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CNN Sunday Morning
Former NFL Star Steve McNair Found Dead; Obama Seeks New Start in U.S.-Russia Relations; Rafsanjani: Iran Election Fallout 'A Tangled Mess'; 1.6 Million Seek 8,750 Jackson Memorial Tickets
Aired July 05, 2009 - 06:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: Hey there, everybody. From the CNN Center, this is CNN SUNDAY MORNING for this July 5. I'm T.J. Holmes.
BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning. I'm Brooke Baldwin, in for Betty Nguyen again this morning.
HOLMES: It's good to have you.
BALDWIN: Good to be here. Day 2. Six a.m., very early here in Atlanta; 5 a.m. in Nashville; 3 a.m. in Los Angeles. Thank you for starting your day with us.
We got a lot going on. Let's get going.
HOLMES: There's always a lot going on, but this was a shocker we got yesterday.
BALDWIN: Yes.
HOLMES: A former NFL MVP quarterback, Steve McNair, found shot to death in Nashville. Police say he was shot multiple times, including once in the head. His body was found inside a Nashville condo yesterday. Police say also found there was the body of a 20- year-old woman. And there was a gun found next to her body.
Not clear what her relation is to McNair, but she is not his wife.
Here now, listen to a spokesman for the Nashville police.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DON AARON, NASHVILLE METRO POLICE DEPT.: At this point, we don't know the circumstances of these shooting deaths. The investigation is going to be conducted by the police department's centralized homicide unit. Those detectives have assembled here at the scene, and the condominiums still has to be processed.
There's a lot of work yet to be done. It's going to take many hours to process the scene. I don't have any answers for you now as to what's happened, who's responsible, what the circumstances are.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Now, Steve McNair had a long NFL career. He had played mostly with the Titans. He had led them to a Super Bowl - just, a - a - really, a star quarterback. He had just retired last year.
BALDWIN: A lot of coaches, family members, friends, coming out, of course, reacting to the news. In fact, a former teammate is describing McNair as the perfect football player, a man with great physical, mental, professional abilities.
And as CNN's Don Lemon tells us, McNair also had great drive.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): Steve McNair was a small- town boy with big-time dreams and a throwing arm to match. As a star quarterback in Mount Olive, Mississippi, McNair was recruited to play football at several major universities. But they wanted him to play on defense.
Determined to play quarterback, McNair went to Alcorn State, a historically black university, where he became one of the most prolific passers in college football, and was nicknamed Air McNair.
During his senior year, he was featured on the cover of "Sports Illustrated," finished third in the Heisman Trophy voting and was the third overall pick in the 1995 NFL draft by the Houston Oilers.
McNair became the starter in 1997, the same year the Oilers moved to Tennessee.
In 1999, he led the team to the franchise's first and so far only Super Bowl, becoming just the second African-American quarterback to start on the game's biggest stage. It was a thrilling game which ended with the Titans coming up just short of the goal line for what would have been the winning score.
McNair never would get back to the championship game, but was the NFL's co-MVP with Peyton Manning in 2003.
He left the Titans after 11 seasons, and played two more with the Baltimore Ravens before injuries took their toll. McNair retired after the 2007 season with more than 30,000 yards passing - good enough for 28th on the all-time list.
Titans owner Bud Adams said of McNair - quote - "He played with unquestioned heart and leadership and led us to places that we had never reached."
Steve McNair was 36 years old.
Don Lemon, CNN, reporting.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BALDWIN: Checking other stories making news overnight, in Iran, an influential Iranian cleric is speaking up. Former Iranian president Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani says the country's presidential election fallout is - quote - "a tangled mess." He's been pretty quiet up until now, and his words are significant. Rafsanjani chairs the assembly responsible for appointing, or perhaps removing, the supreme leader. He is also a supporter of opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi.
HOLMES: Well, this is happening in Tegucigalpa. This is the capital of Honduras here - a demonstration in support of the president, the ousted president of Honduras. That is President Jose Manuel Zelaya. He's scheduled to return between 1 and 2 this afternoon
However, the congressional leader, Roberto Micheletti, who was sworn in as president after Mr. Zelaya was removed, has vowed to have the former president arrested if he comes back.
Also, late last night, the Organization of American States voted to suspend Honduras. It set a Saturday deadline for Honduras to return Mr. Zelaya to power.
We turn to the American president now, President Obama. He's preparing to head overseas this morning, and his first stop will be Moscow for meetings with his Russian counterpart, President Medvedev.
BALDWIN: After that, still a busy week for him. It is on to Italy for a G8 economic summit, and then a meeting with the pope in Rome, and then in Ghana in Africa.
CNN's senior White House correspondent Ed Henry has more on this upcoming trip.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ED HENRY, CNN SR. WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: T.J. and Brooke, the president leaves Sunday for this fifth foreign trip since taking office. The first stop in Moscow is all about trying to warm up the U.S.-Russian relationship. As you know, it got downright chilly in the Bush years because of tensions with then-President Vladimir Putin.
Mr. Obama has said he wants to reset that relationship, and so far his outreach to current Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, is bearing fruit. Russia recently signed on to sanctions against North Korea, and this week, both sides will officially announce that Russia has agreed to let American troops and weapons headed for Afghanistan to fly over Russian territory. It's a big deal as the U.S. ramps up efforts to finally finish that war.
Now, the U.S. and Russia are also hoping to announce major cuts in nuclear arms on both sides, and Mr. Obama appears to be trying to work through the sticking points this week by driving a wedge between Medvedev and Putin, who is still in the mix, of course, as prime minister.
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: The old Cold War approaches to U.S.-Russian relations is outdated, that it's time to move forward in a different direction. I think Medvedev understands that. I think Putin has one foot in the old ways of doing business and one foot in the new. HENRY: Mr. Obama is also lobbying for Russian cooperation in dealing with Iran's nuclear program, a subject that will also be a major topic in the middle of the week at the president's second stop, Italy, for the G8 summit.
Other major issues there will be the financial crisis, climate change and efforts by the industrialized nations to wipe out global poverty.
Next Friday, the president will have his first audience with Pope Benedict before heading to Ghana, the first time Mr. Obama will step forward on African soil since becoming the first African-American president - an historic moment that is sure to garner international attention - T.J., Brooke.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: Well, Marion Barry back in the news, and he was back in custody as well. This is the former D.C. mayor, now a council member there in D.C. Well, we are told now that he was arrested last night after a woman complained of something like a stalker. So he was actually charged on a misdemeanor charger of stalking.
Now, you'll remember, Marion Barry, his legal problems are far and wide. But they kind of all started back in 1990, when he was arrested on drug charges. He has a number of brushes with the law again in the subsequent years.
Coming up next hour, 7:00 Eastern time, we're going to be talking to the park police spokesperson. The park police were the ones who picked him up. He was in a park in D.C. last night when all this trouble started. We will get the details on exactly what happened. Again, the former mayor and council member - current council member Marion Barry arrested once again.
(MUSIC, MICHAEL JACKSON, "HUMAN NATURE")
BALDWIN: Well, this number probably won't surprise you: More than 1.6 million people now have registered for Michael Jackson's memorial service, which is coming up next Tuesday. It'll be held at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.
And here's how it works: Organizers say a random drawing will be held this morning at 11:00 a.m., and then the magic number: 8,750. That is how many people will actually be notified by e-mail. Those are the ones who get the tickets. And then they'll be able to pick up two tickets.
Now, the family has not yet decided whether Jackson's body will actually be brought to the Staples Center arena that Tuesday, nor have they announced the location for Jackson's burial.
Meantime, investigators are awaiting a detailed toxicology report to determine the cause of Jackson (AUDIO GAP).
Fans, friends continuing to express grief at the death of Michael Jackson, including Grammy Award-winning singer Dionne Warwick. She performed with the pop legend over the years, and she has lent her voice - remember the song "We Are the World," a song Jackson co-wrote back in 1985?
And our own Don Lemon talked with Warwick, and her son, Damon Elliott, about that experience.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: Talk - talk to us about this experience, Miss Warwick.
