Return to Transcripts main page

Live From...

Ohio Law Requires Inmate DNA Testing; Congress Measure Could Reduce Women's Combat Role

Aired May 18, 2005 - 14:29   ET

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

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


KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: The Senate showdown begins. Live pictures right now as senators are debating the controversial judicial nomination of Priscilla Owen. Bill Frist called on his colleagues to vote one way or the other. He left open the option the possibility a controversial rule change to ban a filibuster of that nomination.
The widow of the only soldier in Iraq War to earn the medal of honor has become a naturalized citizen today. Birgit Smith took the oath of citizenship today in Tampa, Florida. She's the widow of Sergeant First Class Paul Smith. He died outside Baghdad defending his soldiers from an Iraqi attack in April 2003.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FRANK GORSHIN, ACTOR: The whole world almost literally in our grasp.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: He was one of Gotham City's vilest villains. Actor Frank Gorshin died last night at a California hospital where he was being treated for lung cancer and other problems. Gorshin played dozens of roles, but was best known as this guy, the Riddler in TV's "Batman" series. He was 72.

MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: The state of Ohio expanding DNA testing to cover all felons, not just those convicted of the most serious crimes. The DNA database helps link current prison inmates to unsolved crimes. As CNN's Deborah Feyerick reports, lack of DNA testing may be leaving many crimes needlessly unsolved.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Robert Patton, Jr., 04CR39...

DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Even to a serial rapist, it seems crazy.

ROBERT PATTON, JR., CONVICTED RAPIST: You got to have maybe half a refrigerator full of my DNA.

FEYERICK: DNA samples sitting, just sitting, year after year, untested.

PATTON: How can you wait 15 years later to come up with a possible suspect when you've had it all along? Somebody ain't doing somebody right.

FEYERICK: In January, in front of a handful of his victims, Patton pleaded guilty to raping some 40 women in and around Columbus, Ohio. His spree lasted 16 years. It ended last summer, one day after he attacked his final victim.

DIANE CUNNINGHAM, RAPE VICTIM: They'd had his DNA on file. They had the DNA match-ups, and there was just a matter of when they were going to go pick him up.

FEYERICK: Diana Cunningham identified Patton from a mug shot.

CUNNINGHAM: I'm sitting here, like you guys couldn't have gotten him yesterday? Thanks.

FEYERICK: Patton had been locked up several times for burglary. He last got out September 2001, but before being released, he had to give over a saliva sample as required by state law. The timing was good for Patton, horrible for his next 13 victims. Federal funding to test inmate DNA had just run out, and though it has since been restored, Patton's DNA went untested for close to three years.

RON O'BRIEN, PROSECUTOR, FRANKLIN COUNTY, OHIO: We need to, if we're going to collect them, to process them or otherwise you may as well not collect them in the first instance because they're not doing you any good as a piece of evidence.

FEYERICK: With his DNA on file, Patton was covering his tracks.

CUNNINGHAM: And while I was in the shower, he watched me to make sure that I washed myself because I think he knew that otherwise I would have left it so that, you know, the police would have better evidence.

FEYERICK: In Ohio, the attorney general got fed up waiting for federal grants.

JIM PETRO, ATTORNEY GENERAL, OHIO: We self-funded it. We no longer have any back log.

FEYERICK: He took state money intended to compensate victims and had all 19,000 outstanding DNA samples tested. Nearly 300 of them turned up links to unsolved crimes, including 10 murders and 71 rapes.

(on camera): Prosecutors and police across the country believe that's the tip of the iceberg and that the half a million DNA swabs that are untested could ultimately put a lot of bad people behind bars.

(voice-over): As for Patton...

PATTON: I'm not even sure if you can get a death penalty for what I've done. But in my mind, that's what I think I really want.

FEYERICK: Prosecutors asked the judge to give Patton 50 years. Patton asked the judge for even more time, saying he wanted to give his victims peace of mind.

PATTON: I think the crimes that I've committed against any female, no matter how old, is probably one of the most horrendous crimes that you can ever do, besides murder.

FEYERICK: The judge gave him 68 years, a virtual guarantee he will never get out.

Deborah Feyerick, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Coming up next, can the U.S. Army afford to turn down good help?

O'BRIEN: We're live from the Pentagon, where a new proposal for female troops has some fighting mad.

PHILLIPS: And if you like your wine vintage, and we mean really vintage, we've got the vino for you.

O'BRIEN: And revenge of the merchandise. "Star Wars" invades more than just the box office this week.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

VERONICA DE LA CRUZ, CNN ANCHOR: It was 25 years ago today in Washington State Mount St. Helens erupted after a century of relative quiet. A look back at CNN.com.

On May 18, 1980, a plume of smoke, ash and debris shot skyward in the most violent eruption in Mount St. Helens recorded history. Fifty-seven people were killed.

