sorry, this has actually never happened to me. i will consider it my christmas present that you actually played the short version. i appreciate that. any event, with the holiday travel season nearly upon us, let's all try to make flying more pleasant. let's make a pact to turn off our phones, pull up our pants and get ready for the takeoff on the ridiculist. thanks for watching. erin burnett "outfront" starts now. a developing story at virginia tech. two people dead after a campus shooting. this just four years after the shooting that claimed 33 lives at that school. a mother, father and their children, students at the

university, come "outfront." iran says the united states sent its most sophisticated drone about 160 miles into iranian territory. we've got that letter and pictures of the drone in tact. it's got american technology for the taking. exclusively tonight, the iranian ambassador to the u.n. comes "outfront." and tax increase countdown. republican and democratic proposals to extend the payroll tax cut voted down today. let's go "outfront". i'm erin burnett. "outfront" tonight two people dead after a shooting on the campus of virginia tech. it was a scene that was hauntingly familiar to the tragedy that riveted the nation 33 lives lost on the campus four years ago with a shooter. it began today shortly after noon when a gunman walked up to a campus police car and opened fire, killing the officer. one emotional student witnessed the policeman being gunned down. >> the police pulled up and they opened his car door. and when they opened it, he just fell out towards the ground. and then they immediately started reviving him. and i guess the officer didn't make it because they just covered him with a sheet. >> the campus was placed under lockdown as the shooter fled to

lockdown as the shooter fled to a nearby parking lot where police later found the body of what appeared to be a second victim. for more than four hours, students, faculty and parents were left in the dark as police tried to find the shooter. the gunman, described as a white male wearing gray sweatpants, a gray hat with neon green brim and a maroon hoodie as well as a backpack has yet to be formally identified. the lockdown was lifted about 4:30 this afternoon after police said there was no longer an active threat. >> since the time of the second incident, there have been no other founded reports of any threat to the campus. >> investigators say they found a weapon near the body of the victim in the garage and have identified that man as the shooter. now, today's response from police and campus police was a stark contrast to the massacre at virginia tech in 2007 when a shooter went on a rampage that

left 33 dead, including himself, and then committed suicide. let's go to athen jones in blacksburg tonight. what can you tell us? >> reporter: certainly as you mentioned, the lockdown was lifted a little after 4:30 in the afternoon. we know the reason there was so much attention for the story not just the simple fact so many lives were at stake and they already had two people dead, but of course that horrible incident back on april 16 of 2007 when you had that 23-year-old troubled student who went on a shooting rampage. it's interesting because this event came on the same day that you had the head of campus police and the head of emergency management in washington, d.c., appealing a department of education fine, a $55,000 fine they levied against the school for failing to inform students quickly enough during that rampage back in 2007. that's interesting that this should occur on that day. but we're still waiting to hear more details regarding motive. during the press conference that ended about an hour and a half ago, one of the authorities said that investigators feel

confident that they've located the person responsible for the shooting. they said we can't give you specifics, but you can read between the lines. motive is still unclear though. we know that about 8:00 there's supposed to be a campus vigil -- a candlelight vigil on campus not far from here. we're not far from the scene, maybe about 100 or 150 yards from the scene of that first shooting. but, again, we're still awaiting more details regarding motive on the identity of the suspect and of course on the identity of this police officer who was killed. all we know know is that he was a four-year veteran of the virginia police department. >> thank you very much. we appreciate it. live from blacksburg tonight. let's bring in some parents whose children were in the lockdown today. thank you very much for being with us tonight. and i know you had a child who was a student at virginia tech back in 2007 when that horrible incident happened where 33 people lost their lives. when did you find out that there was a similar situation today?

>> this afternoon when i was at work, my daughter texted me and then she called me and said, "mom, did you get my text?" and i said "no" and she said "read it and call me right back." i read it and called her right back and i couldn't believe that there was a shooter on campus and that they were in lockdown. she was in the dining hall when she sent me the text. >> and what was your reaction when you heard about this today given that you are a parent of a child four years ago? >> well, i was out in southern west virginia and i didn't have a cell connection immediately at that point, but i did get an e-mail on my phone. and as soon as i did, i was able to get in touch with my son and confirm that he was in his apartment and he was safe. and i got a little bit of the information about what he knew

what was going on at the time. >> well, let's bring him in now. russell, you heard your dad talking about how he reacted when he heard from you. what happened today? >> well, virginia tech sent out their alerts around 12:40. that's the first time i heard about it. and they seemed to keep us informed with how much information they knew at the time. and they kept us updated throughout the day. like my dad said, i was at my house, my apartment that i live in. so i was a little bit out of the danger. >> were you scared for your sister? >> oh, yeah. well, my sister let me know that she was in west end and that everything had been locked down and there was a big police presence, as you've probably seen in the news footage from around the day.