VOICE OF DIONNE WARWICK, SINGER (by phone): Well, I've always - what I've experienced is something that you really had to be there. It's very difficult to describe it. It was a - a room full of incredible artists, all on one accord. And it was very difficult to calm that (ph) when you're there for one purpose.
Most of the artists that were in the room had been invited with - by Quincy Jones. And they came directly from the American Music Awards to - in the recording studios.
I was performing in Vegas at the time, and Steve Wynn was just wonderful. He sent me back to L.A. on the private jet so that I could be a part of this. Because Quincy called me, and said, 'Listen, you got to come in to L.A. tomorrow.' I said, 'But I'm working.'
(LAUGHTER)
WARWICK: And he said, 'Well' - he said, 'You just let Steve Wynn know that you're going to be working here, because you have to be here.'
LEMON: Yes.
WARWICK: It was the most incredible event that I've been a part of in a long, long period of time. And...
(CROSSTALK)
LEMON: Was - was Damon around for that? Damon, you didn't get to share that with your mom, did you? At - at least, I'm sure you've heard her speak of it, but you weren't there for any of the taping, were you?
DAMON ELLIOTT, SONGWRITER/MUSIC PRODUCER: Actually, I - I - I was around, and - and, of course, you know, I had to go to part of it because I'm the biggest Michael Jackson fan breathing. And I'll say that.
(LAUGHTER)
ELLIOTT: And I begged Mom, and she let me be a part of it. And - and - and, one out of many special - special occasions that I was part of with Mom.
(END VIDEOTAPE) BALDWIN: Can you believe that? "We are the World," all the way back to 1985. Well, the recording and all that related merchandise raked in $63 million for famine relief in Africa.
CNN Tuesday, join us for around-the-clock coverage of that memorial happening at the Staples Center, celebrating the life of this worldwide pop icon, his family, friends, fans, all globally say goodbye. "Michael Jackson: The Memorial," CNN all day Tuesday, starting on "AMERICAN MORNING," at 6 a.m. Eastern time.
HOLMES: All right, did you watch this yesterday? This - this hot-dog eating contest.
BALDWIN: I did not watch it. I figured we'd see lots of video this morning.
HOLMES: It's kind of tough to stomach. It's tough to watch.
BALDWIN: Especially after all the hot dogs yesterday morning, my friend.
HOLMES: Yes, it's kind of tricky to watch. But that's the former champ you're seeing there. They actually have a weigh-in for this thing.
BALDWIN: I didn't realize that.
HOLMES: Come on, people.
All right. This was on Coney Island yesterday. So that's the champ - he was the reigning champ. Was he able to possibly hold on to the belt yesterday? We shall see.
Yes, you see him there, Reynolds. That's his main competition, Kobayashi there, who used to win it year after year after year. And so Joey Chestnut finally dethroned him.
BALDWIN: I like that hairdo, by the way.
(CROSSTALK)
REYNOLDS WOLF, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes, I know. It looks like Kobayashi was - was gnawing on his hair.
(LAUGHTER)
WOLF: I mean, look at it. I mean, it's...
(CROSSTALK)
BALDWIN: A little shave job there.
WOLF: That's a hungry dude.
(LAUGHTER)
WOLF: That's what I'm talking about.
You know what's amazing, too? These guys are not big - they're not huge guys.
BALDWIN: No.
WOLF: You know, you'd think they'd be big people, but they're not. And I'm sure their moms are both very proud of them.
HOLMES: And there's a woman in there, too.
BALDWIN: So proud.
HOLMES: She - they call her the Black Widow, I believe, is her name. But she was...
BALDWIN: You - you are on this.
HOLMES: Really, she's a tiny little lady. This competitive eating is a big deal. They eat squash. They eat - all kinds of competitions for different (INAUDIBLE).
WOLF: I know. But I mean, just watching it though, you think that the - the ...
HOMLES: Yes.
WOLF: ...apocalypse is close at hand. It's one of the scariest thing you'll ever, no question about it.
Hey, something that looks scary right now, some strong storms developing in parts of the Southeast. This is actually good news; we're desperate for the rainfall in the Southeast. And we have a chance of severe storms. We don't need the severe stuff; the rain, absolutely.
We're going to talk about those rain chances coming up, plus cooler temperatures across much of the nation. That's moments away.
You're watching CNN SUNDAY MORNING. Aw yeah.
(COMMERICAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Goodness.
BALDWIN: I mean, obviously, there's some kind of technique. They're drinking.
HOLMES: Well...
BALDWIN: Eating. Drinking, eating. I don't know.
HOLMES: But a world record? Who knew? But 69, Joey Chestnut, San Jose, California. That guy. Looks like he's about to pass out. He won it again. He's the champ once again.
But Brooke, you had some interesting information to share about this hot-dog eating.
BALDWIN: In commercial break, I said, 'You know, here's a little bit information. I don't know how I came into this.' But I'm - I'm thinking that the - the hot dogs - sorry if you're eating breakfast.
HOLMES: Yes.
BALDWIN: I'm thinking the hot dogs don't stay down. In fact, I'm heard the actually terminology for the - how shall we say this politely? They - they call it a reversal.
HOLMES: Yes.
BALDWIN: Like, what goes down, comes back up.
WOLF: You know, there's some things in life that, it doesn't matter how classy you try to be, you're just not going to look good.
HOLMES: Look good doing it.
WOLF: And trying to chow down 68 hot dogs in - 10 minutes?
HOLMES: Ten minutes.
BALDWIN: Ten minutes.
WOLF: You're not - it's not going to look good.
Have you noticed though how these people have also evolved over the years? You know, they've become - they've gone from being heavyset guys to very skinny guys.
HOLMES: Yes.
BALDWIN: They're small.
WOLF: Which means that within 10 years, we're going to see people actually unhinge their lower jaw like a large snake and just take a giant shovel and just shove the meat and the buns in - in their mouth.
HOLMES: There is a (INAUDIBLE).
BALDWIN: Do you think they fast?
WOLF: I don't know. I think that with...
BALDWIN: (INAUDIBLE)
WOLF: They'll be moving rather slow, I can tell you, afterward. But fast - yes, do they - do they - I - I don't know.
BALDWIN: For the experience?
WOLF: Yes. You know, they - they - they often drink - you said they - what? - they - they drink and they eat at the same time?
BALDWIN: It looked like they're...
HOLMES: Yes, it's a technique. You got to soften up the bun.
BALDWIN: There's definitely a technique.
HOLMES: Yes.
WOLF: Hell, we ought to be drinking just watching that stuff.
(LAUGHTER)
WOLF: It's scary to watch.
BALDWIN: It's - it's frightening, yes.
WOLF: Let's go right to it and show you what's happening outside.
In Atlanta, it is a - a good-looking morning. The reason why I say it's a great-looking morning - guys, here me on this. We have been, I think, 17 straight days without decent rainfall in the city of Atlanta, measurable rainfall at the airport.
Today, that could change. We could see some scattered showers.
We don't need severe thunderstorms. We don't need hail; we don't need damaging winds. But the precipitation - and let's face it, cooler temperatures, would also be very welcome. And with that - that is something we're going to be seeing, not just here in Atlanta, but cooler temperatures across a good part of the country, including Texas. It looks like Houston is going to be warm once again, but for the most part, the Lone Star State will be getting a welcome back.
Let's go right to the weather computer. And as we do so, the magic wall is going to show you the heaviest rainfall right now popping up across Florence, back over to Gadsden. In Atlanta, a few scattered showers. The heaviest activity still back to the west- northwest near Lookout Mountain in Chattanooga. Along parts of 24, the rain continues to come down. Nashville, you might see a few scattered showers later on today.
And the big weather maker is going to be this area of low pressure tapping into all that moisture coming in from the Gulf of Mexico. And it's going to be those key components, lined up with some daytime heating, that could give you a good chance of storms.
