"american morning" will be live in new orleans tomorrow morning starting at 6:00 a.m. we will look at the work still yet to be done. >> getting on a plane later this afternoon to head down there? >> this afternoon. >> should be good. we will continue the conversation and we want to you con the conversation on today's stories. go to our blog, cnn.com/amfix. that does it for us. >> the news continues here on cnn with kirkuk in the "cnn newsroom." good morning, everybody. sex for sale on craigslist. young girls posted and price. cnn investigation prompts 17 states to act. a witch-hunt targeting children in nigeria. desperate parents paid churches for deliverance. kids too young to know berer abused, abandoned, and even killed. a special needs student barred from the special olympics in chicago. all this 17-year-old wants to do

is play basketball. we are talking to her this hour. it is 9:00 a.m. on the east coast and 6:00 a.m. out west. i'm krya phillips and you are live in the cnn newsroom. it has been a dismal week. economic news. this hour we have new numbers to consider. just minutes ago, the government announced that jobless claims actually fell more than expected last week. the new number, 473,000. not as bleak as the new claims filed the week before. more than a half million new claims were filed in the worst week of the entire year. the bottom of the hour, business correspondentself any elam will join us to break down those numbers. our top story. sex ads on craigslist. cnn has shown you how it has become a smoke screen for prostitution and even child trafficking. now that cnn investigation helped push attorneys generals from 17 states to demand that craigslist crack down on the ads immediately. the letter from them says,

quote, a growing recognition that ads for prostitution, including ads trafficking children, are rampant on it. letter highlighted a letter from amber lyon. she posted a fake ad in the adult section and within a few hours received 15 calls soliciting sex. amber joins us now to discuss what the states are demanding from craigslist and what the internet giant is likely to take. do you think we will see any dramatic action? >> as of now i spoke with attorney general blumenthal of connecticut and he says he didn't expecting craigslist to take dramatic action because they haven't in the past. he says they are going to carry on and conning to push until something is done about this. in this letter here, the attorneys generals state that they are outset with craigslist and say that the site has been ignoring their claims the past would years. the attorneys general have been begging craigslist to clean up the service of the site. we have law enforcement, victims

advocates, a public saying that children and women are being forced to sell sex on craigslist against their will. and as i said earlier, they have been given two years to clean this up and and that hasn't happened. we showed that in the investigation. the attorneys general say they are upset with craigslist because they feel that craigslist has been placing the blame on others rather than looking internally. law enforcement at one point craigslist asked victims why they haven't turned in evidence of the crimes. and yours truly was even -- had the finger pointed at me at one point. look at this ad. it says young, sexy, sweet, bubbly. clearly here she writes $250 an hour. what do you think she is selling in her bra and underer with, a dinner date? what are you doing? you guys say you screen all these ads manually in your blog. >> i have -- i don't know what this is. >> reporter: he says these are being screened. why do i have the responsibility

to report this to you when it is your website? you are the one post thing online. >> he didn't have much to say, did he? >> no, he didn't. it was one of the most odd interviews of my career, i will admit. craigslist has been saying -- the ceo has been saying they are manually screening these ads, checking them out and making sure none of them are selling sex or none of them are miners. >> what you posted -- >> we have a graphic made there for our viewers of it. this is what we actually posted on craigslist. we created this ad with all these red flag words in there that would indicate sex might be being sold. >> what would the red flag words be? >> new girl in town. that's often the sign it is sex trafficking. sweet, innocent, would code words. the girl could be underage. clearly on this ad you see that here right there, $200 an hour.

we are giving a price. the ad did end up getting posted on craigslist and soon after, the phone started ringing off the hook. take a look. we put words in here, sweet, innocent, new girl. we are going to see what happens. we will see if race list will let our ad post and what kind of calls we get. >> i saw your ad on craigslist. >> hello. >> yes. >> what did see hey, what's your donation? >> code words. i totally -- had you several guys hang up on me because we didn't know the code words to begin with. >> immediately probably you weren't the real deal. they are probably looking out for undercover cops. >> we learned the lingo. that was very g-rated. we had some disgusting requests from these men clearly using the site to try to hire someone to

have sex with them. >> by the way did this make you feel uncomfortable? did you get nervous? >> yes. disgust. >> at any point did you want to see what these guys were like out of curiosity? did you want to meet them and see if they went a step forward? >> we decided to end it at the phone call because we weren't sure about the safety. we spoke with a lot of the victims advocates and say the majority of the men are in their 30s, they are -- lot of them are married. listen to this. one of the most popular times for our phone to start ringing was at about 11:00 in the morning until 2:00 in the afternoon. lunch break. >> makes me sick to your stomach. it will be interesting to see what happens. we saw the -- how the attorneys general are responding. it will be interesting to see if we hear from the heads of craigslist and if something is going to be done. >> yeah. we spoke with them yesterday. they say that they appreciate

what the attorneys generals are trying to do with ending the child sex trafficking. they also say that they plan to continue to work with law enforcement and key nonprofits to put an end to this. they didn't mention anything about in regards to shutting down this adult services. >> that's the one word up want to hear and we are not hearing. skipping around. like the ads. they have all their key words of what they are saying and not going to say. >> yes. it has been a pattern. >> we will follow up with you. thanks. today we are taking a closer look at the safety of the food that you eat. tracking it from its source to your lips. let's start with what we know about the egg recall. according to "usa today," clues of the big salomon allege outbreak surfaced week before fda sounded a warning. in july state and federal health agencies identified wright county egg in iowa as a likely source of illness but the company didn't launch the recall until mid august when it was discussed with the fda. now more than half a million

eggs have been recalled from wright county egg and hillendale farms. both companies began shipping eggs again but those eggs are still being laid by potentially infected chickens so they will be pasteurized to kill bacteria. they could be pasteurized in the shell. they can be sold as liquid eggs or put in other products like mayo or ice cream. centers for disease control says about 100 people have gotten sick in the current salmonella outbreak. but for each reported case, it says that there could be as many as 30 unreported illnesses. we wanted to know what farmers are doing to keep eggs safe. martin savage is at a hen house in an organic farm just outside of atlanta. marty, you have the farm manager there with you. let's talk about why the chickens are so different. >> reporter: well, we can do that. good morning to you. here it is. early in the morning. i'm surrounded by women. they all have feathers. that's part of the process here.

you can see already by the people in the field, they do farming here the old fashioned way. that includes raising chickens. say hello to the farm manager, paige. good morning to you. >> great to see you. good morning. >> reporter: i like to call her the farm czar. we are talking chickens. your chickens here, we look at them, differences, free range. >> exactly. >> reporter: organic chickens. what do you feed them, how do they eat? >> they get to eat whatever they like. we shtock the paddock regularly. they have fresh grass and bugs. we supplement their food with nongenetically modified organic grains. they are fed 100% healthy food. >> it is not just the diet. i think we can show you the regulars. you take a look at the eggs. they are absolutely beautiful. all different colors, white, green, brown.