Volcanic ash was detectable over a 22,000 square mile area. This gallery shows you images from the event that drastically changed the shape of the volcano.

Before the eruption, Mount St. Helens stood at almost 10,000 feet. Today, it tops out at just over 8,000.

Recently, scientists have noticed the volcano continues to steam and swell. Over the past two decades, several small eruptions have taken place. This interactive breaks down exactly how a volcanic eruption occurs, from molten rock collecting beneath the Earth's surface to the resulting eruption and lava flow.

To find out more on volcanoes and the history of Mount St. Helens, you can log on to cnn.com/science.

From the dot-com news desk, I'm Veronica de la Cruz.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Well, Congress has taken up a measure intended to keep women out of combat. The Army says that the action would bar women from thousands of jobs.

Let's get more now from CNN Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr. Barbara, I'm very interested in this.

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kyra, the House Armed Services Committee, as you well know, is one of the strongest political supporters of the military and the Pentagon on Capitol Hill. Now, that Republican controlled committee this afternoon here in Washington is considering a piece of legislation. Legislation that, if it passed in its current form, would dramatically change the role of women in war. And behind the scenes, the Army and the Pentagon are scrambling to try to make it all go away.

What the House Armed Services Committee is looking at is some legislation that has already come through one of the subcommittees that would restrict the ability of women to serve in support roles that go with combat forces. What are those support roles? Well, they're talking about things like jobs that are medical, truck drivers, supply clerks. All the jobs that women do in today's modern U.S. military.

And just how significant is the role of women in the military? Well, consider this. There are about 10,000 women currently serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. 35 of those women have been listed as killed in action, even with an existing law that women may not serve in combat. Now, of course, they don't serve in tank companies, armor battalions. They don't fire weapons in the way that men do, but 35 women killed in action.

So the committee is looking at this because what they're trying to do is make Iraq match the law. The real lesson of Iraq, of course, is that combat is everywhere. There is no front line. Later today, the committee is going to take up this measure. The Pentagon does not want it to pass. They don't want any restrictions on what they currently do about having women in these support roles on the front lines in combat areas like Iraq. They're hoping to work out a compromise, but right now everyone here is watching all of this very closely -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Well, Barbara, who's behind this measure? And are there women behind this measure? Who's bringing this before Congress?

STARR: This is just a fascinating political wrinkle. By all accounts, the measure is really being backed by the Republican majority, many of those with an acknowledged by themselves conservative bent. That is their view, and they feel there is a law in this country that prohibits women from being in direct combat positions. That is the case. Women may not serve in ground combat units. They can't serve in those forward units that go in and kick doors down and engage in direct combat.

But in places like Iraq, we see it -- we've seen it for years now, women are risking their lives every day in front line positions. You can call them support, but in fact, they do risk their lives. So this is the big debate. And it's very interesting, Kyra, because it's the Democrats on the committee that want to keep the status quo -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Well, you know we'll follow it. Barbara Starr, live from the Pentagon, thanks.

O'BRIEN: Well, it appears the first lady of Kenya a little bit off the hook after her run-in with the media. You might remember it.

PHILLIPS: Run-in? She, like, slapped the photographer.

O'BRIEN: You're right. She ran in all right. There she goes! Boom! She's no lady.

PHILLIPS: She took him down. She right-hooked him.

O'BRIEN: There is something else! I don't know what she is. Anyway, we have details on the up-shot of that thing.

PHILLIPS: Also, social workers may be able to finally identify the mysterious piano man. He doesn't talk, but he plays a mean piano tune.

O'BRIEN: And will America fall in love with the new "Honeymooners"? Another classic TV show getting a retro fit. We'll talk with Mike Epps, the new Ed Norton. There he is.

PHILLIPS: Show 'em the bling. Show 'em the bling.

O'BRIEN: Show 'em the bling. You know, Art Carney never wore an earring.

Back with more in a moment.

PHILLIPS: Jackie Gleason didn't wear diamonds like that.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

O'BRIEN: Well, the honeymoon isn't over, after all.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JACKIE GLEASON, ACTOR: One of these days! Pow, right in the kisser!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

O'BRIEN: Too the moon you go! Bus driver Ralph Kramden and his sassy wife Alice left the airways decades ago, although not before Ralph threatened to send Alice to the moon countless times. And now "The Honeymooners" are back, and this time, living color applies, as they say, right?

Cedric the Entertainer -- I'd like to have a name like Miles the News Guy. And he plays the Jackie Gleason role -- Ralph Kramden -- and Mike Epps plays his buddy, Ed Norton. And of course, there's all kinds of scheming and high jinx that goes along with this. And Mike is with us.

