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Jessie Marie Davis Positively Identified; Death Sentence for Chemical Ali; Immigration Reform; Stopping the Violence; Minister's Change of Heart About Gays in the Church; Pain of the Game: Life After Football
Aired June 24, 2007 - 16:59 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN ANCHOR: Next in the NEWSROOM, if there was any doubt, it's all gone now. The body of Jessie Marie Davis positively identified today.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BRIAN DEMARCO, FMR. NFL PLAYER: We've lived in a storage unit for five months. We've lived in vacant houses.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KEILAR: Plus, he made big-time money as a pro-football player, but paying for his injuries left him homeless and in pain. Should the NFL foot the bill?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I unbuckled our seatbelts and unbuckled Morgan, too.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KEILAR: And meet the adorable new hero of Oshkosh, Wisconsin. She saved herself and her 2-year-old sister from drowning.
Hi there. I'm Brianna Keilar, in for Fredricka Whitfield.
New developments today in the case of the pregnant woman missing in Ohio.
This afternoon, officials in Summit County confirmed that the body found yesterday was that of Jessie Davis. She was nearly nine months pregnant. They have not said anything about how she died.
Bobby Cutts is to be arraigned tomorrow on two counts of murder, including that of the unborn child. He was the father of Davis' 2- year-old son.
Now, just hours after the body was found, another twist. Authorities used a battering ram to raid a woman's home.
With the latest on the story, let's go now to Canton, where CNN's Jim Acosta is standing by.
Hi, Jim.
JIM ACOSTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Brianna.
As you mentioned, this afternoon a local medical examiner did confirm that that body recovered yesterday is that of Jessie Davis. That confirmation comes as investigators are still searching for clues in this case, a search that took investigators to one home in Canton last night.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ACOSTA (voice over): Neighbors watched as FBI agents and local police used a battering ram to smash through one of the two front doors of this Canton duplex home Saturday night.
JUSTIN LINDSTROM, NEIGHBOR: I tried to tell him I had keys. He took it off anyway and looked at me and kind of smiled and said, "I used my key." I guess you did.
ACOSTA: Justin Lindstrom lives above the woman whose apartment was searched. He says as investigators carried out bags of items from the home, they were on the lookout for a comforter.
LINDSTROM: While they were here the sheriffs were specifically asking about the comforter they found in my laundry in the basement. I mean, it was my comforter and all, but at the same time, you know, it doesn't take a genius to put that together.
ACOSTA: Doesn't take a genius because it's well known that police want to find the comforter that went missing from the home of Jessie Davis when the pregnant mother vanished. According to Lindstrom, investigators also appeared to be hunting for the source of that bleach that was dumped all over the floor of Jessie's bedroom.
LINDSTROM: I could hear them talking about a lot of bleach that they had found, said that there was more bleach in this house than they'd ever seen anywhere.
ACOSTA: The search happened only hours after authorities recovered a lifeless Jessie Davis from a local park and arrested her ex-boyfriend, Bobby Cutts, Jr. A source close to the search told CNN Cutts directed investigators to the location of the body.
Cutts, a Canton police officer, had denied his involvement in the disappearance to a local reporter.
TODD PORTER, REPORTER: Bobby, did you have anything at all to do with the disappearance of Jessie?
BOBBY CUTTS, JR.: No, I didn't.
ACOSTA: The FBI is now in possession of a surveillance tape that shows Cutts inside this local sports bar on the same night it's believed Jessie vanished.
Outside Jessie's home, neighbors have begun to leave flowers and offers of condolences to the Davis family, a family now grieving in private.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ACOSTA: And a law enforcement source tells CNN that investigators are still looking at multiple locations, still talking to a number of individuals who may have some information in this case. As for Bobby Cutts, Jr., he is scheduled to appear in court for arraignment tomorrow -- Brianna.
KEILAR: And Jim, what else are we waiting to hear from this autopsy?
ACOSTA: Well, the main thing that we're waiting for out of this autopsy, now that we have confirmation that this was the body of Jessie Davis, is exactly how she died. We don't know at this point beyond the fact that Bobby Cutts, Jr. has been charged with two counts of murder, that investigators now believe that she was killed. We don't know the method, we don't know how.
