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American Morning
Eighth Suspect Arrested in the Murder of Florida Couple; Did Michael Jackson's 1984 Fiery Accident Led to Drug Abuse?; Hillary Clinton Back on World Stage; Foreclosures Skyrocket; Obama to Address NAACP's 100th Anniversary; Trials and Tribulations of Marion Barry; The Pros and Cons of Genetic Testing
Aired July 16, 2009 - 07:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ROBERTS: And that brings us now to the top of the hour. It's a minute after the hour. It's 7:01 Eastern on this Thursday, the 16th of July. Thanks for joining us on the Most News in the Morning. I'm John Roberts.
COSTELLO: And I'm Carol Costello sitting in for Kiran. Here's what's on the agenda, the big stories we're breaking down for you in the next 15 minutes.
An eighth suspect now under arrest in connection to the shocking murder of a Florida couple who have 17 kids. Our Ed Lavandera is live with new details on how the cops tracked her down.
ROBERTS: Was this the turning point? This morning for the first time ever, we're seeing a different angle of video, the Pepsi commercial shoot where Michael Jackson's hair caught fire. And we can guarantee that after seeing it, you'll never think of that accident in the same way.
Our Ted Rowlands is taking a look at whether this set Michael Jackson on the path to drug dependency and his eventual death.
COSTELLO: Will you get sick in the future? And do you really want to know? The surprising new information on the psychological effects of getting bad news about your health years ahead of time. Dr. Sanjay Gupta has the pros and cons of finding out if you will get sick in the future.
ROBERTS: Interesting topic. Be sure to stick around for that.
First, though, the latest on a shocking crime. Parents of 17 killed. Police now say they have arrested an eighth suspect, a woman.
Our Ed Lavandera is live in Pensacola, Florida for us this morning. And, Ed, police say this is turning out to be a very carefully planned crime but one that wasn't very well executed.
ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely. You know, in fact, at one point yesterday, the sheriff called it a perfect murder had it not been for the video cameras that were rolling. But what has been an interesting part of this investigation is now an eighth person has been arrested, a woman, Pamela Long Wiggins, who they say is a friend of the mastermind of this -- of these murders. She was arrested yesterday about 40 miles west of Pensacola at a marina.
We showed that picture there where authorities found her there yesterday. After being interviewed by authorities, she was charged with accessory after the fact of the crime. So, still a lot of questions as to how exactly all of these people -- all of these suspects fit together.
(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 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: Now even authorities here in Pensacola are suggesting that there are even still more people of interest that they're interested in speaking with. And we're expected to hear a press conference later on this morning to hear more details about that.
ROBERTS: Yes. We'll see just how far this goes.
Ed Lavandera for us this morning in Pensacola. Ed, thanks.
You just heard from Sheriff Morgan. He's in charge of the investigation. He's going to be joining us live in less than 30 minutes, so make sure you stay around for that.
COSTELLO: And for the first time ever, video is surfacing this morning showing the moment Michael Jackson's hair caught fire while filming that Pepsi commercial. It happened 25 years ago now. But some are asking this morning, was it a turning point for the King of Pop? Ted Rowlands has more for you from Los Angeles.
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 longtime friend, Miko Brando, son of actor Marlon Brando.
MIKO BRANDO, JACKSON'S 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.
DR. STEVEN HOEFFLIN, JACKSON'S PHYSICIAN: 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, ENTERTAINER: 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 soothe 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.
COSTELLO: We're going to continue to investigate this throughout the show on AMERICAN MORNING. Our Larry King sat down with a long- time friend of Michael Jackson, Deepak Chopra, and asked for his take. Chopra told Larry he could see how this accident might lead to addiction.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VOICE OF DEEPAK CHOPRA, LONGTIME FRIEND OF MICHAEL JACKSON: Well, certainly, I mean, it makes you understand why he would have required narcotics and painkillers. Second and third degree burns can be extremely painful.
But, you know...
LARRY KING, HOST, "LARRY KING LIVE": Does it make you rescind prior criticism of his getting painkillers?
CHOPRA: Well, you know, when you're a celebrity, you're such a powerful person and you're such an important person, you frequently end up getting the worst care because it's difficult for a doctor to refuse you.
KING: Oh.
