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Kanye West's Mother Dies; Federal Officials Launch Criminal Investigation Into San Francisco Bay Crash; Fueling Speculation: Investors Pump Up Oil Prices

Aired November 12, 2007 - 14:00   ET

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

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Oil and water a disaster in San Francisco Bay, potentially a crime scene. Feds investigate the cargo ship that hit the Bay Bridge. Wildlife teams scramble to save the birds.
We've got the latest on both fronts this hour.

Hello, everyone. I'm Kyra Phillips at the CNN headquarters in Atlanta.

You're live in the CNN NEWSROOM.

Well, we're getting new reports now of a chilling Internet link between two troubled police. Police probing a possible online connection between this 18-year-old school shooter in Finland and a 14-year-old accused of plotting to storm a school near Philadelphia. The American teen's lawyer now tells the AP that two teens chatted on Web sites glorifying the Columbine massacre, but he says his client was horrified that the Finnish teen went on to kill eight people at a high school before killing himself last week.

A hip-hop mogul is grieving today. Kanye West lost his mother after what's been described as a cosmetic procedure. She was only 58, and her death was a total shock.

Brooke Anderson in Los Angeles where Donda West died -- Brooke.

BROOKE ANDERSON, CNN ENTERTAINMENT COLLINS: Hi there, Kyra.

Yes, Donda West's publicist tells CNN the death did follow a cosmetic procedure, and no details were given on what the procedure was or where the procedure took place. This has to be devastating for music mogul, international superstar Kanye West.

His mother influenced his life and his career from every angle from early on. She was just 58 years old.

Now, Kanye wasn't in Los Angeles on Saturday. He was reportedly in London. He's been prepping for a European tour which is to kick off in Amsterdam next week. That is in support of his latest album "Graduation." We've reached out to his record label to find out if those dates will be rescheduled.

I've interviewed Kanye West numerous times in the past, and he was always very open about how he and his mother were extremely close. In fact, the lyrics to his song "Hey Mama" were inspired by his mother, and they go something like this -- "Hey mama, I want to scream so loud for you because I'm so proud of you. I appreciate what you allowed for me. I just want you to be proud of me."

We spoke with Donda and Kanye back in May, when Donda was promoting her book that she wrote about Kanye called "Raising Kanye: Life Lessons From the Mother of a Hip-Hop Star," and she talked about how she strove to be a great parent for Kanye.

Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONDA WEST, KANYE WEST'S MOTHER: At first I think you look in the mirror and see if you are intact yourself, because as I say in the book, you can't be a good parent if you're not a good person. And you're not a good person if you don't get your ego -- at least try to -- get that in order, and realize that there's always something that you can learn, even from your child. So I think because Kanye knew that I listened to him, then he really didn't have a big problem listening to me.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: Now, Donda was in academia for decades, and she left her job as chairwoman of Chicago State University's English Department in 2004 to become Kanye's manager. Since then her primary responsibility really has been as chairwoman of the Kanye West Foundation, which combats the high school dropout problem in the U.S.

Kyra, Kanye himself finished high school, but he did drop out of college to pursue his music career.

And when we do know more specifics on the cause of death we will surely bring those to you.

PHILLIPS: You know, he's never lived without controversy, Brooke, that's for sure. He's constantly creating something, and his mom always seemed to step in and tried to get a handle on him, or at least she definitely communicated with him like no other.

ANDERSON: She certainly did. They were extremely tight-knit. And like you say, you know, he is very controversial, a political lightning rod, never afraid to speak his mind.

Back in 2005 at a tribute, a benefit for the victims of Hurricane Katrina, he said George Bush doesn't care about black people. Also in 2006, on the cover of "Rolling Stone," he was potion as the image of Jesus with a crown of thorns on his head. And he's thrown numerous tantrums when he's not nominated for a certain award or doesn't win a certain award, though he has won six Grammys over the course of his career.

