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Jennifer Hudson's Mother and Brother Killed, Nephew Missing; 10 Days and Counting Until the Presidential Election; President Bush Speaks About the Economy in His Radio Address
Aired October 25, 2008 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: A developing story, the mother and brother of actress, singer Jennifer Hudson, found dead and a young family member still missing.
T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: Well, so 10 days to go, can you believe it, before you have to vote for one of these two guys? Maybe a couple other candidates on the ballot as well. The candidates on full force and so were their supporters and so are these guys.
Listen to this. Did you hear what they're singing there, little spin on T.I. tune, "You've got Obama on the left, McCain on the right."
NGUYEN: You can vote however you like.
HOLMES: You can vote however you like. It's encouraging people to vote. We'll talk a little bit more about that and let's see some more of that.
NGUYEN: Catchy. I like that.
HOLMES: It is catchy, but here we are at the "CNN NEWSROOM" starting off your day for you maybe on this October 25th. I'm T.J. Holmes.
NGUYEN: Yes, good morning, everybody. I'm Betty Nguyen. It is 10:00 am here at Atlanta, so let's get you caught up on the news from around the world this morning.
And first up, just a sad story; a family tragedy in fact, for a well-known celebrity. Jennifer Hudson's mother and brother shot and killed. Her seven-year-old nephew is missing right now. And you probably remember Hudson from "American Idol" and the movie, "Dream Girls."
Well, in an interview last year, Hudson said her mom was always a positive force in her life who encouraged her to follow her dreams and never give up.
Police say this man is suspected of abducting Hudson's nephew and our affiliate CLTV reports that they are questioning him in the killings. And just moments ago, we heard from William Balfour, that's his name. We heard from his mother.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) MICHELLE DAVIS-BALFOUR, ABDUCTION SUSPECT'S MOTHER: I just want the Chicago Police Department to quit harassing my family, quit harassing my friends. Quit doing this to my family. I had to leave work in order to come home.
So and my goddaughter had to leave work. We are being victims of something they don't even know the real truth of what's going on with this story. Just bring the baby home. Just bring her son home.
Then, we can go to "Step B." let's first get to "A." Let's just bring this baby back home and let him bond back with his mother. I don't know what's going on, I don't know why are they so focusing on this so hard -- focus on this baby. Where is this child at? Where is her son? That's all I want to know.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Tonight, we're going to turn to Aaron Baskerville with our affiliate CLTV with the very latest on this case.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
AARON BASKERVILLE, CLTV CORRESPONDENT: Investigators are focused on finding seven-year-old Julian King, the nephew of Jennifer Hudson. He still remains missing at this hour. Her brother and mother were both found fatally shot to death on Friday. And police are now interviewing the suspect.
Investigators are still on the lookout for 7-year-old Julian King and a 1994 white Chevy suburban after the murders of 57-year-old Darnell Donerson and 29-year-old Jason Hudson, the mother and brother of academy award-winning-actress Jennifer Hudson.
A suspect from the fatal shootings Friday in Englewood, 27-year- old William Balfour, married to Hudson's sister, is in custody and being interviewed by police.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have some promising leads right now. It's very preliminary right now.
BASKERVILLE: The bodies of Hudson's mother and brother were found Friday afternoon inside the family home on South Yale Avenue on Englewood. Hudson's nephew, Julian King, remains missing. Investigators believe the shootings could have possibly stemmed from a domestic disturbance. So far, they have no signs of forced entry or robbery.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I just don't understand, what could have happened, what could have been wrong. Like I said, they have been staying here forever. And they have really never caused no problem or never had a problem with anybody in the neighborhood.
BASKERVILLE: Balfour's mother claims he has absolutely nothing to do with this and she is pleading and begging for the return of Julian King.
In Englewood, Aaron Baskerville, CLTV News.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: All right and again, all concerns right now for that young man, Julian King, seven-year-olds. They've issued an Amber Alert for this young man, police have. They say, also, the car he may have been abducted in, they're keeping an eye out for right now.
Police trying to find that out, they are asking anybody to -- really to call 911 if you've seen that young man or have any information about this case. But again, I've got the strange thing here. Somebody believes that the suspect in the abducting of the child they do have in custody now.
So where is the kid? So that is certainly a scary situation to think about. We're keeping an eye on this story. We'll bring you the very latest as we get it this morning.
NGUYEN: All right, 10 issues in 10 days. We are counting down to Election Day, breaking down the issues that you care about most and telling you what the presidential candidates want to do about them.
The problems, the plans, from education to health care and homeland security, all of it, we want to kick things off today with issue number one. That is, the economy. Again, 10 issues in ten days only on CNN. So here are some of the big economic stories that we are watching for you this morning.
It's been a roller coaster ride on the stock market dropping 312 points yesterday. But that's not as bad as some thought it would be. Now, the question is, what will Monday bring? Well, we could see movement in interest rates next week. And CNNmoney.com reporting that the Fed could announce another rate drop when they meet on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, gas prices are dropping again. I guess, that's a little bit of good news for drivers out there. The average price for a gallon of regular unleaded is now at $2.73. That's down a nickel from Friday.
