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Shock and Grief after Workplace Killings; Ahmadinejad Survives Attack; Assessing the Damage; Gay Marriage Ruling Expected; Small Plane From Private Airport Crashes Into Phoenix Building; Three Dead Due to Heat Wave in South; Toyota Faces Federal Lawsuit; Paying More for Coffee; Prison Convict-Turned-Coach

Aired August 04, 2010 - 09:00   ET

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

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, you guys. Good morning everybody. Thanks for joining us.

We begin with, well, was it a grenade or a fire cracker? Was it a failed assassination attempt or a prank? We're trying to find out what happened to the presidential motorcade in Iran.

Nuns find themselves in the debate over immigration. One of their own might still be alive if an illegal immigrant with a long record hadn't gotten behind the wheel again.

And look what turned up in the back of the freezer. An incredible look at 1853.

It's 9:00 a.m. on the East Coast, 6:00 a.m. out West. I'm Kyra Phillips and you're live in the CNN NEWSROOM.

So what made him snap and what would drive a Connecticut man to pull out a gun at work and unleash hell?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WILL HOLLIDAY, SUSPECT'S UNCLE: He said I killed the five racists that was there, that was bothering me. He's so laid back, calm demeanor, never provoked anybody or anything like that, and to see something like this happen just totally out of the blue.

(END OF VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Omar Thornton's own family is hard pressed to explain. Just before he killed eight people then himself, Thornton had been forced to quit his job. Security cameras had caught him stealing beer from the warehouse where he worked.

The racism claim? Teamsters officials say that Thornton never filed a complaint either with the union or a government agency.

And you can imagine it's hardly business as usual today at that beer distributorship. Bosses, workers and family members of those eight victims forced to move ahead.

CNN's Alison Kosik is in Manchester, Connecticut. So, Alison, how are they dealing with all this?

ALISON KOSIK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, of course, it's a very difficult morning for them. This is what local residents are waking up to. The headline, "Workplace Terror." It just gives you an idea of what those employees must have been going through behind me in the warehouse yesterday around 7:00 in the morning.

Today, of course, company officials and employees at this warehouse will be meeting at a local union to start this grieving process. There's going to be crisis intervention there and crisis counseling to help these employees get through what happened yesterday.

There's also going to be a special church service later today for family members and employees.

But at the same time, we are getting a kind of, you know, fly-on- the-wall perspective as to what exactly happened in the moments leading up to those gunshots that were fired inside the warehouse.

And we're getting this perspective from the CEO of the company, Hartford Distributors. The CEO is Ross Hollander, and he tells us that in the morning around 7:00 a.m., there was a scheduled disciplinary hearing for 34-year-old Omar Thornton. He is the gunman.

And he was scheduled to have a meeting with a union official there and company executives to focus on the issue as to whether or not he was stealing beer. Now the company did present video showing him apparently stealing this beer off a truck.

They sat down, showed him this video, and they gave him a choice. You can either be fired or you can resign. And the CEO tells us that he went ahead -- Thornton did -- and went ahead and signed a resignation document. He then got up, and they escorted him out of the building.

Just before he did get out, however, he said he was thirsty, went to a water fountain, but instead he pulled out a gun and started shooting. And as you said, Kyra, eight people were -- were killed.

Of course, the gunman turned the gun on himself after that. And now it's up to this family-owned company to try to move on after this, to try to put the pieces back together. And regroup. Because this really is winding up to be one of Connecticut's deadliest workplace shootings -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Alison Kosik live in Manchester. Alison, thanks.

Eight lives snuffed out just like that. Loved ones who went into work and never even came home. People like Victor James, 30 years on the job. Set to retire soon, spend more time with his four grandkids.

Victor's mother recently moved in with him. He kissed her goodbye before he left for work yesterday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He liked his job, you know. But he was getting tired of it. He worked there 30 years. And he was ready to retire. Everybody liked him. He was just -- he had that personality, you know. Just loved people.

(END OF VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Today the company meets with employees and will twill try to get them what they need to get through that tragedy.

Now a developing story that we're following this morning. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has survived an apparent assassination attempt. Media reporting say that a grenade exploded near the president's convoy in western Iran.

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad wasn't hurt, but there is much more to the story.

CNN's Reza Sayah joining us live from Islamabad, Pakistan.