But his mother Donda always stood by his side, literally and figuratively. She always supported him and said, that's just my son expressing his opinion and I will be there for him. PHILLIPS: Brooke Anderson, one of the most popular stories clicked on at CNN.com today.

Thanks for your report.

ANDERSON: Of course.

PHILLIPS: San Francisco's crown jewel turns into a toxic nightmare. Plenty of people say it's a crime to see their bay fowled up with 58,000 gallons of oil. The feds say it might be a crime that they can prosecute.

CNN's Dan Simon has an update now on the scene and the cleanup.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAN SIMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, let me set the scene here for you.

The San Francisco Bay area looks a lot different than it normally does. At least 20 beaches are closed, including this one. You can see some of the containment booms that have been set up here to prevent the oil from reaching the sand.

Meanwhile, a lot of questions continue to swirl about how this took place, how did this cargo ship strike the Oakland Bay Bridge, spilling 58,000 gallons of fuel? Also a lot of questions about why it took the Coast Guard some four hours to notify the public about the magnitude of this spill.

Originally the Coast Guard reported that just 140,000 gallons had spilled into the San Francisco Bay, obviously a huge discrepancy there when they realized it was 58,000 gallons. It took four hours to notify the city and the public.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of course represents the San Francisco Bay area. She was here this morning, took a tour of the area, and she had a bit of a tongue-lashing for the Coast Guard.

REP. NANCY PELOSI (D-CA), HOUSE SPEAKER: There are many questions that have been raised. I think we can only get to the bottom of them all, get the answers by having independent hearings of the situation. It's not just about this, but it's about preventing what will happen in the future.

SIMON: A criminal investigation has opened up against the shipping company and its crew. Obviously the focus trying to determine if there was any criminal negligence on the part of the crew and how this really all took place.

Meanwhile, obviously a huge impact for the San Francisco Bay area wildlife. Some 200 birds have turned up dead and hundreds more have been rescued. Those birds currently being treated.

Dan Simon, CNN, San Francisco.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(WEATHER REPORT)

PHILLIPS: CNN does confirm now new reports of a chilling Internet link between two troubled teens. We just told you about this story, but now we're finding out police are probing the online connection between this 18-year-old school shooter in Finland and this 14-year-old accused of plotting to storm a school near Philadelphia.

Word is just getting in now with these new developments about that connection. The American teen's lawyer now tells CNN the two teens chatted on Web sites glorifying the Columbine massacre, but he says his client was horrified that the Finnish teen went on to kill eight people at a high school before killing himself last week.

CNN's Jim Acosta is actually talking to the American teen's attorney right now. He will join us as soon as that interview is over.

Things could heat up again tomorrow in Pakistan. The government says it won't allow opposition leader Benazir Bhutto to lead a protest march from Lahore to Islamabad. Government sources tell CNN that security, already pretty tight, has been beefed up around the former prime minister's home.

Now, yesterday, in his first news conference since declaring a state of emergency the previous weekend, Pakistani president Pervez Musharraf says parliamentary elections will take place before January 9th. But he said the state of emergency will stay in place indefinitely.

An environmental disaster in San Francisco Bay. Fifty-eight thousand gallons of oil is taking a huge toll on birds, fish and the seals. We're going to hear from the California Department of Fish and Game.

And those rising oil and gas prices. It isn't the summer travel season, so what's the deal? We're going to find out what's behind the roller-coaster ride we've been taking lately at the pump.

And Broadway fans are having withdrawals. More than two dozen shows are shuttered as stagehands walk the picket lines.

We'll have the latest.

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: 2:13 Eastern Time. Here are some stories we're working on in the CNN NEWSROOM.

Still waiting for details on what caused the death of rapper Kanye West's mother. Donda West's publicist says the 58-year-old died after a "cosmetic procedure." She chaired the English Department at Chicago State University before becoming her son's manager. High winds lashing the West Coast as we speak. California, Oregon, Washington State all getting pummeled. Winds reportedly reached hurricane force in parts of Washington.