MIKE EPPS, ACTOR, "THE HONEYMOONERS": Hey, man.

O'BRIEN: Good to have you with us, man.

EPPS: Hey, thanks a lot, man. Thanks for having me.

O'BRIEN: All right, this is a classic. And I want to know, did you go back and did you look at all the old episodes and try to copy it, or just say, you know what, best not to try to do anything Art Carney did?

EPPS: Hey man, you know what? I stuck with that analogy, best not to try. Art Carney did it. All praise due to Art Carney, but I went and bought 100 episodes of it and bought it.

O'BRIEN: You did?

EPPS: Yes, man. And I got a little "Hey, Ralphie boy." I got a couple of his little antics and stuff.

O'BRIEN: "Hello, Ball," that kind of stuff?

EPPS: Yes. "Hello, Ball."

O'BRIEN: You know, you watch this stuff and it's still funny today.

EPPS: That's right.

O'BRIEN: Coming up with timeless comedy is hard, isn't it?

EPPS: It is, man. It is hard. But times are changing. And you know, if I -- you watch "The Honeymooners" from back then, hey, man, it's not dated at all. You can laugh at it right now.

O'BRIEN: Do you think you've done the same thing in this movie?

EPPS: Hey, well, you know what, I couldn't never do that. I couldn't be that funny. But hey, man, I tried my best and I tried to give the people what they wanted. And you know, I remained myself, you know?

O'BRIEN: Well, and that's the most important thing.

EPPS: That's the most important.

O'BRIEN: When you got the call, we want you to do this role, what was your first thought?

EPPS: Oh, man, I was ecstatic. I was a little scared, you know, because I said, wait a minute, the black "Honeymooners"? They never even had a black guy a guest star on the show. O'BRIEN: I don't think so. They didn't do any people of color on that show.

EPPS: No, no, no, no. So I said hey -- they said, can you play a black version? And I said, well, I'm already black. I can play my version. I wanted to make it a cool Norton. I got a little earring in my ear.

O'BRIEN: Like I say, Art Carney never had a stud in his ear.

EPPS: Never had a stud.

O'BRIEN: What was it like working on the picture? Cedric, the whole crew -- was that a fun experience?

EPPS: Man, it was a fun experience. We shot the movie over in Ireland, over in Europe, and...

O'BRIEN: Really? Why? What was that all about?

EPPS: Well, one of the producers got some kick-back on the money.

O'BRIEN: Whatever it takes, right?

A little bling-bling for the producer.

EPPS: Yes.

(CROSSTALK)

O'BRIEN: ...so you're in Ireland, drinking Guinness.

EPPS: Drinking Guinness, oh, boy.

O'BRIEN: But it's warm.

EPPS: It's very warm, yeah.

O'BRIEN: So, anyway, shooting it was fun?

EPPS: Yes, it was fun, man. Cedric the Entertainer's a great guy. Gabrielle Union, we got Regina Hall and John Leguizamo in the movie. Man, it's a PG-13 movie. The babies and the older folks can go see this movie.

O'BRIEN: All right -- oh, man, I don't know what was going on there, but I just caught the tail end of that. That looked pretty -- oh, you were trying to ciphon gas.

EPPS: Yeah, he was ciphoning gas out of that. Look at that. That's a real crook. Ya'll thought I was a crook? Look at that.

O'BRIEN: Yes. Well -- do we have -- we have a little segment we can play you for, right? Do we have a piece we can play?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CEDRIC THE ENTERTAINER: I got to confess something to you.

EPPS: Hold on.

CEDRIC: If we're going die I got to get my life right with the lord. One day I was coming down there to get some milk from ya'll and I seen Alice naked, and sometimes I think about her.

O'BRIEN (voice-over): That is great.

CEDRIC: I thought we was going die.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

O'BRIEN: That's funny stuff, and that is not stuff you would have seen in the original "Honeymooners," quite like that. But, nevertheless, the same basic themes are there.

Quick final thought, here. Your career's on a real roll. You just told me you're going to play Richard Pryor in an up-coming movie. That's really exciting.

EPPS: Yes. I'm playing the life story of Richard Pryor. That's an honor, to play the master of comedy. Yeah.

O'BRIEN: All right, one final thought. All these remakes that are coming out, "Honeymooners," "Bewitched," "Longest Yard," "Dukes of Hazzard." All of it -- do you think it is good? I mean, are there no new ideas in Hollywood, or is this...? Are these new ideas with just the same title?

EPPS: Yeah, nothing is new up under the sun, you know what I mean. Everything goes around. I mean, there is a whole generation of children that don't know anything about these projects that will love to see them brought back and make sure ya'll go check out "Honeymooners," June the 10th, dipped in chocolate.

