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14-Year-Old Accused of Plotting Columbine-Style Attack; Gore Wins Nobel Prize; 'Jena 6' Teen Jailed

Aired October 12, 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 at the top this hour, at the top of this hour, a 14-year-old Pennsylvania boy accused of plotting a Columbine-style attack. He was in court this morning. His mother also in the legal spotlight.
CNN's Allan Chernoff is live outside the courthouse in Norristown, Pennsylvania.

And Allan, good to see you.

Tell us, if you would, what happened in that courtroom this morning.

ALLAN CHERNOFF, CNN SR. CORRESPONDENT: Well, Tony, let me tell you what is about to happen, because after the court proceeding for the son, now the mother of the 14-year-old, Michele Cossey, is about to be arraigned herself. She is going to be charged with purchasing weapons for her son, and not only the semiautomatic rifle that we've been talking about, but according to the police criminal complaint, she also purchased a handgun and a single shot rifle for the son.

So three weapons in all. Two of those actually had been held at a friend's home, according to the police criminal complaint. Those weapons have now been handed over to the police.

Now, the district attorney did talk about this a little while ago. He said this is clearly a case of bad parenting that could have led to disaster.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BRUCE CASTOR, DISTRICT ATTORNEY, MONTGOMERY COUNTY: There's a lot of things at play here. We have a child who is obviously emotional disturbed, a social outcast. No doubt his parents feel sorry for him and are indulging him. This is not the best patient parenting I've ever seen, obviously, and she has to be held accountable.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHERNOFF: During the court proceeding for her son, Michele Cossey was sobbing, breathing very heavily, and then she was told by the D.A. that she was going to be charged herself.

Now, during the proceedings for the son, the judge did decide that the county may continue to hold him, hold the 14-year-old. Also, the county will be testing him psychologically and testing him for academic achievement.

He was pulled out of the local middle school a year and a half ago because of problems. Apparently he was being bullied. The parents say that they were going to then home school him.

So a very, very sad case here, and as we reported, the 14-year- old boy allegedly was plotting a Columbine-style attack at the local high school in his bedroom. Police found a cache of weapons, not only that semiautomatic rifle, but 30 air-powered BB guns and seven grenades, as well as some Nazi paraphernalia.

Tony, a very, very sad story here.

HARRIS: Hey, Allan, just a quick question. We've heard about the son. We've heard about mom. What about dad, Frank Cossey?

Is he facing any charges? Has he been questioned by police? Is he helping in the investigation in any way?

CHERNOFF: He has been questioned, but the police apparently not charging him. They also say that they don't believe the parents were aware that their son was necessarily plotting the attack. But merely the mother purchasing those weapons, that is the criminal offense over here that we're talking about.

HARRIS: CNN's Allan Chernoff for us this morning.

Allan, appreciate it. Thank you.

COLLINS: Six young people shot to death during an overnight party. Today the funerals begin. Services are expected to take place over the next week.

The victims were gunned down at a home in Crandon, Wisconsin. That home early Sunday. The oldest was 20, the youngest 14. The seventh victim was wounded and is now in fair conditions.

Authorities have released 911 calls from people who heard the shooting.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It sounds like gunshots being fired.

OPERATOR: OK.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't know where they're coming from. There were two different sets. The first set went off and now we just heard the second set.

OPERATOR: And what is your address again?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: 104 -- they're running past Pacaman (ph).

OPERATOR: They're running past -- does he have a gun, or what?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We -- does he have a gun? Can you see what he has/

He just ran past Pacaman (ph).

OPERATOR: Somebody did. But you don't know if they've got a gun?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

COLLINS: The gunman was a young sheriff's deputy and part-time police officer. You see him there. He killed the six, including his former girlfriend, before taking his own life.

HARRIS: And back to jail for Mychal Bell. The Louisiana teen at the center of the Jena 6 case sentenced to 18 months in a juvenile facility. A judge says the fight that put Bell in the spotlight violated his probation for earlier juvenile convictions. That's according to a source with information about the closed hearing yesterday.