Pakistani opposition leader Benazir Bhutto may find herself under house arrest later today. Government sources tell CNN security has already been beefed up around her home to stop her from leading a march protesting the ongoing state of emergency.

The prices go up. The prices go down. Do you feel like you're playing roulette every time you pull up at the gas pump? Well, in a way you are, but you're not the one who is gambling.

CNN's Allan Chernoff explains why oil prices are driven by more than supply and demand.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALLAN CHERNOFF, CNN SR. CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Prices at the pump are soaring yet again.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's getting outrageous.

CHERNOFF: Is there a shortage of gas? Not at all. It's crude oil's rapid climb to nearly $100 a barrel, say energy experts, that's driving the price of gasoline, as well as home heating oil. Yet, there's no shortage of crude oil either, say fuel distributors like David Shilwachter (ph).

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have more than enough oil.

CHERNOFF: In fact, the Department of Energy reports oil supplies are above average for this time of year. And demand, it's actually declined in the past couple of weeks.

(on camera): Energy analysts say crude is rising because of fear there might be a disruption in the flow of imported oil. The last time there was a significant cut in foreign supply was when the U.S. invaded Iraq. Back then the price of oil hit $35 a barrel, a fraction of today's price.

(voice over): Andrew Lebow has been an energy trader for nearly three decades. Never, he says, have there been so many investors bidding up oil.

(on camera): Is there any way that the supply/demand situation justifies oil at this level?

ANDREW LEBOW, SR. VICE PRESIDENT, MF GLOBAL: No, I don't think so, and I think we've seen a tremendous inflow of speculative money coming in to not only the oil markets but commodities in general.

CHERNOFF (voice over): Investors are putting hundreds of millions of dollars into the energy markets.

So SAM GREER, EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT, MERCANTILE EXCHANGE: So now it's as acceptable to invest in, let's say, crude oil or gasoline as it is to invest in IBM.

CHERNOFF: And many traders are embracing the old Wall Street rule that the trend is your friend. The trend for oil has been up and it's been paying handsome dividends.

FADEL GHEIT, ENERGY ANALYST: The largest financial institutions control oil price or dictate the direction of oil price much more than any oil company.

CHERNOFF: Of course, the trend could quickly change, leading traders to bail out of oil. But for now, a major reason we're paying more at the pump is that big investors have been striking black gold in the oil trade.

Allan Chernoff, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: And we're expecting to -- actually, we're going to talk to our Jim Acosta now. We were telling you earlier in the newscast here about those two teenagers that were talking from Finland and here in the United States.

One was plotting a possible shooting here in the U.S. The other one, as you know, what happened in Finland, he took the gun on himself after killing eight people at a high school. It turns out the two were communicating online.

Jim Acosta just talked with Dillon Cossey's attorney, J. David Farrell.

Jim, what else have you found out besides the confirmation of this connection? What did the attorney tell you?

JIM ACOSTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, yes, what we understand from talking to J. David Farrell -- he's the attorney for 14-year-old Dillon Cossey -- is that, yes, these two teenagers did talk to one another and, in fact, these conversations online, we can call them, not really conversations over the phone or anything like that, but this correspondence online occurred in the August to September time frame, according to J. David Farrell. What took place is chatting online, essentially about a month and a half before Dillon Cossey was arrested and before he confessed to plotting a school shooting at a school outside of Philadelphia, and also about a month and a half before what happened in Finland.

And so essentially at this point the attorney has talked to the district attorney in Montgomery County, a local prosecutor here. And that local prosecutor has also told CNN that at this point he doesn't anticipate any further charges. There doesn't seem to be any crime committed here in addition to the crimes already committed by this youngster, but they are going to continue to investigate it.