As we pull back over parts of Texas, you'll notice that frontal boundary also extending in the top half of the state, back into the Red River Valley. With that in play, you will see cooler temperatures for parts of Texas.
Dallas yesterday, got really close to the 100s. Today, only 86 degrees the expected high. Austin and San Antonio got into the triple digits. Today, a little bit of a break. Houston though, a tough break for you, back to 98 degrees. But head to the coast, cool conditions can be expected.
That is a look at your forecast. We're going to have more coming up throughout the day. Let's send it back to you at the news desk.
HOLMES: All right. Renny, we appreciate you, kind sir.
BALDWIN: Thank you.
HOLMES: We'll see you here shortly.
WOLF: You bet, guys.
HOLMES: We've been asking you as well, your thoughts about Sarah Palin. Big story on Thursday (sic), right before the holiday, she came out and said she was going to be stepping down as governor.
BALDWIN: Passing the ball.
HOLMES: Yes, there was a basketball references...
BALDWIN: Analogies, yes.
HOLMES: ...in there. But we got a lot of your responses. Of course, you can always find Betty and I on Twitter, on Facebook. You can go to our blog, cnn.com/newsroom as well.
BALDWIN: Yes.
But continuing on - oh, did you want to read something?
HOLMES: Oh wow, we have something.
BALDWIN: Hey! There we go.
HOLMES: Thank you for that. Thank you for the cue.
BALDWIN: You're welcome.
(LAUGHTER)
HOLMES: I was moving on to other things. But....
BALDWIN: A treat.
HOLMES: ... just - just a couple.
We've got - and again, this is one of the biggest responses I've gotten since we've been posting things on our Facebook and Twitter pages.
But people talking about this, saying - one here, "Stepping down? No. Let's call it what it is: She quit."
But there is - here is once from someone called "escapemilwaukee." I'd love to hear the story behind that. But says that, "I think she explained herself quite well. I am absolutely not a Palin fan, but I understand and actually respect her decisions."
So keep those coming in to us on this topic or anything else you want to share with us. By all means, we appreciate it.
BALDWIN: Yes, I remember the TV anchor yesterday in Alaska saying sort of 50-50 split...
HOLMES: Yes.
BALDWIN: ...as far as people who are in favor of what she's done or not. So...
HOLMES: And some people just were wanting her to go, quite frankly.
BALDWIN: Yes.
HOLMES: Her popularity is going down. So it's all over the map. But a lot of people have something to say.
BALDWIN: It's talker, that's for sure.
HOLMES: Yes. Yes.
BALDWIN: Also a talker, we're talking economy still this morning. And what's successful to you may not be what's successful to your dad, according to this dad, Josh Levs.
Hey, Josh.
JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, I've been learning a little bit from a bunch of dads, too, this weekend.
And this is what we did - you can see a panel behind me. We asked a bunch of dads some tough questions, and they gave us their answers. So did you. We're going to show you how to weigh in.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(SINGING)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: That is Ne-Yo. He's performing at the Essence Music Festival in New Orleans. This was on Friday. As you can hear there, performing a Michael Jackson hit. A lot of tributes popping up all over the place at a lot of events - really, caused the schedule to change after the death of Michael Jackson. Everybody making sure they pay their respects and see their tributes to Michael Jackson. With Ne-Yo, one of the new young stars that Michael Jackson actually had favorable things to say about.
BALDWIN: Oh yes?
HOLMES: Actually liked him and respected what Ne-Yo did. So certainly a compliment to get that from the King of Pop.
BALDWIN: And we talked to so many people in New Orleans yesterday, saying the tone, when it comes to Michael Jackson, is more celebratory.
HOLMES: Yes.
BALDWIN: Celebratory of his life and - and of his legacy.
Well, in this economy, men, according to some studies, have been particularly hit hard, and a lot of dads - you know, dads consider themselves the providers.
HOLMES: Yes.
BALDWIN: They have been losing their jobs.
HOLMES: Yes. And those that still have jobs, a lot of cases, have to work a lot of overtime, which means they don't get to spend as much time with their families, with their kids.
BALDWIN: Yes.
HOLMES Josh Levs here with that new survey.
Good morning again, Josh.
LEVS: Good morning to you guys.
Yes, interesting. There's a section on CNN.com - you can see it right here - called "Having It All: Work, Life, Balance." And just a few days ago, they pointed to a - a survey from CareerBuilder.
Let me show you one statistic right here. It's interesting. Fifty percent of dads in America say they've missed a significant event in a child's life over the past year. And more than a quarter say they've missed more than three significant events.
Well, we spoke with a panel of dads about trying to strike that balance. And one thing we asked them is this:
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LEVS: If you succeed as a father, what will you have achieved? What does success as a father mean?
KJ COPELAND, FATHER: You know, I think my ultimate goal is to raise, you know, three productive members of society, and three kids that believe in the concept of being individuals, and that believe - you know, that - that want to be themselves and want to be an individual.
JOE CERONE, FATHER: I want her to be secure, happy and loving and very strong. In this world today, I think she's going to have to be strong. And we're trying to raise her to give the courage to accept other people's ignorance, and in a sense learn from it.
I mean, obviously, we have issues that we have to teach her, that there will be prejudice against her for - and she's not part of it, but because of her dad. But we just want her to be strong, happy and confident, and learn from other people's weaknesses.
ORTEZ GUDE, FATHER: I will feel that I've done a good job and have been successful as a dad if my kids are - are strong, independent, good people and they looked for opportunities to make a difference in the world.
RIC RODRIGUEZ, FATHER: I'm going to steal something from my brother that - before I had my children, and he had his girl, I asked - I - I asked him, I said, What do you - what do you - what do you want her to grow up to be? What do you - what profession will she choose? What - what do you think she's - what do you - what do you - who do you think she'll be? And - or - or what do you hope for her?
And he said, 'I just hope that she's happy.' I hope that that's - that she - she winds up to be happy, you know? And - and - and I think that's so huge, because it's a - there's a lot more to being happy as an adult than, you know - you know, being in a good mood, you know?
Just - I just want them to be doing what they - what - what they love, and - and to love being alive and, you know, to be happy.
LEE MAY, FATHER: I think a picture of what would tell me that I'm a successful father is looking at my grandkids. If - are my grandkids loving and serving of others and - and being commitment for the betterment of other people?
And I skip over to my grandkids because I think I will be successful if we have adequately taught our children now to be good people and to serve and to love others. And they can also pass that through to - to their children.
And so that would tell me that - that I've done a good job as a father.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEVS: Now, you've been hearing from me about it this weekend. But we have a fellow dad right here on the show.
Reynolds Wolf, I'm going to bring him in here, Reynolds. Now - all right. I'm tossing this one at you. I know it's not easy.
If you're a successful dad, what will have you achieved?
WOLF: Oh my gosh. If I'm a successful dad, I can do something like my - what my dad did. My dad has got the mindset that every day is going to be the best day. He's the optimistic person that - that I've ever known. And he's just a - he has this empowering kind of personality.
If I could have my daughters - if they can be happy, and they can feel like they can be a success and they feel empowered, then I think I've done my job. I mean, just happiness is the bottom line. It's always going to be there.
LEVS: Yes, that's what it boils down.
WOLF: Absolutely.
LEVS: Cool. See, I thought you were going to play with me. I thought you were going to tell me you were going to create, like, magical quiet in your household with two screaming children.
WOLF: We will - you know, Josh, there some things that are an impossibility.
LEVS: Yes, I...
WOLF: And in the Wolf house, silence is one of those things that just doesn't - it's - no, not on the cards.
LEVS: I got a second one on the way. I've been bugging him for advice.
All right. Thanks, Reynolds, a lot for that.
WOLF: You bet (INAUDIBLE).
LEVS: And let me just tell everybody here, we've been - we've got so many responses from you all. I'll just show you really quickly here, in the "NEWSROOM" blog, we've - trying to get dozens of them up. We're going to be getting some.
Here's one from Kay: "Fathers today are undervalued. A lot's expected of them, and I know a lot of women who are hard on their husbands. Look at the shows on TV," she says.
