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Joint Campaign; Gorilla Poachers; Letters from a Killer; California Wildfires; Mugabe Condemnation; Hydrogen Fuel Station; New Orleans Playground; Gorilla Killers; Farm Rescue

Aired June 28, 2008 - 15:00   ET

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

WHITFIELD: Presidential candidates courting the Latino vote, hugs and heckles at a campaign stop in D.C.
And letters from a killer, a person who claims to have murdered a pregnant soldier threatens to kill again.

And who's killing one of the world's most endangered species and pushing them closer to the brink?

Hello, everyone, I'm Fredricka Whitfield; you're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

First this hour, the battle for the nation's fastest growing bloc of voters. Today, the two candidates made their opening pitches at a conference in Washington. Ione Molinares of CNN Espanol was at the conference, how were both of these candidates received?

IONE MOLINARES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Differently. The designated official, about 700 had gathered this week in Washington. The two candidates basically laid down their agendas in many issues from immigration to health care, both candidates talked about the need for an immigration reform. And both made it a priority for the first part of their administration.

Now, there was a controversy last week because Senator McCain met with this planning in Chicago and some conservatives had said he was talking in different things on immigration and different audiences. This time, McCain specifically said that he will work in border security and immigration reform.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JOHN MCCAIN, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I come from a border state, my dear friends. I know these issues. I've dealt with them for the last 20-some years. I understand and I understand these are god's children. And I understand that the reason why they came is the same reason why our forefathers. I know that every single day because they have people who have come here illegally have none of the protections that individuals have who citizens are.

So they are preyed upon and they are mistreated from time to time. And so that is a compelling reason for us to move forward with our border security and then address this issue in a humane and compassionate fashion. I represent Arizona.

(UNIDENTIFED FEMALE): Don't you represent Arizona! (END VIDEO CLIP)

MOLINARES: John McCain was interrupted several times by members of a group when he addressed issues -- members were taken out of the room. But it was one of the issues that really called the attention of the audience.

Obama in the meantime, reaffirmed also his position of the Iraq war. Senator Obama told the Hispanic Latino's that said one of the problems generated by Iraq is that other parts are of the world have been neglected including Latin America.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. BARACK OBAMA, (D) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Our entire foreign aid budget to Latin America is approximately one week of spending in Iraq. Now think about that. So what message is that sending? Are we surprised that somebody like Chavez is making inroads and fanning anti-American sentiment in Latin America if all they're getting from us is rhetoric and they're getting resources from Venezuela.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MOLINARES: Obama in the meantime explained his opposition to free trade agreement, the ones with Colombia and Panama are pending in Congress. Obama explained that he agrees with trade but protections of workers must be clear and other issues. Both under the Latino vote is a swing vote in the country and critical for November so health care and other issues were also part of their agenda today, Fredericka.

WHITFIELD: Ione Molinares. Thank you very much.

Barack Obama hopes to boost his foreign policy as well with a trip this summer to Europe and the Middle East. The campaign says that Obama plans stops in Jordan, Israel, Germany, France and the UK. He already said he will visit Iraq and Afghanistan. And a recent CNN poll suggests that most Americans trust John McCain more than Obama when it comes to foreign policy issues.

Well now to Zimbabwe where taking sides in a presidential election could cost you your life. Zimbabwe's president Robert Mugabe is in a run-off as the only active contestant. Well President Bush calls it a sham. With the latest on the story now to Nkepile Mabuse in Johannesburg, South Africa. Now we understand that African neighbors are speaking out after not doing so for such a long time. Why is this a big deal?

NKEPILE MABUSE: This is unprecedented. Zimbabwe has had problems since 2000, there has been violence. Many of the elections that have taken place between 2000 and now have been disputed by the opposition, saying that the situation on the ground was not free and fair. The elections were not free and fair.

But now, for the first time, Africa leaders are speaking out against what's happening in Zimbabwe, all this while, they have been silent and their silence has been interpreted as support for Robert Mugabe. Now we're hearing them, saying he should relinquish power. Of course, African leaders are meeting this week in Egypt and the spotlight will be on them to actually take some action following the words.

WHITFIELD: So African leaders are condemning him now, we heard from the president of the United States over the past couple of days who said that he wants to add some pressure to the U.N. to try and impose some sort of sanctions. But what good will sanctions do for the Zimbabwe government of Mugabe.

MABUSE: Well, African leaders will definitely not support the imposition of sanctions. We've seen before that there have been targeted sanctions imposed on Robert Mugabe and his closest allies in his party. These have just made Robert Mugabe more defiant. The situation in Zimbabwe is worse now than before those sanction were imposed. So African leaders are unlikely to support sanction. Of course they believe that sanctions will hurt the poorest of the poor and not the man that the sanctions are targeted at.

