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CNN Sunday Morning
Kosovo Declares Independence From Serbia; Police Learn More About NIU Shooter
Aired February 17, 2008 - 07:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BETTY NGUYEN, CO-HOST: Good morning, everybody from the CNN Center here in Atlanta. It is Sunday, February 17th, I'm Betty Nguyen. Thank you for starting your day with us.
T.J. HOLMES, CO-HOST: And good morning to you all. I'm T.J. Holmes. It's 7:00 o'clock here in the east and 1:00 p.m. in Kosovo, where a new country is being born today. We'll take you there live for this story today.
NGUYEN: We're also live in Illinois this morning. Police have recovered several items in connection with the Northern Illinois University shooter. We're going to tell you what they've learned overnight.
HOLMES: And we are following a developing story in Reno, Nevada. Police say, a serial rapist and killer is on the loose. They are now warning women that he will likely strike again.
NGUYEN: First though this morning: Remembering the victims. Northern Illinois University will hold a memorial service one week from today for the five students shot to death on Valentine's Day.
HOLMES: And classes will resume the next day on Monday, February 25th. University officials say, an increased police presence on campus is meant to reassure them about security. CNN's Don Lemon is on the Northern Illinois University campus where investigators are still trying to piece together a motive for this killing spree. Good morning to you, Don.
DON LEMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT, DEKALB, ILLINOIS: Hey, good morning to you T.J. As memorials grow for the victims, well so do the haunting details about the shooter. Overnight a DeKalb police source confirmed to CNN that Steven Kazmierczak did stay at the hotel near the campus just days before the shooting. The source also said, they found a laptop and that laptop did not contain a hard drive. They found also said they found a duffel bag with ammunition. All this while troubling details emerged about the killer's mental past.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Is there anything you guys can tell us about this computer?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No. LEMON (voice over): Investigators were back at the DeKalb Travel Lodge for a second day to speak with hotel staff about a laptop computer left behind by a guest who checked in last Monday under the name Steve, the same first name as the Northern Illinois University shooter.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Who are you guys with?
LEMON (on camera): City of DeKalb. And so, but you can't tell us why you came back the second time to talk to them?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, not right now.
LEMON: And nothing about the computer?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And nothing about the computer.
LEMON (voice over): The hotel manager's wife says her husband, Jay (ph), was behind the desk when Steve arrive wearing sunglasses. Police say they showed Jay (ph) of photo of Steven Kazmierczak.
RUPAL PATEL, MOTEL MANAGER'S WIFE: But he cannot recognize him.
LEMON: Why not?
PATEL: He's wearing the glasses and all of -
LEMON: But days later, after the shooting, when police called asking if a guest named Steve had left behind a Toshiba laptop computer, staff checked the guest card, the last name unreadable. They sent someone to check room 105.
LEMON: Who found the computer?
PATEL: Well, the maintenance guys. He said it's in there so, he called police and give the room number. (INAUDIBLE)
LEMON (on camera): Where is the registry where he signed his name?
PATEL: Police have it.
LEMON: Police have the registry?
PATEL: Yes.
LEMON: Police called in the bomb squad for a sweep and confiscated the computer and other items. But left behind were clothing, luggage and drawer littered with two sets of unidentifiable packaged pills, energy drinks, empty water bottles and cigarette packs.
Still police haven't found a motive and they're now looking to the 27-year-old's past for clues. According to the "Associated Press", Kazmierczak's parents sent him to a Chicago area group home shortly after high school because he was unruly and refused to take his medication. CNN Chicago affiliate WLS, spoke with the former group home manager.
VOICE OF LOUISE GBADAMASHI, FMR. GROUP HOME MANAGER: He was already on medication at that time and the problem was he wasn't taking it at home and wouldn't follow instructions.
LEMON: What was his condition when he didn't take his medication?
GBADAMASHI: He'd have a cutter, he would cut himself and then he would let you discover it. He wouldn't tell you. He just like rolls his sleeve up and asks a question; and if you would turn around and you had to see it. I guess it was a shock value. We want to help because he can't help himself.
LEMON: Other than the cutting, did you ever see him violent?
GBADAMASHI: Well, it's hard to tell when he's violent because his expression doesn't change. He just strikes out and you just have to really know him in his eyes, you could see it. You can't look at him like, I'm angry, you're going to know it. It's just stoic. It's just stoic.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: And that same DeKalb Police source tells us that the killer checked into another hotel, the Best Western, right down the street from the travel lodge but he didn't stay there. Police say they didn't find the note, so, at this point, they still don't have a motive for this. Well, you know, it's a weekend. It's Saturday and Sunday, a lot of people go to church and we have been talking to some people here about how they're dealing it, and if God is helping them through. We actually went to a church service last night T.J. and we're going to be talking to people about how they are coping with this and perhaps, how faith is playing a role in that.
HOLMES: All right. Don lemon for us there. Certainly, faith is going to be playing a role in the midway today on Sunday. We'll be looking forward to that. Don, we appreciate you this morning. We'll check in with you again.
We turn now to Nevada, where a missing college student's death is now confirmed. But now, police say, she was killed by a serial rapist and they're worried he may strike again.
NGUYEN: An autopsy confirms the body found in a Reno, Nevada field Brianna Denison. Now, she had been missing almost a month and police say she was strangled. DNA evidence does link her kidnapping to attacks on to two other women. We'll get more details on a Reno serial rapist suspect throughout the morning. In fact, we're going to speak with a police officer in a live interview in a 9:00 a.m. Eastern hour. That's 6:00 Pacific. Right here on CNN SUNDAY MORNING.
HOLMES: Also new into us this morning: An arrest in the gruesome killing of a New York psychologist. Police say, this man, you're seeing there, David Tarloff butchered Kathryn Faughey with knives and a meat cleaver, also say, Tarloff told them he had been institutionalized in 1991 by one of Faughey's co-workers and that he'd gone to the office on Tuesday to rob that co-worker. The police chief says, Tarloff has a history of mental problems.
NGUYEN: Well, eight people are now confirmed dead in that gruesome street racing accident in Maryland. It happened before dawn yesterday in Accokeek, which is about 15 miles south of Washington.
HOLMES: And police say, if people were watching on a rural highway as two cars took off in a race and a driver of a third car slammed into the crowd leaving behind the carnage.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CLINTON COPELAND, PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY POLICE: This one was probably one of the worst that I've seen. It would be the amount of victims that were on the scene, it was a pretty, pretty bad scene.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Now, police say the driver of that third car, the one that plowed into everyone was actually innocently passing through and was blinded by the tire smoke but was not involved in this illegal street racing at all. They have caught up with that drivers, have been talking with that driver. No charges have been filed. However, police are still looking for the drivers that were involved in that illegal race.
Well, a violent explosion in Afghanistan, it may be the deadliest attack since the fall of the Taliban seven years ago.
NGUYEN: The suicide bombing happened as hundreds gathered for a dogfight in Kandahar. The city's governor says, about 80 people were killed. Dozens were wounded in the attack and witnesses say, right after the bombing, bodyguards open fire on the crowd. It's not yet clear how many people may have been hit by gunfire.