So that will be the big detail coming out of that report -- Brianna.
KEILAR: All right.
Thanks, Jim.
Jim Acosta live for us from Canton, Ohio.
And attorney Avery Friedman is a frequent guest in the NEWSROOM. He also represents the Canton, Ohio, Police Officers Union. Today he told us that authorities found the body of Jessie Davis shortly after they communicated with suspect Bobby Cutts, Jr. I asked him whether Cutts might have negotiated a deal.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
AVERY FRIEDMAN, ATTORNEY: Frankly, I wouldn't be surprised about that, Brianna. But at the same time, law enforcement was closing in tighter and tighter.
Remember, Bobby was holed up with his mother and the rest of his family separately from his 2-year-old, who was with Jessie's mother. And it became very apparent that there was a breaking point where the other individual involved who was supposed to be involved with Bobby in disposing of the body also surfaced at that point.
So, whether that triggered it, we don't know. There was other information that we were picking up that there may have been threats. But whatever happened, by 3:00, the body was discovered and Bobby Cutts was charged.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KEILAR: That was attorney Avery Friedman speaking to us today from Cleveland.
And there's also more on this story at CNN.com, including clips of that interview with the suspect, Bobby Cutts, Jr. You can get that full story at CNN.com.
Ali Hassan al-Majid, better known as "Chemical Ali," Saddam Hussein's first cousin and a man once feared throughout Iraq, today a convicted war criminal who trembled as an Iraq court handed down his sentence.
CNN's Hala Gorani is in Baghdad.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HALA GORANI, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): The sentence, death by hanging. Ali Hassan al-Majid, also known as "Chemical Ali," is to be executed for crimes committed against the Kurdish population during the Iran-Iraq War.
A first cousin of Saddam Hussein, al-Majid was the only one of the six defendants found guilty of genocide, as well as war crimes and crimes against humanity, for committing the crime of premeditated murder against a group of people, said the chief judge. Al-Majid stood motionless while the ruling was read, uttering, "Thank God" under his breath twice.
In total, three defendants were sentenced to death, two to life in prison, and one was set free for lack of evidence against him.
The charges related to the infamous Anfal campaign in 1988, a deadly operation targeting Iraqi Kurds with chemical weapons and poison gas. Estimates range from tens of thousands to 180,000 dead in the space of only a few months.
For many Kurds, the death sentence against Chemical Ali was a reason to celebrate, like here in Halabja, where thousands of Kurds were gassed to death in the 1980s. A murderous campaign seen as separate to Anfal but that has left an indelible mark on the population.
This man in Halabja said he wished the defendants would be brought to northern Iraq to face their fate. "We want from Iraqi authorities to bring Ali Hassan al-Majid and his group to be executed at that cemetery," he said, referring to where the victims of Anfal are buried.
Saddam Hussein, originally a defendant in this case, never lived to face his accusers. The charges against him lapsed after he was executed last December in a separate trial involving the killing of Shiite men in the village of Dujail.
(on camera): The chief lawyer for the accused told CNN he will appeal the sentences and called the proceedings political. If all appeals are rejected, Chemical Ali and his codefendants could be put to death at any time.
Hala Gorani, CNN, Baghdad.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KEILAR: Roadside bombings have taken a serious toll on U.S. and Iraqi forces this weekend amid a crackdown on insurgents outside Baghdad. A major offensive in Baquba is in its sixth day. And after early heavy combat, troops are now slowing to clear bombs and booby-trapped houses.
Earlier today on CNN's "LATE EDITION," the commander of coalition forces in Iraq talked to Wolf Blitzer about the status of the U.S. presence there and an assessment that will be made in September on how things are going.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LT. GEN. RAY ODIERNO, COMMANDER, MULTINATIONAL CORPS, IRAQ: I feel like we are building some momentum over here, momentum of change both within the government of Iraq and on the ground, but we'll see. I mean, that could change very quickly.
