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CNN Saturday Morning News
Shooting Rampage Started at House; FBI: Actress Mailed Poison to Obama; Newark Mayor Cory Booker Officially Announces Senate Bid
Aired June 08, 2013 - 11:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
PAMELA BROWN, CNN ANCHOR: Live from the CNN Center in Atlanta, this is CNN SATURDAY MORNING. It is June 8th. Good morning, everyone -- great to have you here with us. I'm Pamela Brown.
A California community shaken after a shooting rampage that leaves four people dead. We're expecting an update from police today.
And Newark, New Jersey Mayor Cory Booker looking for a promotion to Capitol Hill -- a big announcement from him expected in just minutes from now.
And an actress is in big trouble for allegedly sending ricin tainted letters to the President. Surprising details about why she may have done it straight ahead.
Investigators have now identified one victim killed in a shooting spree in Santa Monica, California. The coroner's office says 68-year- old Carlos Navarro Franco was in his SUV. Police said yesterday the gunman fired at the red SUV as soon as he got into Santa Monica College's campus. A passenger in that car was also reportedly hurt, the car right here.
We're expecting to get an update from police in just about two hours from now and, of course, we're going to bring that to you live.
Now this rampage started yesterday morning at the home where it's believed the gunman's brother and father lived. Our Miguel Marquez takes us through the deadly day.
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MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): A deadly rampage rolling through the streets of Santa Monica. 11:52 a.m., the first 911 call. A man wearing all black clothing and tactical gear leaves this house. Inside two victims believed to be the shooter's father and brother.
JERRY CUNNINGHAM, NEIGHBOR: He was coming out of the house. The gate of the house across the street and then I noticed that house was on fire and I thought he had been firing into the house.
MARQUEZ: The gunman then jumped into a car forcing the driver with him. Minutes later he opened fire on a Santa Monica city bus. No deaths thanks to a quick thinking bus driver. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It happened right in front of me. I mean I was in my car and a guy on the left side of the street jumped out of a car with a big black gun and started blasting rounds at all of our cars and the buildings and the bus.
MARQUEZ: Then just minutes after that, the gunman shot up a building at an intersection in Santa Monica and then forces a driver to take him to Santa Monica College where the killing spree continued.
BETH TOPPING, WITNESS: I heard a couple of gunshot and someone came running into our office and told us that someone had a gun and to get out and so I instinctively ran into the hallway and when I got out there, I saw a gentleman dressed in all black.
MARQUEZ: The incident cut a mile-long deadly path through the heart of Santa Monica from the house that was set on fire to the library at Santa Monica College packed with students studying for finals.
JOE ORCUTT, WITNESS (via telephone): He just looked like he was standing there posing for the cover of an ammo magazine or something. It was really bizarre. Very calm, not running around, not yelling -- just looking around for targets very casually.
MARQUEZ: Less than 15 minutes after it started, it was over -- four victims and the gunman dead.
CHIEF JACQUELINE SEABROOKS, SANTA MONICA POLICE: The officers came in and directly engaged the suspect and he was shot and killed on the scene.
MARQUEZ: His body moved from the library and taken to a sidewalk where he was finally pronounced dead.
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BROWN: That was Miguel Marquez. And we are expecting a major political announcement any minute now. Cory Booker, the Mayor of Newark, New Jersey, is expected to announce that he's running for the U.S. Senate. It's the seat left vacant by the death of long-time Democratic Senator Frank Lautenberg who died earlier this week.
Earlier this we're before Lautenberg announced his retirement, Booker said he was thinking about running for the senate in 2014. After Lautenberg's passing, Governor Chris Christie announced there would be a special election in October to fill the seat and since yesterday Cory Booker's Web site has been soliciting campaign contributions for a senate run.
We're going to take you there live just as soon as Booker takes the podium. So be sure to stick around with us.
In another news today a pregnant actress in Texas is accused of mailing the ricin-laced letters to President Obama and New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg. And we're now getting a look at her mug shot. Here it is. This is Shannon Richardson. She was arrested yesterday in this bizarre case. CNN's Ed Lavandera has more. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Investigators escorted Shannon Richardson into a federal court building in Texarkana, Texas. FBI officials say Richardson has been charged with mailing a threatening communication to the President of the United States.
