ten foreclosure lists. not good news at all. "cnn newsroom" continues right now, with kyra phillips! >> tony, thanks so much. you know, something's up when the sheriff starts making charles manson comparisons. we're on the murder case in the florida panhandle. you got to wonder when's the dam going to break? i'm a foreign exchange student, get me out of here. these kids wanted to experience the land of the free and the home of the brave, but instead they get a host neglect, filth and potential danger. and they are not liking this. a bouncing bundle of price-fixing allegations against babies r us. hello, everyone, i'm kyra phillips, live at the cnn headquarters in atlanta. you're live in the "cnn you're live in the "cnn newsroom." -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com well, we're keeping a close eye on capitol hill and the historic senate hearings for supreme court nominee, sonia sotomayor. if confirmed, she would be the

first hispanic and the only -- or only the third woman to serve on the high court. this is sotomayor's last day of fielding questions. the judiciary committee is also hearing from outside witnesses, some of them not so friendly. we'll break it all down with the best political team on television. first up, though, the killings of a wealthy florida couple who adopted several special-needs children. peel the mystery back to its core, you have a case of robbery, plain and simple. it's the layers that are so complex. within the last few minutes, we found out the safe stolen from the home of byrd and melanie billings has been recovered along with several weapons, one may be the murder weapon. eight people now charged, with more people of interest still out there. we also know that federal drug agents are involved in the case. the escambia county sheriff said, well, don't read too much in to that. >> dea is providing investigative assistance at the request of the escambia county sheriff's office. no additional information is being provided at this time. that's a statement from the dea.

now, to put that in context is the dea was called in on the suspects in this crime to assist us in that area. the individuals that are currently incarcerated. so, they're assisting us in any area that developed from that. additionally, i will restate, which i believe i stated numerous times last night, that the billings family, to the best of my knowledge, is not the focus of any investigation by the dea. and i'm not sure where that may have started, but please, today, let us put that to rest. >> but who knows what the dea is working on. ed lavandera takes us back to the scene of the crime. >> reporter: thursday evening, byrd and melanie billings are at home with nine of their children. the time, approximately 7:00 p.m. outside, a red van, pulls into the end of the driveway. three individuals exit the vehicle and burst through the front door. from the woods, more across the lawn and enter through an unlocked utillty door. they're inside the house for less than four minutes. within that brief time span, the

men confront byrd and melanie, several shots are fired at point-blank range. both husband and wife, now dead. so, what were they after? >> i think the safest, easiest, clearest thing to say that the primary motive in this case was robbery. home invasion, robbery. >> reporter: but it doesn't seem that simple. authorities say a medium-sized safe was taken from the home, but won't reveal the contents of the safe, including how much money may have been inside. and as for any connection to narcot narcotics, a federal law enforcement tells us, quote, this was not a drug hit. there's no connection we know of to the mexican mafia. it appears to be money driven. another big question, why didn't the killers disable the billings' security system? the suspects allegedly planned the operation for weeks. two on military training. others were familiar with the property. how, then, could they let themselves be recorded on tape? the answer, it seems, reveals the group's gaping mistake.

>> i believe that they entered that compound -- and this is the theory we're currently working on to conclude this case, they entered the compound with the belief that they were not under surveillance >> reporter: sheriff morgan said this crime was planned out to the smallest detail, except they thought the system was off, and it wasn't. what happened? authorities believe the person assigned to the task abandoned the mission. >> we are now looking at anyone who may have had an involvement with the security system, anyone from the company that installed it on back. >> we'll stay on tom of that case. our ed lavandera following it for us. if you do not release the u.s. soldier, you will be hunted. the u.s. military sends a blunt new warning to the afghan militants believed to be holding an american soldier. it comes in flyers that the military is now posting and handing out in southeast afghanistan. you're seeing one of them right now on your screen. the soldier disappeared from his unit on june 30th. now his comrades are stepping up the search. our barbara starr is working her sources at the pentagon.

and, barbara, let's clarify something first as we look at the pamphlets. the pictures on the flyers. is that actually the missing soldier? some people are confused about that. >> absolutely, kyra, no, it is not. this is a graphic, a series of graphics made up by the u.s. military, to distribute in these pamphlets across southeastern afghanistan. they're going through towns and villages handing these out. there's a series of four pamphlets that we'll put up here, and you see, there's no identifying face or markers or name tags for this representation of u.s. soldiers. you know, this is very serious, because, of course, the young man's family may be seeing this, and they want the family to know this is not a picture of the soldier. afghanistan is a country, though, where there is not much literacy, so the writing's very minimal, and they're using these graphic representations to communicate to the people of afghanistan that they are on the hunt for a missing u.s. serviceman. kyra?

>> it's taken 17 days, barbara, for this to finally happen, some type of effort on behalf of the military to search for this soldier. why has it taken that long? >> well, let's be very clear, you know, 17 days until we, in the news media, learned and were able to get our handoscopies of these leaflets and pamphlets. the u.s. military started looking for this young man immediately, when he was reported missing. there has been quite a very secret effort, if you will, a very quiet effort in eastern afghanistan, throughout this area, trying to look for him. but what is clear is the military is trying to keep it very quiet, very low key. the feeling is if they can keep it low key, they will have the best chance of trying to get him back, kyra. >> any notion to what side of the border that he's on at this point? >> well, he was taken in a place that was very close to the pakistan border, so there has been a lot of concern over this last 17 days that he might have been moved by the militants

across the border. they're working, as far as we know, on both theories, looking all over this area of afghanistan and conducting a lot of surveillance trying to see if they can get a good lead on where he's being held. kyra? >> finally, we haven't heard from his family. is there a reason for that? >> well, we don't really know. they have not come out in public. they certainly are being kept informed by the military of any and all developments here. the kind of feeling is that this is all part of this effort, keep it quiet, keep it low key, keep this search effort going on and they may have their best chance of trying to get him home. kyra? >> barbara starr at the pentagon, thanks. another developing story that we're following -- investigators might be closer to knowing what caused a deadly plane crash in iran. the caspian airlines flight went down yesterday shortly after taking off from tehran. all 168 people on board are dead. now iranian state radio said the cockpit voice and flight data recorders have been recovered. they'll probably be sent to the

plane's russian makers to analyze. the flight was on its way armenia when it crashed. witnesses say that the plane's tail was on fire before it went down nose first, plowing a long, deep, and fiery trench into some of the homeland there. did you pay a whole lot more for the baby stroller than you needed to? babies r. us hit with adult allegations, including price fixing.

if we don't act, medical bills will wipe out their savings. if we don't act, she'll be denied coverage because of a pre-existing condition. and he won't get the chemotherapy he needs. if we don't act, health care costs will rise 70%. and he'll have to cut benefits for his employees. but we can act. the president and congress have a plan to lower your costs and stop denials for pre-existing conditions. it's time to act. (announcer) introducing 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.

you all want to run your businesses more efficiently, so we've brought in a team of experts to help. one suggestion is to make your shipping more efficient with priority mail flat rate boxes from the postal service. call or go online for a free supply and up to $160 in offers from authorized postage vendors. shipping's a hassle! weighing every box... actually, with flat rate boxes you don't need to weigh anything under 70 pounds. if it fits, it ships for a low flat rate. ok, but i ship all over the country. you can ship anywhere in the country for a low flat rate. ship international, too. yes, but i ship hundreds of things, in all sizes. great, because flat rate boxes come in four sizes. call now and we'll send a free supply, plus up to $160 in offers. when you're ready to ship, we'll even pick them up for free, no matter how many you have. priority mail flat rate boxes only from the postal service.

a simpler way to ship. call or go online now to get started. it's a historic anniversary for the naacp, and what a better way to observe its 100th birthday than to host the united states' first black president. he's going to leave the white house in just a few minutes, head for new york and then he'll speak to the centennial gathering tonight. a federal judge has granted class action lawsuit status to a group of consumers who are not toying around with babies "r" us, they claim the store spent five years fixing prices on their products, meaning you may have paid a lot more for that baby bouncer than you needed to. susan lisovicz at the new york stock exchange with more. susan, you just don't expect it from a company like this. >> oh, yeah, but you're a camtive audience, and this is a

really big player, kyra, think about it, babies "r" us, they're everywhere, and, of course, they're a division of toys "r" us. the case involves babies "r" us, accused of fixing prices on $500 million worth of baby products between 2001 and 2006. and there are things that we all buy, things like baby carriers, brand names like batch strollers, many other products. and basically babies "r" us accused of being in cahoots with five manufacturers, manufacturers, well-known manufacturers, from all over the world. and we basically lost out on this, kyra. >> and so what exactly is the defense here? >> well, believe it or not, toys "r" us says that the supreme court has basically upheld this kind of agreement, packed with the manufacturers, because the consumer can actually benefit

from better service, and that that can be actually -- that can outweigh the harm of consumers paying higher prices. now, of course, it's the interpretation of this court case that is really going to be the ultimate decision, because the court did warn that these agreements enforced by a dominant retailer could also be anti-competitive. and toys "r" us is certainly that, in this particular arena. we're talking about how much money. a university of north florida marketing professor, kyra, estimates that we, consumers, made up to $100 million for these products because of these agreements. so, an interesting case. and just beginning of it. >> always get a second opinion. you got to -- you got to triple and quadruple your price checks on a number of things, comparative shopping. >> that's it. that's what the internet's good for, kyra, let's face it. >> thanks, susan.

