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CNN Sunday Morning
Pennsylvania Baby Mystery; Cristobal Comes Calling; Obama Overseas; D.C. Gun Law; 1964 Murder Mystery Reopened; Credit Card Gas Prices
Aired July 20, 2008 - 09:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
T.J. HOLMES, CNN NEWS ANCHOR: Well, from the CNN Center in Atlanta, Georgia, this is CNN SUNDAY MORNING, and it's July 20. Hello to you all, I'm T.J. Holmes.
BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN NEWS ANCHOR: And I'm Brianna Keilar in for Betty Nguyen. Thanks so much for starting your day with us.
And we're tracking your extreme weather this morning we're taking about Tropical Storm Cristobal. It's swirling off of the East Coast, we're going to get you the very latest from Reynolds Wolf.
HOLMES: Also a lot of you out there have issues with energy right about now. Gas prices certainly on the minds of many. Well, there's a lot going on in Washington, so much that almost 100 congressional hearings on energy have taken place, but been much action. Actually, no solutions. We're going to go to Washington in search of some of those answers.
But, we are going to begin, unfortunately, with this very bizarre story out of Pennsylvania. The medical examiner there says the body of a woman found dead an apartment had been cut open at the uterus. Another woman is now in custody after she showed up at a hospital with a new born she claimed was hers. Our Jim Acosta in is Wilkinsburg, this is just east of Pittsburgh, with more details on just - we don't want to hear any more details almost on this store -- Jim.
JIM ACOSTA, CNN NEWS CORRESPONDENT: That's right, T.J. It's a terrible story. It's one you wish you didn't have to report, but fortunately police are wrapping up some of the last minute details in this case. Overnight they positively identified the identity of this woman. They say she is 20-year-old Kia Johnson. She was found Friday inside this aptment building behind me after some neighbors complained that they had smelled what appeared to be something going on inside this artment building and they alerted authority who came to the scene and found the body of this woman whose arms and legs were duct taped, her mouth was essentially gagged.
And this point, police also have a suspect. They say 38-year-old Andrea Curry-Demus showed up at a hospital in the middle of last week with a baby that she claimed was hers. Tests proved that that infant was not hers and then authorities took her into custody. The woman went on to tell police that she had struck some deal with a woman named "Tina" to purchase baby for a thousand dollars. Detectives believe that Curry-Demus concocted that story and they now putting together the last minute details to essentially connect Curry-Demus to this body of Kia Johnson that was found on Friday. At this point, authorities are still trying to determine exactly how all of this unfolded.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DR KARL WILLIAMS, MEDICAL EXAMINER: We will be looking for any drug that might have helped incapacitate her. There is not lot of evidence of a struggle having occurred, so there is some evidence that there were drugs at the scene.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ACOSTA: And while Curry-Demus has not been charged with murder at this point, the medical examiner did say at a press conference yesterday that clearly this is homicide. Curry-Demus has been in trouble with the law before for baby snatching back in 1991. She was sentenced up to 10 years in prison for that very same thing and at the time she told a psychiatrist, state psychiatrist, that she was receivinsome some kind of auditory hallucinations, she hearing was hearing voices of babies crying. That is because authorities say this woman, this 38-year-old Andrea Curry-Demus, has had a couple miscarriages in the past and was suffering some psychogical problems as a result from that.
And one thing that we can report this morning, one shred of good information, T.J., is that the baby boy that brought the hospital on Wednesday, apparently the boy of Kia Johnson, is apparently doing well and is recovering from everything that happened here.
HOLMES: Yeah. We will -- after all those details, we end at least on that up beat, that up-note that the baby is doing OK. Jim Acosta for us this morning, we appreciate you.
Want to turn to some video to show you here of a robbery suspect who crashed into house in Oregon. The robbery suspect, take a look at this, was actually killed in this crash. Police say he was trying to get away when he lost control and slammed into a garage at this house. That then set off a chin reaction. There was a Jeep parked in the garage, it crashed through the living room wall. Now, of course, this caused quite a ruckus, caused a lot noise, and when neighbors heard it, they sure came running.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SUSAN ZITZEWITZ, NEIGHBOR: I came out the front door because I thought an airplane landed in the front yard and all this was here and the car was inside their house.
STEVE HAGGARD, HOMEOWNER: The Jeep is in the living room a there's a man dying in our garage.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Well, police have identified the suspect. That's him right there, 42-year-old John Renoud. No one inside the house was injured. KEILAR: We are keeping our eye on some severe weather. Severe weather warnings impact along the North Carolina coast, this morning. People there bracing for Tropical Storm Cristobal -- already whipping up the surf. And we get more now from Rebecca Hall of affiliate WTVD in Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina. )
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
REBECCA HALL, WTVD REPORTER: A gloomy day on Wrightsville Beach, the morning. We are dealing with wind gusts and off and off rain. The rain has been coming down all weekend long. Several inches has fallen here at Wrightsville Beach, but that's not the big concern. The biggest concern today, again, once again, the ocean, we are dealing with turbulent waters and the ocean looks choppy, once again today.