You can certainly weigh in. We got it going here at the blog, also Facebook and Twitter.com/joshlevsCNN.
Keep those comments coming. We'd love to hear from you. And we will continue to share some of them right here - Brooke and T.J.
HOLMES: All right. Josh and Reynolds, we appreciate you...
BALDWIN: Thanks, guys.
HOLMES: ....both this morning.
BALDWIN: Thanks, dads.
All right. Well, after months and months of legal fighting, Minnesota Senate race finally over. HOLMES: Yes.
BALDWIN: The winner will be sworn in this week. So what did it finally come down to?
HOLMES: Also, President Obama - he spent the Fourth of July in D.C. But he's going to be heading out of town, overseas this evening, a major foreign-relations trip that includes a stopover to see the pope.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Good morning. Welcome back to the CNN SUNDAY MORNING. I'm T.J. Holmes.
BALDWIN: Good morning. I'm Brooke Baldwin in for Betty Nguyen.
A big, sad surprise this morning, news-wise, want to get right to it. We're hearing, expecting to hear more, today in the death of former NFL quarterback Steve McNair. He spent a number of seasons with the Tennessee Titans, then on to the Baltimore Ravens.
He was found shot to death inside a Nashville condo yesterday. Also the body of a woman was found nearby and next to her, a gun was found. We're told she was not McNair's wife. So far, no arrests have been made.
The public relations firm hired by Michael Jackson's family says more than 1.6 million people registered for tickets to Michael Jackson's memorial service. That will happen Tuesday in Los Angeles. The magic number stands at 8, 750, that's the number of people who will actually be notified by e-mail today as to how to get their tickets. The people who actually receive those two tickets to either the services in the Staples Center or the live simulcast across the street in the Nokia Theater, LA, live.
A spokesman, in other news, for the State Department says that North Korea should calm down. North Korea test fired seven short- range missiles towards the Sea of Japan in just a matter of hours yesterday. State Department Spokesman Karl Duckworth told CNN, quoting here, "North Korea should refrain from actions that aggravate tensions and focus on denuclearization talks and its commitments from its September 19, 2005 joint statement."
T.J.
HOLMES: President Obama heading off for his fifth overseas trip a little later today. His first stop will be Moscow. He will have meetings there with the Russian President Dmitri Medvedev, that happens on Monday. Then, Tuesday he'll be meeting with prime minister and the former Russian president, Vladimir Putin. From Moscow he'll travel to Italy for the G8 Summit and also a visit with the pope, in Rome, is on the agenda. The last leg of his trip will take him to Africa, for a stop, next weekend in Ghana.
All right, in the middle of your screen, there, in the polo - well, there he is, shaking hands, that is the soon-to-be Senator from Minnesota Al Franken. He marched in six Independence Day parades this weekend and again there's a reason he's just the soon-to-be senator.
At long last we can close the book on the 2008 election. Democrat Al Franken has been declared the official winner of Minnesota's junior Senate seat, ending a long legal battle with the incumbent Norm Coleman. So, now what?
Our Paul Steinhauser, CNN's deputy political director joins us now to look ahead to the week Franken and the Democrats have been waiting for, in "The Week Ahead".
Paul, hello. My goodness, I'm glad this is the last time you and I are going to have to discuss this particular race. We have been talking about it for a while. So, when is Franken finally going to get to work? When does he get sworn in and get to work?
PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN DEPUTY POLITICAL DIRECTOR: He's going to be here tomorrow, T.J., Monday. Congress is back. He will be on Capitol Hill tomorrow. But on Tuesday that's when he can lose the "senator elect" and Tuesday is when he is going to get sworn in officially and become a U.S. senator. And like you said, he's going to get to work immediately. He has already got a lot of his staff in place, T.J.
HOLMES: We've been going back and forth about the legal battles and his battle over this seat for so long, we forget what Franken is actually about. So, remind us. What is he about?
STEINHAUSER: Yes, you know what? It's all about the issues. On the issues he seems to be pretty much of a progressive Democrat. At least that's the way he ran last year in the campaign. On health care, which is such a big deal, and a big issue this Senate is going to be dealing with, he supports universal health care and he wants the states to mandate health coverage for all of their citizens, and for the federal government to help pay.
On immigration, which could be a big one later this year, he supports immigration reform and maybe a pathway to citizenship for some illegal immigrants in the United States, T.J.
HOLMES: You called him progressive there, Paul. But is going to be a yes-man and a pretty committed yes vote for Democrats on pretty much all their issue?
STEINHAUSER: He's definitely on the more progressive side rather than on the moderate side. So, yes, I think you could say, he's maybe not a safe vote for President Obama, but he should be a pretty reliable vote overall. And listen, he's replacing a Republican. Of course, Norm Coleman, who was a moderate Republican.
And, T.J., right off the bat he'll be right in the middle of some of the big fights. He is on -he's going to be joining the Health, Education and Labor and Pensions Committees, that is one of two Senate committees, T.J., that's dealing with health care reform. We know how big a fight that is. He's also on Judiciary Committee, and a week from Monday, T.J., those Sonia Sotomayor's confirmation hearings begin for the Supreme Court. Al Franken will be part of that, T.J.
HOLMES: He's going to be in the mix almost immediately. But we can go without talking about the guy he defeated, finally, Norm Coleman. What's he going to do?
STEINHAUSER: You know what? Let's not cry for Norm Coleman. Because there may be a job opening very soon in Minnesota that he may have his eye on. The governor, the current Governor Tim Pawlenty, has announced he will not be running for reelection next year. So, fellow Republican Norm Coleman is thought to maybe be considering this. He was asked about it at the news conference last week. He said, guys, you know, nothing yet. Maybe I want to go fishing. This is for something down the road. But people in Minnesota, T.J., they say if Norm Coleman wants to run, he could be very quickly considered a front runner next year, T.J.
HOLMES: Oh, well, all right. Don't cry for Norm just yet. Paul Steinhauser, friend of our show here on CNN SATURDAY and SUNDAY MORNING: Deputy political director, thanks so much. Good to see you.
STEINHAUSER: Thanks, T.J.
BALDWIN: All right. I want to get some breaking news that we are just getting here, at CNN, this morning. We need to attribute our affiliate, WKMG. They are reporting a deadly crash on the monorail system, that is a transportation system down at Disney World. According to our affiliate, right around 2:00 a.m. this morning, the emergency services responded to this call at the ticket and transportation center at the Magic Kingdom. We are told two monorails collided. Eight people were evaluated following the crash, but the driver, the driver of the monorail did die. The other driver, we're told, is fine, physically.
There were five to six guests on the monorail at the time of the crash and Disney PR is telling this affiliate, WKMG, that they will release more information later this morning. Our CNN producers are working the story now. They are making phone calls as well.
But a witness told our affiliate he heard some kind of large crashing noise when these two monorails collided and he was able to get pictures and we want to remind you, if you were there, if you were able to capture any photos or videos on your camera, on your phone, send them to us. Just go to iReport.com.
We are trying to get more information on this. But, again, one person, the monorail driver was killed, perhaps as many as eight people injured down at the Magic Kingdom in Orlando.
A mega movies studio is setting records in Hollywood for reducing their impact on the planet. We're talking about Warner Brothers taking steps to help the environment.
HOLMES: Also, how about a group of young men who made money from used books that nobody seemed to want.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) HOLMES: Maintaining any type of a business in a recession can be a challenge, but how about a small business offering products for less, while also trying to turn a profit. CNN's Stephanie Elam takes a look at one business that others can learn from.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
XAVIER HELGESEN, CO-FOUNDER, BETTER WORLD BOOKS: We just thought, wow, like there are all these books out there that he bookstores are just saying, no, I don't want it. But there's totally value in those books. You just got to get them and efficiently get them up on the Internet, and then someone will buy them.
STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN FINANCIAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Building and maintaining a successful business in this environment is a challenge. One that Xavier Helgesen and his partner Kreece Fuchs and Jeff Kurtzman, know all too well.