PHILLIPS: So, Jim, did this teenager in Finland actually tell Dillon he was going to do what he did? ACOSTA: Not according to J. David Farrell, the attorney for Dillon Cossey. He says that he asked that specific question and that, according to his client, that at no time was any planning discussed. I even asked about weaponry, was any weaponry discussed? This attorney says no.

And essentially at this point what we're going off of is this 14- year-old's word. He has assured his attorney that none of that sort of thing went on.

But in the meantime, you know, authorities in Finland are going through the computer that belonged to that 18-year-old out there who killed eight people at that school outside of Helsinki, and then here, outside of Philadelphia, authorities are going to be going through Dillon Cossey's computer. So pretty soon here the authorities are going to be able to tell us what exactly they were talking about.

But according to J. David Farrell, the attorney for Dillon Cossey, what they talked about was video games, videos that they liked. And, we should note here, their affection, their worship, if you want to call it that, of the Columbine killers.

They both did talk about, you know -- and we've seen this, you know, talked about in the news before all of this came out...

PHILLIPS: And Jim, let me ask you...

ACOSTA: ... that the Columbine killers are sort of worshipped on the Internet.

PHILLIPS: Let me ask you real quickly, too, because the teenager here that was plotting the school attack near Philadelphia, there was talk that one of the parents might have helped him buy a gun at a gun show.

Do we know yet how involved the parents were in this teenager's life and plans or plots to possibly carry out an attack?

ACOSTA: We don't know. What we know about Dillon Cossey is that he is a 14-year-old kid who was home-schooled because he was having so many problems at school, that he was a certain -- you know, one of these disaffected teenagers who are sort of prime targets on the Internet for this type of material.

If you can go online, you can see on these MySpace pages and YouTube pages there are sites dedicated to the Columbine killers. And these disaffected youth can go and they can chat about this sort of stuff online, and it's become a real concern for law enforcement. But there doesn't seem to be anything in terms of the parental involvement here beyond the buying of that weapon for Dillon Cossey which, you know, created so much outrage.

PHILLIPS: All right. Jim Acosta, we'll stay on top of it. We'll hope to hear from the attorneys soon.

Appreciate you calling in. San Francisco (INAUDIBLE) death sentence for wildlife. And now it's a race against time for animal rescue teams. We're going to talk to somebody involved.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Close encounters, the subject of serious discussions today in Washington, D.C.

Governors, lawmakers, pilots and military leaders from across the planet comparing notes on their own UFO sightings. We're not kidding.

No Klingons or Spock ears here. Attendes say this is no joke. Many of them are sharing their personal experiences.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEN. WILFRIED DE BROUWER, BELGIAN AIR FORCE (RET.): During the evening of 29 November, 1989, in a small area in eastern Belgium, approximately 140 UFO sightings were reported. Hundreds of people saw a majestic triangle craft with a span of approximately 120 feet, powerful beaming spotlights moving very slowly without making any significant noise, but in several cases accelerating to very high speeds.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Well, some people at the conference are calling on the U.S. government to take a more active role investigating UFOs.

(BUSINESS REPORT)

PHILLIPS: Two brothers bound to each other by birth, bound to the U.S. Marines by choice. One severely wounded in Iraq, the other serving there now. The two Marines' emotional reunion straight ahead in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Americans pause to honor the nation's men and women in uniform. Today is a federal holiday marking Veterans Day and ceremonies are taking place across the country. These are live pictures from the World War II Memorial in the nation's capital. And as Americans mark the day the most-visited monument in Washington reaches a milestone. The Vietnam Veterans Memorial, known as The Wall, is 25 years old. The black granite memorial includes the names of more than 58,000 American troops who lost their lives in the Vietnam war.

