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Verdict From Inquest Into Princess Diana's Crash; Polygamist Ranch Raided; With Expected Arrival of Olympic Torch, Protesters Climb Golden Gate Bridge

Aired April 07, 2008 - 14:00   ET

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

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN ANCHOR: Late flights, lost bags, long lines -- you know the drill. Airline quality is down. Way down. And passenger complaints are way, way up.
DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Plus, your house is losing value, and you're losing patience. How can you sell when it's not a seller's market?

We'll tell you how to make home sweet home, home sold home. I'm sure a lot of people would like that advice, right?

KEILAR: Sure.

LEMON: Hello, everyone. I'm Don Lemon, live here at the CNN World Headquarters in Atlanta.

KEILAR: And I'm Brianna Keiler, in for Kyra Phillips.

You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

We have a couple developing stories surrounding the summer Olympic games in Beijing. The first one we want to tell you about, we have some pictures actually to show you here, coming to us from KRON in San Francisco, California.

Those are three protesters who have climbed up the suspension cables of the Golden Gate Bridge there in San Francisco. And they are protesting the arrival of the Olympic torch. It's going to be coming to San Francisco on Wednesday, the only North American stop on its multi-country tour. And these protesters, according to The Associated Press, have gone up these suspension cables of the Golden Gate Bridge, one of them pulling out even a Tibetan flag, obviously protesting the recent crackdown on protests in Tibet.

And here you are looking -- I believe these are pictures in Paris today, where the Olympic torch relay was also met with some major protests. And, of course, when the torch does come to San Francisco on Wednesday, we will bring it to you live all throughout the day.

Again, that is Wednesday, the Olympic torch relay going through San Francisco. You can catch it right here on CNN.

And then the other story we want to tell you about, really politics in the Olympics sort of intersecting here. We've learned that Senator Hillary Clinton is calling on President Bush to boycott the opening games of the summer Olympics. Just the opening games, not the entire -- not the entire games.

And this is something that we've seen from other world leaders. French President Nicolas Sarkozy says he's going to boycott the opening ceremonies, as well as German Chancellor Angela Merkel. But again, Hillary Clinton calling on President Bush to boycott the opening games of the summer Olympics in Beijing.

LEMON: And as Brianna said, we have lots of developing news to tell you about.

We want to take you now to Orange County, Florida, where a suspicious package shut down the Orange County Sheriff's Office for a while there, and two civilian employees had to be treated, treated there at the scene. But here's the information we're getting from our affiliate, WFTV.

Thank you for these pictures, guys, as you look at the people there in the hazmat suits trying to get rid of whatever it is on their hands that they've been touching.

Not sure if it was exactly toxic, but we're being told that all the employees now, all the employees, were allowed to go back into the building about 30 minutes ago. And fire and police officers said it was -- gave them the all-clear, go back into the offices. They're investigating this.

We'll keep on top of it. Any new developments, we'll let you know.

KEILAR: Also this hour, more than 10 years later, after 250 witnesses and $6 million of British taxpayers' money, there is an official ruling on Princess Diana's fatal car crash.

And CNN's Paula Hancocks joins us live now from London to tell us all about it -- Paula.

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Brianna.

Well, this certainly has been a long time coming. More than 10 years after the deaths of Princess Diana and Dodi al Fayed.

Now, the inquest has ended, there is a verdict, and it is a verdict of unlawful killing through the reckless actions of the driver, Henri Paul, who was driving the car with Dodi and Diana, and also of the following of cars. Now, this was the paparazzi. This was one of the strongest verdicts that the jury could have come up with of the five options that they had given to them from the coroner.

Now, it was a majority verdict, not unanimous. They came back just about an hour before and said they just could not get a unanimous verdict. But 9-2 recorded a verdict of unlawful killing.

Now, there were a couple of other things that they said. They said obviously the fact that neither of them were wearing a seatbelt in the back of the Mercedes would have contributed to the cause of death, and also the speed of the car Henri Paul was driving and also the paparazzi cars. The speed of those would have had to be taken into consideration, and could have been part of the cause, and the fact that Henri Paul, according to the French investigation, was three times over the drink driving limit -- Brianna.

