live" into the record books. time for anderson cooper and ac 360. >> we're going to have a lot more on developments in the investigation into michael jackson's death. a number of his doctors are being investigated. attention on his dermatologist. what documents were taken from his office today. new details on the custody front as well. we begin with my exclusive visit with the president in africa. we met up with the president in ghana when he arrived in one of the most haunting destinations one can visit. cape coast castle, where millions of slaves were held over hundreds of years before being shipped off, bound and shackled. the president toured the castle and its dungeons with his family, michelle obama, sasha and malia. they walked through the door of no return, the portal in which so many enslaved africans were forced never to see their homeland again. the obamas were making a voyage of return thousands of african-americans make each year. after the president was finished with his tour with his family i walked through the castle with

with him and toward that door of no return. as you walk around this castle, what goes through your mind? >> well, obviously, it's a powerful moment not just for not just myself but i think for michelle and the girls. i'm reminded of the same feeling i got when i went to buchenwald. you almost feel as if the walls can speak. you try to protect yourself into the incredibly harrowing moments that people go through. >> how did you explain it to sasha and malia? >> well, you try to explain that people were willing to degrade others because they appeared differently and you try to get them to engage in the imaginative act of what it would

be like if they were snatched away from mom and dad and sent to some place they had never seen before. but, you know, part of what you also try to do with kids is to get them to imagine themselves on the other side. as being the slave merchant. and that slave merchant might have loved their children and gone to that, you know, place of worship right above the dungeon. and get them to make sure they're constantly asking themselves questions about whether they are treating people fairly and whether they are examining their own behavior and how it affects others. >> you referenced in the campaign in your speech on race about your own life, mrs. obama you said she had the blood of slave and also slave owners. >> right. >> how did she respond? >> you know, i haven't had the chance to process it. we were listening and talking to the children.

i can't imagine that for her, for her mother, who is with us, our children's godmother who is with us, all of whom are direct descendants of slaves that seeing that portal doesn't send a powerful message of the kinds of emotions that must be evoked. on the one hand, through this door that the journey of the african-american experience begins and, you know, michelle and her family, like me, draw incredible inspiration and strength from that african-american journey. >> this is the door of no return through which hundreds of thousands of slaves were sent. >> were sent. on the other hand, obviously,

there's a sense of what a profound sorrow must have been felt as people were hauled off into the great unknown. >> do you think what happened here still has resonance in america, that the slave experience still is something that should be talked about and should be remembered and should be present in everyday life? >> well, you know, i think that the experience of slavery is like the experience of the holocaust. i think it's one of those things you don't forget about. i think it is important that the way we think about it and the way it's taught is not one in which there's simply a victim and a victimizer and that's the end of the story. i think the way it has to be thought about, the reason it's

relevant is because whether it's what's happening in the darfur or what's happening in the congo or what's happening in too many places around the world, you know, the capacity for cruelty still exists, the capacity for discrimination still exists. the capacity to think about people who are different not just on the basis of race but on the basis of religion or the basis of sexual orientation or gender still exists. and so, you know, trying to use these kinds of extraordinary moments to widen the lens and make sure that we're all reflecting on how we're treating each other is something i want my kids to think about and every child to think about. >> they say this is the door of return for african-americans revisiting ghana. i talked to one african-american lady yesterday who said coming here yesterday was such a

powerful experience she actually decided to move here. you met with many african-americans who decided to move here. they say there is a sense of coming home. do you understand that feeling? >> you know, i will tell you the first time i traveled to africa, i think that there is a special sense for african-americans of somehow connecting up with a part of yourself that you might not have even been aware was there. obviously for me it was different because i was directly meeting relatives and learning about a father i didn't know. i do thing there's a sense for a lot of african-americans it's a profound life-changing experience. the interesting thing, though, is, i've met a lot of white americans who come to africa and

say it's a life-changing experience for them, too. >> this is the home where everyone comes. >> exactly. there is a powerful sense of tapping into something very elemental. >> you always come back. >> yeah. you do. but i do think that the spirit, particularly of place like ghana, where, you know, for all the difficulties it is still going through, the people are incredibly open and friendly and welcoming. i think that makes a difference for a lot of people who, you know, maybe african-americans who feel somehow that they never fully belong. the only thing i would say, though, is there's a flipside to this which is i know a lot of african-americans who come to africa are profoundly move, but also realize how american they are when they're here. and, you know, recognize that they could never live here. that is part of the african-american experience.

