17 children, 12 of them adopted, are without a mom and dad after their parents are brutally murdered inside their florida home. three people are under arrest and police say more charges could be under way as they look at the business side and a tangled web of multiple motives. former vice president dick cheney in the hot seat. why democrats accused him of ordering the cia to conceal a secret counterterrorism program from congress. a move that could leave some people stumped. former republican vice presidential nominee sarah palin says she's not leaving politics, but is she really changing gears and supporting some democrats? hmm. that's a brow raiser. hey, welcome this monday. i'm christi paul. good to start the week off with you. you're with hln "news and views," of course. let's get to this first story

that a lot of people are talking about today. three men behind bars in connection with the murder of a florida couple known for adopting special-needs kids. now, at first authorities were calling it a home invasion. now it seems much more complicated as investigators look into multiple motives say they, more arrests are likely. david mattingly joining us from pensacola, florida. he will be with us in a moment, but he's got some details from the sheriffs that are coming to light as the sheriff calls this a real humdinger of a story. >> reporter: two men, leonard gonzalez jr. and wayne coldiron, are the first to be arrested and accused in the brutal double murders of byrd and melanie billings. authorities say expect more. >> looking for multiple suspects. >> reporter: escambia county sheriff david morgan will not discuss a possible motive why anyone would want to kill the billings, a couple known for their adoption of a dozen children, in m with special needs.

>> they had a calling to adopt and love children that did not see -- others did not see as normal. to our mom and dad, their children were perfect. angels that god provided them with to love eternally. they had the ability to provide their children with lives full of fun, patience, and love. >> reporter: the billings were shot to death in what authorities still call a home invasion, but now it appears to be much more. >> we are very anxious to share this story with the citizens of escambia county and with the nation, if you will. it's going to be a humdinger. >> reporter: leonard patrick gonzalez sr. was also arrested, but he is not accused of being a killer. he's accused of tampering with evidence, allegedly attempting to conceal damage and paint this old red van identified as the vehicle used in the billings break-in. more suspects and arrests are promised in a case that has become filled with unexpected twists. >> this is like a movie script, all right? and the more we delved into this

and worked this case, the different avenues that it would go down. >> reporter: but no matter where this case turns, it remains a senseless tragedy, a large family brought together by love and kindness now thrown into pain and turmoil. and while the investigation continues, the family today assuring everyone that the children will be skept together and be cared for by family. christi? >> david mattingly, thank you so much. we appreciate it. answering obviously that question a lot of people are asking about the kids. live pictures for you right now as judge sonia sotomayor's road to the supreme court, well, it hits a bit of a rough patch today, strong criticism coming from republicans on the senate judiciary committee during opening statements, in fact, in sotomayor's confirmation hearing, which is what you're looking at live here. the committee's top republican jeff sessions blasted what he

considers to be her personal agenda and lack of objectivity. >> it seems to me that in ritchie, judge sotomayor's empathy for one group of firefighters turned out to be prejudice against another. that is, of course, the logical flaw in the empathy standard. empathy for one party is always prejudiced against another. judge sotomayor, we will inquire will into how your philosophy which allows objectivity in the courtroom affects your decisionmaking. >> senator orrin hatch offered a more guarded assessment of sotomayor saying he's hoping for a vigorous debate here. and the committee's chairman, democrat patrick leahy, offered strong praise for sotomayor calling her passage to the supreme court, quote, a truly american story. >> i request all members of this committee here today will reject the efforts of partisans and outside pressure groups that sought create a caricature of

judge sotomayor while belittling her record, her 'achievements, her intelligence. let no one demean, let no one demean this extraordinary woman for her understanding of the constitutional duties she's faithly performed for the last 17 years. [ shouting ] >> that's obviously a heckler there briefly interrupting this morning's proceedings but quickly removed. if sotomayor is confirmed, she would become the country's first hispanic supreme court justice. her confirmation hearing, by the way, is streaming live on our website. if you'd like to watch it, go to cnn.com/live. we have it for you there. president obama made his pick for the next surgeon general. he's tapped dr. roberta benjamin, who runs a clinic in rural alabama. she fought hard to rebuild it after it was wrecked by

hurricane katrina. here are live pictures as she is i believe in the rose garden there with the president right now. it provides more than 4,000 people who might have nowhere else to go, this clinic she runs. benjamin is also the first african-american to head a state medical society and last year received mcarthur foundation genius grant. there is your first look at dr. regina benjamin, who the president has tapped to be the next surgeon general. at least one report is offering possible details on a counterterrorism program that's ruffled some congressional feathers here. democrat ls are blasting former vice president dick cheney's decision not to tell congress about the secret initiative. some indicate the bush administration may have actually broken the law by not briefing congress, so why such secrecy? "the wall street journal" talked to current and former intelligence officials who say the plan was targeted assassinations of al qaeda leaders. now, the 2001 plan was apparently never carried out. it's been terminated since.

but democrats say the bush administration put the cia in a pretty difficult position with all the secrecy. >> there's a reason why we have three branches of government that are political branches of government, and the fact that he, you know, really put the cia in a bad position saying don't tell the congress, even those select few members of congress, those gang of eight, that should know what's going on, it's disturbing. when it comes to national security, do you know that politics should only stop at the water's edge, and i really think the vice president put the cia in a bad position here. these cia personnel, they're just trying to do their jobs to keep our families safe. >> not clear if attorney general eric holder will order an investigation, but president obama does not want one because apparently he says it won't help him pass his ambitious domestic agenda. what is your view on this story? do you think the alleged tactics used by the previous administration against possible terrorists are excusable here or should dick cheney or anyone else who may have signed off on this be somehow responsible? give us a call at 1-877-tell-hln

or e-mail us at cnn.com/hln. you can text us, too. text the word "views" plus your comments and name to hlntv. standard text rates do apply here. but we'd love to hear from you, love to give you a chance to voice your opinion and share your thoughts with us. so, we'll be airing your responses throughout the day, and thank you. president obama, meanwhile, wants to know if the bush administration's derailed an investigation of an alleged mass killing by a u.s. ally in afghanistan. in an exclusive interview with anderson cooper of our sister network, cnn, the president says he's ordered his national security team to look into this. now, a u.n. memo obtained by "newsweek" said up to 1,000 taliban prisoners died in 2001 after an afghan warlord back fwid cia crammed them into cargo trucks. when the group positions for human rights said it found a mass grave nearby, the head of the u.s. invasion of afghanistan, general tommy franks, wanted this incident investigated, but "the new york times" reports the bush administration discouraged any

probes. >> i think that, you know, there are responsibilities that all nations have even in war, and if it appears that our conduct in some way supported violations of the laws of war, then i think that, you know, we have to know about that. >> you can watch anderson cooper's full exclusive interview by the way with president obama tonight at 10:00 p.m. eastern on our sister network, cnn. attorney general eric holder, meanwhile, may call for an investigation into the bush administration's investigation in terror investigation. now, the decision to appoint a prosecutor could come in the next few weeks and this could go against what president obama has said about an investigation. of course he said the nation should look forward and not backwards so, we'll keep you on track with that. he may have been a champ inside the boxing ring, but it looks as though he lost his final fight inside a hotel room against a purse strap.

who is the prime suspect in his death?

former boxing champion arturo gatti was apparently strangled to death with a purse strap, and his wife is the prime suspect now. police arrested 23-year-old amanda rodriguez because they say stories didn't add up here. she denies being involved in her husband's death, but police say she just couldn't explain how she spent nearly ten hours in a posh resort hotel room without noticing that gatti was dead. gatti's bouts with mickey ward made him an amazing boxing star here. he retired with a career record of 40-9 with 31 knockouts. witnesses say he and his wife, though, were fighting night before he was found dead. an evangelist accused of taking young girls across state lines for sex goes on trial today in federal court. tony allam mow has pleaded not guilty here. he also believes the bible

describes the age of consent as when a girl reaches puberty. if convicted, alamo could face a harsher sentence than he spent in 1994 for tax evasion. alamo faces a ten-count indictment and it could put him behind bars for the rest of his life. do you know that this was actually the day michael jackson's "this is it" concert tour was supposed to kick off? the 50-show series at london's arena was billed as the pop star's final comeback. meanwhile, a custody hearing over his three children is delayed for another week. a judge postponed today's hearing at the request of his mother, katherine, and his ex-wife, debbie rowe. let's talk about this pennsylvania swim club accused of discriminating against a group of african-american and latino children. aparentally that club has invited the group back. the valley club, south side pennsylvania, voted yesterday to try to work things out with the day camp. kids in the camp, remember, said

they heard white club members make racist comments during a visit last month. >> kind of, like, said that, like, people are still thinking like -- thinking like this when ifltd like these days is over. >> now, the club denied they discriminated against the camp, and the director says the camp was turned away because of overcrowding and safety concerns. pennsylvania officials, though, are investigating the discrimination allegations. and senator arlen spectcter is asking the justice department to look into the matter as well. > nasa is hoping the fifth time will be the charm. storms kept the shuttle from launching last night. saturday the problem was lightning. whether may be an issue, though, later today. doesn't look like it at the moment from these pictures, but two launch attempts were scrubbed last month because of a hydrogen gas leak. the crew will have 16 days to build what's essentially a porch on the international space station, and that will be used

for experiments. so, be honest with yourself here. if you found $9,000, would you keep it? a thrift store owner did not, by the way. she found $9,000 worth of savings bonds in some jeans and she did call the owner. >> he was really grateful, thanked me numerous times, so it was happy -- it was good to see how happy it was. >> okay. but her day was just beginning, folks. what happened next was so alarming that people called 911.

some live looks here of president obama's choice to replace retiring supreme court justice david souter. she is on capitol hill right now, sonia sotomayor, on the right, listening to opening statements from the senate judiciary committee. this is in her confirmation hearing right now. that is senator sheldon whitehouse from rhode island on the left. she's expectsed, ms. sotomayor, to make her first remarks a bit later this afternoon and we'll bring that to you live when it does happen. in the meantime, you can watch the hearing live on our website, if you like, see it in its entirety. gavel-to-gavel coverage there for you, cnn.com/live is where you can find that. now, we were telling you about this thrift store worker who found $9,000 in savings bonds and some jeans. she called the owner, she returned it, and then about an hour later she saw a woman having a seizure.

>> and then i just saw some feet fly from under that curtain, and i opened it up, i helped her out, i got her flat on the floor and put her on the side because i had first responder training when i was in high school. >> good for her. an off-duty nurse called 911, paramedics rushed to the woman's aid. that store clerk doesn't want anyone calling her a hero. she says a lot of people would have done the same thing she did. my goodness, what a day she had. former republican vice presidential nominee sarah palin may support some democrats. she told the "washington times" after she stepped down as alaska governor in less than two weeks now she's going to write a book and campaign for candidates across the nation. she said that may include some democrats who share her political vision. palin did not say anything, though, about a possible presidential run, we want to point out. well, training, of course, is only part of an athlete's challenge when they're shooting for the olympics. finding the money to go to the games, that's pretty crucial, as well. well, a lot of athletes look for

sponsors. listen to what new zealand's logan campbell came up with. very different fund-raising solution here. he opened a brothel. mm-hmm. saying his gentleman's club does not violate new zealand's prostitution nal laws, by the way. the country's governing body for his sport, tae kwon do, says his venture makes it less likely that he will be selected for 2012 games. a 12-year-old brain cancer survivor is meeting with president obama today. she put a scrapbook together for the president. she's starting part of her day with him thanks to the kids' wish network. it's a thrill for her. she has vivid memories of the day the president was inaugurated. >> everybody kept jumping and clapping and yelling obama. >> at first we didn't believe it, but when you see confirmation, the letter came in, then we was like, okay, guys, this is real. >> her doctors say the girl's

cancer, by the way, may be in remission. we certainly hope she is and hope she gets better. massachusetts governor deval patrick has commuted the death sentences of hundreds of exotic animals. he says no zoo residents are going to be euthanized during his watch. zoo new england has warned it might have to take the drastic measure because the governor vetoed millions in spending which cut its funding by, gosh, $4 million. people are outraged here. the zookeepers say they'll do their best to find homes for about 200 animals, but if they can't, they'll be forced to turn them over to the state. the governor says every effort will be made to care for and protect those animals, by the way. there's a new scam alert about winning a phony, yes, phony lottery here, folks. you're not going to believe how much money these con artists have stolen from americans already. hln money expert clark howard tells us how we can protect ourselves from this. you want to keep money in your pocket, don't you?

i wanted to tell you about a fast-growing scam that's costing a lot of americans big dough. according to the u.s. state department, from honolulu to maine, people are getting ripped off in a phony made-up jamaican lottery. there is no such thing that americans are winning money in. in fact, we don't even though that the perpetrators behind this have anything to do with jamaica. they're just marketing it as a jamaican lottery and contacting your fellow americans, telling them that they've won. quite often, they're targeting the elderly. here's what i need you to do -- if you have aging relatives, friends who are older, you yourself beware and be wary of this that this is completely phony, there is no money for you to win, and in any lottery from any supposed country, if you're told you have to pay money to get your winnings, you know you're about to get ripped off. i'm clark howard. for more ways for you to protect yourself, go to

cnn.com/clarkhoward. sacha baron cohen's new movie "bruno" creating just a bit of controversy.

we're so glad to have you with us. take a look at these photos here. two of these men now face murder and home invasion charges in the killing of a florida couple known for adopting special-needs kids. wayne coldiron and leonard gonzalez jr. may appear in court as early as today. gonzalez' father, leonard sr., is also in jail on an evidence tampering charge. that's him all the way to the left. police say, though, he attempted to conceal damage and paint an old red van that was identified as the vehicle used in the billings' break-in. at first authorities were calling it home invasion, but now they say it appears to be much more complex. >> we are very anxious to share this story with the citizens of escambia county and with the

nation, if you will. it's going to be a humdinger. >> this is like a movie script, all right? and the more we delved into this and worked this case, the different avenues that it would go down. now, detectives say byrd and melanie billings were found shot to death in their home on thursday, and we've learned as many as nine kids were in that house when the couple was killed. none of them were hurt, but at a news conference earlier the couple's daughter fought back tears as she talked about this. >> our mom and dad spent most of their time together. they shared the daily duties of getting the children ready for school, getting the children off the bus in the afternoon, and always preparing and having dinner together as a family. installing values and traditions in the children was very important to them. those who have met any of the billings children know how well behaved and how well mannered they are. our parents taught us to love despite differences in people.

christmas was always the favorite holiday in the billings house. our mom never left out anything when it came to christmas. my mother and father touched me and many lives around the country. >> obviously real difficult for her there. a news conference, though, is scheduled for this afternoon and hln will bring you all the late-breaking detail, just so you know. meanwhile, to washington we go here. strong words of support and criticism for supreme court nominee sonia sotomayor. the first day of her confirmation hearings, obviously, happening right now as we bring you these live pictures. in opening remarks, republicans on the senate judiciary committee blasted what they call her personal politics. meanwhile, democrats praised her personal life story and 17 years of experience on the federal bench. well, samantha hayes is in washington. she's been following today's proceedings. and what have we been able to make of these proceedings thus far, samantha? >> reporter: christi, right now, this is pretty typical of the first day of confirmation

hearings from the supreme court nominee. we're hearing a lot of talk from the senators. republicans' opening statements, now moving senator by senator on the senate judiciary committee. i believe senator dick durbin, the illinois democrat, is speaking right now. so, before judge sonia sotomayor answers any questions, she's actually going to be hearing a lot from the senators who are going to be asking her those questions. and if confirmed, it will be historic. she would be the first hispanic to sit on the high court as well as the third woman. after a lighthearted moment -- >> would you please introduce the members of your family. >> if i introduced everybody that's family like, we'd be here all morning. >> reporter: day one of confirmation hearings for supreme court justice nominee sonia sotomayor began has expected. off the bat, democrats talked about her personal toir, an ivy league-educated attorney who grew up in the housing project in the bronx and who would be the first hispanic to serve on the high court.

