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CNN Sunday Morning
Chief Suspect in Murder of 7 Surrenders; Iran Warns of Possible Energy Supply Breakdown
Aired June 04, 2006 - 09:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He didn't turn himself in out of remorse. He turned himself in because he had nowhere to go.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TONY HARRIS, CNN NEWS ANCHOR: The chief suspect in the murder of seven people in Indianapolis and surrenders after a massive manhunt. It's Sunday, the 4th day of June. Good morning everyone from CNN Center in Atlanta, I'm Tony Harris.
BETTY NGUYEN, CNN NEWS ANCHOR: Good morning. I'm Betty Nguyen. Nice to see you here. Glad you're watching. More on the surrender, though, of that mass murder suspect in just a moment. First, though, a quick look at some other stories making news right now.
A warning from Iran's top leader, the Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said today that energy supplies from the Gulf region would be disrupted if the U.S. exhibits any so-called misbehavior toward Iran. The ayatollah did not specify what he meant about his behavior. Iran is embroiled, as you know, in the standoff with the West over its nuclear ambitions.
A suicide car bombing targets a Canadian military convoy in the Afghan city of Kandahar. Four civilians were killed, 13 others injured. No coalition forces were hurt.
HARRIS: There have been a series of attacks across Iraq today leaving two dozen people dead. In one incident for telecommunication workers were shot to death in a drive-by shooting in Baghdad. It happened in Sadr City, a mostly Shiite area of the capital.
Kimberly Dozier, a correspondent wounded in Iraq, was expected to return home today, but the network says her return has been delayed until Tuesday. Dozier remains in critical but stable condition in a hospital in Germany. She reportedly ate solid food yesterday for the first time since the May 31 blast.
In sports -- oh, no.
NGUYEN: Yeah! Bring it on. My Mavericks. Come on. Read the story, Tony. Don't be shy. Dallas Mavericks are headed for the NBA finals for the first time in 26-year history. Come on get some enthusiasm. HARRIS: Oh, come on, Shaq.
NGUYEN: Stop it.
HARRIS: The Mavericks eliminated Phoenix 102-93 last night. They'll take on Shaq-daddy and the Miami Heat in the finals. The first game is in, oh, no...
NGUYEN: Dallas on Thursday night. I guess I'll be watching that one.
HARRIS: It's just an outrage.
NGUYEN: Yeah, come on, Shaq. Bring it on, Shaq. All right. Got to move to more important news out there. We've got a lot to tell you about this hour.
President Bush jumped into the same-sex marriage debated by calling for a constitutional amendment against it. We have a live report from the White House. That is coming up,
Also ahead, you'll want to pull up a chair for a story of how this young man made his fortune as just a teenager. And if you don't have a chair, he will gladly sell you one. We'll tell you about that.
Plus, later, an 8,000-mile double blind date. Officials at the Georgia Aquarium are betting that two lovely ladies from Taiwan will be exactly what two giant dudes are looking for right here in Georgia. We'll take you there live for a report on this matchmaking that's happening right here at the Georgia Aquarium.
HARRIS: So the manhunt ends, and an Indiana gripped community gripped with fear can now breathe easier. A mass murder suspect surrendered. He's suspected of barging into a home and killing seven members of an Indianapolis family. CNN's Keith Oppenheim has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KEITH OPPENHEIM, CNN NEWS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): He was on the loose for two whole days. Bit Indianapolis police said their prime murder suspect, Desmond Turner, wouldn't get far.
DEP. CHIEF CLIFFORD MYERS, INDIANAPOLIS POLICE: He still is considered armed and dangerous, and we will pursue every single lead that we get.
OPPENHEIM: They were right. After more than 100 officers worked the case, serving warrants, following tips, and searching homes, Desmond Turner gave up. By Saturday evening, a confidential informant called authorities and said Turner was ready to surrender. Police say at a fast-food restraints, Turner showed up with his minister and was arrested.
DEP, CHIEF TIM FOLEY, INDIANAPOLIS POLICE: It's my judgment that Mr. Turner had no place to go. He didn't turn himself in out of remorse. He turned himself in because he had nowhere to go. OPPENHEIM: It was on Thursday evening that seven people in one family were shot with assault rifles in this East side end application home. Police called it a robbery, but haven't determined what, if anything was taken. Alberto Covarrubias, his wife, Emma; their four children and one 5-year-old grandson. Three generations were all dead.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It just can't be real.
OPPENHEIM: Family members poured out their grief. On Friday they would learn police arrested an accomplice, 30-year-old James Stewart, but it wasn't until the prime suspect was in custody relatives could express a small sense of relief.
