i'm natasha curry. >>> colorado authorities could soon file criminal charges in that balloon case. we expect to hear more at a news conference. thursday, it was feared that 6-year-old falcon heenie was in this balloon. speculation has mounted that it was all a publicity stunt. >> we have made some significant progress in this investigation. obviously, we are conducting interviews as we speak. we have been conducting interviews since noon. we've had investigators here as well as at the house. we're in the process of drafting and completing drafting, and object taning some search warrants and we do participate at some point in the future there will be criminal charges filed with regards to this incident. >> sheriff's deputies were seen entering and leaving the heene family home, they took several boxes and computer with them. the boy's parents were questioned for several hours yesterday. >> i was talking to the sheriff's department just now to further things along. we're doing well. >> richard heene and his wife insist their fears that their son was in this balloon were genuine and n

i'm natasha curry.in meade is on assignment this thursday. >>> democrats are saying they will get a health care reform bill on the floor of both houses within two weeks. it is a tall order. there's no agreement on whether they create a government paid insurance option and republican efforts to amend the bill support has failed. president obama was working the phones yesterday trying to get more democrats to support the proposal. >>> chicago police say they are fighting a code of silence as they try to track down more suspects in the beating death of a teenager. darion albert was an innocent bystander who was attacked during a gang fight. it was caught on tape as dozens of young people looked on here. last night on our sister network, cnn police superintendent vented his frustration. >> this young man was killed. the entire city is outraged and yet, we have gotten no tips, no calls. >> are you serious? no one? >> no one has called in that i'm aware of talking to detectives and provided us with any inform

i'm natasha curry in for robin meade. she'll be back on monday. stay tuned for that. a few hours from now we could find out if the president's pitch for the u.s. to host the summer olympics was enough. his promise, if the committee chooses chicago. late night host david letterman reveals he was the victim of a $2 million blackmail plot, what he says a man threat ended to do with information about letterman's affairs. >>> a man who is deaf and mute couldn't hear the cries for help and couldn't shout when his apartment caught fire. hear how he was able to get his mother, fiancee and baby girl out alive. >>> president obama hopes he has convinced olympic leaders to have the world's biggest sporting event in chicago. while you were sleeping, he wrapped up his pitch to the international olympic committee in denmark. he and the first lady told personal stories about chicago. the president said if the city is picked to host the 2016 games, his hometown and america will make the world proud. >> to host athletes and visitors from

i'm natasha curry in for robin meade today. she'll be back on monday. just a few hours from now we could find out if the president's pitch for the u.s. to host the summer olympics was enough. his promise if the committee chooses chicago. >>> late night host david letterman reveals he was the victim of a $2 million blackmail plot. what he says the man threatened to do with information about letterman's affairs. >>> and a man who is deaf and mute couldn't hear the cries for help and couldn't shout when an apartment caught fire. find out how he was able to get his mother, fiance, and baby girl out alive. >>> president obama hopes he convinced olympic leaders to have the world's biggest sporting event in chicago. now while you were sleeping he wrapped up his pitch to the international olympic committee in denmark. both he and the first lady told personal stories about chicago and the president said if the city is picked to host the 2016 games, his hometown and america will make the world proud. >> the host, athletes and visitors fr

i'm natasha curry. robin meade is on assignment today. you know, got to see this rescue video from indonesia's earthquake. now they have been hit yet again. plus, police are looking for a newborn baby they say was snatched after a violent struggle. what the infant's mom is saying about the kidnapping. al also -- >> i wasn't afraid. >> you've got to hear how this 5-year-old nabbed an 800-pound alligator. >>> the fear is that thousands of people may be buried in the rubble from yesterday's earthquake in indonesia. a second quake hit overnight about 150 miles from the worst devastation. no word about any injuries from that one but yesterday's quake is blamed for more than 400 deaths. people were sleeping outside unprotected because their homes were destroyed. look at this mess here. now, here's one relief coordinator explaining how the government is using what it learned after the 2004 tsunami. >> we're working hand in hand. we know each other well and we coordinate very carefully, like the government loaned us two planes this morning to fly