So, Reza, he was headed to this speech when this happened. So was it a potentially deadly explosion or was it what Iran's media advisers now saying that it could have been a child's firecracker?

REZA SAYAH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The latter, Kyra. This doesn't seem like a serious incident. Of course, there was a lot of conflicting reports that have been coming in over the past several hours.

It got a lot of attention, but about an hour ago I spoke to an adviser for President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, and he told me everyone should calm down because no one tried to kill the Iranian president.

He described this item that apparently blew up as a toy firecracker. He said this was someone playing with a firecracker. The kind children play with. The kind you use when you want to celebrate. This was a toy. And there were no injuries. But the western media made it bigger than it is.

We should point out that initially, it wasn't the western media that reported this, it was two Iranian government-linked Web sites that said the Iranian president had arrived in the city of Hamedan which is about three hours west of Tehran. He got to the airport, got in his motorcade, and he was heading to city sports stadium to address a gathering when someone blew up a handmade -- a homemade hand grenade.

The report said he wasn't injured, but some reporters who were accompanying him may have been injured. The reports also said the person who lobbed this explosive device was in custody.

What's interesting, Kyra, is just yesterday, in another gathering, President Ahmadinejad said that Israelis were plotting to kill him. So maybe because of that statement, this incident today got some attention. But, again, the president's adviser telling us that this was no assassination attempt, and we shouldn't blow it out of proportion.

PHILLIPS: And, of course, the media advisers would want to play this down if indeed it were something serious.

Now Ahmadinejad is despised by many people in his country. Do you think this attack or alleged attack, you know, could enforce more attacks, and we might see a domino effect?

SAYAH: Well, again, we should emphasize that based on what we're hearing right now, from the most credible sources in Iran -- that's his adviser and Press TV, which is the state-funded news organization -- this was nothing but a firecracker.

And keep in mind, Iran would love to take an opportunity if indeed this was an attack to win some favor and sympathy for the president. But apparently they're not doing this.

Can it inspire some more attacks? The biggest opposition that the president has is the Green Movement. This is the opposition movement that still insists the president tried to steal away -- did steal away the election last year.

But this is a widely peaceful movement. So I doubt that this type of attack would inspire that movement. The more radical movements. But again, based on what we're hearing right now, this was a firecracker and not an assassination attempt.

PHILLIPS: All right, Reza Sayah, live from Islamabad. Reza, thanks.

And we've got this statement now from the White House. Quote, "White House aides are aware of the conflicting reports and are seeking more information to sort out what really happened."

And for the first time in 106 days, we have reached a major milestone in the Gulf oil disaster. It looks like the end may finally be within reach.

BP officials say that the static kill operation appears to be working. Crews have stopped pumping mud down the well and are now monitoring it to make sure that the sealed leak is holding.

If so, the next stop would be to permanently plug it by pumping concrete through a relief well. That's still several days away. Meanwhile, lawmakers are demanding answers on how that spill has been handled and whether dispersants have created a danger all on their own.

The Environmental Protection Agency will be in the spotlight at the joint Senate hearing which gets under way next hour.

And at the top of the hour, we're expecting the government to make a rather startling announcement. As bad as the environmental damage is, it's not likely to get worse. Let me show you why. Here's a breakdown of where the oil has gone. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration actually crunched the numbers and gave a sneak peek to the "New York Times."

NOAA says that one-fourth of all the oil that's gushed out of the ruptured well has been captured. It was recovered through the containment cap, the skimming operations and the controlled burns.

Now another 25 percent has evaporated or dissolved, and that's considered a lowball estimate, by the way. Now 24 percent has been dispersed, it's broken into smaller droplets, either by natural means or the chemical solvents.

Now that leaves 26 percent of all the oil that has poured from that leak. It has either washed up on shore or still remains at sea, either on the surface of that -- of the ocean or of course beneath it.

Now CNN's Jim Acosta is joining us live from New Orleans.

So taking all of this into account, and reading this NOAA report that was released to the "New York Times," is the impact as bad as we thought, Jim?

JIM ACOSTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Boy, that's a good question, Kyra. I have to say that, you know, we've heard a lot of these good news announcements in the past. And, you know -- and then a couple of days later, a parish president will come out and say, but look at all this oil that's washed ashore.

So I think, you know, these reports that are coming from BP and from the federal government are going to be met with some skepticism down here, so simply because of the ordeal that they've been through over these last 106 days. But no question about it.