But what we have to be able to do is provide recommendations on whether we think we are making enough progress to continue in the direction we are going, or we are not making progress and we have to change our strategy.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KEILAR: General Odierno was addressing comments that he made last week about possibly starting to withdraw U.S. troops in the spring. He stressed that it's all contingent on the continued improvement of Iraqi forces.
It was a despicable plot that thankfully failed. NATO troops in Afghanistan say Taliban fighters put a suicide bomb vest on a 6-year- old boy, and they told him to push the button near Afghan security forces.
Well, the boy didn't understand and he asked officers on patrol what was going on. It happened in eastern Afghanistan near the Pakistani border, and NATO commanders say it shows the length militants are willing to go to and their lack of respect for all human life.
Supporters of immigration reform are rallying again, and our Kara Finnstrom is there.
KARA FINNSTROM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, thousands of people out here in Los Angeles today, hoping to send a loud message to Washington.
The story coming up in the CNN NEWSROOM.
KEILAR: Pride on parade in New York City and across the country. We'll take a look at the weekend's gay rights celebrations and some of the issues that gay Americans are still dealing with.
And...
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Kathy, how are you doing today?
KATHY HILTON, PARIS HILTON'S MOTHER: Excited. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Are you happy your daughter's going to come out pretty soon?
HILTON: Yes, I am.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What day is she coming out?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KEILAR: Squeezing in a last-minute visit or maybe planning a release party. Kathy Hilton checks in with her jailbird daughter just days before Paris is back on the streets.
You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KEILAR: An angry protest against Vietnam's human rights record directed at the top man himself, Vietnam's president, who has been visiting the U.S. this week. This protest was in Dana Point, California, where the communist leader was meeting with business leaders. Demonstrators are angry about Vietnam's crackdown on dissidents.
In recent months, at least eight pro-democracy activists in Vietnam have been arrested or jailed.
And it was the first time that a Vietnamese president has visited the U.S. since the Vietnam War. In an exclusive interview on CNN's "LATE EDITION," the communist leader said despite the painful past Vietnam shares with the U.S., his nation wants to reach out to Americans, Vietnamese-Americans in particular.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN MINH TRIET, PRESIDENT OF VIETNAM (through translator): My message is that the Vietnamese living abroad in general and in the United States in particular is part and parcel of the Vietnamese nation. The blood to have is the blood of the Vietnamese. The flesh to have is the flesh of the Vietnamese.
The government of Vietnam want to see them succeed in the United States, and we also would like to see them to serve as a bridge between the United States and Vietnam. As far as our differences in views and opinion, we should exchange dialogues in order to solve those differences.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KEILAR: As for the question of his country's human rights record, President Triet said the U.S. and Vietnam have different perceptions of the issue.
And the nation is gearing up for another shot at immigration reform. At this hour, immigrants' rights supporters are rallying in Los Angeles. Now, on the other side of the country, the U.S. Senate prepares to re-ignite the searing debate.
CNN's Kara Finnstrom is live in L.A. with the latest from there.
Hi, Kara.
FINNSTROM: Hello.
Well, it's been very peaceful protests out here. Lots of American flags waving, whole families marching through Hollywood. All of these people calling for full immigration rights for both people who are legally here and illegally here.
And one of the families out here today is that of Rosie Molina. She's out here with her three daughters.
Tell me why this has been so important to you to be out here today.
ROSIE MOLINA, RALLY PARTICIPANT: Well, we're here to support and to let the Congress know that they need a law, they need to pass a law so they can legalize over 12,000 people that need to be legalized, that they're immigrants, and we are here to show our support, me and my daughters and my husband.
FINNSTROM: And you say this is particularly important for your family.
MOLINA: Yes, it is. Yes, we have a lot of people here, hard-working people, that need to be legalized.
FINNSTROM: We thank you for joining us here today.
Now, there are supposed to be more speakers up here throughout today, and the rally will continue. It's been very peaceful so far. There was a small counter-demonstration very close here, about 10 miles away yesterday, where there was a little bit of argument between pro- immigration forces and those who feel that illegal immigrants are hurting the American worker, but that did end peacefully yesterday.
We're reporting live in Los Angeles. Back to you.
KEILAR: All right. Thanks, Kara.