When they were in school the bookstore wouldn't buy back their used textbooks. So they tried to selling them Half.com. It worked and the idea took on a whole new chapter.
HELGESEN: There's some great stuff in there, that I promise you.
ELAM: With more than 2 million books at any given time in this Mishawaka, Indiana warehouse, the owners of Better World Books think they have a book for everyone, and a small business plan others can follow.
HELGESEN: We bring a lot of stuff in, even in full truck loads. So, we'll bring in about 50,000 of books at once, drop it off in the bay here, and then put it up on the shelves.
ELAM: After funding the business themselves for the first five years, the founders got a Small Business Administration-backed credit line in 2004, followed by a $2.4 million venture capital investment in 2008. All to build up the web site and the Better World Books brand.
As other small businesses have struggled, Helgesen & Partners have seen their revenues grow from $4 million a year, in 2005, to a projected $31 million in 2009. And all the time helping others buy books at a cheap price.
HELGESEN: The cheapest they find is $3.48, with free shipping.
ELAM: The books are donated by libraries, book stores, and college campuses from across the country. Every day Better World brings in 40,000 to 50,000 books, sending just as many out.
HEGELSEN: We have sold orders up to 5,000 books at once. And we sell a lot of single book orders. So, our average order there is three or four books.
ELAM: The Better World founders built the company on the foundation of the broke college student. So, textbook deals remain at the heart of the business. HEGELSEN: What is cool about us is we price them at market level. So, you may be getting a $100 book for $10. And that happens every day here.
ELAM: Better World Books believes in giving back. It donates 5 to 10 percent of its revenue back into the hands of libraries and literacy programs around the world. Stephanie Elam, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: You can look for more stories affecting your Mains Street, Thursday mornings, on CNN's "American Morning."
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: We want to continue to update you on the story we just got. It's a video just coming in here to us. It's dark, it doesn't show much here. But what you're looking at is the area around Disney World where we understand, at least according to our affiliate there, WKMG, one person has been killed. That one person being the monorail operator who was killed after one monorail ran into another. Again, this information coming to us from WKMG.
This is some of the video. You see ambulance, some activity there. This happened pretty late at night, or in the early morning hours, if you will, down there in Disney World around Orlando. But this coming to us from one of our freelance photographers shooting some of this video.
But, again, the word we're just getting in is that one driver has been injured. According to our affiliate, also, there were a few passengers, not that many, but up to at least eight that we know of, according to our affiliate, that were riding this monorail. Of course, this monorail gets people around this huge complex, this huge amusement park, Disney World.
But we don't understand that any of them, necessarily, were injured. We do know one monorail driver was killed. The other is fine, we're told, physically. We'll continue to follow this story. We're working our phones and our people here are working to confirm some of this information and get the latest for you. But, again, one person killed, according to our affiliate, the monorail driver, in a monorail accident at Disney World in Orlando.
BALDWIN: Hollywood powerhouse Warner Brothers Studio says they were green before green was even considered cool. Their very latest project is what they are calling the very first green sound stage ever built by a major Hollywood studio. I was just out in LA. They took me around for a tour.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BALDWIN (voice over): Big stars, elaborate sets, and lots of lighting. In Hollywood making movie takes money. But at Warner Brothers headquarters, their focus is on green of a different kind.
(On camera): Shall we take a ride in it?
SHELLEY BILLIK, V.P. OF ENVIRONMENTAL INITIATIVES, WARNER BROTHERS: Hop in.
BALDWIN (voice over): From the front seat of the solar powered golf cart, Shelly Billik is driving the studio's environmental charged.
BILIK: You can imagine that when you do make television shows and films you have a lot of materials.
BALDWIN: Shelley's job is to look behind-the-scenes and find ways Warner Brothers, which, like CNN is owned by Time Warner, can reduce its impact on the environment. Her latest project, Stage 23; it's believed to be Hollywood's first green sound stage, with fly ash in the concrete, sustainably harvested lumber on set, and energy efficient lighting from above.
BILLIK: The perimeter lights, the house lights, the catwalk lights, we have some cooling technology that uses nighttime cooling for the data rooms. So we're really focused on reducing the energy use.
LEONARDO DICAPRIO, ACTOR, ENVIRONMENTAL ACTIVIST: We face a convergence of crisis, all of which are a concern for life.
BALDWIN: Sometimes this green message takes center stage on the silver screen in documentaries like Leonardo DiCaprio's "11th Hour" and the movie, "Syriana". According to WB, "Syriana" was the first film to be climate neutral, by investing in renewable energy.
KYRA SEDGWICK, ACTOR: For me, I try to have the smallest carbon footprint that I can.
BALDWIN: Even the stars, like "The Closers" Kyra Sedgwick, are playing lead roles in reducing their environmental impact. On the set her crew has barred plastic water bottles, they eat off of biodegradable plates and recycle old scripts.
SEDGWICK: These are called sides. And basically, they have your lines on them. You see that mine are highlighted. Instead of using fresh virgin paper, for this, what we do is use side -what we do is use paper that's already been used for scripts. So, we -as you can see, you can read the other lines from, you know an old script, and this is not, this all recycled and used paper, recycled, by us.
BARRY MEYER, CEO, WARNER BROTHERS: We think in the long run it is good for business.
BALDWIN: Warner Brothers CEO Barry Meyer says green investments pay off long term and advises even the smaller studios to follow suit.
MEYER: Don't just assume that anything that you're going to try to do environmentally is going to be economically not sustainable. I think you should look at it and try -and if it takes some investment, look at how and in what way that investment pays back. We found that it really works.
BALDWIN: Shelley Billik says the challenge is changing a culture, but anyone can help play a part.
BILLIK: No matter what you do, whether you're a journalist, or a film editor, or a builder, or whatever you do, you have some impact and you can actually play a role in reducing that impact.
BALDWIN: Even in Hollywood, with the glitz, the glamour, and now the green.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BALDWIN: So, it was kind of cool getting to be on set of "The Closer" and what they explained to me. This is really throughout their 110-acre lot. For example, drinking my water, right? In a plastic bottle, that's a total no-no.
HOLMES: Not allowed.
BALDWIN: So, everybody walks around Warner Brothers with these Thermoses. So if you're a guest star, or even part of the crew on a show, like "The Closer," they will give you a like this, Thermos. And they'll put your name on it. You just refill the water. I mean, they are serious.
HOLMES: So, you are not being environmentally friendly while you're here with us is what you are saying?
BALDWIN: Apparently not. But neither are we.
HOLMES: Just wanted to know.
BALDWIN: We should be reusing these.
HOLMES: We should. We could all learn from that.
BALDWIN: We do recycle. We're recycling here.
HOLMES: We do. Yes, we do here at Turner. Please, I'm just giving her a hard time. She is really the only one who is not on the green.
BALDWIN: Thanks, friend.
(LAUGHTER)
HOLMES: All right. We appreciate that. They were green before green was in.
BALDWIN: Absolutely. Pay a little bit more upfront, save in the long term.
HOLMES: All right. Well, thank you.
All right. It is a pivotal moment in the U.S. relations with Russia. What can we expect from President Obama's speech in Moscow this week? We'll be there live.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: All right. We've been following this breaking news story this morning. We are keeping an eye on it, but our affiliate WKMG reporting that at least one person has been killed, the monorail driver down there. Apparently there was a crash with these two monorails, there, about 2:00 in the morning.
Now, I'm sitting over here, with my buddy, Reynolds Wolf, who has spent quite a bit of time, used to live down in this area.
REYNOLDS WOLF, CNN METEOROLOGIST: I lived there for three years.
HOLMES: Yes, but we were -all of us were curious, why in the world, 2:00 in the morning, would a monorail be running at that time? So, they do run - not all the time like this but because it's the holiday weekend.