CHOPRA: The patient, whatever they demand, the doctor submits to it. And maybe what happens is ultimately it leads to the addiction.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: It's also worth noting that Pepsi later settled with Michael Jackson -- get this, settled for $1.5 million. And then Michael Jackson donated that money to the burn unit of the Brotman Medical Center in Culver City, California in the burn ward of the hospital, later renamed it the Michael Jackson Burn Center to honor Jackson and that generous contribution. But it seems like such a low amount of money today...
ROBERTS: For today, yes.
COSTELLO: ... for such a serious injury.
ROBERTS: That was 25 years ago, don't forget. COSTELLO: Yes.
ROBERTS: But when you see that video footage, we never realized how badly burned he really was.
COSTELLO: No. When you see his scalp when he stands, oh, that's bad.
ROBERTS: Yes. Explains the possibility a lot here.
New this morning. If you've never got a chance to visit Chicago's Sears Tower, it's too late. You'll still be able to visit. But later on today, the tallest skyscraper in the U.S. will be renamed the Willis Tower. Willis Group Holdings, a London-based insurance company, secured the naming rights along with 140,000 square feet of space in that building.
COSTELLO: It won't be the same. The Willis Tower? It just won't be the same. I don't know.
For a state over $26 billion in the hole, it is high time that California started regulating and taxing marijuana. A new state report says that could generate $1.4 billion to help close the budget deficit. That follows a bill introduced in February to allow adults to possess, grow and sell pot legally.
ROBERTS: Plus, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton delivered a high-profile speech on foreign policy. She hit all the hot spots, including Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan and North Korea. So, she's back. But how did she do? We're asking her husband's defense secretary, William Cohen, coming up next.
It's ten and a half minutes after the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Well, it's not a moon dance but close. How about a moonwalk, and we're not talking Michael Jackson. This is the original moonwalk, in just-released, never-before-seen, digitally-enhanced video. NASA released the footage today to mark the fortieth anniversary -- the fortieth anniversary of the Apollo 11 launch.
ROBERTS: How fast time flies.
Hillary Clinton back in the world stage today, taking off at a week-long trip to India and then Thailand. She kicked off the diplomatic effort with a speech that some billed as a return to the spotlight.
William Cohen is a Republican who served as secretary of defense under President Clinton. He is live in Washington with us this morning.
Mr. Secretary, thanks for joining us. So this is widely seen as Secretary Clinton reasserting herself. The speech was billed by her aides as "muscular." This was giving her a chance to stake out her own ground here in this administration. How did you think she did?
WILLIAM COHEN, FORMER DEFENSE SECRETARY: I think the speech was very comprehensive, and I think well-delivered and much needed. But I would take issue with the fact that she is using this to get back on the stage.
I think during the initial five, six months of the Obama administration, it was important that she demonstrate that she was part of the team of rivals but that she was part of the team. And I think had she tried to "assert herself" too soon, it would look as if she was still in competition with President Barack Obama. So I think it's just about right that this is a time for her to really establish her presence and the power of her personality on the national stage.
ROBERTS: Mr. Secretary, you know what's being said that the foreign policy very much in these first few months of the presidency centered around the White House, centered around the president, his close circle of advisers, Rahm Emanuel, David Axelrod, Dennis McDonough. Has the secretary of state, you know, for all of the talents that she has in this arena been a little bit on the outside?
COHEN: Hard to say. I don't think so. I don't see it that way. Because don't forget, President Obama had to demonstrate that he had the international credentials that he was short on foreign policy, that he was "trying to be dismissed by my Republican colleagues as being, you know, a community organizer." So I think that those who are advising the president want to make sure that he's number one, that he's the commander in chief, and he's in charge of foreign policy.
So I see it quite differently. I think the secretary of state's job was to kind of keep her head down, show that she's a team player and not to be caught up as whether she was trying to really establish herself as being the primary force in this administration.
ROBERTS: What's your understanding of the relationship between the president and the secretary of state? People on the inside have suggested to me that he values and listens to her counsel.
COHEN: I think that would be the case. I think it's a wise thing to do. Secretary Clinton, of course, is one of the most well- traveled individuals in the cabinet during her eight years as first lady and then her experience as a U.S. senator. And I think that he would be wise to continue to seek her counsel and she's his number one adviser.
There are others who were there. You mentioned them before, Rahm Emanuel and others. But his secretary of state is key to his success and we've seen it so.
