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Tornado Takes Aim At Tiny Town in North Carolina And Damage Is Widespread; Rundown Of TSA's Naughty List This Holiday Season; O.J. Simpson's New Book Causing Controversy

Aired November 16, 2006 - 14:00   ET

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

DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: You're live in the CNN NEWSROOM.
A tornado takes aim at a tiny town in North Carolina. At least seven people are dead, many more in critical condition. The damage described as widespread and total.

Reporter Ilin Chen of News 14 Carolina has been on the scene all day.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ILIN CHEN, NEWS 14 CAROLINA: I'm standing at the shelter at Acme Delco Elementary school right now. This is a staging area that emergency workers have set up, because right now, as you can see, police are not letting anyone in except medical personnel, emergency workers, law enforcement agents, and some construction cleanup crews.

Now, if you can see further down the line there, we are just about a half a mile from where the tornado touched down. And it's a mobile community that was hit.

Folks that have gone down there have described that scene as mobile homes being torn from their foundation. In fact, one woman who went down there to check on her family said that she saw rescue workers pulling bodies out of the woods. She says that it's a scene that she's never going to forget.

Now, all of the roads that are going into Riegelwood right now have been closed off because, again, they're not letting anyone in there except rescue workers. In fact, we were driving down Highway 87 and we were stopped about five, 10 miles away, and we were routed to this staging area here.

Now, right now, the Red Cross has opened up a shelter here. They're not sure if it's going to be opened all night, but the Red Cross worker says he expects it will be because there are going to be some folks without homes.

And later on, we are going to hear a briefing from the sheriff. So far, he has confirmed there have been nine fatalities, but rescue workers are still in there trying to find more people, and they're cleaning up the scene right now.

So later on we are going to try to talk to the sheriff and see what else he can tell us, but that briefing is probably not going to be later on until this afternoon.

Reporting in Riegelwood, this is Ilin Chen for CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: And we've got live pictures now out of the state of North Carolina. Waiting for the governor, Mike Easley, to step to the podium to brief everybody on conditions there.

Also, as you can imagine, we're getting pictures in from all across North Carolina. These here are live pictures out of Columbus County, where you've been seeing the various reports and we've been talking about the seven deaths in the mobile park home.

Also video just in from Pender County, North Carolina. These just in to us here at CNN.

You know, the severe weather isn't over yet either. Reynolds Wolf has been keeping a close eye on it from the CNN weather center.

(WEATHER REPORT)

LEMON: The governor is holding a press conference now to talk about this. Let's listen in.

(JOINED IN PROGRESS)

GOV. MIKE EASLEY (D), NORTH CAROLINA: The worst damage was in Columbus County in the Riegelwood, Acme Delco area. It's right where Columbus and Brunswick County touch. We've received minor damage reports from Wayne, Duplin, Lincoln, Iredell, Rowan counties. But at this point, we don't have any severe injuries that we know about. We know there are some injuries in Iredell County, but I don't have any more information than that.

The biggest problem we have is Columbus County. The fatalities resulting from the tornado are seven at this point. About 20 people have been transported to hospitals in the neighboring communities and there are four people still unaccounted for. We'll get you updates on that as we go along today.

The tornado watch is still in effect in eastern North Carolina until 3:00 p.m. In the northeast, until 6:00 p.m. So people need to pay attention.

Just around lunchtime we had a huge tree fall at the Capitol, and had a group of schoolchildren touring at the time. So, these strong winds, coupled with the wet roof system, can be very dangerous. People need to stay tuned to local weather and listen to their local emergency management officials and heed their advice until the storm passes through.

Flooding, we do expect there to be some flooding. We don't think it's going to affect any homes, but it may affect some highways.

We're going to have some flash flooding, and over the next couple of days, we're going to see some flooding in the Tar River near Greenville and in the Chilwan Basin (ph) in North Carolina. People need to be aware of that. Watch out for flooded roads. And parents, please keep your children away from flooded streams.

State actions that we have taken early this morning, state emergency response teams provided whatever assistance was requested in the communities in need. We had coordinators for human services, emergency management, and for logistics placed in Columbus County. Emergency management coordinators also in Iredell, Rowan and Lincoln County.

