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Scott Roeder to Appear in Court Today; White House Releases Report on Economic Benefits of Possible Health Care Reform; GM Set to Close Several Plants and Dealership; Sonia Sotomayor Under Heavy Scrutiny on Capitol Hill; Debris Found Near Air France Flight 447's Flight Path; New Jersey Father Gets Son Back After Years of Legal Wrangling

Aired June 02, 2009 - 09:59   ET

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

HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: The suspect in the murder of a Kansas abortion provider has a court hearing scheduled for today. Scott Roeder had a history of protesting at clinics where abortion is performed. Dr. George Tiller's abortion clinic is schedule to reopen next week.

Judge Sonia Sotomayor making her case on Capitol Hill this hour. She meets the lawmakers who will decide her Supreme Court nomination, and she will face questions that could echo loudly in her confirmation hearings.

Senior congressional correspondent Dana Bash is awaiting the judge's arrival on Capitol Hill this morning. So, Dana, this is more than a charm offensive, isn't it? There's some pretty substantive talk that goes on behind closed doors.

DANA BASH, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: There absolutely is, Heidi. There's no question about it.

First of all, let me just tell you where I am right now, waiting for Judge Sotomayor. I'm on the second floor of the Capitol. You can see we're right off of the Senate floor. And in this hallway, we expect -- I should see her, hopefully, in the next couple of minutes. She's going to walk in and go into the bank of offices right over there. Those are the offices of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. And he's the first person that she is going to meet with -- and to have maybe about half an hour of conversations.

What we're going to see, to your point, is probably some smiles, probably some "I'm so good to see you here" and some pleasantries for the cameras. Both make no mistake about it, both for Democrats and Republicans, they do intend to ask her some tough questions.

And history does show us that these so-called courtesy calls that all of the nominees to the Supreme Court do, that sometimes they don't necessarily go so well and can have an impact. For example, Harriet Miers, one of President Bush's ill-fated nominees for the Supreme Court -- one of the main reasons she was pulled is because the meetings here simply didn't go well. People didn't think she was qualified.

Obviously, Sonia Sotomayor, even her toughest critics say she is qualified. But that just to give you an example of the fact that these aren't just smiles. These are also some substantive meetings that she's going to have, about eight or nine altogether, throughout the course of the day, Heidi.

COLLINS: Yes. And what about this questionnaire now, Dana? What more do they hope to learn before the hearings actually get started this summer?

BASH: We do expect to get some answers to pretty lengthy questionnaire, about 10 pages that the Senate Judiciary Committee sent to her -- probably as early as today, maybe tomorrow. That is going to be some biographical information, her financial disclosures. But also, what they ask for here in the Senate are the writings and speeches and anything else that maybe hasn't become public. They want to see those, as well. So, it could be pretty voluminous, what we'll see.

But the other interesting thing I want to point out to you. You know, we've obviously been talking about the controversy from the perspective of the Republicans, the controversy of what Judge Sotomayor has said about the fact that her Latina roots maybe -- maybe make her more qualified to make a decision than a white male. I'm told by Democrats that perhaps it is the Democrats who are going to ask in these private meetings what she really meant by that. So, it might not be the Republicans who might have a little bit of a surprise here.

Getting the information about what happens in these private meetings isn't always easy, but we're certainly going to try.

COLLINS: Yes, you've got to put your ear really tightly to the door. Is that allowed? All right. Dana Bash. Appreciate it. Thank you.

BASH: Thank you.

COLLINS: One issue that looms large. Race, if Sotomayor would become the first Hispanic judge on the court. But first, she must overcome conservative accusations and as we're hearing now more from the Democrats, as well -- but according to conservatives that she is a, quote, "racist."

So, what strategies will we see from the two parties and the judge herself? Joining us to share some insight: Republican strategist Leslie Sanchez and Democratic strategist Maria Cardona.

Ladies, thanks for being with us this morning.

MARIA CARDONA, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: Thank you, Heidi.

COLLINS: Pretty interesting, I'm not sure if you were able to hear our congressional correspondent, Dana Bash, just a moment ago that it might not be just Republicans who are asking questions about how she's going to make her decisions but Democrats, as well, behind closed doors of some of these meetings today.

Leslie, what do you make of that?

LESLIE SANCHEZ, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: I think it's smart politics. Democrats, just like Republicans, want to get a strong sense of the nature of these comments, how it fits into her judicial philosophy.

And more than anything, I think they don't want to be ambushed in those hearings by a series of questions that may expose a line of thinking that they were unaware of. Now is the time for her to be very balanced, measured, but to answer some of those concerns.

COLLINS: Maria, is there a line of thinking that those who are supporting her were not aware of?

CARDONA: No, I don't think so. And I think these meetings are going to be critically important because they do give these senators a chance to get to know this incredibly impressive nominee who holds more experience on a federal bench than any other Supreme Court nominee at the time they were confirmed. And it gives them a chance to talk about her philosophy, her experiences, they'll find points of commonality, for example, Senator Leahy is a former prosecutor, Judge Sotomayor is a former prosecutor.