ROBERTS: Let's go down on a couple of the issues here. She talked tough on Iran. She particularly singled out their treatment of the reform movement post election. She said that she is open to this idea of dialogue but under no illusions that it's going to work. Let's listen to a little bit of her speech and what she said on that issue.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HILLARY CLINTON, SECRETARY OF STATE: The choice is clear -- we remain ready to engage with Iran but the time for action is now. The opportunity will not remain open indefinitely.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: Now, of course, we all remember back to the election campaign when she called then candidate Obama's position on Iran "irresponsible and naive." Do you think she was looking for a tougher policy from this administration?
COHEN: I think the policy, of course, is established by President Obama. But what she is saying is that the president has indicated he's willing to sit and meet with Iranian officials, but there's a time limit. You can't allow the Iranians to drag this out as they've been dragging it out for years now.
"So, we're willing to talk to you. We're willing to see if there's any ground where we can reach an acceptable compromise and resolution of this nuclear issue. But we are not going to wait forever."
Patience is a virtue, but it's not eternal. In this particular case, we need to set some very firm timelines. I think that's the message. It's the right one delivered to Iran.
ROBERTS: Secretary Cohen, it's always great to talk to you. Thanks for stopping by this morning.
COHEN: Great to be with you.
ROBERTS: Really appreciate it.
Seventeen minutes now after the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: Good morning to Manchester, New Hampshire on this Thursday, where it's fair and 63 degrees right now. Later on today, scattered thunderstorms and a high of 83.
So you're saying why are we saying good morning to Manchester, New Hampshire? Well, when Josh Muszynski of Manchester, New Hampshire, charged a pack of cigarettes to his Visa card, he was ready for the $7 or $8 price tag. But then he checked his statement to find a 17-digit number, a charge for $23 quadrillion. That's some expensive smoking there.
That's nearly $2,000 and seven times the size of the U.S. national debt.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOSH MUSZYNSKI, CHARGED OVER $23 QUADRILLION FOR PACK OF CIGARETTES: I thought my card had been compromised. I thought somebody bought Europe with my credit card. It is a lot of money in the negative, something I could never ever afford to pay back. My children couldn't afford, grandchildren, nothing like that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: Actually for $23 quadrillion, you get Europe, most of Asia and half of Australia, too.
To make matters worse, or perhaps more ridiculous, listen to this, it's a kicker.
COSTELLO: No.
ROBERTS: A $15 overdraft fee was tacked on to that $23 quadrillion debt. The bank fixed the mistake. A day later put him back in the black.
And he wasn't alone, apparently. The glitch happened on Monday to 13,000 Visa customers.
COSTELLO: Wouldn't somebody catch that?
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: That's how you close the budget gap, with a big syntax. Everybody buys a pack of cigarettes.
ROBERTS: Twenty-three quadrillion dollars.
ROMANS: Yes, and all our problems are solved.
COSTELLO: Isn't it disturbing the credit card company didn't catch that? We charge (INAUDIBLE) quadrillion dollars. It's amazing.
ROMANS: I can't believe they can get that many zeros and...
COSTELLO: On your statement...
ROMANS: I know.
ROBERTS: On your statement, yes.
But it certainly makes the problems with our deficit look, you know, trite (ph) in comparison, doesn't it?
ROMANS: Oh, I know. I love joking about -- at least we can laugh about money, right? Because look, on "Minding Your Business" foreclosures, we can't laugh about those. They're still going up. They're going to continue to go up. I mean, there's no let up in sight.
June is still ugly. And listen to this, one in 84 properties in this country is in some form of foreclosure. That's incredible. It's a record. And when you look at the top states, it's a plague.
In Nevada, one in 16. Arizona, one in 30. I mean, think of that. COSTELLO: Wow.
ROMANS: You look around your neighborhood, you know, all these houses that are in foreclosure, or if you don't know yet, you're going to notice pretty soon when there's a padlock on the front door.
Florida, one in 33. California, Utah, also very high here.
This is a record. What is different about this? You've been hearing me say this every month for what, a year and a half? What's different this time?
This time is different because unemployment is the problem here. This is the number one reason why people are going into defaults on their mortgages.
It's not bad loans anymore. It's not taking too much house than they could afford, although that's still part of the problem in some cases. But it's now they've lost a job. You can't pay the mortgage if you don't have the job.
