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Eighth Suspect Arrested in the Billings' Double Murder Case; Obama Pushes Congress on Health Care Overhaul; Did Fiery Incident Lead to Michael Jackson's Reported Drug Abuse?; No Bailout for CIT; Obama to Speak at NAACP's 100th Anniversary; Barry Coming Clean on Allegations; Homeless Line Holders for Lobbyist; Sotomayor Avoids Specifics on Hot Issues

Aired July 16, 2009 - 06:00   ET

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


JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, and thanks very much for being with us on the "Most News in the Morning." It's a Thursday, it's the 16th of July. I'm John Roberts.

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Carol Costello in for Kiran Chetry. Two days after Bastille, that's why I was laughing about. You know today is two days after Bastille Day. What does that mean?

ROBERTS: I'm following the Tour de France very closely because Lance Armstrong is in third place, just eight seconds back. And Bastille Day is always a very big day in the Tour de France. But that was two days ago.

That's like -- that's the headline on "was" magazine. We're looking at "now" magazine today.

COSTELLO: You're such a strange man sometimes, John.

ROBERTS: You think? We're following several developing stories this morning. We'll be breaking them down for you in the next 15 minutes.

Listen to this. An eighth person now arrested in the murder that shocked the Florida community and left more than a dozen children without a mom and dad. And police say it might not be the last.

COSTELLO: Strange developments there. Congress is moving on it, but President Obama is pushing lawmakers to move faster on overhauling the nation's health care system. We have the view from both sides. That's the real battle over health care reform begins to heat up in Washington.

ROBERTS: And dramatic images that we are seeing for the very first time of Michael Jackson's hair catching fire as he filmed the Pepsi commercial in 1984. That accident is being blamed for leading to Jackson's reported addiction to painkillers.

You know, this video we have never seen it before and it appears to show that incident much worse than was initially thought at least in the public eye. We'll show you that amazing video coming up. But we begin this morning with a new arrest in the brutal murders of a Florida couple widely known for adopting a number of children many of them with special needs.

COSTELLO: Yes. You wonder how many arrests are eventually going to be made. I mean, seven men who were already in custody and now this woman, Pamela Long Wiggins, a real estate agent, who police say has several aliases.

Sheriff David Morgan told CNN's Anderson Cooper last night she also has ties to at least one of those suspects.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SHERIFF DAVID MORGAN, ESCAMBIA COUNTY, FLORIDA: She has had a long association with one of our primary suspects, Mr. Leonard Patrick Gonzalez Jr. And that was why she became the person of interest because of that long-term association as a landlord and through her realty company. And she also was a very good family friend, transporting him and his wife and children around. And so that's how she became a person of interest.

We wanted to find out exactly what is that tie between the two of them. And, of course, she was with them. We developed that front through the day of the murder.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: CNN's Ed Lavandera is live in Pensacola, Florida. Ed, what are we learning about this investigation and how this woman is tied to these men and what role she may have played in these murders?

ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, you heard the sheriff there mention that she had a close relationship with the person they called the ring leader of this group, Gonzalez Jr., and had been speaking with him days, even the day of perhaps of the murders according to the sheriff. But she's been charged with accessory after the fact. So, what we're trying to learn is exactly what happened after these murders happened, what her involvement was with Gonzalez Jr. in the hours and days after the murders. At this point, there is still a great deal of unanswered questions.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LAVANDERA (voice-over): Thursday evening, Byrd and Melanie Billings are at home with nine of their children. The time, approximately 7:00 p.m.

Outside, a red van pulls into the end of the driveway. Three individuals exit the vehicle and burst through the front door. From the woods, more crossed the lawn and entered through an unlocked utility door. They're inside the house for less than four minutes.

Within that brief time span, the men confront Byrd and Melanie, several shots are fired at point blank range. Both husband and wife now dead. So what were they after? BILL EDDINS, FLORIDA STATE ATTORNEY: I think the safest, easiest, clearest thing to say is that the primary motive in this case is robbery -- home invasion, robbery.

LAVANDERA: But it doesn't seem that simple. Authorities say a medium-sized safe was taken from the home but won't reveal the contents of the safe, including how much money may have been inside. And as for any connection to narcotics, a federal law enforcement source tells us "this was not a drug hit. There's no connection we know of to the Mexican mafia. It appears to be money-driven."

Another big question -- why didn't the killers disabled the Billings' security system? The suspects allegedly planned the operation for weeks. Two had military training. Others were familiar with the property. How then could they let themselves be recorded on tape?

The answer, it seems, reveals the group's gaping mistake.

SHERIFF DAVID MORGAN, ESCAMBIA COUNTY, FLORIDA: I believe that they entered that compound, and this is the theory that we're currently working on to conclude this case. They entered the compound with the belief that they were not under surveillance.

LAVANDERA: Sheriff Morgan said this crime was planned out to the smallest detail, except they thought the system was off and it wasn't. What happened? Authorities believe the person assigned to the task abandoned the mission.

MORGAN: We are now looking at anyone that may have had an involvement with the security system, everyone from the company that installed it on back.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LAVANDERA: And that's why this investigation isn't over yet. The sheriff is saying they're still looking at another person of interest involved with that security system. And the sheriff last night alluded to the fact that there still might be other people of interest that they're looking at as well.

Authorities here have scheduled another press conference for later this morning and this one today is with the state attorney. So perhaps we'll learn some more details about what has happened in this investigation in the last 24 hours.