His attorney promises an appeal. Bell was freed, you may recall, two weeks ago after his adult criminal conviction was overturned. He and five other black teens are accused of beating a white classmate during racial tensions at Jena High School.

COLLINS: A little more background now on Mychal Bell and the Jena 6 case.

Bell is one of six black teens accused of beating white classmate Justin Barker. Five were initially charged with second-degree attempted murder.

The incident followed months of racial tension at Jena High School. Black students sat under a tree known as the gathering spot for whites. Officials say white students hung nooses from the tree. They were suspended but not prosecuted.

Thousands of demonstrators descended on Jena last month. They were protesting what they say was overly harsh treatment of the black defendants.

A judge's ruling raising new questions in the Jena 6 case. A young defendant back in custody. We're going to go in depth with an attorney for the Juvenile Justice Project.

HARRIS: A hot-button issue, a prestigious honor. Al Gore wins the Nobel Peace Prize for his global warming campaign. He shares the honor with a United Nations panel on climate change. Here is the announcement made earlier this morning.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PROF. OLE DANBOLT MJOS, CHAIRMAN, NORWEGIAN NOBEL COMMITTEE: Al Gore has for a long time been one of the world's leading environmentalist politicians. He became aware at an early stage of the climatic challenges the world is facing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: Gore seized the world's attention with his documentary "An Inconvenient Truth". Some scientists dispute the film's central theme that manmade pollution is heating the Earth and inviting global catastrophe.

COLLINS: Al Gore issued a statement saying he is "deeply honored" to receive the Nobel Peace Prize and he's also honored to share it with the experts at the U.N. Gore went on to say, "We face a true planetary emergency. The climate crisis is not a political issue, it is a moral and spiritual challenge to all of humanity. It is also our greatest opportunity to lift global consciousness to a higher level."

Global warming, the science and sizzle of a heated debate.

CNN Environmental Correspondent Miles O'Brien takes a look now. He's in New York this morning.

Miles, what is this international panel of scientists saying is going to happen to the Earth as a whole?

MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ENVIRONMENTAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, when we're talking about the IPCC, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, you're talking about 2,500-plus of the world's leading scientists who have come together, synthesized all the papers that are out there, scientific studies, and comes to some sort of conclusion as to where they're headed. It's actually a pretty conservative group, a group that relies on the scientific process, the Peer review vetting process.

Here is their latest, best prediction on what is happening to our planet right now. This came out in March.

Somewhere between 3.25 and 7 degrees Fahrenheit increase in temperature in the coming years. Sea level rise somewhere between 7 and 23 inches. Ninety percent certainty that global warming is exacerbated, caused by human beings, pumping these greenhouse gases into the air.

That's where the science is right now. That has nothing to do with politics. And when you say some scientists disagree with it, it is a tiny fraction of a minority of scientists out there. And when you look at those scientists and trace their funding, frequently you are led to the fossil fuel industry.

So, really, it's not a scientific debate anymore. We're talking about something now that is squarely in the political realm as to what should be done about it.

COLLINS: All right. CNN's environmental correspondent, Miles O'Brien.

Miles, thank you. O'BRIEN: You're welcome.

COLLINS: And we want to tell you more about the most up-to-the- minute political news anywhere available, including more on Al Gore's Nobel Prize victory. CNNPolitics.com is your one-stop shop. Get behind-the-scenes details from CNN's best political team on television and see why it's the Internet's premiere destination for political news.

CNNPolitics.com.

(NEWSBREAK)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: Want to get you some new information that we have coming in. Our Barbara Starr is standing by at the Pentagon to give us the very latest on some sort of incident that happened with the Navy -- Barbara.

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Heidi. Unfortunately and tragically, a fatal training accident last night here in Virginia.

