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CNN Sunday Morning

Delaware State University Reopens After Shooting; Iraqi Government Plans to File Charges Against Blackwater Employees

Aired September 23, 2007 - 09:00   ET

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

BETTY NGUYEN, CNN NEWS ANCHOR: It is Sunday, September 23. Good morning everybody from the CNN Center right here in Atlanta, I'm Betty Nguyen.
ROB MARCIANO, CNN NEWS ANCHOR: And good morning, I'm Rob Marciano, in today for T.J. Holmes.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We miss her, we love her. We just want her to come home.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MARCIANO: A Chicago woman remains missing, but there are new developments. We'll bring them to you as well as talk live with her sister.

Also:

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's no doubt in my mind the guy got out with every intention of shooting at the officer.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NGUYEN: A deadly shoot-out in the streets of Oklahoma City has one family asking a whole lot of questions this morning.

MARCIANO: And 48 hours after a school shooting, the campus re- opens. We'll take you there live.

NGUYEN: But first, missing for five days with no world, then police find her car abandoned. What happened to natural Nailah Franklin? Holly Gregory has the latest on the search from our affiliate CLTV in Chicago.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HOLLY GREGORY, CLTV CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Friends and family of Nailah Franklin are hoping and praying she'll be found alive. The 28-year-old pharmaceutical sales rep has not been seen or heard from since Tuesday.

ASHLEY CHAPPELL, SISTER: We miss her, and we love her. We just want her to come home.

GREGORY: It's been a grueling day for her family. Franklin's car was found in Hammond, Indiana in the parking lot of an Outback Steakhouse, their personal belongings scattered on the ground. That discovery somehow led police to a golf course in neighboring Calumet City. There, police dive teams searched a pond for any sign of missing woman, but they found nothing.

LEHIA FRANKLIN ACOX, SISTER: When I saw the scuba divers and heard that the pond was being searched my heart fell, it fell into my stomach, but I know that it was a necessary step and I appreciate that that was done, but I was extremely happy to hear that nothing was found in the pond. That was wonderful, wonderful news.

GREGORY: Police say a man Franklin had a past relationship with has a history of making threats to women. A week before she vanished, Franklin filed a report about the man claiming he was threatening her by phone. Franklin's uncle says they're getting through this difficult time with the support of friends, family, and even strangers who want to help.

DWAYNE JOHNSON, UNCLE: Chicago has put his arm around the Franklin family this week. And I'm proud to say that.

GREGORY (on camera): Franklin's family say they have no idea why her car would have ended up in Hammond, Indiana, that her sales territory did not include that area, and she had no connection to it. The family says they remain hopeful that she will be found alive, but yet, at the same time are certainly she is fallen victim to some sort of foul play.

Reporting from University Village, Holly Gregory, CLTV News.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NGUYEN: And in just a few minutes we are going to talk with Nailah Franklin's sister about what the family thinks happened to her.

MARCIANO: Out of Denver this morning, new information in a case of a missing toddler. Police say a 3-year-old girl was reported by her mother as being kidnapped Friday. Well now, she may actually be dead. They have arrested the mother and her boyfriend. No official charges have been filed yet. Police haven't found the body either, and they're not saying why they think she's dead.

NGUYEN: New this morning, Delaware State University is back open and classes will go on as planned tomorrow, even though no one has arrested for Friday's shooting that wounded two students. Police say they don't think the suspect is on campus, and that it is safe to return. Both students are still recovering from those gunshot wounds.

Police in Oklahoma City suggest a stolen car may be at the center of a deadly police shoot-out there. Police say the suspect, Brian Smith, fled first in the car and then on foot. Then police say Smith fired several shots at the officer running after him, and then she returned fire hitting Smith. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CAPT STEVE MCCOOL, OKLAHOMA CITY POLICE: After jumping two fences in the backyards running east through the backyards, the suspect turned and fired multiple rounds at our officer.

JESSE LINDSEY, WITNESS: We heard two or three shots from what I would guess would be the perpetrator's gun and then you heard four or five shots from the gun. I mean, you could definitely tell there was an exchange of gunfire.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MARCIANO: Smith died later in the hospital. The police officer was put on paid leave.

NGUYEN: Let's go to Iraq because there is new trouble for a private company hired to guard officials in Iraq. An Iraqi official says the government plans to file charges against employees of Blackwater, which is a North Carolina-based security firm. The charges stem from last week's shooting that left at least eight civilians dead. And CNN's Alessio Vinci is in the Iraqi capital live.

Alessio, what do these charges mean if Iraqi courts don't have the authority to prosecute Blackwater?

