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Dramatic Rescue at Sea; Did Imus Go Too Far?
Aired April 07, 2007 - 22:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Going down on a fast sinking ship.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The boat tipped. The couch was sliding sideways with my mother on it.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Some terrifying stories just before the luxury cruise ship went under.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Some rough girls from Rutgers. Man, they got tattoos and some hard core ho's. That's some nappy-headed ho's, there I'll tell you that.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Say what? Talk show host Imus takes it to the edge and now some want him to pay the price.
And puffing without lighting up.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's a nice alternative to smoking cigarettes and like a lounge atmosphere. So it's comfortable.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: See how smokers are getting sweet revenge. You are in the CNN NEWSROOM.
ROB MARCIANO, CNN ANCHOR: Good evening, I'm Rob Marciano.
VERONICA DE LA CRUZ, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Veronica De La Cruz. It is nice to see you. Rick Sanchez has the night off.
Up first tonight, a dramatic rescue at sea. It was supposed to be the vacation of a lifetime, but new video just coming in to CNN gives us a dramatic first-hand look at the evacuation of a luxury cruise ship filled with hundreds of American tourists. Here's what it sounded like on board one rescue boat. You can really hear all the chaos. More than 1500 people were on board Thursday when that ship struck a reef. They had just minutes to head for the ship's upper decks.
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DE LA CRUZ (voice-over): The last moments of the "Sea Diamond", as it capsizes close to Greek island of Santorini early on Friday morning. Arriving home in New York, some of the cruiseliner's passengers talk about their sudden end to their vacation and their lucky escape.
MARYANN SALERNO, PASSENGER: I was lost from all my friends, 38 of them. I was by myself the whole time.
DE LA CRUZ: Some had praise for the way the emergency was handled.
MARY HENDERSON, PASSENGER: The crew was wonderful. They were absolutely wonderful.
DE LA CRUZ: Others spoke of confusion.
DAVID WEAVER, PASSENGER: They were trying to get the life boats down, which was a chore. And then they had to get the mechanics there to get them rolling.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They were not prepared. No, the staff was not prepared for an emergency like this.
DE LA CRUZ: Some passengers could even smile about the experience.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Then, when we saw all the crew with life vests on, we knew something was really not good.
DE LA CRUZ: Passengers lost everything they had taken on vacation when the ship went down.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is my luggage.
SANDY MURPHY, PASSENGER: We all put jewelry and everything. And it's all down there. And we don't care at this point.
DE LA CRUZ: Several did bring home video of their dramatic escape. All came home with the same thought.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We're home safe to talk about it. Now that's what matters.
DE LA CRUZ: Back in Greece, the captain and five other senior crew members of the "Sea Diamond" have been charged with negligence. His ship lies at the bottom of Santorini's volcanic lagoon.
(END VIDEOTAPE) DE LA CRUZ: Now all but two of the more than 1500 people on board that ship made it to shore safely. A French man and his teenaged daughter are still missing.
MARCIANO: Well, he made his name -- he makes his living by being provocative, even insensitive, but this time radio host Don Imus may have gone too far. This week, he fired insult at the Rutgers University women's basketball team. Imus is used to being the center of the storm, except now his critics are calling for his job.
Here's CNN's Mary Snow.
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MARY SNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT(voice-over): Don Imus is apologizing for what he calls an insensitive and ill-conceived remark, but some say his apology falls short. It all started after Tuesday's NCAA women's championship game between Tennessee and Rutgers. Take a listen for yourself what Imus said about the Rutgers team during a conversation with sportscaster Sid Rosenberg and the show's executive producer, Bernard McGuirk.
IMUS: That's some rough girls from Rutgers. Man, they got tattoos and some hard-core ho's. That's some nappy-headed ho's there. I'm going to tell you that now.
SNOW: Imus' comments were met with shock and disgust by the National Association of Black Journalists.
BARBRA CIARA, NATL ASSN. OF BLACK JOURNALISTS: We don't understand that a long-term veteran broadcaster wouldn't think that it would hurt the feelings of student athletes. We're talking about girls, college girls who tried their best to win a championship and he degrades them by calling them "nappy-headed ho's".
SNOW: Imus issued an apology saying, quote, "it was completely inappropriate and we can understand why people were offended. Our characterization was thoughtless and stupid and we are sorry."
MSNBC, which simulcast the "Don Imus Show" every morning for three hours, tried to distance itself saying the "Imus Show" is not produced by the network and apologized for quote, "offensive comments." Following Imus' apology, Rutgers and the NCAA issued a joint statement to what they said were the insults directed toward the Rutgers Women Basketball Team, saying it is unconscionable that anyone would use the airways to utter such disregard for the dignity of human beings who have accomplished much and deserve great credit.
