a high school student beaten to death by feel low teenager was buried in chicago yesterday. many political leaders attended derrion albert's funeral including jesse jackson. two cabinet secretaries are being sent to chicago wednesday to talk about violence. typhoon has killed at least 15 in philippines. it crossed the largest island and is expected to keep dumping rain on it. that's a problem because another storm caused massive floods last week. mahmoud abbas is taking fire from some people at home, outraged that he did not support a u.n. report that accused both

israel and hamas of war crimes. he made the decision after heavy u.s. pressure but now some pill stan 89 leaders are demanding an investigation. that's a quick check of the headlines this morning. thanks for joining us a texas panel is looking into whether an innocent man was executed in 2004. the state's governor picked a new man to lead the investigation and some worry that he's letting politics interfere with science. randi kaye explains. >> reporter: this is the question -- is texas governor rick perry a republican in a tough reelection fight trying to cover up the execution of an innocent man on his watch? >> this is a clear case of the governor sabotaging a public agency in order to cover up the findings for his political advantage. >> reporter: here's what happened friday morning. the texas forensic science commission was supposed to hear latest findings on what really happened in the small town of corsicana, texas, nearly 18 years ago in 1991.

still a question because the original investigator said an arson fire killed three baby girls. it took a jury less than an hour to convict their fire of arson homicide. but since then, three forensic investigations found there was no evidence of arson, none. one of those reports even came before cameron todd willingham was executed. still the governor stands by his decision. friday for the first time the state's own handpicked expert was to present a scathing report that showed once again no evidence of arson. but 48 hours before the scheduled meeting, governor perry stopped the entire process, removing three of the commission members. >> those individuals terms were up so we replaced them. it's not -- nothing out of the ordinary there. >> reporter: governor perry's critics suggest he's trying to delay and maybe even derail the state's own investigation. willingham died by lethal injection after governor perry

refused to grant him a stay. even though he was presented new evidence, the fire was not arson. scott cobb heads a group pushing for a moratorium on executions. cobb says perry's move was politically motivated. >> he saw the writing on the wall, moved to cover that up rnkts if the commission had proceeded, the state's final report may have been released just weeks before the governor's primary electric. and if it found it was not arson, critics say that would prove perry is the first governor in history to preside over the death of an innocent man. >> and i think that's what he's afraid of. >> there really is no excuse for a delay. here finally is a case with overwhelming evidence that an innocent man was executed by the state of texas. >> reporter: keeping them honest, we tried to interview governor perry but his office said they couldn't make it work. he has said there was overwhelming evidence willingham was guilty, but one of the

investigators who reviewed the case over the years called it b.s., bad science. as for the state's expert who was supposed to formally deliver his findings friday, he said the fire marshal who testified at willingham's trial had an attitude characteristic of mystics and psychics. so will the commission ever hear this report? maybe not. governor perry's new commission chairman, a political ally, is the man who postponed friday's hearing indefinitely. and told cnn he couldn't begin to guess when it might be rescheduled. five years ago when cameron todd willingham was executed he said, i am an innocent man convicted of a crime i did not commit. governor rick perry's future may depend on a dying man's last wo words. randi kaye, cnn, new york. this has been a deadly weekend for troops in afghanistan. eight u.s. troops and two members of afghanistan's national security force were killed in a battle with

militants yesterday. that's the largest number of americans killed by hostile action in a single day since july of 2008 coalition forces fought back after militants launched an attack from a mosque. u.n. inspectors will start looking at iran's newly revealed nuclear site on october 25th. the head of the agency held talks in tehran and he says that inspectors want to make sure the site is used for peaceful purposes, a big concern since iran revealed the nuclear enrichment plant last month. countries have been accusing iran of secretly developing a nuclear bomb. president obama said that iran was hiding this plant for years. but iran's leader says that's not true. >> translator: based on what is stated in the regulations, we had made announcement one year before the time we had to. out of respect for law and the director general of the iaea and naturally the united states must have known about it. i do not know why mr. obama was

not aware of it. >> meanwhile, u.n. experts say iran has all the information it needs to design and build a nuclear bomb. a confidential analysis was published yesterday in the "new york times." those same experts say they need more evidence to be sure about the extent of iran's nuclear knowledge, but their report says iran got some snow-how from rogue nuclear scientists and did a lot of research and testing on its own. if this report is accurate, iran knows more about making a bomb than the u.s. publicly estimated. 45-mile-per-hour winds are driving a wildfire in southern california. it's only 5% contained and has bunned 1500 acres. three homes have already been destroyed and dozens of others are threatened right now. people have been takingor horses and pets with them as they evacuate. the fire started saturday afternoon and authorities are trying to find out what caused it. a fire set on purpose to get

rid of forest undergrowth is now out of control. it happened 120 miles north of phoenix here. about 1,000 acres have burned, but air tankers are credited for slowing the fire down. dozens of homes have been evacuated. a tennessee mother who was stabbed and had her newborn baby kidnapped got to hold him in her arms again, but the reunion didn't last long. the child along with the child's three other children were placed in state custody. child protective service says they were taken for safety reasons but would not explain. investigators found the baby unharmed at a home in alabama and arrested a suspect on kidnapping charges. the death toll from a pair of devastating earthquakes in indonesia could double. that's the word from officials as search and rescue crews spend another day looking for survivors. there's fear that four villages here in west sumatra have been wiped out by mountains of mud. the quakes killed more than 700 people and as many as 3,000

could still be buried under mud and debris. that includes hundreds of people trapped in a mosque during a wedding. people are using hammers, chisels, even their bare hands to dig through the debris. hundreds of people from agencies like fema and the red cross are helping samoa dig out of the aftermath from the sue name. fema said it's provided generators for areas without electricity and the u.s. coast guard is bringing in meals, water and blankets. in california groups are collecting donations to send to survivors in the coming weeks here. about 40% of the country's samoan population lives in california. great pumpkins indeed. check this out. 18 huge pumpkins competed in an annual weigh-off in colorado springs. a forklift moved them to the scales. this year's winner came in at exactly 1,000 pounds. the second-place pumpkin was no slacker either weighing 954

pounds. wildlife officials in florida are taking bold action against owners of exotic pets. but some say that's unfair. >> i don't feel like the state has any business getting into my affairs. >> how a little girl's death, though, caused officials to crack down and urge people to pu turn their pets in.

an unregistered python killed a 2-year-old florida girl earlier this career. officials are pushing to get exotic animals out of people's homes. florida state law requires owners to have permits, but officials say they can't take any chances with this latest crackdown so people turned in their pets over the weekend, with no questions asked.

