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American Morning

Pervez Musharraf Promises to Hold Elections by February; Kids Toy Recall; Going Shopping: Retail Numbers Out for October

Aired November 08, 2007 - 08:00   ET

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

KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR: Thanks for being with us. It's Thursday, November 8th.
I'm Kiran Chetry.

JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: And good morning to you.

I'm John Roberts.

We begin with breaking news just coming into us from Pakistan, a promise from President Pervez Musharraf to hold elections by February the 15th. But Pakistan will remain under emergency rule for at least another month.

This, as protests rage for another morning. Opposition leader Benazir Bhutto is calling on her supporters to protest at a massive rally tomorrow.

CNN's Dan Rivers is following the story for us. He is in Lahore, Pakistan.

Dan, Benazir Bhutto wants the general to step down next week. At least take off his uniform.

Is that going to be enough to satisfy her? Should he do that? And does he have any plans to do that?

DAN RIVERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, he certainly said he's going to step down, take off his uniform, as it were, cease being head of the armed services which has been so controversial here, before he takes the oath of president. The question is, when?

Will it be by next week, as you say, as Benazir Bhutto is demanding, and will that be enough to placate? She's certainly trying to rally her troops and trying to have a showdown with President Musharraf.

We're being told by her party officials that about 800 of her officials have been rounded up and arrested. We haven't been able to confirm that independently. And the government says it's nothing like that number. But certainly she is raising the stakes.

They're talking about having a huge rally in Rawalpindi tomorrow, a town near Islamabad, hoping to attract tens of thousands of people onto the streets. And really, that is the one thing that has been lacking so far since emergency rule was imposed, is any sort of united front from the various different opposition groups.

You've got the lawyers, you've got students, you've got Benazir Bhutto's party, you've got all of the other parties. And on the extremes, you have got the (INAUDIBLE) as well. All opposed against General Musharraf, but none of them able to come together and present that united front to try to get rid of him.

ROBERTS: All right.

Dan Rivers for us this morning from Lahore, Pakistan.

As you can imagine, communication still a little bit sketchy. And one of the big questions, of course, will be will Benazir Bhutto go ahead with that big rally tomorrow, and how will the Pakistani military respond to that?

Kiran.

CHETRY: All right.

Well, an urgent kids' toys recall again. Maybe the most serious one yet.

Something labeled a must have holiday toy, Bindeez Beads, as they are known in Australia, could be poisonous. Chemicals coating them are putting kids into comas.

Now, when eaten, this chemical metabolizes into the so-called date rape drug, DHB, used by criminals because it's powerful enough to knock out adults and make them completely lose control of their body. Here in the U.S., these beads are called Aqua Dots.

Alina Cho has more on this developing story this morning.

Very strange, because it's -- once it's consumed, what it turns to into your body.

ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. And even medical experts have a tough time explaining it, Kiran.

You know, hard to believe, this toy just won Australia's toy of the year award. It was also on Wal-Mart's top 12 toys of Christmas. Now that toy which goes by the name Bindeez Beads in Australia, as you just mentioned, and Aqua Dots here in the U.S., is the subject of a massive recall -- 4.2 million toys just in the U.S. Two children here in the United States and three in Australia were hospitalized after swallowing those tainted beads which can induce seizures, coma, even death.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HEATHER LEHANE, CHARLOTTE LEHANE'S MOTHER: I was just beside myself. I was just so frightened because I literally thought that she wasn't going to make it.

(END VIDEO CLIP) CHO: Now, we should mention that these toys have not been linked to any deaths. It turns out a chemical coating on the beads, once swallowed, can be converted, metabolized into the so-called date rape drug also known as GHB or Fantasy. The toys contain brightly-colored beads that children can actually arrange into shapes, and when sprinkled with water, the beads then stick together.

Now, CNN has called the company that distributes Aqua Dots here in the U.S. We have not heard back yet. But that company, which is called Spin Master out of Toronto, issued its own statement saying, "Out of an abundance of caution, we have stopped shipping this item and are working with the Consumer Product Safety Commission."