The Navy now confirming that one sailor is dead, two suffered injuries on the James River here in Virginia last night when a small inflatable boat that they were on as part of a Navy training exercise with the Navy SEAL community, that boat collided with a commercial tugboat in the James River. There were a total of five Navy boats out on the river last night in this training exercise, and, again, one sailor killed, his body recovered this morning.

Coast Guard, local police and the Navy were all involved overnight in the search and recovery effort. It appears to have been a very tragic accident -- Heidi.

COLLINS: Absolutely, no question there.

All right, Barbara. Thanks so much.

HARRIS: A judge is ruling, raising new questions in the Jena 6 case. A young defendant back in custody.

We will go in depth with an attorney for the Juvenile Justice Project.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(NEWSBREAK)

HARRIS: And a closer look now at the decision to send Mychal Bell back to jail.

David Utter is an attorney with the Juvenile Justice Project in Louisiana. He is on the phone from Savannah, Georgia.

And David, good to talk to you.

DAVID UTTER, JUVENILE JUSTICE PROJECT OF LOUISIANA: Thank you very much for having me, Tony.

HARRIS: Well, David, if you would, can you help us understand this decision now to send Mychal Bell back to jail for 18 months? Well, let's call it what it is. It's a juvenile detention facility.

Are you at all surprised by this decision?

UTTER: Well, I'm not surprised, but I should be. For years, we've learned that incarceration and detention is the least effective way to handle juvenile delinquencies. So Louisiana's juvenile justice system has improved from a dismal state years ago. Judges and district attorneys are a little slow to catch on to this stuff.

HARRIS: Is this -- is this decision -- you know, I always feel like I'm missing something in this story. I feel like I know and then I don't know.

So what is going on here with Mychal Bell? For example, is this decision by this judge in keeping with the established juvenile justice code in Louisiana for someone who has violated probation?

UTTER: Well, no. No, it's not.

You know, the juvenile code in Louisiana is a very progressive, research-based document, and it clearly states that judges should always first look to the home and the community or treatment for delinquent behavior. Not only that, we've got 40 years of research at the national level that shows that incarceration actually hurts kids rather than helps them.

So, you know, this decision doesn't have a basis in the juvenile code, nor does it have basis in the research. And the sad thing is, is that not only does it hurt Mychal and his family in terms of Mychal's rehabilitation, in the long run what the research shows is it will end up hurting our community because it makes us less safe, not more.

HARRIS: So, David, you look at this decision, is Mychal Bell being targeted? Is this, as Al Sharpton has put it, revenge?

UTTER: Well, I can't speak to the judge's motivations.

HARRIS: What does it feel like to you, David? What does it feel like to you?

UTTER: Again, I don't know what the judge was motivated by, but I wasn't at the hearing. I don't know what evidence was put on. The fact that Mychal was home for two weeks and clearly did fine, the fact that there is, you know, much better treatment available in the community at home, would indicate that something is going on here.

HARRIS: That something that is going on -- final question to you, David. I've wanted to get you on the air on this topic for a while. Final question on this, the something that is going on, are we talking about -- and I know that we don't have access to all the records on Mychal Bell, but are we talking about a kid, given what we do know about brushes with the law, that is a troubled kid who needs some help? Are we talking about a juvenile delinquent here?

I just want to try to get as clear as I can on this subject of Mychal Bell.

UTTER: Well, whether we're talking about a juvenile delinquent or not, I mean, clearly, Mychal, with these brushes with the law, there were decisions made in the past to keep him at home. This decision to put him on probation was based on what we knew was possible for Mychal.

This is obviously a very talented young man. A great football player, did well in school.

HARRIS: Absolutely.

UTTER: Again, the decision to incarcerate Mychal at this stage does not have a basis in the research that indicates the best way to treat Mychal as a juvenile delinquent.

HARRIS: David Utter, great to talk to you.

UTTER: Thank you, Tony.

HARRIS: We've been trying to do this for a while. But good to get you on the phone this morning.

Thanks, David.