But the National Association of Black Journalists is not satisfied, and is calling for a boycott of the "Imus Show" and for Imus to be fired, if he doesn't take more action.
CIARA: Just, you know, saying I'm sorry is not going to do it. He needs to outreach. He needs to reach out to those student athletes. He needs to have a larger statement regarding what he said. SNOW (on camera): The journalist group calls Imus's apology too little, too late, and they cite a history of racial insults on his show. We tried contacting Imus and others on the show when those controversial comments were made, but we were unable to reach them, and we were referred to the public apology that was made.
Mary Snow, CNN, New York.
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MARCIANO: Well, the Imus apology has done little to diffuse the controversy. In fact, some critics say want they want Imus' employer to take the next step. Today, civil rights activist Al Sharpton said he wants Don Imus off the air.
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AL SHARPTON, NATIONAL ACTION NETWORK: Don Imus should be fired and taken off the airways. This is not about insensitivity. This is about the abusive, racist, sexist views of federally regulated airways.
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MARCIANO: Sharpton says he wants Don Imus fired within a week, otherwise plans to picket WFAN Radio, the New York home of "The Imus Show."
DE LA CRUZ: Let's talk more now about the reaction to the Don Imus comments. Bryan Monroe, he is the president of the National Association of Black Journalists. He's also vice president and editorial director of "Ebony" and "Jet" magazines.
Mr. Monroe, thank you so much for joining us tonight.
BRYAN MONROE, PRESIDENT, NABJ: Thanks, Veronica.
DE LA CRUZ: We just heard from Al Sharpton, who said that he believes this is the abuse of federally regulated airways. Do you agree with that?
MONROE: Well, you know, these airways are licensed to operate in the public good, in the good of America. And using terms like this really just spews hate and hurts so many people, so many women. And not just black women, but women out there in general. And folks in general have really been hurt by his comments.
DE LA CRUZ: OK, Mr. Monroe, I completely understand what you're trying to say, but these are also the same airways some shock-jocks, broadcast -- Howard Stern, for example. Don't we expect this from someone like Imus? I mean, listen to this. And this is from the NABJ's press release. This is asking for the apology.
The National Association of Black Journalists remains outraged. It goes on to say even though the shock-jock offered a two-line apology. You obviously want more here, but you have and the press release said that he's a shock-jock. So why be shocked?
MONROE: Well, you know, at some point, we have to say, enough is a enough. Even with those who go by the name of "shock-jocks," that -- I'm sure he was trying to entertain. I'm sure he was trying to increase his ratings, but to hurl insults, to hurl vitriol at these young women, 17, 18, 19-year-old girls, women who are working as hard as they can, some of them are 4.0 students. They made it to the NCAA final four, to the national championship game.
DE LA CRUZ: OK.
MONROE: And the best he can do is call them what he called them? Come on.
DE LA CRUZ: Well, let me ask you this. Rappers say these kinds of words all the time. Sometimes every other word in a rap song is the word "ho". So why is it a problem for Imus to say this? Is it really -- is it because maybe he's not a person of color?
MONROE: Well, it's wrong for the rappers to say that. And it's wrong for Don Imus to say it. And let me tell you why. Because the use of terms like that empower, embolden people like Don Imus to use -- to throw away -- to throw around words like that as punctuation. And that's just wrong.
But Imus should know better. He's 67-years old. He's been on the air for 40 years. He came up during the civil rights era. He should know better than to do this and know how hard this is going to hurt.
Let me tell you something. I was on my way here taking my daughter to the babysitter's, she's six-years old. She asked where daddy was going. And I said I had to go talk about something a man said that wasn't very nice. And she asked me what did he say? I couldn't tell her. I couldn't tell her.
DE LA CRUZ: Mr. Monroe, don't you believe that, as we continue to see this story, we aren't doing anything except for giving Imus more publicity?
MONROE: Well, at some point, someone's got to say enough is enough. You know, he's had a history of these racist terms. I don't know the man. I've never done his show. I don't know what's in his heart, but I know what came out of his mouth. And this history -- he called a great journalist, Gwen Ifill on PBS a cleaning lady. He insulted a great journalist at "The New York Times" William Rhoden. Called him a quota hire. He's had a history of doing this. And this is -- enough is enough. After 40 years on the air, if this is the best he can do, it's time for him to hang it up.
DE LA CRUZ: Bryan Monroe is the president of the NABJ. Bryan, we do appreciate your time tonight. Thank so you much.
MONROE: Thanks, Veronica.
DE LA CRUZ: All right, we would like to hear from you now. Go ahead and give us a call. What, if anything, do you think should happen to Don Imus? Give us a call at 1-800-807-2620. We will air some of your responses a little later on this hour.
MARCIANO: And it's going to be interesting to see how Mr. Imus may be eating this up.
