from the cnn center in georgia this is cnn sundays hurricane warning for august 2. i'm t. j. holmes. >> it's 6:00 a.m. in atlanta, 3:00 a.m. in las vegas. >> we have gotten some video in overnight. new video of a plane crash in nairobi, kenya. everybody aboard that plane there you are seeing there were americans. they all got out of there for

the most part. we'll tell you what happened here in this crash, why this happened. although dozens of kenyans came to the rescue of those on board. we'll hear from one of the passengers in just a few minutes. but it was kind of a scary situation as that plane flying a little low. . for the most part, everybody got out of there and expected to survive. we know one person did die in that crash. >> americans just in their 20s. also coming up, an amazing story of patience and love through some letters. one man was wrongly sent to prison and released 14 years later and the love of his life is still waiting with open arms. >> too bad they had to go through what they went through. >> tough stuff. great story. >> it's early for us. you need breakfast in the morning. gumbo not exactly the breakfast of champions.

we were not picky. gumbo, well tell you how to make it. it's matter of the new cookbook. we'll tell you how you can be part of that cookbook. let's talk about the stories we're following overnight. an outdoor stadium collapses in canada. one person is dead. some of those injuries are critical. one survivor describing this frightening scene. we get access to the show on stage. the next thing i know we're running off. 20 feet up on the stage and the wind gusts came out of nowhere. and the whole deck smashes. the next thing i know there's concrete and something on top of my back. i can't see a thing.

all i'm doing is yelling for my sister. children on the deck with us. it was awful. i thought my life was ending because it was dark and black. there was a tiny hole that i crawled through and probably, i don't know, a good 50 feet i had to jump. the injuriyest part of my life. >> this was in canada, 15,000 people were attending this concert, at a vest false, 50 miles south of edmonton. kevin costner has a band and his ban was scheduled to take stage right after that stage collapsed there. >> you can hear the fear in her voice. scary scene in chicago, somebody fired into a crowd outside of a church. they were there attending a funeral. officers believe the shooting

was gang-related. none of the injuries was life threatening but one man is in serious condition. no arrests yet this morning. u.s. officials are trying to confirm reports that three americans have been arrested after crossing into iran from iraq. but they have notified the families. also switzerland which represents u.s. diplomatic interests in iran to check on those americans. >> the whole story started on friday. the americans were hiking into iran from eastern iraq's kurdistan region. there were no signs. that's according also to iran state run media and kurdish officials. >> we have been following this story from baghdad. >> reporter: iranian press tv report that three americans have been detained for strange across the border for failing to heed

border guard warnings. one has been identified. a fourth american who was traveling with the group is believed to be at the u.s. embassy. the four started out their journey in syria, traveling to turkey before they crossed into northern iraq on july 28th. on july 30th they arrived and on the morning of the 31st the three traveled to an area they are the iranian border. sean stayed behind because he was feeling ill. the three at the border were said to have been warned by local tourist police that they were very close to iran and that they should watch out. the border in this area is a natural border and should pay attention because these were very tense times. the three were last heard from when they placed a phone callback to sean at 1:30 on

friday saying we're surrounded by the iranian military. there have been ongoing military to try to secure specific information about what happened after that point and gained access to three that are believe to be in custody in iran. the u.s. state department saying it's asked with diplomats in iran to try to verify reports that the three are being held there and if that is in fact the case to try to gain access to them. the great concern here is that this could potentially escalate into an international incidence given three way tensions between the u.s., iran and iraq. >> the u.s. state department also says it has no reason to believe the iranian media reports are false. robert wood said the protection of american citizens is our highest priority. as you just heard, one of the americans is joshua batol. his family is refusing to answer

a bunch of questions. his mom did answer a few. >> my husband and i are eager for the best welfare and conditions for our son josh and for the other two companions he's with. and that is our only concern. his welfare and the best conditions for him. >> the fattal family has called the situation a private matter and has reportedly asked that neighbors in elkins park not speak with the media. >> president obama leaves camp david later today and tomorrow he has a formal launch for the post-9/11 g.i. bill. then he meets with the meyer of kuwait. then the president the will make

a visit to elkhart, indiana, a town hit hard by the economic downturn. on thursday he'll be at a virginia fundraiser. and have the 100 days of obama administration been days of change or days of frustration. go to cnn.com/reportcard. new york's laguardia airport getting back on schedule this morning after an interesting day yesterday. >> thank goodness. >> after we saw a big bomb that forced -- >> hundreds shut down that airport. we find out how one homeless man with a backpack allegedly caused such a scare. >> reporter: hundred of passengers were hurried outside one of laguardia's terminals by a bomb scare that disrupted flights for hours. >> it's sad. it's sad that we live in a

society that people are like that. >> reporter: at 5:00 a.m. parents were starting to arrive when scott mcgann approached this checkpoint. mcgann appeared intoxicated and was carrying a backpack. attached to the outside in plane view were two square batteries with wires sticking out. when asked most to move, allegedly failed to comply. he look like he was trying to push a switch but nothing happened. mcgann was arrested and the terminal was evacuated. outside new york's bomb squad used a water cannon to detonate the device. it was fake. >> it's a bomb scare, it's a bomb scare. you can't hope it's a false alarm. >> reporter: passengers were on stand by while flights were delayed or cancelled before the terminal fully reopened after about six hours. mcgann who has three prior new york city arrests now faces