KEILAR: And, of course, this is not going to end, I'm sure, any conspiracy theories surrounding the death of Princess Diana, but will this finally end the investigation into the fatal crash?

HANCOCKS: Well, there's been two investigations -- a French one, a British one, and now there's been a British inquest. That is over. But as you say, I mean, the fact that some of these people have been dealing in conspiracy theories for more than a decade, you'd be hard pushed to believe that they will stop dealing in those conspiracy theories now just because of this inquest. Now, the vast majority of people in this country, though, do think this case now should be closed.

KEILAR: All right. Paula Hancocks for us there in London.

Thank you.

LEMON: Texas authorities now questioning scores of children trying to get any information they can about the allegedly abusive world they lived in. Right now, they're spending a fourth day searching the sprawling Texas ranch the children called home and from which they've been removed by the busload there. The ranch near the town of Eldorado is home to a polygamist sect affiliated with jailed leader Warren Jeffs. The massive raid was prompted by a disturbing call from a teenage girl.

Mike Watkiss from our affiliate KTVK has the very latest.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MIKE WATKISS, SAN ANGELO, TEXAS: The most burning question here in west Texas this morning, where is the girl? Of course this massive law enforcement operation began exactly one week ago when a young girl, a 16-year-old girl, mother of an eight-month-old child, placed a phone call from inside that FLDS compound on the outskirts of the little west Texas town of Eldorado claiming that she had been forced into a polygamous marriage with a 50-year-old man and that man had fathered an 8-month-old child with that girl. The girl also said that man had physically abused her.

That was the impetus allowing Texas law officers to enter the compound with a search warrant last Thursday afternoon. The mandate of a judge here in Texas removed all of the children from the compound. Thus far, well over 200 women and children have been removed from the compound.

Initially, they were housed in shelters, makeshift shelters, in the little town of Eldorado, but yesterday many of them loaded on to buses, driven about 40 miles north here to the larger community of San Angelo, where a larger, safer, more comfortable, more secure shelter facility has been set up. They're now being questioned and cared for by a very experienced team, small army of CPS workers here in Texas. They're trying to find out if there are additional cases of alleged abuse. Apparently, officials tell us that at least 18 girls have been identified as being the victims of abuse or in imminent danger of being abused. They're now in greater protective custody.

This, as law officers continue to scour that compound looking for more children. And they're still looking for the girl who made that national call last week, one week ago today.

Is she among the many people they have brought here and now too fearful to identify herself? We've seen this in this culture before, people who are dissidents or perceived as rocking the boat, they are shunned from this community, cut off from everything they know. So they're trying to figure out whether she's already been brought out or has been hidden somewhere else. This, as law officer continue to scour the compound.

A very fluid situation here in west Texas, ongoing investigation.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: That was reporter Mike Watkiss from our affiliate KTVK.

Authorities say the sect contained large extended families, and making identifications have been tough.

So how do polygamist sects get away with it? Ahead in the CNN NEWSROOM, a former sheriff's deputy who converted to a polygamous group after he was sent to investigate one, shares his amazing story with us about how he got into the group and how he eventually got out.

KEILAR: You don't have to fly often to realize there are some real problems with air travel. Now, judging by responses to a new survey of airline quality, passengers are fuming.

Consumer complaints against carriers jumped 60 percent last year. On-time arrivals dropped for the fifth straight year. And, in fact, the survey shows that more than one in every four flights is late. Also on the rise, the number of passengers bumped from overbooked flights, and the number of bags lost, stolen or damaged.

Now, some airlines did fare better than others. Three carriers in particular got high marks from passengers.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. BRENT BOWEN, UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA-OMAHA: The number one rated airline in America today is AirTran. AirTran moved into the number one place from third last year, were followed by JetBlue, that remained in the second position, and Southwest at number three this year, moved up from the sixth position. It's interesting to note that all three of the top-rated carriers are low-cost carriers.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: AirTran had the fewest mishandled bags. JetBlue bumped the fewest passengers. And Southwest had the best on-time performance.

Now, at the bottom of the list, Comair, American Eagle, and in last place, Atlantic Southeast.

LEMON: Well, an extra few days in Hawaii doesn't sound too bad if, well, by choice you want to be there. But some folks are stranded because their airline just went out of business.