some of the surrounding counties came to the police force and seemed to have the situation under control as much as they could. >> let's bring in elizabeth, a student at virginia tech. were you afraid? >> i got the text on my phone and found out the shooting had occurred at the lot where we were, off of the dining hall, but i knew that the police were taking care of everything and getting the ball rollinging on finding the shooter. >> how long did it take to get in touch with your brother? >> not that long. the phone lines were tied up because everyone has verizon around here. i was able to find out they were safe.

>> does this make you feel differently about your children, your twins, finishing at virginia tech now that this happened while they were there and also when your son was there back in 2007, or no? are you still confident this is a good place for your kids to go to school? >> my oldest son, keith, graduated in '07. he was a senior when that incident happened where 33 people were killed. the virginia tech campus and the college and the university, we've been very pleased with it. it has a great mix of rigorous educational atmosphere with opportunities for the kids to have a great college experience. and i think he experienced that. and my -- our twins have had great opportunities at that university. and as you can see this time,

they've been very proactive in getting the messages out. similarly for us, i was able to find out back in '07 from my son about what was unfolding before i ever knew about it on the news. it was early morning on that day. and he called me and let me know. so we're very pleased with the university. and this most recent incident doesn't change our opinion. >> melody, as a mother, do you feel the same way? or do you think there is something amiss about the fact this could happen twice in the same place? >> i feel that it's a safe place for them to be or we wouldn't have sent our twins there after having our son been there. i have to admit i was pretty shaken this afternoon with the news when my daughter contacted me. but i knew the kids were safe at all times. they were in lockdown and they were being contacted by the university about what to do.

in fact, after they found the second person this afternoon, they still kept the kids under lockdown. and they were still safe. >> right. >> i feel like -- i feel comfortable with them graduating from there. i still think it's a wonderful university. and i think they're very safe there. i think something like this could happen just about anywhere really today. and i'm pleased with their reaction and how they handled it today. >> all right. we could see from you, russell, i'm assuming very much calm and in control. jim, melody, russell, thanks to all three of you. we appreciate it. >> thank you. still "outfront," former new jersey governor jon corzine answering questions about mf global and the missing money. biggest failure for a bank since lehman brothers in this

county. and washington's attempt to extend the payroll tax cuts. i say attempt because democratic and republican proposals failed today. will we get a tax increase at the end of the month? and iran calling the lost drone an act of hostility in their letter to the u.n. today. we have an exclusive interview with the ambassador next. show me how to keep more retirement money in my pocket. now and down the road. those are my terms. then this is your place. td ameritrade, where millions of investors plan for retirement on their terms. [ male announcer ] trade commission-free for 60 days. plus get up to $600 when you open an account.

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former mf global ceo jon corzine answering questions from the members of the house agriculture committee today. representatives were trying to find out what happened to the roughly $1.2 billion missing from customer accounts. corzine was apologetic and at no time invoked fifth amendment rights. he answered every question. but he didn't say very much. to sum it up, he said he didn't intend to break any rules, he doesn't know where the money is and he didn't get much time to prepare for the hearing. which brings us to our number tonight, 151. that's how many minutes our producer will never get back in her life after we forced her to watch every single one of those minutes.

and now to hyperpartisan politics in washington. republicans and democrats don't seem to compromise on anything. and today, senate republicans blocked president obama's pick to head the new consumer financial protection bureau. and they admit it's not because they don't even like the guy. it's because they don't like the agency he'll be leading. which brings us to the political play of the day, and that means it brings us to john avalon. >> that's right, erin. today's political play of the day is blocked. the filibusters are flying in washington, d.c. you might remember earlier this year, president obama wanted to nominate elizabeth warren to head the newly created consumer financial protection bureau. now republicans said that nomination would be d.o.a. so she went home to massachusetts to run for senate against scott brown and president obama put forward richard cordray. by all accounts, respected former attorney general from ohio. for what it's worth, a five-time

