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Suspect Charged in Murder of Kansas Teen; Severe Weather Pounds Midwest; "Diana: The Witness in the Tunnel"; Congressman Jefferson Investigation; "CNN Heroes"

Aired June 07, 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: Hello, everyone. I'm Kyra Phillips at the CNN Center in Atlanta.
ROB MARCIANO, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Rob Marciano, in for Don Lemon today.

The storms, well, they are popping. The watches and warnings are posted. It's that time of year and that type of weather in the Upper Midwest.

PHILLIPS: Our CNN Severe Weather Center is all over the outbreak.

And you're live in the CNN NEWSROOM.

Straight to Lebanon -- we're getting these pictures just in.

Our Brent Saddler, working the story for us, he will join us on the phone in just a minute.

We're told that there's no casualties in this explosion, but you can clearly see the widespread damage. It's an industrial area. We believe it's a lot of factory buildings that were blown up and are in flames right now. We're working as much information as possible.

Brent Sadler will bring us up to date in just a minute.

MARCIANO: Back to the U.S., where explosive weather is in the forecast across the Upper Midwest. Who is at risk today and what is going on right now?

Jacqui Jeras in the Severe Weather Center -- hi, Jacqui.

JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Hey, Rob.

More people at risk at this hour, as a new a tornado watch was just issued, which includes much of north central parts of Missouri and stretches on down into parts of Kansas. That includes you in the Kansas City metro area. And this will be ongoing until 10:00 local time tonight.

So, this is a regular old tornado watch. This one farther on up to the north is what we call a PDS watch, or a particularly dangerous situation. And, right now, we have got a dangerous situation going on across the parts of the Hiawatha Valley. All the orange boxes you see here and all the lightning, severe storms from Winona over towards La Crosse. But farther up to the north, we're very concerned about this cell here, tornado warning for you in Eau Claire. This includes the city of Eau Claire as well, Dunn, Pepin counties and Trempealeau County in Wisconsin there also under the tornado warning.

It's moving up towards the north and to the east. And that storm does have a history, I believe, of producing some funnel clouds. So, that's moving towards the town of Eau Claire. And that should be arriving probably within the next 20 minutes. So, you need to be seeking shelter immediately.

We have also continued to watch that cell. We just showed you the three-dimensional view on up here into the north central parts of Wisconsin. That was Rusk and the Chippewa County cell.

Well, the warnings have been extended now up to the north and the east to include Price and Sawyer counties, in addition to that, as that storm holds together and still continues with that threat of a possible tornado.

We're also watching an area here near Fergus Falls, Minnesota. The storm was near Wahpeton earlier. It has traveled over here to Otter Tail County, tornado warning for you until 2:45 local time, so, the severe weather continuing to push across the area.

And, guys, I just thought this map really helped tell the story of what a difference in air masses we have here today, and why this weather is so violent. Look at your temperature here in Bismarck, North Dakota, 48. And, in Minneapolis, it's 87. So, as that front comes through, we have got a lot of cold, dry air back behind it, warm, humid, unstable conditions ahead of it.

This is going to be a very significant afternoon, not just with tornadoes, but some very strong, damaging winds which could cause widespread damage -- back to you guys.

MARCIANO: Forty degree difference, that will do it.

PHILLIPS: Wow.

(CROSSTALK)

MARCIANO: All right, Jacqui, thanks very much.

We have been showing you these pictures just coming in out of Lebanon. We're told no casualties thus far.

Our Brent Sadler on the phone with us now.

Can you tell us what happened, Brent?

BRENT SADLER, CNN BEIRUT BUREAU CHIEF: Yes, Kyra.

Lebanese security forces confirm another bomb attack in a Christian area north of the Lebanese capital, as you say, no injuries reported at this stage, but, certainly, these pictures just out of Beirut showing a huge fire in an industrial complex.

Not sure how this latest bomb attack was delivered, but, certainly, it's the fifth such attack in the last three weeks, since fighting erupted in the northern Palestinian refugee camp of Nahr al- Bared, near the city of Tripoli -- this also coming today when the Lebanese security forces intercepted three, they say, car bombs that were being prepared to attack government or security forces targets in the Lebanese country itself, but particularly in the capital, it was thought.

In addition to that, also, the Lebanese security forces abducted some arms, intercepted some arms that they believe were heading towards Hezbollah.

