was money the motive in a florida attack that's left more than a dozen adopted kids parentless? what we're learning about something the alleged suspects d did not find. also, a potentially explosive standoff in texas. look at this. on one side, white supremacists. on the other, black separatists. the controversial death that prompted this chaotic scene. also, he's promising to do more with less. yeah, that's the naked cowboy, throwing his hat in the ring for a well-known candidate. happy hump day, halfway through the workweek. hope you're enjoying your beautiful summer. i'm christi paul. we're learning more about the crime scene where a florida

couple was killed. first of all, a source familiar with the investigation tells cnn that a second safe discovered in the home of melanie and byrd billings contained about $100,000 and that source says the suspects knew about the safe but they weren't able to get to it during the carefully planned attack. now, we should point out the escambia county sheriff will not confirm the existence of a second safe. >> i can only confirm the items that we have recovered or -- excuse me -- that we know have been removed from the billings' home, and that was a small mid-sized safe and a black briefcase. >> you're saying there was not a second safe or you just can't confirm that, sir? >> i'm saying, sir, that i'm not at liberty to address that issue. >> court documents say one suspect is pointing the finger at another. this man, leonard patrick gonzalez jr., as organizer of the home invasion. according to the documents, he also named gonzalez as the person who shot the couple. prosecutors say the seven men charged in the case gathered at a nearby mall after the robbery

and killings and they allegedly handed off what they'd stolen to a woman police now identify as the eighth suspect, pamela wiggins. investigators, too, now have a key piece of the puzzle in the virginia tech shootings that left 32 people dead. the long listing mental health records of gunman seung-hui cho. they've been found, located, in fact, in the home of the university clinic's former director. state police are investigating how the records disappeared from that counseling center. they were located by lawyers representing the families of two victims killed in the mass shooting april 16th. that was back in 2007. those families contend the state, the school, and the counseling center were grossly negligent in dealing with cho, who was known on to be suicidal. but we should point out that taking mental health records from a clinic is illegal. so, we'll keep you posted on that. meanwhile, a senate vote on a controversial concealed weapons measure, that may come in in the next half hour or so.

it would give people with concealed weapons permits permission to take the weapon to other states with similar gun laws. only illinois and wisconsin have no concealed weapons laws. supporters say the measure will allow people to protect themselves when they cross into other states. opponents say it would force states with strict procedures for getting permits to accept permits from states with more lax laws. but 60 votes are needed to pass that measure and we'll be watching it for you. the 2008 death of an african-american man led to a tense standoff in a small texas town. >> white power! white power! >> several dozen white protesters, some carrying nazi flags, confronted about 100 black demonstrators, some dressed in paramilitary uniforms. now, it was the third rally at the town's courthouse since murder charges were dropped against two people who'd been accused of running down the victim and dragging him to death. prosecutors say they don't have enough evidence to go to trial, particularly when someone else

came forward and said he might have accidentally run over that man. and an evangelist accused of marrying underage girls and taking them across state lines for sex may take the stand. attorneys for tony alamo have advised him not to testify, but he claims the girls were traveling to support his ministry. his lawyers accuse alamo of raiding the compound because of his religious beliefs. the defense says it only plans to call two more witnesses and jurors could get that case later today. president obama, meanwhile, was holding a prime time news conference tonight to push for, you know, his health care reform. he set a deadline for congress toass a reform bill before they recess next month. house majority leader steny hoyer says that may not happen because lawmakers can't seem to reach a consensus here. a senior party source tells cnn some house democrats are frustrated that the president isn't taking more of a lead on crafting the legislation, making

it clear, basically, what he would support and how he would pay for it. many republicans, meanwhile, complain the current democratic proposals would fail to deliver what they promised and amount to a government takeover of health care. i want to share this programming note with you, as well. right after president obama's news conference tonight, don't miss today's "black in america 2" on our sister network, cnn. soledad o'brien reports on the people who are working to help develop african-american leaders for the next generation. first part of this two-night event, "black in america 2," again, starts tonight and we hope you can be here. well, for the first time a city is hoping to ease its budget crunch by taxing marijuana sales. voters in oakland, california, approved a sales tax on medical marijuana, medical marijuana here. the measure passed about 80% of the vote. now, one critic says taxing an illegal drug sends the wrong message. medical marijuana, however, is legal in california, so this

isn't about legalizing marijuana, it's about taxing medical marijuana. would you be in favor of your local government doing so? this is our "your views" question, obviously. or, on the other side of the fence, do you feel it's a medicine and it shouldn't be singled out over legal drugs? call us right now at 1-877-tell-hln or e-mail us at cnn.com/hln or you can text the word "views" plus your comments and name to hlntv. standard text rates do apply, by the way. but this is all about your views, and we want to hear them. so, please let us know and we'll be airing your thoughts throughout the day. the number of mexicans immigrating to the united states has dropped sharply since 2005. this is according to the puig hispanic center. it found immigration from mexico has slowed by 40%. on the other hand, the migrants returning to mexico remains steady. the study says it's too early to

tell if it's the result of increased enforcements or perhaps the economy. michael jackson's memorial is now a part of a criminal investigation here. l.a. city attorney wants to find out how nearly $1.5 million of taxpayer money was spent. there's been public backlash over the tab, which included things like $48,000 for sandwiches for police. the city attorney says the goal is to recoup some of that money. shuttle astronauts david wolf and christopher cassidy are taking a space walk right now. here's some live pictures as you see them. they're replacing four batteries on a solar panel on the international space station here. you can see his glove. a bit more challenging than it may sound, and i'm sure you know that. the nickel hydrogen batteries weigh 370 pounds apiece. this is the third space walk in five days for the "endeavour" crew. they'll replace two other batteries on friday. the astronauts have been in orbit for a week now and are

will remain at the space station until tuesday. millions of people got to show the light show of a lifetime. look at this for yourself. the longest total eclipse of the sun that will happen this century. large parts of asia were in the dark here. it lasteds about five or six minutes, and that was enough to make temperatures drop, something we don't always think about. we're just thinking about the view, aren't we. well, robbery victims will tell you they want justice. the culprit caught and punished. one texas woman whose store was robbed over and over has decided to forget about it. you might feel the same way.

this is a case of a really brazen thief. check out this video -- or thieves i should say. cops in virginia contend men pretending to be janitors walked through stores in virginia beach pushing beat-up floor buffers

but they walked out with brand-new ones. >> very strange. i've never heard of a case where someone shows up with an item and then switches it out and according to kmart these are worth $2,700 apiece. >> ouch. police say the men clearly knew what they were doing and where to look and they haven't been caught yet. meanwhile, a dallas woman was determined to find a thief who was stealing from her store so she installed security cameras to catch the thief in action. when she did, she could not believe her eyes and neither will you. our affiliate has the video. >> reporter: when the plants and planters manager came to work at 6:00 a.m., she knew something was wrong. dozens of plants, flower, and concrete statues were missing. the owners of the nursery installed surveillance cameras last year after a rash of break nes, but they never expected to see what they captured on video. >> i said, you really won't believe this and you're going to

think i'm crazy but there's a monkey on this video. >> reporter: watch the lower left. richardson police say it's hard to tell what it is but nursery owner shelly rosenfeld didn't have any doubt when she looked at the the surveillance video. >> it doesn't even make sense to me because the kind of things that were stolen were just so random. it was just -- it'd be something that kids would do. but this was definitely a monkey. >> reporter: even though she's angry about the most recent theft, rosenfeld asked police not to pursue the case. >> i don't want to hurt this monkey. i'd like to hurt the person that trained the monkey, but i think that they could make this monkey do much worse than what he's doing now. >> reporter: the owners say in three decades of selling plants and planters here, this is the wildest thing they've ever seen. in richardson, channel 8 news. >> our thanks again to wfaa in dallas. you know, more first-time home boyers are snapping up cheaper houses because paying a mortgage costs about the same as paying rent at this point.

some good news in a bad economy, i hope for you. the difference between a mortgage and rent in 45 areas is just a little over $200 a month in some areas, and of course you also have the tax incentives that are tacked onto that, as well. the next time you catch a flight, you might want to travel light. hln money expert clark howard says a lot of airlines are adding extra baggage fees, as though we haven't been hurt enough by those. he does have a tip to help you save some money, though. >> there are lots of people across america who fly very infrequently, maybe once in the summer, once at thanksgiving or christmas, and maybe you're not used to the new drill at the airport, which is airlines are doing the best they can to empty your wallet with baggage fees, either for checking a bag or for having a bag that weighs too much. before you take a trip this

summer by air, i need for you to do something you might not want to do -- get on the scale, weigh yourself without the bags. get back on the scale with your bags so that you can see how much the thing weighs. you might need to pull some stuff out of it because the excess baggage charges for being overweight can be in the hundreds of dollars each way. best rule of thumb -- travel with one simple carry-on bag. you don't have to take everything with you. you take that one carry-on, you're not having to pay anybody anything. i'm clark howard. i want you to be smart in many ways with your dough. check me out at cnn.com/clarkhoward. >> low maintenance, right? get more great consumer advice from clark howard every saturday and sunday at noon and 4:00 p.m. eastern right here on hln "news and views." he's going to help you save more, spend less, and avoid getting ripped off. speaking of low maintenance, sure, a man who wears little but

cowboy boots and tighty whyies can entertain crowds of tourists at times square. but could a naked cowboy run the city?

all right. we want to bring live pictures to you. you're looking at police who are outside the houston office of michael jackson's doctor, conrad murray. remember, conrad murray was his personal physician. he was said to be with michael

jackson at the time of his death. now, the u.s. drug enforcement administration is telling cnn, yes, it is assisting the lapd in executing a search warrant at this address. but, again, the lawyer for michael jackson's doctor says los angeles county coroner's investigators are seeking additional information from his client, and that's the reason he's giving as to why they're here at this address. but, again, u.s. drug enforcement administration is assisting the lapd in executing a search warrant here, and local media that there in houston say this is the office of dr. conrad murray, who is michael jackson's personal assistant. of course all of this hoping to bring some indication to us as to how michael jackson died. and, remember, we are hoping to get those toxicology reports on michael jackson sometime next week. you can see even the television crews have gotten to that office now. we'll keep our eyes on it and bring you the latest as we get

it. well, his hometown will hold a vigil tonight for the u.s. soldier captured in afghanistan. there are already yellow ribbons all over haley, idaho, for private first class bowe bergdahl. he has been held by the taliban since the end of june. now, a taliban video surfaced of him this week, and in it he says he's afraid that he'll never be able to hug his family again. you can see all the support going up for the family there in idaho. a police officer in colorado is accused of pulling out his gun at a drive-through because he didn't get his food fast enough. according to police reports, the officer grabbed his gun while he was with another officer. this is at a mcdonald's in may. the cop is on administrative leave, in fact, and charged with menacing and prohibitive use of a weapon. new yorkers have a choice -- briefs or bloomberg. har, har. the naked cowboy is running for mayor. robert burck entertains tourists

in times square. i know you've seen him before. fittingly, that's where he announced his candidacy, as well. he promises to do more with less and vows to run a transparent campaign. he's even touting a naked stimulus package which includes incentives to help small businesses. incumbent mayor michael blerking third term, we should point out. the white house was a little bit country last night. a star-studded musical event at the white house featured some of the best known names in country music. the president and first lady hosted brad pace lee, charlie pride, alison krauss. president obama talked about his appreciation for country music. >> now, i know folks think i'm a city boy, but i do appreciate listening to country music

because, like all americans, i appreciate the broad and indelible impact that country has had on our nation. it's captured our restlessness and resilience and told so much of our stories in the process. >> this, by the way, was the second performance in a music series michelle obama launched last month to promote arts education. well, becoming a doctor obviously a really big dream for a lot of people, but for one african-american doctor, that dream was a bit harder to achieve. senior medical correspondent dr. sanjay gupta explains why. >> reporter: well, i'm dr. estes. >> reporter: she is one of america's young black doctors and it's her first day on job at memorial hospital in savannah. her patient is expecting a baby. when she was in the second great, estes decided she wanted to be a doctor. but growing up in predominantly black inner-city houston, she was dreaming big.

>> you can never be a doctor. why won't you settle for being a nurse or medical assistant? no doctor has ever come out of this community. >> reporter: less than 5% of u.s. physicians and surgeons are black, a real shortage. the president of moorehouse school of medicine said it's important to close the diversity gap. >> it's going to take a long time to have the kind of diversity that this country needs so that students can believe that that's what they can be. the biggest barrier right now is the graduation rate of african-american males and african-americans from high school. we're having too many people drop out. >> okay. thank you so much. >> reporter: here at memorial hospital, dr. estes has an opportunity to work with minority patients, and today she helps deliver. >> they say you'll never forget the first baby you deliver. >> reporter: for today's "health minute," i'm dr. sanjay gupta. >> well, doctors say a matter of seconds made all the difference for a young boy trapped in a burning suv. quick action by strangers and a

fire crew, that boy faces a long recovery.

some breaking news on the michael jackson investigation. we're learning right now police are outside the houston office of jackson's personal doctor, conrad murray. the drug enforcement administration tells cnn that it is assisting the lapd in executing a search warrant at this address. here are live pictures coming to you from this office. murray's lawyer says the los angeles county coroner's investigators are seeking additional information from his client. murray has emerged, remember, as kind of a central figure in the investigation into jackson's death. that's his picture there on the left. the doctor was with the singer in his mansion when he collapsed and died last month. so, we're working on this story and we're going to bring you the latest information as we get it. but again, the dea now involved,

assisting the lapd, and they are currently at the doctor's office in houston. we're also learning more about the crime scene where a florida couple was killed. a source familiar with the investigation tells cnn a second safe discovered in the home of melanie and byrd billings contained $100,000. that source asserts that the suspects knew about the safe but they weren't able to get to it during the carefully planned attack. now, the escambia county sheriff will not confirm the existence of a second safe. >> i can only confirm the items that we have recovered or -- excuse me -- that we know have been removed from the billings' home, and that was a small mid-sized safe and a black briefcase. >> you're saying there was not a second safe or you just can't confirm that, sir? >> i'm saying, sir, that i'm not at liberty to address that issue. >> court documents say one suspect is pointing the finger

at another, this man, leonard patrick gonzalez jr., as organizer of the home invasion. according to the documents, he also named gonzalez as the person who shot the couple. prosecutors say the seven men charged in the case gathered at a nearby mall after the robbery and killings and they allegedly handed off what they'd stolen to a woman police now identify as the eighth suspect, pamela wiggins. and investigators, too, now have a key piece of the puzzle in the virginia tech shootings that left 32 people dead. the long missing mental health records of gunman seung-hui cho. they've been found, located, in fact, in the home of the university clinic's former director. state police are investigating how the records disappeared from that counseling center. they were located by lawyers representing the families of two victims killed in the mass shooting april 16th. that was back in 2007. those families contend the state, the school, and the counseling center were grossly negligent in dealing with cho, who was known to be suicidal.

a victory for gun control advocates. moments ago, the senate voted against a controversial concealed weapons measure. it would have been given people with concealed weapons perms to take their weapons to other states with similar gun laws. only illinois and wisconsin have no concealed weapons laws. supporters say the measure would have allowed people to protect themselves when they travel. opponents say it would have forced states with strict procedures for getting perms to accept permits from states with more lax laws. and president obama is holding a prime-time news conference tonight to push for health care reform. he set a deadline, remember, for congress to pass a reform bill before they recess next month. house majority leader, senny hoyer, however, says that may not happen because lawmakers can't seem to reach a consensus. a senior party source tells cnn that some house democrats are frustrated the president isn't taking more of a lead on crafting the legislation, making it clear, basically, what he'd support and how he'd pay for it. many republicans complain the current democratic proposals

would fail to dwlaieliver what promise and amount to a government takeover of health care. certainly, prayers are being offered for a u.s. soldier captured by the taliban. we're talking about private first class bowe bergdahl, of course. he's been held captive since the end of june. ed lavandera is live from bergdahl's hometown of haley, idaho. i understand there's a vigil planned tonight there. what's going to happen? >> reporter: well, the sheriff sheer is calling for a candlelight vigil here outside of the coffee shop where bowe bergdahl once worked. the woman who hones this shop is a good friend of the family and she's become the de facto spokesperson for family. they're calling for a candlelight vigil tonight, people showing up here, and they've been urged to come here on their bicycles because bowe bergdahl is well-known for riding a bike wherever he went. this is bowe bergdahl on a high-seas adventure. that's him in a green abjacket.

before joining the military, he found a job fishing for salmon off the alaska coast. it was on this adventure that dylan meat his hometown buddy. >> he's a good kid. he's strong as an ox. >> reporter: he spent almost three months on this boat with bergdahl sleeping in a former cabin. at night, he says, bergdahl dreamed of riding his bike around the world, hopping on boat, carrying only the bare necessities. he's telling you about wanting to bicycle around the world. what do you think of that? >> this kid is crazy. you know, there's no land all the way around the world. then he explained the whole boat process. but i guess biking around the world, that's one heck of a feat right there. >> reporter: those who know bergdahl talk of his adventurous spirit. he worked for sue martin at this coffee shop where get bowe back signs hang in the window. >> he captures you. bowe is not something in the corner. he capturious. you engage and he engages very well. >> reporter: he's a renaissance

man in the making, learned dancing and southwardsmanship, learned to sail on an expedition that took him from the atlantic to the pacific, all by the age of 23. it seemed like he was fascinated by the world out there. >> yeah. he wanted to go see it. wanted to go see it. >> reporter: bergdahl waited tables and worked construction jobs to pay for the adventures which sometimes required long rustic bicycles through the wilderness. >> bowe never owned a car. he doesn't like them. >> reporter: his parents lave quiet life along this dirt road on the outskirs of hailey, idaho. they live in this home nestled in a mountain valley. and it's here we understand that private bergdahl was homeschooled growing up. but what sue martin says she loves most about bergdahl is the man who displayed quiet chivalry. >> i'd go out to my car after a long day and a big snowfall and bowe would have been out there and swept the snow off my car. i walk out there and it's like, oh, bowe's been here. and he'd never say anything.

