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Severe Weather Rips Through the South; Santa Barbara Still Threatened by Wildfires

Aired May 09, 2009 - 11:00   ET

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

BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: In Scott County residents reported seeing a tornado on the ground. At least four houses were damaged and one woman is talking about her family's close call with a twister.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SHERRI BIRD, STORM VICTIM: I just thank god that my husband, his nephews and the people that was helping him in the garage was ok, because I knew the garage was gone.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: To do that much damage in just a few seconds, it's just unbelievable.

(END OF VIDEO CLIP)

T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: All right, those storms not quite done. Might be doing some more damage in other parts of the country today.

(WEATHER REPORT)

HOLMES: And I'll piggyback right off what you talked about, Reynolds, and show our viewers some of these pictures you were just talking about and what's happening out there in southern California, in Santa Barbara. Reynolds just mentioned the army of firefighters essentially they have out there. Seeing as many as 80 homes burned so far. Many more are in immediate danger now. Evacuation orders went out to some 30,000 people. That number could grow significantly again, as Reynolds was just reporting, depending on what happens with those winds. Those winds are really going to be key as to what happens with these fires in the coming days. But hopefully, again, he says no rain is expected out there, but the winds could kick up, so we could be seeing more and more of these pictures in the coming days.

NGUYEN: All right, but you know not everyone is heeding the call to evacuate. Some homes in the fire's path were just rebuilt seven months after another wildfire ripped through Santa Barbara. CNN's Thelma Gutierrez introduces us to one family who isn't running from round two.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Worried that we could still see flames, and it's burned over that area once already, and it's still burning.

THELMA GUTIERREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): For three days and nights, since the Santa Barbara fire began, Lisa and Kaye Camarillo have watched the flames on the ridge. All their neighbors have evacuated. The Camarillos told us they're staying behind.

KAYE CAMARILLO, HOMEOWNER: My family has lived here for many generations. This is our land, and we have to defend it.

GUTIERREZ: Their nerves are raw. Just seven months ago, flames roared through this canyon, destroying hundreds of homes.

CAMARILLO: It happened so suddenly, that the sparks flew. And were right here.

GUTIERERZ: Kaye Camarillo fled for her life. The home she grew up in, where she raised her children, burned to the ground. It's hard to imagine what the homeowner feels when they come back and they look at that.

KAYE CAMARILLO, HOME BURNED LAST YEAR: The memories, yeah, the little things, the photographs, yeah. You know, little things like the bench that my father built. That we all sat on when we were little kids. Those irreplaceable things. That's hard.

GUTIERREZ: Camarillo didn't have enough insurance to rebuild, so the community environment council in Santa Barbara came to her rescue. Volunteers built a new fire-resistant green home. Two weeks ago that home was relocated to her property.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You'd be absolutely astounded at how many people put their time and effort into this.

GUTIERREZ: And just when she was ready to settle in, the fire threatens once again. Why would you rebuild here, why not move somewhere? Live somewhere else in Santa Barbara?

CAMARILLO: No, no, this is our home. This is our land.

GUTIERREZ: Land high above Santa Barbara that has belonged to the Camarillo family for more than 100 years.

CAMARILLO: Now we've got ashes again on our mountaintops.

GUTIERREZ: Thelma Gutierrez, CNN, Santa Barbara, California.

(END OF VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES: The probe into a deadly U.S. air strike that killed insurgents and civilians in Afghanistan is now complete. And now the president of Afghanistan, Hamid Karzai, telling the U.S. the air strikes must stop. CNN's Stan Grant joins us now by phone from Kabul. Stan, tell us what are the results of this probe?

STAN GRANT, CNN CORRESPONDENT (via telephone): T.J., the probe has shown that the civilians were indeed killed by U.S. air strikes. Now, these strikes were called in to the Farah Province in western Afghanistan at the height of the battle between the Taliban and U.S. and Afghan forces. The strikes were called in to try to target houses where they believed the insurgents were holed up. Now, it did kill a number of civilians, men, women, and children, exactly that number, though, has been cause for debate and dispute. The U.S. military's putting the number at around 50. Others saying much higher, including Afghan president, Hamid Karzai. He said the information he's received puts the number well over 100.

Now, the U.S. also saying it is a tactic of the Taliban to use civilians as human shields, and they are investigating whether, in fact, it happened in this case. Hamid Karzai also saying, it is a tactic of the Taliban to use civilians in this way. At the same time, Hamid Karzai saying that these air strikes are a major problem, a major cause of dispute, between Afghanistan and the U.S., and as you reported there, they must cease. T.J.?