all these different shades. that, too, the farmers say is an indication of the healthy eggs. the real question, though, is how do you make sure -- how do you know by raising them this way that you don't have salmonella? >> because they can diversify their diet and eat what they like andley like a chicken. they can fly around. they can roost. they aren't confined to a small area. they are not stressed by having a nonstressful lifestyle, they are not as prone to illness. >> reporter: this is the key message, happy chickens are healthy chickens. even though this is a throwback to the way we used to raise chickens, it makes scientific sense in how we keep the chickens from being stressed which keeps them healthy and helps keep down the process of disease. >> exactly. >> reporter: this is how they work it here. they are collecting eggs usually about twice a day. they are just getting started here in their egg production but are supplying many of the surrounding community as far as

the restaurants and people who have signed up to be a part of this experience. >> yeah. what a difference visually from the mega-production farms. it is a totally different feel and vibe and hopefully you are bringing us back breakfast. thanks. there is more about the egg recall and how it can affect and you your family on our website. keep it right here on cnn newsroom throughout the day as we track your food from farmhouse to your fridge. this is a story that will make you wonder what century we live in. how belief in witchcraft is alive, well and heartbreaking. here is a preview. >> reporter: he has been here for three days. from everyone here is saying his mother abandoned him, accusing him of witchcraft. you can see he's got some scars.

he even doesn't want me touching him. >> superstition leading to child abuse. child torture. christian will tell us how poverty play as role in this and will introduce us to a man that's trying to save these children. i'm meteorologist jacqui jeras. two storms we are tracking in atlanta. both of which are intensifying. find out where they are going. wildfires may be dangerous but they do create very beautiful pictures. we will show you some coming up. there's no way to hide it. sir, have you been drinking tonight? if you ride drunk, you will get caught... and you will get arrested.

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children tortured, mutilated, buried alive because adults think that they are witches. a morning passport takes us to southeast nigeria. just one place where it is happening. thankfully these victims of superstition and child abuse have a champion trying to save them. >> reporter: his name is gods will. he has been cast out business his own family and society at large. accused of being a witch. no matter he is a 5-year-old

boy. he's apparently been here for lee days. and from what everyone here is saying, his mother abandon him, accusing him of witchcraft. you can see that he has scars. he even does want me touching him. they believe there are thousands like this boy in this region of nigeria and he is trying to rescue them. using a little care and attention, sam starts the process of trying to restore the trust in the world around him. >> you can see from here he was undergoing torture. you can see the injuries and sca scars. high level of torture and traumatized. >> reporter: at this orphanage, sam cares for more than 200 children that suffered similar ordeals. >> chithe child is said to be a

witch, capable of making a child chance form into a cat, snake, vipir. killing of people. about diseases. misfortune as a family. >> reporter: sam believes that there is no such thing as witchcraft. and is trying to raise awareness in communities now gripped by hysteria. belief in witchcraft is rooted in centuries of tradition. it is only in the last ten years, says sam, that it has become associated with child abu abuse. >> poverty is a big factor that prepares this child -- poverty, ignorance. >> reporter: children can be accused of witchcraft for almost any reason. seizures, maybe just talking in their sleep. 6-year-old emma was blamed by

her stepfather for bringing about the death of her mother with black magic. >> you can see from this face here, the scars. he said she's the responsible for the death of her mother. she's not wanted there. >> reporter: with new cases every week, sam is simply overwhelmed. >> i have become sick sometimes when i see a child. i cannot take the child to the center because the center is committed, we don't have spaces. >> reporter: no one knows why this boy was accused of witchcraft. his parents have not been found. but for now, the children are safe. christian purefoy, cnn, nigeria.

>> it is hard to imagine you could treat your children that way. impact your world has taken on a campaign to try to support the mission to help these kids. just go on to cnn.com/impactyourworld. you can see how you can get involved and take part in making a difference. hurricane danielle is strengthening in the atlantic. jacqui jeras watching that for us. what do you think? >> i think for the most part it will be what we will call a fishing storm. that's a little bit of good news. although the storm has been intensifying. category 2 now with winds of 105 miles per hour. we also have another storm over here and this is earl. it is a tropical storm, 45 miles per hour winds. and this one bears a little bit closer watching. while still days and days away from even getting close to any type of land. you can see down the line it does get close towards the leeward island. it will likely become our next

hurricane as well. we will have to wait and see what happens down the line. well over a week away but people along the atlantic coast certainly want to stay tuned to the hurricane headquarters for the latest that. some incredible pictures that i want to show you. this is a fire vortex. these pictures were taken in brazil. there was a brush fire and just a really strong wind can get sucked into these with rising air and a fire tornado. so really incredible to see something like that. nobody was injured, by the way, in this. fires make for beautiful pictures back here at home, our i-reporters taking the pictures. this was in the state park. there you can see they make for beautiful sunrises and sunsets. just wanted to show you a couple of those. get all the particles in the air and it reflects off of the light. just really incredible pictures. the heat is still very high out west. we have a number of record highs. yesterday across parts of california and in particular well into triple digits and fire

danger remains high in the pacific northwest. with that heat and wind gusts could reach up to 60 miles per hour. beautiful conditions, though, across the nation's midsection and front moving through the east. lit make for a nice start to the weekend. >> that sounds good. has anything happened to you on air where it has been embarrassing? >> how about the water i dropped on my shirt? you can see it on my shirt right about now. >> i don't see it at all. now that you mention it -- now we are focused in the wrong place, jacqui. talk about a ball going in the wrong place. did you see this video? >> i did. >> this sideline reporter getting smacked by the soccer ball. yeah. isn't that terrible how they do it over and over again? what did the co-anchor do? apparently the player ran over there immediately. this is making me feel really

bad. let's stop. at least soccer balls you are supposed to do the little head butt. >> that's right. >> from the other way. >> getting in on the game. >> she needed to turn around. just one of those things you can't stop watching. anyway, poor german reporter. thanks for playing. go work on that spot on your sweater. nasa's fining tens of thousands of new stars and planets. ahead details of a space odyssey for you. and the cast has been gathered. when the curtain rises. and the spotlight is yours. having a strong signal at your back... is like having invisible power everywhere. because in that moment... you're not there to take up space. you're there to fill the room. rule the air. verizon. right now, buy a blackberry smartphone and get a second one free. like the bold. only at verizon. with their autobahn for all event. it ends soon. they got great prices. cars built for the autobahn.