The highway patrol has put an additional two squads in Columbus County, where most of the damage has occurred. Also, the Bladen County Sheriff's Department has come in and is providing assistance with their additional deputies, as has Brunswick County, and so has a lot of the local law enforcement agencies that are not county, but city, such as Ocean Isle Beach and others.

So at this point, we have more than enough personnel to secure the area. We'd ask the press to please pay attention to what law enforcement is asking them to do. We're seeing a lot of press sneaking through the woods while the -- the first responders are trying to do their job, and it's been disruptive to them.

Let me also note that we have power outages. At one point, 45,000. As of the last briefing I got about 30 minutes ago, it's down to 13,500. And we expect them to be back on pretty rapidly.

However, it does mean there are some downed wires across the state, and people need to be cautious about that, especially in the western part of the state. That's what we're seeing the most of in the Iredell, Lincoln and Rowan communities.

There's one shelter open. That is the Acme Delco Elementary school in Riegelwood there in Columbus County. There are bout 30 families currently in that shelter.

As for roads, the major road that is affected is North Carolina 87 in Columbus County. There's some additional smaller roads, North Carolina 11, US 74, due to downed trees. Those are expected to be opened pretty rapidly. However, Highway 87 could be closed for a while, until such time as the debris is cleared.

It appears that the tornado touched down in a mobile home and modular home area, and damaged some 30 to 40 homes there. It came back up, crossed the highway, and then leveled. I think the last count I got was three brick homes across the highway.

So, they are still having to deal with that on Highway 87. That's another reason why it can't be reopened right now. Those houses are right on the highway.

Recovery tips as we go forward, again, debris on the road and downed power lines. And just because the debris wasn't there 20 minutes ago doesn't mean it won't be there 10 minutes from now. We're seeing -- I'll note again, you know, trees falling even at the Capitol. So you don't know where they may fall, and everybody has to be alert. We ask you to help us getting that word out.

Often after an event, sightseers want to get out. Please stay home today. Let the first responders do their work, and stay where you can at least be in touch with the weather information put out by local emergency officials. And heed that warning.

Damage assessment teams will not go out until in the morning. They will report back to me after they are deployed. After I get their report and that information, I'll decide at that point whether to ask for federal disaster declaration or just do a state disaster declaration. But it's not much they can do at this point.

My latest conversations with the highway patrol down in Columbus County was that the weather would clear, the sun would come out, and then all of a sudden you'd have high winds and another inch of rain falling in a very short period of time. So, they are working against that right now. And therefore, they can't get all the information they want. They don't have much access to aerial views.

We're going to do everything we can in the meantime to help the people who were hurt and help these communities come back together. We certainly all offer our deepest sympathies to the families, the victims, the communities. We're going to do everything we possibly can to get people's lives back together as soon as we possibly can and make them whole again.

If you have any questions, we'll take some of those now. And I apologize for not having any more accurate information than we do, but we want to give you what we have when we have it.

QUESTION: On the first responders, the situation that you just referred to, were they able to get to the victims in a hurry? I know tornadoes come and go so quick, but do they have any problems in getting help to people who need it?

EASLEY: No. The most accurate information I have, this tornado in Columbus County touched down at about 6:45 this morning. And the -- as soon as it touched down, the first responders came into the area. They were able to get there and found some fatalities, and then tried to attend to those situations as soon as they possibly could and got those others who were injured to the hospitals.

Obviously, they continue to search, and they have continued to all day long. And anyone who was injured, they got to the hospital.

As I said, there are still four unaccounted for. That does not mean that people are injured or even at the location at the time the event occurred. We are just trying to give you as much information as we had.

The biggest problem they reported to me is trying to keep people out so that they can do their job. And they want to accommodate -- the people -- they want to accommodate the press, but at the same time they want to be given the opportunity to find anybody who may be injured without an impediment or some sort of a hurdle that slows them down, or if there is someone else who would be unfortunate enough to be an eighth fatality. They want to be able to get there and deal with that issue and the families without interruption from the public and the press. And that's just their concern on that.