And there are more cuts looming at Chrysler. The embattled automaker now says that it will cut some 5,000 white collar jobs. Chrysler is also in the middle of a sale or merger talk with G.M. and Nissan.
HOLMES: Everybody is talking about the economy these days, including President Bush, in his weekly radio address, which starts right now. We'll take a listen in.
(BEGIN AUDIOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The president of the United States, George W. Bush.
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Good morning.
Americans from all walks of life are continuing to feel the effects of the financial crisis. In recent weeks, concerns about the availability of credit and the safety of financial assets and the volatility of the stock market have made many families understandably anxious about their economic future.
The Federal Government has taken bold action to stabilize our economy. Earlier this month, my administration worked with Congress to pass bipartisan legislation that is providing funds to help banks rebuild capital and resume lending.
The Federal Deposits Insurance Corporation has temporarily guaranteed most new debt issued by insured banks which will make it easier for these banks to borrow needed money. And the Federal Reserve is launching a new program to provide support for commercial paper; the key source of short-term financing for America's businesses and financial institutions. These steps are beginning to show results. But it will take time for their full impact to be felt.
In coordination with the United States, many other nations have taken similar steps to address is turbulence in their domestic markets. This crisis is global in reach and addressing it will require further international cooperation.
So this week, I consulted with leaders from throughout the world and announced that I would convene an international summit in Washington on November 15th. This summit will be the first in a series of meetings aimed at addressing this crisis. The summit will bring together leaders of the G-20 nations, countries that represent both the developed and the developing world. And the summit will also include the heads of the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank and the Financial Stability Form as well as the Secretary General of the United Nations.
During this summit, we will discuss the causes of the problems in our financial systems. Review the progress being made to address the current crisis. And begin developing principles of reform for regulatory bodies and institutions related to our financial sectors.
While the specific solutions pursued by every country may not be the same. Agreeing on a common set of principles will be an essential step towards preventing similar crisis in the future. As we focus on responses to our short-term challenges, our nations must also recommit to the fundamentals of long-term economic growth, free markets, free enterprise and free trade.
Open-market policies have lifted standards of living and helped millions of people around the world escape the grip of poverty. These policies have shown themselves time and time again to be the surest path of creating jobs, increasing commerce and fostering progress.
And this moment of global economic uncertainty would be precisely the wrong time to reject such proven methods for creating prosperity and hope. Despite the ups and downs that our markets have experienced in recent months, the American people have reasons for optimism in our nation's economic future.
Throughout our history, we have seen that when Americans are given the freedom to apply their talents and imaginations, prosperity and success follow closely behind. For over two centuries that principle has allowed our economy to overcome every obstacle it has faced. And we can all be confident that it will do so again.
Thank you for listening.
(END AUDIOTAPE)
HOLMES: President Bush there, speaking about the economy, wrapping up talking about that we should be confident, certainly a lack of confidence in the markets right now, after another bumpy, bumpy week in the U.S. markets also the world market has really just certainly seen has been a global economic crisis we're seeing.
We just heard from the President there in his weekly address. Also the Democratic address today being delivered by Michelle Obama. Michelle Obama of course, has been filling in for her husband for the past couple of days, while he was visiting his ailing grandmother out in Hawaii. But this weekend, she's actually delivering the Democratic radio address. We'll catch up with her on that in the next hour.
Well, of course, we're on the last lap. Now, this last lap of the campaign is 10 days long. The first lap was about two years long, it seemed. The candidates pounding the pavement in the battleground states today.
Obama is back from Hawaii where he has visited his grandmother; he is in Nevada and New Mexico. He gets there not long after John McCain leaves and McCain spends time in New Mexico before then leaving for Iowa.
McCain's running mate, Sarah Palin starts her day off in Iowa and then it's on to Indiana and the Olden Fort (ph) in Florida. And Democratic VP candidate Joe Biden will be in Virginia.
We will turn to our reporters now. Our coverage today, includes those two familiar faces, Sasha Johnson in D.C. also Paul Steinhauser in Ohio for us today.
Sasha, I will start with you. Obama is back. He has been off the trail for a couple of days of course, listening -- oh excuse me visiting his grandmother. What does he come back to? What exactly is his plan now that he is back in his home stretch?
SASHA JOHNSON, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL PRODUCER: Well, he's back and he's going to spend the next couple of days hitting George Bush states, red Republican states that he hopes to turn blue.
Today, we can expect him to hit John McCain a bit for the recent news that George Bush voted for him. We know that John McCain has tried to distance himself from the President and Barack Obama is looking to join the two at every turn.
So we can see -- we can expect to see over the next couple of days, he'll continue on that message. He'll also continue just to keep at what his campaign calls the consistent closing argument of change. And we can really expect him to visit a lot of these Republican states and kind of stay away from the Democratic ones.