>> you're welcome. the secretary striking it rich with six-figure thank yous from their boss. why one d.a. was dolling out texas-sized bonuses.

and as a progressive customer, you get to use any of our concierge claim centers. so i can just drop off my car and you'll take care of everything? yep, even the rental. what if i'm stuck at the office? if you can't come to us, we'll come to you in one of our immediate response vehicles! what if mother won't let me drive? then you probably wouldn't have had an accident in the first place. and we're walkin'! and we're walkin'... making it all a bit easier -- now that's progressive! call or click today.

well, there's tragedy in marseilles, france, where a stage was being built for a madonna concert. the stage fell apart on top of workers, killing one and injuring six others, including an american worker. no word on the cause yet. madonna is scheduled to perform in the french port city on sunday. we don't know yet if the show will still go on. captured on camera. the incident that may have changed michael jackson's life forever. "us weekly" magazine got ahold of pretty disastrous footage from the pepsi shoot back in 1984. cnn's ted rowlands reports. >> reporter: the video obtained by "us weekly" shows michael jackson's hair on fire. but you see, jackson doesn't seem to notice until people surround him. the first one there, was jackson's longtime friend miko brando, son of marlon brando. >> i went up to him and put my hands, shook his head. threw him down on the ground and tried to do the best i could. >> reporter: you can see as

jackson gets up, his head is significantly burned. down to the scalp. >> he initially felt a very hot area and couldn't distinguish whether it was the hot lights or something was happening. and after a second or two he felt the intense onset of pain, fell to the ground, and several people came to put out the fire and apply ice to his head. >> reporter: days after the incident, jackson unsuccessfully, tried to get the footage released. his record label, cbs records, released this photo. ♪ >> reporter: pepsi eventually ended up releasing the ad, which featured jackson and his brothers. jackson would later claim the accident and subsequent medical treatment led to an addiction to prescription drugs. >> as you may already know after my tour ended, i remain out of the country undergoing treatment for a dependency on pain medication. this medication was initially prescribed to feed the excruciating pain that i was suffering after recent

reconstructive surgery on my scalp. >> reporter: possible drug use is part of the ongoing investigation in to jackson's death. what, if any, drugs were in jackson's system at the time of his death is still an unanswered question. the l.a. coroner expects the toxicology results could be back within the next week. ted rowlands, cnn, los angeles. well, finally, the space shuttle "endeavour" on its way to the international space station, but the liftoff last night didn't come without some problems. foam insulation came off the external fuel tank, not a good thing, and the shuttle was hit at least two or three times. but nasa says the damage looks to be less extensive than what happened on the last shuttle flight. "endeavour" is hopefully going to rendezvous tomorrow with the space station. chad myers, will the weather cooperate as well? >> in space? yes. >> weather's always good in space. we know that. i'm talking about down on the launchpad. >> no, it's good. >> smart aleck. i will let you do your thing. >> i was wondering why you were going there. it's all right. it will be good in florida,

anyway, for them to watch it there if they can. severe storms from the upper midwest from kentucky and tennessee even into kansas as well. some of this weather right along a cold front. we don't get many cold fronts in the summertime. this cold front, of course, will drop all the way down into parts of texas. that's great news for people that have just been suffering with 100-degree days in a row, in a row, in a row. maybe not so much for dallas tomorrow, but all of texas and all of oklahoma and even along the red river, your temperatures will be out of the 100-degree range. you put a string of days over 100, 15 or 20 in a row, even at dallas, 98, it gets a lot better than that as the weekend goes through. kansas city, a relatively cool 77 compared to the 99s you've been seeing. kyra? >> all right. we have a few other stories to tell you about that kind of fell under the radar with all the attention on the sotomayor hearings. are you ready for this? >> yeah. here's the first one, british columbia, a 3-year-old boy was rescued after floating down a river in his toy truck. this made me think of your son,

grant. >> yeah. >> this is exactly what he would do. he traveled down the river eight miles in two hours. >> wow! >> should i point out in this red plastic truck? he slipped away from a campsite when his parents were not looking. oh, can you imagine what they were thinking? >> no. >> and then he was rescued by a boater in 30-foot water. and listen to what his first words were when he was rescued. >> only thing he did have a bit of concern when we got him in the boat and they got the life jackets on him and the floater coats and started rubbing him down to warm him up, he was pretty concerned about where his truck was. >> he wanted to know where's my truck. okay, forget the river, the fact that he was in a diaper, shirtless and cruising down for eight miles, where the hell's my truck, mom? >> his next truck is a boat. >> exactly. my guess is he won't be going into the water for a while. all right, here's another one. have you ever learned how to count this high? 23 quadrillion, 148 trillion,

855 billion, 388 million, 148 thousand dollars. >> something from congress. >> i don't know. that's the stimulus pack taj, buddy. believe it or not that was the charge on a new hampshire's man visa debit card when he bought a pack of cigarettes. maybe one reason he should stop smoking. >> there's some tax! >> it showed up on his online statement, all right? and then listen to this, bank of america then charged him a $15 overdraft fee. and here's the best part -- he spent two hours on the phone with the bank and said, hey, listen, i got a problem here, this doesn't make sense. two hours it took to straighten out that mess. >> you know what i bet happened? >> what? >> do you know how they have to punch in your number on that little machine. >> your account number? >> i bet, it's somebody's phone number. >> we should try calling the phone number. >> exactly. all right, here's the next one for you. okay? did you see the video? exactly. we'll put it in perspective. the video for the dead shark

that washed ashore on jones beach near long island. do you remember this? >> yeah. >> it came down on a live feed while we were anchoring the other day. someone said, it's an eight-footer. everyone said, no, i don't think so. it's like 26 feet possibly. >> whoa. >> researchers are still trying to figure out what killed the shark. it weighed about one ton and the sharks are considered not dangerous, by the way. i don't know if i can believe it or not. they eat plankton and are in the waters off of long island and it will be buried near the sand dunes on the beach. just to put it in perspective. are you ready? >> i'm ready. >> this will give the folks visual. there's conflict, 26 feet, 20 feet. i think we settled on 20 feet. if we were to say 20 feet just to give you -- oh, it is 26? but my tape measure is 20, right holly b.? >> keep going. >> it's 25. i'll only be short a foot. >> keep going. >> you think this is funny, don't you? >> you're only 21. >> the grip here is in charge of

all editorial content, he didn't sign off on this one. look your brain it's six feet long, griffs. let's see if we can make it over to steve. >> that was as long as my first car. >> your first car? >> my ltd. >> your rims were bigger than this, buddy? >> this is how long the shark was, can you imagine that? and that doesn't include the chops. >> but it only eats plankton. >> i tell you, we've got a lot of sharks in this newsroom. we better go to break, because i'm in big trouble! so what do you think?

