Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Earthquake Hits Peru; Statue of Liberty Turns 125; Overweight Girl Becomes Beauty Queen; Soldier on 14th tour Dies; Play Written about Martin Luther King Jr.'s Last Day; World Series Goes to Seventh Game; Four Everyday People have Dinner with President; Little Girl Missing

Aired October 28, 2011 - 15:00   ET

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


DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, everyone. It's the top of the hour. I'm Don Lemon. Brooke is off today.

New York better brace for an early season storm, fallout from the Occupy Oakland disruption. Keep an eye on Wall Street, and the Statue of Liberty turns 125.

Time for "Reporter Roulette."

(WEATHER UPDATE)

LEMON: Now to Barbara Starr. She's at the Pentagon.

A large vets group is demanding answers about that Occupy Oakland incident that landed a Marine in the hospital -- Barbara.

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely, Don.

Let me explain. A group called Iraq-Afghanistan Veterans of America is the country's largest organization of veterans, mainly young veterans from that war. They are a very mainstream group. They focus a lot on veterans health care, homelessness, jobs issues.

They have just this afternoon put out a statement calling for an investigation into what happened to Scott Olsen, an Iraq veteran hurt so badly Tuesday night in Occupy Oakland protests. Let me read the statement to you.

It says -- quote -- "We expect to see a full and complete investigation into the circumstances of this incident. It's what Scott and all Americans deserve. Iraq and Afghanistan veterans come from varied background and represent diverse opinions. The strength of the new veterans community lies in our shared commitment to country. And veterans like all Americans should actively participate in the ongoing conversation about America's future and their safety is of paramount concern."

What happened to this young man, suffering a skull fracture in the Occupy Oakland situation has resonated across so much of the country and now for the first time we see the indication of a very deep resonation, if you will, feeling by the mainstream veterans community, at least a group that represents a significant number of them, Don. LEMON: Barbara Starr, appreciate it.

(STOCK MARKET UPDATE)

LEMON: Up next on "Reporter Roulette," Susan Candiotti at the base of the Statue of Liberty.

And a very special day, Susan.

SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Don, that's right -- 125 years ago this day the Statue of Liberty opened to the public, and that was back in 1886.

And this date, what makes it different is now they have installed something called, believe it or not, torch cam over the Statue of Liberty. Five Webcams are rolling. One of them streaming live video. All of these will be operating 24/7 and from it you will get a view of the New York Harbor, of the skyline, of the crown of the Statue of Liberty as well as a view the torch looking out, up and down to the crowds below. It's very spectacular.

But also on this day -- and, by the way, you can watch those on the National Park Service Web site. But also on this day, they swore in on the 125th anniversary 125 new citizens from 46 countries. And among the celebrities here this day, actress Sigourney Weaver, who read Emma Lazarus's favorite -- famous poem that goes, bring you your tired, your poor masses yearning to breathe free.

Here's why she said this poem is still relevant today.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SIGOURNEY WEAVER, ACTRESS: The poem doesn't say give me your, you know young entrepreneurs from India and China. It says give me your tire, your poor, your huddled masses longing to be free.

So I think we all need to take a look at the poem again, hear it again and I felt there was a great appreciation for what it stood for.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CANDIOTTI: Now, all the tourists visiting the Statue of Liberty today very lucky, because this is last day you will be able to go up inside the statue itself.

They are shutting it down starting tomorrow for $27 million worth of renovations in the base of the statue, making it safer, fire safety measures, including a new elevator, for example. But you can still come out to visit the Statue of Liberty, at on Liberty Island, and Ellis Island remains opened as well -- Don, back to you.

LEMON: Thank you, Susan Candiotti.

We have some breaking news into CNN. It involves an earthquake and I'm not talking about the one that hit Turkey just about a week ago I was a 7.2 magnitude quake. This one is a 6.9 that apparently just hit Peru, 6.9 earthquake that apparently just hit Peru. We're working on getting information and pictures on it.