WHITFIELD: You talk about Mugabe heading to that African Summit, that's going to be in Egypt. While there are African leaders speaking out against him now, what kind of reception as a whole would he get? Would he be banned at the last minute perhaps as an example?

MABUSE: That's unlikely to happen, he's already been invited and we're hearing rumors that Robert Mugabe may actually be inaugurated before the African Summit kicks off on Sunday. We're hearing rumors he may be sworn in on Sunday. So African leaders do not seem likely to set him out of the summit, they want him there, they want to discuss the situation in Zimbabwe, many of them are pushing for a negotiated settlement between him and the opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai.

WHITFIELD: So there could be something that from a dialogue with him. Nkepile Mabuse thanks so much from Johannesburg. Appreciate it.

A big story here, this spring and now leading into the summer has been weather. Take a look at the damage right here. This is in Omaha, Nebraska, the result of a powerful thunderstorm that ripped through the area yesterday. Winds almost 100 miles an hour in some areas and that's as strong as a category 2 hurricane by the way. This is the arena where the Olympic trials of swimming would be taking place. They are expected to take place as scheduled tomorrow, even despite this kind of damage at Qwest Center.

Now to Iowa, where a tree smashed down on a car. You can see the result right there. Killing two teenagers inside. Heavy rain and baseball sized hail hit parts of the state which is already drenched from several weeks of flooding.

Well, CNN I-reporters have been sharing their images of the rough weather; it certainly has been helping us get through this spring and now summer of bad weather, the picture right here from Brandon Erikson of Omaha, Nebraska. He shot this angle of the storm clouds gathering, just late yesterday afternoon and Tammy and Bill Leverett captured this flooding in Clarksville, Missouri area just after the levee broke last Saturday. Tammy also took a shot of her husband right there, fishing on Main Street in La Grange, Missouri. Trying to make some light of what really is a pretty serious situation with the floodwaters. We're seeing inches and in some cases Karen MaGinnis in the Weather Center feet of rainwater.

KAREN MAGINNIS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Absolutely. I looked at St. Louis and Kansas City, a lot of the cities across the central portion of the United States. And in some cases, Fredericka, they have seen twice what they would normally see for this time of year. It could be 19 inches of rain or 28 inches of rain during the month of June alone.

We've got this big cluster of thunderstorms in a four-state area from Kansas and Missouri into Oklahoma as well as into Arkansas. But we've got several severe thunderstorm watches out now across Ohio extending down towards Kentucky, also into West Virginia. And not to be outdone, in Wisconsin, another severe thunderstorm watch goes into 8:00 p.m. local time.

They are saying three quarter inch size hail reported there. The critical area is here between Illinois and Missouri. In the next 24 hours, not so bad, maybe a passing shower but we're not looking at heavy downpours that we had seen. We have got some damage out of Detroit overnight, a huge line of thunderstorms roared across the area. Take a look at this. It looks like a convoy they saw just less than two inches of rainfall with the fast moving storms, knocked the power out. Today, there's about a 50/50 chance of thunderstorms, right now, that watch is just to the south, but it looks like Detroit could see another round of risky weather.

Fred, back to you.

WHITFIELD: Wow. That is some crazy stuff. Thanks so much, Karen. We'll check back with you later on.

All right, North Carolina, a pregnant soldier's suspicious death. Could this letter help police find out what happened to her?

And they're using one of the most famous faces in the world. Very recognizable there, but what is being down to protect the image of Nelson Mandela from exploitation.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: North Carolina police are examining a letter to see if it holds clues to the death of a pregnant soldier. The "Fayetteville Observer" newspaper received the letter from someone claiming to have killed specialist Megan Touma.

It reads in part, I am responsible for the dead body that was found on Saturday, June 21st at the Fairfield Inn. It was a masterpiece. I confess that I have killed many times before in several states and the writer also threatens to kill again. How could this soldier have been missing for days and not reported AWOL by the army? Randi Kaye has more on this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RANDI KAYE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Could army specialist Megan Touma have been dead for a week without the army ever reporting her missing?

MAJ. ANGELA FUNARO, FORT BRAGG SPOKESWOMAN: We're shocked, first and foremost. It's always sad when you lose a soldier.