So, I think, all in all, they will really get a chance to see who is this person behind the biography, behind the incredibly qualified resume, and frankly, behind all of the newscasts and the news stories that have been written about her.

COLLINS: Well, she is, as we said, on the Hill right now. And I'd love to know the opinions from both of you, different sides of the fence here. If you were her strategist, her person, and you were talking with her about how to handle herself today -- what would it be that you would be preparing her for the most?

Leslie, what about you?

SANCHEZ: I think you alluded to it at the beginning of your segment. If some of these statements that she made -- and interestingly, she made some of these on the record, knowing full well that she's being recorded. When it comes to the issue of ethnicity and race, does one gender dominate the other? Does ethnicity play such a significant role that it doesn't allow for equal justice for all regardless of disadvantage?

There are some serious concerns as to how much she uses that lens by which she views the world to influence her judicial philosophy. That's, I think, the bottom line. With respect to measuring her, I would tell her to be, the characteristics (ph) she has, to be very measured, thoughtful, and very clear with respect to intent.

COLLINS: Maria, what about you?

CARDONA: I would actually tell her, frankly, to be herself. She is from everything that I know about her, everything that I have heard from people who know her very well, her own best spokesperson and her own best strategist. She will be the one to really be able to tell these senators where she was coming from -- if they do have concerns about anything she has said or anything she has written.

And as we all have seen, she is not a shrinking violet. She's incredibly bright and she knows exactly what she wants to bring to this bench and she has not been shy about talking about the fact that her experiences will give her a wealth of wise decisions and a wealth of experiences to draw on to be able to share that with others on the bench.

(CROSSTALK)

COLLINS: Well, then the question becomes, it's really simple and direct one. I mean, should this potential judge, Sonia Sotomayor, actually consider race or ethnicity when she is making judicial decisions? Leslie?

SANCHEZ: No. You know, I think that's really easy. I mean, there's a lot that's been made about race and ethnicity. Let's be very clear -- the president introduced race and ethnicity when he introduced her as the first Hispanic nominee. The White House has pushed her personal story and made that an issue. And I think Republicans have worked very hard to try to differentiate the two.

But there are questions with respect to her statement, her judgments -- and actually, the brevity and lack of substance in some of her opinions. I think those are the questions. That's all fair game when it comes to this.

COLLINS: Maria?

CARDONA: I think it is fair game. But I think what you will also see is that she's not going to shy away from the fact that, frankly, her experiences -- and by the way, Judge Alito said this during his confirmation hearings, as well -- have made her who she is today. It's not ...

COLLINS: Yes, but the question was: should it influence judicial decisions?

CARDONA: But, Heidi, you cannot help bring who you are to everything that you do. Judges are not machines. They are humans. And the fact of the matter is that, frankly, Thurgood Marshall did this, Judge Alito does this.

SANCHEZ: Wait. So, they said the...

CARDONA: They bring their experiences -- no, but hang. Let me finish.

They bring their experiences to really inform the legal merits of what they are deciding on so that they can then inform others who may have not had their experiences about other perspectives and points of view. That's important.

SANCHEZ: The bigger question -- just to clarify -- the bigger question where it gets lost is to what extent do you have what we want is equal justice for all, regardless of disadvantage, regardless of circumstance that you're going to look at this equally regardless of those issues. That's, I think, where people are concerned about her looking through the prism of race and ethnicity. How much influence does that have?

CARDONA: And I think that once these senators get a chance to talk to her and once these confirmation hearings get going, people will understand where she's coming from and be very comfortable in the fact that she has always and continue -- and will continue to make decisions based on the merits. But she will bring in other perspectives, which is an incredibly important thing to do when those perspectives have not been there before.

SANCHEZ: Well, I appreciate the perspectives, we just want, you know, equal justice under the law.

COLLINS: Yes, and we want a whole lot more time for this segment.

(CROSSTALK)

COLLINS: We want to a whole time, right? So maybe we should discuss this again another day, ladies.

CARDONA: Absolutely.

COLLINS: Thank you very much, I appreciate it. From the both sides: Leslie Sanchez, Republican strategist, and Maria Cardona, Democratic strategist. Thank you once again.

I want to remind you ...

CARDONA: Thank you, Heidi.

COLLINS: ... coming this October, CNN will present "Latino in America," a comprehensive look at how Latinos are changing America, reshaping politics, businesses, schools, churches and neighborhood. "Latino in America" coming your way in October on CNN.

President Obama is preparing to head out on an important trip to the Middle East and Europe. He is making a speech about U.S. relations with the Muslim world from Cairo, Egypt, later on this week.

Elaine Quijano is live at the White House for us with more on this.

So, Elaine, there are some big expectations, as we've been seeing for this trip, especially regarding the speech. What does the president hope to accomplish here?

ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Well, that's right -- some huge expectations, Heidi, ahead of this trip. The first part of it, as you know, will be about outreach to the Muslim world. And as part of that actually, ahead of the speech, the president on Wednesday is going to be sitting down with King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia.