(BUSINESS REPORT)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KEILAR: The Olympic torch relay has been met by protests in London, as well as Paris. And ahead of the torch showing up in San Francisco on Wednesday, you can see a protest is going on as we speak in San Francisco.

Three protesters who have climbed the suspension cables of the Golden Gate Bridge right there in San Francisco have unfurled some sort of banner. This is just moments ago.

We've seen some with at least one, according to The Associated Press, with a Tibetan flag. I think you can see it right there in the shot. And they've unfurled this banner and strung it up there on the suspension cables of the Golden Gate Bridge.

Of course, there are many critics of China, which is hosting the games this summer in Beijing. Criticism of China because of the recent crackdown on protesters in Tibet and because of the human rights record of China in general.

But again, this is the latest protest in San Francisco. This happening just moments ago. These protesters unfurling this banner after climbing the suspension cables of the Golden Gate Bridge.

The torch relay coming to San Francisco, the only North American stop on the torch relay on Wednesday. And right here on CNN we're going to be bringing it to you live so that you can witness that ceremony, and also catch any news-making events that could very well happen on Wednesday.

We'll continue to follow this developing story.

LEMON: Yes. And, Brianna, there's some new information. Just as you were speaking, producers are telling me all that's going on, too -- I mean, everyone looks and goes, look how high they are, they're going to fall into the water, but really there's a shot that shows they'd fall into traffic below. And there's tons of cars on the Golden Gate Bridge at this hour.

This is according to the California Highway Patrol, Brianna. It says that the patrol has closed one lane northbound on the Golden Gate Bridge, and they have taken four people into custody, and there are three more people hanging from the cables attempting to put up banners. They are flying the flag from Tibet. That's according to the California Highway Patrol. So CNN has confirmed that. These are live pictures that you're looking at now. Let's see -- they're representing Students for a Free Tibet. Students for a Free Tibet.

Do we have someone on the phone? Am I being told that?

No? OK.

But anyway, these are the protesters that Brianna mentioned. Three people made it up so far. They said they've taken four people into custody. So that makes this seven total, at least, what we know, flying a flag from Tibet representing Students for a Free Tibet.

It may look beautiful, this, with the water and all this in the background, but it's actually very dangerous there, because -- obviously they're strapped to the cables, and I'm sure they're taking all the precautions they can, but there's a possibility that someone could fall and someone could get hurt. And there it is: "One World, One Dream." And "Free Tibet" at the bottom, yes.

KEILAR: Yes. We're going to continue to look at this.

But this is happening ahead of the Olympic torch relay coming to San Francisco on Wednesday. Right here at CNN, we're going to be bringing that to you live all day on Wednesday as the torch makes its way through the city. And you can also check out CNN.com/olympics for any news on the Olympics, or even protests of the Olympic torch relay.

LEMON: Well, tomorrow brings a long-awaited return to Capitol Hill of the top U.S. commander in Iraq, General David Petraeus. Petraeus and U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker are to report again on the state of the war and the troop withdrawal prospects. War supporter John McCain and opponents Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton all will get to question Petraeus and Crocker.

Having failed in a bid to root a Shiite militia in Basra -- to root out a Shiite militia in Basra, Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki says he'll take it on elsewhere. In an interview with CNN, al-Maliki addressed the violence breaking out in Baghdad blamed on the Shiite Mehdi army.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NURI AL-MALIKI, IRAQI PRIME MINISTER (through translator): We have opened the door for confrontation, a real confrontation of these gangs, and we will not stop until we're in full control of these areas. Politically, we've managed to gather a wide national front to politically confront these issues. The operation has started and will not stop until a decisive victory is achieved, a victory that will not enable these people to attack the Green Zone or other areas.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: That was an exclusive interview with our Nic Robertson and Nuri al-Maliki there. But right now we have a chance to giving you a stunning, up-close look at what the Iraqi leader is talking about.

As we speak, Iraqi and American forces are trying to recapture militia-held territory in eastern Baghdad. We invite you to look closely at the interplay between the Americans and the Iraqis.

Here is CNN's Nic Robertson.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice- over): As gunfire erupts, American soldiers take cover.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Is he on the ground or is he on the rooftop? OK.

ROBERTSON: Captain Logan Veath must find the gunman and stop the attack.