i'm natasha curry in for robin meade today. thanks for joining us. five young suspects face potential life sentences in connection with a gang rape of a 15-year-old girl, but people are still asking why did none of the witnesses do anything to stop it? also, the maker of louisville slugger baseball bats will have to pay a family $850,000. why a jury found the company responsible for a player's death. >>> and if you know any bad drivers, don't hold it against them. some doctors actually say it's because of genetics. >>> first, our top story, the bodies of at least 18 americans killed in afghanistan are back in the u.s. this morning. president obama was there to see their flag-draped coffins arrive home. their deaths came in the deadliest month for u.s. forces since 2001 and at a time when the president is trying to decide whether or not to send more u.s. forces into harm's way. the 15 soldiers and three d.e.a. agents who arrived home this morning were killed monday and tuesday in afghanistan. they died in a helicopter crash and a roadside bombing. >>>

i'm natasha curry. authorities could file criminal charges in the balloon boy case. on thursday, it was feared that 6-year-old falcon heene was in this homemade balloon that got loose, but since then speculation has mounted that it's was all a publicity stunt. >> we have made some significant progress in this investigation. obviously we are conducting interviews as we speak. we have been conducting interviews since noon. we've had investigators here as well as at the house. we're in the process of drafting and completing drafting and obtaining some search warrants and we do anticipate at some point in the future there will be some criminal charges filed with regards to this incident. >> sheriff's deputies were with seen entering and leaving the heene family home early this morning. they took several boxes and a kmrurt with them. the boy's parents were questioned for several hours yesterday. >> i was talking to the sheriff's department just now to further things along. we're doing well. >> richard heene and his wife insist their fears that their son was in this balloo

i'm holly firfer in for natasha curry. >>> president obama addressed the largest gay rights group in the country last night. during a rousing speech, he once again promised to pursue an agenda that would bring an end to discrimination against gays, he specifically pointed out the need to end the don't ask, don't tell military policy. and he called for anti-discrimination law for the workplace. >> we know there's far more work to do. we're pushing hard to pass an inclusive employee nondiscrimination bill. [ cheers and applause ] for the first time ever, an administration official testified in congress in favor of this law. nobody in america should be fired because they're gay, despite doing a great job and meeting their responsibilities. it's not fair. it's not right. we're going to put a stop to it. >> despite his well-received speech, some in the gay community remain skeptical of president obama's agenda. yesterday, dozens of gay rights advocates gathered at the washington monument. they spoke out about what they say is the president's foot dragging on gay issues. >> i don't think t

this is "hln:news and views" i'm holly firfer in for natasha curry. >>> president obama addressed the large est gay rights group last night. he specifically pointed out the need to end the don't ask, don't tell policy and called for discrimination law for the workplace. >> we know there's far more work to do. we're pushing hard to pass an inclusive employee nondiscrimination bill. for the first time ever an administration official testified in congress in favor of this law. nobody in america should be fired because they're gay, despite doing a great job and meeting their responsibilities. it's not fair. it's not right. we're going to put a stop to it. >> despite his well-received speech, some in the gay community remain skeptical of president obama's agenda. yesterday, dozens of gay rights activists gathered at the washington monument and spoke out about what they say is the president's foot dragging on gay rights issues. >> i don't think president obama has done enough. we need action. we need real action and we need it now. so, we are setting up to demand our equal, basic human righ