Now, this is the worst possible news for any toy company, as you might imagine, especially when you consider, Kiran, we're less than seven weeks away from Christmas. Add to that all of the millions of toys made in China that have been recalled already in recent months, and what you've got really is a confusing situation for parents who want to buy toys for their kids for Christmas.

CHETRY: Yes. Completely understandable. This one very strange, though.

Alina, thank you very much.

And we have another toy recall to tell you about. This one, unfortunately, all too familiar.

It's recalled close to 500,000 cars because of lead paint. The Consumer Product Safety Commission's latest recall includes 380,000 of these Pull-Back Action Toy Cars imported by Dollar General.

You can go to our Web site, CNN.com, for more information about what to do if you have these toys or if you want to check to see whether or not your toys have been recalled.

(NEWSBREAK)

ROBERTS: Just in, retail numbers coming out. How much did you go shopping in October?

Ali Velshi at the Business Update Desk with that and its potential affect on the market today.

Good morning, Ali.

ALI VELSHI, CNN SR. BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, John.

You didn't shop enough, particularly for clothes. We're getting the numbers for October sales for most of the big retailers -- 43 of the big retailers in the United States, actually more of them. And what we're seeing is actually kind of surprising.

Following September, which was the weakest month for sales growth in about three years, here is what is happening in October. There are few people coming into the upside. McDonald's did very well. You liked your burgers.

Wal-Mart and Costco did OK, particularly with gasoline included. If you take the gas out, Wal-Mart was only up a little bit. Costco did OK. But a lot of apparel retailers were down.

Macy's, Wet Seal, Limited Brands, which is Victoria's Secret and Bath & Body Works, Ann Taylor, Gap, all of these companies are down. A couple reasons for this. One is it was the warmest October in almost a hundred years, and as a result of that, people didn't sort of change over to their autumn buying stuff.

I never understand that reason, because I actually have my gloves and coats and scarves from last year. So I think it's a bit of an excuse. I think what is underlying this whole thing is that the consumer in the United States is weakening and is spending less money.

Now, November and December are the most important months for America's retailers. In some cases they make most of their profit or all of their profit at that point in the year. That is why Black Friday is called Black Friday. It's the day that retailers went from being in the red to being in the black.

So, if this continues, if the consumer continues to back off, we're going to see problems. How that works in today's market is yet to be seen because we have got testimony from Ben Bernanke, we still have high oil prices, we've got a low dollar. Unclear the direct effect it will have on the market. More importantly, the direct effect it has on the economy if consumers start slowing down -- John.

ROBERTS: And how are futures looking right now, Ali?

VELSHI: They have actually turned up because we have got a positive report from Ford on its earnings. They lost only $380 million versus more than $5 billion in the same quarter last year. And that is actually happening.

ROBERTS: There you go. Today's silver lining.

VELSHI: Today's silver lining. Losing $400 million isn't so bad.

ROBERTS: All right. Ali, thanks very much.

VELSHI: OK.

(WEATHER REPORT)

(NEWSBREAK)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROBERTS: Coming up on 18 minutes after the hour now. Welcome back to the most news in the morning.

New developments this morning in the case of Stacy Peterson, the missing mother from Illinois. Police looking to talk to her young children, and investigators also taking another look at the death of her husband's previous wife, his third.

John Walsh, the host of "America's Most Wanted," is known for solving missing person cases on his show. He joins us now to talk more about this case and other ones as well, including Madeleine McCann, because you just recently met with her parents.

What are your fears about what happened to Stacy Peterson, John?

JOHN WALSH, HOST, "AMERICA'S MOST WANTED": Based on so many cases that I've done on "America's Most Wanted," I believe she's dead. I think and hope that they're lucky to find her body, and they certainly have to keep taking a very close look at her husband who has a track record of this. Very shaky circumstances with the third wife. These two were getting divorced, and of all indications, he is the guy that they should be looking at.