Kara Finnstrom following those events for us in Los Angeles.
And of course immigration is always a huge issue on the campaign trail. So here's where top Democrats are expressing their views this weekend.
Barack Obama and Bill Richardson are thinking big. They're stumping in Texas and California, two states with a jackpot of electoral votes.
And last night Hillary Clinton campaigned in her former home state of Arkansas.
On the Republican side, Rudy Giuliani glad-handed in Iowa this week, then traveled to Florida. He told Cuban-Americans there that he needs their support to win the nomination.
And Mitt Romney campaigned in his former state of Utah before heading to his adopted home state of Massachusetts, where he served one term as governor.
So what would you ask the presidential candidates? Well, you're going to get a chance, because CNN is teaming up with YouTube for the next presidential debates.
Anderson Cooper hosts this event. It's the first of its kind. Democrats up first. Their debate is July 23rd. And then Republicans get their chance in September.
It's live, it's interactive, on TV and online. And you can learn more about the debates and how to submit your questions at cnn.com/youtubedebates.
Well, some twisted weather around the world to talk about tonight, including a tornado far to the north of Tornado Alley.
Right, Bonnie?
BONNIE SCHNEIDER, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Absolutely.
You know, when you look at these pictures, Brianna, you think maybe it's Kansas, Oklahoma or Texas. But this is Manitoba.
That's well to the North. The city of Winnipeg faced a trio of tornadoes.
I'll talk more about that, and we'll see how this compares to the U.S. on average in terms of tornadoes. Yes, they do happen in Canada for sure -- Brianna.
KEILAR: All right. Thanks, Bonnie.
And also coming up, a toy gun costs a 12-year-old his life. We'll have details coming up in the CNN NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KEILAR: Strong winds and heavy rains are proving to be a deadly combination in Karachi, Pakistan. Officials say at least 230 people are dead following the storm and subsequent flooding. Rescue crews are searching the rubble of collapsed buildings, looking for survivors. Unfortunately, more rain is forecast for the area as the country's monsoon season begins.
(WEATHER REPORT)
KEILAR: And coming up, we have got a push to get guns off the streets. That's sending Reverend Jesse Jackson to jail this weekend.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You're blocking the door. You're causing a fire hazard.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're trying to get in.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KEILAR: The pushing and shoving match, next in the CNN NEWSROOM.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My hands are numb, and I have a year-and-a-half- old son, and I can't feel his skin on his face.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KEILAR: Plus, the heartbreaking story about life after football. The costly injuries and the push to get the NFL to pay the medical bills.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: When the air comes, the water was coming out. It looked like we were almost drowning, but we didn't. It didn't get, like, all filled up.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KEILAR: You're also going to meet a 5-year-old who was trapped in a truck with her 2-year-old sister, both sinking fast in an area lake. But this story has a happy ending.
You're watching CNN, the most trusted name in news.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KEILAR: Half past the hour, and here's what's happening "Now in the News."
(NEWSBREAK)
KEILAR: The Reverend Jesse Jackson found himself on the wrong side of the law trying to prove his point regarding gun violence.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
How do you know? Are you a mind reader?
A threat.
A threat to who? See that old lady? Does she look like she's a threat?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KEILAR: The Windy City is becoming a worried city. Thirty school- aged kids in Chicago killed this past scholastic year, mostly due to gang activity. But one organization is using former gang members to try to stop the violence. CNN's Keith Oppenheim has the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KEITH OPPENHEIM, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Calvin Buchanan knows something about violence. In his 42 years, Calvin says he spent 25 of them behind bars for crimes like attempted murder and assault. But he says he transformed.
CALVIN BUCHANAN, CEASEFIRE: You don't want to see kids' brains blew out and all that. You change.
OPPENHEIM: Now Calvin is a member of CeaseFire. CeaseFire has a team gathered outside Chicago's Crane High School looking for trouble before it starts.
BUCHANAN: Stop the violence, my brothers and sisters.
OPPENHEIM: Most of CeaseFire's staff are former gang members. Calvin was an enforcer in a gang called the Vice Lords. His nickname, Monster.
(on camera): What kinds of things did you do in your past that were bad?