And we will get our Chad Myers up and available if he has any new information for you, but again 6.9 earthquake in Peru. That is being recorded right now and we're working on it.

And we have now learned that those minors that are trapped in a rock slide in Kentucky, we have learned that they have died and we will have the latest on exactly what happened to them coming up. That is a developing story.

Plus, a former high school teacher gets time in prison for having sex with five of her former students. We will hear from the mother of one of those victims.

And the fans of a ban called Insane Clown Posse -- you have heard of Insane Clown Posse -- well, they are being called -- they are being watched closely right now by the FBI. Find out why two minutes away.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: The breaking news here on CNN involves an earthquake. And you see it there at the bottom of your screen in Peru, a 6.9 in magnitude.

Let's get the latest information now from out meteorologist Chad Myers.

Chad, what do you know here?

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Unlike the earthquake that just happened in Peru a couple of days ago, this did not happen under a city -- or in Turkey -- unlike that one.

This is in Peru here about 180 miles from Lima. Let me take you here. Here is the coast of Peru. It was almost on the offshore island. But nothing there is considered a tsunami threat. As we zoom in, all the way in here, about Lima, Peru, about 180 miles north of here, this is in a very unpopulated desert area here. Not much rain. There is just nothing here except just a couple of coastal towns.

Not really concerns so much about a 6.9 away from a city. I'm sure they felt it in Lima and I'm sure that they are probably out in the streets now waiting for the aftershocks, but it was not something so close that we're going to see the devastation like we saw in Turkey.

LEMON: Not close to the city center. We will be watching that one and getting the pictures to our viewers as soon as they come in. Thank you, Chad Myers. We appreciate that.

(NEWS BREAK)

LEMON: Sons and daughters of British monarchs now get equal shots at sitting on the throne. And we take you live to London with the details in just a bit.

And a mother finds out about the death of her child via Facebook. Find out how it happened and why some are pushing for legislation to prevent it coming up at half-hour. Make sure you stay with us.

And more on that breaking news that we have reported at the top of this hour, 6.9 quake in Peru. Our Chad Myers is checking on it. Our international folks over at our international unit are looking for pictures and more information. As soon as we get them, we will bring it to you right here on CNN. Don't go anywhere.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: The British monarchy is, well, modernizing, if you will, starting with the next generation of royals. Girls, specifically girls with brothers, will still have a shot at the throne.

And here to explain all this, Max Foster, live for us in London.

So, Max, all this goes into effect whenever the duke and duchess of Cambridge eventually reproduce, correct?

MAX FOSTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right. And it's looming after the wedding. Everyone is worried about it.

The British prime minister more worried than most. He wants to change the laws so if Catherine has a girl then she can go on to be queen even if she has a younger brother. There are sorts of ancient rules and rituals surrounding the British monarchy. And David Cameron can't change it on his own because the British monarchy is also the monarchy in 15 other commonwealth countries around the world. He's had a chance to change this by meeting with the other 15 prime ministers involved and he has reached some sort of an agreement.

The prime minister described actually what it means, in essence.

LEMON: OK. But, Max...

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAVID CAMERON, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: Put simply, if the duke and duchess of Cambridge were to have a little girl, that girl would one day be our queen.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: There you go, Don. It's very simple. Everyone agrees it's a good idea. It's just quite complex to do.

LEMON: Yes. I jumped the gun there. I didn't think we were going to hear from the prime minister.

Listen, it's not just about the royal family and gender. This has to do with religion. I want you to tell us about the other change that was announced today regarding the heir to the throne.

FOSTER: Yes, and this is quite significant.

The British monarch is also head the Anglican Church of England here in the U.K. and that goes back centuries as well. And there's been this ancient system that no Catholics can be allowed into the monarchy. It's a rule that says no British monarch can marry a Catholic.

