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No Obvious Remains in Hoffa Search; Cracks in Second Dreamliner Engine; Prepping For Carmageddon, The Sequel; Call For Susan Rice to Resign; Concern Over Syria's Chemical Weapons; First Presidential Debate Just Four Days Away; Educating Girls in Afghanistan; Thousands March in Northern Ireland; Czech President Shot With Fake Gun; Fall Housing Forecast

Aired September 29, 2012 - 12:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: For now, we'll begin with new information on an investigation into a decade's old mystery, the disappearance of former teamster's boss Jimmy Hoffa.

Crews digging under a Michigan shed for his possible remains say they did not find any bones, but investigation is not ending there. Soil samples will now go under the microscope.

CNN's national correspondent Susan Candiotti has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Could these carefully wrapped tubes of soil carried out among a sea of cameras possibly hold the remains of Jimmy Hoffa?

CHIEF JAMES BERLIN, ROSEVILLE, MICHIGAN: This is kind of like an open wound that just keeps -- won't go away.

CANDIOTTI: A wound that just might be partially closed Monday when lab results put to rest whether these are human remains, let alone Hoffa's?

BERLIN: Stranger things have happened so it's possible.

CANDIOTTI: Possible maybe, but not probably. The dig inside the shed came after a witness recently told police he saw a body buried there about the same time Jimmy Hoffa disappeared in 1975, but police chief says the timeline doesn't add up. In part he says, an alleged bookmaking operation at the house didn't happen until years later.

BERLIN: I don't think it's Mr. Hoffa.

CANDIOTTI: Neither does retired FBI Agent John Anthony who worked the Hoffa case. He gives the tip zero credibility.

JOHN ANTHONY, RETIRED FBI AGENT: Whether they find a body or not, I don't know. I doubt that. But if they do, I guarantee you it is not Jimmy Hoffa.

CANDIOTTI: Anthony says the FBI has a good idea who pulled off the hit and where, but it sure wasn't in this neighborhood.

(on camera): Why could the FBI never find the body?

ANTHONY: Because there is no body. The body, in our opinion, was cremated or was thrown into a bath of acid or whatever.

CANDIOTTI (voice-over): Whatever happened, the mafia backed teamster boss is legendary, celebrated in movies like this one, going up against U.S. Attorney General Robert Kennedy.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The Justice Department has plenty on you, Mr. Hoffa.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You don't impress me. I don't need $300 million and my brother elected --

CANDIOTTI: Over the years, many failed attempts to find him, tips had him buried in cement near the end zone of old giant stadium. They looked for blood stains on the floor boards of a Detroit home and dug up a horse farm in 2006, all dead ends. Hoffa's middle name was riddle and so is trying to pinpoint why his fate captivates so many people.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He was a gifted individual. He was powerful. He was a negotiator combined that with his mysterious disappearance and the connection with the underworld and the mob.

CANDIOTTI (on camera): So, now, the question is, will police crack this case or will it remain an unsolved mystery? Susan Candiotti, CNN, Roseville, Michigan.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: And more engine trouble for the Boeing 787 Dreamliner just two months after an engine cracked and failed during a test aboard a Boeing 787. Federal plane inspectors have found a second engine problem on another Dreamliner. The aircraft had not yet flown when investigators identified the trouble. The National Transportation Safety Board says it is investigating the problems.

All right, today, a portion of one of the busiest freeways in America closed. Motorists in Los Angeles are being advised to stay away one more time from a 10-mile stretch of the 405 through the Sepulveda Pass during construction.

Joining me now is Kyung Lah from Los Angeles. OK, Kyung, construction again behind you, no traffic, again, behind you, this second time around for so-called "Carmaggedon." Is there a feeling this will go smoothly just like the last one did?

KYUNG LAH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, there's a hope that it will and you do mention that, again. This is Hollywood, Los Angeles. They're referring to it as "Carmageddon, the sequel."