In her hometown of New Boston, Texas neighbors know this red head as Shannon Richardson but in Hollywood she's known as Shannon Guess, an actress who's appeared in minor roles on television shows like "The Walking Dead" and "Vampire Diaries".
It appears Shannon Richardson put on quite an act for federal investigators and tried to frame her husband in this real life drama. According to court documents Richardson met with authorities to say her husband had mailed three ricin-laced letters to President Obama, Mayor Michael Bloomberg and the head of a gun control advocacy group. The arrest warrant affidavit says Shannon Richardson placed castor beans in the trunk of her husband's cars and sprinkled ricin powder around his tools at their house to ensure that he would be apprehended.
Richardson also claimed to have found ricin research on the family's computer and suspicious material in the house. Investigators descended on the couple's home in this quiet neighborhood in New Boston last week in the far north east corner of Texas.
From the beginning, though investigators were suspicious of her story and now believe it was Shannon Richardson and not her husband who mailed the letters, which contained an ominous threat. "You will have to kill me and my family before you get my guns. The right to bear arms is my constitutional God given right. What's in this letter is nothing compared to what I've got planned for you."
Last week Mayor Bloomberg shrugged off the threat.
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MAYOR MICHAEL BLOOMBERG, NEW YORK: I've got more danger from lightning than from anything else and I'll go about my business and we're certainly going to keep working on getting guns off the streets from out of the hands of criminals and people with mental problems.
LAVANDERA: Shannon Richardson is now in custody for mailing the ricin letters and her husband filed for divorce on Thursday. Court documents cite quote, "Discord or conflict of personalities" as the reason for the breakup.
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BROWN: Thanks to Ed Lavandera for that report.
Nelson Mandela is in serious but stable condition at a Pretorius South African hospital. The former South African leader was hospitalized early this morning for a recurring lung infection. A spokesperson said he's now breathing on his own and receiving the best care possible. Mandela's history of lung problems go back to when he's a political prisoner that he has become more frail in recent years. And his 95th birthday right around the corner by the way.
The northeast is preparing for a soaking. Up next, we'll get a look at the latest path of the hurricane season's first slow moving soaker right after this break.
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BROWN: Let's go straight to Newark, New Jersey. That is where Kerry -- Cory Booker rather is about to take the podium we see right here. We're expecting him to throw his hat in the ring for a Senate bid. He's there shaking hands with politicians and we have been waiting for this.
We know that he launched an exploratory committee even before Senator Frank Lautenberg announced his retirement. As we know Frank Lautenberg -- Senator Frank Lautenberg passed away and now there's a special election coming up in October and let's take a listen now to Cory Booker.
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DONALD KATZ, CEO, AUDIBLE INC.: -- and he explain to be that he intended to go live in a housing project at Newark and run for public office and seek to make a difference for the people of the city. And I admit it seemed a little unlikely at the time.
That was 1997. The year Audible commercialized the first digital audio player along with another unlikely vision that these little digital devices would be everywhere one of these days.
But by 2007, awed by then Mayor Booker's progress, Audible decided to join in and we moved to Newark. We think the companies can do important work beyond serving and inventing on behalf of our customers around the world and this is why we're here to be part of Newark's comeback.
But this is an important day for -- for Newark it's for New Jersey and for the nation. So before we get to Mayor Booker it's my pleasure to introduce someone who is singularly adept at imagining better ways to govern, better ways to think.
Senator Bill Bradley has worked tirelessly for what ought to be the state of a just society. Bill served as you know as New Jersey's Senator for 18 years. He's without doubt one of our country's most brilliant students of public and private sector policy on a global plain.
I had the pleasure of watching him play basketball I've been interviewing him when I was a journalist and getting to know him as I was building a business and in all cases he stood above the crowd. Senator Bradley.
BILL BRADLEY, FORMER U.S. SENATOR: Thank you very much, Don. It's a pleasure for me to be here today. The first time that I met Cory Booker he was a recent college graduate and I was a U.S. senator. And he came to my office and we talked for a long while about politics and about life and I was impressed with his intelligence, his idealism, his empathy, his humility, and I thought you know he could be a leader someday. And so today when he is about to declare his candidacy for the Senate seat that I held for 18 years in New Jersey, it is a special moment for me.