Another suicide bombing to tell you about this morning: This one in northwest Pakistan. It happened Saturday at the political rally, 40 people were killed when the car bomb went off near the Pakistan People's Party office. The PPP as it's called is the opposition party led by the late Benazir Bhutto. Voting in Pakistan's delayed parliament election starts tomorrow.
HOLMES: And historic day to tell you about in the Balkans. Kosovans are starting celebrating already. They are in pending independence and just a short time ago, President Bush pledged U.S. support.
NGUYEN: Now, the big move comes in less than two hours. That is when Kosovo will formally declare independence from Serbia. CNN's Alessio Vinci is in Pristina, Serbia this morning and he joins us with the latest. I can see people behind you, Alessio. Obviously, they are very excited about this independence.
ALESSIO VINCI, CNN CORRESPONDENT - PRISTINA, KOSOVO: They are extremely excited. They are already celebrating. They have celebrated already for several hours, beginning last night, going around town, waving flags, honking their horns and playing with firecrackers and loud music. This is a day that many in Kosovo Albanians have been waiting for a decade and it is happening now. The Kosovo parliament is expected to convene in a couple of hours. The prime minister will read out the Declaration of Independence, the lawmakers will vote that Declaration of Independence and officially at 3:00 o'clock local time here Pristina, here in Kosovo, this province will declare it's secession from the rest of Serbia and become the newest country in the world. It is a unilateral Declaration of Independence which is expected to be recognized by powerful nations around the world, including of course the United States as the current President Bush saying earlier today in Africa, but also from mostly European Union countries, not all of them, but most of the European Union countries will also recognize independence. But it is also independence by Russia and, of course, by Serbia.
Kosovo officials however have promised that this new state will be a multiethnic state and will take care of ethnic minorities and among them of course, the 10 percent Serbs who still live in this country protected by NATO forces. For them today of course, there is no celebration, this is not a day for them to remember. They are telling us that this is a day of shame, a day that they're also going to make sure that the world will know that they do not recognized Kosovo's independence. That is the big challenge ahead for this small and new country if you want, to make sure that independence will also mean that they send a signal that they can bring together the two communities. As you remember, this administration, Kosovo in 1999, the U.S. went to war, NATO went to war to kick Serb forces out of here and 10 years later, people here feel that United States played a major role. And as you can see in the streets behind me here, there are a lot of people waving not just the Albanian flag but also they're waving the American flag. This is a sign of recognition of course for the leading role that the U.S. had played throughout this decade and especially, at the end of the 1990s when the two sides were fighting a bitter war here between the Serbs and the ethnic Albanians, Betty.
NGUYEN: Alessio, Russia today is expected to call an emergency meeting at the U.N., but at the same time, the Serbian foreign minister says that his country is not going to use force but it could use some punitive diplomatic, political and economic measures against Serbia which will essentially become Kosovo once this independence is declared. So, are they at all fearful of that?
VINCI: Well, what the Serbs have said all along, as we've mentioned that there will be no military actions, they won't probably even have support within Serbia for this kind of military action. What they will do, however, according to several officials with whom I spoke, in Belgrade is that they will downgrade diplomatic relations with the countries who will recognize Kosovo's independence and they do also have a few means and ways to impose some kind of economic blockade if you want, towards Kosovo. There is a large power plant here that works and is functioning thanks to water that comes from northern Kosovo controlled by the Serbs, there is about 14 percent of the territory of Kosovo is controlled by Serbs if you want, by people loyal to Belgrade rather than Pristina. And there is where we can see the potential of problems if you want. That said, the big difference, if you want, between what is happening today and what happened over the last decade is that no matter what will happen here, Serbia will take diplomatic actions against Kosovo, not a military one.
NGUYEN: Yes, it is already threatened the diplomatic actions. Alessio Vinci joining us live from what right now is Pristina, Serbia, but once that announcement is made, it will become Pristina, Kosovo. What a historic day. Alessio Vinci, thank you for that. We'll be talking to you shortly.
HOLMES: All right. Filing taxes is never really fun. You run in to all kind of hang-ups and issues. But what if you try to file your taxes and the government actually said you were dead?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LAURA TODD, LEGALLY DEAD: The IRS says I'm dead. Everybody says I'm dead.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: Hey, then don't pay your taxes, right? This is a battle that one woman has been fighting. She's trying to convince the government that she indeed is alive. Reynolds is alive and well this morning. Well, and he will be not only filing his taxes but giving us the latest on these tornadoes out there.
REYNOLDS WOLF, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Oh, definitely. No question about it. We've got some rough weather in parts of the central and southern plains. But now, that bad (ph) severe weather will be driving its way into the southeastern U.S. So, heads up for you New Orleans and Birmingham and even to Atlanta before the day is out, you maybe dealing with some rough stuff. More on that are coming up in just a few moments.
HOLMES: All right. Thank you, kind sir. We'll see you shortly. Also, we're just two days away from another big political contest. Delegates up to grabs in Wisconsin, so, how are the candidates spending the weekend?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: And we got to look down at some other stories making headlines.
NGUYEN: Yes, a Tennessee woman is at the end of her rope. Just frustrated over fighting to prove, guess this, that she indeed is alive.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LAURA TODD, LEGALLY: I'm tired. I've been fighting this for eight years. And it never ends. I'm very much alive and would like to live out my life in peace without having this problem.
(END VIDEO CLIP) HOLMES: It seems like an easy thing to fix, you just show up and say, I'm alive but it's not that simple. Laura Todd was declared dead eight years when a Florida woman died and Todd's security number -- her social security number was mistakenly typed into that death certificate. She says the mistake is ruining everything from her credit to her tax returns.
NGUYEN: My goodness.
Well, it is not often that you see a theft from a pet store. Yes, this one was caught on surveillance tape in Albuquerque, New Mexico. They're seen hiding a small white dog worth 1,500 bucks. But the store clerk says the dog, there is the picture of that cute little thing, is sick and it actually needs medicine. So, bring it back to the store, would you?
HOLMES: Or steal some medicine.
(CROSSTALK)
HOLMES: Also: We got a young (ph) moose story. You hear a repeat offender, apparently, seen wondering through back yards and maybe looking for some food and this shy little guy has really been through it because wildlife officials shot it with a tranquilizer gun when it wandered into the town last time. Well, they did it again and the moose returned again and it will probably be back again. So, we're going through this routine. They stick it with a tranquilizer, goes away and comes back. So, it continues.
NGUYEN: Probably just hungry or something.
HOLMES: Probably.
NGUYEN: And not for a tranquilize tranquilizer. All right.
Tornado watches are in effect and Reynolds Wolf is here with a look at this extreme weather. OK, who needs to be bracing themselves today?
WOLF: Are you ready?
NGUYEN: Who?
WOLF: Well, let me inhale first. Here we go, exhale. I've got a lot to talk about on this set (ph).