. >>> hey, good morning, it's saturday, i'm natasha curry, thank you for joining us for watching hln news and views. >>> a manhunt is underway in cleveland, ohio for this man, anthony solo. when they got inside his home, they found two decomposing bodies june stairs and a freshly dug grave in the basement with another body in it. police then searched in and around the house and found three more bodies. none of the bodies has been identified but people who live in the neighborhood are worried about who was bore buried in so home. >> sowell was convicted of a 1983 rape and served 15 years in prison. >>> the stock markets took a dive that we haven't seen in quite a while. all three major indexes went down yesterday and the dow had its biggest one-day drop in half a year. the government said that consumer spending went down in september, the first time in five months. at the same time, personal incomes remain flat, some economists worry the recovery could run out of steam if consumers start spending less. >>> president obama is getting more advice as he considers his next move in afghani

i'm natasha curry. a mother and father who thought their son had floated away in a balloon will face more tough questions from investigators today. erica hill explains how a comment the boy made on cnn has them wondering if the whole thing was a stunt. the day daunz with the heenes where we left them thursday night, on tv telling their story and denying any suggestion the entire episode was a hoax. >> now i'm starting to get ticked off because i am repetitively getting asked this. >> getting asked repeatedly because of this comment by wolf blitzer last night. >> because of the show. >> getting a lot of attention but for different reasons. >> i'm about to vomit. >> another hot topic, the family's home video of the balloon taking off. it doesn't appear anyone realizes falcon is missing or maybe inside the balloon as was initially thought. but this extended home video obtained by "inside edition" appears to tell a different tale. >> he's in there! >> where? >> until the ship! >> he was just here. >> the cr

i'm holly firfer in for natasha curry. >>> president obama met with top military leaders yesterday. the military made its case for sending up to 40,000 more u.s. troops to afghanistan. the white house spokesman says a decision about that is probably weeks ago. a senior administration official says the white house seems to be fog can using on al qaeda, and putting taliban on the back burner. >> what people think on the ground is the critical issue. the level of coalition forces i think is so important. unless you have enough troops on the ground to make people feel safe and to have enough leverage to get the afghan government to do the right thing, then it doesn't matter what else you're doing, you're not going to gain control of the environment. >> but we're also hearing obama's meeting wasn't just about troops. senior white house adviser david axelrod spoke in lincoln, nebraska, last night and he president obama also spoke about fraud in the afghan presidential vote. he said the ultimate goal is to disrupt al qaeda, so it

i'm natasha curry. a mother and father who thought their son floated away in a balloon will face more tough questions. the comment he made on cnn has authorities wondering if the whole thing was a stunt. >> the halloweeneenes on thursday night. >> now i'm starting to get a little ticked off because i'm repetitively asked this. >> getting asked this comment to wolf blitzer last night. >> we did this for a show. >> reporter: also getting a lot of attention but for a different reason. >> i feel like i'm going vomit. >> that's what he was referring to. >> caller: the other hot topic, the family's home video. >> get the tether. >> reporter: it doesn't appear that anyone realizes he's missing or inside the balloon. but this video appears to tell a different tale. >> i'm going to sneak inside. >> dad falcon's in there. >> where. >> in the ship. >> he was just here. >> no, he's in there. >> reporter: it came loose around 11:00. and then she called 911. >> they've both been missing for 20 minutes? mm-hmm. >> rep

i'm natasha curry. all those stories are just ahead. >>> but first, our top story this morning. a newborn baby kidnapped in tennessee was found safe at an alabama home last night. here are the baby's pictures. police arrested the woman suspected of taking the week-old baby and stabbing his mother. arrangements are being made to reunite the baby with his mother. >> i'd just like to say our goal was threefold, to recover the victim, to get the victim safely to his parents, to identify the person responsible and get that person in custody. i'm happy to announce that we were successful in all three. >> he was taken from his family's home on tuesday, just four days after he was born. the suspect also allegedly stabbed the mother before taking off. authorities still don't have a motive for the kidnapping. >>> the man who reportedly tried to extort money from david letterman has pleaded not guilty. robert joe halderman had a court hearing in new york yesterday. he's facing larceny charge that is could land him in jail for up to 15 years. after the hearing, halderman was released on $20