(on camera): If you could say something to Mr. Turner, with what would you say?
LUIS JUAREZ, RELATIVE OF VICTIM: That we would take time to think what he did. And this guy is going pay for what he did.
OPPENHEIM (voice-over): Residents in Indianapolis have been shocked and frightened by these murders.
LACEY ROADRUCK, NEIGHBOR: Just to think that somebody, you know, anybody could just come in your house like that and do anything like that, the mind of that, it's just scary.
OPPENHEIM: Once in custody, police say Desmond Turner didn't talk much, but did ask one question.
(on camera): Charged with seven counts of felony murder, he apparently wanted to know if the maximum penalty is life without parole. Turner was told no, the maximum in Indiana is the death penalty.
Keith Oppenheim, CNN, Indianapolis.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: In other news, Iran says it welcomes talks with the West over its nuclear program, but there is a warning today from the country's spiritual leader. Any attack on Iran will disrupt the flow of oil. The Ayatollah Ali Khamenei did not say how that would happen, but his stern words underscore Iran's termination to resist outside pressure, especially from the U.S. CNN's Shizad Bozorgnenr joins us now by phone from Tehran with the latest on this.
Bring us up to speed with the words that were spoken today by the ayatollah.
SHIZAD BOZORGNENR, CNN NEWS CORRESPONDENT: Well, Betty, the most important part was the reference of Ayatollah Khamenei to the fact that the United States, despite what it thinks, is not capable of securing the (INAUDIBLE) from the Persian Gulf area, from this region. This is in an indirect way, a threat that may be used as a weapon if the Iran and U.S. come to a confrontation instead of understanding. Another thing was that like the Ayatollah Khamenei leader avoided any reference to the upcoming talks between, hopefully, between Iran and United States or the package that the Europe Union is supposed to present Iran very soon. Mr. Solana is coming to Tehran in the next day or two and he's supposed to bring with him the E.U. package. Ayatollah Khamenei avoided talking about that, which some circles here believed that it's a sign that Iran is still very seriously considering both issues and does not want to come up with an arbitrary statement, wants to think it over and come up with a final and well thought out reaction -- Betty.
NGUYEN: Well, let's talk about exactly what was said. The ayatollah said, quote, "Misbehavior by the U.S. will disrupt energy supplies -- energy shipments." Let's break this down. What kind of misbehavior is he referring to, specifically?
BOZORGNENR: Well, considering the context between Iran and the United States right now, it could mean anything from imposing sanctions on Iran to even threats for actual military attack against Iran.
NGUYEN: All right, but then he talks about this disruption of Gulf energy shipments. When he mentions the word disruption, specifically what is he referring to in that instance?
BOZORGNENR: Well, it's hard to know specifically what he means when he, (INAUDIBLE) the issue. It's a very general statement that is open to interpretation, but, as I said, one interpretation is that if Iran is being threatened by military action or even by sanctions, that the use of oil weapons is not going to be out of consideration for Iran.
NGUYEN: You know, we've heard a lot of back and forth from Iran's president. Now we're hearing from the ayatollah. Now that he has spoken, talk to us about the significance of now hearing from the ayatollah himself.
BOZORGNENR: Well, as I said before, he has not committed himself to anything. He has thought very generally about issues, but he does and he has said it before that he has the last word on relations or resumption of relations with the United States and with the nuclear issue. So, he has the last word, and, but he hasn't uttered them yet. He has just given a preview of what might be coming in very general terms. So, we have to wait until the E.U. package arrives here, and, also, the talks between Iran and U.S. we have to wait until they actually come to pass or not, and what the results will be. Then we can, you know, somehow figure out what's going on.
NGUYEN: Yeah, there's a lot of waiting too, because that incentive package between the six world powers, that it has agreed to give Iran, it's still up for debate right now. So, we will be watching. Thank you for that update, we appreciate it.
BOZORGNENR: OK.
HARRIS: In other stories making headlines "Across America," now. The manhunt is on for two escapees from a jail in the nation's capital. Both are charged in a fatal shooting, one of them with murder. Authorities say the men broke through an office window and got away on a city shuttle bus.
Thousands of customers at hotels.com may be at risk of credit card fraud or identity theft. Yesterday the company said a laptop containing customers' personal information was stolen from an auditor in February. Information on the laptop was mostly from transactions in 2004. Officials say so far they've found no evidence of fraud.
A plane skids 3,000 feet to move a fence and on to a highway in Manassas, Virginia. Eight people were on the plane, two were treated for minor injuries. The plane was headed to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.