ALESSIO VINCI, CNN NEWS CORRESPONDENT: Well basically, they mean nothing, because according to what we understand is that Blackwater is operating in this country with a State Department contract, which basically makes Blackwater's employees and its guards immune from prosecution at least in this country, and it's still unclear whether or not these individuals are even prosecutable back in the United States.

But we do understand, as you mentioned, that Iraqi officials are nevertheless planning to file criminal charges within the next week or so against those employees involved in the shooting incident last week. We don't know exactly what happened a week later.

You mentioned Iraqi officials are saying as many as eight civilians have been killed. We do understand from other Iraqi officials as many as 20 were killed. Nevertheless, there is an investigation ongoing. Both U.S. and the Iraqi will have to wait a few more days to find out exactly what has happened, if we ever will know.

The fact Iraqi officials are pressing charges against Blackwater, though, does comes at no surprise. You do remember Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al Maliki saying in the hours after the incident last week that those responsible will be punished and he made very clear, over the past few days or so, that the level of impunity with which these security companies operate in Iraq must stop. And indeed both the U.S. and Iraqi government have set up a joint commission to investigate not only the incident itself, but also to review the entire security operation here involving those security firms and namely to come out, first of all, with a clarification under which authority exactly they are operating under, the rules of engagement, of course, as well as reviewing perhaps the entire security operation and make sure that incidents like that last Sunday do not happen again -- Betty.

NGUYEN: Well, help us clear this up, too. Why did Iraqi authorities allow Blackwater to operate after they said just last week it could no longer operate in Iraq?

VINCI: Well, first of all, they didn't allow them to resume operations. Again, the Iraqi officials have no authority, no control over what Blackwater does or doesn't. What they did is the basically agreed with U.S. officials to make -- to -- for Blackwater to resume its protection of civilian and embassy convoys here in Iraq, basically because U.S. officials are telling Iraqis that without Blackwater they simply cannot operate and without operation they will create a security vacuum, if you want, that will have to be filled by U.S. forces here, who are busy doing something else throughout the country. And therefore, Iraqi officials understood that at least for the time being, Blackwater will have to resume its operation until at least the investigation is complete.

What we do understand from the U.S. State Department officials is that those individuals from Blackwater who were involved in the shooting incident last week, they are standing down. Those who fired a weapon, are currently not part of those convoys.

NGUYEN: All right, CNN's Alessio Vinci, joining us live from Baghdad this morning. Alessio, thank you.

MARCIANO: Iran's president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is due to arrive in New York later today. The Iranian leader is scheduled to speak at the U.N. General Assembly, that session's on Tuesday. He's also set to speak at Colombia University. Protests are expected at both places and tensions are high between the U.S. and Iran. The U.S. accuses Iran of interfering in the Iraq war and of secretly trying to develop nuclear weapons.

NGUYEN: Well, looking ahead, want to give you this programming note, President Ahmadinejad sits down with CNN's own Christian Amanpour for a one-on-one interview on Wednesday. You'll want to be sure to tune in for that, Wednesday night at 10:00 Eastern on AC-360.

MARCIANO: Some severe weather now. We start with a massive cleanup project underway in Los Angeles, a mudslide there trapping more than a dozen drivers. In some parts of the road, the mud was more than two feet deep. The wall of mud and debris came crashing down after a sudden rainstorm. It happened in the hills around Griffith Park in Los Angeles. For drivers it was a bit of a shock.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOANNE PERRY, TRAPPED IN MUD: My car was floating in the mud, and they made us turn around and come back this other way. And this is as far as I got.

BETH HALE, APARTMENT COMPLEX RESIDENT: There's a staircase back there, and the mud and debris were just running down the steps.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MARCIANO: All the trapped cars have been pulled out, but it could take a while to clear away all that mud.

NGUYEN: Well, some cool pictures now of less destructive weather in California. We want to show you this i-Report coming in of a waterspout off the coast of Carlsbad near San Diego. Check that out. These pictures sent to us by Reginald and Justine Whatley.

Residents there reporting see as many as eight waterspouts over the water there, but none came ashore to cause any damage. That's the good news. Love seeing it as long as it doesn't cause any problems.

MARCIANO: Cool weather to look at, stay offshore, no harm done. Good looking shot there, (INAUDIBLE).

Bonnie Schneider has been tracking all of this. You know, we've been paying so much attention Bonnie, to the tropics, but action out West as well, can't ignore them.

BONNIE SCHNEIDER, CNN METEOROLOGIST: That's right. And even though the waterspout didn't make landfall near Carlsbad, we actually had a trained weather spotter report a waterspout come onshore on the San Elijo Beach, and that's here in Encinitas. So, this waterspout only knocked down a few tents that were on the beach. But we didn't have any reports of more damage then than, so that was south of Carlsbad. So, we saw a lot of activity.