COSTELLO: Yes, I think that news conference comes our way about 10:00 a.m. Eastern time. We'll check on that. Ed Lavandera, thanks so much. Live from Florida.

Still a lot of questions regarding this investigation, so stay with us. At 7:30 Eastern, we're going to talk to the Escambia County sheriff, David Morgan, who's working the case.

ROBERTS: Looking forward to that. Now to the battle over health care reform, President Obama says the time for an overhaul is now and he is urging the House and Senate to pass initial bills before their August recess. The Senate House Committee took a step toward that goal yesterday, approving a reform plan on a party line vote.

The House panel takes a fixed proposal today. The president says he's now more optimistic about his top domestic priority but he knows that major hurdles still lie ahead.

Jim Acosta is looking into all of that for us this morning -- Jim.

JIM ACOSTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: John and Carol, the president is pressing the House and the Senate to hurry up and finalize their own versions of health care reform. That means the real battle over reform is just heating up and the battle is about to get very personal.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ACOSTA (voice-over): Before Washington takes another step on health care reform, Hilda Sarkisyan wants the politicians to hear her story.

HILDA SARKISYAN, MOTHER OF CANCER VICTIM: If we don't change this now, my story is going to be their story.

ACOSTA: Sarkisyan's 17-year-old cancer-stricken daughter, Nataline (ph), made national headlines when the family's health insurance company denied coverage for a liver transplant in late 2007. The Sarkisyans raised a ruckus and the company reversed its decision. The moment caught on camera.

But it was too late. That same evening, Nataline (ph) died.

SARKISYAN: Now she's in heaven.

ACOSTA: Sarkisyan was brought to Washington by Democratic activists pushing for a reform bill that would give Americans the option of joining a government-run plan to compete with private insurers. The option, they say, will keep the industry honest.

SARKISYAN: This is my message to everyone. Insurance companies cannot decide who's going to live and who's going to die.

ACOSTA: But she will have to win over an army of skeptics from Republicans who are nervous about the prices tag --

SEN. ORRIN HATCH (R), UTAH: They're spending too much. They're taxing too much to get us there. And they're running legislation that is totally partisan that isn't going to work.

ACOSTA: To special interest groups, beverage companies are running an ad opposing one congressional proposal that would pay for reform in part with the soft drink tax. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NARRATOR: This is no time for Congress to be adding taxes on the simple pleasures we all enjoy like juice drinks and soda.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: The president is ready to play hard ball.

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: And those who would oppose our efforts to take a hard look at just what it is that they're defending.

ACOSTA: The Democratic Party has a new ad out aimed at its own senators who are wavering on reform.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's time.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's time for health care reform.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: And the message war over health care, Hilda Sarkisyan vows no surrender.

SARKISYAN: I know I'm going to face Congress. And I know I'm going to meet the president eye-to-eye and I'm going to tell them, here's the peek (ph). That's the responsibility to become a president and we're proud of it. But guess what, we need something in return.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ACOSTA: The president says he wants both the House and the Senate to wrap up their work on health care reform before lawmakers take their long August break. That means the halls of Congress may get crowded as supporters of reform plan to flood those hallways with more people like Hilda Sarkisyan -- John and Carol.

ROBERTS: Jim Acosta for us this morning. Jim, thanks so much.

COSTELLO: It is seven minutes after the hour. President Obama's Supreme Court nominee Judge Sonia Sotomayor heads to Capitol Hill this morning for a final day of questioning. Some members of the Senate Judiciary Committee have tried to pin Sotomayor down on a number of social issues and for the most part, she's dodged those efforts.

But during an exchange with Senator Jeff Sessions of Alabama, Sotomayor did weigh in on judicial activism.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JUDGE SONIA SOTOMAYOR, SUPREME COURT NOMINEE: I want to give you complete assurance that I agree with Senator Hatch on his definition of activism. If that's his definition that judges should not be using their personal biases, their personal experiences, their personal prejudices in reaching decision, and that's how he defines activism, then I'm in full agreement with him.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: You can watch today's hearings live beginning at 9:30 Eastern right here on CNN.

ROBERTS: The space shuttle Endeavour finally on its way to the International Space Station after five scrubbed launches. But NASA engineers say pieces of foam insulation came off the external fuel tank and hit the shuttle during last night's launch. The damage appears to be minor at this point, but they're reviewing pictures of the liftoff. Endeavour's seven astronauts are bringing equipment to Japan's space station science lab.

COSTELLO: And dramatic new pictures of Michael Jackson's accident while filming a Pepsi commercial back in 1984. Did the severe burns he suffered lead to his abuse of painkillers and other prescription drugs? We'll show you this disturbing video.

It's nine minutes past.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROBERTS: We're 12 minutes after the hour now. Welcome back to the "Most News in the Morning."

It's certainly not how drivers wanted to start their day in Detroit. Part of a major highway just outside the city is shut down after a fiery crash last night. Police say two tanker trucks crashed on Interstate 75 sending smoke and flames hundreds of feet into the air. The intensity of the fire actually caused an overpass to collapse. Amazingly, just one minor injury was reported.

And a live look at the scene right now from our affiliate WDIV in Detroit. You can still see smoke coming up from the scene and obviously no traffic is going to get through there for quite a while. So there would be quite a repair job out there.

