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Police Investigate Triple Homicide in Atlanta; Feds Crack Down on Videogame Pirating; Rumsfeld Denies Knowledge of Tillman Cover-Up; Rupert Murdoch Buys Dow Jones; Gitmo Inmate Petitions to Stay Locked Up; 'Vanity Fair' Article Attacks Judith Giuliani

Aired August 01, 2007 - 13:00   ET

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

KYRA PHILLIPS, CO-HOST: Donald Rumsfeld returns, and Congress revisits the friendly fire death of football star turned Army Ranger Pat Tillman.
DON LEMON, CO-HOST: The former defense secretary denies a military cover-up and says he's not to blame for errors.

Hello, everyone. I'm Don Lemon, live at the CNN world headquarters in Atlanta.

PHILLIPS: And I'm Kyra Phillips. You're live in the CNN NEWSROOM.

Want to get straight to Fredricka Whitfield. She's actually working details on a developing story out of this area, actually, outside of Atlanta, Georgia.

What'd you find out, Fred?

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: That's right, Kyra. In Powder Springs, Georgia, in West Cobb County, just outside of Atlanta, police are investigating what appears to be a triple homicide. That information we're able to confirm.

But the Associated Press is reporting certain details of this discovery at this home. A woman and two daughters found. It's unclear the cause of death. Investigators are looking into it.

There were two, reportedly, young boys who survived what is being described as an attack. They are being hospitalized. At least one being hospitalized, is what the information we're getting from the Associated Press, as well as some information we're getting from police sources there on the ground.

We're continuing to work the situation there, just outside of Atlanta. A triple homicide now being investigated at this home -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right. We'll keep following up with you. Thanks, Fred.

LEMON: A high-tech crackdown against high-tech thieves. The government is targeting technology pirates in 16 states.

Let's go straight to Washington and Jeanne Meserve.

What do you have for us, Jeanne?

JEANNE MESERVE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Don, Xbox, Wii, PlayStation, Nintendo, all of those gaming consoles are designed to prevent you or your kids from playing pirated games.

But you can find on the Internet for between $20 and $80 these little items called mod chips, or that's short for modified chips. They allow you to circumvent those anti-piracy protections and play counterfeit software. They are manufactured overseas and imported illegally into the United States.

Today, Immigration and Customs Enforcement executed 32 federal search warrants in 16 states, cracking down on people who import, distribute, and sell these chips.

It's being characterized as the largest enforcement action of its kind targeting this kind of activity. Part of a stepped up effort by ICE to crack down on the theft of intellectual property -- Don.

LEMON: Jeanne Meserve, thank you for that report.

Jeanne, you know what? Sorry. I'm going to ask you a question.

MESERVE: Sure.

LEMON: I'm just being told by producers we have some new information in -- new information in. Is it illegal, that's what they are telling me, these chips? Are they?

MESERVE: It is illegal to use them.

LEMON: OK.

MESERVE: But they're everywhere. You can get them all over the Internet. And so the people they're cracking down on today are the big players, the people who import them, the people who distribute them.

LEMON: Jeanne, how much is this going to cost the industry?

MESERVE: Well, actually, the crackdown doesn't cost them anything. But the use of these costs them a lot. Because it doesn't -- they don't get a big profit margin when they sell the consoles. What makes money for the big companies is the sale of games.

And if you have one of these chips, it allows you to play those counterfeited games. So they aren't selling what they want to. They say worldwide, piracy as a whole costs the industry about $3 billion every year.

LEMON: All right, Jeanne Meserve, thank you now for that report.

MESERVE: You bet.

PHILLIPS: Pat Tillman, gunned down by friendly fire in Afghanistan. Former defense secretary Donald Rumsfeld under the gun about Tillman's death. Why didn't Tillman's family and the rest of us know the truth until weeks after? Well, a House panel is asking that question today.

Here's what Rumsfeld had to say about a possible cover-up.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD RUMSFELD, FORMER DEFENSE SECRETARY: I know that no one in the White House suggested such a thing to me. I know that the gentlemen sitting next to me are men of enormous integrity and would not participate in something like that. So, of course, there's a difference between error and cover-up.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Well, let's get straight to Washington and Brianna Keilar. She's following it for us.

Brianna, what else have we learned?

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kyra, it's also what we haven't learned. There are still unanswered questions. What you really take away from today's hearing was that suspicions from Tillman's family and also from both sides of the aisle on Capitol Hill, they're going to continue about why the military handled the death of Pat Tillman the way they did.