>> reporter: that's the bowe bergdahl the people in his hometown can't wait to welcome home. and, christi, what's interesting is that you talk to folks around here, they really talk about the video that was released of bergdahl over the weekend by his captors, and they say that the young man they see in that video is far from the man that they've known here in hailey, idaho. christi? >> i have to say, you have to respect this community, ed, and i'm sure you see it, being in the middle of it. they seem to be so fiercely loyal and have such an allegiance to this family because at the end of the day, they're really kind of keeping their mouths shut, aren't they? >> reporter: right. you know, everyone's been extremely cordial. it's not like you're getting doors slammed in our face or anything, but as you go around town and try to learn more about bowe bergdahl and what made him want to join the army and that sort of thing and him growing up here in this community, there is a great deal of hesitation from people to speak on the record, on camera out of respect for the

family that has essentially pleaded for privacy and e slinch for things to kind of calm down as they wait through this terrible ordeal. >> and people don't want to speak out because obviously they don't want to jeopardize his life or the possibility of him coming back in any way either. ed lavandera, thank you so much for giving us a sense of what's been happening there. we appreciate it. >> reporter: you got it. thanks. want to get you back to some of the breaking news we're watching now. live pictures from houston regarding the michael jackson investigation. how does it get to l.a. to houston? let me tell you. police are outside this office. it's the office of jackson's personal doctor, conrad murray. the drug enforcement administration tells cnn that it is assisting the lapd in executing a search warrant at this address. murray's lawyer says los angeles county coroner's investigators are seeking additional information from his client, whom you see there on the left. that's dr. murray. he's emerged as a central figure

in this investigation into jackson's death because the doctor was with the singer in his mansion when jackson collapsed and died last month. so, again, we're working this story, we'll bring you the very latest information as we get it. but now the dea involved and searching dr. conrad murray's offices in houston at this hour. also in texas, a tense clash broke out at a courthouse. this is in paris, texas, between black militants and white supremacists.

s all right. back to some live pictures as you can see some of the folks

that are standing outside the houston office of michael jackson's personal doctor, conrad murray. why are they in houston? let me tell you. the drug enforcement administration is telling cnn that it's assisting the lapd in executing a search warrant at this address. now, murray's lawyer says los angeles county coroner's investigators are, indeed, seeking additional information from his client, and we've learned a spokesman from murray's attorney says they are cooperating but that they were caught off guard by this request. so, you can see the -- some of the people going inside there. dr. conrad murray on the left has emerged as a real central figure in this investigation because he was with the singer in his mansion when michael jackson collapsed and died last month. so, again, we're keeping our eyes on this. there are a lot of onlookers, and you can see all the news trucks now that are outside dr. murray's office. but, again, murray's attorney saying they were caught off guard by this requester,

certainly weren't expecting it, but they are cooperating and the dea now involved as well. so, we'll continue to keep you posted. the 2008 death of an african-american man led to a tense standoff in a small texas town. >> white power! white power! >> several dozen white protesters, some carrying nazi flags, confronted about 100 black demonstrators, some dressed in paramilitary uniforms. this was the third rally at the town's courthouse since murder charges were dropped against two people who'd been accused of running down the victim and dragging him to death. prosecutors say they don't have enough evidence to go to trial, particularly since someone else came forward and said he might have accidentally run over that man. doctors say a milwaukee boy pulled from a burning suv would have died if a fire crew had not been there just seconds later to reach him. the 4-year-old is expected to make a full recovery, but it's going to take a long time. this is video from the scene. you can see the flames coming

out of that suv. that little boy has deep burns, we understand, on his scalp, his upper back, his arms, his legs. doctors say the cosmetic and psychological recovery will continue well after his physical wounds heal. so, boy, just kudos to that whole neighborhood and how they pulled together and were able to get those people out of the car. i'm jane velez-mitchell, and here's my issue. defense for accused killer drew peterson may be mounting a counterattack. the ex-cop is charged with the murder of his third wife, kathleen savio and is a person of interest in the murder of his fourth wife, stacy. they're trying to attack his words by attacking a relatively new beyond the grave hearsay law. in a 2002 letter, kathleen claimed drew threatened to kill her. if the defense suppresses that compelling evidence, could peterson walk?

some think this hearsay battle could go all the way up to the supreme court. unfortunately, this is shaping up to be another case of justice delayed for two tortured families who have lost their daughters. i'm jane velez-mitchell, and that's my issue. >> find out what else jane has on her mind. watch every night at 7:00 eastern on hln. sure, a man who wears little but cowboy boots and tighty-whities can entertain crowds of tourists in times square, but could the naked cowboy really run the city?

well, tonight, "black in america 2" debuts on cnn. i-reporters have been b submitting their thoughts on what it's like to be black in america. a man from washington, d.c., offers his thoughts on the question, what solutions do you have to make black america better? >> we need to focus not only on just being successful, but we need to focus on being great once again np t.

in the days of civil right and then when black people were the first to be at their schools and at their jobs, you were setting a foundation for those after you. in this day and age, we have settled and focus on our financial success, focus on the fact that if a african-american wins a grammy regardless of the lyrics on the cd, that helps to raise the black community. we don't care about a particular actor getting on television and embarrassing us so long as that person has been able to get on television and become a millionaire and get their riches and leave no type of legacy for those coming after them. so, if we want to make black america better, ladies and gentlemen, let's raise the expectations of ourselves, let's raise our expectations of our children, let's raise our expectations of what we can do to be successful as well as great, because everybody can be great, because as king said, everybody can serve. >> very wise words there. thank you so much. if you'd like to see other i-reporter and newsmaker

responses to questions about being black in america, you can do so at cnn.com. click on the interactive feature "voices of black america." you can watch the debut of "black in america 2" on our sister network cnn. soledad o'brien reports on the people who are working to help develop african-american leaders for the next generation. the first part of this two-night event, "black in america 2" tonight on our sister network cnn after the president's prime time address. as always, if you have pictures or video of breaking news or cool stories from your part of the world, we'd love to see them. go to ireport.com and click on the upload now link and thanks for doing so. for the first time, the city is hoping to ease its budget crunch by taxing marijuana sales. we're talking about voters in oakland, california, here who approved a sales tax on medical marijuana. the measure passed with about 80% of the vote. one critic contends taxing an illegal drug sends the wrong message, but we need to point

out medical marijuana is legal in california so, this isn't should it or should it not be legal. this is should you tax it. and what do you think of that idea? would that idea? would you be in favor of your local government taxing marijuana or do you think it's a medicine and shouldn't be singled out over other legal drugs. e-mail us at cnn.com/hln or text your name, views and to hlntv. we want to make sure your voice is heard, thank you for chiming in. new yorkers had a choice. briefs or bloomberg. the naked cowboy is running for mayor. there he is. robert burck he entertains tourists in times square. you've probably seen him before. fittingly, that's where he announced his candidacy, as well. he promises to quaelt do more with less" in order to run a

valid campaign he is touting a naked stimulus package which includes incentives to help small businesses. incumbent mayor michael bloomberg is, indeed, seeking a third term. want to get you back to the breaking news we're watching right now out of houston, texas. police outside the office of jackson's personal, michael jackson's personal doctor is conrad murray. you can see some of the folks that converged there. the drug enforcement administration is in on this and they tell cnn it is assisting the lapd in executing a search warrant at this address. they confirmed the search saying they were "caught off guard by this" but they're cooperating with investigators. that's dr. murray on the left-hand side of your screen there. he is going to be emerged as kind of the core figure in the investigation in the michael jackson death because he was with the singer in his mansion when he collapsed and died last month.

so, again, we're working on the story and bring you the very latest. we understand a lot of onlookers, dozens of them have converged on this seen, as well. we'll keep you posted. we're back in just a moment. -d-d

1:00 eastern time and back to the breaking news now in the michael jackson investigation. police are outside of the houston office of michael jackson's personal doctor, conrad murray. live pictures from the scene and you see the media gathering there. the drug enforcement administration tells cnn it is assisting the lapd in executing a search warrant at that address. a spokesman from murray's lawyer confirmed that search. they were "caught off xward by this, but they are cooperating with investigators." there is an aerial shot there of his practice. hurry has emerged as a central figure in michael jackson's death. he was with the singer in his mansion when he collapsed and died last month on june 25th.

we'll bring you the very latest information as it comes in to us. we also want to get you updated on this story. we're learning more about the crime scene where a florida couple was killed. a source familiar with the investigation tells cnn that a second safe discovered in the home of melanie and byrd bill g billings contained $100,000. that source says the suspects knew about the safe, but they weren't able to get to it during the carefully planned attack. the escambia county sheriff won't confirm the existence of a second one. >> i have only confirmed the items that we know have been removed from the billings' home. a small mid-size safe and a black briefcase. you're saying not a second safe, or you just can't confirm that, sir? >> i'm saying, sare, i'm not at liberty to address that issue. >> court documents say one suspect is pointing the finger at another. leonard patrick gonzalez jr. as the organizer of the home

invasion. according to the documents, he also named gonzalez as the person who shot the couple. prosecutors say the seven men charged in the case gathered at nearby mall after the robbery and killings. they allegedly handed off what they had stolen to a woman that police identified as pamela wiggins. police have a key piece of the puzzle in the virginia tech shootings that left 32 people dead. the mental records of seung-hui cho have been found. it is illegal to remove records from the clinic and state police are now investigating this. they were located by attorneys representing the families of two victims killed in the mass shooting that happened on april 16th, 2007. those families contend the state, the school and its counseling center were grossly negligent in dealing with cho who was known to be suicidal.

president obama is holding a primetime news conference tonight. suzanne malveaux is here with much more on this and suzanne he's getting resistance, not just from republicans. >> well, susan, you're absolutely right. i spoke with the white house communication director anita dunn earlier who said the president is reaching out to lawmakers and making calls today to try to, once again, push forward this health care reform plan that they did have what they called a very productive meeting here at the white house among some democrats who are very concerned about the way that this bill is looking like so far, that they need to really cut down costs dramatically, dramatically cut costs in this reform plan in this bill. it is part of the reason why, susan, that the president is going to come out tonight with his primetime press conference to emphasize the need to push this forward and to push it forward quickly. president obama is raising the stakes. primetime news conference to throw all his weight behind health care reform.

>> but make no mistake, we are closer than ever before to the reform that the american people need and we're going to get the job done. >> reporter: facing skeptical lawmakers, including members of his own party. the president's strategy consists of private arm twisting and public scolding. >> time and again we've heard excuses to delay and defeat reform. >> reporter: using his popularity and political capital early in the game. >> i don't want you to feel alone. >> reporter: with town halls, tv interviews and primetime. building momentum and creating a sense of urgency to get health care legislation on his desk by mid-august. >> we have traveled long and hard to reach this point. i know that we have further to go. >> reporter: some say a risky strategy. >> i think from his point of view, there are many in the public who we'd like to hear from them but also negotiating the plan and what they look for is leadership that says here's where we're going to go.

not a leadership that says, i'm encouraging congress to make enough progress. >> reporter: the effort comes amid recent polls showing approval for mr. obama's health care plan dropping below 50% and americans now split over his hammering of the economy. republicans are seizing the moment. >> we want a fundamentally reorient one-sixth of our economy in two weeks and that makes no logical sense to me. >> reporter: and, susan, the president, we're told, will give an opening statement tonight seven minutes in length most of it dealing wi ing witing with h reform and taking stock of the last six months of his presidency and what needs to be done and what needs to be done and he's still tinkering with this opening statement but he hasn't necessarily left a hole in the speech for anything that is anticipated or expected break throughs, break throughs coming from congress. anita dunn telling me earlier this morning that there is a long way to go here. a lot of work still and that the president is going to get more involved with lawmakers in

trying to get this thing through. >> president obama saying this is not political, it should be about the people who need health care. suzanne malveaux, thanks so much. >> thanks. back to our breaking news now in the michael jackson investigation. authorities are searching the houston office of michael jackson's personal doctor, conrad murray who was with the singer when he died last month. live pictures outside of his practice. ted rowlands following all the details. the doctor's attorney saying we were caught off guard by this, not expecting it. >> according to a spokeswoman from the attorney's office, they had no idea this was happening. in fact, they say that throughout this investigation they have been completely cooperating with authorities saying, hey, if they wanted anything, they should have just asked for it, we would have been happy to give it to them. what you're seeing here is that at some point in this investigation there was enough probable cause to go and get a warrant because they are looking for something they clearly didn't want to just ask for,

they wanted to go in and get. now, whether this is directly tied to michael jackson's health care or in a wider scope of dr. murray's practices over the years, we don't know. clearly what you're seeing there is a full-scale search warrant being served on the offices in houston there of dr. murray and, again, the attorneys say they are completely taken off guard by what you're seeing there. >> and i believe the doctor met michael jackson, if i'm correct, in las vegas. do you know if he has offices in other parts of the country and if they're being searched? >> yes, he does have a clinic in las vegas and the clinic has basically been boarded up to some extent. someone was there yesterday and said there was a sign on the door and it was locked and deliveries were to go to another spot and no evidence of inactivity there and no evidence of activity there today in terms of the search warrant. we don't know if the las vegas office will be searched or maybe it has been searched with nobody

noticing. we don't know that. what we do know is what is happening there and we can see that there is a search warrant being served in houston there for dr. murray's clinic there. he is licensed to practiced in california, las vegas or nevada and in texas and his two clinics were in vegas and houston. >> ted, thanks for the latest on this breaking news, we appreciate it. an update on a story we first brought you yesterday. harvard professor henry lewis gates want an apology from the cambridge police officer who arrested him after he broke into his own home. he will tutor the officer on racism in america. he told "the boston globe" he is still angry even though disorderly conduct charges were dropped. gates disputes the report which says he was belligerent calling it the office's broad imagination. he also said he is concerned about the unconscious attitudes police can hold. he says this "because of the

capricious whim of one disturbed person, i am now a black man with a prison record. you can look at my mug shot on the internet." prosecutors called the arrest, regrettable. well, sure, the great wall of china, it's pretty cool. cool place to visit any time of the year. but for one young i-reporter it was cool on the day of a total solar eclipse. check it out after the break.