What happened was a very strong low pressure system with really cool air aloft work its way through California and it's already brought down some of the temperatures.

(WEATHER REPORT)

NGUYEN: We'll be watching. Thank you so much, Bonnie.

MARCIANO: Remember Michael Jackson back in the '80s? Moon walk? Got it from Marcel Marceau.

NGUYEN: You know, that something that we learned today, that I didn't even know, but there is some sad news that comes with that, though. The famed mime, Marcel Marceau has died.

MARCIANO: Yeah, he created the on-stage persona "Bip," and played the character for 50 years. And he was an inspiration for many performers. Like we said, Michael Jackson got his moonwalk, knocked Marcel's act off, there. During World War II, Marcel a Holocaust survivor, joined the French Resistance. Marcel was 84 years old.

NGUYEN: Well, a Democratic showdown in Florida pits state polls against the national party, and it's the voter who might pay the ultimate price. Our trail mix straight ahead, plus this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This shows you an angle of life in Little Rock. The prices that have never been seen.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NGUYEN: Fifty years after Central High School was desegregated, newly discovered home movies show the Little Rock Nine in a new light.

MARCIANO: And later, on the road to recovery. CNN was there when little Yousef was wheeled in for his first surgery. We'll update you on how he's doing. CNN SUNDAY MORNING continues in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: Let's talk a little politics now, Florida on track this morning to become a wasteland for Democratic presidential hopefuls. That's right. State party leaders are expected to announce today plans to stick with January 29 as the date for a presidential primary. That's according to a state party official.

The early date, though, goes against national party rule. The DNC has threatened to take away Florida's nominating delegate and many of the Democratic hopefuls have already signed a pledge not to campaign in the state. So, let's keep talking politics. John Mercurio with the "National Journal's", "The Hotline" joins us now from Washington to break it down.

Florida keeping with that January 29 date, despite what it could do. Why?

JOHN MERCURIO, "NATIONAL JOURNAL'S" "THE HOTLINE": Well, because they believe that they are a large state. They've had a big say in other previous elections. They want to have an influence on the Democratic Party's nomination process, and they wouldn't be able to do that if they sort of fall into this February 5 sort of tsunami Tuesday, which is the other day that they were scheduled to hold their primary.

What this does though is that it could potentially really hurt Democrats in the general election. There's going to be problems for Democrats in the primaries, but look, it's going to -- the fact that they're pledging not to campaign in Florida during the primary process I think means that they're not going to be able to organize, they're not going to be able to mobilize their voters in the same way that the Republicans, Mitt Romney, Rudy Giuliani, John McCain, Fred Thompson -- all of them down there organizing, not just for the primary, but for the general election.

Democrats swooping down there next February, whoever the nominee might be, to begin general election campaign, I think starts at a real disadvantage.

NGUYEN: Well, also help us you understand what this means for the delegates.

MERCURIO: Well, it means essentially that however wins this January 29 primary, that Florida Democrats are going to be holding, will not necessarily be -- will not be awarded all the delegates that would then be counted towards them in winning the nomination, because those delegates are sort of controlled by the Democratic National Committee. The Florida party itself doesn't have specific hold over that. So essentially it becomes a beauty contest.

NGUYEN: OK, well let's move to Rudy Giuliani. Political history of being pro-gun control, yet this past week he spoke at the National Rifle Association. Are you seeing that he is starting to soften his stand when it comes to gun control?

MERCURIO: You know, I'm of two minds about this. First of all, I thing you have to admire him for at least sort of, you know, trying to go into the belly of the beast, confronting what's viewed as a weakness for him in the Republican primary, which is his past support for gun control.

But on the other hand, look, I mean, he is on record, he's on tape, he's on video and audiotape having said that he thinks that the standards of gun control that he implemented in New York City should be adopted nationwide. And he's passed support for gun registration. So, I think going to the NRA showed him doing a little bit of political calisthenics.

He wasn't particularly well received, a lot of reports out the meeting on Friday, so people don't necessarily believe his changes. And it's sort of, I think, lot of people were skeptical about him sort of tying his, sort of, new opposition to gun control to September 11, which does seem to become, for him, the sort of one answer that he gives for his, you know, his whole sort of world view.

NGUYEN: Well, you know, John, he's also on record for taking a phone call from his wife during that speech. Let's take a listen to that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RUDY GIULIANI (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Just think of the language of it. The language of it is the people shall be secure.

Let's see now, this is my wife calling, I think.

Hello, dear. I'm talking to the members of the NRA right now. Would you like to say hello?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NGUYEN: OK. So, let me and ask you this. Are people going to see that as just a lighthearted moment or was it a gimmick?

