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Marion Jones Admits Steroid Use; Deadly Hostage Standoff; Manhunt in Philadelphia

Aired October 05, 2007 - 11:00   ET

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

TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: And good morning again, everyone. You're with CNN. You're informed.
I'm Tony Harris.

HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Hi there, everybody.

I'm Heidi Collins.

Developments keep coming in to the CNN NEWSROOM on Friday, the 5th day of October.

Here's what's on the rundown.

Track star Marion Jones admitting steroid use. Seven years after Sydney, the scandal could cost her Olympic gold and her freedom.

HARRIS: He coolly collects the cash while two armored car guards lay dying. Philadelphia police searching for a killer.

COLLINS: A new national monument dedicated this hour. It honors some of the first Africans in New York.

Living history, in the NEWSROOM.

A track superstar tripped up by allegations of steroid use. Marion Jones expected to plead guilty today to lying about using the performance-enhancing drugs.

CNN's Mary Snow has been following this story. She joins us now live from New York.

Good morning, Mary.

MARY SNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Heidi.

And Marion Jones is due in a federal courthouse here in New York this afternoon at 4:00 p.m. Government officials tell CNN's Kelli Arena that Jones will be charged with two counts of making false statements to federal agents.

The Olympic star is expected to plead guilty to lying to investigators about using steroids. "The Washington Post" first reported on a letter Jones sent to friends and family saying she took the steroid "The Clear" for two years before the Sydney Olympics. She won five medals that year, three of them gold. For years, Jones has vehemently denied she used banned substances.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARION JONES, OLYMPIC ATHLETE: I have never, ever used performance-enhancing drugs, and I have accomplished what I have accomplished because of my God-given abilities and hard work.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: Now, The Post reports that in her letter, Jones indicates she could face up to six months in prison. The maximum penalty, though, is up to five years on each count. One of the counts, say government officials, is unrelated to steroids and has to do with a bank fraud case involving her former husband -- Heidi.

COLLINS: CNN's Mary Snow following this story for us.

Certainly a lot going to be happening today.

Mary, thanks so much.

SNOW: Sure.

HARRIS: She was once considered one of the world's greatest female athletes.

For me, Larry, a bit of an understatement.

What does all this mean for Marion Jones, the steroid investigation?

Larry Smith, CNN Sports, with us some insights.

Maybe we'll get to some of those questions in just a moment. But for you, you have been working on this story probably since yesterday, when the news broke. Certainly all morning.

What is resonating in this story for you today?

LARRY SMITH, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Well, I think right now as the morning develops and we get now to, you know, closer to that 4:00 time, as we mentioned before, we all really want to know what caused this now.

HARRIS: Why now? Sure.

SMITH: Why are we now hearing this and we haven't heard for all these years?

Certainly you can say where there's smoke there's fire. We've heard of steroid allegations for years. She's been tied in to the BALCO thing.

And really, I feel for not only the fans, people who looked up to her as a role model, and, therefore, the families and friends, but also her fellow athletes who trained next to her, who competed with her.

HARRIS: Yes.

SMITH: And the other athletes as well.

You know, doping, drugs, steroid, performance enhancers have been a part of sports for far too long. This is not the first we've heard of this. And that's the point that I think Carl Lewis brought up earlier in the interview on "AMERICAN MORNING," is that you want it to be an even playing field.

HARRIS: Yes.

SMITH: That's the reason why you go through and do this. We don't want any athlete to feel the way that athletes felt back in the '80s and '90s when the East Germans and Russians were going through so much of this -- these doping problems.

HARRIS: And that's part of the issue here. I mean, look, it has felt like for a long time that that whole game, that whole track and field game, has been under this cloud, and to hear now that Marion Jones is admitting to this, you wonder what the other shoe might be to come.

SMITH: Yes. Well, that's the point, is what is she -- what information will she give? As Mary Snow mentioned in her report, the International Olympic Committee is looking for information from her to jump-start their very stagnant BALCO investigation of their own. What other athletes are involved? What other American athletes are involved? Because so far with BALCO, it has been a U.S. problem with this.

HARRIS: Look, she loses everything, essentially. I mean, everything that she's earned, medals, endorsements. She loses -- you know, it doesn't happen today, but she loses all of this.