>> when new legislation even gets mentioned on tv, people tend to misunderstand and start to release animals. >> some of the other concerns are that people have run out of space to house their growing animals, places like florida's gatorland will probably take in many of the reptiles. licensed handlers will adopt the rest. would you like to take home a dinosaur? an auction house put one up being a fossilized t-rex, for sale in las vegas, one of the most complete fossils it ever foun. the auction house is hoping to get at least $6 million for it, but the best offer is $3.7 million. the auction house is still confident it will find a buyer. i'm larry smith. you've heard of the saying don't count your chickens before they hatch. the detroit tigers know about it. in first place since early may, the tigers have thrown it all away. now tied with minnesota entering the final day of the regular

season, a one-game playoff tuesday in minneapolis could decide this final playoff berth if they both win or lose today. meanwhile, the dodgers beat colorado to finally clinch the nl west division and release a celebration that was on hold for weeks. the rockies are post assist season bound as the nl wildcard team. a lot of pink today to promote breast cancer awareness. several players will wear pink shoes, the brain child of di angelo williams. nba most valuable player lebron james has hit the big screen, a documentary on his high school team's run to the ohio state championship has been released in select theaters, a college student shot video of the team as a class project and nba.com says it was his idea to take it one step further. maybe the play of the weekend. talk about giving one up for the team.

texas christian versus sm. curly in the second quarrel with a punt return, 71 yards for the touchdown. watch what happens along the way. watch number 35, brock, there, he doesn't have a helmet, and yet he goes in, hits the block, goes head on helmet against the defender. that springs curly free for the return. gets up later after he was down for a while and gets a congratulations. tcu gets the win and this guy here a tough kid. that's sports. hey, are you looking for way to get out of debt? be careful who you pick to help you. hln money expert clark howard warns about firms selling broken promises. >> are you overwhelmed by credit card debt? well, what if one call could do it all. that's the promise of tv and radio ads that are running all over the country if you go to the internet, you see one ad after another for it. if you put in anything in a

search engine like debt trouble or credit card problems or whatever, these ads pop up saying, call us, we'll negotiate for you, we'll wipe out your credit card debt for pennies on the dollar. what do they want in return from you? some companies want you to pay thousands of dollars up front for a promise that you may not realize. do you know the complaints coming in to me and to any consumer affairs organization have been skyrocketing about debt settlement firms. you need to be very, very wary and aware that you may pay out thousands of dollars and get absolutely zip in return. where's that money better kept? in your wall eliminate. i'm clark howard. for more ideas to protect yourself, go to cnn.com/clarkhoward. >> more tips to protect your money are coming your way on clark's show today at noon eastern time. he will help you save more, spend more, and avoid getting ripped off.

it seems the recession has forced many unemployed women to retool. you're going to meetd a few who are learning how to hammer out a career in an industry still dominated by men. a few who are learning how to hammer out a career in an industry still dominated by men.

japan's former finance minister was found dead in his home today. police don't know what caused his death but ruled out foul play. he was 56 years old. he resigned from his post in february being three days after appearing intoxicated at a news conference. he apologized for his behavior but denied it was because he was drinking heavily. the daughter of dr. martin luther king jr. may soon head the southern christian leadership conference, her father co-founded the group. bernice king is one of two finalists for the position. an arkansas xbrjudge is the oth candida candidate. she would be the first female president. former alaska governor sarah palin isn't the only member of her family to quit their job. last month her husband todd walked away from his oil field

job. his resignation comes nearly two months after his wife stepped down as alaska's governor. palin's personal spokeswoman says todd palin is now spending more time with his family. he made a little more than $34,000 working part time for british petroleum as a production operator. he also has a job working in his family's commercial fishing business. some women are dealing with tough economic tiemgs by putting on a hard hat and hammering out a career in the construction industry. >> reporter: talk about tools for success. women like janice mccain of maryland are trying to power through tough economic times with a fresh start in an industry still dominated by men -- construction. >> i want to get into looking at environmentally friendly ways of building. i want to look at solar thermal

energy. if i don't do it now, time is wasting. >> reporter: why? after a career full of office jobs, including at the state department and howard university, mccain found herself unemployed, no job, no income. >> i've just trimmed a lot of corners. i mean, i don't go shopping at the malls, i don't splurge on things that i normally would splurge on. >> reporter: but she says it's been a blessing in disguise. a friend from church mentioned a d.c.-based program called wawit, washington area women in the trades. a free training program designed to help low-income women reach financial independence through nontraditional careers like masonry and carpentry. >> we have women who come from a very diverse background. we have women who have been unemployed for a very long time. we have women who are returning from incarceration. we have average, everyday women. >> reporter: along with seven weeks of classroom and job site skills training, these women also get physical training. >> you know when you get out

there, it's going to be hot, it's going to be cold, you're going to be doing heavy duty work and we want you to be prepared physically to have the stamina that's required. >> reporter: for mccain, wawit also offered a chance at a childhood dream. it's always been a passion of yours, working with your hands? >> yes. >> reporter: mccain graduated in august and is now working on her apprenticeship. her goal, one day to run her own construction company. >> i think if you are a woman and you're interested in construction, there shouldn't be a door being blocked from you getting in. >> reporter: this program has opened that door for you? >> definitely opened that door for me. >> reporter: the program's director says this training course started up just over two years ago and so far they've graduated more than 100 women, more than 65% of which, they say, are either employed or enrolled in an apprenticeship program. kate balduan, cnn, washington. a man who has run dozens of marathons in his life says he

won't be stopping anytime soon. he says he has years of running left. i've got a vision at 92 i will finish my 50th consecutive twin cities marathon. >> but he's not doing this just for fun. he says if it wasn't for running, he may not be alive. it

facility to international inspectors. they just got an okay from tehran to go to the site that has caused so much controversy. strong winds are causing a forest fire here to rage out of control in southern california and now people are running from the flames that have already destroyed three homes. nervous. i mean, i went out of the room and back here and just broke down in tears. they are so precious. >> five bundles of joy showed up three months early and now a family is scrambling to juggle a life with quintuplets plus a set of twins. hi, there.

this is hln for sunday morning. i'm natasha curry. details on all of those stories just ahead, but we start with a deadly day for troops in afghanistan. eight u.s. troops and two members of afghanistan's national security force were killed in a battle with militants yesterday. that is the largest number of americans killed by hostile action in a single day since july of 2008. officials say coalition forces fought back after militants launched an attack from a mosque. yesterday's deaths come as president obama tries to make a decision about changing course in afghanistan. an immediate u.s. withdrawal seems unlikely, but ultimately the president and the top commander in afghanistan agree, defeating al qaeda is critical to stopping the terrorist group's safe havens from spreading. >> i believe that the loss of stability in afghanistan brings huge risks that terrorists will operate inside afghanistan again. >> mcchrystal is also calling for faster training of afghan

forces. earlier efforts to speed up afghan training stalled, partly because there was a lack of nato trainers. u.n. inspectors will start looking at iran's nukely revealed nuclear site on october 25th. the head of the u.n. nuclear agency held talks in tehran today, and he says inspectors want to make sure the site is used for peaceful purposes. it's been a big concern since iran revealed the nuclear enrichment plant last month. the u.s. and other countries have been accusing iran of secretly developing a nuclear bomb. and president obama says iran was hiding this plant for years, but iran's leader says, that's not true. >> translator: based on what is stated in the regulations, we had made the announcement one year before the time we had to out of respect for law and the director general of the iaea and naturally the united states must have known about it. i do not know why mr. obama was not aware of it. >> meanwhile, u.n. experts says

iran has all the information it needs to design and build a nuclear bomb. a confidential analysis was published yesterday in "the new york times." those same experts say they need more evidence to be sure about the extent of iran's nuclear knowledge, but their report says iran got some know-how from rogue nuclear scientists and did reports and testing on their own. if this report is active, then iran knows more about making a bomb than the u.s. publicly estimated. family and friends in chicago say good-bye to a teen beaten to death in broad daylight. video footage showed derrion albert being attacked on his way to the bus. some people say, we've had enough. here's amy holmes from affiliate was. >> reporter: they quietly filed into the funeral of derrion albert to call for the violence that abruptly claimed him to stop.