i'm natasha curry. thanks for joining us. >>> president obama hopes his declaration of a national emergency will help deal with all the h1n1 case that is keep popping up. he says the rates of illness are rising rapidly in many communities in the u.s. and the pandemic could overburden health care resources. elaine quiano reports. >> reporter: president obama declared a national h1n1 emergency, an ominous sounding name for what officials insist is a purely preemptive move. in the declaration the president said the rates of illness continue to rise rapidly within many communities across the nation, and the potential exists for the pandemic to overburden health care resources in some localities. the declaration is meant to lift that potential burden so if hospitals get overwhelmed with h1n1 patients, they'll be able to bypass requirements like making patients sign certain forms. the goal? to allow doctors and nurses in disaster mode focus on patients, not paperwork. the declaration comes as millions of amer

i'm natasha curry. details on those stories just ahead. >>> we start with a deadly day for troops in afghanistan. eight u.s. troops and two members of afghanistan's national security force were killed in a battle with militants yesterday. that is the largest number of americans killed by hostile action in a single day since july of 2008. officials say coalition forces fought back after militants launched an attack from a mosque. >>> yesterday's deaths come as president obama tries to make a decision about changing course in afghanistan. an immediate u.s. withdrawal seems unlikely, but ultimately the president and top commander in afghanistan agree, defeating al qaeda is critical to stopping the terrorist group's safe havens from spreading. >> i believe that the loss of stability in afghanistan brings huge risks that trancenational terrorists like al qaeda. >> earlier efforts to speed up afghan training stalled, partly because there was a lack of nato trainers. >>> family and friends in chicago said good

i'm natasha curry. colorado authorities could soon file criminal charges in that balloon boy case. we expect to learn more during a news conference today. now, on thursday, it was feared that 6-year-old falcon heene was in this homemade balloon that got loose. but since then, speculation has mounted that it was all a publicity stunt. >> we have made some significant progress in this investigation. obviously, we are conducting interviews as we speak. we have been conducting interviews since noon. we've had investigators here as well as at the house. we're in the process of drafting and completing drafting and obtaining some search warrants and we do anticipate, at some point in the future, there will be some criminal charges filed with regards to this incident. >> sheriffs deputies were seen entering and leaving the heene's family home early this morning. they took several boxes and a computer with them. investigators questioned the boy's parents for several hours yesterday. >> i was talking to the sheriff's department just now to further things along and we're doing well. >> richar

i'm natasha curry.ope you're having a great weekend so far. >>> we start in washington where president obama has declared a national emergency to deal with the swine flu outbreak. the move allows health and human services secretary kathleen sebelius to take action to more quickly help health care facilities deal with the pamd. in a statement, the president said that the rates of illness continue to rise rapidly within many community in the nation and the potential exists for the pandemic to overburden health care facilities in some localities. in declaring the emergency, the president was quick to point out that it was not a response to any new developments. he said it gives the federal government more power to help states. he also said declaring a national emergency helps free up doctors by reducing the paperwork that they have to deal with and that should reduce delays in treatment. even before president obama declared a national emergency, there were long lines across the country as people lined up f

hey, good morning, it's saturday, i'm natasha curry, thanks so much for watching hln news and views.>> a man hunt is now underway in cleveland, ohio, for this man, 50-year-old anthony sowell. on thursday, they went to arrest sowell on charges of assault and rape. but when they went to his home found two decomposing bodies up stairs and a freshly dug grave in the basement with another body in it. police searched in and around the house and found three more bodies. none of the bodies have been identified, but people who live in the neighborhood are worried about who was buried in sowell's home. >> i pray to god it's not my cousin. and if it is my cousin, i'm sorry. >> sowell was convicted for a 1989 rape and served 15 years in prison. >>> well, the stock market's took a dive that we haven't seen in a while. all three major indices went down. and the dow had one of the biggest one-day drop in half a year. the consumer spending went down in september, the first time in five months. at the same time, personal incomes remain flat, some economists worry the recovery could run out of steam i