What you're seeing behind me is the actual construction that's happening. This is the Mulholland Bridge, Fredricka and you could see that they are tearing down sections of it. What you're seeing below the bridge, that is what is the 10-mile stretch of freeway, the 405, the nation's busiest freeway is completely empty right now.

Just a few minutes ago, our cameraman actually got a picture of the entire chunk, the northern part of Mulholland Bridge, a part of it actually coming down. That's why the 405 Freeway had to be shut down for so long.

At the end of all of this, when the freeway does reopen at 5:00 a.m. Monday morning, just in time for morning rush, it will be the longest, the end of all of this construction, the longest car pool lane in the entire country, 73 miles.

So, the hope is that "Carmageddon" will go smoothly. On our way here, we did not run into a whole ton of traffic. But, again, Fredricka, it is early on a Saturday morning. So, we have a long way to go until Monday morning.

WHITFIELD: I guess that is true, as it pertains to the construction there. But I guess commuters, yes, they can just stay put wherever they are for now. They don't need the 405. All right, thanks so much, Kyung Lah. Appreciate it.

All right, that deadly attack on the U.S. Consulate in Libya is now at the center of a political firestorm. U.S. intelligence officials now say it was a deliberate terror assault. It's a different assessment from before.

U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice had said earlier it was a spontaneous attack over an anti-Muslim film and that there were no extremists involved, but now with the new information, New York Congressman Peter King is calling for Rice to step down. Here's what he told our Wolf Blitzer.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REPRESENTATIVE PETER KING (R), NEW YORK (via telephone): Too much things to go wrong and everyone forgets about it the next day. I think we have to send a clear message and on such a flight issue as this, an American ambassador was killed and by all the accumulation of evidence at the time the presumption had to be it was terrorism.

I can see why they wanted to say it's too early to say it's definitively terrorism, but to rule out terrorism and say it was not terrorism at that time, to me, was a terrible mistake to make whether it was intentionally or unintentionally. I believe she should resign, yes.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: The White House is standing by Rice at her statements were based on information they had at the time and it was not intended to mislead people according to White House officials.

All right, now to the crisis in Syria, the U.S. is warning Iran to stop providing arms to Bashar Al-Assad's regime. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is asking Syria's neighbors not to allow Iran to use their land and air space to transport weapons. She also said the U.S. is donating another $15 million in nonlethal support to unarmed Syrian opposition groups.

All right, there are a lot of questions and concerns surrounding Syria's chemical weapons stock. Some videos posted by the Syrian opposition on YouTube purportedly shows missiles designed to carry these chemicals.

CNN cannot independently verify the videos, but a former Syrian army officer says the regime can easily move them to different locations, if there is a chance they might fall into rebel hands. Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta confirms this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LEON PANETTA, DEFENSE SECRETARY: We do believe that those sites still remain secured by the Syrian military. There has been intelligence that there have been some moves that have taken place. Where exactly that has taken place, we don't know.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Panetta also says the U.S. and other countries are monitoring these weapon sites.

Pope Benedict's former butler is on trial today at the Vatican. He's accused of leaking hundreds of secret pages from the pontiff's apartment to an Italian journalist. If he is convicted, he could spend up to eight years in prison. He has pled not guilty. The Vatican computer technician is also on trial.

More than 100 voter registrations in the big battleground state of Florida are being called suspicious.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: President Barack Obama and Mitt Romney are about to come face-to-face for their first presidential debate. It happens Wednesday night in Denver. Both candidates have been practicing for the event and both campaigns are trying to lower expectations by presenting their candidate as the underdog.

While the candidates prepare for the debate, their running mates are courting voters, as well, in critical battleground states. Republican Paul Ryan is in New Hampshire and Ohio today.

And Vice President Joe Biden is wrapping up a two-day swing through Florida right now. Right now, live pictures. He is holding a rally there and talking to supporters in Fort Myers.