>> there's no purpose for it. >> reporter: it was standing room only at this morning service inside the greater mt. hebron church, which not only drew jesse jackson and louis fa fair kaun, but others who have lost their children to violence. >> this was the hardest thing, to see at baby land in a casket. >> get in here and do something. i don't want to hear another thing about olympics. i don't care about the olympics anymore. we lost it anyway. get in here and change the city. make it safe for us to walk down the street every day. >> reporter: other public figures were also among the mourners inside the church, where video screens scrolled through pictures of derrion as a baby and with his family and also showed photos of his academic awards. some paid tribute to the teen by wearing t-shirts with his picture that read "we will always remember you" while others wondered when the violence would end. >> with faith in god, things can

get better, but you've got to go for what is right. >> that was evelyn holmes from affiliate was. four teens are facing charges in derrion's killing. president obama is sending two cabinet secretaries to chicago on wednesday to talk about school violence. 45-mile-per-hour winds are driving a wildfire in southern california. it's only 5% contained and has burned 1,500 acres. three homes have already been destroyed just northeast of san bernardino and dozens of others are threatened right now. now, people have been taking horses and pets with them as they evacuate. no injuries have been reported. the fire started saturday afternoon and authorities are trying to find out what caused it. a fire set on purpose to get rid of forest undergrowth is now out of control. it happened 120 miles north of phoenix here. about 1,000 acres have burned, but air tankers are credited for slowing the fire down. dozens of homes have been evacuated. a tennessee mother who was

stabbed and had her newborn baby kidnapped got to hold him in her arms again, but their reunion didn't last long. the child along with the woman's three other children were placed in state custody yesterday. child protective services said that they were taken for safety reasons, but would not explain why the kids were considered in danger. investigators found the baby unharmed at a home in alabama and arrested a suspect on kidnapping charges. the death toll from a pair of devastating earthquakes in indonesia could double. that's the word from officials as search and rescue crews spent another day looking for survivors. there is fear that four villages here in west sumatra have been wiped out by mountains of mud. the quakes killed more than 700 people and as many as 3,000 could still be buried under mud and debris. that includes hundreds of people trapped in a mosque during a wedding. look at this damage. people are using hammers, chisels, even their bare hands to dig through the debris.

hundreds of people from agencies like fema and the red cross are helping samoa dig out of the aftermath from the tsunami. fema says it's provided generators for areas without electricity and the u.s. coast guard is bringing in supplies like meals, water, and blankets. in california, groups are collecting donations to send to survivors in the coming weeks here. about 40% of the country's samoan population lives in california. a family in buffalo, new york, has just grown from four to nine, and it happened a little sooner than they expected. doctors delivered their quintuplets, three girls and two boys, 15 weeks early. mom says all of a sudden, thursday, her heart startinged beating quickly and the contractions wouldn't let up. the delivery caught everyone a bit off guard. >> i was scared right now because they're so small, you know. you're used to bringing home a baby that's this big and they're like a pound. >> four of the five actually weighed about anywhere from

1 1/2 pounds to just under 2 pounds, which is not bad for 25 weeks. >> the couple already has a set of twins, now they're scrambling to get necessary items like car seats and a new vehicle to carry the entire family. can you imagine? great pumpkins indeed. check this out. 18 huge pumpkins competed in an annual weigh-off in colorado springs yesterday. a forklift was used to move them all to the scales because they're so huge. this year's winner came in at exactly 1,000 pounds. the second place pumpkin was no slacker either, weighing 954 pounds. wildlife officials in florida are taking bold action against owners of exotic pets, but some say, that's unfair. >> i don't feel like the state has any business getting into my affairs. >> how a little girl's death, though, caused officials to crack down and urged people to turn their pets in.

say that florida wildlife authorities's latest push for safety is a bit extreme. officials are asking people with exotic animals to turn them in, even if they have permits. david marco from affiliate central florida news 13 explains why. >> reporter: if mike looks upset carrying this gym bag, it's because max and zorra was inside. he told his children this morning he was giving away the burmese pythons. >> and they cried. they don't see them as snakes, see them as a family pet. >> reporter: but after a 2-year-old sumter county girl was killed by her python, fish and wildlife officials started cracking down. state law requires owners to have permits and larger snakes have to have microchips. >> what we often find, when new legislation even gets mentioned on tv, people tend to misunderstand and start to release animals. >> reporter: so fish and wildlife partnered with gatorland on an amnesty day for

reptiles of concern. the only questions were ones about the snakes. >> diet again? >> what has happened is that people have been purchasing these things for pets over a long period of time, over many years. and the animals have grown and they're either running out of space. >> reporter: and certainly the largest snake brought in today at this pet amnesty day was this 13 1/2 foot long, 80 pound burmese python. the owner says he's worried about the fines and even possible jail time that pet owners will face. so he's decided to give up his snakes. >> it's punishing people that have the pets. >> reporter: their only solace, many of the reptiles taken in by gatorland will be used for education. the rest will be adopted by licensed handlers. at gatorland, david marco, news 13. i'm larry smith. gold star for the nfl.

or should i say, pink star? notorious for their rigid dress code, the league is allowing pink this weekend to recognize breast cancer awareness month. among those wearing the pink shoes is ryan moats of the houston, texasness. you may recall, he was involved in a hospital parking garage incident after police made a controversial traffic stop and detained moats while his mother-in-law was dying of breast cancer. after 161 games, the twins and tigers are all tied atop the al central. minnesota has a share of first place for the first time since may, having erased a seven-game deficit in less than a month. now, a tiebreaker if needed would be on tuesday in minneapolis, it will be delayed because of the brett favre bowl monday night, the vikings versus his old team, the packers. the alleged stalker of espn reporter erin andrews has been

ordered to los angeles for a hearing tomorrow morning to determine if he can be freed on bond. 38-year-old michael david barrett faces federal charges in making illegal videos of andrews through a peephole of her hotel room in nashville, putting them on the internet, and then attempting to sell them. college football, what a finish in athens. number four lsu leading 14-ranked georgia, but joe cox to a.j. green with just over a minute left and they're celebrating, they've got the win, they think. one point up, but not so fast. charles scott, look at this, breaks a couple of tackles and he's gone. the tigers hang on and get the win in the final minute. 20-13, wow. that's sports. it seems that the recession has forced many unemployed women to retool. you're going to meet a few who are learning how to hammer out a career in an industry still dominated by men.

stop, stop, stop, you cannot afford it. >> but before fame and fortune, suze orman's life was a different story. she grew up with a speech impediment and lacked self-esteem. at 29, orman was a waitress, making $400 a month with dreams of opening her own restaurant. her life changed when some customers tipped in to leave her a big tip, a $50,000 loan so she could realize her dream. >> we want to help people who have touched our own lives. me being a waitress inspired them to want to help me. >> reporter: but orman invested the money and her luck quickly changed. >> i didn't know any better. within three months, all $50,000 had been lost. >> reporter: the experience motivated her to get a job as a stock broker.