Ty Ziegel was a United States Marine. Take a look at him, handsome, strong, ready for duty, dedicated to the cause, and then came the sergeant major's second tour in Iraq. He was on patrol. A suicide bomber walked up to his Ziegel's truck and blew himself up. When it was over Ty had lost part of his skull, his ears, his left forearm and three of the fingers on his right hand. He suffered terrible burns and devastating shrapnel injuries to his face. He was forced to leave the battle field, but soon Ty was facing a new fight with Veterans Affairs over money. Yes, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. This U.S. Marine, who literally had his face blown off, had to battle for disability compensation. When Ty told me his story we were pretty touched on a lot of levels, but there was one special family connection that grabbed our attention so we decided to surprise him and it left us all in tears.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: What about dealing with people day to day? I know you probably get asked this all the time, but even coming into the CNN NEWSROOM, meeting strangers, walking down the street, going to the grocery store. It's got to be tough.

TY ZIEGEL, FORMER U.S. MARINE: Yeah, you learn to deal with it. At first it was kind -- at first it was me who didn't want to be around people, and then it was kind of I would get upset. You just went through the whole gamut. And you get to the point where, you know, it's like if you can't deal with it, then I can, you know. It doesn't really bother me that much.

PHILLIPS: Do you find that you have to talk with somebody? Do you spend time with family? How do you let it out? How do you deal with those feelings of frustration?

ZIEGEL: Well, I don't really have any.

PHILLIPS: Your family, you're very close with the family, specifically your brother, Zach, and he's over in Iraq now, right?

ZIEGEL: Correct.

PHILLIPS: How did you feel about him going overseas and -- wow, especially after what you've been through. What was that like?

ZIEGEL: I'm proud of him. I wish I could go back with him, but, you know, I think it's something -- he signed up to do and he wants to do, so I think he should do it. And it gets me pumped up just talking about it.

PHILLIPS: Really, why does it get you pumped up?

ZIEGEL: Because that's what Marines do.

PHILLIPS: I'm going to ask you a question. Do you mind putting on the head sets. I want you to hear something, if you don't mind. Tell me when -- got them on there good?

ZIEGEL: Yeah.

PHILLIPS: I had the pleasure to link up with your brother, as a matter of fact, he's going to join us live now from Iraq.

Zach, can you hear us OK?

CORPORAL ZACH ZIEGEL, U.S. MARINE, SERVING IN IRAQ: Yes, I can.

PHILLIPS: OK, good. I've got your brother right here. Can you hear him OK, Ty?

T. ZIEGEL: Yeah.

PHILLIPS: All right. You're linked up. Zach, anything you want to start off by saying to your brother? Because, you know, I've got a couple questions for you.

Z. ZIEGEL: Just glad to hear from you. I heard your little part of the interview and trying to get me choked up over here, or what?

T. ZIEGEL: No, trying to keep myself in line.

PHILLIPS: Does he give you strength when you see him, when you talk to him and see him in uniform, Ty?

T. ZIEGEL: Yeah.

PHILLIPS: Tell me. How does he give you strength?

Zach, your brother is speechless, right now. He's actually got tears in his eyes. I'm trying to get him as he looks at you, how he gives -- how you give him strength. And it's actually getting me a little choked up here, so, I need you to rescue both of us. Just tell us, tell him, why you love him so much, and why the both of you get choked when you have moments like this.

Z. ZIEGEL: We both know that he'd much rather be over here with us, I think that's why -- part of the reason, you know, he sees me over here. And, you know, part of him really, really wants to be here with us. And you've got to honor that, after everything he's been through and he still wants to be with his boys over in Iraq, you know? And that's a pretty honorable thing, I think. And it's -- definitely a role model to me, I can tell you right now. I wouldn't be this far through it if I didn't have him around.

T. ZIEGEL: That's my brother -- he's there with all my other brothers.

PHILLIPS: Yeah. Do you worry about him? Do you just want to be there with him?