Yes, sir?

QUESTION: Are those unaccounted for in the trailer park that was damaged?

EASLEY: Yes, that's correct. And that's why they are unaccounted for. They have addresses not -- not only right there at the trailer park, but the other section where the tornadoes touched back down again.

It appears it came through, lifted up, and then touched back down across the road. And so they are trying to work and find all of the people that were supposed to have been there or thought to have been there. But they are just working with limited information at this point.

QUESTION: And do you have any figures on the number injuries in Columbus County?

EASLEY: Our numbers at this point are about 20 people had to go to the hospital, is what we're told. And I -- the injuries range from severe to not so severe. And we'll get you more update on that as we go forward.

I know a lot of you are on some deadlines. And we want to get you information for that, and we certainly hope to have more for you before 6:00, if we can.

QUESTION: What sort of help will be available for the families...

(CROSSTALK)

EASLEY: Yes, that's a good question. The help that would be available for the families would depend on what sort of declaration would be declared. And that can only be done after an assessment, whether we're talking about a situation where grants are made or where SBA loans, Small Business Administration loans, where people are given loans up to, what, $25,000 or more at little or no interest.

At this point, we don't know who qualifies. We don't know who would. We don't know who had insurance and who didn't, and whether it was covered or not covered. And those are things assessment teams will help us get. But we want to keep the assessment teams out today while the -- those first responders, who are more concerned about life and limb than property, get their work done today.

Yes?

QUESTION: The assessment teams are going to Columbus County. Any other counties or just that one?

EASLEY: They are going to go anywhere there's damage. We have a coordinator in three of the other -- I think I mentioned five counties: Wayne, Duplin, Lincoln, Rowan and Iredell.

And we know -- we have coordinators in Iredell, Rowan and Lincoln. And there's going to be some damage there, but we don't know at this point how much. Not severe like there is in Columbus County.

QUESTION: Are any of the injuries anywhere other than Columbus County, or are they all...

EASLEY: We do know there are some injuries outside Columbus County, and those that we have confirmed are in Iredell County. However, we don't know how many or how severe.

The information is that it is not a large number, and the severity is not thought to be high. But, again, I'm reluctant to give you any more information than that, because I don't want to tell you more than I know at this point or more than I've been told.

OK? Good.

Yes, sir?

QUESTION: When was the last time we had a tornado of this strength in North Carolina?

EASLEY: Well, we had a tornado -- it was the last year or the year before, between the two hurricanes, between Isabel and one of the others in Pender County that destroyed some homes. But the last time we had a real significant tornado that I can recall was in '84, in Ridge Springs.

It came up on through Greenville, and I think we had -- I'm not sure about the numbers, but it was certainly in double -- far more people were injured and killed in that one than in this one. So, we're not through this one yet. We have not been fortunate here, but it's certainly not as bad as the one in '84.

OK. Yes?

QUESTION: (OFF-MIKE)

EASLEY: Can we hold that until I can get back on this? I need to -- I'd like to get some more information on this, and then we'll get it to you all today, and then we'll get on the other one.

OK?

QUESTION: (OFF-MIKE)

EASLEY: Yes, but let me just deal with this situation today, OK?

LEMON: That is the governor of North Carolina, Mike Easley, wrapping up a press conference there, saying a tornado cut wide swathe of damage through five counties in North Carolina.

And Kyra, as we watch these pictures, it's just unbelievable when you look at the damage in all of this.

He is saying that they are confirming what we heard earlier, seven fatalities in all of this. Four people he's saying still unaccounted for, but that does not mean that they are injured or they think that they may have lost their lives to some sort of peril during this hurricane.

Twenty people taken to the hospital, some with severe injuries, some with not so severe injuries. At the height of the storm, he's saying 45,000 people, Kyra, without electricity. And now that's up to -- down to at least 13,500 people, and they hope to have more back.

But he's warning people, don't go in these areas because of downed power lines. Plus, later on there is going to be some flooding that's expected. And then some flooding, and also telling parents, warning parents not to let their kids and sightseers and what have you not to get there.