All right, now to a controversy over the legitimacy of voter registrations in Florida. An election official in Palm Beach County tells CNN as many as 106 voter registration applications may be fraudulent containing false information and fake signatures. The applications were turned in by a consulting firm hired by the Republican National Committee to register voters. The RNC says it has cut ties with that firm.

President Obama and Mitt Romney facing American voters who are trying to weigh their choices this Wednesday, the first presidential debate, October 3rd. Watch it live at 7:00 Eastern Time right here on CNN and on cnn.com.

All right, a group of high school cheerleaders in Texas take their fight on the sidelines to the courtroom after being told not to use bible verses on signs at games.

Our legal guys are standing by for a spirited debate. Richard says, no, no, no. They're going to be joining us, yes, yes, yes, in a moment.

If you have to go out today, just a reminder, you can continue watching CNN from your mobile phone and watch CNN live from your laptop, go to cnn.com/tv.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: A judge in Philadelphia has issued a stay of execution for Terrence Williams. Williams had been scheduled to be put to death for murdering a man back in 1984.

But the judge found reasonable probability that Williams' verdict may have been different if the jury heard allegations that the man he killed sexually abused him. The judge did grant Williams a new sentencing hearing.

On to Texas now, where football is like a religion, but in South Texas, one public high school is accused of violating the separation between church and state by allowing cheerleaders to use bible verses on banners during the game.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The one parent who did complain, it is just one. If you don't like it, don't come to our games.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We're trying to fight it not for publicity, but for God's word. We're not fighting for our rights, we're fighting for God.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: The parents of the cheerleaders are standing their ground filing a discrimination suit and there's a hearing in the case next week.

Let's bring in our legal guys, Avery Friedman is a civil rights attorney and law professor in Cleveland. Good to see you.

AVERY FRIEDMAN, CIVIL RIGHTS ATTORNEY: Hi, Fredricka. WHITFIELD: And Richard Herman, a New York criminal defense attorney and law professor joining us from Las Vegas. Good to see you as well.

RICHARD HERMAN, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Hi, Fred.

WHITFIELD: OK, so Richard, you first. You know, a court actually has ruled that the school district cannot block these cheerleaders from using these banners with the bible verses, but isn't this an issue of church and state?

HERMAN: Yes, that's a hometown ruling -- yes, that's a hometown rule by a local judge that wants to get re-elected and has no bearing in law. The judge is flat out wrong. The United States Supreme Court has spoken on this back in the year 2000, Santa Fe V John Doe. You cannot give the impression that a public school is sponsoring prayer or religion. You just can't do it.

That's how it is. It's open and shut, black and white, the school is going to shut down and they're not going to be allowed to do this. You want to bring posters in the stands, you can do that. But the students can't lead the charge and that's what's going to be stopped here.

WHITFIELD: So Avery, why do you see this as laughable and what is this hearing all about then?

FRIEDMAN: Well, what's laughable is that you got it exactly right. The amazing thing about this --

WHITFIELD: You're in agreement.

FRIEDMAN: No, sometimes, Richard, you get it right and he is right. The fact is the law is absolutely clear on this. Look, it's a local state judge. You have to know East Texas. This is not Austin, this is the Beaumont area and I understand.

There is no constitutional way a judge can stop the school district from barring these signs. Look, if you want to hold up a sign that says God favors your side over the other side, that's fine. But if it's as part of the government activity, that is, the public school cheerleaders, they simply can't do it.

This is not even a constitutional close call. We absolutely agree on this. The fact is the federal district judge in Texas held something similar to what Richard and I just talked about and he was, he had assassination attempts on him.

So, this is a very strong, emotional issue but constitutionally, Fredricka, not even a close call. The school cannot permit that kind of proselytizing.

WHITFIELD: Does it make a difference whether the school is encouraging the students, the cheerleaders, in this case, to do so or if the cheerleaders say, we do this on our own volition. This is something we want to do. Will the law look at them differently, Avery?

