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Rat Boom in United Kingdom?; Nation Remembers Martin Luther King Jr.; U.S. General Urges Patience in Iraq

Aired January 15, 2007 - 15:00   ET

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

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Thanks for staying with us. I'm Kyra Phillips, live at CNN world headquarters in Atlanta.
DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Don Lemon.

Raising a king-sized fortune -- how did Atlanta come up with millions of dollars in less than two weeks to buy MLK's most precious papers?

PHILLIPS: A frozen storm system barrels toward New England, leaves a trail of destruction behind.

LEMON: And two boys rescued from an alleged kidnapper -- what can you do to keep your kid safe? We're looking for answers right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.

PHILLIPS: Well, shivering in the dark, sliding on icy roads -- what a way to start the week for millions of Americans in the Heartland. And the misery is spreading now to New England.

CNN's Reynolds Wolf has more from icy Saint Louis.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

REYNOLDS WOLF, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Well, what we have been dealing with here in Saint Louis, in terms of the tree damage and the cold conditions, is just one tiny piece, one tiny piece of a giant puzzle, a giant storm system that stretched from parts of the Great Lakes, clear down to -- to central Texas.

And this storm has meant a lot of different things to millions of people.

(voice-over): In Texas, strong storms produced heavy rains, flash flooding and even ice.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's easy to go to 20 and 30 miles an hour, but it's impossible to stop. It's a solid sheet of ice. It's the worst I have seen here in a long time. It's a lot different than snow.

WOLF: People in Oklahoma learned that lesson the hard way. Portions of I-35 and I-44 were coated with the icy, slick glaze, resulting in hundreds of accidents, spinouts and several fatalities.

Property damage downed power lines and splintered trees were common. Power outages across the Sooner State numbered in the tens of thousands. And, in Missouri, it wasn't much better.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There you go.

WOLF: Toppled trees and frozen lines are also keeping hundreds of thousands of Missourians in the dark.

Governor Matt Blunt declared a state of emergency and activated the National Guard. But, for those without electricity, and freezing temperatures expected until midweek, it may be a struggle to stay warm and a race to get power up and running.

(on camera): Now, as we make our way into the rest of the evening, we are expecting temperatures to dip well below the freezing point. And they may stay there through midweek.

At the same time, windy conditions out of the west and northwest could increase anywhere from 10 to 15 miles an hour, with some gusts nearing 30. That could cause more tree damage, and, with that, the potential for more outages.

Reynolds Wolf, CNN, Saint Louis.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: And Bonnie Schneider is in the Severe Weather Center, watching what is left of this winter storm.

We hope there's some encouraging news, Bonnie.

BONNIE SCHNEIDER, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Slowly, but surely, Don.

Every day, it gets a little bit better. And now we're looking at the threat for wintry weather now for New England area. Now, for New Englanders, really, we haven't seen much of a winter thus far. So, a lot of folks are excited to see the snow.

As you look towards Vermont, notice there's a winter storm warning. This stretches all the way into Upstate New York, across Vermont, into northern New Hampshire, and parts of Maine. We do have an ice storm warning this one county, Hillsborough County. That is in New Hampshire, just north of Boston. So, you would have to drive further up I-93.

Eventually, you would start seeing some freezing rain. But, back off on the Mass Pike, overall, really, west of the city is where you're seeing more wintry precipitation -- temperatures across much of New England in the 40s, except extreme northeast. That's is where we're in the 20s.

Let's look at the big picture now, an elongated front bringing lots of rain across much of the South. And further to the south, we're definitely looking at some icy weather.

But what about snow? That's the threat. And it's happening right now across Wisconsin. We're seeing it down through central Illinois. And, Chicago, you will be seeing the snow soon enough. You saw a little bit of it last night, with some freezing rain. That changeover happened a little bit slower. So, now temperatures at 28 degrees -- winds are picking up out of the northwest. It's going to be very blustery out there today.

If you haven't been outside yet, you will want to bundle up, because the wintry weather is moving in, and moving in very quickly.

Let's talk about the South, all the way down to Texas, where roads have been icy all morning across parts of the hill country, including Austin, Texas. It's still icy there now. And that's why this area is highlighted in red, because we have a winter storm in effect for the central Texas area.

So, 31 degrees, that is pretty cold. It's going to get even colder tonight. So, the precipitation, the steady flow of moisture, that batch of moisture from the Gulf that's coming in -- and you can see it riding off through Bryant (ph), Texas, as well. This is all going to change over to an icy mix -- and not just for Texas, but for Louisiana as well.