HOLMES: Paul, we heard that Sasha has talk about that consistent message in hitting some of -- or going on the offense against some of those red states. Well, that's exactly the opposite, some would say, of what McCain has been doing. His message hasn't been consistent some would say and also that he's having to play defense.
Is that still what he is being viewed as doing in these last ten days? Is he still playing defense?
PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN DEPUTY POLITICAL DIRECTOR: Yes, it seems like he is playing defense. Look where he is today. He is in New Mexico, that's a state that George Bush won four years ago. But he's down on the polls there; John McCain is down by about five points.
He's going to go to Iowa also tomorrow, another state that George Bush won four years ago. He's down there as well, so he's trying to play defense in these states that George Bush won. He needs to carry these states if he wants to make it all the way to the White House.
His message? His message is a lot about attacking Obama especially on taxes and redistributing wealth. And this is, I guess, you can call it the Joe the Plumber kind of line of attack. He's mentioning Joe the Plumber in a new TV commercial that criticizes Obama saying that Obama will raise your taxes and redistribute your wealth. And that's part of the attack line that John McCain is doing these last couple of days during the campaign.
HOLMES: And both of you here on this last one, I can ask you. We're talking about these attack ads. And certainly a lot of people thought the campaign took a nasty turn there just a couple of weeks ago and it got personal with this Ayers and we heard that Keating 5, we had all this old stuff, these affiliations and associations brought up.
Are we still seeing that now? Will we see that in the homestretch or is it more, even though, Paul, you were saying, attack ads. Are they attacking each other strictly on the issues now? I'll go with you, you can start there for me, Sasha.
JOHNSON: Oh, OK, yes, they are attacking each other on the issues. You have to remember that in some ways, Barack Obama has got the real advantage here. He's got the money and he has the ability to run biographical ads, issue contrast ads and also some negative ads.
John McCain has less money. So we can probably expect to see his ads a little more negative in the closing days.
HOLMES: And Paul, wrap it up for me.
STEINHAUSER: Yes, there is one other line of attack that John McCain is now bringing out. And you've heard it a lot the last couple of days, he is saying, listen, the Democrats are probably going to make major gains in Congress. Do you really want Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid and Barack Obama running everything? So that's another thing he is saying these last couple of days. HOLMES: All right, Paul Steinhauser for us in the all important battleground states of Ohio. And Sasha for us in D.C., good to see you both as always. We'll certainly be talking to you a lot over the next 10 days.
And a special four-hour edition of "BALLOT BOWL" coming to you live from the campaign trail today. You can hear the candidates as they make their case for the swing votes in those swing states. That's today at 2:00 Eastern.
NGUYEN: And long lines, a two to four-hour wait in fact. Problematic registration and a whole list of problems. And it's not even Election Day yet folks.
So, what could go wrong on November 4th? Well, we are running down the list right here on CNN SATURDAY MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JANE DUCKWORTH, EARLY VOTER: We're going to be out of town for the election. So we wanted to come and make sure our vote was in. My one concern is, I said riding over here was that I hoped all these votes were under lock and key, because I want them to be counted right and don't want anything to get lost.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Well, you just heard one voter there. She is hoping that the vote is under lock and key and doesn't get lost. Well, we know that is probably not going to be the case 100 percent. Should voters heading to the polls be worried about what can go wrong on Election Day?
Joining us now this morning from Washington, Michael Scherer with "Time" magazine, you found several things that could go wrong. But let me ask you this first, before I put up the list of the things you came up with.
Is there, should there be an acceptable level of error? Should we all go into this knowing that you know what, maybe one percent, two percent, three percent, whatever it may be of the vote is not going to count, it's just too many people voting, something is going to go wrong. Is there an acceptable level?
MICHAEL SCHERER, TIME MAGAZINE: Yes, no system is going to be perfect but ours system is especially imperfect. If you compare us to other western democracies, even countries in Europe, we just don't do it as well. And part of that has to do with our history.
Until very recently, we didn't give many people the vote. I mean, voter registration came about in the late 1800s as a way of keeping blacks and the south from being to go to the polls of way of keeping new white immigrants in the northern cities as a way from going -- getting into the polls. So we're sort trying to overcome our history, we have a really clumsy system if you compare us to a lot of other countries.
HOLMES: All right, let's go through this list. You have seven major topics -- there are seven things that can go wrong. Up first and one of them is the database dilemma.
SCHERER: Right.
HOLMES: That you list that can go wrong, another, the Mickey Mouse registration and polling place challenges. Number three, is bad forms.
Let's go back to database dilemma. Quickly tell me, how big of an issue we have?
SCHERER: We don't know yet, but this is the greatest concern of people who follow elections closely. In 2000, it was the voting machines. In 2004, you remember the long lines in Ohio; this time around, it's the databases. It is a relatively new problem. Because Congress has now mandated that all states keep one voter database.