What we're going to be dealing with are tornado watches that are in effect for parts of Louisiana and Mississippi and Alabama and into Florida. And as the storm system pushes eastward, we're going to see more and possibly endure before the day is out. It all stems from the same system that was moving through parts of the central plains just yesterday. And as we speak, the roughest weather is now moving through parts of Hattiesburg. I'm thinking in New Orleans, although you still have some rainfall and here's a proof. We got a shot for you. It's coming up right here. This is compliments of WDSU. Rainy skies, rainy conditions in the French Quarter this morning and telling you as you travel farther north into parts of Mississippi, where you're going to be leaving Louisiana, in to Mississippi, we're going to be seeing that rain really intensify. Let's go back to the weather computer, we're going to follow along parts of I-59 and take you just near Hattiesburg where you just have the roughest weather.
You're not done just yet. You got another round of storms coming in just near Columbia, lighter precipitation but still a chance of flash flooding. We followed the string further to the north up and to core (ph) of Mississippi back near Shiloh and national military park near Pickwick Dam, further north, we go back up into the great lakes. Well, take a look at this. You've got everything in the book for you here. You got rain, sleet, even a little bit of snowfall. The snow and sleet indicated by the pink and white on the screen. Thunderstorms rolling to the Chicago metropolitan area breezy conditions, no question for places like Michigan as well as Chicago and then farther back to Des Moines, we're seeing a little bit of the freezing precipitation and then, the area of low pressure right near Kansas City. So, a least, a good third of the nation today is going to be dealing with rough weather from the great lakes southward to much of the gulf coast then moving to the eastern seaboard by the time we get to the evening hour. However, drier and easier conditions we deal with in parts of the west coast. Look (ph) for snow once again into the Rockies. That is a look of your forecast I've told you. Again, it's going to be a busy time. Let's send it back to you at the news desk.
NGUYEN: Boy, what a weekend it's been.
WOLF: Pretty crazy.
NGUYEN: Texas started off with it and now, it's shifting over to the east and people just needed to be aware and brace themselves. Thank you.
WOLF: You bet.
HOLMES: And President Bush pledges hundreds and millions of dollars to Africa. Also, what he says about Kosovo's independence.
NGUYEN: Yes, and investigators are looking into why the gunman went on a shooting rampage at Northern Illinois University. We're going to have the latest from that investigation.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANNOUNCER: This is CNN: Trusted by more Americans than any other news channel. Now: Back to CNN SUNDAY MORNING.
HOLMES: And President Bush is on the second stop of his African journey this morning. He's pledging more aid to Tanzania and pushing Congress for more money to fight AIDS across Africa.
NGUYEN: Yes. And White House correspondent, Ed Henry is traveling with the president. He joins us live from Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Good morning, Ed.
(INAUDIBLE)
NGUYEN: All right. We're having a little audio difficult with Ed. Once we get him back up, of course, we'll be talking to him about the president's trip and the aid that he has pledged for Tanzania.
And also, I want to tell you about this though. A professor who knew the Northern Illinois gunman talks about why the shooting was such a shock.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Steve had demons of some kind that we weren't aware of even at the last.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: New details about the gunman's personality that may offer insight as to what he was thinking about the rampage.
NGUYEN: Well, Josh Levs is here, Keeping Them Honest on the campaign trail. Hey, there, Josh.
JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, good morning to you guys. OK, you know, we're going to talk about health care this morning and universal health care because I want to see if I can finally pull that major issue in the race out of the spin cycle. We really need to talk about this. Well, Clinton and Obama are continuously talking about their plans. Is it truly universal? We'll have that coming up here right at CNN SUNDAY MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: As we were mentioning, President Bush is on the second stop of his trip to Africa. He's pledging more aid for Tanzania, pushing Congress for more money to fight AIDS across that continent.
NGUYEN: Yes. And White House correspondent, Ed Henry is traveling with the president. I believe that we have audio now. And he's joining us live from Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Hey, there, Ed.
ED HENRY, WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT, DAR ES SALAAM, TANZANIA: Hello, Betty. It's interesting, you know, the president is not very popular in large parts of the world, as you know. But if you look at this morning's paper here, Bush fever rocks Dar, it gives you a sense of the excitement here. But Obama fever, the excitement about the presidential campaign of a native son, Senator Barack Obama also came up today on the president's trip.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HENRY (voice over): He may be overshadowed back home by the campaign to replace him, but President Bush is no lame duck here in Africa. More than a thousand screaming fans lined the red carpet for his dramatic arrival at the statehouse in Tanzania. So, Mr. Bush expressed much (ph) aspirations when a journalist asked the Tanzanian president to react to buzz here on Africa that U.S. Senator Barack Obama may become the first African-American president.
PRES. GEORGE W. BUSH, UNITED STATES: Seemed like there was a lot of excitement for me, wait a minute.
HENRY: Tanzanian president, Jakaya Kikwete gave Mr. Bush a break, dodging any kind of endorsement in the U.S. election.
PRES. JAKAYA KIKWETE, TANZANIA: Let him as good friend of Africa as President Bush has been.
HENRY: Music to the ears of Mr. Bush who obviously didn't want to be upstaged. It didn't hurt that he showed up with a very large gift: $700 million in aid. The millennium challenge account comes with strings, recipients must support democracy and fight corruption.
BUSH: I'd just put it bluntly, you know, America didn't want to spend money on people who steal the money from the people. We like dealing with honest people and compassionate people.
HENRY: He also made a passionate plea for Congress to double funding for his global AIDS relief plan to $30 billion, brushing back criticism that the program is undermined by heavy focus on promoting abstinence.
BUSH: Stop the squabbling and get the program reauthorized. It is an ABC program: Abstinence, be faithful and condoms.
HENRY: His counterpart was so effusive about Mr. Bush's effort that he even dropped the L word, legacy, which White House AIDS refused to use.
KIKWETE: Different people may have different views about you and your administration and your legacy. You, Mr. President and your administration have been good friends of our country and have been good friends of Africa.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HENRY: Now top democrats in Congress privately say that after some fighting over the details, a very likely to give Mr. Bush the $30 billion that he wants for his AIDS relief plan. That could be one of the few bipartisan achievement the president gets in what is expected, as you know, a very tense election year.
NGUYEN: But I have to ask you very quickly about that. You know, we're talking what $30 billion over the next five years. And is it even clear whether this is dropping the AIDS rate in Africa?
HENRY: Absolutely, I mean, the bottom line is that when Mr. Bush took office there were about 50,000 people, I believe, who were being treated for AIDS in the entire continent. Now, it's up to $1.3 million people being treated. That's obviously having a dramatic impact here on the ground. And secondly, the fact is you need this money, the $30 billion just to continue the people who are already on these drugs. Let alone trying to treat even more people. So, they say here on the ground that it is having an impact, Betty. NGUYEN: All right. CNN's Ed Henry, joining us live from Tanzania. Thank you, Ed.
In Dekalb, Illinois, let's talk about that area right now. Because police have returned for a second time to a motel room used by NIU campus gunman Steven Kazmierczak. Police recovered a laptop, missing its hard drive. They also found a drawer littered with empty cans of energy drinks and cigarette packs.