There red flag warnings expected. Life guards and ocean rescuers say the biggest danger in these waters are the rip currents and they did have make a handful of rescues yesterday. So, swimming not at al recommended unless you absolutely know what you're doing. Even surfers that are coming out are finding that these waves are pretty strong. They're not able to get out there like they want to. But keep in mind, this is peak travel season along the coast here in North Carolina, so a lot of families that have been planning this vacation for some time are going to come out here, they're going stay out here and they're going to wait this storm out.
Reporting from Wrightsville Beach for CNN, I'm Rebecca Hall.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KEILAR: And of course, we are keeping our eye on this. Well, I should say Reynolds Wolf is keeping his eye on this.
REYNOLDS WOLF, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Always a team effort. You are too. We all are.
You know, one -- there are some really some good aspects about the storm. We've been talking about the rip currents, I mean obviously there's a true danger with this, but you have to remember this is also affecting a part of the country that has been just mired in a horrible drought. We're talking about parts of the Carolinas. Georgia really in a desperate drought, but not getting so much rainfall here that we desperately need. However, the storm is making its way right along parts of the Easter seaboard; it is going to be affecting the outer banks. We've already seen images from there this morning.
We've go another live image for you. I'm going pop it up right behind me. There you see it. This on compliments of Mark Sudduth and hurranetrack.com. We've got some steady but light rain that is falling at this point all due to his tropical system.
Now, as we go back to the weather computer, one of the questions you might have is where is the system going do go? Well, the latest path that we have from the National Hurricane Center indicates the storm is expected to make its way right along the Eastern seaboard moving near Cape Hatteras with winds of 60 miles-per-hour on Monday and then expected to weaken and gain some forward progress as we get into Tuesday, moving very quickly way from the Eastern Seaboard.
And once it moves into cooler water it is expected to weaken. Not a whole lot, but it is expected to weaken. But still, parts of the Jersey shore, parts of Long Island will still be dealing rip currents, so please be careful, listen to the life guards, they're there for a reason and certainly just be careful out there.
What we're also watching is something else very carefully in parts of the Caribbean. This system, this big chunk of thunder storms we have in this area, we're talking about an area near the Cayman Islands. It's already left Jamaica in its wake, now moving much closer to the Yucatan Peninsula, northwesterly around 15 to 20 miles-per-hour.
At this point it is this area that is not considered a disturbance or even tropical storm, however that may change as we make our way into the next 12 to 24 to 48 hours. Very good posslity this system may become Dolly. Topical Storm Dolly, maybe even Hurricane Dolly, if it cross into the Yucatan and back into the Gulf of Mexico.
So, there's a whole lot that could happen in the tropics over the next couple of day and of course, for the very latest, stay tuned to CNN. We are your hurricane headquarters. Back to you at the desk.
KEILAR: Yeah, a very busy time, Reynolds. Thanks for keeping your eye on it.
WOLF: You bet.
HOLMES: All right, presidia candidate, Barack Obama has wrapped his first ever visit to Afghanistan. Obama left the country just short time ago after meeting with Afghan president, Hamid Karzai. In the past, Obama has, in fact, criticized President Karzai for not doing enough to rebuild that country.
During is stop in Afghanistan, Obama also met with military commanders and U.S. forces. He had breakfast with some of the troops in Kabul this morning. The Obama campaign is hoping the overseas trip will boost his standing on foreign policy and national security even though he is traveling as part of an official U.S. congressional delegation.
He'll continue on to Jordan on Tuesday, from there he visits Israel, Germany, France and England and is widely expected to make stop at some point in Iraq.
Well, Barack Obama's opponent says lessons from Iran can help improve the situation in Afghanistan. Here's what Republican John McCain had to say on his Web site:
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
JOHN MCCAIN (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Although the situation in Iraq is much improved, the war in Afghanistan has taken a bad turn that must be quickly reversed. Security in that country has deriorate and our enemies are on the offensive and it's precisely the success of the surge in Iraq that shows us the way to victory over the Taliban.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
HOLMES: Well, McCain's campaign trail takes him to the ballpark, today. He'll attend a New York Yankees home game this afternoon with former rival and former New York mayor, Rudy Giuliani.
And we will be talking about those political hot topics coming up in aout 12 minutes. A lot of stuff to get at, especially about this trip that Obama has taken to the Middle East. Our political editor and friend of the show, here on CNN SUNDAY MORNING, Mark Preston will join us for his take on politics. He'll have the latest from Capitol Hill to the campaign trail
KEILAR: Well, today is Columbian Independence Day and that means -- and also sort of with the recent release, they caught a lot of attention, the recent release of some hostages held by Columbian rebels, FARC. Today, this day being used for anti-FARC protests. These are going on in cities all across the U.S. You're looking at some live pictures, I believe, coming to us from Paris, is that right?
These are coming to us from Paris, where we actually saw, a short time ago, Ingrid Betancourt, on of the hostages, actually a former Columbian presidential candidate. You see here there, there is a short time ago, speaking to the crowd.