And then from there, on Thursday, the president will be delivering that major address to the Muslim world. He'll be doing that from the University of Cairo in Egypt.

Now, officials say that President Obama is going to be talking about ways in which the United States, he believes, can work more closely to bridge the differences, essentially, that exist between the U.S. and the Muslim world. The president, though, is also going to be raising the issue that continues to confound, really, American presidents through the years -- and that is how do achieve peace in the Middle East, how to work towards an effective solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Now, what exactly is he going to say? What kind of tone is he going to set, Heidi? All of that is going to be very closely scrutinized. A lot of people in the region are going to be parsing the president's words here to see whether or not there is some kind of difference in the U.S.'s approach under President Obama -- Heidi?

COLLINS: And then, from Egypt, he goes on to Germany and France, where he's going to be highlighting some other issues, right?

QUIJANO: That's right. He'll be meeting with world leaders. He'll be talking about ongoing issues including Iran and Afghanistan. But on Friday, in Germany, the president will be visiting Buchenwald concentration camp. Now, this is a camp that was liberated by U.S. forces in 1945. It's estimated that the Nazis killed at least 56,000 people there.

President will then go on to visit injured U.S. troops at Landstuhl medical center. And then on Saturday, the president will take part in ceremonies commemorating the 65th anniversary of D-Day. He'll be in Normandy. It'll be a chance really for him to pay tribute, not only to the sacrifices made that day, but more broadly, to America's veterans.

And officials say, there's also going to be a little bit of a message aimed back home, to lawmakers here in Washington, as that budget debate continues. Expect the president, who has been pushing for an increase in funding for the Veterans Administration -- the president will be talking about his commitment to America's veterans as he makes that trip overseas, Heidi.

COLLINS: All right. Very good. Elaine Quijano, outside of the White House this morning. Thank you, Elaine.

And tonight, at 8 o'clock, why former Massachusetts governor, Mitt Romney, is taking issue with President Obama just before he heads to the Middle East. Why Romney says Obama is giving the U.S. a bad wrap. You can watch that tonight at 8 o'clock on "CAMPBELL BROWN."

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is in Honduras today -- her focus, Cuba. She's attending a meeting of the Organization of American States. The 34 members may vote on whether to reverse Cuba's nearly 50-year-old suspension from the group. Clinton is trying to ease long standing resentment of U.S. policies in Latin America.

And new information into CNN this morning on the missing Air France Flight 447. Brazil's air force now says they have found debris in the water. It was near the planned flight path of the Air France plane. But, so far, they have been unable to confirm if the debris belongs to Flight 447.

Air France has been flying relatives of the 228 passengers and crews into Paris. They are gathering to wait for word on the fate of the flight. The U.S. consulate confirms that two Americans were on board, Anne and Michael Harris, moved from Texas to Brazil a few months ago. People from more than 30 nations were aboard that plane.

Quickly now, I want to get over to Rob Marciano, standing by with more.

It looks a little bit more on the flight path here and what was going on, weather-wise, right, Rob?

ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes, both weatherwise, where they potentially -- got the search area there, and, you know, what happens going forward.

Here's the flight path, obviously from Rio heading to the northeast. And we've got the cloud cover laid on, the satellite picture laid on, from right around where the incident happened. You see right off the coast line here, there's some thunderstorms happening here, and then farther to the north where we think that search area is, about 400 or so miles from the military island base, is where that search area's happening right now. That is where some thunderstorms were going on, as well.

So, it looks like they probably went through one line of thunderstorms and then got closer to the inner tropical convergence zone, which typically has some pretty intense thunderstorms and they may very well have gotten hit hard with that. Here's another look at it. The northern hemisphere part of it, here, you see the tropical convergence zone with thunderstorms flaring up. That zone lifts a little bit farther to the north as the season progresses, the hurricane season, which by the way, began yesterday.

We're still on severe weather season. We've got some severe thunderstorms potentially across parts of Oklahoma, Kansas, in through Missouri later on this afternoon, already getting some thunderstorms firing through the Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area, and that maybe slowing down some of your travel.

Also slowing down some air travel, they are trying to get the space shuttle back from Edwards Air Force Base. They got to piggyback on that 747. And they had to fly yesterday and stop in El Paso, Texas, before trying to get back towards Cape Canaveral. And they play this thing in about 11,000 to 15,000 feet, and it cannot, by any means, fly through rain. So, that's the biggest challenge.

They've got to keep it, Heidi, in a crystal clear skies, or at least cloud-free and rainless skies to get it back to Cape Canaveral. And they just kind of land at military bases along the way until they get it back. It's a multimillion dollar project, as you can imagine, to land that thing in California versus Florida.

COLLINS: Yes, understood.

MARCIANO: Still pretty cool, though.

COLLINS: Yes, very cool. All right, Rob. Thank you. Appreciate that.

MARCIANO: All right. Yes. You got it.

COLLINS: I want to show you these live pictures. We are awaiting for those two chairs to be filled with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and also, President Obama's Supreme Court nominee, Sonia Sotomayor. They're going to be coming out.