NGUYEN: And brush fire shuts down a stretch of highway in Florida, a 25-mile section to be exact of U.S. 27 in Broward County -- is closed because of this fire. It has burned about 6,000 acres near the Everglades, and there are no reports, this is good news, of injuries or damage to some buildings. Fire officials say that -- in fact buildings are not even in danger at this point.
Oh, yeah. Walls came tumbling down. The smoke rises. Always interesting to see. An implosion levels a high-rise in Fort Meyer Army base in Arlington, Virginia. The 12-story building had been used as a training ground for military troops and federal agencies.
HARRIS: Still ahead, he is the child some parents wish they could have.
NGUYEN: For many reasons.
HARRIS: Fingers crossed. Happy birthday, Michael. While many teenagers are spending their summers at parties or traveling you're about to meet a 19-year-old with a different agenda.
NGUYEN: A good one.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: Yeah, I think some people are surprised when they come in for an interview and see me.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: He is busy becoming a millionaire. Make that multimillionaire. You'll meet this self-made man coming up.
NGUYEN: No pressure on your son, huh?
HARRIS: Or my daughter.
NGUYEN: He's just (INAUDIBLE). All right, plus take a look at this. Inside this tank. See where they're at the bottom portion of your screen? Well, there are two more whale sharks, and shall we say... HARRIS: Could this is a dance of love we're watching here.
NGUYEN: The point is for them to get it on, Tony, as the song says, because they have traveled more than 8,000 miles, and they are looking for a love connection. I'm sure they'll find one in that tank. A couple of guys waiting on them. Reynolds, you want to weigh in on this?
REYNOLDS WOLF, CNN METEOROLOGIST: I'm thinking that the Marvin Gay music is (INAUDIBLE) going to help. It's got to. I mean can it not?
NGUYEN: I mean, who doesn't like that song.
WOLF: Absolutely.
NGUYEN: A few drinks, they'll be good to go.
HARRIS: Oh.
WOLF: Oh, no question about that.
(WEATHER REPORT)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NICOLE LAPIN, CNN DOT COM DESK: All right, even on a Sunday morning you guys are up and on-line at cnn.com. And you know what? We're watching you and maybe so is the big guy. Kind of looks like something out of the Amazon. No? Well actually not. Coming up, we're going to tell you where this big boy was found, and we're going to get you in the loop about -- with what else is popular on the web right now.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: How's it going? He's not old enough to order a drink or rent a car, yet 19-year-old Sean Belnick -- you're going to like it kid -- has the financial independence few people will ever know. He's an Atlanta teenager who doesn't have to look to his parents for money. Like that. Belnick is making millions on his own.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(voice-over): Like many young guys, Sean Belnick enjoys listening to the latest music tunes on his iPod.
SEAN BELNICK, OWNER, BIZCHAIR.COM: 50 Cent, T.I., just anything. Just depends what kind of mood I'm in. Like I like lots of types of music.
HARRIS: And when he takes a break from studying business at Emery University in Atlanta, he watches shows on his 40 inch LCD TV.
BELNICK: I watch "South Park," "Family Guy." Just typical shows. HARRIS: Typical. At first glance. But after riding around with the college freshman for a little while, you start to realize that Belnick is anything but typical. The place he works is his own business. The people he works with aren't just his co-workers.
BELNICK: Hey Dawndra (ph).
HARRIS: They're his employees.
BELNICK: Yeah, I think some people are surprised when they come in for an interview and they see me.
HARRIS: Surprised because Belnick is 19 years old. He's a self- made millionaire and the CEO of his own multimillion-dollar company. He did it by creating a Web site called bizchair.com and with the help of his stepdad, who was already in the business chair industry, Belnick started selling, what else, business chairs. He imports them from China, puts them in his 40,000 square foot warehouse and sells them on-line.
BELNICK: I figured, you know, I could make Web sites. I have a connection to sell stuff here. I've, you know, sold stuff on eBay before. You know, why not try selling stuff on-line and see what happens. So, you know, I created the Web site, and it pretty much it went from there.
HARRIS: Belnick was just 14 years old when he came up with this profitable website idea.
GARY GLAZER, BELNICK'S STEP FATHER: He locked himself into the bedroom for three days. He come out for dinner and use the restroom, three days later, Bizchair was there.
BELNICK: The company started out with a 1-800 number in his bedroom. A selection of just a few office chairs and eventually one employee. It now has 40 employees and sells about 25,000 types of products, including office furniture, home furniture, medical equipment, and, of course, office chairs. He says clients range from Harvard University and Yale to Abercrombie and Fitch. Even the Pentagon bought chairs while rebuilding right after the 9/11 attacks. His mother admits she's surprised at the big successful businessman her teenager son turned out to be.