Tillman, of course, was practically a poster child for the Army. He turned down a multimillion-dollar NFL contract to join up after September 11, as you may recall. And today Democrats loudly voiced a suspicion that a potential cover-up may have gone as far as the White House.

But former defense secretary, Donald Rumsfeld, and the other former top military commanders testifying today denied any knowledge of a cover-up.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. DENNIS KUCINICH (D-OH), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: You actually covered up the Tillman case for a while. You covered up the Jessica Lynch case. You covered up Abu Ghraib. So something was working for you. Was there a strategy to do it, Mr. Rumsfeld?

RUMSFELD: Well, Congressman, the implication that -- you said "you covered up," that's just false. You have nothing to base that on. You have not a scrap of evidence or a piece of paper or a witness that would attest to that.

I have not been involved in any cover-up whatsoever, and I don't believe there's an individual at this table who I know well and observed in close quarters in very difficult situations who had any role in a cover-up on this matter.

(END VIDEO CLIP) KEILAR: Last week, the secretary of the Army censured Lieutenant General Philip Kensinger for his handling of the military's investigation. But Kensinger didn't testify today. He was actually subpoenaed to appear, but Henry Waxman, chairman of this committee, said Kensinger couldn't be located and thus was not served the subpoena, Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Now Brianna, this memo sent shortly after Tillman's death came up quite a bit today. What can you tell us about that?

KEILAR: Yes, this was a memo that was sent a week after Tillman's death in April of 2004. And it was sent from a top military commander to General John Abizaid, the former chief of the U.S. Central Command. He did testify today.

And basically, this memo said the circumstances of Tillman's death had not been cleared up and that President Bush, therefore, shouldn't refer to how Tillman died.

But almost all of the witnesses today, if not all of them, said they got the memo late, or for one reason or another, they didn't take that information to the White House.

But some Democrats were really -- they really didn't believe this info, that it wasn't passed on to the White House.

PHILLIPS: All right. Brianna Keilar in Washington, thank you.

LEMON: Persistence pays off. Just ask media mogul Rupert Murdoch. He sealed a deal that has all Wall Street buzzing, taking over Dow Jones and the company publisher -- the company, the publisher of the "Wall Street Journal".

Susan Lisovicz joins us now from the New York Stock Exchange.

Susan, big question: what is the word on the floor?

SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, the word on the floor is that very few people could come close to what Rupert Murdoch was offering for Dow Jones, which is not only the company that owns the Dow Jones news wires and Barron's, the business publication that comes out once a week but, of course, the bible of Wall Street, "The Wall Street Journal".

The newspaper industry, even for very fine papers like "The Journal", is struggling in the online age. There were said to be interested parties -- General Electric, this billionaire grocer named Ron Burkle -- but nobody could get an opposing serious offer to match Rupert Murdoch.

Rupert Murdoch has long been interested in the "Wall Street Journal". He made an offer a decade ago, couldn't quite get there. And now he has more of an incentive, because Don, he's got a business channel launching in a few months. He wants the content and he wants the credibility.

LEMON: So why is this such a prize to him, Susan? You said he's been eying this for such a long time. Why such a prize?

LISOVICZ: Well, because the Bancroft family, Don, that has controlled the voting for this publication for more than a century really wasn't interested. Neither were other parties involved with it.

And I think that, given the deflated stock price, the change in conditions in the last decade, you know, there were some members of the family that thought, even if they might have been opposed to it on principle, that they could be sued by shareholders. It was a rich offer.

So you know, there were a lot of concerns out there. Some -- some members of the family actually wanted even a sweeter price. But in the end, the Bancrofts, ultimately, enough of them yielded to this deal, and it's happening.

But there are still very real questions about what kind of influence Rupert Murdoch will have on this publication, as he expands his empire even more.

I just wanted to tell you, Don, at this very hour, MoveOn.org, which is a left-leaning organization, is protesting just a few blocks away from here in front of "The Wall Street Journal's" headquarter.

And they have a parody of the "Journal" out, which I'd like to show up, if we can show it to our viewers, with some of -- headlines they claim have come from FOX News.

And among them are, "Paris Hilton is a Genius", "Is the Liberal Media Helping to Fuel Terror?" and "Some Trees Contribute to Global Warming". There it is. That's the parody, folks.