>> the true secret of life isn't to bring all these great things to you all the time, but to make greatness happen out of everything that happens to you. >> reporter: orman eventually got her money back and worked her way to the top. she is now an emmy award-winning financial expert and best-selling author. >> i want women to respect themselves enough to understand what they have doesn't matter. who they are is the key to changing everything in their lives.

japan's former finance minister was found dead in his home today. police don't know what caused his death, but ruled out foul play. he was 56 years old. he resigned from his post in february three days after appearing intoxicated at a news conference. he apologized for his behavior, but denied it was because he was drinking heavily. the daughter of dr. martin luther king jr. may soon head the southern christian leadership conference. her father actually cofounded the civil rights group. bernice king is one of two finalists for the position. an arkansas judge is the other candidate. now, if king is chosen, she would become the sclc's first female president. former alaska governor sarah palin isn't the only member of her family to quit their job. last month, her husband, todd, walked away from his oil field job. his resignation comes nearly two

months after his wife stepped down as alaska's governor. palin's personal spokeswoman says todd palin is now spending more time with his family. he made a little more than $34,000 working part-time for british petroleum as a production operator. he also has a job working in his family's commercial fishing business. some women are dealing with tough economic times by putting on a hard hat and hammering out a new career in the construction industry. kate balduan looks at how a unique training program is giving them a leg up. >> reporter: talk about tools for success. >> don't push it too hard. >> reporter: women like janice mccain of maryland are trying to power through tough economic times with a fresh start in an industry still dominated by men, construction. >> i want to get into looking at environmentally friendly ways of building. i want to look at solar/thermal energy. if i don't do it now, time is wasting.

>> reporter: why? after a career full of office jobs, including at the state department and howard university, mccain found herself unemployed, no job, no income. >> i've just trimmed a lot of corners. i mean, i don't go shopping at the malls, i don't splurge on things that i normally would splurge on. >> reporter: but she says it's been a blessing in disguise. a friend from church mentioned a d.c.-based program called wawit, washington area women in the trades. a free training program designed to help low-income women reach financial independence through nontraditional careers like masonry and carpentry. >> we have women who come from a very diverse background. we have women who have been unemployed for a very long time. we have women who are returning from incarceration. we have average, everyday women. >> reporter: along with seven weeks of classroom and job site skills training, these women also get physical training.

>> because we know when you get out there, it's going to be hot, it's going to be cold, you're going to be doing heavy duty work and we want you to be prepared physically to have the stamina that's required. >> reporter: for mccain, wawit also offered a chance at a childhood dream. it's always been a passion of yours, working with your hands? >> yes. >> reporter: mccain graduated in august and is now working on her apprenticeship. her goal, one day to run her own construction company. >> i think if you are a woman and you're interested in construction, there shouldn't be a door being blocked from you getting in. >> reporter: this program has opened that door for you? >> definitely opened that door for me. >> reporter: the program's director says this training course started up just over two years ago and so far they've graduated more than 100 women, more than 65% of which, they say, are either employed or enrolled in an apprenticeship program. kate balduan, cnn, washington. a man who has run dozens of marathons in his life says he won't be stopping anytime soon. he says he has years of running left.

i've got a vision at 92 i will finish my 50th consecutive twin city marathon. >> but he's not doing this just for fun. he says if it wasn't for running, he may not be alive.

a high school student beaten to death by fellow teenagers was buried in chicago yesterday. many political leaders attended derrion albert's funeral, including reverend jesse jackson. president obama is sending two cabinet secretaries to chicago wednesday to talk about school violence. typhoon parma has killed at least 15 people in the philippines so far. the storm crossed the philippines' largest island, but it's expected to keep dumping rain on it. that's a problem, because another storm caused massive floods just last week. and palestinian president mahmoud abbas is taking fire from some people at home. he's outraged that he did not

support a report that accused both israel of war crimes. he made the decision after heavy u.s. pressure, but now some palestinian leaders are demanding an investigation into it. that's a quick check of some of your sunday morning headlines here on hln. a texas panel is looking into whether an innocent man was executed in 2004. but the state's governor picked a new man to lead the investigation and some worry that he's letting politics interfere with science. randi kaye explains. >> reporter: this is the question. is texas governor rick perry a republican in a tough re-election fight trying to cover up the execution of an innocent man on his watch? >> this is a clear case of the governor sabotaging a public agency in order to cover up the findings for his own political advantage. >> reporter: here's what happened friday morning. the texas forensic science commission was supposed to hear the latest findings on what will really happened in the small town of corsicana, texas, nearly

18 years ago, in 1991. still in question because the original investigators said an arson fire killed three baby girls. it took a jury less than an hour to convict their father of arson homicide. but since then, three forensic investigations found there was no evidence of arson, none. >> reporter: one of those reports even came before cameron todd willingham was executed. still, the governor stands by his decision. friday, for the first time, the state's own hand-picked expert was to present a scathing report that showed once again, no evidence of arson. but 48 hours before the scheduled meeting, governor perry stopped the entire process, removing three of the commission members. >> those individuals' terms were up, so we replaced them and it's nothing out of the ordinary there. >> reporter: governor perry's critics suggest he's trying to delay and maybe even derail the state's own investigation. willingham died by lethal

injection after governor perry refused to grant him a stay, even though he was presented new evidence, the fire was not arson. scott cobb heads a group pushing for a moratorium on executions. cobb says perry's move was politically motivated. >> governor perry saw the writing on the wall. he moved to cover that up. >> reporter: if the commission had proceeded, the state's final report may have been released just weeks before the governor's primary election. and if it found it was not arson, critics say that would prove perry is the first governor in history to preside over the death of an innocent man. >> and i think that's what he's afraid of. >> there really is no excuse for a delay. here, finally, is a case with overwhelming evidence that an innocent man was executed by the state of texas. >> reporter: keeping them honest, we tried to interview governor perry, but his office said they couldn't make it work. he has said there was overwhelming evidence willingham

was guilty, but one of the investigators who reviewed the case over the years called it bs, bad science. as for the state's expert who was supposed to formally deliver his findings friday, he said the fire marshal who testified at willingham's trial had an attitude characteristic of mystics and psychics. so will the commission ever hear this report? maybe not. governor perry's new commission chairman, a political ally, is the man who postponed friday's hearing indefinitely and told cnn he couldn't begin to guess when it might be rescheduled. five years ago when cameron todd willing hamm w inin willingham was executed, he said, i am an innocent man convicted of a crime i did not commit. governor rick perry's future may depend on a dying man's last words. randi kaye, cnn, new york. this has been a deadly weekend for troops in afghanistan. eight u.s. troops and two members of afghanistan's national security force were

killed in a battle with militants yesterday. that's the largest number of americans killed by hostile action in a single day since july of 2008. officials say coalition forces fought back after militants launched an attack from a mosque. u.n. inspectors will start looking at iran's newly revealed nuclear site on october 25th. he says inspectors want to make sure that the site is used for peaceful purposes. it's been a big concern since iran revealed the nuclear enrichment plant last month. the u.s. and other countries have been accusing iran of secretly developing a nuclear bomb. and president obama said that iran was hiding this plant for years. but iran's leader says, that's not true. >> translator: based on what is stated in the regulations, we had made the announcement one year before the time we had to out of respect for law and the director general of the iaea and naturally the united states must have known about it.