HOLMES: How long has the President Karzai really been calling for this? And any chance he's going to get his way?

GRANT: It would appear to be unlikely, of course, the U.S. is in a battle here to try to defeat the Taliban, along with other allied forces, and Afghan forces. The problem is, though, in trying to reduce the number of civilian casualties, as he pointed out, is a major area of tension between the U.S. and Afghanistan. It causes problems for the Afghan people. Obviously grief being among them, but it hardens anti-American attitudes here and makes it all the more difficult for the U.S. to achieve its ambition. Also, Hamid Karzai has an election coming up in August. He's not a popular figure in the country. Many accuse him of corruption, incompetence, people are frustrated at the lack of improvement in their lives and he obviously wants to be re-elected in August. This is another issue he can campaign on. T.J.?

HOLMES: Stan Grant for us in Kabul, thank you so much Stan.

NGUYEN: Pakistani officials say a suspected drone attack has killed five people. It happened in a tribal district near the border with Afghanistan and that area has seen a sharp spike in the number of unmanned U.S. drone attacks on what are believed to be Taliban targets. Pakistan's prime minister is responding to the attack. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

YOUSUF RAZA GILANI, PAKISTANI PRIME MINISTER: This is not a normal one. This is a guerrilla one. But it is a resolve and it is a resolve of the army that there should be minimum collateral damage. And it should be over as soon as possible.

(END OF VIDEO CLIP)

NGUYEN: Expect an in-depth look at the Taliban threat in Pakistan today, at 4:00 p.m. eastern. Fredricka Whitfield shows you how the situation in the region could affect life here in America. Nuclear weapons are not the only reason you should care.

HOLMES: Well, you'll remember on the campaign trail, President Obama, then candidate Obama, was promising that he would make a speech to the Muslim world in the first 100 days of his presidency. He's not exactly going to make that 100-day mark, but still, he has chosen a place. Ed Henry explains why Egypt is now the place for his long- promised speech.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ED HENRY, CNN SR. WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: White House spokesman Robert Gibbs already deflecting questions about whether Egypt is the right choice for this speech, given the fact that President Hosni Mubarak has resisted democratic reforms. But Gibbs said Egypt was chosen because the president believes it represents the heart of the Arab world, and this president began his outreach from week one here at the White House. In fact, his first television interview in office was with al Arabiya and then it continued on a trip to Turkey where the president took off his shoes before entering the famed blue mosque to show his respect. Then he delivered a speech of course to the Turkish parliament where he delivered a very clear message.

OBAMA: So, let me say this as clearly as I can, the United States is not and will never be at war with Islam. In fact -- in fact -- in fact our partnership with the Muslim world is critical, not just in rolling back the violent ideologies that people of all faiths reject, but also to strengthen opportunity for all peoples.

HENRY: White House aides say the president plans to build on that message on June 4th in Egypt. Right before he heads to Normandy, France, to mark the d-day anniversary. It's going to be a very busy summer of foreign travel for the American president. Ed Henry, CNN, the White House.

(END OF VIDEOTAPE)

NGUYEN: Well, Pope Benedict XVI is doing some fence-mending today in Jordan. He toured Amman's biggest mosque with the king's top religious adviser and apologized for offending Muslims three years ago. Back in 2006, the Pope gave a speech and quoted a medieval emperor who called the Prophet Muhammad's teachings evil and inhumane. His weeklong papal tour in the Middle East is aimed at improving strained relations with Muslims and Jews. The Pope goes to Israel on Monday.

HOLMES: California voters gearing up for a special election. How the results could mean more painful cuts for the cash-strapped state.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: Oh, yeah.

HOLMES: Yeah. Hey, how you doing?

Voters in California, they are going to have a say in the state's ongoing budget problems.

NGUYEN: Yeah. And today actually they will be voting in a special election on the measures crafted by California's governor and lawmakers to deal with those billions of dollars in budget shortfalls, and if this proposition fails, it could mean more tough budget cuts. Senior political analyst Bill Schneider explains.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WILLIAM SCHNEIDER, CNN SR. POLITICAL ANALYST (voice-over): He started out as the good guy, the terminator from "Terminator II" which saved the golden state.

GOV. ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER, (R) CALIFORNIA: I can promise you that when I go to Sacramento, I will pump up Sacramento.