LESLEY GLAZER, BELNICK'S MOTHER: Bit. I always felt deep in my heart he would make it. But this successful, no, and at this age, definitely not.
HARRIS: In fact, the college freshman's business professors are amazed.
SUSAN GILBERT, EMORY UNIVERSITY: Fifteen, 20 years from now, he could be retired.
BELNICK: I don't think I'll ever retire from it. I'll always want to be, you know, working, doing something in it.
HARRIS: Belnick says he is just an ordinary guy.
BELNICK: And I have a big business behind me, but I mean, I like to think of myself as just a regular kid.
HARRIS: Who happens to do an extraordinary money-making thing.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: How about this? Belnick says in 2005 bizchair.com brought in $15 million.
NGUYEN: Wow.
HARRIS: He projects his company will pull in 20 to $25 million this year.
NGUYEN: Kind of makes you feel your kid is not doing enough, huh? A little inadequate.
HARRIS: No, I'm just slacking here my whole life.
NGUYEN: I got to get out of here.
HARRIS: Yeah.
NGUYEN: What am I doing these days? Apparently not enough. All right. It's going to be a hot topic in Congress this week, folks. Should same-sex marriages be banned by the federal government? A preview of this passionate fight when we take you live to the White House coming up on CNN Sunday morning.
HARRIS: Plus, it is one of the most incredible shots you will ever see on a golf course. You don't want to miss it. Let's just hang with this for just a second and then we'll cut away before it really gets good. OK.
NGUYEN: OK, that's where it stops.
HARRIS: OK. Stop there. CNN, stay with us. We'll be right back with more on this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That ball hangs up in the rough, right there. I can tell you, that's a very tough chip. Yeah, he's missed it way left. I think he said come on or no good. You heard.
No.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
Now look at this, Now, this is a good shot. It's not a great shot, but it's a good shot that gets better. Wait on it. Wait on it. Why would we be staying on this shot? NGUYEN: Look. Then it starts to move.
HARRIS: That was Fuzzy Zeller's shot, senior event.
NGUYEN: Look at that. Going straight for the hole.
HARRIS: No, it's not.
NGUYEN: Oh, my, right in the hole!
HARRIS: Of course.
NGUYEN: What are the odds of that happening?
HARRIS: It doesn't happen.
NGUYEN: You golf, right?
HARRIS: Yeah, yeah.
NGUYEN: Have you ever seen anything like that happen before?
HARRIS: Well, thank you for asking, Betty, I make it do what it do, and it never does this.
NGUYEN: Yeah.
HARRIS: It never does this. OK?
NGUYEN: But, why would it sit for so long? I mean, I think they counted up to 12 -- 12 seconds, there.
HARRIS: Well, I think...
NGUYEN: And then start to -- I mean, is there a groundhog underneath? I mean, what's going on?
HARRIS: No, no, no. A slight tremor.
NGUYEN: A tremor.
HARRIS: A slight tremor. Just a little tremor, and then the ball tracks, tracks.
NGUYEN: It's a magnetic ball. That's what it is.
HARRIS: Off the second (INAUDIBLE).
NGUYEN: There are some magnets in there. Something is going on.
HARRIS: Tracking, tracking...
WOLF: Unbelievable. Look at this.
NGUYEN: That is simply amazing.
WOLF: Well, there's a reason for this. It's not that difficult. Jedi mind trick. Jedi mind trick.
NGUYEN: But of course.
WOLF: Uses the power of the Force, and the ball right in the hole.
HARRIS: And there you go.
WOLF: Works every time.
NGUYEN: Well, apparently you need to get some of that power.
HARRIS: How about that Reynolds Wolf with us this morning? Good to you, sir?
WOLF: Hey, good to be here, man. Great to be here.
NGUYEN: May the Force be with you, Reynolds.
WOLF: Hey, absolutely. I hear you, my young Jedi.
(WEATHER REPORT)
WOLF: Again, Jedi mind trick. That's all there is to it. It's that simple.
NGUYEN: Careful with that. The power is strong.
WOLF: It can be overwhelming.
NGUYEN: All right, talk to you soon, Reynolds.
WOLF: You bet.
NGUYEN: On a serious note, it is one of those visits every military family simply dreads. An officer arrives with the worst news possible.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I opened the door, and I took one look at the major who was there, and you could tell his eyes were red, and he was trembling. It was hard for him to even speak, and I knew -- I just said -- I just talked to him yesterday.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: Gives me chills. The attack that made worldwide headlines when a news crew was hit in Iraq, when we come back, a story about a soldier who died on that day.