i do not know why mr. obama was not aware of it. >> meanwhile, u.n. experts says iran has all the information it needs to design and build a nuclear bomb. a confidential analysis was published yesterday in "the new york times." those same experts say they need more evidence to be sure about the extent of iran's nuclear knowledge, but their report says iran got some know-how from rogue nuclear scientists and did a lot of research and testing on its own. if this report is accurate, then iran knows more about making a bomb than the u.s. publicly estimated. 45-mile-per-hour winds are driving a wildfire in southern california. it's only 5% contained and has burned 1,500 acres. three homes have already been destroyed just northeast of san bernardino and dozens of others are threatened right now. now, people have been taking horses and pets with them as they evacuate. no injuries have been reported. the fire started saturday afternoon and authorities are trying to find out what caused it. a fire set on purpose to get

rid of forest undergrowth is now out of control. it happened 120 miles northeast of phoenix here. about 1,000 acres have burned, but air tankers are credited for slowing the fire down. dozens of homes have been evacuated. a tennessee mother who was stabbed and had her newborn baby kidnapped got to hold him in her arms again, but their reunion didn't last long. the child, along with the woman's three other children, were placed in state custody yesterday. child protective services said that they were taken for safety reasons but would not explain why the kids were considered in danger. investigators found the baby unharmed at a home in alabama and arrested a suspect on kidnapping charges. the death toll from a pair of devastating earthquakes in indonesia could double. that's the word from officials as search and rescue crews spent another day looking for survivors. now, there is fear that four villages here in west sumatra have been wiped out by mountains of mud. the quakes killed more than 700

people and as many as 3,000 could still be buried under mud and debris. that includes hundreds of people trapped in a mosque during a wedding. look at this damage. people are using hammers, chisels, even their bare hands to dig through the debris. hundreds of people from agencies like fema and the red cross are helping samoa dig out of the aftermath from the tsunami. fema says it's provided generators for areas without electricity and the u.s. coast guard is bringing in supplies like meals, water, and blankets. in california, groups are collecting donations to send to survivors in the coming weeks here. about 40% of the country's samoan population lives in california. great pumpkins, indeed. check this out. 18 huge pumpkins competed in an annual weigh-off in colorado springs yesterday. a forklift was used to move them all to the scales, because they're all so huge. this year's winner came in at exactly 1,000 pounds. the second-place pumpkin was no

slacker either, weighing 954 pounds. you can certainly tell it's fall. we're talking about rain, snow even. let's check in with meteorologist reynolds wolf to tell you where. >> looks like the snow will be heaviest in parts of the rockies, but the rain is going to come down in buckets, especially in parts of texas, arkansas, louisiana, even into oklahoma. in fact, we could see some very heavy rain. some locations could get quite a bit. in fact, anywhere from 3 to 4 inches of precipitation into the late afternoon hours, into tomorrow also. flash flooding will be an issue, especially spots where you have low-lying areas and poor drain nlg an please be careful out there. in terms of the rest of the nation, pretty dry along much of the eastern seaboard. scattered showers across the great lakes, but when you get into the rockies, that's where that snow will begin to pile up. and when we look in areas like, say, parts of the northern rockies, central rockies, including areas in wyoming back into montana and idaho, some spots, anywhere from 1 to even 4 feet of snowfall between now and tomorrow night due to a strong

winter storm that's going to be blasting through the area. high sierra could also get some heavy snowfall. same story for much of the cascades, but southern california, relatively dry. firefighters going to have a tough time battling some blazes near the san bernardino valley and look for scattered showers possible in the high elevations of the four corners. that's look at your forecast across the nation. i'm reynolds wolf for hln. wildlife officials in florida are taking bold action against owners of exotic pets. but some say, that's unfair. >> i don't like the state has any business getting into my affairs. >> how a little girl's death, though, caused officials to crack down and urge people to turn their pets in.

a fabulous vacation may be in your budget this fall. >> you'll find the lowest prices during the first two weeks of november and then during the first two weeks of december. >> reporter: mexico's one destination that cheaper to visit this year. >> fares are down about 30% to resorts like perta vallarta and cancun. in amsterdam, you can get a package deal 33% less than you paid last fall. london, which is always a big favorite, is down 32%. and rome is down 26%. >> reporter: but know how much to spend. >> people in most major cities should be able to fly to mexico during the fall for about $300 or a little bit less than that. now, to get to europe from the east coast during the fall, you'll pay as little as $400 to $600 round trip. and from the west coast, about $500 to $700.

killed a 2-year-old florida girl earlier this year and now officials are pushing to get exotic animals out of people's homes. florida state law requires owners to have permits, but officials say they can't take any chances with this latest crackdown, so people turned in their pets over the weekend with no questions aske asked. >> when new legislation even gets mentioned on tv, people misunderstood and start to release animals. >> some of the other concerns are that people have run out of space to house their growing animals. places like florida's gatorland, though, will probably take in many of the reptiles. licensed handlers will adopt the rest. would you like to take home a dinosaur? well, an auction house put one up, a fossiledized t-rex for

sale in las vegas. it's one of the most complete t-rex skeletons ever found. so the auction house has been hoping to get at least $6 million, but so far the best offer is $3.7 million. the auction house is still confident they'll find a buyer. i'm larry smith. you've heard of the saying, don't count your chickens before they've hatched. the detroit tigers know all about it. with a seven-game lead less than a month ago, the tigers have thrown it all away. now tied with minnesota entering the final day of the regular season, a one-game playoff tuesday in minneapolis could decide this final play off birth, if they both win or lose today. meanwhile, the dodgers nearly waited as long, beating colorado last night to finally clench the west division. the rockies are also post-season bound as the nl wild card team. a lot of pink at nfl stadiums today to promote breast

cancer awareness. several players will wear pink shoes. that's the brain child of carolina running back deangelou williams. those items will be signed and auctioned for charity after this weekend's games. nba most valuable player, lebron james of the cleveland cavaliers have hit the big screen. a documentary on his high school team's run to the ohio state championships has been released in select theaters. a college student shot video of the team as a class project and nba.com says it was his idea to take it one step further. hey, maybe the play of the weekend. talking about giving one up for the team. texas christian versus smu, this is jeremy curly in the second quarter with the punt return, 71 yards for the touchdown. but watch what happens along the way. watch when number 35, tanner buck, there. he doesn't have a helmet and yet he goes in, hits the block, goes head on helmet against the defender. that springs curly free for the return. gets up later, he was down for a while, and gets the

congratulations. tcu gets the win and this guy here, tough kid. that's sports.

japan's former finance minister was found dead in his

home today. police don't know what caused his death, but ruled out foul play. he was 56 years old. he resigned from his post in february, three days after appearing intoxicated at a news conference. he apologized for his behavior, but denied it was because he was drinking heavily. the daughter of dr. ploort martin luther king jr. may soon head the southern christian leadership conference. her father actually cofounded the civil rights group. bernice king is one of two finalists for the position. an arkansas judge is the other candidate. now, if king is chosen, she would become the sclc's first family president. former alaska governor sarah palin isn't the only member of her family to quit their job. last month, her husband, todd, walked away from his oil field job. his resignation comes nearly two months after his wife stepped down as alaska's governor. palin's personal spokeswoman says todd palin is now spending more time with his family. he made a little more than $34,000 working part-time for

british petroleum as a production operator. he also has a job working in his family's commercial fishing business. hey, are you are you looking for a way to get out of debt? >> are you overwhelmed by credit card debt? well, what if one call could do it all? that's the promise of tv and radio ads running all over the coin tri. if you go to the internet, you see within ad after the other for it. if you put anything in a search engine like debt trouble, these ads pop up, saying call us, we'll negotiate for you. what do they want in return? some companies want you to pay thousands of dollars up front for a promise that you may not realize. you know the complaints coming

into me and any consumer affairs organization have been skyrocketing about debt settlement firms. you need to be very, very wary and aware that you may pay out thousands and get zip in return. what's that money better kept? in your wallet. for more ideas to protect yourself, go to cnn.com/clarkhoward. >> more tips coming your way today at noon eastern time. a man who has run dozens of marathons in his life says he woept be stopping anytime soon. he says he has years of running left. >> i've got a vision, at 92, i will finish my 50th consecutive marathon. >> he says if it wasn't for running, he may not be alive. ee

there is something i want you to know about me. i am not into depriving myself, but i am cheap. you give me a half hour one after another, i'm going to show you how you can be thrifty and live like a king at the same time. >> ever since i can remember, i have been fascinated by money. making it, saving it, studying it. by the time i was 31, i earned enough to retire. so, i embarked on a new mission, helping you take care of your money, so you can save more, spend less and avoid getting ripped off. >> now from his radio studio, your money expert, clark howard. >> you know what?

