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Canton Woman's Home Searched in Jessie Davis Case; Senate Prepares for Immigration Bill Again

Aired June 24, 2007 - 15:59   ET

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

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN ANCHOR: Memorial for a murdered mom, tributes to Jessie Davis pouring in, and a new twist in the investigation tonight.
Also, too close to a tornado. I'm going to talk with a storm chaser who shot this video of a twister north of the border.

Plus, it's an amazing story from Afghanistan, the Taliban nearly tricks two young brothers into becoming suicide bombers.

Hi there, I'm Brianna Keilar in for Frederica Whitfield, and you're in the NEWSROOM.

This just in to CNN, a real mess at Los Angeles International Airport right now. Passengers had to be cleared from one of airport terminals following a security breach. And then they apparently -- apparently there was an unrelated mishap, a broken water pipe and fire sprinkler going off adding to all of that confusion. Both incidents happening there within an hour of each other. Hundreds of passengers are standing outside the terminal right now, they're waiting for the all-clear.

Flights at this point into and out of terminal -- out of terminal one and two are delayed at least 15 minutes. Air carriers Southwest, America West and USAir are the ones that seem to be most affected, and we're going to keep an eye on the latest developments for you and bring those to you.

Well, it's official. The medical examiner's office in Summit County, Ohio, has confirmed that the body recovered yesterday is that of Jessie Davis, the pregnant woman who had been missing for 10 days. At about this time yesterday, authorities found the body in a clearing at the edge of a forest, about 20 miles from the home that Davis shared with her 2-year-old son. Boyfriend Bobby Cutts was taken into custody and he was charged with double murder. Now with the latest on the story from Canton, we have got CNN's Jim Acosta.

And, Jim, I understand that authorities searched another home in the area as part of their investigation. What can you tell us about that?

JIM ACOSTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, as you mentioned, a local medical examiner has confirmed that body recovered yesterday is that of Jessie Davis. And that confirmation comes as investigators continue to search for clues in this case, a search that took authorities to one home here in Canton just last night. And apparently our taped piece is not there, so I'll just continue to tell you what we know at this point. What we do know is that authorities went to a home of a Canton woman just last night. What we understand from talking to a neighbor at that residence, authorities used a battering ram to break down the door of that home of that Canton woman. They went inside searching for various items, and here's some more about that search here in our taped piece.

(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.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I tried to tell them I had keys. He took it off anyways and looked at me and kind of smiled and said, I used my key. I guess you did.

ACOSTA: Justin Lindstrom (ph) 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.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: While they were here, the sheriffs were specifically asking about the comforter they found in my laundry in the basement. And it was my comforter and all, but at the same time, you know, it doesn't take a genius to put that together.

ACOSTA: It doesn't take a genius because it's well-known 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 appear to be hunting for the source of that bleach that was dumped all over the floor of Jessie's bedroom..

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: 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've ever seen anywhere.

ACOSTA: The search happened only hours after authorities recovered a lifeless Jessie Davis from a 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: Bobby, did you have anything at all to do with the disappearance of Jessie?

BOBBY CUTTS JR., ARRESTED FOR MURDER: 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 authorities are still looking at a number of locations, talking to a number of people, still actively searching for clues in this case. And as for Bobby Cutts Jr., he is scheduled to appear in court for an arraignment tomorrow -- Brianna.

KEILAR: All right. Jim Acosta, live for us in there from Canton, Ohio, where he has been covering this story for days. Thanks for that report, Jim. And joining us now from Cleveland is attorney Avery Friedman. He's a regular guest here in the NEWSROOM. And he also represents the Canton, Ohio, Police Officers Union.

Always good to have you with us, Avery.

AVERY FRIEDMAN, ATTORNEY: Nice to be with you.

KEILAR: Let me ask you, what do you think was the breaking point here that led to the discovery of the body and all of these developments yesterday?