The second interesting part of the story is the number of people who are walking away. There's one report that says 25 percent of these new foreclosures are people who have simply said, I'm out of here. And they're walking away. And they're asking how they can get in to the foreclosure process.
I do a radio show with Ali Velshi from time to time and something that viewers, listeners on the radio show have been asking about more and more lately has been, how do I get my lender to start the foreclosure process on me with the least amount of damage to my financial life. Because people are so underwater in their loan, some people are trying to figure out why am I paying this mortgage. So that's an interesting twist (ph).
COSTELLO: Exactly. If I can't buy groceries, why am I living in this big house?
ROMANS: And it's never going to be worth what it was when I bought in 2005, 2006. What's the point? So that's an interesting twist to this foreclosure story?
COSTELLO: "Romans' Numeral"?
ROMANS: "Romans' Numeral" is 32. And this is the painful twist to the foreclosure story.
ROBERTS: "32 percent."
ROMANS: "32 percent." This is the decline in home prices, folks, since the housing peak in 2006.
COSTELLO: Oh.
ROMANS: Think of that, a third of it wiped out.
COSTELLO: Oh.
ROBERTS: That's the average, right?
ROMANS: That's the average. Some places it's much worst. Nevada, for example, parts of Arizona and Florida. Some places have held up. Parts of the Tristate area, for example. So 32 percent, the value of your biggest asset. Ouch.
COSTELLO: Oh, that's painful. You're right.
ROMANS: But if you're a first-time homebuyer --
COSTELLO: That's right. Just buy a home.
ROMANS: There's places. You can go there.
ROBERTS: Some places you can go there. All right.
Christine Romans "Minding Your Business" this morning. Thanks very much.
We have Marion Barry, the former mayor of Washington, D.C. on with us last hour. He's in some controversy again because he hired his girlfriend to work for him and then was arrested by the police on the Fourth of July weekend for stalking her. Those charges later dropped.
Marion Barry joins us in a few minutes to explain all of that. Make sure you stick around for it.
It's 24 minutes now after the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: Twenty-six minutes after the hour. Just back from an emotional trip to West Africa, America's first African-American president is giving a major speech to the NAACP later on today here in New York City. It marks the group's 100th anniversary. And just as he did as a candidate, the African-American community can likely expect more tough love from President Obama.
Let's bring in our Suzanne Malveaux. She is live at the White House this morning. What's the president expected to say today, Suzanne?
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, John, he's going to talk about education and jobs, the importance of all Americans, an opportunity for them. I have to tell you I remember when President Bush went before the NAACP, the tension in the room after essentially ignoring that organization for five years, it was a strained relationship with President Bush despite the fact that they said they shared the goal of racial equality and justice.
And speaking with members of the NAACP, they are very excited about President Obama. But there's still a question about 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: Members of the NAACP, they readily admit that they are trying to redefine the mission of the organization, trying to bring in more young people. That is really something they believe that President Obama could help them do -- John.
ROBERTS: All right. Looking forward to that speech today. Suzanne Malveaux for us at the White House with a preview this morning. Suzanne, thanks so much.
At 8:10 Eastern, we're going to be talking to the first black man to head the Republican National Committee, Michael Steele. We'll get his take on the president's message and how the GOP can start doing better with the black community. We should point out he addressed the NAACP earlier this week.
And join us next Wednesday and Thursday for the newest installment of CNN's groundbreaking report. Soledad O'Brien brings us "Black in America 2." That's next Wednesday and Thursday, 8:00 p.m. Eastern, 5:00 Pacific only on CNN.
COSTELLO: Thirty minutes past the hour. Here are this morning's top stories.
At about two hours, the last day of questioning for Supreme Court nominee Judge Sonia Sotomayor that starts on Capitol Hill. During day three of the hearing, she sidestepped solid answers on many of the hot button issues including the big one, abortion.
ROBERTS: And check out this incredible pictures. Flames and a lot of black smoke shooting hundreds of feet into the air after a gasoline tanker truck exploded just north of Detroit. This morning, police say a two-mile stretch of Interstate 75 -- is closed indefinitely. The blasts caused part of an overpass to collapse. Police say the truck driver and two others were hospitalized with minor injuries. Authorities still do not know why the tanker blew up.