ROBERTS: Now, they went back and they searched the home again on Tuesday night. Do you have any idea if they took any evidence out, or if you don't, what does it indicate them going back there?

WALSH: Well, it indicates that he is the primary suspect, as he should be. Everything indicates the fact that he was a control freak and that if you wanted to leave him, you left at your own harm, and with a possibility of harm.

And, you know, this -- my prediction is, hopefully, they will find her. I don't think they'll find her alive. And I think a week or so from now, we will be talking and he will be charged with her disappearance and probably her murder.

ROBERTS: Kathleen Savio (ph), his third wife, drowned in a bathtub under what seemed to be unusual circumstances. The bathtub was dry. She had a cut on the back of her head. Her hair was soaked with blood. A coroner's jury ruled it an accident, but the county coroner recently came out and said, hey, at best that should have been ruled undetermined.

WALSH: Oh, absolutely. Every expert in the United States is saying it was a bad job. It was a bad job on the coroner's ruling and that they should reopen that case and look at it as a potential homicide. And I think as we get into this case, we're going to find a control freak who didn't want his women to leave him, and if they were going to leave them, he said you're not leaving me, I'm going to kill you.

ROBERTS: On another case, John, you just recently got back from the U.K., where you spoke with the parents of Madeleine McCann. What was your sense of them? They have been named suspects by Portuguese police. Did they strike you as such?

WALSH: Oh, no. Not at all. My wife even went with me, who doesn't talk to the media and very rarely talks to parents. We went all the way over there to have lunch at their house with them. They're both doctors. They are absolutely devastated by the lack of performance by the Portuguese police, who have done nothing but point the finger back at them. It's probably some of the worst police work I've ever seen.

ROBERTS: The other day a bag of clothing was found not far from where they were staying in Portugal. It supposedly had traces of DNA that were a partial match to Madeleine.

Do you think this is another dead end? Is this case going cold?

WALSH: Well, the Portuguese police have come up with so many wild hair-brain theories, I would love to think that this might be an Elizabeth Smart case where Madeleine is alive.

I sat there with that family, with their beautiful twins, and they've done everything they can, including put together a hotline for the Portuguese police. "America's Most Wanted" hotline works. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children's hotline works. And the Portuguese police said you're interfering with the investigation.

It's a heartbreaking case, but my prayers are with this family and we are hoping that Madeleine is alive.

ROBERTS: John, just before we go, quickly, you've got a show coming up this weekend that is very personal for you. A case of a fellow named John Elwin, who was killed in May of 2006.

WALSH: John Elwin -- I went all to Hawaii to do this case. John Elwin was a friend of mine who was all excited about going to the Philippines with a Filipino guy who played polo in Honolulu. John was going buy a condo and invest in the Manila Polo Club.

He never came back. And now we found out that this same guy has taken three men, one 20 years ago. That man never came back. One three years ago, that man never came back.

ROBERTS: Wow.

WALSH: They found John's body in an unmarked grave a few months ago with three bullet holes in him. This guy came back owning the property of all of these three men.

Con man, serial killer. He has been indicted for credit card theft. He was playing John's horses, using the mallets I gave John and wearing John's helmet when we got him arrested. Now I'm going to get him indicted.

Here's a really cold blooded con man. I've got to get this guy indicted for murder and get justice for my friend.

ROBERTS: "America's Most Wanted" this weekend. A great show.

John Walsh, it's always good to see you.

WALSH: Nice to see you, John.

ROBERTS: Thanks for coming in, my friend -- Kiran.

CHETRY: Well, it's most likely in your body, potential dangerous chemicals from plastics. So what are you supposed to do about it? We're going to talk to Dr. Sanjay Gupta ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHETRY: Welcome back.

Chances are that we all have chemicals in our bodies. Phthalates, for one. They make plastic flexible. And then Bisphenol A is something that makes plastic hard.