FRIEDMAN: Well, we have actually, Brianna, independent information actually consistent with the criminal investigation that about 1:40 yesterday afternoon a decision was made by Bobby Cutts Jr., through his attorney, to communicate with law enforcement.

Within that hour, what happened is that whatever discussion took place, we don't know. But at that point law enforcement headed out to the area near the Cuyahoga National Park. And by 3:00, the body was discovered and Bobby Cutts Jr. was charged with double murder.

KEILAR: So what light can you shed on this for us? I mean, why would Bobby Cutts decide to speak with the authorities? It makes people wonder if, perhaps, might he be in a position there where he could have struck some sort of deal with authorities or what do you think?

FRIEDMAN: Well, 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 are picking up that there may have been threats. But whatever happened, by 3:00, the body was discovered and Bobby Cutts was charged.

KEILAR: All right. Avery Friedman, a regular contributor here with the NEWSROOM and a civil rights lawyer there in Cleveland, we really appreciate your time today.

FRIEDMAN: Nice to be with you. KEILAR: And be sure and tune in for "LARRY KING LIVE" tonight for much more on the Jessie Davis case. You can go inside the investigation tonight at 9:00 Eastern, 6:00 Pacific. That's only right here on CNN.

And another murder mystery, another arrest, this one near Chicago. Christopher Vaughn is charged in the deaths of his wife and three children. Kimberly Vaughn and the children, ages 12, 11 and 8, were found June 14th, shot to death in their SUV. Now Christopher Vaughn was found nearby with gunshot wounds to the leg and arm. Authorities took him into custody at the funeral home right before the memorial services for his family.

Here we go again, a second shot at immigration reform. And 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 reignite this searing debate. President Bush still facing an uphill battle to win passage of the beefed-up border controls combined with a guest worker program and a possible path to citizenship for people here illegally.

Now in a moment we're going to go to CNN's Ed Henry there at the White House, but first, we go to the rally in Los Angeles and CNN's Kara Finnstrom -- Kara.

KARA FINNSTROM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, organizers say they expect thousands out here today, calling for full rights for all immigrants, both those here legally and illegally. The marchers have started out on the other side of Hollywood, they're going to be coming down this street in just a little bit, and they'll end up over here where there's a stage set up. There will be some speakers here later today and also some musical groups.

Now, we also have a camera set up mid route. And we want to give you a look at some of those marchers on their way over here right now. They say they're sending out a call to Washington, that the time for reform is now. Of course, the president's bill stalled in the Senate a couple weeks ago, and there is some earnest efforts to revive it. And they're hoping that that will happen.

We also have pictures from yesterday of a tense counterdemonstration that happened just about 10 miles from here. About 100 demonstrators showed up. These demonstrators say that they are concerned about the effects of illegal immigration on American workers who were born and raised here. They feel it's hurting these American workers.

Another group, pro-immigration reform came out. There was some shouting between the two sides. This all, though, however, did end peacefully, police able to kind of quiet it down. Activist Ted Hayes organized that effort and we did speak with him.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TED HAYES, MARCH ORGANIZER: This is an invasion! We have a permit to be here! These citizens from foreign countries and their allies are denying America, us, our freedom!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FINNSTROM: Now, the eyes will be on this today for another reason. This is one of the first big immigration rallies since the May Day melee. That was back on May 1st over at MacArthur Park, also in the Los Angeles area. A big rally that actually started out rather peacefully.

A small group of protesters started pelting police with bottles and with rocks. And that ended up in police trying to disperse that crowd and firing more than 140 rubber bullets. And that caused quite a bit of concern. So today there will be eyes on this rally, watching to make sure that everything does go down peacefully - Brianna.

KEILAR: Thanks for keeping an eye on that, Kara. Kara Finnstrom live for us there from Los Angeles. And Ed Henry has also been following this issue in Washington. Let's go ahead and bring him in now from the White House.

So, Ed, why is this really the make-or-break week for immigration reform and are we really expecting to see any changes this week?