Very unusual to see icy weather through central Louisiana, those central parishes. But you will see it in Alexandria tonight. Just give yourself extra time on the roads for tomorrow, all the way down south, towards San Antonio. Even Corpus Christi, you may even see a little bit of that as well.

So, overall, as we take a look at the map, you can see the precipitation working its way across Cincinnati and Pittsburgh, heavy at times. And, as we look forwards the towards the south once more, you will see the rain line pushing further off to the east, into Mississippi and Tennessee.

Finally, we have lots of airport delays to tell you about right now, if you're traveling for this extended weekend. It is a holiday today -- Boston, Chicago, Houston and L.A. now reporting delays. And the delays in Chicago, because the weather is getting worse right now, they're getting longer -- Don, Kyra.

LEMON: It's like an hour and 30 minutes...

SCHNEIDER: That is a while.

LEMON: ... right now. Yes, that is a lot.

OK, from Bonnie over to Betty Nguyen in the newsroom with some breaking details on a story.

Betty, what do you know?

BETTY NGUYEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes.

We have been following this train accident in Kentucky -- in Irvine, Kentucky, to be exact. This is an area which is just about 34 miles southeast of Lexington.

You can see it there on the map. And what we understand that has happened is, four railroad cars broke loose today. They rolled down the tracks for several miles, in fact, before they hit a parked locomotive. Now, neither of these was manned at the time, which is good. So, there are no injuries.

But just look at the smoke and the fire right there, Don. This is what is causing concern. There was that explosion once these train cars hit the locomotive. And, then, you see the smoke billowing into the air.

Well, authorities believe that butyl acetate is what is burning in that explosion. And that is what is causing concern. They are asking residents to stay indoors, shut all of the windows, even put a towel underneath the door, to make sure some of the fumes enter the homes nearby, because -- let me tell you a little bit about butyl acetate.

It is a colorless flammable liquid. It's used in manufacturing lacquers, artificial leather, photographic films, plastic things of that sort. But it has a very pleasant, believe it or not, fruity odor, kind of like the smell of a pear, and is used in flavoring and the fragrance industry.

So -- but when it is in large concentrations, it is toxic. So, that is the reason for the warning today. People are being urged to stay inside, keep their windows shut, and put that towel by the door, so they don't inhale any of those flames.

As for the why these cars broke loose, and slammed into the locomotive, we don't know that just yet. But the good news is that no one was injured -- back to you.

LEMON: Yes. Yes. And it smells good...

(LAUGHTER)

NGUYEN: Yes.

LEMON: ... but that's very deceptive, right?

NGUYEN: Isn't it, though?

LEMON: Yes. All right. Thank you, Betty.

NGUYEN: Mmm-hmm.

PHILLIPS: Scouring their memories, searching for clues, scratching their heads -- a Missouri community is asking a lot of questions today, after the return of two boys, one missing for days, the other, for four years.

Why were they taken? Why didn't they make a break for it? And why didn't somebody suspect something?

Our Chris Lawrence is in Kirkwood, Missouri, with the latest.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): I spoke with the local sheriff, who has talked to Shawn Hornbeck face to face.

He says, on the surface, Shawn seems happy, but he can tell that there is something there deep down that may take some time to bring out. He said, Shawn is happy to be reunited with his family.

But, during the last four years, Shawn did not attend school, but he did go out. He did have friends. One person told us at one point, one of his friends said to Shawn that he looked like the boy who was missing, but that Shawn apparently just brushed it off.

As for Michael Devlin, at one point, he, himself, called police to his own apartment to settle a parking dispute, just one of the many things investigators will be looking at as they try to figure out how Shawn could have remain undetected for so long.

The Internet will also play a part in the investigation. I looked at Shawn's Yahoo! profile. And, although it is a profile for Shawn, a teenage boy, the actual e-mail address is that of an M. Devlin.

Also, CNN has learned that, back on December 1, 2005, there were two postings to ShawnHornbeck.com. And those postings were under the name Shawn Devlin. Now, we don't know if it was Shawn writing, or perhaps Michael Devlin, or perhaps neither.

But the two postings said this. The first asked the family: How long do you plan to search for your son? Then, later that day, there was another posting in very bad English that said: "I'm sorry for my last message, but I write poems. And I was wondering if I could write a poem in honor of Shawn Hornbeck. I can understand if you don't want me to."

Again, it's just one of the things that investigators will be looking at, as they try to piece together how Michael Devlin could do what he has been accused of doing.

Chris Lawrence, CNN, Kirkwood, Missouri.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: And stay with CNN throughout the day, as we keep a spotlight on America's missing children.