So is there any way to purge these chemicals from your body? And what kind of harm do they really do?

Chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta joins us now from Atlanta with a reality check.

It was interesting. I mean, in the "Planet in Peril" series that you did with Anderson Cooper, he actually had his blood tested and he had high levels of some of this. Found out it was from the makeup we wear.

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes. And the stuff is so ubiquitous. And that's part of the problem here, Kiran.

Talking about a billion pounds of phthalates every year just in the United States alone. Six billion pounds -- just imagine that -- of the Bisphenol A. That's the stuff, again, that makes plastic hard.

The real question for a long time is, I mean, what does it do to you? The correct answer is we don't know for sure as far as what it does to humans. There has been a lot of animal studies.

The flip side of that, of course -- and this is something we've talked about a lot -- is that absence of evidence doesn't necessarily mean that there is no effect. And just starting to see multiple compounds sort of added together.

So while they may have tested phthalate, for example, now you have several different phthalates that we all have inside of our bodies. In fact, 75 percent of us have significant levels of these chemicals in our body. But the concentration at which it causes harm of some sort, that's sort of the million-dollar question -- Kiran.

CHETRY: Right. It's up in the air and really this seems to be this consumer-driven thing. People are buying things like, for example, these board free -- this is one brand of baby bottles that advertises not having these phthalates in them. And a lot of people using these stainless steel water bottles as well.

But, you know, as you said, the question still remains, what dangers does it do? And also, let's say you do test your blood. Then what do you do? How do you get it out of your body?

GUPTA: Yes, it's a great question.

Let me point out something to you that I found very interesting as we were investigating this, because we've talked a lot about lead, for example, which is a heavy metal that sort of gets stored into your bones and some of the organs in your body. It's much more difficult to purge, for example, lead.

A lot of these other ones, including phthalates, including PBDEs, which are flame retardants found in children's pajamas, for example, and the Bisphenol A, they're usually get into your body and they'll sort of pass through. And they don't usually stay in your body.

So purging it may be as simple as simply not -- not exposing yourself to it in the longer term, such as using these glass bottles or some of these non-chemical bottles that you're pointing out there. But the interesting thing about lead -- and I found this fascinating, Kiran, because we talk about this quite a bit -- is that in the 1960s, 60 micrograms per deciliter was considered a safe level of lead, 60. And as the years have gone buy, 40 years later, now 10 is considered too high.

The reason I bring this up is by way of example to say that, as we learn more about these products, we might learn that, in fact, much lower levels are safe as compared to the higher levels that we're exposed to now. It's the science catching up, if you will.

CHETRY: If your patient said to you, should I switch to glass bottles for my baby, or should I switch to a phthalate-free bottle, what would your recommendation be?

GUPTA: Well, I'd have to say I think what most people say, which is we don't know the answer right now. And this is one of those critical areas where lack of information I think really impedes our progress.

I'd say that like you, Kiran, I have small children and it's something we think about quite a bit. And we try to be very careful about how many chemicals our kids are exposed to. But everyone has to have their own individual barometer by looking at the information that is out there and deciding for themselves.

Look, the chemical companies that make these products will say we've tested them, there doesn't appear to be an impact on human beings, and these products often are cheaper. When you go to some of the other products that you're showing there, you do end up paying more money.

CHETRY: Right.

GUPTA: The question is, is it worth it? And I think that's a decision you have to make on your own as a consumer after looking at as much information as you can get.

CHETRY: All right. Sanjay, thanks so much. By the way, that is our "Quick Vote" question today. If you'd like to go to CNN.com/am to answer that question for us, we'd like to find out what you think.

Meanwhile, "ANDERSON COOPER 360" airs weeknights at 10:00 Eastern. Anderson right now has a look at what's coming up on his program tonight.

ANDERSON COOPER, HOST, "AC 360": Kiran, tonight, Q&A about our "Planet in Peril." More than 15 million people watched our special report. Afterwards, there was some controversy and a lot of questions about what you can do to help the planet. We gather the experts to answer them all.