DE LA CRUZ: Yes, yes. Well, baseball season, it just started but one big football program is hit with a penalty. Three players suspected of rape. Does it sound familiar?
MARCIANO: Then fire breaks out at a humane society. Dogs, cats, scramble for shelter. Plus this.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Jumped right out of the water, hit me in the chest and knocked me over and bit my leg.
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MARCIANO: A fishing trip that ends at the ER. Wait until you see just how big the fish is. And then.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: God created sex that God is for sex.
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DE LA CRUZ: What did he just say there? Preaching sex from the pulpit? How one church wants to improve your crappy sex life. All this and much more still to come in the NEWSROOM.
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DE LA CRUZ: All right, here's what you've been clicking on over at CNN.com, our web most popular. Stuck in Las Vegas thanks to a pilot potty mouth. Passengers boarding a Northwest Airlines flight to Detroit say the pilot threw around so many "f" words that he had to be removed from the aircraft. 180 people had to wait for the next flight. The airline is investigating.
Watch this passenger train barreling right through a raging brush fire in New Mexico. Passengers on board say they felt the heat. The commuter rail spokesman says an earlier train reported the flames much further from the track. Luckily, nobody was hurt.
And blast-off. A perfect launch sending a Russian rocket to the international space station. On board, two cosmonauts and Charles Simonyi. He's a U.S. billionaire who paid $25 million for the ride. Read all about these stories and all the days news at cnn.com. But first, there's this.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'd say, why can't I have a hole in one? I came within two inches once.
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DE LA CRUZ: This is a great story coming up. A feisty woman has her stroke of luck. This story plus much more when the NEWSROOM returns in just 60 seconds.
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MARCIANO: A few days ago, the future looked a lot different for three University of Minnesota football players. Tonight, they're in jail suspected of rape. All this on a day the team celebrates its spring exhibition game.
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MARCIANO (voice-over): The Gophers' spring exhibition game. It was almost everything the new head coach, Tim Brewster, could have wanted -- almost because 24 hours earlier, three of his players were arrested, accused of raping an 18-year-old woman at this apartment complex. University police got involved Friday morning.
GREG HESNESS, UNIV. OF MINN. POLICE CHIEF: She had actually had the sexual assault exam following the incidents. So you know, it was fortunate that if there's evidence there, we didn't lose that.
MARCIANO: So as today's game played out, the three players remain in jail, held on suspicion of rape. Their bail set at $100,000. They've also been suspended from the team until the investigation plays out. But Brewster says he supports them.
TIM BREWSTER, HEAD COACH: Obviously, it's a disappointing situation that's been presented to me. There's an investigation that's ongoing that we're going to cooperate fully with. And we're going to support these three young men absolutely.
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MARCIANO: Police say the 18-year-old woman is not a student at the university. And we're told if the three football players aren't formally charged by noon Monday, police will release them from jail.
DE LA CRUZ: A daring rescue in Texas tops our news across America. You're looking at a dam on the Colorado River. Yesterday, a boat carrying four people dropped over the edge and plunged 150 feet into whitewater rapids. The Coast Guard helicopter was able to pull two young boys to safety before it went back to rescue two men.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was extremely difficult. By the video, you can see that it's extremely difficult to even actually see the boat because of the amount of water coming over the dam. That poses an immediate threat to actually the people on board, too, because if they get swept off that boat, now you're talking a whole another situation and a whole different scenario of danger as it comes involved with trying to rescue someone from a moving river.
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DE LA CRUZ: Investigators are pouring over what's left of a humane society in Jacksonville, Florida, after an early morning fire left its mark. About 200 animals were inside when the blaze broke out. Firefighters say all but two of the dogs were rescued, but many of the cats didn't make it out alive.
MARCIANO: In Florida, a case when fish fight back. A group of buddies were on their boat fishing off Melbourne Beach when a king mackerel, the size of an average eighth grader decided to join them.
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ROB PLATNER, FISH ATTACK VICTIM'S FRIEND: Little fish and like somebody waved a magic wand that went, woof. You know, and it was suddenly a 5 foot long 60 pound fish.
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MARCIANO: The fish tore into one man's hand and leg in two places. He had to be rushed to the hospital and received more than 100 stitches.
And finally, if you live long enough, you may just get what you've always wanted. If you're a golfer, you know what I mean. At 102, Elsie McLean now holds the record for the oldest person in golf to ever ace a hole. It came as a surprise to her. Here's what her friends had to say.
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CATHY CROWDER, GOLF PARTNER: And we were looking all around. And Elizabeth walked by the cup. And she said, here she is! Right here in the cup.
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MARCIANO: I love it. Elsie Mclean started playing golf when she was 20 and says she has never once hit a hole in one until now.