HARRIS: Plus, the push for an amendment to ban same-sex marriages. We'll head live to the White House. And take a look at this picture.
It is from inside the largest aquarium in the world. The new home of Trixie and Alice. Ralphy-boy and Norton are rejoicing right now. We'll explain.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: Same-sex marriage, this hot-button divisive issue is about to heat up again. Supporters hit the streets staging marches in San Francisco and New York, yesterday. The Senate vote later this week on a proposed constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage and President Bush is turning up the pressure. Live now to CNN's White House correspondent Ed Henry.
Ed, good morning.
ED HENRY, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Tony. You know, the president will making a big push tomorrow meeting with conservative activists and making a public statement and declaring, once again, his support for a constitutional amendment banning same- sex marriage, he's doing this, in part, because he is facing heavy criticism from fellow conservatives who say that his opposition -- outspoken opposition in 2004 campaign to same-sex marriage helped drive conservatives to the polls, helped spark his re-election victory, but conservatives feel the president has been a little too quiet since then, has not really spoken out on the issue, and instead, people close to the president have really seemed to be a little soft on the issue in the eyes of conservatives.
Mary Cheney, the vice president's daughter, who's a lesbian, as you know, is on a book tour promoting that book and talking about how unhappy she was with the president's opposition to same-sex marriage. Then the first lady, Laura Bush, at a Sunday morning interview where she said this issue should not be used as a campaign tool. Also, said there should be sensitivity brought to this debate. So, the president is caught a bit between his own wife as well as some of his conservative supporters, so you can tell he was walking a fine line when he talked about this issue yesterday in his Saturday morning radio address.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: As this debate goes forward, we must remember that every American deserves to be treated with tolerance, respect, and dignity. All of us have the duty to conduct this discussion with civility and decency toward one another. And all people deserve to have their voices heard. A constitutional amendment would put a decision that is critical to American families and American society in the hands of the American people, which is exactly where it belongs. Democracy, not court orders, should decide the future of marriage in America.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
HENRY: And democrats and even some conservatives are charging the president is really just going through the motions here, that he's trying to speak out in order to drive conservatives to the polls, once again, this time for the midterm elections in November. White house spokesman Tony Snow insists that's not true. The president's involvement is not politically motivated, but that because of the involvement of some courts around the country, the president believes the time is right for Congress to get involved and really define this, but the bottom line is the Senate is really not going to pass this amendment. Right now, they're really just going through the motions -- Tony.
HARRIS: Oh, good. That was my question. I was going to trade on your experience. We love you in the White House, but trade on our experience as a long-time congressional correspondent, to ask you what is the passage of this bill by the Senate?
HENRY: It looks like the republicans have a couple of extra votes coming out of the last election in the Senate where they may get a little closer, but, as you know, they need a super majority of 67 to pass it. They were about a dozen or so short last time of even cutting off a filibuster. So, they were nearly 18, 20 votes or something like that from even passing the actual amendment. And then, of course, it would have to go through the House and state legislatures. This would take several years for a constitutional amendment to actually pass. But, the bottom line is it's going to fall short from even the first step of getting through the U.S. Senate this week. It's really about election year politic -- Tony.
HARRIS: See Betty, he knows Congress and the White House.
NGUYEN: The all-knowing.
HARRIS: It's a two-for this morning for us. Ed Henry. Ed, thanks.
HENRY: Thanks Tony.
HARRIS: And should be there a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage? It's been the focus of our e-mail question all morning long. Send along your thoughts, weekends@cnn.com and we'll read some of your responses later this hour.
NGUYEN: We tell you all the time about American servicemen and women killed in war. They become a statistic, but behind each number a person and loved ones left behind. Today the story of one such soldier. Here's Carol Costello, a report from "American Morning."
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JENNIFER FUNKHOUSER, HUSBAND KILLED IN IRAQ: It's not something that I ever thought would happen, but it did. It did. And it's the worst thing imaginable.
COSTELLO (voice-over): The worst thing imaginable. It's happened so many times. This time, it's the family of Army Captain James Funkhouser, Jr. mourning the loss.
JAMES FUNKHOUSER, SR., SON KILLED IN IRAQ: Even knowing that he died doing what he loved to do, what he wanted to do, it doesn't take away the pain.
COSTELLO: On Monday, the 35-year-old Army captain was securing a location in Baghdad just across the river from the Green Zone. With them, a CBS news crew. Then it happened. A car bomb exploded. The blast killed Funkhouser, his Iraqi interpreter and two members of the CBS news crew.