HOLMES: We've also played images of Kazmierczak recent tattoos. One shows a dagger through a skull, another is of a pentagram and another features Billy the puppet. That's an iconic figure from those saw horror movies.
Well, CNN's Abbie Boudreau is in Illinois searching for answers well to this tragedy. Yesterday, she spoke with one of Steven Kazmierczak's professors, and they were close, even exchanged emails just a couple of weeks ago.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
VOICE OF PROF JIM THOMAS, NORTHERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY: I've seen other people walking time bombs. But Steve was not one.
ABBIE BOUDREAU, CNN, CORRESPONDENT: NIU Professor Jim Thomas says he thought and was close friends with this man, Steve Kazmierczak who killed five and wounded 16 students on Thursday.
THOMAS: Steve had demons of some kind that we weren't aware of even at the last. There was no obvious indication.
BOUDREAU: He didn't want to show his face, saying it was too emotional to be on camera. Did he seem depressed? Was he a loner?
THOMAS: Steve is not a loner. He is quiet. People would often say, oh, he's quiet. He's must have been a loner. A lot of quiet people aren't loners. Steve is one. He was not a loner. He was very quiet. He socialized. When I saw him in social situations, he was having fun. What he did to so many people, and you can understand their anger at him. And understand the anger at somebody who would not defend his acts but defend the humanness -- but I can't understand why he did it. No answer.
BOUDREAU: In his last e-mail to Thomas, Kazmierczak said he wanted to be a social worker or an advocate to prisoners. And he says that I hope you're enjoying your semiretirement.
THOMAS: Up to a few weeks ago, my last e-mail with him, he was future oriented - I don't mean future oriented like tomorrow what's for breakfast but future oriented in that he's developing along with his - he was integrating ideas, he was integrating into his interest on corrections and working with kids and other people.
BOUDREAU: University officials say Kazmierczak was on medication but had recently stopped taking it and was acting erratically.
Did you know he was on medication?
THOMAS: I knew he would go - I knew about his, yes.
BOUDREAU: Yes. Was he OK with taking it?
THOMAS: I didn't see him daily. So, I wouldn't know.
BOUDREAU: Thomas says he may never know why it all happened.
THOMAS: Why, what was going on in his head? How can we - will healing come from trying to understand what Steve did, his last moments? What was going through his mind. Because this is no longer about Steve, but it's about all of us. It's about the university and all of those the tragedy has touched.
BOUDREAU: Abbie Boudreau, CNN, DeKalb, Illinois.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: Of course, they are sharing prayers, hugs, tears there in Illinois for the victims of that shooting. They are being remembered in church services this morning.
NGUYEN: CNN's Don Lemon is in DeKalb, Illinois, this morning, joining us. And something that I noted you speaking about, Don, is that people actually want to come out and talk. Usually during times of tragedy, that's a way of healing.
LEMON: Yes, absolutely, Betty. You know, sometimes when we come out to these stories as a media, people don't want to talk. You go to them with the camera and a microphone, and they really, sort of say, they're going to shoo you away because they don't want to talk, obviously.
But in this case, talking to several of the pastors and some people here, they think it's actually been therapeutic and helpful to get their stories out to the media. They've used the media sort of a community to keep in touch with one another. They have been watching a lot of CNN, watching our coverage, watching the memorial services that we've been having on air. And I just want to share with you some of the comments, a little bit, just in a second, about what people are saying.
But even when you read the board here, this board that they have set up. And they have pens and stuff where people come and they sign their names. Most of the messages here, I would say, probably 80% of the messages or more contain some reference to faith, god bless, here for this one. And another one says, NIU you are my home, god bless our school. My prayers are with you and on and on. Same sort of thing -- God bless NIU and all of the families and members who are affected. So, the same thing, people are turning to god, turning to faith to deal with this. Let's take a listen to some of the people we got yesterday before they went to a church service and I'll tell you about what they are doing today as well.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You just can't escape it because everywhere you turn people are grieving and mourning and praying and as I said, you know, our church evangelical free church, we altered our service to accommodate the grieving that has to take place.
LEMON: Do you think that's going to help people get over this?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, I do.
LEMON: Why?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're going to be there for them.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, we are. The kind of church that we go to, I mean, we're there for people. I mean, it's all - I mean, it's all...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Multicultural.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Multicultural. Yes. And I don't know, god, you know god just has a way of, you know, working with people's feelings.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: And yesterday at the Newman Catholic Student Center, there was a memorial service at 4:30 time here. And people talked about how they were dealing with this and how they felt about this. And so we went to church there. Father Godwin, actually, you're going to be talking to him a little bit later on Betty. He's actually here now. As we come back out now live, Father Godwin and Pastor Marks are standing right behind me, waiting to talk to you about faces of faith. And they are just two of the people who shared with me how the media actually has helped people, like I said, it's been sort of therapeutic because it helps to get your feelings out. And that's all part of the healing process.
NGUYEN: And that's something that we don't hear often. Meantime, folks, just don't want to talk to us but I guess in times like this, you need to talk it out in order to get on that road to healing. Don Lemon, thank you for that. We'll be talking with you shortly.
HOLMES: We will turn to some politics now and we need to check the calendar for you. Here's what we got coming up on Tuesday. Primaries in Wisconsin as well as Washington state plus caucuses in Hawaii. Washington state already had contest last week but they'll hand out more delegates this week.
NGUYEN: The democrats are focusing on Wisconsin this weekend. Both Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama have a series of events scheduled there. On the republican side, Mike Huckabee is back in Wisconsin today after a one-day paid speaking engagement in the Cayman Islands.
HOLMES: University, rather universal health care. A topic that the democrats really latched on to and claim as their own but the spin coming out of the campaigns, enough to make you dizzy.
NGUYEN: Fortunately, Josh Levs is here to pull this issue out of the spin cycle and to straighten it all out for us. So, let's get down to the business of it. What are they saying? And can we get to the real truth here?
LEVS: Do you feel like you haven't heard the word universal health care ever so much in your life as in the last six months?
NGUYEN: I heard it a lot.
LEVS: It's stuck in everybody's brain. And that's part of the goal. They say it a lot and I think that's what you're going to get. But is it really what you're going to get? Let's take a look here. Obviously, at CNN, we love to do fact checks. We also love the good folks at factcheck.org that we're going to look at today. There have been all sorts of claims and counterclaims on this issue and this is a top concern for democrats. Also, keep in mind about one in seven Americans does not have health insurance. We're talking about more than the 40 million people. It's a huge number. All right.
Well, in recent days, this group, the non-partisan factcheck.org put out this analysis, and then they updated it following Obama's latest ad in Wisconsin. I'll tell you some of the basics of what they're saying in here. They begin by asking the basic question, would the plan cover everyone? And it finds Clinton's plan comes close, closer than Obama's. They say that Obama is being misleading in their terms when he says that his proposal would cover everyone because it would make coverage available to everyone but the experts at factcheck.org themselves talk to estimated that between 15 and 26 million people would not take it up unless they were required to do so.