They are also changing that. That's a fundamental change as well. It's really odd because actually a British monarch can marry a Muslim or a Buddhist, any religion, have a same-sex marriage, but they can't marry a Catholic. So this is about modernizing. But it could potentially mean you could have the head of an Anglican communion married a Catholic, which is unusual, potentially historic.

LEMON: Same-sex marriage. When you said that, a whole lot running through my head there. Thank you very much, Max Foster. We really appreciate your reporting.

More on the breaking news now -- a 6.9 earthquake in Peru. Information and pictures as we get them here at CNN. We're back moments away.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Breaking news right now, 6.9 quake in Peru.

Chad Myers on top of all of it.

What have you learned, Chad?

MYERS: Maybe even an aftershock, too, Don, here.

We're going to zoom right into the area. It truly -- unlike the Turkey quake that we had a couple of days ago, not really located in any kind of a populated area. There are a couple of beach roads here but I can't even find a home anywhere along the coast. So certainly no resorts here. Not a real big city anywhere.

Now, at 6.9, you can probably expect a 100-mile radius to be able to feel it. I will have back this up quite a ways for you to even see. We go all the way up here to Lima, Peru. That's 180 miles away. They probably felt some shaking, maybe some plates were rattling. But unlike remember the earthquake that we had here on the East Coast a couple of months ago where the entire East Coast shook for a while, and even though it was a Virginia earthquake, Washington, D.C., had damage.

I just don't see that happening here. There are enough plates and coastal cracks in the crust that we are going to see a localized quake and maybe some localized damage but certainly not what we saw. Not the tens and thousands of people without power and hundreds dead. This just is not a populated area, Don.

LEMON: Chad, as you continue to talk here, I just want to tell our iReporters, anyone, if you know anyone out of Peru, if you have any pictures, go to iReport.com, or you can on CNN.com and do a search, CNN.com/iReport.

But you're saying since it wasn't near a big city, like Lima, like the earthquake that happened on Friday in Turkey, not -- we're hoping or expecting at least not a lot of people will be injured.

(CROSSTALK)

MYERS: Certainly I believe that they felt it in Lima. There's no question about it, but 180 miles from where the epicenter was and it was 21 miles deep. That tells us there's a little bit of padding of the crust as well. A shallow quake like we had in Haiti, that did such a great bit of damage there in Port-au-Prince because it was a shallow quake and there was no padding between where the shake happened and the surface of the earth.

But down here, where we had 21 miles deep, a little bit of padding, another 180 miles away from the biggest city, now, there are some smaller cities, no question about it, and those smaller cities certainly had damage. And you have to understand how they build some of the homes here, which is a concrete block and piece of cinder and a little bit of mud in the middle, which is called grout, whatever you want to do.

Those types of homes are not earthquake resistant. They will shake and they will fall. Those localized shakes, a significant quake for at least 1,000 people, but not 100,000 or a million people, Don.

LEMON: Thank you, Chad. Again, CNN.com/iReport, go there first. You can also get me or you can get Brooke Baldwin on Twitter. It's @BrookeBCNN or @DonLemonCNN on Twitter and also same thing on Facebook.

All right, 6.9 quake in Peru, we're working on the details for you here at CNN.

Still ahead, though, prosecutors want him to stay behind bars, but the man being held in the disappearance of an American woman in Aruba is fighting for his freedom, and, just in, a decision now from the court.

Plus, a mother finds out her young son is dead, getting the news, guess what, via Facebook. Find out why and how it's sparking a debate about your emergency contact. Holly Hughes on the case next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Each week, CNN's chief medical correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, introduces us to a person who has achieved remarkable things despite having to overcome major challenges.

For Bree Boyce, transforming her body from an overweight teen to win the Miss South Carolina crown meant reconditioning her body and her lifestyle.

Dr. Sanjay Gupta has her story in this week's "Human Factor.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BREE BOYCE, MISS SOUTH CAROLINA 2011: I actually Used to sit where you're sitting. I'm the same person I was in high school, although my exterior may have looked a little different. DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: For Bree Boyce, becoming a beauty queen was beyond her wildest dreams.