In each of my three Senate campaigns I would one day set aside to go to all 21 counties in New Jersey in one day. From the wind and the trees in Sussex County to the smell of pumpkins in Salem County, to the dancing with senior citizens in Mercer County to the street energy and ethnic neighborhood of urban New Jersey, to the chocolate -- five- layer chocolate cake that I had at the end of that day at the Golden Star Diner in County, I felt love and I also felt the richness and the heart of New Jersey. And I did love it.
I want to say that today I challenge Cory Booker to go to all 21 counties in one day. And if you do, I will bequeath you my five-layer chocolate cake at the Gold Star Diner.
I always believe certain things about the potential of politics. That it's a noble enterprise. Not a dirty business. And that if you respect the people, listen to the people, level with the people, they'll give you the benefit of the doubt most of the time.
That's why in my 18 years, I would walk the New Jersey shore every summer encountering New Jerseyan and all of their diversity and opinions in the place where which we both loved. That's why I would stand at the port authority bus terminal in Newark at rush hour with 10,000 New Jerseyans passing me going ahead, going home, giving me an earful of whatever they were thinking that day.
And that's why every town meeting where -- when people came out after work and asked questions about their country, reminded me of the responsibility I had to the people and the opportunity I had to serve. I believe the right kind of politics allows us to see something bigger than ourselves. It allows politicians to appeal to our better nature and it allows citizens to have faith in their neighbors, in the people and in humankind.
The reason that I am here today is because I believe Cory Booker embodies that kind of politics and is that kind of leader. A leader who accepts the radical premise that you can tell people exactly what you believe and win. His record of accomplishment in Newark: parks, investment, even this company, this building; his ability to listen, really listen to people -- goodness knows we need more people in Washington that have ears and not mouths.
His understanding of what it is to struggle against economic odds when you're working and your spouse is working and you still can't quite make it. His understanding that poverty is a stain on all of us. His understanding of the need to cleanse our politics and his capacity to deal with complexity and see the connections between all of us, between global warming and tornadoes, between suburban and urban, between all peoples, of all parties, in all circumstances. I think makes him -- I think all of these reasons make him the right person for the right office at the right time. And I am very delighted to endorse his candidacy. I think he can be a great United States senator. He can put us in touch with our better selves and so as I said it's a pleasure to endorse his candidacy for the U.S. Senate in New Jersey.
MAYOR CORY BOOKER (D), NEWARK, NEW JERSEY: Good morning, everyone. It's an honor to stand here and before I say a word about Bill, I just want to thank everyone for coming. There's a lot of Newark residents here. There are a lot of people from all over the state.
Very humbly sitting in the seats over here is our county executive, Joseph DiVincenzo. I want to thank him for being here. I want to particularly give a thankful word to my pastor who is over my left shoulder and is a rock in my life and keeps my feet rooted in a spiritual foundation.
I want to know just tell you how special this moment is for me to have Senator Bill Bradley stand before you all and endorse my candidacy. I am more humbled by this moment and those words than you know. Bill Bradley was really my first model in public service that inspired in me the belief that politicians can make a difference. He has unequivocally been one of my life's great mentors.
It was a time in my life when I first really started reading about him which was not in New Jersey. I was at Stanford University. I read a speech he gave in the Senate on race and race relations in America. If you remember, this is the time when we had the Rodney King trial and the riots in Los Angeles. And when I read the kind of compassion, understanding and conviction to confront issues that politicians on a national level were not talking about.
It sealed him in my mind as a model to which I inspired to emulate. The more I learned about Senator Bradley and having this star that once graced national headlines as a basketball player have such a common and humble touch. He was the model.
When I first met him, he and I were debating this. But I was invited to see him on my way over to study in Oxford. I sat in his office and I was so nervous meeting Senator Bill Bradley in the United States Senate -- my first visit ever to the United States senate. And he put me at ease, talked to me, inspired me -- told me funny stories of his days in Oxford.
So I just want to say that from the early 1990s until this moment, Bill, you have been a source of inspiration to me, example, and wisdom. But more than that, the great privilege of my life is to stand here and tell you that Bill Bradley has been a friend and the right kind of friend. Some friends tell you what you want to hear but the good friends are the ones that tell you what you need to hear.