welcome back to hln on this wednesday. for the first time, the city is hoping to ease its budget crunch by taxing marijuana sales. voters in oakland, california, approved a sales tax on medical marijuana. the measure passed with 80% of the vote. one critic says taxing an illegal drug sends the wrong message. medical marijuana is legal in california. we want your view on this. you think it's a good idea? would you be in favor of your local government taxing medical marijuana or do you feel it is a medicine and not singled out

over other legal drugs? give us a call. we know you have an opinion on this one. 877-tell-hln. you can e-mail us at cnn.com/hln, as well. text the word views plus your name and comment to hlntv, standard text rates apply. we'll air your responses. you know, we never get tired of showing you this. great live pictures from space. shuttle astronauts are taking a spacewalk right now to replace four batteries on a solar panel on the international space station. a bit more challenging than it may sound. the nickel hydrogen batteries weigh about 370 pounds apiece. this is the third spacewalk in five days for the "endeavour" crew, by the way. they will replace two other batteries on friday. the astronauts have been in orbit for a week now and will remain at the space station until tuesday. great shots for you. millions of people got to see the light show of a lifetime. the longest total eclipse of the sun that will happen this

century put large parts of asia in the dark. it lasted about five or six minutes and enough to make temperatures actually drop. and 12-year-old i-reporter jonathan lee is traveling through asia on a quest it bring attention to his environmental cause it's called go green man. jonathan was at the great wall of china with his family as the eclipse was taking place. >> wow, this is solar eclipse. wow, this was exciting. i got to experience the longest solar eclipse of the 21st century while in china. at first i couldn't see anything because it was hidden behind the smog, but it came out little by litt little. it was really, really cool to see this eclipse. i probably couldn't have seen it without sunglasses if it hadn't been for the smog here. this was a great memory for me. >> he is so enthusiastic, isn't he? our thanks to jonathan lee and

all of our i-reporters. if you have videos, pictures or breaking news go to i-report.com and click on the upload now link and stay with hln.

investigators are searching the houston office of michael jackson's personal doctor, that is conrad murray. the drug enforcement administration tells cnn it is assisting the lapd in executing

a search warrant at that address. that is an aerial shot of dr. murray's practice there. they are raiding that, a spokesman for murray's lawyer confirmed that search. he said they were "quote off guard by this but they are cooperating with investigators." murray has emerged as a central figure in the investigation into michael jackson's death. the doctor was with the singer in his mansion when he collapsed and died last month. we, of course, are working on the story continuously throughout the afternoon. we'll bring you the latest information as it comes in. scores of iranian activists have started a three-day hunger strike outside the united nations. they say their goal is to draw attention to iran's opposition movement and the bloody government crackdown on protesters after last month's disputed presidential election. the strikers say they're hoping the u.n. and the international community will put pressure on iran to free hundreds of political detainees. >> i'm here today --

>> rallies are also scheduled this week in 60 cities around the world in what is being called a global day of action in spoerlt of the iranian people. president barack obama welcomes iraqi prime minister nuri al maliki to the white house later today. they will have a one-on-one meeting in the oval office. topics will focus on security, economic issues and cultural ties, then they will also hold a joint news conference in the rose garden. that starts at 3:00 p.m. eastern time. we'll bring you the latest. his hometown will hold a vigil tonight for the u.s. soldier captured in afghanistan. there are already yellow ribbons all over haley, idaho, for private first class bowe berghdahl. a video surfaced this week and in it he said he is afraid he

will never be able to hug his family again. an evangelist accused of marrying underage girls and taking them across state lines for sex may take the witness stand at his federal trial. attorneys for tony have advised him not to testify. the 74-year-old defendant seen here claims the girls were traveling to support his ministry. his attorneys accused the fbi of raiding his alamo compound. it the defense only plans to call two more witnesses. jurors could get the case later today. this is a case of really brazen thieves. check out the video here. cops in virginia say men pretending to be janitors walked into five stores in virginia beach, pushing the floor buffers and then walked out with brand-new ones. >> very strange. i've never heard of a case where someone shows up with an item and then switches it out and according to kmart these are

$2,700 apiece. >> police say the men clearly knew what they were doing and where to look. the thieves havant been caught yet. a cop in colorado is accused of pulling out his gun at a drive through because he didn't get his food fast enough. according to police reports, the officer grabbed his gun while he was with another officer at mcdonald's back in may. the cop is now on administrative leave and charged with menacing and prohibited use of a weapon. remember that illinois cemetery where hundreds of graves were desecrated. it is being sued. the associated press says cook county, illinois, wants back hundreds of thousands of dollars that it spent investigating an alleged plot to dig up graves and resell them. the employee who blew the whistle told the ap he kept quiet too long. we're talking about the economy now and more first-time home buyers are snapping up cheaper homes because paying a mortgage costs about the same as paying rent. that is how expensive rent can be. the associated press looked at

45 metro areas. it found the difference between a mortgage and a rent is just a little over $200. most rents a month in some areas, tax incentives are also a plus. the next time you catch a flight, you might want to travel light. clark howard says many airlines are ask adding the extra baggage fees you have been hearing about. he has a tip to help you save some cash. >> lots of people across america who fly very infrequently. maybe once in the umisser, once at thanksgiving or christmas and maybe you're not used to the new drill at the airports, which is airlines are doing the best they can to empty your wallet with baggage fees. either for checking a bag or for having a bag that weighs too much. before you take a trip this summer by air, i need for you to do something, get on the scale, weigh yourself without your bag.

get back on the scale with your bag so that you can see how much the thing weighs. you might need to pull some stuff out of it because the excess baggage charges for being overweight can be in the hundreds of dollars each way. best rule of thumb, travel with one simple carry-on bag. you don't have to take everything with you. you take that one carry-on and you're not having to pay anybody anything. i'm clark howard. i want you to be smart in many ways with your dough, check me out at cnn.com/ clarkhoward. >> clark is helping you out. get more great consumer advice from clark howard every saturday and sunday at noon and 4:00 p.m. eastern right here on hln news and views. he will help you save more and spend less and avoid getting ripped off. the white house may have gone just a little country. how country a-listers and the

first couple turn a grand old night about an appreciation for the arts.

cnn, headlines news, or msnbc are locked on your favorites? if they are i've got the gift for you. i'm gonna richardson and my next guest is ken pullson. a pleasure to have you here. >> good to be with you >> what is the museum. most people know. >> sometimes there you an a museum in articling ton, virginia called the museum. it was an effort to remind americans of the value of news

gathering in america and a nod to the first amendment. we did so well there so we decided to take it where the action is. we have a brand new museum called a the museum on pennsylvania avenue. it's a -- it's a 45 word sign out front with the words of the first amendment 'em blazed there. we think it's healthy for them to read that says congress shall make no law. we're attempting to put it in neon. >> it is flashing? >> it's not a tribute to journalists. we had a blogger say i'm not going to set foot in that museum until they do an extra special to copy editors. it is not about you. it is a museum of history but a different kind that reports what happened over the last several centuries through the eyes of

journalists. so you get contemporary coverage of the assassination of kennedy and arrival of the beatles and the civil war and fascinating >> exactly. what have the visitors reactions been for the first year? exciting. we see the full range of course. tremendous amount of school groups and a lot of tourists visiting washingt washingto was. we bill ourselves as the world's most interactive museum. young people can play the part of a reporter or an editor or a journalist. we can even stand up in front of what you and your business called blue screen, to tape a broadcast announcement for their friends and family and then send it out to friends at home. amazing exhibits there. i well tell you, i can say this with some degree of humility.

i just joined the museum in february, i've been the editor of u.s. a. today for the last five years. we have the largest piece of the berlin wall in north america. you can go there and see that and the guard tower in collaboration and partnership with the f.b. i.we celebrate their 100th anniversary and we have phenomenal artifacts. we have the unibomber's cabin believe it or not. and depending on your age, some of your viewers probably remember patty hurst and her tenure with the liberation army. we have the gun she used in the bank robbery and the leather jacket she wore. we have can coverage including dillinger's death mask and the

bullet pruf vest he zn wear on that night >> with you have so many different exhibits. what do you have planned for us your second year? >> one of the great things about working for a museum where news is in the title we're updating and reflect the headlines in the museum. not long ago when there was an uproar in iran we covered the social network and the twittering. when newspapers have collapsed and some markets we quickly reported that. upcoming exhibits include: throughout the next year you'll be able to see manhunt exhibit about the assassination of abraham lincoln and barack ob a obama. >> i'm so sorry. we've run out of time but everyone has got and go and see the museum. >> thank you very much

>> my guest has been ken pullson president of not long ago, this man had limited mobility. last month, this woman wasn't even able to get around inside of her own home. they chose mobility. and they chose the scooter store! if you or a loved one live with limited mobility call the scooter store! no other company will work harder to make you mobile or do more to guarantee your complete satisfaction. if we pre-qualify you for a new power chair or scooter and your claim isn't approved, the scooter store will give you your power chair or scooter free. that's our guarantee. they were so helpful and nice. they filed all the paperwork, and medicare and my insurance covered the cost. we can work directly with medicare or with your insurance company. we can even help with financing. if there's a way, we'll find it! so don't wait any longer, call the scooter store today.

we are following breaking news for you on the michael jackson investigation. live pictures there as investigators are searchliing t houston office of michael jackson's personal doctor, dr. conrad murray. the drug enforcement admintration tells cnn it is assisting the lapd in executing a search warrant at that address. a spokesman for murray's warrant confirms that search there in houston. he said they were "caught off guard by this" but they are cooperating with investigators. now, as you may know, dr. murray emerged as a central figure into michael jackson's death. the doctor was with the singer in his mansion when he collapsed and died last month. we, of course, are working on this breaking story. we'll bring you the latest information from houston as it comes into us.

tonight, president obama will make a primetime push for health care reform. are americans backing him up or not? that's the question. deputy political director stein houser has just-released poll numbers. this is interesting. what are folks telling the pollsters. >> americans are split when it comes to the job that barack obama is doing on health care specifically. the cnn poll of polls. we average the most recent national survey on how the president is dealing with health care. 47% approved and 44% disapproved. basically dead even but below 50% on the approval and that is very interesting, susan. also new national polls show that compared to the republicans, more americans say the president would do a better job. >> president obama saying time and time again, this shouldn't be political, but these people need health care, they don't have it. what about the overall picture in terms of our president? how are folks feeling about him? overall approval.

>> overall the number is pretty good. take a look at this, this is a cnn poll of polls. we average the most recent national surveys on whether you think the president is doing a good job or not. 56% approve. that's a good number and those politicians would like it. 40% disapprove. but when you compare it to where the president was in early june, you can see there has been some drop. 62% early june and 61% just a few weeks ago and now a drop of about five points, susan. >> all right, paul, thanks so much for threat laest numbers. appreciate it. >> thank you. we go right to florida now where a lawyer for the slain florida couple is speaking to reporters right now. eight suspects have been arrested. new information, let's listen in. >> probably harmful to the investigation. so at this time i'm not able to either confirm or deny the existence of this.

>> is that something -- >> i haven't seen the affidavit. the state attorney's office has indicated they are going to provide me with those because it seems you all have more information at times than i do. i can't can tell you that i was in that home shortly after the crime and i can tell you that there was nothing illegal in that home in any location that has been found by any investigative agency or family member. so, the speculation relating to drugs is simply untrue. >> but perhaps the question itself is what was seized and illegal. was there a lot of money in that house somewhere that they were

after? >> again, that is a detail or part of the investigation that cannot be released at this time. and there's a couple of issues here. we're talking about the privacy of the billings family and we're also still talking about the safety of the billings/mark hm family. so, the existence of a lot of money, i don't know what a lot of money means. i heard outrageous amounts of money being put forth and i call it just that, outrageous. >> $100,000 outrageous? >> i will not answer to any specific. >> $200,000 outrageous? >> i will not answer to any specifics. >> how about this, so many people targeting the house and practicing for 30 days and why would they do this? >> again, i cannot answer that. that is a question that all of

us certainly have. why did it appear to be so planned? no one can answer why a criminal does anything. we are law-abiding citizens. i don't think we can begin to think in the manner in which these people are thinking. again, you know, we do live in a system that you are innocent until proven guilty, so i'm not making any comment about the guilt or innocence of those that have been arrested. and i certainly cannot speculate what was in their mind. >> she has been looking at records from time to time between some of these suspects and the family. do you anything more now about how these suspects, any of them knew mr. or mrs. billings? >> i've been very candid with you all, i tried to answer all your questions. the billings family wants to put these things to rest so they can begin to grieve and have their privacy. the markm family, melanie's

father and sister and byrd's family, they would love to be able to answer these questions. they don't have the answers. what i can tell you is, been in the ought motive business for about 12 years. she has no knowledge of leonard gonzalez jr. ever working for any business that she has been associated with. i have seen reports in the news that perhaps he did work for an automobile dealership, but i don't believe it was associated with the billings or with ashley. so, we have not come up with any other contact other than what has already been reported. certainly there's been speculation, but everything i have told you has been what we believe the evidence to be and that is there was no connection to gonzalez jr. in the auto motive, excuse me, not the automotive industry, but the automotive business of the

billings/markham family. we do know that he did seek, he solicited signs for his project site back. we do know that. we can confirm that. no, we can find any doctor -- >> how much was that? >> we believe there was a donation made. it was a nominal amount. it was so nominal it wasn't even recorded. it would not have been out of character for bud billings to give to an organization such as project fightback. this would be speculation, but from what discussions ashley and i had it would be less than $1,000. >> did billings take karate lessons from mr. gonzalez? >> that is the first time i ever heard that and i cannot confirm or deny that. >> a little bit about the family's safety. the family is concerned -- >> with all these crazy allegations, i can't imagine

that they're anything but concerned for their safety. the family has not been threatened. the family has taken adequate measures to protect the safety of themselves and the children. but these live allegations of these being made would cause anyone concern. there are crazy people out there. so, if in fact, someone was going to cause harm. who knows. no, there has been no threats. we believe their safety is not at risk, but when you start hearing these astronomical amounts of money being passed about and simply the allegations of the other horrible allegations that you're hearing, you do become concerned for their safety. >> tell us about how mr. gonzalez for a day and how did that come about? was this the reputation? >> again, there's an ongoing

allegation and those details are simply not details of that kind of nature. >> i'm sorry. >> i think that the family is extremely pleased with the manner in which this v investigation has been handled. related to the comments the sheriff may or have not made, i have seen some of them. but as it relates to the additional arrest, we have not been informed of an imminent or additional arrest. so, i don't have any knowledge about that. i've read about it. certainly, i've seen it in the media, but we have no specific knowledge about any immediate or imminent arrest. we have been certainly told that

the matter is ongoing, the motive clearly in this case was home invasion robbery, that is concerned. so, as it relates to other motives, i am sure that they're being considered and i'm sure in a large part, a lot of the speculation from the media and others, i'm sure that it is an ongoing investigation and every lead is being followed, every credible lead. >> talk about mr. billings trying to copyright the children's names. >> mr. billings wanted to protect the privacy of his children. boy, can i understand why. and i'm sure ashley can, as well, now. but you need to look at it and try to read something into it very negatively. i believe he got some bad