DE LA CRUZ: So great! What a great, great story.
MARCIANO: On Masters weekend no less.
DE LA CRUZ: Yes, absolutely.
A plea deal in one courtroom was too much for one family to handle. Why the family says race played a role in this deal.
MARCIANO: But first, a deadly domestic dispute, very, very close to home here at CNN. What you should know about the person your child is dating.
And don't forget to call right now. What, if anything, do you think should happen to Don Imus? Give us a call at 1-800-807-2620. We're going to read some of those responses or actually listen in coming up a little later on in the hour.
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MARCIANO: It'd be easy to hide those Easter eggs tomorrow morning in some spots. Crazy cold weather across the country. Upper left part of your screen, that is Virginia Beach, Virginia. Record snow in Richmond.
DE LA CRUZ: Snow at the beach? This is Virginia Beach?
MARCIANO: In April, no less.
DE LA CRUZ: Wow! Also Crawford, Texas today, Rob, don't you remember Ed Henry out there in front of the president's ranch, he was able to make us a snowball of all things.
MARCIANO: All the way into the deep part of Texas, no doubt about that. And Masters weekend in Augusta, Georgia. They were bundled up, spectators and players alike. By the end of the third round, temperatures had dropped into the 40s. And right now, the leaders are two above par.
DE LA CRUZ: I'd say blame it all on the weatherman.
MARCIANO: Or woman.
DE LA CRUZ: For all the bad weather.
MARCIANO: Or woman.
DE LA CRUZ: Or woman.
MARCIANO: Now we don't...
JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: (INAUDIBLE). Come on now.
MARCIANO: We don't take that, do we, Jacqui Jeras?
JERAS: You don't want me to lie to you, do you?
MARCIANO: Crazy.
JERAS: It is. You know, it just makes you feel cold thinking about it. It's a good thing you color the Easter eggs or some folks might not be able find them in the snow.
Well, we've got a lot of cold air in place. And it's really covering about the eastern two-thirds of the country. And everywhere you see pink on the map, that's where we're expecting freezing temperatures or worse tonight. And yes, that goes all the way down to the Gulf coast.
The good news is we think tomorrow morning is going to be the worst of it. Now I'll put it in perspective for you a little bit. Here's the jet stream pattern, which has dipped way down to the south. And that really just opens up the door to the arctic air and allows everything to spill in. So this is why we're so cold.
The orange temperatures that you see here were the actually highs that we had today and the blue temperatures -- I'm sorry, the blue temperatures, the actual highs that we had. The orange temperatures, the average high. So everybody's looking at 20 to 30 degrees below where you should be.
Dallas, 44. You should be up there well into the 70s this time of the year. And yes, you even had a few snowflakes on the map. How bad is it going to be when you wake up tomorrow morning? We're talking about teens across the upper Midwest, 20s across the Great Lakes, upper 20s and lower 30s into the Northeast. And look at this. Record low expected tonight in Atlanta, down to 25 degrees.
So a lot of blooms out there. Cover them up with a good sheet and you might get lucky and be able to protect them.
Tomorrow afternoon, we'll be warming up into the 30s, 40s, and even some 50s here. And then we'll watch for gradual warming trend then into the rest of the week.
And by Tuesday, say Wednesday, just about everybody in the East is going to be feeling a lot closer to where you should be for this time of the year. We're looking at a white Easter for some of you from Dallas on up towards Denver, and then also some snow showers across the Great Lakes, looking pretty good even it's going to be cold across the nation's midsection.
Our i-reporters out in full force, bringing in some beautiful pictures with the wintry weather. Winter contrasting spring here. This one is from Evelyn Wolfer from Joshua, Texas. She's a self- proclaimed flower nut. She said she was surprised by this cold weather, but snapped this lovely picture for clematis this morning for us.
And Brian Mass (ph) from Flushing, Michigan says he's pretty bummed out by the cold weather, which killed his tulips. He said they were rock solid this morning when he went out to check them. So make sure you cover them up, you guys, you might get lucky. And go ahead and send us your i-report pictures maybe tomorrow morning in the Easter bonnets and the parkas. You can send those to us at cnn.com/ireport. We'll get some of them on the air for you. Rob, Veronica?
MARCIANO: That's just wrong...
JERAS: Yes.
MARCIANO: ...to see snow on spring flowers.
DE LA CRUZ: And this time of year always fools you. You know, you think you can start gardening and...
JERAS: I know. A lot of people plant early. Don't do it. MARCIANO: But it's what makes weather interesting.
JERAS: It does.
MARCIANO: Thanks, Jacqui.
JERAS: OK.
MARCIANO: Well, we're just beginning to bring you the news. There's much more coming up.
Family struggles with the judge's decision, why they think race may be a part of the plea deal.