MERCURIO: It was absolutely a gimmick. He's done this before and it's a little awkward watching it, because clearly he thought that it was -- he was being cute and sort of funny and off the cuff and stuff like that, but really, I think, the "New York Times" pointed out on Friday that he's actually done this at least once before in Florida while he's campaigning. Clearly what he wanted to do is sort of lighten the mood in what he thought could be sort of a tense meeting with the NRA, and obviously trying to introduce his wife who's had some trouble with the press in the past. But, I don't think it went off too well.

NGUYEN: And you don't think he'll be doing it again, huh?

MERCURIO: I wouldn't be surprised if never...

NGUYEN: Scratch that off the list. OK. John Mercurio with the "National Journal's" "The Hotline." Thanks for talking to us this morning.

MERCURIO: Thank you.

NGUYEN: Well, the Democratic frontrunner joins Wolf Blitzer in just a little while on LATE EDITION. Senator Hillary Clinton will talk about the race, the war and about her health care plan. That's at 11:00 Eastern.

MARCIANO: And you did it once. Now, it's time for history to repeat itself. Go to cnn.com/youtubedebate and post your questions for the Republican presidential candidates. That debate, Wednesday, November 28. Your voice will be heard, only on CNN, your home for politics.

NGUYEN: All right, sure they look good. But do you know what's really in that Twinkie?

MARCIANO: I don't think you want to know.

NGUYEN: We'll tell you later whether you want to know or not.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A lot of grieving sort of happened for me before I lost my leg. I really remember being -- can I just go out and live a normal life with one leg?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MARCIANO: Not only is he living a normal life, he's helping others do so also. Your CNN Hero story is straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MARCIANO: Well, imagine being diagnosed with cancer and having your leg amputated and you're only nine years old. Well, that's what happened to this morning's CNN's Hero, but he quickly realized that his lifelong dreams didn't have to stop because he had lost a leg. He created a way to help other amputees.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm rolling. Steve.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Good. OK.

JOSH SUNDQUIST, CNN HERO: There's no way you can sort of separate having an amputation from the rest of my life.

If you'll say like, well, did it change your life? It changes everything.

I was a kid. No one my age had ever beat me in a footrace. And I figured I was probably one of the fastest people in the world. That was -- that was kind of what I told myself.

I started having pain in my left leg when I was nine years old. The doctor found cancer.

A lot of grieving sort of happened for me before I lost my leg. I really remember being -- can I just go out and live a normal life with one leg?

An amputee that I met was a guy named Larry Klowpak (ph). Like he drove a convertible, he had a normal job. And I was just like, wow, you know, he lives like a normal life. That was really what kind of turned the corner for me.

I don't think most amputees have friends that are also amputees.

Online, there wasn't really a good place for people to like meet centrally, provide information and ask for information and meet other people. And so I thought that just needs to happen.

I'm Josh Sundquist and I created an online community for amputees to meet other amputees, ask questions and get answers.

I wanted it to be like a catchy name, you know, like "give me a hand" or like "a leg up" and every pun I could think of was taken. So, finally, I thought of "Less than Four," which admittedly is not quite a pun, but it's kind of catchy. It also can be sweetly abbreviated.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I stumbled across this spot looking for a t-shirt with an amputee on it. The site seems pretty cool.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I have a bad habit of staring at people that are staring at my arm.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You make me laugh and if you only knew how much that helps me out.

SUNDQUIST: The best thing of it is that the community is sort of like rising up. Leaders from within are sort of taking the time to like help other amputees and I think that's pretty cool.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MARCIANO: Well, you can go to cnn.com/heroes to check him out Josh Sundquist ski racing as well as video clips form his Web site's members. And while you're there you can also nominate your own hero. Love this campaign, Betty.

NGUYEN: I do, too. It's some really good stories about people making a huge difference out there.

Coming up, though, we want to tell you about this. A Chicago woman missing nearly a week, now. Her car has been located, and apartment was searched for clues. We're going to get the latest on this case when we actually talk to her sister, next.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The first time I saw it, it took my breath away to see the nine stepping out of the military station wagon.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MARCIANO: A family's home video shows historic footage previously unseen. Now it's where we can all watch.

NGUYEN: And a German lawmaker is proposing all marriages should expire in seven years. But what do you think? Is limiting civil marriages to seven years a realistic proposal in an age of instant divorce? Well, you have heard of the seven-year itch right? Go ahead and e-mail us your thoughts weekends@cnn.com, we're read them when CNN SUNDAY MORNING continues.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: Well, good morning, and welcome back, everybody. I'm Betty Nguyen on this CNN SUNDAY MORNING.

MARCIANO: And I'm Rob Marciano in again for T.J. Holmes. Here's some of the stories we're following this morning.