ED HENRY, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Brianna, if it doesn't pass this week, Senate Democrats are going to have to move on to other issues. They're under a lot of pressure to rack up accomplishments now that they're running Capitol Hill. So if they don't get immigration, they'll have to go to other things.

And then the calendar takes over because the 2008 campaign will really hijack the agenda overall, and it will be impossible to pass a bill like this, so divisive, so emotional in the 2008 election year.

Today the chief Democratic supporter, Senator Edward Kennedy, he expressed what you might call cautious optimism that he can get it passed this week. And he really goaded opponents about the cost of doing nothing.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. EDWARD KENNEDY (D), MASSACHUSETTS: The alternative is silent amnesty. We know what the opponents are against in the United States Senate. What we don't know is what they're for. We have had 39 days of hearings, six days of markups, 52 amendments, 21 days of debate in the United States Senate. And if you're going to oppose this bill, the American people are entitled to hear what you're for. And they haven't told us what they are for.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HENRY: But the problem for Senator Kennedy and President Bush is that conservatives have been very aggressive about using various mediums like talk radio to charge that this bill is really amnesty. It's going to be an uphill battle for Kennedy and the president to join forces and actually win this week, Brianna. KEILAR: And, Ed, no doubt this is really a key legacy item for the president. So what is he really planning to do to save this in the final stretch?

HENRY: Well, he's going to try to have yet another immigration event here at the White House on Tuesday. He's also going to be working the phones all this week, trying to lobby the few lawmakers still on the fence. But the problem for the president, we've all heard the sales pitch over and over again. And it's not selling with very may Republicans, not even with very many fellow Texans.

Take a listen to Republican Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison today.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. KAY BAILEY HUTCHISON (R), TEXAS: I don't like what is in it now. I think the amnesty, the cutoff after five years of the guest work program I think is completely unworkable.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HENRY: And that's why, ironically, the president is getting more support from Democrats than the Republicans. And I think that's the best chance of this actually passing is the fact that Democrats have an incentive to get something done here. It's not just about the president's legacy, it's about Democrats who are running the Hill, they are facing voters next year. They need to show they're getting something done as well. So they're going to make the extra effort as well -- Brianna.

KEILAR: All right. Ed, we will be watching this week. We appreciate your report. Ed Henry live for us from the White House.

And of course, immigration is always a huge issue on the campaign trail. So here's what some top Democrats are expressing of their views on the issue this weekend. Barack Obama and Bill Richardson are thinking big. They're stumping in Texas and California, two states with the lion's share of electoral votes. And then last night Hillary Clinton campaigned in familiar territory, her former home state of Arkansas.

On the Republican side, Rudy Giuliani glad-handed in Iowa this week and then he travels to Florida. He told Cuban-Americans there that he needs their support to win the nomination. And Mitt Romney campaigned in his former home 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've got a chance here. CNN is teaming up with YouTube for the next presidential debate. Anderson Cooper will host this event, it's the first of its kind. Democrats are up first. Their debate is July 23rd. 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 questions at cnn.com/youtubedebates.

A scary and twisted sight in Canada, tornadoes.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Get the picture, Dave (ph)!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: Touching down there across Manitoba. Several homes gone. We've got details coming up.

Plus, Stoneham strikes out. The Massachusetts town is cutting all high school sports. We're going to tell you why.

And royal reconciliation? There are reports coming out of Britain that Prince William and his ex are back together. You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Go! Go! You've got to move!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I got it. We got it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We got it?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, yes.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: A rather rare sight north of the border, a tornado tearing through southern Manitoba. And this is just one of at least three tornadoes that touched down this weekend. Canadian environmental officials are tentatively rating the twisters as F-3 and F-4 in severity, meaning they had winds of up to 260 miles an hour. Thankfully no one was hurt, but 15 people are homeless.

And storm chaser Reed Timmer from tornadovideos.net shot the video that you just saw. He's going to join us live right now with his up close and personal analysis of the storm.