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473,000 people filed for benefits. we will take a look at how these numbers are impacting wall street. north korea's leader kim jong-il may be visiting china today as usual wino announcement. there is news he's seeking economic help.

royal canadian mounted police plans to release details today on a terror plot that may have links to al qaeda. police arrested two suspects in ottawa and expect to arrest more. the ottawa citizen newspaper

reports the group suspected ringleader attended terror training camps in pakistan and afghanistan. the u.s. law enforcement source tells us there is no clear link between the canadian suspects and the u.s. new york police say a passenger slashed a cab driver's face and body just because he was muslim. sharif picked up a 21-year-old passenger that was friendly at first. the man started cursing at him and started yelling out the air pick word for peace. sharif was able to flag down police. >> that's what he said? >> yeah. i'm bleeding. i'm a cab driver. he tried to kill me. >> the passenger has been charged with attempted murder as a hate crime. police say that he was drunk at the time of his arrest. rick scott's deep pockets

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on wall street the economy is the big focus this week. we have seen dismal housing reports the past two days. this morning the labor market took a step in the right direction. new jobless claims fell to 473,000 last week. that's down 31,000 from the week before. significantly better than expected. new claims have increased for three straight weeks. this is a good sign. the report pushed stocks up a bit in premarket trading. you just heard the jobless numbers. let's get some perspective on what they mean. for that we turn to business correspondent stephanie elam in new york. >> reporter: hey. yeah. you hear a number like 473,000 people. but still while it is better than expected that's a lot of people. if you are one of those people

it is still really difficult situation out there for you if you are filing for unemployment benefits. in a healthy economy just to give you a comparison here, claims are generally below 400,000. remember, we had unemployment at 9.5% and more than 14 million americans out of work. one economist tells us that you have to see 260,000 jobs created a month to bring unemployment down one full percentage point. obviously we are not seeing that until we see some job creation. the economic recovery will be a bit hazy. that fact has a lot of people talking about the double-dip remember session. in case you don't know what that is, it is basically it would mean the recovery would fail and wouldn't take hold and the economy would start to head south again. i should point out that while we hear this we will hear people talking about it, double dip recession is rare in the united states. >> and the housing numbers we got this week certainly aren't helping the outlook. >> yeah. no, they are not helping at all. both existing and new home sales fell sharply in july.

housing makes up about 15% of u.s. gross domestic products. when it is weak, it is really going to have a drag on the economy. and a lot of people have already taken such a big hit on how much their house is worth. they are cutting back on spending. and if people aren't spending the economy is not going to get that oil to keep churning along. bottom line when the housing prices collapse it has a big ripple effect on the overall wealth and confidence of how americans are feeling right now. we are seeing weak jobs and recession level housing numbers, it is really going to add to the nervous feeling we are seeing. while these jobless numbers are in the right direct, it is still a lot of people out there feeling the pain. >> yeah. we will keep talking about it. thanks. let's fast forward and looking at more economic news that could move the markets. tomorrow investors will be watching the newest figures on the nation's gross domestic product. that's the leading indicator the economy because it includes all the goods and services that come from the u.s. and we are also waiting to hear from ben bernanke, chairman of the

federal reserve. central bank unnerved investors earlier this month when it issued one of the most pessimistic outlooks in more than a year. abraham lincoln, president of modest means, said a very long time ago our government is meant to be of the people, by the people and for the people. but how many people do you actually know have $50 million to spend on a primary campaign? rick scott did. now he's florida new gop nominee for governor. a lot of people are talking about scott. not just because of his win but because of his money and a shady past. john roberts asked him the tough questions just last hour and brings it to the a.m. extra. scott was evasive. >> he was a little bit evasive. the first thing i asked him about was charges he bought this election. it is not just democrats making those charges. republicans are, too. his challenger, bill mccollum, longtime florida politician, current attorney general there,

said this of rick scott's win. quote, no one could have anticipated the entrance of a multimillionaire with a questionable past who shattered spending records and spent more than four months ever spent in a primary race in florida. you have to remember that he got into the race in april. virtual unknown. and then he walked away the nomination on tuesday night. as to that questionable past, it is well known that rick scott is a former health care industry executive. he founded and ran columbia hca which became the biggest hospital chain in the united states. one of the biggest companies in the world. and also paid one of the biggest settlements to avoid charges of medicare fraud. $1.7 billion. those charges were racked up against hca while rick scott was the ceo. he was ousted by the board in 1k3r7 the fines were paid subsequently. i asked him if he -- if his company was accused of defrauding the government. now he wants to be the government.

if people would ever really trust him to be the governor of florida. he sort of evaded the question telling me about the great things columbia hca did and building up of a company. i tried to pin him down and saying look, you may have done good things in terms of employment and all of that, patient satisfaction. but you were also accused of defrauding the boston. are you trying to avoid my question? here is what he said. you also ran a company that was accused of defrauding the government. yet, you are avoiding that this morning. >> no. i tell people all along from the day i got no the race, when you run a mpany, you build a company. anything that happens in that company you take responsibility. i do. people made mistakes. what i say look, when i'm governor, what you know is i will take responsibility if anything goes wrong i will fix it. in contrast let's think about what politicians do. the highest unemployment on record. has there been a politician to take responsibility? we have almost 50% of the homeowners underwater on mortgages? did anybody take responsibility?

five-plus billion dollar debt. what they know from me is i built a great company. i take responsibility for anything that goes wrong. i will make sure that when i'm governor i will do the same thing. >> you asked the tough questions. how is it look in the general election? >> he's obviously got his talking points down. no question about that. he has some problems when it comes to the general election. when you look at how he's faring against alex sink, democratic nominee, she would poll in the general election, 41%. he would poll 44%. he has real problems, favorability ratings. 28% of people see him favorably. 49% see him unfavorably. there is the intensity question. particularly important during a midterm election. while republicans seem to have more intensity in the primaries on tuesday night, collecting 300,000 more votes than the democrats did, comes tune tensity in november, things may fall off a little bit for him. democrats, 72% say they will vote important sink.

57% say they will vote for scott. looks as though he had have to throw around a little more money in the sunshine state if he hopes the win the general election. >> dig pockets. advice for the president. cnn viewers and readers weigh in telling president obama what he needs to do to give his party a boost by the midterm elections.

top stories, german pop star found guilty of not telling sexual partners she is hiv positive and infecting one of her part mers. the court handed her a suspended sentence. sex for sale on craigslist. the website not bound to pressure to shut down the adult services section. it will work with the authorities to prevent misuse of its site. 17 state attorneys general are demanding the website get rid of adult services saying the ads for prostitution and victimized women and children. salmonella outbreak linked to eggs may have surfaced weeks before the fda sound ad warning. according to "usa today" state and federal health agencies identified iowa's wright county egg company as a likely source of illness back in july. the recall decision was than made until would weeks later after the fbi investigation. who says you need a guitar or even guitar hero to totally rock out? ♪

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. the president's poll numbers are down. he's taking a verbal beating from a lot of people. cnn.com asked the readers to weigh in and give the president advice on what he meds to do for

the november midterm elections to help his party. josh levs is here with suggestions. >> it is about ten weeks now. it is interesting what happened. we have been hearing from the strategists on tv and cnn.com about what each side really needs to do leading up to those elections. so now what cnn did is reached out to you and said what do you think each side should do, one of the big things. a team at teach.ccnn.com to go your responses. govern from the center. a lot of people believe there could be more done on job creation, president ignores far left voices in his party and focused more from the center. tough accomplishments. a lot of people saying they don't fema this president has gotten enough juice out of health care legislation passing and otherings in that has happened since he has been in office. more time touting his own accomplishments. rise above partisan bickering and speaks for itself. a lot of people say this. more about that in a minute.