FRIEDMAN: Can't do it. The problem is, it's under the auspices of the public school, if they want to do it personally and privately, we have that right. But under the establishment clause, the attorney general sent a letter 48 hours ago saying he believes the cheerleaders can do it. He's dead wrong. The fact is --

WHITFIELD: The attorney general. OK, all right, let's move on to Montclair, New Jersey. And we're talking about a case involving a gay couple. They take a beautiful picture with the Manhattan Skyline behind them and they put it on their blog and then somehow that image gets lifted, superimposed with a whole different background of a kind of Colorado landscape.

And it's done allegedly by a group that has an anti-gay campaign and these two men here saying we're suing on the grounds of our privacy being violated and copyright infringement and the list goes on.

Avery, do they have a solid case? What can anyone do to protect their image when you post it on your Facebook, blog, internet, period?

FRIEDMAN: Well, there's absolutely a rock solid case. Look, the defendant in this case is a guy in Northern Virginia who took wedding pictures of a couple in New Jersey posing in New York and used it for a political campaign in Colorado if you can follow that.

And the bottom line is, he never asked consent, he just appropriated the likeness. There's a copyright by the photographer. This is what happens when you have extremism, Fredricka. People do things that are inexplicable.

And I don't know how this guy who runs this organization in Northern Virginia is going to get away with it. The really strange thing is his group was designated a hate group by the poverty law center.

And the unusual thing is it's the only hate group in the country and had a governmental official. This guy is a supervisor in Loudoun County, Virginia. So the showdown is going to take place in federal court in Denver and I think the plaintiffs are going to prevail in this case.

WHITFIELD: So, Richard, what is at stake here? I mean, a few things the couple is pursuing, you know, their right to privacy being violated and the misuse of their photo, the photographer, too, is involved saying it's copyright infringement. To what extent does this couple the photographer have to go to prove their case?

HERMAN: Yes, Fred, I think the only thing that will protect them is the fact that it was copyright protected. And I don't know how they chose the copyright protect this picture because, you know, I don't know that the law is crystal clear on this.

If you take a picture and you post it on the internet and other people use that picture or do things to that picture y don't know what protections you as an individual have. Once you put it out there into the main stream, but here there was a copyright protection.

FRIEDMAN: It's the photographer's copyright, not the individuals. They have an appropriation claim, but it's the photographer's copyright claim that I think is viable here.

WHITFIELD: OK, we did reach out to the public advocate group that allegedly used this photo for their comment and we did receive no response on that.

Meantime, all right, Richard, Avery, we're going to hear from you, again. You'll be back in 20 minutes and a few other extraordinary cases for you all to delve into, including one involving a woman who claims she didn't get a car rental discount because she's straight. We'll talk about that.

All right, also, people in Ireland are marching on the streets of Bell Fast. We'll tell you why authorities worried that it could end up being a violent scene there.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right, each week we're shining a spotlight on the "Top Ten CNN Heroes" of 2012. You get to vote for the one that most inspires you at cnnheroes.com.

This week's honoree is from Kabul, Afghanistan, where terrorists use violence to keep girls from getting an education. It is here at Razia Jan fearlessly opened her school to hundreds of young minds each and every day.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RAZIA JAN, CHAMPIONING CHILDREN: In Afghanistan, most of the girls have no voice. They are used as property of a family. The picture is very grim.

My name is Razia Jan and I am a founder of a girls' school in Afghanistan. When we opened the school in 2008, 90 percent of them could not write their name.

Today, 100 percent of them are educated. They can read, they can write. I lived in the U.S. for over 38 years, but I was really affected by 9/11. I really wanted to prove that Muslims are not terrorists. I came back here in 2002.

Girls had been the most oppressed and I thought I have to do something. It was a struggle in the beginning. I would sit with these men and I would tell them, don't marry them when they're 14 years old. They want to learn.

How do you write your father's name. After five years now, the men, they're proud of their girls when they, themselves, can write their name.