So, at the same time as we're seeing the Lebanese army trying to defeat Islamic extremists, who are well-armed, in the northern Palestinian refugee camp, we're also seeing far more activity on the security front, with interception of arms and explosives, at the same time as continuing bomb attacks target Lebanon's very fragile security situation -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Brent Sadler on the phone for us from Lebanon.

We will continue to follow the live pictures and details into the investigation.

Thanks, Brent.

MARCIANO: Police in Kansas believe they know who grabbed Kelsey Smith and killed her.

Moments ago, 26-year-old Edwin Roy Hall went before a Kansas judge via video hookup from jail -- the charges, aggravated kidnapping and first-degree murder.

Hall was arrested late yesterday, shortly after Smith's body was found in a park. Detectives say a tip led them to Hall. They believe he's the man caught on this Target surveillance tape, right before the teenager was attacked in the store's parking lot. They don't believe Hall knew the girl before that.

And police aren't saying how she died or when. The four-day search was largely based on a high-tech trail of evidence.

And CNN's David Mattingly has that part of the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): She left behind a vivid electronic trail that raised hopes that Kelsey Smith would soon be found. But she was not found alive.

GREG SMITH, FATHER OF KELSEY SMITH: She could walk into a room of strangers and walk out with a room full of friends. MATTINGLY: The 18-year-old disappeared Saturday evening in Overland Park, Kansas. Cameras watched Smith walk into a store, make a purchase, then walk outside to her car. Then there was this poor- quality image from a camera outside.

Watch as this blurry figure approaches the young woman at her car. Police believe this is the very moment she was abducted. But what happened next? Kelsey's cell phone held the clues.

DETECTIVE MATTHEW BREGEL, OVERLAND PARK POLICE DEPARTMENT: With the time frame that we have in here, it appears that the cell phone was traveling. So, we are focusing here, where it hit twice.

MATTINGLY: Investigators were able to trace a series of pings, the moments Kelsey's phone made contact with nearby towers. This happens whenever a cell phone sends or receives a call.

In all, there were five pings from Kelsey's phone, all of them from people trying to reach her, the first two not far from the Target store where she was apparently abducted. The last came 46 minutes after she was taken, about 20 miles away, near the large public park where searchers found her body.

The electronic trail of evidence in this case began with Kelsey Smith's last moments of freedom, and ended with the discovery of her body.

David Mattingly, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Now to Connecticut for a missing-girl case with a very different ending -- a 41-year-old man and two women are accused of holding a teenager in their house for almost a year.

Fifteen-year-old Danielle Erica Cramer was found yesterday alive in a small hidden room in West Hartford.

CNN's Jim Acosta is in -- is there -- Jim.

JIM ACOSTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good afternoon, Kyra.

Yes, this is not your classic case of abduction or kidnapping. What, essentially, these three individuals are being charged with is hiding this 15-year-old, Danielle Cramer, in their home without notifying the authorities.

And, earlier this afternoon, there was that initial court appearance for these three suspects, where they were arraigned and had their charges read to them formally. They are 41-year-old Adam Gault, his girlfriend, 40-year-old Ann Murphy, and a young woman that was living in the house, 26-year-old Kimberly Cray.

As I mentioned, they are all being charged with what is technically called unlawful restraint. But that essentially means that they're being accused of hiding this 15-year-old in their home without notifying authorities.

And, even though this case is just getting started, friends and even attorneys for these suspects are starting to lay out what may be sort of a line of defense. They say -- and we heard from one friend this afternoon -- that what these three folks were doing was essentially hiding this girl from abuse that was happening in her home.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOSEPH CORNFIELD, FRIEND OF ADAM GAULT: He's guilty of obviously protecting an underage girl that he probably should have gone to the civil authorities to help, rather than taken the way he did. But that's, you know -- Adam and his -- and his -- never did things exactly according to societal rules.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: And bail was set for $750,000 for the two women suspects. The man, who is receiving the lion's share of the charges in this case, 41-year-old Adam Gault, is being held on $1 million bond. And they have a court appearance coming up on June 21 -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: What else do we know about the past year, and her biological family, and -- and why she was in this home, and the connection between the two?

ACOSTA: Well, what authorities is saying -- are saying is that there was trouble at home.

