CNN.com - Transcripts

Transcript Providers

Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Live Sunday

Germany's National Democratic Party Demostrates During WWII Anniversary; Interview with Robert Cummings

Aired May 08, 2005 - 16:00 ET

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

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

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: U.S. military officials say he is responsible for an attack on Abu Ghraib Prison last month and a string of car bombs. Now, an alleged top lieutenant to the most wanted man in Iraq is captured.
Her young body found headless four years ago, her identity unknown until this week. We go back do the neighborhood where she lived to find out how the killing of a little girl could happen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He was a wonderful son. He never -- we never had any heart aches out of him except when he got killed. He was a great kid.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: And the mother of a fallen soldier, how she's used her experience to help other moms cope with their grief.

Hello and welcome to CNN LIVE SUNDAY. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. All that and more after a look at the headlines.

President Bush is in Moscow after attending V-E Day ceremonies in the Netherlands. Mr. Bush visited a Dutch cemetery, the third largest in Europe for Americans killed in World War II. Europe is marking the 60th anniversary of the war's ending there.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Present arms!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: V-E Day observations are taking place in the U.S., as well. Veterans and dignitaries attended a ceremony this afternoon at the National World War II memorial in Washington.

The head of the U.N.'s nuclear watchdog agency says he believes North Korea has five to six nuclear weapons. Mohamed ElBaredei tells CNN's Wolf Blitzer he thinks North Korea also has the delivery system for those weapons.

One by one, Abu Musab al Zarqawi's circle of henchmen keeps getting smaller. The U.S. military says another key aid to the most wanted man in Iraq is now off the streets and in custody. Ammar al Zubaydi is accused of planning many recent attacks. CNN Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr has the details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BARBARA STARR (on camera): U.S. officials say they have captured the man who planned several bomb attacks that hit Baghdad April 29, part of a wave of rising violence. There is hope the arrest will bring them closer to getting Abu Musab al Zarqawi, the Jordanian-born terrorist leader responsible for months of violence.

Inside the U.S. military, growing worry about the deadly rise in car bombs and suicide attacks. U.S. officials now estimate nearly 300 Iraqi civilians and security forces have been killed in the last ten days. But officials insist their information is getting better, that each arrest now giving them more intelligence and more tips about Zarqawi.

BRIG. GEN. MARK KIMMITT, U.S. CENTRAL COMMAND: That intelligence allows you to plan future operations which after conducting those operations also gives you more intelligence. It is a virtually cycle permitted us of late to take down a significant part of the Zarqawk network.

STARR: The latest arrest came in Baghdad a few days ago, but was not immediately announced. Mohammed Homza al Zubaydi is described by the U.S. as a prominent figure in the Zarqawi organization. When U.S. troops grabbed him, they got documents detailing the attacks in April insurgent attack against Abu Ghraib Prison and plans to assassinate a prominent Iraqi government official in the days ahead. The U.S. is not saying the name of that official.

The U.S. military also trying to convince many people that Zarqawi is not ten feet tall in the words of one official. A U.S. military press release is taking the unprecedented step of detailing statements from Zarqawi's driver when he was arrested back in February.

The press release saying the driver told interrogators, quote "Zarqawi became hysterical while he was trying to escape on February 20." Of course, there is no way for us to corroborate that information from the U.S. military.

Barbara Starr, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Well, how significant is the capture of Ammar al Zubaydi and this week's arrest of accused al Qaeda operative Abu Faraj al Libbi in Pakistan? Joining us with answers is CNN national security adviser and former acting CIA director John McLaughlin. Good to see you, John.

JOHN MCLAUGHLIN, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: Hi, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: Well, do you see the noose tightening around al Qaeda and consequently around the leader, Osama bin Laden, as well? MCLAUGHLIN: Well, these are two important captures this week. Certainly, the capture of al Libbi takes off the street someone who had visibility and to just about all of al Qaeda's worldwide operations. And the take down that you just talked about in Iraq is important. This is about the 20th Zarqawi associate that has been captured thanks to U.S. intelligence and our military colleagues. So it starts to peel the onion on Zarqawi a little bit.

WHITFIELD: And let's try to separate the two and starting with Zubaydi who is apparently very close to Zarqawi. And he was, you know, essentially -- Zarqawi is essentially been dubbed by Osama bin Laden as the kind of leader of al Qaeda in Iraq. How significant is it that Zubaydi would be captured? Might he talk? How difficult will it be to get him to reveal some information about Zarqawi?

MCLAUGHLIN: Well, it's difficult to say. You know, sometimes when these guys are captured, they tell you everything they know right away and other times they claim up. And we'll have to see how Zubaydi operates on that score.

Some of the previous people captured have told us a lot. And this puts a lot of stress on Zarqawi's network. As you know, the military mentioned recently that they came very close, within minutes, of capturing him. So, I would think that life is a little tougher for him.

WHITFIELD: And as for al Libbi, he wasn't even on the FBI most wanted list, but he apparently is a No. 3 man to Osama bin Laden. Pakistan, really, had a keen interest in getting him, didn't they, because he was allegedly part of the plots to assassinate Pervez Musharaff?

MCLAUGHLIN: Absolutely. Pakistan had a high interest. But this is a result of a partnership with Pakistan and the United States. He was not on the U.S. FBI list, but that doesn't mean a great deal in terms of value that he had to us as a key al Qaeda operative.

He's someone who probably is linked to, for example, the big network that was taken down in the U.K. last summer, which had some casing in the United States. He probably had visibility into negotiations between al Qaeda and Zarqawi about the arrangement that you talked about a moment ago. And he had worldwide responsibilities just like Khalid Sheikh Mohammed did. So, this is a very important capture.

WHITFIELD: Well, what do you read into this arrest by Pakistan in terms of their commitment to the war on terror and their continued cooperation with the U.S.?

MCLAUGHLIN: Oh, this is just the latest sign of a courageous posture that Pakistan has adopted under President Musharaff. These are difficult things for the Pakistanis to do, because they're operating in parts of Pakistan that are quite extreme and not at all friendly to the Musharaff government. So they're sticking their necks way out here. And, this is the latest sign of what I think is a deep commitment on the part of the Pakistanis to working with us to take down this dangerous network.

WHITFIELD: And how encouraged are you by these recent arrests. Even within just a past few weeks a number of arrests involving al Qaeda. And whether in any way this is -- these arrests are disarming or weakening the terror group?

MCLAUGHLIN: Well, the first thing you have to say is this is still a very dangerous movement that could strike at any time. The United States is still the brass ring for them.

That said, in the last year, we have had good success against this network. This is just the latest evidence of it. So, I'm encouraged in the sense that a take down like this has a disruptive fact. All of this guy's operatives now have to look over their shoulder and think about whether they're compromised, so they've got to readjust. And throughout the network, people have to then stop and think about what happens next.

So it has a disruptive effect. And we may be able to learn some things here to learn to other take downs.

WHITFIELD: John McLaughlin, a former acting CIA director, thanks so much for joining us.

MCLAUGHLIN: You bet.

WHITFIELD: The U.S. military is crediting the capture of another alleged associate of al Zarqawi's, for dozens of arrests in western Iraq. His name, Gashin Amin (ph).

Iraqi and U.S. forces captured 54 insurgents in a raid near the Syrian border today. Six others were killed. U.S. soldiers rounded up another 33 suspected terrorists in a series of raids yesterday around Baghdad. Two of the men described as high value targets.

Elsewhere in Baghdad, gunmen assassinated a senior official in Iraq's Transportation Ministry today. The official was killed along with his driver as he was heading to work.

The assassination came as Iraq's parliament today approved a list of six nominees to fill vacant cabinet positions. Four of those positions went to the Sunni minority, which had a poor showing in the January elections. But one Sunni selected as human rights minister turned down that job.

Two Americans killed in a massive suicide car bombing in Baghdad yesterday have been identified. Brandon Thomas, pictured here, was from Salt Lake City, Utah. The other American was Tod Vanetti of White Hall, Arkansas. Both men work for CTU, a private contractor that was providing security services in Iraq. The company says both men were military veterans.