An Iraqi government official now says charges may be brought against employees of Blackwater USA. Last week you may remember, the private security firm was linked to killing Iraqi civilians.

NGUYEN: And Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is on his way to the United States. Controversy and protest surround his visit.

MARCIANO: And there are anxious hours now for the family of Nailah Franklin, the Chicago woman that hasn't been heard from since she sent a text message on Tuesday. On Friday, police found her car abandoned in Indiana, but no sign of Nailah.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHAPPELL: We miss her, and we love her. We just want her to come home.

FRANKLIN-ACOX: When I saw the scuba divers and heard that the pond was being searched my heart fell, it fell into my stomach, but I know that it was a necessary step and I appreciate that that was done, but I was extremely happy to hear that nothing was found in the pond. That was wonderful, wonderful news. (END VIDEO CLIP)

MARCIANO: Right now we're going to talk with one of the women you just saw. Nailah's sister Lehia Franklin-Acox, she joins us live now from Chicago, via telephone.

Lehia, certainly this has been a trying time for you and your family? Thank you for joining us. How are you and your family holding up this morning?

FRANKLIN-ACOX: Well, thanks for having me. I appreciate being able to get the word out. We are very hopeful still, but it's harder to get up every day and not have Nailah back with us and not have her heard about her safety.

But we had a prayer vigil for her last night, and it was just really an emotional time. And it was very encouraging that so many people who love and care about her, and even people that don't know her, decided to just show their support and attend last night. That was really, really kind of lifting our spirits up.

MARCIANO: So, you have the support of the community, it sounds like. How do you think the investigation is going so far?

FRANKLIN-ACOX: I talked with -- for my own sanity I check in with police detectives whenever, you know, I don't hear from them, and they've been great, by the way, about updating us. But, no news to report at this point.

They have leads coming in, which is tremendous, and they're following each and every one of them. And that's in addition to, you know, the things that they're working themselves. A lot of stuff was recovered yesterday: Nailah's car, some of her personal effects, and I know that they're working on getting information from all of that.

MARCIANO: Let's talk about a couple of the people who may have more information than we do. Her boyfriend, she last sent a text to him a few days ago. What can you tell us about her boyfriend?

FRANKLIN-ACOX: Well, and I just want to let you know that she sent the same message to three different people that same evening, the evening, her boss, the person she's dating in Milwaukee, and her youngest sister, who I believe you had a clip of just now. And the gentleman she's dating from Milwaukee has been nothing but cooperative and helpful to our family. He has been out doing -- calling hospitals for us, sending flyers out to those same hospitals, canvassing neighborhoods with the rest of us.

MARCIANO: Is he different from this other person whom she didn't -- filed a report on of being harassed or threatened?

FRANKLIN-ACOX: Most certainly, a couple of key reasons in my mind. One, Nailah introduced the young man she's dating now to us as a family...

MARCIANO: Do you know the person that she was speaking of to police about the...

FRANKLIN-ACOX: No, I do not know that individual. I do not. I knew that she had dated him, but did not meet him.

MARCIANO: Police have talked to him?

FRANKLIN-ACOX: I believe so, along with other individuals that they -- I mean, they've been contacting lots of people...

MARCIANO: Tell us about your sister. That picture we keep showing, she seems so sweet. Hard to imagine she has any enemies. Does anything come to mind like that?

FRANKLIN-ACOX: No, not at all. You know? She is this very much an "it" girl. She's very -- she's definitely sweet, but she's definitely strong-willed. And she is a lot -- she knows a lot of people, a lot of people care for her. She has this really core group of friends that she's known for several years, and there's just no one that we know that would have -- we can't imagine why this as happening, and we can't imagine she would just vanish. This is completely unlike her.

MARCIANO: Let's try to help you. Let's use this as an opportunity to try to get some help, here. We've been showing her picture. Is there anything else you can tell our viewers about your sister that may help us, where she would go on her alone time, anything like that?

FRANKLIN-ACOX: Well, as far as her alone time, she would -- I can't imagine that she would -- finding her car where it was, that's definitely out of character for her because she is definitely is a city girl. She likes going to spas and clubs and new restaurants and things like that. So, that's the kind -- she's a very social person.

If anybody has heard anything or saw anything that they think might -- oh, I'm not so sure that might -- that people care -- we care, the police department wants to hear about it. I hope that -- I'm not able to see your screen at this moment, but I'm hoping that you've got the police department number up, if people can get to that.

But, you know again, Nailah's is a very social person. She likes to be around people. She's not one to go for a lot of quiet retreats. And like I said, she's a city girl, she lives in the heart of Chicago just outside of downtown. And you know, we know that this is extremely unlike her character for this to be happening.

MARCIANO: Well, Lehia, you have the thoughts and prayers of the CNN family, here. We wish you and your family the best of luck, here, as we continue to search for your daughter. Thanks for your time this morning.