COSTELLO: And the Pentagon has decided this morning to let troops keep on lighting up. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said he will not ban smoking in war zones even after a study commissioned by the Pentagon recommended it. A spokesperson for Secretary Gates says with two wars going on, it could just add unnecessary stress for some soldiers.
Turning to a developing story we've been tracking all week long, police in Pensacola, Florida have arrested a person in the brutal murders of a Florida couple with 17 kids, many of those kids with special needs. Police also say robbery isn't the only motive in this baffling case. For more, Sheriff Morgan joins us live from Pensacola, Florida. Good morning.
SHERIFF DAVID MORGAN, ESCAMBIA COUNTY, FLORIDA: Good morning, ma'am.
COSTELLO: This eighth person, Pamela Long Wiggins. You arrested her on her yacht. How did you find her? And how is she connected to this case?
MORGAN: She has both a business and personal relationship with one of our prime suspects, Mr. Gonzalez Jr. A long association. She's also a family friend. And she also had contact with this gentleman, we know, on the day of the murder. And so she became a person of interest and we wanted to speak to Ms. Wiggins to verify some information and rumors that had been passed along to us. And yesterday, those rumors were confirmed and we effected an arrest and we are now in the process of recovering some physical evidence that has a direct bearing and relationship to this crime.
COSTELLO: Well, let's talk about that physical evidence. Because just because she knew these guys, or knew the ring leader doesn't mean that would lead to an arrest. This evidence, I mean, was it the safe, was it weapons?
MORGAN: We've been asked by the state attorney's office to wait on a specific release, but we have obtained, again, physical evidence that Ms. Wiggins had and her cooperation in this case and we'll be announcing that at 10:00 a.m. this morning in conjunction with our state attorney.
COSTELLO: Did she lead you to find any physical evidence?
MORGAN: She's been cooperating in this case. I will say that.
COSTELLO: OK. I mean, you know, everybody is like searching for answers in this because it's so confusing. It has to be more than a robbery. That's what many people think. And the DEA is now involved. So that's confusing many people. Can you enlighten us at all?
MORGAN: Please bear with us. And I apologize for not being able to release more information. But I'm going to emphasize to everyone who's following this case - we moved now to the prosecutorial phase of this case. If we make any misstep in the gathering of evidence or releasing information that shouldn't be released at a specific time, we can jeopardize the successful prosecution of these horrible, horrible murders.
We most certainly want to step through this like waltzing through a mine field. So I'm reluctant at this time to release any specific information without having the state attorney standing next to me. Because that's truly Mr. Evans' call and not mine.
COSTELLO: Are you looking for more people?
MORGAN: We are. We are. We have at least two additional persons of interest that we'll be interviewing very shortly. And I want to emphasize at this juncture, they are persons of interest. Of the two, we think one possibly could have a tie to the case. But, again, we've got extensive interviews to conduct. Both with this individual and those who had associations with them. Hopefully we can get this concluded fairly quickly.
We believe, again, we believe that this case has had so many odd twists and turns that this may be the last piece of our puzzle.
COSTELLO: Yes, that's a lot of people to be involved in a simple robbery. There are rumors, there are all kinds of rumors flying out there. One of them, that the victims in this case were tax defiers and they may have a large amount of money inside their home. Can you comment at all on that?
MORGAN: The comment that I will make is the focus of my investigation as sheriff of Escambia County has been the murders of the Billings family. And not any of the Billings' family's business holdings or ties. That will be for another law enforcement organization. We have yet to receive any complaints or any requests to investigate anything like that.
And I want, again, I want to keep the community focused on the fact that we're dealing with these horrendous murders. That's been the focus of my office's investigation, that and that only. And to put this in a little better perspective, I think, for the community at large and for the nation that's been following this. We're talking about a case that's so complex that the only one that I can recall in my studies from the time in law enforcement would be back in the late 1969, 1970 with the Tate-Lo Bianca murders that occurred in California in the number of participants they had in those murders. We're up to eight now and we could possibly go up to nine or 10.
COSTELLO: Sheriff Morgan, thanks for joining us this morning. We really appreciate it because we know how busy you must be. I should explain to our audience...
MORGAN: Thank you, ma'am.
COSTELLO: Thank you.
I should explain what a tax defier is -- people who don't believe in paying income taxes. And sometimes they keep large amounts of money in their homes in case they're prosecuted. So don't know if that has anything to do with the case but that's flying around out there.
ROBERTS: All right. Good to clarify that.
