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Body Found In Chicago; Jena 6 Defendant; Power At Risk?; Explicit Video Search; Gerri's Top Tips
Aired September 27, 2007 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, everybody. I'm Heidi Collins.
TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Tony Harris. Stay informed all day in the CNN NEWSROOM. Here's what's on the rundown.
The case against Jena 6 defendant Mychal Bell in juvenile court this morning. Will the change in courtrooms lead to bail?
COLLINS: A little girl sexually abused on videotape. Nevada police say they've got new clues today about her identity. Our guest will fill us in shortly.
HARRIS: And new this morning, a body found in the Chicago area. Is it missing woman Nailah Franklin (ph). The family waits this Thursday, September 27th. Are you in the CNN NEWSROOM.
Happening now, reports out of suburban Chicago. A body found near a missing woman's abandoned car. Our Fredricka Whitfield is following this story.
Fred, what's the very latest?
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, we can only confirm that a body was located in a wooded area -- a forest preserve is what they're calling it -- near the location where the abandoned vehicle of Nailah Franklin was also located. As difficult to avoid drawing the parallels here, because the fact that in this new video you're seeing right here, the images of what's become a crime scene, this body is being located in that federal preserve area.
It was just days ago when the vehicle matching the description of Nailah Franklin's vehicle was located abandoned, not far away from here. So while police have not confirmed that the body is that of Nailah Franklin, it can't be overlooked that the fact that her vehicle was located in an area with the same proximity of that body.
She was reported missing when she didn't -- she's a pharmaceutical representative and she did not show up for an important meeting last Wednesday. The last time any of her friends or family members had heard from her was the day before, which was September 18th, through text messaging. She had apparently reported once before that she was being harassed by someone but never filed like a protective order or anything like that.
So there are a lot of voids in what was going on in Nailah Franklin's life, what was taking place when she was last heard from via text message. And then the fact that she's been missing now for a whole week. So, again, we're just continuing to check our sources there in Chicago area to find out if they know conclusively who the body is that they've located in that wooded area.
HARRIS: And then there will be a little delay because, of course, you have to identify next of kin, the family in a case like this. So it could take some time. But something tells me we will know soon enough.
WHITFIELD: That's right.
HARRIS: Fred, appreciate it. Thank you.
WHITFIELD: OK.
COLLINS: Want to go ahead and give you some more information as well about this -- actually the Jena 6 case that we have been talking about. You know there's some news here today. Defendant Mychal Bell, he's going to stay in juvenile court, although the bigger question perhaps this morning, will Mychal Bell stay behind bars or get out on bond. Sean Callebs has been following this story for us. He's live now from Jena, Louisiana.
Hi there, Sean.
Are we expecting anything to take place this morning of significance in this case?
SEAN CALLEBS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, let me set the scene for you. We know -- we're following a couple of very important items that are going on right now. We know that Mychal Bell, who's really been front and center in the Jena 6 case so far, his defense attorneys have filed a couple of motions in the appellate court.
The first is they want Mychal Bell moved from the adult facility where he is being held in La Salle Parish, to a juvenile facility. Now they want that done because you remember just last week the judge -- or two weeks ago the appellate court vacated the conviction in adult court.
Now, secondly, they want to see Mychal Bell freed. So they're also making an effort through the appeals court to have Mychal Bell freed on bond. And that coming from what happened last Friday when, after somewhat a hearing for about an hour or so that the judge in this case refused to grant bond or refused to allow Mychal Bell to be released. So we know those two items are going on.
Now how do we know Mychal Bell is going to not be pursued in juvenile court? Well, we heard last night from Governor Blanco, who was meeting with the Reverend Al Sharpton, and Blanco said she made the announcement after speaking with district attorney here of La Salle Parish, Reed Walters, who said that he is going to drop his appeal to have Mychal Bell tried in adult case and have him tried, Heidi, in a juvenile court. COLLINS: All right, Sean, we know you're follow it very closely for us. We'll come back to you should anything develop there. Thanks so much.