you are in some ways connected to this distant land but on the other hand you are about as american as it gets. in some ways african-americans are more fundamentally rooted in the american experience because they don't have a recent immigrant experience to draw on. it is a -- that unique african-american culture that has existed in north america for hundreds of years, long before we actually founded the nation. >> just before our time with the president ended i asked him to answer a quick lightning round of questions. what is the strangest experience you have had on this trip? >> the fact that my trip director had to have stitches. he got a big gash getting on the helicopter. of course, he is 6'8". michelle's assistant twisted her ankle. we have to give combat pay for these trips. >> what is the favorite moment your girls have had on the trip?

>> other than watching "sponge bob" in our hotel? >> that's it? >> actually, you know, my favorite experience was watching my girls interact with the pope. because when you start seeing your kids growing up and they're being very, you know, courteous and u you know, thoughtful, but unflappable in a setting like that, it makes you realize that they're not going to be around that long. >> you are getting gray. are you worried about it? >> as long as i've got you as a role model, i'm all right. >> not so bad. we got you a gift. i wanted to give it to you at the end so people wouldn't say i was sucking up. it is a traditional african shirt. >> this is nice. >> this is very popular right now. >> there is a version with michelle and me and -- >> we got one for mrs. obama.

as well. i'm not sure she wants to wear your picture around. >> yeah. i think that we will have this as a keepsake but you probably won't see me wearing this to the oval office. >> thank you for your time. >> thank you so much. >> moments like those you've just seen and many more are part of a special hour i'll be hosting this weekend. president obama's african journey. saturday and sunday night 8:00 eastern time repeating again at 11:00. let us know what you think. join the live chat at ac360.com. up next, we're going to show you what the president and his family saw in the dungeons of cape coast castle where enslaved africans were starved to the brinks of death and those who fought back were suffocated alive. new developments in the michael jackson custody case and investigation to his death. what the coroner took from jackson's dermatologist today.

it's not known how many enslaved africans were sent to the knew world of the 400 years of transatlantic slave trade, estimates are 12 million to 40 million. untole numbers of africans died on the journey to the new world. as many as 500 on a ship. held for transport, beaten, the women raped. at cape coast castle and other places like it in africa. we want to take you inside the castle and dungeons and show you what human beings were forced to endure and what the president and his family witnessed this weekend. what must have been the most emotional part of his trip took place here in cape coast castle where enslaved africans were held before being shipped to the new world, being shipped to america. they were kidnapped from their homes, taken from their villages, ripped from their families. as soon as they were brought here, the men were separated from the women. the men were forced into this area, the male dungeon.

these rooms would hold as many as 1,000 africans at one time. they're large, cavernous rooms. there's really no windows. there are small holes punched in the building for ventilation. very small. you get a very little bit of light. that is the only light that would be in here. there are five different rooms. each one would hold 200 slaves. there is no toilets, of course. there is a gutter that runs down the middle of the floor. right here. this would be used for urine and for feces. but archaeologists have found the entire floors were covered with feces a foot thick they excavated a few years ago. many of the men held in these cells never got out. they died in these rooms of malnutrition, disease, brutality. every day a check would be done on who was still living, who had died. bodies would be removed, placed into this room, those who were about to die would be placed here as well. this is the final resting place

of untold number of africans. many of those who were enslaved tried to fight back, even once they got here to cape coast castle. the punishment for doing that was death. this is the place they were killed. the punishment cell. it is one of the most horrible places you will ever visit. one enslaved african was forced through this door. it was a death sentence. as many as 20 or 30 enslaved africans would be forced to live in this room until they died. as you can see there is no light in here except light from our camera, no windows, these walls are incredibly thick, stone covered with plaster and what is so erie about this place still, look, these are what look like scratch marks. people literally trying to crawl their way out. there are spots on the floors, markings where people were trying to dig themselves out.