COLLINS: Reports, deadlines, e-mail, meetings. Don't let your job stress you to death. CNN Medical Correspondent Elizabeth Cohen will join us with new findings.

HARRIS: And questions for the ladies. What's in your lipstick?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When you think of how many times she applies it in a day, how many times she licks her lips, gets it into her body, and it's the cumulative dose that we worry about.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: I'm just uncomfortable for a second. Let me make myself a little bit more uncomfortable, ladies.

Could you be licking lead?

The story coming up in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: Boy, we have got some good stuff for you. You know, it is true, your job can kill you if you let it break your heart.

CNN Medical Correspondent Elizabeth Cohen right here on set with us to talk about a new study, new results. New study.

What do you have for us? Good morning.

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, too.

You know, this is one of these studies where you're like, well, duh, I could have told you that.

HARRIS: Right. Right.

COHEN: But it just confirms what we all know, which is that job stress really can affect your health. What the study found is that folks who had a heart attack and then had to go back to a stressful job, well, guess what? They were much more likely to have a second heart attack than the other folks. And this is on top of other studies that have shown that you're much more likely to have the first heart attack if you have a stressful job.

HARRIS: OK. Stress, it's a part of life. What do you do? You can't quit the job. So what do you do to sort of manage the stress, the job in your life?

COHEN: Well, I talked to some experts and they had some advice, so don't look so sad.

HARRIS: All right.

COHEN: They had some -- they had very specific things that you can do.

They said you have to make sure that you don't internalize the stress. The stress is there. It's how you deal with it that matters.

So what we're going to do right now is I'm going to give you...

HARRIS: Me?

COHEN: You. No one else is here.

HARRIS: Well, Heidi is here. Me?

COHEN: Well, Heidi is here. Yes, OK. Well, no, but just you.

COLLINS: I have no stress at all.

COHEN: You have no stress at all.

HARRIS: OK. All right.

COHEN: Well, Heidi, you can chime in if you want to. Some stressful job situations, and you tell me what you think you should do.

HARRIS: All right.

COHEN: OK. Here is the first one.

The first one is, what if you have a back-stabbing colleague? What if I was saying nasty things about you behind your back and sweet as pie to your face? Should you confront me, do you think?

HARRIS: I'm not that person. I'm really not that person. I just sort of try to work it out as best I can, but I'm not the guy who -- you're doing this and, you know, and all of that crap. I'm not that guy.

COHEN: Well, you know what? That's actually a good idea. I talked to the authors of a book called -- called -- this book is called "Working With You is Killing Me".

HARRIS: Right.

COHEN: I love that title.

And they said don't confront a backstabber. It's not going to help you. They're not going to, you know...

(CROSSTALK)

COHEN: You're not going to change them. And so they said what you ought to do instead is launch a P.R. campaign. Somebody is spreading bad news about you while you're not around, you launch a P.R. campaign and you let people know how great you are.

HARRIS: Really? I don't want to...

COHEN: It's no fun, but...

HARRIS: It really is no fun.

COHEN: Right. But if someone is going around saying terrible things about you, you've got to correct it.

HARRIS: You want your work and your person to speak for you.

COHEN: Yes, yes, yes, yes. That's what we all want, but you know what? That doesn't always happen. That's in la-la land that happens.

HARRIS: I'm listening to you then.

COHEN: All right. Well, here is the second one.

Let's say you had a boss who was a screamer. They call this the explosive boss, just screams and yells. What do you do?

HARRIS: OK? Now, this one is a problem for me.

COHEN: Oh.

HARRIS: Because, you know, I've done it -- because I would want to knock him the hell -- oh, I can't say that on the air. I can't say that.

But that was a truthful moment. I apologize.

That one is a problem. Get out of my face. I don't need that. That is not helpful.

COHEN: OK. Not a good solution. Not a good solution.

HARRIS: Yes. All right.