You're still talking about a large number of people who according to this plan, according to this group would not have health care. They are also saying that this ad in Wisconsin is misrepresenting words of former labor secretary Robert Reich's and falsely claiming that Obama's plan produced greater savings than the Clinton plan. So, that's factcheck.org looking at what Obama is saying about healthcare.
Let's look at what the same group now, this non-partisan group is saying about Clinton. They say she's stretches the things a bit. Because her plan, they say, would leave out about a million people or maybe more depending how the penalties would be worked out for those that don't comply with her system. This group also says she's leaving it unclear how her mandate would be enforced. Overall, a large number of people, they're saying, would be covered by far under her plan. But it's not quite clear how that will be enforced.
To be fair here, I want to tell you real quickly. Both campaigns offer details on their web sites. They each has something that they call fact check, responding to each others' claims and things that they are hearing. Let's take a quick look there. Barack Obama has his website right there, factcheck.org on his web site, just click on fact check. He says that as president he will indeed sign a law for universal health care and over at Clinton's plan, she cites a whole series of experts who say that indeed her plan would cover a lot more.
So, it is a lot of information that boils down to this. This group is saying that in fact her plan comes a lot closer to being truly universal. Either way, you couldn't literally get every single American covered on both plans.
NGUYEN: Yes but she doesn't explain exactly how that would be enforced and if you don't understand how that's going to be enforced, how do you know if people would truly take it up.
LEVS: Exactly. That's part of a lot of people were seeing. The fight is already on the democratic side and depending who wins that nomination, you can expect to fight with the republicans.
NGUYEN: So, there's discrepancy on both sides.
LEVS: Absolutely.
NGUYEN: Thank you, Josh.
HOLMES: Thank you. And reminder folks, "Ballot Bowl" is back. Your chance to get past those quick sound bites, you get to hear more from the candidates. "Ballot Bowl" comes your way at 2:00 Eastern time today. And we're going to continue with the best political team on television. Coming up at 8, Latinos could be the swing vote in Texas but who are they supporting? Are they supporting Clinton or Obama?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: Coping with the tragedy at Northern Illinois University. And making sense of it all. No doubt it is very, very difficult. But some Christian groups are reaching out to students. Joining me now is the Reverend Godwin Asuquo of the Newman Center and the Reverend Marty Marks at the Lutheran Campus Ministry. Thank you both for being with us today.
REV. MARTY MARKS, LUTHERAN CAMPUS MINISTRIES: You're welcome, Betty.
REV. GODWIN ASUQUO, PAROCHIAL VICAR, NEWMAN CENTER: Happy to be here.
Pastor mark, let me start with you. One of the questions, you're going to have to answer as best you can is why. Why would god let something like this happen to innocent people? How do you even begin to go down that road?
REV. MARKS: Well, a tough question but a question that's been asked for centuries. In a complex situation sometimes the answer is real simple. Things like this happen because there's a god who loves us and believe it or not, that love is shown in the free choice he gives us. You know, he doesn't intervene when we choose to do things that he says aren't wise. Get on the Internet and look at porn. He says, I'm not going to stop you. Yell at your wife, he does not get to stop you. If you get a gun out and shoot people, he's not going to stop you. That free choice is one of his greatest acts of love. So, the why is tough but it's that simple, I think.
NGUYEN: It is so very tough right now when there's so many so much pain and so much anger. Father , let me ask you this. How does this community start to heal? What's your message? How do you help them heal?
REV. GODWIN ASUQUO: Well, Betty, thank you for having us and our hearts go out to all of the family members and relatives of those who were victimized in this tragedy. At this point, as a community of faith, we reach out to students, we open our facilities and we welcome them to come in and talk to the priest and pastors. We console them. We want them to know, that we cannot be defined by this tragedy. President Peters put it in a better word. He said, our outcome, they way we react to this is going to be what will define us. So, we hope that with god on our side and with the good will of all of god's people that we will get through this.
NGUYEN: I think you're so right. This community cannot be defined by this tragedy. But Father Godwin, you knew a lot of these students, how difficult was it for you as a man of faith?
REV. GODWIN ASUQUO: Frankly, it is very difficult because we get in touch with our students very frequently and we know them. We feel as though they are a part of our family members and so when they suffer, we also suffer. It's been very difficult and very traumatic. We open our doors, open our facility and talk to them one to one, talk to their families. We've been to the hospitals and to the residents halls and we just want them to know that they are not alone and we are with them on this and god is with us and the good will of all of god's people are with them.
NGUYEN: And it's good for them to know that they are not alone. Pastor Marks, a lot of students are talking to the media, they are talking to their local ministries, they're wanting to express themselves, get it off their chest, try to heal from this but at the same time does that healing require forgiveness? Because that can be very difficult.
REV. MARKS: Yes, forgiveness is granted to who is part of the question. The killer as you know is dead but forgiveness I guess in a sense for each of us and in moving ahead, we really need to look at how we move ahead and who we become from this. A quote from the movie "Evan Almighty". It's one of my favorite movies definitely where the god figure says, you know, when god, when you pray for patience, does god grant you patience or the opportunity to show patience?
We've been praying for god's presence to be here. I think part of the way we heal and move ahead is to say we're praying for god's presence, how is God using us to be his presence? How do we be his hands, his feet? How do we get the hugs that god gives to his people and who do we become because of that. Well, a terrible tragedy, it doesn't have to define us. And who we become because of this is really I think god's presence among us.
NGUYEN: Absolutely. Pastor Marty Marks and Father Godwin Asuquo, we thank you both for spending a little time with us. I know you got a big day ahead of you as many people are looking to you for guidance and to help them down that road and faith is going to be key in getting the healing that they need. Thank you both for being with us today.
REV. GODWIN ASUQUO: Thank you, Betty.
REV. MARKS: And thank you, Betty, for you and all of the media are doing to help with this healing process. You really are the presence of a loving god through the media. So, thank you guys for being that. Thank you.
NGUYEN: Thank you. All right. Take care. T.J..
HOLMES: Yes, they do. They have a busy day, a big day of work ahead of them but like they say, everybody is coming together. We always do that after a tragedy.
NGUYEN: Yes, and I guess that's the little bit of sunshine in a tragedy like this. You always do see, you know, communities somehow become stronger because of something like this.
HOLMES: The best of the people comes out. Well, folks, you've got an old camera? You got an old TV? Don't throw those stuff away. How about giving it away?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's just astounding what people throw away. Recycle enables an item to be given a second chance.
HOLMES: Yes. It's what's called free cycling, how does it work? Well, just go online.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WOLF: Hi, everybody. I'm Reynolds Wolf. This is a look at today's cold and flu report. And on the map that you see right behind me, you'll notice many of the states are shaded in either red or blue. That would indicate something that's not so good. It indicates that we either have widespread cases or regional cases of the cold and flu through much of the nation. However, a bit of good news, there is one exception, and that one exception would be the state of Florida, which is shaded in purple. And that would mean that they only have local activity. There's a look at today's cold and flu season report.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: All right, everybody loves a bargain, but usually we're talking about, you know, just getting a good price on something.