You know, we went out to see the Deepwater Horizon site yesterday during the static kill procedure. And we were really taken aback by just how amazingly clear the Gulf of Mexico was out at the site of this major disaster.

It was blue water almost as far as the eye can see in every direction. There were some few patches of oil here and there, some oil streaks here and there, but no question about it, a dramatic -- a dramatically different picture of the Gulf of Mexico versus what we've seen in the last several months.

So I think that the folks down here will meet this good news with perhaps a little bit of skepticism but also some hope. As you mentioned overnight, BP put out a statement essentially saying that they feel like this was a significant milestone. That that mud that was pumped into that damaged well over the course of about eight hours has simply taken control of that damaged well.

That the mud that has gone into that well has stabilized the pressure inside that well, and that is something we haven't seen since the beginning of all of this. So certainly some good news there -- Kyra. PHILLIPS: OK. Jim Acosta from New Orleans. Thanks, Jim.

Also got a developing story in California, and the stakes couldn't be higher for gay couples looking to get married. Today a federal judge decides whether California's ban on same-sex marriage is constitutional.

Parts of that ruling expected to be released just hours from now following years of legal back and forth on that issue.

Here's a quick look at how we even got to this point. You might remember back in May of 2008, the state Supreme Court voted 4-3 that gay and lesbian couples are entitled to get married. Then six months later, Prop 8 passed with 52 percent of the vote.

It outlawed same-sex marriage, saying California only recognizes marriage between a man and a woman. But then in January, two gay couples headed to court saying that that ban violates equal protection and due process rights that are guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SANDY STIER, FILED SUIT AGAINST PROP. 8: This case for us is about how we as Americans just want to be treated equally by our government. And under the law. And today we'll be going to court with that very simple request.

JEFF ZARILLO, FILED SUIT AGAINST PROP. 8: All we're asking the court to do is ensure that we are protected under our constitution, like every American is supposed to be.

(END OF VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Now it's decision time. But both sides say that no matter what happens, this isn't the end of the fight.

Jean Casarez is a correspondent on "In Session," shown on truTV. She's joining us live from New York.

So, Jean, what exactly is expected to happen today?

JEAN CASAREZ, "IN SESSION" CORRESPONDENT: Well, the judge will issue his ruling. It actually will be put on a Web site. But this ruling is critical for so many reasons.

First of all, it can affect other states. It will affect California. And it also can affect the voter going to the ballot box, believing that their vote will truly count. In the one corner, you have the gay couples that have filed this suit, believing that constitutionally they have a right to marry.

And if that is not given to them, that that's a violation of the 14th Amendment, of equal protection, and also their due process rights. But on the other hand, you have the rights of the voters in California. And that's what makes this so decisive. PHILLIPS: All right. So, Jean, you know, right now, depending on where you live, you know, as you mentioned, the laws are different state to state. So what could be the overall impact here? Could the California ruling cause other movements, changes in the law across the nation?

CASAREZ: I think the first thing is, this is going to be appealed. I don't care what side you're on. This is going to be appealed to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, the very same court that will be hearing the preliminary injunction ruling out of Arizona. They will be a very busy court.

From there, it definitely will be appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court, and that will have a very large impact. It is states rights, but it is also the right -- the constitutional right to marry if you are of a same-sex union.

Now the California Supreme Court finally got this case after Proposition 8 was passed. It said it was valid law in California to change the California constitution. But many believe that the chief judge for the U.S. district court of the northern part of California will rule otherwise. But I don't think we're going to know until that decision comes down later today.

PHILLIPS: Got it. We'll probably be talking again. Jean, thanks so much.

CASAREZ: Thank you.

PHILLIPS: And as Jean mentioned -- you bet -- the story is going to be developing throughout the day, so keep it tuned in here to CNN for the latest on the ruling, the fallout and what could come next.

Missouri voters weigh in on health care reform and strike a blow to President Obama's overhaul. We're going to tell you what they think of mandatory health insurance.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Want to take you live to Phoenix, Arizona right now. These are actually live pictures that we're getting from our affiliate KTVK. Apparently, we are being told that a plane has crashed into this building. Not sure what building it is, but it's right next to Deer Creek Airport. It's a private airport in Phoenix. We're working details, and we'll bring you more information as soon as we get it.