She was released on July 2 along with three U.S. military contractors who had been held by FARC rebels for years. So this is getting a lot of attention today. We're even seeing some celebrity power thrown behind this. You probably know of the performer, Shakira, she's going to be performing at one of these concerts, the one going on on the Columbian/Venezuelan border as part of this anti-FARC protest -- protests going on across the world. We're going to continue to keep an eye on this as any developments come our way, here on CNN SUNDAY MORNING.
Four words that strike terror into any mother's heart. You know what they are.
HOLMES: Yeah.
KEILAR: "Hey, y'all, watch this!"
HOLMES: Well, you might think this guy would learn the lesson after the first failed attempt, but, hey, if at first you don't succeed, continue to embarrass yourself.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Brianna, straighten up, please.
KEILAR: All right. Got it.
HOLMES: All right.
KEILAR: You know, the leaders in the British Open, they're teeing off right about now, and it's a huge day because Greg Norman leading the field going into today's final round. HOLMES: That's a big deal because he could become the oldest guy to ever win a major.
KEILAR: Fifty-three.
HOLMES: Fifty-three years old, yes. But, as our Justin Armsden reports, though, from Southport, England, there is a special fan, actually, that's walking those final holes with him to day.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JUSTIN ARMSDEN, CNN NEWS CORRESPONDENT (voice over): D.J. Gregory is making a name for himself, one step at a time.
D.J. GREGORY, GOLF FAN: I love coming to tournaments and watching these guys play and, you know, I thought what would it be like to go to every event and kind of get to know these players. So, I'm living the dream, right now.
ARMSDEN: That dream includes walking every hole of every round in each tournament on the PGA tour, 44 events. It would be challenging for a lot of fans, let alone someone was born with cerebral palsy.
DON GREGORY, FATHER: The inside muscles on his thighs were cut at -- when he was about two years old. I mean his legs were crossed; he couldn't even open them up. So, he cannot stand independently and because of that, he has to his knees with every step.
D.J. GREGORY: Going uphill is actually, believe it or not, easier for me, because when I walk, I put all my weight in front of me, so when I walk downhill sometimes I move my cane faster than I can walk an that's usually how I fall.
D GREGORY: He's taken on every challenge in life. He does not consider himself handicapped at all. He just says it takes him a little longer to do things that other people do.
ARMSDEN: Each week, the PGA pairs up a 30-year-old with a player to follow around the course.
D.J. GREGORY: I've been really excited to know that I've been able to get -- form a lot of friendships with the players, which been a pretty neat experience, as well.
ARMSDEN (on camera): Come one, you're getting behind the scenes with the players. at are they really like?
D.J. GREGORY: They're a lot of fun, you know. They like to joke round and just kind of easygoing, regular people.
D GREGORY: Every single player has been just wonderful with him, to the point that we go to oth tournaments and they even tell me, if not there, and I've been to about a half -- little over of them, they said, don't worry, we'll take him out to dinner, we'll take care of him on the road? HEATH SLOCUM, PRO GOLFER: And what a joy he was. I mean, just uplifting. I mean, how he goes out there, and he just keeps every course, every mile. We had probably five or six rain delays over the week, and he was a trooper, stuck them all out.
ARMSDEN: Gregory chronicles his travels on a blog on the PGA tour's Web site. He's walked 601 miles and he even tracks the number of times he falls down. Heading into the open championship, here at Royal Burkdale, it's 20 and counting.
D.J. GREGORY: That's just par of my personality, my sense of humor. I get many e-mails from people that have read my blog saying I'm an inspiration, they like what I'm doing, keep up the good work, and they also like the different sides of the players that I'm able to give. I didn't realize it would blossom to what it has and I really appreciate that and I appreciate the support and encouragement from everybody and, you know, I'm lucky to be where I am.
ARMSDEN (voice over): The players who know D.J. would say they're the lucky ones. Justin Armsden, CNN, Southport, England.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KEILAR: That is such a great story.
HOLMES: That's a great story.
KEILAR: Whenever I've gone to a golf tournament I generally take about four or five holes and that's all I do, because it's a really long way to go.
HOLMES: And he's walking them all. That is one -- a great attitude, it's a wonderful story there from our Justin, we appreciate seeing that.
Don't know if you'll appreciate seeing this. We've been watching this, this morning, it's one of hee most popular videos on the Web, right ow. Not exactly rocket science, but this guy, certainly not a rocket scientist, thought it'd be cool to do just that -- take a bike, a mini bike, if you will, on a loop-de-loop.
KEILAR: Now, as you can see, it took several bad falls before finally making the complete 360 and at the end, he sort of keeled over. Take a look, probably from the shock of surviving something so stupid.
HOLMES: And he did hit his head several times, might have had something to do with it, as well.
We will turn to now to more serious topics including the rising oil prices, keep draining that wallet of yours.
KEILAR: Yeah, you're feeling it. You probably want some action. So, do you think Congress will step in?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KEILAR: The prices of oil, it's big talk in Washington, so why hasn't Congress found a solution? Our Ed Henry takes a look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Please rise and raise your...