shake up the stop. some of the most ardent supporters of the president are saying they want fresh faces in there as major players. on the other side, an example, top republicans and -- in the house and senate. mitch mcconnell and john boehner. avoid far right commentators. again, go more from the center. keep religion out. what the republicans should be doing, keep religion separate from the concerns of politics. two more here. be conservative but bipartisan speaks for itself. we can end on this one. represented constituents, not party agenda. we take a look at this and i will tell you we often find that people like to say these things and unfortunately, the reality of politics. when it comes to voting a lot of people in tend really are swayed by attacks and are swayed by a lot of the partisan stuff. en it comes to getting votes, it actually works. while there are a lot of people saying this, plays out in

november. >> thanks, josh. box office. >> box office. >> do you want to tell us what's hot at the box office, too? >> i will tell you that next hour. >> fabulous. let me know. i would like to see a movie this morning. this weekend. sorry. it is material hours. we are about to have a conversation about the special olympics. i want you to weigh in on it. special olympics is supposed to be all about inclusion. we are asking why this wonderful organization has shut this teen girl out and denied her the chance to play on its basketball team. where banks competed to save me a boatload of money on my mortgage, that would be awesome. sure, like that'll happen. don't just think about it -- spend 10 minutes at lendingtree and save up to $258 a month.

let's talk about the special olympics this is an organization that's very close to my heart. it is supposed to be all about inclusion. giving kids with unique challenges and the chance to compete and feel important and be inspired. to feel like every other kid. if you don't know the motto, here it is. it is pretty clear. let me win but if i cannot win, let me be brave in the attempt. this is the organization that is

supposed to say yes every mentally and physically challenged kid and adult. but it has said no to this athlete in illinois. 17-year-old jenny youngwith wanted to play basketball for her special olympics team. it rejected her. because of her service dog and the oxygen tank that he carries for her. never mind the fact that she's already played hoops with simba by her side for six years. let's have a conversation about this. jenny and her mom, janice, and simba are with us from chicago and so is their lawyer, barry taylor. this case is going to federal court. jenny, tell me why you love basketball so much. >> i love playing with my friends at school. >> and how does it make you feel when you are on the basketball court and you are getting a chance to shoot hoops? it makes me feel happy when i'm maying with my friends at school.

>> and i hear you are a really good player. would you agree? >> i think that's a yes. tell me about simba and why simba is so important to be with you and that's okay. >> tell her about simba. >> do you want to tell her about simba. >> how old is hey. >> he's six years old, and he carries my oxygen tank. >> so he helps you keep breathing, right? >> yes. >> and tell me why you want to play for the special olympics. why is that important to you, jenny? >> because i want to play with my friends. >> understandable. >> janice, this is an organization that is not

supposed to say no to mentally and missically challenged kids. that's why the organization was created so kids like jenny would be able to participate in sports. so when you found out that they said no, how did it make you feel and did it shock you? >> shocking, and baffling because we were never given a reason why, only that it's not appropriate. and, special olympics, let me tell you, kyra, it is a wonderful organization. we just want to be part of it. >> and jenny was already playing at another program at northern illinois journalist, right, she was playing for six years? so why is the special olympics team so important to her? because she is playing with a fabulous team already and she's a great player. tell me why this is important? >> with simba. >> i'm sorry i missed what you said. there is a little bit of a delay, so please repeat what you said. >> yes, she did play at northern

oil now journalist for about six years and played for the past o years in her p.e. plclass with children at school in the same facility and statement game. >> lel us why it's important to you and the family that she's able to participate in the special olympics as well. >> i think it's important to any child to belong and feel a part of things, especially at your own high school. jenny has been devastated by being excluded from this program and it was a shock to us and remains to be. we've reached out many times and reached out to equip for equality to help us with this. this has been a long, thoughtful process of almost a year now trying to figure out why and what accommodations, if any, 0 could be made. >> barry, let me ask you. special olympics illinois gave us a statement, and here's what it said. regarding the use of the service

animals and metal oxygen tanks by athletes during competitive sporting events, we hope the community will recognize special olympics illinois must make decisions that take into account the safety and well being of all athletes participating in its sporting events. those farm with our programs know that special olympics regularly makes reasonable accommodations to permit individual lath leets to compete safely with their teammates and competitors. what's so unsafe about the dog and the oxygen tank? how do you feel about this statement? >> well, we don't think there's anything unsafe about using the dog or the oxygen tank. the law requires for any exclusion of a person with a disability under the ada to show specific medical evidence as to why you should exclude somebody. as it was explained before, we haven't gotten any special information, just that it's not

appropriate, and we provided special olympics illinois and the school district with a lot of information from coaches, from doctors, from all kinds of experts who say that jenny can participate safely, and as you said before, she's participated safely in the past. we don't know what's changed. she can participate safely and they're not giving us a reason why. >> aren't their other kids in other states that play with oxygen tanks in sports? >> there are. there's another special olympics athlete in montana who participated safely. he has a tank of 20 pounds. jenny's is only four. there's a child in baseball. there's a youtube video of him running around the bases and sliding into home plate with his oxygen tank and no problems. i think this is a overreaction and knee-jerk reaction without looking at the facts. as janice said, she's participated safely for years and there's been no problem at all.

>> janice, i was even more shocked to hear about this because here in atlanta, i'm involved with the brain tumor foundation for children and there's a mom with a daughter who's suffering with a brain tumor, and she's got to be on oxygen as well and her mom runs up and down the soccer field with her holding that oxygen tank so she can play soccer, and it's not even a special olympics team and i see you smiling because i have a feeling as a mom would you do the same thing. you would do whatever you could. >> that's what i used to do until simba came into our lives. she's attached by a five-foot chord to her life line, her oxygen. i used to be the one carrying or her aide at school. now simba does it, and it's vital for her independence. >> what do you hope to achieve with this lawsuit? is this the only way you think

you can get what your daughter deserves? >> i'm hoping for a speedy resolution, and from both jenny's and my perspective, she just wants to play basketball with her friends at school. >> this was a lawsuit that was filed in haste. we tried to work this out collaboratively with the school district and special olympics and it wasn't until they wouldn't respond at all appropriately that we filed the lawsuit. >> i understand why you did it. jenny, do you have a favorite position? >> no. >> yes, go ahead, mom. >> her brother, who claims to have taught her everything she knows says she's excellent at free throws and getting close to being pretty darn good at three-point es. >> there we go, the free throw and the three pointers. that's what you're going to be able to do hopefully pretty soon. does that sound good? >> yes. >> you stay strong, jenny. we really, really appreciate

you. simba, what a well-behaved dog. you have him so well trained. how could that guy be a safety issue to anybody? >> jenny, barry, janice, simba, thank you to all four of you. we will definitely follow this case. i want to know what you think. go to my blog at cnn.com/kyra and tell me. do you think the youngwiths should drop the whole thing or should the special olympics accommodate jenny? you expect your food to be safe but the big egg recall has a lot of people giving the stuff in their fridge a second thought. a woman who almost died because she ate raw cookie dough coming up next. on an all new cadillac srx luxury collection crossover... ..with a bose premium sound system. and an ultra-view sunroof designed to let more summer time in. summer brings out the best in all of us, so now's the perfect time to get behind the wheel