advice. someone told him if you copyright these names and capitalize them, then you created a right of privacy and prior to anyone utilizing these names, then you would have a legal right to either stop it or you would have the control. and i also know that he, once this matter was discussed with an attorney, it was clarified and it was stopped. i'm sorry. >> part of the nominal donation -- >> just part of the investigation and i will not reveal my source. >> so the family investigation? >> yes. we believe that if you, look at the investigation, which we all have done, we believe that the information will show that the contact or connection is just that. a donation to either this project fight back or to some other marshal arts program or

project. and the details, that's really all the details we have. >> was it an off the books donation or anything? >> we don't call anything off the books. that sounds sort of illegal activity. i have given cash or checks to a variety of charities that i didn't go and claim on my tax returns. i don't really know what you mean by that question. >> i don't have an answer to that question because i believe, again, that is the detail of the investigation, not at this time. should not be revealed. >> you speak to the the fact that you wanted to -- >> i wouldn't call them bizarre measures, i call them different measures. and i can't tell you why he did that. mr. billings is no longer with us to address that. i simply cannot answer that question. i think he was given some

interesting advice and i think he may have saw this as a way or may have seen this as a way that he could protect his children. >> was money involved to do that? >> no. not from what i understand. >> i think that the concern was a potential. this offer is very exployitated. i'm not sure what you mean by that question. >> this is a charge of murder. the spotlight on the fam pale. >> clearly. but there was some spotlight. when people walked into a restaurant don't you think they got attention when they went to various places. they received attention, this was a very large family that was special and took care of some incredible children. so, you know, i can't, i can't speak to what was in mr. billings mind. i only know what the facts are

and i believe they are, as i told you. what was done was done in an effort to protect the children and certainly i don't think he ever believed, none of the family believe they would be reading about it and trying to find some sort of sinister reason for doing so because even a worse-case scenario, you can't come up with a reason. >> come up with a reason -- >> the best explanation there is is what i've given you. it was to protect the privacy of the children. >> the protection is one thing. there were reports that you were trying to receive in the state of florida in association with that. >> no, he was not trying to receive dollars from the state of florida. he didn't even accept full funding that he could get from the state of florida for his children. he could have received funds under a special needs program that is federally administered through the state. the billings family did not

accept the full benefits of those programs. not trying to get money from the state. >> so, are you saying it's untrue all the reports about him trying to collect money because of the copyright? >> we do not believe that he was trying to collect money. >> offer from the state he did send employees letters asking that the money -- you are saying that's not true? >> he was not trying to get money. >> what was he trying to do? >> protect the privacy of the children. mr. billings is not here to answer that question. i'm telling you this, the purpose of that letter was to protect the privacy of his children. >> you've been listening in to crystal spencer, the billings' family attorney on the right-hand side of your screen

the picture of the couple that was murdered in their home. one in regard to mr. billings trying to copyright the names of his adoptive children saying he did not want to make money off of this. crystal saying that mr. billings just got bad advice, that is what she was saying in regard to that and that he just wanted to protect the children. also, she mentioned the second safe. rumors of a second safe being inside of that home containing $100,000, she says she will not comment on that. she did comment on a motive, though. there's been a lot of speculation of maybe another motive. she says it is a solid motive that is home invasion robbery there. again, that is the billings' attorney speaking out on the case and all the rumors surrounding that. we'll keep you posted on this, of course, the ongoing speculation there. meanwhile harvard professor gates wants an apology from the cambridge police officer that arrested him after he apparently broke into his own home. in exchange, he says he will tutor the officer on racism in

america. gates told "the boston globe" he is still angry even though disorderly conduct charges have been dropped. reports say he was belligerent calling it the product of the officer's broad imagination. he is unsure of the unconscious attitudes that the police can hold. because of the capricious whim of one disturbed person, i am now a black man with a prison record. you can look at my mug shot on the internet. prosecutors called the arrest, regrettable. the 2008 death of an african-american man led to a tense standoff in a small texas town. a dozen white protesters, some carrying nazi flags confronted about 100 black demonstrators some dressed in paramilitary uniforms. the third rally since murder charges were dropped against two people who had been accused of running down the victim and dragging him to death. prosecutors say they didn't have enough evidence to go to trial, especially since someone else

came forward and said he may have accidentally run over the man. two arrests at that protest. we have this programming note to tell you about right after president obama's news conference, that is tonight. don't miss the debut of "black in america 2" that's on our sister network cnn. soledad o'brien reports on the people who are working to help develop african-american leaders for the next generation. the first part of this two-part event "black in america 2" starts tonight. don't miss that. for the first time, the city is hoping to ease its budget crunch by taxing marijuana sales. medical marijuana. voters in oakland, california, approved a sales tax on medical marijuana. the measure passed with about 80% of the vote. one critic says taxing an illegal drug sends the wrong message. medical marijuana, it is legal in california. what do you think about this? is it a good idea? would you be in favor of your local government taxing medical marijuana or do you feel it is a medicine and should not be singled out over other legal drugs?

give us a call and tell us what you think. 877-tell-hln and you can text us. text your name and views to hlntv. standard text rates apply and we'll air your responses. back to that breaking news out of houston, texas, on the michael jackson investigation. investigators, you see them gathering outside that building there. they are searching the houston office of michael jackson's personal doctor. his name, conrad murray. the drug enforcement administration tells cnn they are executing a search warrant at that address. a spokesman for the doctor confirmed the search, the doctor's attorney, that is. they were caught off guard with this, but they are cooperating with investigators. murray emerged as the central figure into michael jackson's death. the doctor was with the singer in his mansion when he collapsed and died last months. we, of course, are continuing to follow this breaking news story and we'll bring it to you.

an evangelist accused of marrying underage girls and taking them across state lines for sex may take the witness stand at his federal take the trial at his trial. attorneys for tony alamo have advised him not to testify. the 74-year-old defendant seen here claims the girls were traveling to support his ministry. his lawyers accuse the fbi of raiding his arkansas compound because of his religious beliefs. the defense says it only plans to call two more witnesses. jurors could get the case later today. all right. this is a case of really brazen thieves that is caught on video. check it out. cops in virginia say men pretending to be janitors walked into five stores in virginia beach pushing beat up old floor buffers, then walked out with brand new ones. >> very strange. i've never heard of a case where someone shows up with an item and then switches it out and according to kmart, these are worth $2700 apiece. >> police say the men clearly knew what they were doing and

where to look. the thieves have not been caught yet. remember that illinois cemetery where hundreds of graves were desecrated? it's now being sued. the associated press says cook county, illinois, wants back hundreds of thousands of dollars it spent investigating an alleged plot to dig up graves and resell them. the employees who blew the whistle told the a.p. he kept quiet too long. we're talking about good news in bade economy and more first time home buyers are snapping up cheaper homes because paying a mortgage apparently costs the same as paying rent, the associated press looked at 45 metro areas and it found that the difference between a mortgage and rent is just a little over $200 a month in some areas. tax incentives are also a plus there. we are certainly all feeling the pinch in this shaky economy. money expert clark howard is here to help out. logon to cnn.com/clark and

submit your i-report. you could be selected to be profiled on our network and get great advice from america's money coach. a total eclipse of the sun left several countries in asia in the dark today. see the great video coming up.

>> federal agents are searching a houston building right now in connection with the death of michael jackson. why los angeles police got a warrant and asked for the dea's help. and a showdown in the senate over concealed weapons. find out why a proposal to expand gun rights was shot down. also, pot as a california cure all? oakland passes a tax on medical marijuana. your views on that controversial vote are coming up. we're so glad to have your company as always. i'm christi paul. want to get to the breaking news first and foremost regarding the michael jackson investigation. federal drug agents right now are searching the houston office of jackson's personal doctor, conrad murray. he was with the singer when he died last month.

ted rowlands is following all the developments and joining us now from los angeles. so ted, kind of break down for us, if you could, how this went from l.a. to houston. >> basically, christi, during this investigation, at some point, there was enough for federal and state authorities to take this to another level. basically, they had probable cause to not just ask dr. murray's lawyers and dr. murray for x, y, or z but to get a warrant from his judge and serve that warrant at his clinic in houston. we talked to a representative from the law firm where dr. murray is getting representation, and they say they were completely taken off guard by this. they say they've been cooperating with authorities. they said anything that they wanted we would have happily handed over. clearly, this is something they didn't want to ask for. they wanted to go in and get themselves without tipping off murray or his office staff. we don't know what that is, but clearly they wanted the warrant and just didn't want to ask for

a voluntary submission of whatever it is they're looking for. >> there have been questions about where the doctor is. is he in houston, do we know? >> they're not saying exactly where he is. it's clear he sment a lot of time here in l.a. after he talked to investigators for a while, but they've backed off and said ooze going to remain in los angeles till this is all over. he seems to have left los angeles. we don't know if he's in houston or las vegas where he maintains a keek. we have also seen no evidence of his clinic in las vegas being searched. we don't know if that already took place and nobody notice it had. we haven't seen the same thing take place this morning in vegas that we are seeing in houston. >> clearly, we have no idea what it is specifically they might be looking for. but we do know that we're waiting for toxicology reports, too. do we have any information regarding when those might come out? i think the latest reports were next week. >> that's the target. the l.a. county coroner's

spokesman told us just yesterday that they are analyzing things, tissue samples specifically. they do have the toxicology reports back but they aren't completely filled out and the analyzing of this tisch apparently is also something that is on going. but clearly they are getting everything ready for a public disclosure of what's in the toxicology reports. in terms of what they can report because there's a hold on this my investigators -- by investigators. so they have to work out what they can divulge to the public as this investigation moves forward. clearly what we're seeing happen today takes it to another level in terms of specifically conrad murray and potential charges that may be forthcominging. one would have to think that this is -- that this means that it's serious in terms of the investigation of murray specifically just because they didn't, again, ask for this material, they're going in to get it. >> hmm. that is an interesting perspective. all right, ted, thank you so much for bringing us up to

speed. we appreciate it. >> you bet. we're also learning more about the crime scene where a florida couple was killed. the source familiar with that investigation tells cnn that a second safe discovered in the home of melanie and byrd billings contained about $100,000 and that source says the suspects knew about the safe but weren't able to get it to it during that carefully planned attack. the escambia county sheriff will not confirm the existence of a second safe and neither did the family attorney who talked to reporters a short time ago. crystal spencer says there have been a lot of wild and crazy allegations as of late. >> in that home shortly after the crime, and i can tell that you there was nothing illegal in that home in any location that has been found by any investigative agency or family member. so the speculation relating to drugs is simply untrue. >> court documents say one

suspect is pointing the finger at another. this man, leonard patrick gonzales junior, as organizer of the home invasion. according to the documents, he also named gonzales as the person who shot the couple. prosecutors say the men charged in the case gathered at a nearby mall after the killings and the robbery and allegedly handed off what they had stolen to a woman that police now identify as the eighth suspect in this case, pamela wiggins. well, it's a victory for gun control advocates today. a controversial concealed weapons measure fell two votes short of passage. it would have given people with concealed weapons permission to take the weapons to other states with similar gun laws. only illinois and wisconsin have no concealed weapons laws. but supporters said the measure would have allowed people to protect themselves when they travel. opponents say it would have forced states with strict procedures for getting permits to accept permits from states with more lax loss. president obama is welcoming

the iraqi prime minister to the white house this afternoon. they'll focus on security and economic issues, as well as some cultural ties. at 3:00 p.m. eastern, they're holding a joint news conference in the rose garden. >> we'll be following that for you. president obama, too, holding a primetime news conference tonight to push for health care reform. he set a deadline for congress to pass a reform bill before they recess next month but steny hoyer says that may not happen because lawmakers can't seem to reach a consensus. a senior party source tells cnn some house democrats are frustrated that the president isn't taking more of a lead in crafting the legislation, making it clear basically what he would support and how he would pay for it. many republicans complain the current democratic proposals would fail to deliver what they promise and amount to a government takeover of health care. investigators now have a key piece of the puzzle in the virginia tech shootings that left 32 people dead. those long missing mental health records of gunman seung-hui cho

have been found. located, in fact, in the home of the university clinic's former director. we need to point out it's illegal to remove records from the clinic, so state police are investigating this. they were located though by lawyers representing the families of two victims killed in the mass shooting april 16th. that was back in 2007, remember. those families contend the state, the school, and its counseling center were grossly negligent in dealing with cho who is known to be suicidal. for the first time, a city is hoping to ease its budget crunch by taxing marijuana sales. we're talking about voters in oakland, california, here who approved a sales tax on medical marijuana. the measure passed with 80% of the vote and one critic says taxing an illegal drug sends the wrong message. we need to clarify, medical marijuana is legal in california. so this is not about do you or do you not legalize pot. the question for you today is,

would you be in favor of your local government taxing medical marijuana or do you feel it's a medicine and shouldn't be singled out over other legal drugs in give us a call at 1-877-tell-hln. we love to hear from you. you can e-mail us at weor text hlntv. standard text rates do apply. we are going to start to air some h of your responses here shortly and we'll continue to do so throughout the day. thanks for taking part. the 2008 death of an african-american man led to a tense standoff in a small texas town. several dozen white protesters, some carrying nazi flags, confronted 100 black demonstrators, some dressed in paramilitary uniforms. it was the third rally at the town's courthouse since murder charges were dropped against two people accused of running down

the victim and dragging him to his death. prosecutors say they don't have enough evidence to go to trial particularly since someone else is said he might have accidentally run over the man. we have a programming note we want to show you right now. just after president obama's news conference tonight, don't miss the debut of "black in america 2" on our sister network cnn. >> soledad oh bryans reports on the people working to help develop african-american leaders for the next generation. the first part of this two-night event "black in america 2" starts tonight. well, the great wall of china is a pretty cool place to visit any day, but when there's a total solar eclipse, it's even more spectacular. a young i-reporter is going to tell us all about that experience. >> i got to experience the longest solar eclipse.

we want to let you know about an amber alert that's just been issued for a 12-year-old oklahoma girl.

police in stillwater say mike ca michelle james is four feet tall, weighs about 100 pounds and last seen wearing a black and white night before christmas shirt and black and white shorts. police say a white male in his 30s was seen putting the child in an older model rusty two-door car. this was in stillwater, oklahoma today. and police also say they believe the vehicle may be heading from stillwater to oklahoma city. so again, an amber alert right now being issued for 12-year-old mykah michelle james. as soon as we get more information, we'll get it on the air to you as soon as possible. meanwhile, his hometown will hold a vigil tonight for the u.s. soldier captured in afghanistan. there are already yellow ribbons all over hailey, idaho for private first class bowe bergdahl held by the taliban since the end of june. a taliban video surfaced of him this week and in it, he says

he's afraid he'll never be able to hug his family again, but obviously the community there really holding out hope for him. harvard professor henry louis gates says he wants an apology from the police officer who arrested him after he broke into his own home. in exchange, he says he will tute toward the officer on racism in america. he told the boston globe he's still angry. gates disputes the police report which says he was blej rant calling it the product of the officer's broad imagination and also says he's concerned about the unconscious attitudes police can hold. he goes on to say "because of the capricious whim of one disturbed person, i am now a black man with a prison record." you can look at my mugshot on the internet." prosecutors called the arrest regrettable. all righty. the dow jones industrial average opened get this at a six-month high today thanks in large part to better than expected quarterly earnings. so far today, stocks have been

seesawing a bit. let's take a look at the big board for you so you can see where things are, dow jones industrials down, not significantly but down and sitting at 8900 right about now. well, millions of people got to see the light show of a lifetime. and we just get it to see it through the cam prap the longest total eclipse of the sun that will happen this century, put large parts of asia in the dark. this lasted about five or six minutes and it was enough to make temperatures drop. 12-year-old i-reporter jonathan lee is travel to you asia to bring attention to his environmental causes called go green man. he was the the great wall in china as the eclipse was taking place. >> i'm at the great wall of china on the fourth day of my go green man quest, and wow, this is a solar eclipse. wow, this is exciting. i got to experience the longest solar eclipse of the 21st

century while in china. at first i couldn't see anything because it was hidden behind the smog. but it came out little by little. it was really, really cool to see this eclipse. i probably couldn't have seen it without sunglasses if it hadn't been for the smog here. this was a great memory for me. >> yeah, and now he gets to make the news watching it, too. thank you, jonathan lee and owl of our i-reporters. in fact, if you have pictures or videos of breaking news or cool stories, go to i-report.com and click on the up link. love to see them. you can probably almost smell this through your television. can you imagine city workers have not been collect garbage for more than a month. this is in toronto. and apparently, it's because public workers went on strike and negotiations so far obviously have failed. things are getting so bad though, tv cameras caught rats feeding on garbage. reports say the city wants to reduce workers pay and benefits

but workers are fighting that. one of michael jackson's brothers has a message for everyone, leave michael alone. age jermaine jackson isn't happy about the fallout from the king of pop's death.