COHEN: What these stress experts said, if you have an explosive boss, you should look bored. Just while they're exploding, kind of sit there, look around, check your watch, look bored, because what they're looking for is some kind of a response. And so if you don't give them a response, it also helps you because it lets...

HARRIS: I need that one. I need that one.

COHEN: That let's you know, it helps your own brain. It lets you know, this is not my problem.

HARRIS: Right.

COHEN: There's this guy screaming there, but this is not my problem. This is his problem or her problem.

HARRIS: Yes.

COHEN: Then the second thing you should do is detach yourself physically. Get out of there. Go take a run, go do some yoga, go do meditate.

HARRIS: I do that, yes.

COHEN: Because that's a lot of toxins coming your way.

HARRIS: Right.

COHEN: You have to detach.

HARRIS: That is -- that is outstanding stuff. I'm glad you helped me with the second point because that one is a trigger for me.

COHEN: Yes, look for it. That's very important.

And you know, there's more tips if you want to know more about how to get along with stressful job situations and not internalize it. What you should do is go to CNN.com/health. Scroll until you see my picture. That's not my picture, but that's the column. And scroll down until you see my picture and click on it. And you will find lots of advice about what to do if you have a stressful job. And who doesn't?

HARRIS: This may be the best segment of the dog-gone show today.

COHEN: There you go.

HARRIS: This is good stuff.

Elizabeth, appreciate it. Good to see you. Thank you.

COHEN: Thanks.

HARRIS: And to get your "Daily Dose" of health news online, what you need to do is log on to our Web site. There you will find the latest medical news, a health library, and information on diet and fitness. The address, CNN.com/health.

COLLINS: Will he go from peace prize winner to presidential candidate? Some supporters are still hoping so.

The draft Gore movement, ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: Good Friday morning once again. I think I've said that about 50 times today now. I'm Heidi Collins.

HARRIS: And I'm Tony Harris. Welcome back, everyone, to the CNN NEWSROOM. We want to quickly get to you Fredricka Whitfield in the CNN NEWSROOM. She is following some breaking news for us. A pretty bad accident in Virginia, Fred.

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Yes, bad accident, but the good news is the firefighters that were involved in this accident in Arlington, Virginia are all said to be OK. Two firefighters were trapped when their firetruck overturned on Route 1 between 23rd Street and Route 233, the bridge there. And so they were trapped for some time, and Arlington, as well as Alexandria fire authorities and rescue teams were on the spot there, conducting all their emergency response, and they were able to release and help rescue these two firefighters.

And as far as we understand, they are not suffering major injuries. We understand them to be at least minor injuries. So that's the good news. But you see the video here of just a scramble to try to get them released and to get them to safety, which they were able to do. They have been taken to nearby hospitals, and so as far as we understand, the southbound lanes of Route 1 are soon to reopen.

So there's likely to be a nice little backup there, given that it is after rush hour, but it is near the airport, which means there's always traffic in the area.

And there you see the video of at least one of the firefighters that was rescued from that vehicle while they were trapped. So good news as far as we can understand, that they all seem to be OK.

HARRIS: Very good. Thanks, Fred.

COLLINS: Global warming puts Al Gore in the world's spotlight today. He's sharing the Nobel Peace Prize this morning for raising awareness on climate change.

CNN's Jonathan Mann reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JONATHAN MANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Al Gore could have been remembered by history for the prize he didn't get, the 2000 presidential election that was decided by a handful of votes, hanging chads, and the U.S. Supreme Court.

Instead, he transformed himself from former vice president and former candidate into global campaigner, and his campaign to alert the world to the dangers of climate change has now received the ultimate accolade, in a joint prize with the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

OLE DANBOLT MJOS, CHMN. NORWEGIAN NOBEL CMTE.: The Norwegian Nobel Committee has decided that the Nobel Peace Prize for 2007 is to be shared in two equal parts between the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, IPCC, and Albert Arnold Al Gore Jr. for their efforts to build up and disseminate greater knowledge about manmade climate change, and to lay the foundations for the measures that are needed to counteract such change.