>> judge sotomayor's qualifications are outstanding. she has more federal court judicial experience than anybody on the supreme court in nearly 100 years. >> reporter: after promising a fair, respectful hearing, republicans wasted no time questioning sotomayor's decisions as an appeals court judge, including a ruling against white firefighters who claimed reverse discrimination. they also expressed concern about sotomayor's off the bench comments like when she said she hoped a wise latina woman would reach a better conclusion than a white male who hasn't lived that life. >> these statements go directly to your views as to how a judge should use his or her background and experience when deciding cases. unfortunately, i fear they don't comport with what i and many others believe is the proper role of a judge or an appropriate judicial method. >> reporter: bottom line, democrats easily have the votes to confirm sotomayor, but experts say the process won't be easy. >> it's going to be very difficult questioning.

>> reporter: and sonia sotomayor will have her chance to speak, scheduled for about an hour from now. her opening statement's at 1:30. the hearings are not expected to take longer than a week, and president obama has said that he would like to see judge sotomayor on the bench ready to go before the start of the next session in september. christi? >> let me ask you a quick question, because a lot of people are saying, you know, this is pretty much a done deal, they believe that she's going to sail through. but do we know, are there any democrats that are nervous about the fact that there are some pretty divisive issues that we don't have a definitive idea of where she stands on them, such as abortion? >> reporter: certainly. and these are live hearings, so it could be interesting to see how she answers some of these questions. now, we understand that she's been studying for several weeks now and also has been in the presence of some white house officials who may have helped her certainly not come up with an answer but framing answers correctly as to avoid any kind

of political brouhaha over some of these very hot-button issues. you may be referring, perhaps, to questions that senators may ask her trying to glean how she feels about abortion, property rights, the influence of international law, those types of things. but she may also say, like ruth bader ginsburg did during her confirmation hearings, that perhaps she can't answer a question here or there because those very cases may come up if she is sitting on the high court. >> good to know. samantha hayes, thank you so much. we appreciate it. by the way, when she does step up to the podium, miss sotomayor there, and gives her opening statements, we'll take that live for you. but meanwhile, the confirmation hearing is streaming live on our website, so go to cnn.com/thrive see more if you like. president obama has made his next pick for surgeon general. dr. regina benjamin has to be confirmed by senate, but she

runs a clinic in rural alabama. she fought hard to rebuild it after it was wrecked by hurricane katrina. it provides health care to more than 4,000 people who might have nowhere else to go, this clinic she runs. benjamin is also the first african-american to head a state medical society and last year received mcarthur foundation genius grant. former boxing champion gatd gat was strangled to death with a purse strap and his wife is the prime suspect. police arrested his wife because her stories didn't add up. she just couldn't explain how she spent nearly ten hours in a posh resort hotel room without noticing that gatti was dead. gatti's bouts with mickey ward made him an amazing boxing star here. he retired with a career record of 40-9 with 31 knockouts. witnesses say the 37-year-old and his wife were fighting the night before he was found dead. i don't know if you realized it, but this is the day michael

jackson's "this is it" concert tour was supposed to kick off. the 50-show series at london's arena was billed as the pop star's final comeback. meanwhile, a custody hearing over his three children is delayed for another week. a judge postponed today's hearing at the request of his mother, katherine, and his ex-wife, debbie rowe. well, you know he's got some great moves practicing taekwondo, but form and speed aren't the only thing this athlete needs to get to the 2012 olympics. wait till you hear.

well, an evangelist accused

of taking young girls across state lines for sex goes on trial today in federal court. tony ayla mow has pleaded not guilty. he also believes the bible describes the age of consent as when a girl reaches puberty. if convicted, alamo could face a harsher sentence than he spent in 1994 for tax evasion. alamo faces a ten-count indictment and it could put him behind bars for the rest of his life. remember the pennsylvania swim club accused 06 discriminating against african-american and latino children? apparently, they have invited that club back. the valley club outside of philadelphia voted yesterday to try to work things out with the kids. but the kids say they heard white club members make racist comments during their visit last month. >> kind of, like, said that, like, people are still thinking like -- thinking like this when i felt like these days is over.

>> now, the club denied they discriminated against the camp, and the director says the camp was turned away because of overcrowding and safety concerns. pennsylvania officials, though, are investigating the discrimination allegations. and senator arlen specter is asking the justice department to look into the matter as well. well, unfortunately, rescuers are not holding out a lot of hope for a woman and two children trapped by a mudslide in utah. appare apparently, neighbors saw them going into their house just minutes before it collapsed under a wall of mud. this was saturday afternoon. searchers say no one has heard from the family since then. the "salt lake tribune" reports an irrigation canal collapsed about 100 feet that house and that's what caused the mudslide. nasa is hoping the fifth time will be the charm for the space shuttle "endeavour." it is scheduled to launch tonight at 6:51 eastern. storms kept the shuttle from launching last night. saturday the problem was lightning. whether may be an issue, though, later today. two launch attempts were

scrubbed last month because of a hydrogen gas leak. the crew will have 16 days to build what's essentially a porch on the international space station that will be used for experiments. all right. listen to this one. training only part, obviously, of an athlete's challenge when they're shooting for the olympics. finding the money to go to the games, crucial as well. well, a lot of athletes look for sponsors, obviously. here's new zealand's logan campbell. he came up with quite a different fund-raising solution. he opened a brothel. saying his gentleman's club does not violate new zealand's prostitution laws, by the way. the country's governing body for his sport, tae kwon do, says his venture makes it less likely that he will be selected for 2012 games in london. we veal to wait and see. a secret former vice president dick cheney wanted to keep is revealed, apparently. how he reportedly wanted the cia to deal with al qaeda leaders

and why president obama doesn't want to deal with the revelation.

so good to have you with us

today. we may know more about a counterterrorism program that the cia never talked to congress about. democrats have been blasting former vice president dick cheney who reportedly ordered the agency to keep the initiative secret from congress. some argue in doing so he broke the law. well, the "wall street journal" quotes current and former intelligence officials who say the project targeted al qaeda leaders for assassination. the 2001 plan was apparently never carried out. cia director leon panetta shut it down when he learned of it last month. >> there's a reason why we have three branches of government that are co-equal branches of government, and the fact that he, you know, really put the cia in a bad position, saying don't tell the congress, even those gang of eight, those select members of congress, should know what's going on. it's disturbing. when it comes to nurlt, politics should only stop at the water's edge, and i really think the vice president put the cia in a bad position here. these cia personnel, they're

just trying to do their jobs to keep our family safe. >> now, democrats are pressing for an investigation into the program and why it was kept secret from congress. some republicans accuse the democrats of trying to undermine the intelligence community. so, what are your views when you hear this story? do you think the alleged tactics used by the previous administration against possible terrorists are excusable? or should dick cheney or anyone else in your opinion who may have signed off on the tactics be held responsible? gives us a call right now, 1-877-tell-hln, and let us know what you think or e-mail us, cnn.com/hln. or next us. text the word "views" plus your comments and name to hlntv. standard text rates do apply. but we thank you so much for being part of our conversation here. now, president obama wants to know if the bush administration derailed an investigation of an alleged mass killing by a u.s. ally in afghanistan. in an exclusive interview with anderson cooper for our sister network, cnn, the president said

he ordered his national security team to look into this. here's the thing. a u.s. mimmo obtained by "newsweek" said up to 1,000 taliban prisoners died in 2001 after an afghan warlord crammed them into cargo trucks. when the group position for human rights said it found a mass grave nearby, the head of the u.s. invasion of afghanistan, general tommy franks, wanted that incident investigated but "the new york times" reports the bush administration discouraged any probe. >> i think that, you know, there are responsibilities that all nations have even in war, and if it appears that our conduct in some way supported violations of the laws of war, then i think that, you know, we have to know about that. >> you can watch anderson cooper's full exclusive interview with president obama

tonight at 10:00 eastern on our sister network, cnn. attorney general eric holder, meanwhile, may call for an investigation into the bush administration's investigation in terror investigation. this is from a source familiar with the process. now, the decision to appoint a prosecutor could come in the next few weeks and this could go against what president obama has said about an investigation, saying the nation should look forward, not backward. a man deported from the united states to germany is now charged with 27,900 counts of being an accessory to murder. there he is. prosecutors filed the charges against retired ohio autoworker john demjanjuk today. he denies the charges. he says he was a prisoner of war at the time. and south korean television is reporting that north korea's leader, kim jong-il, has pancreatic cancer. the report says the 57-year-old was diagnosed with the cancer last summer around the same time that he suffered that stroke. pancreatic cancer is usually

only discovered in its final stages and patients die within five years. now, kim made a rare appearance just last week. it was made an appearance just t week and is the first time being seen since his reported strokes. officials say he's still healthy enough to lead. former republican vice presidential nominee sarah palin may support some democrats. yeah, she told the washington times after she stepped down as alaska governor in less than two weeks from now, she will write a book and campaign for maybe democrats that support her political position. palin did not say a thing about a possible presidential run. well, the girl who is too young for a driver's license at this point has actually flown across the country. twice, mind you. 15-year-old girl from compton, california, yesterday, apparently is youngest girl to fly coast to coast and get a

little bumpy. >> yesterday when we were going through texas, there was lightning and it was really close like on either side of the wings. so it was kind of nerve racking. >> good for her. her credit for ak solo flight even though she did have an adult safety pilot with her. congratulations to her. massachusetts governor patrick has said no zoo residents are going to be euthanized during his watch. we're talking about england. they may have to take the desperate measure because he's vetoed millions in spending. people are outraged here. the zoo keeper says that they will do their best to find a home but if they can't they will have to turn them over to the state. bruno, the latest outlandish

character created by sasha owens, imagine this created a controversy. we'll walk you through it. óóóóó

three arrests in the slaying of a couple has occurred. sonia sotomayor gets both strong praise and sharp criticism from the people who will decide whether she's fit to sit on the high court. and a prominent zoo does a backtrack after forcing to do the unthinkable. the latest from hln's news and views. two men facing murder charges in the murder of a couple known for adopting special needs kids. wayne coldiron and leonard gone

zal less junior will face murder charges and leonard gone zal less senior tried to paint over an old red pan that was used to break into the home of byrd and m melanie billings. the couple's daughter says that the family is touched by the outpouring of support. >> the outreach has been amazing. businesses and individuals just trying to contact us and letting us know that they are there to support us, it's been almost overwhelming. >> david mattingly is on the scene and we expect to see a live report from him in about ten minutes. we may know more about a ordered the agency to keep the initiative secret from congress.

some argue by doing so he broke the law. "the wall street journal" quotes current and former intelligence officials saying that they targeted al qaeda leaders for an assassination. the plan was apparently never carried out. cia director leon panetta shut it down in june when he learned about it next month. the bush administration put the cia in a difficult position. >> there's a reason why we have three branchs of government and the fact that he really put the cia in a bad position, even those select few members of congress, everybody should know what is going on. it's disturbing. you know, when it comes to national security, if you know that politics should only stop at the water's edge and i really think that the vice president put the cia in a bad position. they are just trying to do their job to keep our family safe. >> democrats are pressing for an investigation into the program and why it was kept secret from congress. some republicans accused the democrats of trying to undermine

the intelligence committee. we would love your views on this. do you think the alleged tactics are excusable or should dick cheney or anyone else be somehow held responsible. call us. your comments are welcome at 877-te 877-tell-hln. or text your comments and views to hlntv. president obama wants to know if the push administration derailed the alleged mass killing in afghanistan. in an interview with anderson cooper, the president says that he's ordered his team to look into it. up to 1,000 taliban prisoners died in late 2001 after an afghan warlord crammed them into cargo trucks. the group said that a mass grave

nearby, the head of the u.s. invasions of afghanistan, general tommy franks, wanted the incident investigated but the bush administration discouraged any probe. >> i think that there are responsibilities that all nations have, even in war. and if it appears that our conduct in some way supported violations of the laws of war, then i think that, you know, we have to know about that. >> again, you can watch the entire interview with anderson cooper with president obama, 10:00 eastern on our sister network, cnn. >> a decision to appoint a prosecutor could come in a few weeks. this would go against what the president said about any investigation like this. he had said the nation should look forward, not backward. judge sonia sotomayor's road to the u.s. supreme court hits a

rough patch with strong criticism from republicans on the 19 members senate judiciary committee. during his opening statements, the top republican, senator jeff sessions, blasted what he considers to be her personal agenda and lack of objectivity. >> it seems to me that in reaching an empathy for one group of firefighters turned out to be prejudice against another. that is, of course, the logical flaw in the empathy standard. empathy towards one party is always prejudice against another. judge sotomayor, we will inquire into your philosophy affects your decision making. >> fellow republican committee member, orrin hatch, says that he is hoping for a vigorous debate and committee chairman democrat pat leahy offered strong praise calling her path

to the u.s. supreme court a truly american story. >> i would trust that all members of this committee here today will reject the efforts of pausht sans and outside pressure groups that south to creating a charictu rechlt and the duties that she's faithfully performed for the last 15 years. >> a heckler was quickly removed. if sotomayor is confirmed, she would be the first hispanic supreme court justice. >> president obama has appointed dr. regina benjamin for the

surgeon general. she says she wants to help others avoid the fate of dying due to ill health. >> my family is not here with me today being, at least not in person, because of preventible diseases. while i can't -- or i cannot change my family's past, i can be a voice in the movement to improve our nation's health care and our nation's health for the future. >> dr. benjamin also is the first african-american woman to head a state society and mcarthur genius grant. a private swim club accused of discriminating against a group of african-american and latino daycare members, they may be invited back.