haboob. want to get back to some breaking news we're watching today regarding the michael jackson investigation. you're looking at police who are outside the houston office of jack's personal doctor, conrad murray. we've learned the drug

enforcement administration is in on this now telling cnn that it is assisting the lapd in executing a search warrant at this the address pap that's dr. murray on the left side your screen. a spokesman for his lawyer confirmed the search and says they were "caught off guard with this but are cooperating with investigators." murray has emerged as a core figure into the investigation into jackson's death because he was with the singer in his mansion when jackson collapsed and died last month. so we're working on this story. we will bring you the very latest as soon as we get it, but a very fluid situation right now. meanwhile, michael jackson's memorial is part of a criminal investigation at this point. la city attorney wants to find out how nearly $1.5 million of taxpayer was spent. there's been public backlash over the tab which included things such as $48,000 for sandwiches for police. the city attorney says the goal is to recoup some of that money.

we've heard from a number of the -- of michael jackson's family members. another one now speaking out about so much of the reaction we've seen since the king of pop died. "showbiz tonight's" a.j. hammer is in new york. jermaine jackson apparently being very vocal. what's he saying? >> one of the strongest points he's making is that he has had it with any of the negativity that has been surrounding michael jackson and the fact that there are those who want to focus on things other than mike it will's humanity and genius and letting his feelings known in a very, very emotional plea. watch what he told french television. >> leave him alone. stop the crazy famous that they call him because what more do you have to do to make people realize? he's a human being. his daughter said it all. my daddy, he was a human being. he was a person. he was a father. he was an uncle. he was a brother. he was a son. and they need to leave him

alon alone. >> by all accounts, jermaine jackson and michael were very close. we have seen michael's older brother jermaine speak out before. he was on "larry king live" from never land. clearly he has had it, christi. you can understand why he wants everybody to focus on the positive here. >> sure, it's got to be hard to just sit back and not be able to do anything about what some people are saying about the whole ordeal, and i know there are still a lot of questions out there about michael's children. he brought up michael's daughter himself. did he say anything more about how they're doing? >> what he said was, it's pretty clear what michael's wishes were in terms of custody. he was obviously asked about what's going to happen with the children, and he said, you know what? as far as i'm concerned, the will says it all. michael wants the kids to be with his mother katherine jackson. watch more of what he told

french television. >> it's very simple when it comes to the children. the will is what it is. it's a will from my brother because that's the way he would have done it. that's the way he did it. my mother gets full custody of the children. and the children will be fine. they're with my mother right now and my kids. and anybody that tries to contest this will on any level, whether it's with the executors or whether it's with anything, they're not living out michael's wishes. >> now, of course, jermaine saying that michael's wishes say what absolutely should happen with custody. we all know we have to wait till the courts decide who in fact, will get custody. just emotional and clearly worn out over this massive ordeal of losing his brother just over two weeks ago. coming up on "showbiz tonight," much more what jermaine jackson has to say and his plea to leave michael alone.

also, bizarre new revelations about michael's final days. >> thank you so much, a.j. we appreciate it as always. stay with us. your views coming up next.

[ 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.

want to get you caught up on breaking news regarding the michael jackson if you're just joining us. investigators are searching this houston office that you're looking at here. it's of jackson's personal doctor, conrad murray. we understand the drug enforcement administration is in on this, telling cnn that it is assisting the lapd in executing a search warrant at this address. now, a spokesman for dr. murray's lawyer confirmed the search saying they were "caught off guard by this but that they are cooperating with investigators and saying that the search was for evidence of manslaughter." that's new we're just learning. murray whom you see on the left-hand side of your screen has emerged as this core figure in the investigation into jackson's death because he was the doctor that was with jackson

in his rented mansion when he collapsed and died last month. so again, search going on there in houston at the doctor's office there. and as soon as we get some more information, we will pass it along to you. a victory for gun control advocates. a controversial concealed weapons measure fell two votes short of passage today. it would have given people with concealed weapons permits permission to take their weapons to other states with similar gun laws. only illinois and wisconsin have no concealed weapons loss. supporters said it would have allowed people to trekt themselves when they travel. opponents contend it would have forced states with strict procedures for getting permits to accept permits from states with more lax laws. and you know, we're also learning more about the crime scene where a florida couple was killed. a source familiar with the investigation is telling cnn that a second safe discovered in melanie and byrd billings' home contained $100,000. and that source says the

suspects knew about it but they weren't able to get to it during that carefully planned attack. the escambia county sheriff will not confirm the safe's existence and neither did the billings family attorney. crystal spencer says there have been a lot of wild and crazy allegations. >> and i can tell that you there was nothing illegal in that home in any location. that has been found by any investigative agency or family member. so the speculation relating to drugs -- >> court documents say one suspect is pointing the finger at another, this man, leonard patrick gonzales junior, as the tack's organizers and that person also claims gonzales shot the couple. prosecutors say the men charged in the case gathered at a nearby mall after the attack. they allegedly handed what they had stolen to a woman whom police say is the eighth suspect in this case, pamly wiggins. well, president obama's

holding a primetime news conference tonight to push for health care reform. he set a deadline as you know for congress to pass a reform bill before they recess next month. house majority leader sten a hoyer says that may not happen. a senior party source tells cnn some house democrats are frustrated that the president isn't taking more of a lead in crafting the hedgelation, beak not making it clear what he would support or how he would pay for it. many republicans complain the current democratic proposals would fail to deliver what they promised and amount to a government takeover of health care. and the president, by the way, is welcoming iraqi prime minister nuri al maliki to the white house this afternoon. they're having a meeting in the oval office right now and will be focusing on security, economic issues, cultural ties, of course. in just about we think half an hour, they're going to hold a joint news conference in the rose gard be, could happen any minute. we'll keep our eye on that for you. we want to make you aware of an amber alert rt that's been

issued right now for a 12-year-old oklahoma girl. if you're in the still itwater area or oklahoma city area, please take note. police there in stillwater say mycah michelle james is four feet tall, weighs about 100 pounds, last seen wearing a black and white night before christmas shirt and blue and white shorts. here's the thing, authorities also say that a white male in his 30s was seen putting the child in an older model rusty two-door car in stillwater today and authorities believe the vehicle may be heading from stillwater to oklahoma city. so again, please keep your eye peeled if you're in those areas. we'll bring you more information including a picture as soon as we get it. harvard professor meanwhile, henry louis gates, says he wants an apology from the cambridge police officer who arrested him after he broke into his own home. in exchange, the professor says he'll tutor the officer on racism in america.

here's the thing, gates told the boston globe he's still angry even though disorderly charges have been dropped. disputes the police report saying he was belligerent saying it was the products of the officer's imagination and is concerned about the unconscious attitudes the police still hold. he says because of the capricious whim of one disbushed person, i am now a black man with a prison record. you can look at my mugshot on the internet. prosecutors call the arrest regrettable. scores of iranian activists have started a three-day hunger strike outside the united nations saying their goal is to draw attention to iran's opposition movement. and the bloody government crackdown on protesters after last month's disputed presidential election, but they say they're hoping the u.n. and the international community will put pressure on iran to free hundreds of political detainees. >> we are here today and have invited many of our american friends to join us, and we

really do believe that the more noise we make on the outside, the iranian government will take us more seriously that this will not be tolerated and they have to stop the blood shed. >> rallies are also scheduled this weekend in 60 cities around the world in what's being called a global day of action in support of the iranian people. speaking of support, his hometown will hold a vinl il tonight for the u.s. soldier captured in afghanistan. there are already yellow ribbons all over for private first class bowe bergdahl. a taliban video surfaced of him this weekend, and in it he says he's afraid he'll never be able to had you his family again. the community really coming together for the family there. investigators now have a key piece of the puzzle in the virginia tech shooting that left 32 people dead. those long-missing mental health records of gunman seung-hui cho have been found. they were located in the home of the university clinic's former

director. weigh need to point out, it's illegal to remove records from the clinic. so state police are investigating this, but they were located apparently, those papers, by lawyers representing the families of two victims killed in the mass shooting. that was on april 16th in 2007. and those families contend the state, the school and its counseling center were grossly negligent in dealing with cho who was known to be suicidal. millions of people got to see the light show of a lifetime, the longest total eclipse of the sun that will happen this century. for large parts of asia in the dark and it lasted five or six minutes. that was enough to make temperatures drop at the time. there is a new tax that some premium happy to pay. one california city, though is, now the first in the country to tax marijuana.

you know, if you've ever lost your luggage and wonder where did it go, sorry to tell you, but the u.s. government may have blown it to a million little pieces. all in the name of national security, folks. cnn.com live's reggie aqui has more on one of the site's most popular stories today. i'm not surprised. i have to think a lot of people have lost luggage at one point or another. >> it's all for a good cause. that could make people feel better if they don't have some trip. they're blowing this up to try and test some of the systems in place by the tsa and other agencies that are built to protect us when we fly on airplanes. cnn got a look inside one of these labs where they are doing this research and they're not just blowing up suitcases but entire planes. so here's what's going on.

the atlantic city lab receives government intelligence on what kind of explosives are currently being used by terrorists, and then they try to duplicate them. we got a chance to go inside the transportation security laboratory and saw researchers creating explosives disguised as radios, spindles of dvds, even shoes. some of the bombs are then taken to maryland's aberdeen proving grounds where old planes packed with unclaimed luggage as you can see are blown up to study -- they're studying how much damage a particular explosive can make on these planes. then they take the unclaimed bags at the lab where they run through standard airport x-ray machines and see if the explosives can be detected. if they can't be detected, that's obviously a problem and they try to improve the machines trying to detect them. interesting one of the things they're looking at right now, christi is liquid explosives, howe they can better detect those through the machines they have now and possibly advance them in the future to make us all safer on planes.

yeah, some people people's luggage being surprised for what will hopefully be a safer experience for all of us. >> in the name of safety, i guess there are a lot of people who might not worry about that and say you've got to do what you've got to do. >> that's where my parents live, aberdeen, maryland, just down the streets from the proving grounds and they heart explosions and now they know what's going on. >> you're kidding. who could forget, speaking of hearing things, remember this group of school kids who gained national attention during the election for their song about now president obama and then senator mccain? i understand that they are back. >> they are. they sang that song "suc vote however you like, and it kind of got caught in many people's heads for a while. they became famous as a result of that from the ron clark academy here in atlanta. they're featured right n now@cnn.com/blackinamerica. you won't believe what some of these young minds have to say, check it out. >> in a perfect world, no one

would dare tell me, you're too young to understand when in fact, i understand anger, i understand pain. i understand hope, and i understand change. so as it turns out, i'm not too young after all. >> ghetto. gangsters. is that who you see? when i look down the street, that is not what i see. i see community leaders, barbers, pastors, beauticians, story owners, people who gradually dream by dream, change the world. that is black america. >> and just a little background on those kids and their school. ron clark who set up this private school, it's funded privately for these kids, it's predominantly african-american children that attend. an eighth grade level well. he takes all of those kids on a study abroad program before they

reach eighth grade. he set up a partnership with delta in order to make that all happen. it's an incredible story and you can watch "black in america" tonight, soledad o'brien hosts at 9:00 p.m. eastern on cnntv. >> all righty. reggie, thank you so much. our best to your parents, by the way. as they're not panicking anymore we hope. doctors say a milwaukee boy pulled from a burning suv would have dies if a fire crew had been just seconds later reaching him. the 4-year-old is expected to make a full recovery but this is going to take a long time. here's a video of this incident. neighbors came out of the woodwork to help these people. that 4-year-old boy has deep burns, though, on his scalp, upper back, amps and legs. doctors say the cosmetic and psychological recovery will continue well after his wounds heal. pot will help pay a city's business for the first time ever in this country.

voters in cash-strapped oakland, california, okayed a tax on medical marijuana yesterday. 80% voters approved. one critic contends it's wrong to use a drug to pay down the state's debt. medical maine is legal in the state of california. so the question here isn't should it be legalized but should it be taxed and would you be in favor of your local government doing so, or do you feel it's a medicine and that it shouldn't be singled out over other legal drugs? we want your thoughts on this. call us at 11-877-tell-hln. you can text us too, the word views, your name to hlntv. standard rates do apply. but your opinions are important to us. so thank you for sharing. an investigator hired by her state says governor sarah palin broke the law setting up a legal fund. why the governor says that's wrong.

want to get back to some

breaking news we've been following today regarding the michael jackson investigation. you're looking at police searching the houston office of jackson's personal doctor, conrad murray. apparently we're told they're looking for evidence of manslaughter. a spokesman for murray's lawyers confirmed the search says they're cooperating with investigators. he also says the search warrant authorized law enforcement to search for and seize items they believe constitute evidence of manslaughter. so investigators apparently left with forensic image of a computer hard drive and 21 documents. that's murray you see on the left-hand side side of your screen. he's emerged as a real core figure in this investigation because he was the doctor that was with michael jackson in his mansion when he died last month. so we're working on the story, and getting information in left and right here. as soon as we continue to get updates, we'll pass them along to you. michael jackson's memorial is part of a criminal investigation now. l.a. city attorney wants to find out how nearly $1.5 million of

taxpayers' money was spent. there's been public backlash over the tab which included things such as allegedly $48,000 for sandwiches for police? the city attorney says the goal is to recoup some of that money. also, want to let you know about an urgent situation in oklahoma. please keep your eyes peeled for this 12-year-old oklahoma girl. an amber alert has been issued and police in stillwater say mycah michelle james was taken from her home. she was last seen wearing a black and white night before christmas shirt and blue and white shorts. but here's the thing. police say a white male in his 30s was seen putting the child in an older model red two-door car in stillwater today. local media reporting she was actually taken in front of her sibling from her front yard. officials say the suspect actually picked her up, carried her over his shoulder, placed her in the back of the car and

the sibling says she was screaming. and crying as they drove away. so police think the vehicle may be heading from stillwater to t oklahoma city. again, it's a red two-door car. older model. that's all we have to go on so far. please keep your eyes peeled in that area. alaska governor sarah palin is rejecting an accusation that she broke state ethics law. an investigator hired by the state said she violated the statutes by allowing supporters to pay a legal defense fund to pay lawyers as she fought ethics complaint. the republican lawyer says she hasn't gotten any money from the fund. palin is leaving office as of sunday. the u.s. is ready to make a comeback in asia. that's what secretary of state hillary clinton is telling asian leaders at a security conference in thailand. she says she's concerned that north korea is doing more work with myanmar's military dictatorship. a senior official says that

cooperation may involve nuclear technology. >> on behalf of our country and the obama administration, i want to send a very clear message that the united states is back. that we are fully engaged and committed to our relationship in southeast asia. that we want to resume and strengthen our very strong alliances and friendships. we want new partnerships. it's an important part of our overall approach to participate in asean. the illinois cemetery where hundreds of graves were desecrated is being sued. cook county, illinois, wants back the money it spent investigating the dug up graves.