BOYCE: I was so just unhappy with the way I looked, but yet I still continued to eat unhealthy and lack of physical activity.

GUPTA: And at 17 years old, Boyce weighed 230 pounds.

BOYCE: I would come home from school, sit on the couch for hours, watch TV and snack all day long.

GUPTA: It was nagging pain in her knees that led her to go see her doctor. And what he said led her to change her life.

BOYCE: He said, you know, this weight has to come off. At that moment I knew, he's right. It's up to me and only me to change it.

GUPTA: She didn't try a quick fix to losing weight.

BOYCE: I completely threw out all of the junk food. I joined the gym. I educated myself. I went to a nutritionist. I did all the right steps.

GUPTA: Three years later Joyce she had transformed her body from pudgy duckling to beauty queen. In July she was crowned Miss South Carolina, even winning an early round at the baiting suit competition.

BOYCE: Are you really excited?

GUPTA: Every beauty queen has a platform. Hers, as you might guess, is eating health and fighting obesity, and it's a mission she happily promotes, whether it's doing zumba with kids at health fairs or speaking at her home town city council meeting.

BOYCE: I'm going to bring the crown back to Florence.

GUPTA: Or talking to students at her former high school.

BOYCE: I challenge you all to make a change today and to make a change to be a happy and healthy and confident individual and to accomplish whatever it is you want to set out to accomplish.

GUPTA: Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN, reporting.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: The death of a child is something that no parent should want or have to go through. But imagine learning about your child's passing the way this woman did.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JACKIE BARDEN, DISCOVERED SON'S DEATH ON FACEBOOK: On Facebook, it was on the news, that's how I had to learn of my son's death. We waited all the way up until the next day and still got no phone calls.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: She learned about it, Holly, on Facebook? On Facebook? Holly Hughes is on the case. How does this happen?

HOLLY HUGHES, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Well, unfortunately, this family had a divorce in it. And so the father was listed as the emergency contact. This young man was killed during a football injury and it was fatal to him. And the father was notified and he did not pass on to anyone that mother should be notified. So, of course, if she's not an emergency contact, the school doesn't know to call her.

LEMON: It can happen to anybody in a divorce and the speed at which things travel on the internet. Is there anything that can changes for an official notification.

HUGHES: Unfortunately there's not because basically what it comes down to, Don, is not a matter of the law, because whoever's listed on that emergency contact, think about it. The school could not give information out if the person is not authorized because that would be a violation of the law.

So unfortunately what we're talking about is just common decency and passion. Clearly even a distraught father would think that the mother should be notified even if it is a divorce. This is just horrible.

LEMON: Yes, it is horrible.

Let's go to case number two. Another bid for freedom by the American man jailed in Aruba in connection with the disappearance his travel companion, talking about Robyn Gardner. Gary Giordano's lawyers told an Aruban judge that Giordano's life is being destroyed. Holly, the judge was expected to rule pretty quickly. Do we have a decision?

HUGHES: We don't have a decision yet. And I'll be interested because when he initially gave the prosecution a certain amount of time, the understanding is that they would be conducting an investigation, and they have done that, Don. They have sent out cellphone records and dumps on his computer and they are awaiting on that analysis.

They actually have things in the United States, in Holland, in several other countries. So when they went back to court today they had something to tell the judge. They have confirmed that blood found on a towel is in fact Robyn Gardner's. So they are working. They are moving forward. They are not just holding him without some type of an investigation happening. So I think the judge is likely to extend his stay there.

LEMON: All right, Holly Hughes on the case. Holly, we appreciate it.

HUGHES: Thank you.

LEMON: Kristoffer Domeij lost his life in Afghanistan last Saturday. You've probably never heard of him, but we want you to. Sergeant First Class Domeij was on his 14th deployment, that's right, 14. That's more than any other ranger killed in combat. He enlisted in 2001 and was a member of the 75th ranger regiment based at joint base Lewis McCord Washington.