O'BRIEN: There you go. Mike Epps, "Honeymooners." Dipped in chocolate. All right. And, you're going to give me one of those earrings, right?

(CROSSTALK)

PHILLIPS: I think I hung up on your mom.

O'BRIEN: Yes, we tried to get your mom...

EPPS: You hung up on my mom?

PHILLIPS: I'm sorry!

EPPS: That is terrible.

PHILLIPS: We tried to loop her in and I don't think I did it right. O'BRIEN: She said you were the class clown. I'm not surprised.

PHILLIPS: What was this about reform school?

O'BRIEN: Yeah, I don't -- he beat the rap. All right, Mike Epps, thanks for dropping by. Appreciate it.

EPPS: (INAUDIBLE) You, too.

O'BRIEN: A new peace treaty may solve a major problem vexing hot dog fans.

PHILLIPS: Oh, boy. Big business story today. Susan Lisovicz has the scoop live from the New York Stock Exchange. Hey, Susan.

SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN FINANCIAL CORRESPONDENT: You may laugh and scoff but this has been a frustrating problem in the barbecue season. Have you ever noticed that hot dogs come in packages of eight and buns come in packages of six? Which means, of course, you have to buy two packages of buns and that leaves you with, well, some extras. Well, two Chicago companies signed the great peace treaty to bring equality to hot dogs and buns alike. The presidents of Alpha Baking (ph) and Vienna Beef agreed to sell their hot dogs and buns in bags of eight. Hey, simple. The companies estimate the packaging change will save the two million buns that are needlessly wasted each ear. As of now, however, the treaty hasn't been signed by any of the companies.

And, while we're on the subject, Burger King is planning to serve up veggie burgers at all of its restaurants. The new sandwich will hit menus later this month. It's the first national chain, Kyra and Miles, to roll out a veggie burger.

O'BRIEN: And we can top it off with a little Dave Matthews ice cream. What's that you say? Ice cream, or something?

LISOVICZ: Yep. Forget "chunky monkey," and "Cherry Garcia," there's a new Ben and Jerry's flavor in town. It is "Dave Matthews Band Magic Brownies." The flavor is a mixture of vanilla ice cream, raspberries, and of course, brownies. And you can enjoy this treat relatively guilt-free: part of the proceeds from the new flavor slated to go toward global warming initiatives. You can get samples on the Dave Matthews tour which launches in July.

Sweet day for the markets today. Stocks rallying big time on sharply lower oil prices. There's -- Dow Industrials look like they're at their high, right now, up 140 points, better than one in third percent. The NASDAQ gaining nearly 1.5 percent. That's the latest from Wall Street. More LIVE FROM... right after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Stories "Around the World" now.

Terri Schiavo's parents have met briefly with Pope Benedict. They gave the pontiff a picture of their daughter during his general audience in St. Peter's Square. The Schiavo's are at the Vatican thanking the church in support of their unsuccessful effort to keep their brain-damaged daughter alive.

A magistrate is dropping assault charges against Kenya's first lady. News footage shows Lucy Kibaki slapping a television news cameraman in a newspaper office May 3rd. The attorney general says that no one has time to investigate that incident.

And a mime says England's mysterious piano man is a street musician from France, but a hospital reports no positive I.D. yet. (INAUDIBLE) wouldn't speak, but he drew a sketch of a piano, and he plays one in the hospital for hours at a time. The man was found wandering, soaking wet, on an island April 7th.

O'BRIEN: Well, we don't know if it was a good year but it certainly is an old one. A archaeological dig in Cyprus has turned up a wine of astonishing vintage. Here's CNN's Ben Wedeman.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: "In vino, veritas" -- in wine, there is truth, the Romans used to say, and in wine, there's also history.

Archaeologists in Cyprus have discovered what they believe could be the second oldest wine ever found, more than 5,000 years old. They recently unearthed two terra cotta wine jars in, not surprisingly, the wine-growing region in the southern part of the island, the earliest evidence of wine production in the Mediterranean, from a time when drinking on the job wasn't a problem.

MARIA ROSARIA BELGIORNO, ITALIAN ARCHAEOLOGIST: The jug, for wine near the olive press. Of course, it's probably they using it there. They wanted to drink wine!

WEDEMAN: The oldest wine ever found dates back more than 7,000 years, from Iran, a country where alcohol is now forbidden by Islamic law. Wine production in Cyprus isn't quite that old, but when it comes to wine, what's a few millennia?

A jar found on the island shows workers making wine more than 4,000 years ago, while the Cypriot Wine Museum features a mosaic of people indulging or rather, overindulging, during Roman times. Most wines improve with age, but even the best wines, unlike diamonds, aren't forever. The wine found in Cyprus, red, the archaeologists believe, is really just dry residues, leaving aficionados to sip less ancient vintages and ponder what they've missed.