And, tonight, CNN's prime time shines that light even brighter. Eight Eastern, Paula Zahn will look at the role of -- of race, and how that plays into the media coverage of missing-children cases. At 9:00, Larry King sits down with the officers who found Shawn Hornbeck and Ben Ownby, as well as the attorney for alleged kidnapper Michael Devlin.

Then, at 10:00, Anderson Cooper takes an in-depth look at that Missouri miracle, that woman camper that survived.

LEMON: A young Baptist minister galvanized a movement and changed a country forever. Today, they honor the Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. in his adopted hometown.

Here is a look at the service inside Atlanta's Ebenezer Baptist Church.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Come on. Let's celebrate. (INAUDIBLE) Come on, put your hands together, as we glorify and thank the Lord for the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You see, war is not the answer, for only love can conquer hate. What is going on, Atlanta? What is going on, America? What are you doing to live the dream?

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

(MUSIC)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: As we go forward, may God bless us. May God bless the ideas and the visions that he advocated. May God bless America, and let's don't ever forget those dreams and visions.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The presence of the lord is, indeed, here.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And I know those spirits are with us, Coretta and Martin.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Well, the King holiday is also a national day of volunteer service. Today, students and President Bush worked to help spruce up a mostly minority high school near the White House. The president reminded Americans of the value of volunteering.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: One of the things that Mrs. King wanted was for MLK Day to be a day of service. It's not a day off, but it's a day on. And, so, I'm here at Cardozo High School to thank the hundreds of people who showed up to serve the country by volunteering.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: In South Carolina, two senators expected to be in the Democratic presidential race, Joe Biden and Chris Dodd, spoke at a King Day breakfast, and later joined a march to the state capitol.

In Chicago, another senator took part in celebration of the King holiday. Barack Obama joined the Reverend Jesse Jackson at the annual King scholarship breakfast, held by the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition.

A King's treasures returned to his home -- later this hour, we are going to talk with Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin about a huge collection of Dr. King's papers, some going on view today.

LEMON: A Missouri man arrested for kidnapping. Neighbors say they are stunned to learn that Michael Devlin and Shawn Hornbeck weren't father and son.

Next, in the NEWSROOM: Do you think you could have spotted any red flags?

PHILLIPS: A grim report from the gallows, as two of Saddam Hussein's associates meet a brutal end in Baghdad -- more on the hangings to avoid a post-execution spectacle -- straight ahead in the newsroom.

LEMON: Hello, kitty. London is calling. What is fueling the explosion of super-rats -- yuck -- in the U.K.? And Can they stop the madness? Very disturbing tales -- straight ahead in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: A gruesome scene today in the execution room where Saddam Hussein has hanged.

Hussein's half-brother, seen on the left, and another former regime official were put to death. There was no repeat of the chaos that occurred when the former Iraqi leader was hanged, but the head of his half-brother was severed by the noose and fell to the ground with the body. The two hanged today were convicted of taking part in the revenge killings of 148 Iraqi Shiites in 1982.

LEMON: A top American general in Iraq says the influx of more than 21,000 new U.S. troops will not yield results overnight.

General George Casey says, he doesn't expect significant results until the summer or the fall. Casey briefed reporters today, along with the outgoing U.S. ambassador.

Here is CNN's Cal Perry.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CAL PERRY, CNN BAGHDAD BUREAU CHIEF: A vitally important press conference for all Iraqis taking place here in Baghdad at about 3:00 p.m. local time -- the top general for the United States, General George Casey, and his diplomatic counterpart, Ambassador Khalilzad, telling the Baghdad press corps and the Iraqi people there are no easy solutions; there are no guarantees; and, of course, security is of their utmost concern.

Now, to the plan itself, we understand the city will be divided into nine districts, that U.S. troops, led by Iraqi forces, will sweep through these districts. But the difference here is a further commitment from the Iraqi government, according to the U.S. ambassador and from the general himself, that those troops will stay on the ground.

Two big problems highlighted in this press conference -- first, obviously, insurgent violence, a daily concern here on the ground. Second, militias have both a foothold in the government and on the streets of Iraq. This is what the U.S. ambassador had to say on the issue of militias.

ZALMAY KHALILZAD, UNITED STATES AMBASSADOR TO IRAQ: The prime minister and the Iraqi government's commitments are, all who break the law will be targeted. There will be no sanctuary for criminals or murderers. Any killer, no matter who he is, will be pursued. No militia will be a replacement for the state or control local security.

PERRY: The reality on the ground is, militias today are in control of much of the city, both socially and in a sense of security. This is a fine line that U.S. troops and Iraqi troops will have to walk together.