state charges including planting a fake bomb and making terror threats. the fbi also is investigating. the question is what was he up to? a law enforcement source tells us mcgann had boarding passes on several connect fleegts from new york to chicago to denver and on to oakland, california. >> so did he have multiple tickets? >> a lot of questions. who knows. unfortunate situation. >> so frustrating. we talked to a bunch of folks trying to get on flights yesterday morning. coming up we'll look at some of the most shocking video of the day, an american film crew crashes in nairobi. look at this video. the reporter, they are on the ground catching the aftermath. maybe a cell phone camera. >> an exhibit that celebrates black america. they are seeing the signature,

yes, of abraham lincoln. many artifacts are being used as a hands on educational tool.

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go to chevy.com for details. my name is chef michael. and when i come home from my restaurant, i love showing bailey how special she is. yes, you are. i know exactly what you love, don't i? - [ barks ] - mmm. aromas like rotisserie chicken. and filet mignon. yeah, that's what inspired a very special dry dog food. [ woman ] introducing chef michael's canine creations. so tasty and nutritious it's hard to believe it's dry dog food. chef-inspired. dog-desired.@i chef michael's canine creations. morning to reynolds. we have some video to show. a video we're getting out of kenya. a small plane carrying four americans crashed in nairobi. >> can you imagine being on the ground and taking these pictures.

four people were on board. the pilot of killed. the three other passengers were taken to a hospital. one of them is still in a coma. a kenyan official says the plane crashed into a three story residential building. the plane was flying low and 50 feet off the ground. one of the americans talked to a reporter shortly after the crash. >> we still don't know what happened to the pilot. i really don't know what happened. i just know that we crashed. i don't know why. i wish i could tell you why. but i don't know what else. >> and you heard him mention he didn't know what happened to the pilot. we do know the pilot died in the crash. two of the injured passengers were shooting a documentary about poverty in africa. ooh feet. why were they flying 50 feet. one of the passengers shooting the documentary the door was open to the plane because he was leaning out shooting.

we don't know if there was some issue with the plane and had to land or if they were going that low to get up close and get some good documentary for the video. either way you fly ooh feet you're going to be in trouble. >> my condolences to the pilot. but anybody that lived is a miracle in itself. that's a bad situation. >> that was a crash victim. standing there. seems fine. has a bandage on. some of the crash victims have been twittering and blogging. we often see that and everything that happens around the world people start twittering. reminder to you, you can scene us anything that's on your mind this morning, twitter, facebook, you know how to find us on our blog as well. >> mr. wolf >> talking about problems at airports. we had a little bit of an incidence at laguardia. today there could be more problems. all due to the rough weather.

anybody that happens to be in the northeast corridor, philadelphia, all the airports in new york as far south as d.c. may have issues with thunderstorms. right now we have a shot of lady liberty. looks good for the time being. looks fine from this vantage point. later on showers, storms may pop up so be prepared for that. i'll tell you what may last into the early morning on monday as well. not a bad thing. can use some rainfall in parts of new york, more rainfall here in the southeast and that may indeed happen. heaviest rainfall between philadelphia and new york. we have some cells, large thunderstorms developing in allentown not far from the delaware river. if you happen to be in philadelphia right now and heard thunderstorms rumble on through and think it might be starting, look further back to the west another cell come being around. you're not done just yet. the reason why we're seeing the

rough stuff, pretty simple. moisture coming in from the atlantic. with your daytime heating -- scattered activity through parts of the southeast. when you get to parts of the pacific southwest the rain is not an issue. the rain could be a problem. highs in seattle going up to 90. 97 in salt lake city. kansas city with 85. chance of scattered showers. tampa with 93. that's a wrap on your 401-k. let's sends it back to you at the news desk. >> providing in this economy means getting creative. one business charged less to get paid more. >> and tracking the president's progress. >> good morning. it's your chance to grade president obama and vice president biden, secretary of state clinton.

welcome back to cnn sundays morning. it sound like a winning business a place you can drop-off your kids and let them have as much fun as you want. in this recession let's be honest even a place like that can struggle. so the owners of this north carolina business got creative and active. here's a look at bounce you. scott and julie hamilton took their life savings and borrowed money from family and the bank to invest their dream. they opened a kid-friendly franchise, bounce you in charlotte, north carolina last year. an entrepreneurial strong city. then the economy took a nose dive. >> we knew we would have to get creative and pro active. >> that meant coming up with a

marketing strategy to get customers in the door. they focused on children's parties and smaller and less expensive parties and even week night activities. we have party packs that start at $150. all different sizes and budgets. >> not just the weekend business is originally what we bought into it for. it's something we have parties on the week nights, summer camps during the day, open bounce. >> they are seeing a bayoff. the business has increased by 20% with zero layoffs. a common story in charlotte. according to the chamber of commerce more than 7300 jobs have been created by new business so far this year. mostly small business. the ma hiltons say tv and direct ad males, online marketing and fundraising partnerships have helped. >> we have called every school and every church and every youth group and scouting group and

talking to them about our different programs. >> all part of the plan to get people through their doors and get them to keep coming back. >> it's easy to get on the inflatable and play with the kids. at the end of the day it's mom and dad going home feeling like they got a good value. >> you can catch a new money and main street this thursday morning on "american morning" starting at 6:00 a.m. eastern. 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. so metlife removed the guesswork. cop,ining two essential insurances, term life and disability in one surprisingly affordable package.