Cheers, Ben Wedeman, CNN, Cairo.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com


Aired May 18, 2005 - 14:29   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: The Senate showdown begins. Live pictures right now as senators are debating the controversial judicial nomination of Priscilla Owen. Bill Frist called on his colleagues to vote one way or the other. He left open the option the possibility a controversial rule change to ban a filibuster of that nomination.
The widow of the only soldier in Iraq War to earn the medal of honor has become a naturalized citizen today. Birgit Smith took the oath of citizenship today in Tampa, Florida. She's the widow of Sergeant First Class Paul Smith. He died outside Baghdad defending his soldiers from an Iraqi attack in April 2003.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FRANK GORSHIN, ACTOR: The whole world almost literally in our grasp.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: He was one of Gotham City's vilest villains. Actor Frank Gorshin died last night at a California hospital where he was being treated for lung cancer and other problems. Gorshin played dozens of roles, but was best known as this guy, the Riddler in TV's "Batman" series. He was 72.

MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: The state of Ohio expanding DNA testing to cover all felons, not just those convicted of the most serious crimes. The DNA database helps link current prison inmates to unsolved crimes. As CNN's Deborah Feyerick reports, lack of DNA testing may be leaving many crimes needlessly unsolved.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Robert Patton, Jr., 04CR39...

DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Even to a serial rapist, it seems crazy.

ROBERT PATTON, JR., CONVICTED RAPIST: You got to have maybe half a refrigerator full of my DNA.

FEYERICK: DNA samples sitting, just sitting, year after year, untested.

PATTON: How can you wait 15 years later to come up with a possible suspect when you've had it all along? Somebody ain't doing somebody right.

FEYERICK: In January, in front of a handful of his victims, Patton pleaded guilty to raping some 40 women in and around Columbus, Ohio. His spree lasted 16 years. It ended last summer, one day after he attacked his final victim.

DIANE CUNNINGHAM, RAPE VICTIM: They'd had his DNA on file. They had the DNA match-ups, and there was just a matter of when they were going to go pick him up.

FEYERICK: Diana Cunningham identified Patton from a mug shot.

CUNNINGHAM: I'm sitting here, like you guys couldn't have gotten him yesterday? Thanks.

FEYERICK: Patton had been locked up several times for burglary. He last got out September 2001, but before being released, he had to give over a saliva sample as required by state law. The timing was good for Patton, horrible for his next 13 victims. Federal funding to test inmate DNA had just run out, and though it has since been restored, Patton's DNA went untested for close to three years.

RON O'BRIEN, PROSECUTOR, FRANKLIN COUNTY, OHIO: We need to, if we're going to collect them, to process them or otherwise you may as well not collect them in the first instance because they're not doing you any good as a piece of evidence.

FEYERICK: With his DNA on file, Patton was covering his tracks.

CUNNINGHAM: And while I was in the shower, he watched me to make sure that I washed myself because I think he knew that otherwise I would have left it so that, you know, the police would have better evidence.

FEYERICK: In Ohio, the attorney general got fed up waiting for federal grants.

JIM PETRO, ATTORNEY GENERAL, OHIO: We self-funded it. We no longer have any back log.

FEYERICK: He took state money intended to compensate victims and had all 19,000 outstanding DNA samples tested. Nearly 300 of them turned up links to unsolved crimes, including 10 murders and 71 rapes.

(on camera): Prosecutors and police across the country believe that's the tip of the iceberg and that the half a million DNA swabs that are untested could ultimately put a lot of bad people behind bars.

(voice-over): As for Patton...

PATTON: I'm not even sure if you can get a death penalty for what I've done. But in my mind, that's what I think I really want.

FEYERICK: Prosecutors asked the judge to give Patton 50 years. Patton asked the judge for even more time, saying he wanted to give his victims peace of mind.

PATTON: I think the crimes that I've committed against any female, no matter how old, is probably one of the most horrendous crimes that you can ever do, besides murder.

FEYERICK: The judge gave him 68 years, a virtual guarantee he will never get out.

Deborah Feyerick, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Coming up next, can the U.S. Army afford to turn down good help?

O'BRIEN: We're live from the Pentagon, where a new proposal for female troops has some fighting mad.

PHILLIPS: And if you like your wine vintage, and we mean really vintage, we've got the vino for you.

O'BRIEN: And revenge of the merchandise. "Star Wars" invades more than just the box office this week.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

VERONICA DE LA CRUZ, CNN ANCHOR: It was 25 years ago today in Washington State Mount St. Helens erupted after a century of relative quiet. A look back at CNN.com.

On May 18, 1980, a plume of smoke, ash and debris shot skyward in the most violent eruption in Mount St. Helens recorded history. Fifty-seven people were killed.