Throughout his military career he told his family not to make a big fuss if he were killed. With all due respect to the sergeant and his family, there are things you should know about him. Domeij spent for deployments in Iraq. On one mission he was part of the ranger mission that rescued Jessica Lynch when her convoy was attacked and she was captured by Iraqi forces in 2003. She said later that Domeij and the other rangers were, quote "true heroes." The army agrees as an Italian commander called Domeij irreplaceable, the guy you want by your side when the chips were down.

Domeij earned two bronze stars during his decade of service. A third will be given posthumously. An IED in Afghanistan ended his life. Two other soldiers were also killed. Sergeant Christopher Domeij was just 29 years old. He leaves behind a wife and two small girls.

We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: And new Broadway show looks at the last night of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s life. It's dramatic, emotional, and controversial for the very human way it portrays him. CNN's Soledad O'Brien traveled to Memphis with the playwright. Her report is part of this weekend's "CNN Presents." Here's a preview.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR.: We've got some difficult days ahead. But it doesn't really matter to me now because I've been to the mountain top. And I don't mind.

(APPLAUSE)

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wednesday, April 3rd, 1968, the last speech that Martin Luther King ever gave at Memphis' Mason Temple. He finished exhausted and returned to the nearby Lorraine motel, his favorite room, 306. It was the last night of his life.

(on camera) Have you ever had a chance to be inside Dr. King's actual room at the Lorraine motel?

KATORI HALL, PLAYWRIGHT: No, only in my imagination.

O'BRIEN: Playwright Katori Hall has imagined Dr. King's last night for almost 30 years of her life.

HALL: They never let anyone in his room, almost never.

O'BRIEN: This is all the way the room was when he died?

HALL: It's so small. It's too small to contain his dreams, you know. He was a king. He was worthy of more, but he stayed like a regular person, you know, cigarettes and coffee.

O'BRIEN: And coffee. HALL: And lots of coffee, and the phone, and then the bible.

O'BRIEN: Your set designer came.

HALL: He came here and measured everything for eight hours.

O'BRIEN: Why did that matter to get it exactly right?

HALL: It was just important to do it right and to bring the audience inside of this room in a very tactile way. I really feel as though, particularly in terms of the set and in terms of the visual, fly on the wall perspective, I think you've got this right.

O'BRIEN: And how about the man himself?

HALL: We will never, never know what was inside of his brain and what his exact thoughts were, but I really feel as though we get to the core of him facing that door and I know someone is waiting for me on the other side but I'm going to walk out in spite of.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: Soledad O'Brien joins me here in Atlanta on the set. Soledad, good to see you, first of all.

O'BRIEN: Thank you.

LEMON: You've done numerous documentaries on Dr. King. You've been in that room, probably never with cameras.

O'BRIEN: Right.

LEMON: And not a conversation like that.

O'BRIEN: No. It's amazing. Victoria Hold is a big talker. She works with words. And when we got into the room she just stopped talking. I was trying to gauge her reaction and she sort of said nothing and then got a few words out. It's amazing. People, of course, have been to the museum.

LEMON: When you go in, in that room, is it --

O'BRIEN: Small. It's small and it's weird.

LEMON: You get that feeling, like you gasp --

O'BRIEN: Cigarettes are in the ashtray and you see cups of coffee. Obviously they've set it up for the room but it's exactly as it was when he died and people can visit that at the civil rights museum behind a glass wall, as you know. So to be inside, it's really odd. They call it the King Abernathy Suite. You can see they did the exact same thing in the play. They measured it exactly and brought it to life on the stage.