President Bush continuing his European trip to mark the end of World War II.

Also, some serious talk, a live report from Moscow as Mr. Bush sits down with Russian president Vladimir Putin straight ahead.

Also, on this anniversary of V-E Day, a tense standoff in the streets of Berlin. A Neo-Nazi march creates a stir.

And this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Joey, in particular, is a first thing I think of when I wake up in the morning. And I know he will be the very last thing I think of as I draw my last breath.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Drawing inspiration from her son, how a mother is helping other families deal with autism.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: The past and the future, both the focus of President Bush's meeting with his Russian counterpart today. The setting: Dacha, West of Moscow. The agenda: marking 60 years since the end of World War II in Europe and exchanging some serious concerns.

CNN chief national correspondent John King is traveling with the president. He joins us now from the Russian capital -- John.

JOHN KING, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And Fredricka, you might file what we saw here in Moscow today under, "the What a Difference a Day Makes" file. On his way to Moscow, Mr. Bush quite public in airing his criticisms of Russian president Vladimir Putin, but a dramatic show of friendship by both leaders tonight.

As you noted, Mr. Bush was just outside of Moscow at Mr. Putin's home. The two leaders took a long stroll for the cameras. All smiles there. Taking a little walk on the property, Mr. Putin showing Mr. Bush around before dinner. And if that's not enough, if the smiles and strolls don't convince you these two men are friends, get a load of this. The Russian president allowing President Bush, who of course very rarely gets to drive back in the United States -- only the ranch in Texas -- to get behind the wheel of Mr. Putin's 1956 vintage Volga.

Now back in the day, many would have preferred a '56 Chevy, but it's not such a bad car. And Mr. Bush clearly enjoyed taking a ride before dinner. And even in their public meeting, the two leaders sitting down, this comes at a time the United States is upset with Mr. Putin's nuclear cooperation with Iran, upset with Mr. Putin's decision to go ahead and sell missiles to Syria. Yet Mr. Bush was decidedly upbeat.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Russia's a great nation. And I'm looking forward to working on -- together on big problems. And I want to thank you for your work on Iran and the Middle East. And there's a lot we can do together.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING: Now, in that public discussion before the cameras, Mr. Bush made no mention of the concerns that Mr. Putin is backsliding on the path to democracy. The president was quite pointed in a speech just yesterday in Latvia on the way here, saying great countries are judged by their commitment to the rule of law, economic stability and other democratic reforms.

No public mention of that, but Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice did emerge from the meetings to say Mr. Bush did bring up those concerns in private. She said she did so in a forceful way. And she said that is a sign that this is a very good relationship -- a productive relationship. The two leaders could air their differences without worrying.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CONDOLEEZZA RICE, SECRETARY OF STATE: This is an excellent relationship between these two men at a personal level and also as presidents of these two great countries. And I believe they feel that they can discuss anything.

I would characterize the relationship as absolutely straight forward. They say what they think. They say what they mean. And, then they act on that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING: Clearly, an effort by the president of the United States to play down those differences as he comes here to Moscow. They are considerable differences. They are testing the personal bond between them at the moment.

But Mr. Bush very much upbeat today on the eve of the main event here in Moscow, a parade behind me here in Red Square tomorrow. That military parade on the spot where Kruschev, Stalin, Breznev other Soviet leaders once stood. Mr. Bush will be standing by, paying tribute to the Russian sacrifices to defeat the Nazis 60 years ago -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: A poignant moment that will be. John King, thanks so much from Moscow.

Well, Russia officially celebrates the end of World War II tomorrow as John just explained, but much of Europe marks the anniversary today, the day the Berlin armistice was signed.

In London, Britain's Prince Charles laid a wreath at a monument honoring the dead of both world wars. He later joined veterans for a march through Hyde Park.

In Paris, French president Jacques Chirac relit the flame of the tomb of the unknown soldier. Jets later flew over the Champs Elise streaking the sky with red, white and blue smoke -- the colors of the French flag.

And in Berlin, the date was marked by a wreath laying ceremony at a memorial to victims of Nazism and the war. It contains the remains of an unknown soldier and an unknown concentration camp victim.

Germany's president says his country looks back with shame on World War II and the Holocaust. But not all Germans see victory day as one of liberation from the Third Reich.

CNN's Chris Burns reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHRIS BURNS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: On the 60th anniversary of Nazi Germany's surrender, bitterness among the far right National Democratic Party. The NPD's protests titled, "End the Cult of Guilt" was ringed by thousands of riot police standing between them and thousands of counter demonstrators.

Though numbering only about 3,000, the NPD's stole some limelight from the official surrender remembrance ceremonies attended by Germany's leaders. President Horst Koehler addressed a special parliamentary session in the Reichstag.

PRES. HORST KOEHLER, GERMANY (through translator): We mourn for all of Germany's victims, for all the victims of Germany's violence and of the violence that struck back on Germany.

BURNS: But the far right focused on German hardship. Hundreds of thousands of civilians killed in allied bombardments, millions of refugees forced out of Eastern Europe.

FRANK SCHWERDT, MANAGER, NATL. DEMOCRATIC PARTY (through translator): The official policy is to speak almost exclusively about the other victims, he says. But what's lacking is talk about the German ones.

BURNS: Thousands of Berliners couldn't disagree more. The night before, they stood in a human chain of candles through Berlin, part of the cities day of democracy observances marking of the end of the war.

Those rallies took place near the newly completed Holocaust memorial. It was to be the focus of the today's NPD protest, but a new law stopped the right wing party from marching there.

(on camera): They NPD has lashed back at the Days of Democracy Festival, calling it a monstrously absurd show of the cult of guilt organized by -- in their words -- occupation collaborators and professional Jews.

(voice-over): They NPD rejects accusations it's a neo-Nazi movement. It has made gains in depressed former Communist Eastern Germany where unemployment still hovers around 20 percent.

Some Germans think it should be banned altogether and others disagree.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The essence of our democracy is that everybody can open his mouth and say even stupid things.

BURNS: An expression of confidence here at Brandenburg Gate that the nightmare of 60 years ago will never return.

Chris Burns, CNN, Berlin.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Tornado watches in the southwest. Jacqui Jeras tells us where the weather could be rough, coming up next.

Also ahead, a mother inspired by the death of her son in Vietnam. How she is helping mothers of soldiers get through their grief.

And a quick reminder, be sure to tune in tonight at 8:00 Eastern for "CNN PRESENTS: The Battle To Save Our Schools." It's a look at the high stakes for children, especially minorities, as education reforms sweep the country.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Southern and Coastal Texas are under a tornado watch. The alert follows hailstorm reports in the area this morning and high winds over night. Meteorologist Jacqui Jeras is in the weather center with an update -- Jacqui.

(WEATHER REPORT)

WHITFIELD: All right, Jacqui. Thanks so much. And happy Mother's Day do you.

JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Thanks, you too.

WHITFIELD: All right. Thanks.

Well, eat your vegetables. Chew before swallowing. Get enough sleep. All those things that mom would always tell you. Was she right? Dr. Bill Lloyd has the answer ahead in our "Living Well" segment.

Also ahead, a rescue at sea. We'll talk live with a man who's lucky to be alive. When CNN LIVE SUNDAY continues.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Hello again. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. Here's a look at what's happening now in the news.

Iraqi security forces say they've captured a top insurgent responsible for a string of bombings around Baghdad. Ammar al Zubaydi is believed to be an associate of al Qaeda leader Abu Musab al Zarqawi. Al Zubaydi is accused of planting several car bombings and a massive attack on the Abu Ghraib Prison last month. President Bush is in Moscow for ceremonies tomorrow marking the 60th anniversary of the allied victory over Nazi Germany. Mr. Bush is also holding meetings with Russian president Vladimir Putin. Today, he thanked Mr. Putin for his help on Iran and the Middle East and said there are many ways the U.S. and Russia can work together.

And in the U.S., prices at the pump continue to fall. It will now cost you an average of $2.21 for a gallon of regular self-serve gasoline. That's a 3-cent drop over the past two weeks. Experts attribute the price drop to a boost in crude oil and gas supply.