circular markings, no one is sure exactly what that is. they think it is people who were here trying to claw out, trying to pass the time. there are some spots where you can see teeth marks on the floor. there is no bathroom in here. once you are in this room it was a death sentence. women who were kidnapped were brought here, separated into two different dungeons, each held about 150 people. you can imagine 150 women crammed into this room. they're stuck here from anywhere from two weeks to several months, nowhere to go, not sure what's going to happen to them. it is an eerie place to be. if a woman was detected to be pregnant she would maybe be allowed to leave. that was pretty much the only way out. it is a short walk from the female dungeons to the door of no return. women and men who were held captive here were ultimately led down this corridor through this door, the door of no return, they call it.

on the other side of the door were slave ships waiting to take them to a life of bondage in the new world and in some cases to america. many died on the difficult journey over, their bodies simply tossed overboard. once they went through this door they would never set foot in africa again. coming up later, in arrests in the theory of the crime of the florida couple who developmented 13 special needs kids. new tums dual action. this tums goes to work in seconds and lasts for hours. all day or night. new tums dual action. bring it on.

new developments ahead in the michael jackson invest. first randi kaye joins us with the 360 bulletin. >> day two of her senator grilling, judge sonia sotomayor pushing back against republican charges she would bring bias and a liberal agenda to her seat as the first hispanic woman on the court. when gop senators tried to undercut her with her own words from past speeches, sotomayor

insisted repeatedly she would be impartial if confirmed. two days after breaking out of a maximum security prison in indiana a rapist and murderer remain at large. a massive manhunt called off today. police say they will continue to follow new leads. a third inmate who escaped was captured yesterday in southwestern michigan. federal prisoner number 61727-054, you know him as convicted swindler bernard madoff, arrived today at a medium-security prison in north carolina to begin serving his 150 year sentence. the federal correctional complex is about 45 miles northwest of raleigh. the 71-year-old one time multimillionaire will likely spend the rest of his life right there. in st. louis, president obama threw out the first pitch at tonight's annual all-star game at busch stadium. he pulled it off, putting the ball across the plate. as you see right there. respectable showing for a guy who is better known for his

moves on the basketball court. looking comfortable there. anderson, the all-stars were star struck to see the president in the locker room. >> the original video showed the actual pitch. the pool caught it on the reverse. i'm glad we got to see it. randi thanks. next, the latest on michael jackson. investigator for the coroner paying a visit to one of the singer's doctors. debbie rowe will get millions to drop a custody battle. live with new details on both fronts ahead. the motive for murder, a florida couple who adopted more than a dozen kids. why were they killed? authorities have some answers. they reveal the depth of the shocking crime. we trace michelle obama's roots.

stuck in the edit room, apparently we're having trouble getting it to air. we're going to turn to the drama in the michael jackson story. on two different fronts, today the los angeles coroner's chief investigator visited the office of jackson's dermatologist, igniting a new wave of questions. a new battle erupted over the report debbie rowe and the jacksons met a custody deal. randi, take us through this back and forth over the custody issue of his kids today. what's going on? >> it was quite a day. we reported on "360" there was a deal being brokered behind the scenes by attorneys for katherine jackson how to get debbie rowe out of the custody picture. our source told us rowe stands to be paid, quote, many millions. today "the new york post" reported debbie rowe had reached a deal. the article said specifically rowe had sold her kids again.

that is the wording they used. "the post" reported rowe was paid $4 million in exchange for custody of her kids. so jackson's mom could raise them. rowe's attorney told cnn the story is, quote, completely false. hours later that same attorney fire off a letter to "the new york post" demanding an immediate reinteraction saying, quote, there has been no agreement reached between ms. rrksz owe and the jacksons and ms. rrksz -- the letter does not deny there's any negotiation taking place. it simply says there is no agreement. >> there was drama at the office of arnie klein today. what happened there? what did they take? >> late this afternoon the chief investigator for the l.a. county coroner's office showed up at dr. arnold klein's office in beverly hills, jackson's longtime dermatologist on the list of doctors that

investigators are looking at. dr. klein told larry king he has not been questioned and opened his records a long time ago. late today a crush of media descended on dr. klein's office to get a glimpse of the assistant coroner who is also the chief investigator for the coroner's office collecting whatever he was there to pick up. this is interesting because we know jackson was at dr. klein's office just a few days before his death. klein told cnn he looked healthy at the time that day and danced for the other patients, he said. >> what is interesting is the interview he did with larry he had given documents to the medical examiner's office a while ago but didn't seem to indicate he was the focus of any investigation. that very night is the night you reported through your source he was one of the names -- one of the doctors on the list. that seems to be certainly born out by what we're seeing today. you talked to one of the people in charge of jackson's security detail. what did he say about jackson? >> this was interesting. we haven't heard from this man before.