All right. Time to hit road and go cross-country now. A terrible traffic accident is causing an uproar in Prince William County, Virginia. A Catholic nun was killed, but the story gets even worse. The illegal immigrant who's been charged in that crash already had two drunk driving convictions. Yet he was never deported. The Department of Homeland Security wants to know why, and is investigating.

In Pensacola, Florida, two employees at a CVS drugstore take the law into their own hands. Police say that they nabbed a teenager who waived a gun at the pharmacist and demanded drugs. When he got them, the absent-minded robber set down his gun and bolted for the door. The employees took him down and discovered that the weapon was really a starter pistol.

Our last stop, eastern Iowa, teary-eyed families bidding fair farewell to local troops who will eventually head to Afghanistan. The National Guard alone is sending 2800 Iowans. It's the state's largest deployment since World War II.

And if you're a soldier, your life can change in the blink of an eye. IED blasts coming out of nowhere. And if you survive, your spared life might never may be the same. Next hour, we're talking to the man who made this documentary, following four US soldiers in their lives after the war. We're also talking to a veteran fighting a battle at home against traumatic brain injury. A battle that he's winning. And you'll meet a wounded Vietnam vet who found therapy on the golf course. His story, an inspiration for all veterans, and an inspiration to all of us here.

ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Good-looking swing right there. If you plan on playing golf this afternoon in the South, you are going to be sweating. I'm live in Piedmont Park, one of the many spots across the country that's going to see near record-breaking heat. Live weather report from Atlanta, coming up after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Taking you live to Phoenix, Arizona once again. These pictures coming to us from our affiliate KTVK. We have confirmed now that a plane has crashed into this building. Right next to Deer Creek Airport. That's a private airport in Phoenix, Arizona. There are crews on the scene.

We're not sure what type of aircraft this was. How many people on board?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Two minutes. Yes, that's fine.

PHIILLIPS: OK, and that's actually one of the local reporters that's talking back to home base there. They've got a helicopter there on the scene. Also, a live reporter. So we're monitoring information coming in from our affiliate, KTVK. Also, our desk is working this for you. So I'll try and bring you more information as we get it.

Let's go ahead and check other top stories right now. The White House is trying to weed through conflicting reports that someone tried to assassinate Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Media is reporting that a grenade exploded near the Iranian president's convoy. Ahmadinejad's media adviser says it was just a firecracker. He wasn't hurt, and his office is denying that he came under attack.

BP officials said that the static kill operation appears to be working. Crews have stopped pumping mud down the well, and are now monitoring it to make sure the sealed leak is holding. And a judge is expected to rule today on whether California's ban on same-sex marriage is constitutional. Two gay couples filed suit this year saying that ban violates equal protection and due process rights. We'll be back in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: All right. We've got two affiliates working this story for us out of Phoenix, Arizona. Both KTVK and also KNXV.

Apparently -- and we've been able to confirm this now. Some type of aircraft has crashed into this building that is right next to the Deer Creek Airport. That's a private airport in Phoenix. Still not sure what exactly -- OK, we're getting a shot now of the tower coming from our affiliate KNXV.

As you can see, a number of people in there, working this plane crash. Obviously know a lot more information than we do at this point. So we're trying to find out exactly what's going on from the tower, what they know, what went wrong, what type of aircraft this is, how many people were on board, and why this might have happened.

Don't know if this was done on purpose, if they were just trying to make a landing there at the Deer Creek Airport.

It's a warehouse building is what we're being told. We didn't know if it -- if there are -- and we still don't know if people are inside that building or not. But it's a warehouse building, according to our affiliates now. So we're working this story for you, we'll bring you information as it develops.

Also, the heat wave is gripping many parts of the nation, and it's more miserable than a lot of people think. It's actually turned deadly. At least three deaths this week have been blamed on the triple-digit temps in Missouri. Nine people have died from heat- related causes in Tennessee this summer, including one man who was mowing his lawn. And there have been at least two heat-related deaths in Mississippi since Saturday.

High school bands and football teams are taking heat-related precautions as they practice. Wet towels, cold water, breaks in the shade. They're a must right now at Austin, Texas schools. And experts say that those guidelines are critical, especially for kids who spent much of their vacation inside, and may not be accustomed to the stifling heat that they're experiencing right now.

Those high temps and low humidity have made Arkansas prime for wildfires. As you can see here, hundreds of acres have burned across the state in just over 24 hours. And most of the fires could have been prevented, apparently. Fire crews are blaming careless burning and tossed cigarettes on these fires.