He said that tornado touched down, jumped a highway, touched down again, destroying a number of homes in the area, and, of course, taking seven lives there.

We're going to continue to update this story as it warrants in the CNN NEWSROOM. And don't go anywhere.

And, of course, we do welcome your pictures and your video if you have it. You can go to CNN.com and click on "I-Report". Type in ireport@cnn.com on your cell phone.

PHILLIPS: Well, flying isn't what it used to be. Can you bring shampoo, nail file? Well, we're going to check out what's on the TSA's naughty list this holiday season straight ahead from the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Well, millions of us will be flocking to the airports next week, so now is a pretty good time to go over that carry-on items checklist. We are actually going to be allowed to carry some things on this holiday season.

CNN's Jeanne Meserve joins us now from Washington with that.

Jeanne, it's still so confusing. It seems like every airport is different.

JEANNE MESERVE, CNN HOMELAND SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Yes, it's confusing, and it's going to be very crowded.

If you plan to fly this holiday week, you will be one among an estimated 25 million people expected to fly because some of those people are likely people who travel only once in a while. But the Transportation Security Administration is reminding people about the current limits on carrying liquids, gels and aerosols through security checkpoints.

TSA is calling the rule 3-1-1, meaning liquids and gels have to be in containers, three ounces or less. They must be in a one-quart- size plastic Ziploc bag, not in a gallon back, but a quart-size bag, and only one bag is allowed per passenger. At the checkpoint, the bag should be put in one of those plastic bins. There are exceptions for medicine and baby formula, but all other liquids, gels and aerosols that are not in those three ounce or smaller containers must be placed in your checked baggage.

TSA says security checkpoints will be fully staffed this week, and airports will have extra personnel on hand to help, but they caution that if screeners had to take just an extra 30 seconds with each passenger on a 200-passenger flight, that could create a delay at checkpoint of an hour and a half -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Ooh. So how early do you think we should get there?

MESERVE: Well, the standard rule of thumb is be there two hours before a domestic flight, three hours before an international flight. But folks are saying check with your airline before they travel just incase they had to modify that.

They have some other tips, by the way. In addition to that 3-1-1 rule for liquids and gels, they say use the automated check-in when you can, remember to carry a government-issued photo I.D., carry metallic objects like your cell phone and keys together in your carry- on bag, put an I.D. tag on your luggage, and leave lighters at home. They are banned.

If everyone heeds all this advice, airline and government officials are hopeful things are going to go pretty smoothly, but that's if the weather cooperates -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right. Jeanne Meserve, thanks.

MESERVE: You bet.

LEMON: Boy, is there really no such thing as bad publicity? Pushing that concept to its limits. O.J. Simpson with a new book titled "If I Did It".

We'll break down the controversy next in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Fact or fiction? Speculation or confession? O.J. Simpson insists that his new book, "If I Did It," is a hypothetical look at the murders of his former wife, Nicole, and her friend, Ron Goldman. But his own publisher calls it Simpson's confession.

CNN's Randi Kaye has more on a story a dozen years in the making.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANNOUNCER: On Monday, November 27th, the interview that will shock the nation.

RANDI KAYE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Shocking yes, and chilling, an interview with O.J. Simpson, acquitted of double murder in a criminal trial, held responsible for those murders in a civil court. Now he says he's speculating, asking, "What if?"

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You wrote, "I have never seen so much blood in my life."

O.J. SIMPSON, AUTHOR, "IF I DID IT": I don't think any two people could be murdered without everybody being covered in blood.

KAYE: It's O.J., the author, pitching his provocative new book, "If I Did It, Here's How It Happened," placing himself metaphorically at the center of what was called the crime of the century: the vicious murders of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and Ron Goldman, a young waiter who happened to be in the wrong place at the worst possible time.

It was the night of June 12, 1994, when the sound of a barking dog brought a neighbor to 875 South Bundy Drive in Brentwood, California. He made a gruesome discovery: two bodies, stabbed, nearly decapitated, left in the driveway.