Apparently, according to police, there was some drug abuse on the part of this girl, and that she had been a chronic runaway. And, essentially, what authorities are laying out is this picture of -- of perhaps this girl had run away from home and into the arms of Adam Gault and his girlfriend and this other woman, who was -- who were all living inside this house.

And it's unclear as to what that quality of life was inside Gault's home. It's not being alleged that she was being held in captivity under the stairs, like something out of "Silence of the Lambs." What it sounds like is that she was living there, according to attorneys for these three suspects, to stay away from her family.

So, it almost sounds as if this is taking on sort of a -- the feeling of a custodial dispute.

There's a press conference coming up at 4:00 this afternoon, where we hope to hear more from authorities, specifically to answer some of these charges coming from one defense attorney for one of the suspects. He said that this young girl, Danielle Cramer, had a cell phone during this entire time she was in this house and that she was even going to school.

And, if she was going to school, then, was she really missing? So, speaking of missing, there are still some -- some missing pieces of the puzzle here. We don't know really exactly what was going this last year. And, hopefully, the police will answer some of those questions in about an hour from now.

PHILLIPS: Jim Acosta, thanks.

MARCIANO: Well, this may be it for immigration reform. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid threatened a short while ago to shelve the bill if he can't win a vote to end debate.

A mounting array of amendments is stressing the coalition that hammered out the plan with the White House. The most serious blow so far? The one-vote passage of a measure last night to kill President Bush's guest-worker plan after just five years.

Reid tells CNN's Dana Bash, if she -- if he can't win a test vote later today, immigration reform is gone.

PHILLIPS: Democrats won, but the president still has the final say. Within the past hour or so, Congress passed a bill that would ease the restrictions on stem cell research. Yet, President Bush is almost certain to veto the measure, just as he's done with a similar bill in the past.

And Republicans say this isn't about stem cell research.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. JOHN BOEHNER (R-OH), HOUSE MINORITY LEADER: This is -- this is politics. This is not about expanding research. They understand clearly the president has vetoed this bill in the past. He will veto it again. This is Washington being Washington, trying to score political points, one party as opposed to another.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Well, the final vote in the House was 247-176, 35 short of what's needed to override a veto.

Listen to this statement just released by the White House: "If this bill were to become law, American taxpayers would, for the first time in our history, be compelled to support the deliberate destruction of human embryos. Crossing that line would be a grave mistake. For that reason, I will veto the bill passed today."

Stem cells from skin cells? Well, an amazing transformation that may soon be within reach. Three international research groups have found tentative success on mice. If the same holds true on humans, researchers say it could mean an endless supply of the types of cells that are believed to hold the curses (sic) to many deadly or debilitating conditions. And there would be none of the usual qualms or controversies over destruction of human embryos.

MARCIANO: Well, the parents report card is out, and they are failing in one subject. That's car safety. A study finds some moms and dads leave seat belt use up to the kids -- that story ahead in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) MARCIANO: It is 15 minutes after the hour. Here are three of the stories we're working on in the CNN NEWSROOM.

Just a few moments ago, a 26-year-old kidnapping and murder suspect appeared before a judge over a video link from his Kansas jail cell. Edwin Roy Hall is accused of killing 18-year-old Kelsey Smith, who was found dead yesterday.

And a motel fire in suburban Atlanta has killed five members of a single family, two adults and three children.

And, after meeting at the G8 summit in Germany, President Bush and Russia's President Putin say they will look for common ground on that controversial U.S. missile defense plan.

PHILLIPS: Most parents are well aware of the dangers that cars and trucks pose to children, but a new survey finds that parents can do even more to keep kids safe.

Our Brianna Keilar is standing by in Arlington, Virginia.

Brianna, what did the study tell us?

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kyra, this was a study by the traffic -- or, pardon me -- the Auto Coalition For Traffic Safety.

And they found that most of the parents they surveyed thought that the risk of leaving kids unattended in and around cars was rather low. Now, it's hard to tell, because the numbers are underreported. But experts say that at least 200 kids die every year either from people backing out of their driveways and running into children, or from them being left in vehicles, warm vehicles like this one here in a parking lot, maybe while the parent runs into a store just to buy a couple of things.

But here are some of the other statistics that they found. They found that about 50 percent of those they surveyed said parents in their area were letting kids as young as 3 years old, up to 7 years old, play outside unsupervised.