New this morning, it was a picture perfect space shuttle launch yesterday. But there was something that you couldn't see. NASA says pieces of foam insulation came off the external fuel tank again and hit the shuttle two or three times but NASA says any damage was apparently minor. They're still checking that out in space though.
COSTELLO: Prime-time Emmy award nominations will be announced in less than an hour. We'll bring you the highlights this morning, "30 Rock," and "The Big Bang Theory" getting a lot of buzz on the comedy side while "Madman" and "The Shield" are hoping for the best shot at best drama.
ROBERTS: Former Washington mayor and D.C. councilman Marion Barry being investigated for hiring his girlfriend. She also accused him of stalking her. He was arrested on the Fourth of July weekend. He just did a fiery interview here on AMERICAN MORNING. We're going to play the highlights for you coming up which is pretty much the entire thing.
So stay with us. Thirty-seven minutes after the hour.
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ROBERTS: Good morning, Washington. Beautiful shot of the White House this morning where it's mostly cloudy and 74 degrees right now. A little bit of sunshine out there, though. Because we can see some shadows on the White House. Later on today, 93 degrees, it's going to be a hot one, and some scattered thunderstorms. We're seeing that pretty much up and down the east coast today.
COSTELLO: And you know what that means in Washington, which is of course, built on a swamp, it's a steamy day. That's right. A steamy interview. Let's talk about that. Now Marion Barry has been a fixture in Washington, D.C. politics for nearly four decades. He's had his ups. He's had his downs, drug and alcohol use, a jail term for crack cocaine.
Barry is now a D.C. City councilman and he's also under investigation for hiring his former girlfriend who allegedly accused him of stalking her. Wow. Outspoken as always. We talked to Barry last hour. And I asked him, why does he keep on getting to trouble.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARION BARRY, WASHINGTON, D.C. CITY COUNCIL MEMBER: 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 transformed Washington from a sleepy Southern town to a metropolis. And in those instances where you called it trouble, it's when other people who have done that, for instance, the FBI -
COSTELLO: Well, mayor - councilman...
BARRY: Wait a minute.
COSTELLO: 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 in to why you would hire your girlfriend to work for the city at the 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 Fourth.
COSTELLO: You're talking specifically about the stalking charge.
BARRY: Yes.
COSTELLO: They arrested you for allegedly stalking this girlfriend.
BARRY: I want the world to know that I have never, ever been accused of this, and I've been vindicated by it and tendered 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.
COSTELLO: Let's go back to...
BARRY: Wait a minute, as opposed to saying...
COSTELLO: ... how your girlfriend is paid. You have a discretionary fund as a councilman, correct?
BARRY: No, we don't.
COSTELLO: How is she being paid? Where did the money come from to pay her?
BARRY: Yes, what happens is each of us have a budget. And you can put personal services contract on, hire people part-time. She has done a wonderful job, has a 30-page document with him in this case.
She was highly qualified. She has a bachelor's degree and working on her masters' degree. Had done extensive research and writing. And so what I resent is that people will not look at the fact that there's no law against this. City officials have said that, the mayor has said this.
COSTELLO: But councilman, there may be no law against it...
BARRY: Wait a second...
COSTELLO: ... but you understand why some people might be a little upset about you hiring your girlfriend at a time when so many people need a job?
BARRY: That didn't happen just until last September up but I had to obey the law. Now those people who are raising questions about it are detractors of mine, their enemies of mine, political enemies of mine, people who never supported me for anything.
My constituency understands this situation. I got 94 percent of the vote last November. I've done 16 years as mayor, that means I've done a wonderful job up 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.
COSTELLO: A lot of your constituents would certainly agree with that.
BARRY: That's right.
COSTELLO: There's an HBO special coming out about you. 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: Setting me up like that. Setting me up. Isn't that a [expletive]
I live in the third district, see, you dig it? I work in the third district. I deserve the right to live here and be here and I -- they're going to come in here.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: So this HBO Special shows the worst of times for you and also the...
BARRY: It does not.
COSTELLO: It does show a lot of the best of times for you.
BARRY: Have you seen it?
COSTELLO: I have not seen it in its entirety. It's not out yet.
BARRY: It is 78 minutes long.
COSTELLO: Mm-hmm.