As you know and as we've been reporting this morning, a lot of meeting and greeting going on today at the White House. Sonia Sotomayor is actually going to be meeting several different folks also on Capitol Hill as well. Eight meetings in all. She's learning more about them, they are learning more about her, and moving toward that confirmation process.

So, again, those live pictures, we'll bring you that shot just as soon as it happens.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: Quickly, those live pictures once again. We are waiting for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and Sonia Sotomayor to come out of the door. And it looks like they are making their way to those seats right. A lot of meetings going on today for Sonia Sotomayor. She'll be having eight meetings on Capitol Hill today, sort of meet-and-greet.

I believe we want to go ahead and listen in for a moment. Again, Harry Reid and Sonia Sotomayor.

SEN. HARRY REID (D), SENATE MAJORITY LEADER: Everyone in America should -- I want them to understand that we have the whole package here. Academically, I mean, I am terribly impressed. Princeton, summa cum laude; we have Yale Law School, editor of the law review -- that's very impressive.

But if that weren't enough, her background is very significant. As a trial lawyer, I've been very impressed with learning everything I have about you. A prosecutor, private practice, and now a judge for these many years -- a trial judge for those many years and now appellate judge.

So, we could not have anyone better qualified. And then, of course, I'm somewhat biased. I think your life story is so compelling that America identifies with the underdog. And you've been an underdog many times in your life. But always (INAUDIBLE). And so, I very much appreciate that.

So, thank you all very much everyone for being here.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thanks, everybody. COLLINS: OK. Well, I don't know about you, but boy, those clicks of the cameras were really loud, we could barely hear the Senate majority leader. But that was what all we are waiting for: Harry Reid talking about Sonia Sotomayor's background -- as today, she goes through a series of meetings.

It's going to be a long day, I think, for her on Capitol Hill; sort of a meet-and-greet process where she'll be talking to several different lawmakers.

In fact, our Dana Bash is standing by on Capitol Hill to talk a little bit more about the day and that photo-op, if you will.

I'm telling you, my ear is ringing with all those cameras clicking away.

BASH: Exactly. You know, and it's true.

I mean, first of all, I should tell you that what you just saw and heard happened behind those doors, in fact, you can see my colleagues in the press corps coming out and the reason why we weren't in there is because it's a very small room and they just allowed a so- called pools of representatives from all of the media to go in there. And that's why we weren't in, but you see the cameras coming out.

And it was hard to hear -- what you heard was just basically the Senate majority leader saying that he is impressed by her resume, impressed by the school she went to, and also, something that was interesting just in terms of knowing Harry Reid and the kinds of things that he really hones in on and he called her the underdog. He said she's been an underdog all her life and perhaps now she'll be the top dog.

And so, just -- let me just give you this meeting as an example, because now, the real meeting is going on. I mean, that was a photo op. You saw the pleasantries.

COLLINS: Yes.

BASH: The real meeting, the substance, is going on right now. And it will probably last for about 25 minutes this first meeting before she heads off to her other ones. But, you know, Harry Reid, for example, he is somebody who likes to get to know somebody, likes to know what somebody is all about.

So, I'm told that that will probably be part of his questioning. But both Harry Reid and other Democrats -- I am told -- are expected, Heidi, to possibly be the ones to ask Sonia Sotomayor for more information, more context about some of the controversial comments that Republicans have been seizing on -- comments suggesting that she as a Latina is more equipped perhaps to judge a case than a white male.

So, it will be very interesting when we start to dig on what happens in these meetings, if we can get the information to find out if it was, in fact, the Democrats who asked for more context for those comments in addition to the Republicans. It could be happening.

But again, the meeting is going on behind me.

COLLINS: Yes.

BASH: Senator Harry Reid is starting and we're going to have a long day following Sonia Sotomayor around Capitol Hill today.

COLLINS: Yes. You got to take your energy pills, definitely.

(LAUGHTER)

COLLINS: All right. Dana Bash, following on the story on Sonia Sotomayor today. Thank you, Dana.

BASH: Thank you.

COLLINS: The White House making its case for health care reform an economic case. This morning, it released a new report trying to answer how the government can save money in the end by spending over an estimated $1 trillion on health care reform.

Our chief medical correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, is joining us now this morning to tell us a little bit more.

So, Sanjay, what kind of health care measures are we actually talking about here? I mean, by way of impacting the economy specifically?

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Well, it's interesting, because, you know, you think about how you make the argument for health care reform. And for so long, we've been hearing, "Look, it's an economic argument as much as it is a health argument." And you're hearing more of the specifics about that now.

When you sort of break it down into costs and access, those seem to be the two pillars that everyone's sort of focusing on. When it comes to cost, overall, the sort of decreasing, slowing, specifically, health care spending by about 1.5 percent a year -- if you want a number attached to that. With the second prong of that ultimately being this idea that you're going to make health care insurance affordable for all people. That's how you think about it sort of generically speaking.