SMITH: Well, she'll be 32 on the 12th. So she's almost 32 years old. She just got married for a second time, just had a second baby in July. Her career is at the end, and you would think at this point now it's over at her age with this happening now and Beijing being just 10 months away.

You know, the medals, we don't know yet if she's going to lose them. The Olympic officials say they will wait until the legal proceedings go through and then make that determination. But there's no question now that all of this is tainted for her. Her career, all of her accomplishments, and for someone who had so much -- had such great athletic ability, it is disappointing.

HARRIS: Taking a look at her there with the medals, talk to us about what it is that drives these athletes to want to be the best, to want to compete at the highest level to the point where they're looking over their shoulders of the competition -- hey, is that person cheating? Is this -- I need an edge. What is going on in this game now where athletes are willing -- are willing to risk so much to get that competitive edge?

SMITH: Well, I think you can take it even to a simpler level.

HARRIS: OK.

SMITH: And let's say just a person on the street who wants to go work out and look like person A.

HARRIS: Yes.

SMITH: You're going to go to the local nutrient store and try to find what's the best stuff I can get?

HARRIS: The diet business. The health business. Yes.

SMITH: Who's -- there's someone somewhere who might say, well, I'm willing to tow that line to get there. Some people may want to cross that line, and that's what we're seeing so much of in these cases.

This is not the first case of a big-name athlete. I mean, we saw Floyd Landis lose his Tour de France title.

HARRIS: Absolutely.

SMITH: Ben Johnson, the Canadian sprinter, back in 1988, the Olympics.

HARRIS: Yes.

SMITH: You know, he tested positive. And this is almost 20 years ago.

So it's just the thing is, she is such an American icon in our psyches...

HARRIS: No question.

SMITH: ... for the past decade or so, and to have her now come up and admit, I can understand why people are disappointed by that.

HARRIS: Me included.

SMITH: And you're one.

HARRIS: Larry, thanks for your time this morning.

SMITH: Good to see you. OK.

HARRIS: Appreciate it. Thanks.

SMITH: OK. All right.

COLLINS: We here at CNN want to know what your reaction is to Marion Jones' reported steroid use. Are you shocked or not surprised?

Here are some of the comments we've gotten. Now, we have gotten quite a few this morning.

This one now from Paul in New York: "It is a waste of taxpayers' money to raise this matter to a criminal case. What is the government's interest in this? Public disapproval and withdrawal of prizes is the only penalty necessary in a case such as this. I am distressed by this diversion of federal resources to get involved in sports matters."

The second one, "The more important issue was with all the testing, which is mandatory. Why did it take so long for her to get caught? And does this put any other medal winners at risk? Are there any track and field medal winners who won fair and square?"

That's from J. Murray in Ottawa, Canada.

And finally, "I am not surprised to hear that Marion Jones used the steroids to enhance her performance, but I am very surprised she is admitting to it. In the current sports environment where winning is everything, it is amazing that she has chosen to 'come clean' and face the consequences. My hat goes off to her for this show of incredible courage."

That's from K. Hanley in Belleville, Illinois.

(NEWSBREAK)

COLLINS: A deadly hostage standoff coming to a violent end overnight in Louisiana. Three people are dead, including the hostage- taker.

Want to go live now to reporter Al Quartemont of affiliate KALB in Alexandria.

Al, good morning once again.

AL QUARTEMONT, REPORTER, KALB: And good morning once again, Heidi.

Yes, we're actually now in front of the location where this shooting happened. This is actually the Giordano & Giordano law firm where the gunman, whose name is 63-year-old John Ashleigh (ph), entered the premises around 2:30 yesterday afternoon.

At that point, he started firing his weapon, at least one handgun, possibly two, striking five different people. Of those people, two were killed, a postal worker who actually was delivering the mail yesterday afternoon, and one of the attorneys who was new to the firm but is actually the son and nephew of the two men for whom the firm is named.

Now, you might be able to see behind me that one of the windows is actually knocked out. That was done by police during the rescue effort, where they actually were able to rescue one of the men, attorney Camille Giordano (ph), who was later taken to a hospital. They actually pulled him out of the window while the gunman remained inside with two of the other victims, both of whom were later found dead.

Just a couple of personal notes on those two victims. Thirty- two-year-old Camille Joey Giordano II (ph) had just started working for the firm. He leaves behind a wife and two children.