HARRIS: Well, at any time this morning, a Miami judge could issue a key ruling in a heart-wrenching custody case. At the center, a five-year-old girl born in Cuba, living now in the United States. Her Cuban father wants to take her home. A judge must decide whether he abandoned her and is unfit to raise her. The girl's mother brought the girl and her half-brother to the United States. The mother later attempted suicide and the children went to live with foster parents. Those Cuban-American foster parents are fighting to keep her. The state of Florida is on their side. The girl's mother, by the way, says she just wants to return to Cuba.
COLLINS: A disturbing story out of Nye County, Nevada. Authorities there asking for your help in identifying a little girl who's life may be in danger. The child is around four or five years old. A videotape shows a man performing sexual acts on her. Authorities do not know who the man is. The tape also shows a second girl believed to be 10 to 12 years old. Authorities say the older girl was not a victim in the same way as the younger girl. The older girl has been identified and authorities say she is safe and well now. Authorities say the videotape was given to them by 26-year-old Darren Tuck. Tuck told detectives he found the videotape in the desert more than five months ago. Investigators don't believe Tuck made the tape but he has been charged with possessing child pornography.
HARRIS: Reports of soldiers firing into a huge crowd of protesters in Myanmar. The secretive Asian country once known as Burma. AP quotes state media as saying nine people were killed. Japan confirms one of its citizens is among the dead. This comes as tens of thousands of people took to the street for the tenth straight day of marches, reportedly defying orders from the ruling military to disperse or face extreme action. At least 10 people were reportedly shot. But CNN has not confirmed those numbers. Buddhist monks had been leading these anti-government demonstrations. We're told the military overnight launched raids on monasteries and have contained the monks in their temples.
COLLINS: Attacks in Afghanistan. NATO and coalition officials report about 170 insurgents killed in three days of intense fighting. The focus, the southern provinces of Helmand and Uruzgan. Two Danish soldiers and an American sailor also reported killed in separate attacks.
HARRIS: Raid in Iraq. Coalition troops targeted a suspected weapons facilitator in Baghdad today. A militant with alleged direct links to Iran's revolutionary guard corps. Coalition forces didn't get him, but the military says they did kill one insurgent and detained two others.
COLLINS: The nation's power at risk. And all it would take would be a click of the computer mouse. Here's CNN homeland security correspondent Jeanne Meserve now.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MESERVE, CNN CORRESPONDENT, (voice over): This is an electric generator. It is vital because it is the kind that power companies use to bring electricity to your home. It shutters and shakes, then goes up in smoke, destroyed just as effectively as if it was a smuggled bomb. But all it took was a computer, some patient work and the click of a mouse.
ROBERT JAMISON, ACTING UNDERSECRETARY, DHS: What's new here is that through a cyber attack you can actually get in and cause physical damage to equipment. That's the new piece of this.
MESERVE: Could a large scale simultaneous cyber attack knock out power to a huge part of the country for months? Listen to what economist Scott Borg projects if such a nightmare scenario played out with a loss to a power to a third of the country for three months.
SCOTT BORG, U.S. CYBER CONSEQUENCES UNIT: It's equivalent to 40 to 50 large hurricanes striking all at once. It's greater economic damage than any modern economy has ever suffered.
MESERVE: The potential damage is so severe, the Department of Homeland Security asked CNN not to divulge certain technical details about the government experiment dubbed Aurora (ph). The test was conducted last March at the Idaho National Lab.
We can say that the research involved hacking into a replica of a power plant's control system. Researchers changed the operating cycle of the generator, sending it out of control, until it self-destructed. Since the test, the Department of Homeland Security has been working feverishly with the electric industry to thwart such an attack.
Can you say right now that this vulnerability has been eliminated?
JAMISON: No, I can't say it's been eliminated, but I can say that a lot of risk has been taken off the table.
MESERVE: Joe Weiss is an expert on power plant control systems and has been sounding the alarm for five years.
So the same systems we're using here are being used in Iran, Pakistan?
JOE WEISS, APPLIED CONTROL SOLUTIONS: Right. Very possibly.
MESERVE: Which means people there know how to run them in?
WEISS: Absolutely.
MESERVE: They know how to bring them down?