And the states have been using that database to try and weed out people who shouldn't be on the rolls. The question is, are the right people being weeded out. We have lots of anecdotal evidence that people are getting letters in the mails and saying they are no longer are going to be register to vote because we think -- the state doesn't think they are a legitimate voter, when they are legitimate voter.
HOLMES: So good intentions there but you're leaving out a lot of people who should be voting as well.
SCHERER: Right.
HOLMES: We're going to go down to four, five and six here. The voting machine fiasco, unequal distribution of resources, new burdens of proof as well, and also in number seven you listed here was confusing rules and bad information.
Let's go back to the voting machine fiasco.
SCHERER: Yes.
HOLMES: Do we need a uniform system in this country that every single state needs to do it at the exact same way? I know that the electronic voting, those machines, were supposed to help this process they'll be a lot better.
SCHERER: Right.
HOLMES: But you know, it's technology. It goes wrong.
SCHERER: That's right. And there is a particular problem with the electronic machines. Not only do they go wrong sometimes and usually very rarely but if they go wrong there is no way of recounting.
HOLMES: Yes. SCHERER: And that's the real issue with those machines.
If other systems go wrong, you still have some paper ballot. You remember the punch cards back in Florida, it was disastrous to recount them but at least we had something to recount.
There've been cases, where it looks like big chunks of votes are disappearing from these machines. We don't even know if they are disappearing from the machines because it's all on a computer chip and there's no backup system. So that's the big problem with those.
Right now, about 30 percent of voters who go to the polls on November 4th are going to have these electronic machines.
HOLMES: All right, I am going to have to wrap it up here. But you tell me in 10 seconds or less on Election Day, we've got 100 plus million people possibly going to cast their ballots. What is going to be the story line the next day for what happened and what went wrong? What do you think it's going to be?
SCHERER: Well, it's 130 million and not just 100 million and the story line is really going to depend on where the race is close. These issues only matter on the margins, it's only a couple of percent.
So if you have essentially tied races, that's where it matters. So the story line will be wherever it matters the most, whatever problems they were having there right where it's entitled.
HOLMES: Well, Michael Scherer of "Time" magazine, we certainly appreciate you, it's a good read and interesting read and a lot of research you put in to this piece you did. So we appreciate you giving us some time this morning. And hopefully, all is well on Election Day. We will have you back and you look like a genius, because you predicted this thing.
All right, Mike it's good to see you.
SCHERER: Thanks for having me.
HOLMES: Thank you so much Mike.
Well, we want to hear from you. If you run into problems at the polls, you can call our CNN Voter Hotline and you can help us track down the problem. We can report the trouble in real time. The number 877-462-6608, see down there, 877-462-6608 -- Betty.
NGUYEN: All right, thank you, T.J. So you're sitting down to dinner when the phone rings. It's former New York Mayor, Rudy Giuliani, saying something disturbing about Barack Obama. All right, that's the scenario.
Josh Levs joins us now with the CNN's "Truth Squad" to look at these robocalls as they're called that was sent out by the Republican National Committee so for those who weren't sitting down at dinner and didn't get the call, explain how it's played out. JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey well, you know you answer the phone and you hear a message from Rudolf Giuliani. And here is part of what he said.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
VOICE OF RUDY GIULIANI, REPUBLICAN NATIONAL COMMITTEE: You need to know that Barack Obama opposes mandatory prison sentences to sex offenders, drug dealers and murderers.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
LEVS: Now, as you can see right there, we call this one misleading. The message refers to a quote from Obama. Well, here is the quote, it's all the way back from October, 2003 at a debate when Obama was running for the Senate. You can see it on the Internet. Here is what he said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mr. Barack Obama, would you vote to abolish mandatory minimum jail sentences?
SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D), PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: I would vote to abolish mandatory minimum sentences. The mandatory minimums take too much discretion away from judges.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEVS: He had to run now four years later, he even gave a speech at Howard University and brought up the same topic. Here is what he said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OBAMA: I think it's time we took a hard look at the wisdom of locking up some first-time non-violent drug users for decades.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEVS: And he focused his remarks on non-violent drug offenders. That's the same thing on this Web site over here is way time type I'm just going to tell you. He talked about mandatory minimums, but specifically in the context of non-violent offenders.
So, that's why we find this one misleading, he did make that general comment four years ago. But he has since talked about that same topic, mandatory minimums about nonviolent offenders.
Coming up, in just a few minutes Betty, we're going to look at an assertion from Joe Biden about President Bush and withdrawing from Iraq.
NGUYEN: All right, sorting out fact from fictions. Thank you, I do appreciate it Josh. There is much more to come right here on CNN so you don't want to miss that. And including this, a black family in Mississippi says it could have a distant relative in the White House come January and it's not who you think it might be. Family ties going back to the days of slavery.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: All right, there is a family in rural Mississippi that says Senator John McCain is a distant relative.