the employee said they kept quiet too long. rjs an 80-year-old turtle named rocket is on the move. just slow and steady. why a tulsa zoo hopes he comes out of the zel.

federal agents are searching a houston building in connection with the death of michael jackson, and the search warrant uses the word "manslaughter." a showdown in the senate over concealed weapons. find out why a proposal to ban gun rights was shut down. also pot as a california cure all? oakland with a tax on medical marijuana. your views on this vote. this is hln news and views. hello everyone. i'm susan hendricks. let's get you caught up on the breaking news we've been following regarding the michael jackson investigation. police searched the houston office of michael jackson's personal doctor, that is conrad

murray. the drug enforcement administration tells cnn it assisted lapd in executing the search warrant. they confirmed the search saying they were "caught off guard by this" but they're cooperating with investigators. murray has emerged as a central figure into the investigation of michael jackson's death. the doctor was with the singer when he collapsed and died last month at his home. we'll bring you the latest information on this breaking news. we're learning more about the crime scene where a couple was killed. a second safe discovered in melanie and byrd billings home contained $100,000. that source says the suspects knew about it but weren't able to get to it during the carefully planned attack.

meanwhile, court documents say one suspect is pointing the finger at another. leonard patrick gonzalez jr. as the attackers organizer. they say he also named gonzalez as a the person who shot the couple. prosecutors say the men charged in the case gathered at a nearby mall after the attack. they allegedly handed what they had, what they had taken from that house, what they had stolen to a woman police say is suspect pamela wiggins. president barack obama is holding a prime time news conference to push for health care reform. he has set a deadline for congress to pass a reform bill before they recess for next month. house majority leader says that may not happen because lawmakers cannot reach a majority here. some house democrats are frustrated that the president isn't taking more of a lead in crafting the legislation, making it clear in what he would support and how he would pay for it. many republicans complain the current democratic proposals would fail to deliver what they

promise and amount to a government takeover of health care. well, lawmakers aren't the only ones with reservations about a health care overhaul. a new cnn poll of polls finds only 47% of americans approve of how president obama is handling this issue. 44% disapprove. the survey's an average of the three most recent polls asking about the president's performance on health care. investigators have a key piece of the puzzle in the virginia tech shootings that left 32 people dead. it's illegal to remove records from the clinic. they were located by attorneys representing the attorneys of two victims killed in the mass shooting that happened on april 16th, 2007. those families contend the state, the school and the counseling center were grossly negligent in dealing with cho,

who was known to be suicidal. it happened moments ago. a victory for gun control advocates. it fell two votes short of passage. it would have given people with concealed weapons permits permission to take their guns across state lines. it wouldn't force states to accept permits for states with more lax laws. >> this was a narrow escape. and had this amendment pass ed safety in america would have decreased. plain and simple. lives were saved with the defeat of this amendment. >> supporters are argue the measure would have allowed people to protect themselves when they travel state to state. a city is hoping to ease the budget crunch by taxing marijuana sales. voters in oakland, california,

approved the sales tax on medical marijuana. the measure passed with 80% of the vote. medical marijuana is legal in california, by the way. we want to know what you think about this. would you be in favor of your local government taxing medical marijuana? or do you feel it's a medicine and should no be singled out ÷ over other legal drugs? give us a call. we know you have a view on this. standard text rates apply. we'll hear your views shortly and throughout the day. shuttle astronauts are walking in space right now replacing batteries at the international space station.

shuttle astronauts are taking a space walk right now to replace batteries on the international space station. live pictures there from space. it's more challenging than it may sound. the batteries weigh about 370 pounds a piece. this is the third space walk in five days for the "endeavour" crew. they will replace two other batteries on friday. each new battery costs $3.6 million. the astronauts have been in orbit for a week now and will remain at the space station until tuesday. the number of mexicans migrating to the u.s. has dropped sharply since 2005. it finds immigration from mexico has slowed by 40%. on the other hand, the flow of immigrants returning to mexico remains steady. the center says it's just too early to tell if the friend is a result of increased border enforcement or the poor economy.

we've been telling you about this story. he broke into his own home and was arrested. he says he will tutor the officer on racism in america. gates told the "boston globe" he's still angry though disorderly conduct charges were dropped. he disputes the police report whichbelligerent. he also says he's concerned about the unconscious attitudes police can hold. he says this. here's the quote. because of the capricious whim of one person, i am now a black man with a prison record. the case raised question about whether police were guilty of racial profiling. >> he emphasized to me about the interview that this is not about him. he was describing being humiliated in jail and going through the justice system. he's an academic that's been

brought into the realm of politics, policy, policies that adversary affect african-american men. he's going to use all the resources at his disposal to make sure this didn't happen to other people. >> based on the training and experience of this officer it appears as if the officer did act appropriately. but i can understand as an african-american male myself i can clearly understand the feeling that professor gates had. although i must tell you from being a police officer no one understand the position of the officer until they're on the scene of the incident. >> prosecutors meanwhile called the arrest regrettable. the gates has refocused attention on race, of course. most african-americans surveys don't think the situation is improving. a cnn poll found 55% of black americans questioned in may said racial discrimination is a very serious problem. that's up from 38% in november. >> well, tonight marks a debut

of "black in america ii" on cnn. the series highlights strides being made by black american leaders. it's hosted by soledad o'brien who is joining us now from new york. really an amazing job you did. a great piece. you introduce us to a principal who is not only an amazing principal but an amazing man. >> the next front in civil rights is really education. dr. steve perry would be one who says exactly that. what he's going is working to make his school great to impact the lives of the many students who go there. take a look. >> good morning. good morning. good morning. where's your coat, man? tough guy. good morning. >> every morning at 7:30 a.m. you can find steve perry here. >> how is everything? >> he's principal of capital

preparatory school in hartford, connecticut. each and every day he and vice principal greet each and every student as they walk through the doors. >> how are you today? >> reporter: for perry being a principal is all about the detail. >> whose is this? that's not ours. okay. mr. carter, you got to be kidding me. that's the fastest you can move, son? >> from uniform inspections -- >> where's your blazer? >> i have it. >> having it is not enough. put it on. >> reporter: to morning meetings. >> i know quite a few have not done curricular mapping. >> reporter: he does it all. >> keep your mouth shut. >> i didn't do anything. >> just keep it shut. >> i wake up at 4:45 in the morning and drive kids to school. >> you take kids to school? >> i do. >> in your car? >> i have to. every day. >> because you're the principal. >> i'm a bus driver in the morning. you do what you got to do to get it done. come on, georgia.

get to where you need to be. >> getting it done is priority number one for perry and his staff. >> we have a school designed to send children to college. if we don't send children to college we're not doing our job. >> how many go to collegesome. >> 100%. period. >> it's all set for you. >> reporter: children like 18-year-old gloria. >> my blazer is in my locker. i honestly believe if i hadn't gone to capital prep i think i wouldn't have finished high school. >> in spite of a tough childhood she's smart, hard working, a natural leader. and she's thrived, she says, because she's surrounded by other motivated students. >> oh, okay. i know how to do this. everyone has a certain goal. that goal is to go to college. so when you come here it's like, wow, i'm going to college.

no, i'm going to college. no, i'm going to college. >> if you disagree, raise your hand. that's fine. >> reporter: how does capital send all graduates onto college? >> what we do right is design a school that's year round. there's no reason why children should be home in the summer. we have a longer school day. what we do right is we go to school on saturdays. what we do right is work hard to get children to a place where they need to be. >> couple other things he does. expectations, expectations, expectations. when these sixth graders walk in the door he says to them we expect you to come to college. if you're not going to come to college, don't go to my school. they know what's expected of them. number two, juniors and seniors in high school take college classes at capital community college, which is right there on the campus, which means that students are asking themselves, am i college material? the answer is clearly, yes. they have been college material all through their junior and senior year. >> the impact he's playing is

truly amazing. i love he says you do what you have to do to get it done. he's truly a great man. tell us about the programming. you can catch it after barack obama, is that correct? >> exactly. 7:00 p.m. we start with "moment of truth." we're going to start with steve harvey and henry lewis gates. the first television interview since his arrest and the subsequent dropping of the charges against him. 8:00 p.m. is when we hear from president obama. he's holding a news conference. then right after the president's news conference at 9:00 p.m. eastern "black in america 2" will air. >> i saw the first one. looking forward to it. soledad, thanks. >> thank you. we're switching gears a little here. something not as serious, you could say. a man who wears little but cowboy boots and tighty whites

an up date on the story we've been following. the amber alert in oklahoma has been canceled. police in stillwater now say 12-year-old mycah michelle james

is a runaway. officials say the girl convinced her 8-year-old sister to make up a story about a man taking mycah from her front yard and driving off with her. again, that amber alert has been canceled. more on the breaking news story we've been following for you regarding the michael jackson investigation. police searched the houston office of michael jackson's personal doctor, conrad murray, looking for evidence of manslaughter. that was the keyword there, manslaughter. a spokesman for murray's lawyer confirmed the search. he says they were, quote, caught off guard by this, but they are cooperating with investigators. the search warrant authorized law enforcement to search for and seize items they believe constitute evidence of manslaughter. investigators who left the forensic image of a computer hard drive and 21 documents as well. we'll keep you posted on this, of course. new yorkers have a choice. briefs or bloomberg. the naked cowboy is running for mayor. there he is.

robert burke entertains tourists in times square. wearing nothing but a guitar and undies. incumbent mayor michael bloomberg is, indeed, seeking a third term. no comment from him yet. the white house was a little bit country last night. ♪ star-studded musical event at the white house featured some of the best known names in country music. the president and first lady hosted brad paisley and alison c krausse featured here. here is the question during these tough times, what if you were need of fast cash? it's a huge concern for millions of folks without a job who may need money to i don't know mix a washing machine, go to the

doctor, dentist. we want to know what do you do if you need fast cash? senior market editor for "smart money" magazine has a way to get the fast cash. we got a lot of folks' attention saying that. we're not talking about hitting up a loan shark, are we? >> no, no. this doesn't involve robbing banks or selling blood or turning to a life of white collar crime. there's actually three things that are easy ways to raise cash. the first is a lot of people are willing to lend money to you. people who don't know you at all. it's a recent phenomenon called peer to peer lending. go to a website like virginmoney.com. list how much money you need, the interest rate you're willing to pay, and your credit score. usually a credit check is necessary. you'll find hundreds or thousands of people are willing to lend you perhaps your entire

about you want or even limit increments so you get dozens of people loaning you money. interesting listing we saw just yesterday was a naval commander moving from italy back to the united states. he needed help moving his family as well as a couple of thousands dollars for moving costs. his loan was funded quite quickly as 7% or so interest rate. for $77 a month to get a $2500 loan. you're probably not going to get that type of a deal at a bank. >> that easy. moving on. try to sell something. think about e-bay maybe. >> you have a closet full to a garage to a storage warehouse of stuff you don't use. amazon and e-bay are good places to unload the things. you can have an auction as early as 24 hours. you can go to stub hub if you have tickets you don't want to use. if it's an indemand thing you'll

get face value. >> great advice for fast cash. appreciate it. the voters have spoken. the first local tax on medical marijuana has been green lit. x i'll clean the pool if you clean the windows.

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she pulled a fast one! ( laughs ) new windex outdoor all-in-one. a streak-free shine in half the time. s.c. johnson, a family company. we start with breaking news we're following at hln on the michael jackson investigation. police are reportedly looking for a manslaughter link here. they searched the houston office of michael jackson's personal doctor, conrad murray. they searched to seize items they believed constitute evidence of the offense of manslaughter.0é that's a statement from the attorney. a drug8t enforcement administration tells cnn it assisted the lapd in executing the warrant. a spokesman for murray's lawyer says they were caught offguard by this but they are cooperating with investigators. murray has emerged as a central figure into the investigation of

jackson's death. the doctor was with the singer when he collapsed and died at his home in may last month. we'll bring you the latest information as it comes into us. this just in to hln. an american has been indicted on charges of aiding al qaeda and helping attack a u.s. military base in afghanistan. 26-year-old bryant neil was arrested in pakistan. he is charged with conspiracy to murder u.s. citizens, providing material support to an international terrorist organization. also receiving military type training from that organization as well. court documents show that he and others fired rockets at the american base during an attack that happened last september.0t he also gave al qaeda some information about the new york transit system and the long island railroad. we will keep you posted on this one. an update on a story we've been following. the amber alert in oklahoma has been called off, canceled. local stations are reporting police in stillwater now say

that 12-year-old mycah michelle james is a runaway. officials say the girl convinced her 8-year-old sister to make up the story about a man taking her from her front yard and driving off with her. that amber alert canceled. to florida we are learning more about the crime scene where a couple was killed inside their home. a source familiar with the investigation tells cnn that a second safe discovered in melanie and byrd billings' home contained $100,000. that source says the suspects knew about it but weren't able to get to it during the carefully planned attack. the escambia county sheriff won't confirm the safe's existence. one of the suspects is pointing the finger at leonard gonzalez jr. he also named gonzalez as the person who shot the couple. prosecutors say the men in the case, the men who were charged there, gathered at a nearby mall the attack. they allegedly handed what they

had stolen to a woman police say is suspect pamela wiggins. we're very pleased -- >> president barack obama and prime minister nuri al maliki holding a news conference at the white house right now. the two leaders wrapped up a private meeting just a short time ago. the president said he had no doubt iraq is still facing tough days ahead. on the agenda, of course, security issues and reconciliation among iraq's political and religious groups. pentagon officials say violence in iraq is not likely to subside unless the prime minister and shiite political allies are more flexible about shair sharing power with minority sunnis. tonight president obama is holding a prime time news conference to push for health care reform. he's set a deadline for congress to pass a reform bill before recess next month. house majority leader says they

may not happen because lawmakers cannot reach a consensus. some house democrats are frustrate that had the president isn't taking more of a lead in crafting the legislation. many republicans meanwhile complain the current democratic proposals would fail to deliver what they promise and amount to a government takeover of health care. and lawmakers aren't the only ones with reservations about a health care overhaul. a new cnn poll of polls finds 47% of americans approve of how president obama is handling this issue. 44% disapprove. the survey is an average of the three most recent national polls asking about the president's performance on health care. a victory for gun control advocates. a controversial concealed weapons measure fell two votes short of passage. it would have given people with concealed weapons permit permissions to take their weapons across state lines. opponents say it would have

forced state with strict procedures for getting permits to accept permits for the states with more lax laws. >> this was a narrow escape. and had this amendment passed safety in america would have decreased. plain and simple. lives were saved with the defeat of this amendment. >> supporters argue the measure would have allowed people to protect themselves when they travel state to state. it looks like investigators now have a key piece of the puzzle in the virginia tech shootings that left 32 people dead. the missing mental health records of this money, gunman seung-hui cho have been found. it is illegal to remove records from the clinic. state police are now investigating. they were located by lawyers representing the families of two victims killed in the mass shooting. it happened april 16th, 2007. those families say the state,

the school, and the counseling center were grossly negligent in dealing with cho, who is known to be suicidal. the 2008 death of an african-american man led to a tense standoff in a small texas town. several dozen white protesters, some carrying nazi flags, confronted 100 black demonstrators, some dressed in paramilitary uniforms. it was the third rally at the town's courthouse since murder charges were dropped against two people accused of running down the victim and dragging him to his death. prosecutors say they don't have enough evidence to go to trial particularly since someone else is said he might have accidentally run over the man. it appears the white house may have gone just a little bit country. ♪ >> country a-listers and the first couple turned a grand ole night into a lesson about appreciation for the arts.