I'll never forget last summer when Bill Bradley walked up to me, without it -- before he even gave me a greeting and said "Cory Booker, you need to lose weight." Thank you, Bill, very much for privilege. I've done it -- and still more to go. It's very important to me at the outset that I acknowledge the service and the leadership of Senator Frank Lautenberg. As a senator and as a citizen, he has been one of the most impactful New Jerseyans. He was truly a giant in the United States senate. He was a giant for our state and a giant for our nation. From his service in World War II to his assiduous work and advocacy in the United States Senate, we are blessed by his contributions. And I say confidently that generations yet unborn will feel the impact of his leadership and contributions.
But I'm here today to officially announce my candidacy to be New Jersey's next United States senator.
BROWN: The mayor of Newark, New Jersey, Cory Booker, officially announcing that he's throwing his hat in the ring. He's running to take over the vacated seat by the late Senator Frank Lautenberg. He called the senator the late Senator Lautenberg a giant in the U.S. Senate. He also thanked some of his mentors -- Bill Bradley, a basketball player turned senator, as well as his pastor.
So let's get some political analysis here. We have a couple guests joining us today -- Donna Brazile, political contributor; Rick Tyler, former spokesperson for Newt Gingrich. Thank you both for being here with us.
Donna, I'm going to start with you. Cory Booker obviously a rising star in the Democratic Party and we've known -- we've known for a while that he was weighing whether he should throw his hat in the ring. Now he's officially announcing it. Does he have a competitive advantage, the fact that he started this process early or does the fact that there's a special election sooner than he expected hurt him in any way?
DONNA BRAZIL, CNN POLITICAL CONTRIBUTOR: Well, first of all, Cory Booker has been an outstanding leader not only in the city of Newark which he's led for the past eight years, but he's been a rising star not only among Democrats but someone that the nation will look to.
He's someone that can bring people together from all walks of life because he's walked it himself. Cory has demonstrated that you can bring, you know, business back to urban communities. He's a hands-on mayor. There were rumors last year that he might seek the governorship but then I guess he put the rumors out by, you know, basically telegraphing he wanted to be the next United States senator.
Of course in February when we heard that, we knew that he would not run for governor but he waited and of course the passing of the great Senator Lautenberg gives him this opportunity.
I just want to say that he's going to have some Democratic challenges in the primary. The primary which will be held in August for the special election, the general election in October, thanks to Chris Christie. But Frank Pallone, the congressman along with the other congressman, Rush Holt and maybe others might join the race.
But I think he has a national reputation. He is someone that knows how to get things done and I do believe that he will have an advantage over not just his primary opponents but also in a general election.
BROWN: Well, he certainly has garnered a lot of national attention. We know he's a prolific Twitter -- I just checked, 1.3 million followers on Twitter.
I want to ask you, Rick Tyler, what do you think? What is his main challenge here?
RICK TYLER, FORMER SPOKESPERSON FOR NEWT GINGRICH: I think the main challenge is -- look, Cory Booker is very popular. He's very popular in Hollywood. He's popular in Chicago. He's popular in D.C. In Newark not so much -- he's not supported by the party bosses. That support has gone between, as Donna mentioned, Rush Holt and Frank Pallon, who are, by the way, much more well-funded.
And the truth is if Cory Booker's rhetoric matched the reality of Cory Booker, he would have cleared the field and he would indeed be the next United States Senator from New Jersey. I don't believe he will because like President Obama he doesn't actually like to govern.
So the city can't borrow money against a new water system. Unemployment is higher than national average when you have the economic powerhouse of New York across the street. He laid-off 162 police officers as one of his first acts and closed three fire stations which might explain why he has to rush into buildings himself to save people. He couldn't secure a contract to clear the streets of snow so he decided to go out and shovel the snow himself.
Look, he is head of a failed city; spends more than half his time outside of Newark. He's earned over a million dollars in speeches giving 90 speeches in 32 different states -- this was reported by his local paper. "The New York Times" recently did a piece that outlined the economic, educational failure of Cory Booker.
So again, he gives great speeches. He'll give a great speech in education while most of the underprivileged children in Newark go to failing schools. In fact, they're not even controlled by Cory Booker, they're controlled by the governor because they're so bad.
BROWN: Rick Tyler -- Donna Brazile.
BRAZILE: Well now we know what the opposition will say. We know what the opposition will say --
TYLER: Thank you, Donna.