"jeopardy!" winner. and somebody working in the agency right now. today as you said his nomination went up to the capital and he was blocked. he got 53 votes, but not enough to clear the 60-vote hurdle needed to break a filibuster the republicans put forward. here's the thing, it's not that he's considered too extreme, incompetent or doesn't understand the agency. it's that republicans said they don't want the position to exist unless serious reforms are made to the agency. senator warren hatch said just that. let's take a listen. >> none us have a problem with richard cordray, at least to my knowledge. the reason we voted against him is we suggested to the president this cfpc, this consumer agency, has abject power over credit in this country. >> now, president obama digging in his heels and vowing to fight forward with this nomination. let's take a listen to the press conference today. >> so i just want to send a message to the senate we are not giving up on this. we are going to keep ongoing at it. >> this is far from the only case of blocking and tackling in washington.

just yesterday, caitlan halligan was nominated by president obama to join the d.c. circuit court. yesterday she had a vote. 54 votes in favor, but not enough to clear the republican filibuster, the first filibuster of a senior judicial nomination in over five years. now, look, we've seen this sort of thing before. democrats and republicans both do it. remember this name? miguel estrada. he was nominated by president bush to serve on the same d.c. circuit court and he was blocked by senate democrats at the time. not because he wasn't a respected conservative jurist, also a honduran immigrant, but ironically like catlin halligan feared they might become superior court nominees. the filibuster stops government from working. leads to broken government. remember the movie "mr. smith goes to washington"? it's one of my favorite movies. in it, jimmy stewart stands on

the floor of the senate, at risk of kidney, fighting for what he believed for and it used to be that way. now it's a parliamentary maneuver. staffers file paperwork and the numbers grown in filibusters from one to over 70 a year. here's the problem with the all the blocking and tackling in washington. it's going to continue unless we see filibuster reform. more good people will get caught in the cross fire and we'll have more broken government until at least the next election and probably going forward. >> maybe just a parliamentary system. let's just throw the whole thing out. >> how about just one man, one vote, 51 majority makes it? my bad. >> all right. this big stalemate on capitol hill, in addition to what john is talking about, which is amazing is whether to extend the payroll tax cut. as you know, that is expiring at the end of this month. today, the senate voted down both republican and democratic "compromised proposals." apparently what appears to the side opposing it isn't to the side receiving it. i want to bring in democratic strategist tim punk and

republican strategist cheri jacobus along with john avalon. let me ask you what's going on here, cheri. president says he won't go on vacation until they get this done. we know something's going to happen by the end of the month, right? >> yeah. something's going to have to happen. both sides lose if they let this go, obviously. i think there is a way, and republicans are providing the president a path to be able to claim partial victory and show he can work with congress. the problem is the president wants to run against congress even at the risk of hurting some of his democratic members. republicans want to add the keystone pipeline issue on to the payroll tax holiday and have that combined. the payroll tax holiday is not a sustainable economic growth item by itself. the keystone pipeline project is. i mean one is a one-hit wonder and the other the gift that keeps on giving, but the president wants to delay the keystone issue. he's saying i don't want this attached to it. he's threatening to veto the bill. but we have democrats that support both of those proposals as well. so i think the president could find himself between a rock and a hard place because it looks like he's pandering to the far

left environmental base of the party. >> keystone pipeline, he did acknowledge there would be jobs, but in terms of plans put forth today, there was much more negativity in terms of the voting towards the republican proposal than the democratic one which included the surtax on millionaires, tim. >> that's right. i think it's funny. jay carney had the best line of the day when he said what happened to republicans being for tax cuts? i think the issue is exactly what you say which is the republicans have had an incredibly confusing message on the payroll tax cut. initially, you had republicans including mitt romney saying they were opposed to the extension, now that position has changed. but now the issue is what are we going to get in return for it? sort of holding it hostage to other demands. you're seeing a lot of unrelated proposals, like the keystone pipeline and other things, like the repeal of parts of obama's health care. i think it's sending a confusing message to the americans. and this view that america has a broken government. >> actually, i have to disagree. i think what this is is a path

to victory for both sides because you have house members, senate members, democrats too that want to go home for the holidays and talk about something positive how they're working together. so i think ultimately while there are some republicans cheering and saying this is a way to maybe hold obama's feet to the fire, this actually can look like a very good compromise for both sides if the president wants to do that rather than run against congress. >> let's be honest, the pipeline has nothing to do with the payroll tax cut. it's artificial. the problem is political brinksmanship. they're trying to merge them together. what s&p warned us about when they did their downgrade, these folks can't get together when they get on gold. they're playing the brinksmanship and see more concern about blaming the other guy and. >> we know they're going to get a vacation. >> maybe they shouldn't. >> keystone provides a lot of jobs. and as i said, that is a sustainable economic growth item. so it is related. and it is what some republicans need to feel better about the payroll tax holiday. they're looking to compromise.