Back home in Killeen, Texas, Funkhouser's wife, Jennifer, got the news, in the kind of scene played out more than 2,000 times over the past three years.
JENNIFER FUNKHOUSER: I had two army officers come to my front door, and I thought it was a Memorial Day. They were handing out pamphlets, passing out information about soldiers. I opened the door, and I took one look at the major who was there, and you could tell his eyes were red, and he was trembling. It was hard for him to even speak. I knew -- I said, I just talked to him yesterday.
COSTELLO: Funkhouser had been in Iraq since December. His wife and family called him Alex. He was the father of two young girls, and the couple had just celebrated their sixth anniversary.
JENNIFER FUNKHOUSER: He always thought about me. He would write me all the time. This is Valentine's Day -- and we just had our wedding anniversary a little over a week ago and he sent me flowers. And I haven't been able to throw them away yet. A T-shirt I was going to send to him for Father's Day. Big Texas man. Little Texas humor.
COSTELLO: Funkhouser was third generation military. His father and grandfather before him, James, Sr., spent 31 years in the service.
JAMES FUNKHOUSER: When you lose a child it's always painful. And when you lose your only child, it is especially painful.
JENNIFER FUNKHOUSER: I just want his name out there. You know? He was -- he was wonderful. He was a great soldier, a great guy, a great father, a great husband.
COSTELLO: But the attention given to tragedy involving the CBS news crew and her husband is somehow bittersweet, because so many others die in relative anonymity.
JENNIFER FUNKHOUSER: All of these soldiers that is are injured, my husband had a lot of soldiers that were injured with him. They all have names, they all have stories. They're people. They're not just a soldier. They have a life; they have a family, a family that mourns them, a family that hurts. Everyone needs to know.
COSTELLO: Jennifer says her husband was proud of what he was doing in Iraq, and now she will carry on.
JENNIFER FUNKHOUSER: I'm a strong Army wife. My husband trained me to be one. I knew that I was marrying a soldier for life and death. This is part of it.
COSTELLO: Carol Costello, CNN News, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE) NGUYEN: James Funkhouser, Jr. will be buried with military honors in San Antonio, Texas. His father says Alex didn't like tears, so they will celebrate his son's life with stories and songs. You can look for more of Carol Costello's reports week days on "American Morning" beginning at 6:00.
HARRIS: Still ahead, it is a long way to go for a date. Coming up...
NGUYEN: A really long way.
HARRIS: Trixie and Alice travel more than 8,000 miles to catch the big fish. Drew, and we're talking about the big fish here.
DREW GRIFFIN, CNN NEWS CORRESPONDENT: The biggest in the world. Alice and Trixie, two female whale sharks join Ralph and Norton in the largest aquarium in the world. Are they getting along? We'll tell you when CNN Sunday morning returns.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ELLEN MCGIRT, SR. WRITER, "FORTUNE": Wynton Marsalis is the artistic director for Jazz at Lincoln Center, but really he's a national treasure. It's really Wynton's personality that drives everything he does. Wynton Marsalis does not do e-mail, he really is a personal guy. He'll get on the phone if he has to, but he'd rather talk with you in person. He's very good at delegating. He really trusts people to do their jobs. When you think about where an orchestra is, everybody has a job. He really is good at picking people who are good at their jobs, nurturing them so they can continue to do them well. He's passionate about one thing, and that's jazz music.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: All right, so what's up with Nicole Richie and Paris Hilton? Apparently thousands of you are asking the same question. In fact, Tony Harris asked me about it today about what's going on with these two. It's one of the most popular stories on cnn.com, no doubt. Nicole Lapin joins us with the details coming up on CNN SUNDAY MORNING. Tony wants to know.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: And good morning, here are the morning's top stories. The man wanted in the killings of seven family members in Indianapolis turned himself in last night. Desmond Turner faces seven counts of murder. Police believe robbery was the motive. They say there may have been some false reports of valuables in the home.
A warning to the U.S. today from Iran's supreme leader. That's his picture there in the backdrop. He warns that any misbehavior directed at his country could disrupt energy shipments. Iran's president says the nuclear standoff with his country could be settled if the U.N. recognizes Tehran's right to use atomic energy.
NGUYEN: And, it will be the Heat and...
The Mavericks!
HARRIS: Betty's Mavericks. Two first-timers. Didn't we go see a Mavericks' game last year? You dragged me to one of those games?
NGUYEN: The Mavericks lost, but not this time around. They are in it to win it, Tony.
HARRIS: The two first-timers head to the NBA finals. Last night the Mavs eliminated Phoenix, 102-93. Game six of the Western Conference Finals. And the finals start Monday, Tuesday?