What that translates to, you know, again, having more numbers is that, by the year 2020, for example, it might put $2,600 a year more into the pockets of families. By the year 2030, $10,000 more. Again, these are projected numbers, Heidi. Nothing is guaranteed. But that's sort of how they're making this economic argument.

They go on to say -- I thought this was interesting -- that if people are healthier ...

COLLINS: Yes.

GUPTA: ... if the health care system is working better, it's going to cut down on labor shortages, as well, because people aren't going to be taking sick days. They're going to stay working longer. So, overall, it's going to help grow the economy for those reasons, as well.

COLLINS: OK. Well, talk to us a little bit more about the cost savings here -- their promise. I know we don't have all of the numbers -- but how do they specifically plan to cut costs? And how much could we really be talking about?

GUPTA: Yes. So, you know, keep in mind, this a combination of people within the community, people within business, doctors, medical organizations -- all coming together saying, "Look, we think it can be about 1.5 percent a year in terms of overall savings."

Now, how do they do that? That's a great question. And people say, you know, the health care system becomes more efficient, they create a larger sort of culture of prevention. So, you're preventing diseases from happening in the first place. Those are some of the additional economic benefits overall.

But in terms of how they do this, they think they want to invest in health I.T., information technology.

COLLINS: Yes.

GUPTA: So, for example, you're here in Atlanta, you go to New York. You get sick there. They need to know things about you. Instead of getting every single test again in New York ...

COLLINS: Right.

GUPTA: ... if they had a great health I.T. system, they could just forward a lot of that information. And that would save money.

So, those are some of the ways. But you're right to ask because no one knows for sure how much it's going to save.

COLLINS: Yes. And no more $200 Q-tips when you're at it, right?

GUPTA: Exactly.

COLLINS: Three-thousand-dollar-Band-aids. No.

I shouldn't make light of this because these are lofty goals. I mean, what are critics saying?

GUPTA: Well, they're lofty numbers. They say $2 trillion over the next 10 years.

COLLINS: Yes.

GUPTA: That's about $200 billion a year. And the critics say -- you know, as you might expect -- show me the numbers. Some people have come out, including Charles Grassley, came out and said, "You know, look, even with all those things sort of put together, there's no way we're going to get to these numbers." And to be fair, there's a lot of things that would have to happen in order to A, insure more people, and decrease costs -- because those two things seemed like they would be in opposition as oppose to working together.

COLLINS: Definitely, because those who have more will be paying more for those who do not, correct?

GUPTA: I mean, that's -- if the entire society becomes healthier, if you create this culture of prevention, they say overall in the end, it should decrease costs. But you might end up paying more in the beginning to increase health care insurance and, you know, expand screenings, for example. That's something the president's talked about.

COLLINS: Yes. Very good. All right. Well, it is a huge, huge, story, huge issue. Glad you're on it. We'll have you on many times, I'm sure.

GUPTA: Yes, let's talk about it.

COLLINS: Our chief medical correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta -- thank you, Sanjay.

GUPTA: Thank you.

COLLINS: Even someone who was very close to him is glad he is behind bars. The man accused of gunning down an abortion provider is going before a judge today.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: Arkansas police have arrested the man they say killed one soldier and injured another in a drive-by shooting outside a military recruiting center. They charged Abdulhakim Muhammad -- a 24- year-old man from Arkansas -- with first-degree murder. He is also charged with 15 counts of engaging in a terrorist act. They believe Muhammad, a Muslim convert, may have been politically and religiously motivated.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHIEF STUART THOMAS, LITTLE ROCK, ARKANSAS POLICE: Mr. Muhammad, previously known as Mr. Bledsoe, did convert to Islam, sometime previously in his life. At this point, it appears that he specifically targeted military personnel. But it doesn't appear to be a wider conspiracy or at this point in time any indication that he's a part of a larger group or conspiracy that goes further. We believe he acted alone and with specific purpose to target military personnel today.

COLLINS: Mohammed has pled not guilty, and officers say there were other recruiters in the building, but no one was else was injured.

Prayers and thoughts for the Kansas doctor gunned down over the weekend. Vigils held yesterday in San Francisco and also Chicago for Dr. George Tiller, who was shot and killed in church on Sunday. Tiller was one of the few U.S. doctors who still performed late-term abortions.

COLLINS: The man suspected of pulling the trigger on Dr. Tiller will be in court for a hearing today. Scott Roeder is in the custody of Kansas authorities where his ex-wife wants him to stay.

(BEGIN VIDEOCLIP)

LINDSEY ROEDER, SCOTT ROEDER'S EX-WIFE (via telephone): I think he's where he belongs, in prison. I think that's where he needs to stay for everyone's peace of mind right now.

(END VIDEOCLIP)

COLLINS: Ed Lavandera is following this story for us in Wichita this morning. Tell us a little bit more about who Scott Roeder is.

ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, from what we've been able to gather, in recent years he had made a name for himself at abortion clinic rallies around Kansas City, and is a rather well-known figure to some people in that community. So he'd created a name for himself.