DE LA CRUZ: Plus, preaching about sex. That it's OK to enjoy? This is one sermon that some of you won't want to miss. And this.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Personally, I think it's uncalled for.
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MARCIANO: Smoking bans are popping up all across the country. Will it put these bars out of business? You're in the CNN NEWSROOM. We'll be right back.
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DE LA CRUZ: Do you remember the '90s movie "Fear?" Actress Reese Witherspoon playing an innocent teen who falls for a guy who seems nice, but it turns out he is very dangerous. Now it may be fiction, but the story behind Tuesday's shooting of a 22-year-old here at CNN Center is much the same. Claire Riddle's ex-boyfriend is accused of shooting her to death. And her family is just now learning who he really was. Take a listen to what her mother says:
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SHIRLEY RIDDLES, VICTIM'S MOTHER: We all thought it was OK. I mean -- see now -- I mean, we haven't had another doubt that that man was wrong.
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DE LA CRUZ: All right, well it turns (INAUDIBLE) in Florida served time for a car theft and for having sex with a minor. And he was 17 years older than Riddles. Something else, her family didn't know.
So joining us now to talk about how you can prevent your daughter from getting involved with the wrong guy and some of the signs of domestic violence is Nancy Grigsby from the Georgia Coalition Against Domestic Violence.
Nancy, thank you so much for joining us tonight. I appreciate it.
NANCY GRIGSBY, GA. COALITION AGAINST DOM. VIOLENCE: Sure.
DE LA CRUZ: Now what are some of the warning signs? I mean, we just heard from the mother. What are you supposed to be looking for?
GRIGSBY: Well, it's not always easy to tell, but often we're looking at a person who's very jealous, very possessive, all the things, actually, that we teach young girls are sort of desirable in boyfriends but are actually dangerous lines, people who are insecure, controlling, and may otherwise would appear really normal.
DE LA CRUZ: All right, what about any of these others ones -- depression, suicide talk, firearms? I mean, some of these are really personal. How do you go about really finding out who your daughter is dating?
GRIGSBY: Well, I guess the most important thing is to talk openly with your daughter about what she knows about the person that she's seeing and make it your business to find out about that person, as well. But more importantly to just study up on the signs of abuse and to be ready to be responsive when your daughter is ready for help.
DE LA CRUZ: I wanted to ask you this. We've seen this happen twice in one week. First it happened at the University of Washington. And then it happened here Tuesday at the CNN Center. How frequently does domestic violence escalate to this level?
GRIGSBY: Well, domestic violence is absolutely an epidemic in the United States. About 3,000 women a year are murdered by their intimate partners in this country. So a significant number. And unfortunately, really a preventable number. Many of these homicides can be stopped.
DE LA CRUZ: Do you feel, as a society, that we're doing enough? I know that we've set up a lot of shelters for battered women, but are we really addressing the issue of anger management with men?
GRIGSBY: We've done a great job, like you say, of really providing supportive services for victims. And that has really helped. But you're right, we haven't put all the energy that we need to on helping men stop their violence. And that's really where I think the focus and the resources need to be.
When there are consequences, men have an opportunity to change. When everybody looks the other way and knows this is going on, it's likely to escalate.
DE LA CRUZ: All right so, what can a woman do, then, to protect herself?
GRIGSBY: Well, part of this relies, of course, on her community, but we want her to talk with somebody, to reach out for help, to break her silence, to continue to seek help and not stop until somebody takes her seriously about her danger. We don't want her to minimize the abuse that she's experiencing to really listen to her instincts, and to develop a safety plan with an advocate so that she can really start to anticipate if the situation does escalate.
DE LA CRUZ: All right. Nancy Grigsby with the Georgia Coalition Against Domestic Violence. Nancy, thank you so much for your time tonight.
GRIGSBY: Sure.
DE LA CRUZ: We appreciate it.
MARCIANO: Now a quest for justice in Tennessee that drove a family past frustration to explosion. A man on trial for murder made a deal. And it was too much for the victim's loved ones to take. Andrew Douglas from our Memphis affiliate WMC has more.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: ...upon your plea of "guilty" to the offense of murder in the second degree.
(SCREAMING)
ANDREW DOUGLAS, WMC NEWS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The daughter of the murder victim Mickey Wright exploding after hearing a guilty plea of second degree murder for Dale Mardis. The man admitted to killing and dismembering her father.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You deny the state's request for a lesser plea?
DOUGLAS: The family addressed the court, pleaded for a jury trial to move forward, but the "guilty" plea went through, bringing tears and anger to the family not only inside the courtroom, but outside as well.
Mickey Wright was a code enforcement officer for Shelby County, who disappeared on the job in April 2001. The last place he visited was commercial property owner Dale Mardis, a man he had run-ins with in the past. Three years later, Mardis was charged with first degree murder. He eventually admitted to killing and destroying Wright's body, a source of incredible grief for the Wright family.