BARRY: And that scene you just showed is about a minute and a half of it. There's 78 minutes, it's a balanced approach. Four, 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 the simplest side of things. Seventy-eight -- 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, I want to ask you about that.
BARRY: Wait a second.
COSTELLO: 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 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: I did nothing on July Fourth that deserves arrest. My reputation all around the country, people talking about stalking. That was a bogus charge. I take responsibility for my tax situation because I didn't do anything. I tell the Americans, I didn't file on time. I'm paying the price for it. I'm on probation. But for anything else that happened to me, it was the result of other people, enemies, conservative republicans, and everybody else doing that.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO: It was -- I mean, for a lot of people in Washington, D.C., that probably was very frustrating to watch because that incident in that hotel room, it made him -- made Washington, D.C. and Mayor Marion Barry a joke. That remains a joke to this day.
ROBERTS: And what we were talking about during the interview though, in politics it's all about the conviction. And if there's no conviction, then it didn't happen, right? Politically speaking.
COSTELLO: But there are pictures of that hotel room. And that doesn't change the fact of that. But he doesn't have any regrets. He was set up.
ROBERTS: Yes. Well, he always seems to have a -- what would seem to be a reasonable explanation for so many different things that have happened to him over the years, right?
COSTELLO: Well, coming up on 47 minutes after the hour, would you want to know if you can get a serious disease. And if you could, what would you do about it. Dr. Gupta is looking into all of that. There are some new testing out there that shows whether or not are will develop various diseases, everything from cancer to Alzheimer's. The big question we're asking this morning, would you want to know? Stay with us, we'll be right back.
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ROBERTS: Welcome back to the Most News in the Morning. If you could take a test to find out if you'll develop a disease like Alzheimer's, would you do it? And what if you got terrible news, what would you do? We're "Paging our Dr. Sanjay Gupta," to get the pros and cons of finding out what is in your future. Dr. Gupta joins us from Atlanta this morning. So what is this test and how reliable is it?
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, there are genetic tests for all sorts of different diseases out there. The medical community as a whole has not been really enthusiastic about suggesting many of these genetic tests for a few different reason.
One is more often than not, they're not definitive. Two is, sometimes there's nothing you can do about it. So it's not really being proactive. And three, there was this real concern that it would cause psychological stress on someone if the genes came back positive and it's sort of that last point that researchers decided to study. Does it cause the psychological stress?
As you mentioned, John, I had my own DNA tested as well. Truth be told, excuse me, I didn't really know what to expect when I had that testing done. But just was tested for a variety of things. In my case, nothing devastating showed up, but had something shown up specifically, without saying for Alzheimer's, what would have been the psychological affect.
Researchers say that people who come back negative, their test come back negative. They don't have the gene. They have a benefit. They have some sense of relief. But what they also found was that the people who came back positive, at least within the year of testing -- they tested these people, didn't seem to have a lot of undue anxiety about this. They didn't seem to be psychologically affected by this.
This is important, John, because again, it's been one of those reasons the medical community as a whole has said let's not get too excited about these tests. It just may cause more psychological harm than good, John.
ROBERTS: You know, one of the things that I'm thinking about, personally, is my mother, 95 years old, has got advanced Alzheimer's disease. But to the best of my knowledge, she is the only person in the family to have developed it. So you think this is hereditary, and would I logically assume that I'm going to develop it at some point? With this -- what would this test do for me?
GUPTA: Right. So, in some ways, you're the perfect person to be asking that question. Someone who does not have symptoms, someone who is an adult of someone with Alzheimer's. You could be tested and what they're testing for specifically is something known as a lipoprotein. You don't need to remember that name but if you have one copy of it, you have a certain degree of risk. If you have two copies of it, that risk goes higher.
You could be tested, but again, it's not saying for sure you're going to get it. And as you know, John, there might not be a lot that you can necessarily do about it.
ROBERTS: Right.
GUPTA: But with regard to the anxiety around it, a lot of people believe that you're not going to have anymore anxiety necessarily if even you come back positive. Now part of that could be that you know, you're so far away from the age range, which you might develop Alzheimer's. It's not just something you're thinking about yet. And it's one reason that researchers believe that it didn't cause anxiety. It could cause anxiety later on down the road as you get older, perhaps.
ROBERTS: All right. Sanjay Gupta for us this morning. Doc, it's always great to see you. Thanks so much.
GUPTA: Thanks, John. ROBERTS: Fifty-two minutes after the hour.