COSTELLO: So good luck on the morning rush this morning, Detroit.

Cash-strapped California might want to consider a new slogan, smoke it if you got it. State tax officials say a proposal to tax and regulate marijuana just like alcohol could generate nearly $1.4 billion in revenue. The proposed bill would allow adults to legally possess, grow, and sell marijuana and could actually help bridge the state's $26 billion budget shortfall.

ROBERTS: And a swim club outside of Philadelphia accused of racism says a lawsuit would put them under. One federal lawsuit has already been filed by a parent and the day care center is promising another after dozens of minority kids were turned away last week. The swim club says overcrowding was the problem.

The story is lighting up the phone lines through our show hotline. Here's what some of you are saying about it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CLAUDETTE, NEW YORK (via telephone): I'm appalled to think that in 2009, that we are still experiencing this type of behavior. This is pure racism.

ANNE, PENNSYLVANIA (via telephone): I do not believe they should sue. I think they just want money. And I think this is wrong.

ESA, TEXAS (via telephone): They need to get over it. And just because the president is black, now everybody's going to start suing everybody because they're black. Oh, come on. Let's get real. This is ridiculous.

LAQUENTA, NORTH CAROLINA (via telephone): It is time for these things to be squashed. We are in a new era where we have a black president and attitudes need to change and people need to get along.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERTS: We want to hear from more of you. Call our show hotline at 1-877-MY-AMFIX. That's 1-877-692-6349.

Also this morning, we are getting our first look at newly released and stunning video of an accident that may have been a turning point in Michael Jackson's life and eventual death. As Jackson was filming a Pepsi commercial in 1984, things suddenly went horribly wrong.

COSTELLO: You remember that Jackson's hair caught fire. I don't think most people really know how severely burned he was on this incident.

I remember a lot of people joked about it. But some people were saying Jackson was burned so badly that those injuries led to a dependency on pain medications. CNN's Ted Rowlands has more of this amazing video for you to see.

TED ROWLANDS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: John and Carol, this accident took place back in 1984 here in Los Angeles. Michael Jackson later blamed his addiction to pain medication on this accident. And when you watch the video, it is very clear that indeed this accident was very serious.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ROWLANDS (voice-over): The video obtained by "Us Weekly" shows Michael Jackson's hair on fire. But as you can see, Jackson doesn't seem to notice until people surround him. The first one there was Jackson's long-time friend Miko Brando, son of actor Marlon Brando.

MIKO BRANDO, JACKSON LONG-TIME FRIEND: And I just went up to him and put my hands, shook his head, pinned him down to the ground, and tried to do the best I could.

ROWLANDS: You can see as Jackson gets up, his head is significantly burned down to the scalp.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He initially felt a very hot area and couldn't distinguish whether it was the hot lights or something was happening. And after a second or two, he felt the intense onset of pain, fell to the ground and several people came to put out the fire and apply ice to his head.

ROWLANDS: Days after the incident, Jackson unsuccessfully tried to get the footage released. His record label, CBS Records, released this photo.

Pepsi eventually ended up releasing the ad which featured Jackson and his brothers. Jackson would later claim the accident and subsequent medical treatment led to an addiction to prescription drugs.

MICHAEL JACKSON, KING OF POP: As you may already know after my tour ended, I remained out of the country undergoing treatment for dependency on pain medication. This medication was initially prescribed to see the excruciating pain that I was suffering after recent reconstructive surgery on my scalp.

ROWLANDS: Possible drug use is a part of the ongoing investigation into Jackson's death.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROWLANDS: What if any drugs were in Jackson's system at the time of his death is still an unanswered question. The L.A. coroner's office continues to investigate his death. They say they could have definitive results within the next week -- John and Carol.

ROBERTS: Ted Rowlands for us this morning. It's extraordinary when you look at that video in real time. The live footage of that, just how badly his scalp was burned.

COSTELLO: I know. Like I said people joked about it. I mean, they made parody videos about it but apparently, it was much more serious than we all believed at the time.

ROBERTS: I mean, it certainly at least gives you an idea of how he became dependent on a pain medication. And then the question is, was that a dependency that lasted for the rest of his life?

COSTELLO: He said he got treatment for, you know, the addiction overseas.

ROBERTS: Many people have and then they, you know, the rate of recidivism is quite high.

COSTELLO: Yes.

ROBERTS: So maybe he fell back into it again.

COSTELLO: Seventeen minutes past the hour.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROBERTS: Twenty minutes after the hour. And guess who's back?

COSTELLO: Christine is back from Miami.

ROBERTS: "Minding Your Business" this morning. Yes, back from South Beach. How was it?

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: It was hot.

ROBERTS: Yes.

ROMANS: It was hot. But I met a lot of great people doing the stimulus, you know, following the stimulus money. So I'll tell you a little bit more about that later in the week.

ROBERTS: Wait a second. I went to South Beach following the stimulus money.

COSTELLO: She went to South Beach following the stimulus money.

ROMANS: Yes, I know. It sounds --

ROBERTS: Who are you trying to kid?

ROMANS: Oh, come on. Miami in July, John, Miami in July.

ROBERTS: Yes. I worked in Miami and I said that being in Miami in July and August is like being in New Hampshire in January or February.

ROMANS: It's hot.

ROBERTS: It's just the opposite end of the temperature scale. It's terrible.

ROMANS: It's hot. It's hot.