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today we're taking a closer look at the safety of food that you eat, tracking it from its source to your lips. the big egg recall is making headlines now. half a billion eggs, 23 states and hundreds of sick people. this is hardly the first time we questioned the quality and safety of our food. we want to take a wider view of this. fall, 2006, bagged spinach was

getting crossed off grocery lists after an ecollie outbreak that killed three people and sickened dozens. in 2008, peanut butter was recalled in a salmonella recall. nine people died and 007 got sick. same year, peppers and tomatoes was identified as another souse of salmonella outbreak, leaving 1500 people feeling ill, and last year, cookie dough was the source of e. coli that made at least 80 people sick. a mother almost died. she was hospitalized, nearly read her last rites. sanjay gupta has her story. >> reporter: linda rivera was living the good life. a mother, wife, special ed assistant. she was happy and healthy but that changed in may of 2009. >> i felt like i had the cold, the flu.

>> reporter: in fact, linda got so sick, she was taken to the emergency room where she was diagnosed with irritable bowel syndrome and sent home. she didn't get any better. >> i asked if she was okay. she said no. >> reporter: the doctors said she contracted ecollie, a dangerous food doern illness that attacks organs, and it settled into her colon, and doctors now had to remove. at that a few days later she was told what gave her e. coli. >> our attorney called us and said it was the cookie dough. i use the big tub and makes lots of cookies at one time. >> reporter: the reality is about 60, 65% of everybody who buys these products admits that they eat it raw. 76,000 people get ecollie

0156976 each year and 50 deaths each year. oh in the scheme of bugs, it's a relatively low number but it's a really nasty bug. >> reporter: for a whole year, linda had lots of problems. her kidneys shut down. she couldn't walk or talk and went into cardiac arrest. three times she was almost given her last rites, but she never gave up. now in a rehab hospital in san francisco, linda is learning to live again. >> her ability to deal with the pain and problems that she still has have been heroic. >> reporter: her husband richard is right there with her and wouldn't wish this on anyone. >> for any family to have to go through this, i mean, it just -- it steals your life away. linda is probably the most giving and cheerful and optimistic woman you'll ever meet, and she gave and gave and gave, and to see what this has

done to her just tore me apart. >> reporter: linda is not going to give up. she has a lot to live for. >> i don't want this horrible disease to win. so i want the rest of the world to know about it. they need to know. don't take the chance with it. it's not worth it. you give up your life. you lose everything. >> joining me now on the phone from seattle, linda rivera's lawyer, a leading attorney on food illnesses. you are getting ready to go visit linda in the hospital. how often do you see her, and why do you do that? >> oh, i see linda and richard about every other week, every three weeks. they are just an amazing couple. you know, it's my advertinniver today and me and my wife are going to visit them.

frankly, i do it because they're the greatest people i met in 17 years of doing these kinds of cases. eventually, you really care about these folks, and, you know, they're just special people. >> why do you keep taking on these cases? and you take on these cases, and you win, bill, and yet we keep seeing more and more outbreaks and more and more cases like this. >> well, you know, i fill the gap where the government has failed. you know, you look at this egg case. no one from fda, no one from state inspection services has ever set foot inside the plant yet we have over 1300 people sick and half a billion eggs recalled, and, you know, we're going to sue this guy and find out why it happened. you know, civil justice system is a blunt instrument for social change, but it's really what our

government has left us with because of their failure to adequately fund the fda, fsis and the cdc to protect us from, you know, bad actors, like many of these food companies that i've seen over the last 17 years. >> is it food companies that are just being careless with food safety or organizes that are just not doing enough monitoring? because if these companies aren't going to have the monitoring, they're probably going to do whatever they have to do to save money. >> unfortunately, it's a little of both. the government jumps from one crisis to another in the food problems, and they get all excited about e. coli in spinach or peanut butter with salmonella, and they say they're going to do something, and they have hearings and nothing ever happens, and then when they do pass legislation, they don't adequately fund the entities

that are supposed to watch. for example, the egg rule, which went into effect in july of this year but had been sort of talked about for decades, had been talked about in the clinton administration, had been put aside during the bush administration, had been res rukted during the obama administration. they still didn't fund the fda to do the egg inspections that in my view would have prevented this recent outbreak. >> so you've handled peanut butter, spinach, undercooked meat and now you're handling 35 families affected by this egg salmonella outbreak. is this finally the outbreak that's going to make major change or are you a little pessimistic thinking i'm going to have a bunch of lawsuits and win and shut down companies, but, hey, it's really up to our government to prevent this again? >> well, it's really a shared responsibility. consumers have to demand companies do the right thing and

not poison them. and they need to pay for the food that is safe. they need to demand of their government the action and the funding and we need to be able to pay for it. i mean, we need to tax ourselves to pay for that, and we need to hold companies responsible. if any congress member or senator or any of your viewers just watched that video clip of linda, and if that's not enou enough -- if that's not enough, i don't know what is. >> yeah, you make a good point. >> if congress isn't going to -- linda rivera is harry reid's constituent. if harry reid, senator harry reid, my majority leader, cannot get this senate bill to the floor and get a vote on it and if the president can sign it and be adequately funded -- if that

can't happen, then i guess they're going to let me do my job and bankrupt companies and elect millions of dollars for my clients. >> bill marlor, we'll follow your clients and appreciate your time again and what do you for these families, especially families like the rivera family. >> time now for stories about how our food is safer. when the tainted lettuce happened a couple of years ago, the farmers turned to the experts who had the most power to bring about change, themselves. dan simon is in salinas, california, with a closer look. dan. >> reporter: well, good morning, kyra. coming to you from america's salad bowel. when you go to the grocery store, chances are the bag of lettuce you buy is coming from salinas valley, california.

you see farmers harvesting red lettuce leaves. this is prime harvesting season here. as you mentioned, in 2006, this area was facing an enormous challenge after spinach was tainted with e. coli, and that caused the industry to take a close look at itself and figure out a way to raise the bar when it comes to safety. take a look. >> and slide the 95 right in there. >> reporter: to understand how the lettuce industry functions, you have to put on the hair nets and go to the field where it's grown. >> you turn it over and you have a beautiful head of red butter lettuce. >> reporter: when you buy that lettuce, chances are it's coming from here, california's salinas valley. the chamber of commerce says the valley produces about 80% of the nation's leafy greens. they have a message for grocery store shoppers everywhere.