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COSTELLO: I was going to say, "Hey, is anyone up in Los Angeles yet" but I bet lots of people up, huh?
ROBERTS: Are you kidding? It's 5:00 in the morning there.
COSTELLO: OK. It is clear there, 62 degrees, and later it will be a beautiful day, sunny and 84. Welcome back to the Most News in the Morning.
After five months on loan in Europe, Soccer's golden boy, David Beckham, is back in the States, ready to resume playing major league soccer for the Los Angeles Galaxy. Beckham's return is making headlines and some less than flattering comments about him by his L.A. teammates.
CNN's Richard Roth is on the Beckham beat. You're on the Beckham beat now. That's cool.
RICHARD ROTH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, not full time, though probably some other people would like to be on it.
We took a look at Los Angeles, David Beckham's latest return there, his old, new home. The Beckham return to America tour, though, starts tonight. In the swamps of the meadowland, a giant stadium, but this time it's different. His name was dragged through the mud by one of the best American soccer players. It's a return to American shores, but this time for Beckham, with baggage.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ROTH (voice-over): He's a global icon, living his life in the lights. From red carpet to bare billboards.
DAVID BECKHAM, SOCCER PLAYER: I'm so happy to be back.
ROTH: Now, David Beckham is back in America, following five months playing for Italian powerhouse AC Milan. Fans of Beckham and his American soccer team, the Los Angeles Galaxy, hope the Englishman stay in the States isn't this time so brief.
BECKHAM: I'm very dedicated to the Galaxy. I'm dedicated to the fans.
ROTH: When Beckham arrived in America two years ago, the expectations were enormous.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The newest member of the L.A. Galaxy, Mr. David Beckham.
ROTH: It would elevate soccer's popularity and his own celebrity.
GRANT WAHL, AUTHOR "THE BECKHAM EXPERIMENT": A lot of those expectations have been met as far as the popularity and the business side and how much money he has made and how many jerseys have been sold.
ROTH: But on the field, it has been a struggle and in a new book, teammates, including the top U.S. player, Landon Donovan, claimed that in Beckham's 2007 and 2008 seasons with the Galaxy, he was unprofessional, tightfisted with his money, uncommitted to his American team and more concerned with playing back in Europe.
WAHL: The soccer side has been a complete disaster, really. The Galaxy hasn't made the playoffs in either year of Beckham's time in America. It's really been a fiasco on the field and to be honest in the locker room.
ROTH: (INAUDIBLE) though, says the boys have now made up.
BECKHAM: We sat down and went through everything that's been said. You know, Landon apologized, and I told him my view of things.
ROTH: And now, Beckham and the leaders of American soccer want to focus on the future.
DON GARBER, MLS COMMISSIONER: The David Beckham experience is only half over bad, while we've had lots of interesting opportunity and challenges over the last two and a half years, it's still got a while to go.
ROTH: As they say in soccer, it's a game of two halves.
BECKHAM: If I didn't want to be here, I wouldn't.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROTH: For how long? Beckham doesn't rule anything out but expects to finish out his five-year contract with the Los Angeles team, but his main priority, John and Carol, is playing for his home country England in soccer's biggest tournament, the high stage, the World Cup next year in South Africa. He just may be playing in Europe and America. He'll play -- do you have any youth leagues, you know, he'll make an appearance there.
COSTELLO: Why bother? Why doesn't he just stay in Europe? I mean, why bother coming back to us? Is it just the money? He doesn't need the money, right?
ROTH: No.
COSTELLO: He could pose in his underwear and he'll have money.
ROTH: Well, that's for your imagination. He thinks he can be a good ambassador for the game. And he has helped grow it. It does take a lot more than David Beckham to improve soccer in short term in popularity here. It's going to take more time in the United States. ROBERTS: The weirdest thing is that every kid in, you know, elementary school plays soccer, and yet it just hasn't caught on the way that you think...
ROTH: Well, there are demographic changes, more immigrants here. Little by little, the major league soccer people, they want males 20 years old, 30 years old to get into the game, then have children and start off, not just playing it but rooting for his fans. It may happen.
ROBERTS: Yes.
COSTELLO: If they score more -- unless they score more, it isn't going to happen.
ROTH: Scoring is always important, Carol.
COSTELLO: OK. We'll leave it at that.