LEMON: That's very interesting. I have so much to talk to you about, but unfortunately we have limited time. I want to talk to you about Sam Jackson. You've spent time with him and you have actually seen the play. The controversy with Katori's play is that she humanizes him, because the first thing, one of the first things, he leaves --

O'BRIEN: He yells for cigarettes and then goes and you can hear him urinate off camera. And I think that sets the tone for, hmm, we haven't seen that side of Dr. King. So you can understand how people who are very emotionally unattached to the image of an icon would automatically say, oh, I'm feeling very uncomfortable about this portrayal. But she is intentionally saying he was a man. And these are the things that I, as a playwright, would imagine a man would be doing, disgusted, worried about, scared of, et cetera.

LEMON: Because what we know are the speeches and see the old video of him. And Sam Jackson said he was a man. He didn't all the time speak in that sort of didactic, planned way people from that era did all the time.

O'BRIEN: We love that image. And I think she's taking a great risk. But people love the play that. But to take an icon and make him human, that's a big risk.

LEMON: Big risk. I can't wait to see it.

(CROSSTALK)

(LAUGHTER)

O'BRIEN: Thanks, Soledad. And make sure you watch Soledad's full report part of this weekend's new CNN presents. Catch it Sunday night at 8:00 p.m. eastern right here on CNN. It's going to be great.

Other news now, a five-year-old girl from Arizona is missing this afternoon. Jahessye Shockley disappeared on October 11th. There is controversy here. The child's mother pleaded no contest to child abuse of other children before the missing girl was born.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JERICE HUNTER, JAHESSYE SHOCKLEY'S MOTHER: It's very unfair for you to ask me that. Do I look like I hurt my daughter? Do I look like I hurt my daughter? She's scared. She's scared. Please.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: We are going to speak live to the Arizona police department in two minutes.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

POPPY HARLOW, CNNMONEY.COM CORRESPONDENT: Time now for the help desk where we get answers to your financial questions. Joining me this hour is Lynnette Khalfani Cox, the founder of the financial advice blog AsktheMoneyCoach.com, and David Novick, a certified financial planner and an adjunct professor at NYU. Thank you for being here both, I appreciate it. Lynnette, your question today comes from Gina in Ohio. Gina has 28 credit cards, 18 with no balance, and she's asking if her credit score will be affected if she closes the account. I think first thing first, you never want to open up 28 credit cards, right?

LYNNETTE KHALFANI COX, ASKTHEMONEYCOACH.COM: No, obviously. They can lead to unmanageable debt. But frankly, typically I tell people not to close out accounts if they have three or four accounts because it can mess up something called your credit utilization ratio, the amount of debt that you charge versus your available credit line. In her case, she has over two dozen credit cards. So that's not going to impact her too much to close out the credit cards, reduce the temptation, and possibly avoid any annual fees you might be getting charged for the use of those cards.

HARLOW: David, your question comes from William in New York. William writes that his unmarried partner and he are going to relocate and move to California, and his partner currently receives unemployment benefits in New York. The question is will his partner be able to continue to receive those benefits in California until he's employed.

DAVID NOVICK, FINANCIAL PLANNER: He would still be able to receive benefits if California. He will need to register and check in with the unemployment officer in California. Different states have different rules. The benefit may be different and there may be a delay in getting him up and running again as far as benefits. We should be prepared to have an interruption in his benefits.

HARLOW: Sure.

NOVICK: Additionally, if he's going to travel to California, you have to be available and ready and willing to work. So during that time that he's transporting himself to California he may not be eligible for benefits during that time period.

HARLOW: Sure. You have to prove that you're looking for work.

NOVICK: Yes.

HARLOW: Pretty much all the time.

All right, thank you guys very much. If you have a question that you want answered, send us an e-mail any time to CNN.com/helpdesk@cnn.com.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: All right. We have all been following the search for Lisa Irwin. She is the 11-month-old baby who disappeared from her crib in Missouri. But there's another little girl who has vanished from her home. This is Jahessye Shockley. She's five-years-old. She disappeared from her home in Glendale, Arizona, 17 days ago. Take a good look at this little face.