BUCHANAN: I'd violate people. If I had to shoot them, I shot them.
OPPENHEIM (voice over): Now he's volunteering in a job CeaseFire calls Violence Interrupter.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Man, we were ready to kill someone. I'm not going to lie. You know what I'm saying?
OPPENHEIM: To explain what interrupters do, Calvin took me to a neighborhood where some Vice Lords were fuming. Their car window had been smashed by rivals.
(on camera): You're going to shoot a kid because he kicks out your car window?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He ain't no kid. He's my age.
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It ain't about the window.
OPPENHEIM: What do you get out of it if he's dead?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A lot of relief. He won't want nobody else kicking anyone else's windows out and think they're going to get away with it.
OPPENHEIM (voice over): Calvin and other CeaseFire members cooled them down.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Because I'm tired of seeing the killing. OPPENHEIM: Made them think about consequences. He clearly has respect on the street.
(on camera): If I say it, are you going to not believe it, and if he says it -- if he says it, if Calvin says it, you will?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I wouldn't even talk to you. I'd think you're the police.
OPPENHEIM (voice over): CeaseFire's founder, Gary Slutkin, is an infectious disease specialist who believes gang violence must be treated like an epidemic.
DR. GARY SLUTKIN, CEASEFIRE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR: Because violence acts like an infectious disease, with one event predictably leading to another and to another, like measles or flu, you have to have that interruption of transmission.
OPPENHEIM: Now CeaseFire has 100 staff in 16 neighborhoods.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How do we prevent (INAUDIBLE) in this situation?
OPPENHEIM: Their model is to give people like Calvin a message to carry.
BUCHANAN: I've been in prison off and on all my life. Look at me.
They can't believe that I come and say stop the violence.
OPPENHEIM: People who have the clout to convince gangs to stop killing each other.
Keith Oppenheim, CNN, Chicago.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KEILAR: The gun wasn't real, but the consequences were. Police in West Memphis, Arkansas, say they shot and killed a suspect that they thought was armed with a handgun. Well, that suspect was a 12-year- old boy. His family disputes police who say the boy was carrying a toy gun.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Don't mess with nobody, don't bother nobody.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So what do you think about what happened down here?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was green. They killed him in cold blood and they need to going to jail for that.
ASST. CHIEF MIKE ALLEN, WEST MEMPHIS POLICE DEPT.: The deceased was a 12-year-old boy, and there was a 14-year-old young man out there with him. And when the police confronted the 12-year-old and ordered him to drop the weapon, he made a gesture towards the officers, and they fired upon him.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KEILAR: In standard fashion, both officers involved are on administrative leave as state police investigate the shooting. And the word today is that the 12-year-old victim one day had hoped to become a police officer.
News "Across America" now.
(NEWSBREAK)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KEILAR: Dozens of gay pride parades taking place around the U.S. today, and they commemorate the 1969 riot where gays fought back when police raided a bar in New York's Greenwich Village. One of the largest parades is taking place right there in New York. Marchers celebrating the state assembly's recent move to legalize same-sex marriage.
And, of course, religion and gays, some of the harshest criticism there of homosexuality coming from the pulpits of America. Today we introduce you to an evangelical minister who had a change of heart about gays in the church. And that spiritual shift has changed his whole life.
Here's our Rick Sanchez.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BISHOP CARLTON PEARSON, NEW DIMENSIONS CHURCH: You know when you're a true shepherd because the holy righteous indignation rises up inside of you.
RICK SANCHEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): He was one of the hottest tickets on the Christian evangelical circuit.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And I want you to welcome Bishop Carlton Pearson back to life today. Would you welcome him right now?
SANCHEZ: This Tulsa, Oklahoma, bishop spent 30 years saving souls. His tears, his dancing, his singing got Christians excited about serving god. He ministered in high political circles, praying with both President Bush and Bush Sr. Jim Baker counted him as a friend before and after his downfall.
Just like most other Evan evangelists, Carlton Pearson's concept of sin included homosexuality.