Still, we have to take this with precautions. Some people are so much against girls getting educated. We provide free education to over 350 girls. I think it's like a fire. It will grow every year my hope becomes more, I think, I can see the future.

(END VIDEOTAPE) WHITFIELD: Razia Jan will join me in our 3:00 Eastern hour today to share more of her story. Razia is just one of ten top honorees eligible to become the "CNN Hero of the Year" and receive $250,000 in the end. Who will it be? You decide.

Go to cnnheroes.com on your mobile device to vote up to ten times a day, every day for the most inspirational hero to you. We'll be right back with a look at our top stories.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: In Northern Ireland, thousands of people are marching through Belfast today. It's the 100th anniversary of the signing of a pro-union document.

There are fears this could inflame tensions between Catholics and Protestants, and police are stationed along the parade route to prevent any violence.

All right, closer to home now, officials in Michigan say they'll soon know if soil samples taken beneath a storage shed contain the remains of former teamster's boss Jimmy Hoffa.

Police say there are, quote, "no discernible remains in the samples." But the lab is testing them right now and results are expected Monday. A tipster claims a body was buried under the suburban Detroit shed around the same time Hoffa disappeared.

Former "New York Times" publisher Arthur Sulzberger has died. He took over the "Times" in 1963 and was the guiding force in transforming it to a multi-billion dollar brand. It was under his watch the "Times" published the pentagon papers tracing U.S. involvement in Vietnam. Arthur Sulzberger was 86.

The Czech president shot and injured, but his injuries are just bruises as the gun used was actually a fake, and the bullets, plastic.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: If you're waking up in L.A. and you're wondering the route that you're going to take today. You know you shouldn't take a good 10-mile stretch of the 405, just some live area pictures right now.

A rare sight to see the 405 empty like that, you know, in large parts because of the construction that's taking place. People have been calling it "Carmageddon 2." The first one, "Carmageddon 1," not too long ago, well, it turned out that it was smooth sailing. People found other ways to get around on the weekend instead of 405.

And so the 405 remains closed, at least a portion remains closed until Monday morning and then get back on the 405 and resume your traffic woes there, if you like, in Los Angeles.

All right, busy airports, lost baggage, crowded tourist attractions, some vacations can leave you feeling more stress than when you left. But as Holly Firfer reports in this week's "On the Go," a spa vacation just might be the ticket.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HOLLY FIRFER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Massages, facials, hot tubs. Spa vacations are a great way to unplug and relax.

MICHELE BIGLEY, TRAVEL WRITER: You should go to a spa to relax your body, relax your mind and have some time off and give yourself a break from the rest of the world.

FIRFER: To make sure you get the most out of your spa vacation, give yourself time to slow down.

BIGLEY: It often takes people a couple days to actually fully relax and go with the flow of being quiet. So, arranging a spa vacation for two or three days allows you to decompress and release all that energy from the outside.

FIRFER: Bigley also suggests arriving the night before and staying in a less expensive hotel. That way you can wake up the next morning refreshed and ready to go to the spa.

BIGLEY: Consider traveling to a spa resort mid-week and then scheduling your treatments at off times like early in the morning or late at night to get some great deals.

FIRFER: But don't overdo it.

BIGLEY: It sounds fantastic to get a massage and facial and mud bath and a yoga class and Pilates. If you overbook yourself, you will not allow time to actually relax.

FIRFER: Holly Firfer, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Of course, you want to know the best spa vacation destinations, we have that for you, some inside tips on the best places to go to unplug and relax 2:00 Eastern hour. You don't want to miss that.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: The Czech president is recovering after a bizarre attack. It happened while he was inaugurating a new bridge as he was walking through the crowd, as you see there.

A man armed with a fake gun fired plastic pallets at him. The Czech leader was taken to the hospital with bruises, but no serious injuries. The suspect is in custody.