SCHNEIDER: Now he's turning into the bad guy, Mr. Freeze from "Batman and Robin."

SCHWARZENEGGER: Those initiatives failed and there will be less money available, billions of dollars less that has to come from somewhere so people should be aware of that.

SCHNEIDER: On May 19th California will hold a special election to vote on six propositions, they call for tough choices, spending cuts, tax hikes and borrowing from state lottery profits. The measures were put on the ballot by the governor and the leaders of the state legislature. Hey, bipartisanship, isn't that what voters want? Maybe not, says the former democratic governor who got terminated.

GRAY DAVIS, (D) FORMER GOVERNOR OF CALIFORNIA: You have two conservative republicans and two liberal democrats. And a centrist governor that came up with something bipartisan. The test for California voters who constantly say they want bipartisanship is to see whether they mean it.

SCHNEIDER: A new poll shows five of the six measures going down to defeat. Then what, Mr. Freeze?

SCHWARZENEGGER: Therefore, there will have to be additional cuts made. If it's in law enforcement, if it is in fire, if it is in health care, if it is in education.

SCHNEIDER: Only one proposition seems likely to pass, the one that prohibits a pay raise for elected officials if the state is running a deficit. Are the voters scared?

DAVIS: We may not be able to convince the public this time that the wolf is at the door. Because we have cried wolf so many times, but trust me, when the doorbell rings, it will be the wolf.

SCHNEIDER (on camera): The problem is California voters have seen this movie before, many times. Bill Schneider, CNN, Los Angeles.

(END OF VIDEOTAPE)

NGUYEN: Well, President Obama wants congress to get tough with credit card companies. He says sudden rate hikes, unfair penalties and hidden fees have become all too common. And the president is calling on congress to send him a bill that he can sign into law by Memorial Day. He took his message straight to the public in his weekly address. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OBAMA: The abuses in our credit card industry have only multiplied in the midst of this recession, when Americans can least afford to bear an extra burden. It is past time for rules that are fair and transparent, and that's why I've called for a set of new principles to reform our credit card industry. Instead of an anything-goes approach, we need strong and reliable protections for consumers. Instead of fine print that hides the truth, we need credit card forms and statements that have plain language in plain sight and we need to give people the tools they need to find a credit card that meets their needs.

(END OF VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: Well, you may remember, the president and first lady, had a nice night out the other week and came back and took a walk around the White House grounds. Well, they have another big night out planned tonight, not going to be so private, though. They'll be at the annual White House correspondents' dinner tonight. The entertainment will include comedian and actress Wanda Sykes. Yes, also entertainment for the night will be the president, he's expected to be funny at this particular event. We see these year end and year out. We'll see tomorrow morning how funny he was.

NGUYEN: Yeah I can't wait to see those clips. But in the meantime, this wasn't too funny at all. A picture supposed to be worth a thousand words, but is it worth $328,000, a White House job and thousands of scared people? We're going to show you the picture and you decide.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: All right. It is the air force one photo-op that cost one Obama administration official his job. This is the promotional picture -- there it is -- that caused concern over New York's skyline last month. It's a beautiful picture, no doubt, you see air force one. The president wasn't on it at the time. But then you see the statue of liberty at the bottom, the background. Well, President Obama has accepted the resignation of Louis Caldera, the director of the White House military office. The president was reported to have been just furious that Caldera didn't give the right people, namely New York's mayor and other city leaders, a heads-up about the low- altitude flyover. The photo shoot sparked panic among New Yorkers.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

CALLER: Oh, my god!

DISPATCHER: What is the problem, sir? You've got to tell me. What is going on, sir?

CALLER: There's a (unintelligible) falling, an aircraft, a big aircraft, kind of like the 9/11.

(END OF AUDIO CLIP) HOLMES: Yeah. You can understand why people in New York might have been alarmed at seeing something like that. The purpose of this, crazy as it sounds, was for a photo-op. Again, these photos weren't supposed to be for public use, just some file photos and souvenir photos, some say of the plane.

NGUYEN: Was it worth it? The question now besides costing Caldera his job, it cost more than $320,000 of taxpayer money. So, what do you think about that? Well, let's explore the political fallout with our CNN deputy political director Paul Steinhauser. Paul, after all of this, the photo's not even going to be used.

PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN DEPUTY POLITICAL DIRECTOR: Yeah, take a look at that photo again, because you're right, it is a beautiful photo. And after all of this, after spending over $300,000 on it, it will never be used because the White House really feels now it's tainted. As for the fallout here, remember we were talking during the president's first 100 days about a week or two ago about the gaffes, if there had been any big gaffes during his first 100 days, well I guess you could say this is a big gaffe. The president besides the resigning of Caldera, the president has asked secretary of defense Robert Gates and top officials at the White House to make sure something like this never happens again. As you mentioned, Betty, he was furious. They want to make sure they don't have to deal with something like this again guys.

NGUYEN: What about the timing of this? We've been talking about this T.J.

HOLMES: And you know what Paul, the White House press corps was asking almost immediately after this happened, this whole incident, it asked for days and the weeks following, let's see that picture.

NGUYEN: Yeah, where's the picture?

HOLMES: So, they decided to release it on those infamous Friday dumps.

STEINHAUSER: Yeah, 4:15 p.m. Friday, yesterday, that's when the e-mail came out releasing the photo and the report. The White House says, listen, the report from our internal investigation wasn't ready until yesterday at 4:15. But, listen, if you ask Ed Henry or Suzanne Malveaux or John King or Wolf Blitzer, anybody who's covered the White House for CNN, they will tell you when the White House wants to bury something, they wait until late on a Friday to release it. So, the timing is yes, very interesting.

NGUYEN: Yeah and as you know a lot of people especially on our Facebook pages, our Twitter pages have been weighing in on this Paul. One of the big things that they're saying and I'll go to my Facebook page real quick, Alice says you know they would have saved a lot of money if they would've just used photo shop. Emily says the same thing. But Hanna says as a neighbor of New York, this photo stunt was an offense against common sense. We remember that horrible day all too well, the last thing we needed was a flashback. HOLMES: That's a valid argument there and nobody is saying this is a good idea necessarily and then when you hear what it was for, it just makes it even more mind-boggling. Before we let you go, we want to ask you about one more thing, the speech he said he was going to make to the Muslim world within his first 100 days in office, he's going to miss that window at least, but still an announcement is going to be made in Egypt. What's the significance of that place and the timing of it now?

STEINHAUSER: Yeah Egypt, he will be making a trip next month over to Europe and to Egypt, he'll be giving the speech which is kind of his message as you mentioned to the Muslim world. There were some questions yesterday when it was announced by White House press secretary Robert Gibbs, there were some questions from reporters at the White House briefing, is it the right place, because the president there Hosni Mubarak has been kind of tough when it comes to democratic reforms, especially election reforms. And maybe they said Egypt wasn't the right country. Gibbs said that he thought Egypt was a good representation for the Arab world. After that stop he will go on to Germany where he will visit the remains of a concentration camp and then follow to Normandy for the 65th anniversary of the Normandy invasion during World War II guys.

NGUYEN: All right, Paul Steinhauser as always we appreciate your time. I know that you're going to be at that White House correspondents' dinner tonight.

STEINHAUSER: And I'll see you tomorrow we're have some fun with whatever the president says.

NGUYEN: We're looking forward to it.

HOLMES: All right thanks Paul.

STEINHAUSER: Thank you.

HOLMES: Did a diary become a manifesto for murder? The latest in Wednesday's fatal shooting of a Connecticut college student.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: It's half past the hour. Here's what's happening right now --

Major storm cleanup under way from the Midwest to eastern Kentucky. A series of deadly storms killed at least five people and knocked out power to thousands more. Unfortunately, much of the region could get a replay of the severe weather a little bit later today.

Well, they'd love to get some sorely needed rain in Santa Barbara County, California. You're looking at why right there. That's where firefighters are entering their fifth day battling a wind-fueled wildfire. Some 30,000 people have fled the firestorm and an estimated 80 homes have been destroyed already. One area fire chief describes the scene as "all hell broke loose." Well, no rain is in the forecast for Southern California, unfortunately, but firefighters may be getting some help weather wise.

(WEATHER REPORT)

T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: Well, there are laws out there that say you can't text while driving. They didn't think they needed to make one for texting while operating a trolley with 200 passengers on it, but the NTBS is now looking into a trolley accident in Boston. A pair of trolleys, yes, collided about 50 people were injured, we're told those injuries are not too serious. It happened last night on the city's green line which is now shut down for this investigation. The transit authority's general manager, again, suspects one of the operators may have been texting at the time of that collision.

BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: There is much more to come, including this, from Connecticut, new details in Wednesday's fatal shooting of a Wesleyan University student.