T. ZIEGEL: A little of both, you know. He's trained well. I don't know if I necessarily worry about him, but, you know, people would say when I tell him he's going how -- how can you let him go or how can he go after you've been through all this? How many Marines do come home OK? You know, for two brothers to get hit, that would be pretty chanced, you know.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: You can see more stories about vets like Ty in a CNN broken government report, "Waging War on the VA" that airs Saturday and Sunday at 8:00 p.m. Eastern. Get a pen and paper handy, if you don't mind, if you want to make the holidays brighter for a wound vet, vets like Ty, while you're making out holiday cards, why not send one of the wounded service members at Walter Reed Hospital a card. Here's what you do. You send it to "A Recovering American Soldier" -- that's how you title it -- in care of Walter Reed Army Medical Center, 6900 Georgia Avenue, Washington, D.C. 20307-5001.

The folks at Walter Reed will make sure a soldier gets your personal greeting, and we thank you, too.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Time to see what's clicking with all you CNN.comers; some of our most popular stories this hour.

The sudden loss to have hip-hop star Kanye West. His manager/mother, Donda West, died this weekend after undergoing a cosmetic procedure. She was only 58 years old.

And you want to keep your job? Well, steer clear of 10 workplace sins. Like, No. 3, spreading gossip. And No. 9, hitting on your boss. Yeah, don't do that.

And black smoke over London from a fire in the city's East End. Authorities are investing in the cause of that blaze in an unused warehouse on the future site of 2012 Summer Olympics.

Heroine addicts have at least two constant concerns and getting more heroin is one of them. They have a more constant need for needles and syringes, and a place to shoot up. Vancouver, British Columbia is the first city in North America to offer both the hardware and a safe, clean location to keep using. But supporters say that's not their goal. CNN's Jason Carroll investigates.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): She's desperate, unemployed, surviving on handouts and hooked on heroin.

(On camera): How often do you shoot up every day?

LORRAINE TREPANIER, HEROIN USER: Well, I get up in the morning and I always make sure I have at least one down, or half a down.

CARROLL: And what is that, a down?

TREPANIER: It's the heroin.

CARROLL: Lorraine Trepanier brings her drugs to a controversial but legal facility called, Insight", here in Vancouver, Canada.

TREPANIER: The smaller one is the heroin and this is cocaine.

CARROLL: As unbelievable as it may sound an estimated 700 addicts a day, just like Trepanier, are given syringes and allowed to inject their own drugs here under a nurse's supervision. The theory, reduce risk of overdose and spread of diseases like HIV by giving addicts clean needles and a safe place to use them.

LIZ EVANS, PHS COMMUNITY SERVICES: People need to be able to be kept alive long enough in order to get treatment. We know that people's chances of getting into detox and treatment are doubled by having access to this site.

CARROLL: Organizers of the safe injection sites say more than two dozen studies show its benefits. One study sites a 45 percent reduction in public drug use in the area. Another found addicts who use insight were 33 percent more likely to go to detox. Doctor Thomas Kerr conducts research at the facility and sees other benefits.

DR. THOMAS KERR, CTR. FOR EXCELLENCE IN RESEARCH: In the absence of such a facility they would not be high out on the streets, but they would be leaving their syringes in school yards and in parks and on city streets.

CARROLL: But critics say allowing addicts to take more drugs is just wrong.

COLIN MANGHAM, DRUG PREVENTION NETWORK: It's like building a levee to solve a flood with a chicken wire fence.

CARROLL: Colin Mangham has done research, too. Pointing out 800 people have overdosed at the facility in its four years of operation.

(On camera): But look, you've still had what -- 800 overdoses in a period of how long?

KERR: Right, in a period of three years, four years, but let's not fool ourselves. The overdose problem is not something that's restricted to the supervised injection sites.

CARROLL (voice over): Kerr also says there have been no deaths at the Insight, despite the overdoses. The research so compelling health officials in San Francisco held a symposium discussing the possibility of opening the first facility in the United States.

MAYOR GAVIN NEWSOM, SAN FRANCISCO: You had a lot of health officials there that did participate in the pros and cons, but my director of public health doesn't feel the city should move forward.