i'm jane velez-mitchell. here's my issue. the defense for accused killer drew peterson may be mounting a counter attack. the excop is charged with the murder of his third wife, kathleen involve owe, and is a person of interest in the disappearance of wife number four, stacey. drew's defense team is now trying to suppress kathleen's own words by attacking a relatively new beyond the grave hear/say law in a two letter kathleen claimed drew threatened to kill her. if the defense suppresses that compelling evidence, could peterson walk? some think this hearsla/say bat could go all the way to the supreme court. this is shaping up the to be

another case of justice delayed for two tortured families who have lost their daughters. i'm jane velez-mitchell. that's my issue. >> find out what else jane has on her mind. watch "issues" right here at hln at 7:00 every weekday night. a city is hoping to ease its budget crunch by taxing marijuana sales. they approved a tax on medical marijuana. the measure passed. taxing an illegal drug sends the wrong message. medical marijuana is legal in the state of california. we want to know what do you think? would you be in favor of your local government taxing medical marijuana? or do you feel it's a medicine and should not be singled out over other legal drugs? give us a call. tell us your view. 877-tell-hln. or text the words view plus your name and comment to hln tv. standard text rates apply.

we'll hear your views shortly and throughout the day. tonight "black in america 2" debuts on our sister network cnn. one man offers his thoughts on the question, what solutions do you have to make black america better? >> we need to focus not only on being successful, but we need to focus on us being great once again. back in the days of civil rights when many african-americans were the first people to go to particular schools. you had to be great. you were setting a foundation for those to come after you. now we have settled. focused on our financial success. we focus on the fact that a rapper and a grammy regardless of the lyrics on the cd that help degrade the black community. we don't care about an actor getting on television and embarrassing us so long as the person has been able to get on

television and become a millionaire and get their riches and leave no type of legacy for those coming after them. if we want to make black america better, ladies and gentlemen, let's raise our expectations of ourselves. let's raise our ekations of our children and what we can do to be successful as well as great. everybody can be great. as dr. king said everybody can serve. >> thanks again to i-reporter. if you would like to see other i-reporters and news makers, their responses to questions about being black in america, just go to cnn.com and click on the interactive feature voices of black america. you can watch the debut of "black america 2" on sister network cnn. soledad o'brien reports on the people who are working to help develop african-american leaders for the next generation. the first part of this two-night event "black in america 2" starts tonight. don't miss that. if you have pictures of breaking news or cool stories from your part of the world go to ireport.com and click on the

upload now link. a white house was a little bit country last night. ♪ >> there we go. a star-studded musical event at the white house featured some of the best known names in country music. the president and first lady hosted brad paisley, alison krauss and charlie pride. mr. obama talked about his appreciation for country music. >> now, i know folks think i'm a city boy. but i do appreciate listening to country music. because like all americans i appreciate the brood and indelible impact that country has had on our nation. it's captured our restlessness and resilience. and told so much of our story in the process.

>> this was the second performance in a music series michelle obama launched last month to promote arts education. a u.s. soldier held captive by the taliban in afghanistan. friends back in his hometown share their thoughts on bowe bergdahl coming up.

breaking news we're following on the michael jackson investigation. police are reportedly looking for a manslaughter link. that is the keyword here, manslaughter. they searched the houston office of jackson's personal doctor, conrad murray. they served a warrant that "authorized officers to search for and seize items they believe constituted evidence of the offense of manslaughter." they left with the forensic image of a business computer hard drive, also 21 documents. a spokesman for murray's lawyer confirmed that search. he says they were "caught off guard by this" but they are cooperating with investigators. two more american troops have been killed in afghanistan. a u.s. military spokesman says they died in a bomb explosion in southern afghanistan. nato and u.s. troops have been stepping up their fight against militants trying to secure

dangerous areas before next month's presidential elections. july has been the deadliest month for u.s. forces in afghanistan. 34 have been killed. another big story, of course, out of afghanistan is private first class bowe bergdahl. he is being held captive by the taliban. people in his hometown of idaho are expected to hold a vigil for him tonight. they describe bergdahl as an officer, an adventurer and a gentleman. here's ed lavandera. >> reporter: this is bowe bergdahl. that's him in the green jacket. he found a job fishing for salmon off the alaska coast. it was on this adventure that dillon first met his hometown buddy. >> he was a good kid. he's strong as an ox. >> reporter: they spent three months on this boat with bergdahl. bergdahl dreamed of riding his bike around the world, hopping on boats carrying the bare

necessiti necessities. >> he told you about wanting to bicycle around the world. who do you think of that? >> this kid is crazy. there's no land all the way around the world. then he explained the whole boat process. but biking around the world, that's one heck of a right there. >> reporter: those who know bergdahl talk of his adventurous spirit. he worked at this coffee shop where "get bowe back" signs hang in the window. >> he captures you. he's not somebody in the corner. he captures you. >> reporter: he's a renaissance man in the making. he learned ballet at this dance studio, took up the sport of fencing, an avid outdoors man. he road motorcycles, learned to sail on an expedition that took him from the atlantic to the pacific. >> reporter: seems like he was fascinate bid the world. >> he wanted to go see it. >> reporter: he waited tables and worked construction jobs to pay for the adventures which sometimes involved long rustic bike rides through the idaho

wilderness. >> bowe never owned a car. he doesn't like them. >> reporter: bergdahl's parents live a quite life on this dirt road in hailey, idaho. it's here, we understand, that private bergdahl was home schooled growing up. what sue martin says she loves most is the man who displayed quiet chivalry. >> i would go out to my car after a big snowfall. bowe would sweep the snow off my koor car. i walk out just like, oh, bowe has been here. he would never say anything. >> reporter: that's bowe bergdahl people in his hometown wait to welcome home. >> in a statement released by the county sheriff's office bergdahl's family said they are not giving up hope. and are overwhelmed by messages of support from around the world. all right. we want to tell you about this story now. you can probably smell this through your tv.

city workers haven't been collecting garbage for more than a month in toronto. public workers went on strike and negotiations so far have failed. far have failed. things are getting so bad, speeding on the garbage. the reports say the city wants to reduce workers' pay and benefits but unions are fighting it. the the next time you catch a flight, you may want to fl tra light. hln money expert clark howard says many airlines are adding baggage fees but he has tips to help you save cash. >> there are lots of people across america who fly very infrequently. maybe once in the summer, once at thanksgiving or christmas. and maybe you're not used to the new drill at the airports, which is airlines are doing the best they can to empty your wallet with baggage fees. either for checking a bag or for having a bag that weighs too much. before you take a trip this

summer by air, i need for to you do something you might not want to do. get on the scale, weigh yourself without your bag. get back on the scale with your bag so that you can see how much the thing weighs. you might need to pull some stuff out of it, because the excess baggage charge is for being overweight, can be in the hundreds of dollars each way. best rule of thumb, travel with one simple carry-on bag. you don't have to take everything with you. you take that one carry-on, you're not having to pay anybody anything. i'm clark howard. i want you to be smart in many ways with your dough. check me out at cnn.com/clark howard. >> and get more great consumer advice from clark howard every saturday and sunday at noon and 4:00 p.m. eastern right here on hln. he will help you save more, spend less and avoid getting ripped off. does race matter when you go to the doctor? dr. sanjay gupta investigates.

federal agents raid a houston clinic in connection with the death of michael jackson. they're searching for he had of manslaughter. whose office did they raid and what was taken? as the u.s. gets focused on iraq and afghanistan, president obama and his iraqi counterpart meet and greet and talk to reporters. the big issues on the table. and pot. is a california cure-all, oak land passes a tax on medical marijuana. your views on the vote. "hln news and views," i'm richelle carey. thank you for your time. big news. big story to tell you about. los angeles police have just wrapped up their search for manslaughter evidence at the texas office of michael jackson's personal doctor.

ted rowlands joins us live from los angeles with more on this. ted, we knew the investigation wasn't complete. but this did seem to kind of come out of nowhere, did it not? >> reporter: yeah, richelle. i mean, all along we've been told that they continue to investigate, continue to compile evidence and that it continues to be a death investigation. well, today that all completely changed when dea agents and lapd investigators went to houston, texas, and served a search warrant on dr. conrad murray's clinic there. that was news in itself, the fact they were continuing and doing it in a manner through a search warrant. right away we got an initial response from murray's lawyer. they said we have completely cooperated up until now. we don't know why they're here with a search warrant. we would have given them anything they wanted. then the search warrant took a couple of hours. they went in there. they took out some things including a computer, hard drive -- a forensic copy of that hard drive and other documents. then we got the bombshell from

murray's lawyers in a statement that said, in part, the search warrant authorized law enforcement to search for and seize items, including documents that they believed constitute evidence of the offense of manslaughter. this is the first time that this investigation publicly has gone from death investigation to potential manslaughter, i.e. homicide investigation. a dramatic difference in terms of publicly what they've been saying. privately, obviously, they've been moving forward in this vein, but this is the first real public acknowledgement through the search warrant that they're looking at dr. conrad murray as a possible, possible person who is going to face manslaughter charges in the death of michael jackson. >> ted, even though this is a huge step today, this still doesn't mean that we aren't quite a while away from possibly seeing any kind of charges, correct? >> oh, absolutely. obviously, they were there looking for something. they're looking for something that they didn't want to just ask for. they wanted to show up on the front door and go in and get. once they get that material,

then of course there's still a long process on whether or not to file charges against murray. but, clearly, in this search warrant, when they went to the judge and asked to erch is, they said that they were looking for evidence which constituted a potential manslaughter investigation. so if you're conrad murray, are you worried? more so than you were yesterday at this time. but by no means does this mean he'll be taken away in handcuffs. >> ted,if you're one of another doctor possibly that's treated michael jackson, might you be worried as well? >> absolutely. and maybe not for the death of michael jackson, but if you think back to other cases, there was one in atlanta with the wrestler where they look at the death and through that investigation, aha, they start to look at doctors and their prescribing methods over years of time. clearly, a lot of doctors have come into this investigation because of michael jackson's death. in the end, they may be looking at disciplinary action at least because of overprescribing. that remains to be seen, but clearly a lot of doctors retaining counsel and most

likely worried, too. >> without a doubt, there could be huge implications. thank you for the wrap-up. we appreciate it. we are learning more about the crime scene where a florida couple was seen. a source familiar with the investigation is telling cnn a second safe was found in the home of byrd and melanie billings and there was $100,000 in that safe. the source says the suspects knew about the safe but in spite of all their elaborate planning, they weren't able to get to it. the escambia county sheriff won't confirm the existence of a second safe and neither will the billings family attorney. >> i can tell you that i was in that home shortly after the crime. and i can tell you that there was nothing illegal in that home in any location that has been found by any investigative agency or family member. so the speculation relating to drugs is simply untrue.

>> court documents say one suspect is pointing the finger at another. this gentleman right here, leonard patrick gonzalez jr. this person is saying that he's the organizer of the home invasion and according to documents he named gonzalez as the person who shot the couple. prosecutors say the men charged in the case gathered at a nearby mall after the robbery and killings and allegedly handed off what they had stolen to a woman police now identify as suspect pamela wiggins. an american has been indicted on charges of aiding al qaeda and helping attack a u.s. military base in afghanistan. 26-year-old bryant neil venice was arrested in pakistan. he's charged with conspiracy to murder u.s. citizens, providing material support to an international terrorist organization and also receiving military-type training from that organization. court documents show venice and others fired rockets at the american base during an attack last september. prosecutors also say he gave al qaeda information about the new

york transit system and the long island railroad. finding common ground among iraq's political, religious and ekt nick groups. that's top of the agenda in a meeting between iraqi prime minister nuri al maliki and president obama. they met this morning and held a joint news conference a few minutes ago. the big question whether maliki will forge the kind of political power sharing and compromise that the u.s. thinks is necessary for iraq's long term stability. >> now we're in the midst of a full transition to iraqi responsibility and to a comprehensive partnership between the united states and iraq based on mutual interests and mutual respect. the success of this transition is critically important to the security and prosperity of our people and it is a top priority of my administration. >> maliki started off his u.s. trip with a visit to the u.n. and a meeting with secretary-general ban ki-moon.

the hometown will hold a vigil for the u.s. soldier kept in afghanistan. there are yellows ribbons all over hailey, idaho for berg dafrl. he's been held by the taliban since the end of june. a taliban video surfaced this week and in the video he says he's afraid he will never be able to hug his family again. harvard professor henry louis gates says he wants an apology from the cambridge police officer who arrested him after he broke into his own home. in exchange, he says he'll tutor the officer on racism and america. gates told "the boston globe" he's still angry even though disorderly conduct charges have been dropped. gates disputes the police report which says he was belligerent, calling it a product of the officer's broad imagination. he also says he's concerned about the unconscious attitudes police can hold. he says -- this is a quote -- because of the capricious whim of one disturbed person, i am now a black man with a prison

record. you can look at my mug shot on the internet. prosecutors call the arrest regrettable. 2008 death of a black man led to a tense standoff in a small texas town. several dozen white protesters, some carrying nazi flags, confronted about 100 black demonstrators, some dressed in paramilitary uniforms in paris, texas. this is the third rally at the town's courthouse since murder charges were dropped against two people who had been accused of running down a victim, dragging him to his death. prosecutors said they don't have enough evidence to go to trial, especially since someone else came forward and said he might have accidentally run that man over. well, the gates case has refocused attention on issues of race. in spite of initial optimism after the election of president obama, most african-americans surveyed don't think the situation is improving. a cnn/"essence" magazine poll found 55% of black americans questioned in may said racial

discrimination is a very serious problem. that is up from just 38% in november. cnn's special programming series tonight at 7:00 eastern time, starting with the live show "moment of truth" with a cnn exclusive, professor henry louis gates' first television interview since his arrest. then join cnn at 9:00 eastern time for the first night of an all new two-night "black in america" event.

all right. for the first time, a city is hoping to ease its budget crunch by taxing marijuana sales. voters in oakland, california, approved a sales tax on medical marijuana. the measure passed with 80% of the vote. one critic says taxing an illegal drug sends the wrong message. medical marijuana is legal in california. all right.

what do you think about this? we've been lining up some phone calls. john is calling from florida. all right, john. you know the story. you know the facts. what do you think? >> caller: it's a complex issue. marijuana is not a typical medication. on one hand, taxing will generate a huge revenue while discouraging people who don't really need it from trying to access it. on the other hand, if it's considered a medication, it shouldn't be taxed because prescription pills aren't taxed and neither is marijuana especially with it being indisputably safer and less addictive than pills. but if helps push vital medicine to people across the u.s. it's an important factor then, yes, i think it should be. >> thank you for your point of view, expressing yourself so clearly. brenda is calling from washington state. what do you think about this move? >> caller: i do not think that medical marijuana should be taxed. for the same reason others have stated, because other prescription drugs are not taxed. so it places an unfair burden on those patients. and i know that you don't want

this discussion to be about legalization of pot, but if congress is trying to find a way to fund health care, if marijuana were to be legal eyed, i'm sure that those tax dollars would be more than enough to pay for any health care plan many times over and probably could be used to rescue social security and medicare as well. so that would just solve all of our problems. >> brenda, thank you for your phone call. we have a text to share with you as well. jackie sent us a text to hlntv. you can do the same. this is what she wrote -- comments on my facebook page as well. this is what bryan wrote. sonji wrote this.

and judy put this on my facebook page. all right. thanks to everyone who expressed their point of view by e-mailing and calling in today. we still want your comments here at "hln news and views." "prime news" starts at the top of the hour. we have several topics that you can get feisty on with your comments. check this out at cnn.com/primenews and see how to get your views heard. sure, the great wall of china is a pretty cool place to visit on any day. but for one young i-reporter it was even cooler on the day of a total solar eclipse.

president obama's holding a primetime news conference to push for health care reform. he set a deadline for congress to pass a reform bill before they recess next month but house majority leader steny hoyer says that might not happen because lawmakers can't reach a con census. one senior source says some house representatives aren't happy the president isn't taking more of a part.