Her gruesome death captured the headlines but it's a life of a little girl known as Precious Doe that was remembered last night in Kansas City, Missouri. About 300 people attended a memorial service for Erica Green. Green was 3 years old when she was killed and decapitated in 2001. She was known as Precious Doe until police identified the remains last week. The Oklahoma couple facing charges in the case has waived extradition. Michele and Harold Johnson are expected in a Kansas City courtroom as early as this week.

While the Johnson's don't have an attorney yet, police say details from a confession are helping them piece together just what happened to little Erica Green. CNN's Drew Griffin visited the neighborhood where she lived to try to understand how a little girl could just disappear without anyone noticing anything.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DREW GRIFFIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): The crime was horrible. The body of a 3-year-old girl found with no head in these woods. Days later, the head found in a trash bag not far away. For four years, Kansas City knew nothing else. No name, no age, no family coming forward to claim her. The girl murdered and abandoned known as Precious Doe. This past week, Kansas City learned her name, Erica Green and the gruesome nature of Erica's final days in their town.

MIKE SANDERS, JACKSON COUNTY PROSECUTOR: Absolutely incomprehensible to us what allegedly occurred.

GRIFFIN: What prosecutor Mike Sanders, it is the most disturbing case he's ever seen. He's filed murder charges against Erica's mother Michele Johnson and a man she was living with Harold Johnson. Both police say have confessed. And according to those confessions, this is what police say happened in this house in Kansas City. As far as investigators can tell the three had only lived there for a few weeks. Three 3-year-old Erica didn't want to go to bed one evening in April of 2001. Harold Johnson threw her to the ground and kicked her repeatedly in the head. She lay motionless for ten hours. Died and then Harold and Michelle Johnson dragged her body to the woods just a block from the house. Harold chopped off her head with a hedge clipper then tossed the body in two different spots. Police say the pair silently went on with their lives telling no one for four years what had happened. How could that happen? How could a little girl simply vanish and no one notice she is gone? It may be hard to understand in the Kansas City community that would not let her die anonymously. But come to the rough side of Oklahoma where Erica lived most of her short life. Here it's a little more clear. How a girl could simply get lost by a mother who neighbors say cared more about her next high than her next child. Police say she had eight children. But they don't know much more than that.

TREYLINDA COPE, NEIGHBOR: I think Michelle a lot. She was pregnant but I never seen no kids. And that's just pregnant all the time.

GRIFFIN: You never saw the kids?

COPE: I never seen none of the kids

GRIFFIN: Treylinda Cope grew up with the man now accused of cutting off Erica's head. Harold Johnson is known in this neighborhood as Pete. He lived here with Michelle and drug problems were no secret.

COPE: Him and her both of them, him, Pete, Harold, whatever, Johnson and Michelle. They both was crack heads.

GRIFFIN: Cheo Davidson is the only person we found who had laid eyes on Erica. He was Harold Johnson's friend. One day four years ago, he came to this porch and found a smart, little girl that he had never seen before.

CHEO DAVIDSON, FRIEND: I was amazed by how she knew the ABCs and not all of it but, you know, she knew a little ABCs and how to count and stuff like that.

GRIFFIN: That was the first and last time he saw her or any child at this house. You didn't know how many kids they knew?

DAVIDSON: No.

GRIFFIN: You didn't know whose was whose?

DAVIDSON: I mean I did know it was hers but never knew about the other children that she had.

GRIFFIN: The fact is even though Michelle Johnson had eight children, the house she lived in was more known for the noisy dogs than its kids. Officially, police tell us, they don't know where the other seven children are. Some, they believe, are in the Chicago area with relatives. Others may be in foster care. They don't think any of them were harmed but officially, they're still checking. Meanwhile, the attention is being drawn to a neighborhood that never noticed Erica was missing. That may be hard to understand in the neighborhood you live in but not in this one. People in this section of Oklahoma are scared. It is a rough place. You don't talk to your neighbors for a reason.

BOBARE LEE, NEIGHBOR: I'm a workaholic. I work and stay home.

GRIFFIN: They don't mind nobody else's business.

LEE: It's best you don't. They have plans for you. GRIFFIN: On South 21st Street where Erica lived, every third house is abandoned, junk cars, litter lawns, neighbors say piles of trash in this empty home are all that's left of a drug house. Ed Jones lives next door. His back porch looks out on the yard where Erica Green used to play. Do you know these people at all?

ED JONES, NEIGHBOR: No.

GRIFFIN: Do you know how long they were living there?

JONES: Very, very little.

GRIFFIN: Jones calls his neighborhood drug infested. Inside his home, he told us he has been robbed three times. At night, he says drug dealers own the streets. He knew little about the people that shared his back fence. He didn't want to.

JONES: He minds his business. I mind mine.

GRIFFIN: So even though you guys lived 30 feet from each other, the wave is all you get? Do you know his name?

JONES: He recognizes me.

GRIFFIN: Do you know his name?

JONES: He won't come to me right.

GRIFFIN: But today, everybody knows their names because of what they are accused of doing to the little girl whose name we just learned. Erica Green lived here for most of her life. She died here in Kansas City. Both communities have now learned who she was. But they're struggling to understand why she died.

COPE: Three years old. No matter if she was crying or whatever, I mean, that's a part of having kids. You have to deal with it. And, to do something like that, I don't understand why.

GRIFFIN: Drew Griffin, CNN, Oklahoma.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Well motherhood is one of the toughest jobs out there. And in honor of Mother's Day, we want to look at the motherly wife's tales to see if moms know best. Dr. Bill Lloyd a surgeon and professor at the University of California Davis Medical Center join us from Sacramento. Good to see you.

DR. BILL LLOYD, UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA DAVIS MEDICAL CENTER: Happy Mother's Day, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: Well thanks so much. All right. What is it about moms and all this great advice they give us? Beginning with eat your vegetables. Is the underlying message here listen to mom? She always knows best. Especially coming down to our health?

LLOYD: Well, Fredricka, moms have the power which means you have the power now, as well. You are passing along advice and information that's traveled through generations. It is loaded with common sense but here's a real power. As the mother of the family, you also have a right to discipline those who are listening to that advice and if they don't follow that advice, it is going to be loaded with consequences.

WHITFIELD: Well, let's talk about some of those what we know to be cliche you know wife's tales. We talked about the eating your vegetables. Cleaning your plate is another one we often here. And sometimes if you burn yourself, you know, folks opt for butter. Sometimes it is common sense but sometimes you say mothers don't always know best. Right?

LLOYD: Mothers don't have a perfect track record, but medical researchers love mothers and there are many papers that are in the scientific literature that talk about the stories that mothers tell and why they're full of good wisdom. Nutritionists want you to begin your day with lots of calories to give you energy to carry you through the day and didn't your mother tell you, eat a big breakfast?

WHITFIELD: That's right.

LLOYD: Digestive doctors who talk so much about reflux and ulcers, they say the leading problem that people have that causes these digestive problems is the fact they don't chew their food slowly. Where have we heard that, right?

WHITFIELD: No kidding. And then it's as simple as getting sleep or washing your hands. These are things that as adults you forget. They're important. But everyone knows they are.

LLOYD: Of course they do. And, because it's your mother and because you trust your mom, you tend to follow her advice and this is why marketers and advertisers always want to get the message to mom because you believe your mom. Fredricka, an organization like M.A.D.D., the mothers against drunk drivers they completely shifted attitudes now. They used to target everything to the teenagers, the people who were drinking and getting into the accidents but now all efforts are directed at mothers of those teenagers because they know they are the ones that are going to deliver the message and as we said earlier, discipline and consequences.

WHITFIELD: Dr. Bill Lloyd, with great advice. Advice being listen to your mothers.

LLOYD: We'll talk about again soon Fredricka thank you.

WHITFIELD: All right, thanks so much.

This Mother's Day, we want to give recognition to some exceptional mothers. CNN senior medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta introduces us to one woman who was inspired by her autistic son to help other children and families cope with the disorder.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOEY ROSENBLOOM: The schedule, mom?