ED HENRY, CNN NEWS CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Almost 100 congressional hearings on energy so far this year, hours and hours of talk, but little action. So, let's take a walk. There's Dick Durbin, the second most powerful Democrat in the Senate, riding the Senate subway.
(on camera): You mind if I sit with you?
It's 4:30 in the afternoon, the middle of the week, no votes, nothing happened.
SEN. RICHARD DURBIN (D), ILLINOIS: No, there is something happening. We're bringing a bill to the floor dealing with speculation in the oil markets.
HENRY: The speculation -- most experts say that going after speculators will only have a marginal impact.
DURBIN: A marginal impact is something.
HENRY (voice-over): Durbin, who is fiercely opposed to offshore drilling, promises Democrats will get an energy bill done.
(on camera): So, you're going to get it done in the next few weeks?
(CROSSTALK)
DURBIN: Well, that's my goal. And we have been working on it all day.
HENRY: A goal is one thing. You're in charge now.
(CROSSTALK)
HENRY: You're in charge now.
DURBIN: Well, we're in charge with 51 votes out of 100. So, it isn't exactly a hefty majority.
HENRY (voice-over): Then I find retiring Republican Pete Domenici. As former chair of the Energy Committee, he's expressing regret both parties have failed to find consensus on energy over the last quarter- century. He speaks of finding common ground. But, he's as fiercely in support of offshore drilling as Durbin is against it.
SEN. PETE DOMENICI (R), NEW MEXICO: The people are going to fix it, because they understand this simple proposition that this huge Outer Continental Shelf is theirs. They're going to come out 75 percent in the next poll, and they're going to -- we're going to say to the Democrats, just defy them if you'd like, at your peril.
HENRY (on camera): Well, not the next poll. A new one just found that more Californians than ever support offshore drilling, but it's still less than half, 43 percent of all Californians. So, what how about a blue-ribbon panel to try and find solutions while Congress is gridlocked?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Rallying his friends...
HENRY (voice-over): Here's one, a dream team of talking heads, everyone from Mack McLarty, President Clinton's former chief of staff, to Don Evans, a Texas oilman who was President Bush's commerce secretary.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You have so many great ideas in this report. Why haven't they been implemented over the last 25, 30 years?
HENRY: The panelists didn't really answer why they didn't do more when they were actually in government. But then Don Evans jumped in.
DON EVANS, FORMER COMMERCE SECRETARY: I think the simple answer to your simple question is, gas is $4.50 a gallon. I mean, it's amazing how that will focus the mind.
HENRY: We can all agree on that. We're all focused. Ed Henry, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: We'll turn back to politics now and the big story which has been Obama making his overseas trip. His trip abroad is pretty much the political to topic this morning. And with us to talk about it, from Washington, CNN's political editor and friend of CNN SUNDAY MORNING, Mark Preston. "Preston on Politics" as it's been called, lately.
Good to see you this morning, kind sir.
MARK PRESTON, CNN POLITICAL EDITOR: Hey, T.J., good morning.
HOLMES: All right, Obama, this trip, they say he needs to boost his foreign policy credentials. Can one tripis, his first trip to Afghanistan and of a sudden he's going to come back and have some foreign policy chops, is that possible?
PRESTON: Well, it's not just Afghanistan, you know, he has left Afghanistan now and he's on his way to Iraq and then after Iraq he's going to hit about four or five Middle Eastern and European cities and the idea, T.J., is to show pictures, to show Barack Obama with these world leaders to show that he is presidenal. Right now if you look at recent polling, you know, John McCain has a commanding lead, right now, over Barack Obama when it comes to the issue of who would be the best commander in chief, right now.
HOLMES: You know, you made a good point, there. You said it there: "To show these pictures." Is that a danger there? And you know it's been talked about a lot, he's taken the three big network anchors with him on this trip, that you know, people are going to look at this and saying you know what, he's not going to learn anything, he's going over there just to have his picture taken.
PRESTON: I don think people really look that deeply into it, T.J. And really it's the three big networks who are actually following him over there. You know, they want to be in place. Look, there's always the possibility that Barack Obama could slip up, make a mistake, make an error and I think the big three networks want to be in place if that happens. Look, we have our own correspondent, Candy Crowley, who was on the plane with Obama, but I think that they want to be there. This is an important trip for Obama.
HOLMES: And you were talking about the other places he's going to hit, France, Germany, Jordan, Israel, among them, but really, Afghanistan and Iraq are the big deal on this trip.
PRESTON: Yeah, absolutely. And you know, what's interesting, who his partners who he rought along with. He brought along Jack Reed, a Democrat from Rhode Island, and Chuck Hegel, a Republican from Nebraska. You know, these two people have, you know, they're known very well on Capitol Hill for their foreign policy skills, they know the military, they're veterans and what they have with Obama is kinship is that they all disagree with the Iraq war and the Bush administration policy.