CARROLL: Federal health officials don't want the facility in the United States saying, ultimately it hurts the addicted.

DR. DAVID MURRAY, OFFICE OF NAT'L. DRUG CONTROL POLICY: I think that it is a cruel illusion, because they are still addicted, trapped, trying to get out and dying, by virtue of the drug itself.

CARROLL: Lorraine Trepanier says she has no illusions about her condition.

(On camera): Do you think you'll get to a point where you'll actually go to a drug treatment program, that helps you get off the drug?

TREPANIER: That's going to be very soon, because I want to. I want to, because I don't want to be down here all my life.

CARROLL: For now a quick fix will have to do. Jason Carroll, CNN, Vancouver.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Talk about risky business. Would you wrestle with an armed robber at your job? We'll tell you about some brave workers who tangled with a bandit, and how it all turned out.

A.J. HAMMER, CNN ANCHOR, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT: I'm A.J. Hammer in New York. The second strike to hit the entertainment industry in as many weeks is shutting down Broadway. I'll tell you why the drama these days is in front of the theater and not on the stage. That's next in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: It is one of the most clicked on stories right now on CNN.com. We're talking about the death of hip hop artist Kanye West's mom, Donda West. We are getting word something to do with a cosmetic procedure. A.J. Hammer live from New York with more on these new developments.

What are you finding out, A.J.?

HAMMER: Yeah, Kyra, we're just finding out that the death -- on the death of Kanye West's mother, Donda, who of course, passed away Saturday evening after complications apparently stemming from plastic surgery operation.

What we've just learned is that Donda West was brought to the hospital emergency room by paramedics on Saturday evening. They did try to revive her. They were unsuccessful and she was pronounced dead sometime just before 9:00 p.m., this according to a spokesperson at the hospital.

This particular hospital, however, Kyra, not the hospital where the plastic surgery had taken place. So that's what we know for right now on the death of the mother of rap star Kanye West.

PHILLIPS: Obviously, he is under a tremendous amount of stress. He's actually cancelled this tour he was supposed to go on -- or at least he wanted to get right back to her, right? I'm curious if you've heard anything, too, about -- has he called in lawyers? There must be some type of lawsuit that's going to follow from this, anything you're finding out from a legal standpoint?

HAMMER: Not at this point, Kyra. We will, of course, have the latest developments on this tonight on "Showbiz Tonight". But as of right now you know what we know and the latest being that she was brought to the hospital where she died on Saturday evening, pronounced dead around 9:00 p.m. And, again, hospital not where the plastic surgery, from which these complications arose, took place.

PHILLIPS: All right. Now, another story that you have been following obviously, going to be talking a lot about tonight on "Showbiz Tonight," the writers strike, correct?

HAMMER: The writers strike, but not just the writers strike now, Kyra. We have another strike in the entertainment industry. It's unrelated. It's the Broadway stage hands, they have walked out. They walked out on Saturday morning picking up their picket signs in New York City, shutting down 27 Broadway shows. Now the Broadway stagehands had been working without a contract for months, but negotiations between the union and theater owners and producers broke down last week.

Now, the union says that they have to strike so they can prevent job and wage cuts. The Broadway producers says that the union is trying to hold on to what they say are these wasteful practices. What this basically boils down to is the number of people needed when a show is being created in the theater. Under the old contract producers had to hire a set number of stagehands, even if there wasn't enough work for them.

There are no scheduled talks right now. This strike could run on for a while and threaten what is, of course, one of the most profitable times of the year on Broadway, right around the holidays.

There are eight theaters that have a separate contract with the union. So their shows are still running. But most of the big Broadway shows, the ones you know, like the "Rent" and "Phantom of the Opera" and "The Lion King", those for the time being are shut down. And the strike is definitely catching some people off guard.