KAYE: Officials at Fort Bragg believe the last time anyone there saw her was at roll call nine days before her body was found at this Fayetteville hotel. Police have not named any suspects. Touma was seven months pregnant, her first child. Her aunt said she had a boyfriend but didn't know if he was the father. A search warrant said a hotel maintenance man went inside Touma's room Saturday morning; he smelled a foul odor, saw her badly decomposed body in the bath tub and called police. Her bed was slightly pushed away from the wall and the night stand and lamp on top of it were out of place.

EL SAYED TOUMA, EX-HUSBAND: The army knows that she stayed in that hotel and they never even bothered to check on her to see if she was OK.

KAYE: Touma's ex-husband said someone should have looked in on her.

TOUMA: Where is the cleaning people, maintenance, front desk? How come nobody checked on her?

KAYE: That we don't know since hotel staff and police aren't talking. Here's what we do know. Touma arrived here in Fort Bragg, June 12th from Germany where she had been stationed for three years. The army says she signed in at base at 2 am and later that day around 3:15 in the afternoon she arrived for roll call. That is the last record of her at Fort Bragg. She was supposed to return for roll call Monday, June 16th but the army says it has no indication she ever showed up.

Keeping them honest, we asked Fort Bragg why specialist Touma wasn't declared AWOL, officials declined to speak on camera but told us if someone is reported missing it's policy to declare them AWOL within 24 hours. The army says Touma was not properly accounted for and is investigating why proper procedures were not followed. It's still not clear if Touma's commander ever reported her missing, even though five days had passed and she had skipped roll call without a word.

The army did not call her cell phone. Adding to the mystery, police documents show a do not disturb sign had been on Touma's door for four days, Touma was scheduled to check out the morning her body was found. The keys to her rental car on the dresser. Fort Bragg wants to know where she was headed. Police want to know who stopped her.

Randi Kaye, CNN, Fayetteville, North Carolina.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: This investigation in Vermont where authorities have put out an Amber Alert looking for a missing 12-year-old. Take a look at this security video, the girl in pink is Brook Bennett, last seen Wednesday morning when her uncle dropped her off at this convenience store. Police now believe she was heading out to meet someone that she had been talking to on myspace.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(UNIDENTIFED FEMALE): It's such a small town and you would think that nothing would happen here, so it's kind of like scary because it really can happen to anyone anywhere.

(UNIDENTIFED FEMALE): When I think of Randolph, I don't think it's an unsafe place, but there's always that little possibility because of things like this happening.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Brook Bennett is the first Amber Alert ever issued in the state of Vermont.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFED FEMALE): Feel free Nelson Mandela

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Wow, what an event this was, a star-studded one in London's Hyde Park last night, the concert had twin goals, raising money for Aids charities and celebrating Nelson Mandela's 90th birthday. Mandela's supporters want to protect his legacy. Robyn Curnow explains.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROBYN CURNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): His is one of the most famous faces in the world, Nelson Mandela is a symbol of dignity and reconciliation but his image is being exploited. This man who heads up the Nelson Mandela Foundation with a proliferation of tacky memorabilia, gaudy t-shirts and unauthorized paintings

ACHMAT GANGOR, CEO, NELSON MANDELA FOUNDATION: We're concerned that 20 years from now, he not end up like Che Guvera (ph), a face on a t- shirt.

CURNOW: Gangor of Nelson Mandela Foundation are being aggressive and clamping down on what they say is an illegal use of the former president's image. This man is one of 200 people worldwide who have been warned against exploiting Mandela's image. It is these paintings that the Mandela Foundation finds offensive, but Damasso says they're being too heavy handed.

YUILL DAMASSO, ARTIST: The people around him trying to protect him are being brother overprotected. He's widely regarded as the father of freedom now, and yet we are not allowed to depict his image.

CURNOW: But playing policeman is not just about protecting his image from overexposure, it's about ensuring his legacy is preserved in a dignified manner. Verne Harris's visit at the Nelson Mandela Foundation.

VERNE HARRIS, NELSON MANDELA FOUNDATION: Legacy is not something you receive in pristine form hold it over time, we believe that legacy is made. It's constantly made and remade. So for us, our role is about fostering that process and every South African has a stake in that legacy. And arguably the world has an attack in that legacy. So it's not about ownership, it's not about custody; it's about creating spaces for this to continue growing.

CURNOW: So Nelson Mandela and those who work for him are all too aware that his brand will endure long after he's gone. And they want to make sure he's instantly remembered as a man who helped change the world and not just as another familiar face on a t-shirt.

Robyn Curnow, CNN, Johannesburg, South Africa.