Cal Perry, CNN, Baghdad.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: The Mideast peace back on the table -- Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert have agreed to three-way talks with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas -- the meetings expected to take place in the Mideast within the next three to four weeks.

Rice says the U.S. remains committed to the stalled road map peace plan, which calls for the creation of a Palestinian state. Rice continues her Mideast tour today with a stop in Egypt.

PHILLIPS: Hello, killy. London -- hello, kitty, rather. London is calling. What is fueling fueling -- that explosion of super rats in the U.K.? Can they stop the madness? Very disturbing tales -- straight ahead from the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Well, it's something the experts say rarely happens, eight dolphins stranded on a beach in Boston Harbor. People spotted the dolphins early Sunday. Passersby were able to get two of the mammals back in the water. The other six had died. Four were taken to the New England aquarium to try and figure out what happened. An aquarium spokesperson says that they had probably been on the beach since low tide the night before.

LEMON: Well, you can call this one the Atkins diet of the rat world. This is very interesting.

An increase in low-carb, high-protein trash is causing a rat boom in Britain. The new diet appears to be creating a bolder, more aggressive rat that is getting harder to kill.

More from CNN's Alphonso Van Marsh in London.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALPHONSO VAN MARSH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is the putrid fruit of exterminator Turan Basri's labor.

TURAN BASRI, EXTERMINATOR: Don't like the smell.

VAN MARSH: And Basri says his labor, killing rats, is getting more challenging.

BASRI: We have not just a rise in rat call-outs. They actually say that there is about 60 million rats in the U.K., one for every person.

VAN MARSH: Britain's National Pest Technicians Association says that brown rat populations are exploding, up 39 percent since 1998 -- more rats the group says, in part, because more people are dumping more food, like kebabs and burgers, on the streets.

BASRI: In the wild, they would eat cereal products. But, because people discard a chicken leg here, a burger there, they are actually eating high-protein foods.

VAN MARSH: Protein gives rats more energy, pest controllers say, making them stronger and bolder. And that has groups like Keep Britain Tidy resorting to shock tactics, like this ad played in a movie theater, to bring their anti-litter message home.

OLIVER MADGE, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, BRITISH PEST CONTROLLERS ASSOCIATION: We're not trying to play unfair.

VAN MARSH: Oliver Madge heads the British Pest Controllers Association. He says, the more homes and businesses we build, the greater the fight with rats for space. And he says, rodents are building resistance to one of man's weapons in that fight, poison.

MADGE: The rodents can consume a lethal dose. So, what should be enough to kill them, we are finding actually isn't. So, they are literally surviving from the products that we put down.

VAN MARSH (on camera): Pest controllers say the surge in rat infestations is a national problem, but, yet, there doesn't seem to be a national policy to tackle it -- British authorities saying it's up to local councils to provide pest control.

But, in an age of budget cuts, it's often the free or subsidized extermination services that are first to get the axe.

(voice-over): So, that means more business for Turan Basri and other private pest control companies, many of whom work out of unmarked cars. Such is the shame of having an exterminator show up at one's door.

BASRI: All we're doing is scratching on the surface.

VAN MARSH: Leaving more British people to realize, they would rather invite an exterminator into their home than play unwilling host to an increasingly aggressive, poison-resistant, and unwelcome guest.

Alphonso Van Marsh, CNN, London. (END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: A Missouri man is arrested for kidnapping. Neighbors say they are stunned to learn that Michael Devlin and Shawn Hornbeck weren't father and son. Next in the NEWSROOM: Do you think you could have spotted any red flags?

LEMON: Four words that changed the nation, "I have a dream" -- the inside story of Martin Luther King's speech at the March on Washington. That is straight ahead in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: A suspected killer living with his alleged victims in plain sight, it's a case that's baffling a community, even as it celebrates the return of two missing boys. Police found them last week in the apartment of Michael Devlin, near Saint Louis. One of the teens had vanished a few days earlier, the other missing for more than four years.

Devlin's landlord and neighbor described the suspect this morning to CNN's Miles O'Brien.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "AMERICAN MORNING")

BILL ROMER, MICHAEL DEVLIN'S LANDLORD: From my sort of external landlord perspective, he was a fine tenant. He paid his rent on time. He was always pleasant to me.

I never received any calls complaining about him directly. In fact, I inherited him as a tenant two years ago. From what I understand, even if I had done a background check, I would have maybe pulled up a traffic violation.

O'BRIEN: So, there was nothing there.

ROMER: Right.