SHARON ROSENBLOOM, JOEY'S MOTHER: You're bribing me, aren't you?

J. ROSENBLOOM: Make a schedule.

S. ROSENBLOOM: Joey, in particular, is the first thing I think of when I wake up in the morning, and I know he will be the very last thing that I think of as I draw my last breath.

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): That's because Sharon Rosenbloom's 17-year-old son Joey has autism. Children diagnosed under the vast description of autism suffer a neurological disorder; they often display repetitive behavior, lack social skills and have difficulty communicating. They have a very hard time showing their emotions. Without therapy, they may not speak. So for Sharon, husband Bob and their 14-year-old daughter Reya, Joey's autism has shaped all of their lives.

S. ROSENBLOOM: The challenges and struggles bring their own joy with Joey but they also allow me the ability to have a profound appreciation for things that people take so for granted.

GUPTA: For the past 15 years Sharon, who is also speech therapist, has worked with Joey and other children with autism.

S. ROSENBLOOM: I was outraged at people's perceptions of individuals with autism, and I thought if I could do one thing, it would be to talk about autism from a different vantage point, to write something for parents that would be a voice for them.

GUPTA: So Sharon wrote a book. With the help of photographer Thomas Bolsamo, shared some of her thoughts. These remarkable pictures are all of children with autism.

S. ROSENBLOOM: People with autism do not experience the world as others do. They don't experience the world in the same way. That's important to understand so that we can better help them.

GUPTA: The book is intense offering an unusual glimpse at some of the faces and into the souls of autism. Some of Balsamo's portraits and Sharon's words were also turned into a DVD. And the images showed children smiling. As Sharon writes in her book, and perhaps the most important lesson, just because children with autism have difficulty showing their emotions doesn't mean they don't have emotions.

S. ROSENBLOOM: Nothing of this world compares with the embrace of a person with autism.

GUPTA: According to the CDC, some studies suggest 1 in 166 children in the U.S. has some form of autism, and boys outnumber girls four to one.

S. ROSENBLOOM: I think one of the big frustrations for those of us in the trenches, if one in every 166 children in this country were being kidnapped, would someone do something about it? That there's not more outrage, that there's indifference.

GUPTA: But Sharon uses her frustration to help others. Sometimes the pictures are enough.

S. ROSENBLOOM: I can only imagine what I am to become because of, not in spite of, my child with autism.

GUPTA: Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: A close call and a rescue at sea. The U.S. Coast Guard saved two sailors caught in powerful winds, pounding rain and dangerous waves. Their sailboat knocked over by a wave off the coast of North Carolina but what helped save them? Quick thinking and the U.S. Coast Guard rescued sailor Robert Cummings joins us live on the telephone from his home in Newport News, Virginia. All right. Well, glad you can be with us, Robert.

ROBERT CUMMINGS, RESCUED SAILOR (via telephone): Thank you Fredricka, we are happy to be here.

WHITFIELD: OK so you and your friend Jerry McCarthy go sailing off Newport News, Virginia heading to Charleston, South Carolina. You run into bad weather then what happens?

CUMMINGS: Well, it was actually about 36 hours after we left Hampton and we ran into some -- we had bad weather all the way down. Most of it was starting to clear and head out to the north. It was a nor'easter blowing through. I went -- I went off ship about 4:00. We were doing two-hour shifts. About 5:20 he calls me up. I couldn't believe what I'd seen. The winds up over 40 knots and the seas picked up probably to about 30, 35 feet. And, within the next 20 minutes, you know, we were reefing down sails and so on.

WHITFIELD: Then you all started to take on water, right?

CUMMINGS: Well, within 20 minutes, we had to just, you know, pull in all the sails and trying to ride the storm out. We were tethered to the boat. The seas were up to 40 feet and a wave we didn't see came and knocked the boat over. We had a knock down and ejected us from the cockpit. Luckily we were tethered in and we --

WHITFIELD: Did you do that intentionally? You tethered yourselves?

CUMMINGS: Absolutely.

WHITFIELD: OK. You saw that danger was certainly imminent?

CUMMINGS: Absolutely. You know, you're in rough seas like that. You have to take all the safety precautions and we tried to think of them all and do them but we tethered ourselves in and at that point, though, when the boat came back up we realized, you know it was too rough to above deck so we went below deck and that is when we found we had some broken port lights. WHITFIELD: Were you able to call a may day? How did folks know where to find you?

CUMMINGS: Well, after we took the first hit, we, you know, did some repairs and were keeping the boat afloat and doing pretty well through the night but we decided it was best to give the Coast Guard a call and let them know the situation. So that night about 6:00, we gave the Coast Guard a call and kept them apprised through out the night and the next morning at 5, we took another roll down and at that time, we lost the main hatch.

WHITFIELD: And there was nothing simple about this rescue. We are looking at the video. Meant that you end up having a Coast Guard swimmer that had to repel down from the helicopter in which to help rescue you all. That had to be frightening and at the same time quite a relief. Right?

CUMMINGS: It certainly was. You have to hand it to the Coast Guard. You know they certainly do their job better than anybody else and we are appreciative that they were there for us because they certainly were. And that swimmer is a brave man.

WHITFIELD: No kidding. Well Robert Cummings and your friend Jerry McCarthy, you all brave as well. Very smart to be tethering yourselves as you were waiting for that heroic rescue from the U.S. Coast Guard. Thank you for joining us on the telephone.

CUMMINGS: Thank you Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: Well, a few minutes ago, we brought you a story of her son facing autism. Another mother inspired this one by tragedy. Next the mother of a soldier who died in Vietnam. How her son's last words prompted a crusade.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: This Mother's Day, women that made sacrifices for their children and nation are being honored. Mothers of conflicts gathered at Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., it is the sixth annual Mother's Day at the wall. Female veterans were presented with roses and hand made Mother's Day cards from students across the country. Mothers whose son's names are etched on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial are seeking comfort today. CNN's J.J. Ramberg has more on how those mothers are overcoming their grief.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

J.J. RAMBERG, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): All right. Where is your son's name on here?

ANN HERD, PRES. GOLD STAR MOMS: Now, I can't find it. I'll find it.

RAMBERG: I see it right here. On the day when sons typically honor their mothers, Ann Herd comes to honors her son in Washington, D.C. What does it mean for you to come down here today on Mother's Day?

HERD: I think it is special. I won't forget this. To me, Mother's day (UNINTELLIGIBLE) and the year was the void. It's great.

RAMBERG: thirty-five 35 years ago, her son Ronnie was killed in battle just 23 days before the end of his year-long tour in the army.

HERD: His sister and I, my younger daughter had gone to mail him a package and when we came back, the army car was sitting in front of our house. And of course, I'm -- you don't have to be told what it is.

RAMBERG: Before leaving for war, Ronnie gave his mother strict instructions. If he didn't come home, she shouldn't spend her life grieving. She said she doesn't but her son is certainly not forgotten. She went to Vietnam herself to see the place where he was killed and became president of the American Gold Star Mothers, a group of women who lost their children in service to the United States.

HERD: I feel that he is with me all the time. And I feel when I do get down and I do, I think, well, I don't want him to be disappointed and so, that helps me shape up a lot.

RAMBERG: She also finds solace in the rest of her family especially the grandson born soon after the death of the uncle he never had the chance to meet.

HERD: We had a little boy. And of course, his name is Ronnie.

RAMBERG: In a service in front of the Vietnam Memorial Ann Herd and other mothers who lost their children to war received a heart felt gift from girl scouts across the country, letters reminding them how special they are.

HERD: And so in memory of him, we send you this today.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's these mothers can give up their sons fighting a war and died; we can do something for them and wish them a happy mother's day.

RAMBERG: A comfort for the mothers today who have only their memories.

HERD: I miss my son. I thank god for the 21 years I had him. He gave us no heartache. The only problem had with him was him getting killed. Otherwise, he was a joy. A little man.