strengthen your safety net and find out how affordable it can be at metlife.com. as president obama completes his second 100 days in office we invite you to grade him. it's live this morning. we had talked about it yesterday. here's what it looks like. you can see cnn.com clash report card. it's part of cnn politics. here's how it works. we give you these different topics. the economy is one of the topics. click on it and over here you can give the president and his entire administration a letter grade, anywhere from a to f. let me bang through a few of these. the economy obviously important, health care reform, foreign affairs and then you start getting into other people.

you can judge secretary of state hillary clinton and vice president joe biden. you got your standards. you can grade congress, the republican low pressure and media. i'm curious to see how they will go. look at this. we put together one kind of subset of the first 100 days. all the facebook users who judged the president after his first 100 days gave him a c plus overall. different ways to break it down. be an interesting to see how people judge this time. i encourage you while you're there get some facts. cnn politics.com will show you all sorts of major issues this president faces and how he has been dealing them. when you get to cnn politics.com, look at what's been promised and what has been accomplished. in addition we have some big discussions. i want you to see how you can weigh in with your thoughts beyond a letter. we got a lot going on our blog.

cnn.com/newsroom also on facebook. hearing from a bunch of people. show you how these discussions have been going so far. kimberly has written -- >> shannon -- >> and lawrence -- >> again, it's all right there for you, cnn.com/reportcard. then you can see the results coming out. cnn national report card on thursday night 8:00 eastern. that's your time to tune in. obviously you want to see the results, see how are you views compared to everybody else's around the country. thursday night 8:00. back to you. >> i guess it's only fair. grade the media if you're grading congress and the

president. >> i'm nervous about that. >> it's only fair. thanks, josh. we'll look out for those grades. coming up, we're talking about a couple of stories. one here a stage collapsing at a music festival in canada. trapped dozens of adults, kids. we have one woman on the phone, fearing for her life as she struggle told find a way out of there. >> also, congress heading out on vacation. you know, hard work up there trying to pass legislation. hard work. even though they are heading out on vacation the president has a tough work week ahead and of course at the top of the agenda, health care. of pills compared to aleve. choose aleve and you could start taking fewer pills. just 2 aleve have the strength... to relieve arthritis pain all day. i'm glad anticavity listerine® smart rinse™ attracts stuff like a magnet, then shows it in the sink. ewww. gross. cool!

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time. >> following a couple of stories. we want to get straight a scary situation in canada. take a look at the video. an outdoor stage collapses at this concert. 15 injured. one person dead. what happened? a violent storm with high winds, hail, heavy rain, slammed into this area during a performance last night, mid-performance. one survivor on the phone describing the scene. take a listen. >> we were on the deck which means we get access to the show on stage. the next thing i know we're running off and 20 feet on the stage and the wind gusts come out of nowhere. the whole deck crashes like a midway ride. next thing i know there's something on top of my back. i can see a thing. all i'm doing is yelling for my sister. there's children on the deck with us. it was awful. i thought my life was ending

because it was completely dark and black and i crawled through a tiny hole and probably a good 50 feet that i had to jump. it was the scariest part of my life. >> also we found out actor kevin costner and his band were there. they were scheduled to perform. one concert gore said they were back stage when this happened. 50,000 people were attending the concert during a festival 50 miles south of edmonton. >> a nato official says three separate attacks killed three americans. their patrols struck roadside bombs. the french government said they lost a soldier after those service members were attacked east of afghanistan. israeli police are treating deadly shooting inside a tel

aviv gay club. two people are dead. 11 others injured. a man walked in and just started shooting. he escaped on foot. police are searching for him right now. >> lawmakers are clearing out from the capital for the recess but doesn't mean washington will grind to a halt. >> let's take a look at what's happening in the political world this week. good morning. let's begin with sonia sotomayor. on tuesday the full senate begins debating her nomination to the supreme court. they are expected to vote on her name noigs later in the week. she passed in the committee 13-6 and expected to pass the senate as well. also this week for the senate, health care. i know you heard about it. the senate finance committee continues negotiations as they try to hammer out a bill. the senate, this is their last

week in session before they go out on summer recess. the house has already begun their recess, lawmakers are back home and a lot of them will be back in their districts speaking to voters, holding town halls and listening to what voters like and don't like when it comes to halt care reform proposals. the president will be talking about health care. he'll be speaking out on health care reform. on tuesday he may take a little time out because it's his birthday. wednesday the president is going to the town of elkhart, indiana. he was there in early february. he talked about the stimulus bill at the time. he's going back to talk about the stimulus and economy again. why elkhart? this is a town with high unemployment. the next day the president goes back out on the campaign trail not for himself but going out for fellow democrats pretty deep. the democratic candidate for governor, a big election and the democratic governor would like to keep that seat in democratic hands. this week the president marks