So, Reed, thanks so much for being with us. And obviously, we don't hear very often tornadoes in Manitoba. This is pretty rare, right?

REED TIMMER, STORM CHASER: Well, we actually think there could be more tornadoes here than we think. There's just no storm chasers in Canada. So I think a lot of tornadoes go unreported up here.

KEILAR: All right. And you've been chasing storms, not only tornadoes, also hurricanes. I know that you spend a lot of the spring and summer going from the Mexican border all the way up to Canada. So you're familiar. You've seen a lot of these kinds of things. Just tell us what makes this particular tornado so special. TIMMER: This tornado was extremely large and slow moving. And so there you can see in the video that it was one huge vortex that was probably a quarter mile wide and then it that shifted into three separate vortices, multiple suction vortices they're called. And then congealed back into one tornado. And that was just incredible seeing that happen. But in terms of how large it was, it definitely rivaled some of the largest tornadoes we've seen in the U.S.

KEILAR: And how close are you at this point? I mean, you look so close with this video that you're shooting.

TIMMER: Yes, we're probably a couple hundred yards east of it when it crossed the road. We made sure that we were watching the way the tornado was moving the whole entire time and we kind of just positioned ourselves east of it and then watched it cross the road just to our west.

KEILAR: I know you say that. But I'm thinking that anyone who is looking at this video thinks, there's a possibility, right, you're putting yourself in a little bit of danger, obviously, when you're doing something like this.

TIMMER: I think somebody who doesn't have experience of getting close to tornadoes, it's extremely dangerous. We don't recommend it for anybody. But we've been doing this for nine years, getting close to them. And it's just kind of an obsession of ours.

And also what we try to do is coordinate with the National Weather Service to help them verify the warnings. That's one of our main objectives out here. All right. Reed Timmer, storm chaser, tracking down and getting great shots of this amazing tornado here in Manitoba, we really appreciate you being with us.

TIMMER: Thanks for having me.

(WEATHER REPORT)

KEILAR: All right. So long, Spartans, hello, Spartan. Stoneham, Massachusetts, losing its high school sports programs and art and music classes after voters rejected a tax hike. We're going to have details. And a U.S. military commander in Iraq with a unique view on the conflict colored by his experiences during the Vietnam War. We'll have his story ahead in the CNN NEWSROOM

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KEILAR: News "Across America" now, tears of joy in the land of 10,000 lakes. Members of Minnesota's National Guard Charlie Company are home after nearly 16 months in Iraq. The best news about this reunion, everyone in the unit made it back home safely. Very good news there.

Nobody plays, nobody wins in Stoneham, Massachusetts, near Boston because voters there nixed a $3 million property tax hike this week, so the town will eliminate all high school sports programs to cover the budget shortfall. They're also punting elementary and middle school arts and music classes next year.

Also from Houston now, potential history in the making. Barrington Irving touched down at Hobby Airport this weekend. He's trying to become the youngest pilot of African descent to fly around the world solo. And he is so close, after today's stop in Mobile, Alabama, he is set to arrive where his trek began on March 23rd, his home airport in Opa-locka, Florida. And, of course, we'll keep you posted on that.

And Barrington should be back on the ground in time for one of the most anticipated interviews of the year, right here on CNN this Wednesday night. A TV exclusive on "LARRY KING LIVE." Paris Hilton in her first TV interview since her release from jail. You don't want to miss the interview that everyone has been waiting for. That's Wednesday night, 9:00 p.m. Eastern on "LARRY KING LIVE" for the entire hour right here on CNN.

The verdict is in for another member of Saddam Hussein's regime. Justice for the man knows as Chemical Ali, could come at the end of a rope. The details straight ahead.

Plus more fierce fighting in Lebanon as the army raids a militant hideout.

Plus, the Taliban nearly tricks two young brothers into becoming suicide bombers. Their story is coming up in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KEILAR: Death by hanging, that's the sentence handed down today to Saddam Hussein's cousin, also known as Chemical Ali. Ali Hassan al-Majid and two other former regime officials were convicted of slaughtering up to 100,000 Kurdish Iraqis in the 1980s. Two other defendants were sentenced to life in prison. All five plan to appeal and a sixth defendant was acquitted.