Join us, "360," tonight, 10:00 p.m. Eastern -- Kiran.

CHETRY: Anderson, thanks so much.

We're going to take a quick break. AMERICAN MORNING will be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: Breaking news here at CNN this morning, a tragedy for the U.S. military in Italy. Welcome back. It's Thursday, the 8th of November. I'm John Roberts.

KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Kiran Chetry. We're talking about breaking news out of an American helicopter went down. This was in the northern part of the country in the last hour and five people on board have been killed. CNN can confirm several others injured. Our pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr is following the story for us and joins us now. What else do we know about this crash, Barbara?

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Kiran. U.S. military officials in Europe confirmed a few minutes ago to CNN, indeed, it is a U.S. army Blackhawk helicopter that has gone down in northern Italy. They are still working to try to get the final details on how many fatalities, how many injuries there may have been. Italian television apparently reporting the belief is the helicopter took off at the air base in northern Italy with perhaps as many as ten people on board. The Blackhawk helicopter, of course, is really the workhorse of the helicopter fleet, especially in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. It is used every day in multiple missions around both of those countries to carry troops and equipment back and forth. It has been in the fleet for about 30 years or so, its first combat mission about a quarter century ago. We'll bring you more details as we learn them.

CHETRY: Barbara, thank you.

ROBERTS: Also new this morning. Stocks in Asia sliding, the second time in a week a drop in the U.S. has spread to Asia. Japan's Nikkei fell by two percent and Hong Kong index lost nearly four percent. Yesterday the Dow industrials lost 360 points. The big question today is will the slump in the Asian markets be here? Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke will be on the congressional hot seat today. He's going to be grilled about high oil prices, the low dollar, overall uncertainty in the financial markets. Last week the fed cut a key interest rate for the second time in two months.

(WEATHER REPORT)

ROBERTS: It's Thursday. That means it's time to reach into Dr. Sanjay Gupta's mailbag to answer your questions.

CHETRY: He's at the CNN Center for us this morning. And we're talking about sleep, something we like to talk about because we don't do it. Sleep is one of our first questions. Our first question comes from Cameron in Twin City, Georgia and she asks, "I get eight hours of sleep each night but I am still extremely tired throughout the day. Am I getting too much sleep or too little?"

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: A great question, Cameron. Let me just tell you guys something. This is one of our most popular topics. A lot of people concerned about sleep. Cameron, you're getting sweet spot in terms of amount of sleep, seven to eight hours is what most sleep experts will tell you. A couple of suggestions for you though. You may want to keep a sleep diary to make sure you're getting as much sleep you think you are. If you get up in the middle of the night write those down. Check your diet. See if there's things you're taking close to bedtime that might be getting you less quality of sleep. A thyroid disorder can sometimes cause a problem in terms of the quality of your sleep and something known as sleep apnea where you're actually not breathing regularly during the sleep. You're asleep but the quality of sleep is inhibited. Seven to eight hours is the right amount of sleep.

ROBERTS: We talk about sleep a lot because it's the adage those who can do and those who can't talk about it. The next one here this morning comes from Harris in Orlando. He says, "Is it true that taking power naps are equivalent to getting a full night's rest and if so, how do they benefit the body?" Remember, Thomas Edison used to sleep maybe a couple hours at night and take power naps through the day but will that give you the same benefit, Sanjay?

GUPTA: We know more about sleep than when Thomas Edison was around. I wish the power nap thing was true that it's equivalent to a full night's sleep but it's not. But that doesn't mean the naps are not beneficial. You can get a good nap. The right amount of time seems to be critical here. That is about 30 to 45 minutes. If your naps are lasting longer than that that means a couple of things. You're probably sleeve deprived and the naps are probably not providing enough benefit and might keep you up at night which is the opposite effect it's intended.