Volcanic ash was detectable over a 22,000 square mile area. This gallery shows you images from the event that drastically changed the shape of the volcano.

Before the eruption, Mount St. Helens stood at almost 10,000 feet. Today, it tops out at just over 8,000.

Recently, scientists have noticed the volcano continues to steam and swell. Over the past two decades, several small eruptions have taken place. This interactive breaks down exactly how a volcanic eruption occurs, from molten rock collecting beneath the Earth's surface to the resulting eruption and lava flow.

To find out more on volcanoes and the history of Mount St. Helens, you can log on to cnn.com/science.

From the dot-com news desk, I'm Veronica de la Cruz.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Well, Congress has taken up a measure intended to keep women out of combat. The Army says that the action would bar women from thousands of jobs.

Let's get more now from CNN Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr. Barbara, I'm very interested in this.

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kyra, the House Armed Services Committee, as you well know, is one of the strongest political supporters of the military and the Pentagon on Capitol Hill. Now, that Republican controlled committee this afternoon here in Washington is considering a piece of legislation. Legislation that, if it passed in its current form, would dramatically change the role of women in war. And behind the scenes, the Army and the Pentagon are scrambling to try to make it all go away.

What the House Armed Services Committee is looking at is some legislation that has already come through one of the subcommittees that would restrict the ability of women to serve in support roles that go with combat forces. What are those support roles? Well, they're talking about things like jobs that are medical, truck drivers, supply clerks. All the jobs that women do in today's modern U.S. military.

And just how significant is the role of women in the military? Well, consider this. There are about 10,000 women currently serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. 35 of those women have been listed as killed in action, even with an existing law that women may not serve in combat. Now, of course, they don't serve in tank companies, armor battalions. They don't fire weapons in the way that men do, but 35 women killed in action.

So the committee is looking at this because what they're trying to do is make Iraq match the law. The real lesson of Iraq, of course, is that combat is everywhere. There is no front line. Later today, the committee is going to take up this measure. The Pentagon does not want it to pass. They don't want any restrictions on what they currently do about having women in these support roles on the front lines in combat areas like Iraq. They're hoping to work out a compromise, but right now everyone here is watching all of this very closely -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Well, Barbara, who's behind this measure? And are there women behind this measure? Who's bringing this before Congress?

STARR: This is just a fascinating political wrinkle. By all accounts, the measure is really being backed by the Republican majority, many of those with an acknowledged by themselves conservative bent. That is their view, and they feel there is a law in this country that prohibits women from being in direct combat positions. That is the case. Women may not serve in ground combat units. They can't serve in those forward units that go in and kick doors down and engage in direct combat.

But in places like Iraq, we see it -- we've seen it for years now, women are risking their lives every day in front line positions. You can call them support, but in fact, they do risk their lives. So this is the big debate. And it's very interesting, Kyra, because it's the Democrats on the committee that want to keep the status quo -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Well, you know we'll follow it. Barbara Starr, live from the Pentagon, thanks.

O'BRIEN: Well, it appears the first lady of Kenya a little bit off the hook after her run-in with the media. You might remember it.

PHILLIPS: Run-in? She, like, slapped the photographer.

O'BRIEN: You're right. She ran in all right. There she goes! Boom! She's no lady.

PHILLIPS: She took him down. She right-hooked him.

O'BRIEN: There is something else! I don't know what she is. Anyway, we have details on the up-shot of that thing.

PHILLIPS: Also, social workers may be able to finally identify the mysterious piano man. He doesn't talk, but he plays a mean piano tune.

O'BRIEN: And will America fall in love with the new "Honeymooners"? Another classic TV show getting a retro fit. We'll talk with Mike Epps, the new Ed Norton. There he is.

PHILLIPS: Show 'em the bling. Show 'em the bling.

O'BRIEN: Show 'em the bling. You know, Art Carney never wore an earring.

Back with more in a moment.

PHILLIPS: Jackie Gleason didn't wear diamonds like that.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

O'BRIEN: Well, the honeymoon isn't over, after all.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JACKIE GLEASON, ACTOR: One of these days! Pow, right in the kisser!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

O'BRIEN: Too the moon you go! Bus driver Ralph Kramden and his sassy wife Alice left the airways decades ago, although not before Ralph threatened to send Alice to the moon countless times. And now "The Honeymooners" are back, and this time, living color applies, as they say, right?

Cedric the Entertainer -- I'd like to have a name like Miles the News Guy. And he plays the Jackie Gleason role -- Ralph Kramden -- and Mike Epps plays his buddy, Ed Norton. And of course, there's all kinds of scheming and high jinx that goes along with this. And Mike is with us.

MIKE EPPS, ACTOR, "THE HONEYMOONERS": Hey, man.