HOLMES: Yeah, police say they found a journal belonging to the suspected gunman near the crime scene, spelling out his murderous intent hours before that killing. CNN's Susan Candiotti with the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Shackled and barefoot in court, suspected killer Stephen Morgan is described as being in a state of shock by his attorney.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: His family is devastated by the accusation. Devastated by the claim.

CANDIOTTI: Shock and devastation are the same words family and friends of victim Johanna Justin-Jinich are using. They can't believe she's gone.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She was amazingly intelligent and perceptive, but also very heartfelt and compassionate and very determined.

CANDIOTTI: As family, friends and police search for answers, a disturbing portrait of the suspected killer is emerging, in his own words in a bookstore where police found seven bullet casings and a dying young woman, a notebook was discovered among Morgan's belongings. His arrest papers say in a journal entry dated May 6th a couple of hours before the shooting, these words appear, "Kill Johanna, she must die." Police say another section talks about seeing, quote, beautiful and smart people at Wesleyan University's campus, where friends say the victim studied women's issues and public health. And there were these words, "I think it ok to kill Jews and go on a killing spree at the school." Was he serious? At this point, impossible to say. In court papers police say they found a 9 millimeter, semiautomatic handgun and two loaded magazines at the crime scene. Jinich filed a police complaint against Morgan two summers ago when they both took the same class at New York University. Police say Morgan threatened her in phone calls and e-mails but did not press charges. The morning Jinich died, Morgan checked into this motel. The manager tells CNN he paid a cash advance for two nights and left.

(On camera): More than 24 hours after the shooting, and about 10 miles down the road from Middletown, Stephen Morgan wound up at this convenience store, was he already thinking about surrendering? And did a front-page story about his alleged victim help him make up his mind about calling police?

SONIA RODRIGUEZ, STORE CLERK: And I started crying. And I started thinking what might have happened, what he could have done.

CANDIOTTI (voice-over): Store clerk Sonia Rodriguez says Morgan bought a protein drink, looked at a newspaper with his alleged victims face and asked her to use the phone to call police. He did, and they were there in a flash.

RODRIGUEZ: The detective comes in, and he's like, that is the guy that killed that girl in Middletown. Oh, my goodness.

CANDIOTTI: She says she'll never forget Morgan's face, nor will Johanna Justin-Jinich's friends forget hers. Susan Candiotti, CNN, Middletown, Connecticut.

(END OF VIDEOTAPE)

NGUYEN: Well, more denials from the former Illinois police officer now accused of killing his third wife and suspected in the disappearance of his fourth wife. Friday, 55-year-old Drew Peterson appeared in court for the 2004 death of Kathleen Savio which was initially ruled an accident, but it was later reclassified as a homicide. Defense attorney Joel Brodsky described the Peterson case to our own Anderson Cooper last night.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

JOEL BRODSKY, DREW PETERSON ATTORNEY (via telephone): The Savio case is a fairly circumstantial case which is tough for the prosecution in the first place. It has -- problematic forensic evidence. The original -- the original finding of the pathologist was that it was an accidental death. It's going to be a prosecution without a crime scene. It's going to be a very tough case for the prosecution. And, you know, we're going to defend it tooth and nail.

(END OF VIDEO CLIP)

NGUYEN: Peterson is being held under a $20 million bond.

HOLMES: Well, one of the NBA's longtime and best-loved coaches has died. Talking about Chuck Daly. He was a head coach of the Detroit Pistons. You see him there. The Detroit pistons during their run in the late '80s, also the '90s winning back-to-back championships. He died this morning at his Florida home. He engineered Detroit's bad boys, the back-to-back titles, may be best remembered by a wider audience for his 1992 U.S. Olympic hoops squad. That was the original dream team. Daly had been battling advanced pancreatic cancer. Chuck Daly, dead at 78 years old.

Also using your spiritual side to invest your money. One man did. And saved a lot.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: Reverend Michael Bernard Beckwith is a nationally known spiritual leader and his expertise is faith, not finances.

HOLMES: But judging from some of his actions, Reverend Beckwith might know the stock market better than the so-called experts. He got out just before stocks plunged last year that saved him a whole lot of money.

NGUYEN: Oh, yes, it did. So, how did he time it just right? Well, I traveled to Los Angeles to find out.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NGUYEN (voice-over): It was here, in Reverend Beckwith's media room where he says he heard a message that would change his financial future.