Roadside bombings have taken a serious toll on U.S. and Iraqi forces this weekend. Amid a crackdown on insurgents outside Baghdad. 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, CMDR. MULT. NATL. 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. That could change very quickly. We have to 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: In Afghanistan, NATO forces say the innocence of a 6- year-old Afghan boy saved him from becoming a suicide bomber for the Tailbone. Officials say the Taliban strapped a suicide vest on the boy seen here on the left with his brother and they told him to walk up to Afghan police and push the button. The boy didn't understand. He asked the Afghan officers why he had the vest on. Joining me right now, oh, OK. We're going to move on at this point.

Now Vietnam's president wanted to talk trade during his trip to the U.S. and his critics they had another idea. A crowd of protesters gathered in Dana Point, California, where the communist leader was meeting with business leaders and they blasted Vietnam's human rights record. In recent months, at least eight pro democracy activists in Vietnam have been arrested or jailed.

President Bush pressed the issue this week, and U.S. lawmakers took the Vietnamese president to task. during private meetings. It was the first time the Vietnamese president has visited the U.S. since the Vietnam War.

A divisive conflict that some are now comparing to the war in Iraq. One U.S. colonel is intimately familiar with both. Reporting from Samara, Iraq CNN's Karl Penhaul.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You guys are going to keep that sharp edge.

KARL PENHAUL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): As an American para trooper in Iraq, this Lieutenant Colonel Luong knows well about the war. (INAUDABLE) As a boy, there was another war that scarred him in Vietnam. He was 2 1/2 during the Vietcam's 1968 offensive.

LT. COL. LUONG: People running everywhere, dead bodies on the streets, and gunfire sporadically throughout the city. My house burning down, my mom trying to get all eight kids out of the house.

PENHAUL: The date that really sticks in his mind, April 29, 1975, the day before the fall of Saigon.

LUONG: Extreme fear, and I see chaos going on around me. I was very convinced we weren't going to make it.

PENHAUL: His father was a colonel in the South Vietnamese marines trying to save himself, his wife and children as communist insurgents overran Saigon.

LUONG: You never know whether you're going to make it out or not. You can hear the bad guys shooting, our units fighting and dying. U.S. marines shooting back.

PENHAUL: As the family left almost every possession behind, he got an order from his father he'll never forget.

LUONG: We had one brown Samsonite brown suitcase. I still remember how it looks. He says look son, I'm going to entrust you with all the family documents. You're it. You've got to protect this with all your life. PENHAUL: His father helped clear runway debris at Saigon Airport, then salvation.

LUONG: It was a magnificent view of a fleet of ch-53 helicopters. You know, that was the coming of the angels from the air, to come and get us. Railroad the helicopter lifted off.

The tracer was coming back up at us, but it didn't matter. The door gunner was shooting back, but we were, like, hey, we're going to make it.

PENHAUL: Three decades later, 12 months into his tour in Iraq, he has a unique view as to whether this is America's new Vietnam.

LUONG: We didn't lose the war, from my perspective. People would argue that we're losing the war here. We're not losing the war here. You ask me as a military man did we lose the war? Absolutely not. Out of the 53,000 U.S. soldiers that lost their lives, I'm not going to disrespect them by saying we lost the war because we didn't. At the same time, we lost the conflict because of other factors that we can't control. It's the will of the U.S. people, the will of the government.

PENHAUL: Waning support for the Iraq war effort is not the end. Luong's uncles send messages to the battlefront, running parallels between Iraq insurgents and the Vietcong.

LOUNG: Some of my uncles are like in their 60s right now and they are still writing me mail in Vietnamese's and saying, hey, these are things you need to look for. They're using some very similar tactics and techniques, the safe havens, going to places such as churches and mosques to prevent you from targeting them.