CHETRY: I got you. And finally, we have Andrea from Austin, Texas. She's asking, "I'm a third shift employee which means I work from 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. I have problems getting to sleep and most sleep aids just make me more tired. Is there anything that will help? Don't they have a new generation of sleep aids? Are those any better in not making you feel as groggy? GUPTA: Some of the sleep aids can be very good. And it's one of those things where they're obviously intended to make you groggy or make you sedate. But then they sort of wear off when you wake up. That's sort of been the problem is that you feel groggy the next day so to speak. Andrea, you're not alone. Third shift employees have the worst sleep habits of anybody. 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. as you mentioned, very hard. A couple of tips. One is that as soon as your shift is over, go home and go to bed. A lot of people try to do their errands or other sort of work before they go to bed. That seems to be the wrong idea. And just some general tips for you, Andrea, I think in general as well, try to get time to unwind before you go to bed. That doesn't mean paying bill or doing laundry. That makes your mind race when you go to sleep. If you find yourself in bed just lying there more than 15 minutes and the best advice is get up and do something else and go back to bed. Don't lie there. That seems to be the worst advice of all.

ROBERTS: Or as doctors always advice you, get some of the stress out of your life, relax.

SANJAY: Always, yes.

ROBERTS: Thanks, Sanjay. If you have a question to Dr. Gupta, e-mail it to us. Go to CNN.com/am. Sanjay answers your questions every Thursday here on AMERICAN MORNING.

And happening right now, a boat rescue off of Virginia Beach. Coast Guard says 66 people on board. It left Alexandria for a ten-day cruise to Charleston, South Carolina. About 100 feet out in the middle of the Intercoastal Waterway not far from shore when it hit something and began taking on water. The captain made the decision to run the vessel aground to prevent further problems. So far no injuries are reported. We are getting some pictures in from some off our local affiliate and as soon as we get that back up again, we will give you a close look at that what going on there.

CHETRY: When we come back, sharing the times of your life. How to record your favorite stories for generations to come. A lot of people are doing it. We're going to show you what they're doing coming up.

Coming up on AMERICAN MORNING, unwanted men showing up for late night rendezvous?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: How explicit is this promise that is being made to these people who are showing up?

CHETRY: A mysterious online posting bring several men to the doors of unsuspicious women. Who posted these addresses online and what can be done to stop them? We talk to the roommates ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROBERTS: We told you a couple moments ago about the boat rescue in Virginia Beach. A shot of a Coast Guard helicopter overlooking the scene. Only 66 people on board and left from Alexandria, Virginia headed for Charleston, South Carolina on a ten-day cruise. Just in the Intercoastal Waterway there in Virginia Beach, hit something underneath the water about a hundred feet from shore. The intercoastal is pretty narrow in that area. Then the -- when the boat started taking on water, the captain decided to run it aground so that it didn't sink in the water there and the Coast Guard has been looking into this. We do have some pictures of the boat a couple of minutes ago. The pumps are working, taking an awful lot of water off of that boat. Probably still leaking even as the water is coming in. There is a shot of the boat right there. You can see, too, it's obviously been anchored as well to prevent it from drifting off the bar it's been run aground on. We will follow the story for you. Thanks to the folks at WABY for those pictures and as we keep watching this, let's go over to Kiran who has a very interesting story to tell us about this morning.

CHETRY: Yes how about this one. Strange men showing up at the door of four Seattle roommates, some of them showing up with bottles of wine, looking for love and who knows what else. So now the women are wondering how did their names, addresses, and photos end up on a website? Feline, Jessie and Cherelle have asked that we don't reveal their last names. They have enough problems. They don't need us giving out their last names. They join us from their home in Seattle. Thanks for being with us this morning.

CHETRY: Hi.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Good morning.

CHETRY: Let me start with you. This is pretty shocking. Feline, take us back to the first night and someone knocks on your guys' door. What happened?

FELINE, VICTIM OF ONLINE HOAX: The first night, Cherelle was the one who was here alone. It was like 2:30 in the morning. I think she should probably take this one.