sfloo. police arrested amanda rodriguez because her story did not add up. she couldn't explain how she spent ten hours in a posh resort hotel room without noticing he was dead. a career record of 31 kos, witnesses say the 37-year-old and his wife were fighting the night before he was found dead. in is the day michael jackson's "this is it" tour was to kick off in london. it was the pop star's final come back. meanwhile, a hearing over his three children is delayed another week at the request of katherine jackson and debbie rowe. the swim club has invited the kids that were discriminated against to try to work things

out. kids there said she heard white club members making racial comments during their visit last month. >> the club discriminated against the camp and the camp was turned away because of overcrowding and safety concerns. >> pennsylvania officials, human rights officials are investigating these allegations and are asking the justice department to look into it as well. authorities received about 7,000 inquiries from families of people buried at that chicago area cemetery where remains were dug up. >> when we finally buried them, they are at peace now. we can't even say that they are at peace now. they dug up their remains and

who knows how heartless people can be. >> all cemeteries run by the companies like this one are investigated and initially alerted them to the problems. nasa hopes the fifth time will be the charm for the space shuttle "endeavor." storms kept the launch from happening last night. the weather that might delay the launch again, two launch attempts scrubbed because of a hydrogen leak. the crew will have 16 days to have what is essentially used for experiments. you may have noticed gas prices have been falling pretty quickly last week. they are down 8 cents a gallon. aa a's price across the country is now 253. last week it was $2.61. the world economy is slow so there's a lot of extra supply.

one new england man is adding a broth they will. don't worry, prostitution is not -- but it's helping the master pave his way to the dreams of a metal.

snoof. david mattingly is live in

pensacola. more arrests are possible, are they not? >> they've said all along to expect more arrests in this case. they started off looking at possibly three persons of interest based on when they saw the surveillance video inside the couple's home but now the case has mushroomed and there may be more arrests after having three in custody. two men are the first to be arrested and accused in the brutal double murders of byrd and melanie billings. officials say expect more. the sheriff will not discuss the motive. a couple known for their adoption of a dozen children, many with special needs. >> they had a calling to adopt and loved children that did not see other -- others did not see as normal. to our mom and dad, their children were perfect. angels that god provided them with to love eternally.

they had the ability to provide their children with lives full of fun, patience and love. >> they were shot to death in what authorities call a home invasion but now it appears to be much more. >> we are very anxious to share this story with the citizens of the county and nation, if you will. it's going to be a hum din ger. >> also arrested is another man accused of tampering with evidence, allegedly trying to conceal damage and paint this old red van identified as the vehicle used in the billings' break-in. more suspects will be arrested in a case that will be filled with unexpected twists. >> this is like a movie script, all right? and the more we dove into this and worked this case, the different avenues that it would go down. >> but no matter where this case

turns, it remains a senseless tragedy, a large family brought together by love and kindness now thrown into pain and turmoil. you heard the sheriff call this case a humdinger. later today he says that there will be a news conference, a lengthy one, in which he will provide a lot more details to let us know why he is thinking this case is a humdinger. chuck? >> i wish we knew a motive. thanks. david mattingly of pensacola. so what is going to happen to the other children? nancy grace discusses the motive behind the crime at 8:00 and 10:00 eastern right here. jill biden is set to undergo minor surgery to relieve surgery. mrs. biden will be accompanied by her husband and the couple reportedly plans to spend the rest of their day tomorrow at

their home in delaware. a man is now charged with 27,900 counts of being an accessory to murder. prosecutors filed a charge against the auto worker. he's accused of being a guard at a nazi concentration camp during world war ii. he says he's always denied the charge because he was a p.o.w. at the time. >> duval patrick says that no zoo residence will be euthanized during his watch. the zoo says that they may have to take drastic measures because the funding was cut by $4 million. people are outraged and the zoo keeper will find homes for 200 animals and if they can't, every effort will be made to care for and protect those animals. training is only part of an athletes challenge when they are shooting for the olympics.

finding the money to go to the games is pretty crucial, too. a lot of athletes look for sponsors and the country's governoring body says that the venture make it is less likely that he'll be for the games in london. a girl too young for a driver's license has flown across the country twice. 15-year-old kimberly returned to compton, california, yesterday. she's apparently the youngest african-american girl to fly solo coast to coast. it wasn't always smooth sailing. things got a little bumpy over texas. >> reporter: yesterday when we were going into texas there was lightning and it was really close, like on either side of the wings so it was sort of nerve-racking. >> kimberly is credited with making a solo flight even though she had an adult safety

passenger. you won't believe how much money these con artists have stolen from americans. hln clark howard explains how you can protect yourself. >> you want to keep money in your pocket, don't you? i want to tell you about a fast-growing scam costing a lot of americans big dough. from honolulu to maine, people are getting ripped off in a jamaican lottery. there is no such thing that americans are winning money in. in fact, we don't even know that the perpetrators behind this have anything to do with jamaica. they are just marketing it as a lottery and contacting your fellow americans, telling them that they've won. quite often, they are targeting the elderly. here's what i need you to do. if you have aging relatives, friends who are older, you yourself beware and be wary of this, that this is completely phony. there is no money for to you win

and in any lottery from any supposed country, if you're told you have to pay money to get your winnings, you know you're about to get ripped off. i'm clark howard. for more ways for to you protect yourself, go to cnn.com/clarkhoward. >> get great consumer advice. clark joins us on saturdays and sundays at noon. he'll help you spend less and save more. tall people end up making more money than short people. studies indicate that on average tall people make almost $800 more every year per inch. so someone who is six feet tall earns nearly six grand more than somebody else. self-confidence and leadership qualities are keys to workplace success. how many good deeds can someone do in a single day? this thrift worker jumped in when a customer had a seizure. but that's only half the story.

two men are facing murder charges for killing a florida couple that were parents to 16 children. he tried conceal damage and painted an old red van in the billings break-in. at first authorities were calling this a home invasion and now it appears to be a lot more complex. >> we are very anxious to share this story with the citizens of escambia county and with the nation, if you will. this is like a movie script, all right? and the more we dove into this and worked this case, the

different avenues that it would go down. >> detectives say byrd and melanie billings were shot dead in their home on thursday. nine children were in the home when the couple was killed. none of them were hurt. in an earlier news conference, their daughter broke down in tears as she talked about their loss. >> they spent most of their time together and shared the daily duties of getting the children off to school and always preparing and having dinner together as a family. installing values and values into the children was important to them. everyone knows how well behaved and mannered they are. our parents taught us to love despite differences in people. christmas was always the favorite holiday at the billings' house. our mom never left out anything when it came to christmas. my mother and father touched many, many lives around the

country. >> there's a news conference scheduled this afternoon from pensacola. we'll bring that to you live. in fact, i'll have the late-breaking details as they come in. the news conference should begin in two hours or so. >> what's going to happen with the disabled, adopted kids and other children in that home? tonight at 8:00 and 10:00 eastern on hln. judge sonia sotomayor's confirmation hearing hits a rough patch. the opening statements patrick leahy offered strong praise for sonia sotomayor. he called her path to the supreme court a truly american story. >> my review of her judicial record leads me to believe that she has deep respect with a judicial precedence and including the law making role of the congress. she has a deep understanding of the real lives, the real lives

of americans and the duty of law enforcement to help keep americans safe and the responsibility of all of us to respect the freedoms that define america. >> the committee's top republican, senator jeff sessions, blasted for what he called sonia sotomayor's personal agenda. >> the president has nominated someone of good character, someone who has lived a very full and fruitful life, who is passionate from day one, from the time you got a chance to show case who you are you've stood out and you've stood up and you've been a strong advocate and will you speak your mind. and the one thing that i'm worried about, we are going to deter people from speaking their

minds. i don't want those judges. a heckler had to be taken out of the courtroom this morning. what about the unborn he yelled. he was escorted out of the room. leahy issued a strong warning. >> everything would indicate that the senate and senator, please remove that man. >> let me be clear, there will be no outburst against any nominee for or against. this is a hearing with the united states senate. and we will have order and we will -- there are people who want to have this hearing in fairness of sonia sotomayor, it will be done orderly. and i will direct the police to

remove anybody who does any kind of an outburst either for or against the nominee, either for or against any member of this committee. >> cnn.com will be streaming the hearing when it resumes. it's still in recess. it should reconvene shortly. go to cnn.com/soniasotomayor for more background. president obama has tapped dr. regina benjamin to be the surgeon general. she plans to fight health care reform on the national level. >> this is a trying time in the health care field. we have reached rely zags that our health care system cannot continue on the path that we are on. millions of americans cannot afford health insurance. or they don't have the basic

health services available where they live. >> dr. benjamin is also the first african-american woman to head a state medical society and last year received the mcarthur foundation genius grant. gatti was strangled to death with a purse strap and his wife was the prime suspect. amanda rodriguez was arrested. they say her story did not add up. she denies being involved in her husband's death. gatti was a major boxing star and retired two years ago with a career record of 40-9, including 31 knockouts. the 37-year-old and his wife were fighting the night before he was found dead. jury selection in a court is under way for an evangelist accused of taking young girl i across state lines for sex. he says that the bible describes

the age of consent as when a girl reaches puberty. he already went to prison in 1994 on tax evasion charges and face as ten-count indictment that could put him behind bars for the rest of his life. this is michael jackson's "this is it" tour. this was going to be the pop star's final comeback. a custody over his three children has been delayed a week. the judge postponed the hearing at the request of jackson's mother katherine and his ex-wife debbie rowe. nasa hopes the fifth time is the charge for the space shuttle "endeavor." the storms kept the shuttle from launching last night. on saturday the problem was lightning. weather may be an issue as well. two launch attempts were scrubbed last month because of a hydrogen gas leak. the crew will have what will build a porch on the international space station. if you found $9,000, would

you keep it? a thrift store worker did not. she found savings bonds in some jeans and called the owner. >> he was really grateful, thanked me numerous times. so it was good to see how happy it was. >> but her day was just beginning. what happened next was so alarming somebody called 911.

one of the mayor's bodyguards, the prisoner is one of three who broke out of the maximum security prison in indiana, only eight miles from grant beach, michigan. a woman in the neighborhood reported to the police that two

men were in her driveway. the daily security guard got involved. a convicted killer and rapist are still on the loose. well, we may know more about a counterterrorism program that was ordered to keep the initiative secret from congress some argue that he broke the law. the 2001 plan was apparently never carried out. leon panetta shut it down when he learned of it only last month. the bush administration with the cia -- put the cia in a difficult position. >> there's a reason why we have three branchs of government that are co-equal branchs of government. and the are reason he put the cia in a bad position is even those select few members of congress really should know what is going on. it's disturbing. when it comes to national security, politics should always

stop at the water's edge and i really think that the vice president put the cia in a bad position here. the personnel do their jobs to keep our family safe. >> democrats are pressing for an investigation into the program and why it was kept secret from congress. the republicans are accusing the democrats for undermining the community. what do you think the alleged tactics used against the bush administration are excusable or should cheney or anybody else who may have signed up be held responsible. call us toll free at 877-835-5456. e-mail us at hlntv or text views. standard text rates apply. we'll put your responses on the air all day today. the president wants to know if the bush administration derailed an investigation into the alleged mass killing by a u.s. ally in afghanistan. the president said he's ordered his national security team to

put after being crammed into trucks the head of the u.s. invasion tommy frank wanted the inks dent investigated and the new york times reports that bush discouraged any probe. >> i think that there are responsibilities that all nations have, even in war. and if it appears that our conduct in some way was in violations of the law's war, then we have to know about that. >> you can see the exclusive interview tonight at 10:00 eastern. attorney general eric holder may call for an investigation into the bush administration's terror investigations. that's from a source familiar

with the process. a decision to appoint a prosecutor could come in the next few weeks. this will go against what president obama says about such an investigation. he said that the nation should look forward, not backward. former republican vice presidential nominee sarah palin may support some democrats. she told the washington times that after she steps down in less than two week, she's going to write a book and campaign for candidates across the nation. that may include democrats who share her vision. but she did not say anything about a possible presidential run. jill biden will undergo minor surgery today. this will be performed at a hospital in philadelphia. she will be accompanied by her husband and the couple will plan the rest of the day and tomorrow in their home in delaware. we're telling you about the thrift store worker who found $9,000 in savings bonds in some jeans. she called the owner and then returned it but then an hour

later she saw a woman having a seizure. >> and then i just saw someone saying that the back was hurting, i opened it up, got her flat on the floor and i had first responder training when i was in high school. >> they called 911 and the store clerk doesn't want anybody calling her a hero. she says a lot of people would have done the same thing she did. but what a day at the office. if you didn't know better, you might think pimping has become an olympic event. how he hopes the road to the gold medal will be paid.

how do you find the best place to live in the u.s., a place where the economy is strong, homes affordable, and you can find a rich soul mate? >> we're promising a lot, aren't we? >> we sure are. >> make sure we deliver on this. >> well, cnnmoney.com did a survey and looked into some 1800

cities into the united states and looked at their education, crime, housing, and other economic issues that are going on in cities across the country and came up with a list of the top cities that you might want to live in america. here they are. number one is lewisville, colorado. population, 20,000. unemployment is just 6%. this city looks like a typical american main street, how would you imagine it, lots of ice scream shops and hamburger joints and finite street fairs, live music, lots of fun out there. and a lot of that activity is outside as well. if you want to learn more g. to cnnmoney.com. also nebraska and if you were single look forge a great city

to move to, you might want to consider hermosa beach, california. it tops the list as the best playground for the wealthy and unattached. again, some 20,000 residents there. lots of outdoor activities there. homes are pretty expensive. people are doing very well there. residents say it is easy to meet singles. not so easy to keep a relationship, though. >> they had a huge party. it's fun but it parties late. >> i haven't been to several of these cities. i need to hop on a plane and. >> yeah, lewisville out there, half an hour out of denver. all right. we have another story that we need to fit in. the zoo in -- >> yeah, this is drama here. check in with cnn.com to check the latest. but boston franklin's park zoo, the city of boston facing major

budget issues like a lot of cities across the country and the budget. d zoo officials saying they had have to lay off 200 people, may have to close the zoo. the zoo is saying if the zoo closes, they would have to move some of the animals, perhaps euthanize some of the animals and that got a lot of people upset. the governor's office saying you're just trying to cause drama. this would never happen. zoo officials now backpedaling a little bit. it's interesting to see what's going to happen to the animals who are sort of caught in the cross fight here. all the animal activists and the zoo officials, of course, want the zoo to stay open. >> he says they will euthanize but not on his watch. he's very adamant, governor patrick. the pennsylvania swim club accused of discriminating against a group of african-american and latino children has invited them back. they voted yesterday to try to work thing out with the day camp.

kids at the camp said they heard white club members make racist comments during a visit last month. the club denies it ever discriminated against the camp. the club director says the camp was turned away because of overcrowding and safety concerns. pennsylvania official its are investigating the discrimination allegations and arlen specter is asking the justice department to look into it. authorities have received about 7,000 inquiries from families of people buried at that chicago area cemetery where remains were dug up. jesse jackson led a village jal at the cemetery. four workers are accused of reselling burial plots there. >> when we finally buried there, they're at peace now. so we can't even say they're at peace now because they've dug up their remains and done who knows what. how hard can people be? >> jackson wants all cemeteries run by the owners of this one investigated. police say the company is cooperating and initially alerted them to the problems. an 86-year-old man wakes up

to find a bear inside his house. how he scared it away and what his wife was doing during the break-in. naing onon ud r.