WOLF: Absolutely. If you have a huge volume of people - some of that video you there just moments ago, was actually at Epcot. Epcot right there inside this beautiful little lake they have. They have this tremendous fireworks display. They do it a couple of times a year. That was the fireworks display in front of Cinderella's Castle, but they have a huge one at Epcot during New Year's and during Fourth of July.
What I'm thinking is you have just so many people that are heading back to the resorts and one of the main means of transportation is going to be the monorail. You have people going at all hours of the night. Obviously, there was some kind of a mix up and the result was tragic.
HOLMES: And the video that people are looking at here, this is just some of the - it's the only video we've been able to get in so far. You saw that ambulance there. One of our freelancers sending that, one of our photographers. We're just getting a statement in from Disney World. I have it here. I will just read it to you. It says:
"Today we mourn the loss of our fellow cast member. Our hearts go out to his family and to those who have lost a friend and co- worker. The safety of our guests and cast members are always our top priority. The monorail is out of service and we'll continue to work closely with law enforcement to determine what happened and the appropriate next steps."
Now, again, our affiliate was reporting, WKMG, that this was a monorail driver. I guess they refer to everyone down there as cast members, possibly?
WOLF: Absolutely.
HOLMES: Maybe that is it, everybody is kind of in character.
WOLF: Every person, from the custodian to say, the person, or to Mickey, a princess, they are all cast members. Absolutely. Huge tragedy. Terrible.
HOLMES: All right. So, again, that is the latest we have there. Again, the statement coming in, Disney World is confirming to us now that yes, in fact, they lost someone, one person operating that monorail. There was an accident. Two monorails ran into each other. Again, these were running late at night because of the holiday weekend, a lot of people there.
But at least one person has been killed; someone who worked there. We do know about any other injuries having to do with any guests. We understand from our affiliate that a few other people were, in fact, on the monorail, wasn't packed or anything like that, we understand, but a few other people. Don't know about the severity of any injuries they might have suffered. We'll continue to follow, bring you the latest as we get it - Brooke.
BALDWIN: She was a student who felt that she was facing discrimination at a university, so, she left. But she hasn't given up her fight just yet. I spoke with her and I'll explain why she's speaking out.
D.C. Council Member Marion Berry under arrest. But no, this is not his first time to have a run in with the law.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: From the CNN Center here in Atlanta, this is CNN SUNDAY MORNING. Good morning, it is July 5. I'm Brooke Baldwin in for Betty Nguyen. T.J. Holmes, alongside me.
HOLMES: Hey, there. Good morning.
BALDWIN: Hey, good morning.
HOLMES: It's 7:00 o'clock here.
BALDWIN: Hey, how are you?
HOLMES: I am well. How are you doing this morning?
BALDWIN: Good. Doing well.
HOLMES: It is good to have you with us this morning.
BALDWIN: Thanks for having me, day two.
HOLMES: This weekend. Yes, it is 7 o'clock, here, where we sit. It's 6:00 a.m. in Nashville, 4:00 a.m., in Los Angeles. Thank you so much for being here. A lot of news this morning.
And some shocking news we got yesterday. The word of this, you'll recognize the name and the face, former NFL superstar quarterback, former NFL (AUDIO GAP).
... number of times, including once in his head. His body was found inside a Nashville condo. Also found, in that same condo, was the body of a 20-year-old woman and next to her body was a gun, according to police. We are expected to hear more from police today. We will certainly bring you that when we get it.
BALDWIN: We want to give you an update now on our breaking story we're following for you out of Orlando, Disneyworld here. Monorails collided at Disneyworld early this morning.
Right now, we're hearing one of the monorail drivers was killed. The other was not injured. There were five or six guests riding this monorail, essentially, public transportation system sort of between the park and these hotels -- about five or six people on board at the time.
We're watching this story. We'll let you know more as soon as we can. But if you were there, if you have video, if you have pictures, please, log on to iReport.com. Send those to us. We'd love to share those out with everyone else.
HOLMES: A former D.C. mayor, Marion Barry, could be facing a misdemeanor stalking charge this morning. Police say they arrested him at a D.C. park last night after a woman complained. He was later released.
Barry who is now a D.C. City councilman is now -- is known for his brushes with the law, which includes a 1990 arrest for possession and use of cocaine. Of course, after that arrest, he ended up losing his job as mayor of Washington, D.C., only to be re-elected some years later by some of those same D.C. voters. So, he was able to make a come back.
Again, a number of arrests in his history, some strange circumstances surrounding this latest one. You see him there. Again, he's a council member at this point. But again, we're expecting to get more details about exactly what happened last night with the former D.C. mayor, Marion Barry.
BALDWIN: Marion Barry back in the headlines this morning. And that alleged incident happened in a park, which is patrolled by federal or U.S. Park Police, and a spokesperson with the park police, Sergeant David Schlosser joins us on the phone.
And, Sergeant Schlosser, I know there's a lot to talk about. We talked about this arrest. First, I just want to confirm with you, Councilmember Barry was, in fact, arrested and has been charged for this misdemeanor stalking?
SGT. DAVID SCHLOSSER, U.S. PARK POLICE (via telephone): Absolutely correct.
(CROSSTALK)
BALDWIN: Go ahead.
SCHLOSSER: Last night, on the 4th of July -- the 4th of July, the United States Park Police officers were patrolling Anacostia Park which is a park in downtown D.C., on the east side of the Anacostia River. And the officer was flagged down by a D.C. resident, a female. She was, in a way, upset and she was pointing to the occupant of another vehicle.
So, this officer from the United States Park Police interviewed the woman that had flagged him down or requested assistance of the police and the other vehicle that she was pointing to had also been stopped. After she was interviewed for a few moments, the officer went to the other vehicle and interviewed the occupant of that vehicle. Based on the investigation that the officer did on the scene, there was probable cause developed arrest the occupant of the second vehicle. That occupant of the vehicle was D.C. Councilmember Marion Barry.
BALDWIN: Sergeant, do you know who this woman was or what relationship she might have had to Marion Barry?
SCHLOSSER: I don't have that information.
BALDWIN: Do we know, presumably -- this is what? Right around 8:45 last night? Councilmember Barry was there at this park, perhaps waiting for fireworks. We know why he was there at that hour?
SCHLOSSER: I don't know why he was there at that hour? This is a park that is well known for its view of the D.C. fireworks. A perfectly valid reason (INAUDIBLE), but perfectly reasonable area for some visitation for the holidays.
BALDWIN: And, specifically, when we talk about this stalking charge. According to D.C. criminal code, what really does stalking mean?
SCHLOSSER: I haven't had an opportunity to really look into the elements of that offense. It's been kind of a long night and I haven't had a chance to do the research. But the elements of the offense, I think, were pretty well met because after Mr. Barry was transported to a U.S. Park Police facility in Washington, D.C., the detectives with the United States Park Police spoke with the United States Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia. And after discussion, they felt that this misdemeanor stalking charge was the correct charge.
Now, just for clarification, the District of Columbia, it's an unusual prosecutorial situation in the sense that the United States Attorney's Office prosecutes just but all charges in the District of Columbia. You can't infer the fact that it's the United States Attorney's Office, that this is a federal charge or this is, you know, some sort of extra big charge. It's simply a misdemeanor charge but in the District of Columbia, the United States Attorney's Office does prosecute these things.
BALDWIN: What kind of fine, penalty, sentence might he face here?
SCHLOSSER: I'm not certain what the exposure is in a charge like this. As I said, it is a misdemeanor charge but I haven't had an opportunity at this point to look into what the exposure is on this charge.
BALDWIN: Where is he right now? Do we know?
SCHLOSSER: Absolutely. Well, I don't know where he is, specifically right now. I can tell you, though, he is not in Park Police custody. Last night, after processing him at the U.S. Park Police facility, he was transported to the District of Columbia central cell block.
BALDWIN: OK.
SCHLOSSER: And after additional process, he was released from there.
BALDWIN: Really, just my last question. I don't know, I think I've interviewed you during my time in D.C. And I'm sure you know -- Marion Barry has had his share of run-ins with the law and in particular with the Park Police. This is a resident of the district.