i think i'll go with the basic package. good choice. only meineke lets you choose the brake service that's right for you. and save 50% on pads and shoes. meineke. all right. we are being told right now as we watch the live pictures, testimony has concluded in her confirmation hearing. sonia sotomayor, her testimony has wrapped up. and you may remember, if you were following this throughout the day, those pretty strong words from lindsey graham. you said some things that have bugged the hell out of me. the republican senator actually said that to the supreme court nominee, sonia sotomayor, on the final day here of he her questioning by the senate judiciary committee. but graham did go on to say that most of her rulings were, quote,

generally mainstream. now, earlier, senator graham had expressed his colleagues' frustrations over sotomayor not revealing more of her personal views, and he also honed in on her past statement that a wise latina might come to a better decision than a white man. here's what he said -- >> the last question on the wise latino woman comment. to those who may be bothered by that, what do you say? >> i regret that i have offended some people. i believe that my life demonstrates that that was not my intent, to leave the impression that some have taken from my words. >> you know what, judge, i agree with you. good luck. >> well, the questions, the answers, the back-and-forth, the bickering.

the best political team on television highlights the sonia sotomayor hearings. we're going to push forward next hour. you've heard the expression, good help is hard to find. it may be harder to find in jim wells, particular, because a former d.a. shelled out more than a million bucks in bonuses to keep three secretaries. here's cnn's gary tuchman. jp joe frank garza was a district attorney in south texas who gave his secretaries shockingly large bonuses. he said he had good reason to write them checks totaling hundreds of thousands of dollars. >> they were my eyes and ears in the community. >> reporter: over a five-year period garza wrote the three women checks. it same from a forfeiture funds. many states including texas allow police and d.a.s to spend this money so law enforcement can benefit from such arrests, but d.a.s are only supposed to spend this money on, quote,

official purposes. the current district attorney of the county beat dwarz za this past election day. >> most of the money that was used by him was for -- for three secretaries. >> reporter: most of his forfeiture money? >> most of it. >> reporter: cnn has received a report from an auditor hired by the county which indicates that's correct. more than half went to the secretaries. the report saying between 2004 and 2008, the former d.a. wrote one secretary checks totaling more than $380,000, and as for garza, he also wrote himself $81,000 worth of checks according to the report which he says were for expenses. look at the checks for just 2007. one secretary received an extra $103,000. another, $108,000. the third, norz 98,000. county officials say these secretaries received base annual salaries of around $35,000 a year. when we met the former d.a. two months ago, he acknowledged paying the women a lot of extra

money. >> i see nothing wrong with it. >> reporter: remember, the law says the d.a. must spend it for official purposes only. but gars za said it's not as clear-cut as what it sounds. >> there's nothing that says what the official purposes is. >> reporter: the d.a. office depends on a effective and competent staff. the whole purpose of paying the salaries that i did was the achievement of getting such a staff. this is the official purpose of the d.a.'s office. the 1099's showed they reported the income to the irs. cnn's attempted requests to receive an interview from the women was unsuccessful. garza said none of them want to talk to us. he said the ought it was a witch hunt that was politically motivated. the new d.a. and the auditor have denied it. the current d.a. said he has sent it to the attorney general's office to investigate the paydays of the three secretaries.

what was this guy thinking? he speeds away from a traffic stop near the u.s. capitol and hits two capitol traffic cops and his car crashes and fires shots. a few minutes of capitol chaos. and the officers returned fire killing the 35-year-old. the two officers hit by the car are okay. it's still not clear what the man's problem was. it's the scene of the crime that brought down a president. but not even watergate hotel can avoid the nation's real estate crunch. the washington landmark will go to auction next tuesday. the hotel's owner has defaulted on a $40 million loan. the watergate complex, of course, was made famous by the 1972 break-in that eventually forced president richard nixon to resign. it's going to take some getting used to, but an american landmark is getting a new name. as of now, chicago's 110-story sears tower is no longer named for sears. it's officially the willis tower. the london-based insurance holdings, willis holdings, is

leasing 140,000 feet of space in the skyscraper. it's enough to get their name on the building. sears officially moved out of the tower back in 1992. if you're going to get an illness years down the road, well, you'll want to know about it ahead of time, right? you're going to find out what a new study says about dna testing for diseases. daughter was with. i took a bayer aspirin out of my purse and chewed it. my doctor said the bayer aspirin saved my life. please talk to your doctor about aspirin and your heart. i'm going to be grandma for a long time.

as you know, for the past couple of days we have been following the confirmation hearings for the supreme court nominee, sonia sotomayor. and those confirmation hearings have wrapped up, and joining us now, senate judiciary committee chairman, patrick leahy, with an overview of some of the highlights in the past few days. i guess, senator, overall, she has now finished with her testimony. your thoughts as it wraps up, and comes to a close? >> well, i think it's pretty clear that she will be confirmed. she will be the ninth member of the united states supreme court, when it comes back in september. and i think she will have both republican and democratic votes in doing that. i think the american people got a chance to see -- to see her and learn more and more about her. i said that even though i've known her for 25 years, or almost 25 years, i know more

about her after these last three days than i did before that. >> did anything surprise you? >> no, not really. and we've had, of course, millions of people have been able to see it. your network, others, we streamed it on the web. 2,000 people came in out of the committee room and saw it live during that -- during that time. and, no, i think we see a very careful, very mainstream jurist, obviously somebody who has a tremendous grasp of the law and a very compelling personal story. >> and, you know, critics came forward, senator, and said, gosh, day after day, there was so much focus on the wise latina comment. do you feel that precious time was wasted focusing on that -- on a continual basis, while maybe more of the precious time should have been focused on other issues? >> well, i think a lot of time was spent on that, because they really had nothing else to focus

on. it was -- it was a red herring. she's sat on or decided 3,000 cases. i think they talked about 5 or 6 of the cases out of the 3,000. and spent -- and spent far, far more time on the wise latina comment, which she explained, i thought, very well. they spent far more time on that than they did any of those 3,000 cases. i think it was -- i think going into it, a lot of the people knew she would probably be confirmed. they went through the motions. but there was nothing here to disqualify her. >> do you think there will be any reason for republicans to justify a no? and do you have a feeling that you do know why some will vote no? >> well, i think some will vote no. you know, there's some very strong pressure groups, special interest groups on the right, who are demanding that they vote no. i tried to sell senators do what i've done.

i've been here for every single member of the u.s. supreme court, current members of the u.s. supreme court. i don't meet with the special interests or pressure groups, either the right or the left. i make up my mind based on what we see here. i wish they would do that. some, however, will go along with those -- those pressure groups. i think that's unfortunate. i think this is too important a thing to do that. and -- but every senator, i'm not going to question their motives, every senator, he or she, is going to have to make up their mind how they will vote. but there will be republican votes for her, just as there have been democratic votes for the last three republican presidents' nominees. >> senator lindsey graham came forward saying, hey, you know, judge on the bench you are pretty level-headed, but, boy, you've got some things that bug the hell out of me. in particular your speeches. let's listen to what he had to say -- >> your record as a judge has not been radical by any means, to me left of center, but your

speeches are disturbing, particularly to -- to conservatives, quite frankly, because they don't talk about get involved, go to the ballot box, make sure you understand that america can be whatever you'd like it to be, there's a place for all of us. it really did, to suggest -- those speeches to me suggested gender and racial affiliations in a way that a lot of us wonder will you take that line of thinking to the supreme court in these cases of first precedent. >> senator, are you disturbed by the same things? >> no. i look at a -- i look at a judge who has had more experience than any nominee to the u.s. supreme court in over 50 years. the only person who will be on the court to serve both as a trial judge and as a court of appeals judge. i look at the way she's been -- acted as a judge.