WEISS: Absolutely. They have the same training, the same passwords.
MESERVE: And security experts say it would be virtually impossible to figure out who attacked. DHS points out that its own research uncovered the power plant vulnerability and action it is taking with industry is reducing the risk. But the question remains, can the U.S. close the cyber security holes before the hackers find them.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: Authorities in Nevada want -- need your help. Who is this little girl? She may be in grave danger. We talk with "America's Most Wanted" correspondent Jon Leiberman, working on the case.
COLLINS: Also, it's a dead heat in New Hampshire among Republicans. We'll tell you who's gaining steam and who's slipping a bit straight ahead.
HARRIS: Encouraged to steal. Police say someone's apparently teaching this tot to snatch a purse.
COLLINS: And should it stay or should it go?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'd keep it up. Keep it up.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Absolutely, leave it up.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's not Ahmadinejad. It's some owner of an Italian restaurant.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: Well, that's not what Chelsea Clinton's parents say. Uproar over a restaurant photo. You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: Welcome back, everyone. I'm Tony Harris. And you are in the CNN NEWSROOM.
More recalls. Items that could put kids at risk. And, yes, and, yes, yes, yes, they're from China. The story in the NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: We want to take a moment to get you back to a story that we've been following here this morning. There has been a body found in a suburb of Chicago, not very far from where the abandoned car of a missing woman was found. Fredricka Whitfield has been watching this story for us.
Fred, tell us what we know at this point.
WHITFIELD: Well, Heidi, this has been an agonizing week for the family members of 28-year-old Nailah Franklin, who has been missing a week now. And now word this morning that a body being found near the location where her car was also located, abandoned, certainly doesn't make it any easier. No link, of course, has been made at this early juncture between the body and Nailah Franklin. But the 28-year-old pharmaceutical rep has been missing since last Wednesday. The last time anyone remembers getting a text message from her and then apparently the next day she did not show up for an important business meeting. Her uncle talked about what next now that a body has been found.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DEWAYNE JOHNSON, UNCLE OF NAILAH FRANKLIN: We were just told that there was a body that was found out here in Calumet City (ph). And that was it. So I'm jetting out here as quick as possible to find out if that's my niece. But if it's not my niece, there's somebody out there that needs some prayer. Somebody's family is getting ready to go through some sorrow. So we need to pray for that family, whoever it is, because that's somebody's loved one.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: So again, no official link being made between the body found earlier today and the missing Nailah Franklin, 28-year-old woman. That's the picture. The Franklin family, in the meantime, has offered a $10,000 reward for any information leading to her whereabouts.
Heidi.
COLLINS: All right, Fredricka Whitfield in the NEWSROOM for us following this story out of Chicago.
Fred, thank you.
HARRIS: Child attacked, suspect at large. Authorities in Nevada are asking for your help this morning. They say the life of a four or five-year-old girl may be in danger. Police have a videotape showing a man performing sex acts on her. Authorities do not know the identity of the girl or the man. Joining us, Jon Leiberman, national correspondent for "America's Most Wanted."
J.L, good to talk to you again. It's been a while, my friend.
JON LEIBERMAN, "AMERICA'S MOST WANTED": Hi, Tony.
HARRIS: Sorry it's connected to this story that we get an opportunity to talk. But let's get at it here. Let's see if we can do some good here.
You talked to the sheriff's department. How are they describing the nature of this case, the nature of the attack on this young girl.
LEIBERMAN: You know, I've got to tell you, Tony, they say it's the most despicable, disgusting, animal-like act that they've ever seen taken out on an innocent four or five-year-old girl by somebody, quite frankly, six or seven times her age. That's why police are saying she's in such grave danger, just by what is depicted on the videotape.
And time really is of the essence. We need to find out who this guy is and we need to find out who this poor, innocent little blonde girl is as well.
HARRIS: Who is this clown that they -- I hope they still have him in custody, this Darren Tuck who claims to have found the videotape in the desert, but certainly didn't turn it over to police right away, did he?
LEIBERMAN: Well, let me be clear, number one, his story doesn't add up completely. Number two, this Darren Tuck has been charged with possessing child pornography and passing it around.