PENHAUL: As a battalion commander, he's lost 16 of his young soldiers in combat around Samara. Insurgents may be poorly trained, he says, but they are as strongly motivated as the communist Vietcong guerillas were.

LUONG: (INAUDIBLE) The will of somebody to fight and die.

PENHAUL: American leaders believe the key to winning in Iraq is getting the Iraqi security forces and government to take the lead. Here they call it setting benchmarks. In Vietnam, they called it Vietnamization. The policy failed.

LUONG: South Vietnamese leadership as a whole, you can say we are not entirely competent, I mean just like Iraq if you pick the right people, and the right position, and the right leadership to run the course of the country, make a big difference.

PENHAUL: It's hard to stay optimistic as the body count rises steadily, but a distant memory drives Luong, his father's voice the day before Saigon --

LUONG: He says, guys, you know, we're going to make it. I'm going to make sure we make it through this, and this is a monumental moment in our history, and you should not be cowering. You should be observing everything around you. You're part of history.

PENHAUL: History that one day will judge whether Iraq has become America's new Vietnam.

Karl Penhaul, CNN, Samara, Iraq.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: Celebrating gay pride after years of prejudice, CNN's Gary Nurenberg is live fro us from Washington.

GARY NURENBERG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We will meet a man that was there from the beginning of the gays rights movement as they say on television Brianna we'll have that story straight ahead.

KEILAR: Yes we will be checking right back in with you in moment and also ahead IN THE NEWSROOM, two months after their split, are Prince William and his girl Kate on again? This is CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KEILAR: A story out of Afghanistan that we just told you a little bit about before, NATO forces say the innocence of a 6-year-old Afghan boy saved him from becoming a suicide bomber for the Taliban. Officials say what happened here is the Taliban strapped a suicide vest on the boy, seen here on the left with his brother, and they told him to walk up to Afghan police and then push the button.

But the boy, he didn't understand. He asked the Afghan officers why he had this vest on. Joining me right now by phone from Afghanistan is Major Donald Korpi he is a public affairs officer for Task Furry of the International Security Assistance Force. And Major Korpi, you actually took this picture of these adorable boys that we saw. What happened? What did they tell you?

MAJ. DONALD KORPI, U.S. ARMY (via telephone): Ma'am, I had the opportunity to meet this little boy and his brother yesterday at a meeting right here. The little boy basically said this couple men approached him, put this vest on him, told him to walk up to the first security force police or personnel he found and touch the wires together. He didn't understand these instructions and he went to the first official he saw, which happened to be an Afghan army officer and asked the officer what he should do.

KEILAR: Major, have you seen anything like this before? And if not, are you worried that maybe this is a sign of more to come?

KORPI: That's a good question, ma'am. We have seen the Taliban using younger and younger boys for suicide bombers and for their fighters. Last month we saw a boy of approximately 14, 15 years of age, but this is by far, the youngest child we've seen used. I think this is a sign of their desperation.

KEILAR: What happens to these little boys now?

KORPI: Well, these little boys met with the family, the governor went to meet with them. The boy received some counseling. He met with security forces. They debriefed him and hopefully for this child, he'll be able to go back to his family and put this horrible event behind them.

KEILAR: Hopefully. These two little boys are so adorable. Maj. Donald Korpi there for us, we really appreciate you taking the time to join us from Afghanistan.

KORPI: Well, thank you, ma'am.

KEILAR: Dozens of gay pride parades taking place around the U.S. and around the world today. They commemorate the 1969 stonewall uprising, which is considered the birthplace of the modern gay rights movement. Patrons fought back when police raided it. One of the largest parades is taking place right there in New York. Marches there celebrating the state assemblies recent move to legalize same-sex marriage.

Some people still condemn it, but acceptance of gay lifestyles in the United States reached an all-time high in a Gallup poll last month and reporter Gary Nuremberg introduces us to one man an America the was far less welcoming to gays.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NURENBERG: A gay pride celebration in Washington, D.C.