i had quite a lengthy conversation with him today. he worked for jackson from 2001 to 2004 and he told me, quote, jackson and i spoke of his addiction and how hard he was working and how he was trying to do everything in his power to avoid having a need to be on drugs. this is the first time we were hearing that michael jackson admitted he had an addiction. and was actually talking about it. he said jackson was taking lots of prescription medicines and that he, quote, didn't like the way it made him feel. he said that's what michael jackson told him. he told me jackson had serious trouble sleeping. he said he had a, quote, constant beat in his head. he said they stayed up all night on many nights sometimes until 5:00 in the morning because jackson, quote, could not shut off his brain. this is years ago, 2004, but that goes a long with what we have heard from many sources on this investigation that michael jackson could not sleep. had insomnia. according to his former nurse who you interviewed, in fact,

she says that is why he begged her for the diprivan, the powerful sedative. used in hospital use. she told cnn he just wanted to sleep. >> at this point, randi, do we know when the toxicology report comes out? is it next week? >> we were told by the coroner, ed winter, he talked to reporters outside arnold klein's office. they are not going to release anything advanced. he said they are on schedule and it would be probably midweek next week. it is looking like midweek next week. >> randi kaye in l.a., thanks very much. a lot of moving pieces in this story. let's dig deeper. jim moret joins us. he is an attorney. by phone, cnn senior legal analyst, jeffrey toobin. jim, debbie rowe's attorney made it pretty clear a deal has not been made but as rrksz andi pointed out, he didn't deny a negotiation was taking place. we have been hearing a negotiation has been taking place. that is born out that the delay,

two delays at the request of both sides indicated both of them are coming together to try to keep this out of court and from being a bitter court battle. >> jeff, in terms of what could be the points of a negotiation. there could only be a couple things. one, money, two, visitation rights, or the actual custody rights. >> that's right. what makes this so peculiar and ironic is debbie rowe had virtually no leverage to get back involved in michael jackson's life or back on the jackson gravy train but michael's death gives her tremendous leverage because she the surviving parent of two of the three children and so she would have a legal claim to custody. now because of the absence of a real relationship between her and those two children she probably -- or she might not get custody but it would be in the jackson family's interest to

give her some money to go away, which is a big profit potential for her. >> it is interesting, jim, it was being reported that rowe didn't want joe jackson involved in raising the kids. but if there is some sort of negotiation in which custody ends up with katherine jackson and she gives up visitation rights or any sort of parental right, debbie rowe does, that would seem to basically allow joe jackson access to the kids whef he wanted. >> yes, but michael jackson's will names only katherine not joe. joe has been hurting himself by making statements to the media, talking about putting these kids on stage and talking about his record company at the b.e.t. awards. very inappropriate statements. that is what prompted debbie rowe to tell a local reporter last week i want a restraining order to keep this guy away from my kids. jeff's right. these are her biological children. >> jeff, would she be able to get a restraining order to keep

joe jackson away from the kids? >> it is very hard to figure what her rights would be and what her leverage would be. if she were so concerned about joe jackson, if she were so concerned about the children in general she would have taken a much more active role over the past 11 and 12 years. yes, it does seem like a judge would be concerned that joe jackson who michael accused of abusing him would have access to the kids but debbie rowe would not seem to be the person who had the legal or moral authority to raise that because she has had so little contact with the children over the years. >> randi, though, as far as we know, joe jackson lives in las vegas, katherine jackson lives in southern california. they are basically separated. >> they are. i understand they spend quite a bit of time together. i have seep her interviewed, katherine jackson interviewed