TOM HENDERSON, PROSECUTOR: The body was burned. And whatever was left after burning was dismembered and placed in derelict vehicles, which were later crushed.
FRANCES WRIGHT, WIDOW: I'm sick and tired of this.
DOUGLAS: I had a chance to speak with Wright's widow outside the courtroom.
WRIGHT: We have waited and waited and waited. We feel like we are -- this is a slap in our face. DOUGLAS: Wright insists race played a role in the plea deal.
WRIGHT: We just don't think it would have gone the same way had -- had Mickey killed a white man. And I'm sorry to say that, but that's the way I feel.
DOUGLAS: The prosecutor said it was simply evidence that made him accept the deal of second degree murder with a mandatory 15 years in prison.
HENDERSON: The evidence of premeditation had diminished considerably.
DOUGLAS: Evidence or not, Thursday's sentence inflamed wounds for the family, whose sadness erupted violently in court.
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MARCIANO: Certainly a topic of some of our stories tonight.
DE LA CRUZ: That video is just so difficult to watch. You know, it was one of the most popular videos at CNN.com. So -- but difficult to watch indeed. And you're right, race is something we've been talking about a lot about tonight. Don't forget to call in on our Imus question.
MARCIANO: For sure.
DE LA CRUZ: Coming up, children lost and alone in Baghdad.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): If I speak, they will kidnap me. Saif says they'll shut my mouth and kidnap me.
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DE LA CRUZ: Violence has claimed their parents. Now they're seeking shelter elsewhere.
MARCIANO: And sex -- it's everywhere, on billboards, and websites, and movies, and music. And now, some are talking about it in church. We'll show you the surprising sermons.
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MARCIANO: The fight for Iraq this weekend. Take a look at these pictures. Troops and tanks patrolling the streets of what looks like a ghost town. It's actually a major city. (INAUDIBLE), 100 miles south of Baghdad. The city's got a half million people. They were ordered to stay indoors while Iraqi and U.S. troops worked to try to drive out Shi'ia militia. So-called "Operation Black Eagle" began at dawn on Friday.
DE LA CRUZ: Back in Baghdad, one way to measure the horrific toll taken by years of war and insurgency is the bursting seams of the city's orphanages.
CNN's Frederik Pleitgen reports on the countless and parentless youngsters who's present is as uncertain as their future.
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FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A tablespoon of yogurt on fried rice. Lunch is simple at the safehouse, an orphanage in one of the Baghdad's poorest and most dangerous neighborhoods.
But for six-year-old Saif Salah simply getting a hot meal every day is luxury. Saif's parents were killed by a roadside bomb two and a half years ago. He was with them in the car. And now, the boy's afraid to even talk about the terrorists who killed his mom and dad.
"If I speak, they will kidnap me," Saif says. "They'll shut my mouth and kidnap me."
Almost all the children here have similar stories to tell. "I've never seen my father," this boy weeps. "I'm 17 years old and I did not know my father or even what he looked like. Every kid outside has a father that takes them to hospital or to school and brings them back home."
But while the children's pasts are ever present, the orphanage tries to offer them a future, doing homework in a country where the U.N. says over 20 percent of primary school-age children don't even attend classes.
(on camera): There are no reliable numbers as to many children have been made orphans by the ongoing violence in Iraq, but the country's government does admit it's having trouble providing food and shelter for a growing number of orphaned children. Iraq's Ministry for Social Affairs says many of them end up on the streets, begging or stealing.
The orphanage is a private institution, started by Iraqis from Kurdistan, funded solely by donations, one of only very few such places in Iraq.
"Thank God we didn't let these children down," the social worker says. "We leave our own families to look after these kids. If we find one of them upset, we try to talk to them as if we were the parents."
Six-year-old Saif agrees. He says the orphanage is like a new home to him and the staff are almost like parents. Saif is a talented singer. He often sings songs for his new friends at the safe house, songs about God and the prophets and a hope for a better future.
Frederik Pleitgen, CNN, Baghdad.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MARCIANO: Well, it seems like smokers have become public enemy number 1 across many cities in this country, for sure.
DE LA CRUZ: Yes, and where there is a smoking ban, there may also be a place like this. We're going to tell you all about a smokers' refuge. Businesses that not only want you to light up, they're even going to give you the pipe.
MARCIANO: It's not what you think.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, hello there. We're going to be talking this weekend, this Sunday, about, you know, nobody really wants to live next door to a pedophile, do they?
BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: So this is where some of Miami's sex offenders find themselves after they get out of jail. Is this a solution or is it simply shameful?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: All I heard was the surgeon yell very loudly to call 911.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And were you stunned that here you are in a hospital and they're calling 911?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: All I can remember saying is -- looking at him and saying, you've got to be kidding.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
REYNOLDS: Yes, you've got to be kidding. Words you should never hear at the hospital! Total outrage. We'll have details on how this could happen.
NGUYEN: And more than a half million children under the age of five are waiting for their active duty mom or dad to come home. Now "Sesame Street" is helping these kids while their parents are deployed. And we're going to show you how.
REYNOLDS: Yes, CNN "SUNDAY MORNING" beginning tomorrow at 7:00 Eastern.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MARCIANO: Christians all over the world are celebrating the arrival of the most important day on the Christian calendar. Pope Benedict XVI presided over an Easter vigil mass early Sunday in St. Peter's Basilica. An Easter mass is scheduled for St. Peter's Square later on Sunday.
DE LA CRUZ: And in Jerusalem, orthodox Christians seek out both myth and miracle at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. You're looking now at what they believe to be the spot where Jesus was crucified and buried. The church stands there today. And every year, worshipers take part in the holy fire ceremony, lighting candles and torches. It's believed fire spontaneously appears from Jesus' tomb on the eve of Easter as a message that he's not forgotten his followers. MARCIANO: Mycrappysex life.com. Without question, the name alone is attention-grabbing, but in Florida...
DE LA CRUZ: What?
MARCIANO: ...you heard it. But in Florida, people who are curious enough to point and click found something they didn't expect, a trip to church. CNN's Ted Rowlands has more on a sermon to heal a lacklustster sex life.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TED ROWLANDS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Sex gets people's attention...
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mycrappysexlife.com.
ROWLANDS: ...which this billboard in Florida certainly did.
MATT KELLER, PASTOR, NEXT LEVEL CHURCH: We going for a shock and awe factor. And we certainly got that.
ROWLANDS: The shock was that the billboard, which some people thought was vulgar, came from a church.
M. KELLER: Part 3 of the series we're calling my great sex life.
ROWLANDS: Part of a marketing campaign promoting a series of sermons on sex.
M. KELLER: God created sex, that God is for sex.
ROWLANDS: Thirty-one-year-old Pastor Matt Keller runs the non- denominational Next Level Church in Fort Myers. Before this service, a warning to parents was posted that the material may not be suitable for children.
M. KELLER: So the question is not am I going to have sexual desire in my life. The question is what am I going to do about it?
ROWLANDS: Keller's message, while delivered with a hip conversational passionate style, is pretty much by the book. He preaches that sex is for single people to avoid and married men and women to enjoy. His wife, Sarah, was at his side for this service about sex in marriage.
SARA KELLER, NEXT LEVEL CHURCH: And I think that culture wants us to buy into that lie that sex is a duty, especially once you get into marriage, It's it's just kind of like I guess he needs it, so here I am.
M. KELLER: God created sex. Why not at least tell people what he has to say about it?
ROWLANDS: Keller says since starting the sex series, church membership has grown about 30 percent. And it's a growing trend, especially among evangelicals.
Kurt Frederickson is the director of Pastoral Ministry at the Fuller Theological Seminary in California.
KURT FREDERICKSON, FULLER THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY: To hit those issues head on in a church context, I think is really helpful.
ROWLANDS: Church members we talked to say they like the idea of bringing an issue like sex out in the open in church.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think in today's society, it's not talked about enough.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And we'll be looking for it, too, you know, hearing some things and how to open up our communication and improve our sex life.
ROWLANDS: But not everyone is thrilled. Because of complaints, Keller says the billboard company refused to allow the sex slogan for a second month, so now it's just the church's name.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My issue was that the billboard had this sense of luridness and deception, that was trying to draw people some place. And when it got drawn to a church, I think people would feel cheated or duped.
M. KELLER: We've heard a couple of people who have used the phrase "bait and switch". I don't think we're doing that. It's not about us trying to grow our church. It's not about us trying to build this big thing. It's about us building people. We're in the people building business.
ROWLANDS: Randy Newton says the billboard campaign caught his attention. And now he says he's hooked.
RANDY NEWTON, NEXT LEVEL CHURCH MEMBER: It's really in your face. And it's a for-real topic. You know, everybody -- everybody deals with it. And for it to actually happen in the church and for the pastor actually step up and say, hey, this is what we're going to say about it as a church is really a bold statement.
M. KELLER: God has given us the ability to have a great sex life in our marriages.
ROWLANDS: Everyone agrees that sex sells, but Matt Keller thinks he can use it to fill people's hearts while also filling his seats.
Ted Rowlands, CNN, Fort Myers, Florida.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MARCIANO: That's good. You know, it's holy weekend. And there's nothing wrong with that.