Police issued an Amber alert. Scores of people have joined the search, but still no sign of Jahessye. Her relatives have complained that the news media are not doing enough to cover the story. But their plea for coverage has shown a light on the mother's own troubled past. During a vigil for the child, she lashed out at a reporter who asked if she hurt Jahessye.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HUNTER: It's very unfair for you to ask me that. Do I look like I hurt my daughter? Do I look like I hurt my daughter? She's scared. She's scared. Please --

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Tracey Breeden is with the Glendale police department. Thank you so much joining us, Tracy. What do you know about the circumstances of Jahessye's disappearance?

TRACEY BREEDEN, GLENDALE, ARIZONA POLICE: Well, what I can tell you, Tom, is that she went missing from her residence 17 days ago in the afternoon when her mother went on an errand for a little bit. She was left with her siblings and when her mom came back, Jahessye was missing from the residence.

LEMON: It's Don by the way. That's OK. But tell us what she was wearing the last time anyone saw Jahessye?

BREEDEN: The last time anyone saw Jahessye, she was wearing a plain white shirt, blue jeans shorts, and pink sandals on her feet. But let me say this, we haven't ruled out abduction or kidnapping in this case. And typically in situations like that after a period of time they can change a child's appearance.

So we're asking that when people see Jahessye's picture, to also think about the situation that she may, her appearance may have been changed to look like a boy. Try to imagine her with glasses on, those types of things, because that's important as well.

LEMON: OK, and what are police doing? Are you going all out, because there's been criticism by the family, I'm not sure about the police department. What are you doing?

BREEDEN: Well, I can tell you what we are doing at the police department is we have a team of investigators that continue to diligently work on the investigation into the disappearance of Jahessye. In fact, they're looking at over 10,000 bits and pieces of information not including continuing to follow up and tips that continue to come in.

We also continue to utilize our local, state, and federal resources. And we just want to thank them. The FBI has been with us since the very beginning of the investigation and they also continue to assist us with this.

LEMON: Before I ask you the next question, how tall is she?

BREEDEN: Jahessye is approximately three foot, five inches tall and weighs approximately 55 pounds. LEMON: Thank you for that. I saw an incredible interview on HLN last night, on Dr. Drew. Her family, her relatives have been complaining that this case isn't getting the same national attention as some others, but they're also upset about the local coverage, which has resulted in questions about Jahessye's mother. Are these questions about Jahessye's mother, do you think there are questions and are they fair?

BREEDEN: You know, we're aware of all of that. But we want our focus to be on locating Jahessye. We can't imagine the depth of the pain and emotions that the family must be going through with a child that goes missing. But, you know, what we want to say is don't lose hope and don't lose hope in us because we are, our level of commitment in finding Jahessye hasn't wavered, and we believe in the value of what we're doing. We have a little missing girl out there and we're doing everything we can to find her.

LEMON: All right, Tracy Breeden, thank you very much. We really appreciate that.

If we can please put her picture back up. I want to tell you about little Jahessye Shockley. Little Jahessye Shockley. She disappeared 17 days ago, Glendale, Arizona, from her apartment. An Amber alert. According to police she's wearing a plain white shirt, blue jean shorts and sandals. She's three feet, five inches tall, about 55 pounds. There's her picture. Any information, please call police.

We have a quick update on another missing child story. An autistic boy in Virginia has been found. He was missing for six days. His name is Robert Wood. An autistic boy in Virginia has been found. Robert wood Jr. He's been found. He is at the hospital with his family now. There is hope. There is hope. Glad for that family. Hope little Jahessye Shockley's family has a similar result.

OK, the World Series in its final game tonight. Let's bring in Andy Scholes from our affiliate KDAF. He is live in St. Louis. The Texas Rangers are playing the St. Louis Cardinals on the Cardinals turf. So is it really true that the home team almost always wins in these high stakes World Series game?