But we've learned a lot more about him with an interview with his ex-wife who described him as someone who had become obsessed with this issue of abortion over the last few years in the '90s. It had started out as this anti-government, anti-tax kind of crusade, that he was a member of the Montana Freemen movement back in the '90s. And that evolved into this abortion craze, in her words. And it essentially drove a wedge between them and ending their marriage. So she describes him as a man who is just incredibly intent about his beliefs. We believe he was self-righteous. And it was either his way or the highway, that his way was the right way.

COLLINS: What do we know, Ed, about what happens next for Roeder?

LAVANDERA: Well, we know he's expected to make a court appearance here in Wichita, Kansas, today at some point today. The charges will be filed. He was arrested on Sunday. Prosecutors here have 48 hours to file those charges. So we anticipate that will come at some point this afternoon. And he's expected to be charged with murder and aggravated assault as well. Heidi.

COLLINS: And is it true? I think we had said George Tiller's clinic is going to reopen. Is there any more information on that?

LAVANDERA: Right. It will remained closed for the rest of the week in mourning. But there is a doctor out of Nebraska that worked closely with Dr. Tiller over the years that filled in and worked alongside him for several weeks at a time over the years. We understand that he is planning on reopening the clinic next week. Whether or not we will have the same hours or that sort of thing isn't exactly clear at this point. But all indications are that they will reopen next week.

COLLINS: All right, Ed Lavandera for us in Wichita. Thank you so much, Ed.

GM workers. How are they feeling the day after the big news of the bankruptcy? We're talking to them coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: GM plans to cut more than 20,000 workers by the end of the year. A lot of those cuts will be at a dozen plants that are shutting down. The factories in Kansas City, Kansas and Warren, Michigan are safe for right now. Those workers know they got pretty lucky.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We want to keep building cars, making money, and keep surviving.

GERTRUDE FOSTER, GM WORKER: It's been a long time coming, but I have a seen a lot of changes in my lifetime in general motors. And it's like -- it's just an unseeable situation. You don't know what's going to happen. Hoping we'll be going for the better.

GERRY GILLESPE, UNION CHIEF: You've got so many plants. Stamping plants (ph), power train plants (ph) and service parts and service plants.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Pretty much everyone.

GILLESPE: It's everything. The whole ball of wax. This is a tragedy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: GM will also cut ties with more than a third of its 6,000 U.S. dealerships. And that could put another 100,000 jobs on the line.

GM will cut loose more than 2,000 of its 6,000 U.S. dealerships by next year. What does it mean both for car shoppers and, of course, the people who work there? CNNmoney.com's Poppy Harlow has a breakdown for us from New York. Hi, Poppy.

POPPY HARLOW, CNNMONEY.COM: Hi, Heidi. Of course, the big focus, right, on the dealerships closing as the job losses. And it could also, though, for the consumer could mean higher prices. There's going to be less competition in your area. Analysts are saying you're not even going to find GM cars at fire-sale prices right now like you might expect because these as dealerships have until next fall, November, to close. So there's not as much pressure on them to cut those the prices and liquidate the inventory.

They tell us if you're looking for a deal, go to a Chrysler dealership right now. The one that are closing, they have to get rid of that inventory on their lot by next week. They have a June 9 deadline. Either way, the CEO of Auto Nation, the world's largest auto dealer, I spoke with him this morning. He said, "Look, if you're in the market for a new car, do not wait. He said those monster incentives that helped get the industry into this trouble, they're not going to be around for a long time, Heidi. Take a listen to him.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MIKE JACKSON, CEO, AUTO NATION: So for pricing opportunity, now is the time. By the time we get to the fall, any companies are out of bankruptcy and inventories have been cut from a peak of over 4 million down to 2 million. The extreme incentives are going to go away. So, now is the time to act.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARLOW: What was interesting, Heidi, out of this interview, he said the real problem is not an unwillingness on the part of consumers to buy new U.S. cars, it's that the credit markets are still pretty locked up, and it's hard for them to get the loans out there. He hammered away at that point, Heidi.

COLLINS: That is certainly the case. We know some of that, anyway, What about the impact of these dealerships closing? How many people are we talking about and their jobs that are going to be affected?

HARLOW: Sure, you touched on it a little bit before, but let's break it down for you. A typical dealership employs about 50 to 52 folks. We know that GM is going to close roughly 2,000 of the 6,000 national dealerships. That could be 100,000 job losses with the dealerships alone. And you've got to remember the ripple effect within the community. Close a dealership, you no longer do you need to order those office supplies, people aren't running out to lunch at nearby restaurants. The only real silver lining out of this is for the surviving dealerships because there are less on the market, they could see less competition and therefore higher sales. Interesting perspective, though from the CEO of Auto Nation. That full interview will be on CNNmoney.com in just a little bit, Heidi.

COLLINS: OK, appreciate it. Poppy Harlow, thank you.

Auto workers and consumers aren't the only ones affected by GM's bankruptcy. What about victims who have sued the company after being hurt in car accidents? AC 360 is keeping them honest. CNN tonight 10:00 p.m. Eastern.