And the postal worker that we told you about, John Martin Fields (ph), everybody around him called him "Marty". He was a man who was delivering the mail on a daily basis here, including at our television station.

I talked to his wife this morning, and they had met while he was on his route. And that's how they got to know each other and become married. He leaves behind four children.

One more note. I talked to a couple from Texas that drove here this morning, and they were stopped right in front of the office by the police line. They didn't know anything about it. They drove all the way from Dallas, Texas, about a four-hour drive, to meet with the attorneys, but obviously that meeting didn't happen today.

Reporting from Alexandria, I'm Al Quartemont.

Back to you.

COLLINS: All right, Al. Thanks so much for covering the story. We appreciate your insight here.

Thanks.

Manhunt in Philadelphia. Police trying to pin down a suspect who killed two armored car guards.

CNN's Jim Acosta following the story for us.

And Jim, at this time yesterday, we were getting the full measure of this tragedy.

Any new information at this point on the search for that suspect?

JIM ACOSTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Unfortunately, no, Tony, and the police commissioner here in Philadelphia, Sylvester Johnson, just arrived at police headquarters. And we had a few moments there to chat with him, and at this point no arrests and no new leads.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ACOSTA (voice over): Three armored car security guards servicing an ATM machine in Philadelphia didn't know what hit them until it was too late. A gunman opened fire, killing one guard, grabbed a bag of cash, and then killed another before making a clean getaway. A third guard sprayed with shattered glass and the gunfire somehow survived.

COMM. SYLVESTER JOHNSON, PHILADELPHIA POLICE: Obviously, it was planned. I mean, obviously, whatever he did today, he intended on assassinating people. And he did, and robbed the place.

ACOSTA: The two guards who died were both retired Philadelphia police officers, 50-year-old Sergeant Joe Alullo and 65-year-old William Whitmire (ph). Police say they had been friends for years.

Images of the two guards were cropped out of these snapshots from the surveillance tape out of respect for their families. The tape may not offer many clues, only that the shooter, dressed in dark clothing, wearing a yellow cap, escaped in a black Acura TL.

At a news conference, Philadelphia's police commissioner, who has come under heavy criticism over the city's high murder rate, wondered aloud why urban crime and the availability of guns are barely getting a mention in the presidential campaign.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Any time you have in a country where there's 100,000 people shot or killed, there's not even a mention in the presidential campaign, there's something wrong with that.

ACOSTA: The commissioner has come up with his own controversial solution to street violence, proposing that 10,000 men take to the streets later this month to help patrol the city's most dangerous neighborhoods.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ACOSTA: And because of the nature of that attack yesterday, Sylvester Johnson, the police commissioner, said even 20,000 people on the street probably would not have made a big difference -- Tony.

HARRIS: CNN's Jim Acosta for us.

Jim, thank you.

(NEWSBREAK)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: We have some new information in on that story that we told you about just a couple of days ago here. Grambling University has an elementary school that they run where a noose was found.

T.J. Holmes has been working on this story for us.

And T.J., it looks like we have some more information from the president of Grambling.

T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: Yes. He has concluded an investigation there and actually has announced some sanctions against the teachers involved in this thing.

And to remind folks, of course, this was just a strange lesson that kind of left you scratching your head, why would they do this. Well, kindergartners and first graders were given a lesson in lynchings, and essentially a kid, one of the students' head, was put in a noose outside to teach a lesson. This is when all the Jena 6, when the protests were going on. Well, at the same time, Grambling Elementary School decided to give this lesson.

Well, the teachers who were involved in this thing will now be hit with some sanctions. We don't exactly know what they are going to be, but they could be dismissal of a tenured teacher. Also, teachers could be placed on leave without pay, or they could be issued letters of reprimand.

Now, these are some of the options. Committees are actually going to be put together now to decide exactly which sanctions need to go along with which teachers, but this announcement coming today from Horace Judson, the president of Grambling State University, saying that, in fact, yes, they were going to seek sanctions that will range from dismissal to leave without pay, and also letters of reprimand.

Committees will be put together now to decide how those teachers should be punished. So it could go from a letter of reprimand to something as heavy as a teacher losing a job over this thing -- guys.

COLLINS: All right. T.J. Holmes is following this story for us.