O'BRIEN: Rob, you had some -- you had some dealings with him as a neighbor. You were his neighbor -- neighbor -- for some time. And he had a tremendous attachment to a reserve parking space. Tell us about that.

ROB BUSHELLE, MICHAEL DEVLIN'S NEIGHBOR: I just -- I thought it was peculiar. He called the police on me for parking in his parking spot one time in a building where -- a parking lot where most of the parking is unassigned.

You know, there's a few labeled handicapped spots. And it said that the parking was for that building in particular. And I was kind of in the spot right next to where he normally parked, double-parked a little bit. And he just got completely irate about the situation.

O'BRIEN: And, so, he called the police himself...

BUSHELLE: Yes, sir. O'BRIEN: He, who is alleged to have kidnapped two young boys...

BUSHELLE: Yes, Mr. Devlin.

O'BRIEN: ... was confident enough to -- to call the police and raise a stink about a parking spot?

BUSHELLE: Yes, sir.

O'BRIEN: As you...

BUSHELLE: It was just -- you know, it's...

O'BRIEN: As you look back on that one, what are your thoughts?

BUSHELLE: At the gall that he had. You know, I can't believe that he would, you know, be in the process of a crime and call the police and draw attention to himself.

O'BRIEN: Bill, you have been, obviously, thinking about this a lot since this all broke. What -- what are the emotions that come to mind in a case like this, when you know a suspect that is linked something like this?

ROMER: I guess sort of confusion and frustrations are the biggest ones. I mean, from what I understand, some of Shawn's friends in the area confronted him and actually said, "You look like Shawn Hornbeck," and he sort of blew the whole thing off, and got away with it.

And this apartment complex -- I own one building, but the buildings are close together. And there are a lot of people out, especially in warmer weather. And, apparently, this kid was in plain sight -- Michael, you know, obviously, not doing anything much to hide. In fact, you could see right into the back bedroom driving by some nights.

It's just kind of frustration over if I could have or should have done anything differently.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: And Michael Devlin is awaiting arraignment on one count of first-degree kidnapping. He's being held on $1 million bail. Prosecutors say, more charges are likely.

PHILLIPS: His dream became our dream. The nation pauses to remember the Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. -- tributes and remembrances straight ahead from the NEWSROOM.

Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin is here. What is she doing to live the dream? For starters, she brought a rare, unique collection of MLK's papers to this city.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Thanks for staying with us, everyone. I'm Kyra Phillips live at the CNN world headquarters in Atlanta.

LEMON: And I'm Don Lemon.

Priceless pieces of a dream, now a permanent part of Atlanta history. The writings of the Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. were bound for the auction block until Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin got wind of the plan. She joins us live right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.

Well Utah state lawmakers are working even though today is a state and federal holiday honoring Dr. King. They say the state constitution requires them to begin their annual session on the third Monday in January. The president of the state Senate says they're honoring King by meeting on his holiday with speakers addressing his legacy. But the head of the Salt Lake City NAACP says that lawmakers should be embarrassed.

Let's take you out live now to St. Petersburg, Florida. This is how they're celebrating the King day. Hundreds of people, you can see a marching band there in St. Petersburg, Florida. The weather could not be nicer. They're celebrating with a parade and honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

PHILLIPS: Well if MLK Jr. had stuck to his script at the Lincoln Memorial and the March on Washington, it still would have been a speech for the ages. But it would not have been forever known as the "I Have a Dream" speech. Dr. King's inner circle had prepared, worked, and reworked, agonized over a different speech.

CNN's Soledad O'Brien got rare access to the King papers and today she takes a closer look at an interesting twist of history.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MARTIN LUTHER KING JR., DECEASED CIVIL RIGHTS ACTIVIST: I have a dream.

CROWD: I have a dream.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That my four children.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Will one day live in a nation.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Where they will not be judged by the color of their skin.

KING: But by the content of their character. I have a dream today.

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): Dr. Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream" speech at the March on Washington on August 28th, 1963 is one of the most important in human history.

It has become the defining moment of the human rights movement of our time. They know it in Russia, they know it in South Africa, they know it in China.

O'BRIEN: But the words "I Have a Dream" almost didn't make it into the speech.

WYATT TEE WALKER, KING'S CHIEF OF STAFF: The inner circle of Dr. King felt that "I Have a Dream" portion was hackneyed and trite because he used it so many times in other cities.

O'BRIEN: Dr. King had been writing about this dream for decades. His inspiration can be traced back to these books from his library, now kept in this vault near Morehouse College, King's alma mater.

In his well-worn copy of "The Christ of the American Road," Dr. King underlined...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: "America is a dream unfulfilled, a place where race and birth and color are transcended by the fact of a common brotherhood."