200 days in office. thursday night our national report card at prime time 8:00 eastern where we give your grades out, how you graded barack obama, congress and other things. remember you can go online, cnn.com and cast your vote and grade congress and the president. brooke, t. j.? >> thanks to our paul steinhauser. when you think of the african-american experience you think of princess guitar. but also things like the he emancipation proclamation. i asked about the exhibit recently. that conversation now as cnn continues with a special look at "black in america." >> this is part of american history. we've been complaining for years that we don't teach, we don't see black history as a part of

american history. it's a powerful story about how america has become the great nation that she is courtesy of the contributions of black people. i hope having said that that all races, colors, kreeds, would appreciate an exhibit like this. when you understand, appreciate and embrace your history, you can use it to inspire you. >> there is some black history taught in schools. nothing like what you see here. is this what we need more so as a part of our educational system, something a little more interactive, something more enlightening for african-american students and this very much an educational tool, does something like this need to be taken into schools? >> i think it's a great question because it's true and i'm an example that not all kids learn the same way. i can't imagine that you and i have the same capacity or same process for how we go through the information that we gather just to be talk show hosts, to be anchor sos that my approach is one way, your sproch another way and learning is the same

way. i don't believe one size fits all. any educator worth his wait in gold understand there's myriad ways that young people learn. one of the best ways for young students, for kids to learn is visually. it's important for them to see this. it comes to life. 15,000 acquire feet, 12 galleries, four theaters, over 300 items. i got these young kids started. we'll move back in time and start in africa where it all began. and i look in their eyes, t. j., and i can see the oooh, the aaah. the excitement. i'm getting questions by hundreds of kids. seeing it is bringing it to life for them. it's a visual display of an exhibit like this in a way to teach kids in ways that they can't learn just by studying history books. >> if you look around at the museum you'll see that it's

really a lot of things that displays did to help us and everybody else, to help us right now. they were treated really brutal. >> it was like the way they were treated really didn't make sense because color -- black and white they aren't colors and they should never have been separated because they are all people no matter what color they are, what their skin tone is, they are all people. they should be treated the same way. we're all brothers and sisters in god's hands. >> so, it's in atlanta. second stop. head to l.a. after this. be in atlanta until the first of september. so check it out if you get a chance. powerful stuff to walk through. >> she makes a great point, kid want to see, they want to touch. all tangible. princess guitar is there. >> cool stuff. >> you get them in maybe with that but then they see all the history that goes before that.

cool way. you need to check it out. >> i will. >> you may not have a historical artifact but that guy has a way that you and your family can forever be a part of the american i am exhibit. it's a matter of having the right ingredients. the great taste of splenda no calorie sweetener and added a little fiber? sweet! sweet! sweet! (announcer)splenda no calorie sweetener with fiber. now for the first time, a gram of healthy fiber in every packet. sweet!

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you don't have to have a historical artifact to be part of the america i am exhibit. >> dust off those prized recipes, sends them to the america i am pass it down cookbook. a best selling "new york times" cookbook author, jeff henderson will edit the yet to be published cookbook. he has some experience in that department. before he sees your recipe we asked for one of his. great to see you and meet you. what do you have going on here? >> we have a dish here called seafood gumbo. it's a tradition in my family. this is my grandfather's recipe. i changed a few things up so i don't know that he would approve of it but i think he would be proud. >> which part wouldn't he be

approving of the >> i have chicken wings to the gumbo because it infuses the water for more flavorable broth. i changed the traditional louisiana blue crab to king crab because it's easier to get the meat out. here we have, you guys like to see how i start it off. a little bit of onion, celery, bell pepper with smoked turkey sausage. the key to gumbo is the roux. it's all about the roux. that's equal parts of flour and butter or some people use flour and oil. but i season the flour. i season the roux. cook it down for 12 to 15 minutes. it comes out like this. >> let's take a look. this is the roux. >> that's a thickening agent to

the gumbo. >> we talk about the book, the cookbook and we'll be soliciting recipes from folks. how important these things that these recipes don't get lost. i grew up in the kitchen with my mom so i know a lot of recipes just from being in the kitchen. she made me peel the potatoes. >> it's very important that this cookbook here, pass it down cookbook is a documentation, a historical value to where we can document the recipes that came from generations, generations. with the america i am exhibit which exhibits 500 years of african-american contributions to this country, food was a big part of that. we have okra here that actually came across the atlantic during the slave trade where a lot of the slaves put the seeds in their dress and that's how okra was introduced to america. we're doing a national call. we're trying to get grandma's recipe from generation to generation of entrees and side dishes and different things of that nature.