REV. MICHAEL B. BECKWITH, FOUNDER, AGAPE INTERNATIONAL CENTER: I was sitting right here. I was signing books for a book signing I had to do the next day, and I was signing and I had to stop every now and then and just kind of take in the people that I was signing for prayerfully. And one of those moments I heard, sell all your stocks. So sell all my stocks? Sell all your stocks. I said, ok. Next morning was Monday, and I went in and went in to the brokerage and said, I'm selling all my stocks.

NGUYEN: Here are his statements showing he sold on September 29, 2008. Less than two weeks later on October 12th, the international monetary fund warned the financial system was teetering on the brink of systematic meltdown. So, was his timing divine intervention? After all, Reverend Beckwith has spent his life centered on faith. He founded the Agape International Spiritual Center in Los Angeles which ministers to thousands. So, what do you attribute it to? This inner voice?

BECKWITH: It is spirituality. Everyone -- everyone -- has the ability to hear that kind of guidance. And if they cultivate the willingness to be still, to listen, to pray, to take the time every day to liberate yourself from the baubles of the world and to get to what's really important, which is your soul.

NGUYEN: Reverend Beckwith admits he's no financial expert, just a man rooted in faith, who enjoys spending time with his family. But when he does get back in the markets, he says he only wants to invest in socially responsible companies.

BECKWITH: In terms of investing, I had to really think about the fact where do I want to put my money? Because I don't believe in just making a profit. I believe in what is called noble profit, and that is the profit not only has to support the business that it comes from, but it also has to support the kind of world I want to live in.

NGUYEN: It's a noble plan, but is it sound investment advice or financial suicide? I took that question to CNN's chief financial correspondent, Ali Velshi.

ALI VELSHI, CHIEF FINANCIAL CORRESPONDENT: The problem comes in when you're dealing with an environment where it's just about making money where others are just investing for greed so they'll cut corners and you may get stuck with a lower return because you're investing in the type of company that's doing the right thing. It may be best to try to do the right thing in other areas of your life, because when you're trying to invest you can do better if you get the money you need and then you've got the money to make your own decisions about how you're going to do things.

NGUYEN: However, Natalie :Pace tends to side with Reverend Beckwith. She's the author of "put your money where your heart is." We caught up with her at this economic forum in L.A. and asked her about socially responsible investing.

NATALIE PACE, AUTHOR AND FINANCIAL ADVISER: It forces companies to evolve. So ExxonMobil may be full of talent and infrastructure and if we switch to electric cars may become the lithium ion battery makers, who knows. But as you start forcing new products that really serve our world better, you don't lose all the talent, you don't lose all the infrastructure, you just get better products.

NGUYEN: And that's the kind of change Reverend Beckwith hopes his investments will make.

BECKWITH: I think it's time for us to reassess our priorities as a nation, as a culture.

(END OF VIDEOTAPE)

NGUYEN: And Reverend Beckwith says when he does get back into the markets, he's looking to invest in green, sustainable energy and, you know, that's really highlighting what he talks about noble profits. He actually calls that the next stage in our evolution as a species and that's what he titles it. But it's really going to be interesting to see how profitable that noble strategy is.

HOLMES: It seems weird to say, but some people say it's not all about the money that's his strategy. Maybe you can make a little money, but it's not all about the money.

NGUYEN: And some people say if you take your money and you move it in a direction, it will force that kind of change you want. We'll see what happens.

HOLMES: We'll talk to some comedians coming up here next. These days, it's tough out there, on the road, on the stage, but you also have to be funny now on twitter? NGUYEN: That's hard to do when you only have, what, 140 characters? How do you do that, Josh, you have to tell some really short jokes, apparently?

JOSH LEVS: Yeah apparently that's the way to go. It's the new era of dot-comedy. You guys like that.

NGUYEN: Not a comedian.

LEVS: Here's the new era. Pros are going to show me how to be funny on this, or at least they're going to try, when you're used to doing something more like this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How drunk was the guy that came up with the pez dispenser? Imagine we're sitting around a corporate table at the candy company, any new ideas today? Here's my idea. Look, you got a big plastic head. And pull his head back. A brick pops out of his throat.

(END OF VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: Ok. So, it's a new stage for stand-up comedians, and they don't even have to stand up to be a success these days, all you got to do is build a twitter following.

HOLMES: Twitter this and twitter that. They're putting the "wit" in twitter. I didn't write that, did you write that?

NGUYEN: No, it's not that witty.

HOLMES: How do you get all that laughter in just a handful, specifically 140 characters if you will, Josh Levs finding out for us. Good morning, sir.