we, as americans, can do so much more with less and it's rhetoric that we've all heard. maybe we've even talked it ourselves, but now we're walking the talk. and i've got proof in several areas. first, you want video entertainment? you can entertain yourself all you want for $1. i can't guarantee the movies will be good, but red box is booming. those are those fancy vending machines popping up all over the place where you can rent the late release movies. you know what? it's $1 per day. just don't forget about the thing, because it's $1 every day until you remember to return it. video games? i saw recently the rental of video games as an alternative to buying them is up 30% in the last year. again, another cheap way for you to have entertainment at home. and third, if you are in college, going to college, or

know someone who is, how about renting textbooks instead of buying them? probably never heard of that. there is a website called chegg.com where you can learn whether the textbooks you need for school can be rented instead of purchased. think about all the money you'll save. do you have money saving questions you want to ask me? fire away. >> what's going on with your credit card, beth? >> caller: about months ago, i closed one of my credit cards because it went over the limit just $2 and then they started charging me like 31% interest, even though i closed it. so, since i've closed it, they have charged me about $600 in interest. >> wow. >> caller: and they did a negotiation with me. they said if i paid the $600, they would drop the interest to

0% and i could pay off my $2,500 balance at $50 a month, but i don't know if i should do that. i'm a homeowner. i own a home jointly with a relative and i'm wondering if they could ever put a lien against my home if i don't pay them for a while. >> let me explain how that plays out. >> caller: okay. >> if you have a credit card that goes into charge off and the credit card company wanted to really eat you up, what they would have to do is they would have to hire a law firm to sue you against the unpaid balance of the credit card, get a judgment against you and then having the judgment, a judgment becomes what lawyers call a license to hunt. they go out and try to figure out what assets you have. at that point is when it's possible that they might try to go after the home that you jointly own with somebody else.

>> caller: okay. >> that is a lot of ifs getting to the point where that would happen. here's what you do. you can have one more conversation with the credit card company, and then at that point, i would say no more conversations. you tell them here's my alternative offer. you agree to waive all interest and i will pay you on a payment plan and you will pay off the balance at 0% interest. >> caller: okay. >> now if they don't accept that and here's the offer you make. you either accept this, because i'm offering to pay you 100 cents on the dollar of the principal i owe you, but these are my terms. if you do not accept them, you will get not a single penny from me ever again. >> hello, marty. >> caller: hi, clark. >> how are you doing? >> caller: well, clark, the reason i called is i'm finding myself in a mortgage dilemma that i'm not even sure is a real

serious dilemma. i'm in a five-one arm that is going to mature in april 2012. it is 5.75% on the primary which is $200,000 and a second at $10,200 at 7%. the worth of my house dropped down to about roughly $235,000. everybody is advising me to get out of this arm and get into a fixed rate while the rates are down. i have been talking to lenders trying to figure out and i find myself choking on adding $11,000 into my note for the closing and -- >> closing costs lately have been off the charts crazy. >> caller: yes, sir. >> they have been really, really up there. you said the value of your home has dropped to? >> caller: around 235. >> and the first mortgage is at? >> caller: $200,400.

>> okay. so, your equity is down to 17%? >> caller: yes, sir. >> i think you've got some time. i think there is enough slack in the economy that you're okay to sit tight for a while before you would have to hit any kind of panic button as far as that arm -- you know, when we're looking three years out, that arm going crazy on you, 2012 and beyond. how long do you expect you're going to own this house? >> caller: we have no plans on moving. >> this could be a forever house? >> caller: yes, sir. >> here's your assignment. you told me that your work is still good. you're still making good money as an electrician? >> caller: yes, sir. >> you need to pour every dollar you can into paying down principal on that loan that would create more head room that would give you the opportunity to refi. the market place took equity away from you.

you are now going to have to rebuild that by paying down debt. >> next on clark howard -- >> a collection agency was pretending they were going to put your stepson in jail and were talking to you about the ticket? >> caller: exactly. >> do you know how much they have broken the law? >> i'm with my family in london and we're here why? well, because trips to europe are the cheapest they've been in eight years because of the sick economy, which means you can travel really well. hotels extra cheap and airfares extra cheap. in the heart of london, the london eye. on this side of me is big ben. the most famous tourist attraction in london.

one of my favorite ways to save shopping in england is go to the 99 p store.

everything is 99 pence, roughly $1.65 in today's exchange rates and they have a ton of good stuff in there. lynn is with us. hello, lynn. >> caller: how are you doing, clark? >> great, thank you. except you got one of those phone calls nobody wants. >> caller: sure did. >> tell me about this, if you would. >> caller: my husband and i received a call from a department stating they were calling from a warrant division and looking for my stepson. i said, "why are you looking for my stepson?" they said he owed $271 on a traffic fine. come to find out, this was a traffic ticket he received in 2001. that is correct, my stepson did have a traffic ticket. he went to probation. my husband ended up selling his car and paying the traffic ticket off. >> wow! >> caller: right. we explained that to them. unfortunately we don't have any receipts. i did research and called back and called back.

and i come to find out it was a collection agency. >> a collection agency was pretending they were going to put your stepson in jail. >> caller: right. >> and were talking to you about the ticket. >> caller: exactly. >> and do you know how much they have broken the law? >> caller: no, i don't. >> under the fair debt collection practices act, a collection agency is not allowed to -- an agent is not allowed to impersonate a member of law enforcement. number two, a collection agent is never allowed to talk to someone else about another person's debt. >> caller: okay. >> so do you have an answering machine that -- or do you use voicemail? >> i have an answering machine and i have the first call she placed to our answering machine. >> you do? >> caller: yes, i do. >> wow! okay. i want you to call the district attorney or the solicitor in the jurisdiction where your stepson

originally got this ticket eight years ago and offer to play the tape for the d.a. or solicitor. the collection agency operating on behalf of either the court or the jurisdiction is totally in violation of the law, and the district attorney should know that that's going on. how would you like for me to answer your money question? that's easy. all you do is go to cnn.com/clarkhoward and submit a video question to me. you'll see the link right on the home screen. speaking of asking me a money question, carmen has done so about her retirement plan. let's see what's on carmen's mind. >> i'm carmen. >> i'm ray. >> we need a money coach. my biggest concern related to our finances is having enough money for retirement.

i currently have a roth ira through my employer, and my husband and i each have one through the bank. i don't feel i need two because of the fees. i'm being charged a fee from the bank and then i'm being charged a fee through my employer. it's not a large amount of money, but i just think that it's money i can use to save and contribute to one roth instead of two. my question is, do i really need two roths? >> carmen, i love what you've got. it's a special kind of roth that more and more people will have over the next few years as a choice in a 401(k) plan. you can stay in the traditional 401(k) or make the decision you did and go into the roth 401(k). they are wonderful because you put in after tax dollars that will grow tax-free through the years and they will never be taxed again. plus you are still eligible for whatever employer match your employer chooses to make.