FRANKLIN-ACOX: Thank you.

NGUYEN: In other news, the Jena Six controversy goes online now, and the FBI is taking a closer look at that. They're investigating a White supremacist Web site, one posting on the site lists addresses for five of the six African-American teens facing charges in the beating a White student.

Now, CNN first reported this Web site, which also features a swastika and racial slurs. An FBI spokeswoman says the site essentially calls for the lynching of teenagers. Civil rights activists Al Sharpton says some of the families have been getting threatening and harassing phone calls almost around the clock.

MARCIANO: Tonight on CNN, a special encore presentation "Judgment in Jena." Kyra Phillips gets to the heart of the crisis gripping a small southern town. "Justice in Black and White, Judgment in Jena," that's tonight at 7:00 Eastern.

NGUYEN: Well, 50 years ago today the Little Rock Nine made civil rights history as the first African American students to Central High School. Now, the memories of that day can be checked against home movies taken on September 23, 1957. Charles Crowson of our affiliate KTHV has more on a surprising discovery.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHRISTOPHER STEWART, ASST DIR, BUTLER CENTER: The first time I saw it, it took my breath away to see the nine stepping out of the military station wagon.

CHARLES CROWSON, KTHV CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Nine African- American students trying to enter Central High School in 1957 during an era of segregation and social crisis.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They're out there escorted by the soldiers.

CROWSON: Now the story has a new chapter thanks to these home movies at a Little Rock man who wished to remain anonymous and the Butler Center at the Central Arkansas Library.

C. STEWART: It was good luck that he brought it in to us now. We're able to put it into a digital format.

CROWSON: A format preserving the diminishing quality of the film and ensuring researchers like Rhonda Stewart can look back on the day the division between Black and White blended to shades of gray.

RHONDA STEWART, GENEALOGY SPECIALIST: This is a photograph of some of the media out in front of Central, here, and the soldiers rolling in front of the school. "Made in Occupied Arkansas," Some of the bumper stickers that appeared during this time period are kind of humorous. Some of them aren't.

This video shows you an angle of life in Little Rock, an angle of the prices that has never been seen. It gives you different perspective on what you're actually watching.

CROWSON: But Stewart says it's the film's lack of audio that still leaves much to the imagination.

R. STEWART: I can hear the soldiers' steps when they were moving along the sidewalk in front of Central. You can imagine the average classroom sound or sound of school children going into a building.

CROWSON: Children wanting the education they were entitled at a school where they weren't welcome.

C. STEWART: It shows them as real people. It softening the spectacle of the event and makes it a real human event.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NGUYEN: And that was Charles reporting from affiliate KTHV.

Now, marking the 50th anniversary, folks in Little Rock can check out the Emancipation Proclamation. It's on displays through Tuesday at the Clinton Library. More that 10,000 people are expected to visit and catch a glimpse of President Abraham Lincoln's signature.

MARCIANO: Well, a vicious attack leaves a 5-year-old horribly burned. Now, a new beginning for this Iraqi boy and his family. Little Yousef has his first surgery. CNN was in the operating room and we'll have an update.

SCHNEIDER: I'm CNN meteorologist Bonnie Schneider in the CNN Weather Center. We're watching an area of disturbed weather near the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico.

Now, this area right now is labeled as "Invest 94L" for the National Hurricane Center. If it looks a little bit more organized, a Hurricane Hunter aircraft will fly into it later on this afternoon. But the computer models are picking up moisture associate with this.

Over the next few days you can see it building in the Gulf of Mexico. We'll have a better idea a little later today of what this storm is likely to do and possibly where it's headed. Stay tuned a lot more is ahead on CNN SUNDAY MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GERRI WILLIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): 1-800-flowers.com is the largest online florist and taking risks and what the CEO Jim McCann believes got them there. It was one of the first companies to use both toll-free numbers and a Web site to sell merchandise directly to the consumer.

JIM MCCANN, CEO, 1-800-FLOWERS.COM: We're a company that got here by embracing new technologies. So the challenge is to keep the edge that you're always looking for the next technology that can improve the service you bring to your customers, that can change the way you operate in some way that's beneficial both to you and your customers.

WILLIS: McCann believes the type of employee you have is crucial to success.

MCCANN: If a fast-changing culture, an important quality we look for in people that we promote, that we develop is that they have to have a high tolerance for ambiguity. Things are going to change.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NGUYEN: Who knew Twinkies were a modern engineering marvel?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR SANJAY GUPTA, SR CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Artificial colors take the place of natural ones.

CHRISTOPHER KIMBALL, "AMERICA'S TEST KITCHEN": And those colors actually come from, oddly enough, the petrochemical industry, from benzene and aniline and other chemicals...