Well, today, I'm talking -- speaking of heat, I'm talking about CIT. This is a very major lender to small and midsized business. And it looks as though the administration has decided that this lender will be allowed to go alone and could possibly fail. There will not be a bailout at this point -- another bailout for the lender CIT.

And you've already got a lot of people who are crying foul saying, look, you could bail out the big guys but when it comes to the big lender to Wall Street, to Main Street, and midsize businesses or small businesses, that's where the administration chooses to draw the line in the sand. So you're going to be hearing more about this.

Why does CIT matter? Why does this company, as you're going to be hearing about the next couple of days, why does it matter?

It's the biggest small business lender. It has a million customers, from $65 billion in managed loans. It operates in 30 industries. It is the top lender to women and minorities in this country, you guys.

It is a tenth the size though of Lehman Brothers. Remember that was allowed to go down and caused all kinds of problems in the global economy. And it has, I think, less than one percent of total amounts of lending. So it looks as though the administration has decided that this is a company that's not going to take down the global economic system so this is where they've decided that the system has healed enough, that they can let a big important company fail. And this looks like it is.

The stock was halted yesterday. The company issued a statement saying it looks as though they're not going to get anymore relief from the government. And there's basically been so many people who have credit lines with this company even running out and trying to draw down those credit lines, anticipating, you know -- big trouble here.

COSTELLO: Well, I was going to ask you, what happens if it fails? I mean, what effect will it have?

ROBERTS: You know, where do the small businesses go for money?

ROMANS: Well, then, they're supposed to be able to get money somewhere else in a healthy lending system. But we know the health of the system is not healthy. So that's what a lot of people are concerned about.

They're concerned about retailers. They're concerned about textile mills and manufacturers who don't know where they're going to get money -- a lot of restaurants, family restaurants, franchise restaurants, construction companies who relied on this as a form of financing.

This is what the treasury says about the CIT rescue. Even during periods of financial stress, we believe that there is a very high threshold for exceptional government assistance to individual companies. Again, I think we're entering a new phase here, a phase where companies are not going to be bailed out as quickly and as aggressively as they were in the past. And unfortunately the first place they need to do this happens to be something that a lot of people are going to feel. Small business is going to feel this and it's not going to feel good.

ROBERTS: Where do the priorities line?

ROMANS: Oh, I know.

COSTELLO: "Romans' Numeral."

ROMANS: Oh, the "Romans' Numeral" -- sorry.

That number is 350. And this, boys and girls, the average number of daily small business failures this year.

ROBERTS: Really?

ROMANS: 350 a day. ROBERTS: 350?

ROMANS: Yes, that's unfortunate.

COSTELLO: Oh.

ROMANS: I've been talking a lot about small business. This is a really important time right now for small business because we're not getting enough financing. Their customers are in trouble. Their vendors are in trouble. And, you know, it's a real kind of tipping point here for the wealth and the innovators, the wealth creators and the innovators in this country.

So we're continuing to follow that. I want to hear stories about that too. You can e-mail us at amFIX.

ROBERTS: OK. I look forward to hearing about that.

ROMANS: Yes.

ROBERTS: Christine Romans "Minding Your Business" this morning.

We've got a lot coming up for you this morning, including a former D.C. mayor now ward and councilman. Marion Barry is going to be talking to us about why he hired his girlfriend.

COSTELLO: And why he was accused of stalking that same girlfriend and why he continues to get into trouble.

ROBERTS: It's a fascinating story. We've got it for you.

Twenty-four minutes after the hour. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Welcome back to the "Most News in the Morning." We're taking a live look at the city of New York. And get ready for gridlock and another steamy day. It's supposed to be one of the hottest days of the years today, right?

ROBERTS: Yes. After one of the coolest springs, I guess we can handle a couple of hot days.

You know, tonight is the reason why it's going to be gridlocked. President Obama is in town. He'll be speaking at the NAACP convention. The group is marking its 100-year anniversary.

CNN's Suzanne Malveaux is live at the White House for us this morning. It's a real milestone for the NAACP. It's the group's first convention since the election of America's first African-American president.

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes, John, it certainly is. I remember covering when President Bush went before the NAACP and there was tension in the room because it was a strained relationship. He essentially ignored the organization for five years, despite the fact that both said they have the same goal to fight for racial justice and equality.

You talk to members of the NAACP now. There's a palpable excitement about President Obama, but the question still remains whether or not they share the same approach.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MALVEAUX (voice-over): One hundred years after the birth of the NAACP, a major address by the first African-American president.

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: You know, it is always humbling to speak before the NAACP because it's a powerful reminder of the debt that we all owe to those who marched for us and fought for us and stood up on our behalf.

MALVEAUX: Just last year as a candidate, Barack Obama was both deferential and defiant before the civil rights group.

OBAMA: I know there's some who've been saying I've been too tough talking about responsibility. NAACP, I'm here to report, I'm not going to stop talking about it.

MALVEAUX: Taking on some of his African-American critics, Mr. Obama delivered a message of tough love, echoed just last weekend in Ghana.

OBAMA: We all know that the future of Africa is in the hands of Africa.

MALVEAUX: The historic election of the United States' first African-American president highlights the NAACP's role in fighting for equality and opportunity.

BEN JEALOUS, NAACP PRESIDENT: This is a big step that we've taken, having a black family in the White House, ending that 233-year- old color barrier. But there's a lot more work that needs to be done.