CMDR. DAVID GASCON, LOS ANGELES POLICE DEPT.: This is a horrendous crime.

KAYE: Police collected the now very familiar evidence at the scene: a bloody glove, a blue wool cap, and found a trail of blood leading away from the scene of the crime. And though they didn't call him a suspect, they searched for Nicole's ex, O.J. Simpson.

GASCON: So, obviously, we're not going to rule anyone out. And we will pursue whoever we need to pursue until we bring the party to justice.

KAYE: Four days later, an arrest warrant was issued for O.J., but he wouldn't go easily. He led police on this now infamous slow- speed chase on the L.A. freeways, in a white Bronco, carrying his passport, a fake mustache, a pile of cash, and a gun.

His murder trial, which began more than seven months later, was the quintessential media circus, televised for all the world to see. Police said Simpson killed Nicole in a jealous rage, then killed Ron Goldman, who had come to her home simply to return a pair of glasses.

They said Simpson then returned home, changed his clothes, met his driver, and hopped a flight to Chicago.

But Simpson's lawyers said it was instead a case of police racism, crime lab incompetence and falsified evidence, which the so- called "Dream Team" whittled away.

JOHNNY COCHRAN, ATTORNEY FOR O.J. SIMPSON: If it doesn't fit, you must acquit.

KAYE: The trial would take more than eight months, but the jury took less than four hours to render its verdict.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We, the jury, in the above entitled action find the defendant, Orenthal James Simpson, not guilty of the crime of murder.

KAYE: O.J. was acquitted and now he's back, not with a confession, but a book and a TV special with a title that can only further taunt police, prosecutors, and the grieving families of two victims. "If I Did It," but so far he hasn't revealed how.

Randi Kaye, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Well, they may hate the book, the hype, the whole idea, but the Goldman and Brown families are both looking to squeeze any proceeds they can out of the author, who still a $33.5 million civil judgment for wrongful death. Let's get to CNN's senior legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin on this.

What do you think? Do the families have a viable claim?

JEFFREY TOOBIN, CNN SR. LEGAL ANALYST: Well, they have a very good claim, because that money is owed. There's no -- that lawsuit is over, and O.J. has clearly never paid it. The question is, will they be able to identify the cash in a place that is clearly under Simpson's control and then get a court to give it to them?

You know, obviously, Simpson knows he owes this money, too, and presumably structured this deal in such a way to make it as difficult as possible for the Goldman family to locate the money.

PHILLIPS: But let's have a reality check. He's already said, according to the family, that he's not going to pay a dime. He's hardly paid anything. I mean, he can keep stalling until he dies, right?

TOOBIN: Not necessarily, because this is a judgment of a court, which is enforceable. The question is, can it be found, and is it in a way that is identified as his money. You know, is it put in trust for his kids? Is it put into some corporation?

I mean, there are various ways you can structure a financial transaction to make it difficult to recover. But if they get the money, clearly, it has to go to the Goldmans and the Brown family. There's no doubt about that.

PHILLIPS: Speaking of the Goldmans, we heard from Fred Goldman, Ron Goldman's father, on "LARRY KING LIVE." Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FRED GOLDMAN, VICTIM'S FATHER: He's never willingly going to pay a dime. He's made it very clear. He has said it over and over and over again, over all these years, that he's never going to willingly pay a dime. And, frankly, that doesn't surprise me. He's not anything remotely close to an honorable human being, and the rest of us would find a way to honor a judgment, but not somebody like him.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Now, you say there's ways to make him honor that judgment. What are the other ways?

TOOBIN: Well, if money can be identified, you just go into court and show the judgment that -- in the California court to the judge and say, seize this money. It can be done.

Kyra, you know, let me just add one thing about what is this -- you know, his publisher, Judith Regan, is saying this is a confession. I think it may be more of a publicity stunt than a confession, because if you listen to what Simpson says in that excerpt, that you played in the piece, he says, you know, there should have been more blood there with two people killed there.

That's a defense argument that was made at the trial. That's him arguing why didn't I have more blood on me if I did it. So, you know, maybe at some level they are portraying this as some sort of confession, but maybe this could possibly be just another denial of responsibility by Simpson, and not, in fact, the confession.