HARRIS: Good. Good.
LEIBERMAN: Here's what happened. A guy goes to police. He says that he viewed a tape -- an absolutely sickening tape. They then track it to this Tuck guy and he says, oh, I found it in the desert five months ago. In the meantime . . .
HARRIS: Five months ago.
LEIBERMAN: Yes. In the meantime, it appears he had been showing it around to his friends. That's sickening in and of itself. Now police do say it's definitely not Tuck on the tape performing these acts on the little girl. However, they do believe he knows more than he's saying right now and the state's attorney there is questioning Tuck again and again trying to get any sort of information out of this guy because, Tony, the VHS cassette was in pretty good condition. If it was in the middle of the desert, in the middle of the summer, you would have seen some deterioration.
HARRIS: Well, it sounds like the information has to come from this Tuck guy. Do the authorities believe he could be the photographer?
LEIBERMAN: You know, they don't. You know, they really don't think that he's intimately linked with the tape, except they do believe that at some point he received it. But, you know, cops are telling us that this little girl and this suspect could be anywhere nationwide. They aren't married to the theory that these guys are somewhere, you know, right in Nevada. And that's why it's so important that we get it out there nationally.
HARRIS: Well perhaps there's someone else who could be of some help here. There is another girl on the tape who we understand was not attacked in the same way. What can you tell us about this young woman and can she be of some help?
LEIBERMAN: Yes, this adds another wrinkle to it, Tony. This other 11 or 12-year-old girl was featured in the videotape almost like in a peep show. Like the camera was sort of spying on her like voyeur stuff. But police aren't sure that that video was taken with the same camera as the video where it's depicted the animal-like behavior on the other girl. They have talked to this 12-year-old. They've identified her. But at this point, unfortunately, they don't think she can help them find the little girl. And she apparently is unsure of who even took the videotape of her.
HARRIS: All right, Jon, if you would, listen with me to the Nye County sheriff talking about the very difficult decision to release the pictures of the young victim.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SHERIFF TONY DE MEO, NYE COUNTY, NEVADA: I know that we do not, as a practice, release the pictures of a victim we believe of a sexual assault. And I know that the press does not do that as well. Unfortunately, in this particular investigation, and I know that some of you have probably taken heat on it I imagine because I talked to a news agency that took some heat on it, we have taken a little heat on it. But the fact of the matter is, the only clear picture we have to rescue this girl from the situation is that of the victim.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: Jon, what's with these pedophiles videotaping now their crimes? Are they trafficking in this stuff?
LEIBERMAN: Well, part of it is that, that they're trafficking. Part of it is that they love the control and they love to document what they have done so that they don't just get the thrill once by doing the action, but then they can watch it over and over and get the thrill again. That's how sick these pedophiles are, Tony.
HARRIS: A lot of eyes on the network right now. Jon, how can we help?
LEIBERMAN: 1-800-CRIME-TV. We're asking people, please, call our hotline. If you know who this little girl is or if you know who the guy is on the tape. Or go to amw.com, log in, give us a tip. Everybody can remains anonymous. Look, it is tough to put a sex assault victim's photo out there, especially when she's four or five years old. But at this point, we too believe she's in grave danger and somebody has the answer here.
HARRIS: Jon, keep up the great work. Keep advocating for victims. We appreciate it. Thanks for your time this morning.
LEIBERMAN: Great to see you again, buddy.
HARRIS: Yes, good to see you, Jon. Take care.
LEIBERMAN: OK.
COLLINS: The D.A. decides not to retry him as an adult. Will Mychal Bell be released on bond now? New developments involving the Jena 6 defendant. We'll have them for you in just a moment.
GERRI WILLIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Gerri Willis.
Can't sell your house? You may consider putting it on the auction block. We'll have the details next on "Top Tips" in the NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: Let's go ahead and take a look at the big board now. Up about 11 points. The Dow Jones Industrial average is resting at 13,889, 13,888 for the time being. The Nasdaq, last we checked, was also up. You can look for it in the bottom right-hand side of your screen there. We're going to be talking a little bit later with Susan Lisovicz. Apparently this was kind of expected that we were going to open up higher today. A bit of a rally. Dare I say rally? That's, what is it, five-letter word? I needed to count there for a second. Anyway, we will continue to watch these numbers for you and talk with Susan in just a moment.