O'BRIEN: In this book, "Horns and Halos," he pencils this note...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: "A dream that did not come true."

O'BRIEN: Dr. King makes this message his own in the late '50s. In his speech, "Shattered Dreams," he advises a crowd...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You must honestly confront your shattered dream.

O'BRIEN: In the months before the March on Washington, Dr. King starts to focus on a positive dream.

KING: Don't even be afraid.

O'BRIEN: A dream that could be realized through the civil rights movement. He toys with this idea in an address to the National Press Club. But before the speech, he crosses out the paragraph. The night before the margin, Dr. King's inner circle wants a new message.

WALKER: I remember very vividly, Andy Young and I going up and down the steps of the hotel taking drafts of what we thought should be a new climax.

O'BRIEN: Staying up into the early morning hours, they write and rewrite the speech Dr. King wanted to be a kind of Gettysburg Address. Then he tells them...

CLARENCE JONES, SO. CHRISTIAN LEADERSHIP CONF: Thank you for your counsel. Thank you for your suggestions on your help. I'm going upstairs and to counsel with the lord.

O'BRIEN: The next day, Dr. King takes this only known copy of his speech called "Normalcy - Never Again" with him. Nowhere does it mention his dream.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I have the pleasure to present to you Dr. Martin Luther King. O'BRIEN: With the Lincoln Memorial behind him and facing a quarter of a million people, Dr. King delivers his speech.

JONES: I was standing up and to the side.

KING: Now is the time.

JONES: And after he went through all of this stuff about what we're here today and so forth, he paused. And what I did see him do.

KING: I still have a dream.

JONES: He turned the text over. He grabbed the podium. And he leaned back and looked out.

KING: I have a dream.

WALKER: I was out in the crowd somewhere and when he swung into "I Have a Dream," I said, oh, expletive deleted after all that work that night before up and down the steps and then he went on into the "I Have a Dream" section.

KING: I have a dream.

JONES: He transformed the marble steps into modern day history.

And I said to whoever that person is sitting next to was, I said the people here today, they don't know it, but they're about ready to go to church.

KING: Free at last, free at last. Thank god almighty, we are free at last.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Well, the march on Washington was a turning point for King. It transformed his civil rights crusade from a scattering of protests against southern racism to a powerful national movement. If you'd like to read more on the life and works of Dr. King and explore the documents from his private papers, you can go to CNN.com. You can also go to the kingcenter.org.

LEMON: Just amazing looking at that, and those papers. I have a dream, one man sharing his hopes for the future with a nation in transition, his words have become iconic.

PHILLIPS: An early draft of that speech and hundreds of Dr. Martin Luther King's papers go on display today at the Atlanta History Center. Those documents and many others will go to Atlanta's Morehouse College, King's alma mater. One person who played a huge role in making that happen joins us now, Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin. So, 11 days, it took 11 days to get those papers?

SHIRLEY FRANKLIN, MAYOR, ATLANTA: Well, it took 11 days and we were successful and Atlanta worked together. People from all walks of life came forward and we were able to borrow the money so that we could take the papers from the auction and bring them home to Atlanta.

LEMON: What were those phone calls like? Because I'm sure people realized the importance of this, not only for American history but especially that they remain right here in Atlanta, his adopted hometown.

FRANKLIN: Well, the truth of the matter is there were almost 30 guarantors of the loan and I don't think I made more than 50 telephone calls.

People were very much taken with the possibility that the papers and the collection would be right here in Atlanta. So they were relatively short conversations and, of course, as a result of those conversations and that commitment, we will have the papers here forever at Morehouse College and we're so proud that Atlanta was able to step up and make this happen.

PHILLIPS: As you started going through the papers and looking through this collection, anything -- did you learn anything about MLK that you didn't know or did anything stand out to you where you thought, wow, I didn't know this?

FRANKLIN: Well, I had heard that he received a C in public speaking.

LEMON: Yes.

FRANKLIN: At some point in his career.

PHILLIPS: You wanted the proof.

FRANKLIN: Well, and you see the proof. But, more importantly, the collection includes 80 or 85 handwritten sermons. It includes literally thousands of pages of notations that he made in the books that he was studying. And I think the thing that I'd like people to know is Dr. King worked very, very hard at formulating his point of view and getting the right words and all of the young people out there, it didn't come easily. He worked very, very hard. So we welcome everyone to Atlanta.

LEMON: You've been through -- have people started going through yet? Was today the opening?

FRANKLIN: Well, people are starting to go through.