>> you know you could attach the obama jobs bill to the proposal as well. look, if everybody agrees, i think that's right. everybody agrees the payroll tax cut has to be extended. it's a question of how it gets done. what you're seeing is americans very confused about the republican message on this. >> they're just confused in general about why nobody down there can get anything done. thanks very much to all three of you. we appreciate it. "outfront" next mitt romney continues to battle with newt gringrich. they're both heading to iowa. will his new campaign ad be enough to turn the tide. and our exclusive interview with ambassador to iran from the united nations about the drone. a in a great tasting gummy. one a day, gummies for grown-ups.

so we do a lot of serious shows -- serious stories on this show. but this one is a little more seriously? alec baldwin deactivated his twitter account yesterday, which means his online feud with american airlines has, you know, gone to another format. but there's another dust-up gone largely unnoticed even though it is so much bigger than the usual feuds. this one's a real war, seriously. a nato run component of the mission run in afghanistan is isaf. they tweet updates under the handle @isaf media. they tweeted this. but then another user replied with this. 4,000-plus coalition forces

couldn't stop -- i'm sorry, i can't say the name of the place. 400 puppets won't last for long. that's a pretty specific response, probably because balky claims to be a spokesperson for the taliban. that's right. nato and the taliban started a twitter feud. better than the regular kind of feud that they have over there. the online dialogue continued with isaf posting, responding and vice versa, and the tone was surprisingly cordial and occasionally even slightly humorous until november 17th when this exchange led to this. your officials admitted to it, dumb dumb. and how can you talk about taliban when you cut fingers? et cetera. then dumb dumb how the dialogue elevates. everything you type is wrong. just stop. dumb dumb. seriously. but it didn't stop and the feud has continued right up to this week, almost five months since their war of words began. it's still informative. you should check it out. oh, and let me know what you think about this story by tweeting me @erin burnett.

seriously. still "outfront," the "outfront" five. >> it's scary. >> a chilling clue. >> why was that film where it was? >> branson's idea. >> by next christmas will be up, up and away with virgin galactic. >> all this "outfront" in our second half. fore! no matter what small business you are in, managing expenses seems to... get in the way. not anymore. ink, the small business card from chase introduces jot an on-the-go expense app made exclusively for ink customers. custom categorize your expenses anywhere. save time and get back to what you love. the latest innovation. only for ink customers.

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we start this second half of our show with stories we care

about where we focus on our own reporting, do the work and find the "outfront" five. first up, it was a down day for stocks. the dow down by 198 points. selling accelerated into the close when investors learned germany might reject some proposed measures coming out of the eu summit. the summit crucial for the market and the american economy. market wants signs that leaders are going to solve the debt crisis. it's weighing on the global economy. number two, former penn state coach sandusky posted bail this afternoon, less than 24 hours after being arrested again on sexual abuse charges. we told you this might happen and it did. sandusky posted $250,000 and was placed on house arrest. he'll be monitored by an electronic bracelet. his wife issued a statement that said, in part, "i continue to believe in jerry's innocence and all the good things he has done." ten victims have now accused sandusky of sexually abusing them. number three, we have new

surveillance video that shows dominique strauss-kahn leaving a new york city hotel after allegedly assaulting a maid. the video which you see him there walking out was first obtained by french channel bfmb. it appears to show a casual exit from the lobby into a cab. this contradicts description by investors that he fled the scene in a rush. the video also shows the alleged victim in a hotel hallway. prosecutors later dropped the charges against strauss-kahn. the picture was brighter for continuing claims for unemployment, those people filing benefits for two weeks or more. those fell by 171,000 to 3 million -- 3,583,000. sound like a lot, but we checked and it is the lowest level since september of 2008. that is when all of this began.