HARRIS: Boy we've been talking about this, talking, talking, talking, and talking, this sluggish housing market. A record number of unsold homes. Should you consider another tactic? A home auction? Given the facts . . .
WILLIS: That's right.
HARRIS: Are you kidding me? Gerri Willis there. Has it come to this, Gerri?
WILLIS: Do I kid you? No, I do not kid you. An option can actually be the best way to go for some people sometimes. You've got to know that auctions are on the rise, up nearly 40 percent, since one trade group started collecting stats in 2003. Last year sellers collected $16 billion in home auctions. And that is just a fraction, of course, of the total residential real estate market. But this could be the beginning of a new trend.
HARRIS: OK. I'll play along here. Give us, if you would, Gerri, some of the basics and who should consider an auction?
WILLIS: Well, if your home has been on the market for a while and isn't budging and you need to sell quickly, you may consider putting your home up for auction. It can take three weeks to over a month to sell your home. That's according to the experts. Stay away from the auction block if you need to sell your home at a specific price, say $300,000. That's because the auction will give you the market value of the home on the day of the auction and that can be much less than what you require.
HARRIS: Well, what do you do? Do you go to eBay? I mean, how does something like this actually work?
WILLIS: Well, you've actually got to find a good auction house. Start at the National Auctioneer's Association at auctioneers.org. Their designation require members to have at least two years of professional auction experience. Take continuing education classes. Interview the auction house. Ask about how many auctions have been done in the area and in the past month. Get references.
HARRIS: How about costs associated with this? I'm sure there are fees. WILLIS: Yes, of course there are fees. You can expect to pay a seller's fee that can be anything from 5 percent to 8 percent of the purchase price. They just add up. Some companies want you to advance money for marketing purposes. This can be 1 percent to 2 percent of the purchase price of the home. You'll also be responsible for a home inspection and closing costs. That can all add up to $2,000.
HARRIS: Well, Gerri, talk to us about track record for these kinds of things, these auctions. Are they always successful?
WILLIS: No. No, no, no. In an absolute auction, the home is sold to the highest bidder of the day no matter what they offer. You can see the problem there.
HARRIS: Yes.
WILLIS: And then there's "subject to confirmation option," where the seller is presented the highest bidder and you can either accept or reject the offer. And if you do reject that offer and the prospective buyer won't budge, you'll be left with a house that you were trying to auction off. Plus, you'll be out the marketing fees you pay to the auction house. Of course, remember that the auction company, hey, they're not vetting perspective buyers like a real estate agent would. So if the buyer can't secure a mortgage or the lender falls through at closing, you're still left holding the bag.
HARRIS: Oh, boy.
WILLIS: Can be a good option, though, if you have an unusual property, like a farm or a ranch. That's how some of these properties are moved.
HARRIS: That's a good (INAUDIBLE). Yes.
So, Gerri, let's look ahead to the big "Open House" show this weekend.
WILLIS: Well, if you're having trouble selling, you can also rent out your house. We'll tell you how to do that. What to do with abandoned properties in your neighborhood. If you're starting to see that, we have great ideas. "Open House," 9:30 a.m. Saturday right here on CNN.
HARRIS: And there she is, CNN personal finance editor Gerri Willis.
Gerri, have a great day.
WILLIS: Thank you.
HARRIS: Sure.
COLLINS: Hung jury. A mistrial but still more legal trouble for record producer Phil Spector.
HARRIS: And playpen dangers. An infant's death sparks a recall. Get a paper and a pencil. Some information you need to know in the NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: Just past the bottom of the hour. Good morning, everyone. Welcome back to the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Tony Harris.
COLLINS: They're screaming at us in here.
HARRIS: Good morning, everybody. I'm Heidi Collins.