MANN: Gore traveled the United States lecturing about global warming, lectures that became the Academy Award-winning film, "An Inconvenient Truth," and spread Gore's message around the world. The British government even distributed it to every high school in the country.

Ironically just before the prize was announced, a British judge ruled that it should come with a warning, that it promotes partisan political views, and is wrong about some of its facts.

But environmentalists, such as 2004 Nobel winner Wangari Maathai, say the Nobel Committee gave the prize to entirely the right people.

WANGARI MAATHAI, 2005 NOBEL WINNER: I think that these two really deserve this prize. They have brought to the fore a very important global issue, and I just can't contain myself. I'm so pleased about this prize and the candidates.

MANN: Gore himself said in a written statement, "We face a true planetary emergency. The climate crisis is not a political issue. It is a moral and spiritual challenge to all of humanity. It is also our greatest opportunity to lift global consciousness to a higher level." Gore said he'll donate his portion of the $1.5 million prize to the Alliance for Climate Protection.

But the most important honor will remain his -- recognition with arguably the most prestigious prize in the world.

Jonathan Mann, CNN, reporting.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: And some background now on the Nobel Peace Prize. It is one of the international awards created by Swedish industrialist Alfred Nobel. The award includes a medal, a personal diploma and a cash prize, $1.5 million this year. The award ceremony will be held December 10th in Oslo, Norway. Past Nobel Peace Prize recipients have included politicians and world leaders. Among them, former President Jimmy Carter in 2002.

Al Gore is not the first environmentalist to win the Nobel Peace Prize. In 2004 it was awarded to Wangari Maathai of Kenya. She was honored for her efforts to promote sustainable development through, among other things, planting trees.

COLLINS: He says global warming is not a political issue, but there's a political movement to get Al Gore into the presidential race.

Details now from CNN's Tom Foreman.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Al Gore has said it over...

AL GORE, FMR. VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I'm not planning to be a candidate again.

FOREMAN: And over.

GORE: I don't really have plans to run for office again.

FOREMAN: And over.

GORE: I have no plans to run. Thank you.

FOREMAN: But draftgore.com is not listening. This organization, which describes itself as a group of grassroots Democrats, took out a full-page ad in Wednesday's "New York Times." Their open letter urges the 2000 Democratic presidential nominee to enter the race, saying, quote, "Your country needs you now, as do your party and the planet you're fighting so hard to save." The ad also says 136,000 people have signed draftgore's online petition. The group tells us signatures are coming in by the thousands.

Gore's office says the former vice president truly appreciates the heartfelt sentiment behind the ad. However, he has no intention of running for president.

Some Democrats are not giving up hope. Thirteen percent of them supported gore for the Democratic nomination in our post recent poll. But even if Gore changes his mind, the clock is ticking. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Gore would certainly shake up the race if he changed his mind and decided to get in. But with less than three months before the Iowa caucuses, his window of opportunity to actually make a serious run for the Democratic nomination probably has passed him by.

FOREMAN: Tom Foreman, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: Want the most up-to-the minute political news anywhere available, including more on Al Gore's Nobel Prize victory? CNNpolitics.com is your one-stop shop. Get behind the scenes. Details from CNN's best political team on television, and see why it's the Internet's premiere destination for political news, CNNpolitics.com.

HARRIS: A Pennsylvania teen accused of planning a columbine- style attack ordered to remain in juvenile detention this morning. The teen's mother also in the legal spotlight, charged with, listen to this, allegedly buying her son several firearms and bomb-making equipment. Authorities say they found a rifle, air guns, and several hand grenades at the boy's home during a search on Wednesday. School officials say a tip from another teen led them to the plot. A judge says he will decide later whether to charge the 14-year-old as an adult.