MALVEAUX: This after former President Bush kept the NAACP at arm's length declining their invitations to address them for five years.

GEORGE W. BUSH, 43RD PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Thank you very much, Bruce. Thanks for your introduction. Bruce is a polite guy. I thought what he was going to say, "It's about time you showed up." And I'm glad I did.

MALVEAUX: Now, a new president, a new dynamic.

CLARENCE PAGE, CHICAGO TRIBUNE: I think his big challenge now is going to be in talking to them about issues that have concerned him in the past like problems with teen pregnancy and black-on-black crime that the NAACP hasn't been that eager to deal with.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MALVEAUX: Actually in talking to members of the NAACP, they readily admit that they are redefining their mission now. They certainly hope to bring in more people, young people. That is the focus and that is the hope that President Obama can actually tap into some of that community that supports his base to help build that NAACP -- John.

ROBERTS: Well, we'll be watching that speech closely today. Suzanne Malveaux, thanks so much.

We want to know what you think as well. Has President Obama met the black community's expectations? And what's the future of the NAACP? Has it achieved its goals?

Just head to our blog. You can find it at CNN.com/amFIX. And a reminder that we are just a week away from CNN's examination of what it really means to be black in America." The documentary, "Black in America 2" premiers on July 22nd and 23rd only on CNN.

Thirty minutes after the hour. It's 6:30 Eastern time. And checking our top stories, working on a massive makeover of the nation's health care system is picking up speed in Congress. House Democrats are planning to advance legislation with votes in two key committees today on a $1.5 trillion plan that was unveiled earlier this week. A Senate panel on Wednesday approved a $600 billion reform plan. President Obama, meantime, will be courting two potential swing voters in the Senate.

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Investigators are trying to figure out what went wrong during yesterday's deadly plane crash in northwestern Iran. The flight data and cockpit voice recorders have been recovered and they'll likely be sent to Russia for analysis. Witnesses say the Russian-made airliner caught fire before crashing, killing all 168 people onboard.

ROBERTS: And an infamous Washington, D.C. icon is reportedly going on the auction block. The "Washington Post" reports the Watergate Hotel will be up for sale next week. The city foreclosed on the building last month after the owner defaulted on its loan. The hotel has been shuttered since 2004. It's part of a complex of six buildings made infamous by that 1972 break-in, the one that led to President Nixon's resignation.

COSTELLO: Marion Barry has been a fixture in Washington D.C. politics for nearly four decades. The four-time mayor once dubbed the city's mayor for life, but to say it's been a bumpy ride for Barry would be an understatement. Drug and alcohol abuse, a jail term for possessing crack cocaine. He now serves on the D.C. City Council and is being investigated for hiring his former girlfriend, who recently accused him of stalking her.

Marion Barry is with us from Washington to set the record straight.

Welcome, Councilman.

MARION BARRY, WASHINGTON D.C. CITY COUNCIL MEMBER: Thank you very much, Carol. COSTELLO: I think what makes these charges worse is you're already on probation for failing to file your tax returns. I mean, some people might look at this and say, jeez, Councilman, can't you stay out of trouble?

BARRY: Well, first of all, that word trouble shouldn't be used. I have spent over 50 years of my life working, fighting for justice, equality. Sixteen years as mayor. I've transformed Washington from a sleepy southern town to a metropolis. I've given summer jobs to everyone who wanted them. I moved contracting from 3 percent to 46 percent for African-Americans and Latinos and a whole range of things I've done.

And in those instances where you called it trouble -- It's been other people who have done that. For instance, the FBI --

(CROSSTALK)

COSTELLO: Well, mayor --

(CROSSTALK)

BARRY: Wait a minute. Wait a minute. Wait --

COSTELLO: Councilman, let me interrupt you for a second because a lot of people would term those things as trouble. I mean, there's an investigation going right now, ordered by the City Council into to why you would hire your girlfriend to work for the city at a time the economy is bad and so many people are unemployed.

BARRY: Well, first of all, there's no law prohibiting that. I want to focus on the park police and their role in illegally arresting me on July 4th.

COSTELLO: You're talking specifically about the stalking charge?

BARRY: Yes, yes.

COSTELLO: They arrested you for allegedly stalking this girlfriend who is on the city payroll.

BARRY: Yes, right. May I finish?

COSTELLO: Yes.

BARRY: She's not on -- she's not on the city payroll. You ought to stop saying that.

And let me just say very clearly, I was detained for an hour and a half without being charged, and taken to the station, and sat there for four hours. They wouldn't let me make a phone call, et cetera, and that the U.S. Attorney knew that I had denied it.

I have never been -- in my 73 years, I've never been accused of stalking. In my domestic relationships, I've never been accused of anything like that. And all of the things you called trouble have turned out to be nonstarters for instance with the district. There were no -- there were no convictions in the district. One charge of misdemeanor, not crack cocaine. There's been no proof of crack cocaine.

And in terms of the park police arresting me illegally, the next day, the young lady who allegedly accused me of stalking said she never flagged the police down, never did anything to indicate stalking. It was dismissed.

And so I want the world to know that I have never ever been accused of this. And I've been vindicated by it in terms of the investigation. City officials have said publicly that there's no law banning that.

And so I would hope that the media would start looking at the positive things that are going on. And when these things end -- like for instance for CNN -- CNN Marion Barry arrested again. That's what the headline I think on Monday. And then on Thursday, charges dismissed. That's all as opposed to...