I want to directly get you to something that is going on in Miami right now. These are live pictures coming out of a courtroom there pertaining to an international custody dispute between a little girl's father and her foster parents who are in Miami. The father wants to take her back to Cuba. She is now, the judge, Jerry Cohen (ph), handing down a ruling in this case. Very complicated. She's slowly going page by page. So as soon as we learn more about this and what that ruling is, we will certainly bring it to you.
But once again, a little girl went into foster care after her mother brought her to the United States back in 2005. She then attempted suicide, the mother, just days before Christmas. That's why she went into foster care. So once again, that dispute going on between the girl's foster parents and her biological father, Rafael Escodero (oh). We'll bring you the very latest.
(NEWSBREAK)
COLLINS: The GOP presidential race in New Hampshire tightening up.
CNN's chief national correspondent John King has our latest poll numbers.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOHN KING, CNN CHIEF NATL. CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The new numbers reflect a wide-open Republican race, in New Hampshire and nationally. Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney and former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani are in a dead heat atop the pack in the lead- off primary states. Arizona Senator John McCain improved his standing and runs third at 18 percent. Former Tennessee Senator Fred Thompson is fourth at 13 percent.
SCOTT REED, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: This is a very jumbled race. No one has really broken out.
KING: The most stunning number in the CNN/WMUR presidential primary poll conducted by the University of New Hampshire is this -- only 13 percent of New Hampshire Republicans report being definite about their choice.
South Carolina's GOP chairman sees that wait-and-see attitude in his state, too.
KATON DAWSON, SOUTH CAROLINA GOP CHAIRMAN: Our voters very much understand how much is at stake for the Republican Party in this election. We need a president. We need a veto pen. We are concerned about the next two United States Supreme Court justices. And this game is all the marbles for us.
KING: The new numbers are a blow to Romney. He spent nearly $2 million on television ads targeting New Hampshire, yet his standing now down nine points from two months ago.
New Hampshire Republicans view Giuliani as having the best chance to win the general election, an asset in a cycle where Democrats are heavy early favorites.
FERGUS CULLEN, NEW HAMPSHIRE GOP CHAIRMAN: We're running into the wind a little bit. We need to think how we can win this election. And electability matters, perhaps more than it would in normal primaries.
KING: McCain's standing is up six points in two months. And New Hampshire Republicans rate him first when asked, who has the right experience to be president.
FRED THOMPSON (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Thank you very much for being here.
KING: Thompson's numbers held steady despite all the attention generated by his official entry in the race.
SCOTT REED, FMR. DOLE CAMPAIGN MANAGER: The core of the party, the economic conservatives and the social conservatives, have not rallied around a single candidate. So here we are 100 days out. This looks like a wide-open race.
KING: They say it is no accident the two candidates who gained ground in New Hampshire, Giuliani and McCain, were the Republican hopefuls most prominent in the latest debate over Iraq strategy and in quickly returning fire when the liberal group moveon.org questioned the credibility of Iraq commander, General David Petraeus.
John King, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(WEATHER REPORT)
COLLINS: Look at these pictures now. Encouraged to steal? Police say someone's apparently teaching this tot to snatch a purse.
HARRIS: A family section on airplanes? Some in Congress think it's, well, high time. And it has nothing actually to do with crying babies.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: A little girl, police say she can't be older than four, caught on tape. Authorities say an adult apparently encouraged the little girl to steal a purse. Look closely at this surveillance vid, you can try to decide for yourself. But it happened at an arcade in Seaside Heights, New Jersey. Police believe the adult is a woman. They are now enhancing the video to try and get a better look.
HARRIS: Family-friendly flying, a new push for airlines to designate kid-safe zones where certain movies are off-limits.
CNN's Alina Cho has details.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): You wouldn't take your kids to see an R-rated film like "Shooter," but get on a plane, and there it is.
TOM FINE, PARENT: I was very annoyed and frustrated that this kind of movie was being shown where my son and lots of other kids could see it. And you know, we had no control to be able to do anything about it.
CHO: Tom Fine, his wife and 6-year-old son Zachary (ph) were on a flight from Denver to Boston. When he looked up, he couldn't believe his eyes. And for the duration of the movie, he shielded Zachary's eyes, something a growing number of parents say they're tired of doing.