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. a mom and dad brutally murdered inside their florida home. three people under arrest now, and police say more charges could be on the way as they look into business ties and a real entangled web of multiple motives. and why democrats accuse dick cheney of ordering the cia to conceal a counterterrorism program from congress. how one man's broken guitar has him hitting a high note on the internet and what he's doing to pay for success forward. where did the weekend go? i was thinking the same thing, but happy monday to you. we're so glad to have you with us. i'm christi paul. i hope the day has treated you

well. i want to get you caught up on a story we've been watching. look at these pictures. two of these men now face murder and home invasion charges in the killing of a florida couple. wayne coldiron and gonzales jr. may appear in court as soon as today. police say he attempted to conceal damage and paint an old red van identified as the vehicle used in the billings bro break in. norts were ca >> they are very anxious to share this story with the citizens of escambia county and with the nation. it's going to be a humdinger. this is like a movie script, all right? and the more we delved into this and worked this case, the different avenues that it would

go down. >> detectives say byrd and melanie billings, who you see here, were found shot to death in their home on thursday. we've learned as many as nine kids were in that home when the couple was killed. none of them was hurt. now, while addressing the media earlier, the couple's daughter fought back tears as she talked about all of this. >> our mom and dad spent most of their time together. they shared the daily duties of getting the children ready for school, getting the children off the bus in the afternoons, and always preparing and having dinner together as a family. installing values and traditions in the children was very important to them. those who have met any of the billings children know how well-behaved they are. our parents taught us to love despite differences in people. christmas was always a favorite holiday in our house. our mom never left out anything when it kacame to christmas. my mother and father touched many lives around the country. >> a news conference is

scheduled for this afternoon and hln will bring you all the late-breaking details. also today, strong words both of support and criticism for this woman, supreme court nominee, sonia sotomayor. live pictures here as she's on capitol hill right now for you. this is for the first day of her confirmation hearings. now, in opening remarks some republicans on the senate judiciary committee blasted what they called her personal politics. democrats praised her personal life story and 17 years of experience on the federal bench. we do have a live report from washington for you in just a couple minutes to get you caught up on what's happening there. meanwhile, president obama has made his pick for the next surgeon general. he's tapped dr. regina benjamin. she has to be confirmed by the senate, but benjamin runs a health clinic in rural alabama that she fought hard to rebuild after it was wrecked by hurricane katrina. in accepting this nomination, benjamin noted many of her immediate family have died from preventable diseases and illnesses and she wants to help

others avoid that fate. >> my family's not here with me today, at least not in person, because of preventable diseases. while i can't or i cannot change my family's past, i can be a voice in the movement to improve our nation's health care and our nation's health for the future. >> benjamin is the first african-american woman to head a state medical society and last year received the mcarthur foundation genius grant. you know, we may know more about a counterterrorism program now that the cia never told congress about. democrats are blasting former vice president dick cheney who reportedly ordered the agency to keep the initiative secret from congress. some argue that he actually broke the law in doing so. "the wall street journal" quotes current and former intelligence officials who say the project targeted al qaeda leaders for assassination. the 2001 plan was apparently

never carried out. cia director leon panetta should it down when he learned of it just last month. congressional democrats say the bush administration really put the cia in a difficult position. >> there's a reason why we have three branches of government that are co-equal branches of government, and the fact that he really put the cia in a bad position saying don't tell the congress, even those gang of eight, those select few members of congress that really should know what's going on, it's disturbing. you know, when it comes to national security, wolf, you know that wol tipolitics should at the water's al jazee aewater. >> democrats are pushing for an investigation of the program and why it was kept secret. some republicans accuse the democrats of trying to undermine the intelligence community itself. how do you see this story? do you think the alleged tactics used by the previous administration against possible terrorists are excusable because of what happened or should dick

cheney or anyone else who may have signed off on the tactics be held responsible? call us with your comments won't you? it's 1-877-tell-hln. or e-mail us cnn.com/hln, or text us "views" plus your comments and name to hlntv. standard text rates apply, by the way. but we want to make sure that you get a chance to voice your opinion on this, and we're going to air some of your responses throughout the day, so thank you for being part of it. president obama, too, wants to know whether the bush administration derailed an investigation of an alleged mass killing by a u.s. ally in afghanistan. in an exclusive interview with anderson cooper from our sister network cnn, of course, the president said he's ordered his national security team to look into this. now, a u.n. memo obtained by "newsweek" said up to 1,000 taliban prisoners died back in 2001 after an afghan warlord backed by the cia crammed them into cargo trucks. when the group, physicianings

f for human rights, said they found a mass grave nearby, general tommy franks wanted the incident investigated, but "the new york times" reports the bush administration discouraged any probe. >> i think that, you know, there are responsibilities that all nations have even in war, and if it appears that our conduct in some way supported violations of the laws of war, then i think that we have to know about that. >> you can watch anderson cooper's full exclusive interview with president obama tonight at 10:00 p.m. eastern on cnn. former boxing champion arturo gatti was apparently strangled to death with a purse strap and his wife is now the prime suspect. police arrested 23-year-old amanda rodrigues because they say her story just didn't add up. she denies being involved in her husband's death, but police say she just couldn't explain how she spent nearly ten hours in a posh resort hotel room without noticing that gatti was dead.

you know, i don't know if you're familiar with this or realize it, but this is the day that michael jackson's "this is it" concert tour was supposed to kick off. hundreds of fans are gathering at london's 02 arena. several people said they're celebrating jackson's life. in the meanwhile, a custody hearing over his three children is delayed for another week. a judge postponed today's hearing at the request of jackson's mother, katherine, and his ex-wife, debbie rowe. we've all heard the risks associated with texting and driving. well, apparently there's also a danger if you text while walking, especially near a manhole. why one girl's texting mishap is no lol matter.

michigan, as you know, has really bp hit hard in this economy. what's the state doing to possibly turn things around?

cnnmoney.com's poppy harlow is joining us, and i understand that you have some details about something that's going on there. >> yeah. you know, it's a bright spot in a pretty sad story for the state of michigan, especially the city of detroit. the state of michigan battling more than 14% unemployment and, christi, this is not to mention a host of under employed workers there. this state, no doubt, desperate for jobs, and despite the woes in the auto industry, there's actually some hope coming from an unexpected place. take a look. >> reporter: don't be surprised to see george clooney or robert de niro next time you're in michigan. those hollywood a-listers have joined others like clint eastwood to make major motion pictures in the embattled state as it works to reinvent itself. >> we are focused entirely on diversifying our economy, for example, and a creative economy, whether it's filmmaking. >> you stay away in case i have to come back here again. it's going to be ugly. >> reporter: clint eastwood's

"grand torino" takes place just a few miles from detroit. what's the incentive to film here? a 42% tax break. sounds great, but here is the problem. even though michigan has a skilled labor force, most don't have any experience working on film sets. enter mort meisner and the center for film studies. started in march the school gives michigan workers a chance to hone their skills to meet the needs of movie execs. >> i don't think hollywood woke up this morning and decided, hey, let's go to michigan. they're coming to michigan because the tax incentives are here. >> reporter: a full course isn't cheap. it costs five grand, but 75% of the workers in the program are getting a free ride thanks to funding from michigan's no worker left behind program. at this class construction workers that are used to building homes are learning how to build sets.

>> it seems like the movies are coming here. there's a demand for carpenters. so i want to be actually right at the front of it right now. i want to be right there. >> the real mission, pure and simple, is leave a legacy of jobs. >> the state could use some jobs. that is for sure. christi, michigan is not a movie mecca quite yet, but the state is making progress. 35 films were shot there last year. that brought in $125 million in revenue. that is up, christi, from just $2 million back in 2007. christi? >> hopefully some hope for them. thank you so much, poppy. we appreciate it. and, remember, you can get much more of today's business news at cnnmoney.com. an escaped killer is captured near the chicago mayor's vacation home by one of the mayor's bodyguards somehow. apparently the prisoner is one of three that broke out of the maximum security prison in michigan city, indiana. that's just eight miles from grand beach, michigan, where mayor richard daley has a home.

now, a woman apparently in the neighborhood reported to police that two men were in the driveway but it's still not clear how the security guard got involved in this. a convicted killer and a convicted rapist, however, are still on the loose. well, a staten island, new york, family may sue the city because their teenaged daughter fell into an open sewer while she was texting and walking. the high school girl says the manhole was left uncovered and unattended and wasn't marked with safety cones or signs. 15-year-old suffered deep cuts and bruises after falling into what she called gross and scary water. the family believes city workers failed to secure the area causing a dangerous situation for pedestrians. space shuttle "endeavour" all fueled up and ready to go. big question for nasa this afternoon is, well, will the weather cooperate?

well, there's been an equal measure of wipes and support for supreme court nominee sonia sotomayor today. first day of her confirmation hearing, of course, under way as we speak, and brianna keilar is following all the developments from washington for us. so, brianna get us up to date on what's happened so far. >> reporter: basically, the trend is this, christi. democrats being pretty supportive and no surprise republicans being very critical of sonia sotomayor, particularly they are focusing on a couple of items we thought they would. one being a case that as an

appeals judge sonia sotomayor presided over that involving white firefighters in new haven, connecticut, who said they had been the victims of reverse disnim yation aftdi discriminati discrimination. and then one of the other things that has been brought up, those white latina comments that we heard so much about, when sonia sotomayor said over the years that more often than not she would think a white -- pardon me, more often than not she would think a wise latina woman with her richness of experience would come to a better conclusion than a white male. they are zeroing in on those. now, of course, if confirmed, sotomayor would be the first hispanic justice on the supreme court, and because of this, republicans find themselves politically in a bit of a tricky situation. they're trying to bring more hispanic voters into the tent, but at the same time they're very concerned some of sotomayor's personal experiences and opinions may color the decisions she makes from the bench of the supreme court. case in point, here is what

senator lindsey graham said today. >> my republican colleagues who vote against you i'll assure you could vote for a hispanic nominee. they just feel unnerved by your speeches and by some of the things that you've said and some of your cases. >> when president obama nominated sotomayor, he highlighted her very compelling personal story, that she grew up very poor in new york city in the south bronx in a housing project there, that her mother raised sonia and her brother after their father died, and that they really were able to live the american dream. sonia sotomayor eventually going to princeton and then yale for law school. he said that this experience gave her empathy, and that's something that republicans were so concerned about, but we've heard from some democratic senators today like dianne feinstein that they think this is a positive and that it gives her some pragmatic, real world experience. >> i do not believe that supreme court justices are merely

umpires calling balls and strikes. rather, i believe that they make the decisions of individuals who bring to the court their own experiences and philosophies. >> so today is all about the opening statements, a few more senators are going to give theirs. they've all been talking for about ten minutes, and then finally, christi, we're going to be hearing from the woman herself, sonia sotomayor, who will be given remarks that she's prepared, and then we'll be looking for some heated back and forth exchanges coming tomorrow when the questioning begins. >> the grilling comes as i understand it tomorrow. i wanted to ask you, there's some ambiguity in terms of where she stands on some things, such as abortion. are there any democrats that might be nervous about what she has to say in those grillings tomorrow about some of these more divisive issues? >> no, you know what? i haven't heard that, but what i have heard is some democrats saying we want to hear where you stand on things like property rights, and that's actually

something that's come up a lot from republicans as well as some democrats, but in focusing in on the certain issues, how she feels about abortion, that's more an issue the republicans have raised. in particular they've raised it that sonia sotomayor was part of a group called the puerto rican legal defense and education fund. republicans are very concerned about some of the positions it took like abortion and affirmative action. no doubt, those are going to come up. >> interesting. thank you so much. we appreciate it. and as brianna said, we are waiting to hear from sonia sotomayor in her opening comments. when she starts to make her remarks, we will bring that to you live. nasa is hoping the fifth time will be the charm for the shuttle "endeavour." it is now scheduled to launch tonight at 6:51 eastern. storms kept the shuttle from launching last night. i believe this is a live picture. you can see still very cloudy there right now. saturday the problem was lightning. so weather may be an issue at

the cape later today. we'll keep our eye on this obviously. two launch attempts were scrubbed last month because of a hydrogen gas leak and the crew when it finally takes off will have 16 days to build what's essentially a porch on the international space station that will be used for experiments. a country singer who became an internet sensation after united airlines broke his guitar says he doesn't want compensation, people. dave carol has wrapped up millions of hits on youtube since posting this video. did he it last week. he says the airline repeatedly blew him off when he asked it to pay for the damage to his prized taylor guitar until he wrote and posted this song. ♪ because united while on the ground the passengers said from the seat behind me, my god, they're throwing guitars out there ♪ >> all right. carol says now that united is offering to pay, he actually wants the money to go to charity instead. and get this, a united spokesman now says there's talk about

using the video about part of the airline's employee training program. a secret former vice president dick cheney wanted to keep is revealed.