And there are some people that, you know, think that Rupert Murdoch may, indeed, put his stamp, ultimately. It's not a question of if; it's a question of when -- Don.

LEMON: Of when. Absolutely. That's what folks are saying.

Thank you very much for that report, Susan Lisovicz.

A business tycoon and a media mogul. Just how did Rupert Murdoch get where he is today? We'll take a closer look, next hour in the CNN NEWSROOM.

PHILLIPS: Well, the neighbors thought she seemed grandmotherly, but what really went on in this woman's home? Ugly secrets, millions of dollars. A bizarre tale of adoption and alleged abuse that's shocked the neighborhood and investigators in two states.

LEMON: Cocktails and calories. Those sips, well, they add up. Now a push to get labels on your drinks, just like your favorite foods.

PHILLIPS: And man's best friend grieving for her broadcasting buddy. Meet Molly, the flying dog. You're watching CNN, the most trusted name in news.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: We're going to tell you about a triple murder, possibly. Three people found dead in a home right here in the Atlanta area. They were found by police this morning.

We want to get to our Fredricka Whitfield, who's following this developing story for us in the CNN NEWSROOM.

What do you have, Fred.

WHITFIELD: Don, what we understand according to the Associated Press, and some sources at CNN have quoted, that three people were found dead at this Powder Springs, Georgia, home, outside of Atlanta in West Cobb County. We understand it to be a woman and two daughters, the woman being the mother of these two daughters, found dead at that home.

And we also understand that there were at least two other young people found at this location. They are being hospitalized. They are survivors of what is being called an attack.

We don't know the exact circumstances of how these three people died, or were allegedly killed at this house. That's still being investigated.

But it's a horrible set of circumstances that are slowly being uncovered as police continue to surround that home, you saw in those video pictures, cordoned off there. The investigation still in the very early stages there, right outside of Atlanta, Don.

LEMON: Yes, 17 miles northwest of Atlanta, Fredricka. And they're not calling it a triple murder, possibly. All police are calling it now is a triple homicide.

WHITFIELD: Right.

LEMON: And we'll continue to follow that. Thank you so much for that report.

WHITFIELD: OK.

PHILLIPS: Well, it's safe to say that most inmates in the U.S. prison camp at Guantanamo Bay are longing for the day that they're not inmates at Guantanamo Bay. But one man is asking the Bush administration to keep him locked up.

CNN's Brian Todd has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Ahmed Belbacha would rather stay at Guantanamo Bay rather than be sent home. He's making an emergency appeal to the U.S. government to keep him locked away in a cell described by his lawyer.

ZACHARY KATZNELSON, AHMED BELBACHA'S ATTORNEY: He said to me, "My cell is like a grave." And he lives in an all-steel cell. It's about 6 feet by 10 feet. It's the size of somebody's bathroom.

TODD: Why does Belbacha believe that's a better alternative than being sent back to his native Algeria?

KATZNELSON: Now that he's been in Guantanamo, that the Algerian government in turn may come after him.

TODD: With the stigma of Guantanamo, his attorney says, Belbacha believes the Algerian government will torture him if he returns.

The Algerian embassy won't comment on the specifics of the case, nor would a State Department official, but State and Pentagon officials did stress to us no detainee will be sent to a nation where it's believed they'll be tortured.

Belbacha actually used to work as an accountant for the Algerian government and says that Islamic radicals threatened his life back in 1999.

KATZNELSON: He fears that Islamic extremists in Algeria will target him because of his past relationship with the government.

TODD: He claims he fled to England to get away from them, made his way to Pakistan to attend religious school. Then, after 9/11, Pakistani locals, seeking bounty money from U.S. forces, turned him in.

Belbacha's lawyer says he was never with any terrorist group, but he was still accused of being an enemy combatant, taken to the U.S. base at Kandahar, Afghanistan, then to Guantanamo in 2002.

The Pentagon denies, his attorneys claim, that he was beaten while first in U.S. custody.

(on camera) Ahmed Belbacha's attorney is now battling with the Bush administration in a U.S. court of appeals and says he'll take this case all the way to the Supreme Court if he loses this round.

Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: Is "Vanity Fair" unfair? A blistering profile of Rudy Giuliani's wife says she uses a seat on the plane just for her designer handbag. The candidate isn't happy. Details, straight ahead in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: A tough new stance on the war on terror today from Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama. He says if he's elected he'll redeploy U.S. troops to Afghanistan and Pakistan. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D-IL), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: It is time to turn the page. When I'm president, we will wage the war that has to be won, with a comprehensive strategy with five elements: getting out of Iraq and on the right battle field in Afghanistan and Pakistan; developing the capabilities and partnerships we need to take out the terrorists and the world's most deadly weapons; engaging the world to dry up support for terror and extremism; restoring our values and securing a more resilient homeland.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Obama's speech comes just days after Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton blasted Obama for his foreign policy stance. Clinton called Obama naive for saying he'd be willing to meet with the leaders of Cuba, North Korea and Iran.

And a new NBC/"Wall Street" -- "Wall Street Journal" poll shows Clinton increasing her lead over Obama in the race for the Democratic presidential nomination. It shows Clinton leading Obama 43 percent to 22 percent, a 21-percent -- 21-point margin, I should say.

Last month, her lead over the Illinois senator was 39 percent to 25 percent.

PHILLIPS: Well, the cover-up (sic) story on the latest issue of "Vanity Fair" is raising the hackles of Republican presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani, not to mention his campaign. It's a less than flattering profile of Judith Nathan Giuliani, the former New York mayor's wife.

CNN's Carol Costello reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): If you're Judith Giuliani, it isn't good from the start. "Vanity Fair's" front cover reads "Terror Alert: Judi Giuliani". And it goes downhill from there.

It's got the Giuliani camp crying hatchet job.

MICHAEL MCKEON, GIULIANI SENIOR ADVISOR: It was extremely vile, extremely venomous. I mean, that was a poison pen article if there ever was one.

COSTELLO: But "Vanity Fair's" Judy Bachrach stands by her story and every last unflattering detail.

JUDY BACHRACH, "VANITY FAIR": When the Giuliani people say that "Vanity Fair" or I do a hatchet job, you have to consider the source. They are the kings of hatchets, and they try to muzzle the press at every opportunity.

COSTELLO: But Bachrach says she prevailed, writing "Giuliani's Princess Bride", noting the tiara Giuliani wore on her wedding day, and quoting an unnamed former Giuliani aide, who said "queen is her goal."

Giuliani, at a campaign event Tuesday, stood up for his wife.

RUDY GIULIANI (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I think the article is a very incorrect article. It has enormous numbers of inaccuracies in it.

And one of the terrible prices that, unfortunately, families pay in a situation like is this is they get castigated and attacked.

COSTELLO: But Bachrach says she tried to interview Judith Giuliani and was denied. Through others, she determined Mrs. Giuliani is an opportunist who went after a famous married man with children, then Mayor Rudy Giuliani, and proffered her business card.

And then flaunted their affair by appearing at New York City functions while then Mayor Rudy Giuliani was still married.

And is now enjoying the fame and wealth he brings her, charging Judith employees a full-time assistant to style her hair, wears designer clothes, and even, when she's flying, insists on an entire plane seat for her "Baby Louis", her pricey designer bag.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Well, the Giuliani camp says none of those allegations are true, including the full-time hair dresser. As for whether any of this will hurt the campaign, Giuliani camp says it will have zero effect because it's so over-the-top untrue.

And you can see all the day's political news any time, any day, any night. CNN.com/ticker. We're constantly updating it for you with the latest from the campaign trail.

LEMON: Oil prices hit record highs today, and the Dow has been all over the map. Let's go straight to Susan Lisovicz at the New York Stock Exchange for a quick check on the financial markets.

Can't get my mouth to work today, Susan. It's one of those days.

(STOCK REPORT)

LISOVICZ: Coming up, the market, it's on a roller coaster ride. Don't hop off just yet. When it comes to investing, hanging in there may be the right thing to do. I will tell you why in the next hour.

Don and Kyra, back to you.

LEMON: I thought you were going to break into "I've seen fire, I've seen rain. Sunny days..."

LISOVICZ: Oh, yes. Sweet baby James.

LEMON: Thank you, Susan. We'll check back.

LISOVICZ: You got it. PHILLIPS: Straight ahead, honor student, athlete, and a legal immigrant. A college-bound Florida teen faces deportation instead, unless his friends can get Congress to stop it. We'll have an update, straight ahead from the CNN NEWSROOM.

LEMON: An horrific abuse case. An adoptive mother accused of starving the children she was supposed to be caring for. The motive? Well, police say it was money. Details straight ahead in the CNN NEWSROOM.