HOLMES: Well, what does John McCain do? What is a man to do? He's getting this attention -- his opponent is overseas. What is McCain planning to do in the meantime? He's not going to back it off at all since he's got the country to himself right now, if you will.
PRESTON: No, no, absolutely not. And we're going to see probably a two-pronged strategy. First of all you'll see his campaign hit Obama for Iraq and Afghan, John McCain will not do that personally. During this European trip, though, expect his campaign to be very critical of every move Obama makes over there. At the same time, John McCain will be back here in the U.S., he'll be talking about the economy, he'll be talking about energy, he'll be talking about "issue No. 1," you know, issues that are really hitting people in the pocketbook.
HOLMES: Now also, back to Obama here on Iraq. Is he still on this slippery slope, if you will, been criticized, certainly by McCain and others, for coming up with a strategy for Iraq before going to Iraq. And then he was criticized for saying, well, I'd be open to tweaking my policy once I go over there. So, is he in win-win -- has he, I think figured this thing out, how he's going handle the Iraq issue?
PRESTON: You know, what I think he's going to do is when he goes over there is he's going to be very careful not to be very critical of President Bush while he's on the ground over there. We already know what his strategy is. You know, literally he is going to land in Iraq, he is going be surrounded by a security force. He's not going to be able too out into the neighborhoods and really get a look at what's going on there. So, you know, the criticism of Barack Obama, you know, forming a strategy and a policy before he even goes over there, I think is kind of empty. The fact is we know what's going on over there. This is about pictures.
HOLMES: This about pictures. Well, we will have a lot of pictures. The first ones just started coming into us yesterday, I'm sure were going to get a whole lot more. Mark Preston, good to see you. You should come back and see us some time.
PRESTON: I shall.
HOLMES: All right, see you too, buddy. Have a good one.
And you can keep up with the political news inside outside the capitol beltway by clicking on cnnpolitics.com -- Brianna.
KEILAR: And for those of you who are just waking up, here are some of the top stories we're working on this morning. Pennsylvania authorities have tentatively identified the body of a woman fund tied up with uterus cut open. They believe that she is Kia Johnson. Another woman who showed up at a hospital with a newborn baby is in custody on child endangerment charges.
Also, some storm warnings are posted along the southeast coast. Tropical Storm Cristobal is stirring off of North Carolina. Forecasters say the storm could dump several inches of rain along the North Carolina coast. And that takes us right to the Severe Weather Center where Reynolds Wolf is keeping his eye on this -- Reynolds.
WOLF: That's right. This storm is still a tropical storm, as you mentioned. It is going to strengthen, but we don't think at this point that it will strengthen into a hurricane. At this time, what it's doing is bringing some scattered showers along the coast, also some rip currents and rip tides and heavier surf that can be anticipated. This storm is expected to make its way to the east, northeast, doing so around about 15 to 20 miles-per-hour.
As we advance the maps what you will be noticing in a few spots is you're going to be noticing the heaviest showers offshore, unfortunately, which truly is an unfortunate thing because we're mired in a terrible drought in parts of the Carolinas and back over to Georgia.
I'm going to step sout of the way so you can get a better look at this and what we're also going to be showing you is, just a few of the scattered showers making their way onshore, jut to the outer banks, nothing too specifically heavy at this point. Light to moderate showers, at best, but what we're also expecting would be more of the showers actually to make their way a little farther to the north, up near Cape Hatteras and possibly moving to some other area, say near Washington, D.C. But for the mostpart, that action is not going to be -- it's actually going to be decreasing as it pulls away from the eastern seaboard.
The second area we're watching, is this spot we have right here in the Cayman Islands, this big cluster of showers and storms in places like say near Jamaica is slowly moving off towards the west. It's a horribly organized system right now. It's not a tropical depression, it's not a tropical storm. But there is the possibility this may strengthen to depression or a storm within the next 12 to 24 hours. If that occurs, this will be Tropical Storm Dolly. We'll watch it for you very carefully. That's the latest on the tropics. Let's send it back to you at the news desk.
KEILAR: All right, thanks, Reynolds.
HOLMES: Well, you will remember Washington's handgun ban, the Supreme Court struck it down. Now the city is striking back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Overturned the Supme Court, Washington's long-standing handgun ban was thrown out last month.
KEILAR: The city's government acted quickly to put a new law in place, but as CNN Kate Bolduan reports, some critics say it's basically just another ban in disguise.
((BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KATE BOLDUAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): For the first time in 32 years, D.C. residents can now keep a gun in their home for self- defense. Last month, the Supreme Court struck down D.C.'s strict handgun ban, forcing the city to pass emergency legislation to comply with the ruling.
The new law requires all handguns to be kept only in the home, unloaded and disassembled or secured with a trigger lock, or in a safe. D.C.'s acting attorney general, Peter Nickles, helped craft the legislation.
PETER NICKLES, ACTING D.C. ATTORNEY GENERAL: You can load it to be prepared to use in self-defense if -- and this is the key language -- if you believe there's a "reasonably perceived threat of immediate harm."