CAPT. LOGAN VEATH, U.S. ARMY: We've got one or two shooters located. They PID'd them, or positively identified where they're at. They're being signaled on the rooftops by a couple of guys with flags.

ROBERTSON: For the past ten day, U.S. and Iraqi forces have been trying to take control of these neighborhoods. Neighborhoods, militias have been using to fire rockets with the U.S. embassy in Baghdad's allegedly secured green zone.

Militias turning the people against the U.S. troops.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They turned us into the guys that move forward in and shot innocent women and children deliberately. And that didn't happen.

ROBERTSON: U.S. forces can patrol barely one-fifth of Sadr City because of Iraqi government restrictions.

(on-camera): About 800 yards, about half a mile up the road here is the vast majority of Sadr City, where U.S. troops are only allowed to go on very rare occasions. It's become they say an effective safe haven for the militias from where they're able to plan and prepare their attacks.

(voice-over): But there's one more problem here. U.S. troops must let Iraqi soldiers take the lead in fighting the militias. Captain Veath must convince his Iraqi counterpart to go after the gunmen. And it's not going well.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK, he told me he have little forces.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Little forces?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, little forces.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He's got as many people as on the ground as I did.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There is no reason that you cannot do this. We are behind you 100 percent, but you need to move forward.

ROBERTSON: The gunmen are still shooting. The Iraqi captain reluctant to lead.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. We can provide support but we need you to action it.

ROBERTSON: Just when it's all agreed.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Now is not the time...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: To support...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK, it is -- to move out.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I need you to get your forces over to the mosque and to isolate it.

ROBERTSON: They discover the Iraqi troops have gone to lunch. Fortified with food, they head off around the corner to take on the gunmen. The shooting intensifies. Captain Veath follows...

VEATH: Let's go men, let's go.

ROBERTSON: ... ready for backup. Breaking into a store for cover, he loses contact with the Iraqi captain.

VEATH: We're here and a lot of volume of fire. I've got to figure out what's going on. If they're taking it or if they're giving or receiving.

ROBERTSON: Ten minutes later, the Iraqi troops returned. Three soldiers are injured. They say they killed one of the gunmen.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm proud of your men after what they've accomplished.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I swear you have my (INAUDIBLE).

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK, OK, thank you so much. Thank you very much.

ROBERTSON: As we leave, the shooting intensifies again. The battle for control of Sadr City, a long way from being over.

Nic Robertson, CNN, Sadr City, Iraq.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KEILAR: The faltering U.S. economy, it is causing a lot of headaches for Americans who want to sell their homes. Well, if you are in that boat, how do you close the deal? Tips from our personal finance expert, Gerri Willis.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KEILAR: Some arrests in that protest of the Olympic torch relay coming to San Francisco. We want to tell you about this.

We're hearing from California Highway Patrol that the CHP has closed one lane northbound on the Golden Gate Bridge. They've taken four people into custody, and then there are three more people hanging from the suspension cables of the Golden Gate Bridge. I think you can see the -- you can see them right there.

Now, they're trying to fly -- they're flying a flag from Tibet. They've put up some signs that say "Free Tibet." Obviously a group that is protesting China's recent crackdown of protesters in Tibet.

But this Olympic torch relay has seen protests in London, in Paris today, and now in San Francisco. You can see these pictures just moments ago.

But the Olympic torch relay will be coming to San Francisco on Wednesday. The only stop in North America. And again, protesters there in San Francisco getting a lot of attention for this pretty daring protest by climbing up the suspension cables of the Golden Gate Bridge to suspend these signs.

We're going to continue to follow this protest of the Olympic torch relay, again, coming to San Francisco on Wednesday. We'll have live coverage on CNN all day long.

And in France, police there breaking up human blockades, shoving back protesters to shouts of "Free Tibet!" and "Liberty!" This is just one view of the chaos that greeted the Olympic torch today in Paris.

Huge anti-China demonstrations forced heavy security there. But even so, authorities had to snuff out the torch and bring it on board a bus several times for safekeeping. Officials finally gave up. They canceled the last part of the torch's run through the city.