many republicans complain the current democratic proposals wouldn't do what he promises and amount to a government takeover of health care. a victory for gun control advocates. a controversial concealed weapons measure fell two votes short of passing. it would have been given people with concealed permits to take their guns to other states with similar gun laws. opponents say it would have forced states with stricter procedures for getting permits to accept permits with relaxed laws. >> this was a narrow escape. and had this amendment passed, safety in america would have decreased. plain and simple. lives were saved with the defeat of this amendment. >> supporters argue the measure would have allowed people to protect themselves when they travel. okay. shuttle astronauts.

david wolf and christopher cassidy are taking a space walk right now. got some pictures for you. look at this. this is what they're doing. they're replacing four batteries on a solar panel on the international space station. take a look at our live pictures there. it's a lot more challenging than it sounds. not like me changing a battery. the nickel hydrogen batteries weigh 370 pounds apiece back here on earth, all right. this is the third space walk in five days for the "endeavour" crew. they'll replace two other batteries friday. the astronauts have been in orbit for a week now and will remain at the space station until tuesday. millions of americans got to see the light show of a lifetime. the longest total eclipse of the sun that will happen this century put large parts of asia in the dark. it lasted five or six minutes, enough to make temperatures drop. and 12-year-old i-reporter -- i said 12 -- jonathan lee is traveling through asia on a quest to bring

attention to his environmental cause, go green man. he was at the great wal of china with his family as the eclipse was happening. >> i'm at the great wall of china on the fourth day of my go green quest and, wow, this is a solar eclipse. this was exciting. i got to experience the longest solar eclipse of the 21st century wall in china. at first i couldn't see anything because it was hidden behind the smog. but it came out little by little. it was really, really cool to see this eclipse. i probably couldn't have seen it without sunglasses if it hadn't been for the smog here. this was a great memory for me. >> wow! our thanks to jonathan lee. i said he was 12. and thanks to all of our i-reporters. if you have great pictures or video of breaking news or fantastic things happening in your part of the world, go to ireport.com and click on the upload now link, see if you can top him.

more first-time home buyers are snapping up cheaper houses because paying a mortgage costs about the same as paying rent. that is some good news in a bad economy. the associated press looked at 45 metro areas, found the difference between a mortgage and rent is a little more than $200 a month in some areas and tax and incentives are also a plus. dow jones industrials are riding a seven-day winning streak coming into today's session. would a mixed batch of corporate earnings be enough to end the rally? allison joins us from new york with all the details. >> reporter: stocks fluttered in and out of positive territory today as investors took a breather from that rally that you mentioned. over that span, the dow soared 770 points or nearly 9.5%. but the streak came to an end today. the dow industrials fell 34 points to end at 8881 but the nasdaq composite extended the winning streak to 11 sessions.

the s&p 500 was down a fraction. shares of wells fargo lost 3.5%. its earnings were strong, but investors are concerned that credit losses continue to take a toll on the bank's balance sheet. and morgan stanley posted its third straight quarterly loss, due in part to repayments of government loans. despite morgan stanley's weak results, it seems the bailout funds helped to prop up the financial industry. tech sector, apple rose 3.5%. its earnings continue to benefit from the iphone. it sold more than 5 million in the past three months. profits jumped 15% to more than $1.2 billion. apple's best nonholiday quarter ever. apple could have done even better, but it couldn't keep up with demand. tomorrow is another big day for corporate earnings. we'll get reports from five dow components including microsoft and american express. >> that's a big day. we'll look forward to it. breaking news involving the doctor who was with michael jackson the day he died. investigators searched a houston

building where dr. conrad murray has a practice. with a we've been able to learn about that search and what jane velez-mitchell is saying about the late breaking details.

this just in to hln. two astronauts have been ordered to get back inside the space station early. this is because of an issue with one of their space suits. david wolf and christopher cassidy were working to replace batteries on a solar panel on the international space station when mission control made this call. we just had live pictures for you just a little while ago of them replacing the battery. nasa says a canister in cassidy's suit for removing carbon dioxide, that it wasn't working right. wolf had to get back inside with him. they were able to replace two of the four batteries before their walk came to an end.

we'll keep an eye on it. we wanted to bring that just as soon as possible. breaking news in the michael jackson investigation. police searched the houston office of jackson's personal doctor today. that is dr. conrad murray. the search took about 2 1/2 hours and reportedly they're looking for a manslaughter link. they served a warrant that -- this is the exact wording here -- authorized law enforcement to search for and seize items they believe constituted evidence of the offense of manslaughter. that is a statement by dr. murray's attorney. they left with a forensic image of the business computer hard drive and 21 documents. that's what police left with. the drug enforcement administration is telling cnn they aassisted the lapd in executing the warrant. a spokesperson for murray's lawyer said they were caught off guard and are cooperating with investigators. murray has basically emerged as one of the central figures in this investigation into michael jackson's death. he was with michael jackson when he collapsed and died at his

home in los angeles last month. we're going to keep you posted on that. finding common ground among iraq's political, religious and ethnic groups tops the agenda in a meeting between iraqi prime minister new i had al maliki and president obama. the leaders met this morning and held a joint news conference a little while ago. the big question, whether maliki will forge the kind of political power-sharing and economic compromises the u.s. thinks is necessary for iraq's long-term stability. >> now we're in the midst of a full transition to iraqi responsibility and to a comprehensive partnership between the united states and iraq based on mutual interests and mutual respect. the success of this transition is critically important to the security and prosperity of our people, and it is a top priority of my administration. >> maliki started off this u.s. trip with a visit to the u.n. in a meeting with secretary-general ban ki-moon. tonight, president obama

will make a primetime push for another issue that's front and center on his agenda. we're talking about health care reform. are americans backing him up? deputy political director paul steinhauser has some just released poll numbers. paul, it feels like election season. sore is it just me? >> there's a lot riding on health care reform for this pre. that's why he's going into primetime for the fourth time holding a news conference. to your question, take a look at these numbers. this is a cnn poll of polls. basically we arched the most recent national surveys on how the president is handling health care reform. you can see here americans appear to be split, 47% approve of what mr. obama is doing, 444% don't approve. the approval level below 50%. >> talk about the overall picture, the overall picture about the president's approval numbers. how are they holding up? >> they're holding up. it's still a pretty good number. another cnn poll of polls, an average of the most recent national surveys.

56% of americans say they approve of the job barack obama is doing in the white house. 40% disapprove. that's a pretty good number most politicians would like. but take a look. there's been a slight deterioration as you can see just from last month. early june 62%, late june 61% now 56%. this is important because treat it like clout and the higher the rating among americans, well, the more clout a president has to get things done and to pass things through congress. that's why we spend so much time taking is a look at those numbers. >> the clout and how he wants to spend it. >> exactly. >> all right, deputy political director paul steinhauser. thank you so much. >> thank you. well, we are learning more about the crime scene where a florida couple was killed. a source familiar with the investigation is telling cnn a second safe discovered in the home of byrd and melanie billings contained $100,000. that source says the suspects knew about it, but in spite of all their elaborate planning, they weren't able to get to it.

the escambia countysher, though, isn't exactly confirming the existence of the second safe. core documents say it's pointing the finger at one suspect, leonard kilpatrick gonzalez jr. as the organizer of the attack and say he also named gonzalez as the person who shot the couple. prosecutors say the men charged in the case gathered at a nearby mall after this brutal attack and allegedly handed what they had stolen over to a woman police say is suspect pamela wiggins. harvard professor henry louis gates says he wants to apologize -- he wants, rather, an apology from the cambridge police officer alefted him after he broke into his own home. in exchange he says he'll tutor the officer on race i am in america. gates told "the boston globe" she's still angry even though disorderly conduct charges have been dropped. gates disputes the police report, which says he was belligerent, calling it the product of an officer's broad imagination. he also says he's concerned about the unconscious attitudes police can hold.

he says -- this is a quote -- because of the capricious whim of one disturbed person, i am now a black man with a prison record. you can look at my mug shot on the internet. prosecutors call the arrest regrettable. the gates case refocused attention on the issues of race. in spite of some initial optimism after the election of president obama, most african-americans surveyed don't think the situation is improving. a cnn/"essence" magazine poll found 55% of black americans questioned in may said racial discrimination is a very serious problem. that's up from just 38% in november. private first class bowe bergdahl's hometown will hold a vigil tonight for the u.s. soldier captured in afghanistan. there's already yellow ribbons all the over hailey, idaho, for him. bergdahl has been held by the taliban since the end of june. a taliban video of him surfaced this week and in it, he says he is afraid he will never be able to hug his family again.

a victory for gun control advocates. a controversial concealed weapons measure fell two votes short of passage. it would have given people with concealed weapons permits permission to take weapons to other states with similar gun laws. only illinois and wisconsin have no concealed weapons laws. opponents said it would have forced states with strict procedures to accept permits from states with more relaxed laws. >> this was a narrow escape. and had this amendment passed, safety in america would have decreased. plain and simple. lives were saved with the defeat of this amendment. >> supporters argue the measure would have allowed people to protect themselves when they travel. investigators now have a key piece in the puzzle in the virginia tech shootings that left 32 people dead. the missing mental health record of gunman seu ndg-hui cho were

found. it's illegal to remove records from the clinic and state police are investigating this. lawyers representing the families of two victims killed in the mass shooting on able 16th of 2007, those lawyers found these records. those families contend the state, the cool and its counseling center were grossly negligent in dealing with cho, who was known to be suicidal. millions of people got to see the light show of a lifetime. the longest total eclipse of the sun that will happen this century put large parts of asia in the dark. it lasted five or six minutes, long enough to actually make temperatures drop. group of school 62 kids who gained national attention during the election for their song about barack obama and john mccain are back. a look at their latest project.

sarah palin is rejecting an accusation she may have broken alaska's ethics laws. an investigator hired by the state says it was wrong to let her supporters create a legal defense fund for her to defend against ethics complaints. most of the complaints have been dismissed. the governor says she doesn't control the fund and hasn't even gotten money from it. if you ever lost your luggage and wonder where it might be, sorry to tell you but the u.s. government may have blown it to a million little pieces but all in the name of national security. hmm. cnn.com live nicole lapin here with a story very popular on our website right now. we need an explanation, nicole. >> reporter: because when you say exploding luggage, richelle, people start to pay attention.

we've all been there, my friend. they're not just exploding luggage pieces that people have lost. they are exploding full-on planes as here -- and it is in the name of security, as you mention. jeanne meserve took this great look inside a laboratory that really runs these pieces of luggage through the x-ray machine to try and close these security gaps, because they're really playing a game of catch and mouse with terrorists. they're trying to get better and better technology. all of these tsa screening machines first have to be approved by this laboratory. so they are doing work that is basically helping you and i when we go to the airports, richelle. they are looking at things like dvds right there, things that are disguised as -- i don't even know what that is. a radio. toast -- is that a toaster? but all of these things can be bombs. so they put them through these screening devices and they blow them up just like that. they're now focused on liquids

specifically. they have seen things like shoes. that's why you and i have to take off our shoes at the airport. now they're focusing on liquids, so maybe we won't have to bring those little plastic baggies. >> that would be nice. >> that would be nice because i can't put all my stuff and i have a lot of stuff in a little baggy. >> i know you do. i'm glad you told on yourself because i was going to. that's a good story. lots of explosions. this next story i know people would definitely like a follow-up on. these school kids, they got a lot of attention during the campaign when they had their fantastic song about the candidates -- >> reporter: you can do it, come on. mccain on the right, obama on the left. >> there you go, go ahead. i can't do it. i don't want to shame the kids. >> reporter: they performed everywhere. on cnn how many times, right? they were at the inauguration. they were on oprah. now they're on "black in america 2." we can't get enough of these kids from the ron clark academy. in atlanta they actually have a

new partnership which is very cool with delta. so the kids get to travel abroad before they even hit the eighth grade. lucky little guys and gals. so tonight's "black in america" series, cnn's soledad o'brien asked this group of young students what it means to be young and black and their answers are featured on the site. >> in a person world, no one would dare tell me, you're too young to understand when, in fact, i understand anger. i understand pain. i understanhope. and i understand change. so as it turns out, i'm not too young after all. >> ghetto, gangsters, is that who you see? when i look down the street, that is not what i see. i see community leaders, barbers, pastors, beauticians and store owners, people who gradually dream by dream change

the world. that is black america. >> reporter: i can't get enough of those little guys, richelle. they are just so smart. they are engaging in a highly advanced curriculum at their school. again, "black in america" airs tonight 9:00 eastern time on cnn. >> fantastic kids. thanks for sharing, that nicole. fantastic. all right. ♪ star-studded musical event at the white house featured some of the best known names in country music. president and first lady hosted brad paisley, charlie pride and alison krauss. the president talked about his appreciation for country music. >> now, i know folks think i'm a city boy, but i do appreciate listening to country music because, like all americans, i appreciate the broad and indelible impact that country has had on our nation. it's captured our restlessness

and resilience. and told so much of our story in the process. >> where's the hat or something? all right. this is the second performance in a music series michelle obama launched last month to promote arts education. all right. the voters have spoken. the first local tax on medical marijuana has been green-lit. we'll share your views on the landmark vote. ppxx

"prime news" is coming up in a few minutes. right to mike galanos. want to give you all the time in the world because you have a lot to talk about today. huge, huge development with michael jackson's primary doctor, as far as we know. >> dr. conrad murray, a story you've been talking about a lot. his offices in houston, texas, raided. we'll talk with cnn reporter randi kaye covering this. what was taken out of there, what are they looking for? we'll hit on that. we'll also talk with peep from "rolling stone" magazine who unveiled a jaw-dropping article that is concerning the last days of michael jackson's life. talk about people who saw him after he was dead, talking about people who saw him hours before

that saying he was better than ever. we're talking about experts in the field who said they had goosebumps about how good he was. again, this is hours before his death. some incredible revelations. you want to stick around for that. we take your phone calls. 1-877-tell-hln is the number. we're keeping you updated as well on the tragic murts of byrd and melanie billings. we've wondered, how are you killing these people over this safe, microwave oven size safe, had little in it and now we hear there's a second safe that could have had $100,000 cash in it. why couldn't they get it out of there? call in on that as well 1-877-tell-hln. and the story of a couple of heroes, really a team full of heroes. mom, kids in a fiery van. i mean, this van, as you will see, going up in flames. two off-duty firefighters with no protective gear, they were the true heroes as they go in and pull out the 4-year-old little boy who was stuck. they needed to get him out of

his booster seat. we're going to talk to them because you think about it and when you see the video of this van on fire, you think how does something click in where you're just going burning vehicle. and your own body -- >> somebody came out with a garden hose. i mean, everyone -- >> they're screaming for knives to cut them out of there. the firsthand account of it as well. call us, 1-877-tell-hln. coming your way in about ten minutes. >> great show coming up, mike. listen to this. for the first time a city is hoping to ease its budget crunch by taxing marijuana sales. voters in oakland, california, approved a sales tax on medical marijuana. it passed with 80% of the vote. one critic said taxing an illegal drug sends the wrong message. medical marijuana is legal in california. we've been asking for your views on this story. got a text from dave. this is what he says. these are his words. tax the hell out of those who use medicinal pot, like the

tobacco smokers have to. i think taxing marijuana shows how desperate a state is in in this economic meltdown. let's get comments on my facebook page as well. absolutely. it's making the distributors very rich. as long as the government allows its sell, then tax it like all other legitimate businesses. i think marijuana should be taxed. just look at the misuse of so-called legal drugs and the damage that misuse it's caused our government and community. before a doctor writes a prescription for medicinal purposes, we should be prepared for the likelihood it will wind up in the hands of traffickers and sellers. please tax me. just don't arrest me. in the land of the free where a plant can make anyone a criminal. thanks for all your e-mails. facebook comments, texts. mike galanos is coming up at the top of the hour with more topics that you can weigh in on. one of michael jackson's brothers has a message for

everyone, leave michael alone. jermaine jack sob is not happy from the fallout from the king of pop.