just recently and she talks about how she goes to las vegas to stay with her husband. they celebrated 60 years together. all the reports of their marriage failing don't add up quite honestly. it seems like they are very much together and very much in the business of raising possibly not only michael jackson's children but also the children of some of their other grandchildren from some of their own children. they seem to be not divorced and very much in touch and together. >> jim, do we know about what kind of relationship joe jackson has had with these kids? >> i don't believe he has had any relationship. michael jackson was vocal and public about his feelings about his father. i don't believe he has had any relationship with them whatsoever. that may be what has brought debbie rowe into the picture. she may have said -- it is difficult to know her motivation. i don't claim to. she may have said michael is a great father but now he is gone maybe she has a renewed interest in making sure they are cared for. >> jeff, let's talk about the investigation. coroner's report should be ready

by next week. an investigator at arnie klein's office looking at more medical records. at this point what do you think they are looking for? i mean, they have, early on, according to sanjay gupta, they would have had most of the toxicology reports back and they would know what drugs were in his system, except the brain analysis. which i guess takes more time. >> well, the very simple answer is they're looking for where he got the drugs. and under what circumstances he got the drugs? did he get them legitimately, under his own prescriptions? did he get them through other people's prescriptions? i don't know for sure, obviously, but i think it is very likely it is a complex story of how many doctors were giving prescriptions, where the drugs came from, who administered them, who knew the drugs were coming? it is likely to be a complicated story that will take weeks if

not months for the authorities to figure out. >> jim, the coroner's office says the report is ready soon. do you think they have a good idea what led to his death? >> i think they do. jeff's point is excellent. you have to trace specific drugs. you know as randi reported that michael jackson was at dr. klein's office a few days earlier. i think they're not locking at long-term drug use. they're looking at what led to the death. that's all the coroner is concerned with, cause of death. they want to hone it in on what drugs he got specifically from whom. they wanted more information from dr. klein's office. the investigator left with an envelope and i'm assuming they were records of some kind. >> jim, has dr. murray or his attorney made any more specific statements about what he did or did not give to michael jackson? as you well know, in the early days after michael jackson's death when there was so much

focus on things like demerol and oxycontin, the lawyer came out and specifically said my client didn't give him demerol oxycontin. at that point people didn't know about diprivan, i.v. drips. has he responded to anything about other drugs? >> dr. murray's mystery, you are right, he was specific about what he didn't give him. he did not talk about diprivan. i'm sure that's what investigators want to know. la toya came out with claims that michael jackson actually died in dr. murray's room not in his bedroom as was earlier reported. i think there's still understand answered questions regard to dr. murray and we have not heard from him. >> jeff, it seems like a lot of people getting paid for interviews. i'm suspect of information that comes out of that. la toya jackson, i guess, getting paid by british tabloids, joe jackson getting paid by abc news for access to

video. oh, by the way, we're also going to do an interview with you but we're not paying for that. is everybody making money on this thing? >> everybody is making money. there is a long history of jackson legal situations being compromised by what is known in the industry as cash for trash. in 1993 the initial child molestation investigation was compromised by the fact that "hard copy" and "inside edition" long -- the shows that are no longer -- "hard copy" is no longer on the air. they paid so many of the security guards who were witnesses in that investigation that the authorities gave up. they thought they were jump too compromised to use them in criminal court. >> jim, do we know who was in michael jackson's inner circle in this point in the final weeks and months of his life? you talked to longtime employees

and they say, look, there was this changeover. new people were involved. do we know who really was around him? >> we know that some people who were with him early on were back in the picture. john branca, the attorney named as an executor in his will came back into his life. i can't tell you that these people were actually in the inner circle and caused any of what was going on. this is very complicated. there are complicated relationships not only with doctors but those around him, his employees. i suspect it is going to take time before we can sort out what is going on and what happened. >> jim moret, jeff toobin. randi kaye. appreciate all your reporting. thank you. we want to give you a new twist in a story that is outrageous. an investigation of a former district attorney in texas who admitted giving hundreds of thousands of dollars in public funds to three secretaries.