Judge Sonia Sotomayor on Capitol Hill today and under the microscope. She's under heavy scrutiny, not only by Congress, but also the political pundits and the media. And CNN's national correspondent Jason Carroll telling us now about a decision she ruled on five years ago that's being pulled back into the spotlight.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JASON CARROLL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It was a controversial decision. As an appellate judge, Sonia Sotomayor siding with the city of New Haven, Connecticut, throwing out results of firefighter promotion exams because none of the black applicants qualified. Some white firefighters say it was a case of racial discrimination. Mark Markerelli (ph) says he worked hard to do well on the test, but it was a hollow victory.

MARK MARKERELLI (ph), FIREFIGHTER: It was robbed from me on the basis of my race.

CARROLL: He may still get his victory. Some legal experts are predicting the Supreme Court will overturn that ruling, if only to allow the white firefighters' lawsuit to continue.

TOM GOLDSTEIN, COFOUNDER, SCOTUSBLOG.COM: It's either going to be very close, 5 to 4, or the Supreme Court's ruling is going to be relatively narrow and say, "We don't know who wins or loses this case, we just think you need a harder look at the evidence."

CARROLL: Even if the high court reverses the ruling, it wouldn't be the first time the Supreme Court nominee wound up in that kind of spotlight. John Roberts and Samuel Alito both had cases pending before the high court when they were just being considered. All nine justices came up through the appeals court.

JEFFERY TOOBIN, CNN SENIOR LEGAL ANALYST: All appeals court judges have their opinions reviewed by the Supreme Court. And most appeals court judges at some point have their views overturned by the Supreme Court.

CARROLL: Attorney Tom Goldstein has argued 21 cases before the Supreme Court and examined Sotomayor's record.

GOLDSTEIN: She has had 3,000 cases while on the Court of Appeals and has gotten reversed in only a handful or so. That's a pretty good record.

CARROLL: For Sotomayor, it may be more of a problem of timing.

TOOBIN: The Supreme Court may reject her interpretation of the law just on the eve of her confirmation hearing. That could be embarrassing. It probably isn't enough to sink her nomination, but it's not something she wants.

CARROLL: If Sotomayor is confirmed, she's not likely to alter the ideological balance of the high court. She knows all of the justices and joining them is not expected to be a difficult adjustment.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: And Jason Carroll is joining us now live with more on this. Jason, Sotomayor's critics are taking issue and have since the announcement with the opinion that was written in the firefighters' New Haven case. Tell us more about that.

CARROLL: Well, you know, you talk to some legal experts. They'll tell you if you want to judge a judge, read their opinions. And I think a lot of Sotomayor's critics looked at opinion that was written in this New Haven case and didn't see a lot of there there. That's one of the reasons why she's being so heavily criticized by some in this particular case.

I think what would be interesting, Heidi, once the Supreme Court takes a look at this new haven case, you know legal experts say, "Look at their opinion, read their opinion, read what it said in their opinion." And that's really going to be telling in terms of how these proceedings move forward.

COLLINS: And that whole thing might be decided before she actually is confirmed if she is confirmed anyway, right?

CARROLL: Correct. That's absolutely correct.

COLLINS: OK. Well, also kind of surprising, I guess, that her record shows that she's actually had a history of rejecting some self- incrimination claims.

CARROLL: Yes, that's very true. If you look at Sotomayor's records, she actually has a history of 8 to 1 of actually rejecting self-incrimination claims and favoring employers. So, in many situations siding with judges appointed by Republican presidents. So, I think you're going to have a lot of her supporters who look at that record and say, "Don't prejudge based on this one case in New Haven because if you look at, you know, the record as a whole, you'll see a much different story."

COLLINS: All right. CNN's Jason Carroll from New York. Thank you, Jason.

CARROLL: You bet.

COLLINS: And coming this October, CNN will present "Latino in America." Our comprehensive look at how Latinos are changing America. Reshaping politics, business, schools, churches, and neighborhoods "Latino in America" coming your way, October on CNN.

I want to take a look at the Big Board, if you will, and that is the new look we have been watching now, I guess, since yesterday. You can see the Dow Jones industrial averages are up by about 40 points, resting at 8761. We're back in a moment right here in the CNN newsroom.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: Very quickly. I want to show you the video of Sonia Sotomayor walking through the hallways there of Capitol Hill with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. They had just completed their meeting, and now she will move on to several other meetings throughout the day.

Next up, I believe, she will sit down and talk with Senate Judiciary Chairman Leahy. That, I believe, will happen in about 40 minutes from now or so. So we'll continue to follow her day on the Hill. Confirming a new commander. This is a live look for you from Capitol Hill now where the Senate Armed Services Committee is holding a hearing on General Stanley McChrystal. He was picked by Gates to take over as the commander of operations in Afghanistan. He's answering questions about the administration's new focus in Afghanistan and Pakistan and the need for more troops in the region.