And a smaller number, but still a very alarming number, more than 5 percent of the respondents said that people in their area were leaving kids as young as 3 years old and up to 6 years old in a vehicle like this, again, a very warm vehicle.

And we threw a thermometer in here. And we have had this door open the whole time, mind you. And it's 110 degrees. And this is actually the maximum. Let me show you -- 141 degrees.

And, Kyra, just to give you a sense, the core temperature of a child only needs to reach about 104 degrees before it can be fatal, and their temperature can rise very fast -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Wow. Well, you can -- you have been giving us tips all throughout the morning and the afternoon. Tell us more about what parents can do to keep their kids safe.

KEILAR: Well, it's all about supervision and communication. That's what the experts say.

If you're pulling your car out of the driveway, walk around the car before you do. Make sure that your kids and the neighbor kids aren't there. Tell your kids, if they hear a car starting, to get away from the car, so that they know there's a danger there. And, also, tell your children that cars are not playgrounds.

But, barring that, there are also some safety features on vehicles. For instance, this is a pull-to-close window. If a child were to step on this, it's only going to go down. It's not going to go up.

And, then, another interesting feature was an automatic window -- and these tend to be in newer cars -- is that the window will automatically go down if there's a -- say, a hand or a limb inside, inside the window there.

But, also, you know, Kyra, we have heard so many tragic stories recently about kids getting, you know, stuck in trunks. Maybe they suffocate or it's just too hot in there, obviously, and they are not found in time.

Well, this is a glow-in-the-dark trunk release. And, if a child is in the trunk, they can pull this and they can get out of the trunk. But, of course, parents need to explain to them how this works. And experts say there's no substitute for the safety feature of parental supervision -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Boy, just looking at a couple of those features, I'm thinking about back when we were kids going to the drive-in and getting stuck in the trunk. I would have liked that at that time.

(LAUGHTER)

PHILLIPS: But, anyway, looking at the results of this study, some of the most alarming result deals with seat belt use among kids. It amazes me that, even nowadays, you find kids jumping around in the back seats, in a day and age where, I mean, it's the law to wear your seat belt.

KEILAR: Yes. This statistic will just blow your mind.

Fifty percent of the people surveyed here said most parents allow kids who are 10 years old and younger to decide if they are going to wear a seat belt.

I mean, that is just baffling to me, but this is what they found. And, no surprise, experts say, kids need to be wearing seat belts. Parents need to be wearing them to role-model that behavior. And parents need to say, hey, I'm not moving this car until you're buckled up.

PHILLIPS: All right, Brianna Keilar, good tips. Thanks.

MARCIANO: We're getting video in now from Edwin Hall's court appearance in a Kansas court earlier today, the suspect in the Kelsey Smith kidnapping and murder case.

As we get more information and video in to the CNN NEWSROOM, we will bring it to you right here.

Also ahead: corruption on Capitol Hill, the battle in Congress over what happens to the lawmaker known as Dollar Bill Jefferson, indicted on 16 federal counts -- details straight ahead in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Pictures just in now of the man accused of kidnapping and killing 18-year-old Kelsey Smith.

This is Edwin R. Hall's arraignment out of Johnson County. He's being charged with premeditated first-degree murder and aggravated kidnapping. He faces a minimum sentence of 25 years to life in prison for the murder charge and 147 months for the aggravated kidnapping.

Video just in of the man accused of kidnapping and killing 18- year-old Kelsey Smith, that graduate out of Kansas -- you will remember, she's the one that was caught on videotape at a Target store going shopping for her boyfriend. Not long after that, you saw this man, the man police say is the man you are now seeing in court, who followed her out to her car, abducted her, forced her into her car.

And then her body was found yesterday in a wooded area in Missouri -- now this man, Edwin R. Hall, video just in from his arraignment, facing a minimum sentence of 25 years to life in prison for the murder of this young teenager.

MARCIANO: Thirteen cases of E. coli infection may be linked to what's now an expanded recall on ground beef.

Four people are hospitalized. And illnesses are reported in five states. United Food Group sold the meat in stores in supermarkets across 11 states in the Western part of the U.S.

The brand names to look for include Moran's All Natural, Miller Meat Company, Stater Brothers, Inter-American Products, and Basha's. And the sell-by dates are from April 20 to May 7.