ANDY SCHOLES, KDAF SPORTS REPORTER: Yes, history not on the Ranger's side in this one. In the last eight games, the home team has won every single one. You've got to go back to 1979 when the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Baltimore Orioles on the road to win a World Series. This Rangers team, one of the most resilient in all of baseball, and after the game last night, they were convinced they were still going to get the job done here tonight in game seven.

LEMON: What's going to happen is going to happen and we don't want to go over scores and stats and all that. You were there. Give us some color. You can do what most can't see. You can show us because you're there. What's around you? It sounds like people are gathering, sounds kind of exciting.

SCHOLES: I can tell you yesterday, this place was covered with rangers fans. They were ready to celebrate their championship and Cardinals fans weren't making much noise, but it's a different scene today. Not many Rangers fans milling around. Lots of Cardinals fans. And they're looking now, they're the favorites of course, and they're looking to celebrate their 11th World Series championship. Rangers fans still optimistic, but not as much as yesterday of course.

LEMON: Thank you, Mr. Scholes, in my old market there, St. Louis, Missouri. Lived there for a little bit. Nice town. Nice town. Andy Scholes, thanks again.

Imagine sitting down to dinner with the president of the United States. For everyday people, you know, -- four, I should say, everyday people did just that. And wait until you find out how they managed it.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: "Political Pop" now. Imagine getting an invitation for dinner from the president of the United States. Four everyday people got just that. Joe Johns is here with the political pop. So Joe, how did they score -- these are great tickets to score, so to speak.

JOE JOHNS, CNN SENIOR CORRESPONDENT: Not so bad, right, Don? An opportunity to sit down, have dinner with the president of the United States. It was at Liberty Tavern in Arlington, Virginia, just across the river from here. Four just regular, plain folks got the privilege. A couple of retirees, a postal worker, a small business owner also described as an entrepreneur.

This was the payoff from the dinner with Barack contest from a few months back. We reported on it in "Political Pop." Fundraiser of course, though they technically said you didn't have to give any money to enter, they did suggest you give at least a $5 donation. These were the winners, Casey Helbling, a small business owner from Minnesota, Juanita Martinez, retired teacher from Colorado, Wendy Smith, an artist, also a retired professor from Indiana, And Ken Knight, a U.S. postal service employee from Arizona.

The president had actually offered dinner with both himself and Vice President Biden, but the vice president was out of the country, so these folks had to settle, if you will, for the commander in chief by himself, Don. Not too bad, right?

LEMON: Let's see if you really dug deep here and did your homework. What's on the menu?

(LAUGHTER)

JOHNS: Don't even ask me, but I can tell you this. American cuisine, that's what I do know about the restaurant. I haven't ever been there though. There are a lot of good restaurants over in Arlington.

LEMON: All right, very niche. That's not bad, when people want World Series tickets, not a bad ticket to get. Did you watch last night? Because I want to know what's up with Speaker Boehner and the series.

JOHNS: OK, so simple version is he goes to Tennessee, Chattanooga, and he's doing a fundraiser there for a congressman, Congressman Fleishman, and a local newspaper reports that after this fundraiser where he raised a couple of hundred thousand dollars, the speaker went and got a steak dinner and split a bottle of merlot with four people who accompanied him there to Tennessee and apparently stayed for about an hour and a half.

People according to newspaper reports, people were surprised to see the speaker of the house standing at the bar, watching the game, sipping on a glass of wine. That's the way it's been described.

LEMON: You've got to have a beer.

OK, I have to get this in because we teased this. Former, one of President Obama's former speech writers wrote a sitcom. NBC picked it up. We have just a couple seconds left.

JOE JOHNS: This is a sitcom about a dysfunctional first family. John Lovett is the speech writer. He has offered this. It's been picked up as a pilot. It doesn't mean it's going to go on TV, but apparently NBC wants to take a look at it. They've had success with other White House shows.

LEMON: Yes, "The West Wing" and all that.

Joe Johns, thank you, sir, appreciate that. It's time now for another man in Washington, Wolf Blitzer. Take it away, Wolf.