LEMON: Well, it was quite a different vibe when the Olympic torch came through this city, Atlanta, back in 1996. Sam Shelton created that 1996 torch and some others that have followed. He joins us now with a look inside the mechanic of the torch relay.

It's a beautiful thing to watch. And we know that what's going on now is political, and whatever side it shakes up on. But you still -- when you see it and you feel that torch, you know that it's something that's special and it's amazing.

SAM SHELTON, CREATOR 1996 OLYMPIC TORCH: It really is. And to be out on the relay, it's always amazing to see the magic of the flame, as they call it, the emotional reaction of people toward the sacred flame that is in the Olympic torch.

LEMON: Obviously you make it so that it's not easy to snuff out. You said -- you heard Brianna say they tried to snuff it out. They tried to actually extinguish it in a number of places and had to put it out. But it's designed so it's tough to go out, because you have people running through -- with it through all types of conditions. SHELTON: Being the sacred flame that is lit in Greece from the Sun during the ceremony, is the same flame that ends up in the cauldron at the stadium. Therefore, the flame needs to be continuous. So, if the flame is extinguished, and have a flame out, you have to relight it from a mother flame that is generally following in the van.

LEMON: So, explain what's going to happen here, because it had to be extinguished to go on to a bus? Can you bring it up? We've got the actually one that you designed here. Boy, this is nice.

SHELTON: This is the Atlanta torch from 1996.

LEMON: Wow. That's beautiful. I mean, look at that. Can we get a closeup on that? And it's got -- here, it's got the --.

SHELTON: All the cities.

LEMON: All the cities that --

SHELTON: In the past that hosted the Summer Olympic Games. But the flame has to be robust to withstand winds and rain, and things that could extinguish it. But you certainly cannot design it to resist a fire extinguisher.

LEMON: Absolutely. OK. Or water, right? If it gets dunked. So, then what happens? Where you get the mother flame from? What will happen in this case?

SHELTON: We have lanterns in the caravan, in the vehicle following the torchbearer that is carrying the mother flame that has been lit from the original sacred flame in Greece at Mount Olympus. So then everything stops, and you have to relight the torch from the mother flame in order to continue. So it's a five-minute interruption of the caravan of the relay.

And I can't emphasize how much chaos it generally is with the relay, as it's moving down the street with the thousands and tens of thousands of people out on the street. Having to part the crowds in order to get through.

LEMON: Dr. Shelton, I want to talk about this, because we've been talking about -- this is a statement from Hillary Clinton's campaign saying the president should boycott the opening ceremonies of the Olympics, and I talked to you a little bit about that. What's your response?

SHELTON: Well, the whole concept of the Olympics is to be nonpolitical. In the past, literally wars have ceased for a week or two while people, the countries came together to have the Olympics. So it's really -- the Olympics is designed and the whole concept is to be a nonpolitical event. It's unfortunate that it has been politicized.

LEMON: Yes.

SHELTON: It just changes the whole image of the Olympics, and the sacred flame, and the aspirations that people have to bring people together, symbolizing world peace, overcoming all kinds of adversity for individuals.

LEMON: And the reason I ask you that is because you're very intimately involved with the design and also with the Olympics. A lot of people -- when you look at the athletes and you talk about boycotting, it's a tough situation.

SHELTON: It's tough.

LEMON: Because they practice for their -- almost their entire lives up to this moment. Then there are a lot of people who --

SHELTON: Exactly.

LEMON: -- this is the highlight of their lives and their careers. Even people who are not involved as an athlete. Then to see a possible boycott, it's tough.

SHELTON: Well, before Atlanta, the relay was a two or three-day event that would take place in the city that hosted the Olympics and by Olympians that were in the relay and that was it. Atlanta raised the bar and had a 100-day relay that carried the Olympics out to the people via the torch relay.

And, of course, the risk that you run there, that China is seeing, is that you open yourself up to an uncontrolled environment, where politics and protesters can disrupt the event.

LEMON: Yes. This is, I mean, quite amazing. Sam Shelton -- Dr. Sam Shelton, you look at this -- Brianna you want to go ahead and grab it? She's been sitting here. Thank you for bringing that in. It's actually a beautiful, beautiful thing that you've done. It's amazing to hold.

KEILAR: He's probably going to want this back, though, right?

LEMON: I think he said we could keep it. Is that right?