ADRIAN HARRIS, PARADE PARTICIPANT: We're average Americans, just like everyone else. We're not hiding in the closet anymore.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I coin the slogan "gay is good".

NURENBERG: Frank Kameny is a gay activist who lied about his sexuality to fight in World War II, he says the government found him guilty of immoral conduct and banned him from federal employment in 1958.

FRANK KAMENY, GAY ACTIVIST: The people told us that we were sinful and evil. The legislatures and the governments said we were criminals. The psychiatrists said we were sick.

NURENBERG: Kameny attended Martin Luther King's march on Washington in 1963 and began staging gay rights protests soon after. Forty years later the Family Research Council rejects his comparison of discrimination against blacks with discrimination against gays.

PETER SPRIGG, FAMILY RESEARCH COUNCIL: It's a matter of conduct, which is harmful to the individual who engages in it and to society at large. So the comparison between homosexuality and being African- American is not valid at all.

NURENBERG: When a Gallup poll asked in 1982 if homosexuality should be considered an acceptable life style one a third of respondents said yes. Last month 57 percent said yes.

FRANK NEWPORT, EDITOR IN CHIEF, GALLUP POLLS: Americans of the last three decades have become significantly more accepting of homosexuality.

NURENBERG: Frank Kameny now gets awards from the same government that banned him 50 years ago.

KAMENY: In recognition of contributions made to improve workplace environment for gay, lesbian and transsexuals employees of this agency, that being the CIA. The progress is beyond anything that could have been imaginable. It would have been inconceivable.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: A very interesting looks of where things stand. Gary Nuremberg joining us live now from Washington. So Gary, Frank Kameny seems happy, but does he think more needs to be done?

NURENBERG: Well Brianna he knows that he's made a lot of progress, but there are many unachieved goals for the movement, chief among them acceptance of same sex marriage and of course the right to be able to serve as openly gay members of the military.

KEILAR: All right. Gary, thanks so much for that report. You can get more on uncovering America at CNN.com. Our special report examines the state of gay life in the U.S. What do you think? Is American society accepting of homosexuality? You can log on to CNN.com/uncoveringamerica and let us know.

Straight-ahead IN THE NEWSROOM, a deadly attack on U.N. peacekeepers, and more fierce fighting in Lebanon.

Plus, back in the picture, Prince William reunited with his ex- girlfriend. The royal scoop on this couple, coming up.

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BONNIE SCHNEIDER, CNN METEOROLOGIST: I'm CNN meteorologist Bonnie Schneider with a look at your allergy report for Sunday. Things are looking a lot better this weekend. We have low reports of pollen or pollutants in the air across much of the southern tier of the country. However, to the north you'll find high risk for those of you who suffer from allergies, across the northern Plains and the northern Rockies and also parts of New England up towards Vermont, and northern New Hampshire and even sections of Maine. That is a look at your allergy report for Sunday; I'm meteorologist Bonnie Schneider.

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KEILAR: Time now to go global with headlines from around the world. In Lebanon, there's new fighting between Lebanese soldiers and militants based inside a Palistian refuge camp near Tripoli.

Also today a suspected car bomb hit a United Nations peace- keeping patrol in southern Lebanon. Five Spanish peace keepers were killed and three others were wounded.

In Pakistan, heavy wind and rain are being blamed for the deaths of at least 230 people. A pre-monsoon storm hit the countries biggest city of Karachi yesterday, nearly three hours of torrential rain caused homes to collapse. Officials say many of the victims came from a cluster of villages with mud houses and other flimsy structures on the city's eastern outskirts.

Changing of the garden Britian today Treasury Secretary Gordon Brown took over leadership of the Labor party from Tony Blair. He will succeed Blair as prime minister on Wednesday, Brown says healthcare will be his top priority and he also said there will be no rapid withdrawal of British troops from Iraq.