PEARSON: The people who were gay were disfigured and dysfunctional and confused. And those are the only explanations we had. And that god would not be pleased with that, it's not natural. This is of the devil. You know, we need to rebuke this thing and bind it, and I had all my gay friends fasting and praying and seeking out -- we were anointing them with oil and encouraging them to go further into counseling.
SANCHEZ: That was then. This is what he preaches now.
PEARSON: Do you ever see anywhere in scripture where Jesus rejected anybody, period? From the prostitute caught in adult trick (ph), to the tax collector?
SANCHEZ: After his change of heart the bishop is accepting sinners for who they are and allowing gays to just be.
PEARSON: Why do you have to judge a person based on a label or a title with which you attach to them? Are you all hearing me?
We just love god. We just love people. And we are the most radically inclusive worship experience in the city of Tulsa.
SANCHEZ: His revelation has nearly ruined him. Christian magazines and leaders have labeled him a heretic.
His new preaching cost him everything. Most of his 5,000-member mega church abandoned him. He can no longer afford the church property, lost his place to minister. And his speaking engagements, which made up three-quarters of his income, went dry.
PEARSON: Everything that I had -- that I felt was secure became profoundly insecure. My whole life's work went up in smoke.
SANCHEZ: So what led the bishop who had it all to take what evangelists called a detour away from god? For one, his best friend told him he was gay.
PEARSON: I couldn't see sending him to hell. He was spiritual. He loved the lord. He loved gospel music. He was a physician. I had seen him go through med school, and he was part of our family.
SANCHEZ: Then it was seeing how most people in Tulsa weren't leading righteous lives, despite being a Bible Belt city.
PEARSON: We have one of the highest -- second highest divorce rates, second only to Nevada. We have one of the highest out-of-wedlock teen pregnancies. And I kept thinking all of this hyper-conservative fundamentalist religion is probably not working.
SANCHEZ: Then he wrestled with the scripture issue. The bible does say, "Thou shalt not lay with mankind as with womankind: it is abomination."
However...
PEARSON: It also says, "Slaves, obey your masters." That's new testament. It says if you -- Jesus says you must hate your mother and father and brother and sister if you're going to follow me. You want to take that literally? Does that mean I have got to hate my parents to follow Jesus?
PEARSON: Pearson decided god was not going to send all sinners to hell. They were already saved by god's grace.
PEARSON: The scripture says that god was in Christ reconciling the world to himself, not counting men's sins against them. So, if god doesn't count men's sins against them, why are we Christians or religious people so comfortable doing that?
SANCHEZ: Today, this Episcopal church is all that's left of his Tulsa ministry. He leases space for his service with dozens of other churches that don't have a home of their own. But he's gaining a lot of fans by preaching what he calls the gospel of inclusion.
TOBY JENKINS, OKLAHOMANS FOR EQUALITY: He is courageously suffering and lost so much and rejected by so many for people like us. Now, that's our hero.
SANCHEZ: In May, Bishop Pearson was one of dozens of religious leaders who went to Washington to support adding gays to hate crime legislation.
PEARSON: I think we have idolized the bible and used it -- and I call them bible bullets -- to denounce anything we don't like or don't understand or anything we fear. And I would like for that to be corrected in the Christian consciousness.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KEILAR: Rick Sanchez will have more on our "Uncovering America" series tonight at 7:00 Eastern. And he's here with us right now to tell us more about it.
SANCHEZ: You know, what's interesting, as you watch the words that the reverend uses, you could say what you want or think what you want about the issue, but it takes a lot of guts to take a stand like that and lose essentially so much of what he had.
So tonight we're going to do a couple of different things. We're going to be examining the transgender issue, which is also a big part of the gay debate. People who say, look, I'm trapped in the wrong body. And then there's also the issue of what people really say.
And we're starting a new segment now that we're going to be doing every weekend. It's basically talking to people out on the streets about issues like this.
You know, it's one thing to say what you think is politically correct and you're supposed to say.
KEILAR: Exactly. Exactly.
SANCHEZ: It's quite another to be asked questions that really hit home. And that's what we're going to do. We're going to talk to people about these things.
And by the way, we've got Chris Dodd on tonight. He's in our political spotlight.
KEILAR: That's right.