SHELTON: Not today.

LEMON: Thank you, again.

On Wednesday we want to tell you the Olympic torch will make its way -- it's only U.S. and North American stop here, it is a six-mile tour of San Francisco. It is expected to draw big protests, as we've been seeing. CNN will be covering it live for you. The exactly route was only released just last week along with a resolution by city leaders condemning China's human rights record.

Our thanks to Dr. Sam Shelton.

KEILAR: Meet a Los Angeles woman who's trying to make sure murder victims are not forgotten.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) LEMON: All right some developing news just into the CNN NEWSROOM here, and it involves that Polygamist sect in Eldorado, Texas. We're being told, this is according to the Associated Press, that state police have arrested one person during their search of the compound, which was built by Polygamist leader, Warren Jeffs.

Again, one person has been arrested in Eldorado, Texas, arrested by state police during their search of this compound. As you know, over the weekend authorities removed more than 220 women and children from the Eldorado, this historic fort-turned-museum in San Angelo. That's where they moved to them to, which is 40 miles north. The children are with child protective services.

Some of them had complained about abuse, and authorities there said there was enough evidence that there was possible abuse, or that the situation may have become abusive, that they removed those women and children from that ranch in Eldorado, Texas. Again, we're getting word that one person has been arrested at this ranch during a search. We'll keep you updated.

KEILAR: It is 39 after the hour here in the NEWSROOM. Three of the stories we're working on right now.

The Olympic torch won't even arrive in San Francisco until Wednesday, and the protests there already starting. Three protesters climbed up the suspension cables of the Golden Gate Bridge today and hung huge banners.

Meanwhile, protests overseas against China's human rights record have repeatedly disrupted the torch relay. And also, Hillary Clinton has now called on President Bush to boycott the opening games of the Beijing Summer Olympics.

One analyst says, the past year was the worst year ever for airlines in the U.S. An annual survey of airline quality finds consumer complaints soared last year amid more lost baggage, more bumped passengers and fewer on-time arrivals.

The inquest into the death of Princess Diana has come out with a ruling today. It blames Diana's 1997 car crash in Paris on grossly negligent driving by her chauffeur, as well as the paparazzi who were in pursuit.

LEMON: Murder in Los Angeles. One woman starts her own crusade to remember the victims of tragedy.

CNN's Kara Finnstrom has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Suspects opened fire with, we believe three different weapons.

KARA FINNSTROM, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Murder in Los Angeles.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There were gang signs flashed.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Somebody has come to the conclusion that black lives are not worth it.

FINNSTROM: Another day...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A shootout with a murder suspect --

FINNSTROM: ... another death.

JILL LEOVY, "L.A. TIMES" REPORTER: This dense concentration of violence, it's unlike anything you would see elsewhere.

FINNSTROM: "L.A. Times" reporter Jill Leovy ventures beyond the headlines. She spends most days in the county's most violent neighborhoods.

One year ago she made a commitment to cover not only the county's high-profile murders, but every single murder. Leovy created the "L.A. Times" Homicide Report, an online blog.

LEOVY: Your basic mission as a journalist, you bear witness, you see things that are unseen. It's sort of awful to think of people being murdered and nobody seeing it.

FINNSTROM: Last year, Leovy blogged the lives and deaths of about 900 people, going into neighborhoods, interviewing families and police. Blogging as much detail as possible, covering on average, at least two murders a day. She wants to show the gruesome toll on Latino and black families.

LEOVY: Here is this glaring, glaring category of suffering that is so extremely divided along racial lines, where some people must watch their sons day and night and contemplate the idea of them being -- being murdered.

FINNSTROM: We followed Leovy through one day in that universe.

LEOVY: I always like to keep records of the T-shirts and stuff. The -- kind of language of mourning down here, that everybody -- the shrines just go up immediately, and there's certain traditions that go around the homicides.

Have you solved anything else lately?

FINNSTROM: Detective Sal LaBarbera talks with Leovy often.

DET. SAL LABARBERA, LOS ANGELES POLICE: Almost 70 percent of our homicides here are gang related. Our biggest obstacle has always been winning over witnesses. There's still that mindset of retaliation by gang members.