>> we feel we have the responsibility of providing a safe product, not only the responsibility but the moral obligation to provide a safe product. >> reporter: it's something that farmers feel the need to state repeatedly because not so long ago, in 2006, salinas valley became a symbol for those questioning the country's food supply. spinach tainted with e. coli caused a national scare after hundreds of people became ill and at least three people died. it wasn't just the spinach industry that took a hit. the entire leafy green industry suffered. company executives realized they had a serious problem and knew they to to do something dramatic. >> food safety was a private but there was no government oversight. >> reporter: so the california lettuce and spinach industry in what sounds like a surprising move insisted on governmentover site and formed the lgma, the

leafy greens marketing agreement, a private/public partnership. they agreed on a set of rigorous safety standards and asked to be inspected by government auditors. so you and your colleagues are on the front lines to make sure our pro is safe? >> i would say, yes, that's correct. >> reporter: steve thomas leads a group of usda trained auditors looking for problems in the field, like contaminated water and fresh animal tracks. >> what we do is minimize the chance for contamination. >> reporter: the inspections have made farmers like yes quinlan more cautious. do you feel the industry has been rehabilitated as a result of the organization? >> absolutely. absolutely. i think it's been great. food safety has allowed us to transcend our differences. there is competitiveness but because of food safety, everybody is on board because everybody feels this is the most important thing out there.

>> reporter: and that is a message he hopes many people will take to heart. you know, kyra, this is a model that the rest of the nation is looking at. the secretary of agriculture, tom vilsack, he was here just last week, coming to the fields, talking to the workers and looking at this program as an example of something that could spread across the country, sort of a model, if you will, that could be applied to many different kinds of industries across the country. >> dan simon, thanks for that. go to our website to learn more about food safety, the egg recall and how to protect yourself and your family. swirling fire in brazil, high winds, burning brush combine to make a rare sight. the tropics are active, hurricane danielle, tropical storm earl. i'm chef michael,

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this stung sight lit up the skies of brazil. strong winds a brush fires combined to create a fire tornado. it was caught on camera as it moved across an open field. it even stopped traffic. luckily no one got hurt. bizarre. >> amazing pictures. >> do you see that very often? >> we've had them here with the

big fires. the air gets sucked into it and with the updraft, it goes into a tornado. we have fires across the u.s. as well. especially watching the inner mountain west where red flag warnings are in place. fires have been burning in idaho as well as southern california and this big front is coming through and the winds are going to be high behind the front, up to 60 miles per hour but it will cool you down tomorrow and last through the weekend. we're keeping our eye on the tropics, danielle, a hurricane, category 2, winds with 150 miles per hour. we are also keeping our eye on earl, a tropical storm and you can see the track on this one a little bit more southerly. it doesn't bring it over land, at least not for the next five days or so but this one does bear watching more for the

atlantic coast residents. in addition, we have two other tropical waves coming oust coast of africa. so we'll have to watch and see how things develop. there's a lot of dust in the air which kind of inhibits hurricanes a little bit. potentially, we have yet another storm to watch. >> thanks, jacqui. time now to hit the road and go cross country. flint michigan, suspected serial killer is being extradited their. he is suspected of 1895 attacks, and 00 died. madison, wisconsin, a family poses, thief strikes. the bad guy behind the dad is taking the family's bag. when they discovered the bag missing, they checked the digital image, realized they captured the crime and called police. cops recognized him and arrested him just down the road carrying the bag.

our last stop, dover, delaware, a lesson in reading, writing and reward. the school district wanted to start paying parents to attend events. it's not clear how much but the money could come from federal grants and that cash would go into the child's college fund. one delaware school district is considering paying parents to help fix troubled schools. we will tackle that question and possible solutions all next week. we want you to be a part of the conversation. do you have any questions about your child? ask principal perry, our education contributor. he will join us starting monday to answer some of your questions. with the best coverage in america including a 100,000 mile powertrain warranty. that's 40,000 more miles than ford. chevy silverado half-ton. a consumers digest best buy and the most dependable, longest lasting full-size pickups on the road. now get 0% apr for 72 months on 2010 silverado half-ton models

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33 trapped miners chile. they're getting toothbrushes, vitamins, and now word that they may not be rescued for months. cnn's karl penhaul is reporting from that mine in northern chile. >> reporter: rescue workers pack a thin metal tube with survival rations. water, liquid protein and medicine to keep the trapped miners alive.

it takes some 20 minutes to get the tube down to the shelter where the men are stranded, 700 meters or 2300 feet under ground. some may be cracking under the ordeal. >> at least three or four of them are in a real hard time. regarding they aren't sleeping well. they are very nervous, and in some way depressed. >> reporter: work is expected to start at the weekend to drill a shaft big enough to pull the men back to the surface. but some of the miners will have to diet to stand a chance of squeezing through the hole which will measure just 60 centimeters or two feet wide. >> according to the medical records that we have, exactly nine of them were overweight.

we suppose that -- we think that they have lost already 8 kilos. >> reporter: on the surface, it's a struggle, too. karl penhaul joins us live now from that mine. just a bit of your piece to give folks an idea of how rescuers are trying to take care of these miners under ground, and, you know, other networks have been reporting that they have been told it's going to take months, possibly, to get them out of there. have you been able to confirm that, and, if so, how are they responding? >> reporter: yeah. the bottom line on have they been told or not, the bottom line on that really is that they have not been told straight out how long the experts think it will take them to get out, and there's a reason for that, because the health minister doesn't believe they're in the right mental shape just yet to have that news broken to them in one go.

so what they're doing is softening them up. the president has had a conversation with the miners and said, well, guys, it's not going to be before september the 18th, and it's not going to be after december the 24th, but, of course, that leaves a whole chunk of time in between, but what the health minister says is that in the coming days, they will give them more clues, more hints, and then finally say that this is how long we think that new drill is going to take to get down there. now, figure it out, that drill, which hasn't even started work yet is expected to start work at the weekend can drill maybe a maximum of 60 feet a day if the conditions are good, and it's got to go 235000 feet, not once but twice. it drills a small hole first and then a larger hole. that is the reason for the time line but because the miners yet aren't seen to be psychologically in great shape that it hasn't been broken to

them, that news hasn't been broken to them in one go. >> so, we're also hearing that these miners have assigned each other roles, like a spiritual leader, a medical leader, a team leader. what can you tell us about that? >> reporter: there are three leaders that have emerged there under ground. one is the shift manager, the guy who was the manager of that shift, anyway. so he has a kind of administrative leadership role, anyway. they was the boss anyway. there's a man down there who has some nursing experience, so he's the man that's been put in charge of running some tests to evaluate the psychological health of the miners. those tests, a written sheet, have been passed down a tube from the surface. he's also in charge of administering things like urine tests, blood pressure tests and making sure that the miners are

eating and sleeping as best they can. and then there's the guy that's been described as the spiritual leader, mario gomez, a guy we profiled earlier on in the week. he is the most veteran mining there. a 63-year-old. he's been mining since he was 12. hayes father was a miner before him and he is also the man who asked the rescuers on the surface to send down some sta statutettes for them to pray. they are very religious and superstition. that shrine will also help them. >> that's really fascinating details. we will continue to check in with you on what's happening with those miners daily. thank you so much. a police shooting and killing unarmed men in new orleans and allegations of a police coverup in the aftermath of hurricane katrina. five years after the storm, we're taking a look at those investigations.