>> you talk about food being an integral part in the african-american culture. why do you think that is? why do you think food can really help tell one's story, a family story? >> you know, during the slave times, you know, hundreds of years ago, food was the centerpiece of the evening. and soul food was grown out of slavery which southern cuisine came from soul food. slaves would be out in the field and take the end of a hoe that you cultivate the ground with, create a fire and use the hoe to make cakes. it was very important. most families, especially in the south, sunday is a day that the family comes together and have dialogue. i call it kitchen central. everybody meets in the kitchen. family comes together. deals are done in the kitchen. family reunions are done in the family kitchen. >> as we wrap up here and you show us the final product we hear the term thrown around,

define for us how would you define or sum up just soul food. you hear it thrown around. everybody want as soul food restaurant these days. >> soul food is, it means different things to many different people. in different regions of the country people fry chicken different. the big debate on fried chicken some use pork fat, some use organic chicken. soul food is everybody's take on food they grew up on. >> what you're looking for in this cookbook is soul filled recipes. >> submit your recipe that comes with a very, very unique story of that particular dish. and that's what we're asking for. >> send them to us. you know how to get a hold of us. send them to the newsroom. send us your recipes and we'll pass them along to chef jeff.

this is the final product. >> yes. >> it's best served with a little bit of rice. some people add rich crackers or saltine crackers. put a big bowl on the family table and dig in. >> everybody has a favorite family recipe. thinking about it makes us hungry. time to share the wealth and enter the wonderful world of publishing. >> enter your recipe online at passitdowncookbook.com. >> chef jeff, thanks for being on. nice to meet you. >> my pleasure. >> happy cooking. >> we had people in this building i didn't even know worked here came down to see us so they could eat some of chef jeff's gumbo. but soul food recipes, we're talking about healthy soul food recipes as well so it's not all

about that stuff that can be fattening or not so good for you. >> using turkey sausage and chicken, his granddaddy wouldn't approve of that. frosted shredded wheat! yeah, but i'm throwing it away. why? you seem to really like it. i do. my wife wants me to. she says there can't be any fiber in it. (mr. mehta) it's got a third of a day's worth of fiber. it tastes way too good to have fiber! ten crunchy little layers frosted to perfection. i eat what i want. she's here, isn't she? she is. hey. (announcer) fiber one frosted shredded wheat. cardboard no. delicious yes.

. there's always time for the robot. robot never goes out of style. >> i thought you were that guy who could do the worm. >> cat caterpillar. >> we've been waiting on this all morning. >> listen very closely. >> we'll start off with national scrabble championship in dayton, ohio. dayton, you love your scrabble. hungry, head over to saint charles, illinois where there's the cake convention. maine, maine lobster festival. and olathe, kansas, sweet corn festival and then in clark, south dakota, clark potato days. if i had a drum roll. i would give you this one, the testicle festival in clinton,

montana. >> what is that about? >> give us a debrief. >> all i can tell you if you go to the website and take a look at it it says have a ball. basically is what it says. i'm not lining. i st. in journalistic way. >> you don't want to lose your job. >> right. it's alleged sometimes you reach. you can look out. >> you're leaning over it now. >> testyfesty.com. >> going from that, we're going to jump from that to miami. safety, i think would be a good deal. great shot out of miami. if you're eating something what they are not serving up in montana. a nice day for fit you don't

mind the scattered showers. a few thunderstorms. rough stuff in the last couple of days in central part and up in saint augustine, we showed you that video yesterday. today a little bit better. going up the eastern seaboard into places like philadelphia, like new york, some thunder boomers and mid-day philadelphia some thunderstorms right now. i'll enlarge this shot for you and you can see a few cells moving between allentown and philadelphia. delaware river that runs right along here and this morning along the banks you'll be getting some delusions, heavy rainfall coming in possibly strong wind gust taos. you could see toppled trees. meanwhile back more towards the southwest of that area just north of washington, d.c. we're seeing scattered showers. washington may be in the mix for more storms in the afternoon. a slig risk of storms as far south of the outer banks of north carolina, charleston out to the parade grounds. some storms there.

scattered activity throughout the southwest. cooler in the great lakes, especially the western half by chicago. wrigley field nice day. chance of storms popping up in parts of south dakota and into minnesota into the afternoon. large hail a possibility. out west, not chance of heavy rainfall but extreme heat once again. this is where it should end. 90 degrees the high for seattle. portland the same deal. when you get into the interior of the state of oregon and washington, high temperatures could get up in the triple digits. as we get to the evening hour we're going to have temperatures begin to cool down i'd say around 9:00 getting warm but monday and tuesday things will cool down more. that's the very latest. weather wise and festival wise. >> we'll send you up there next year. we missed it this time. >> not going happen. >> we appreciate you. stay here with us, we'll be focusing on health care coming up at the top of the hour. we'll look how are you coverage

may change and that all-important question will it cost you more? >> i met this great couple this past week in chicago. a very unlikely love story. 14 years. 14 years separated by prison bars for a crime he did not commit. marriage, kids on hold. is there a fairy tale ending? stay here.