LEVS: Good morning to you guys. I'll tell you something, the truth is in the comedy world actually it's a big deal, it's an opportunity and a challenge. Comedians tell me it's really a necessity right now to succeed in the industry. Here's what I did, I spoke with two successful comics who are working to get established on twitter. One goes by the name of the love master Craig Shoemaker and the other one is John Heffron. Now he is the winner of the last comic standing. And Craig over here is the current reigning champion on XM Satellite and he is a brand new twitter newbie.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CRAIG SHOEMAKER, COMEDIAN, TWITTERER: I'm on the information super cul-de-sac. I'm not so great at this -- I'm learning. And I have no friends. I had more friends at my house yesterday for dinner than I have on twitter and he's the king.

LEVS: How did you build up your fan base, John? How did you build up this number of followers on twitter?

JOHN HEFFRON, COMEDIAN, TWITTERER: I try to be funny, I try to be entertaining, I try to do stuff that hopefully gets re-witted. Is that the word?

LEVS: Sure. All right, let's take a look at some of your popular tweets. Here you have a section called the original last tweet, right?

HEFFRON: Yes.

LEVS: And you have one here a guy who always gets killed on "Star Trek." Last tweet, I got my uniform. The rest of the landing party wearing a different color. Weird! And then my favorite one, married man's last tweet. About to go into the champagne room, wish me luck.

HEFFRON: Those are the things that end up, people start passing around and then that's what gives people to go, who is this guy?

LEVS: Hey Craig, is this what you're chasing? You have the same idea, you have those one liners that get tossed out.

SHOEMAKER: Yeah, I'm a storyteller so it's not so great for me. I'm still working on this under 140 character thing.

LEVS: I did pull out one of yours and I like two you wrote. Up late in my Pittsburgh hotel, just read a USA today article about how twitter is no good for intimacy. No worries. I'm alone.

SHOEMAKER: But I don't know if anybody's laughing at the jokes. I tweeted that last night. We'll see how that goes. I hope I get a --

LEVS: Like when you're doing this, you don't have that kind of instant feedback. You know if you're doing standup somewhere you have the laughter. How do you know, it's like (INAUDIBLE)

SHOEMAKER: It's the replies. To me, I judge by the replies.

HEFFRON: I've had zero replies. So apparently, I have to work on my tweeting. The whole thing is, when you write, though, it doesn't have the nuance or things like that. Like I put something about my ex-wife that I got divorced and tonight's show is a benefit show and all proceeds go to my ex-wife and people are writing back, oh, I feel so sorry for you, and I go, no, it's a joke.

SHOEMAKER: Well, yeah. Chris Angel was on my flight so I tweeted Chris Angel is on our flight. We will not have to use fuel. He will use his super powers to get us home. And the replies were I spelled Chris Angel's name wrong. It's like come on people! How am I supposed? You know hat's not the point!

LEVS: The previous generations never had this problem, you know like if you go back to previous stand-up and you have like standup in the Adirondacks, right. And you have early television, you have all of these generations. No one's never, until really the last few years, no one's ever dealt with the opportunities and the challenges that you guys have. Is twitter the new stand-up?

SHOEMAKER: You know as a comedian, it's funny now it seems like you have to be funny and be this crazy internet marketer. How can I let somebody know that I'm coming into whatever city and twitter and Facebook and all those things are the best way to do it.

HEFFRON: I hate to see, though, that we're on stage at the Punchline in Atlanta actually tweeting the crowd from the stage. I'm doing my act with my thumbs on my blackberry. Hold on for a second, I have a new joke I'd like to try on you. Turn on your text.

(END OF VIDEOTAPE)

LEVS: They were great to talk to. But you know what, maybe that's not so farfetched. It might actually happen.

Listen, we have a project for you. Check this out. We want you to send us the funniest tweets you've ever seen if you're on twitter, send to my twitter page, joshlevscnn. Or we're going to start compiling them over at Facebook, because you really can't compile stuff on Twitter. So Facebook, that's my page joshlevscnn. Speaking of which, thanks to Debbie who wrote me a Facebook message this morning. I mentioned the Adirondacks in there, it was really more of the Catskills, but any way feel free to keep me reality check, while you're sending us the funny tweets you've ever seen and we're going to keep them going. And guys, in the coming weeks, we're going to start sharing them here, hopefully we'll have more wit than the three of us do.

NGUYEN: I can't wait to hear those. They better be funny, too, Josh.