i mean, i'd like to -- i'd like to have every senator have to stand up and just based solely on what they have said in speeches that are based how do we vote, what do we do. and with her, by every single standard, both her work as a prosecutor and her work as a judge, you see a mainstream, very careful person who follows the law. i think it's grasping at straws to look at speeches, and i think the reason they did is they kept going back to the speech because there's nothing in her -- there's nothing in her history as a judge that would signify she'd be anything other than a mainstream judge who follows the law. >> senator, before i let you go, i saw you snapping personal pictures in during the break. are you putting together a unique album? >> well, no. you know, i've done a few photo shows back home. i try to take things from an angle that other photographers might not. so far i've gotten photographs over the shoulder of half a

dozen presidents signing a bill. as far as i know, i'm the only person who has done it. it's a hobby -- everybody's got to have some hobby. >> that's right. well, that sounds pretty interesting. let me know about the show. i'd love to see your photos. >> thank you very much. >> senator patrick leahy, thank you for your time, sir. >> thank you. if you want to get tested to see if you would more likely to get an illness like alzheimer's, would you like to know? a just-released study say it may not be as distressing as what you might think. elizabeth cohen is here to talk more about it. what did you find out? >> the people with alzheimer's disease in their past, might want to take the test. now, they tested these folks and then they told some of them the results. and they didn't tell others the results. and what they found is that knowing the results was no more distressing than not knowing the results. now, there are holes that you could poke in this research. for example, these were all

relatively young people, and so maybe they weren't nervous because they were so far away from the age at which they would get alzheimer's. but it certainly sort of addresses the question, do you want to know if you have a genetic predisposition to a certain disease? and, kyra, it's something we're all going to have to think about, because they're coming out with more and more tests for genetic diseases. and you're going to have to ask at some point in your life, do i want that test. do i want to know or do i not want to know? >> yeah, that is. i can see -- boy, that's a tough question at some point. >> it really is. >> so, what do you do if you find out you are at an increased risk for something? >> the interesting thing about this is there's not much you can do. so, you find out the gene that you have the higher likelihood -- >> you spend time freaking out. >> you spend time freaking out. stay mentally active and watch your blood pressure and control your cholesterol. these are things you should be doing anyhow. so why in the world would you want to know you are at an increased likelihood for

alzheimer's when there is nothing you can do about it. you should talk to a genetic counselor before you test your dna. >> my parents got tested by a dna test. and they were free and clear of all the things that worried them. >> but imagine if it went the other way. >> it's a tough one. >> it's a tough one. >> you have an interesting column this week, right? >> we do. it's when doctors are pressured to prescribing a drug when it's not in the patient's best interests. you can see it at cnn.com/health. living a dream, instead, they endured a nightmare. what some foreign exchange students are saying about the time in the u.s. open house. where getting a new vehicle is easy. because the price on the tag is the price you pay on remaining '08 and '09 models. you'll find low, straightforward pricing.

it's simple. now get an '09 silverado xfe with an epa estimated 21 mpg highway for under 28 thousand after all offers. go to chevy.com/openhouse for more details. people notice my devotion to family. people notice my love for animals. my smile. my passion for teaching. my cool car. people notice i'm a good friend and a good listener. people notice that i'm a good boss. people notice my love of nature. people notice i can fix anything. (announcer) thanks to miracle-ear what people don't notice about you is your hearing aid because, look closely, our hearing aids are nearly invisible. our exclusive line of open fit products are so lightweight, so small and so natural sounding even you won't know you're wearing one. you know, most people don't know how good or bad their hearing is... they just know when they're missing things or hearing words incorrectly. miracle-ear can help. with a quick, free hearing test.

miracle-ear has been helping folks for nearly 60 years. we're the number one choice in hearing aids. get your free hearing test today. it can change your hearing-- and your life-- for the better. (announcer) call now. our simple process can have you hearing better than you ever thought possible. and our full range of products are designed to suit your needs and your budget. people notice my zest for life. my great sense of humor. what sense of humor? people notice my beautiful wife! (announcer) let people see the best in you, nothing more nothing less. try a nearly invisible hearing aid at a nearby miracle-ear location. every miracle-ear hearing aid is backed by a risk-free 30-day money-back guarantee. find out for yourself what has made miracle-ear a household name for better hearing, miracle-ear. what will your miracle sound like? call 1-800-769-9112 to schedule your free hearing test or for a free information kit

with complete details about hearing loss and how we can help you. call 1-800-769-9112 to take one of these easy steps toward better hearing. that's 1-800-769-9112 call now! all right. we're just getting started here in the "newsroom." what won't a lobbyist do to get a seat on capitol hill? we're going to tell you what they will do, pay homeless people to stand in line. i'm not kidding.

plus, he was jailed for more than a year for not paying child support. but he's no deadbeat dad. heck, he's not even a dad. we'll tell you what's going on. so, whatever happened to an apple addai keeps the doctor away? apparently an apple just isn't enough these days. get this, in the uk if your kid is between the ages of 11 and 16, they will be coming home with this sex education pamphlet, right there in the bold and colorful print, your child is being told that five portions of fruit and veggies a day, 30 minutes of physical activity, three times a week, and, oh, yeah, a nice healthy orgasm every day will not only be good for your cardiovascular health, but all this advice will also help your child have an enjoyable sex life. i'm glad you're listening now. have an enjoyable sex life, are you kidding me? i think we all agree that teens need sex talks, but endorsing enjoyable sex as early as age 11? i don't know about you, but when

i was 11, i enjoyed my roller skates, baskin-robbins double-scoop ice cream cone and drooling over my shaun cassidy poster. believe me, that was plenty of thrills. we asked you to weigh in on this one. sustainable hero tweeted us, do we really need the government to tell us about this? doesn't everyone already do this but never talk about this. and kids don't need to be taught to masturbate in school, but learn to do math. and biggest loose said, i'd rather the teens masturbate than end up pregnant. it's a good way to delay intercourse. and then kentab said didn't the usa lose a surgeon general, jocelyn elders, due to her suggestion to masturbate? thanks to all of you for the tweets. we're going to 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. this is the new e-coupe. in these markets, i'm glad i turned to fidelity for an annuity with guaranteed income for life. that's right, guaranteed income for life. my annuity from fidelity means my retirement income is safe. it's guaranteed, no matter what happens. if guaranteed income for life sounds good to you, do what i did -- let fidelity be your guide. call fidelity at... for details about guaranteed income for life.

with literally trillions of dollars at stake, lobbyists on every side of the health issue are trying to influence lawmakers from tv ads to testimonials. here is jim acosta. >> reporter: before washington takes another step on health care reform, hilda wants the politicians to hear her story. >> if we don't change this now, my story is going to be their story. >> reporter: her 17-year-old cancer stricken daughter made national headlines when the family's health insurance company denied kofrm for a liver transplant in late 2007. they raised a ruckus and the company reversed their decision. the moment caught on camera. it was too late. that same evening, natalie died. >> now, she is in heaven. >> reporter: sarkisian was brought to washington by democratic activists pushing for

a reform bill that would give americans option to join a government-run plan to compete with private insurers. the options will keep the i have been does stri honest. >> insurance companies cannot decide who is going to live and who is going to die. >> reporter: she will have to win over an army of sceptics from republicans who are nervous about the price tag. >> they are spending too much and taxes too much to get us there and writing legislation that is totally partisan that isn't going to work. >> reporter: to special interest groups, beverage companies are running an ad opposing one congressional proposal that would pay for reform in part with a soft drink tax. >> this is no time for congress to be adding taxes on the simple pressures we enjoy like juice drinks and soda. >> those who oppose our efforts should take a hard look at what they are defending. >> reporter: they have an ad

aimed at its own senators waivering on reform. >> it is time for health care reform. >> reporter: in the message war over health care, hilda sarkisian vows, no surrender. >> i know i am going to face congress and meet the president eye to eye and i am going to tell him, he has the responsibility to become the president and we are proud of it but we need something in return. >> reporter: the president says he wants both the house and the senate to wrap up their work on health care reform before lawmakers take their long august break. the halls of congress may get crowded as supporters of reform plan to flood the hallways with more people like hilda sarkisian. jim acosta, cnn, washington. it's a story that's gotten incredible attention since we first told you about it in the "newsroom" yesterday with more than a million hits on cnn.com. foreign exchange students hoping to enjoy the great things about america as they get an education, some of thechl claim

they have been living a nightmare, placed with families where they have been abused, underfed and in some cases raped. the exchange program is overseen by the state department and now calls for reform have gone out. drew griffin, cnn special investigations unit first broke the story. we were talking about it yesterday. this is something you were working on for a while. we had an opportunity to talk about it. we have been overwhelmed by the reaction. >> it is incredible. our story centered in scranton, pennsylvania. since it aired, we are getting calls from around the world from people saying, thank you for doing this story. it wasn't just me who had this bad experience. 30,000 kids a year come to the united states in these exchange programs. it was scranton, local district attorney, who found out about it and then went on to the state department. he was going to find out what was going on with the state department. he called in senator bob casey, who is joining us now and leading the charge now. senator casey, you were just