(WEATHER REPORT)

HARRIS: Boy, Fredricka Whitfield busy this morning. A lot of political news. Let's get back to Fred in the NEWSROOM now with some news on Senator Ted Kennedy -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: Yes, we've got political/health news for Senator Ted Kennedy, who underwent an hour-long procedure. A surgery in the hospital after a routine check-up discovered that he had a partially blocked artery in his neck. And so, he did undergo surgery. Apparently, it was successful.

Capitol Hill Correspondent Jessica Yellin is in Washington and also keeping tabs on this development. And so, Jessica, his office is saying he went in for a routine examination, and then they made this discovery and then what?

VOICE OF JESSICA YELLIN, CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, they say that he has had the surgery. He had it today, that it was non- invasive, and that he's resting. They expect him back in Washington shortly. They won't say exactly when. They're saying he's going to take some time off for a very brief recovery period.

Now, this was an artery that carries oxygenated blood to the head and neck, and it's -- which (ph) -- they had preventive because as you had said, an MRI picked up this blockage, and they thought they had to take care of it quickly. He was actually in for an MRI for his back and spine when they discovered this.

But, again, Senator Kennedy's office says that he is fine. He's going to have a brief recovery and then be back to work.

WHITFIELD: Right, and this back and spine issue, I mean this is a consistent problem or issue that he's had. He gets these routine examinations of this. So, when doing this routine examination of his back and spine, that's when this discovery was made.

YELLIN: That's correct. He was going in for one of his regular studies, an MRI actually, when they came across this other problem, and so he now -- you know, he's 75-years-old. They need to address these things quickly, and they do, and they feel that it's been successful.

WHITFIELD: OK, Jessica Yellin, thanks so much, on Capitol Hill.

So Tony, his routine examination and his surgical procedure taking place in his home state of Massachusetts. I know the folks back in Washington are anxious to see him return.

HARRIS: Yes, and I'm sure I don't have to tell the folks at home that our medical team is all over this story and working its sources to get more information. And of course, we will bring that to you as soon as we have it here in the NEWSROOM.

Fred, thank you, appreciate it.

SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Susan Lisovicz at the New York Stock Exchange. How the weak dollar and slumping house prices are creating strong demands for U.S. property. That story's next.

You're watching CNN, the most trusted name in news.

COLLINS: But first, "Fortune" magazine's Most Powerful Women in Business list is out. Who tops the list? Well, here's your chance to guess.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED CNN CORRESPONDENT: This Yale grad was born in India, once played in a rock band, and often walks around the office barefoot, but it's her track record for inking deals that's causing a splash in the food and beverage industry. Find out who she is after the break.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED CNN CORRESPONDENT: Indra Nooyi, Pepsico's chairman and CEO tops the list of "Fortune" magazine's Most Powerful Women, and for the second year in a row. Her resume includes the acquisition of Tropicana, and a leading role in the $13 billion merger with Quaker Oats, and she's not done yet. Nooyi plans in expanding Pepsico's traditional menu of soda and chips by adding nutritious snacks and vitamin-enhanced water. (END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: More news just in here to the CNN NEWSROOM. Want to get it out to you just as soon as we receive it. Fredricka Whitfield is working this story for us.

More news here on Anna Nicole Smith, Fred?

WHITFIELD: That's right. This investigation still lives. In fact, a California Department of Justice, apparently -- we've confirmed this through some law enforcement sources there in that state -- that at least eight warrants have been served, search warrants have been served in connection with her mysterious death.

I say mysterious because even though the coroner did say that it appeared as though it was the accidental death of an overdose at the age of 39 when she was in Florida at a hotel there, it is still meant that there have been a lot of questions surrounding her death. The former "Playboy" playmate was a new mother at the time when her body was found in the hotel room at the age of 39.

And so now, we understand that the California Department of Justice is serving and has already served eight search warrants. There may be others to be served later on today. We understand that the attorney general, Jerry Brown, is expected to make a formal announcement later on today.

And we'll continue to watch the developments in that investigation -- Heidi.