COSTELLO: Let's go back...

BARRY: Wait a minute.

COSTELLO: Let's go back to your girlfriend and how she was paid. Because you have a discretionary fund as a councilman, correct?

BARRY: No, we don't. We don't have a discretionary...

(CROSSTALK)

COSTELLO: How is she being paid?

Where do the money come from to pay her?

BARRY: Yes. What happens is each of us has a budget.

COSTELLO: Yes.

BARRY: And you can put personal services contracts on -- hire people part time. She has done a wonderful job. I have a 30-page document which indicates that she was highly qualified. She has a bachelor's degree and working on a master's degree. Have done extensive research and writing.

And so, what I resent is that people would not look at the fact that there's no law against this. The city officials have said that. The mayor has said this...

(CROSSTALK)

COSTELLO: But Councilman...

BARRY: Wait a minute. Wait a minute. Wait a second.

(CROSSTALK)

COSTELLO: ...there may be no law against it, but you understand why some people might be a little upset about your hiring your girlfriend at a time so many people need a job?

BARRY: Well, that didn't happen just until last September. But I had to obey the law. Now those people who are raising questions about it are detractors of mine, the enemies of mine, political enemies of mine, people who never supported me for anything.

My constituency understands the situation. I got 94 percent of the vote last November. They're saying that that I've done something 60 years as mayor. It means that I have done a wonderful job. Above this in Washington, D.C., giving jobs to young people, to adults taking care of seniors, making African-American middle class people even more comfortable. That's what I've done. Come to Washington, which you have done.

(CROSSTALK)

COSTELLO: And a lot -- a lot of your constituents would certainly agree with that.

BARRY: That's right.

COSTELLO: There's an HBO special coming out about you.

BARRY: That's right.

COSTELLO: And it starts with that incident that so many people unfortunately...

BARRY: It does not start there.

COSTELLO: Well, the promo does and I'm going to show it to you right now. So, let's pause for a moment and watch.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You have the right to remain silent.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (EXPLETIVE DELETED), they're setting me up like this. Setting me up. Ain't that a (EXPLETIVE DELETED)?

I live in the third district, see? Dig it? I work in the third district, dig it. For people out there, live out. They deserve the right to be here. They go come in here as long as I'm in here.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: So this HBO special shows -- still shows the worst of times for you and also the best of times.

BARRY: No, it's not. It does not.

(CROSSTALK) COSTELLO: But it shows a lot of the best of times for you and you have...

BARRY: Have you seen it? Have you seen it?

COSTELLO: I have not seen it in its entirety. It's not out yet.

BARRY: All right. It is 78 minutes long. And that scene you just showed is about a minute and a half of it. There's 78 minutes. It's a balanced approach. It took four or five years to get it together. It centers on my '04 election.

And so I would hope that you all, who make these allegations and things about trouble and et cetera, and you've been a fair person, I watch you most mornings, and not do that. Not take this -- take everything out of things -- there's 78 -- my life has been balanced.

If you look at the good that I've done, which has been tremendous, I've helped so many people. I've uplifted so many young people.

COSTELLO: Mayor, mayor, let me just interrupt you.

(CROSSTALK)

BARRY: Wait a second!

COSTELLO: Because I want to ask you about that. I mean, do you have regrets about...

BARRY: About what?

COSTELLO: About your past?

BARRY: About what?

COSTELLO: Do you have regrets? Do you have any regrets?

BARRY: Well, the FBI ought to regret spending $25 million on me at the district and didn't get a conviction. The park police ought to be regretful that they arrested me illegally.

COSTELLO: But you personally don't have any regrets for your actions?

BARRY: Wait a minute. I did nothing on July 4th that deserved arrest. My reputation around the country, people talking about my stalking. That was a bogus charge.

And I take responsibility for my tax situation because I didn't -- I didn't do it. Like a lot of Americans, I didn't -- I didn't file it on time. But I'm paying the price of it. I'm on probation.

But for anything else that has happened to me, it was the result of other people, enemies and conservative Republicans and everybody else doing that. Take this July 4 thing. I did nothing. I am a victim of all of this, the park police...

COSTELLO: You are correct. The charges were dismissed and there is nothing else.

(CROSSTALK)

BARRY: That's right, you know. And in terms of --

COSTELLO: We have to go. I'm so sorry. I have to interrupt.

BARRY: Thank you so much, Carol.

COSTELLO: We have to go. Thank you for joining us this morning.

BARRY: Tell the nation. We love you.

COSTELLO: Thank you.

It's 39 minutes past.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROBERTS: Forty-two-and-a-half minutes after the hour.

Just might be the most unlikely alliance on Capitol Hill. Highly paid lobbyists and the homeless. Access is everything for special interest groups. So, instead of standing in long lines to get seats at congressional hearings, lobbyists are hiring homeless people to stand in line for them.

CNN's Lisa Sylvester is following that for us this morning.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LISA SYLVESTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Outside a Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works hearing on climate change, the line to get in stretches on. A few people arrived in the wee hours hoping to get a seat not for themselves, but for lobbyists. They are paid line standers and some of them are either homeless or formerly homeless, like this man, Oliver. He says he makes an average of $13 an hour.

OLIVER, LINE STANDER: It varies. Sometimes one, two hearings a week. Sometimes no hearings. Sometimes -- you know, depending how big it is that month.