JESSE KALISHER, KIDSAFEFILMS.ORG: We don't take our kids to films that are rated PG-13 for violence, but suddenly, you're on an airplane and the choice is no longer ours.
CHO: Now, Congress is taking action. A bill introduced just this week would require airlines to provide child-safe viewing areas, where children under 13 can sit and not be exposed to violent or adult-themed films. Research shows kids who watch violence tend to be more violent.
The Airline Transport Association, which represents the airlines, had no comment. In-flight movies are censored. Sex, nudity, profanity and plane crashes are edited out. Violence in many cases stays in. But if the bill passes Congress, it could mean one less hassle for parents flying with young kids.
FINE: If I had a section where I could sit and know that I didn't have to worry about this, I'd be happy.
CHO: Alina Cho, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: Once again, it is time to check the toys, jewelry and equipment you bought for the kids. Susan Lisovicz is at the New York Stock Exchange now with some new recalls.
Boy, Susan, it seems like almost every day now we're talking more about these recalls. (BUSINESS HEADLINES)
HARRIS: Presidential struggles, not just abroad but at home as well. The fight over issues affecting your children, coming up in the NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: OK.
COLLINS: It brought tears to your eyes, didn't it?
HARRIS: It's just like -- contact lens attack. You ever get one of those where it just sort of just -- locks up on you and ...
COLLINS: Do you want me to do this?
HARRIS: Heidi, I -- I would be honored.
COLLINS: I think you're really batter (ph) at it, and you're not on camera, so you should go.
HARRIS: I would be honored. Oh, we're not ...
COLLINS: You should go.
HARRIS: Oh, OK, so here we go.
COLLINS: That's where Rob is (ph).
HARRIS: We are podcasting. What is Marciano doing?
COLLINS: He's just trying to get in the shot.
HARRIS: What is he doing? Rob, are you podcasting with us later today? And Bob, you going to help us out as well? Oh my goodness.
All right, we're podcasting later on today. Different stories you can see here on the NEWSROOM.
COLLINS: Are they (ph) going to the gym?
HARRIS: What is going on here? So want you to (ph) go to CNN.com and you download the CNN NEWSROOM daily podcast, available to you 24/7 on your right on your iPod. No excuses, do it today.
COLLINS: See, now you really want a tape (ph), don't you?
HARRIS: Oh yes, sure.
COLLINS: If you haven't done it before, try it today.
Want to tell you about this. There's a picture, and it could be worth a thousand words, at least to some people. But not when those words are in legalese (ph).
CNN's Jeanne Moos explains.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Does it make the corned beef at the Carnegie Deli taste better to know that Jack Nicholson ate there? Halle Berry signed her photo, "Your corned beef is second to none."
Restaurant owners say, you betcha, celebrity photos help business, but do they have any business posting them?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's the young Clinton lady.
MOOS: That would be Chelsea Clinton, who ate here at this Greenwich Village Italian restaurant about five years ago, and posed with the owner.
MOOS (on camera): Do you think it's a good picture, a bad picture?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He looks very handsome.
MOOS (voice-over): He is Nino Selimaj.
(on camera): I mean, it wasn't like you took a kitchen knife, and said take this picture.
NINO SELIMAJ, RESTAURANT OWNER: No, no, no, no, no, I will never do that, no.
MOOS: She wanted to take it, she posed.
SELIMAJ: Right.
MOOS: Just like we're going to pose now.
SELIMAJ: Exactly, just like this.
MOOS (voice-over): But I'm not the problem. Chelsea's photo had been on display for almost five years when Nino got a letter, apparently from legal counsel for Bill Clinton.
(on camera): "Therefore, we ask you to immediately remove that picture."
You're not going to ...
SELIMAJ: No, I'm not immediately. I'm not planning it immediately (ph).
MOOS: Maybe eventually.
SELIMAJ: Eventually, yes, maybe.
MOOS (voice-over): Only if forced. Nino says Bill Clinton is his favorite president, and he's asking him to please let him keep Chelsea's photo on display.