LEVS: Well we're go over them in advance, if they're not funny we just won't share them. Maybe we will, I don't know.

NGUYEN: Ok, thank you.

LEVS: Thank you.

HOLMES: Fredericka are you all tweeted out yet?

NGUYEN: Are you on Twitter, Fred?

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: No. I'm sorry.

NGUYEN: You'll get there.

HOLMES: Nothing is wrong with that.

WHITFIELD: I have not entered twitterdom yet.

NGUYEN: But you will, it's fine.

HOLMES: It's a scary place. WHITFIELD: Everybody's doing it as they say.

HOLMES: It's ok. Good morning to you dear lady, always good to see you.

WHITFIELD: Good morning. Good to see you all as well. Coming up in the noon eastern hour, the pope in the Middle East, will he find forgiveness or at least acceptance? He kind of set off on the wrong foot in that region angering many Muslims and many Jews and we're going to be greeted by our Vatican expert that you all know, John Allen. He's going to be joining us to tell us what is exactly at stake for the pope.

And New York City, a fashion designer crossing the paths of this man, Jack Bower. You all watch "24?"

NGUYEN: Yes.

HOLMES: Love that show.

WHITFIELD: He uses his head.

NGUYEN: Can you believe that? A head butt. Who does that?

WHITFIELD: Confused.

HOLMES: Accused.

WHITFIELD: That's right, accused of using his head.

NGUYEN: Ok.

WHITFIELD: That's right, we don't want to start anything right here.

NGUYEN: One on this side and one on that.

HOLMES: My word!

WHITFIELD: Anyway. Our legal guys are going to delve into that because it is now a legal matter.

NGUYEN: Yes it is. All right Fred, looking forward to it.

WHITFIELD: Bring you all back ---

NGUYEN: Yes, you're ok for now.

HOLMES: Thank you, Fredricka for that. Jack Bower went Jack Bower on somebody.

Interrogation techniques have stirred up a whole lot of controversy lately but some new technology could change how the U.S. gets information.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) HOLMES: Thermal imaging cameras, high-tech scanners every day, more devices are created to help interrogators find out who's lying to them.

NGUYEN: But how effective are these tools in the war against terrorism? Our Brian Todd puts them to the test.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A government official demonstrates what it may be like to be the terror suspect of the future and not slapped or water boarded, but questioned by someone with a thermal imaging scanner.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It starts recording your temperature at that spot as we're conducting the interview.

TODD: Zeroing in on the region around the eyes this high tech camera can detect the smallest changes in skin temperature. It's being developed by the research arm of the defense intelligence agency. If a suspects questioned and the temperature goes up it's a sign of an increase in blood flow which means the suspect could be stressed but officials say it's not an immediate deception detector.

TROY BROWN, DEFENSE DEPT. RESEARCH OFFICIAL: The stress response does not measure lying, but ultimately it's to help me as an interviewer redirect my questioning so I can get to the truth.

TODD: So a slight spike in temperature means time to dig deeper.

If I'm a suspect being questioned and if I'm lying and showing signs of stress this camera is so sensitive that it can pick up a spike in my skin temperature within one, one hundredth of a degree. But you cannot see it with the naked eye on this monitor, however it does get picked up on a wave form very much like this one. DIA officials put me through some light hearted paces.

BROWN: So Brian, tell me how you like working for your boss.

TODD: I love it. It's the most fulfilling professional experience I've ever had.

Oh, oh it looks like I'm spiking.

BROWN: Definitely.

TODD: If that's not high tech enough for you, try being questioned by an avatar. It's a graphic representation of a person tailored to a suspect's own gender and ethnic make up. It may look humorous or even absurd, but DIA officials believe it could establish trust with suspects. Fred is my white male interrogator.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Did you ever try to obtain access to sensitive information that is inconsistent with your present duty requirements?

TODD: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The experimenter will ask you about your response to this question after the interview.

TODD: Officials are clear this will likely never replace human interrogators. People are still needed to decipher the results and program questions.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you for coming in for the interview.

TODD: Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.

(END OF VIDEOTAPE)

NGUYEN: That's wild.

HOLMES: That is interesting.

NGUYEN: Yeah.

HOLMES: Brian did pretty good being put on the spot about working for CNN.

NGUYEN: Until he spiked a little bit there when he was talking about the boss. All right. CNN Newsroom continues with Fredricka Whitfield.

HOLMES: Hello there Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: Hello to you. You all have a great day, thanks so much.