♪ how appropriate. an unlikely love story here. an engagement that lasted 15 years. a chicago man sent to prison for

a crime he did not commit and his fiancee here. >> it's true. in met them this week. they kept hope alive the entire time, 15 years through love letters. >> the question of simple? >> will you marry me? >> she said yes. >> he has a handsome smile. >> that was 15 years ago. to this day there's been no wedding, no i dos, no honeymoon for the chicago couple. one month after their engagement, cage was arrested. >> i seen this young lady and next thing i know they put handcuffs on me. >> an illinois jury found him guilty of sexual assault a crime he maintains he didn't commit. jewel never downtowned his innocence. >> never. never. absolutely not. >> after spending more than a decade behind bars dean was

exonerated with the innocent project. >> she knew he didn't do it because she was with him. it's remarkable she waited for him for 15 years. >> 14 years of his life gone. >> these are some of the christmases that dean missed. >> during that entire time jewel was willing to wait. she said visits were tough when they had to say good-bye. but this couple kept hope alive through love letters. >> i picture you there while i'm sitting here. >> i pray every day to get out of this hell hole. >> love you every day. >> would you wait now? >> most definitely. >> yeah. >> she kept you going >> yeah. >> sometimes letters in there, sometimes he didn't get a chance to write. >> you had this writing relationship for 14 plus years. was it funny to finally see one

another face to face and have to talk? >> yeah. it was scary for me because i hadn't seen him in a long time. >> these days jewel and dean are getting reacquainted sharing a home on chicago's south side. as for any wedding plans they are working on finally setting a date. >> we have news into us that's pretty much astonishing. the first american who was shot down, who was lost in the first gulf war back in 1991, you'll know the name, his name is scott spiker, michael scott spiker, his disappearance has been the stuff of mystery and conjecture and confusion, quite frankly and conspiracy theories. it appears his remains have been identified now. again the first american lost in the first gulf war after some 18 years now finally his remains appears to have been identified. our barbara starr at the

pentagon has more for us. please, barbara get us caught up on what the latest is why we think now this story might finally be able be put to rest and maybe his family can get some peace. barbara, go ahead. >> reporter: this is just an extraordinary story. news breaking very early today that the armed forces institute of pathology has now positively, positively 18 years later identified the remains of captain michael scott spiker, shot down in his f-18 over west central iraq on january 17, 1991. the first gulf war, some 18 years ago. they had looked for his remains ever since then. there had been so many reports. there had been rumors, legends, that he had been alive when his jet impacted the ground but he might have actually even been held in captivity by saddam hussein's regime. we now know that that was not true. information in early july was

given to the u.s. military by an iraqi citizen who said he knew of two other iraqi citizens who remembered seeing an american jet hit the desert ground back on that night and that the remains of the pilot were buried in the desert, that he had seen people burying remains of an american pilot. the u.s. had followed up every bit of information that it ever had. so it followed up this one and this led the u.s. marines to the site in iraq where they searched the area, remains we now know were recovered over several days. in the past week they were flown to dover air force base, positively identified by the u.s. military. the chief of naval operations yesterday finally was able to notify the spiker family that positive identification had been made, the u.s. military always

says they leave no one behind on the battlefield. 18 years later they kept looking, they got the tip they needed and now scott spiker coming home. t. j. >> barbara, this is, again, astonishing. we've been following this story for so long. his status had been changed over the years. do we know or remind us what was his status up to this point? what had he been listed as? missing at some point, missing in action, missing captured? >> reporter: i have to tell you. he had been through all of these various statuses because they, you know, had kept looking. one of the extraordinary things about the scott spiker case is when he was shot down over iraq 18 years ago, he was a lieutenant commander in the u.s. navy. because he was missing and they could not resolve his status,

although it may seem odd, he kept getting promoted and now at the time of his positive identification of his, that young lieutenant commander 18 years ago is coming home a u.s. navy captain. that is an extraordinary thing. because they couldn't resolve his status they kept hoping, assuming that he possibly could have been alive over these 18 years. and refused to take him off the books, if you will. so he kept getting promoted. those benefits, that pay reflected in what went on to his family, his wife has made a couple of public statements over the years. his family, i want to say, can assume is just absolutely delighted to see this finally resolved and so many families are of the missing from vietnam, from korea, from world war ii.

the u.s. military maintains a huge effort around the world in all the theaters that it has fought in to always recover the remain of anyone. they did it in iraq, continue to do it in vietnam, they do it across europe. when they find remains they try to identify them, try to bring them home no matter how long it takes. >> what do you know about his family? i'm sure you covered this story for years. did he leave children behind? where is he from? >> reporter: the last place where -- and i'm going say i don't know it's his official residence, but his family has mainly been his wife in florida. congressional delegation members down there have been very active in his case in trying to continue to push the military not to forget, to keep going and

to keep looking for him. i will tell you i believe senator bill nelson of florida has worked with the family there. his wife who is remarried keep going and to keep looking for him. and that's something kind of the interesting thing here, they really did keep doing that. every time they got a lead and many of them were leads, shall we say of movie making proportions. they would go and they would look. i think it would be interesting for people to know the way that 18 years later they were able to make the positive identification of scott spiker's remains, the military says they were able to compare his dental records with a jaw bone recovered at the site. the teeth were a match both visually and with something they