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five years after hurricane katrina and the new orleans police department still suffers from a lack of trust. public confidence tarnished by allegations that police shot and killed unarmed residents after that storm hit and took extreme measures to cover it up. our drew griffin continues his investigation. >> reporter: the numbers alone are staggering. 16 new orleans cops either pleading guilty or under indictment for the killing and coverup of civilians during hurricane katrina. cops killing, cops conspiring, cops lying to high an awful crime spree in the aftermath of a killer storm. in one week, new orleans police shot and killed five people, four of them shot in the back, all but one of them unarmed, leading to what federal prosecutors now say was a

coverup by ranking officers in a police department even the new mayor admits cannot be trusted. can people in this city right now have faith in their police department? >> no, i don't think so. the department is supposed to protect and serve, and right now it's not done either of those things well. my top priority as mayor is to make the city safe. it can't be safe without a police department people trust. >> reporter: mayor mitch landrieu took office this year and immediately asked for federal help, asking the department of justice to intervene, partner and monitor his cops. his new police chief this week unveiled a 65-point plan to revamp the entire department. >> we need to focus on the officers doing the right thing. >> reporter: to civil rights attorney mary howell, it is hard to imagine a police department that could do worse. >> police didn't cause any of this, just revealed the degree to which, once again, this

department had collapsed. >> reporter: howell represents the family of ronald madison, and of all the police killings in the aftermath of katrina, the death of this 40-year-old mentally retarded man is, perhaps, the most troubling. running with his brother across this bridge to escape what they believed was a gunfight, plain clothes new orleans police actually chased him down and then gunned him down at the entrance to this motel. madison was unarmed, shot in the back, dropped, as one witness told us, as he was running away. >> he just fell like he was collapsing, like he was collapsing. like something had just wiped him out. >> reporter: you didn't see any gun on him? >> i didn't see anything. >> reporter: in the months that followed, the u.s. attorneys office now says 11 police

officers would conspire to tell lies, making up fake witnesses, lying about whether madison or his brother had a gun, even holding a secret meeting to make sure their made-up stories matched. >> the extent of the coverup is very, very significant. >> reporter: five of the officers once heralded by their own have pled guilty. six month are unindictment, still professi ining innocence. >> they're moving. they're moving. they could have been in the process of turning around when the shots were fire. >> reporter: the federal grand jury is still investigating two of the police shooting and more charges might be coming. >> as a kid that grew up in the city of new orleans, you get very, very frustrated that things have been allowed to get this bad. you have to acknowledge that and right the ship, turn it around and force it to go in the right direction. >> reporter: with all of the charges, trials yet to take

place, evidence of katrina coverups just now coming to light, it may be a long time before the people of new orleans even the city's mayor can trust its own police. >> here's the issue, and you and i well know. this is a department that has had problems for a very long time, back to even when i was a reporter there 15 years ago. i mean, it's just not an easy thing to fix. >> and, in fact, the year before katrina, this department was spiraling downhill. there were civil rights attorneys in that town begging for the justice department to come in. really, the justice department has come in after the fact. it took katrina to do this. they are trying to revamp the system. if you're a police officer and you lie on a police report, you may get fired. that's one of the rules they are trying to implement.

that's how far down the department has gone. >> there's the issue, how did you recruit officers when you can't pay a lot of money? but, then again, i'm curious, has the bad economy helped at all in getting, maybe, other officers from other areas? has that maiden impact? >> well, you do have interest from other places and fire department as well, from other areas coming down there. i have seen cops who obviously are not from new orleans. that creates problems because you have a the, oh, you're not one of us. it's a tight city. who is your daddy? who is your mommy? where did you live, and if the proffer coming in doesn't under that, there is that lack of trust. it's a really precarious situation as the new mayor and new police chief who are really old politician and old police officer from new orleans -- >> they're both from there. >> they are trying to revamp a system and right now the crime rate is up. the police do not have the trust

of the people and now the mayor says, i don't trust the police. so you have this mess. it's going to have to go through some turmoil before it can rise up from the ashes. >> you have been on it for five years and will probably be ton for another ten. anderson cooper returns to the gulf coast. promises made, but were they kept? we'll see what they found on a special tonight at 10:00 eastern. it's time to find another cnn viewary job. we're talking to a woman who was the first in her family to go to college, went to grad school, had solid i.t. jobs and even taught classes. my doctor said most calcium supplements... aren't absorbed properly unless taken with food. he recommended citracal. it's different --

it's calcium citrate, so it can be absorbed with or without food. also available in small, easy-to-swallow petites. citracal. the job market, you're worried about it, and so is wall street. today we have a new snapshot of where things stand. patricia wu has the details. >> we've got a little bit of good news today. new jobless claims fell by

31,000 last week. that's a bigger drop than expected, so it shows layoffs slowed last week since it measures people who signed up for unemployment benefits for the first time. it's good to see it decline but it's a high number. 473,000 have filed last week. claims have been around that level all year and in a healthy economy, new claims are under 400,000. the dow is up 39, the nasdaq up about 9. so, at least they're focusing on that little bit of good news. back to you, kyra. >> thanks. julia manning is well educated, has taught classes, and she's wondering why it's so hard to find a full-time job. she's been jobless for the last nine months now and she has another concern, her elderly

aunt and uncle who raised her. she is with us to make her 30-second pitch. >> hi. >> this is the hardest part. you are the first in your family to graduate college. you worked hard to pay for college. it's frustrating because you see so many spoiled kids that don't even have to drop a dime and don't even realize how difficult life can be because they've been given it all, and you know the meaning of hard work and you've been struggling to find a job. >> definitely. it hasn't been easy at all. i have tried all avenues. i went and networked, shaked hands with people. i sent out my resumé over the internet and talked to people who i know through my own network and still it's been hard to find success in finding a job. >> something you have done that's been so fantastic and a lot of our folks who have given the pitches have done this, volunteering so you at least

keep your skills sharp and it's helped you with networks, yes? >> yes, definitely, it helps me with networking and keeping my skills sharp and doing something for a good greater than myself. i volunteer for an organization who allows people with a professional background like myself to offer their skills while they are in transition to keep themselves up to date and current on their technology. i'm currently working as a project manager volunteering. so it's a great experience and also a way like a lot of employers want people to have a job. i'm showing that i'm currently working. they can't restrict me from not working when i'm currently volunteering and keeping up my experience. >> you are not sitting back and feeling sorry for yourself. i admire that tremendously. it's incredible. take it away. >> my name is julia manning.