PHILLIPS: Well, quality is job one, according to one of Ford's recent ad campaigns. And the results of a new survey back it up.

Susan Lisovicz at the New York Stock Exchange to tell us about some big wins for the embattled automaker.

Hey, Susan.

SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Kyra.

So often, the stories that we're talking about involve market share erosion, big layoffs. Well, this is an entirely different story, a welcome story in Detroit. When the J.D. Power awards for initial quality came out, guess who had the most awards? Not Toyota, which just surpassed GM as the number-one automaker, but Ford, with five.

The award looks at manufacturing defects and design problems in new cars, as reported by their owners. Ford's iconic Mustang ranked as the most problem-free mid-sized sporty car. The Mercury Milan, which is owned by Ford, was the highest ranked mid-sized car. Ford also owns Lincoln. And Lincoln's MKZ was the top-ranked entry premium car.

Lincoln also won top-ranked SUV for its Lincoln Mark LT, which is a luxury version of the Ford F-150 truck. And Ford's fifth win came from its Mazda unit, which won the award for compact sporty car with its Mazda MX-5 Miata -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: What about Toyota? Where does it come out in all of this?

LISOVICZ: Well, Toyota was a contender, Kyra. It finished second with three awards.

Toyota also is celebrating the sale of its one millionth hybrid, led, of course, by the world's best-selling hybrid, the Toyota Prius. That car was released in 1997 and started selling here in the U.S. in the year 2000. And people like vehicles that get 55 miles per gallon, on average in both city and highway driving.

Oh, and by the way, oil is up a buck today. That's a good reason why.

Turning to the markets, well, stocks are going in the opposite direction -- same story for the last three days, fears about higher interest rates getting the best of investors -- here at the New York Stock Exchange, declining stocks swamping advancers by a nearly 10-1 margin, a lot of conviction behind this sell-off.

Checking the Big Board, the Dow off its lows, but still triple- digit losses, down 132 points, at 13333 -- remember, the blue chips closed at an all-time high just Monday. The Nasdaq composite is down 33 points, or 1.25 percent.

At the end of the hour, I will have a wrap-up of the third straight losing day here on Wall Street. How low can it go? We will find out then -- Kyra, back to you.

PHILLIPS: All right, Susan, thanks.

Diana controversy -- a documentary detailing the death of the princess airs despite royal protests -- what Londoners are saying now straight ahead from the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Hello, everyone. I'm Kyra Phillips, live at the CNN world headquarters in Atlanta.

MARCIANO: And I'm Rob Marciano.

Indicted but not yet convicted. Still, plenty of lawmakers on both sides of the aisle are eager to give "Dollar Bill" Jefferson the heave-ho.

PHILLIPS: Our Joe Johns has more on the Louisiana Democrat who has run afoul of timing, if not the law.

You're live in the CNN NEWSROOM.

Police in Kansas believe they know who grabbed Kelsey Smith and killed her. Twenty-six-year-old Edwin Roy Hall has just been before a Kansas judge via video hookup from jail. He's accused of aggravating kidnapping and first-degree murder, but waived the reading of those charges until he can hire an attorney.

Hall was arrested late yesterday, shortly after Smith's body was found in a park. Detectives say they believe he's the man caught on this Target surveillance tape right before the teenager was attacked in the store's parking lot. They don't believe Hall knew the girl before that.

MARCIANO: A 41-year-old man and two women arraigned today on charges they hid a missing Connecticut girl in their house. Police found 15-year-old Danielle Erica Cramer locked in a hidden room in a house in West Hartford. She had been missing for nearly a year.

A defense lawyer claimed she was living there voluntarily and was being protected from abuse by others. All three defendants are charged with conspiracy to commit unlawful restraint. Bond is set at $1 million for 41-year-old Adam Gault and $750,000 for the other two other defendants, a woman described as Gault's common-law wife and another woman living in the house.

Well, it's been almost ten years since her death. Princess Diana is still a source of bitter controversy. This time over a documentary detailing her final moments inside that mangled car. Well, it aired last night, and our Adrian Finighan is in London with today's reaction.

Hello, Adrian.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ADRIAN FINIGHAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's business very much as usual here today. They are changing the guard at the moment behind me, which happens every day throughout the summer.