British newspapers reporting today that Prince William and former girlfriend Kate Middleton have gotten back together. The long-time couple split in April reportedly because the 25-year-old William wanted to play the field before settling down. The newspapers claim the couple attended a party earlier this month.

Fourteen years ago an American woman in South Africa trying to help in the transition from a partied was brutally murdered. Today the memory of her is very much alive through a kind of forgiveness that few people could even comprehend. Here's CNN's Frederica Whitfield.

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FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Back home in Cape Town, South Africa. Tobecal Kenny and Easy Nofemela today zeroing in on a future 14 years after killing an American woman. August 1993, three years after Nelson Mandela was released from prison, political tensions and related violence throughout the country were at an all-time high. Among those trying to promote democracy, American Amy Biehl.

LINDA BIEHL, AMY BIEHL'S MOTHER: And I know that Amy was captivated. And in a way we had a little bit of an understanding before her death.

WHITFIELD: Linda Biehl says her daughter's passion for this country was so deep; it was hard to understand how or why anyone would target Amy. At the time, Penny explains, he and a Nofemela were members of a political group following orders to start a revolution at all costs, make townships ungovernable, especially by whites.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When we saw Amy, we saw a settler, a target.

WHITFIELD: This is where in an instant so many lives would collide. At this still busy township gas station Biehl was dropping off friends when pulled from a car by a group of young men, beaten and stabbed to death.

This is a memorial of what happened here. It also symbolizes a remarkable partnership and journey of reconciliation between Amy's family and two of the young men convicted of killing the 26-year-old girl.

After serving four years in prison, they won early release through South Africa's troop and reconciliation commission. Then, astonishingly, a phone call. BIEHL: They wanted to tell us that they are doing good things.

WHITFIELD: They had the Biehl's forgiveness, were welcomed into the family and the foundation bearing Amy Biehl's name, helping the poorest in Cape Town.

Deep down inside, don't you feel a little bit angry at them?

BIEHL: No. And you know why? Because it has taken such courage for them to even come forward to me. I blame this whole ugly system of apartheid that created, you know, these fears and hates in people. I thought, you know, if I really go back, that's what I blame.

WHITFIELD: Penny is now the foundation's program director and at peace with himself.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So Amy is here in a way that is very difficult to explain. The person who I am today was shaped by that particular history.

WHITFIELD: Nofemela as well. And now through the foundation is learning carpentry. He sees his future building.

Every day that you look at her, what do you think of?

EASY NOFEMEL: (INAUDIBLE)

WHITFIELD: Three families, one tragic incident coming together forming an incredible example of forgiveness, touching other lives many times over.

Frederica Whitfield, CNN, Cape Town.

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KEILAR: Community service, it's something only a relatively few people do, but one presidential hopeful wants to change that. Democratic Senator Chris Dodd says if elected, he'll propose making community service mandatory for all high school students. Dodd also wants to double the size of the Peace Corps by 2011.

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SEN. CHRISTOPHER DODD, (D) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: As president, I will ask all Americans to share in the responsibility and sacrifice of bringing our nation together again, and I will provide the ways for all-Americans to participate. Today I'm announcing my American community initiative to create the first generation in history in which every American serves their country.

We will leave future generations a stronger, safer America, where children are more invested in their communities, more seniors will retire with dignity in communities that are clean, safe and vibrant, and more people across the globe will, once again, look to America, not with anger, but with optimism and hope for a brighter future.

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KEILAR: So how exactly does Senator Dodd plan to put America's youth to work? Rick Sanchez puts the presidential hopeful in the Sunday spotlight tonight at 10:00 p.m. Eastern, 7:00 Pacific.

Next IN THE NEWSROOM if there was any doubt it is all gone now. The body of Jessie Marie Davis positively identified today.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Lived in a storage unit for five months. We've lived in vacant houses.

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?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I unbuckled our seatbelts and unbuckled Morgan too.

KEILAR: And meet the adorable new hero of Osh Kosh, Wisconsin. She saved herself and her 2-year-old sister from drowning.

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