NGUYEN: Yes and CNN's Jason Carroll traveled to the North Mississippi town of Carrollton for the story of the Mississippi McCains.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JASON CARROLL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: This is McCain country, Carrollton, Mississippi. Senator John McCain's ancestors settled in this rural area in the mid-1800s. And signs of their legacy still exist; there is a McCain exhibit at the museum. The family still owns land where a plantation once stood and there are the McCain descendants.
Do you feel like you're related to Senator John McCain?
CHARLES MCCAIN JR., MCCAIN DESCENDANT: Well, I feel like it.
CARROLL: You do?
C. MCCAIN JR.: Yes.
CARROLL: Charles McCain, Jr. and his sister, Mary, say they are descendants of slaves owned by Senator McCain's great, great grandfather.
MARY MCCAIN, MCCAIN DESCENDANT: I feel that in being that his great, great grandfather once owned our great, great grandfather, there is kinship. There can't help but be.
CARROLL: Like many slaves during the time, Mary and Charles' ancestors adopted their owners' name. Mary and Charles took us to these former plantation where an old home barely stands, an overgrown African-American cemetery waits to be tended.
M. MCCAIN: And this is the grave of Letty McCain here.
CARROLL: It's where their great grandmother is buried. They have a proud history and a tight extended family; reunions are common and attended by black and white McCains.
M. MCCAIN: And this is a picture of Joe McCain, which his brother.
CARROLL: Who is this? Senator McCain's brother.
M. MCCAIN: Senator McCain's brother. CARROLL: So he attended the reunion?
M. MCCAIN: Yes, he attended the reunion.
CARROLL: Mary McCain says Senator John McCain has not attended the reunions. In the past, he said that his ancestors never owned slaves. A campaign spokesman was quoted as saying the descendants are a testament to the power of family, love and compassion. These McCains' look to their past not to place blame but as a reminder of America's shared history.
M. MCCAIN: What has happened in the past has happened. So accept it. Deal with it. And go on.
CARROLL: Post slavery, five generation of Mary's family went on to serve in the military. Some became professors and nurses. The question for this generation is who to choose in the upcoming election. Are family ties stronger than a desire to see the nation's first African-American President?
C. MCCAIN JR.: Actually I'm still undecided.
M. MCCAIN: Barack.
CARROLL: You're going to go for Senator Obama?
M. MCCAIN: Yes.
CARROLL: Jason Carroll, CNN, Carrollton, Mississippi.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: While, learning a lesson from history, the Pentagon prepares for a presidential transition, worst case scenario.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: A tragedy this morning for Oscar-winning actress and an "American Idol" alum, Jennifer Hudson; her mother and brother shot and killed. Also, her seven-year-old nephew is missing right now. Again, you'd know that face there from "American Idol" and the movie "Dream Girls" that she won that Oscar for.
NGUYEN: In an interview last year, Hudson said that her mom was always a positive force in her life who encouraged her to follow her dreams and never give up.
HOLMES: Police now say this man is suspected of abducting Hudson's nephew. This is William Balfour. His mother is now telling our local affiliates that police have questioned him in the killings. Moments ago, we heard from her. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAVIS-BALFOUR: I want to send my condolences to the Hudson family. Whoever has Jennifer Hudson's nephew or Julian, please, I'm begging you. Me and my family are begging you to return her son. I have a child. I can only know what she is going through right now.
My sympathy is going out to the Hudson family right now, my condolences to them. By no means did my son do this.
I just want the Chicago police department to quit harassing my family. Quit harassing my friends. Quit doing this to my family. I had to leave work in order to come home and my god daughter had to leave work. We are being victims of something they don't even know the real truth of what's going on with this story.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Again, there, you have been listening in to the mother of the man who has been questioned now in the abduction of Jennifer Hudson's nephew and also in the shooting death of her mother and brother.
Details now on the story from Kareen Wynter.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KAREEN WYNTER, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: She called Chicago her reality. But for Oscar-winning actress, Jennifer Hudson, the windy city has now turned into a place of mourning.
On Chicago's South Side where Hudson grew up, police found two people murdered inside this home Friday afternoon. Hudson's publicist confirmed to CNN, that the victims were Hudson's mother, Darnell Donerson (ph), and her brother, Jason Hudson.
OFFICER JOSEPH PATTERSON, CHICAGO POLICE: The first victim was a female found in the living room floor with a fatal gun shot wound. The second victim was a male subject found in the bedroom with a fatal gun shot wound.
WYNTER: The family's pastor spoke to a local television station.
VOICE OF PASTOR WILLIE DAVIS, PROGRESSIVE BAPTIST CHURCH: It's a very sad scenario, we discovered, was contacted today to inform us that they found Jennifer's mother and her brother, you know, murdered and in the mother's home.
WYNTER: Later, police issued an amber alert for this seven-year- old boy, Julian King, Hudson's nephew, who may have been home at the time and was possibly abducted by the suspected killer.
Hudson's rise to stardom began with "American idol." She didn't win the title but it helped launch her Oscar-winning career with the film "Dream Girls." She credited her mother with her road to fame.