So this documentary last night, many who saw it in this country will be wondering what on earth all the fuss was about. When it came to the actual image that we're told that princes William and Harry were so upset about, the shot of their mother as she lay dying in the wreck of the car crash in the tunnel in Paris in 1997, it was grainy, it was black and white.

A photograph straight lifted from the French investigation dossier. The princess's face obscured by a gray rectangle as she was tended to by a doctor.

Although it's fairly safe to say that it was difficult to make out anything in the photograph properly. The quality of it was so poor.

The princes, William and Harry, had protested that showing the photographs of the final moments of Diana's life would be a gross disrespect to their mother's memory. Their advisers had seen a copy of the program in chance.

Now, Channel 4, a broadcaster here in the U.K. which has frequently tested the boundaries of what makes acceptable television, had defended the documentary as a responsible investigation into the circumstance of the Paris crash. And with fewer than 25 complaints to the U.K.'s broadcasting regulator following that program, it's fairly safe to say that the British public agrees with them.

So, were the princes ill-advised to complain in the way they had before the broadcast? Well, possibly. But I think what they were trying to do was to make it perfectly clear to the media and to newspaper editors that they will continue to vigorously defend their mother's memory and will not accept any use of images that they consider to be intrusive or exploitative.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: The first look at the devastation from a rare Middle East cyclone. At least 20 people were killed and miles of highway flooded after Cyclone Gonu battered Oman's coast. The storm is making a beeline for southeastern Iran, but it's weakened so much, it may well dissipate before it gets there.

MARCIANO: And like a dog with a bone, an Indiana reporter gets a hold of a good story and just won't let go.

Sit. Stay.

The CNN NEWSROOM will be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MARCIANO: Big-time federal charges, a huge potential prison term, more than 200 years. But if it's any consolation to Louisiana congressman William Jefferson, he still has a job. And even if he's convicted, expelled and imprisoned, he still has a pension, paid for by you.

CNN's Joe Johns reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) JOE JOHNS, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): A day after Bill Jefferson was indicted for bribery, freshman Democrats who ran against the so-called culture of corruption are fit to be tied.

REP. NANCY BOYDA (D), KANSAS: Did we mean it last November when we said we'd change Congress, or were our words just mere election- year slogans?

JOHNS: Republicans who took a beating in the midterm elections because of congressmen on the take are glad to have a Democrat on the rack.

REP. JOHN BOEHNER (R), MINORITY LEADER: The Ethics Committee should reignite its investigation of Mr. Jefferson, find out whether he's violated rules of the House. That's different than whether he violated laws. And then, in fact, hold him accountable.

JOHNS: So it seems pretty simple, right? Indictment equals expulsion. Don't count on it.

Why? Because Jefferson hasn't been convicted of anything. He hasn't admitted anything either. He says he's not guilty, and it looks like he's digging in to fight.

Jefferson has even hired Monica Lewinsky's public relations rep, Judy Smith, to help out with the message. And anyway, it takes a two- thirds majority vote to expel a member of the House, and Jefferson still has people who are quietly saying, don't rush to judgment.

Josephine Hearn covers the House for politico.com.

JOSEPHINE HEARN, POLITICO.COM: There are people who are defending Bill Jefferson right now. There's some members of the Black Caucus. There's some members who are not in the Black Caucus. They're simply just good friends of Mr. Jefferson, or feel that we can't set a precedent here of expelling a member before they've actually been found guilty of something.

JOHNS (on camera): So you, as the taxpayer, will keep paying Jefferson's salary as long as he stays in the House. And as it stand now, taxpayers will pay his pension, too, even if he's convicted or pleads guilty and goes to jail. Shocking as it sounds, former members of Congress are cashing in from the big house.

REP. MARK STEVEN KIRK (R), ILLINOIS: Last month, several former members of Congress cashed in their taxpayer-funded retirement checks from jail. After indictment and conviction beyond a shadow of a doubt, they are still paid each month by the taxpayers they betrayed.

JOHNS: There is legislation to change that, but it's still a long way from final passage. So for now, crime still pays -- at least in the U.S. Congress.

Joe Johns, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE) MARCIANO: Well, she has instant name recognition, and she's used to life in the public eye. Could Vice President Dick Cheney's wife, Lynne, be the next U.S. senator from Wyoming? Well, published reports say Lynne Cheney is among the names being floated as a potential successor for Wyoming senator Craig Thomas.