NGUYEN: Be watching.
And meantime, love is in the air, or should we say in the water. In any case, folks at the Georgia Aquarium are hoping the arrival of two female whale sharks will make waves with two males already there.
HARRIS: This arranged courtship began 8,000 miles ago where Trixie and Alice were loaded on to a special jumbo jet for the trip to Atlanta to canoodle -- canoodle with Ralphy.
NGUYEN: That's a nice way of saying it.
HARRIS: I'm trying to be as delicate assist I can here -- and Norton. Now, as of a few hours ago, the Georgia Aquarium became the first and only place to see two breeding pairs of the world's largest fish?
NGUYEN: CNN's Drew Griffin is ringside to watch all of it happen, and I don't suspect they've started that breeding just yet. I mean...
HARRIS: Can we get a little privacy here?
NGUYEN: Yeah. They need to get to know each other first, right?
GRIFFIN: You guys. First of all, it's Sunday morning. OK?
HARRIS: Yes. It's an outrage.
GRIFFIN: Let's clean it up.
NGUYEN: Let's just get down to it.
HARRIS: Absolutely.
GRIFFIN: There's nothing going on here right now. Now, Alice and Trixie flew all this way so far just to eat, OK? There's no canoodling or romance going on. They're just swimming around here. But, they did get here last night. 8,000-mile journey. We want to -- oh, there's one right there. Take a look, it's got its mouth open. Can you see that? I'm going to answer a question too about those little fish in front of the whale shark. These guys started their journey last night -- or yesterday in Taiwan. They had to be loaded on to a 747, flown across the sea to Anchorage, Alaska, and then flown all the way here to Atlanta where they got on another truck and eventually came here to the Georgia Aquarium to join Ralph and Norton, two male whale sharks.
And right now they are swimming around here. We've been watching them this morning. Seem to be independent of each other, just kind of swimming around in this, the largest aquarium in the world. It's a football field long, 6.2 million gallons. They seem to be enjoying themselves, but we want to ask the question about those little yellow fish that hang out right in front of a shark's mouth. Here's Ray Davis, the head of Zoological Studies, here.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RAY DAVIS, ZOOLOGICAL STUDIES, GEORGIA AQUARIUM: They only feed on plankton. Plank is small. We're talking about food items that are, you know, 1/8th of an inch, 1/4 an inch, 1/2 an inch long. So the golden traviali (ph) are far too big. They're in front of them because they're getting a free push through the aquarium. It's like the bow wake of a freighter, so you -- just in that slip stream getting pushed through the aquarium. Free ride.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRIFFIN: So, they're just getting a free ride, those little yellow fish, and they have no intentions of being eaten. It is interesting to watch these fish. They really are not interacting with each other at all. And I asked Ray, well, when do you expect them to mate, if they do mate? He says whale sharks typically do not mate until they're in their 20s. That's not 20 years old, that's 20 feet long. So, these two gals got about six and seven feet more to grow before we're expecting any kind of romance in the big tank, you guys.
NGUYEN: Yeah. No hanky panky until they are mature whale sharks.
GRIFFIN: That's right and not until we turn these cameras off.
NGUYEN: Yeah.
HARRIS: Appreciate it. That's good stuff. Thank you.
NGUYEN: Thank you, drew.
HARRIS: So, what's the deal here? Are they back together, or are we about to report on another dust-up?
NGUYEN: Yeah, we're not talking about those whale sharks, though. We're talking about Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie. You know, something Tony over here has been dying to know.
HARRIS: I just need to know these things.
NGUYEN: Their status is one of the hottest stories on the Internet. CNN.com's Nicole Lapin gives us the lowdown. That is coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: Time now to check in with Howard Kurtz in Washington to see what's ahead on CNN's "Reliable Sources." good morning. Howard, good morning.
HOWARD KURTZ, "RELIABLE SOURCES": Good morning, Tony. Coming up, disturbing developments in Iraq this week with CBS's Kimberly Dozier badly wounded and two of her crewmembers killed, and new word about Iraqi civilians in Haditha. We'll talk about three veteran international correspondents about what's ahead for journalists in the war zone and why it took so long for the media to pick up the trail of the alleged massacre.
Plus, are the media piling on the president because of Iraq and his low poll numbers. And a Green Beret turned blogger tells us what the press is missing in Afghanistan. All ahead one "Reliable Sources."
HARRIS: OK, Howard, appreciate it. Thank you. That's "Reliable Sources" coming up in just a couple of minutes, nine minutes from now, at 10:00 a.m. Eastern followed by Wolf Blitzer and "Late Edition" at 11:00, and "On the Story" at 1:00 Eastern. Stay tuned to CNN, the most trusted name in news as we go in depth into the stories of the day.