JENNIFER HUDSON, ACTRESS: I have always had a positive upbringing and positive people around me. That definitely helped out. Even when I feel down, I feel like I don't want to do this anymore, I can't do it anymore. My mother was there to say, this is what you have to do, have to hold on to that. WYNTER: Hudson has held on to a number one single on the Billboard Music Charts. She has a new hit album and a hit movie, "The Secret Life of Bees."
Now, in the midst of success comes sorrow for a young star who never forgot her roots.
KAREEN WYNTER, CNN, Hollywood.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: Again, the important thing now, that young man, 7-year- old Julian King, an amber alert has been issued. This is Hudson's seven-year-old nephew who is now missing. Police say he may have been abducted in a particular car -- I believe we have the picture of it -- I believe that is the one, the car there.
Police also looking for another vehicle involved in this case possibly. If you have any information at all, you are certainly asked to get in touch with police.
NGUYEN: Turning to politics now. Let's see how this race is shaping up.
CNN's senior political analyst, Bill Schneider is in Lima, Ohio, today. So Bill, Ohio voted for George W. Bush in the last two elections. Any chance McCain can carry this battleground state?
Hello, Bill. Can you hear us, Bill?
WILLIAM SCHNEIDER, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Now, I hear you, yes. We are in Ohio. McCain is coming here to Ohio, not exactly where I am in Lima, Ohio. But he is visiting Ohio tomorrow.
This is really a must-win state for John McCain. George Bush carried it in a squeaker last time.
The Democrats would love to carry Ohio. And right now, the polling shows Obama is leading by seven points. The polls of polls that CNN put together; Obama, 50, McCain, 43, which is a seven point margin. It is looking reasonably good for Obama here but there are still seven percent who are unsure.
This not a must-win state for Barack Obama. It was a Bush state before. Obama can win without Ohio if he carries a few other Bush states where he is now solidly ahead like Iowa and New Mexico and possibly Virginia but it is still a crucial battleground state.
NGUYEN: Yes, speaking of battleground states, let's talk about Pennsylvania; McCain has been really working it there. Any movement in that state?
SCHNEIDER: No, we are still seeing Obama with a pretty strong lead; double-digit lead in Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania voted Democratic in the last two presidential elections. A lot of people wonder, what is McCain and his running mate, Sarah Palin, what do they think they can do in Pennsylvania? It's a fairly solid Democratic state. But it is one of the few states where McCain has hopes of taking a Democratic state and turning it Republican. There aren't many of those and Pennsylvania being the largest one is very high on their list.
NGUYEN: And both McCain and Obama, they are out and about just 10 days to go until the election.
What do the polls show in the three states where they are visiting today?
SCHNEIDER: Those are all western states. In all of them, Obama is ahead: Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, three battleground states out west, all of them former Bush states, which shows you something about this campaign. Because the battle ground is in territory that the Republicans held in the last election.
Colorado is a state where Democrats do have high hopes. Obama is ahead there just by a few points. Nevada is a very closely fought state. The Republicans are trying to hold on to it. New Mexico, which is the most heavily Hispanic state in the country, looks like it is tilting fairly strongly to Obama. I would say Nevada is probably the most competitive of those three states. But the Republicans are struggling mightily to hold on to as many of those three states as they can.
NGUYEN: We will see what they do in just over a week left.
Bill Schneider, joining us live. Thank you Bill.
And if you do want to hear more, which hopefully you do, stay tuned. CNN's "BALLOT BOWL" -- you can't miss this. It is a mix of what the candidates are telling voters on the campaign trail. CNN "BALLOT BOWL" this afternoon 2:00 Eastern.
HOLMES: Voters will decide on November 4th, who they want to be calling the shot come January. Of course, there is a little leeway a little time there between Election Day and when the new president actually takes over.
But CNN Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr takes a look at some of the preparations already being made for the new president.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SEN. JOE BIDEN (D), VICE PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: It will not be six months before the world tests Barack Obama like they did John Kennedy. We are about to elect a brilliant 47-year-old president of the United States of America. Watch, we are going to have an international crisis, a generated crisis to test the mettle of this guy.
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: History says Biden is right. The Pentagon months ago assembled a list of major events since 1961 that happened in the first year of a presidency. Three months after taking office, John F. Kennedy, the failed Bay of Pigs operation in Cuba. Eight months after Gerald Ford is sworn in, the fall of South Vietnam. One month into Bill Clinton's presidency, the World Trade Center bombed the first time. And just eight months after George Bush takes office, the 9/11 attacks.
Months ago, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said, the military has to be ready for a post-election crisis.
ADM. MIKE MULLEN, CHAIRMAN, JOINT CHIEFS OF STAFF: I look at what worst case could be and we work hard to do everything we can in the military to prevent anything from occurring and certainly being able to respond in this time of transition.