A typhoon roared over the Japanese island of Okinawa today. It's the latest in a string of typhoons to rock the area. The storms have sustained winds of over 100 miles per hour. It is expected to hit mainland Japan before making landfall there on Sunday. An incredible video off Mexico's Coast, a remarkable rescue there, eight fishermen getting tossed into the sea with Tropical Storm Norman's heavy winds and rains capsized their boat.

They were hauled to safety and dry ground by that rope there several bruises later. One had to be treated for inhaling too much water, ingesting too much water, but all expected to be OK.

All right, a man gets good news and learns that he has been approved for a kidney transplant, but then he tells his job and he gets fired. Is there a connection? Our legal guys will be weighing in on this case.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: A Florida man waiting for a kidney gets approved for a transplant. He says his bosses congratulated him and then three days later fired him. Now, he's suing.

Our legal guys are back, Avery Friedman in Cleveland, Richard Herman in Las Vegas. All right, welcome back, guys. All right, Richard, you first.

He says he has told his company, Cisco, they seemed elated and happy for him and then he was let go. The company says they had been downsizing and that's the explanation. But then to what extent will Martin Cupid have to go to prove that he was discriminated against -- Richard.

HERMAN: Well, they not only, they not only let him go, Fred, they stopped his health insurance which took him off the donor list and now he's trying to get back on a kidney donor list.

But here's the situation here, whether he was downsized for economic reasons that will be the issue, 300 employees. They only terminate four in the last year or so.

For them to claim it was downsizing due to the economy, I think it's going to be a tough hurdle for the company to prove. I think he has a very legitimate case here.

You know, the Americans with Disability Act says employers must provide suitable arrangements for people with disabilities and here it just looks like it was blatant.

The employer wanted nothing to do with this guy, didn't want him out on sick leave. Just let him cut him loose and I think he has a very good case here.

WHITFIELD: And so Avery, is it kind of two-prong, the American Civil Liberties with Disability Act, as well as the Family Leave Act that Martin Cupid will be able to, you know, contend? Protections he should have gotten.

FRIEDMAN: I think, you know, Martin Cupid, what a great name. You have to have heart for this guy. The fact is that in addition, it's a 21- page federal lawsuit and it claims among other things not only did he lose the health care for the transplant but when he tried to get another job at another facility, they retaliated against him.

This is a very, very serious case. The fact is when the federal judge took a look at it, I think correctly, this week, entered an order, ordering both sides to sit down. I have a hunch this case is going to get mediated and Martin Cupid is going to get his job back.

He's also going to get his transplant through his wife's health care at Tampa General. But, unfortunately, he has to go back on the waiting list.

WHITFIELD: And, so, we did reach out to Cisco, the company, but they have not returned our phone calls for our response on this. All right, let's move on to Avis and this very interesting case.

We're talking about a woman, Lynn Evancheck, who said she wanted the 20 percent discount given to two gay groups and now she's suing Avis for discrimination.

Richard, isn't it the discretion of a company to say, we extend, you know, certain discounts to certain groups whatever it is that they want.

HERMAN: She needs to get a life, first of all. This lawsuit is --

FRIEDMAN: My goodness.

HERMAN: Absolutely, absolutely pathetic and stupid and should be dismissed and only because Avis' attorneys elected to show --

FRIEDMAN: Really?

HERMAN: Yes, really. Because Avis' attorneys elected to show that avis gives discounts to several different organizations that the judge allowed the case to continue. It will be dismissed. It's ridiculous.

It's over $60. She spent thousands of dollars in legal fees already. It's stupid. This case is really stupid, Fred. That's the easiest way to put it.

WHITFIELD: You're pretty fired up about that one. OK, Avery, you go for it. How do you see it?

FRIEDMAN: You want to know something? Avis' lawyer said the same thing that Richard did. In a 14-page opinion they ruled that slinging personal attacks, demeaning language and offensive remarks, which actually applies to illegal analysis, also, doesn't work in federal district court.