SYLVESTER: Seating at congressional hearings is first come, first serve. For a popular hearing, the wait can last hours. Lobbyists are willing to pay to try to secure a seat in the hearing room, but critics say that gives big special interest groups an edge over the little guy who can't afford to shell out money for a professional line stander.

Senator Claire McCaskill is among those opposed to the practice, saying quote, "I have no problem with lobbyists being in hearings, but they shouldn't be able to buy a seat." Kalen Pruss is with an Internet environmental group who was shut out of that climate change hearing.

KALEN PRUSS, FELLOW, AVAAZ.ORG: It is very unfortunate that the people who come here to line stand always beat us here.

SYLVESTER: For the line standers, it's a job, but it also gives them a sense of importance, hanging out in the halls of Capitol Hill.

WILLIAM HOWARD JOHNSON, JR., HOMELESS LINE STANDER: It showed me I was taking some of these things for granted. I'm part of something today and I'm very happy.

SYLVESTER: But there is an irony. Their interests may not always line up with special interest groups that the lobbyists represent.

MARIA FOSCARINIS, NATL. LAW CTR. ON HOMELESSNESS & POVERTY: They're likely to be standing in line for people who may well be opposed to universal health care reform, which I think would be a benefit for poor and homeless people.

SYLVESTER (on camera): Senator Claire McCaskill says she is introducing legislation to ban line standing for congressional hearings. In a statement, she said, quote, "This is not a concert. This is not an entertainment venue. This is a democracy. And if we don't make sure every part of it is equally available to every American, then I think we have failed."

Lisa Sylvester, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROBERTS: So, you know, there's that contradiction here. You get -- you're paying homeless people to stay in line. So, they're making money as opposed to being just being on the streets or panhandling or whatever. But then at the same time, they may be standing in line for things that wouldn't benefit them or actually might, you know, lead to not benefiting them, so.

COSTELLO: Well, I think it's better than them being on the street panhandling personally, but that's just my personal opinion. I don't know.

ROBERTS: Just saying.

COSTELLO: Just saying.

ROBERTS: Forty-five minutes after the hour.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROBERTS: The U2 kind of morning. Welcome back to the Most News in the Morning.

A live look at Atlanta right now where it's 75 degrees, going up to a high of 85. Got some clouds in the sky right now. Keep that umbrella handy, though, because scattered thunderstorms are in the forecast there in "Hot-lanta" today.

COSTELLO: Oh, yes, the rain is going to fall. Let's head to the weather center in Atlanta. Reynolds Wolf is standing by.

So, how bad will it be?

REYNOLDS WOLF, CNN METEOROLOGIST: About 60 percent chance here in Atlanta. But I got to tell you, I mean, there are a lot of people here in the Atlanta area whose front lawn is kind of like a parking lot. We really need the rainfall here.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COSTELLO: What do you mean we have a long show ahead?

WOLF: Long and interesting. That doesn't always mean a bad thing. I mean, when you got great content, you know, people are spell bound.

ROBERTS: Exactly.

(CROSSTALK)

ROBERTS: Jam-packed, full of interesting and fun stuff.

Are you telling me, Reynolds, that Atlanta, after having like six months of rain, needs water again?

WOLF: You know, we always do, and especially at this time of the year. This is one of the drier times of the year. And I'll remind you, just a few years back, and it was just really sparse to say the least.

So it's always good to stay a little bit ahead. You don't want to have a deficit. Let's say, around the line or a little bit above, always a good thing, especially as we get into August and back in September.

ROBERTS: All right. Well, if Sunday nights...

WOLF: We're greedy. What can I tell you?

(CROSSTALK)

ROBERTS: (INAUDIBLE) I don't know what else he wants.

Thanks, Reynolds.

WOLF: Absolutely.

Ten minutes now to the top of the hour. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) ROBERTS: Welcome back to the Most News in the Morning. America's biggest and oldest civil rights organization, the NAACP is celebrating a milestone.

COSTELLO: It certainly is. It's the 100th anniversary. And that has some wondering whether or not it's still relevant especially since the nation has elected its first African-American president.

Jason Carroll has our story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JASON CARROLL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): As the NAACP marked its 100th anniversary, its president, Benjamin Jealous called on a new generation of members to pick up where their predecessors left off.

BENJAMIN JEALOUS, PRESIDENT, NAACP: I say stand up and say I am the NAACP.

CARROLL: Jealous knows they are the organization's future, and it's the future role of the NAACP being question in this post- presidential Obama era to which Jealous says --

JEALOUS: We're not the national association for the advancement of a colored person or a person of color. You know, we are the NAACP. We're the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.

CARROLL: Jealous knows what's being said on the street.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't know if too many young people are really familiar with the NAACP.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think it is relevant. I think it's probably a little less relevant than it was in the '60s.

CARROLL: Jealous has read the headlines, too?

(on camera): What do you do to make the NAACP more relevant now and in the future.

JEALOUS: So the focus has to be to really make it plain. And the reality is -- is that most people in this country, most people of color in this country are hurting these days.

CARROLL (voice-over): But how do you get the message to a younger generation who see the accomplishments of so many African- Americans yet may not experience the kind of over racism the NAACP fought years ago.

Bloggers like Angelia Dickens wrote, "NAACP: game over?"