LEMON: Have you seen any reaction? When they go through, how do they react? What do they say when they say these papers?

FRANKLIN: Well, it's almost overwhelming.

LEMON: Yes.

FRANKLIN: I mean, it's such a full experience because you see Dr. King from his early days at Morehouse College all the way up through his last days. And there were over 3,000 people by mid-day today who had been through the collection. So the collection will be there at the history center until May and everyone will have a chance to come back.

LEMON: I can't wait to go myself.

PHILLIPS: I've always been amazed by his relationship with Gandhi and it's a shame because I didn't really learn about that in an in-depth way until I actually went to India. But you were saying he was friends and studied with all kinds of philosophers?

FRANKLIN: No question about it. I mean, he grew up in a family that studied philosophy and Christian-thought, but he also as a young man, looked all over the world to understand his mission and his cause.

FRANKLIN: his mission and his cause.

So you will see in the collection over a hundred books that are shown. And of a thousand that are a part of the collection where he has made his notations on his books from Gandhi, Booker T. Washington, Frederick Douglass, people from all over the world.

LEMON: And a lot of the Bible shows up -- like Henry David Thoreau. a lot of that shows up in his writings.

Talk to me about this -- and I'm sure people have asked you, you have the first African-American female woman mayor of Atlanta. Is that part of the fulfillment of Dr. King's dream?

FRANKLIN: Well, certainly my election as mayor of Atlanta in the deep south would have been impossible had Dr. King and Coretta King and thousands of others hadn't risked their lives and sacrificed personally. So there is no question that those of us in public office and all of us who have a chance to vote and to speak our minds are a part of the legacy of Dr. King.

LEMON: Is that something that's always in your head?

FRANKLIN: It is always in my head. And on Dr. King's birthday, we remind ourselves of that, that we have to recommit to fulfilling the dream.

We're not there yet. And he made it clear that he would not necessarily be with us, but his words and his legacy and his work remain with us and that is the challenge for today.

PHILLIPS: Stay with us. We're going to take a quick break and we want to talk some more, OK?

FRANKLIN: Thank you.

PHILLIPS: What is King legacy in American politics? We are going to talk more with Mayor Franklin on her history making election as Atlanta's mayor and her view of possible presidential candidates including Barack Obama. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FRANKLIN: My presence here today as mayor of the city of Atlanta is equally a living witness and testimony to the voices of a freedom choir, a chorus made up of Clark, Alberta King, Bernice Scott, Davy Bates, Ella Baker, G. Young, Mary McCloud, Constance Lotly and Bertha Mae Carter, Rosa Parks, Susan B. Anthony, Eleanor Roosevelt, Ethel May Matthews, Dorothy Bolton, Betty Lou Hamer, and the newest member, Coretta Scott King.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Very eloquent Atlanta mayor Shirley Franklin at the funeral for Coretta Scott King.

PHILLIPS: Now, in that speech, you honored the legacy of those who have gone before you. Do you feel that responsibility as a woman, as a black woman here in Atlanta, so much history here?

FRANKLIN: I feel that responsibility as a woman, as a black woman, as a grandmother and a parent and as an American. And it is something that I carry in my heart. And I know lots of other people carry the same kind of sense of responsibility in their work every single day.

LEMON: You're a first. Let's talk about firsts.

You got Nancy Pelosi, you have got Hillary Clinton possibly running for president and you have Barack Obama who possibly will run, the first African-American man, some would say, who actually has a shot at doing. The first woman.

What do you think of all that? What does that say about how far our country has come since Dr. King passed?

FRANKLIN: Well, Dr. King passed nearly 40 years ago. And we have come a long way. Some of us would say that it's been a little slow.

LEMON: Yes.

FRANKLIN: But I am very excited to see Senator Obama and Senator Clinton talk about and think about running for president of the United States. It instills in all of us a sense of hope that we can reach and overreach, some would say, for the kind of leadership that this country needs.

PHILLIPS: Mayor, you've always had that energy. Let's go back to when you were at Howard University, 18-years-old. You were there in Washington, D.C. marching. Mom took you, right?

FRANKLIN: My mother took me.

PHILLIPS: Take me back.

FRANKLIN: It was wonderful. We got up very early in the day, Washington in August is very hot and humid. In those days, there were not concession stands and lots of hot dog stands sitting around so you had to take your own lunch.

But we were a family together, celebrating one of the greatest days of my life, which was to see and to hear those from the civil rights leadership, John Lewis and others, speak about the dream of America, a dream that would include all of us. And then, of course, Dr. King gave his famous speech, "I Have a Dream" toward the end, I mean, it was the end of the day.