BOLDUAN: D.C. firearms instructor James Wiggins is forced to train students outside the district. He says the new rules are still too restrictive.
JAMES WIGGINS, FIREARMS INSTRUCTOR: Is the district is saying that burglar is going to call you ahead of time to let you know he's coming so you can have it immediately available for self-defense. That's not what's going to happen. That's not really available when someone is kicking down your door.
BOLDUAN: The National Rifle Association agrees arguing the city is trying to skirt the Supreme Court ruling, in part because only revolvers are allowed, not semi-automatic handguns.
STEPHEN HALBROOK, NRA OUTSIDE COUNSEL: D.C.'s reaction is to basically continue the ban as to about three-quarters of the kind handguns that exist in this country.
BOLDUAN: Another criticism, the lengthy process to register the gun. The process includes a written test, a background check, fingerprinting, and a ballistics test before taking the weapon home. City officials say it's a delicate balance, protecting residents and not violating their right to protect themselves. NICKLES: People get hurt when they have handguns in the home. And those hand guns make their way from the home to the street.
BOLDUAN (on-camera): Cities across the country are watching D.C. closely to see how these new gun regulations play out and how the courts react. Now remember, this all came about when a D.C. resident sued the city over the gun ban. And D.C.'s attorney general says he fully expects these new regulations to be challenged in court as well. Fredricka.
Kate Bolduan, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KEILAR: In Las Vegas, a big gamble pays off for the pilot of a single engine plane. The plane's engine died in midair so the pilot had few choices, but to l her plane on a neighborhood street. And thankfully, motorists saw the plane coming and they quickly cleared the way.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MEIKO POWERS, PILOT: I'm very, very thankful for the cars that were in the way, but they saw the airplane coming, so they moved and allowed it to land.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KEILAR: Well, neither he pilot nor her two passengers were injured in this emergency landing.
Murder in a small town.
HOLMES: Yeah, and do the flames of racism still smolder today? Decades after a man is brutally kill, the government reopens the investigation.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Well, this Wednesday CNN PRESENTS "Black in America" ha examines the success and struggles 40 years after the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr.
KEILAR: And this next story looks at the death of another black man possibly killed for the color of his skin. CNN's Sean Callebs has this story from Ferriday, Louisiana.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SEAN CALLEBS, CNN NEWS CORRESPONDENT (voice over): For nearly half a century the murder of Frank Morris has been a mystery in Ferriday, Louisiana. Morris was 40 years old in 1964, ran a successful shoe repair shop on the edge of town, in the deeply segregated South. As a youngster, Jake Davis worked for him.
JAKE DAVIS, FORMER EMPLOYEE: This is the front door, here. CALLEBS: And he remembers the early December morning in 1964 when the shop window was shattered, gasoline was poured, and the building torched. Morris trapped in the backroom, ran through the inferno to escape, but emerged so badly burned his longtime friend, the Reverend Robert Lee, couldn't believe his eyes.
REV ROBERT LEE, FRIEND: I went by the hospital to visit him. You've never seen anything so dreadful looking.
CALLEBS: Morris held for a days, then died, never offering a single clue as to who attacked him or why.
Jake Davis has grown much older, old enough to recently tell the FBI something he was too afraid to utter as a child. He saw three white men storm into Morris' shop the morning of the killing.
DAVIS: I was hearing a whole lot of talking, loud talking, cursing, and after awhile, he came back up and told me and my brother, you know, for us to leave, and come back tomorrow, you know, that's what we done we didn't ask no questions.
CALLEBS: The FBI was charged with stopping racial violence. It sent a dozen agents to investigate, but they came up empty. Now, decades later, the Justice Department has made it a top priority to close 100 civil rights era cold cases and the clock is ticking.
DONALD WASHINGTON, U.S. ATTY: The average, we believe, of those who would have carried out these crimes is probably going to be in his mid 70s, today, if he's alive.
CALLEBS: Donald Washington has been given a difficult mission, but even as he hopes old memories can be stirred among witnesses, long lost facts can his unearthed; it is a mission he gladly accepts.
WASHINGTON: I am an African-American, so yes, I am familiar with what happened in the South. And Yes, there is a little part of me that would like to see these cases absolutely aggressively addressed.
CALLEBS: In some ways, Donald Washington has been preparing his whole life for this case. He went to work as a U.S. attorney the week after 9/11.
WASHINGTON: I remember driving to work the day, thinking, boy, somebody's going to have to pay for this, some one is going to pay. And within a week I was raising my right hand to take this office.
CALLEBS: A product of public school desegregation in east Texas in the '60s, Washington went on to West Point where he graduated in 1977. Washington says he learned a lesson in the academy that in many ways serves as a moral compass today.
WASHINGTON: I learned there that when you thinf things like racism you really need to look inside yourself first and make sure that you're not the racist and that you're not bringing baggage with you that is unnecessary.
DAVIS: A whole lot of people know more and they still have that same old idea, I'm not going to say anything, I don't want to get involved.
CALLEBS: A lifetime of questions and regret later, Jake Davis hopes this latest investigation will finally bring some answers to this murder, that was like so many others back then, sudden, brutal, and unsolved.
