globe next, and at least Helen is going to win the Oscar. I think that Whitaker has some competition with Peter O'Toole at the Oscars.
NGUYEN: So a king and queen will win, I see.
O'NEIL: Yes.
NGUYEN: When it comes to these award shows, they say the Golden Globes pretty much a lead-up to the Oscars. Then it kind of gives you an idea who is going to win that. But that's not a sure bet, is it, Tom?
O'NEIL: For the most part, it really is, though. In more than two thirds of the cases of the top winners for lead actor and actress and best picture at the Oscars, they win the Globe ahead of time.
NGUYEN: Then why even watch the Oscars?
O'NEIL: I know. But the last two years they got them wrong, you know the Oscars went for "Crash" and "Million Dollar Baby" and the Globes went for different ones.
NGUYEN: Quickly, I want to get to the swag because I know viewers across America are -- their hearts are so down in the dumps today because those stars aren't going to get the swag at these years Golden Globes. What will we do Tom?
O'NEIL: Isn't that terrible? The people who have everything won't get a little something extra. These Swag bags are worth $50,000 to $80,000 each. This year they're out of the picture thank goodness because the IRS swooped in and said we want tax money on that. So now the Globes and the Oscars have both said adios.
NGUYEN: Are we going to see that for all award shows?
O'NEIL: Yes, I think so. The stars are too cheap to pay the taxes.
NGUYEN: Isn't that ironic?
O'NEIL: Very ironic.
NGUYEN: Goodness. All right. Tom O'Neil we appreciate all your information. Good stuff. We'll be watching tonight. Thank you.
All right. So protecting your brain tomorrow by eating folic acid today. "House Call" explains the simple dietary step that you can take to help prevent Alzheimer's disease. That is five minutes away.
And at the top of the hour, hear from the teenager whose tip helped lead police to those two missing Missouri boys. It truly is a miracle.
Coming up at 10:00 Eastern "Reliable Sources" takes on the war of words between Rosie O'Donnell and Donald Trump.
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