RAMBERG: J.J. Ramberg, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: And coming up in our next hour of CNN LIVE SUNDAY, a look at the day's top stories also I will be joined by a Eliza Bella Latener (ph), you may not know her name but you want to hear her story, she and her sister were the first survivors of Auschwitz to set foot on American soil. That's straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com

Aired May 8, 2005 - 16:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: U.S. military officials say he is responsible for an attack on Abu Ghraib Prison last month and a string of car bombs. Now, an alleged top lieutenant to the most wanted man in Iraq is captured.
Her young body found headless four years ago, her identity unknown until this week. We go back do the neighborhood where she lived to find out how the killing of a little girl could happen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He was a wonderful son. He never -- we never had any heart aches out of him except when he got killed. He was a great kid.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: And the mother of a fallen soldier, how she's used her experience to help other moms cope with their grief.

Hello and welcome to CNN LIVE SUNDAY. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. All that and more after a look at the headlines.

President Bush is in Moscow after attending V-E Day ceremonies in the Netherlands. Mr. Bush visited a Dutch cemetery, the third largest in Europe for Americans killed in World War II. Europe is marking the 60th anniversary of the war's ending there.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Present arms!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: V-E Day observations are taking place in the U.S., as well. Veterans and dignitaries attended a ceremony this afternoon at the National World War II memorial in Washington.

The head of the U.N.'s nuclear watchdog agency says he believes North Korea has five to six nuclear weapons. Mohamed ElBaredei tells CNN's Wolf Blitzer he thinks North Korea also has the delivery system for those weapons.

One by one, Abu Musab al Zarqawi's circle of henchmen keeps getting smaller. The U.S. military says another key aid to the most wanted man in Iraq is now off the streets and in custody. Ammar al Zubaydi is accused of planning many recent attacks. CNN Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr has the details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BARBARA STARR (on camera): U.S. officials say they have captured the man who planned several bomb attacks that hit Baghdad April 29, part of a wave of rising violence. There is hope the arrest will bring them closer to getting Abu Musab al Zarqawi, the Jordanian-born terrorist leader responsible for months of violence.

Inside the U.S. military, growing worry about the deadly rise in car bombs and suicide attacks. U.S. officials now estimate nearly 300 Iraqi civilians and security forces have been killed in the last ten days. But officials insist their information is getting better, that each arrest now giving them more intelligence and more tips about Zarqawi.

BRIG. GEN. MARK KIMMITT, U.S. CENTRAL COMMAND: That intelligence allows you to plan future operations which after conducting those operations also gives you more intelligence. It is a virtually cycle permitted us of late to take down a significant part of the Zarqawk network.

STARR: The latest arrest came in Baghdad a few days ago, but was not immediately announced. Mohammed Homza al Zubaydi is described by the U.S. as a prominent figure in the Zarqawi organization. When U.S. troops grabbed him, they got documents detailing the attacks in April insurgent attack against Abu Ghraib Prison and plans to assassinate a prominent Iraqi government official in the days ahead. The U.S. is not saying the name of that official.

The U.S. military also trying to convince many people that Zarqawi is not ten feet tall in the words of one official. A U.S. military press release is taking the unprecedented step of detailing statements from Zarqawi's driver when he was arrested back in February.

The press release saying the driver told interrogators, quote "Zarqawi became hysterical while he was trying to escape on February 20." Of course, there is no way for us to corroborate that information from the U.S. military.

Barbara Starr, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Well, how significant is the capture of Ammar al Zubaydi and this week's arrest of accused al Qaeda operative Abu Faraj al Libbi in Pakistan? Joining us with answers is CNN national security adviser and former acting CIA director John McLaughlin. Good to see you, John.

JOHN MCLAUGHLIN, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: Hi, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: Well, do you see the noose tightening around al Qaeda and consequently around the leader, Osama bin Laden, as well? MCLAUGHLIN: Well, these are two important captures this week. Certainly, the capture of al Libbi takes off the street someone who had visibility and to just about all of al Qaeda's worldwide operations. And the take down that you just talked about in Iraq is important. This is about the 20th Zarqawi associate that has been captured thanks to U.S. intelligence and our military colleagues. So it starts to peel the onion on Zarqawi a little bit.

WHITFIELD: And let's try to separate the two and starting with Zubaydi who is apparently very close to Zarqawi. And he was, you know, essentially -- Zarqawi is essentially been dubbed by Osama bin Laden as the kind of leader of al Qaeda in Iraq. How significant is it that Zubaydi would be captured? Might he talk? How difficult will it be to get him to reveal some information about Zarqawi?

MCLAUGHLIN: Well, it's difficult to say. You know, sometimes when these guys are captured, they tell you everything they know right away and other times they claim up. And we'll have to see how Zubaydi operates on that score.

Some of the previous people captured have told us a lot. And this puts a lot of stress on Zarqawi's network. As you know, the military mentioned recently that they came very close, within minutes, of capturing him. So, I would think that life is a little tougher for him.

WHITFIELD: And as for al Libbi, he wasn't even on the FBI most wanted list, but he apparently is a No. 3 man to Osama bin Laden. Pakistan, really, had a keen interest in getting him, didn't they, because he was allegedly part of the plots to assassinate Pervez Musharaff?

MCLAUGHLIN: Absolutely. Pakistan had a high interest. But this is a result of a partnership with Pakistan and the United States. He was not on the U.S. FBI list, but that doesn't mean a great deal in terms of value that he had to us as a key al Qaeda operative.

He's someone who probably is linked to, for example, the big network that was taken down in the U.K. last summer, which had some casing in the United States. He probably had visibility into negotiations between al Qaeda and Zarqawi about the arrangement that you talked about a moment ago. And he had worldwide responsibilities just like Khalid Sheikh Mohammed did. So, this is a very important capture.

WHITFIELD: Well, what do you read into this arrest by Pakistan in terms of their commitment to the war on terror and their continued cooperation with the U.S.?

MCLAUGHLIN: Oh, this is just the latest sign of a courageous posture that Pakistan has adopted under President Musharaff. These are difficult things for the Pakistanis to do, because they're operating in parts of Pakistan that are quite extreme and not at all friendly to the Musharaff government. So they're sticking their necks way out here. And, this is the latest sign of what I think is a deep commitment on the part of the Pakistanis to working with us to take down this dangerous network.

WHITFIELD: And how encouraged are you by these recent arrests. Even within just a past few weeks a number of arrests involving al Qaeda. And whether in any way this is -- these arrests are disarming or weakening the terror group?

MCLAUGHLIN: Well, the first thing you have to say is this is still a very dangerous movement that could strike at any time. The United States is still the brass ring for them.

That said, in the last year, we have had good success against this network. This is just the latest evidence of it. So, I'm encouraged in the sense that a take down like this has a disruptive fact. All of this guy's operatives now have to look over their shoulder and think about whether they're compromised, so they've got to readjust. And throughout the network, people have to then stop and think about what happens next.

So it has a disruptive effect. And we may be able to learn some things here to learn to other take downs.

WHITFIELD: John McLaughlin, a former acting CIA director, thanks so much for joining us.

MCLAUGHLIN: You bet.

WHITFIELD: The U.S. military is crediting the capture of another alleged associate of al Zarqawi's, for dozens of arrests in western Iraq. His name, Gashin Amin (ph).

Iraqi and U.S. forces captured 54 insurgents in a raid near the Syrian border today. Six others were killed. U.S. soldiers rounded up another 33 suspected terrorists in a series of raids yesterday around Baghdad. Two of the men described as high value targets.

Elsewhere in Baghdad, gunmen assassinated a senior official in Iraq's Transportation Ministry today. The official was killed along with his driver as he was heading to work.

The assassination came as Iraq's parliament today approved a list of six nominees to fill vacant cabinet positions. Four of those positions went to the Sunni minority, which had a poor showing in the January elections. But one Sunni selected as human rights minister turned down that job.

Two Americans killed in a massive suicide car bombing in Baghdad yesterday have been identified. Brandon Thomas, pictured here, was from Salt Lake City, Utah. The other American was Tod Vanetti of White Hall, Arkansas. Both men work for CTU, a private contractor that was providing security services in Iraq. The company says both men were military veterans.

President Bush continuing his European trip to mark the end of World War II.