it has been 125 days since the u.s. lost its top credit rating. what are we doing to get it back? a new report from the federal reserve shows that the amount of household debt americans held -- hold fell by 1.2% in the third quarter. the big reason was a drop in mortgage debt. that's important. working on the biggest problem we've got, which is housing. well, we see mitt romney smiling on the campaign trail, but behind the grin, you know he's feeling the heat. all he has to do is look to see who's in front of him. that's right. newt gringrich. he is the man in front of the gop pack, gathering steam. and with iowa just around the corner, romney knows he has to recharge his campaign. and he's doing that, in part, with a new ad that offers him up as a family man. >> i've been married to the same woman for 25 years -- i get in trouble, for 42 years. i've been in the same church my entire life. i worked at one company for 25 years. >> what did you think? it's the devout husband and father that's being pitched in the spotlight. a nice image, but is he taking a shot at newt, who obviously, as

we all know, has been married several times. if he's not, others definitely are and they're going after him newt gringrich's record in washington. sharpest attacks coming from former governor of new hampshire. pleasure to have you with us, governor sununu. >> hope you're enjoying your new show. >> i am. i'm having fun. and i'm thrilled you're here tonight because i know you don't mince words. how frustrated are you at the rise of newt gringrich? >> not frustrated. it's just his turn to be scrutinized. and the other candidates have gone through it and people have to understand that there's more to qualifying someone to be a nominee or a president than a few 30-second soundbites in a debate. so people are looking at what newt gringrich is, what positions he's taken and what he has done. and i think, for example, the last thing he did, or a couple weeks ago, he undermined paul ryan and the house republicans, who put together a very smart and conservative package to deal with the deficit and entitlement

problems, entitlement reform. for him to go out and cut their legs off by saying that it was conservative social engineering is a perfect example of newt gingrich preferring to do things that boost himself rather than recognizing that this was a good conservative plan, good for the country, good for america and good to be passed. >> some might say it's the mark of a real leader that can stand up to his own party and say this is my idea, i think this should be different. maybe that's why he's rising in the polls. >> well, then the conservatives he's turned his back on should recognize the fact that he's not a conservative. and people that care about that point to other things, his endorsement and co-sponsoring of legislation in 1989 with nancy pelosi, supporting climate warming and federal funding for abortions, is the same kind of thing turning his back on conservatives that he did to paul ryan.

and that's a pattern -- that's a pattern that has to be talked about as we move into the primaries. >> governor sununu, thank you very much. we appreciate it. and the governor held a conference call today trying to highlight some of what they call position switching, others call flip-flopping by newt gingrich, john avalon is here. obviously that is something that is very effectively been pointed at mitt romney. >> that is. and there's no small irony in that. we now see romney's plan b. a big part of it is release the hounds. his surrogates are on the attack against newt gingrich. it's very ironic. they're saying newt is not conservative enough and he's a flip-flopper, precisely what mitt romney's opponents accuse him of. on the one hand, part of plan b is humanize the candidate, make a mistake about how long he's been aging. but the surrogates are on the attack and the lines of attack are fascinating, exactly the things romney's being accused of. >> will it work? >> they better hope because right now romney realizes he has to run from behind. this inability plan has

imploded so he's going to compete all out. if he doesn't, january could be a real rough month for mitt romney. >> thank you very much. let us know what you think everyone. in the meantime, the story we were "outfront" on from the united arab emirates. i'm talking about the cia drone downed in iran. to u.n. chief ban-ki moon. the iranians say the drone flew about 150, 160 miles into their air space and shot down. the letter says that iran "emphasizes that this blatant and unprovoked air violation by the united states government is tant amount to an act of hostility against the islamic republic of iran." today, iran was showing off the drone on its state tv.

here it is, certainly stealth-like and gleaming white unmanned aircraft. completely in tact though. leading some to believe if it's the real one. pentagon officials have been leading the media in a direction that they think it is likely real. some insiders say they have no reason to believe it's not authentic. others wonder about how it is intact. just a short time ago, i spoke on the phone with the iranian ambassador to the united nations, mohammad khazaee, for an exclusive interview about the drone. here he is. >> ambassador, thank you so much for being with us. >> thank you. >> let me ask you what happened. we saw the pictures of the drone on iranian state television today. did iranian authorities shoot the drone down? >> they did not shoot the drone down. actually, they brought it down by their own ways and means that they know, and i'm not in the position to discuss technicality of the act, but it was brought down in about 150 miles or 250 kilometers deep into iranian

territory in a province which i'm coming from that area as well in the military region in the city that you may be familiar with. >> yes. so you're saying you didn't shoot it down but your technology was able to bring it down? are the electronics intact on the drone? >> i do not know the details. if i know, i'm not in the position to discuss those details. >> if the drone is intact, as it appears from the pictures on iranian television with the electronics, would you return it to the united states or what would be your plans to do with it? >> this is a decision that should be made by the iranian officials to do -- what to do with the plane.