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NGUYEN: CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta deconstructing the Twinkie. That's a little bit later on CNN SUNDAY MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: Classes are set to resume tomorrow at Delaware State University, that's even though no one has been arrested for a campus shooting. Now, two people, as you'll recall, were wounded in Friday's attack. CNN's Kathleen Koch is following the story and she joins us on the phone now from Dover.

What's the latest in the investigation -- Kathleen.

KATHLEEN KOCH, CNN NEWS CORRESPONDENT: Well Betty, there still has not been an arrest, the gunman is still at large. The Delaware State University police chief, James Overton, says what they know about the suspect is that he is male, he is a Delaware State University student, and they say he's no longer on campus.

They won't say whether or not they know what his name is. Police saying they can't release any further information. The university president says that they believe the individual is not a danger to the community, that this was an isolated incident.

There have been some rumors swirling that this may have come out of a turf battle between different groups of students, some from New Jersey, some from the Washington, D.C. area. Campus police say their investigation does not believe them to believe that's the case. They don't even know if the two victims, 17-year-old Shalita Middleton and 17-year-old Nathaniel Pugh of Washington, D.C. even knew the gunman.

But, those two students are still hospitalized, Middleton in serious condition with two gunshot wounds to her abdomen and Pugh in stable condition. He was shot in the ankle. And we are hoping at some point in morning to be able to interview his mother, Michelle, who will tell us more about just how this all started and how her son is doing. Back to you, Betty.

NGUYEN: Well, we are looking forward to that. Kathleen Koch joining us live this morning by phone. Thank you.

MARCIANO: Well, the little Iraqi boy who was viciously attacked and burned will go into another surgery in the next day or two. Young Yousef had his first surgery Thursday at the Grossman Burn Center. Our Dr. Sanjay Gupta was in the operating room observing, and he says everything went well. Doctors removed some scar tissue and performed a procedure to prevent infection. Yousef still faces at least seven more surgeries.

NGUYEN: Dr. Peter Grossman is in charge of taking care of Yousef at the burn center. He's going to join in the NEWSROOM at 4:00 Eastern. You don't miss that.

MARCIANO: Thousands of people, including you the viewer, have responded to Yousef's story through CNN's "Impact Your World Initiative." If you're looking for a way to make a difference for Yousef, you can. Just logon at cnn.com/impact and click on "Iraqi burn victim."

VERONICA DE LA CRUZ, CNN.COM DESK: Good morning. I'm Veronica de la Cruz at the Dotcom Desk. You've heard about the seven-year itch, right? Well, how about the seven-year ditch. A German lawmaker is proposing all marriages expire in seven years that way there's no such thing as divorce. So, what do you think? We're going to be reading your e-mails after this break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: We are talking about this story today.

MARCIANO: Yeah, the question -- our e-mail question was should we set a time limit, by law, on contracts for marriage? Veronica de la Cruz is here for that.

DE LA CRUZ: But don't forget, this all comes from a German lawmaker who has proposed this in Germany, so this is really going on as we speak. Let's take a look at some of these e-mails. You know, the question, it might seem a bit far-fetched, but it sure has struck a chord. A lot of people wanting their voices heard this morning on this one. What do you guys think, really quick? Do you think a lot of people saying yea or nay on this one?

NGUYEN: Well, I'd imagine, looking at the divorce rate, they would be saying yea. But my whole thing is, what's the point if it's done after seven years?

DE LA CRUZ: Well, a lot of people saying yea, mostly men.

MARCIANO: Ouch.

DE LA CRUZ: The first one from a guy named Roman in New York City, he says: "If marriages are supposed to last forever, then divorce should have been got outlawed a long time ago. As American we really need to get over these Puritan hang ups. Marriage for love is really a new concept, and that make it hard to maintain." Another man right here, Tom Squires in Chicago, says, "If marriages expired after seven years, both the husband and wife would work harder to earn the love of the other. So often the wife will let herself go to pot...

NGUYEN: What?

DE LA CRUZ: ...and fatten up the husband so no on else likes him.

(LAUGHTER)

Both are unhappy to be fat, they know they aren't attractive to anyone else, but feel they need security."

Thank you, Tom.

NGUYEN: I wonder what Tom looks like.

DE LA CRUZ: Julia Hamina in LaGrange in North Carolina is saying: "This sounds more like a prison sentence with an automatic parole date in seven years instead of marriage. Marriage takes work to make it successful. What is the incentive to work on a marriage if you know it will expire in seven years?"

NGUYEN: I agree, Julia.

DE LA CRUZ: All right, the next one from Barb Stanley in Conway, South Carolina. She has a pretty interesting take. She says, "If you can put an expiration date on marriage, they why not just get married in the supermarket at the meat counter?"