FINNSTROM: Across town -- an arrest has been made in murder of Barbara Pritchett's 15-year-old Devon (ph).

LEOVY: Barbara? FINNSTROM: But that hasn't eased this mother's grief. Six month's after Devon's murder, she has not returned to work and has trouble just functioning.

BARBARA PRITCHETT, MOTHER OF VICTIM: Every morning he would come and he'd have to kiss me and he'd have to tell me he loved me. And I'd have to tell him, get out of here, leave me alone, you know? But I miss that.

FINNSTROM: Devon's story is told in the homicide report. Leovy has profiled his family for months, going into more detail than is possible with all victims.

LEOVY: You say, I'm sorry you lost your son, they'll say no, my son was murdered. My son, Devon, who was a class clown and he was silly and was kind of tall for his age, was murdered by another human being.

FINNSTROM: The blog recounts how an argument led to a man shooting at children at a city bus stop.

PRITCHETT: When the kids got off the bus, they just came out and opened fire. And my son was shot one time in the head.

FINNSTROM (on-camera): What's next for you?

PRITCHETT: I don't know. I'm lost.

FINNSTROM (voice-over): Leovy wants to do more in-depth stories about all the reasons murder is destroying families like the Pritchetts. She worries slapping a label on gang-related label on violence oversimplifies the problem, making it easier for society to dismiss murder.

RUBEN VIVES, "L.A. TIMES" REPORTER: He was shot last year in October ...

FINNSTROM: She's handing off writing the 'Homicide Report' to journalist, Ruben Vives.

VIVES: You feel guilty that you don't spend enough time on some of these, that you want to figure out what happened.

FINNSTROM: Leovy will now have the time she needs to delve deeper, knowing the blog she started will keep sharing the grief, the horror of homicide, one victim at a time.

Kara Finnstrom for CNN, Los Angeles.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KEILAR: The faltering U.S. economy, it is causing a lot of headaches for Americans who want to sell their homes. And if you're in that boat, the big question is: How do you close the deal? We'll give you some tips.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KEILAR: Leading our political ticker, it's off the trail and back to their day jobs tomorrow for the three U.S. senators running for president. John McCain, Hillary Clinton, and Barack Obama will be on Capitol Hill when General David Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan Crocker are questioned about progress in Iraq. Petraeus, of course, is the top U.S. commander in Iraq.

And there's more buzz today over Condoleezza Rice and a role she might play in a John McCain administration. A leading Republican strategist, Dan Senor, told ABC news that Rice is mounting a behind the scenes campaign to be McCain's running mate. But McCain says he hasn't personally seen any signals that Rice is interested in the No.2 spot.

Former Congressman Bob Barr of Georgia is thinking about a bid for the White House. Barr, who quite the Republican Party two years ago, says he's forming a presidential exploratory committee and he'll decide before Memorial Day weekend whether to run for the Libertarian Party's nomination. Barr served in Congress from 1995 to 2003 and helped manage the Republican effort in the House to impeach President Clinton.

LEMON: Talk about unwanted baggage. Airlines facing sky-high complaints from you, the passenger. We have a new report card just out today.

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LEMON: All right. Our Gerri Willis is ace on all things financial -- there she is, smiling right in the monitor -- and especially so, on the subject of buying and selling homes. As everybody knows, it is really tricky out there, especially right now.

But Gerri's going to cut through the fog for us now. She's going to do it right now. She joins us now from New York.

You're going to cut through the fog for us, Gerri. How about it?

GERRI WILLIS, CNN PERSONAL FINANCE EDITOR: Hi, Don.

LEMON: People would love to sell their home.

WILLIS: Well, exactly. And it's really tough right now. The market is the worst, Don, that it's been in ten years, maybe as many as 30. So if you're trying to sell your house right now, you're really going to have to work hard at it.

The first thing you want to think about are comps, that's what the agents call it -- comparable home sales. What are homes like yours selling for, and specifically, how much are they selling for per square foot? So give you an apples to apples comparison so that you can actually price your home perfectly. And that's critical in this market.

Another thing to think about when you're pricing your home are the break points. Buyers have psychological barriers, limits to some price tags. Think about it. A buyer might have a budget for a $250,000 house so they'll pay -- happy to pay $249,000, not happy to pay $251,000. So when you're setting the price for your house you want to keep that in mind -- those barriers, those psychological break points occur, every $25,000 and every $100,000.