call radiographics. they conducted a test. and so they were able to make that final identification and let the family know. >> on the line here with barbara starr at the pentagon. word we're just getting this morning that the first american who was lost in the first gulf war back in 1991 has been the subject of so much speculation and mystery over the years. scott spiker, the remains have been positively identified by the u.s. barbara, another question here i have for you before i head over to another direction. you talk about the jaw bone. after 18 years of him being buried, a morbid detail here maybe, but how much of his remains, how much of him was found there in the desert in iraq? >> reporter: well, i'll tell you that because i'm sure, i feel quite certain the navy has given the family all the specific information, we know the family has been notified of all of these details, we're told that

there were skeletal remains and bone fragments found at this bedouin burial site where he was buried when he crashed 18 years ago. that is often what they fine. that's what they find these days one vietnam and with today's modern technology and forensic, it's enough. they were able to make that critical match of remains using a number of very advanced the evidences that the institute of pathology had. it was enough to go on and they made that positive i.d. >> i amazing these men remember the jet, matching the dental records, the jaw bone to identify spiker. josh is also following the story for us online. josh, what do you have for us?

>> we've been following this story since 1991. as t. j. said, the first day of that first war. that's how long this goes back. let's zoom in. let's go back to a few of the cnn stories. i was reporting in 2003 when we thought there were clues back then. it did not lead to a discovery. more stories from 2002. keeps going back. there's also at least one facebook page that's been set up for him for a long time and saying here, the beginning is really interesting, they start off saying on kran 17, 1991 america suffered a tremendous loss. they go on to talk about this man and how he was so beloved by so many people and on that first day what a price to pay. i want to shu little bit of this because a lot of people will ub curious what the military is saying. defenselink.mil. a lot of people following the

news back in 1991 or searching for clues throughout the news for years knows this face very well. there have been times over years this exact photo has been distributed throughout the area and in iraq people were hoping to find clues that leads to him. inside iraq there there are a lot of people who, in fact rkt some who were familiar with what happened. one more time. i want to show you how you can see more. if you're on facebook, check you want out. on defenselink.mil. statements about what a hero he is and raising his status to that of captain. obviously, as people start to weigh in on this we can expect worldwide repercussions as people, you know, it's tragic what happened but there is

something of tremendous value in now knowing finally after all these years having answers. >> josh, thank you. our barbara starr from the pentagon still on the line. i have another question for you. you talked about the iraqi citizen where this information came from. reminding our viewers, scott spiker first american missing in the first gulf war. how active was the investigation by the u.s. military, and were they -- did this come about because they were out there actively looking or did some iraqi just approach them and say hey i got this info? >> reporter: i got to tell you at this point what the pentagon is telling us they were acting on information provided by an iraqi citizen in early july. and that led the u.s. marines stationed in western iraq to go out to a location in desert

believed to be a crash site. the iraqi citizen said that he knew of two iraqi citizens who were called, an american jet impacting the desert and the remains of the pilot being buried there by the bedouins. when you ask, t. j., was how much they followed up, every time they got a hint, every time they got a report. and, you know, once the iraq war started in 2003, there had been a lot of hope, actually, with the military that, you know, that would open up iraq and they would find him and, of course, over the years during the iraq war they did not. but the rumors had been sort of mythic movie making proportions and the family is well aware of this. there had been rumors he had been held in a jail in iraq. i mean the most horrifying thing for the u.s. military. there was constant concern that they would find out at some

point that scott spiker was alive when he hit the ground and at some point this young american navy pilot had been held as a p.o.w. in an iraqi prison and had died alive in prison. that was the nightmare scenario for the last 18 years. what they are able to put to rest now is that did not happen and that may be the most comforting thing to his family. because the iraqi citizen who brought the information to the u.s. said he knew of iraqis recalled seeing that american jet hit the desert back in 1991 and the remains of the pilot being buried at that time. so the most comforting thing at this point is the ability thabi

confirm that no american pilot was held alive by saddam hussein. >> it's an important point to make and i also want to, barbara, keep you on the line and read you. we have a statement released from the dod from the secretary of the navy and he writes our thoughts and prayers are with captain spiker's family for the ultimate sacrifice he made for his country. i'm extremely grateful for those who worked tirelessly over the last 18 years to bring captain spiker home and, of course, barbara mentioned it's a nightmare scenario and very unique one but it opened up the possibility of other, of other searches and he goes on the say our navy will never give up looking for a ship mate regardless of how long or how difficult that search may be. we owe a tremendous debt of gratitude to captain spiker and his family for the sacrifice they have made for our nation and the example of strength they have set for all of us. barbara, if we still have you, what do we know of this iraqi citizen who came forward with

this information? might he possibly receive some sort of honor by any kind of government for this speaking up? >> reporter: well, i don't think we know a lot just yet. but i suspect that there will be a lot of gratitude. i mean think -- this all happened in iraq's western anbar province. you'll recall, of course, for so many years, we've talked about anbar province out in western iraq as being the real heartland, the sunni triangle, the heartland of the insurgency in the worst days of the war. a place where so many u.s. military members tragically lost their lives fighting the war in iraq, wounded, and now, now this is the place where iraqis have come to the u.s. marines with this information and have come