appalled at what you were finding out was happening in your own state? >> well, it is outrageous when you think of when a student is sent to this country, it is not only a student from a foreign country, it is a student that's part of a family. to have that trust, that relationship of trust between a member of a family and the place where they have their placement when they come to the united states and the trust between two countries, to have that shattered by an incident like this and a series of problems is enexcusable. the state department has taken action. i would urge them to keep going, not wait for legislation, which i will offer if necessary. it is critically important that they bring some account ability to this program so we don't have this tragedy happen again. >> in holding the state department's feet to the fire, i know you have uncovered what we have uncovered. there have been violations going

on for years. these complaints have sat on bureaucrats desks in the state department. are you happy so far with how the state department has reacted? i am not seeing any heads rolling over there. >> well, i am pleased that the state department has recognized the problem, has applied a set of sanctions, including 15% reductions in the number of exchange students accepted by this, that's allowed to be put in place by this company and also the kind of sanctions that should take place. the open question is, how widespread this is and whether it is larger than the incident in northeastern pennsylvania, which happens to be my home area. i'm a resident of skran docrant. for that reason as well as i am on the foreign relations committee, i twoont take action. so far, they have taken decisive action. but there is still more work to do, the kind of account ability they should impose upon these

enhie enhits around the united states. they have to measure up and demonstrate the kind of account ability that this federal agency, the state department, can dem on stralt, to tonstratef the united states. >> kyra phillips here. i want to ask you a question. this unit within the state department, the educational and cultural affairs unit in the state department, the two top guys there, miller crouch and stanley kobin, they both have been there for a while. you said this has been an ongoing problem. that sounds great they say we will look into this and do something about it and monitor it now. we are talking about a lot of students that have come through. these guys are still in charge. what can you do as a senator to hold their feet to the fire and make sure this doesn't happen to the thousands of students coming over this year? >> part of ensuring account ability going forward is to give the state department the tools they need to do audit and reviews that they are not able to do now to the extent they need to.

i have asked peter orszag, the budget director, to give them those resources to conduct those kinds of audits. that's one way that we can get this right. this is going to be one action and one set of program changes or policy changes will not do it. we have to continually monitor what the state department is doing, how they have applied these sanctions and what they are doing going forward to increase and expand the scrutiny that's applied to these entities around the country to take foreign exchange students. if that trust is shattered again, i'm not sure you can put the pieces back together. >> obviously, drew and i were talking about this. these are young students coming over here, muslim students as well, and then going back to their muslim countries and talking about how they were treated by americans, not very good timing to see that going on right now. not just one organization, like drew uncovered and you also discovered, but many organizations that are getting taxpayer dollars. does secretary of state, hillary

clinton, need to step in and do something here? >> i think the state department has acted by taking swift action with regard to this particular incident. i think appropriate steps have been taken. we have to continue to follow up to make sure that the sanctioning and the policy changes are having the effect that it should. in most cases, these relationships work out well. stut de student comes over here. they have a positive experience. it is good for that student and the relationship between our country and another country. when you have one of these or two or any number, we have to make sure that those who have been involved in this and those who took action or didn't take action that led to the situation we are talking about have account ability applied to their actions and the united states senate and the congress has to make sure the executive branch is doing that. we do that by way of oversight through the committee work by the foreign relations committee. so far, i think the state

department has taken pretty swift action. >> senator casey, thank you. thank you for your work on this. real quickly, the state department wouldn't come on with us but they did send us over a statement a little while ago. they are going to try to get these audits he was talking about. in addition to the external management audit, the department is immediately setting up an 800 number for these students who feel threatened or badly treated and scheduling a set of site visits to check and see how the students are going, especially on these government-funded programs. we wanted to get that in. we would much rather have a live person from the state department. >> great work. thanks a lot, drew. we are pushing forward. we are going to head to capitol hill. historic hearings for the woman seeking to be the first hispanic on the u.s. supreme court. a week of direct questions and republicans say not so direct answers for sonya sotomayor.

they are bringing in outside witnesses, some of them not so friendly. our dana bash is live on capitol hill. >> >> reporter: right behind me, two members of the american bar association are testifying. they are, what you would probably call, friendly witnesses. that association gave sonya sotomayor just about its highest rating. later, as you alluded to, there will be some witnesses for republicans, one of whom is frank ricci, the firefighter from new haven who tried to get an affirmative action test taken away and sonia sotomayor ruled in a way that that isn't going to happen. that is something we are going to see throughout the day. what was most riveting was some exchanges she had with some republicans. look, her nomination, we have been talking about it. her nomination, there is no question she is going to be nominated barring something really unforeseen. the question is, how many

republican votes will she get. lindsey graham, somebody who might be one of those republicans, he made pretty clear at the end of the day, he believes she is somebody who is going to follow the law. listen to what he said. >> you are able after all these years of being a judge to embrace a right that you may not want for yourself, to allow others to do things that are not comfortable to you but for the group, they are necessary. that is my hope for you. that's what makes you, to me, more acceptable as a judge and not an activist. an activist would be a judge who would be champing at the bit to use this wonderful opportunity to change america through the supreme court by taking their view of light and imposing it on the rest of us. >> now, he did tell her that she

said some things that, quote, bugged the hell out of me, specifically her wise latina comment. he got her one more time to explain it. she said she regretted it. then, he said, you know what, i agree with you and he said, good luck to you. that was a key moment here in the hearing room. what happens next, kyra? the senate judiciary chairman, he hopes to have a vote for her in committee next week that is likely to spill over to the next week and ultimately, even the lead republican says he doesn't see why there can't be a full senate vote before congress leaves for august recess. >> dana bash, thanks so much. the best political team on television has been on the edge of their seat. let's run down judge sotomayor's best and worst moments. joining me, gloria borger, candy crowley and john king. my panel has shrunk. i had 12 of you yesterday. what happened? >> they are under the table. we have done away with them. >> let's stay on that light note for a minute.

when i reached out to you guys, you pretty much all agreed that sort of the most rheum russ moment or the light test moment was when colburn and sotomayor got into it talking about gun rights. >> if i go home, get a gun, come back and shoot you, that may not be legal under new york law, because you would have alternative ways -- >> you will have lots of explaining to do. >> i would be in a lot of trouble then. >> candy, it started out a little dry, had a little humor. it got everybody talking. >> it did. i actually think this happened aft first day of questioning. she seemed to loosen up considerably. she got a lot of that a girls on that first day. day two and today, she was much more relaxed. she gained confidence.

this was a done deal from the beginning but if you are the person for whom it will be a done deal, you still have your doubts. she loosened up, showed some humor and gave some personal stories sort of at the end when she was talking about why she actually wanted the job. >> however, quite a different tone today. colburn bringing up gun rights again. it was no laughing matter when he looked her straight in the eye and said, let's go back to the 14th amendment, to slavery and the right to bear arms. let's listen to this exchange. >> is that not ironic that we now have some kind of conflict that we are going to say that the whole reason in the debate about the 14th amendment originated from state's taking away the rights of peoples, fundamental rights to defend themselves? is that not an irony to you? >> senator, would you want a judge or a nominee who came in here and said, i agree with you,

this is unconstitutional, before i had a case before me, before i had both sides discussing the issue with me? >> she definitely came across with a different tone with both of them today. >> well, she did. look, it is very clear that what she is saying to coburn is, she said all along, i am not going to talk to you about the way i would rule on cases that could come before the supreme court, including gun rights, including abortion rights, including property rights, including all the cases that conservatives want to lenl it mattly hear about. what coburn was doing from his point of view and in talking to lots of conservatives watching this, they were setting some guidelines for president obama. these are the issues that we set out in this hearing that we're going to come back to if you have another supreme court nominee. because of her answers, which

are going to try and make it a little bit more difficult from democrats, from those purple states and red states, to vote for her. they were trying to make it as uncomfortable as possible and put the president on notice for the next time. >> john king, overall review, has been pretty good. democrats and republicans believe that, indeed, she will be confirmed. what do you see some republicans coming forward with, though, however, with reasons to vote no? >> well, i think as gloria just noted that was part of senator coburn's reasoning right there. he is inclined to vote no. should he vote no, i bet you bottom dollar he will say among the things he does not like is one ruling she agreed to on the second circuit, a new york case, saying that new york state has the right to restrict gun rights. he will say he doesn't want someone on the supreme court that would vote against restricting the right to bear arms. several other republicans have tried to press her on abortion. that could be one reason. property rights. where are we in the war on