It will be interesting to hear what the president has to say now, after we spoke to him on Monday.

T.J., thank you.

HOLMES: Yes.

(BUSINESS REPORT)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: Tainted, toxic, and contaminated. Important recalls to tell you about this morning.

First, check the soup in your pantry, because Campbell's is recalling more than 72,000 cans of its Chunky Baked Potato Soup with Cheddar and Bacon Bits. Apparently, bits of plastic could be floating around.

Look for 18.5 ounce cans with this code: JUL 08 2009 07097. The cans were shipped to 24 different states. Choking is the main hazard there.

And Boy Scouts of America yanking more than 1.5 million plastic Cub Scout badges. This one is called the totem badge. High levels of lead paint and made in China.

Also, a toy box for more lead paint recalls. They include, among other items, China-made Baby Einstein Color Blocks and KB wooden toys.

You can go to the CPSC.gov for a full list.

HARRIS: A standoff in the form of a sit-in. It's a Kentucky man's protest against Wal-Mart.

David McCarty (ph) has been sitting in a lawn chair in his back yard. A judge ordered him to move so workers can set off dynamite at the Wal-Mart construction site. McCarty (ph) refuses to budge. He says he is not opposed to Wal-Mart building a new store, he just wants to get paid for his property and he wants a price comparable to what Wal-Mart paid for the store site.

COLLINS: Newly-released surveillance video taken just before a woman died in police custody at a Phoenix airport. Some of her final moments alive. What do the tapes show?

HARRIS: And the guilty verdict stands, says a judge. Doesn't matter, says the senator from Idaho. He is sticking around.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(NEWSBREAK)

COLLINS: CNN's Jeanne Moos has covered some unusual stories throughout the year, but none involving an auction, a severed leg and a custody battle. We'll let her explain.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Forget the Britney Spears custody battle. In North Carolina, a one-legged guy is fighting for custody of his own severed leg, the one in this bag.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This thing has become a freak show.

MOOS: His rival for the leg found it in a meat smoker.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: But this is off the wall, man, you know? I mean, a real foot with five toes --

MOOS: And when you find something like that in a smoker you just bought at auction, you call 911.

911: What's the problem there?

WHISNANT: I've got a human foot --

911: Have a what?

WHISNANT: A human left foot.

911: What's your name?

WHISNANT: My name is Shannon Whisnant and it's plum nasty, got me grossed out.

MOOS: Don't say that to the original owner.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It actually looks pretty good. I had a real nice pedicure before it was done. MOOS: John Wood lost his leg in a plane crash a few years back and had it embalmed. He wanted to keep it so he could someday be cremated as a whole man. He kept the leg at this mini storage in a meat smoker, but when he got behind in his storage rent, his belongings were sold and Whisnant bought the smoker with the surprise inside.

WHISNANT: It still got meat and bones and skin on it, toenails.

MOOS: Whisnant turned it over to police, but soon after decided he wanted to display the leg as a tourist attraction, charging adults $3 a peep. As for the original owner -- it's his leg! It's his very own flesh and blood leg.

WHISNANT: Well, honey, if he wanted it, he should have packed it up, put it in a duffel bag and took it with him, because it sure don't take up much room, hmm.

MOOS: Hmm. Police took it to a funeral home. John Wood came and got it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I have it. I have possession of a leg. I have a leg up on this situation.

MOOS: And I see you have a sense of humor about it, too.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And he doesn't have a leg to stand on.

MOOS: Or does he?

RAOUL FELDER, ATTORNEY: A buyer paid good money at an auction for it. It's his property.

MOOS: But he bought the cooker, he didn't buy the leg.

FELDER: What about when you get a chest of drawers or something, you find something, you own it.

MOOS: Do you know how much you paid for the smoker?

WHISNANT: Yes, ma'am, mm-hmm.

MOOS: How much did you pay for the smoker?

WHISNANT: [ laughter ] Oh, let's just say I got a good deal.

MOOS: Ok.

WHISNANT: I didn't give no arm and a leg for it.

MOOS: Now Whisnant's getting a lawyer, what we really need is an injunction against any more leg puns.

WHISNANT: I'll keep it close at hand, I'll guarantee you that.

MOOS: At hand, the leg. (LAUGHTER)

MOOS: Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.