ANGELIA DICKENS, WRITER, URBAN THOUGHT COLLECTIVE: The NAACP need to go with the people are. And so if you talk to people who are from ages 18 to 45, they get a lot of their news on-line. They are on social networking sites multiple times of the day. And that's where the NAACP needs to be as well.

CARROLL: The NAACP introduced a new way of reporting acts of police brutality on a cell phone, their way of engaging a new generation.

(on camera): So is it about delivering a new message, or is it about delivering a message in a different way. Or is it a combination of both.

JEALOUS: Well, part of it is about truly recognizing the pain of this generation. In the '60s, we finished the last of the big victories. And everything is basically fair. Just go out and work hard instead.

And I think it's racially profiled, though. The friend get shot, you know, and then, wait a second, this is not the -- you know, this may be the promise land, but it's certainly no place for sleeping.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CARROLL: Well, the NAACP's president says membership is up, this after years of seeing a decline in members. There were many people out there who we spoke to who say the way they would like to see the NAACP improve is for to do a better job at addressing issues other than racism such as education and unemployment.

ROBERTS: And with unemployment running at 15 percent for African-Americans in this country.

CARROLL: Right. Disproportionately affecting African-Americans.

ROBERTS: Urgent issue that needs address.

Great piece. Thanks, Jason.

CARROLL: Thank you.

COSTELLO: We want to hear your thoughts on this. Has President Obama -- we want to hear about the NAACP, too. But on a similar note, we want to know what you think President Obama has met the black community's expectations and what's the future of NAACP. Has it achieved its goal? Just head to our blog. You can find it at cnn.com/amfix.

And we are just a week away from CNN's examination of what it really mean to be black in America. The documentary "BLACK IN AMERICA 2" premiers July 22nd and 23rd only on CNN.

It's fifty-six minutes past.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Fifty-seven minute past the hour. Welcome back to the Most News in the Morning.

In about 2-1/2 hours, Judge Sonia Sotomayor heads back to Capitol Hill for one last day of questioning from senators. During day three of her hearing, some senators on both sides of the aisle seem a bit annoyed because she avoided specifics on several issues, including the big one -- abortion.

Brianna Keilar has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Republican senator and abortion opponent John Cornyn asked Sonia Sotomayor whether abortion came up during conversations with President Obama during her selection process.

JUDGE SONIA SOTOMAYOR, SUPREME COURT NOMINEE: I was asked no questions by anyone including the president about my views on any specific legal issues.

KEILAR: But members of the Judiciary Committee certainly tried to pin her down on the topic, first Republicans, to no avail.

SEN. TOM COBURN (R), JUDICIARY COMMITTEE MEMBER: Let's say I'm 38 weeks pregnant and we discover a small spina bifida sac on the lower sacrum. Would it be legal in this country to terminate that child's life?

SOTOMAYOR: I can't answer your hypothetical because I can't look at it as an abstract without knowing what state laws exist on this issue or not.

KEILAR: Democrats including newly-sworn in Senator Al Franken also wanted to know her position on the issue.

SEN. AL FRANKEN (D), JUDICIARY COMMITTEE MEMBER: Do you believe that this right to privacy includes the right to have an abortion?

SOTOMAYOR: The courts have said in many cases that there is a right to privacy that women have with respect to the termination of their pregnancies in certain situations.

KEILAR: Republicans persisted with questions about Sotomayor's wise Latina comment and she gave her most emphatic response yet.

SOTOMAYOR: My rhetorical device failed. It was a bad choice of words by me.

KEILAR: But it wasn't all serious. There was a lighter moment when former comedian Franken asked her about a subject they both love -- the 1960s legal drama, "Perry Mason."

FRANKEN: What was the one case in "Perry Mason" that that Burger won?

SOTOMAYOR: I wish I remembered the name of the episode but I don't.

FRANKEN: Didn't the White House prepare you for -- for that? SOTOMAYOR: You're right. But I was spending a lot of time on reviewing cases.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: Brianna.

Brianna is standing in that big room, and she can't hear us, and we can't hear her.

We'll get back to her in the next hour.

KEILAR: I can hear you, Carol.

COSTELLO: You can?

ROBERTS: Oh, very good. Now we're good.

COSTELLO: She's back.

KEILAR: OK, good.

OK. I just want to show you kind of what we're expecting today. I want you to take a look at these chairs. It's about 20 feet from where Sonia Sotomayor was sitting yesterday. After today, or after a few hours of questioning from senators today where she gets to wrap up that questioning, there will be testimony from people who are testifying against her nomination.

This is where Frank Ricci has been sitting. He's one of the New Haven firefighters who claimed discrimination when he took a promotional exam that minority firefighters in New Haven, Connecticut did not pass. And he will be testifying against her today. Although we understand, John and Carol, that she won't necessarily have to be present for that testimony.

COSTELLO: Well, maybe it will be more interesting today then.

Thanks, Brianna. We appreciate it.

ROBERTS: Testimony or more questions about "Perry Mason."

COSTELLO: Yes, well --

ROBERTS: The one light moment in the whole thing so far.

COSTELLO: Well, they needed some laughter.

ROBERTS: They needed to lighten up. They definitely do.

COSTELLO: You can watch the last day of Judge Sotomayor's confirmation hearings. It starts at 9:30 Eastern here on CNN. Or if you're away from your TV, of course, you catch it on-line at CNN.com/live.