terror and the government's right to keep people indefinitely? in the second and third round, you can see republicans are inclined to vote against her. i think you are qualified, smart and you have a great sense of humor and then laying out the issues which they disagree so that when they vote no, they will say, here are my reasons. they will say, president obama, as a senator said, it's okay. you don't have to agree with the president. he doesn't have to get his pick. if you have an eye delogical difference, you have every right to vote no. >> you mentioned qualified and smart. that brings me back to you three. let's step aside from the quotes from various senators and judge sotomayor. i want to ask each of you as journalists and three individuals that have covered the court and also three individuals that have been following every single breath taken here, candy, most interesting part for you as it comes to a close? >> what was interesting to me and where i think if there was a

mistake made here and it won't cost her anything, it was today. lindsey graham came out and said, listen, you say all the time that you are following the law but let's say gay marriage or the right to bear arms, if one of those cases came up, sure, you would look at the law, they would all have to look at the law but doesn't some of this have to do with your personal feelings? wouldn't you take into account how you view it? she said, no. the fact of the matter is, some of these cases that go up there do in the end taking into account the law depend on how you interpret that law and how you interpret that law depends on how you feel about things. >> gloria, your moment? >> what was the most important thing is i think it is going to be long lasting, they managed to get the judge to disagree with the president on empathy and whether that is really

legitimate when judging and she came out and said no. so as the republicans call it, the obama rule on empathy, they now say they have a division between his own supreme court nominee and the president and you can bet if he gets another nominee, they are going to raise that again. >> the wise american j.k. i have to get to your moment. >> i would say those are two great points. during the bush administration, judicial nominations were very contentious. i think both parties proved that you can have a thorough, tough process that has a little bit of laughter and gets you what you want, an up and down vote, yes or no, on the president's nominee. that stripped the partisanship out. i thought it was a pretty healthy discussion this week. >> john, candy, gloria, thanks, guys. more movement on the murder case involving a wealthy florida couple with several special needs children. the safe recovered. the law now saying when you boil it all down, the case is about

robbery. ed lavandera on the case in pensacola. the sheriff also said more motives might pop up. >> reporter: they have been saying that all along, which just kind of seems to keep the intrigue going here. i think they are slowly starting to back away from any kind of big conspiratorial issue going on here. one of the issues that has led to a lot of that is the talk of the dea involvement. we have been told by dea that is rights that they have been called in to assist in this investigation. that was actually coming at the ire of various members in the billings family. that has been communicated to us through their attorney. they were rather upset about that, the in difference that the dea investigation would somehow be connected to the billings family. that led the sheriff to come out and talk about the reasons the dea has been called in to assist

in this investigation. has to do with further investigations and looking into the suspects in this case. >> dea is providing investigative assistance at the request of the escambia sheriff's office. no additional information is being provided at this time. that's a statement from the dea. to put that in context, the dea was called in on the suspects in this crime, to assist us in that area. the individuals that are currently incarcerated. they are assisting us in any area that develops from that. additionally, i will restate, which i believe i stated numerous times last night, that the billings family, to the best of my knowledge, is not the focus of any investigation by the dea. i am not sure where that may have started. please, today, let us put that to rest. >> reporter: a lot of that has people looking early on into this investigation into the business dealings of byrd

billings. he had done very well for himself, a used car salesman and had a finance company. people looking into whether or not that might have played a role in that. investigators saying they have recovered the safe, and weapons and what they believe to be the murder weapon in this case. this coming just hours after the eighth suspect was arrested yesterday afternoon after being interviewed here in pensacola by authorities. authorities aren't saying whether or not that eighth suspect was the person who led them to these discoveries. it came just a few hours after all of that. video images here late at night of that safe being brought in here. authorities aren't saying what they have recovered from inside that safe. they are just saying they are in the process of processing that safe as we speak. >> thanks, ed. straight ahead, give us or soldier back. that's what the u.s. army is telling afghan militants on paper and in no uncertain terms.

pushing forward, u.s. militants release a message if you do not release the u.s. soldier, you will be hunted. barbara starr working her sources in the pentagon. for those that didn't see our q and a last hour. let's talk about the pictures and clarify that the soldier you see in the fliers is not the missing soldier. >> that's right, kyra. u.s. troops have been handing these flyers out in eastern

afghanistan. these are graphics essentially showing a generic u.s. soldier, no identifying marks, no face, no name tags, none of that, trying to show a representation of the people of eastern afghanistan that there is a u.s. soldier missing, a u.s. military member went missing on june 30th. there was an announcement about that. they have been looking for this man ever since. these leaflets, these fliers that you see right now are not him. they are graphic representations that the military has made on computers and has now distributed. this soldier missing for two weeks. they are searching for him. now, they are approaching the people of afghanistan looking at every avenue to try and get him back, kyra. >> it has been 17 days since we have actually heard someone from the military come forward and tell us about an effort that's been going on. you say this isn't the first. there has been a secret effort, if you will, looking or out there trying to find him. >> right, absolutely.

they are really anxious to get him back, obviously. they believe he is in the hands of afghan militants, taliban, possibly a notorious war lord, someone very well known to the u.s. military and u.s. intelligence. part of the strategy that has emerged is to keep this low key and quiet and see if they can get him back. they are handing out these fliers hoping that someone can tell them where this young soldier is being held. >> you are saying there is a notion that he may be on a specific side of the border. >> this is the issue. this man we are talking about, the war lord, he and his clan, if you will of militants, do operate on both sides of the border, both afghanistan and pakistan. they pretty much have had free

movement across that border. once the u.s. military determines that they do believe he is in his hands, the concern has been that they might have moved the young soldier across the border into pakistan. that would make it very tough to get him. they don't know for sure. it is one of the theorys they have. they are distributing these fliers on the afghan side of the border. that's a big clue they are still working both sides to get him back. >> kyra? >> thanks, barbara. she was the first female marine one pilot and today is her last day in that role. to mark that occasion, today's marine one crew is made up entirely of women in honor of their pioneer, major jennifer grieve. marine one is the chopper that flies the president around. it is the best news we have gotten on jobless claims since january. new numbers are out. we will break them down for you. where will you find the stability and resources to keep you ahead of this rapidly evolving world? these are tough questions.

that's why we brought together two of the most powerful names in the industry. introducing morgan stanley smith barney. here to rethink wealth management. here to answer... your questions. morgan stanley smith barney. a new wealth management firm with over 130 years of experience.

so how often do we get to say this, news about jobless claims better than expected. americans filed 522000 claims last week, down by 47,000 claims from the week before, the lowest level in six months. the numbers of continuing unemployment claims dropped by about 642,000 and now stands at 6.2 million. bailout denied a troubled lender could be headed for bankruptcy. cit group lends money. they say their around the clock negotiations about a possible bailout have failed. they don't see much hope for the company. their shares have tumbled about 70%. unemployment is high and money is tight but many financial experts say it is a great time to start a small business. to meet our out of work veteran who is getting a clean start by

becoming her own boss. cnn national correspondent, susan candiotti, has her story. >> reporter: in the eight years since she retired from the air force, lorie lawrence has had three different jobs. she quit one and was laid off twice. after the last layoff in february, she started rethinking her options. >> i started thinking, i'm tired of going through this. what would i really enjoy? >> reporter: her aging husky, cody is too old to need much grooming. he inspired her to set her sites on opening a dog grooming business in the upscale atlanta suburb of peach tree city. money was tight so she swallowed her pride and opened a fruit stand. >> it is not doing anything like i had hoped it would do but it is more money than i had last week. >> reporter: fruit is only bringing in a few hundred dollars a week. compared to that, dog grooming

looks like a gold mine. >> people spent $42 billion on their pets alone. it is there. how do i get in? i want in. >> reporter: she attended a number of sba seminars and googled business plans of other start-ups and drafted her own. small business experts, danny and john, offered to take a look. >> she has a specific idea in her head about what this is going to look like and what the consumer is going to walk away with. >> reporter: john and danny helped her reduce her start-up costs to just $35,000. they showed her how to save money on labor and equipment. they suggested she look for free advice on line instead of hiring an attorney and cpa. and they are helping her negotiate a better lease in a down and out commercial real estate market. >> in your plan, you have also things like pet sitting, dog taxi, retail, a bakery. all of those are ways of adding more revenues on to the basic,

wash your dog. >> reporter: for the time being, dog washing is all lorie offers. she hopes to be providing the pamper pamper pampered pooches in her area a full range of services by the end of next month. one small step for man. one giant leap for mankind. >> durham where you were when that historic moment for america happened? and the world was pretty amazed 40 years ago. now, nasa is out with some newly enhanced images of the apollo 11 moon landing mission. we are going to go live to kennedy space center. i think right now it's a phenomenal time for somebody to buy a home. the first step in the process is to educate them. bank of america is highly committed.