want to let you know we're getting word a deputy has been shot during a s.w.a.t. standoff in houston that's still ongoing. this is videotape right now, just so you know. so we're not compromising the situation there in any way. we're hearing from affiliate khou a former cop is involved in this standoff. it's near houston raceway park, and a neighbor tells khou it all began when someone went to the man's house to shut off the water because the bill hadn't been paid. we haven't gotten word yet as to how badly that deputy may be wounded that was shot, but several emergency vehicles have certainly converged on the area and we're going to keep our eye on this and let you know how it develops throughout the afternoon. mean while, judge sonia sotomayor's road to the supreme

court hits a bit of a rough patch. here are some live pictures. she's hearing strong criticism from some republicans on the senate judiciary committee. during opening statements in her confirmation hearing though, the committee's chairman, democrat patrick leahy offered strong praise for sotomayor. he called her path to the supreme court, quote, a truly american story. >> my review of her judicial record leads me to conclude she's a competent and restrained judge with a deep respect for judicial precedent. she has a deep understanding of the real lives, the real lives of americans and the duty of law enforcement to help keep americans safe and the responsibility of all of us to respect the freedoms that define america. >> the committee's top republican, senator jeff sessions, blasted what he considers to be sotomayor's personal agenda and lack of objectivity. another republican on the committee, senator lindsey

graham, actually praised her for stepping out from the crowd. >> the president has nominated someone of good character, someone who has lived a very full and fruitful life, who is passionate. from day one from the time you got a chance to showcase who you are, you have stood out and you have stood up, and you've been a strong advocate, and you will speak your mind. and the one thing i'm worried about is that if we keep doing what we're doing, we're going to deter people from speaking their mind. i don't want milquetoast judges. >> again, live pictures here, and there's patrick leahy. i don't know if you noticed but just a couple minutes ago the senator who was asking her questions or who was giving an opening statement is one mr. al franken. there he is. sitting in some new territory certainly as she listens to him. if sotomayor is confirmed, she'd become the country's first

hispanic supreme court justice. we are expected to hear from her in her opening statements in about 15 minutes, and when that happens, we'll bring it to you live, but quite a scene there, isn't it? there is senator al franken as he gives his opening statements in the confirmation process here. a heckler had to be removed from the hearing this morning. he screamed, quote, what about the unborn? as he was escorted out. during the episode, leahy issued a stern warning. >> what about the unborn! >> the police will remove that man. let me make very clear there will be no outbursts allowed in this committee either for or against the nominee, either for or against any position that senator sessions or i or any other senator will have. this is a hearing of the united states senate, and we will have order and we will have decorum.

there are people who want to have this hearing. in fairness to judge sotomayor, there will be -- it will be done orderly, and i will direct the police to remove anybody who does any kind of an outburst either for or against the nominee, either for or against any member of this committee. >> here is the thing, i don't know how many people are listening to him because a second anti-abortion heckler was removed a bit later. we've just gotten word a third heckler was just walked out during al franken's opening statements. cnn.com is streaming this hearing, by the way. you can go to cnn.com/sotomayor for more analysts and background. getting to some other news. two men now face murder and home invasion charges in the kirling of a florida couple. wayne coldiron and leonard

gonzales jr. may appear in court as early as today. gonzales' father, leonard sr., is also in jail on an evidence tampering charge. police say he attempted to conceal damage and paint an old red van identified as the vehicle used in the billings break-in. at first authorities were calling it a home invasion, of course, but now they say it appears to be much more complex. >> we are very anxious to share this story with the citizens of escambia county and with the nation, if you will. it's going to be a humdinger. >> this is like a movie script, all right? and the more we delved into this and worked this case, the different avenues that it would go down. >> detectives say byrd and melanie billings were found shot to death in their home an thursday. we've learned as many as nine kids were in that home when the couple was killed. none of the kids were hurt.

while addressing the media earlier, the couple's daughter fought back tears as she talked about this whole thing. >> our mom and dad spent most of their time together. they shared the daily duties of getting the children ready for school, getting the children off the bus in the afternoons, and always preparing and having dinner together as a family. installing values and traditions in the children was very important to them. those who have met any of the billings children know how well-behaved and well-mannered they are. our parents taught us to love despite differences in people. christmas was always a favorite holiday in the billings' house. our mom never left out anything when it came to christmas. my mother and father touched many, many lives around the country. >> a news conference is scheduled for an hour and a half for now and hln will bring you the late-breaking details. i don't know if you realize it but this is the day that michael jackson's sold out "this is it" concert tour was supposed to kick off. the 50-show series at london's

02 arena was billed as the pop star's final come back. bill black is live in london. he is not alone. fans from all over the world are gathering in the king of pop's honor even though this concert is not going off as planned. phil, how many people do you think have gathered there thus far? >> reporter: this crowd is growing, christi. easily thousands by now, i want to say -- check this out. that's 4-year-old devon, and as you can tell, he's a pretty passionate michael jackson fan. check out those moves. he is just one of, as i say, easily 1,000 people that have gathered here today to watch what was supposed to be the first of michael jackson's concerts here at the o2 arena in london. more than 1 million tickets were sold. that made for some pretty disappointed fans, but a lot of people decided to make a bid at this anyway. there are hundreds. pan right briefly just to show you here. just the size of this crowd. there is lots of singing, lots

of dancing, lots of people wearing gloves and hats, too, and a bit of emotion. some sadness here as well. i want to introduce you to someone. standing here with me is jessica, who has come here all the way from new york. you flew in from new york. >> i was supposed to go to the concert tonight, but even after he passed, it was no doubt in my mind i was still coming tonight. i wanted to be with the fans, and that's what i am. i met so many people from all over the world, all over europe, friends. i met people from italy, even the congo. >> what do you make of the feeling? >> it's all love. it shows you music transcends all barriers, all race, all everything. i'm so happy to be here. i feel loved. i feel welcome and i'm glad i still took the trip anyway. >> reporter: jessica, thank you. >> thank you. >> reporter: christi, most of the fans here are without a doubt british, and they say, many of them, that they want to

prove tonight that british michael jackson fans are among the most passionate in the world. christi? >> phil, i know this was a 50-show series. i'm wondering if there had been any scheduled concerts to replace this concert or if they're planning some sort of a tribute because obviously we were close enough to this concert that the stage was probably somewhat set, was it not? >> reporter: yes, absolutely. there's a lot of talk about this at the moment. 50 concerts, many millions of dollars. they sold $30 million had already been spent preparing the show. it was supposed to be pretty spectacular. so the organizers say they're trying to plan a tribute show here at this venue using many of the things that had been put into place and many of the effects, the staging, and so forth with some of the biggest stars in the world. probably, hopefully some time in late august to coincide with what would have been michael jackson's 51st birthday. that's the plan. it's not confirmed, but that's what they're hoping to do if only to recoup some of those

many millions of dollars they've already spent but also they say to pay tribute to the man himself. >> it would be a nice way to do it for all those fans who held tickets. phil, thank you so much for letting us see what's going on there. we appreciate it as always. he mentioned august. i think it's august 29th, michael jackson would have turned 51 years old. well, the space shuttle "endeavour" all fueled up, ready to go. but look at that live picture. the big question is whether the weather will cooperate for an evening liftoff.

well, where can you find the best places to live in the u.s.? places where the economy is strong, where homes are affordable, or where you can

find a rich soulmate? cnn.com's reggie aqui is joining us with the answers to those questions. that's really on somebody's list is you have to be wealthy or she? >> well, it's a list of where you can find single wealthy people. >> okay. >> if that didn't get your attenti attention, i don't know what will. yes, cnnmoney.com has put together these lists. they're always fun to look at. half the time you don't db you have never heard of these towns. i'm sure you're all wondering what's the number one city in the country according to cnnmoney.com? drum roll, please. it is not pronounced louisville. that's what they call it in kentucky. it's called louisville in colorado, spelled the same way. the reason the editors in money.com decided to put that at number one is they say population is a good size, under 20,000, unemployment is at 6% and that's key because there are industries like health care that support the town that are fairly recession-proof. they also say a nice friday night street fair they have every week during the summer and

voila, you have the number one place to live according to cnnmoney.com. should also mention on the list, chanhasen, minnesota. i have been there. recommend the dinner theater and the chan chicken. >> really? but did you find a date? >> i did not. luckily, i already had one. >> good. >> and the best place to live for the aforementioned single wealthy people, you have to go out to california to hermosa beach. now, i will warn you, the average price of a home there is a million bucks, so you better have a lot of money or you better have something going on when you're walking down the street to attract someone who does have some money because it's going to take some to live there. just a warning. >> all right. and i understand most of them though are still single. >> oh, yeah. that's the problem. it's a good place to date people we're told, but not a good place to be in a long-term ripe. i wonder why. >> could figure. all right. let's move on here because i know that the animal lovers who

are our viewers are going to have a lot to say about this one. >> okay. and this is a story that continues to develop. it's not exactly what we thought it was when this story first came out on friday. now, that's when zoo new england, which is in massachusetts, came out and said, well, the governor just dropped some of our funding, so what we're going to have to do is kill our animals. euthanize them. and that caused a big stir. it got a lot of media attention. today the governor comes out and says, you know what? that's not going to happen. we are not going to euthanize any of these animals, but the zoo is still going to have to figure out how to pay for the difference that i just cut out of the budget because obviously, like every other state in the country, massachusetts is one that's having to cut corners these days. the complication in all this is that the governor says the zoo just used this as a media ploy to try to get their way. it appears to be working though because the "boston globe"

reports lawmakers are set to restore funding to the zoo sometime this afternoon, and so the story goes on. it's become a political battle, as you can see. >> well, if that was, indeed, the zoo's attempt, then maybe it worked. we'll have to wait and see this afternoon. >> yeah. who knows what will happen and what the governor will do, but i guess the bottom line is the animals are not going to be euthani euthanized. the governor promises that will not be an option. >> make sure people know that certainly. reggie, thank you so much. >> you're welcome. we've all heard the risks associated with texting and driving. apparently, there's also danger if you text while walking, particularly near a manhole. why one girl's texting mishap is no lol matter.

all right. live pictures coming to you as nasa hopes the fifth time will be the charm for the shuttle "endeavour." scheduled to launch tonight now at 6:51 eastern, but storms have really kept the shuttle from launching. it did so last night. saturday the problem was lightning, so apparently weather may also be an issue at the cape later today. we're keeping our eye on that for you, obviously. doesn't look too bad right now,

but two launch attempts were scrubbed last month because of a hydrogen gas leak. as we may know more about a counterterrorism program, the cia never told congress about. we're getting your views on this one. democrats are blasting former vice president dick cheney, who reportedly ordered the agency to keep the initiative secret from congress. now, some argue in doing so he broke the law. "the wall street journal" quotes current and former intelligence officials who say the project targeted al qaeda leaders for assassination. the 2001 plan was apparently never carried out. leon panetta shut it down when he learned of it last month. democrats are pressing for an investigation into the program and why it was kept secret from congress. some republicans accuse the democrats of trying to undermine the intelligence community here. president obama wants to know if the bush administration derailed an investigation of an alleged mass killing by a u.s. ally in afghanistan. in an exclusive interview with

anderson cooper for our sister network, cnn, the president said he's ordered his national exclu ordered the national security team to look into this. a u.s. memo said up to 1,000 taliban prisoners died back in 2001 after an afghan war lord crammed them into cargo trucks. they found a mass grave nearby and the head of the u.s. invasion of afghanistan, general tommy frankses, wanted the innocent investigated. but the busch administration discouraged any probe. >> i think that all nations have, even in war. and it appears that our conduct in some way supported violates of war, then i think that we have to know about that. >> you can watch anderson cooper's full exclusive interview with president obama

on our sister network, cnn. former boxing champion was apparently strangled to death with a purse strap. his wife is now the prime sft. police arrested 23-year-old amanda rodriguez because her story just didn't add up. she couldn't explain how she pent nearly 10 hours in a posh hotel room without noticing gatti was dead. he retired two years ago with a career record of 40-9 with 31 knockouts. a staton island family may sue the city because she fell into a sewer. . it was left uncovered, not marked with signs. she suffered deep cuts and bruises in the what she described as gross and scary sewer. a singer says united airlines waited too long to pay him for damage to a treasured guitar.

the video that made united change its mind about the claim and what the singer now wants the airline to do with the money.

live senate hearing. here is supreme court nominee, justice sotomayor. >> in each case i have heard i have applied the law to the facts at hand. the process of judging is in hands when the arguments and concerns of the party to the litigation are understood and acknowledged. that is why i generally structure my opinions by setting out what the law requires, and then explaining why a contrary position, sympathetic or not, is accepted or rejected. that is how i seek to strengthen both the rule of law and faith in the impartiality of the united states judicial system. my personal and professional

experiences help me to listen and to understand with the law always commanding the result in every case. since president obama announced my nomination in may i have received letters from people all over this country. many tell a unique story of hope inspite of struggles. each letter has deeply touched me. each reflects a dream, a belief in the dream that led my parents to come to new york all those years ago. it is our constitution that makes that dream possible. and i now seek the honor of upholding the constitution as a justice on the supreme court. senators, i look forward in the next few days to answering your questions, to having the american people learn more about me, and to being part of a

process that reflects the greatness of our constitution and of our nation. thank you all. >> judge sonia sotomayor of the appellate court. she is, of course, the nominee by president obama to serve on the united states supreme court to replace david souter. she says many asked about my judicial philosophy, it's simple, fidelity to the law. the task of a judge is not to make the law, it's to apply the law. it's clear my record in two courts reflects my rigorous commitment to interpreting the constitution according to its terms. now the questions begin from 19 members of the senate judiciary committee headed by patrick leahy. opening statements from justice sotomayor. looks like they're going to take a quick break before the questioning begins. it's streaming live on our website. if you would like to watch it in progress go to cnn.com/live. a mom and dad brutally

murdered inside their florida home. three men are behind bars in connection with the case. why would someone kill a couple known for adopting kids with special needs? we could learn a lot more -- in fact we expect to learn a lot more in about an hour as the news conference begins from pensacola. david is joining us live from there. investigators are looking into multiple motives and apparently more arrests are likely. >> reporter: that's right, chuck. the sheriff here knows how to peak everyone's interest. after announcing three arrests over the weekend he called this case "a humdinger in both complexity and scope." two men, leonard gonzalez jr. and wayne are the first to be arrested and accused in the double murders of the billings couple. authorities say expect more. >> we're looking for more. >> david morgan will not discuss

a possible motive. why anyone would want to kill the billings. >> they had a calling to adopt and love children that did not -- others did not see as normal. to our mom and dad, their children were perfect. angels that god provided them with to love eternally. they had the ability to provide their children with lives full of fun, patience and love. >> the billings were shot to death in what authorities still call a home invasion. but now it appears to be much more. >> we are very anxious to share this story with the citizens of escambia county and if with the nation. >> leonard patrick gonzalez sr. was also arrested but he is not accused of being a killer. he's accused of tampering with evidence, allegedly attempting to conceal damage and paint this old red van, identified as the vehicle used in the billings breakin. more suspects and arrests are promised in a case that has become filled with unexpected

twists. >> this is like a movie script. all right. and the more we delved into this and worked this case, the different avenues that it would go down. >> reporter: no matter where this case turns it remains a senseless tragedy. a large family brought together by love and kindness now thrown into pain and turmoil. we've seeshlly seen the trailer for the movie script. we're expecting to here quite a few more details in what's promised to be a lengthy press conference. >> as far as you know not a be on the lookout for anybody else. there may be more arrests, but we don't know if anybody is still at large. >> reporter: nothing has been put out to the public on that regard. two are in custody arrested and charged with murder. one in custody charged with

tampering with evidence. the sheriff has charged there will be more arrests and more persons of interests that they'll be talking to as the investigation goes on. we may know more about a counterterrorism program the cia never disclosed to promise. democrats are blasting former vice president dick cheney who ordered them to keep the initiative from congress. some argue that in so doing he broke the law. currernt and former intelligence officials who say the project targeted al qaeda leaders for assassination. the 2001 plan was never carried out. cia director shut it down when he learned of it last month. the bush administration put the cia in a difficult position, they say. they're pressing for an investigation of the program and why it was kept secret from congress. some republicans accuse the democrats of trying to undermine the intelligence community. tell us your views on that. do you think the alleged tactics used by the previous administration against possible

terrorists are excusable? should dick cheney or anybody else who might have signed off being held on account? call us and tell us what you think. e-mail address is cnn.com/hln. or text view ps plus your comment and name to hlntv. we'll hear from your shortly and throughout the day. we're gettinging word that a strong earth wake hit off the coast of taiwan. it has had a magnitude of 6.4. that's the initial estimate. it could change, in fact, mark bli change from that point. no word on whether a tsunami warning has been issued. this is just coming in. president obama has made his pick for the next surgeon general. he's tapped dr. regina benjamin. she runs a health clinic in rural alabama that she fought hard to rebuild after it was wrecked by hurricane katrina. sh noted many of her immediate family have died of preventible

illnesses and she wants to help others avoid that fate. >> my family is not here with me. at least not in person because of preventible diseases. while i can't or i cannot change my family's past i can be a voice in the movement to improve our nation's health care and nation's health for the future. >> dr. benjamin is the first african-american woman to head a state medical society and last year received the mcarthur grant. dole initially thought he had heart problems until doctors found open sores on his legs. the graft was performed early this morning. dole has been in the hospital at the walter reid medical center for a couple of weeks. the republican hopes to be released by july 22nd, which his