CHERLLE, VICTIM OF ONLINE HOAX: 2:30 in the morning, I'm the only one awake. Everyone else is well asleep for hours, a knock on the door. We're not expecting anybody. I say who is there? We have this dialogue. It's apparent he doesn't really know us. So I go and get the roommates up and we open the door and he is halfway down the stairs and says someone gave me your address by mistake. That's pretty strange, he had the name, the address.

CHETRY: They seemed as shocked as you did when they realized that you did not want them there nor were you soliciting anything?

CHERELLE: Yeah. He was pretty intimidated.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Dazed.

CHETRY: Jessie, you're a late night visitor asked for you by name.

JESSIE, VICTIM OF ONLINE HOAX: Uh-huh. Yeah that one in particular.

CHETRY: Were you scared? This has to be a prank?

JESSIE: I was a little bit scared. I definitely didn't feel good about it. I was kind of creeped out. But when I went back to bed I was like it just had to be a coincidence. It was strange and I don't know. It was weird but I just didn't really think that much of it. We got up the next day and kind of like that happened last night, that was weird. And didn't think much of it until it happened again.

CHETRY: Bottom line, what have you been able to find out at this point about what happened?

CHERELLE: There's been several ads on Craigslist advertising us by name with our photos, address and directions to our home and men are coming and they kind of had this expectation of some romantic casual encounter.

FELINE: Yeah. We have no idea what ...

CHERELLE: We don't know who is responsible. We haven't seen the ad.

Yeah, the ads. Craigslist responded this morning.

CHETRY: They say the following. They say, "Any use of Craigslist for the purpose of harassment is absolutely unacceptable and we look forward to assisting law enforcement in bringing the perpetrator to justice." Feline, do you think they are doing enough and do you think law enforcement is doing enough?

FELINE: It's one of those things where it's hard to find the answer. We believe the ad is I have indescript. We know the perpetrator is respond to go responses to the ad with our names and our phone numbers, our addresses and phone number so it might be difficult for them to find it. I think up until this point they have not done enough. I know we previously contacted them and they basically said if we can find the ad.

CHERELLE: If we can find the ad.

FELINE: If we can find the ad they will be happy to remove it.

CHETRY: Up to you to find the ad. You have tried to find it. Apparently your family is kicking in some money for a reward. Do you think you're going to get tips?

FELINE: Up to $400 now.

CHERELLE: I hope so. I really hope so. I mean, you know, it's obviously not a coincidence. Somebody is coming here. There was a gentleman who came in a suit with a bottle of wine asking for a blind date with roommates and it was plural and he was a one guy so the word party is thrown around a lot by these gentlemen that are showing up at our house. It's not the kind of party --

FELINE: They won't answer the question what the ad says.

CHERELLE: They get really embarrassed.

FELINE: They won't say we're here for a date. They will just will not tell us what it says and that is the scary part.

CHETRY: If I were your parents I would tell you to install a couple more dead bolts on the door. I hope you get to the bottom of this. Sorry it happened. Unbelievable story.

FELINE: Thank you so much.

CHETRY: Thank you all for being with us.

CHERELLE: Thank you.

ROBERTS: What a story.

The "CNN NEWSROOM" is minutes away. Heidi Collins is here with a look at what is ahead. Good morning.

HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Toy recall on the "NEWSROOM" rundown. These arts and crafts beads could put your child in a coma, believe it or not, if they are swallowed. We'll tell you more about that.

And O.J. Simpson in a Las Vegas courtroom today. Is one of America's most notorious criminal defendants headed for another trial?

And the fed chief is talking. Investigators are listening and traders are bracing themselves. We're watching stocks all day one day after a 360-point tumble.

We're watching out for any breaking news, of course. Join us in the "NEWSROOM" top fo the hour on CNN. See you then. John.

ROBERTS: Heidi, we'll see you then. Kiran.