. >>> i am natasha curry, and thank you for spending your day with us. and when authorities scramble to find a boy trapped in the balloon, the mother told investigators it was a hoax. she told investigators she knew her son, falcon, was hiding the whole time. they told their children to lie to the authorities and the media about it. >> i really do hope that cooler heads prevail. it does seem like the misdemeanor of making a false police report. i think it's a bad thing to tell your children to lie to the authorities, to tell your children to die to meredith vieira and wolf blitzer, but i also think it's a very big deal in the country to take children away from their parents, and based on what i have seen this does not rise to that level. >> heene supposedly took two weeks to put the plan together. they should be charged sometime next week. >>> regulators say more than 100 american banks failed this year. regulators announced seven new bank closures yesterday, including a bank in naples, p . florida. that is more than four times the number that closed las

i'm natasha curry. we start in washington where president obama has declared a national emergency to deal with the swine flu outbreak. the move allows kathleen sebelius to take action to more quickly help health care facilities deal with the pandemic. in a statement, the president said the rates of illness continue to rise rapidly across the nation and the potential exists for the pandemic to overburdenen health care resources in some localettes. >>> tlairing the emergency the president was quick to point out it wasn't a response to new developments but gives the federal government more power to help states. he also says declaring a national emergency frees up doctors by reducing their paperwork, reducing delays in treatment. before president obama declared a national emergency there were long lines across the country as people lined up for the vaccine. now, this scene was outside a health department in salt lake city utah, yesterday. demand was so great the people started lining up overnight on friday.

i'm natasha curry. >>> health officials are urging pregnant women to get the h1n1 vaccine, but many are few nervous mothers to be talk to mary snow about the fears of what the vaccine will do to their babies. >> reporter: for laura, deciding whether or not to get the h1n1 vaccine before her first child is due hasn't been easy. >> i'm leaning towards getting it, but i definitely am nervous just for my new baby and for me. >> what are your reservations? >> main reservations from what researchers have done, there's not a lot of study done on the effect of the vaccine on the baby. so that definitely just worries me. >> and it worries coline who says she's been advised to get the h1n1 vaccine but isn't sold. >> i want to wait until a few peek people, like hundreds have gotten the shot to see if there's any reaction and at that point i'll make a decision. >> and it's that kind of hesitancy that health officials are trying to overcome. the head of center for disease control stresses the vaccine is manufactured just as the seasonal flu shot would be. >> it's the same factories, the same safegua

i'm natasha curry. >>> happening now nine people are missing off the coast of california and there's an intense search to find them. they disappeared when a coast guard airport and marine helicopters collided. the water is cold, hyper thermia is a risk but rescuers say they're not giving up hope. >> absolutely we are always hopeful. we are working very hard to make sure we cover any possibility. the assumption is always they are alive. we have not found any hume remains at this point or survivors. >> the coast guard plane that we aren't down was on a search and rescue mission for a missing person. the marine helicopter was on a training mission. >>> police say they have arrested the father we told you about who is accused of running over his own daughter. investigators say they believe the iraqi immigrant hit his daughter with his car because she was becoming too westernized. the 20-year-old woman is still in serious condition right now. we don't have any more details on where or how her father was picked up. >>> well, not everyone's happy with the plan that house democrats have for

i'm holly firfer in for natasha curry. >>> president obama addressed the largest gay rights group in the country last night. during a rousing speech, he once again promised to pursue an agenda that would bring an end to discrimination against gays, he specifically pointed out the need to end the military's don't ask, don't tell policy, and he called for antidiscrimination law for the workplace. >> we know there's far more work to do. we're pushing hard to pass an inclusive employee nondiscrimination bill. [ cheers and applause ] for the first time ever, an administration official testified in congress in favor of this law. nobody in america should be fired because they're gay, despite doing a great job and meeting their responsibilities. it's not fair. it's not right. we're going to put a stop to it. >> despite his well-received speech, some in the gay community remain skeptical of president obama's agenda. yesterday, dozens of gay rights advocates gathered at the washington monument. they spoke out about what they say is the president's foot dragging on gay issues. >> i don't think