SANCHEZ: We always have one of these people. And he starts all of a sudden speaking Spanish in the middle of our interview.
KEILAR: So you as well then, right? I'm sure.
SANCHEZ: Yes, he's fluent. You know, he was in the Peace Corps for a long time and he was based in the Dominican Republic. And he's kept the language.
KEILAR: All right. Well, we will stay tuned for that.
Thanks so much, Rick.
SANCHEZ: You got it.
Thanks, Brianna.
KEILAR: And you can get more on "Uncovering America" at CNN.com. Our special report examines the state of gay life in the U.S.
So what do you think? Is American society more accepting now of homosexuality?
Log on to cnn.com/uncoveringamerica and let us know.
Pro-football players make hundreds of thousands, sometimes even millions of dollars playing the game. But when the applause is over and the careers come to an end, the story often goes from triumph to tragedy.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DEMARCO: We've lived in a storage unit for five months. We've lived in vacant houses.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KEILAR: U next, career earnings used to pay for medical bills for injuries, leaving him homeless and in pain.
Should the NFL pay the tab?
And what do you know? The royal lovers' spat is apparently over. The story coming up in the NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KEILAR: Life after football. Glory, money and fame can turn into a lifetime of injuries and pain for pro-football players. Should the NFL help them foot the bill?
Here's CNN Sports' Larry Smith.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) LARRY SMITH, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT (voice over): The NFL has never been more successful. TV contracts are worth billions. Teams are worth hundreds of millions. And players' salaries are at an all-time high.
But Mike Ditka is among a group of former players who are angry. He believes that many retired players are in dire need of financial help but aren't getting it because league disability benefits are too hard to obtain and pensions are woefully inadequate.
He wants the NFL and its Players Association to do something about it.
MIKE DITKA, FMR. NFL HEAD COACH & PLAYER: All we're asking for is, take care of these guys who need help. Quit fighting them on their disability claims. Help them out.
SMITH: Guys like 35-year-old Brian DeMarco, a second-round pick in the 1995 draft.
DEMARCO: I was living a childhood dream. You know, I wanted to play professional football ever since I could remember.
SMITH: But that dream became a nightmare when DeMarco had to retire in 2000 because his body was decimated by injuries.
DEMARCO: When my insurance ran out a few years after I was out of the league, I was forced to pay every medical bill. And, I mean, now I have well into six figures of medical bills that are unpaid.
We've lived in a storage unit for five months. We've lived in vacant houses. My hands are numb, and I have a year-and-a-half-old son, and I can't feel his skin on his face.
SMITH: DeMarco says he's has been trying to apply for disability from the Players Association for the last four years.
DEMARCO: I made well over 100 phone calls to the NFLPA just -- just from last August to the middle of May, to no avail.
SMITH: DeMarco acknowledges that he has received roughly $10,000 from the Players Association, but he says when his medication costs $1,000 per month, $10,000 doesn't go very far.
The Players Association did not respond to CNN's request for an interview. Gene Upshaw, the executive director, has previously stated that he's proud of what the union does for the former players.
Ditka doesn't see it that way.
DITKA: I don't want to say they're greedy. I really don't even want to say that. I don't know why. I really don't. I mean, it baffles me why this is even an issue.
SMITH: For his part, Ditka oversees the Gridiron Greats assistance fund. It was established earlier this year to provide money and services to players in need. DITKA: We're going to get it done one way or the other. I mean, either they're going to help or they're not going to help. But we'll find a way to raise some money. But there's going to be a lot of egg on a lot of people's faces if they don't do something.
SMITH (on camera): It appears that the NFL and the Players Association are starting to get the message. Earlier this week they agreed to speed up the process of getting benefits to disabled players. But it's unknown what impact that change will have.
Larry Smith, CNN, Atlanta.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KEILAR: To say a little girl owes her big sister a big, huge hug could be the understatement of the year.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I unbuckled our seatbelts and I unbuckled Morgan too.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KEILAR: Meet the adorable hero of Oshkosh, Wisconsin. That's next in the NEWSROOM.