O'BRIEN: Good to have you with us, man.

EPPS: Hey, thanks a lot, man. Thanks for having me.

O'BRIEN: All right, this is a classic. And I want to know, did you go back and did you look at all the old episodes and try to copy it, or just say, you know what, best not to try to do anything Art Carney did?

EPPS: Hey man, you know what? I stuck with that analogy, best not to try. Art Carney did it. All praise due to Art Carney, but I went and bought 100 episodes of it and bought it.

O'BRIEN: You did?

EPPS: Yes, man. And I got a little "Hey, Ralphie boy." I got a couple of his little antics and stuff.

O'BRIEN: "Hello, Ball," that kind of stuff?

EPPS: Yes. "Hello, Ball."

O'BRIEN: You know, you watch this stuff and it's still funny today.

EPPS: That's right.

O'BRIEN: Coming up with timeless comedy is hard, isn't it?

EPPS: It is, man. It is hard. But times are changing. And you know, if I -- you watch "The Honeymooners" from back then, hey, man, it's not dated at all. You can laugh at it right now.

O'BRIEN: Do you think you've done the same thing in this movie?

EPPS: Hey, well, you know what, I couldn't never do that. I couldn't be that funny. But hey, man, I tried my best and I tried to give the people what they wanted. And you know, I remained myself, you know?

O'BRIEN: Well, and that's the most important thing.

EPPS: That's the most important.

O'BRIEN: When you got the call, we want you to do this role, what was your first thought?

EPPS: Oh, man, I was ecstatic. I was a little scared, you know, because I said, wait a minute, the black "Honeymooners"? They never even had a black guy a guest star on the show. O'BRIEN: I don't think so. They didn't do any people of color on that show.

EPPS: No, no, no, no. So I said hey -- they said, can you play a black version? And I said, well, I'm already black. I can play my version. I wanted to make it a cool Norton. I got a little earring in my ear.

O'BRIEN: Like I say, Art Carney never had a stud in his ear.

EPPS: Never had a stud.

O'BRIEN: What was it like working on the picture? Cedric, the whole crew -- was that a fun experience?

EPPS: Man, it was a fun experience. We shot the movie over in Ireland, over in Europe, and...

O'BRIEN: Really? Why? What was that all about?

EPPS: Well, one of the producers got some kick-back on the money.

O'BRIEN: Whatever it takes, right?

A little bling-bling for the producer.

EPPS: Yes.

(CROSSTALK)

O'BRIEN: ...so you're in Ireland, drinking Guinness.

EPPS: Drinking Guinness, oh, boy.

O'BRIEN: But it's warm.

EPPS: It's very warm, yeah.

O'BRIEN: So, anyway, shooting it was fun?

EPPS: Yes, it was fun, man. Cedric the Entertainer's a great guy. Gabrielle Union, we got Regina Hall and John Leguizamo in the movie. Man, it's a PG-13 movie. The babies and the older folks can go see this movie.

O'BRIEN: All right -- oh, man, I don't know what was going on there, but I just caught the tail end of that. That looked pretty -- oh, you were trying to ciphon gas.

EPPS: Yeah, he was ciphoning gas out of that. Look at that. That's a real crook. Ya'll thought I was a crook? Look at that.

O'BRIEN: Yes. Well -- do we have -- we have a little segment we can play you for, right? Do we have a piece we can play?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CEDRIC THE ENTERTAINER: I got to confess something to you.

EPPS: Hold on.

CEDRIC: If we're going die I got to get my life right with the lord. One day I was coming down there to get some milk from ya'll and I seen Alice naked, and sometimes I think about her.

O'BRIEN (voice-over): That is great.

CEDRIC: I thought we was going die.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

O'BRIEN: That's funny stuff, and that is not stuff you would have seen in the original "Honeymooners," quite like that. But, nevertheless, the same basic themes are there.

Quick final thought, here. Your career's on a real roll. You just told me you're going to play Richard Pryor in an up-coming movie. That's really exciting.

EPPS: Yes. I'm playing the life story of Richard Pryor. That's an honor, to play the master of comedy. Yeah.

O'BRIEN: All right, one final thought. All these remakes that are coming out, "Honeymooners," "Bewitched," "Longest Yard," "Dukes of Hazzard." All of it -- do you think it is good? I mean, are there no new ideas in Hollywood, or is this...? Are these new ideas with just the same title?

EPPS: Yeah, nothing is new up under the sun, you know what I mean. Everything goes around. I mean, there is a whole generation of children that don't know anything about these projects that will love to see them brought back and make sure ya'll go check out "Honeymooners," June the 10th, dipped in chocolate.

O'BRIEN: There you go. Mike Epps, "Honeymooners." Dipped in chocolate. All right. And, you're going to give me one of those earrings, right?