Analia Dorsey says, "What a good idea. As a twice divorced mother of three sons it would have nice to know that my marriages were approaching their expiration dates. I do believe that knowing the marriage is up for renewal would probably save a lot of marriages."

Finally this one from Joseph O'Keefe in Ocala, Florida who says, "If you as my ex-wife, she would say 'yes, all the way!' Her childhood sweetheart 'just showed up' one day after our seventh wedding anniversary."

NGUYEN: Really? I think Rob had a good idea, though. If you are going to reup after that expiration date, there should be some signing bonuses that come with that.

DE LA CRUZ: Right. The woman gets a bigger ring maybe.

MARCIANO: It's always about the bling. Isn't it? It's just absolutely ridiculous.

DE LA CRUZ: You're the one who said the man should get the signing bonus...

(CROSSTALK)

MARCIANO: Because (INAUDIBLE) afford to put up the bling for the bling.

NGUYEN: Yeah, but if the woman had children, right, she should get more.

DE LA CRUZ: She should get a bonus per child.

MARCIANO: This doesn't happen around the rest of the world. It's not all about jewelry and money. You American women are so -- I feel like I'm being teamed up on. I need a man. I need Howard Kurtz, bring him to me from Washington, D.C. RELIABLE SOURCES coming up.

Howie, what do you feel about this? Should there be a contract seven year deal on marriage?

HOWARD KURTZ, RELIABLE SOURCES: I'm going to let you all fight it out.

MARCIANO: I knew you would.

KURTZ: Coming up, Rob, Dan Rather says he's not sorry about that badly botched story about President Bush and the National Guard and he's suing CBS to try to restore his reputation. Is Rather further damaging his credibility in the process?

The media again going bonkers over O.J. Is it really about this bizarre armed robbery case or the trial where most think Simpson got away with murder?

Journalists invade the tiny town of Jena, Louisiana. Are they adding to the racial tensions, there?

That plus Laura Ingraham's look at sex and sensationalism on TV. Ahead on RELIABLE SOURCES.

MARCIANO: That's in about five minutes. Howard Kurtz, we'll see you then. Thanks.

NGUYEN: In the meantime, boy, do they look good.

MARCIANO: Yeah, they taste pretty good, too.

NGUYEN: Yes, they do. But, what do you know about what's actually inside those little Twinkies? We're going to tell you a little bit later.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: Put down that oatmeal and all that good stuff because we're going to talk Twinkies, now. I mean, who didn't love them as a kid? But would you still love them if you knew how they were made?

MARCIANO: Oh, it's not that bad. CNN's chief medical correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta took a closer look inside the Twinkie for a special report this weekend, "Fed Up! America's Killer Diet."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): With more than 500 million sold every year, chances are pretty good you've tasted a Twinkie, but have you ever wondered, what's in one?

We asked Christopher Kimball, host of "America's Test Kitchen" to deconstruct the Twinkie for us.

CHRISTOPHER KIMBALL, "AMERICA'S TEST KITCHEN": The Twinkie is one of the finest examples of modern engineering and here's why. It started out in 1930 as a basic sponge cake with the basic ingredients, you know, milk, butter, eggs, et cetera. And they filled it with cream and it lasted well maybe a couple days, three days in the market. Hence the problem, now how do you create something that's going to be shelf stable. It's not going to change over time.

GUPTA: To do that, Hostess replaced the egg yolks with lecithin.

KIMBALL: It's an emulsifier like egg yolk, which means it takes lots of disparate ingredients and sort of lets them blend together.

GUPTA: Cellulose gum replaces fat.

KIMBALL: It brings in moisture, holds moisture and gives you that mouth feel you get from fat.

GUPTA: Artificial colors take the place of natural ones.

KIMBALL: And those colors actually come from, oddly enough, the petrochemical industry, from benzene and aniline and other chemicals, which in quantity is actually poisonous, but the small quantities used here, the FDA has approved.

GUPTA: In response, Interstate Bakeries, makers of Hostess products, says the core ingredients have been the same for decades -- flour, sugar, water. Adding that deconstructing the Twinkie is like trying to deconstruct the universe. Some people look at the sky and think it's beautiful, others, try to count the stars.

Urban legend would have you believe a Twinkie can last for years. Hostess says just 25 days.

Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN, reporting.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NGUYEN: Well, now you know. "Fed up! America's Killer Diet" that's something that Sanjay's going to be reporting on. It airs tonight at 8:00 Eastern only on CNN.

MARCIANO: But first, Jena Six and the media. Straight ahead, Howard Kurtz takes a closer look at the coverage of Thursday's march on RELIABLE SOURCES.

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