Sean Callebs, CNN, Ferriday, Louisiana.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KEILAR: CNN PRESENTS "Black in America" this Wednesday and Thursday nights at 9:00 Eastern. You can see and learn more about this year- long project at cnn.com/blackinamerica and tune in tonight for a CNN "Essence" magazine special called "Reclaiming the Dream." It's 90 minutes that you must watch, right here on CNN at 8:00 Eastern.
HOLMES: A lost dog, doesn't always get national attention, but this one's a bit different, here.
KEILAR: Yeah, it seems half the city of Washington, D.C., is trying to find her.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: All right, there he is. It's that time of the morning to check in with Howard Kurtz to see what's happening on RELIABLE SOURCES in just a few minutes.
Good or to you.
HOWARD KURTZ, RELIABLE SOURCES: Good morning, T.J. Coming up the media extravaganza is under way. Barack Obama's world tour with the network anchors soon to tag along is already drawing extraordinary attention. Why aren't John McCain's trips covered this way?
The pundits have come up with a new criticism of Obama: He's hard to make fun of. We'll investigate the comedic potential of the candidates.
Plus, the long-time "Wall Street Journal" reporter who trained with an NFL team and how he managed to embarrass himself. That and more ahead on RELIABLE SOURCES.
HOLMES: You always have good stuff there for us. All right, we'll see you here shortly.
KEILAR: Well, if you live in the greater Washington area, especially in Reston, Virginia, take a good look at this dog. Her name is "Jeddah," she's probably frightened and pretty hungry and her owners would dearly love to have her back. She was about to take a flight when she disappeared from her freight and her dog owner -- her owner, John Weisner, is joining us now by phone to explain what happened and how they are trying to finder her.
John, what did happen? JOHN WEISNER, DOG OWNER: Well, her crate was damage and somehow -- somehow it was damaged, she escaped from the airport, last reports that we've been getting from people in terms of sightings is that she's somewhere in the Reston area around Audubon Lake.
KEILAR: So, tell us about the leads you're getting, those reports from people?
WEISNER: Well, we called the service (INAUDIBLE) and we initiated a lost report, basically and they call numbers in the area, putting out information about the lost pet, and we had some people call in and that kind of narrowed into our search area. And that's kind of how we end up in Reston.
KEILAR: And tell me about this response. This is -- you know, dogs go missing every day, but you've gotten amazing response. You've got a $2500 cash reward that's being matched by unted airlines, I believe, local shelters are on the lookout. What makes Jeddah so special that people are really taking note of this story?
WEISNER: Well, I mean, Jeddah is a member of our family, I mean, she's like our child. I don't know, she's just a special dg. I mean, where the outpouring of support has come from, I really don't know. I can tell you that it's greatly appreciated. You know.
KEILAR: And John tell us, because I know there may be people in the Washington, D.C., area who are watching, is three anything that -- I know that Jeddah can be a little skittish, but is there anything that maybe if some sees her they can kind of get her to -- they can sort of attract her and not really chase her away? What can they do?
WEISNER: Well, the best thing to do is probably just to sit dwn and talk to her, you know, in a nice low tone of voice, you know, like, you know, "Hey baby, come here," whatever, something of that nature. And call us. Really don't want people -- if you try to chase her down, she'll run away.
KEILAR: Yeah, so don't -- let her come to you, basically. OK.
WEISNER: Yeah, try to coax her to you.
KEILAR: John Weisner, good luck, sir. I think a lot of people have been in your shoes and we're hoping for a happy eding, a homecoming for Jeddah for you. Thanks for chatting with us.
WEISNER: All right, thanks.
KEILAR: And we turn to Levs, who's standing by, on the Web site that was set up to help find Jeddah.
What you got for us?
He is having a microphone issue.
There he is, all right.
JOSH LEVS, CNN NEWS CORRESPONDENT: Are you hearing me now? Can you are me now? Can you hear now? Can you hear me now?
KEILAR: Yeah.
LEVS: Lot people care a lot about this dog, and as you know a lot of people, in speaks to them emotionally. So, the Web site is getting a bunch of traffic, it's right behind me: Help Find Jeddah. Let's close in on it. You can see right here, helpfindjeddah.com. This gives you the basics. Now I'm going to go over here, another part of the same Web site. I want to scroll through so you can see, they're updating it on Twitter.
Now, if you're in the area -- you were just hearing about Reston area near Audubon Lake. Some these updates might help, might be able to tell you what took out for at any given moment, and you can scroll through and see these. Also see a lot of photos. If you see a dog that you think -- it's not coming up beautifully -- over here, there you go.
Let's just scroll through some of these photos. If you see a dog that you think might be the one, you can go to helpfindjeddah.com, compare it, you'll get a sense, there. Also guys, what I'd like to do is one more thing, here. I want to take a step back, think about this problem in general.