BRAZILE: -- and pretty much the opposition has not much record in trying to lead a major urban center like Newark. I do believe that he will have to answer some of those questions throughout the campaign. It's a very short campaign. He's the kind of leader that I do believe can articulate a vision not just for New Jersey but for the country.
And people looking for leaders like Cory Booker who brings integrity to the political process. I mean standing next to Bill Bradley, a man I'm pretty familiar with. He ran against Al Gore. We defeated him. He's a giant. Bill Bradley is a common sense pragmatic leader. Cory Booker will have a great shot at it.
BROWN: All right. Donna Brazil -- all right, there you said it. Donna Brazile, Rick Tyler, it's sure to be a hotly contested race. We'll certainly keep our eye on it. Thank you both for adding your political analysis. We appreciate it.
Still ahead on CNN SATURDAY MORNING --
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The job you create for yourself is the most stable job you could have.
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BROWN: We'll show you how the economy is pushing many in the workforce to change their idea of the typical job.
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BROWN: Breaking news this morning, Serena Williams defeats Maria Sharapova 6-4, 6-4 to claim her second French Open championship. It's her first French Open title since 2002.
In other news, the U.S. economy is holding its own right now; 175,000 jobs were added in the month of May. That's more than analysts expected and better than we did back in April, but the unemployment rate bumped up 0.1 percentage point to 7.6 percent.
With the unemployment number slowing just a slight change, some workers are finding their own way to cope with the lack of reliable jobs. They're creating their own jobs.
Tom Foreman has this week's "American Journey".
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TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): When this small tech company began out in Kansas, one of the founders, Dan Carroll, knew he needed virtually no permanent staff, just talented temporary workers hired when needed and ready to embrace a new professional mantra.
DAN CARROLL, LEAP 2: I guess sort of the idea that the job you create for yourself is the most stable job you could have.
FOREMAN (voice-over): He's not alone.
One business study estimates there are already more than 17 million Americans who no longer work for companies, but sell their skills day by day. And that number could jump to 23 million in the next few years.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, freelancing is happening everywhere.
FOREMAN (voice-over): At the Freelancers Union in New York, the founder, Sara Horowitz, knows all about it. SARA HOROWITZ, FREELANCERS UNION: It's really a phenomenon where people are hardworking and they're just putting together a bunch of projects and they work in fields ranging from being a doctor to a programmer to being a nanny.
FOREMAN (voice-over): Not much like a traditional union, her group helps its members take on all the tasks that employers used to manage: networking for the next job, marketing their skills, and the toughest part, managing health care. By combining their purchasing power, she says group members get insurance for 40 percent less than it would cost them individually.
And for all the headaches --
HOROWITZ: Because they don't work 9:00 to 5:00, they can be home when their kids come home from school. They can still do the things they love, the projects that many of us say, well, we'll do that when we retire.
FOREMAN (voice-over): And she suspects many freelancers, despite some economic jitters, are feeling more free because they left the everyday office behind -- Tom Foreman, CNN, Kansas City.
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BROWN: Up next, how the president is looking to improve U.S.-China ties.
And former South African leader Nelson Mandela is in the hospital this morning. We go live to Johannesburg for the latest on his condition.
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BROWN: Breaking news now, the alleged shooter in the Santa Monica rampage, our Susan Candiotti joins us now from New York with some new information.
Susan?
SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Pamela.
Well, as you know, we have not yet learned the name of the alleged gunman in this case. However, we do now have some more information about him.
According to a law enforcement source with knowledge of the investigation, the alleged gunman in the Santa Monica shootings had suffered from mental health illness. Now apparently a couple years ago, according to our source, he had been hospitalized for treatment of this illness after he allegedly talked about harming someone.
Now, apparently there were no charges filed at the time. That remains unclear. However, he was hospitalized for treatment. Now, it also is unclear when he was released from the hospital and whether the state hospitalized him, put him in there for treatment, or whether his family did or whether he committed himself.
These are all additional details we're learning about him, but hope to learn more, of course, at a news conference which is scheduled for 1 o'clock Eastern time.
What little else we know about him is that he was between the ages, according to police, of 25 to 35 years old and, of course, witnesses describe him as wearing black tactical gear and that he was armed with a semiautomatic rifle.