NGUYEN: Yes. A percentage off or something.
HOLMES: But free, everybody loves that.
NGUYEN: That's a bargain.
HOLMES: Yes. That makes freecycle.org, a bargain hunter's dream. NGUYEN: Yes. No matter what you're looking for or trying to give away, free cycle may be able to hook you up with someone in your community. Kim Carrington sits at her computer scanning the latest offers.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KIM CARRINGTON: All these different items are offered today. Starting with a vacuum cleaner, t-shirts, cereal.
NGUYEN (voice-over): This isn't craigslist or ebay but these perfectly good items are being given away for free every day on the free cycle network.
CARRINGTON: People tell you there's no such thing as anything free. And I love that challenge because I can show them, yes there is.
Free cycle members offer to other members items they no longer find useful through message boards in their local community. Patricia Ray is also a member of the Metro Atlanta group. Today, she is responding to an offer for a camcorder that Carrington has posted.
CARRINGTON: Hi, nice to meet you. Come on in. This is the camera and this is the battery and this is the charger.
PATRICIA RAY, METRO ATLANTA FREECYCLE MEMBER: Oh, great.
CARRINGTON: Enjoy.
RAY: Thank you so much.
CARRINGTON: You're welcome.
NGUYEN: Free cycle began in 2003 and has grown to over 4 million members. Freecycle.org boasts it's keeping over 300 tons of trash out of land fills each day.
RAY: I see so much waste in this world, so much waste. And it's just this waste that I see in my little area, think of how much waste there is in America and all over the world. It is just astounding what people throw away. Freecycle enables an item to be given a second chance.
NGUYEN: Freecycle.org states that their mission is to reduce waste and save precious resources through a worldwide gifting movement. Carrington says that freecycle is changing the world one gift at the time.
CARRINGTON: I got this chair. I love it because it is a recliner chair. This TV, the person didn't want it any more. My son had a keyboard and his broke and someone posted another one and she let me have it. Here is another piece that I got.
NGUYEN: So, who says everything has to come with a price tag. For Kim Carrington, the best things in life really are free. (END VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: And it's easy to join a freecycle group in your area. Here's what you do, you just go to freecycle.org and do a search where you live. A list of local groups will pop up and registering only takes a minute and guess what, it's free. Love it.
HOLMES: I prefer ebay to give my stuff away.
NGUYEN: Because no one will bid on it.
HOLMES: I'll sell it. All right. I want cash in return.
NGUYEN: If you're lucky.
HOLMES: Well, folks, coming up in the next half hour, we're going to be talking about the super bowl of racing, the Daytona 500 and a growing fan base.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: Good morning, everybody. From the CNN Center in Atlanta, it is Sunday, February 17th. I'm Betty Nguyen.
HOLMES: And I'm T.J. Holmes. So glad you could start your day right here with us.
NGUYEN: Yes, new this day: Searching for a serial rapist suspected of killing a college student.
HOLMES: An autopsy now confirms a body found in Reno, Nevada, is that, in fact, of 19-year-old Brianna Denison. She'd been missing almost a month. Police believe she was strangled by a suspect linked to two other attacks on women and they are urging caution now.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DEPUTY CHIEF JIM JOHNS, RENO, NEVADA POLICE: Everybody who's in that area at night should travel in pairs. Young women should not be out in that area found singularly at this point in time late at night. I can't tell you if they are in immediate danger. I can tell you generally, I'm worried this guy is it still out there, and I'm worried that somebody else is going to get hurt.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: And police say, the suspect is a white male between the ages of 28 and had 40, at least 5-feet, 6-inches tall, brown hair, long face, and a square chin. He said to be driving an extended cab truck or an SUV.
NGUYEN: We are also going to get to some more details on the Reno serial rapist suspect throughout the morning. We'll get an update from police in a live interview. That's ahead in the next hour: 9:00 Eastern, 6:00 Pacific right here on CNN SUNDAY MORNING. HOLMES: And also new this morning: An arrest of the gruesome killing of a New York psychologist. Police say, the man you are seeing there, David Tarloff butchered Kathryn Faughey with knives and a meat cleaver. Officers say, Tarloff told them that he had been institutionalized in 1991 by one of Faughey's coworkers and that he'd gone to the office on Tuesday to rob that psychologist. The police chief says Tarloff has a history of mental problems.
NGUYEN: In Dekalb, Illinois, Northern Illinois University will hold a memorial service one week from today for the five students shot to death on Valentine's Day.
HOLMES: And classes will resume in the next day, on Monday, February 25th. University officials say, an increased police presence on campus is meant to reassure the folks on campus that they are safe. CNN's Don Lemon is on the campus, where investigators are still trying to put all of this together. And Don, everybody is still searching for a motive.
LEMON: Everyone still searching for a motive, T.J. And you know, we got some new information yesterday. In fact, just overnight, a Dekalb Police source confirmed to us that the shooter, 27-year-old Steven Kazmierczak, did in fact, stay at a local motel, very near the campus. Checked in on Monday as a matter of fact, checked in under the name Steve. Obviously, the managers of the hotel weren't sure at the time if it was him. But then, investigators confirmed he did stay there. Now, they went to check that room. When they went into the room to check it, they found a Toshiba laptop and also other things strewn about in the drawers. There are some energy drinks, empty water bottles, unidentifiable pills, and also, get this, a duffel bag with ammunition inside. We spoke to the hotel manager's wife yesterday and she told us that police called them actually looking for Steven and looking for a laptop.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: So, you call police after he didn't come back?
RUPAL PATEL, MOTEL MANAGER: No.
LEMON: How did police get here?
PATEL: He was looking at every motel, and he said, this person stayed here? And I -- he gave me the name, so, I saw him.
LEMON: So, police called you looking for this person?
PATEL: Yes.
LEMON: And asking about -
PATEL: The person.
LEMON: And the computer?
PATEL: Yes. LEMON: What did they say the computer?
PATEL: Does anybody forget to come checking (ph) the rooms and they checked out people, you know, the housekeepers, clean all the rooms you know, and I said nobody has found it, but there is the one room left. So, they went to check it.
LEMON: Where is the registry where he signed his name.
PATEL: Police have it.
LEMON: Police have the registry.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: So, again, a police source did confirmed - the DeKalb Police source confirmed to us overnight that that man was, in fact, Steven Kazmierczak, the shooter who killed those five people. Also, they told us as I said, a duffel bag with ammunition was found there. And the laptop computer strangely did not have a hard drive in it. Police say they found no notes. So, at this point, T.J., they still don't have a motive. They were back on the scene, investigators there, for second day yesterday, questioning the hotel managers and looking around again as well.
HOLMES: Yes, who knows if we will ever know? Don Lemon on the scene for us in Dekalb.
LEMON: Very strange, yes.
HOLMES: Yes, Don, we appreciate you again this morning.
LEMON: All right. Thank you.
HOLMES: We now want to take a look at some other top stories making news right.
In Kosovo: A live picture we're looking at here, moving closer to independence this morning. Folks there have been celebrating. The Serbian territories parliament is expected to hold a special session in one hour to hear the prime minister's Declaration of Independence. Washington and the European Union could officially recognize Kosovo as a new country as early as tomorrow.