Let's get to Rob Marciano, he's live from Atlanta's Piedmont Park. Rob, it seems like that heat is just not going to let up.

MARCIANO: No, and it's been around for a couple days, it'll be around for a couple of more days in places like Arkansas, Kyra, they haven't seen this heat in over a decade. So it is a striking heatwave, for sure, especially across the south central part of the country. And as you mentioned, it has become deadly. A lot of people don't realize that heat is actually the number one weather-related killer. So do be careful out there and certainly check on your neighbors and take care of the kids and the plants. All right -- and the pets.

And we have records that I haven't quite frankly seen in a while. Check out some of these numbers as far as what we're seeing across this part of the world. Temperatures that have almost topped 110 degrees, 109 in Wichita, 107 in Little Rock, 103 in Memphis.

We were just in Memphis six months ago, talking about the record- breaking cold, and now they're looking at record-breaking heat. 90 is what it feels like in Shreveport, 93 already is what it feels like in Houston. So we're just starting to see temperatures begin to rise.

And because of that, we have heat advisories and warnings that are out for a good 16 states, 13 of which have warnings out. Which means that the heat index could reach 105 -- might even get up to 120. So that is dangerous levels of heat and humidity, and your body just can't -- can't cool off at all. And the fact that we haven't cooled down much at night, we're starting a very, very high point.

Where are the cooling rain showers? Southern parts of the Great Lakes, Chicago getting hit a little bit this morning with some rough and tumble thunderstorms. Watches and -- most of the warnings have dropped.

But notice as you go south of Chicago into St. Louis and through Kansas City, Memphis, there's not a drop there. And the problem with this kind of set-up is you've got basically a big dome of air, high pressure, that's sitting and sinking over the southeastern quarter of the country. And around that, you get the thunderstorms. That ring of fire. But that is about it.

Briefly on Tropical Depression or what was Tropical Storm Colin, boy, it just got ripped apart, speeding along so rapidly towards the west. And we'll watch it. It may regenerate itself. But at the moment, it looks to be pretty weak.

As far as activity here in the park, it was strong earlier and has become more weak. People coming to work and also trying to avoid the heat of the afternoon, Kyra. It gets hot in a hurry. Not only in Atlanta, but across much of the South. Kyra?

PHILLIPS: All right. Rob Marciano live from Piedmont Park. We'll follow those temps.

And I'm getting more information now as we look at these live pictures out of Phoenix, Arizona. I'm now being told that it was a student pilot that was manning this aircraft. I'm now getting word that it's a Piper Archer. Training aircraft that crashed into this building. It's a warehouse building. We're told that student pilot has been killed. Not sure if anybody was on board with him or her. This happened right next to Deer Creek Airport. That's a private airport in Phoenix, pretty well- known airport for private lessons, as well. And we're told it happened about 8:40 a.m. Local time. So crews on the scene right now. We'll try and bring you more information as we get it.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We're heading westbound along the 101.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Take you live once again to Phoenix, Arizona, where we're following a breaking news story. A training aircraft has crashed into this warehouse right next to Deer Creek Airport, and we're being told that student pilot has been killed. Not sure if anybody is inside the warehouse that has been hit.

This is another live picture. Two of our affiliates are actually working this story for us, KTVK, and this is KNXV, another affiliate there in Phoenix, Arizona. And this is the tower there at the airport, the Deer Creek Airport. It's a private airport, by the way, in Phoenix.

And they are trying, obviously -- they were in the tower when this happened. They are the ones that heard all the calms (ph) when this happened. But apparently, a student pilot was flying an aircraft that looks like this. This is another picture of a piper archer that we were able to pull up. That's the aircraft that the student pilot was training in. Apparently, he was trying to land, and that's when it hit the warehouse. And -- and he was killed. It happened about 8:40 a.m. local time there at Deer Creek Airport. We're working this story. We'll try and get as much information as possible.

Battle over Toyota's sticking accelerators. What did the automaker actually know and when did it know it? That's at the heart of a federal lawsuit that was filed yesterday, and it accuses Toyota of knowing about the sudden acceleration problems as far back as 2003. It says that the automaker concealed the defects from consumers and regulators, and Toyota has also faced a barrage of lawsuits from car owners who say the problems have undermined their resale value. Toyota has denied those claims.