PHILLIPS: Violent storms catch many off-guard in Arizona. Rescuers can't reach everyone. We'll have that story, as well.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Let's get right back to the newsroom. Fredricka Whitfield with more details on that triple homicide in the Atlanta area. Right?

WHITFIELD: That's right. Just outside of Atlanta, about 20 miles or so, in West Cobb County. In Powder Springs, police are investigating a triple homicide at a residence.

Two other young people, two boys, have also been victims of this alleged attack. One was medevaced to a nearby hospital. The other has been transported by other means.

The three people whose bodies were found at this residence, one is believed to be a widow, and her two daughters, one of whom is an adult child. We don't know the circumstances of their deaths, only that police are calling them victims of an attack taking place at that residence.

This very grisly investigation is just getting underway, about a couple hours ago. You're looking at pictures right now of the cordoned-off house there in Powder Springs, in West Cobb County.

When we get any more information about the circumstances of the deaths of these three and how the two boys who survived this attack are doing, we'll be able to bring that to you as well, Kyra.

PHILLIPS: OK, Fred. We'll keep following up, thanks.

LEMON: Listen to this next story, it's just an unbelievable story. A police captain in Florida says it's one of the most horrendous child abuse cases he has ever seen. Investigators say this woman, her name is Judith Leekin, fraudulently adopted 11 children with handicaps and held them prisoner in her home.

They say she sometimes handcuffed them, starved them, and never let them go to school or see a doctor. She was formally charged today with abuse and other crimes and could face up to 160 years in prison. The children were found in Port St. Lucie but adopted in New York. Police say Leekin -- well, she was after the money. She got about $2 million in subsidies that were supposed to be used for the children.

How did she allegedly pull this off?

Well, reporter Brian Skoloff is with the Associated Press and he's been following this story. He joins us now from Riviera Beach, Florida.

I know that you found out about this story from the police. How did police find out about this, Brian?

BRIAN SKOLOFF, ASSOCIATED PRESS: Well, it goes back to July 4th. Authorities over in St. Petersburg, about 200 miles away, had found an 18-year-old woman wandering aimlessly there. She told them that Judith Leekin was her mother, she'd been with her about 13 years. She drove her over to St. Petersburg under the guise of going to an amusement park, and then abandoned her there.

Eventually, it led police back to the Port St. Lucie home, and they eventually found the eight other children, and these horrible stories started to emerge.

LEMON: Yes, what did police tell you about what they found in the home and the condition of the children?

SKOLOFF: Well, when they -- when they eventually -- they found the children eventually. It took several tries going back and forth to the home. At one point, Ms. Leekin is alleged to have hidden the children when police went there looking for them.

They eventually found them, but the children's stories, if they're true, are pretty horrendous, speaking of being handcuffed, and tethered together at night. Not allowed to use the bathroom, never having gone to a dentist or a doctor. Never having gone to school. These kids range in age from 15 to 27, and none of them have an education more than a fourth grade level is what police are saying.

LEMON: Yes, and you were showing those ties, that said that she's accused of also handcuffing them with -- you see handcuffs there and you also these sort of restraints, plastic restraints as well and keeping them inside the home.

But you've been speaking to neighbors there. And I want to get -- hear from you what they have been saying. But also, let's take a listen to someone that you interviewed I believe and then we'll talk about it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LISA SCHEBERT, NEIGHBOR: He would stand over here and -- where you see the wood chips around the trees, and he would literally be stooped down like picking grass, I mean ...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Was he trying to eat it, because he was ...

SCHEBERT: No, no. I think he was just keeping the yard clean. I think that was his job.

(END VIDEO CLIP) LEMON: So that was one of the boys that neighbors saw. They said they didn't see the children much. They saw the woman. And from all appearances, she seemed to be a fine woman, nice, very grandmotherly. And they only saw one little boy, or one boy, out picking grass and they thought that was his job. What did neighbors say to you, Brian?

SKOLOFF: Sure, some of the same stories. There a lot of conflicting stories about how many kids were seen there at any one given time. Her immediate neighbor right next to her says he only saw one child there with her throughout the years who was outside working on the yard. But all of them described her as a real nice lady, anybody's grandmother who would come over and greet new people who moved into the neighborhood. And they had no idea anything like this was going on inside the house, if indeed it was.

LEMON: They said she got about $2 million in subsidies. Tell us about this neighborhood. Is it a fairly affluent neighborhood in Florida?