NGUYEN: Let's take you to Afghanistan now: 80 people are dead in a suicide bombing, dozens of others were wounded in the attack. That bomber targeted a crowd of people as they gathered for a dog fighting competition in Kandahar. Witnesses say, after the explosion, bodyguards actually opened fire on the crowd. And it's not clear how many people may have been hit by gunfire.
HOLMES: And President Bush is visiting a hospital in Tanzania this morning. Earlier, the president signed a $700 million aid agreement with that African nation. He also called for Congress to approve more money to fight AIDS in Africa. The president is on a five-nation trip to that continent. NGUYEN: Back here in the U.S.: Tornado watches are in effect. Reynolds Wolf has been watching this extreme weather, and it's playing out once again today, Reynolds.
(WEATHER REPORT)
NGUYEN: All right, Reynolds. We do thank you.
And check out these photos sent to us by an i-Reporter, Jessie Bernese, from McKinney, Texas took this of the hail in her yard yesterday. And is that a quarter that we're seeing there?
HOLMES: That's a quarter.
NGUYEN: All right. It looks a little bit bigger than that. i- Reports coming in from people all over the place. And we do invite you to send yours i-Reports from your cellphone or online to ireport@cnn.com.
And Stay with CNN. We have the best political team on television.
Coming up: Latinos could be the swing vote in Texas but who are they supporting? Clinton or Obama?
OBAMA: And a little later: Some shocking police video to show you this morning like this one, where a cop and firefighter get into it on the job. What in the world is going on here?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: We're going to the politics now. And three states are voting on Tuesday. There are primaries in Washington State as well as Wisconsin and we got caucuses out in Hawaii.
NGUYEN: Yes. The Democrats are focusing on Wisconsin. Both Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama have more events there today. Republican Mike Huckabee is also in Wisconsin today. He's back from a paid speaking event in the Cayman Islands of all places.
HOLMES: The fine tan we might add. You can't fault the candidates from - also looking ahead, maybe to Texas. The primary there coming up on March 4th.
NGUYEN: And Texas is a big state with some big stakes, like more than 200 delegates. That's a lot. But one group there may hold the key in the Democratic race. CNN's Ted Rowlands reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TED ROWLANDS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): At a rally in San Antonio this week, it was clear that a lot of Latino Democrats love Hillary Clinton. Some experts say, Clinton's appeal among Hispanics is based on her family's long political history, including a Latino- friendly Clinton White House. Anita Arredondo said she likes Clinton in part because she's a woman and also because of health care reform which Arredondo says, she wants the next president to deal with.
ANITA ARRERONDO: I have faith that Clinton -- Hillary will do it. So, I'm voting for her.
ROWLANDS: Another reason thrown out to explain Hillary Clinton's advantage over Barack Obama with Latinos is that because Obama is African-American, Hispanics are reluctant to vote for him. San Antonio's playwright, Max Parrilla believes there is some truth to that.
MAX PARRILLA, TEXAS VOTER: There are a lot of Latinos who don't get along with African-Americans and that can be an issue.
ROWLANDS (on camera): Would that translate to the voting both, though?
PARRILLA: It may, but I think the youth is going to make a difference and I don't think that's so much of a concern with the young voters.
DR. HENRY FLORES, POLITICAL SCIENCE PROFESSOR: In Texas, she's been ahead for a long time. You know, I don't know how much he can cut into that.
ROWLANDS (voice over): Dr. Henry Flores is a dean at St. Mary's University in San Antonio. He specializes in Latino voting trends. Flores says support for Clinton among Democratic Texas Latinos is solid. He also believes that the white vote, which in Texas is the overwhelming majority, may split between Obama and Clinton, making Latinos the swing vote.
FLORES: Latinos could have a significant voice in the whole nomination process for the first time in the history of this country.
ROWLANDS: In an effort to reach Texas Latinos, the Obama campaign has started Spanish language radio ads. The ads which thought a life of public service are an attempt to sway people, Maria de Leon, a grandmother who runs a program for Latino artists. De Leon says she wants to hear more specifics on issues like education and immigration before she make as a decision. She also thinks the Latino votes will be split.
MARIA DE LEON, TEXAS VOTER: I have three children; one is for Obama, one is for Hillary, and the other one is undecided. You know, and I'm just glad they have taken such an interest in this election when they didn't in the past elections.
ROWLANDS: In this election, the candidates are taking a keen in them as well. Ted Rowlands, CNN, San Antonio.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: And Texas is the site of the next Democratic debate. And we will be there to bring it to you live. Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton: One-on-one. You can join the host, Campbell Brown for the CNN/Univision Democratic debate this Thursday night live from Austin, Texas at 8:00 Eastern.
HOLMES: Now, an American dream turned nightmare. People are losing their homes to foreclosure and creditors increasing interest rates. This afternoon at 6:00 o'clock Eastern, we'll introduce to you some people who are facing this problem and learning how to deal with it. Plus: We're taking your questions.
NGUYEN: And if you have a mortgage or credit question, e-mail us: Weekends@cnn.com. We will have counselors answering your questions live on the air. That's today at 6:00 Eastern, 3:00 Pacific. Again, that email address: Weekends@cnn.com.
HOLMES: Of course, the race of all races, the Super Bowl of NASCAR, and it's their first race of the year. They do their Super Bowl with the first race of the year. We're talking about the Daytona 500. Why do corporations like NASCAR so much? Our own Rick Horrow.
NGUYEN: It's about the money.
HOLMES: Our pretty Ricky. There he is.
RICK HORROW, CNN SPORTS BUSINESS ANALYST: It's about the money. There it is. That's Daytona, OK? So, come back a little while and we'll talk about why corporations love NASCAR.
HOLMES: We absolutely will. It's always good to see, Rick. We'll be checking in with him in just a minute.
NGUYEN: But first: Here is CNN chief medical correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta with a preview today's HOUSE CALL.
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, HOUSE CALL: We're playing matchmaker this Valentine's Day weekend. On this week, we impart patients tips to help you find Dr. Right. Plus: It's the peak of cold and flu season. How can you tell which one is ailing you? We'll give you the breakdown.
And could the campaign trail be the ultimate test of the next president's health. All the details are coming up on HOUSE CALL at 8:30.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: All right. It's race day. We're just hours away from the 50th running of the Daytona 500. That is NASCAR's super bowl and they do it first. The first race of the year is their biggest. And it is big business. So, we need our sports business analyst. Rick Horrow. Pretty Ricky what they call him. He joins us now from Raleigh, North Carolina. We talk about more money, more money, more money. Do these corporations like to splash the name of their company on the hood of those cars? Is that what this is all about? And just people watch this race for four hours and see the name of that company so many times.