we do have a vast array of programs that will enable buyers to purchase a home and feel comfortable. for credit qualified buyers, the government will give you a tax credit up to 10% of the purchase price or $8000, and as long as they live in that home for 3 years or longer, they don't have to pay it back. due to the market guideline changes, fha has had a resurgence in the market place. va is also one of the things that's coming into vogue again. there's more veterans out there that qualify for these programs, and they'll come back and they'll utilize these. everything starts with the first time home buyer and moves up from there. sometimes these are the first people in their family to own a home and it's hugely rewarding. we are doing everything that we can to take the opportunities that are available and help the people. be there for them, and allay some of their fears and concerns. we're in that process every step of the way. that creates a customer for life and that's what we're looking for. that's what we do here at bank of america.

i switched to a complete multivitamin with more. only one a day women's 50+ advantage... has gingko for memory and concentration... plus support for bone and breast health. just what i need. one a day women's.

live pictures of testifying. the mayor of new york along with other members of the american bar association testifying before the senate judiciary committee. as you know, sonia sotomayor has

wrapped up her testimony. the aba has showed obvious support for sonia sotomayor. members like the mayor here of new york giving testimony before the committee. robbery, pure and simple, that's how the law in pensacola describes the killing of a wealthy couple with several special needs children. a short time ago, we have learned that police have recovered the safe stolen out of byrd and melanie billings home. several weapons are in the evidence room. one may be the murder weapon. eight people charge. more people of interest out there and the sheriff is making it clear to the best of his knowledge that federal drug agents on the case are not focused on the billings family but on the suspects. the international space shuttle is preparing for a new group of visitors. the liftoff last night didn't come without problems. foam insulation came off the external fuel tank.

it was hit several times and the damage looks to be less extensive than what happened on the last shuttle flight. "endeavour" is to rondeview tomorrow with the space station. 40 years ago today, a huge boost for american pride. the apollo 11 mission to the moon launched from kennedy space center in florida. four days later, neil armstrong became the first human to set foot on the moon. today, newly enhanced images from that historic moment. >> one step for man. one giant leap for mankind. >> cnn's john zarrella joins us with more. pretty exciting day. pretty exciting to see the enhancement of the -- i guess we should say it was film, right?

i am sorry to count back 40 years. >> reporter: back 40 years, they had their cameras. they were recording it back live back in houston and down in places like australia. we saw "endeavour" liftoff here last night at a little after 6:00 p.m. it was 40 years ago today that one of those guys, a saturn 5 rocket like that one, lifted off from that very same launch pad, 39 a here at the kennedy space center on that first moon mission, the 16th of july. they lifted off. that enhanced video. nasa releasing it today. what they did was they scoured the archives, all kinds of sources, material that came from australia. material that came from cbs network. material that came from their own archives and they picked out 15 of the most spectacular scenes, images and pieced all

that together to recreate the moon landing, the walk of neil armstrong and buzz aldridge on the moon. they will be finishing the entire moon walk and preserve it for all history. it was apollo 11 lifting off from here 40 years ago today, four-day journey from the moon. today, i got to host a panel discussion here with eight apollo astronauts, including buzz all dren and al warden and edgar mitchell from apollo 14 and charlie duke from apollo 16. a lot of great guys here. we asked buzz during this panel discussion, what were those last moments like just before neil armstrong got them down safely on the moon.

>> there was a time when the low-level light came on and we were still 100 feet off the ground and charlie says, 60 seconds. i was beginning to wonder but i didn't want to disturb the guy to my left because he was concentrating on what he was doing. all i could do was give him the numbers. when 30 seconds came, we were descending to ten feet. we had it made by that time. >> he was making reference to charlie duke there, of course, apollo 16. he walked on the moon. duke was the capsule communicator on apollo 11. great ceremony here. about 500 people. kyra, i want you to take a look at this. you will appreciate this. al shepard, the late al shepard, this was his corvette. there it is. one of those famous corvettes. look at that thing. the boys used to tool around here in cocoa beach on. come on down, maybe they will

let us take this thing for a spin. >> i was going to say, could life get any more exciting. i'm an astronaut, i have a hot convertible and i am cruising the beaches of florida. >> reporter: what a life they had. and they went to the moon, by wait. >> and, by the way, we made history. hey, john, stay with me for a minute, will you? in addition to all this cool stuff that's been going on today and the fact that you got to be a part of this really neat panel, we want to sort of try and relive the apollo 11 mission. we want you to do it with us. you know how you do it? the smithsonian air and space museum is twittering the mission as if it were happening now. i twoont check in with our executive producer kelly franken in our control room. we did this once before for passion of the christ during the holiday. kelly, who is our twitter queen, i guess you could say, she is always keep meeg abreast on what they are doing. >> yes. >> how is this going down?

splin. >> this is a really neat project that the smithsonian is doing through air and space museum. they are doing a real-time twittering of the event that took place. the latest one came a few minutes ago. apollo 11 will rotate several times during the mission. houston reassures cmp collins that they will take turns looking out the window. this is a project that i talked to a couple of folks at the smithsonian that they put together with basically volunteers. it was preset because they wanted the timing to be perfect. there are 700 tweets that have been created. it is going to be automatically generated. they are going to carry it all the way through july 24th just after splash down when all of the astronauts were there before they met with nixon in quarantine. it is a very cool way to do sort of a real-time history lesson.

>> john, listen to kelly. splashdown. she has all the terms. she is talking like a true astronaut. >> reporter: kelly, here is the trivia. what was the name of the aircraft carrier that picked them up? >> oh, oh, oh, you know what? i had that. i did my research. you trumped me. wait. i am going to find that. you go ahead and keep talking. >> reporter: i don't remember. i think it was the hornet. >> you are absolutely right. it was the hornet. the interesting thing is going to be twitter traffic. isabelle and victoria from the air and space museum said the delay was a minute, minute and a half. that's because of all the twitter traffic. so, come monday, at 10:56, i'll be interested to see what's going on. >> john, does buzz aldrin, is he

on twitter? >> reporter: does he what, kyra? >> buzz aldrin, does he twitter? >> reporter: no, does doesn't. the anchor -- the astronaut who is the commander of this particular space shuttle, he is doing twittering and tweeting. he made the remark during one of his press conferences that before this mission, he had absolutely no idea the difference between a twitter, a tweet, a facebook or a myspace. now, he says he has it all down and he is going to be tweeting from space. >> i love it. there you go. i hope everybody enjoyed that as much as we did. thank you, kelly. kelly just gave me the big wrap. i know that was fun. john zarrella, work on that car vet. we will go cruising. >> you got it. bye, kyra. when it comes to the battle over health care reform, you ain't seen nothing yet. it is about to turn into an all-out war and get personal.

we will have a checkup in just a second. he recommended citracal. it's a different kind of calcium. calcium citrate. with vitamin d... for unsurpassed absorption, to nourish your bones.

last month, this woman wasn't even able to get around inside of her own home. they chose mobility. and they chose the scooter store! if you or a loved one live with limited mobility call the scooter store! no other company will work harder to make you mobile or do more to guarantee your complete satisfaction.