SKOLOFF: It's a nice neighborhood. Homes there range in the mid-$500,000 range. She had a 3,000 square foot, five-bedroom home with a nice pool, a large backyard, real well-kept yard, as well. So, yes, it was a very nice neighborhood. She also apparently owned another home up in Sanford, Florida, near Orlando as well. Police say she owned several cars too, and that they found no record of her being employed anywhere.

LEMON: And today, another charge. What's new with this?

SKOLOFF: Today, they actually formally charged her with the ten counts, including child abuse, aggravated elder abuse. And those charges are the ones prosecutors are saying if convicted on all those charges, could bring up to 160 years in prison. They're also saying though that more charges are likely to be filed.

LEMON: Yes, are they talking about any time -- talking to the press soon? Do you know of anything new with this besides that charge?

SKOLOFF: At this point, that's all they're releasing. You know, they have to put the charges through the court system, she'll then make a first appearance, at some point, she'll enter a plea. Her attorney has said she'll plead not guilty. Obviously, her attorney says she denies the allegations and that she cared for these kids and nurtured them.

LEMON: All right, just real quick, Brian, because we're running out of time here. Anybody seen the children?

SKOLOFF: They're in the care of state officials here in Florida right now. They say they're doing well, but a lot of them suffer from severe handicaps. Some of them can't read, some can barely walk.

LEMON: Right.

SKOLOFF: One is blind, so they're being cared for now.

LEMON: All right, Brian Skoloff has been investigating this story. He's a reporter down in Florida. We thank you for joining us today in the CNN NEWSROOM.

SKOLOFF: Thank you.

PHILLIPS: Well, we want to get to Chad Myers. Getting word of an earthquake in Vanuatu (ph), and I think the only reason that a lot of us know where that is, Chad, is because of an episode of "Survivor."

(WEATHER REPORT)

PHILLIPS: It's about 1:37 Eastern time now. Here are three of the stories that we're working on in the CNN NEWSROOM this hour. Investigators are examining a grisly crime scene just outside Atlanta. Three people have been found in a home. A woman and her two daughters. Her son and another boy were found unconscious. No word yet on suspects.

Any minute now in Connecticut, three people suspected in a year- long disappearance of a teenage girl will appear in court on new charges, including kidnapping. One of them, 41-year-old Adam Golk (ph), also faces charges of sexual assault. The girl is back with her family after being found locked in a storage room in the home of three suspects.

No cover up, so says former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld about the friendly fire death of army ranger Pat Tillman in Afghanistan. Rumsfeld testified today before a House panel. Tillman's family didn't know his fellow rangers accidentally killed him in 2004 until weeks after his death.

LEMON: Talk about good friends. Classmates of two brothers facing deportation to Colombia are pushing for legislation that would let the teens stay. Juan and Alex Gomez came to the United States as toddlers. Then, their parents overstayed their Visa. The brothers' friends say it's not fair to send the boys back to a country they don't know just because of their parents' mistakes.

And this week's visit to Capitol Hill has shown them a bigger picture as well.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SCOTT ELFENBEIN, SAVE JUAN & ALEX CAMPAIGN: It's kind of remarkable because originally we only planned on creating this small Facebook group to let our friends know, in college know that our best friend got picked up. And it's kind of evolved and exploded into this major news story which kind of is a testament to how desperately we need immigration reform and how unavoidable changes in that policy are. Because people have taken this up cause, Juan and Alex's cause as well as a future for immigration reform, especially for minors and that's really what's been important, and it's not just about Juan and Alex anymore and we're proud to say that. (END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Florida Congressman Lincoln Diaz Ballard (ph) has filed a bill on behalf of the Gomez family, but he admits it is a long shot.

PHILLIPS: So, how many calories are in that beer? Possibly new rules will let you see exactly what you drink.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Developing story. Let's go to Fredricka Whitfield in the NEWSROOM.

What do you have for us, Fred?

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: All right, more on this triple homicide, just outside of Atlanta, in Powder Springs, Georgia. On the phone with me now is Detective Kelly Gobely of the Powder Springs Police.

So, detective, start from the beginning with us. How was the discovery made of these three bodies, one being a widow and her two daughters.

DET. KELLY GOBELY, POWDER SPRINGS, GA. POLICE: The police department received a phone call at 8:55 this morning. Our officers arrived at the residence. They found three females deceased within the residence. They also found two juvenile males who were unconscious and immediately transported to the children's hospital that is nearby.

WHITFIELD: And who made the phone call to alert you of the bodies?