PHILLIPS: Is he desperate for attention? Desperate for money? What do you think? I mean, you worked on this case.

TOOBIN: I covered this case for two-and-a-half years. I think desperate for money is a big factor. There have been reports that this -- that there's as much as $33.5 million for Simpson involved. That's a great deal of money.

He lives in Florida. He makes about $400,000 a year on his NFL pension, which under Florida law, cannot be touched by the California judgment. And $400,000 is a lot of money, but he leads a pretty, you know, comfortable lifestyle, probably wants more. Certainly wants some attention, and, so, I think the money is the real objective here.

PHILLIPS: Have you had a chance to see this book yet?

TOOBIN: No, no one has.

PHILLIPS: I know we've been trying to get an advance copy.

TOOBIN: I think they are keeping an embargo until the broadcast.

PHILLIPS: What if something is in this book that is just -- I don't know -- remarkable with regard to detail, and investigators that worked this case, and other people that were involved, and attorneys, even people like you, look at it and go, oh, my gosh, it is so obvious that he is confessing. Only O.J. would know this information, or only the murderer would know this information. It doesn't matter, does it?

TOOBIN: Well, I mean, none of it matters because of the criminal law now, because of the double jeopardy clause in the Constitution. He cannot be prosecuted again for the murder. That's over and done.

PHILLIPS: He's free and clear, no matter what.

TOOBIN: Totally clear.

PHILLIPS: Even if he came forward and said, I did it, I killed them.

TOOBIN: Even if he said -- and by the way, here's the video of me killing her, there's nothing that could be done. I mean, the double jeopardy clause is absolutely clear about that.

One thing I'd be interested to know, one mystery about the crime that's never been solved by anyone, what happened to the clothing that the killer wore? What happened to the murder weapon? Neither one has ever been identified or found. That's something that, you know, if there's some sort of disclosure, that would be certainly very interesting to those of us who followed the case.

But just at a simple common sense level, you know, he says, it's a hypothetical discussion. Well, who among us can have a hypothetical discussion about our own lives? You either remember something or you don't. I mean, that's why I think there's so much of an element of publicity stunt involved here, because hypothetical just doesn't seem to apply.

PHILLIPS: It's bizarre all the way around.

TOOBIN: Yes. We agree on that, Kyra.

PHILLIPS: The word crazy comes into mind.

TOOBIN: That's true.

PHILLIPS: Are you going to read the book?

TOOBIN: Yes, I will.

PHILLIPS: You're curious?

TOOBIN: You know what? I'm in for a dime, in for a dollar in my life. You know, I assume I'll get a free copy because I'm in the media. I'll certainly watch the broadcast.

PHILLIPS: So you won't pay for it. You won't get charged.

TOOBIN: I won't pay for it, but I'll read it because, look, you know, this is my life.

PHILLIPS: Morbid curiosity, that's a good point. That's exactly what my producer just said. It is, I mean, you're curious, especially when we had to cover and work on this case for so many years.

TOOBIN: Oh, Kyra, it was a long time ago.

PHILLIPS: I know. Believe me, it about killed us all. Jeffrey Toobin, thanks a lot.

TOOBIN: Yes.

PHILLIPS: Well, definitely a talker, as Jeffrey and I were saying. And we wanted to know what you have to say about O.J. Simpson's new book, "If I Did It." And here's what you had to say:

Rhonda in Jefferson, Georgia says, "I can't believe they are all allowing this man to benefit off the victims of this terrible crime. He just wants to wave this in the face of the families so they will never forget his despicable face. Shame on you, O.J., dirtbag."

David in Tucson has a different slant. He says "profit from this book will be accessible for the Goldmans and Browns to satisfy the wrongful death judgment if people are morbid enough and stupid enough to pay money for this crap, that's their problem."

And then Tina in Pennsylvania someone writes, "If Simpson had been convicted, he could not have profited from this act. I don't think he should be allowed to profit now because he was acquitted mainly because of racial issues. He must now think he's invincible."