What kind of a message is this sending seeing a leader of the community in situations like these over and over?
SCHLOSSER: Well, I really can't speak for the community. I can only speak for the United States Park Police. And I think the simple issue is that the United States Park Police enforces the law regardless of who people are and I think it's very important to note that we absolutely did not seek Mr. Barry out.
BALDWIN: Absolutely.
SCHLOSSER: We were flagged down by this person who was the complainant in this case.
BALDWIN: Correct.
SCHLOSSER: And she was seeking the assistance of a police officer. And that person happened to be in an area of the jurisdiction of the United States Park Police.
BALDWIN: All right.
SCHLOSSER: And that officer is a U.S. Park Police officer.
BALDWIN: Sergeant Schlosser, thank you for calling in. We appreciate it. I know it's been a long night for you. Thank you.
SCHLOSSER: Absolutely. Thank you much.
BALDWIN: Thanks.
HOLMES: President Obama leaving for Washington -- leaving Washington, I should say, tonight, heading for Moscow, a crucial trip -- his first to Russia since taking office. And there are some big issues on the negotiating table.
Our foreign affairs correspondent Jill Dougherty is on the line for us from Moscow.
What -- I guess -- what is the biggest of the big items on the table, Jill?
JILL DOUGHERTY, CNN FOREIGN AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT (via telephone): You know, T.J., you'd have to say it's the agreement on the new arms control treaty to replace that 1991 START-1 treaty. It's a big deal. It's very, very complex and is extremely important, and negotiators from both sides have been working on it very intensively.
So, what we're expecting is they will report to the presidents and the presidents will kind of assess where they are and then tell them to keep going. Because after all, the deadline on this treaty, it's expiring, is December 5th. So, they want something on that.
And then the other thing would be, and it's actually almost in the bag, you could say, is an agreement on Afghanistan. Russia is going to allow transit of U.S. military equipment across its territory -- and this is the first time that they are going to allow military equipment. They allowed what they call non-lethal equipment to go over by rail, but this time, it could be -- this military equipment could be going by air and that could be very, very helpful in the fighting that's going on in Afghanistan.
HOLMES: Jill, put -- categorize for us, what kind of a start has the relationship gotten off to between President Obama and President Medvedev there in Russia?
DOUGHERTY: You know, it's a lot better than what was going on before. In fact, President Medvedev, just this morning, had an interview with the Italian media and he said that, you know, relations were very bad under the Bush administration. They'd begun to revive, as he put it, and he's moderately optimistic about resetting this relationship.
But, certainly, it will be very interesting to watch. You know, President Obama has a meeting the first day, several meetings, actually, with President Medvedev, but he -- almost more interesting thing in a sense will be his meeting the next day with Prime Minister Vladimir Putin. Putin, of course, used to be the president. And there could be more testy relationship between those two men.
So, if you're talking about President Medvedev, it seems to be quite a good relationship. With Putin, who really is the man that many people here say call the shots -- calls the shots politically, it's a little more testy.
HOLMES: All right. Our Jill Dougherty keeping an eye on things for us in Moscow, where the president is heading today -- Jill, thank you so much.
BALDWIN: I want to get more details now on the story, the breaking story out of Orlando, happening down at Disneyworld. This briefly to recap -- there was a fatal monorail accident right around 2:00 this morning. One of the operators of these two monorails that collided, one of the operators, the drivers, died. Here are pictures coming in. And I believe we have someone on the phone who took this picture.
Are you with me this morning? Are you with me?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, I am.
BALDWIN: Yes. OK. So, tell me where you were, what you saw, what did it sound like?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK. The picture you're looking at now, that's actually on the (INAUDIBLE) trains back to the loading dock. And what we first saw -- we were just getting off the ferry, we were probably one of the last groups (ph) in Disney because they close at 1:00 in the morning. And we were trying to -- we were actually leaving the park and we -- I guess, I got to say -- we're going towards the exit which is the entrance where you get the tickets. As we're about to get in to that little, I guess, the roof and we heard a loud explosion.
And when we all looked back, you know, the two trains have crashed and pieces of that -- of the monorail had actually fallen to the floor beneath it, and a bunch of people were running from the -- from like under it.
BALDWIN: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And -- then, like about 10, 15 seconds, they later moved the trains towards the loading dock. And ...
BALDWIN: So, it's -- what we're looking at, just to try to understand what this picture that you caught, those are two separate trains that collided head on.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. The red one -- the red one on the left side was parked at the loading dock. And apparently, the blue one was coming from Epcot.
BALDWIN: So, here they come, together, one of the operators died.
Do you know -- did you see anyone getting off the train? We heard there were five or six guests on one of the trains. I know, I think up to eight were treated for potential injuries. Who did you see -- adults, children?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There was a complete family on train coming from Epcot. The first, actual first train. The first -- the first cart.
BALDWIN: Were they getting off easily? Did you see EMS? Did you see emergency crews on the scene? Were they able to walk away?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, when we got up -- when we got upstairs, we were there for about 10 minutes, 15 minutes before police and fire rescue got on the scene. When we got upstairs, when we're upstairs, the doors -- we got the doors opened and the family was able to come out. They're just shaken up. They were -- they actually didn't know -- didn't know what was going on because you couldn't see forward.
And they came out. The kids are crying. It was about a family of six -- a mother, father and the kids. And we literally tried to gain access into where the driver would be. We were able to gain access into the rear part of the red one and that's the foremost part and no one is inside there. But like I said, the blue one was so mangled up that we couldn't get access into that to see that. We tried to tear apart the doors and there was no way we could get in there.
And then once fire rescue and police showed up, they made us step back.
(CROSSTALK)
BALDWIN: What a frightening situation at Disneyworld, 2:00 a.m. I'm sure people were just out and about enjoying fireworks. I thank you for sending us this picture.
I want to read a statement. We got this from Disneyworld, officially, this morning. It says, "Today, we mourn the loss of our fellow cast members. Our hearts go out to his family and those who have lost a friend and co-worker." Of course, they were referring to the monorail operator who died.
They go on to say, "The safety of our guests and cast members is always our top priority. The monorail is out of service and we will continue to work closely with law enforcement to determine what happens and the appropriate next step."
And we'll continue to follow the story.
HOLMES: Yes, those picture -- let's just keep those pictures up. These are first we are seeing. They are scary pictures. But you see a mangled mess pretty much there and it looks like they certainly did hit at a pretty good rate of speed.
Our Reynolds Wolf has been helping us with this.
And, Reynolds, you got maps and you also got some experience and some -- essentially, some knowledge of this area. This thing -- how fast do these things go?
REYNOLDS WOLF, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes, I would guess -- maybe 20, 30 miles per hour. You know, not very fast movers.
HOLMES: Not fast.
WOLF: But, I mean, these are key pieces of transportation that you have at the park. As you come with me in a moment, take a look at Google Earth. I want to show you something.
You got, again, a look at Disneyworld -- this is just the Disney area that you have. Again, the main area. You have many options. You got the Animal Kingdom. You have, of course, Epcot.
But this is just Disneyworld itself. The main park is up here at the top of the screen. Towards the bottom, you have the monorail station here. And you'll notice, at the same time, there seems to be like a little bit of a line that connects the park from one resort to another. You have, for example, say, the contemporary resort up on this area. Back over here, you have the Polynesian Resort, the Grand Floridian. And that one line, that main artery that connects all these areas is your monorail.
Now, the place that the caller was talking about, that is a little bit suspect, would be this area right here at the train station. This area, you got, of course, some of the monorails as you're making your way up towards the Magic Kingdom and some of the spots, some of the other hotels and whatnot. But this line that you see right here actually feeds in from Epcot.
So, I don't know if there was some kind of a mistake where some of the trains may have been leaving, say, the Polynesian Resort and then going back towards, say, perhaps the contemporary that you had the line that was coming in from Epcot. And that's where you had the collision.
At this time, it's really murky to understand.