GOBELY: To my knowledge, it was a friend that had made the call. She had tried to call the residence that evening. However, didn't make contact, and so she arrived at the house this morning.

WHITFIELD: Is this a case of a home invasion? Are you able to draw any conclusions on a preliminary basis as to how all of this happened?

GOBELY: It does not appear to be a home invasion. Like I said, right now we have a triple homicide on our hands. Like I said, it's an active investigation that we're currently trying to investigate to find out the details of what happened.

WHITFIELD: Initial reports indicate that the three who were killed may have died as a result of beatings.

GOBELY: I don't have information as to the cause of death at this time. But the medical examiner's office is on scene. They're assisting us. They -- the autopsy, the time has not been set. However, it will be somewhere maybe this afternoon, tomorrow morning.

WHITFIELD: Are eyewitnesses, any other neighbors, reporting anything about what they saw, what they heard, anything within the past few hours of your investigation beginning?

GOBELY: We have calls coming in. They're coming in to the police department. They're to investigators that we have. We're trying to follow all of the leads that we have. We do have officers that are still on the scene that are canvassing the neighborhood, making contact with the neighbors, just trying to get all of the information we possibly can.

WHITFIELD: So again, Detective Gobely, you do not believe this is the result of forced entry, no such thing in this case as a home invasion?

GOBELY: Yes, I don't have signs of it being a home invasion. Like I said, they had just recently obtained the search warrants and the paperwork required for them to lawfully make entry into the residence.

Like I said, when they first arrived, they were initially trying to get the -- get treatment to the victims, and so they didn't have a chance to thoroughly look through the residence, so we've obtained the search warrants, and the officers are going through collecting the information that they've got left behind.

WHITFIELD: All right, Detective Kelly Gobely, of Powder Springs Police, thanks so much for your time.

GOBELY: Absolutely. Thank you.

WHITFIELD: Don and Kyra.

LEMON: Thank you, Fredricka.

PHILLIPS: We're following another story as well. Fredricka is following that triple homicide here in Atlanta, Georgia. We're also monitoring that 7.4 earthquake in Vanuatu. If you're not familiar with that area -- I'll be honest, I wasn't until I heard that there was an episode of "Survivor," was, and that's how a lot of people became familiar with that area. It's northeast of Australia, just west of Fiji. Getting word now of a 7.2 magnitude earthquake right there in the specific. We're following details. Our Chad Myers is tracking it as well. We'll tell you more about the area and also the results of what happened after that earthquake.

We'll be right back. A quick break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: How about this for a healthy review. Japanese scientists now believe drinking three or more cups of coffee a day may cut a woman's risk for colon cancer by half. They didn't find any significant benefit for male participants. Sorry, guys. Researchers at Tokyo's National Cancer Center studied a dozen years data on more than 96,000 participant, ages 40 to 69. You can find results in the "International Journal of Cancer."

PHILLIPS: Calories, fat, protein, carbs. Chances are you've picked up a Power Bar or box of cereal and found all that information right there on the package. The Treasury Department thinks it needs to go on to something else as well, something you might not expect.

CNN medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen joins us here to tell us al about it.

You sure know how to throw a party mid week here on the set.

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: I'm very popular today.

PHILLIPS: We want to know where the champagne is from, that's what we're all asking.

COHEN: Germany, so technically it's not champagne.

PHILLIPS: It's sparkling wine.

COHEN: It's sparking something, right.

Well, the folks at the federal government think that when you're swigging a bottle of beer, that there should be a label right there telling you exactly how many calories you're taking in.

And so, as Kyra said, you see these kinds of labels on all sorts of food products, and so the thinking is, well, gosh, there's tons of calories in alcohol. Why not tell people what they're drinking, as well as carbs and protein and all of those things.

COHEN: That's interesting, because some companies do advertise, though, we have the lowest calorie beer, or...

PHILLIPS: Yes.

COHEN: So those companies do label, but that's because they want to brag about it.

PHILLIPS: Got it. This is a good thing.

COHEN: Right. That's perfectly find, but this would require everyone to put it on.

PHILLIPS: So is there a healthier choice if you're offered wine, beer, hard liquor. I mean, I know the calories are all different, right?

COHEN: Actually surprisingly the calories aren't all that different.

PHILLIPS: Oh, really?