And you may be paying more for your morning cup of Joe. Apparently, the JM Smucker Company is raising the price of some of America's favorite coffee. The brands include Folgers, Dunkin Donut, and Millstone. The price hike will average about 9 percent and has already been put into effect. Other companies will likely follow suit. The industry blames the rising cost of raw coffee beans.

And the fight over Arizona's controversial immigration law is probably going to wind up before the Supreme Court now. And have you heard this? Some leading Republicans think that it's time to revisit and maybe rewrite part of the constitution. They're calling for hearings on the 14th amendment. It gives the children of illegal immigrants, children who are born here, a right to U.S. citizenship. Critics say that 14th was great in 1868, but dated in 2010. John Roberts joins us this morning with our "A.M. Extra." And you actually talked to both people -- or two individuals on each side of the fence, and what did they say?

JOHN ROBERTS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I talked to Leslie Sanchez, who's a Republican strategist, of course, well-known to viewers of CNN. She's been around in our air waves an awful lot and as well Jonathan Turley who's a constitutional scholar at George Washington University in Washington.

Now, Leslie Sanchez, unlike some of her Republican colleagues like Senator Lindsey Graham, Senator Mitch McConnell, Senator (INAUDIBLE), Jeff Sessions and even John McCain say it's a mistake to even hold hearings about this, particularly in a political year, because it looks like you're doing nothing but pandering to the base and you run the risk of alienating your immigrant population, in particular, Hispanics.

And she remembers well what happened in 1996 when Bob Dole got historically low percentage of Hispanics coming out and voting for him. Jonathan Turley also addressed this idea of whether or not this amendment, which as you said, was passed in 1868, has outlived its usefulness. Here's what they both said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JONATHAN TURLEY, LAW PROFESSOR, GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIV.: I hope the 14th amendment has not outlived its usefulness, John. The important thing to remember is that at issue is the very first line of the first section of the 14th amendment. And the 14th amendment was put into the constitution after the dread Scott decision, which was a horrible decision that treated freed slaves or escaped slaves as noncitizens. And Congress wanted to correct that, and they did. It was also in response to what were called black codes.

And these were laws put into place by particularly southern states to disenfranchise many recently freed slaves. Some people could analogize that to some laws being applied against legal immigrants who disenfranchise them in certain public resources. So, there are analogies to be made here. But the constitutional debate itself has largely favored those with the current interpretation. That is, the Supreme Court has indicated in past decisions that they do view the language of the 14th amendment as granting citizenship upon birth. What's sometimes called law of the ground, as opposed to what's called right of blood, which is the standard in some other nations.

LESLIE SANCHEZ, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: Nobody is going to take it seriously in an election year. That's the disadvantage. You know, on the left, you can argue that the Democrats have been pandering on this issue of immigration reform, the larger issue here, which is what this is all about. On the right, you can say it's trying to create political heat right before an election. Either way, both parties have mud on their boots on this. And it's a very dangerous, I think, precedent to set to start this kind of conversations in a very intense election cycle. Because it looks as if, again, it's anti-immigrant to the latest wave of immigration. And in many cases, in this day and age, it's Hispanic. And you're taking what is essentially a problem of 12 million undocumented individuals and making it a problem for 45 million people who are the Latino community in this country. Everybody is feeling the sting of this. That's the problem with this debate. While there may be merits in a hearing, substantively, very little historically is done on this. And, again, it's more political fodder.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: All right. So, John, what does it actually take to change the constitution?

ROBERTS: Yes, first of all, Kyra, you got to realize that there probably isn't broad appetite in Congress to even begin hearings on this, let alone to do something to either repeal or amend the 14th amendment. What it takes is it takes broad bipartisanship in Congress. Two thirds of both houses need to pass an amendment to the constitution. From there, it then goes out across the country where three fourths of state legislatures have to ratify it.

So, if you don't even have the political momentum to hold hearings on this, there certainly wouldn't seem to be any political momentum to pass a constitutional amendment, either there in Washington, D.C. or across the country. Last time, there was a constitutional amendment. It's the 27th. It was originally proposed in 1789, finally passed in 1992. And that was an amendment simply to say if you pass any kind of raise or cut in Congressional salaries, it doesn't take effect until the beginning of the next Congress.