The letter threatening legal action implies that the restaurant is using Chelsea as a sort of endorsement. If so, Nino has plenty of other endorsements.
(on camera): So, here we have Rudy. And this is young picture, because Rudy still has hair.
(voice-over): There's Derek Jeter and Billy Crystal.
(on camera): Who's your favorite picture?
SELIMAJ: Regis Philbin.
(voice-over): Now, Nino is no dummy when it comes to publicity. He came up with a thousand dollar pizza at another of his Manhattan restaurants. And he's milking the Chelsea flap for all it's worth. Bill Clinton's office, on the other hand, didn't return our calls.
As for the man on the street vote ...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Keep it up.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Keep it up.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Absolutely, leave it up.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's not Ahmadinejad. It's some owner of an Italian restaurant.
MOOS: Nino asked if he took down Chelsea's photo, could other celebs ask for similar treatment? In New York, even lowly shoe repair shops flaunt their famous customers. Billy Crystal's on display both at this shoe shop and Nino's restaurant. Woody Allen is featured at the Carnegie Deli and the shoe repair.
For now, Chelsea remains in the front window next to Tony Soprano. Apparently, Chelsea's face is something the Clintons can't face sharing.
Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: Still to come in the CNN NEWSROOM this morning, a Cuban father versus American foster parents. The daughter trapped in an international custody fight. A ruling happening now in a Miami courtroom.
Missing for eight days, this morning, police report a body found outside Chicago, is it Nailah Franklin? We will update the story for you after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: Blood spilled in Myanmar streets today. Witnesses say soldiers opened fire on anti-government protesters. An update in minutes.
COLLINS: In Iraq, Afghanistan, but the president is struggling with domestic issues, too.
CNN's Ed Henry explains.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ED HENRY, WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Three days at the United Nations did little to change the fact President Bush's legacy on foreign policy is still unsettled, at best.
So, he headed to a New York City school to shift focus to the domestic front, though that proved problematic, too, starting with Mr. Bush's syntax.
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Childrens do learn when standards are high and results are measured. And so my call to the Congress is don't water down this good law. Don't go backwards when it comes to educational excellence.
HENRY: Even the president's signature education reform is now in danger of not being extended because fellow conservatives feel it's too restrictive and Mr. Bush's effort to bathe himself in happy pictures with kids may be undermined by the fact he's vowing to veto a children's health insurance bill, a move that Democrats charge will leave 10 million children behind.
REP. NANCY PELOSI, (D-CA) HOUSE SPEAKER: Mr. President, please don't veto this bill. Please do not give new meaning to the words, "suffer little children."
HENRY: With Alan Greenspan's recent book charging the president did little to contain federal spending early in his administration, Democrats are delighted Mr. Bush has decided to draw a line in the sand on children's health care.
BUSH: The legislation would raise taxes on working people and would raise spending by between $35 to $50 billion.
HENRY: That may be difficult to sustain politically, especially with Defense Secretary Robert Gates revealing the White House is now seeking another $190 billion to fight the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
REP. RAHM EMANUEL, (D) ILLINOIS: I do agree with the president, we do have excessive spending. We have excessive spending in the war in Iraq. One day for the war in Iraq would give 250,000 children health care in the United States.
HENRY (on camera): Forty-five House Republicans, more than expected, voted with Democrats against the president on this health bill Tuesday night. While Democrats privately acknowledge it's unlikely they'll have enough votes to override the president's likely veto, nevertheless Democrats are happy to get the president on record against a bill helping kids. They say they'll make a lot of political fodder out of it in 2008.
Ed Henry, CNN, the White House.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: And good morning again, everyone. You're with CNN, the most trusted name in news.
I'm Tony Harris.
COLLINS: Hi there, everybody. I'm Heidi Collins.
Developments keep coming in to the CNN NEWSROOM on this 27th of September. Here's what's on the rundown now.
Police trying to identify a body found today outside Chicago. Is it Nailah Franklin, missing for eight days now.
HARRIS: The top Republicans skipping tonight's forum dealing with black and Hispanic concerns. Is the GOP ignoring minority voters? Our guests discuss the no-shows.
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