COHEN: So that there's really not that much of a difference. Hence, our props here. For example,this bottle of beer is about 153 calories. A glass of red wine -- we have here a nice Chiraz (ph) -- is about 126 calories. A shot -- shotgun. That's not the right word is it. A shot glass -- I don't drink much, so I don't know. A shot glass of rum is 97 calories, and a glass of sparkling wine or champagne would be 76 calories. So that's not a huge difference, and you may have heard, you know, alcohol good for your heart, good to have a drink or two a day. Research has shown that. It really doesn't matter what kind of alcohol you have. So if you want a drink a glass or two a day any kind of alcohol doesn't matter, can have heart benefits.

PHILLIPS: OK. Well, that's good to hear. But still, if you had mixed cocktails, like a daiquiri or margarita, I mean, those have a lot more calories.

COHEN: That's true. Because that's not just alcohol; you're adding all this stuff into it.

PHILLIPS: OK. So how soon could this happen? I mean, do they really think that they're going to start labelling these things?

COHEN: Not for years, because they have to publish the rules and then they have to get comments on the rules, and then the industry has to weigh in. And as you can imagine, the industry has some questions about having to do more labelling than they already do. Alcohol already has labels on it saying that it could be a danger for pregnant women, that you might have trouble driving a vehicle after having too much of this product. So putting more labels on it is probably not something they're necessarily excited about.

PHILLIPS: All right, we learned something. You know that is now a shot glass. Shotgun is when you want to sit in the front seat.

(CROSSTALK)

PHILLIPS: That's what your kids yell.

No, stay just the way you are -- you're perfect.

Elizabeth Cohen, thanks a lot.

COHEN: Thanks.

PHILLIPS: The split decision that saved this terrier from going down in a chopper crash and the outpouring of support for the this little dog. That's straight ahead in the CNN NEWSROOM.

Wheeling and dealing, from one end of the globe to another, Rupert Murdoch, how he got where he is, straight ahead from the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Services will be held tomorrow for Craig Smith, a helicopter pilot killed in last week's midair collision in Phoenix, Arizona. Three others were killed in the accident that happened as a chopper followed a police chase. A small dog in Phoenix is still alive because she was left behind. Molly often flew with her helicopter pilot pal, but Friday Craig Smith decided she should stay at the hangar. CNN's Jeanne Moos has the story of this most unusual four-legged survivor.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): She may be called the flying dog.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ready to go flying, Molly? Ready to go flying.

MOOS: But she tended to fly with her eyes closed.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A lot of times she likes to lay in the backseat and sleep. That's pretty routine deal, but she occasionally sits up in my lap.

MOOS: Molly was not in her owner's lap when two choppers collided while covering a car chase in Phoenix.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We do have two helicopters down.

MOOS: Because the chopper left in a hurry to cover breaking news Molly was left back at the hangar waiting for KNXV pilot Craig Smith to return.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Molly is here, we know she is going to be taken care of. We know of a good family friend who is going to be coming and picking her up very shortly here, but she'll be taken care of. So all the viewers at home can know that.

MOOS: And viewers cared. The west highland terrier had become a morning TV fixture aboard ABC 15's chopper. Molly's name is sprinkled throughout the station's you're your condolences Web page. Alongside the names of the pilot and cameraman who died, comments like "Please take care of Molly, too. I'm sure she knows something is not right."

She and pilot Craig Smith were described as inseparable.

CRAIG SMITH, DIED IN HELICOPTER CRASH: She's my companion and buddy.

MOOS: Craig used to call her his cantankerous westie.

VLADAE ROYTAPEL, DOG TRAINER: Molly was a little terrorist.

MOOS: That's Vladae, the Russian dog wizard, Craig hired him to train Molly.

ROYTAPEL: You say Molly come. Molly comes.

MOOS: He got her used to being strapped in the chopper suited up. She wore headphones?

ROYTAPEL: Yes, she did.

MOOS: The Russian dog wizard told Craig to use a special treat when Molly flew.

ROYTAPEL: I told to use American cheese or polish or Russian kielbasa with garlic. He had it with him every time when he flew with her in helicopter.

MOOS: He offered to adopt Molly, but Craig's wife says the terrier will be living with Craig's mom. ABC 15 once did a profile with Molly, imagining her doggie dreaming.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The wind at her fur.

MOOS: Molly the flying dog is now grounded, moping around without Craig, but OK.

ROYTAPEL: Wonderful couple which we will never see in the sky anymore.

MOOS: Man's best copilot.

SMITH: We have a good time together, don't we, Moll? Yes.

MOOS: Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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