And there are dozens of constitutional amendments that have been proposed over the years, most recently in November of 2009, that haven't gone anywhere. So, without the political will, this looks like it's just going to be another one of those.

PHILLIPS: It always turns into an interesting discussion when anybody wants to change the Constitution. That's --

ROBERTS: It does.

PHILLIPS: For sure.

ROBERTS: It certainly does.

PHILLIPS: Thanks, John.

We got breaking news that we're still following out of Phoenix, Arizona. Let's go ahead and take live pictures of what we can see right now. Two affiliates actually are covering this for us. This is a live picture from KTVK of the warehouse where we are now being told a female student pilot crashed a piper archer when trying to land. One of our other affiliate -- or actually, KTVK, same affiliate, has actual video of the aircraft on fire on its Web site. There's the -- that aircraft as soon as it hit the warehouse. It happened about 8:40 local time, we're told, at Deer Creek Airport. That's a private airport there in Phoenix. And this female student pilot was attempting to land, but this piper archer hit this warehouse instead, and that is it. We're telling (ph) 6:40 local time this happened. 6:40 local time there in Phoenix, Arizona. The FAA has confirmed that that female student pilot is dead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: And these pictures coming to us from our affiliate, KTVK, out of Phoenix, Arizona. This is exactly what it looked like about 6:40 in the morning local time when a female student pilot was trying to land a piper archer at the Deer Creek Airport. It's a private airport in Phoenix. She hit the warehouse while trying to land and was killed instantly. The FAA confirming that death to us now. We are working as many details as possible on how exactly it happened and who exactly this female pilot was. We'll keep on top of this story for you and bring you the information as it develops.

Other top stories that are happening right now. Police are saying that a man shot and killed eight people at his job yesterday and then he turned the gun on himself. It happened at a beverage distributor company in Manchester, Connecticut. Authorities say that gunman was forced to resign after being accused of stealing beer.

BP officials say that the static kill operation appears to be working now. Crews have stopped pumping mud down the well and are now monitoring to make sure that seal leak -- the sealed leak rather is holding.

And the White House is trying to weed through conflicted reports that someone tried to assassinate Iranian president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Media is reporting that a grenade exploded near the Iranian president's convoy. Ahmadinejad's media adviser says that it was just a firecracker. He wasn't hurt, and his office is denying that he even came under attack.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Let's go ahead and listen to another one of our affiliates KPHO out of Phoenix, Arizona, on this female student pilot that has died after trying to land there at Deer Creek Airport.

Ok, actually, they just wrapped up their report. We'll go back to it if she's -- if that correspondent starts talking again.

But here's what I can tell you happened so far; it happened about 6:40 a.m. local time.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes go ahead, go ahead.

PHILLIPS: At Deer Creek Airport.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes go ahead ready. PHILLIPS: It's a private airport in Phoenix. It hit this warehouse when this student pilot was trying to land. It was a Piper Archer; apparently we're told she was flying.

(CROSSTALK)

PHILLIPS: And the FAA has confirmed right now that that student pilot has died. One person killed in that crash. This is actually video of the aftermath right after that aircraft crashed at that private airport.

In our political ticker: a trio of Midwestern primaries to tell you about this morning. First, Kansas, the GOP senate battle was the big contest there and Representative Jerry Moran narrowly won that race to the party's nomination after making a late surge in the race with the endorsement of Sarah Palin and the Tea Party backers.

He is going to face Democrat Lisa Johnston, Baker University administrator. And the winner will succeed two-term Senator Sam Brownback who is running for governor.

In Missouri's senate race, Secretary of State Robin Carnahan easily won the Democratic primary. She'll face Republican Representative Roy Blunt on the November ballot.

And in Michigan, a state with the second highest unemployment rate, that contest for the GOP gubernatorial nomination was the headliner. Businessman and former Gateway CEO Rick Snyder won in a three-way battle on the Republican side. He'll face Lansing Mayor Virg Bernero who won the Democratic nomination.

Now, Missouri has become the first state to test the popularity of President Obama's health care overhaul. One of the -- President Obama's health care overhaul law, rather, voters overwhelmingly rejected a mandate that requires most Americans to have health insurance or be punished.

By a three to one margin, Missouri voters actually decided that residents should be allowed to opt out of mandatory health insurance. The legal impact is unclear, because federal law generally trumps state law. A court challenge is expected.