CHETRY: Quick Hits now. Immigrants arrested in Chicago after allegedly using fake security badges to gain access to critical areas at O'Hare airport. Those were arrested following an eight month investigation. The workers were assigned to O'Hare by a temp agency that worked with the airlines.

No more cattle call if you can pay for it. Southwest Airlines is selecting business fare. Those passengers will have to pay but be able to board first and get a complimentary cocktail and earn reward points faster and pay 10 to 30 bucks a ticket more for those new privileges.

Kenny Chesney had a lot of fun last night. He won top entertainer of the year award at the CMAs in Nashville. He hit the after-parties, actually taking his mom along and before he went to bed, he spoke to me. We're going to hear what he had to say and which country star had his mom starry-eyed. That's ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.

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CHETRY: Welcome back. A huge night for country music last night. The Country Music Association Awards in Nashville taking place last night and it was a huge night for entertainer Kenny Chesney. He's sort is the king of country music and last night, he once again won the biggest award and he talked to me a little bit before the show about how exciting it was to take home the biggest award in country music, entertainer of the year for the third time.

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KENNY CHESNEY, COUNTRY MUSIC SINGER: When my name was called it was a great feeling because a lot of work went into being able to stand in that spot in front of a lot of my heroes, in front of a lot of my friends and peers. It was great to be able to get up there and thank them and thank the fans for just an incredible ride that we've all been on.

CHETRY: You had a heck of a year. 62 million came out to see your shows. Of course, I went to the one in New York. It was fabulous. Our own Robin Meade at "HEADLINE NEWS" sang on stage with you at the Atlanta show.

CHESNEY: Yes, she did. She's a pretty good singer, actually.

CHETRY: I was impressed, a little jealous and impressed. You are known as one of the nicest guys. You took your mom last night. Did she have a blast?

CHESNEY: I did. My mother had an absolute blast. We went to all of the parties afterwards and ended up at a party where she absolutely stalked George Strait for the whole night. She did. It was a lot of fun, though. And he was real nice about it.

CHETRY: Kenny, congratulations, once again, for the win.

CHESNEY: Thank you.

CHETRY: Get some sleep and thanks for talking to us this morning.

CHESNEY: I will. I'm going to bed right now.

CHETRY: Thanks.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROBERTS: Sounds like a real down to earth kind of guy considering three or four years entertainer of the year and the millions of dollars that he makes.

CHETRY: Extremely humble about the fact he can pack in 62 million people through the course of a summer tour. Big hit. He actually had his dad with him on tour when he was in New York.

ROBERTS: Did you meet his mom? CHETRY: He brought his mom to the CMAs and had his dad with him when he was at the New York show so he is a family guy so he doesn't forget his roots.

ROBERTS: Nice you can bring family along and keep it together like that.

CHETRY: What a thrill for his family. I'm sure they are very proud.

Meanwhile, we're going to get a quick look at what the "CNN NEWSROOM" is working on for the top of the hour.

TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: See these stories in the "CNN NEWSROOM."

New toy recall to tell you about. The chemical coating on these beads could put your kid in a coma.

Investigators bracing for a bumpy ride on Wall Street following a 360-point stock sell off.

Under pressure at home and abroad. Pakistan's president lays out a time table to end emergency rule and hold elections.

Middle schooler sent to detention for giving hugs! Yes, hugs! "NEWSROOM" is just minutes away at the top of the hour, on CNN.

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ROBERTS: Aerial picture of the Spirit of Nantucket aground in the Intercoastal Waterway near Virginia Beach. It was on a ten-day cradle of colonial America tour from Alexandria to Charleston, South Carolina. It hit something. Captain ran it aground to stop it from sinking. The pumps are going and the coast guard is on its way to take the passengers off.

CHETRY: And before we go we want to get a final look at our Quick Vote. We asked you would you be willing to pay more for toxin- free products? 85 percent of you say yes and 15 saying no. To all those who voted, thank you for voting.

ROBERTS: That will wrap it up for us. Thanks for joining us.

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