that goes in pretax dollars and that portion will be taxed. yeah, there is a fee embedded in a 401(k) plan and a management fee involved in the roth ira you are doing. you do want to do both because it gives you the double opportunity to save. i think it's great. why am i so hot on the roth 401(k) versus the traditional 401(k)? simple. you know what? you have a regular 401(k) and you put the money in. when you go to spend it in retirement, you have much less money than you thought because so much of it gets shaved away by taxes. you do the roth 401(k), a dollar in there is a dollar you get to spend in retirement. essentially, it means when you retire you have about 40% more money that you can spend than you thought you did. >> next on clark howard -- >> you said you want me to

direct you to a legitimate place to buy gold. which means you already know how many snakes there are in the grass who are out there pretending to sell gold or selling gold but ripping you off when you go to buy it.

now we are at the cheap way of seeing the bird's-eye view of london. we are at monument tower. had to walk 311 steps up from the ground. we have a view of the complete panorama of london. very much like the london eye but at one-seventh the cost. plus behind me, if you look over here, we have tower bridge and the tower of london. a beautiful view from up here. all you have to do is be fit enough to walk the stairs. every day when i'm doing research for my radio show, i go to cnnmoney.com. you should too.

poppy harlow is here from cnnmoney.com with some good money tips for you. poppy? >> hey, there, clark. trying to keep your small business afloat in these tough times can be a daunting task, but maximizing your company's website is a cheap and easy way to target your customers. here are three tips to help you do just that. first of all, focus on the content. consider the top three things that a customer would come to your site looking for and highlight those things on your home page. don't bury the information. bring the best stuff right out front. give a measure of free advise elevates your reputation and consider your site's design. slick effects and animations are great for making a splash, most consumers prefer an easy to navigate, clear to manage webpage that, well, they can use easily. for more tips on this, you want to check out cnnmoney.com/smallbusiness. a lot of stories and tips right there. back to you.

>> hi, andy. how are you? >> caller: not too bad. >> andy, tell me what you're thinking of doing. >> caller: i would like to find a legitimate place to buy the actual real gold. >> what if i were to answer your question not the way you asked it? >> caller: go ahead and i will see if it is something that is going to work for me. >> okay. i would much prefer for to you consider, instead of buying the actual tangible gold, that you buy what's known as a gold etf, exchange traded fund, where you will buy actual ownership of gold that will be stored for you off site, not in your possession, but you will have the value of that actual gold. and with that, what happens is that you buy gold and you buy it

with just money. then you buy it from an outfit that stores it for you and when you want to sell your gold, they take your gold and they sell it to somebody else. i know it sounds like i'm talking about some kind of scam or something, but this is completely legit. and then you don't have to deal with the storing of the gold. you don't have to deal with the big rip off they charge you to buy the gold. you don't have to deal with the big rip off when you go to sell it. here's the neat thing. let's say you want to turn that gold back into money, you can do it like that. you can sit down at your computer and, in the blink of an eye, you can sell your shares and in a couple of days, you have your money in u.s. dollars.

do i have great bargain news for you for christmas shopping. if you go back over recent years, the toy market has been really a toy story of two places. you know what they are? walmart, the nation's largest toy seller, and target. it used to be toys r us was the biggest in the game, but they have faded. toys r us is doing something that is great for this time in history. they are going to open hundreds of temporary toy stores around the country. there is plenty of vacant retail space, plenty of people they can hire to work the registers, and it's going to inject new competition into the toy market that we haven't seen in a long, long time. you, as a parent, will be smiling because as we move through october into november, there is going to be deal after deal. >> next on clark howard -- >> caller: they claim the packaging is inadequate for the

items, and i feel like my only recourse is to go to small claims court. >> you should do that because if you sit on your rights, you lose them. you should go ahead and file, but that's not all you should do.               e

everybody's got to eat. sometimes i like to eat too much. but one thing i don't want you to do is spend too much in the supermarket. i have advice about a gotcha you have to watch for. that's just one thing you're going to learn this half hour that will help you stretch every dollar. >> ever since i can remember, i have been fascinated by money. making it, saving it, studying it. by the time i was 31, i earned enough to retire. so, i embarked on a new mission, helping you take care of your money, so can you save more, spend less and avoid getting ripped off. >> now from his radio studio,

your money expert, clark howard. >> i have to tell you about the tale of two people in a household. if my wife gives me the grocery list, i buy whatever the cheapest is in each thing on the list. but when she goes grocery shopping, somehow magically, we spend a lot more money, because we have organic this, organic that and organic the other. a lot of people really believe in the health claims and maybe they are true, who knows, about organic products. should you believe it? let me tell you something. there is more and more stuff saying organic that truly is not organic. the federal government continually loosened the standards on what can say organic. there is something you should look for before you spend huge amounts of money buying organic stuff. make sure it says on the front 100% organic. don't buy something that says organic or some organic ingredients. if you're going to spend the big

bucks, get the real deal. speaking of the real deal, when something says natural on the package, what does that mean? nothing. it's a marketing term in most cases. you are throwing your money away. you want my opinion on something other than food, i bet. how about your wallet? david, how are you? >> caller: just fine, clark, thank you. >> you are in the midst of doing some building at your house, huh? >> caller: yes, sir. >> i don't know if i'm supposed to congratulate you or send you my regrets. >> caller: what we are doing is we are going to be having a mother-in-law suite built on to our home my mother-in-law is willing to pay for the room addition, so i guess we have something along the lines of a gifting type thing here. >> how much money is it going to cost? >> caller: in the ballpark of $40,000.

>> let me tell you how you can play that. >> caller: okay. >> you can do it in a way where there is no gift tax issue at all. >> caller: that's what i was looking for. >> your mother-in-law is allowed to give both you and your wife $13,000 each, each year, without any tax implications at all. >> caller: okay. >> so she can right off the top give you $26,000. done. she has to write two checks, one to you and one to your wife. very important that there be two separate checks. >> caller: okay. >> so then for the remainder, you said it is going to be 40 total? >> caller: about 40. >> she can give you a note for $14,000 with the first interest payment due january 2nd, 2010. then on that day, she can say, oh, i'm gifting you that money. and you're done. >> caller: okay.

>> actually she would have to do seven and seven, wouldn't she? yeah, seven and seven, two different notes. >> caller: right. >> and so the $40,000 can be transferred from her to you and your wife in a very short period of time, completely tax free. but the notes need to say $7,000 loan for -- until january 2, 2010, interest rate of 6% or some -- it has to be something that would feel like a market interest rate. >> caller: right. >> due and payable at that time and then when that time comes, she forgives it and that becomes a gift. john joins us. john, welcome to "the clark howard show." how are you? >> caller: hi, clark. thanks for taking my call. >> my pleasure. what's going on with your wife? >> caller: what's going on is very simple. back in, i believe it was, '94 and '95, she had a settlement

for a credit card debt. and it was settled and there was a settlement drawn up and all, and it was a done deal. now, in '02, approximately, the same company sent a collection agency on her for the same debt that was settled, and i believe that she showed the settlement papers and it was dropped. now just yesterday, a subpoena was dropped here for the same company. >> no way. she was served court papers? >> caller: yes. i'm serious. yes. >> this is very important. very important. you ready? >> caller: yes. >> what happened was a collection agency bought what's known as zombie debt. the bank your wife reached a settlement with 15 years ago, they are reporting her still as not having paid this and some zombie collector paid the bank, a penny or two cents on a dollar on this debt. even if she had not paid it, it

is well outside the statute of limitations to sue. but what the zombie collector does is they file suit against your wife, expecting she is not going to show up in court. then they will get a default judgment from the court, an illegal judgment. it is one that will have full force of law that will then be a judgment against her that will stay on her credit in most states for seven years, and will allow the collector, once they have the judgment, to garnish your wife's wages or empty her checking account. >> caller: oh, my gosh. >> she must answer the court and must, if necessary, appear in court. they are trying to take advantage of the fact that the courts are busy and a lot of people will say, oh, that's not a problem. i took care of that long ago, or that's too long ago for that to

be an issue for me. then they sue you against it, and failure to defend yourself means you lose even on an illegal action. >> caller: unbelievable. >> it is unbelievable and it is an absolute crying shame that this is going on. >> next on clark howard -- >> we are hoping to get some good advice on how to better manage these larger debts.