Thomas, a Republican, died Monday of leukemia. State Republicans have 50 days to recommend three possible replacements for Thomas. And the governor will then choose a name from that list to serve until a special election next year.

PHILLIPS: Well, each week we're shining the spotlight on everyday folks whose passion, whose dedication to a cause, really has made a difference. We call them "CNN Heroes". And today, a young woman who has made a big sacrifice to help some of the world's smallest and most forgotten citizens.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NTHABLENG LEPHOTO: Personally, I had people very close to me dying of HIV-AIDS. This stupid virus is tearing lives apart.

My name is Nthabeleng Lephoto, coming from Touching Tiny Lives. We support orphaned and vulnerable infants.

Our safehouse is for critically ill or in-need children. For us, babies come first. We have to give them medication, even if sometimes they have to cry.

No, no, no, no.

But it's not just the medication. They start feeling loved.

I have to go.

Eighty percent of the children we help are in the rural areas. We go to each individual household. We give them nutrition like food- stuffed packages and medication. We want to discuss their own problems, where they feel free.

It's HIV-AIDS leaving the children with grandmothers. They shouldn't be doing this, but they have to.

I need to support these people. It's going to go on and on.

Believe me, there are times when I really say, this is too much. But to see them smile, starting enjoy life as it comes, makes me want to help more and more and more and more. If there's no Touching Tiny Lives, honestly, all these children that we have helped would have died.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Well, if you'd like to make a contribution to Nthabeleng and her work, or nominate you think someone who deserves special recognition for a CNN Hero Award, you'll find all the details cnn.com/heroes.

MARCIANO: You have a dog? Well, you need to feed it. And there's a dog food recall.

We'll tell you about it in the CNN NEWSROOM coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Three days proved all she could take. Paris Hilton was released from the L.A. County Jail just a few hours ago, almost three weeks ahead of schedule.

Why, you ask? Sheriff's deputies are being a little vague, but they do say medical considerations were a factor.

The heiress is now under house arrest and will have to wear an ankle bracelet for 40 days. There are those who think that the early release is a crime.

Here's what the sheriff's department had to say about it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STEVE WHITMORE, L.A. COUNTY SHERIFF'S DEPT.: They make it aware that there may be a public opinion outcry, but does that override the decision? The decision must be rooted in, what are we doing here, what is the content of our action?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Oh, boy. Paris is speaking out, too. She just released a statement saying, "I'm going to serve the remaining 45 days of my sentence. I've learned a great deal from this ordeal and hope that others have learned from my mistakes."

Of course Paris doesn't own the market on celebs behaving badly, she just owns the latest headlines. Jake Halpern's book is called "Fame Junkies," and we spoke with him about this new twist in the Paris Hilton saga.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAKE HALPERN, "FAME JUNKIES": Americans are more lonely than they have been in the past. They have fewer family dinners. They work in their cubicle and have their Dilbert-like existence. And Paris and J. Lo and Tom and Katie and all these other celebs that we know on a first-name basis I think in some ways kind of fill that void and make us feel like we're connected to them.

PHILLIPS: All right. Obviously, I'm not a big fan of this news story or this woman. But here we are doing a segment, we're talking about it. It's all over the news. It's clicked on CNN.com, on Google. I mean, everybody, so many people are talking about it.

Are we just making this worse? Are we just making her more popular by talking about it and having her in the news headlines? HALPERN: No, I think that's the problem. In some ways, it's impossible to critique anything involving celebrities because even if you are trying to say something critical, it's arguable that you are just adding to the roar of the machine.

I think the important point to bear in mind is that we're thinking about what we're not paying attention to when we're paying attention to these stories. The real news stories, like what's going on in Iraq, or genocide in Darfur. Sure, it's fine to watch what's going on with Paris, but when we watch it so much that we're shutting out everything else, I think that's your kind of -- when your warning light should come on.

PHILLIPS: Well, so Jake, why doesn't someone like a Paris Hilton, who obviously, she's a beautiful girl. She's got lots of money. She has tremendous influence. Why isn't she a humanitarian? Why doesn't she do things for the higher good?

HALPERN: Yes, I think it's like -- I look at it as a spectrum with Bono and Mick Jagger. You've got Bono on the one hand, who is, you know, transforming his fame into all of this good stuff. And then you have Mick Jagger who just wants to get everything he can possibly get out of it for himself.