86th birthday. jill biden is set to undergo minor surgery for shoulder pain today. it will be performed in philadelphia. mrs. biden will be accompanied by her husband, and then the couple will spend the rest of this day and tomorrow at their home in delaware. former vice presidential nominee sarah palin may support some democrats. she told the washington times after she steps down as alaska governor in less than two weeks she'll write a book and campaign for candidates across the nation. she said that may include some democrats who share her vision. he may have been a champ inside the boxing ring, but it seems he lost his final fight inside a hotel room against a purse strap. who is the prime suspect?

jury selection under way for an evangelist accused of taking girl across state lines for sex. tony alamo has pleaded not

guilty. he describes the age of consent as when a girl reaches puberty. he could face a harsher sentence since he went to prison in 1994 for tax evasion. the amazing video captured a large crane as it crashed to the ground in india. one of the three cranes that fell over while cleaning up debris from a bridge collapse that killed six people. the cranes were trying to lift a 300-ton gerter. former boxing champion gatti was strangled to death with a purse strap. his wife was prime suspect. she denies being involved in her husband's death but she couldn't explain how she spent nearly ten hour in a posh resort hotel room without noticing gatti was dead. his bouts with mickey ward made him a major boxing star.

he retired the two years ago at the a . the 39-year-old and his wife were fighting the night before he was found dead. this is the day michael jackson's concert tour was supposed to kick hauf in london. hundreds of fans were gathered. adding messages to a wall of tributes and conducting jackson sing-a-longs. several are celebrating jackson's life even though they' grieving his loss. a judge postponed today's hearing at the request of jackson's mother katherine and his ex-wife debbie rowe. nasa hopes the fifth time will be the charm for the shuttle "endeavour." it's set for liftoff at 6:51 eastern. just about three and a half hours. storms kept the shuttle from launches last night. saturday the problem was lightning. weather may be the issue as well. two launch attempts were scrubbed last month. they will have 16 days to build

what's essentially a porch on the international space station to be used for experiments. a private skim club accused of discriminating against black kids may be inviting them back.

a pennsylvania swim club accused of discriminating against african-american children has invited them back. the valley club north of philadelphia voted to try to work things out with the day

camp. kids said they heard white club members making racist comments during a visit last month. >> it's kind of like sad that people are still thinking like this. i thought this was over. >> the club denies it discriminated. the director said the kids were turned away because of overcrowding and safety concerns. pennsylvania officials are investigating discrimination allegations and senator arlen specter wants the u.s. justice department to look into it as we feel. a man deported from the united states to germany is now charged with 27,900 counts of being an accessory to murder. prosecutors filed the charges against retired ohio auto worker today. she's accused of being a guard at a nazi concentration camp in poland during world war ii. he denies the charges saying he was a prisoner of war at the timg. the governor of massachusetts has commuted the death sentences of hundreds of exotic animals. why did it come to this?

he says no zoo residents will be euthanized during his watch. they warned it might have to take the drastic measure because the government vetoed millions in spending. people have been outraged. the zoo keepers say they're going to do their best to find homes or turn them over to the state. governor patrick say fs every effort will be made to care for and protect the animals. authorities have received about 7,000 inquiries from people, families of people buried at that chicago area cemetery where remains were dug up. four workers are accused of reselling burial plots there. jesse jackson held a memorial there. >> we can want even say they're at peace now. they've dug up their remains and done who knows what. how heartless can people be. >> jackson wants the investigation of all the

cemeteries run by owners this one. the police say the company has been cooperative and initially alerted them to the problems. president obama hosted a professional soccer team at the white house in the rose garden. they won the 2008 major league soccer championship. the team gave the president a jersey and a soccer ball. he proves he knows how to handle the soccer ball on his way back to the oval office. training is only part of an athlete's challenge when shooting for the olympics. finding the money to go to the game is crucial, too. new zealand's logan campbell opened a brothel. he says it doesn't violate the prostitution laws. he says the venture, though, makes it less likely he'll be selected for the 2012 games in london. tall people make more money than short people. studies in the u.s. and

australia indicate on average tall people make $800 more per inch per year. a researcher says being tall may increase a worker's self-confidence and give a boost in leadership abilities. >> nine months into the fiscal year the federal deficit topped 1 trilli$1 trillion for the fir in the nation's industry. it's intensifying fears about the nation and putting pressure on the value of the dollar. it began in october. that is last year. looking for jobs? not only harder to find one in this economy, but now you have to watch out for scam artists, too. personal finance editor gerri willis is on hand with tips on how to avoid a scam. gerri, hi. >> hi, chuck. the better business bureau is warning job hunters to be on the lookout for schemes to prey on

people who are unemployed. they may ask for a credit report, fake job application forms or fees for a background check. they prey on vulnerable people with creditors maybe knocking at their door. they're trying to get you involved in a money laundering scheme to cash counterfeit checks. and watch out for work at home scams where you pay money up front for services you never receive. chuck? >> any way to protect yourself? >> absolutely. here's red flags to watch out for. first off, spelling errors. much online fraud done by scammers is outside the u.s. the first language isn't usually english. beware if you are asked for a social security number. watch out for get rich quick claims. >> should they stay way from them in general online? >> be careful of what kind of

information you release. m monster.com has a way to keep some of your resumé private. some thieves may try to access your student i.d. number which could be the same as your social security number. don't put down an address on the resumé if an employer won't be sending you anything. if you have suspicions report them to the better business bureau. if you have a question e-mail me at gerri@cnn.com. >> so right about misspellings. that's a dead giveaway. a secret former vice president cheney wanted to keep is revealed. how he wanted the cia to deal with al qaeda leaders. ññño

just a few minutes ago the supreme court nominee sonia sotomayor distilled her judicial philosophy into a simple phrase "fidelity to the law." >> in the past month many senators have asked me about my judicial philosophy. simple. fidelity to the law. the task of a judge is not to make law. it is to apply the law. and it is clear, i believe, that my record in two courts reflects my rigorous commitment to interpreting the constitution according to its terms, interpreting statutes according to their terms and congress'

intent, and faithfully listening to the precedents set by my court. in each case i have heard i have applied to law to the facts at hand. >> her statement is a rebuttal to criticism that she had to face today. and field today from a number of republicans. her strongest critic is the committee's top republican. he blasted what he considered to be sonia sotomayor's personal agenda and lack of objectivity. >> it seems to me that judge sotomayor's empathy for one group of firefighters turned out to be prejudice against another. that's the logical flaw in the empathy standards. empathy for one party is always prejudice against another. judge sotomayor, we were inquiring into how your

philosophy, which allows subjectivity in the courtroom reflects on your decision making. >> orrin hatch of utah says he's hoping for a vigorous debate. and patrick leahy offered strong praise for the nominee, calling her path a truly american story. >> i've entrusted all members of the committee will reject the efforts of outside pressure groups sought to create a caricature of judge sotomayor, belittling her intelligence, her achievements. her success or understanding of the committees she's run for years. >> they will pick up where nay left off tomorrow morning. today's action including fireworks. hecklers were in the chamber. one screamed what about the unborn? and was quickly escorted out.

senator leahy issued a stern warning during the episode. >> senator -- please remove that man! let me make very clear. there will be no outbursts allowed in this committee. either for or against the nominee. either for or against any position that senator sessions or i or any other senator will have. this is a hearing of the united states senate. and we will have order, and we will have decorum. there are people who want to have this hearing in fairness of judge sotomayor. it will be done orderly. i will direct the police to remove anybody who does any kind of an outburst either for or against the nominee. either for or against any member of this committee.

>> more heckler were escorted out later in the proceedings. president obama has made his pick for the next surgeon general. he's tapped dr. regina benjamin. she runs a health clinic in rural alabama that she fought hard to rebuild after it was wrecked by hurricane katrina. she said she's just as willing to fight for health care reform on the national level. >> these are trying times in the health care field. and as a nation we have reached a sobering realization. our health care system simply cannot continue on the path that we're on. millions of americans can't afford health insurance. or they don't have the basic health services available where they live. >> she's the first african-american woman to head a state medical society and last year received a mcarthur foundation genius grant. two men face murder charges in the killing of a florida couple known for adopting special needs kids.

leonard gonzalez jr. and wayne coldiron may be in court this afternoon. gonzalez senior tried to repaint the old red van accused of being the vehicle involved in the break-in. at first they called it a home invasion. now they say apparently it's a lot more complex. >> we are very anxious to share this story with the citizens of esc escambia county and if the nation if you will. this is like a movie script, all right? and the more we delved into this and worked this case, the different avenues that it would go down. >> they say they were found shot dead in their home on thursday just outside pensacola as nine kids were in the home when the couple was killed. none of them was hurt. while addressing the media earlier the couple's daughter fought back tears as she talked about her loss. >> our mom and dad spent most of

their time together. they shared the daily duties of getting the children ready for school, getting the children off the bus in the afternoons and always preparing and having dinner together as a family. installing values and traditions in the children was very important to them. those who have met any of the billings children now how well behaved they are. christmas was always a favorite holiday. our mom never left out anything when it came to christmas. my mother and father touched many, many lives around the country. >> a news conference is set to begin in about a half hour from pensacola. we'll bring that to you live as well as all the the late breaking details. in about 23 minutes for right now. what's going to happen to the couple's disabled adopted kids and the other children? hln's nancy grace investigates the motive behind the crime.

don't miss that tonight here on hln. we may know about a counter-terrorism program. some argue he broke the law. the "wall street journal" quotes current and formal intelligence officials saying they targeted al qaeda leaders for assassination. it was apparently never carried out. it was sht down last month. congressional democrats say the bush administration put the cia in a difficult position. >> the fact he put the cia in a bad position. even those select few members of congress that should go what's going on. it's disturbing. when it comes to national security. we know that politics should always stop at the water's edge. and i really think that the vice

president put the cia in a bad position here. this cia personnel are just trying to do their jobs to keep our families safe. >> democrats are pressing for an investigation into the program and why it was kept a secret from congress ft some republicans accuse democrats of trying to undermine the intelligence community. eric holeer may call for an investigation of the bush administration's terror investigations. a decision to appoint a prosecutor could come in the next few weeks. that would go against what the president said about an investigation. he said the nation should look forward not backwards. "endeavour" is fueled up and ready to go. the question for nasa is the one that's been nettling launch teams for the last few days. will the weather cooperate for an evening liftoff?

former senator bob dole is recovering nicely, they say, after a skin graft for a leg infection. he initially thought he had heart problems when he came to the hospital. doctors found open sores on his leg. the graft was performed early this morning. he's been in the hospital at walter reid army medical center for a couple of weeks. the republican, former presidential nominee hopes to be released by july 22nd, his 86th birthday. the vice president's wife is undergoing minor surgery today. performed at thomas jefferson hospital in philadelphia. mrs. biden to be accompanied by her husband. nasa hopes the fifth time is the charm for the shuttle "endeavour." we have live pictures for the cape. let's check out the weather. the astronauts are about to board it. launch time is set for 6:51

eastern. the skies look good. storms kept the shuttle from launching last night. saturday the problem was lightning. weather may be an issue at the cape later today. so far so good. two launch attempts were scrubbed last month because of a hydrogen gas leak. they will have to design a porch on the international space station to be used for experiments. one small step for mankind is now one giant leap for the internet. thursday marks the 40th anniversary of the apollo 11 moon launch. we choose the moon dot-org goes live on the interpret. visitors will be able to launch the apollo in realtime and you can also see the moon landing all in realtime. the website is part of a john f. kennedy's library push to

commemorate the moon mission and his desire to land americans there first. here's the new scam alert about winning a phony lottery. you're not going to believe how much money the con artists have stolen from americans. clark howard explains how you can protect yourself. here's clark. >> you want to keep money in your pocket, don't you? i want to tell you about a fast growing scam that's costing a lot of americans big dough. from honolulu to maine people are getting ripped off in a phony made up jamaican lottery. there is no such thing that americans are winning money in. in fact, we don't know the perpetrators have anything to do with jamaica. they're just marketing it as a jamaican lottery and contacting fellow americans, telling them they've won. quite often they're targeting the elderly. here's what i need you to do. if you have aging relatives, if you have friend who are older, you yourself, beware and be wary

of this. this is completely phony. there's no money for you to win. in any lottery from any supposed country, if you're told you have to pay money to get your winnings, you know you're about to get ripped off. i'm clark howard. >> he's looking out for everybody. don't miss clark howard weekends on, saturdays and sundays here on noon and 4:00 p.m. we've all heard the risks associated with texting and driving. also a danger texting while walking near a manhole. why one girl's texting mishap is no lol matter.

former boxing champion gatti was strangled to death with a purse strap. his wife is the prime suspect. they say her story just didn't add up. she denies any involvement in her husband's death but place say they couldn't reconcile he she had spent ten hours in a posh resort hotel room without noticing gatti was dead. his bouts with mickey ward made him a major boxing star.

he retired two years ago with a career record 40-9 with 31 knockouts. the 37-year-old and his wife were fighting the night before he was found dead. a family may sue the city of new york because their teenage daughter fell into an opener sewer while texting and walking. she says it wasn't marked with safety cones or signs. she describes it as a gross and scary sewer. they believe city workers failed to secure the area, causing a dangerous situation for pedestrians. the mother of the girl has since come out saying her mother was not texting at the time. authorities have received 7,000 inquiries from families of people buried at the the chicago area cemetery where remains were dug up. four workers are accused of reselling burial plots. reverend jesse jackson led a

vigil at is cemetery. although place say the company is cooperating and initially alerted them to the problems. with unemployment at more than 14%, not to mention a host of other underemployed workers, michigan is desperate for jobs amid the auto industry's woes. now hope from an unexpected place. poppy harlow has more. don't be surprised to see george clooney oar robert deniro next time you're in michigan. the hollywood a-listers have joined others like clint eastwood to make major motion pictures in the em battled state as it works to reinvent itself. >> we're working on our creative economy. whether it is film making. >> if i have to come back here again it's going to be ugly. >> clint eastwood's film takes

place a few miles for detroit. what's the incentive to film here? a 42% tax break for studios that hire local workers, rather than bring in their own crews. sounds great. here's the problem. even though michigan has a skilled labor force, most don't have any experience working on film sets. >> okay. >> enter medical report meisner and the center for film study. the school gives michigan workers a chance to hone their skills to meet the needs of movie execs. >> i don't think hollywood woke up this morning and decided, hey, let's go to michigan. they're coming to michigan because the tax incentives are here. >> these are normally painted black. >> a full course costs $5,000. 75% of the workers in the program are getting a free ride from michigan's no worker left behind program. at this class construction workers used to building homes are learning how to build sets.