HORROW: Very sophisticated lead-in, pal, but look. It's a little more complicated than that because Nextel, Sprint, spends nearly $1 billion in all of this. Frankly, they are now getting the return. They're happy with it, 35 other corporations added to the stable in the last couple of years. With all this talk about the economy and how bad it is, guess what? Ad rates up 15 percent. It's all sold out this year. They may expect the biggest ever. And why not? According to a study, the general population is at certain numbers, but the NASCAR fan is more likely to buy videos, cars, everything else than the general population and that's why corporations love NASCAR.
HOLMES: Now, help people understand. It's a simple thing, but really, people got the name of the company's plastered all over the cars. You have the main sponsor that's on the hood you can see, but then, it's just dotted all over the place with all these smaller companies, how big of a deal is it to have your badge, your sticker, or whatever, the name of your company plastered on the side of that car?
HORROW: The studies, one after another have said that the recall is that people will buy, they'll buy more, they'll buy more intensely and again, with all this economic stimulus package, for example, I know where a lot of people are going to spend their rebate checks. They're going to buy NASCAR merchandise and NASCAR products. When you compare the corporate spending for all of the sports, NASCAR is consistent as far as brand loyalty and that's the real measure, and that's why corporations spend the big bucks.
HOLMES: How much growing can NASCAR still do? Of course, we know now for so long, you got a bunch of white guys driving these cars around. You still have a lot of white guys, but there's a lot of them from Quebec, we got Franchitti. We got so many other guys. You got Juan Pablo Montoya, so, it's a more diverse field of drivers at least. Is that going to help NASCAR grow?
HORROW: Yes, white guys from Quebec I guess. White guys from Colombia. But here's the bottom line. There is a lot of diversity now. They're honestly is a driver program that is tailored to expand not only to minorities to women, to a whole host of different demographics. NASCAR is now longer a sleepy southern sport, just to give you an idea. The biggest emerging markets according to a recent study, not just your traditional ones, Atlanta, Charlotte, Washington, D.C., San Francisco, they're trying to build tracks around New York, around western Washington, Seattle, Portland. So, clearly, this is not just a sleepy southern sport. It's 50th anniversary of Daytona 500, you're celebrating diversity as well.
HOLMES: And finally here, the most popular driver in NASCAR. This is the big story this year. Not that guy we're showing. Not that guy either. We're talking about Dale Earhardt, Jr. switched teams. That is a big deal. Now, a lot of eyes are going to be on him. A lot of people are excited about his new team. But his success is also NASCAR's success, isn't it?
HORROW: Well, yes. Maybe 30 percent of the merchandise that's bought over these last couple of weeks are little "E" related. Dale Earhardt, Jr. The family legacy. He's tremendous. He's switched, part of Hendricks motorsports. He's now got Amp Energy, National Guard on the car and it is a significant issue because NASCAR promotes individual drivers. The NFL had two players in their Super Bowl ads according to a NASCAR release. NASCAR has 27 separate drivers in ads today that people will see. So, clearly, it's about the driver.
HOLMES: It's the driver and those personalities and the fights and post-race interviews. It's good stuff. Pretty Ricky, good to see you, Betty really does not like that shirt.
HORROW: Yes, I quite understand. But, Betty, I apologize. You called me tired two weeks ago at the Super Bowl, now you don't like the shirt.
(CROSSTALK)
NGUYEN: You are kind of pastel. What am I talking about? I'm wearing Easter colors, too. All right. Thank you, Rick. Why did you have to go down that road, T.J.?
HOLMES: I thought you wanted to say hi.
NGUYEN: And that's our relationship around here.
All right. Let's talk about this when good cops go bad. Josh, line them up for us.
LEVS: Wait, I hope you're not talking about the fashion police, are you?
NGUYEN: No, I am not wanted to talk.
LEVS: Well, look, we kind of almost match, right? I have no idea.
HOLMES: Do you want a moment? You want me to get out of here.
(CROSSTALK)
LEVS: No. I got to tease this segment, so, we can come back. More and more people are using the power of viral video these days to expose authorities but they think are crossing the line and that is actually have quite an impact. Some surprising new videos coming up. Betty, over to you.
NGUYEN: All right and calling all agents: A car that will give James Bond a run for his money.
HOLMES: Wow.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Updated story we've been watching. Kind of an outrage story as you phrased the other day I think. A sheriff's deputy turns herself in, in Florida.
NGUYEN: It is so hard to watch. Look at this. He just dumps this paralyzed guy out of his wheelchair on the floor when he arrives at the sheriff's office for processing last week. The deputy is out on bail this morning. And take a look. There she is. Charlotte Marshal Jones, she turned herself in yesterday. She is charged with abusing a disabled person, and that is a felony.
HOLMES: Of course, cops, really, we know, have a tough job. We don't take anything away from that. But police officers are human and sometimes as we saw on that video, they do make some questionable decisions and things that -
NGUYEN: And Josh Levs is here with a couple of other cop incidents that you should really watch.
LEVS: Yes, I mean, it's a power game, you know. Look, when authorities come up with you, it's scary. You have to ever deal with the cop; they have all of this authority. They can pretty do whatever they want in that moment. And what people are doing now is they're fighting back using the power of the Internet. And take a look one right here, we're going to show you. This happened in Maryland. It involved a young person, a teenager, who was skateboarding. Well, one of his friends shot video of the cop who came along and started giving this young person a hard time. Do we have that guys, let's take a look. And what we're going to see is with that -- we have it? OK. Because of what happened, because they were able to post this video or not -- maybe we don't have it.
NGUYEN: There it is.
LEVS: Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED COP: Quite enough, because you don't understand the meaning of respect.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEVS: OK. So that went on Youtube and it's about five minutes long.
At one point he pushes him to the ground. He also takes away his skateboard and is able to walk away with it. Now, the kid tries to call his mom. The cop comes along and just screaming at him. I want to talk to your mom. He questions how his parents are raising him. Since, this guy is also been involved in another incident that's also now up on Youtube and he's now been suspended. And authorities are taking action as a result of the Youtube. They specifically said because this was out there and caught on video. And the very end, you say hear him that camera better not be on. Let me show one other before we go here. That's also which is in the news recently. That was just this week where there's an $18,000 lawsuit basically now that this officer has to pay because he came up where this fire truck was assisting an accident. And he came along and tried to force one of the firefighters to move the vehicle and he ended up causing the scene. He now has to pay $18,000. That was just several years ago but the jury just made the decision this week. This officer has to pay $18,000 for having come along in the middle of the fire truck trying to assist these injured people and his case was that he felt he the right to move the fire truck, that he clearly gave the firefighter a very hard time as the firefighter was trying to help someone who was inside the vehicle.
NGUYEN: So, the $18,000, what was that?
LEVS: It's what the cop has to pay for having done this.
NGUYEN: I mean, is that for some kind of a fee?
LEVS: What -
NGUYEN: For the time or just because they disagreed with what had happened and that's fee for (ph) damages or something like that?
LEVS: That's what the damages are. I don't know how the jury broke it down but I know they got all the way to a jury trial. This is from May 2003 and it took until now, this past week for the jury to make a decision about this and what we have from our affiliate out there, $18,000 now, largely, again because of the video. And this is key again. People these days are empowered because they're carrying around these video cameras everywhere they go.
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