(UNIDENTIFED FEMALE): When you got released as much as we're happy to have him back with us, but we also know not only we have to share him with South Africa, we have to share him with the world.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Well that is what is it is like growing up in the shadow of one of the world's greatest leaders. You'll hear about Nelson Mandela him from his grandchildren.

And filling up the tank with hydrogen instead of gasoline is California dreaming? Or leading the way towards a viable alternative?

And "National Geographic" photographer wants to know who is killing one of the world's most endangered and beautiful species? He'll join us 20 minutes from now.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Too many children around the world are dying from preventable illnesses and diseases. It's the focus of "Survival Project One Child at a Time" hosted by our Dr. Sanjay Gupta as well as playing a role actress Lucy Liu, you also are the UNICEF ambassador. Sanjay, let me begin with you, both of you've been traveling around the world, you made many observations about children from Baghdad to Peru it would seem as a practicing physician, you've seen it all, but perhaps there are still some surprises in what you witnessed?

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, you know, I think that the biggest surprise, maybe not that much of a surprise in retrospect is you can do so much with so little. In the United States, we're used to having all these resources available to us, hospitals with lots of supplies, equipment, and clean water. As a birthright essentially, you turn on the tap and expect to be able to drink that water. It's just not the case in so many places, but small amounts of money, small amounts of resources can make a huge difference.

WHITFIELD: Lucy, what were you observing and how do you use your celebrity to make a difference?

LUCY LIU, AMBASSADOR TO UNICEF: I think what I observe is how, what Sanjay said basically is how children really don't need a lot. And how much they have such hope and such a way of going through such crises without food, without water, without protection and how they survive and how they continue to survive.

I mean if you give them a little bit, they can go so far with that that's the amazing thing, they bounce back so quickly. If we always put that effort in mind, that little things happen for them in such a fast manner, especially when they're sick, you take care of it right away; it's amazing to see how quickly they recover.

WHITFIELD: its one thing to witness it and it is the stark reality; it's another to get the need there. How is it that we're able to supplement what many of these villages and small towns already have?

LIU: Well, I don't think they have a lot. What we need to do is essentially, water is something that is very, very important. And I'm sure that Sanjay can say that it's sort of the resource for them. It is a source of life for them. If you have water, they're able to have agriculture which will help with nutrition and it also gives the children the ability to go to school because normally if they don't have water that is close by, they have to go miles and miles away to get this water, which then in turn gives them the inability to go to school.

So they're basically taking care of chores the whole time. Also, water will also, clean water, fresh water, will give them the ability to have health and sanitation. Because without that, they'll drink water that is contaminated, they'll be sick, they'll be unable to get treatment for that because of the hospital, they don't really know what's going on. I think education helps in that way, too.

WHITFIELD: Sanjay, are you surprised we're not further along globally to help stamp out many of these preventable illnesses?

GUPTA: Yeah. I am surprised. I think that one thing I've learned is people are inherently compassionate, I really do believe that and I think that. Lucy and I have traveled to some of the worst places in the world. Lose circumstance I saw when she got back from Congo last year and it affects you. But you see a lot of people wanting to do the right thing so I think that energy and that positive sort of thinking, a lot more can be done.

WHITFIELD: All right, the specialist "Survival Project One Child at a Time," July 6th, of course, folks will be motivated and inspired to find out exactly how they can, as individuals, can do more to help so many children around the world. Good work.

GUPTA: Thanks, Fred.

LIU: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: And more of Dr. Sanjay Gupta from the world platform to the play ground in your backyard. This one in New Orleans. If they will build it, they will come. Much more straight ahead.

And wildfires out west, firefighters racing to contain the flames, but are they making any progress?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) WHITFIELD: Boy, it's been one near calamity after the next. Fires now raging out of control in two western states, the most serious in California, more than 1,000 wild fires are burning from the central coast to the Oregon state line, and one threatens a popular resort town of Big Sur. That blaze has already destroyed 16 homes. And in Arizona, a fire outside Phoenix managed to skirt underneath containment lines. Boy, it's a terrible situation, it's been very dry in much of California and, you know, sometimes, you know, a lot of these fires being blamed in part on the lightning strikes.

So Karen, that means it has not been raining.

KAREN MAGINNIS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: No, and that's kind of dry lightning as they say. Dry lightning, yeah, they just don't have enough moisture or the air is so dry underneath the moisture falling out the bottom of the storm just doesn't make it all the way to the ground. So, we're kind of in that situation, right now.