And finally, you want to be ware of the falling knife. Listen, if you're in a market where prices are falling hard and fast, which is happening in a lot of markets out there, you want to be sure that you price your house low enough so that the deal doesn't fall out of bed during closing.

Look -- you can be in a situation, a closing can take a couple of months to finish, where prices are continuing to drop, and by the time you hit the closing table and you're selling all those -- signing all those documents, you know, maybe the price is too high, and the buyer walks away. So you want to keep that in mind.

But just a point of reference here, Don, those price tags, they've come down quite a bit, as much as $18,000 February over February, that's eight percent.

LEMON: Wow.

WILLIS: So you really want to think about how you price that house.

LEMON: OK. And also you probably want to negotiate, as well. We talked about negotiating before the real estate agent's commission. Now, we've talked about that before, but now is probably a really good time to do that. You're, I guess you have some leverage now?

WILLIS: Well, I'm going to disagree with you.

LEMON: Really?

WILLIS: I think now is the time you shop hard for the right agent. But look, during the boon, these folks were order takers. You could say, hey, I don't need help getting buyers to my house, they're going to come anyway, so why don't you give me a lower commission. But now that kind of bargaining is much harder to do.

You want the very best agent out there. Hey, maybe they work in your neighborhood or live in your neighborhood so they know your neighborhood really well. That's the kind of person to look for. You want somebody with a lot of experience in the market and maybe as many as seven to eight years of experience. You know why, Don? Because that was the time before the boom. These are people who actually know how to sell houses, they're not just order takers out there.

Another thing to look for is somebody who knows how to promote on the web. You know, so many people start their search online. They're so used to thinking about going online to buy anything, they do it for houses too. Your real estate agent, the best real estate agent, knows how to put a really attractive package together online, can take great pictures, do the 360 view, if you've seen those online. That really helps sell.

LEMON: OK. So when houses were selling, people were bidding each other -- when you go to the open house or whatever. -- and people were all outbidding each other right there.

WILLIS: Right.

LEMON: You could have negotiated your own thing. But now you need someone who can sell your home. That's very good advice, Gerri. Very good advice. I never would have thought about it that way.

And speaking of very good advice, I'm sure there's some good advice in this -- "Home Rich," Gerri Willis' book now out on store shelves.

Gerri, it's a good read, I'm told. I have it, but I haven't had a chance to read it yet. I promise you I will.

WILLIS: We'll have to get you a copy, Don.

LEMON: Yes, and Brianna is reading it because Brianna is in the process of buying a home. And she said there's good information in there, as well.

WILLIS: Well good deal. Thank you so much.

LEMON: All right. Thank you very much.

And make sure you tune in at noon, every day for --

KEILAR: It is good.

LEMON: -- for "ISSUE #1" featuring Gerri Willis and Ali Velshi. It's our in-depth look at all the economic issues affecting your wallet. That's every day at noon, right here on CNN.

KEILAR: An Oscar-winning film star loses his battle with alzheimer's disease. Today, fans of Charlton Heston are mourning his death.

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KEILAR: On the big screen, some of his characters had the ear of God. Today, actor Charlton Heston is being remembered for his bigger than life roles. Heston died Saturday at his home in Beverly Hills at the age of 84. He had suffered from alzheimer's disease. Among his leading roles, Moses and Ben-Hur.

And here's how fellow actor, Mickey Rooney, is remembering Heston.

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MICKEY ROONEY, ACTOR: I'm happy that we've had a chance to see all the great work that he has done, and left for us. He hasn't left anything but memories of greatness. (END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: Heston started his movie career in 1941 and off-stage he served as president of the National Rifle Association from 1998 to 2002.

And we want to know what your reaction to the death of Charlton Heston is. We want to hear from you. And you can tell us what you think his legacy will be, and if you also may have met Heston, you can share your photos, videos and stories with CNN. Just log on to i- Report.com.

LEMON: More than 200 women and children removed from a ranch in Eldorado, Texas, all part of a polygamous sect. We're learning now that one person has been arrested during a search of that compound. Our Ed Lavandera is on top of it. He'll bring you the update after the break.

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