COLLINS: OK, we'll continue to wait for that statement as well. Fredricka Whitfield, thank you.

And "YOUR WORLD TODAY" is up next at the top of the hour.

HARRIS: Let's get to Hala Gorani now for a sneak peek.

Hala, good morning.

HALA GORANI, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Good morning, Tony and Heidi.

The news that Al Gore is the co-recipient of this year's Nobel Peace Prize making news all over the world. We're going to be taking a look at what impact this may have on the effort to control the global climate changes.

But also, we're going to be speaking with a top Republican strategist about what Republicans are saying today about the fact that Al Gore has won this very prestigious prize.

Also, we're going to be taking you to Pakistan. Our Dan Rivers has a compelling story about individuals there who say members of their family have simply vanished and disappeared. They want to know where they are and why they are being held. We'll bring you that.

Also, the Rugby World Cup. Now, I am fully aware of the fact -- by the way, that's a cartoon version of Sebastien Chabal, the big French rugby hero. Anyway, I'm fully aware of the fact rugby is not a very popular sport in the U.S. -- I myself am not passioante about it, but look at this. Look at these pictures. These are our i-News fans and i-Reporters who are sending us these videos and pictures of them celebrating, what is for them, a very important moment. We will take you to Paris, France, for the latest on the Rugby World Cup.

Are either of you interested in rugby?

COLLINS: I played rugby for about five minutes in college.

GORANI: Oh, I thought you were going to say five years.

COLLINS: No ...

GORANI: Five minutes is good enough.

COLLINS: ...about five minutes, that was (INAUDIBLE).

GORANI: Well, you know the rules, that's very well (ph).

HARRIS: And ...

GORANI: But when you see these i-Reports, Heidi and Tony, I mean, the passion that is involved in this sport and our Michael Ware is also on the ground there, you can hear it in his voice as well.

Well, we will bring you the very latest from there.

HARRIS: Well, you better deliver, OK, because it's rugby to us. All right?

COLLINS: Scrum, scrum, scrum.

GORANI: (INAUDIBLE).

HARRIS: All right, Hala.

To business news now. The weak dollar and slumping home prices are creating an opportunity for some overseas visitors who want to add American property to their portfolio. Makes sense.

Susan Lisovicz is at the New York Stock Exchange with details. Susan, good morning.

(BUSINESS HEADLINES)

COLLINS: No hands jailhouse brawl, four-on-one. Somebody called the cops, and, actually, the more we think about it, we found out they're already there.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) HARRIS: We are podcasting. We want you to join us. Here's what you do, you go to CNN.com and you click on the CNN NEWSROOM daily podcast. You download that baby. And we'll be doing -- you'll see something a lot different than what we do here 9:00 to noon weekdays in the NEWSROOM. You will enjoy it, I promise you. Download the podcast today, 24/7 it is available to you. Don't miss it, be there today, aloha.

COLLINS: Take a look at this now, holding cell smackdown. Four handcuffed prisoners repeatedly kicking a fellow prisoner, Lawrence, Massachusetts. Police don't know what started the fight. Police did rush in though to break it up with pepper spray. The four face charges of assault with a dangerous weapon, in this case, a covered foot. The attackers were originally arrested for a brawl at a baby shower.

HARRIS: Well, we're talking about children at risk. The education gap, it could impact your child. Parents, really listen up. Join me this Sunday, 10:00 p.m. Eastern. I'll be taking an in-depth look at our nation's schools to identify the problems and give you the solutions. We're talking about real solutions here, not more hot air, everyone's sick of that. A "SPECIAL REPORT" no parent can afford to miss. We are bridging the gap. That is this Sunday, 10:00 p.m. Eastern time.

COLLINS: But first, Al Gore wins the peace prize. Critics step up their battle to challenge his claims. Global warming, the debate heats up.

"YOUR WORLD TODAY" starts in just minutes.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: CNN NEWSROOM continues just 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: And I'm Heidi Collins. Have a great weekend, everybody.

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