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

i'm natasha curry in for robin meade. 30 minutes past the hour.ow 31. >>> president obama will sign a law today making it a federal crime to assault someone for their sexual orientation, disability or gender identity. the measure is named for matthew shepherd, a gay wyoming teenager who died after being beaten in 1998. it's also named after james byrd jr., an african-american man dragged to his death in texas the same year. >>> the dea has released the names of three agents killed in a helicopter crash in afgh afghanist afghanistan. the three are the first losses for the agency in afghanistan. correspondent richard lui joining us now. the dea has a critical role in the war there. >> yes. this brings to light that very issue there. opium production, that itself, is one of the taliban's main sources of income. in fact, the u.n. estimates the taliban makes more money now than when it baz in power by taxing the opium farmers. the three dea were mentioning were returning from a raid on suspected drug traffickers. foreroast lee mon's neighbor said he ha

morning to you, thanks so much for joining us here on hln this first saturday of october, i'm natasha curry. all those stories are just ahead. but first, our top story this morning, a newborn baby kidnapped in tennessee was found safe an alabama home last night. police arrested the woman suspected of taking the week-old boy and stabbing his mother. arrangements are being made to reunite the baby with his mother. here's a picture of him. he was taken from his family's home on tuesday just four days after he was born. authorities still don't have a motive for the kidnapping. >>> the man who reportedly tried to extort money from david letterman has pleaded not guilty. robert joe holderman is facing larceny charges that could land him in jail for up to 15 years. after the hearing, halderman was released on $200,000 bail. he reportedly demanded $2 million to keep quiet about letterman's affairs with co-workers. letterman admitted on thursday to having sex with female staffers. his production company says he didn't violate their harassment policy. >>> so who is this man robert joe halderman? his

i'm natasha curry in for richard lui. the crew of a northwest airlines jet told authorities it was arguing over airline policy and did not realize it overshot the minneapolis airport by 150 miles wednesday night. here's what happened. everything was fine when the flight left san diego at 5:41 eastern time, but about two hours later, the faa said there was no radio communication. air traffic control finally made contact more than an hour later. the plane landed safely without passengers knowing anything happened. >> i think they're facing a real serious disciplinary situation. you cannot have these kinds of events on your record and keep flying at the same level that you were. >> northwest is part of delta air lines. it issued a statement saying that it's -- the pilots have been relieved from active flying pending the completion of these investigations. >>> right now we are getting an update from clay county, florida, about the case of somer thompson. let's listen in. >> 10:00 meeting over at the jaxx memory gardens. it's

natasha curry thrks has an aquatic theme today. >> at the georgia aquarium, a bunch of fish here. it has a bunch of aquatic life in the world. >> a lot of us spend a lot of time swimming with financial sharks. that's my job to be the anecdote. >> yes. thank goodness you're here to save us. we've got over here my buddy lindsey with a question over here. >> hi, lindsey. >> how are you? >> great. what's going on? >> i was wondering if you had any suggestions about a quick way of how to get out of debt and fix your credit score. >> okay. first tell me what kind of debts you have? >> well, i have some credit cards. those are evil. >> yes, they are. i'm sorry to ask you something this personal. but how much credit card debt are you carrying at this point? >> would it be bad if i told you i really didn't know? >> that would be really bad. okay. let me tell you your assignment after you finish looking at the fish. your job when you get home is i want you to add up all your credit card bills, figure out the grand total of how much debt. if you have debt on credit cards that exceeds 50% of

i'm natasha curry in for robin meade. it's thursday. home you're having a good day. >>> 30 minutes past the hour now. a deadly gun battle broke out when fbi agents raided a group accused of trying to establish a separate islamic state within the u.s. the fbi says the group's leaders was killed during one raid in michigan yesterday in a shootout with agents. confidential sources told authorities he encouraged his followers to use guns to achieve their goals. eight other men were arrested and charged with criminal conspiracy. >>> more information now on that disturbing gang-rape that happened right outside a high school homecoming dance. police in richmond, california, have five people in custody. richard lui, many people want to know how something like this could happen in the first place. >> police say the girl left the dance around 9:00 because her dad was supposed to pick her up. but a friend asked her to walk with him. now, that's when they say she was attacked in a back alley on the other side of the school. police say the crowd wou