Of course he went on the shooting rampage that started about noontime local time, off campus at a house near Santa Monica College and then apparently allegedly hijacked a car, shot up a passing bus, went on to the campus, shot some people at a library and eventually was gunned down by police himself.
So there are four people, in all, dead at this time. One of the victims has been identified by police as Carlos Navarro Franco, age 68, of West Los Angeles. He was the driver of an SUV, who was allegedly gunned down as part of this shooting rampage.
So this is important new information that we are learning about the background of this man, Pamela, but as yet we have no name.
BROWN: Certainly a big development there, Susan, as we piece together who this person was, what his motive was. And as you mentioned, we hope to learn more at that 1:00 pm Eastern time press conference.
Thank you so much, Susan.
Nelson Mandela is in serious but stable condition at a hospital in Pretoria, South Africa. The former South African leader was hospitalized early this morning for a recurring lung infection. Robyn Curnow joins us live from Johnsonburg.
And Robyn, you have been following this story for us. First, what's an update on his condition? At last check he was in serious condition.
ROBYN CURNOW, CNN HOST: Absolutely nothing else from authorities here in South Africa. In fact, we've had no update on his condition in the last 10 to 12 hours, and it's probably unlikely we're going to have anything any time soon.
This is a country which doesn't give a lot of information, a lot of detail on the health of former presidents. But we do know, as you said, was that they said earlier that he was serious, which is key. They never used that language before.
At the same time, the presidential spokesperson coming out also, saying that he was stable and that he was breathing on his own, which is also very important news. But in terms of this lung infection, this recurring lung infection, it is serious. It's pneumonia and, in a 94- year-old man, that can even be fatal. This is what the presidential spokesperson, Mac Maharaj, had to say about that.
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MAC MAHARAJ, PRESIDENTIAL SPOKESPERSON: Lung infections can spread very fast. I'm not a specialist in the matter, but it does affect people, a person's breathing, can be very serious and life threatening.
And I think that the doctors would be very, very careful when they're dealing with anyone his age. He has a history of proneness to this infection. It is containable. But it has to be simply looked at in the context of his age and frailty.
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CURNOW: OK, and we know that his wife, Graca Machel, is with him now at his bedside.
BROWN: And what we also know, Robyn, is he is a (inaudible) fighter as we've seen so many other times, so, of course, we hope that he pulls through this.
Thank you so much, Robyn.
Coming up on CNN SATURDAY MORNING, Anthony Bourdain borrows something from Queen Elizabeth to help him get to "PARTS UNKNOWN" of the Congo.
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ANTHONY BOURDAIN, CNN HOST: And now, for better or worse, we get that chance.
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BROWN: Welcome back, everyone. This weekend, Anthony Bourdain heads to the Congo and he finds a unique way to get around the country.
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BOURDAIN (voice-over): And roads, forget it. Certainly nothing even remotely safe between Goma and where we're headed.
BOURDAIN: We're flying to Kisangani (ph). This is the preferred route.
BOURDAIN (voice-over): So we've chartered a bush plane, formerly Queen Elizabeth's flying wardrobe. When the Queen traveled, presumably in her younger years, her clothes followed in this beast -- or so we're told.
BOURDAIN: I have not seen this model plane before -- a first for me.
BOURDAIN (voice-over): Of course, you learn to take nothing for granted in the Congo.
Just as we're about to take off, thunder, lightning.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't see what the problem is. The weather looks fine to me.
BOURDAIN: Let's get this thing airborne.
BOURDAIN (voice-over): Best to wait this one out a little.
Crashes are pretty commonplace. Not so long ago a plane with nearly 100 people on board went down on the same route we're taking today.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Most planes that crash in Congo crash because of the weather, right?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. Most of the time, yes.
BOURDAIN: Not us?
Don't worry.
(LAUGHTER)
BOURDAIN (voice-over): The weather clears up -- sort of. So we decide to give it a go.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When the weather is very bad, stay on the ground.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What about rebels? They shooting at the planes?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No. Normally, no.
(LAUGHTER)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK. We see you after your trip.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, yes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK. Have a good one.
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BROWN (voice-over): And Bourdain did make it to his destination, by the way. You can watch his season finale trip to the Congo on CNN. That's tomorrow night at 9:00 pm. You don't want to miss it.