And I think most celebrities fall somewhere on that spectrum. And you would hope that, you know, maybe even it's just a publicist calling up Paris and saying, you have to do something good now to improve your image, that she'll do something, because it's really a shame to squander it just on the narcissism of celebrity.

PHILLIPS: And you know what else is a shame? She had a DUI. She could have killed somebody, and she's not even serving her whole sentence.

HALPERN: Yes. It's hard to imagine that if this had been a poor black or Hispanic kid coming from Compton, that they would be getting out after three days for home arrest.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Oh, and by the way, Hilton was credited for serving five days of her 45-day sentence. She checked in late Sunday night, left early this morning. You can do the math.

On "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT," has justice been served? And does anyone believe this experience has really changed Paris? The coast-to-coast reaction and outrage at 11:00 p.m. Eastern, right here on CNN's Headline News.

(WEATHER REPORT)

MARCIANO: Well, it's a new pet food recall. It's just been issued. This time, it's over a salmonella threat.

If you have got a 55-pound bag of Ol' Roy Complete Nutrition dry dog food, do not feed it to your pet. Instead, check the UPC code first.

The recalled batch carries the number which is on your screen: 6 05388 72076 4. The lot number is 04 0735 1.

The dog food was sold at about 69 Wal-Mart stores in Maryland, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia.

Well, speaking of dogs, Bobby was Lillian Brown's best bud. The 80-year-old woman found him at an animal shelter after she lost her husband of 48 years. And then she lost Bobby.

But old on. This story has got a dog-gone happy ending. And reporter Anne Yeager (ph) of CNN Affiliate KXNV has more on the search that started in Arizona and ended in Indiana.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LILLIAN BROWN, DOG OWNER: All the love I had went into that little doggy, and all the love that he had went into me.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (voice over): It's been two agonizing months since 80-year-old Lillian Brown lost her dog Bobby.

BROWN: He was my life. Without him I didn't want to live.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The dog was all she had after losing her husband just months ago.

BROWN: He just mouthed it, "I love you," and went -- that was it.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A trusting woman, Lillian never thought her neighbors would steal her beloved dog. For all she knew, he disappeared. And so did they.

BROWN: I just started to shake like crazy and started to cry. And I'd come home and I'd say, "My God, it's too long to start looking," but I did.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Heartbroken, she stopped eating, taking her medication, and slept out on the porch for two weeks.

BROWN: I slept out there thinking he'd come bounding (ph) up one of these days and he wouldn't be able to get in the house. But no Bobby.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She wrote a letter to the local paper to see if anyone can help. Reporter Jill Jones read it.

JILL JONES, JOURNALIST: This was her best friend. And I just wanted -- I just wanted to find this dog for her.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Jones herself a huge dog lover, went to work. She checked every lost-and-found section nationwide. And then, a break.

JONES: And he said they have the dog. He said, "Is his name Bobby?" I go, "Yes, it's Bobby!"

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Lillian got that call just in time.

BROWN: I was standing up when she called. It's a good thing the chair was away from the desk, because I just slumped in the chair. I said, "You've got to be kidding!"

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And now, thanks to Continental Airlines, Bobby is flying to Phoenix from Indiana.

BROWN: I still can't believe anybody would care that much about somebody else.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Anxiously, she waits...

BROWN: If anybody is holding me, they are not going to hold me back.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: ... for her beloved Bobby to be back in her arms.

BROWN: Did you have a good time today?

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MARCIANO: And we're told Bobby hitched a free ride on Continental Airlines yesterday to join Lillian in their Apache Junction, Arizona, home.

Good stuff.

Let's check in with Wolf Blitzer, renowned dog lover.

PHILLIPS: That's right. He's standing by in "THE SITUATION ROOM," barking up all kinds of details coming up in the next hour.

(NEWSBREAK)

PHILLIPS: The closing bell and a wrap of action on Wall Street straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: All right. Closing bell about to ring on Wall Street.

MARCIANO: Yes, the markets have been getting whacked, and Susan Lisovicz has been watching it all day.

(STOCK MARKET REPORT)

PHILLIPS: Time for Wolf.

MARCIANO: All right. Wolf Blitzer and "THE SITUATION ROOM" starts right now.

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