to them and offered critical intelligence to bring another american home. so it's just -- it just seems terribly emblematic, a symbol of the turn of events in iraq. we just don't have a lot of these forward looking details. we'll also be looking for, obviously, any memorial service, any funerals, anything where we can bring people more details. but, this information broke overnight. the actual confirmation that his family had been notified that the remains were back in the united states, they had been positively identified and the military started in the last couple of hours making foe ing calls to reporters, getting the word out that this, this had all happened. so, we'll be looking for all those additional details over the coming hours. >> barbara, we have to take a

quick break. hope you stick with us. if you need to make some phone calls, let us cho but hopefully you can stick around. again, the breaking news we're getting this morning, the first american lost in the first gulf war back in 1991. there he is, you'll recognize that picture. that is captain scott spiker, remains finally identified and that first american lost in the first gulf war has finally come home. whether you consider it a cruiser or a clunker, you could turn it into cash. get to your dodge, chrysler,

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just want to recap our breaking story, a story that broke 18 years ago. captain scott spiker, he's the first american who was lost in the first gulf war, his remains have now been positively identified, his jet went down in iraq, some iraqi citizens remember the jet going down. they made a positive i.d. because of his jaw bone that was found, his remains and now at dover air force base, his family well aware as we're passing this information along to you this early sunday morning. josh has been following this story for us on the web, getting a little bit of background. as you said, josh, people are familiar with this story 18

years old. >> there are a lot of people who have been following this story for a long time p.m. there's been a lot of theories inclutding conspiracy theories. first of all cnn has been covering this for a long time. there's a website devoted to arlington national cemetery that carries information that i can show you we reported ourselves over the years. they talk about his family searching for him and what happened to him on that first day of the persian gulf war back in '91. what they say here his widow joanne was left to comfort their two young children. it goes on to say that she was consoled by his best friend who actually later married her. now they have children of their own. they along with so many other people over the years have been searching for any clue about what happened to him. there's a facebook group covering it. facebook devoted to him all about scott spiker. you can see it here. you can see what people have

been posting over the years and a lot of people saying it's such a tragedy for the entire country that this man had so much offer, so respected, doing so many great thing. if you're curious to see what the military is saying today, we're giving it to you right here on cnn.com. we'll continue to. go to the military's website, defenselink.mil. over the years cnn put a lot of coverage on michael scott spiker. i pulled up stories from 2003. this goes back to 2002 when the navy changed his status and raised to being a captain as well. pentagon considering clarifying him as a p.o.w. over the years one thing that was complicated about his story he was initially listed as having been killed and then later on that changed as there were new questions and new theories and new thoughts about what may or may not have happened to him. so his status actually as i'm

seeing here changed several times over the years. missing in action, captured and back to being deceased. after all these years we have some answers and we can hope this brings some comfort to so many people including his family. back to you. >> josh, thank you. again to our viewers, many just joining us, finding out what's going on. news breaking this morning from the u.s. military giving us official word that, yes, the remains have been identified positively of the first american who was lost in the first gulf war. he went down. his name was scott spiker, a picture of him there, went down in anbar province. a place much different today than it was then. over the years a lot of speculation and conjecture about exactly what happened to him. remains never have been found. his m shals found in a jail cell in iraq. now a lot of people, including the military at least could be relieved to know for sure he

never spend time as a prisoner of war. he did die in that crash of i had fighter jet again in 1991, january 17 of 1991. he went down, the first believed to have died and then status was changed as you just heard, josh mentioning there but now positively identified and he's finally come home. our pentagon correspondent, barbara starr has been on the line with us. we've been talking with her. we just left the line with her a few moments ago, take a listen. >> reporter: i feel quite certain the navy has given the family all the specific information. we know the family has been notified of all of these details. we are told that there were skeletal remains and bone fragments found at this bedouin burial site where he was buried when he crashed 18 years ago. that is often what they fine. that's what they find these days

in vietnam and with today's modern technology, and forensics, it's enough. they were able to make that critical match of remains using a number of various tests that the armed forces institute of pathology and that gave them enough to go on. they made that positive i.d. >> again 18 years ago, captain scott spiker lost his life in iraq, his remains, his dental records are were discovered and that's how they were able to make a positive i've occasion. secretary of the navy reacting, our prayers are with scott spiker's family for the ultimate sacrifice he made for this country. we'll stay on top of this story. throughout the day we'll hear from the family of the captain reacting to the news this morning with his remain finally back home. we'll be back.

>> this morning we're talking about captain scott spiker. he was the first american who

died in the first gulf war. this all coming from some remains that were found just last month, intelligence from the u.s. military in the el anbar area, province in iraq based on information from some iraqis that they remembered a jet going down in the desert, in the el anbar province. we've been talking to barbara starr. she was been covering the story for the last 18 years off and on. >> reporter: it's interesting for people to know that way 18 years later they were able to make the positive i've occasion of scott spiker's remains. the military tells us that they were able to compare his dental records with a jaw bone recovered at the site, the teeth were a match both visually and with something they call radiographics, you know, they conducted a test. and so they were able