Also, some serious talk, a live report from Moscow as Mr. Bush sits down with Russian president Vladimir Putin straight ahead.

Also, on this anniversary of V-E Day, a tense standoff in the streets of Berlin. A Neo-Nazi march creates a stir.

And this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Joey, in particular, is a first thing I think of when I wake up in the morning. And I know he will be the very last thing I think of as I draw my last breath.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Drawing inspiration from her son, how a mother is helping other families deal with autism.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: The past and the future, both the focus of President Bush's meeting with his Russian counterpart today. The setting: Dacha, West of Moscow. The agenda: marking 60 years since the end of World War II in Europe and exchanging some serious concerns.

CNN chief national correspondent John King is traveling with the president. He joins us now from the Russian capital -- John.

JOHN KING, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And Fredricka, you might file what we saw here in Moscow today under, "the What a Difference a Day Makes" file. On his way to Moscow, Mr. Bush quite public in airing his criticisms of Russian president Vladimir Putin, but a dramatic show of friendship by both leaders tonight.

As you noted, Mr. Bush was just outside of Moscow at Mr. Putin's home. The two leaders took a long stroll for the cameras. All smiles there. Taking a little walk on the property, Mr. Putin showing Mr. Bush around before dinner. And if that's not enough, if the smiles and strolls don't convince you these two men are friends, get a load of this. The Russian president allowing President Bush, who of course very rarely gets to drive back in the United States -- only the ranch in Texas -- to get behind the wheel of Mr. Putin's 1956 vintage Volga.

Now back in the day, many would have preferred a '56 Chevy, but it's not such a bad car. And Mr. Bush clearly enjoyed taking a ride before dinner. And even in their public meeting, the two leaders sitting down, this comes at a time the United States is upset with Mr. Putin's nuclear cooperation with Iran, upset with Mr. Putin's decision to go ahead and sell missiles to Syria. Yet Mr. Bush was decidedly upbeat.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Russia's a great nation. And I'm looking forward to working on -- together on big problems. And I want to thank you for your work on Iran and the Middle East. And there's a lot we can do together.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING: Now, in that public discussion before the cameras, Mr. Bush made no mention of the concerns that Mr. Putin is backsliding on the path to democracy. The president was quite pointed in a speech just yesterday in Latvia on the way here, saying great countries are judged by their commitment to the rule of law, economic stability and other democratic reforms.

No public mention of that, but Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice did emerge from the meetings to say Mr. Bush did bring up those concerns in private. She said she did so in a forceful way. And she said that is a sign that this is a very good relationship -- a productive relationship. The two leaders could air their differences without worrying.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CONDOLEEZZA RICE, SECRETARY OF STATE: This is an excellent relationship between these two men at a personal level and also as presidents of these two great countries. And I believe they feel that they can discuss anything.

I would characterize the relationship as absolutely straight forward. They say what they think. They say what they mean. And, then they act on that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING: Clearly, an effort by the president of the United States to play down those differences as he comes here to Moscow. They are considerable differences. They are testing the personal bond between them at the moment.

But Mr. Bush very much upbeat today on the eve of the main event here in Moscow, a parade behind me here in Red Square tomorrow. That military parade on the spot where Kruschev, Stalin, Breznev other Soviet leaders once stood. Mr. Bush will be standing by, paying tribute to the Russian sacrifices to defeat the Nazis 60 years ago -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: A poignant moment that will be. John King, thanks so much from Moscow.

Well, Russia officially celebrates the end of World War II tomorrow as John just explained, but much of Europe marks the anniversary today, the day the Berlin armistice was signed.

In London, Britain's Prince Charles laid a wreath at a monument honoring the dead of both world wars. He later joined veterans for a march through Hyde Park.

In Paris, French president Jacques Chirac relit the flame of the tomb of the unknown soldier. Jets later flew over the Champs Elise streaking the sky with red, white and blue smoke -- the colors of the French flag.

And in Berlin, the date was marked by a wreath laying ceremony at a memorial to victims of Nazism and the war. It contains the remains of an unknown soldier and an unknown concentration camp victim.

Germany's president says his country looks back with shame on World War II and the Holocaust. But not all Germans see victory day as one of liberation from the Third Reich.

CNN's Chris Burns reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHRIS BURNS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: On the 60th anniversary of Nazi Germany's surrender, bitterness among the far right National Democratic Party. The NPD's protests titled, "End the Cult of Guilt" was ringed by thousands of riot police standing between them and thousands of counter demonstrators.

Though numbering only about 3,000, the NPD's stole some limelight from the official surrender remembrance ceremonies attended by Germany's leaders. President Horst Koehler addressed a special parliamentary session in the Reichstag.

PRES. HORST KOEHLER, GERMANY (through translator): We mourn for all of Germany's victims, for all the victims of Germany's violence and of the violence that struck back on Germany.

BURNS: But the far right focused on German hardship. Hundreds of thousands of civilians killed in allied bombardments, millions of refugees forced out of Eastern Europe.

FRANK SCHWERDT, MANAGER, NATL. DEMOCRATIC PARTY (through translator): The official policy is to speak almost exclusively about the other victims, he says. But what's lacking is talk about the German ones.

BURNS: Thousands of Berliners couldn't disagree more. The night before, they stood in a human chain of candles through Berlin, part of the cities day of democracy observances marking of the end of the war.

Those rallies took place near the newly completed Holocaust memorial. It was to be the focus of the today's NPD protest, but a new law stopped the right wing party from marching there.

(on camera): They NPD has lashed back at the Days of Democracy Festival, calling it a monstrously absurd show of the cult of guilt organized by -- in their words -- occupation collaborators and professional Jews.

(voice-over): They NPD rejects accusations it's a neo-Nazi movement. It has made gains in depressed former Communist Eastern Germany where unemployment still hovers around 20 percent.

Some Germans think it should be banned altogether and others disagree.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The essence of our democracy is that everybody can open his mouth and say even stupid things.

BURNS: An expression of confidence here at Brandenburg Gate that the nightmare of 60 years ago will never return.

Chris Burns, CNN, Berlin.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Tornado watches in the southwest. Jacqui Jeras tells us where the weather could be rough, coming up next.

Also ahead, a mother inspired by the death of her son in Vietnam. How she is helping mothers of soldiers get through their grief.

And a quick reminder, be sure to tune in tonight at 8:00 Eastern for "CNN PRESENTS: The Battle To Save Our Schools." It's a look at the high stakes for children, especially minorities, as education reforms sweep the country.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Southern and Coastal Texas are under a tornado watch. The alert follows hailstorm reports in the area this morning and high winds over night. Meteorologist Jacqui Jeras is in the weather center with an update -- Jacqui.

(WEATHER REPORT)

WHITFIELD: All right, Jacqui. Thanks so much. And happy Mother's Day do you.

JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Thanks, you too.

WHITFIELD: All right. Thanks.

Well, eat your vegetables. Chew before swallowing. Get enough sleep. All those things that mom would always tell you. Was she right? Dr. Bill Lloyd has the answer ahead in our "Living Well" segment.

Also ahead, a rescue at sea. We'll talk live with a man who's lucky to be alive. When CNN LIVE SUNDAY continues.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Hello again. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. Here's a look at what's happening now in the news.

Iraqi security forces say they've captured a top insurgent responsible for a string of bombings around Baghdad. Ammar al Zubaydi is believed to be an associate of al Qaeda leader Abu Musab al Zarqawi. Al Zubaydi is accused of planting several car bombings and a massive attack on the Abu Ghraib Prison last month. President Bush is in Moscow for ceremonies tomorrow marking the 60th anniversary of the allied victory over Nazi Germany. Mr. Bush is also holding meetings with Russian president Vladimir Putin. Today, he thanked Mr. Putin for his help on Iran and the Middle East and said there are many ways the U.S. and Russia can work together.

And in the U.S., prices at the pump continue to fall. It will now cost you an average of $2.21 for a gallon of regular self-serve gasoline. That's a 3-cent drop over the past two weeks. Experts attribute the price drop to a boost in crude oil and gas supply.