And Perry was really fired up, that is the most egotistical and outrageous and disgusting development to come out of the USA in a long time. Please stop giving O.J. and the book air. The publishers should be boycotted and I hope that the book doesn't sell a copy. O.J., go to hell!"

Share your thoughts -- send it to CNNNewsroom@CNN.com. More from the NEWSROOM straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Straight to the NEWSROOM now, Carol Lin with details on a developing story in Massachusetts, Carol?

CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: That's right, Don. This speaks back to a murder case in 2002, a fashion writer, was brutally murdered in her home and her 2 1/2-year-old daughter spent a day and a half with her mother's body. Some evidence of even trying to tend to her, to help her. Well, Christa Worthington was murdered, and today, Christopher McCowen, a garbage hauler, was convicted for rape, first-degree murder, and burglary.

And just moments ago, he received three consecutive life sentences, but shortly before that sentencing, and there you are seeing some of the reaction to his conviction and his sentencing. But shortly before that sentencing Don, we heard from Christa Worthington's cousin, Mary Worthington talking about the after-effects on the family and the future of Christa's daughter, who is now six years old.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARY WORTHINGTON, COUSIN OF MURDER VICTIM: Though without question Ava endured more than a day and a half that was so traumatic and so horrific, but to say that Ava was not brutally victimized would be an understatement.

With that said and with all due respect, I choose not to portray Ava as a victim. It has been our decision as a family to protect Ava from the public, and so it is with tremendous trepidation that I allow any knowledge of Ava to the public. But to those who have persevered so hard on Krista and Ava's behalf ...

LIN: Don, it was such a heartfelt statement by Christa Worthington's cousin there, after this brutal murder back in 2002 on Cape Cod, where Christa Worthington had moved to raise her daughter after leaving Manhattan, after a troubled family life. Wanted to have a fresh start with this little girl, and she was killed in her kitchen.

LEMON: Imagine the strength it takes to get in front of a court, and do that, for that family. They must be grieving.

LIN: They must be grieving, but, you know, there's resolution here. There's justice at work, and this man getting three consecutive life sentences. No death penalty in the state of Massachusetts.

LEMON: All right, Carol, thanks very much for that.

A twisted mess across the south. North Carolina hit hard by a tornado. Deaths and injuries in the Wilmington area. A live report straight ahead in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(MARKET REPORT)

LEMON: Straight ahead, let's check in with some entertainment news with Sibila Vargas with "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT."

Hey, what's going on?

SIBILA VARGAS, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Don.

"TomKat" countdown.

LEMON: Oh, yes.

VARGAS: Big names mean big bucks, that's right.

Just days before the wedding of the year, and you won't believe what's going on in Rome.

And the votes, they are in. Who is the new champ of dancing with the stars?

Those stories and more, straight ahead, in the NEWSROOM.

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GUPTA: ... Richard Davidson, one of the world's leading experts on the mind/body connection. Davidson calls Buddhist monks the Olympic athletes of meditation, making them ideal candidates for research into how a positive disposition affects our health.

Already, Davidson has found that people who are upbeat have a stronger immune response when they're given a flu vaccine. That means a positive outlook actually makes you less likely to get the flu. And population studies have shown that optimists live about seven years longer on average.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In general, there are data showing better health outcomes among optimists compared to pessimists on a number of different measures.

GUPTA: Meditation won't make you happier necessarily, Davidson says, but even beginners can reduce the levels of stress hormones in the body and improve their immune response.

Perhaps, like the monks, all of us should think of happiness as a skill.

Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN, Atlanta.

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LEMON: Boy, that looks interesting. I can't wait to see that. Sunday night, Sanjay has a full hour long special, "Happiness and Your Health: A Closer Look at the Surprising Mind/Body Connection." That's starting at 10:00 p.m. Eastern, right here on CNN.

In the meantime, you can go to our Web site, CNN.com/happiness.

PHILLIPS: Well, it seemed like a good idea. But now it's a million dollar mess. Coming up in the NEWSROOM, the stalled attempt to move a massive carrier.

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