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BROWN (voice-over): Today two sick children are a step closer to getting the new lungs they need to survive. The latest on the ongoing battle over the nation's transplant policies, up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) BROWN: Two children in desperate need of lung transplants are hoping they will get the operation soon. A ruling this week makes them more quickly eligible for receiving adult lungs. National correspondent Jason Carroll has all the details.
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JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Javier Acosta's family is hoping he has a better chance at surviving. The 11-year old has cystic fibrosis and needs a lung transplant.
So, too, does 10-year-old Sarah Murnaghan.
SARAH MURNAGHAN, TRANSPLANT HOPEFUL: "Twinkle, twinkle little star..."
CARROLL (voice-over): She suffers from the same disease; both are at the same hospital in Philadelphia, each family praying a lung donor will come in time now, thanks to a federal judge's decision.
JANET MURNAGHAN, SARAH'S MOTHER: We sat down and we explained the system a little bit and in a way that she could understand. She had a lot of hope last night when I explained that to her.
CARROLL (voice-over): Earlier this week, Judge Michael Baylson ordered the Department of Health and Human Services to temporarily suspend the policy in Sarah and Javier's case, which had prevented all children under the age of 12 from receiving priority in the adult pool of patients waiting for transplants.
Lung donations from children are rare, but children can use a modified lung from an adult. And since there are more lung donations from adults, the Murnaghans say what should happen now is clear.
JANET MURNAGHAN: The system needs to be changed. It needs to be fair for everyone, for adults and for children. I don't want Sarah in front of anyone who is sicker. But this should be the sickest person first.
CARROLL (voice-over): Javier's family knows the pain of waiting all too well. In 2009, his brother, who also had cystic fibrosis, died while waiting for a transplant.
The Murnaghans initiated the lawsuit against HHS and Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, urging her to change the so-called under-12 rule.
Sebelius was questioned about it during a budget hearing.
KATHLEEN SEBELIUS, HHS SECRETARY: The worst of all worlds in my mind is to have some individual pick and choose who lives and who dies. I think you want a process where it's guided by medical science and medical experts.
CARROLL (voice-over): The HHS has declined to comment on the ongoing legal matter. On Monday the United Network for Organ Sharing -- that's the organization that manages the list and works with HHS -- will hold an emergency meeting to review its lung allocation policy.
The lawyer representing both families says the organization should do more than just review it.
STEPHEN HARVEY, ATTORNEY: I think the prudent thing to do would be to suspend the policy pending further review.
CARROLL: Suspending the policy is not entirely out of the question. In a copy of the letter from the United Network for Organ Sharing, written to Secretary Sebelius earlier this week, if says if their committee finds the available data, suggests a change is warranted, the committee would be able to approve it -- Jason Carroll, CNN, New York.
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BROWN: We'll be right back.
And, by the way, if you're leaving the house right now, just a reminder: you can continue watching CNN from your mobile phone. You can also watch CNN live from your laptop. All you have to go is go to CNN.com/TV.
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BROWN: "CNN NEWSROOM" starts at the top of the hour and we are joined now by Fredricka Whitfield.
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BROWN: Good to see you as well.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: We've got a lot straight ahead beginning at noon Eastern hour. Of course you know the president is hosting the Chinese president in Rancho Mirage, California; we will be awaiting comments from both of the presidents and bring them to you as soon as we can in the noon Eastern hour.
Also our legal guys, Avery and Richard, will be with us, per usual this time talking about the more than 300 charges imposed against this man, Ariel Castro, involving the alleged kidnapping of the three young girls, who are now free. We're going to talk about the road ahead for that suspect.
And then 3 o'clock Eastern time, we'll get an update from authorities out of Santa Monica, California, a day after that shooting rampage shocking the community there and, of course, the college campus.
All that and more straight ahead, that 3 o'clock Eastern time, but, of course, you want to hang with us all day because we've got --
BROWN: Of course -- and new information on that story from our Susan Candiotti, she's been working her sources. So, so much news going on today.
WHITNEY: That's right.
BROWN: We'll tune in, thanks so much, Fred, we appreciate it. And still ahead, you may know him from "The Matrix" or perhaps the "Bill and Ted" movies -- remember them? Well up next, Keanu Reeves takes CNN's George Stroumboulopoulos -- get it right -- for a ride. Whoo. That's a relief.
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BROWN: I practiced it a few times.
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