it's time for money coach. that's where you pose your money riddle to me and i try to give you the best advice i can for your life and your wallet. let's meet ken and lisa. >> my name is ken. >> i'm lisa. we need a money coach! >> our financial situation is pretty stable right now, but the current economy, you never know. we are trying to get a handle on our debts and how we should handle paying those off. our two largest debts right now are our home mortgage and home equity line. one other extra thing is our car. it's really old and has a lot of miles and we are going to be needing another car. should we be paying more on the principal on our mortgage or should we be throwing as much money into the home equity line as possible? >> i love your question, but it's the wrong one.

your mortgage, you don't owe very much on it and not that many years left to pay. your home equity line, a tiny amount of money owed on it. your current interest rate on it is a floating rate, but it's great in the threes, even though that will go up over time. you owe so little that's not a priority. any extra cash you have, you should pop into savings. i know, puny amounts of interest you're earning on your savings, but the purpose is to build up that money so that when it comes time you have to replace that car, you already have a substantial amount of money to be able to pay cash for a used car or make a meaningful down payment on a newer used car or a brand new one. this is always a juggling act. do you pay off debt? do you build savings? normally, in most circumstances, i talk about savings rates at 2% and amount owed on a mortgage is such that the interest rate is a significant factor.

five plus percent. so why would i tell anybody ever to put money in savings instead of towards the mortgage? normally i wouldn't. i would say put your extra dough towards the mortgage balance or any other high-interest rate debt. we know there is a specific goal here. same for you. if you have a goal you are trying to meet, relatively short-term, pop the money in savings instead of paying down debt. what's happening with you, jennifer? >> caller: my husband and i are purchasing a recreational vehicle from a private party. the seller owes a little more on it than he is selling it for. our concern is that how -- we never bought anything where it has been owed more on it and we talked to his bank and they said we could come into the bank and give him the money and he would pay the remainder at the bank and the bank will sign off the title to him and he would have

to be obliged to send the title to us once they receive it. we're just concerned because not doing this before, what's the best way to protect ourselves? >> what i advised people in the past and what is the normal procedure is that you would pay the portion that you are to pay with the check made out to the individual and to the bank that the money is owed to. what is the most important thing for to you do is the bill of sale needs to be a thoroughly thought out bill of sale. in this case, the bill of sale would not only have the vin number of the rv, the brand name, model, year, almost a narrative following the initial things. >> caller: okay. >> and the bill of sale should have two copies. the two copies should be signed

by both you as the buyer and the seller involved. you can do this face-to-face or no? >> caller: yes. >> what i recommend when you do it face-to-face is that you, the seller, and a bank officer sitting down at the desk doing all this paperwork at that time. i would put on the bill of sale, seller agrees to forward title by -- you should designate a method like fedex or u.p.s., that the seller forward the title within -- you should give a certain number of days of when the title is received with lien clear from the bank. i would say within five days is a reasonable period of time. >> caller: okay. >> for the seller to get out there and get to a fedex or u.p.s. facility and send that to you.

>> next on clark howard -- >> where can we possibly check or try to find out if these coins are worth anything? >> that is not an easy thing to do.

you can get tons more money-saving advice from me on the web. all you do is go to cnn.com/clarkhoward. you got a question about credit cards, checking accounts, cars, houses? you name it, go to cnn.com/clarkhoward and that's also the address you visit if you might want me to be your money coach. upload a video telling me your story or fill out the e-mail form and maybe you will be a candidate on money coach. you know what else is at cnn.com/clarkhoward? commentaries from me. i've got a website for you that is chock a block full of money-saving tips. it's cnnmoney.com. here is poppy harlow with some new info for you. poppy? >> rising unemployment is creating an interesting new trend. according to the census bureau, one of every eight people between 25 and 34 are moving

back in with the parents. so if you are a mom or dad and your kid has found their way back into the nest, cnnmoney.com has tips on how to deal with the situation. first of all, don't baby your babies. while your kid is looking for a job, charge some rent if they have any income, and also assign some responsibilities around the house. you can recommend job search websites or helping them network with your friends, and also suggesting they get a temp job while they're looking for a permanent one. don't forget the exit strategy. make sure your child put money aside for moving expenses when they find a job so they can find their own home. you can find more tips at cnnmoney.com all right there in that story. back to you show. >> hello, teresa. how are you doing? >> caller: hi, clark. my brother passed away about ten years ago and he had old coins in a safety deposit box. i'm trying to find out what is the best route, i mean, where

can we possibly check or try to find out if these coins are worth anything? >> that is not an easy thing to do. i'm going to give you how i would do it as a layman. lay person. are you good on the web? >> caller: fairly good, yes. >> there is a website called money.org. >> caller: okay. >> and it is the website of the coin people. and it's like the trade association for coin dealers. they have some consumer information on it, but not -- that's not really their market. what is available on their website is information on where there are going to be coin shows. >> caller: okay. >> and i know a lot of people would say why aren't i saying ebay, ebay, ebay? a lot of people do now sell coins on ebay. but again you don't know what you have. you don't have a feel for range of value.

>> caller: that is true. >> but when there is a coin show you can go with the coins you have from your late brother and you can go to coin dealers who are buying and selling at these shows. and saying -- okay, not for the want not for the collection, you want per coin -- >> caller: okay. >> what is this, what's it worth. and you're not going to know from a single dealer what you've got. >> caller: okay. >> but the great thing about shoe leather at a show, you can go booth to booth to booth to booth and show what you got and then see what value people offer you for it. and then you've set in place a competitive marketplace. you can, at that point, get the cards of the people who seem to be on the up and up, who gave you decent offers on your coins. and then you can go test the marketplace on ebay and see what people will pay you for particular coins that may have turned out to have meaningful

value. in the new credit card bill of rights, guess who was left out? small business owners. at the last minute, a provision was put into the law, or basically, taken out, that gave the credit card companies permission to do anything they want to if you have one of those business cards. now, remember with a business card, as an entrepreneur, you also sign for personal responsibility, the worst of all possible worlds. because of this loophole in the law, what i recommend is that you turn your business cards in for personal cards. because you were liable anyway. and just pay those personal cards from your business. you could always do that. now it becomes extra smart, because then you're protected by the new protections in the credit card law that otherwise you're left high and dry from. and do this quickly.

next on "clark howard." >> we were trying to figure out when she gets to jfk, if she should exchange money there. >> no, no, no, and no. no way.