the d.a.'s name, joe frank garza. we couldn't believe it when gary tuchman learned new details, about how much money he was giving away. take a look. >> reporter: it literally paid to be loyal to this man. the former district attorney in jim wells county, texas, who was extremely generous to three secretaries who he said watched his back. >> they were my eyes and ears in the community. >> reporter: he says he wrote checks for hundreds of thousands of dollars that likely at least doubled their salaries. it may have quadrupled their income. cnn obtained records and garza paid $1.2 million to the three women over a five-year period, a bonus averaging $81,000 a year for county employees with salaries of $35,000 annually. >> i saw nothing wrong with it. >> reporter: anderson, with so much money at stake, the auditor makes clear crime fighting could

have been effective by paying the women this money instead of using it to fight crime. the sheer number of these checks given to these women are stunning. we will tell you more tomorrow on "360." anderson? >> how is this allowed to happen? we will have gary's full report tomorrow on "360." join the live chat at ac360.com. talk to other folks around the world watching us right now. coming up next the parents of more than a dozen kids killed in their home in florida. new clues to the crime, new suspects captured. a look at the lives that were destroyed. governor sarah palin taking on president obama, his economic plan and sending the country a message she's stepping up her fight. [ thinking ] burning, itching... but the pain's the worst. i shoulda used... [ bump ] [ male announcer ] preparation h cream. burning, itching, plus maximum strength pain relief, on contact. the most complete relief, from preparation h. pain relief on contact.

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broadview security for yop- home or business - the next generation of brink's home security. call now. tonight more arrests and details in the murder of byrd and melanie billings, shocked many around the nation. authorities said their deaths were part of a well planned, well executed home invasion. it happened with nine of the couple's kids in the house. the crime was brutal.

the motive it appears was money. ed lavandera has the latest. >> reporter: authorities say leonard patrick gonzalez jr. was the ringleader of the seven suspects that allegedly murdered byrd and melanie billings. gonzalez used the moment to declare his innocence. the first time we have heard from any of the accused. >> circumstantial evidence and a mentally challenged person -- >> reporter: we don't know who gonzalez is talking about but investigators say they arrested all the men who carried out the methodical and chilling murders of the billings couple. these are the pictures of the suspects who face murder charges, one we can't show you because he is a 16-year-old juvenile. three are from the pensacola area, the other four from the ft. walten beach area. the escambia sheriff says gonzalez jr. and donald ray stallworth have a military background. the air force confirms

stallworth is currently an active duty staff sergeant. >> it was a very well-planned and well-executed operation. >> reporter: after saying robbery was one of several possible motives, they say the suspects burst into the home, stole a couple and stole a medium sized safe. they suggest something more sinister was behind the killings. >> the safest, easiest thing is to say is the primary motive in this is robbery. home invasion, robbery. >> reporter: investigators say leonard gonzalez sr. and wayne coldiron were occasionally hired to work on the billings' property. beyond that there doesn't appear to be suspect between the suspects and billings family. >> we have found them and they are in custody. >> reporter: as the final arrests were made, the oldest daughter of byrd and melanie billings tearfully stood by the sheriff's side but left without speaking out.

ed lavandera, pensacola, florida. >> it is shocking. so many questions remain. we will look at the victims of this crime. two loving parents, their mission to help kids and the heartbroken family they leave behind. a dramatic close call. a stunt prone goes down in germy. take a look at this. we're going to show you what happens next. (announcer) you can make a bigger difference in the world. you can make a positive change in your career. you can make a greater contribution

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before the break we told you about the arrests in the murders of byrd and melanie billings. the couple who raised 17 kids,

most adopted. gunned down in their florida home last week. police have seven suspects in custody, looking for one more person. as the investigation moves forward, we want to take a closer look at the billings, who they were, what they did and why they touched the lives of so many people. here is david mattingly. >> reporter: outside the spacious pensacola home, a small memorial for an extraordinary couple. byrd and melanie billings, their love immeasurable, their deaths unthinkable. >> our mom and dad had love in their lives since the day they met 19 years ago they knew they were soulmates. >> reporter: soulmates with a calling to let their family grow. they had two biological children from first marriages and together they adopted 13 other children, several with developmental disabilities, others came from abused homes and drug-addicted parents. all embraced with open arms and unconditional love. >> to our mom and dad, their children were perfect, angels that god provided them with to