(END OF VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: This update to share with you, just in case, you know, you feel like you might be left in limbo. Police say John Wood, the owner of the item in dispute apparently, will be picking up his amputated leg from the funeral home where it's being held.

HARRIS: Still to come in the NEWSROOM, a case of the hiccups that lasted for decades. Her family has taken her to the doctors. No cure. Just wait until you see -- you hear the home remedy.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: New developments with the Topps Meat Company, a pretty dramatic new development, T.J. This is on the heels of that massive recall, I guess, it was about a week ago now, 21, 22 million pounds of hamburger meat.

T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: And that was just apparently, Tone, too big for this company to sustain. Topps Meat Company closing after that recall. One of the largest in U.S. history. Like you said, about 22 million pounds of ground beef recalled because it possibly contained E. coli bacteria. That E. coli strain has been linked to some 30 illnesses and people in some eight states. No deaths reported.

But Topps meats, again, as you're seeing there, third largest beef recall in history, had to do with the hamburger patties, frozen hamburger patties, packaged in all different kinds of brands, but a massive recall. The company, which has been in business since 1940, is going to have to close now, and one of the executives saying here that, "in one week we have gone from the largest U.S. manufacturer of frozen hamburgers to a company that cannot overcome the economic reality of a recall this large."

So Topps just could not sustain it, could not find a way to stay afloat with the economic impact of 22 million pounds of ground beef being recalled. Again, it's still important to know that, again, 30 illnesses linked to this in eight states, but no one has died having to do with this recall, but they're still working to get a lot of this stuff, making sure it's not on those shelves. But Topps Meats closing its doors, can't handle this recall.

HARRIS: And so the doors close. We're talking about jobs lost.

HOLMES: Jobs lost. Not sure, don't have numbers in front of me, but this company -- where is this out of here? Out of New Jersey.

HARRIS: Out of Newark, yes..

HOLMES: Out of Newark, yes, Tone. But yes, been around for a long, long time, but this one recall did them in. HARRIS: T.J., appreciate it. Thank you.

HOLMES: All right, man.

(BUSINESS HEADLINES)

HARRIS: Your world today coming up at the top of the hour, oh, about 14, 13 minutes away. Hala Gorani standing by with a preview.

Hala, good morning.

HALA GORANI, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, Tony and Heidi.

We're going to go to Pakistan this hour on "YOUR WORLD TODAY." Join Michael Holmes and myself at 12:00 p.m. Eastern. There, President Pervez Musharraf, a very important American ally. You see him campaigning there. The election is tomorrow, but look, he's not wearing his military uniform. Is he going to give up his role as army chief. And also this alliance he struck with former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, what does it mean for the country? What does it mean for the United States?

Also, on a day George Bush says the U.S. does not torture prisoners at Guantanamo Bay, CNN speaks to a former British detainee at Camp Delta. We'll bring that you story.

Also, a woman in court for downloading illegal music. That's what she is accused of. She says she did nothing wrong. We've all downloaded music, legally or illegally, I'm sure. Everyone watching. We're going to be speaking to the head of the Recording Industry Association of America. Is she being treated harshly and being made an example of? We'll be asking that and other questions. That's at the top of the hour.

Back to you guys.

HARRIS: Yes and yes.

COLLINS: That's a good question. All right, Hala. Thank you.

HARRIS: Welcomed back from the war by family and friends, but not by their own government -- soldiers' benefits wrapped in red tape.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: Busy man. T.J. Holmes in the CNN NEWSROOM right now following the story of a small plane crash in Southern California. T.J., what do you know?

T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: Yes, this is what we know and this is what we see. And you can see that plane there in the middle of your screen there. I believe that's what you're seeing. And we were hoping not to show it to you here. But the live picture we're seeing, yes, one person dead in a plane crash here. This is on I-15, right off I-15 interstate out there in San Bernardino, in California. What we know from the FAA is that this plane, this pilot was communicating with San Diego air traffic controllers about 1:00 a.m. when they lost communication with this plane. It vanished from radar. They do know it was on its way to Henderson, Nevada. Not sure where it originated and not sure exactly what was happened and what caused this crash.

But a horrible scene there. At least one person dead is the word we're getting from that crash you're seeing right there in San Bernardino, California. Certainly going to getting more information on this, Tone, and we'll be following this in the NEWSROOM.

HARRIS: OK, T.J., thank you.