A hip-hop artist, Mr. President -- it sounds pretty farfetched, but it's been a dream of Wyclef Jean. Now, the recording artist who has been center stage in the Haiti earthquake relief effort says he wants to run for president. And he's expected to make that announcement in an exclusive interview on CNN's "LARRY KING LIVE".

You can watch Wyclef Jean's big announcement tomorrow night at 9:00 a.m. Eastern or 9:00 p.m. Eastern rather.

He once ruled the streets with an iron fist and a loaded shotgun. Today he's armed with boxing gloves and vows to fight to the finish. He's "Building up America" one child at a time and he shares his story in his own words.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Live pictures once again out of Phoenix, Arizona, where we're following a plane crash; a student female -- or a student pilot, a female, crashed into this warehouse building.

These pictures coming to us from our affiliate KPHO; it happened about 6:40 a.m. local time at Deer Valley Airport. That's a small airport owned by the city of Phoenix. It helps out the international airport that's there when it gets too crowded.

But apparently this student pilot, a female, was trying to land her Piper Archer and hit this warehouse this morning. The FAA has confirmed that she has died, and we're working more details for you out of Phoenix. We'll keep you updated as we learn more.

Far outrageous, sometimes wacky, what-the stories need a crown prince or a high priest and I'm nominating Levi Johnston, the on- again, off-again, would-be son-in-law of Sarah Palin.

Let's just tell the story and put it to bed and be done with it. It's looking like young Levi won't be Mr. Bristol Palin after all. She says the latest engagement is off, done, kaput. Said she felt like Levi was playing her to make a name for himself as a reality star, that he loved fame more than he loved her.

And if he poses for "Playgirl" and talking smack about your family and making a tacky pistachio commercial and possibly getting another woman pregnant weren't enough, whatever it takes, Bristol, time to move on. We have enough people who are already famous for being famous.

All style, no substance, we don't need another one. Levi, I'm thinking your 15 minutes of fame are about up. In fact, you might owe us a few minutes.

We'll be back in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Live to Phoenix, Arizona right now; these pictures coming to us from KNXV, we've got a number of affiliates out of Phoenix actually working pictures for us.

This is the aftermath of an air crash, aircraft crashing into a warehouse there at Deer Valley Airport, that's a smaller airport that's actually owned by the city of Phoenix. It helps with the overload coming out of the international airport.

FAA confirming that one person is dead, the pilot of that aircraft is dead. Apparently they were attempting to land there at Deer Valley Airport. Hit the warehouse. And as you can hear, a little bit behind me there, that's the voice of a KPHO helicopter reporter, Tammy Rose. She's been on the scene since this happened about 6:40 a.m. local time.

And we've been getting a lot of information from her and our other affiliates. We'll keep working the story for you.

Now, in today's "Building up America" we are introducing you to a man who lived and thrived in Chicago's mean streets. Today the former gang leader is helping kids laze up their boxing gloves and fight -- for a different cause, themselves.

Here's the story from our photojournalist, Derek Davis.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DEREK BROWN, FORMER GANG MEMBER: I had six blocks that I corrupted. And I was trapped up in a life of selling drugs.

"Shotgun", it came from when I actually stayed across the street. This was a big gambling spot and one day they was outside gambling and I looked out my third-floor window and I see the whole crowd just disperse. And I looked, I don't know what's going on, I can't hear anything, and I see this car jumped on the sidewalk and run this guy over.

And I came off my back porch and boom, boom, boom, shooting the shotgun.

The kids right now call me Coach Brown -- Coach Derek is what I tell them to call me.

What I'm doing, I'm watching. Try to hit me right there.

It's a big problem in the city. For one, there's not enough programs that's been over here. It's not enough community centers.

Ready, go. All your punches straight. There you go, perfect.

What's ironic is I went to this school right here. There's bullet holes in this wall that came from me. You can see bullet holes in this wall that came from me.

There's two parents, though. It's your home parents, whether it's your father or mother; and it's the streets. That's something that goes unnoticed. You know on the streets just take your kids and turn them into what they is.

When I look at them, I think hope. I think somebody's going to be something in life. Somebody's going to be definitely better than me.

Snap to it and keep your hands tucked in. You don't have to grow into nothing negative. You can see all negative, but he'll know how to handle it.

You know, I'm just not teaching them how to box. I'm teaching them how to box their way through life.

There you go, good. That's a champ.

(END VIDEOTAPE)