I will tell you, though, that normally, at Disney, you don't have events that take place this late at night, around 12:30 or so. But, of course, during the holiday season, that's a big exception. We had, let's see, the SpectroMagic nighttime parade in downtown Disney at 12:30, right in the main strip.
So, you had a lot people that are out on the park -- a lot of families moving around. So, maybe just the sheer volume of people getting on. Of course, this mode of transportation, it was just -- again, just bad timing and just a tragic situation.
HOLMES: And, Reynolds -- Reynolds, I want to ask you, and I put this picture up to ask you, you may or may not know, my man, but we can see these trains here, these two monorails, one is red, one is blue. That mean anything to you?
WOLF: OK. To the best of my memory, again, this is, say, about five years or so ago, if I'm not mistaken, the red stripe indicates trains that stay right into the Magic Kingdom -- Magic Kingdom. But the other ones like, say, the one that's blue, that would normally feed away towards Epcot. I may be wrong, but just if memory serves, that's the -- that's the way it would be.
HOLMES: All right. Reynolds, we appreciate that.
And, again, we're looking at this picture here, folks. One monorail member, a cast member as Disney calls it -- all the people that work there, they call them cast members at Disneyworld -- dead after this crash at Disneyworld. It happened about 2:00 in the morning. We continue to pull in information and also pictures. We appreciate our iReporters helping us in telling the story this morning. We'll continue to bring those in to us as well.
We're taking a quick break and be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: A Muslim doctoral student at Georgia State University said she was discriminated against for wearing a head scarf and then punished for speaking up. But now, she wants justice from a court in Georgia along with the college professor who, by the way, is also the head of the Middle East Institute. She actually quit her job over this whole issue.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SELMA SHELBAYAH, FMR. GEORGIA STATE UNIVERSITY STUDENT: I feel like they're very angry at me.
BALDWIN (on camera): Because why?
SHELBAYAH: Because I complained and stood up for myself.
BALDWIN: Ever since she was 16, Selma Shelbayah has worn her hijab, a symbol of modesty in Islam. Not once, she says, has anyone ever discriminated against her appearance until this school year, when she says, her communications professor made a comment about her head scarf.
SHELBAYAH: She turns back to me and looks at my scarf, and I kind of had it back, maybe a little further back so you could see my bun, this is my hair, and she, you know, points to it and she said, "What is that a bomb?"
BALDWIN: According to the doctoral student, that was first of several comments Dr. Mary Stuckey made. Other comments she alleges in the complaint she filed with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission include, "What you have under there, bombs?" "Are you carrying any bombs on you today?" "By the way, don't worry that's the headdress not a bomb."
SHELBAYAH: So much of my work was given to Georgia State. It hurts that they didn't think twice before retaliated against me.
BALDWIN: Shelbayah says her professor did eventually apologize, but then -- as she calls it -- the retaliation began. She was told she could not continue on at GSU as both a doctoral student and a visiting instructor. And she was stripped of her title as director of a study abroad program.
DONA STEWART, GEORGIA STATE UNIVERSITY: Total, total shock.
BALDWIN: Dona Stewart was the director of Georgia State's Middle East Institute until this week, and these allegations of discrimination. STEWART: The way in which the college retaliated in the aftermath has sent a very clear signal around the university that if you're a faculty member or if you're in a position of power, it's OK to discriminate. For me, this is not necessarily a Muslim issue. It's a civil rights issue.
BALDWIN: In an e-mail to CNN, Dr. Mary Stuckey, said, quote, "I have to refer all inquiries to the university."
The university released this statement, quote, "The student's complaint against Professor Stuckey was addressed using university procedure and appropriate action was taken in September of 2008. It was Dona Stewart's decision to resign as director of Middle East Institute. While she has resigned as director, Dr. Stewart is still an employee of Georgia State University, and was recently promoted to full professor with the dean's support. In no way was retaliation taken against Professor Stewart nor the student as a result of the complaint."
As for Shelbayah, she says she is seeking justice. Right now, she finds comfort in family, colleagues and student support.
SHELBAYAH: We love you and are behind you. (INAUDIBLE). And (INAUDIBLE) means "my teacher."
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BALDWIN: Someone told me she has just recently decided to leave Georgia State.
HOLMES: And we got some new development on Iran to tell you about this morning. Josh Levs is going to checking on -- out things at our international desk this morning.
Good morning to you, Josh.
JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, hey, good morning to you, guys. We have some news. It's a critical statement now by an agency that is the backbone of Iran's religious establishment. We also have news from Britain on whether its embassy employees are being released.
(COMMERCIA BREAK)
HOLMES: And we got a statement this morning from an influential religious group in Iran, disputing the election results.
BALDWIN: Josh Levs on top of that story. Josh, what do you have?
LEVS: Yes, it's really interesting. Let me actually just go straight to the quote. This is by a very -- as you said -- very influential religious agency inside Iran. Keep in mind, we're talking about an Islamic republic and this is Qom. And this agency, you can see there, Association of Teachers and Researchers at the Qom Seminary School. It's thought of as really the backbone of religious establishment in Iran and they are slamming election results. This is part of their quote. "It's astonishing that an election, in plain sight of all, extensively used public funds in order to promote one of the candidates and employed government power to bring in votes."
And I got another quote for you here where they talked about government actions since the election. They say, "In a militarized security environment, they dragged the voice of people through violence, who were only demanding their rights, peacefully."
Now, the Iranian government, including the Guardian Council, has insisted that the elections were legitimate, that they checked on it. But this agency, including these religious authorities, have now come out in the opposite side, that will certainly have repercussions throughout the country, guys.
BALDWIN: Josh, what about, you know, there were the two British embassy employees detained ...
LEVS: Right.
BALDWIN: ... by Iranian authorities. There's news about one of them this morning.
LEVS: That's right. We do have some new news about one of them this morning. As you know, there's originally a group of them, several of them have been released and now, there's been some conversations about what's going to happen with the two.
Well, British Foreign Secretary David Miliband was on a program on the BBC and he said this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAVID MILIBAND, BRITISH FOREIGN SECRETARY: I spoke to our ambassador on a daily call last night and the good news is that he was told by the deputy foreign minister that the eighth person would indeed be released today, and that the papers have been signed, that there would not be a court process or charges. That leaves one more in custody and all of our efforts are now directed towards getting that person out.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEVS: He also went on to say -- and I'm going to use his quote -- "There will be consequences if Iran mistreats the one who remains in custody." So, there are still some questions ahead about whether there will be a trial or will not be a trial, what will happen to all those who have been arrested. Clearly, a lot of people focusing on that.
And you can get that latest details right here. It's on Iran election fallout page. All you got to do is click on Iran at the very top of CNN.com. We have the latest information about everything going on inside Iran right there for you. There you go, guys.
HOLMES: All right, Josh, we appreciate you this morning. Thank you so much.
BALDWIN: Thank you.
HOLMES: Also, to our viewers, we're keeping an eye on a major story this morning breaking out of Orlando, Disneyworld, where at least one person has been killed in a monorail accident. That one person, we understand, how Disney phrases it is a cast member. But that person was driving, was the operator of one of those monorails. No word yet on just how many people on board on those monorails when they collided. And also, no word on any other injuries to guests their at Disneyworld.
But this is one of the first pictures we are getting in coming to us from one of our iReporters. We are on top of this story, getting the latest for you.
Stay with us here on this CNN SUNDAY MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: Before we go, here's one last look at that picture, a breaking story out of Orlando. You see those two trains or two monorails down at Disneyworld colliding head on. This picture -- thanks to one of our iReporters. One of the eyewitnesses told me on the phone just a couple of minutes ago that he saw what look like a family of six inside one of the monorails. The family, hopefully, said to be OK, but we know, one the operators of those trains has died.
We'll stay on top of that story coming up in the 8 o'clock hour.
HOLMES: Yes. Brooke and I will be back at the top of the hour. More live news and update on that story and much more.
But first, I'm going to hand it over to "HOUSE CALL" with Dr. Sanjay Gupta.