COLLINS: Want to go ahead and get this to you now. Just into us here in the CNN NEWSROOM. A U.S. military raid in Iraq turns up a very interesting find. Could have some implications here to talk more about. Jim Clancy is following this story. He joins us now live from Baghdad.

Jim, what'd they find?

JIM CLANCY, CNN ANCHOR: Well, it's an interesting story. As you say, Nayaf Jossum Mohammed (ph) is a member of the Iraqi parliament. Now he's with the, I believe, it's the united dialogue -- the National Dialogue Block, and the question is, was he having a dialogue or just exactly what was he doing when he was picked up by U.S. military forces? This happened just about a week ago. Mohammed is now in U.S. military custody, because they were acting on an intelligence tip.

We talked with General Kevin Bergner (ph) a little bit earlier today. He said that as their troops went out, acting on that tip, looking to break up a meeting of al Qaeda, who did they pick up but Nayaf Jossum Mohammed, this Iraqi MP. He says he was just there for the funeral of a member of al Qaeda, showing his respects. The military says they want to make sure it wasn't more than that, Heidi. So we'll follow this story for you.

COLLINS: Absolutely. Certainly a lot of questions there. Appreciate it. Jim Clancy coming to us live from Baghdad. Thanks, Jim.

HARRIS: She's had the hiccups -- we've been telling you this story all morning; it's time to show it to you, huh -- for more than, well, 20 years. Only one thing will stop them, and this remedy is only temporary. The sound of the music. Stay tuned for the odd hiccup cure in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: OK, I want you to join me tomorrow evening, 10:00 p.m. Eastern in the CNN NEWSROOM. Her testimony during the Clarence Thomas confirmation hearings was supposed to be a watershed moment for victims of sexual harassment.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANITA HILL: When you're accused of bad behavior, as opposed to wanting people to look at all of the evidence, look at all the credible evidence, what you do is you attack your accuser.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: But more than 15 years later, is the workplace any friendlier for a woman facing harassment? Anita Hill speaks out tomorrow night at 10:00 p.m. Eastern Time. It is an interview you don't want to miss, right here on CNN.

COLLINS: It's a 20-year-old case, an unsolved medical mystery -- hiccups that won't go away.

Megan Healey of affiliate WHAG reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MEGAN HEALEY, WHAG REPORTER: For most hiccups are a pesky result of a meal eaten too fast or one too many drinks at the bar, but for 80-year-old Alice Hobday, they've been a constant ailment for the last 20 years.

ALICE HOBDAY, HICCUP VICTIM: A continuous thing, yes. I get them every day.

VANESSA ASCRAFT, DAUGHTER: She'll get like a five- or 10-minute break, and then, bam, they're back again.

HEALEY: Alice says she has no idea where her hiccups came from, and though they aren't really painful, after more than 15 unsuccessful doctor visits, they're getting to be a bit of a bother.

ASCRAFT: She's taken her to doctors. I've taken her. My other sister's taken her. My niece, her mom takes her all the time. And just nowhere.

HEALEY: Alice and her family say they've tried every home remedy in the book, from water to peanut butter to even chewing gum. But so far the only thing that seems to work even a little bit is a musical cure.

(SINGING)

SUMMER MCCOY, GRANDDAUGHTER: At least we have something nice to tell people, like our grandma can yodel. What can yours do?

HEALEY: But Alice says that solution, which typically only buys her less than 10 minutes, tends to get old pretty quick.

HOBDAY: I've quite yodeling and starting singing because they got tired of my yodeling, and so I started singing.

MIRANDA HOBDAY, GRANDDAUGHTER: And she's like, come one, sing with me.

HEALEY: So as Alice sings, the family is pulling out all of the stops to help her silence those darn hiccups for good.

ASCRAFT: If there's anybody that can help, we would definitely appreciate it.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: I guess so. After 20 years.

HARRIS: Yes, yes.

COLLINS: I mean, just having them for five minutes...

HARRIS: Yes, yes.

COLLINS: CNN NEWSROOM continues one hour from now.

HARRIS: YOUR WORLD TODAY is next with news happening across the globe and here at home.

I'm Tony Harris.

COLLINS: I think I have the hiccups!

Happy Friday, everybody. We'll see you back here Monday.

HARRIS: You know what.

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