And this morning, we expect President Obama to announce his choice for Secretary of the Army. A White House official telling us it will be Congressman John McHugh. He's a Republican from New York. McHugh is the ranking member of the House Armed Services Committee. President Obama has said he wants to include Republicans in his administration.

Relatives waiting for word in Rio. Debris found off the coast. But still no definitive word on the fate of Air France Flight 447.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: Waiting for word. Relatives of the 228 passengers and crew of Air France Flight 447 have gathered in Rio de Janerio and Paris. They know what we know. Debris has been found near the flight path, but there is still no confirmation the debris comes from the missing Air France plane.

CNN's John Zarrella arrived in Rio just a short time ago and is joining us on the telephone with more. About this debris and the search in that area. What's the latest information that you have?

JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (via telephone): Well, what we're hearing right now, Heidi, is that the Brazilian Navy will have its first ship there tomorrow. And in the meantime, there are apparently three commercial vessels in the area. One French ship and two ships from the Netherlands. One of those ships, we're not sure which one, but according to the Brazilian Navy, one of them will be in that area where the debris was found within the next hour or so.

Of course, that's critical, because in order to identify if, in fact, this debris, which consists of what we were told was a life vest, a floating drum, and there may have been an oil slick in the area, in order to confirm it came from the plane, they're going to have to get some of that debris and bring it on board a ship to be identified.

So, that's where they stand now. They're going to have these three commercial vessels in the area. And then the first of the Navy ships will arrive tomorrow. And obviously, if by any miracle that there are people in the water, that is what the Navy, the Brazilian Navy is telling us that the first order of business for these commercial vessels is to search and see if they can find anyone in the water.

The weather is apparently pretty good out there, according to the Navy officials telling us. Eleven miles visibility, the sea surface is only about the waves of 2 to 3 feet. So it's not bad out there. And Heidi, one other piece of information, ministry defense officials are expected to arrive in Rio sometime after noon today and go to the hotel where the families are gathered in order to brief them on the latest. Heidi.

COLLINS: All right. Very good. John Zarrella following the story closely for us in Rio. Thank you, John.

His son thousands of miles away from home for years, but he never gave up. A father's emotional fight to get his son back finally coming to an end.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: After years of fighting to get his 8-year-old son back, a New Jersey dad finally won his battle. David Goldman's son, Shawn, has been living in Brazil since his mother took him there in 2004. But now a court has ruled his son should be returned to the United States. The story is so compelling, we wanted to show you what led up to this soon to happen reunion. Here now is Deborah Feyerick with a story from February.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): So four months before his abduction, you had taken him to Disney. You had no idea anything was wrong?

DAVID GOLDMAN, SHAWN GOLDMAN'S FATHER: No, we were on a family vacation.

FEYERICK (voice-over): The last thing David Goldman said to his 4-year-old son Shawn was...

GOLDMAN: "I love you. And I'll see you soon."

FEYERICK (voice-over): But Shawn never came back. Goldman says his wife took their child to her family in Brazil on vacation, never intending to come home. Warning Goldman not to go to police and threatening if he did...

GOLDMAN: I would never see my son again and spend all of my money trying. So far, she's right.

FEYERICK (voice-over): According to the State Department, more than 3,000 American-born children have been abducted by a parent and taken to another country. Of those, 66 are been held in Brazil in direct violation of international treaty.

BERNARD ARONSON, FORMER ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF STATE: Brazil has actually been one of the worst violators of the treaty.

FEYERICK (voice-over): Then in a strange twist, late last summer, Goldman's estranged wife died giving birth to a daughter by her new husband.

FEYERICK (on camera): Did you think it was your chance to get your son back? GOLDMAN: Yes, I believed that he would be coming home and we'd finally be able to reunite.

FEYERICK (voice-over): Instead, a Brazilian family court judge granted custody to the new husband.

GOLDMAN: To allow a man with no blood relation to keep another man's child. It's against their own laws, national laws, let alone international and American laws.

FEYERICK (voice-over): Recently, Goldman was able to visit his son in Brazil for the first time since he last saw him four years ago. And though Shawn's now 8, Goldman says the bond is strong.

GOLDMAN: He asked me where have I been for this amount of time? How come I never came to visit him?

FEYERICK (on camera): So he didn't know that you were looking for him? That you were trying to get him back?

GOLDMAN: Apparently not.

FEYERICK (on camera): That's got to break your heart.

GOLDMAN: Yes, it did.

FEYERICK (voice-over): U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton met with Brazil's foreign minister Wednesday. A senior State Department official telling CNN Shawn's case was the first thing they talked about.

Asked if he's angry, David Goldman says he has no time for that.

GOLDMAN: My focus is to do what I can by every legal means and all matters of law to reunite with my son and bring him home.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: And now home is exactly where Shawn Goldman will be going. Goldman's lawyer says he's expected to be turned over to the U.S. consulate tomorrow. His dad is already headed there.

The search for Air France flight 447. New details this morning. Debris has been found near the flight path. I'm Heidi Collins. CNN NEWSROOM continues to follow this developing story with Tony Harris.