Her gruesome death captured the headlines but it's a life of a little girl known as Precious Doe that was remembered last night in Kansas City, Missouri. About 300 people attended a memorial service for Erica Green. Green was 3 years old when she was killed and decapitated in 2001. She was known as Precious Doe until police identified the remains last week. The Oklahoma couple facing charges in the case has waived extradition. Michele and Harold Johnson are expected in a Kansas City courtroom as early as this week.

While the Johnson's don't have an attorney yet, police say details from a confession are helping them piece together just what happened to little Erica Green. CNN's Drew Griffin visited the neighborhood where she lived to try to understand how a little girl could just disappear without anyone noticing anything.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DREW GRIFFIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): The crime was horrible. The body of a 3-year-old girl found with no head in these woods. Days later, the head found in a trash bag not far away. For four years, Kansas City knew nothing else. No name, no age, no family coming forward to claim her. The girl murdered and abandoned known as Precious Doe. This past week, Kansas City learned her name, Erica Green and the gruesome nature of Erica's final days in their town.

MIKE SANDERS, JACKSON COUNTY PROSECUTOR: Absolutely incomprehensible to us what allegedly occurred.

GRIFFIN: What prosecutor Mike Sanders, it is the most disturbing case he's ever seen. He's filed murder charges against Erica's mother Michele Johnson and a man she was living with Harold Johnson. Both police say have confessed. And according to those confessions, this is what police say happened in this house in Kansas City. As far as investigators can tell the three had only lived there for a few weeks. Three 3-year-old Erica didn't want to go to bed one evening in April of 2001. Harold Johnson threw her to the ground and kicked her repeatedly in the head. She lay motionless for ten hours. Died and then Harold and Michelle Johnson dragged her body to the woods just a block from the house. Harold chopped off her head with a hedge clipper then tossed the body in two different spots. Police say the pair silently went on with their lives telling no one for four years what had happened. How could that happen? How could a little girl simply vanish and no one notice she is gone? It may be hard to understand in the Kansas City community that would not let her die anonymously. But come to the rough side of Oklahoma where Erica lived most of her short life. Here it's a little more clear. How a girl could simply get lost by a mother who neighbors say cared more about her next high than her next child. Police say she had eight children. But they don't know much more than that.

TREYLINDA COPE, NEIGHBOR: I think Michelle a lot. She was pregnant but I never seen no kids. And that's just pregnant all the time.

GRIFFIN: You never saw the kids?

COPE: I never seen none of the kids

GRIFFIN: Treylinda Cope grew up with the man now accused of cutting off Erica's head. Harold Johnson is known in this neighborhood as Pete. He lived here with Michelle and drug problems were no secret.

COPE: Him and her both of them, him, Pete, Harold, whatever, Johnson and Michelle. They both was crack heads.

GRIFFIN: Cheo Davidson is the only person we found who had laid eyes on Erica. He was Harold Johnson's friend. One day four years ago, he came to this porch and found a smart, little girl that he had never seen before.

CHEO DAVIDSON, FRIEND: I was amazed by how she knew the ABCs and not all of it but, you know, she knew a little ABCs and how to count and stuff like that.

GRIFFIN: That was the first and last time he saw her or any child at this house. You didn't know how many kids they knew?

DAVIDSON: No.

GRIFFIN: You didn't know whose was whose?

DAVIDSON: I mean I did know it was hers but never knew about the other children that she had.

GRIFFIN: The fact is even though Michelle Johnson had eight children, the house she lived in was more known for the noisy dogs than its kids. Officially, police tell us, they don't know where the other seven children are. Some, they believe, are in the Chicago area with relatives. Others may be in foster care. They don't think any of them were harmed but officially, they're still checking. Meanwhile, the attention is being drawn to a neighborhood that never noticed Erica was missing. That may be hard to understand in the neighborhood you live in but not in this one. People in this section of Oklahoma are scared. It is a rough place. You don't talk to your neighbors for a reason.

BOBARE LEE, NEIGHBOR: I'm a workaholic. I work and stay home.

GRIFFIN: They don't mind nobody else's business.

LEE: It's best you don't. They have plans for you. GRIFFIN: On South 21st Street where Erica lived, every third house is abandoned, junk cars, litter lawns, neighbors say piles of trash in this empty home are all that's left of a drug house. Ed Jones lives next door. His back porch looks out on the yard where Erica Green used to play. Do you know these people at all?

ED JONES, NEIGHBOR: No.

GRIFFIN: Do you know how long they were living there?

JONES: Very, very little.

GRIFFIN: Jones calls his neighborhood drug infested. Inside his home, he told us he has been robbed three times. At night, he says drug dealers own the streets. He knew little about the people that shared his back fence. He didn't want to.

JONES: He minds his business. I mind mine.

GRIFFIN: So even though you guys lived 30 feet from each other, the wave is all you get? Do you know his name?

JONES: He recognizes me.

GRIFFIN: Do you know his name?

JONES: He won't come to me right.

GRIFFIN: But today, everybody knows their names because of what they are accused of doing to the little girl whose name we just learned. Erica Green lived here for most of her life. She died here in Kansas City. Both communities have now learned who she was. But they're struggling to understand why she died.

COPE: Three years old. No matter if she was crying or whatever, I mean, that's a part of having kids. You have to deal with it. And, to do something like that, I don't understand why.

GRIFFIN: Drew Griffin, CNN, Oklahoma.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Well motherhood is one of the toughest jobs out there. And in honor of Mother's Day, we want to look at the motherly wife's tales to see if moms know best. Dr. Bill Lloyd a surgeon and professor at the University of California Davis Medical Center join us from Sacramento. Good to see you.

DR. BILL LLOYD, UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA DAVIS MEDICAL CENTER: Happy Mother's Day, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: Well thanks so much. All right. What is it about moms and all this great advice they give us? Beginning with eat your vegetables. Is the underlying message here listen to mom? She always knows best. Especially coming down to our health?

LLOYD: Well, Fredricka, moms have the power which means you have the power now, as well. You are passing along advice and information that's traveled through generations. It is loaded with common sense but here's a real power. As the mother of the family, you also have a right to discipline those who are listening to that advice and if they don't follow that advice, it is going to be loaded with consequences.

WHITFIELD: Well, let's talk about some of those what we know to be cliche you know wife's tales. We talked about the eating your vegetables. Cleaning your plate is another one we often here. And sometimes if you burn yourself, you know, folks opt for butter. Sometimes it is common sense but sometimes you say mothers don't always know best. Right?

LLOYD: Mothers don't have a perfect track record, but medical researchers love mothers and there are many papers that are in the scientific literature that talk about the stories that mothers tell and why they're full of good wisdom. Nutritionists want you to begin your day with lots of calories to give you energy to carry you through the day and didn't your mother tell you, eat a big breakfast?

WHITFIELD: That's right.

LLOYD: Digestive doctors who talk so much about reflux and ulcers, they say the leading problem that people have that causes these digestive problems is the fact they don't chew their food slowly. Where have we heard that, right?

WHITFIELD: No kidding. And then it's as simple as getting sleep or washing your hands. These are things that as adults you forget. They're important. But everyone knows they are.

LLOYD: Of course they do. And, because it's your mother and because you trust your mom, you tend to follow her advice and this is why marketers and advertisers always want to get the message to mom because you believe your mom. Fredricka, an organization like M.A.D.D., the mothers against drunk drivers they completely shifted attitudes now. They used to target everything to the teenagers, the people who were drinking and getting into the accidents but now all efforts are directed at mothers of those teenagers because they know they are the ones that are going to deliver the message and as we said earlier, discipline and consequences.

WHITFIELD: Dr. Bill Lloyd, with great advice. Advice being listen to your mothers.

LLOYD: We'll talk about again soon Fredricka thank you.

WHITFIELD: All right, thanks so much.

This Mother's Day, we want to give recognition to some exceptional mothers. CNN senior medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta introduces us to one woman who was inspired by her autistic son to help other children and families cope with the disorder.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOEY ROSENBLOOM: The schedule, mom?

SHARON ROSENBLOOM, JOEY'S MOTHER: You're bribing me, aren't you?