>> seems like the movies are coming here. there's a demand for carpenters. we're at the front of it now. i want to be right there. >> the real mission pure and simple is leave a legacy of jobs. >> that was poppy harlow with cnn money.com. get a lot of the business news up to the minute on that site. cnn money.com. the federal deficit has topped a trillion dollars for the first time ever. that's intensifying fears about higher interest rates and inflation. also putting pressure on the value of the dollar. the federal budget began this past october about nine months. stocks rallied today. looking right now at the big board here it is. just before the closing bell the dow is up. somebody? anybody? buehler? we lost it? it was up 150 points. i'm so sorry. how about that for anti-climactic? dow up about 150 points. for those still planning a

summer vacation it's getting cheaper to get around. you may have noticed prices at the gas station falling quickly in the last week. prices are off eight cents a since monday. triple-a's average price across the country is $2.53. a week ago it was eight cents higher. the world economy is slow and slowing and just not gulping down as much oil so there's a lot of supply. let those four-letter words fly. cursing might actually ease your pain. researchers at a british university found people who curse when in pain handle it for 40 seconds longer than those who don't swear and they actually feel less pain. researchers believe cursing may increase adrenalin dulling your perception of pain. apparently any curse word works. we've heard wine is good for the heart. it might be good for the brain too. new research finds people 75 and older with one or two drinks a day reduce the risk of dementia by 40%. people who had more than a

couple drinks a day increased the risk. a singer says united airlines waited too long to pay for a treasured guitar. the video that made them change their mind. naing onon ud r.

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right now authorities in escambia county, florida, are giving an update on the killing of that couple who adopted several special needs children. let's listen right now. >> we're going to first start with -- to refresh your memory -- by the way, we have these cds for all members of the press, for you to use. if you recall on this first entry to the home, this by the way is on the east side of the bui building and there are two doors for entry. you'll recall the van drives up this way and pulls down into the grassy area. three individuals entered the home. we have verified that three individuals, dressed in black and masked entered the billings

home from the east side. an additional fourth individual remained in the vehicle. and again, we released this tape previously to the press. we will now show you a second tape of one of the camera systems at the billings home that will give you the entry from the north side of the billings home. okay. on this particular tape, if i step away from the microphones

you can't hear me, is that correct? >> what you're looking at now is the escambia county sheriff david morgan getting us up to speed on the investigation into the murder of byrd and melanie billings a couple that adopted several special needs children. they were found murd nerd their home on thursday. right now at least three men are in custody, two charged with murder. they do have some tapes that show this red van driving up to the family home. they've shown us one tape. they're trying to get to the second tape that they have. that's what they're about to show us right now. >> the north side of the billings home. is it playing? we apologize for that. are any of you live? >> yes. >> all right.

what you're going to see is a metallic vehicle pull up at the end of the driveway identified as an expedition. two individuals exit this vehicle again dressed in ninja black garb, come through the wooded area, and enter the billings home from the north side. we have found through several interviews that this door is a utility door which had been left open and unlocked. this is on the north side of the home. okay. this tape will not play? >> at this point there was a total of four people gaining entry into the home simultaneously? >> again, we will -- i apologize. we'll show you this dvd when it gets ready. the total number of people that we are looking for that are

involved in the deaths of the billings family is six to eight. six to eight people. today we are interviewing individuals, again, persons of interest, in ocaloosa county, three black males have been identified as being associated with this case. we still have one white individual yet to be identified. we believe that it is a male. the individuals are from okaloosa county. >> do you have a motive? >> we have a motive -- a motive

of robbery. [ question inaudible ] >> accidently or by someone who lives in the home? not intentionally. i think it was because of this neighborhood and this community that they felt comfortable leaving the door unlocked. it's not uncommon in escambia county. >> was there an alarm system? >> yes. >> we know if there was a lot of money kept at the billings home? >> that has not been verified. >> can you tell us what was taken? >> the robbery was the only motive? >> that is a motive. a motive. we believe that there are other motives we have yet to confirm. we are working on numerous motives as i stated previously. >> can you tell us what was taken? >> we cannot, sir. at this time we cannot release that information. >> sheriff, of the eight people you believe that are involved do you know the mastermind? you said last night you might

have thought -- >> we do. i will not identify that individual specifically but he is currently in custody. >> sheriff, you mentioned you were interviewing some of these individuals or all of the total eight people in custody at this time? or can you give us any information for people in the surrounding area of things to look out for? >> they are not -- and we cannot give that sort of warning because, again, we have not identified them by name. we are trying to go through some different surveillance videos of local merchants in escambia county. again, during this investigation we have identified the mastermind of this operation, the individuals that are associated with him during the days leading up to the crime, and so in canvasing our community and the surrounding communities, the other counties next to us, because we knew that they had purchased some of the clothing used in the commission of this crime, then our

investigators began canvasing the area -- walmart, k mart, target, those sorts of stores. we're now going through their security video tapes so information has been developed we have identified the three black males having association with some individuals that we have specifically tied to this crime. >> what about the vehicles? >> it is an escalade with metallic flake paint. we have a conflicting description on the escalade. we have a report that it's a metal flake blue and a metal flake gold. we have yet to verify which of those is accurate. >> do you know who is the mastermind. >> we will not identify that individual at this time. >> are all of these suspects local people? >> some are not. some are not local meaning not from here. >> did these people enter the home with the intent to kill the

couple prior to going in there? >> we have not verified that question. >> okay. >> nor would i release that information if i had it. >> did you say an expedition or an escalade? >> escalade, i'm sorry. did i say expedition? >> yes. >> i'm corrected. blue metal flake or gold metal flake. >> you mentioned mastermind. >> that individual is in custody. >> one of the three folks already in custody -- >> that individual is in custody. >> you have identified the three black males and know who they are? >> we have photos we're currently working off of and are developing their names and locations at this time. i will tell you that we are very hopeful that at least one more arrest and possibly two will occur today. >> what about additional charges against the three you already have? >> the investigation is ongoing.

as more information develops that determination will be made by the state attorney's office. >> on the escalade do you have a model number, not a model but a year number on that? >> we do not. that of course is information we would release immediately if we had that. >> when we look at the surveillance video how many people will we see entering the home? did this all occur simultaneously? >> yes, within minutes of each other. does it play now? >> yes. >> okay. i think you'll find this, ladies and gentlemen, particularly chilling, and here's why. we have a team that enters the front of the home, the billings household, and we have a team that enters the back of the home. excuse me while i move away from the microphone for just a moment. what you will see upon close examination, see the one individual that enters, you'll see another one come out of the wooded area here. on close examination of the tape you will see just the very front end of that vehicle pull up and that's the second individual.

this camera system has a three-second time delay. for those of you in this business you know three seconds is a very long time. so that's why they appear to jump. but two individuals dressed in ninja garb entered the north side of the billings home in addition to the three that entered the front. >> so, sheriff, even with the three-second delay, looking at the video you've already released, it was very quick. >> yes. >> do you really think it was planned and methodical? >> because of the time lapse on this and the time counter and the time, it had to be. it was less than ten minutes from the time that this vehicle entered the property until the vehicle was leaving. the total time that elapsed in the house with all of the individuals that entered the billings home was just a little over four minutes. >> so does that lead you to believe that these people knew the billings, had knowledge of the property and the way things were? it seems awful quick if it was just they went in and went out and had never been there before. >> it leads me to believe that this was a very well planned and

methodical operation and as i've stated previously the rapidity of this crime indicates that, that there was planning that went into this operation. >> sheriff, do you believe at this point there was any relationship at all between the victims and between any of the people that have identified? >> we are continuing to develop that information. i do not have anything specific to release at this time related to that question. >> were you able to get any information from coldiron or gonzales jr.? have they been able to tell you anything further? >> we are developing information from individuals currently in custody and those that are persons of interest and from outside witnesses. so we're getting information to answer your question yes from individuals we currently have in custody. >> all right. you've been listening to david morgan, the sheriff of escambia county in florida giving us a lot of detail on where they are in this investigation and the brutal murder of byrd and

melanie billings. those are their children, the more than a dozen special needs children that they adopted. they've gotten a lot of information, in part because this couple had surveillance cameras around their home. this is what they're telling us, that whoever is responsible for their murder did this in the span of a maximum of four minutes. they came into two different entrances into this couple's home. there's at least three people in custody but police say they believe they're looking for at least six to eight people and they know who they're looking for. they're also looking for a second vehicle. you've heard a lot about a red van. now they're also looking for an escalade but some of what they saw on this video were three masked men go into this home while at least another person waited in a van. they say that they believe the mastermind is one of these men they already have in custody. they're not exactly saying who. they're also saying that robbery was just one motive, one of several. they won't say what they believe the other motives are. they're also saying they believe

one, maybe two arrests will come today. because, again, like i said, they think of the six to eight people they're looking for, they know who they're looking for but, again, this all happened, this brutal, horrible crime in the span of less than four minutes, which leads the sheriff to believe these people may have been in this home before. he wouldn't exactly say that. so we're still keeping our ear to that press conference for you. if there is anything else that comes out of that that you need to know we'll tell you. of course what's going to happen to the couple's disabled adopted kids and all of their other children? hln's nancy grace investigates the motives behind this horrible crime tonight at 8:00 and 10:00 eastern right here on hln. and live now to atlanta, georgia, to an ongoing swift water rescue at vickary creek in roswell, georgia. rains from yesterday, and it was pretty bad, swelled up the creek. we have no other information on what exactly is going on right now but it looks like they're making tremendous progress, hopefully on getting a -- can't

really see exactly what's happening -- i think this is one person they do have in this water rescue. we'll keep an eye on that and hopefully it's going to work out okay. we have another situation as well. this is an update on the swat standoff in houston. we're receiving word that a deputy has died after being shot and that developing story we're hearing from our affiliate that a former cop is involved in this standoff near houston raceway park. a neighbor is telling khou that this started when someone went to shut off the man's water because the bill hadn't been paid. a woman came out and shot at the water service worker. authorities were called to the scene and the woman's husband apparently shot at them, hitting the deputy in the head. at last word the standoff is still going on. a short time ago supreme court nominee sonia sotomayor explained her judicial philosophy in a simple phrase -- fidelity to the law.

>> in the past month, many senators have asked me about my judicial philosophy. simple. fidelity to the law. the task of a judge is not to make law. it is to apply the law. and it is clear, i believe, that my record in two courts reflects my rigorous commitment to interpreting the constitution according to its terms, interpreting statutes according to their terms, and congress's intent, and following faithfully precedents established by the supreme court and by my circuit court. in each case i have heard, i have applied the law to the facts at hand. >> sotomayor's statement is a rebuttal to the criticism she's faced today from some republicans on the senate judiciary committee. most notably from the committee's top gop member, senator jeff sessions.

during the hearing he blasted what he called sotomayor's personal agenda and lack of objectivity. one new zealand man is adding a brothel to his olympic training regimen. no, prostitution is not becoming sanctioned as an event fwu may help the tie kwan doe master to his dreams of the medal.

i'm going to take you back to this water rescue happening in roswell, georgia just outside of atlanta. there was a lot of rain

yesterday. this is the result of it. this is vikory creek. it really took the brunt of a lot of the rain and it looks like they're making tremendous progress on getting this person out. just got an update that actually there were a total of four people in the water. we don't know how they ended up there but the other three people were able to get out on their own and this one person wasn't, hence the rescue workers coming to save the day. it looks like they are doing what they were called out to do. we wanted to let you know things seem to be working out well. we don't know if this person is hurt badly but at least they're getting out of the water and hopefully will get medical attention very quickly. good for them. nasa hopes the fifth time will be the charm for the shuttle "endeavour" now scheduled to launch this evening at 6:51 eastern. storms kept the shuttle from lifting off last night. the problem was lightning saturday. it may also be an issue later

today. two launch attempts were scrubbed last month because of a hydrogen gas leak. the crew will have 16 days to build what is essentially a porch on the international space station to be used for experiments. training is only part of an athlete's challenge when shooting for the olympics. finding the money to go to the games is crucial as well. a lot of athletes look for sponsors. new zealand's logan campbell came up with a different fund raising solution. he opened a brothel. he says his gentleman's club doesn't violate new zealand's prostitution laws. the country's governing body for his fourth tie kwan doe makes it less likely he'll be selected for the 2012 games in london. corporate record cards are due this week and investors were optimistic about it today. >> we saw green arrows across the board. stocks rallied today giving the bulls some hope after four

straight weekly losses for the dow. investors are hopeful that this latest round of quarterly earnings will bring more signs of economic recovery although many analysts say it could be a rough patch for a little bit. let's take a look at the numbers. the dow industrial jumped 185 points. the nasdaq composite rose 2%. the s&p 500 gained 2.5%. bank stocks led the gains ahead of earnings from financial giants goldman sachs, bank of america, citigroup and jp morgan chase. banks had been among the hardest hit since the recession began in late 2007 as investment and loan losses pile up but analysts believe goldman sachs could post a profit of more than $2 million. it will report before tomorrow's opening bell. goldman is the only major bank likely to post stellar results. overall the big picture, profits from s&p 500 companies are expected to have declined 36% in the second quarter versus a year ago, still a rough road for these companies. >> 36%. oh, wow. thanks, allison.