NGUYEN: It's all about the whales in Georgia at the aquarium with the new whale sharks, but, you know what...
LAPIN: All those guys canoodling a little.
NGUYEN: Trying to get to know each other, but, unfortunately, though, Tony, they're not having much of a whale of a time in Hyannis, Massachusetts, today.
HARRIS: What's going on there?
NGUYEN: Well, that's one of the stories that folks are watching on cnn.com, and we have Nicole Lapin here to give us the scoop on all of that. Good morning.
LAPIN: Good morning. Well, guys, our viewers really want to know one big question. It's a pretty important one. Where are you going to hide a 50-pound whale statue? Any guesses?
HARRIS: None. Not one. Not one.
LAPIN: Here's the answer. Under your bed. OK, but the big painted whale, he's free at last. It was all part of a fundraising effort around Cape Cod, and two teenage girls are actually charged with taking it into captivity. A $1,000 reward enticed two teenage guys to snitch on them, now the girls are going to face a little captivity of their own. Some jail time. Bad news.
HARRIS: Yeah. LAPIN: All right. These two gals, Tony, this is what you were waiting for, right?.
HARRIS: Yeah.
LAPIN: They're no longer BFF.
NGUYEN: Best friends forever.
LAPIN: No longer. But they're back together on "The Simple Life" and that's going to debut tonight. They shot all of the scenes separately, though. Now, Nicole Richie, she's the other Nicole in case you were wondering, says, quote, "Haven't you lost touch with somebody before?" Well, Paris responds, "Nothing happened."
HARRIS: That's weird. What are they doing there?
LAPIN: No comments on that. All right, now to our numero uno story this morning. This big guy, he link of looks like he should be in the Amazon, right, guys?
HARRIS: Sure.
LAPIN: Well, not really. This 6 foot Nile monitor lizard was captured in Cape Corral, Florida.
NGUYEN: That's pretty far from the Nile, huh?
LAPIN: Kind of. No one knows how exactly it got over there, but he brought some friends, and they've actually been killing a bunch of small owls and animals in that area. Animal controls are trying to catch these big guys, but, you know what, the lizards are bigger than the traps.
NGUYEN: Right, right.
HARRIS: Well, that's not going to work out.
NGUYEN: That's a problem.
LAPIN: So that's going to be a problem. And the officials are saying here's what you do if you see one. You just walk away.
HARRIS: Right, right, right.
LAPIN: I don't know if I would walk. I would kind of sprint.
NGUYEN: Run. All right. Thank you so much, Nicole.
HARRIS: And you can find all that at CNN...
LAPIN: Dot com.
HARRIS: Nicole, thank you.
LAPIN: Thank you. HARRIS: Let's head upstairs now to the CNN Weather Center. Reynolds Wolf for another check of your forecast across the nation.
WOLF: OK, this is going to be a police adviser-free forecast. No lizards, no whale sharks, none of that kind of stuff.
(WEATHER REPORT)
HARRIS: You have a great day, sir.
WOLF: You too. Both of you.
HARRIS: Absolutely, will do.
NGUYEN: See you.
HARRIS: Going to get to our email question this morning. All morning long we've been asking you this question: Should there be a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage?
And Curt from Japan writes -- is that who we're starting with? Curt writes, good, OK, "There should not be a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage. Look at the history of Civil Rights and Women's suffrage. There was a time in the United States when slavery was legal. Why? Because people were ignorant, and afraid of change."
NGUYEN: Alice says, "There should not be an amendment to the constitution to ban gay marriage. Constitutional amendments were created to eliminate discrimination, not to create it."
HARRIS: And this from Brian. We have time for Brian? "Ban same-sex marriage, why? Because same-sex 'marriages' are anti-human and act of hate toward procreation. We have enough trouble with a population shortage because of abortion."
NGUYEN: And this one all the way from Jerusalem. A viewer there says, "As a lesbian, I know that the institution of marriage is unnecessary for having a stable, long-term relationship, but I am opposed to discrimination based on sexual orientation or any other personal characteristic."
Well, lots of good responses from you, and we got them all from both sides. You know, taking all the angles on this.
HARRIS: And from overseas as well.
NGUYEN: From Japan and Jerusalem. So, we got viewers that are listening and responding to us this morning and we appreciate that. "Reliable Sources" "is next, followed by "Late Edition," and "On the Story," so you don't want to don't go away.
HARRIS: And Fredricka Whitfield will be with you all morning with live news updates.
NGUYEN: Have a good day.
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