And the fact that the argument that it was ridiculous was specifically dealt with by the federal district judge who rejected it, who slapped the lawyers and said this case is going forward, why?

Because it's principled and well founded and whether or not she prevailed on the merits is a different issue. But the federal district judge smacked the avis lawyers for calling it ridiculous and, granted, frankly, they were lucky not to have been sanctioned by the federal district judge.

So, we're at the beginning. The federal judge did the right thing and we'll see what happens at the finality of the case, not at the beginning.

WHITFIELD: Again, we did reach out to Avis. We placed many phone calls and they have not responded to us --

FRIEDMAN: They never call you back, Fredricka. Why don't they call you back?

WHITFIELD: Call me back, maybe. All right, Avery, Richard, OK, so, you know, we also know that next week Supreme Court back in session. Anything can happen. There are a number of things on the docket the Supreme Court might be looking into.

Avery, you first, what particular cases might you be looking forward to that you think they will take on?

FRIEDMAN: Well, they're going to take on. Custody should kick off on Monday morning. The hot case, they've already decided to rule on 16 Fisher versus University of Texas on whether or not affirmative action is constitutional.

The other hot thing is a new book out on the justices of the Supreme Court and the presidency. CNN's senior legal analyst Jeff Toobin fabulous what's been out there will hit the "New York Times" bestseller list very soon.

WHITFIELD: Jeffrey Toobin will send you a note. Richard, what do you look forward to with the Supreme Court back in session?

HERMAN: Fisher and one of my favorites, University of Texas. Go horns. But, also, we'll be looking at law concerning same-sex marriages and the Supreme Court will address that.

And they're also going to address warrants, Fred, whether you need a warrant to take a blood test on a DUI, a potential DUI case. You need that warrant or can the police just take your blood? Interesting case, some of the other warrant cases will be decided by the Supreme Court. We're looking forward to it.

WHITFIELD: All right, so much at stake.

HERMAN: Red hot.

WHITFIELD: Per usual, all right, thanks so much, Avery, Richard. Thank you so much. And of course, we'll be talking again next week. Maybe we'll be getting a little bit more specific on some of the other cases that they might start to tackle this week coming up. We'll see.

HERMAN: If you call us, Fred, we'll absolutely return your call.

WHITFIELD: A call back. FRIEDMAN: You want a reply, give her a reply. What the heck, why not?

WHITFIELD: All right, thanks so much, guys. Appreciate it.

All right, the legal guys are here every Saturday at this time to give us their take on the most intriguing legal cases of the day.

All right, the housing market is showing some signs of life. Tell you what this means for you, if you're planning on buying or selling your house.

If you have to go out today, just a reminder, you can continue watching CNN from your mobile phone. You can also watch CNN live from your laptop. Just go to cnn.com/tv.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: When they pick Homer Bailey, seventh overall in the 2004 draft, the Cincinnati Reds thought they had a pretty special pitcher. Bailey was more than special Friday night in Pittsburgh.

He was nearly perfect in throwing the Major League's seventh no-hitter of the season. He struck out ten Pirates and walked just one. The Reds first no-hitter in 24 years and first time the Pirates had been no hits since 1971.

All right, it's one of the biggest sign s of a housing recovery. Home prices now back to where they were nine years ago in this week's "Smart is the New Rich." Christine Romans gives us the housing forecast for the fall.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JENNA OPIELA, HOME SELLER: We put the house on the market the Thursday before Labor Day and we were under contract the following Tuesday.

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The Opielas are the sign of a recovering housing market. They bought their two- bedroom, one and a half bath, row house in D.C.'s Capitol Hill area for $355,000 in 2009.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do you love living in Capitol Hill?

ROMANS: Now they're selling.

DAN OPIELA, HOME SELLER: We were thinking of listing around $430,000, $440,000. After our original meeting with the realtor, he suggested $469,000 which, at first, I was a little bit worried about because I thought it would scare people away. We went and listed at that level.