J. ROSENBLOOM: Make a schedule.

S. ROSENBLOOM: Joey, in particular, is the first thing I think of when I wake up in the morning, and I know he will be the very last thing that I think of as I draw my last breath.

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): That's because Sharon Rosenbloom's 17-year-old son Joey has autism. Children diagnosed under the vast description of autism suffer a neurological disorder; they often display repetitive behavior, lack social skills and have difficulty communicating. They have a very hard time showing their emotions. Without therapy, they may not speak. So for Sharon, husband Bob and their 14-year-old daughter Reya, Joey's autism has shaped all of their lives.

S. ROSENBLOOM: The challenges and struggles bring their own joy with Joey but they also allow me the ability to have a profound appreciation for things that people take so for granted.

GUPTA: For the past 15 years Sharon, who is also speech therapist, has worked with Joey and other children with autism.

S. ROSENBLOOM: I was outraged at people's perceptions of individuals with autism, and I thought if I could do one thing, it would be to talk about autism from a different vantage point, to write something for parents that would be a voice for them.

GUPTA: So Sharon wrote a book. With the help of photographer Thomas Bolsamo, shared some of her thoughts. These remarkable pictures are all of children with autism.

S. ROSENBLOOM: People with autism do not experience the world as others do. They don't experience the world in the same way. That's important to understand so that we can better help them.

GUPTA: The book is intense offering an unusual glimpse at some of the faces and into the souls of autism. Some of Balsamo's portraits and Sharon's words were also turned into a DVD. And the images showed children smiling. As Sharon writes in her book, and perhaps the most important lesson, just because children with autism have difficulty showing their emotions doesn't mean they don't have emotions.

S. ROSENBLOOM: Nothing of this world compares with the embrace of a person with autism.

GUPTA: According to the CDC, some studies suggest 1 in 166 children in the U.S. has some form of autism, and boys outnumber girls four to one.

S. ROSENBLOOM: I think one of the big frustrations for those of us in the trenches, if one in every 166 children in this country were being kidnapped, would someone do something about it? That there's not more outrage, that there's indifference.

GUPTA: But Sharon uses her frustration to help others. Sometimes the pictures are enough.

S. ROSENBLOOM: I can only imagine what I am to become because of, not in spite of, my child with autism.

GUPTA: Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: A close call and a rescue at sea. The U.S. Coast Guard saved two sailors caught in powerful winds, pounding rain and dangerous waves. Their sailboat knocked over by a wave off the coast of North Carolina but what helped save them? Quick thinking and the U.S. Coast Guard rescued sailor Robert Cummings joins us live on the telephone from his home in Newport News, Virginia. All right. Well, glad you can be with us, Robert.

ROBERT CUMMINGS, RESCUED SAILOR (via telephone): Thank you Fredricka, we are happy to be here.

WHITFIELD: OK so you and your friend Jerry McCarthy go sailing off Newport News, Virginia heading to Charleston, South Carolina. You run into bad weather then what happens?

CUMMINGS: Well, it was actually about 36 hours after we left Hampton and we ran into some -- we had bad weather all the way down. Most of it was starting to clear and head out to the north. It was a nor'easter blowing through. I went -- I went off ship about 4:00. We were doing two-hour shifts. About 5:20 he calls me up. I couldn't believe what I'd seen. The winds up over 40 knots and the seas picked up probably to about 30, 35 feet. And, within the next 20 minutes, you know, we were reefing down sails and so on.

WHITFIELD: Then you all started to take on water, right?

CUMMINGS: Well, within 20 minutes, we had to just, you know, pull in all the sails and trying to ride the storm out. We were tethered to the boat. The seas were up to 40 feet and a wave we didn't see came and knocked the boat over. We had a knock down and ejected us from the cockpit. Luckily we were tethered in and we --

WHITFIELD: Did you do that intentionally? You tethered yourselves?

CUMMINGS: Absolutely.

WHITFIELD: OK. You saw that danger was certainly imminent?

CUMMINGS: Absolutely. You know, you're in rough seas like that. You have to take all the safety precautions and we tried to think of them all and do them but we tethered ourselves in and at that point, though, when the boat came back up we realized, you know it was too rough to above deck so we went below deck and that is when we found we had some broken port lights. WHITFIELD: Were you able to call a may day? How did folks know where to find you?

CUMMINGS: Well, after we took the first hit, we, you know, did some repairs and were keeping the boat afloat and doing pretty well through the night but we decided it was best to give the Coast Guard a call and let them know the situation. So that night about 6:00, we gave the Coast Guard a call and kept them apprised through out the night and the next morning at 5, we took another roll down and at that time, we lost the main hatch.

WHITFIELD: And there was nothing simple about this rescue. We are looking at the video. Meant that you end up having a Coast Guard swimmer that had to repel down from the helicopter in which to help rescue you all. That had to be frightening and at the same time quite a relief. Right?

CUMMINGS: It certainly was. You have to hand it to the Coast Guard. You know they certainly do their job better than anybody else and we are appreciative that they were there for us because they certainly were. And that swimmer is a brave man.

WHITFIELD: No kidding. Well Robert Cummings and your friend Jerry McCarthy, you all brave as well. Very smart to be tethering yourselves as you were waiting for that heroic rescue from the U.S. Coast Guard. Thank you for joining us on the telephone.

CUMMINGS: Thank you Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: Well, a few minutes ago, we brought you a story of her son facing autism. Another mother inspired this one by tragedy. Next the mother of a soldier who died in Vietnam. How her son's last words prompted a crusade.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: This Mother's Day, women that made sacrifices for their children and nation are being honored. Mothers of conflicts gathered at Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., it is the sixth annual Mother's Day at the wall. Female veterans were presented with roses and hand made Mother's Day cards from students across the country. Mothers whose son's names are etched on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial are seeking comfort today. CNN's J.J. Ramberg has more on how those mothers are overcoming their grief.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

J.J. RAMBERG, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): All right. Where is your son's name on here?

ANN HERD, PRES. GOLD STAR MOMS: Now, I can't find it. I'll find it.

RAMBERG: I see it right here. On the day when sons typically honor their mothers, Ann Herd comes to honors her son in Washington, D.C. What does it mean for you to come down here today on Mother's Day?

HERD: I think it is special. I won't forget this. To me, Mother's day (UNINTELLIGIBLE) and the year was the void. It's great.

RAMBERG: thirty-five 35 years ago, her son Ronnie was killed in battle just 23 days before the end of his year-long tour in the army.

HERD: His sister and I, my younger daughter had gone to mail him a package and when we came back, the army car was sitting in front of our house. And of course, I'm -- you don't have to be told what it is.

RAMBERG: Before leaving for war, Ronnie gave his mother strict instructions. If he didn't come home, she shouldn't spend her life grieving. She said she doesn't but her son is certainly not forgotten. She went to Vietnam herself to see the place where he was killed and became president of the American Gold Star Mothers, a group of women who lost their children in service to the United States.

HERD: I feel that he is with me all the time. And I feel when I do get down and I do, I think, well, I don't want him to be disappointed and so, that helps me shape up a lot.

RAMBERG: She also finds solace in the rest of her family especially the grandson born soon after the death of the uncle he never had the chance to meet.

HERD: We had a little boy. And of course, his name is Ronnie.

RAMBERG: In a service in front of the Vietnam Memorial Ann Herd and other mothers who lost their children to war received a heart felt gift from girl scouts across the country, letters reminding them how special they are.

HERD: And so in memory of him, we send you this today.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's these mothers can give up their sons fighting a war and died; we can do something for them and wish them a happy mother's day.

RAMBERG: A comfort for the mothers today who have only their memories.

HERD: I miss my son. I thank god for the 21 years I had him. He gave us no heartache. The only problem had with him was him getting killed. Otherwise, he was a joy. A little man.

RAMBERG: J.J. Ramberg, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: And coming up in our next hour of CNN LIVE SUNDAY, a look at the day's top stories also I will be joined by a Eliza Bella Latener (ph), you may not know her name but you want to hear her story, she and her sister were the first survivors of Auschwitz to set foot on American soil. That's straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com