>> and no chance you would share the drone with china or something like that? >> why we should share it with china? >> i don't know. i was just wondering. some people you know, americans get worried about technology being shared with china, so i thought i would ask you. [ laughter ] >> this is a question that i think is already answered by itself. of course, no nation is going to share any information with any other nation, but of course, i think that china is well advanced to know these things for themselves, i cannot judge if thoughny anything, they do not. >> appreciate you taking the time tonight. >> thank you very much. i appreciate it. >> thank you, sir. 22 days after she vanished, police made a discovery in the case of florida missing mother. the attorney "outfront" with the details. and branson announces a big idea. you're not going to want to miss

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[♪...] >> announcer: now get a $250 airfare credit, plus save up to 65%. call 1-800-sandals. certain restrictions apply. we do this at the same time every night, our outer circle where we reach out to our sources around the world. tonight, we begin again in russia where prime minister putin is blaming america for encouraging anti-government protests. these came after sunday's parliamentary elections. phil black is in moscow tonight. phil, what are his specific accusations? >> reporter: erin, russian prime minister vladimir putin has accused the united states of meddling in russian affairs in a

number of ways, criticizing u.s. secretary of state hillary clinton for raising concerns about the fairness of recent parliamentary elections. he said she did so before having the evidence to back those concerns up. and says her comments have been used to fuel political unrest here. he went further and said that the u.s. is directly ordering and funding individuals in this country to create political dissent. hillary clinton responded to those claims in part saying she believes the concerns expressed are well-founded. >> thank you very much, phil. now we go to china where police busted two major child trafficking rings. stan grant is in beijing. stan, how did the police find the traffickers? >> reporter: erin, a routine investigation of a traffic accident actually led to one of the ringleaders of these child trafficking gangs. as a result of that, 5,000 police spanned out across ten different provinces in china. they netted more than 600 child traffickers, rescued about 180 kids now being held in orphanages.

you know, in the past, china has been criticized by the u.s. state department for not doing enough to crack down on trafficking, not having tough enough laws. now, they're saying they're going all-out to try to break the back of these gangs once and for all. erin. >> stan, thank you. today investigators announced they found the iphone of 33-year-old michelle parker. she's the florida mother last seen 22 days ago around the same time she dropped her 3-year-old twins off with their father, dale smith. at one point, smith and parker were engaged. their relationship ended, as we've been telling you, in an argument that played out on the television show "the people's court." the episode they taped aired the same day the woman went missing. dale smith is a suspect and has not responded to our invitations to come "outfront." the lawyer for parker's family is "outfront" tonight. matt, we've been talking to you over the past week or so. police keeping quiet about where the phone was found. have they given you any indication about what they've

learned from it? >> not yet, erin. and they have found the location, which was here in orlando in a marshy area by lake eleanor. but as far as any leads that came from information contained within the phone they haven't come forward yet. >> so you don't know last calls or unexpected numbers or texts or anything like that? >> not at this time. they're doing a thorough information and i'm sure the details will come forward soon. >> what was the reaction of the family when the phone was found? are they hopeful she'll be found alive? are they feeling this more may not mean that? >> you know, erin, it's incredibly tough on them. on the one hand, they're excited that there's some kind of development to potentially bringing them closure, but on the other hand, you know, you have -- you have to start realizing that a tragic day might be imminent. that's been the most difficult,

especially on yvonee and lauren and the family. it's been tough on them. >> matt, thank you very much. we appreciate it. >> thank you, erin. we have breaking news tonight about the manner in which a young georgia girl was killed. this as ryan brunn, the man accused of sexually abusing and murdering this child was charged in court today. the child is 7-year-old joely rivera she was last seen alive on friday. her body found in a trash compacter at the apartment complex on monday. police say he lived and worked there as a maintenance man. holly furfer has been covering the story for us. she reported last night he'd only been at the complex for about a month. what are you learning tonight? >> reporter: we were just told by a source close to the investigation that her body was found, her arms, hands and feet were bound together with plastic ties. and her mouth was duct taped. she was stabbed several times. she was sexually assaulted, raped and then murdered. and as you can imagine, this