i have a masters degree in business information technology. i have ten years of diverse experience in i.t., and i've worked in several industries including health care, pharmaceutical and financial. i bring my positive attitude, my excellent work ethic and miable to get projects done and my tenacity to make sure those projections are done efficiently and with quality. my name is julia manning, and i would be glad to be a part of any organization to give me the opportunity. >> they would be lucky to have you i'm sure. you thit right on 30 seconds. i think it's amazing what you do for your aunt and uncle. they took you in and raised you. we got to get you a job. >> thank you, i appreciate it. >> if you are out of the work, let us know, send your resumé and letter to 30 second pitch at cnn.com. go to our blog if you want to hire one of our pitchers.

you'll see julia's pitch among others. let's check our top stories. a german pop star is guilty of not telling a sexual partner she's hiv positive and infecting that partner. sex for sale on craigslist. the website is now bowing to pressure to shut down that section. they will say they will work with authorities to prevent misuse of their site. seven attorneys general are demanding them to shut down that part of their site. hints of salmonella linked to eggs may have gotten out weeks before the fda sounded a warning. health agencies identified wright county egg company as a likely source of illness back in july but a recall decision wasn't made until two weeks later after an fda

investigation. we are asking why special olympics has shut this teen girl out and denied her the chance to play on its basketball team. ooh! here we go. what? whaaat? [kids giggling] announcer: you don't have to be perfect to be a perfect parent, because kids in foster care don't need perfection. they need you. the smell of freshly juiced wheat grass and hand pressed shirts. whatever scents fill your household, purina tidy cats scoop helps neutralize odors in multiple cat homes. purina tidy cats scoop. keep your home smelling like home. the lexus golden opportunity sales event. lease the 2010 is 250 for $349 a month for 36 months

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well, special olympics is supposed to be all about inclusion, but it actually said no to this athlete in illinois. 17-year-old jenny youngwith wanted to play basketball for the special olympics team but it rejected her because of her service dog and the oxygen tank that he carries for her. never mind the fact that she's already played hoops with other programs with simba right there by her side for six years.

special olympics of illinois is worried that the tank is risky for other athletes. regarding the use of service animals and metal oxygen tanks by athletes, we hope that the community will recognize that special olympics illinois must make decisions that take into account the safety and well being of all athletes participating in its sporting events and practices. those farm with our programs and philosophy knows that special olympics illinois makes accommodations to permit individual athletes to compete safely with teammates and competitors. last hour, jenny's mom told us how this upset jenny. it's baffled the whole family, so now they're taking the matter to federal court and we wanted you to weigh in. jennifer says, i don't think it's fair that this girl won't be allowed to play on the special olympics team? isn't that what the special in special olympics is all about, to give opportunities to children with disabilities to

play sportses. mike says, a player were a dog with five feet of separation and a tube between them running unpredictably on a basketball court is a danger to everyone else on the court. unfortunately for jenny, but it's not about her but about the safety of everyone else. this from sophia. i think she should be included if her parents will sign a consent that the olympics will not be responsibility for her injury or death that may result from her participation in the sports and that they cannot sue special olympics. we always want to hear from you. the one thing about smoking -- is it dominates your life, and it dominated mine. i honestly loved smoking, and i honestly didn't think i would ever quit. ♪ it was very interesting that you could smoke on the first week. [ male announcer ] chantix is a non-nicotine pill that stays with you all day to help you quit. in studies, 44% of chantix users were quit

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prudential. ♪ i never thought that this would be the way you'd come back home ♪ it's time for home and away, our daily tribute to our men and women in uniform who made the ultimate sacrifice in iraq and afghanistan. today we're lifting up second lieutenant jeffrey carl graham, killed in a road side bomb attack in iraq in february of 2004.

his fiancee joins us from elizabeth couldn't, kentucky. you both were army brats? >> yes, we were. >> you understood why he wanted to do this and spored his sefss service. >> right. i independent stood the sacrifice involveded. >> why was it important to both of us? >> yes. >> for being army brats. >> for jeffrey to serve and be a part of the military. >> we both understand the sacrifices and understood what being in the army entailed. i knew jeff wanted to grow up to be like his father. his father meant the world to him and i knew that's what he wanted to do. >> he actually said to you one time when he was getting ready to go back overseas, he said, my men need me. what was he talking about? >> jeffrey had just suffered the loss of his brother kevin. he died by suicide and jeff had

the option of not deploying, and one of the things that was offered was stateside position. he said, no, i have men who need me. he need my leadership, and he declined the stateside position, fully knowing the sacrifice that was involved. >> how amazing that he said, i have to go over there, and my men need me and then came that moment when he was just beginning to cross over that bridge, and he saw an ied. tell us, stacy, what happened. >> they were doing a foot patrol to secure an overpass or bridge and they say the ied. once they saw it, he immediately stopped the platoon and had them disperse before he called in the ied. at that time, as the men were moving away from the bomb, at that time is one the bomb exploded. >> and so when did you get word? >> i found out several hours later. i had just returned. i was in pharmacy school and

returned home from one of my rotations, and i found out from my parents who received word from jeff's parents earlier that day. >> now, i know that his memory is kept alive in many ways in your life, but you've got to tell our viewers the story about the lady bug. >> i was having a really hard time, of course, when jeff died and i was at church one sunday, and there was a lady bug that was sitting on the pew in front of me through most of the church service, and i had a connection with this lady bug, so as i'm talking to it in my mind, the bug started to wander away, and i said to myself and the lady bug, jeffrey please don't go and leave me again. this bug stopped walking down the pew and sat in front of me for the rest of the church service. so since then i have had a strong connection with lady bugs and lady bug type items. >> they are symbol of good luck and you actually have a lady bug

necklace around your neck? >> i do, i do. i wear it almost every day. >> wow. and now you're getting to raise some money for t.a.p.s., an organization that provides money for families and kids that have lost mom and dad during these wars, and you're going to run an army ten-miler that's going to raise money for t.a.p.s. are you ready? >> i'm ready. i hope i'm ready. we have raised about $3,000 so far, team wildcats has. we are ready to honor jeff and kevin and run in their memory. >> i know you used to run with jeff. are you going to be talking to him to inspire you to make it that ten miles? >> oh, definitely. i have run several half marat n marathons already and he's been my inspiration to complete them. >> this will be easy for you then. stacy martinez, thank you for sharing jeff's story. we appreciate it. >> thank you. >> if you have a loved one you'd

like to honor, go to cnn.com/homeandaway, type in your service member's name in the search field and pull up. the profile. send us your thoughts and pictures and we promise to keep the memory of your hero, all of our heroes alive.

who says you need a guitar or even guitar hero to totally rock out? why are you laughing, tony? >> because i used to do this as a kid. i jump into the air guitar thing. it was bass guitar for me. >> w