On Saturday we saw busloads of tourists from all over, including places like Washington, D.C., who drove up for a show only to find out that the theater is closed. Now, if you happen to have tickets for a show that's cancelled the producers do say that you will get a full refund.

But imagine, Kyra, you're planning your first trip to New York City in your life for who knows how long. And, of course, Broadway is always a part of the trip like that. You show up.

PHILLIPS: Right, you definitely go.

HAMMER: Nothing.

PHILLIPS: And those tickets are not inexpensive.

HAMMER: No, no. It's a big part of the budget, you know, maybe people will go out to eat a little more.

PHILLIPS: That's true. Now, this is totally unrelated to the writers strike, correct?

HAMMER: Yes, that's important to point out. Obviously, they're two huge strikes happening simultaneously in the entertainment industry, but the Writers Guild strike against TV and movie producers, something completely separate. And, yes, that is still going on. Those picketers are entering their second week of their walkout now. And there are no negotiations scheduled at this point. So, this strike could be around for a while as well.

The writers were out early in Los Angeles, today. As you're seeing at several locations. They did take a day off in New York so they could hold some internal meetings at the East Coast. Pickets on the East Coast will resume tomorrow. In the meantime, the writers are trying to take their message directly to the public through the online blogs and websites like YouTube, but the speculation is that this strike could very well go into next year. And it's causing a lot of problems for a lot of people.

PHILLIPS: Well, speaking of writers, there was definitely some sad news over the weekend, we were all following this, all of us in the literary world.

HAMMER: That's right. Norman Mailer, the Pulitzer Prize-winning author did pass away on Saturday. He was 84 years old. Now, Norman Mailer, not just a literary icon who wrote his first best-seller at 25, in 1948. This guy lived a legendary. He enrolled in Harvard when he was just 16 years old. He served in World War II. He ran for the mayor of New York City. He co-founded "The Village Voice" in New York City, published 24 books. And Norman Mailer was married six times.

At times he was out of control. He did stab his second wife with a pen knife, but, you know, even his most outspoken critics respected his talents as a writer. In addition to his literary legacy, Norman Mailer left behind nine children.

Now coming up tonight on "Showbiz Tonight": "Children of Hollywood Divorce". From Britney Spears to Charlie Sheen to David Hasselhoff, the shocking ways their kids have now become the youngest victims of being born into celebrity. It's a special report you're not going to want to miss it tonight on TV's most provocative news show. It's "Showbiz Tonight." Look forward to seeing you at 11 p.m. Eastern and Pacific.

PHILLIPS: Good to see you, A.J.

HAMMER: You, too.

PHILLIPS: Honor among thieves? Not these guys, an elderly victim, a low-down ruse, and a heartbreaking theft.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: A would-be robber in Indianapolis got more than he bargained for at an auto parts store. Take a look at this video. Two brave employees tackled the alleged bandit out of the door, causing him to drop his gun. A store customer picked it up they held the suspect down until police arrived. But police say it's one of the employees handicaps that actually was an asset in this capture. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DET. LEON BENJAMIN, INDIANAPOLIS METRO POLICE DEPT.: One of the other things that is interesting about the second employee that helped apprehend this guy, is that he only has one arm. His other arm is actually a hook. And he was able to use that hook as -- as actually a weapon in subduing the suspect.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: The would-be robber and one employee were treated for minor cuts and abrasions right after that happened.

Well, thieves tend not to be nice guys, right? But these two in New York, you should be ashamed of yourselves. These two men are suspected of robbing an 80-year-old woman by tugging at her heart strings. Listen to this: She says that they posed as flower deliverymen, came up to the door, brought her a bouquet, said it was from her husband. Then they bound her with duct tape. Apparently, they knew that she and her husband kept big bucks around the apartment and they got away with more than $60,000. It was the couple's life savings.

We're trying to get an interview with her and so we can help raise some money. And hopefully these two thugs will be caught.

Next hour of CNN NEWSROOM starts right now.

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