I was looking at some statistics about animals and airports and these kinds of things depending on when it's I custody. Now, obviously they had situation here, it wasn't an actual plane, But, let's quickly take a look at this from the Department of Transportation. And we're going to close in on this graphic, right here, which talks about airlines in general and dogs and what happens in general.
And now this is for May of this, so this is the latest statistics. They're saying that there were no dogs lost by airlines in May of this year and in total there were a reported four deaths of dogs on airlines, but I want to emphasize, when you see these statistics here, three on one airline and one on another, that does not make it an airline's responsibility. In all the cases that they investigated, I'm seeing that these were sick dogs, maybe shouldn't have been traveling.
So, you know, it's not the kind of thing involving losing dogs in these situations that you hear about a lot, but obviously it speaks to people a lot which is why people a lot of people go on right here to Help Find Jeddah, that Web site.
KEILAR: Yeah, and I know Josh, you know, It's like some people may find this strange because I think probably a lot of people have lost a pet, but this is something that's really captured people's imaginations, and remember that dog from the Westminster show, the one missing, I think it was at La Guardia or one of the New York -- was it JFK, one of the New York airports, and it just really captures -- that years ago, but it's something that people really latch on to and they connect with.
LEVS: People understand that kind of love, obviously, for the pets that are like a member of the family and that's why even people way outside the area where they would be likely to see this dog are really visiting this site and checking it out and obviously, you know, sending messages of support for them.
KEILAR: Yeah, Josh, thanks so much.
LEVS: You got, thanks guys.
KEILAR: Paying for plastic. How you can save a few bucks on your next fill-up at the gas station.
HOLMES: Yeah, the answer is certainly close as your pocket.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KEILAR: Paper or plastic, it's no longer a choice just at the supermarket.
HOLMES: And you could get that question at your corner gas station and a good chunk of change may be riding on your answer. CNN's Jim Acosta has the story for us.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Regular, fill it up, cash.
JIM ACOSTA, CNN NEWS CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Better stop at the ATM before pulling into this gas station in New Jersey.
PAUL KELLY, SUNCO GAS STATION OWNER: What we're trying to do now is to give our customers a savings.
ACOSTA: That's because the owner, Paul Kelly, is offering a big 10- cent discount to drivers carrying cash. He's she's tired of being charged a fee by the credit card every time a customer pays with plastic.
KELLY: If we pay three percent on average, or even a little less then that on a credit card fee at $4 a gallon, and I'm making 12 cents a gallon, that's my entire profit.
ACOSTA: On a gas purchase totaling $100, roughly $3 would go to the credit card company depending on the card.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The world is fixated on the oil companies, the price of oil, price of gasoline, and while anybody's fixated on that, the credit card companies are quietly laughing all the way to the bank.
ACOSTA: Salerus Obato (ph), who represents gas stations across New Jersey, says the so-called intehange fees can be crushing.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Many dealers just cannot stay in business any longer.
ACOSTA (on camera): According to one trade publication, nationwide nearly 3,000 gas stations have closed in the last year. This one on the Jersey shore won't even reopen. The land is being offered up for townhouses.
(voice over): The credit card companies' response: Don't blame us. In a statement and industry spokesman says: "The oil companies restrict what the gas station owners can charge per gallon...the oil companies are squeezing them." Still, late last month, Visa announced it was lowering its fees on fuel purchases.
(on camera): Every little bit helps these days?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh yeah, you got to save every dime you can.
ACOSTA (voice over): Back at that the gas station we found the cash discount got some customers revved up, but one man who didn't read the sign, paid the price, as in the credit price.
(on camera): You're now having to pay 10-cents more gallon because you swiped your credit card.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. No, I don't think that's fair.
KELLY: It's a matter of survival for us.
ACOSTA (voice over): Last year, convenience stores alone paid $7.6 billion in credit card fees, so what's happening at the nation's gas stations may spread to other retailers, putting a whole new premium on plastic.
Jim Acosta, CNN, Lavallette, New Jersey.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: Well, that high pri of gas is getting everybody. We got some new victims popping up here and there because of the petrol pirates. The victims happen to be yacht owners. The Yacht there, docked at the Massachusetts Marina, the thieves drained hundreds of gallons of fuel from those boats, pretty much left those tanks dry.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAVE MCSHAIN, MARINA OWNER: I didn't believe my eyes at first, so I brought the vessel back and tied up and actually went and physically tapped on the fuel tank -- it's bone dry.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Bone dry. The marina owner says the crime is not only costly but dangerous. He says someone could be hurt or even killed if they don't discover the empty tanks until their vessel is already on its way.
Well, the economy is ISSUE NO. 1 for you and for us. Tune is weekdays at Noon Eastern when we take a closer look at your money, as well as your concerns.
KEILAR: And a special guest host this week, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday? T.J. Holmes. HOLMES: Don't tell everybody, they'll tune out.
KEILAR: They will tune in. It's a draw. Got to tell them.
Also, a treasury secretary, Henry Paulson, joining Wolf Blitzer in the one -- in one hour for LATE EDITION.
HOLMES: But first we got Howard Kurtz with RELIABLE SOURCES, that's starting right now.