(CROSSTALK)

PHILLIPS: I think I hung up on your mom.

O'BRIEN: Yes, we tried to get your mom...

EPPS: You hung up on my mom?

PHILLIPS: I'm sorry!

EPPS: That is terrible.

PHILLIPS: We tried to loop her in and I don't think I did it right. O'BRIEN: She said you were the class clown. I'm not surprised.

PHILLIPS: What was this about reform school?

O'BRIEN: Yeah, I don't -- he beat the rap. All right, Mike Epps, thanks for dropping by. Appreciate it.

EPPS: (INAUDIBLE) You, too.

O'BRIEN: A new peace treaty may solve a major problem vexing hot dog fans.

PHILLIPS: Oh, boy. Big business story today. Susan Lisovicz has the scoop live from the New York Stock Exchange. Hey, Susan.

SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN FINANCIAL CORRESPONDENT: You may laugh and scoff but this has been a frustrating problem in the barbecue season. Have you ever noticed that hot dogs come in packages of eight and buns come in packages of six? Which means, of course, you have to buy two packages of buns and that leaves you with, well, some extras. Well, two Chicago companies signed the great peace treaty to bring equality to hot dogs and buns alike. The presidents of Alpha Baking (ph) and Vienna Beef agreed to sell their hot dogs and buns in bags of eight. Hey, simple. The companies estimate the packaging change will save the two million buns that are needlessly wasted each ear. As of now, however, the treaty hasn't been signed by any of the companies.

And, while we're on the subject, Burger King is planning to serve up veggie burgers at all of its restaurants. The new sandwich will hit menus later this month. It's the first national chain, Kyra and Miles, to roll out a veggie burger.

O'BRIEN: And we can top it off with a little Dave Matthews ice cream. What's that you say? Ice cream, or something?

LISOVICZ: Yep. Forget "chunky monkey," and "Cherry Garcia," there's a new Ben and Jerry's flavor in town. It is "Dave Matthews Band Magic Brownies." The flavor is a mixture of vanilla ice cream, raspberries, and of course, brownies. And you can enjoy this treat relatively guilt-free: part of the proceeds from the new flavor slated to go toward global warming initiatives. You can get samples on the Dave Matthews tour which launches in July.

Sweet day for the markets today. Stocks rallying big time on sharply lower oil prices. There's -- Dow Industrials look like they're at their high, right now, up 140 points, better than one in third percent. The NASDAQ gaining nearly 1.5 percent. That's the latest from Wall Street. More LIVE FROM... right after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Stories "Around the World" now.

Terri Schiavo's parents have met briefly with Pope Benedict. They gave the pontiff a picture of their daughter during his general audience in St. Peter's Square. The Schiavo's are at the Vatican thanking the church in support of their unsuccessful effort to keep their brain-damaged daughter alive.

A magistrate is dropping assault charges against Kenya's first lady. News footage shows Lucy Kibaki slapping a television news cameraman in a newspaper office May 3rd. The attorney general says that no one has time to investigate that incident.

And a mime says England's mysterious piano man is a street musician from France, but a hospital reports no positive I.D. yet. (INAUDIBLE) wouldn't speak, but he drew a sketch of a piano, and he plays one in the hospital for hours at a time. The man was found wandering, soaking wet, on an island April 7th.

O'BRIEN: Well, we don't know if it was a good year but it certainly is an old one. A archaeological dig in Cyprus has turned up a wine of astonishing vintage. Here's CNN's Ben Wedeman.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: "In vino, veritas" -- in wine, there is truth, the Romans used to say, and in wine, there's also history.

Archaeologists in Cyprus have discovered what they believe could be the second oldest wine ever found, more than 5,000 years old. They recently unearthed two terra cotta wine jars in, not surprisingly, the wine-growing region in the southern part of the island, the earliest evidence of wine production in the Mediterranean, from a time when drinking on the job wasn't a problem.

MARIA ROSARIA BELGIORNO, ITALIAN ARCHAEOLOGIST: The jug, for wine near the olive press. Of course, it's probably they using it there. They wanted to drink wine!

WEDEMAN: The oldest wine ever found dates back more than 7,000 years, from Iran, a country where alcohol is now forbidden by Islamic law. Wine production in Cyprus isn't quite that old, but when it comes to wine, what's a few millennia?

A jar found on the island shows workers making wine more than 4,000 years ago, while the Cypriot Wine Museum features a mosaic of people indulging or rather, overindulging, during Roman times. Most wines improve with age, but even the best wines, unlike diamonds, aren't forever. The wine found in Cyprus, red, the archaeologists believe, is really just dry residues, leaving aficionados to sip less ancient vintages and ponder what they've missed.

Cheers, Ben Wedeman, CNN, Cairo.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com