>> sure. "bruno" lives for attention. goat it this weekend. his raunchy mock-umentary grabbed $30 million in ticket sales, nearly half of on opening day. sales fell sharply after that. hollywood analysts suggest that may mean "bruno" doesn't have the staying power sacha cohen's last film did. the host of "american idol" isn't going anywhere anytime soon. ryan seacrest has signed a deal to keep him at the helm of the hit reality show through 2012. the hollywood reporter has another day job. he hosts a nationally syndicated radio countdown show and is lead anchor at entertainment news. a shocking claim for la toya jackson. why she says the king of pop was murdered and what jane velez-mitchell is saying about the theory. show you right now.

this is a wildfire in valencia, california near pyramid lake near the golden state freeway. it's burned about 200 acres so far. no word of injuries or how this actually started. there are no houses in the area, fortunately, but these things can quickly get out of control, so we are going to keep an eye on that for you. we have new surveillance video of suspects entering the home of the florida couple who were killed last thursday. we just got this in a few minutes ago. you saw this here live. this is in escambia county. the sheriff there, david morgan, said a total of six to eight people were involved in the killing of byrd and melanie billings. morgan also said the alleged

mastermind is one of three people that are already in custo custody. the sheriff is asking for people to be on the lookout for a cadillac escalade with a metallic paint job. two men now face murder and home invasion charges in these killings. wayne coldiron and leonard gonzales jr. may appear in court possibly as early as today. also gonzales's father leonard sr. is in jail on evidence tampering charges. police say he tried to paint over the damage to that old red van and police say the van was used in the billings break-in. first authorities were calling it a home invasion. now they are saying the entire thing appears to be much more complex than that. >> we are anxious to share this story with the citizens of escambia county and with the nation if you will. it's going to be a humdinger. this is like a movie script. all right?

the more we delved into this and worked this case, the different avenues that it would go down. >> detectives did say byrd and melanie billings were found shot to death in their home thursday and nine kids were in the house when this happened. none of them were hurt. the couple's daughter fought back tears as she talked about what she's going through. >> our mom and dad spent most of their time together and shared the daily duties of getting the children ready for school, off the bus in the afternoons, and always preparing and having dinner together as a family. installing values and traditions in the children was very important to them. those who have met any of the billings children know how well behaved and well mannered they are. our parents taught us to love despite differences in people. christmas was always a favorite holiday in the billings house.

our mom never left out anything when it came to christmas. my mother and father touched many lives around the country. >> so what's going to happen to the couple's disabled, adopted kids and their other children? hln's nancy grace investigates the motive behind this crime tonight at 8:00 and 10:00 eastern time right here on hln. back now to the water rescue we've been keeping you apprised of in roswell, georgia just outside of atlanta. one person being rescued from vickory creek which like a lot of waterways is running high because we've had a lot of rain. he was one of four people who were trying to walk along a small water fall and slipped, fell about 30 feet. the other three people were kind of able to get out on their own. we're told the person rescued is complaining of back pain. hopefully they will be taken care of very soon. this afternoon the supreme court nominee sonia sotomayor

explained her judicial philosophy in a simple phrase -- fidelity to the law. >> in the past month, many senators have asked me about my judicial philosophy. simple -- fidelity to the law. the task of a judge is not to make law. it is to apply the law. and it is clear i believe that my record in courts reflects my rigorous commitment to interpreting the constitution according to its terms, interpreting statutes according to their terms and congress's intent, and sticking faithfully to precedence established by the supreme court and by my circuit court. in each case i have heard i have applied the law to the facts at hand. >> sotomayor's statement is basically a rebuttal to the criticism she faced today from some republicans on the senate

judiciary committee. her strongest critic is the city's top republican senator jeff sessions who blasted what he considers to be sotomayor's personal agenda and lack of objectivity. >> it seems to me in ritchie judge sotomayor's empathy for one group of firefighters turned out to be prejudiced against another. that is, of course, the logical flaw in the empathy standard. empathy for one party is always prejudice against another. judge sotomayor, we will inquire into how your philosophy which allows subjectivity in the courtroom affect your decision making. >> fellow republican committee member senator hatch offered a more guarded assessment of sotomayor saying he is hoping for a vigorous debate. democrat patrick leahy offered strong praise for her calling her path to the supreme court, quote, a truly american story. >> i trust that all members of

the committee will reject the efforts of partsans and outside pressure groups who sought to create a caricature of judge sotomayor while belittling her record and achievements and intelligence. let no one demean this extraordinary woman, her success, her understanding of the constitutional duties she has faithfully performed for the last 17 years. >> today's session is over. the senators and sotomayor will pick up tomorrow morning. we'll be there. president obama has made a pick fort next surgeon general, dr. regina benjamin. she has a health clinic in alabama and fought hard to rebuild it after it was wrecked by hurricane katrina. she says she is just as willing to fight for health care reform on the national level. >> these are trying times in the health care field and as a nation we have reached a sobering realization. our health care system simply

cannot continue on the path we are on. millions of americans can't afford health insurance or don't have basic health services available where they live. >> benjamin is the first african-american woman to head a state medical society and last year received the macarthur foundation genius grant. we may know more about a counterterrorism program the cia never told congress about. democrats are blasting former vice president dick cheney who reportedly ordered the agency to keep the initiative secret from congress. some argue he broke the law. "the wall street journal" quotes current and former intelligence officials who say the project targeted al qaeda leaders for assassination. the 2001 plan was never carried out apparently. the cia director leon panetta shut it down when he learned about it last month. congressional democrats say the bush administration put the cia in a pretty difficult position. >> there's a reason why we have three branches of government and the fact that he really put the

cia in a bad position saying don't tell congress, even those select few members of congress that really should know what's going on is disturbing. when it comes to national security, if you know that politics should always stop at the te really think the vice president put the cia in a bad position. these cia personnel are just trying to do their jobs to keep our families safe. >> the democrats are pressing for an investigation of the program and why it was kept secret from congress and some republicans say the democrats are trying to undermine the intelligence community. former boxing champion arturo ghady was apparently strangled to death with a purse strap and now his wife is the prime suspect. police say her story isn't adding up. she denies being involved in her husband's death but police say she couldn't explain how she spent ten years in a posh hotel room without noticing he was dead. his bouts with mickey ward made

him a major boxing star. he retired two years ago with a career record of 40-9 including 31 knockouts. witnesses say the 37-year-old and his wife were fighting the night before he was found dead. the death of michael jackson is not keeping fans from gathering at the side of his comeback concert. why some are calling the impromptu memorial at the london arena a celebration of love.

♪ ♪ for you and for me hundreds of michael jackson fans gathered in london to mark what would have been his

comeback as the king of pop. many of those there had bought tickets for the opening night of the concert series. >> i flew in from new york. i was supposed to come to the concert tonight. even after he passed there was no doubt i was still coming tonight and wanted to be with the fans. i've met so many people from all over the world, all over europe. people from italy, even the congo. so it's been a beautiful celebration today. >> what do you make of the feeling here tonight? >> it's all love. it shows you that music transcends all barriers, all race, all everything. so i'm so happy to be here. i feel loved. i feel welcome. i'm glad i took the trip. >> promoters of the jackson concert say they cannot confirm rumors they're trying to arrange some sort of grand tribute at

the 02 arena perhaps for august 29th which would have been jackson's 51st birthday. the skies over the kennedy space center in florida may be grayer than nasa would like. these are live pictures and the crew onboard the space shuttle "endeavour" hoping to get a green light for a launch in just about two and a half hours. storms kept the shuttle from launching last night. saturday the problem was lightning. the crew will have 16 days to build what is essentially a porch on the international space station to be used for experiments. right now we're looking at pictures of a wildfire in los angeles county near pyramid lake. when we first heard about the fire a little while ago it was 60 acres but then within a few minutes it had spread to more than 200 acres. two lanes of highway 5 which run right by the area have been closed. about 100 county firefighters and several helicopters are working to keep this thing under control. there are no houses in the area

either. we don't know of any injuries. they're trying to shut this thing down and i mean interstate 5, not highway 5. thee where can you find the best places to live in the u.s.? places where the economy is strong, homes are affordable or where you can find a great soul mate? cnn.com is joining us with answers. did i punch one little phrase more than the other? >> i think you did. i think you got excited when you started talking about the single ready to mingle places. i'm just saying. we actually surveyed 1800 cities we're talking about, surveying them based on education, based on crime rate, based on employment rates. here's what we got. the number one place to live, and let me get this right. it is lewisville unlike louisville where you have to kind of roll that on the kentucky destination. this is louisville, colorado

with a population of under 20,000, an unemployment rate at 6%. i feel like i'm selling this place. ice cream shops, an historic downtown, families grab burgers at these cozy little cafes. friday night street fairs, beer gardens, live music. it is laced, as well, richelle, with 30 miles of hiking trails. it's a great place to live, rounding out the top three is chenhassen, minnesota. if you're single and ready to mingle, a playground of sorts in california tops the list. it's for the wealthy and the unattached. we're talking about 20,000 residents there with a very attractive community and i could tell you this just coming back from the beach in california. i don't know if you noticed my tan. >> i did. >> but there are many outdoor

activities. temperatures are beautiful all year round. homes are quite expensive, over a million dollars. generally to talk about the property there. but residents say it's easy to meet singles. the catch is it's not easy to keep a relationship out there. you can see why. look at all those bods. >> right. there are so many people to choose from. >> pretty, pretty people as well. >> great. i bet you that is a very popular story on dot com. thanks for sharing. >> you're welcome. we have all heard the risks associated with texting and driving. apparently there is also a risk if you're texting near a manhole. while one girl's texting mishap is no lol matter. xñ

all right. "prime news" is coming up. time to check in with mike after a long vacation to get us up to speed. there's a lot going on today. >> there is. pick up where i left off with michael jackson. you've been talking about it today. his sister la toya making some stunning claims. number one that michael jackson's murder or death was a murder and there is a conspiracy there. a shadowy entourage was around michael jackson who did not have his best interests at heart.

we'll talk about that and have our experts standing by. we want to hear from you. call in. 877-tell-hln. another story you've been following, the florida couple. such a sad story, people with these open hearts welcoming in these disabled children. now as per the news conference you covered we are finding six to eight people are being looked for. three are in custody. the mastermind is in custody. this all went down in four minutes meaning it was planned. i talked with mike coming out a minute ago saying these people possibly did work at the home because they knew the layout so well so they could get it done within four minutes' time. we'll take your calls and e-mail us as well. we'll follow up another story we did last week. this was a club in philadelphia. they had opened up their doors to a daycare there. these were mainly african-american kids who had come in. then they decided to kick them out. some of the african-american kids said they heard racist comments. we'll follow up.

now the club is welcoming them back. what is going to be done next? is this over? call in. over? call in 1-877-tell-hln. >> it's a sight you see every day. people texting completely oblivious where they're walking. a statten island family may not sue the city because their teenage daughter was doing that when she took a rather disgusting fall. >> fell in a hole. >> alexa laughs about it now, but when it happened, it was a shock. she was walking along victory boulevard about to read a text message on her girlfriend's cell phone when the sidewalk suddenly wasn't there. >> there was nos warning of a big open hole. >> a big open manhole. alexa tumbled six feet underground and landed in four inches of raw sewage. >> a manhole. that's -- how could my kid fall down a manhole. >> in a word, her mother says it

was horrible. >> from your singer to your toilet, it's down in there, and she was smelly. >> alexa had cuts across her arms and down her back and they know it could have been worse if the sewer had been full or if she had hit her head. >> it could have been a lot worse. could i have lost my baby if she would have fell an inch over. >> workers on the scene told kim they'd left the manhole unattended in order to get cones to mark it off. dep is conducting a full investigation of what happened, said an agency spokeswoman, we regret that this happened and wish the young woman a speedy recovery. but alexa's mom says that's not good enough. >> no, i'm sorry. you must have failed. it shouldn't have happened. it was a simple, simple simple thing. put cones first, something. >> thing. >> something.

>> thanks wabc for that report. a singer says united airlines waited too long to pay him for damage to a treasured guitar. the video that made the airline change its mind about the claim.

[ music ] >> welcome to comcast local edition, i'm donna richardson, and my guest this hour is christine bergmark who is the executive director of the southern maryland agricultural development commission. welcome, christine, it's good to have you here. >> thank you for having me. >> that's a big mouthful, and i know that you're working on an extremely exciting program, bi-local challenge. >> it is an initial that we launched two years ago, and essentially what it is is the last full week of july we ask everyone across the state of maryland and beyond to take a pledge, and the pledge is eat something or drink from a farm every day during that week.

>> oh. so where do we get the information about where to find the farms or how do we sign up for this pledge? >> well, there's a website. it's www.by-local-challenge.com that website will give you all sorts of information why to buy local and where to buy local and it connects you to other statewide initiatives that are going on at the same time. if you go to the website, we've added a count. people used to say, where do i sign up? normally you have to go buy, eat something from a local farm. this year we decided to add a counter to the website. when you are' counted, you can receive a certificate with your name on it that you can put up in your office or your home or wherever. >> which is very, very important. it's reduces your carbon foot print because you're driving hopefully a shorter distance, you have access to local

products that are available, and also it helps the farmers. >> well, and in fact, our theme this year is healthy plate, healthy planet. all kinds of benefits to buying local, benefits for you, healthy, nutrition, it's fresh, and preserving our farms survive, we keep clean water, we keep clean air, we reduce the carbon footprints from things traveling 1500 miles, and it tastes good. >> exactly. now for those people who may not cook, how can they be a part of this? >> yeah, sometimes people say, well, i hate to cook. that's okay. you can go to a store or to a restaurant that features local farm products, and there are more and more restaurants every year, some of them are on our website, and you can click throughout to find out who they are,. >> what kind of items can we acquire localfully. >> during the last week of july,

there is so much product available. there's sweet corn, blackberries, all kinds of tomatoes and melons are in season, and of course, there's always wine, cheese, eggs, meatss. >> so we do have a wide variety of things we can get. say that i go and i go to a local farmer's market and purchase something, what is a vegetable that i'm not quite familiar with, how did i find a recipe. >> excellent question. there are recipes on our website. people can post their own recipes of their own events and own blogs by why they buy local. some of the things i wanted to mention is the economic benefits. we talked about the planet, we talked about the fact that it tastes good, and it's fun, but there's also the benefit of

supporting our farms, and if every household in the state mucofmaryland were to buy just 2 worth of products for 8 weeks, basically the summer season that, would put $200 million straight back into the pockets of our farmers. that would do a lot to keep our farmers thriving. >> which is so important. i know we have less than 30 seconds, but you have some partners that you wouldn't typically think of who have now joined in. >> yes. hospitals are joining in this year. fact, they're looking to do a competition to see how many people they can get involved. >> have you exciting. christine, thank you very much for coming in today. >> thank you. >> my guest today has been christine bergmark with the southern agricultural commission. if you're interested in what comcast is doing in your area, go to on demand and click get local. for comcast local edition, i'm donna richardson. [ music ]