community is up in arms. and law enforcement are concerned for the safety of ryan brunn in the courtroom today he was brought in wearing a bulletproof vest. when we asked a law enforcement official why, he said this has been a hot issue for the community and their job now is to keep him safe. he is in solitary confinement in a jail cell tonight, erin. >> you spoke to his attorney today. what did he have to tell you? >> yeah, i spoke to david cannon senior, one of his court-appointed attorneys. he told us when the time is right, he will plead not guilty. they have not seen any evidence. they haven't seen any of the discovery yet. he said it's still ongoing. they're still gathering evidence according to law enforcement. if is going to take a lot of time there is no set date, it could be january before an actual arraignment happens. right now you they are still gathering evidence and still checking into his background, a couple of states yes lived in, new york, virginia, they are still doing thorough checks bun solved crimes i there they're checking the dna base to see if there might be any

matches. and they're not ruling out completely that there's not any criminal activity, erin, in his past. >> holly, thank you very much. just a story that makes every hair on your body stand on end, it's so horrific. billionaire adventure sir richard branson is our idea interview of the night. he joins us. he's got a big idea about something we all might get to do sooner than you might think. is a complete multivitamin for adults. plus an excellent source of omega-3 dha in a great tasting gummy. one a day, gummies for grown-ups.

and now our i-d-e-a- interview of the week, idea. this is where we will interview inventors, disrupters, executives and authors who embody being "outfront." tonight, it's sir richard branson. i asked sir richard about why he's so eager to put regular people into space and explore the depths of the ocean, like the marianna trench. he said it's all about his way of doing business. >> i wouldn't recommend trying to think how can i make a lot of money. what i would recommend people do is think can i -- am i frustrated by the way something is being done and can i do it better than it's being done? i mean i was frustrated flying other people's airlines and felt, okay, maybe if we could get one secondhand 747 i can show people how it's done. if people like it, i'll get a second or a third and now we

have whatever it is, 250 planes flying around the world. so i think a lot of the best businesses are born out of frustration where you think, screw it, i can do it better that other people. >> and you do believe that you can do good -- or actually you believe that you have to do good or do some sort of contribution to society to build a successful business. that's not just rhetoric and somebody who's very successful who has the luxury of saying that? >> no, the most important thing for a businessperson is survival when they're starting up. but once you feel that you survived, you should then, obviously create new jobs, obviously get your business going really well, but at the same time try to take on some of the problems in the world and help get on top of them. and i believe it actually is good for the business.

i mean, for instance, virgin, we pledge to put all the profits we made from our dirty businesses, our airline businesses, into clean fuels. we now -- i've got companies we've invested in that have developed clean fuels for planes. >> what is the most creative thing that you're working on right now? >> well, if we put this not-for-profits which a lot of my time is spent on that, on one side, trying to explore the bottom of the ocean. going down 38,000 feet. trying to find the 80% of species that we don't even know exist today. it's tremendously exciting. there's only two people who have been below 18,000 feet ever in the history of mankind. and so we've nearly finished completing a little submarine. i'm hoping to go down to the puerto rican trench which is 28,000 foot down, so that's going to be, you know, a technological challenge. we've got to withstand 1500 times the pressure on an airplane. but if we can pull it off, scientists are frothing at the mouth about what they can discover down there.

>> what's harder technologically, to get virgin galactic up to space? >> i think it's harder to go to the bottom of the ocean than it is to go to space. >> that's amazing. >> we've just finished a very important rocket test yesterday for virgin galactic. you know, the mothership is finished, the spaceship is finished. the space port in new mexico is finished. so we hope by next christmas we'll be up, up and away with virgin galactic. >> how does that work with the virgin galactic spaceship? six passengers twice a day for $200,000. which i imagine that's a relative bargain from your perspective. >> to go up in a russian spaceship is $6 million. the initial 500 people going up will be pioneers. and they will enable us over the

years to be able to bring the price down. and so i think your children and grandchildren i suspect will be able to realistically think i can become an astronaut in my lifetime. you know, the initial flights are only three-hour round-trip flights. in time, you know, we'll do orbital flights as well, which will maybe be two weeks in space. >> you have been -- the financial times did a story on you where they said if you succeed with virgin galactic and these dreams and ambitions in space, it would be the greatest of any british person or company in history. >> i'll accept that, that's very nice. no, look, it's been a dream that i had back in 1990 and i headed off around the world to see if i could find a brilliant scientist