And take a look at this, Paris Hilton's mother on the way to jail. No, don't worry. She's not also in trouble. It's just for a visit.
We'll have news about her famous daughter's first television interview coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KEILAR: Houston, we have some potential history in the making. Barrington Irving is trying to pilot his way into history. He wants to be the youngest pilot of African descent to fly around the world solo.
The 23-year-old aerospace engineer built his own plane out of donated parts. This is video from his visit to Houston's Hobby Airport.
Well, this is actually a pilot map. But today he stops in Mobile, Alabama, on his way to his destination, his home airport at Opaloc (ph), Florida. And his trek began all the way back March 23rd.
And of course, we're going to keep you posted on this.
And could it be a royal reunion? British newspapers are reporting today that Prince William and former girlfriend Kate Middleton have left splitsville and gotten back together.
The longtime couple parted ways in April, reportedly because the prince wanted to play the field before he settled down. Well, newspapers claim the couple attended a party together earlier this month, and they say William has invited Middleton to attend a memorial concert for Princess Diana, and that's next Sunday in London.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What day is she coming out?
HILTON: I think Tuesday.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Are you looking forward to seeing her?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Kathy, what time, do you know?
HILTON: I don't know. That's up to the sheriff.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How does she feel about it?
HILTON: I think she's very, very excited to see the family.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KEILAR: Yes, that's right. Paris Hilton's hard time is coming to an end. The heiress-turned-jailbird is expected to be freed on Tuesday. But her mom Kathy got one more visit in this weekend. Perhaps they're using these last few days to plan the mother of all release parties.
And of course we're all waiting with baited breath, even those of you who don't want to admit it, to hear Paris' thoughts on her time in the slammer and away from luxury.
And CNN's going to bring you her very first post-jail TV interview. That's Wednesday night at 9:00 Eastern on "LARRY KING LIVE".
Is her dumb blonde act really a thing of the past? Has life changed inside of Paris the heiress? Don't miss it, "LARRY KING LIVE". Again, that's Wednesday at 9:00 Eastern.
A weekend boat ride on a river, you know, it sounds relaxing. And that's what Matt Wilson of Oshkosh, Wisconsin, thought when he planned the outing. But things didn't go as planned.
As Wilson tried to launch the family boat into the river, his parked truck began to roll into the water with his two young daughters inside. That's where Natalie Arnold from our affiliate WBAY picks up the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MATT WILSON, FATHER: You know, the water was probably up into here...
NATALIE ARNOLD, REPORTER, WBAY (voice over): What Matt Wilson didn't expect is how quickly the truck would fill with water.
WILSON: Paige was very frantic and screaming. I think she understood there's water in the truck, this is not normal.
ARNOLD: Paige is Wilson's 5-and-a-half-year-old daughter.
PAIGE WILSON, RESCUED FROM SINKING TRUCK: Where the air comes, the water was coming out.
ARNOLD: She watched as water poured out of the air vents.
P. WILSON: It looked like we were almost drowning, but we didn't. It didn't get, like, all filled up.
ARNOLD: Meanwhile, her father, with others, were frantically trying to get in, but the doors wouldn't budge.
It was up to Paige.
P. WILSON: Well, I unbuckled our seatbelts and I unbuckled Morgan, too.
ARNOLD: Who ultimately got out with her 2-year-old sister.
P. WILSON: Daddy was trying to explain to open the button of the middle window. Well, on the first try, I couldn't. On the second try, I couldn't. And then on the third try, I did.
ARNOLD: Her father is very relieved.
M. WILSON: I was a good story in the end.
ARNOLD (on camera): And that father's hope is that all parents see this story and learn from his mistakes.
Reporting in Oshkosh, Natalie Arnold, Action 2 News.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KEILAR: There's still much more ahead on CNN.
Coming up at 8:00 Eastern, do you know what you're really eating? Tonight on CNN "Special Investigations Unit," Dr. Sanjay Gupta uncovers the truth about how tainted food enters the U.S. food supply.
That's "CNN SIU," "Danger: Poisoned Food," tonight at 8:00 Eastern.
I'm Brianna Keilar.
"LOU DOBBS THIS WEEK" begins right now.
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