STARR: The Pentagon now has a massive presidential transition effort to brief the president-elect and get him ready to make crucial decisions, including cutting the $515 billion defense budget in the wake of the Wall Street crisis, reducing troop levels in Iraq and perhaps most urgently, finding a new strategy for controlling the escalating violence in Afghanistan.
Whether it is a crisis or routine business in the opening days of a new administration, the president-elect will also be briefed and ready to go for the unthinkable; how to use his top secret authorities to launch nuclear weapons.
Barbara Starr, CNN, the Pentagon.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: Well, we just see that George W. Bush voted. He sent in his absentee ballot and voted for McCain. But some are saying he voted for Barack Obama. Well, Joe Biden says that.
Our CNN Truth Squad will check the facts though.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GAIL ROTHMAN, EARLY VOTER: I'm just really excited to get my vote done and make sure that it is counted and that I don't have to wait in longer lines on Election Day. I was thrilled to see this many people. I am happy to wait in line. It means more people are engaged, more people are coming out. I have been just amazed at the turnout and the excitement.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: Yes, the turnout is huge. Here is a really interesting question for you today. Does President Bush now support Barack Obama's position on Iraq?
HOLMES: Well, according could go to Joe Biden he does. Is that true? Josh Levs, yes or no, right now, off the top?
LEVS: I'll tell you what you will get the answer in like 15 seconds as we watch the sound bite. How's that? Let's take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BIDEN: Finally, after six years, George Bush is now backing the plan that Barack Obama suggested which is to set a timeline for withdrawal from Iraq, turn over responsibility to the Iraqis. Ladies and gentlemen, that's the agreement we are negotiating now.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEVS: There you go. It is misleading. I'll tell you why.
For years now, the Bush administration has said it would not set an artificial timeline for withdrawal. And then this summer, pointing to improve security in Iraq, the administration started talking about what they call a general time horizon. Earlier this month, the White House described this goal.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DANA PERINO, WHITE HOUSE SPOKESPERSON: We would work on aspirational dates for when our troops, when we would feel comfortable for our troops to be able to come home.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEVS: Aspirational dates she is saying there. Now we have a graphic for you about the draft of the status of forces agreement that CNN obtained. It links troop withdrawals to improved performances of Iraqi troop forces. It also says U.S. troops should withdraw from cities and villages by the end of July and from all Iraqi territories by the end 2011 -- that's should.
And there is a mechanism on both sides to extend or to cut that time frame. Obama's plan calls for a 16-month timetable. He writes about it here on his site. So it is not the same plan. That is why, guys, the "Truth Squad" found this one, misleading. There is your answer.
NGUYEN: All right. Thank you for that. We appreciate Josh.
Here is something though. We want you to stay around for just a minute, because we want to show you folks at home something very exciting here at CNN. Josh got a little part of it, a little taste of what's to come. Comedian D.L. Hughley is joining the team, which we're happy about.
HOLMES: Yes, he will be filling in for me on weekends, I believe.
NGUYEN: Me, too.
LEVS: Pretty please?
HOLMES: He has a new show though, he's debuting called "D.L. Hughley Breaks the News." Here's a little flavor. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
D.L. HUGHLEY, HOST, "D.L. HUGHLEY BREAKS THE NEWS": This week, Barack Obama showed released his medical records. And it showed that his cholesterol level is 173. Now I personally have never heard of a black man with a cholesterol level that low. I walk around with 300, my damn self. If you can put a scoop of mac and cheese and a chicken wing in a blender, that would be my morning smoothie.
Brother, we don't go to "Jumbo-Juice," we go to Jambalaya Juice. Are you crazy?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: The premier episode is coming up. That's this evening, 10:00 Eastern, I believe, and you can catch Josh Levs in it.
NGUYEN: Yes.
HOLMES: Let's show you why he's in it.
LEVS: Oh, boy.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LEVS: Hello, D.L. Hughley? Hello.
HUGHLEY: Hey, what's going on.
LEVS: D.L. I'm Josh Levs from CNN's "The Truth Squad."
HUGHLEY: The geek squad? Wait a minute. I thought you guys were from Best Buy.
LEVS: The "Truth Squad.' We are an in-house back-checking system for stories in the news.
HUGHLEY: I didn't know CNN checked backs. What can I do for you?
LEVS: During your last report there --
HUGHLEY: You mean monologue.
LEVS: I believe, yes, you were the only one talking. You reported some erroneous and misleading information.
First, you said that Barack Obama has a cholesterol level of 173. That is true. However, the second part of your story, where you claim that black people patronize a business called "Jambalaya Juice," that is completely false. There is no record of any such business --
HUGHLEY: Wait a minute. It is just a joke, Josh.
LEVS: Here at CNN Center in Atlanta, we call that lying.
HUGHLEY: I'm a comedian.
LEVS: Liar.
HUGHLEY: Hey man, you better be glad you are in Atlanta.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: I can't believe you called D.L. Hughley a liar.
LEVS: Hey, it's in the script, what can I say?
NGUYEN: He's going to come after you. You know this.