love eternally. >> reporter: for the billings, the affection overflowed, from getting the kids ready for sleep, to sending them off with school. >> they would get on the bus and she would call them her little princesses. the little boy would blow her kisses. i would say ms. billings, he is blowing you a kiss. she would blow him a kiss back. >> reporter: financially the couple appeared secure. local business owners operating a string of used car dealerships and also ran a financial services company. the billings took out two mortgages on their nine-bedroom esta estate. one for $300,000 in 2003, another for $265,000 last year. the house is worth an estimated $700,000. they had an elaborate surveillance system but authorities say it was there to keep an eye on the kids. >> those are special needs children. you cannot live in an open environment with that number of children that they have so your surveillance system, your

security systems and the safety measures were placed there for what? for the safety of the children. >> reporter: tragedy has marked the billings before, three times with the deaths of two adopted children and one biological child. now in the wake of the killings, a pledge from a family torn apart to stay together. >> we know our parents are watching other us now, reunited with their three angels in heaven. they will give us strength to make it through the hard times and their love to make the world a better place as they always did. >> reporter: the billings did make plans for the care of their children in case something ever happened to them. a spokeswoman says the children will be kept together as a family and raised by family. david mattingly, cnn, pensacola. >> hard to imagine what they are going through right now. an update on a story we have been following, dozens of day care kids forced from a pool, they say because of the color of their skin. the swim club is inviting them back. the daycare's response ahead

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what happens when a plane falls from the sky and slams into a car? you won't believe what happens. there is our shot of the day. randi kaye is back for this week's "360" tip. >> sarah palin is speaking out again. this time in the pages of the "washington post." in an op-ed column the departing alaska governor slams what she calls president obama's quote, cap and tax energy plan to reduce carbon emissions. governor palin warning it will quote, inflict permanent damage on the economy. a 360 follow to the story of the swim club turning minority chirp away from local daycare center. after massive attention, the club invited the daycare center kids back. today the center said no thanks. it says the kids were scarred by this experience. attorneys for the center say they will be suing.

cheating senator john ensign says he's running again despite the scandal over his affair with a former campaign staffer. the affair and the word that his parents paid the mistress' family $100,000 not swaying the nevada republican. he will seek re-election come 2012. paris is famous for beauty, food, but notorious for giving outsiders the cold shoulder. but the government wants that last little bit to change. the paris tourist board is asking parisians to smile. they think that will solve the problem. >> a lot to smile about. it is a beautiful place. >> sure is. >> our beat 360 winners. a challenge to viewers, a chance to show up staffers by coming up with a caption better than the one we can come up for a photo we put on the blog every day. take a look at the picture. president obama talking with chief of staff rahm emanuel. during a phone call in the oval office. our staff winner tonight, one of

our summer interns, his caption, rahm, is that anderson wanting to do another interview? let me talk to him. the winner, it is berlusconi on the phone. he needs an alibi for last friday. i like that one. congratulations. beat 360 t-shirt on the way. >> still ahead, a plane doing daredevil maneuvers and a car in the wrong place at the wrong time. all caught on tape. we'll show you how it played out. . at the top of the hour, my exclusive walk an take with president obama at cape coast castle. mr. evans? this is janice from onstar. i have received an automatic signal you've been in a front-end crash. do you need help? yeah. i'll contact emergency services and stay with you. you okay? yeah. onstar. standard for one year on 14 chevy models.

so, malcolm, you do know that energy savers last 6 times longer than ordinary light bulbs. this isn't my room. it's baron davis'. baron davis the basketball player? this is his room? yep. interesting because we have baron davis right here. baron, do you live here? no. i don't mean that baron davis. announcer: millions of kids are using their energy wisely. tonight's shot a plane take a look at how low.

it hit a parked car just beyond those trees. a family of three was inside the car. the impact to the collision tore the bottom plane off the airplane, catapulted the plane and car into a nearby field. amazingly, though, everyone including the pilot survived with minor injuries. unbelievable. >> inrebel. out for a drive with your family and you get hit by an airplane and you survive it? >> see the most recent shots at ac360.com. at the top of the hour, more of my exclusive tour of ghana's cape coast castle with president obama. we'll be right back. taking its rightful place in a long line of amazing performance machines. this is the new e-coupe. this is mercedes-benz.