JENNA OPIELA: Turned out to be the right thing to do.

ROMANS: Hungry buyers came knocking.

DAN OPIELA: Maybe 30, 35 people came through total for one three-hour open house, which is pretty amazing. JENNA OPIELA: A lot of traffic.

DAN OPIELA: We had probably seven or eight other scheduled appointments over a four, five-day period. Have people come by, saw the sign and just wanted to come in and see the place. There were a lot of people looking for houses in this area.

CAMERON SHOSH, CENTURY 21 REDWOOD REALTY: The market has been great this fall. Things are absolutely outstanding. Open houses are very busy and buyers out there getting internet response to listing and a lot of calls on listings and things are moving fast.

ROMANS: The latest housing headlines show improving builder confidence and rising sales and prices and record low mortgage rates.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The housing is coming back to life.

ROMANS: But don't break out the bubbly just yet, home prices aren't expected to return to their peak until 2023.

MARK ZANDI, CHIEF ECONOMIST, MOODY'S ANALYTICS: There are 3 million loans that are in foreclosure or they're very late and likely go into foreclosure. That's a lot of loans, 49.5 million people with mortgages. In some markets across the country, it's still a big problem.

ROMANS: But for those in the market --

ZANDI: It's fabulous time for buyers and refinancers. For the first time in six, seven years sellers do have some leverage in the negotiations. Prices are rising and they don't have to cut their price like they did before.

ROMANS: Here's what buyers need.

GREG MCBRIDE, SENIOR FINANCIAL ANALYST, BANKRATE.COM: You need good credit, you're going to need proof of income and you're going to need some money in the form of a down payment.

ROMANS: As for the Opielas, they're looking to sell for a profit and they hope their next selling experience is similar.

JENNA OPIELA: It's always going to be like this going forward, right?

ROMANS: Christine Romans, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: All right, it wasn't a moment too soon for NFL players and fans. The regular NFL refs were in Baltimore Thursday. Will they be there Sunday? We'll fill you in.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right, the U.S. is warning Iran to stop providing arms to the Syrian regime. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is asking Syrian neighbors not to allow Iran to use their land and air space to transport weapons. Clinton says the U.S. is donating another $15 million in nonlethal support to unarmed Syrian opposition groups.

New York Congressman Peter King is calling for Susan Rice to step down. He says the U.S. ambassador to the U.N. deliberately misled people on the attack on the consulate in Libya. Rice said earlier it was spontaneous violence over an anti-Muslim film, but now confirmed it was a terror attack. The White House says her statements were based on information that they had at the time.

Pope Benedict's former butler is on trial today at the Vatican. He is accused of leaking hundreds of secret pages from the pontiff's personal apartment to an Italian journalist. If convicted, he could spend up to eight years in prison. He has pleaded not guilty. A Vatican computer technician is also on trial.

The real refs came back to the NFL on Thursday without a done deal. Now, the return is official by a vote of 112 to 5 referees today decided to ratify their new eight-year deal with the NFL. Immediately following the vote in Irving, Texas, the refs scrambled to catch flights for those Sunday games. A lot of fans and players are happy are about that.

All right, more engine trouble for the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. Just two months after an engine cracked and failed during a test aboard a Boeing 787, federal plane inspectors found a second engine problem on another dream liner. The aircraft had not yet flown when investigators identified the trouble. The National Transportation Safety Board says it is investigating the problems.

All right, coming up in the CNN NEWSROOM at 2:00 Eastern Time, a live report from Rome. The pope's former butler on trial at the Vatican accused of leaking those secret documents.

Also, 2:00 Eastern Time, the amazing second chance extended to a once major league baseball player. I'll talk to Adam Greenberg, once for the Chicago Cubs and a sports fan who helped make it all happen for him so that he could go up the bat one more time.

I'm Fredricka Whitfield. "YOUR MONEY" starts right now.