But people waited with great anticipation. And there was just spontaneous applause and crying and shouting all over the mall.

LEMON: What about this day, which is his holiday, but also his birthday. And we were going to have the Reverend Jesse Jackson on but he has some conflict and he couldn't get on, but he talked to me this weekend by telephone about being there when Dr. King died, but how he spent his birthday. He got up, he had breakfast, it was about 10:00 a.m. And preparing for a march to go to Washington and this how spent.

He did not spend this day, he said, in bed cooling his heels even though it was his birthday. He went out and he tried to help others.

How would you like to see -- because there has been a debate about it, how would you like to see people spend Dr. Martin Luther King's day?

FRANKLIN: Well, it's been interesting to me that the King Center has kept the same message which is remember, celebrate, and act. And act is a very short word, A-C-T, but it means now is the time to do something in your own life to start something new in your own life that we might have a world that is peaceful for our children and their children.

LEMON: That's what your speech was about today.

FRANKLIN: Absolutely. The move to action -- Dr. King was a great thinker, a great scholar and a great preacher but he was also an activist. And we cannot forget that as we celebrate his birthday. So I hope most people are spending their day thinking about Dr. King and celebrating Dr. King and remembering him, but mostly planning how they are going to act to write the wrong's that are in the world in our neighborhoods and in our city.

PHILLIPS: When are we going to see Shirley Franklin running for president?

FRANKLIN: Shirley Franklin loves being mayor! Thank you.

LEMON: We are going to get the t-shirts going, Shirley Franklin for president.

FRANKLIN: Thank you.

PHILLIPS: Thank you.

LEMON: And we appreciate the job you've done with the papers. Excellent work. Thank you very much for joining us.

FRANKLIN: Thank you.

LEMON: Well, frozen solid and blowing sideways: it is a mess in the Midwest. What is happening in your neighborhood? That's a question. Your iReports are next. Don't go anywhere.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Severe weather: happening across the country.

PHILLIPS: Bonnie Schneider: tracking at all for us.

Hey, Bonnie.

(WEATHER REPORT)

BONNIE SCHNEIDER, CNN METEOROLOGIST: We would love to hear from you. Remember, when the weather becomes the news, we want to see your iReport. Just log on to CNN.com, click on "iReport" and send it on in. We'll get it on the air for -- Don, Kyra.

LEMON: All right. Bonnie, thank you.

Time now to check in with CNN's Wolf Blitzer.

PHILLIPS: He's standing by in the sit room to tell us what's coming up at the top of the hour.

Hey, Wolf.

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Hi, guys.

Thanks very much.

Bungled hanging: Saddam Hussein's half brother is decapitated during his execution. We'll get an eyewitness account from "New York Times" reporter John Burns in Baghdad.

Plus, John McCain versus the religious right: why one influential and powerful figure says McCain will not get his vote under any circumstances.

Also, Arnold Schwarzenegger in a run for the White House. We'll find out why a former foes wants to bend the rules right now to let him run for the presidency.

And kidnapped boys, rescued. A closer look at why one of the children stayed even when he had a chance to run.

All that coming up in the "SITUATION ROOM" -- Kyra and Don.

LEMON: Thanks, Wolf.

PHILLIPS: Beauty queens gone wild. Miss New Jersey gives up her tiara. Is it because the stork's planning to drop by? Details, all the scoop in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: O.J. Simpson says his unpublished book is not a confession. He says a chapter describing his ex-wife's murder is the work of a ghost writer and has a lot of holes on it. "Newsweek" magazine reports it got copy of the chapter in question from an unnamed source. The book's scheduled publication was canceled. The chapter describes a confrontation at the scene of the double murder involving Simpson, his ex-wife Nicole and Ron Goldman. Also there are -- there's a man named Charlie -- there is a man named Charlie, described as some sort of accomplice. According to "Newsweek", Simpson writes that something went horribly wrong and he doesn't know exactly how things happened. Later in the chapter, Simpson repeats his claim that is he 100 percent not guilty.

PHILLIPS: Well, you probably heard more about the Miss USA Pageant recently than you've heard in years. And now there's more. Miss New Jersey USA is giving up her crown. The "Philadelphia Daily News" says 20 year-old Ashley Harder voluntarily stepped down because she's pregnant.

Miss Nevada USA lost her crown after a naughty snapshot turned up online and Miss USA went in rehab after getting caught drinking under age.

LEMON: Not a good time for the Miss USA Pageant.

PHILLIPS: Poor beauty queens.

LEMON: Now it's time to turn it over to Wolf Blitzer.

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