if we pre-qualify you for a new power chair or scooter and your claim isn't approved, the scooter store will give you your power chair or scooter free. that's our guarantee. they were so helpful and nice. they filed all the paperwork, and medicare and my insurance covered the cost. we can work directly with medicare or with your insurance company. we can even help with financing. if there's a way, we'll find it! so don't wait any longer, call the scooter store today. just a moment ago we were talking about john zarrella who

had an opportunity to oversee a panel with buzz aldrin and other astronauts. 40 years ago, the first moon landing. kelly is following this via the smith sonya. i asked john does buzz aldrin tweet. sure enough, he does. you can tweet him at the real buzz. didn't get a chance to tweet from space but he is doing it now. go ahead and tweet buzz aldrin on his big anniversary, 40 years later it. efforts to overhaul the nation's health care system have picked up speed. consensus is still a long way off. stephanie elam has our breakdown from new york. >> three house committees considering a health care bill today. yesterday, they passed a version of health care reform.

both house and senate versions create a government-run health care plan that would compete with private insurers. this he both prohibit from denying coverage we call pre-existing conditions. all americans get health insurance by penalizing employers. businesses that don't offer coverage would pay a $750 penalty per worker. the house version would fine employers by as much as 8% of their payroll. there are exemptions for small businesses. the house bill punishes individuals who don't get health insurance and have to pay up to 2.5% of their income. in that case, kyra, you might as well buy the health insurance. you are going to have to pay one way or the other if health care reform gets enacted. needless to say, we will be keeping our eye on this, because this one is far from done. >> new developments in a story we are following for you. a woman accused of exposing patients to a deadly virus with dirty needles may have put thousands more people at risk.

e a follow-up to a story for a nurse who exposed patients to hepatitis c because of her addiction to pain killers. 26-year-old kristen diane parker is accused of injecting herself

with fentinol and filling the us used syringes. >> i can't take back what i did. if i would have known, it would have been different. now, i have got to live with what i did for the rest of my life and so does everybody else. i didn't know this was going to happen to the extent that people would be sick for the rest of their life because of me. that's something i can't take back. i know i'm a smart person. i just do stupid stuff. >> well, parker may be sorry but now, any infected victims have a disease with no vaccine that could lead to liver cancer.

unfor the yuc unfortunately, investigators say her outrageous behavior did not start in colorado. they are reaching out to 2,800 of its patients who may be infected and patients at st. john's hospital in houston may have been exposed as well. she worked in new york and texas before moving to denver. we will keep you updated. >> team sanchez back there working on the next hour. this is unbelievable what's going on in new jersey. this shooting we are following, this gunman that shot five police officers in broad daylight, some of them through some walls, according to police, had a shotgun. one officer shot in the face. another one shot in the neck and we are told the suspect was wearing priest's clothing if you can believe that. we have just confirmed that the

police chief is going to be joining me here live in about 12 minutes to take us through this story and tell us what the update is. mike brooks is going to be join meeg ing me on this story as he will objecten pensacola story. for the first time, we are seeing what actually happened to michael jackson when his hair caught on fire during that pepsi commercial. we will see the video in its entirety and we'll drill down and annal looiz it. >> we want to take you live back to the hill for a sicked. frank ricci, that white firefighter, the lead plaintiff in the recent supreme court case is testifying right now before the committee. the confirmation hearing of

judge sonia sotomayor. she ruled against them. the supreme court reversed that decision and ruled in the firefighters favor. let's listen in. >> firefighters who earned promotions were denied them. despite the important civil rights and constitutional claims we raised, the court of appeals panel, disposed of our case in an unsigned, unpublished summary order that consisted of a single paragraph that made mention of my dyslexia and thus led many to think that this was a case about me and a disability. this case had nothing to do with that. it had everything to do with ensuring our command officers were competent to answer the call and our right to advance in our profession based on merritt, regardless of race. americans have the right to go into our federal courts and have their cases judged based on the

constitutions and or laws, not on politics or personal feelings. the lower courts belief that citizens should be reduced to racial statistics is flawed. it only divides people who don't wish to be divided along racial lines. the very reason we have civil service rules is to root out politics, discrimination, and nepotism. our case demonstrates that these ills will exist if the rules of merit and the law are not followed. our courts are the last resorts for americans whose rights are violated. making decisions on who should have command positions solely based on statistics and politics were the outcome of the decision could result in injury or death is contrary to sound public policy. the more attention our case got, the more some people tried to distort it. it bothered us greatly that some perceived this case as involving a testing process that resulted

in minorities being completely excluded from promotions. that was entirely false as minority firefighters were victimized by the city's decision as well. as a result of our case, they should now enjoy the career advancement that they have earned and deserve. enduring over five years of court proceedings took its toll on us and our families. the case was no longer just about us but about so many americans who had lost faith in the court system. when we finally won our case, and saw the messages we received from every corner of the country, we understood that we did something important together. we sought basic fairness and ev evenhanded enforcement of the laws, something all americans believe in. again, thank you for the honor and privilege of speaking to you

today. >> thamg y >> thank you for your testimony. we will hear from benjamin vargas. a lieutenant in the fire department and worked part time for a company that sells equipment to firefighters. mr. vargas? >> thank you. members of this committee, it is truly an honor to be invited here today. notably, since our case was s summarily dismissed, this is the first time i have been able to testify and tell my story. senators of both parties have noted the importance of this proceeding because see significances of the united states supreme court can greatly impact the everyday lives of ordinary americans. i suppose that i and my fellow

plaintiffs have shown how true that is. i never enadviced beivisioned b plaintiff in a supreme court case, much less one that generated so much media. i am hispanic and proud of the heritage and background that judge sotomayor and i share. i congratulate judge sotomayor on her nomination. the focus should not have been on me being hispanic. the focus should have been on what i did to earn a promotion to captain and how my own government and some courts respond today that. in short, they didn't care. i think it important for you to know what i did, that i played by the rules and then endured a long process of asking the courts to enforce those rules. i am the proud father of three young sons. to them, i sought to better my life. so i spent three months in daily study preparing for an exam that was unquestionably job related.

my wife,a special education teacher, took time off from work to see me and our children through this process. i knew we would see little of my sons during these months when i studied every day at a desk in our basement. so i placed photographs of my boys in front of me. when i would get tired and wanted to stop, i would look at the pictures, realize that their own future depended on mine and i would keep going. at one point, i packed up and went to a hotel for days to avoid any distractions. those pictures came with me. i was shocked when i was not rewarded for this hard work and sacrifice. i actually was penalized for it. i became not ben vargas, the fire lieutenant who proved himself qualified to be captain but a racial statistic. i had to make decisions whether to join those who wanted promotions to be based on race

and ethnicity or join those who would insist on being judged solely on their qualifications and the constant of their character. i am proud of the decision i made and proud of the principle that our group vindicated together. in our profession, with he do not have the luxury of being wrong or having long debates. we must be correct the first time and make quick decisions under the pressure of time and rapidly unfolding events. those who make these decisions must have knowledge necessary to get it right the first time. unlike the judicial system, there are no continuances, motions or appeals. errors can cost people their lives. in our profession, the racial and ethnic makeup of my crew is the least important thing to us and to the public we serve. i believe the countless americans who had something to say about our case understand that now. firefighters and their leaders

stand between their fellow citizens and catastrophe. americans want those who are the most knowledgeable and qualified to do the task. i am willing to risk and even lay down my life for fellow citizens but i was not willing to go along with those who place racial identity over these more critical considerations. i am not a lawyer but i quickly learned about the law as it applied to this case. studying it as much as i studied for my exams. i thought it lear we were denied our fundamental civil rights. i expected lady justice with the blindfold on and a reasoned opinion from a federal court of appeals telling me, my fellow plaintiffs and the public that the court's view on the law -- what the court's view on the law was and do it in an open and transparent way. instead, we were devastated to see a one paragraph, unpublished order summarily dismissing our case and the notion that we had

presented important legal issues to that court of appeals. i expected the judges that heard my case along the way to make the right decisions, the ones required by the rule of law. of all that has been written, it was justice alito who best captured our own feelings. we do not ask for sympathy or empathy but even handed enforcement of the law. in our case, with were denied just that. thank you. >> thank you for your testimony. we will now hear from peter kursinel, who serves on the u.s. commission on civil rights, a member of the national labor relations board where he received a recess appointment from president obama george w. bush. previously e was a partner with the cleveland law firm of benish, free land der, copeland and arnoff. he received his law degree from cleveland state university.