DE LA CRUZ: I don't think that's a sermon we'll be hearing tomorrow. So... MARCIANO: Probably not. But if you wanted to, mycrappysexlife.com is the website.
DE LA CRUZ: Well, it is Easter Sunday tomorrow. And in many American homes, you'll see a big traditional spread laid out for friends and family. And the First Family is no exception. Here's a little peek into the Crawford ranch kitchen.
Just take a listen to this. Mrs. Bush's office today releasing this menu for tomorrow's Easter dinner. Have a look. Ham and green chili cheese grits.
MARCIANO: That sounds awfully southern.
DE LA CRUZ: I don't -- ham and cheese -- what -- grits? No.
MARCIANO: Why not? Sweet potatoes, asparagus, local cheeses.
DE LA CRUZ: A little bit better there. And then cake and ice cream for desert. Can't go wrong there. A Texas-size meal for the president and guests tomorrow. Better than mine, which will probably be something like a box of peeps maybe.
MARCIANO: Oh, we certainly hope that you enjoy your holiday with friends and family.
DE LA CRUZ: Yes, we do.
Cities across the country are banning smoking in public places. So where are the smokers going?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's a really relaxing atmosphere.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MARCIANO: Yes, it looks like it, doesn't it? Well, these are exclusive bars. And they're showing up, well, maybe in your neighborhood. We'll talk about what they are coming up next in the NEWSROOM.
DE LA CRUZ: Yes, it's not what you think. Definitely not what you think.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MARCIANO: Well, if you're a smoker, you're probably skulking around the office buildings and taking lots of breaks to get a drag these days. Your places to legally light up are, well, going up in smoke. But they say necessity is the mother of invention. And smokers are finding a new outlet to take in.
CNN's Kathleen Koch has this story:
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Who are you?
KATHLEEN KOCH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): He is one of the most memorable characters in Walt Disney's "Alice in Wonderland," the caterpillar, languidly puffing away atop his mushroom. Now growing numbers of Americans are following his lead smoking hookah pipes. With bans now blocking smoking in restaurants and bars in 16 states, hookah bars are becoming a last refuge.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think it's a nice alternative to smoking cigarettes and again it's like the lounge atmosphere. So it's comfortable.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's a really relaxing atmosphere. There's a nice aesthetic to smoke rising slowly up.
KOCH: In a bowl near the top, lit by a red hot charcoal, hookah pipes hold tobacco in an assortment of various flavors from apple to coconut. The smoke passes through water and is sucked through as many as six long tubes. Many cities, including Washington, D.C., carve out smoking ban exemptions for establishments like hookah and cigar bars.
JIM GRAHAM, WASHINGTON D.C. COUNCIL MEMBER: If you prohibited tobacco in hookah bars, it would be like prohibiting tobacco in tobacco shops. There would be nothing left.
KOCH: Come Monday, Maryland is expected to pass a statewide smoking ban.
KRIS GOLSHAN, OWNER, ZEEBA LOUNGE: Personally, I think it is uncalled for. I don't think it is something that needed to take place.
KOCH: The owners of this Zeeba Lounge, a hookah bar in Baltimore, aren't sure whether it will snuff out their business.
ERIC KNOBLOCH, ZEEBA LOUNGE: It's our hope and our intent to be able to get an exception from that smoking ban based on the impact that that would have on our business and on our culture here at Zeeba Lounge.
KOCH: Customers hope the hookah bar survives.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think they should definitely be allowed an exception. Their business is based on being able to smoke.
KOCH (on camera): There's little hard research on the health effects of smoking hookah pipes, but American Cancer Society says tobacco smoke is dangerous, whether it's in a hookah or a cigarette.
Kathleen Koch, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
DE LA CRUZ: Yes, it all causes cancer. It doesn't really matter. MARCIANO: You can see her now. Do you pass the hookah? I don't think they inhale, no.
DE LA CRUZ: Well, we have definitely had a lot of news over the last hour. And we are not done yet.
MARCIANO: First, we want to hear your responses to our call-in question. What, if anything, do you think should happen to Don Imus? Here's what you had to say:
CALLER: Someone of his stature and reputation should be stricken from doing any kind of media or broadcasting for such ignorant comments.
CALLER: I think Don Imus has a right to say what he feels he should say. I mean, it is still America. And it is still a free country, freedom of speech. And he's exercising that right that all of us Americans have.
CALLER: I feel strongly that he should be fired, set the example that we as American people are not going to tolerate this type of behavior from any American citizen.
CALLER: He says these things about everyone, not just anyone in particular. I don't think anything should be done.
CALLER: He should be fired. It is time for us to say this is enough. At what point is it OK to call women out of their names?
CALLER: He should not have any more chances. He is a disgrace to America.
CALLER: He spoke extemporaneously. And he gave an apology and let it go.
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