HOLMES: Do we need to clear this up? In the interest of full disclosure?
NGUYEN: Go ahead.
HOLMES: That the "Truth Squad," fact checking D.L. but somebody needs to fact-check our "Truth Squad."
NGUYEN: Because it was wrong.
HOLMES: Because it was wrong. Obama does not have a cholesterol level of 173. It is actually Biden who has it.
NGUYEN: You know what that means. We are the "Truth Squad."
HOLMES: We are the "Truth Squad."
LEVS: Oh, no. We're all in trouble now.
HOLMES: We have got a new team.
NGUYEN: Puts you out of a job. Sorry about it. D.L. is coming after you. Your job is gone. Man, it is not a good day for you, Josh?
LEVS: Do you ever wish you could have a remote control with a trap door button so you could just make your exit.
NGUYEN: You'd be gone.
HOLMES: We actually have that, Josh. Director, take him on out of here.
Let's go back to the one shot, the two-shot of Betty and I, please. Thank you. That works.
NGUYEN: There you go. There is the trap door that we were talking about.
HOLMES: "D.L. Hughley Breaks the News," again that series premiere, tonight at 10:00 Eastern, you can catch that right here on CNN.
NGUYEN: There is much mortal talent on display with a political slant, shall with say.
You can vote however you like.
HOLMES: I love that.
NGUYEN: I love it.
HOLMES: A lot of people recognized at least the tune, because, you have heard it all over the place, the T.I. hit, "Whatever You Like These Days." But these kids put a different spin on it. They're having a good time with a serious message and one that everybody should pay attention to.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHILDREN SINGING: Vote McCain on the right. You can vote Obama on the left. You can vote however you like.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: Yes, you can vote however you like. Those kids getting their message across; thanks to a T.I. song that they changed a little bit. With ten days to go until the election, it's an important message and hopefully T.I. is watching because he'd be proud.
HOLMES: He would be proud. His hit "Whatever You Like" is out there right now.
And Reynolds noticed something.
REYNOLDS WOLF, CNN METEOROLOGIST: I have problems with this. Huge problem with this.
NGUYEN: Yes you do have a big problem with this don't you? We got to put the video up so --
WOLF: When you think about this, somewhere across America, there is a family that's going to the kitchen getting some coffee. They're about to sit down and they look and see kids dancing around with smiles on their face and in the background, a sign that says, malaria kills.
NGUYEN: Maybe it's a two for one event. They are getting information out about malaria, but also about voting. How about that?
WOLF: I guess so, I suppose so. Nice dance moves. You got to like that. Let's dance and have a great time, by the way, malaria kills.
NGUYEN: But you know, that's a good point. That's what it does say in the background.
They are talking about voting right now. That's a whole other topic. We'll get to it later. Maybe there is a song about that too. I don't know, Reynolds.
WOLF: I am going back and doing weather.
NGUYEN: All right, you do that.
Coming up next hour, if Barack Obama's campaign is successful, will more Democrats be elected to Congress? We're going to take a look at who is holding the coat tails.
HOLMES: Also, coming up at noon, our legal guys weigh in on the San Francisco ballot measure that could bar police from arresting prostitutes.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: A look ahead to more tough times. College students planning now for a slim job market in the spring when thousands of grads are up for grabs.
CNN's Stephanie Elam has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN BUSINESS NEWS CORRESPONDENT: For many in the class of 2009, the next step after graduating from college may be the unemployment line. With the country losing about 760,000 jobs so far this year and nursing economic wounds that are far from healed, it is no surprise that companies are cutting back. And if they aren't axing jobs, employers are slashing hiring plans. That's bad news for recent grads.
FARNOOSH TORABI, PERSONAL FINANCE EXPERT: Young adults in some ways are the most financially disadvantaged folks in this country. When you think about graduating from college with an average $20,000 in student loans, a third of college students are graduating with more than $5,000 in credit card debt and they're entering a job market that has a big question mark over it.
ELAM: In a poll this month, the National Association of Colleges and Employers or NACE, found companies plan to hire 1.3 percent more grads in 2009 than this year. While it is not a decrease, it is still a large drop from the group's projection of 6 percent made just in August.
While the number of people who have lost their jobs this year continues to rise, so are the ranks of college graduates. That means lots of competition on the job hunt and it is forcing graduates to get creative.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There are a lot of people who are fighting for the same jobs. So I'm expanding, I guess, my search a little bit.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I started my own company.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I am interested in exploring a variety of fields. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There are a lot of opportunities globally.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Pretty much everyone I know is using the career center a lot more than they imagined they would.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Networking is really all of it, isn't it?
ELAM: The decline in hiring is broad but the NACE survey found the U.S. government boosted its college hiring expectations this month by nearly 20 percent. Of course, recent grads do have one major thing on their side, time.
TORABI: In this economy, even where everyone is struggling, young adults are almost at an advantage. They can make mistakes and they're going to be okay because they've got the whole lifeline until they retire.
Stephanie Elam, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