Where you see this orange shaded area, extending along the eastern edge of the Valley Ridge and through Reno into northern California, also into Oregon, now they've got firefighters coming in from multiple state, trying to battle these fires, some 1,200 fires across the state. The big, that you just heard Fredericka mention, near Big Sur. The winds have been see erratic across this region that firefighters are battling it from so many fronts, but they've also had to close a portion of the Pacific Coast Highway. This is one of the most gorgeous, gorgeous drives in the entire country. It's just beautiful.

But that smoke is blowing into some of those valley area, specifically the San Joaquin Valley. As a result, there's an air stagnation advisory not just for today, not just for Sunday, but going into Monday and that's because they're seeing high levels of smoke and elevated ozone levels, as well. You can see all the way down towards Bakersfield.

Yesterday, I took a look at some of the reporting stations, Modesto, Ukiah, Placerville (ph), and they were all reporting visibility down to one mile. Smoke is just choking a lot of these farm communities and lovely communities across the region.

I want to mention one other thing before we go and that is the flooding across the Midwest, and we haven't talked and this area, but the good folks in Winfield, coming together and putting sandbags to protect their communities. Fred, back to you.

WHITFIELD: Wow, doing everything that they can to protect against Mother Nature is furious, all right, thanks so much, Karen, appreciate it.

Well, take a look at the this live picture, right here. Well, y\You know this is some kind of playground if we're showing it to you live, it's in the Metairie, just in the New Orleans area, and just three years ago, this area was covered by waters after the levees broke and after Hurricane Katrina. Well, now you see it's full of a lot of activity, there, kids and adults together, along with CNN and KaBOOM! playground, a nationwide project, helped get this playground on the ground. The kids even, in part, designed it. We're going to take you there live in a moment, there in Metairie, right outside of New Orleans.

All right, well, after a couple of days on the retreat, gas price are, you know, they're back up again. AAA says today's national average for a gallon of regular is $4.07, that's more than a half cent higher than just yesterday. These price at the pump are expected to cut into car travel next weekend, that would be July fourth holiday weekend.

And many people call hydrogen powered vehicles the wave of future. Well, in Los Angeles, the future is now. Some of these zero emission cars are already on the road there, but as CNN's Chris Lawrence report, they're still a long way from the mainstream.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): The bright blue sign sticks out, it promises an alternative to buying gas.

DR GRAEME SWEENEY, SHELL FUTURE FUELS: And it creates that sense that this is an ordinary thing to do.

LAWRENCE: California's first retail hydrogen fuel station is only the second in the nation, but it's vital for automakers that one day want the general public to drive these cars.

DAVE BARTHMUSS, GENERAL MOTORS: No one's going to buy a vehicle like this until they have the confidence that they need that they can get to a pump and refuel and not get stuck.

LAWRENCE: So far, only a few hundred are on the road. Most are loaned out to companies and government agencies to build acceptance. But this summer, Honda will actually lease one for $600 a month, with the automaker subsidizing most of the cost.

JAMIE LEE CURTIS, ACTRESS: No thank you.

LAWRENCE: Jamie Lee Curtis will be one of the first to get the Honda Clarity, and actress Joely Fisher is already driving a hydrogen- fueled BMW.

JOE ROMM, CLIMATEPROGRESS.ORG: Celebrities, like my 16-month-old daughter, are attracted to shiny new objects, I guess.

LAWRENCE: Joe Romm is a former Energy Department official. He says hydrogen cars have about half the range of a hybrid and it costs several hundred thousand dollars to build one. So, why are so many automakers getting into the fuel cell business?

ROMM: I think perhaps the biggest reason is that the Bush administration is still spending about $300 million a year promoting hydrogen and companies want to get a piece of that money, and they like the good publicity they get.

LAWRENCE: Critics say emissions are produced during the creation of the fuel, but these cars generate no tailpipe emissions other than water vapor. Right now the price of fuel is a wash. Hydrogen costs twice the price of gas, but it's also twice as efficient.

(on camera): Ultimately, everyone believes that it's going to take multiple automakers and fuel companies, like mobile and Chevron, working at the same time to really make this a viable alternative.

Chris Lawrence, CNN, Los Angeles.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: All right, the economy is ISSUE New Orleans. 1 and we'll bring you all the latest financial news, weekdays at Noon Eastern. It's information you need on the mortgage meltdown, the credit crunch and more, ISSUE NO. 1, Noon Eastern.

And live pictures again, right now, there in Metairie, right outside New Orleans. Yes, that's Dr. Sanjay Gupta to the right, he was putting in those sweat hours to help get this playground up and running, there. It's quite magnificent, it's going to be serving some 10,000 people, mostly young kids. Young kids who actually helped design this incredible playground. It's part of a project through CNN and KaBOOM playgrounds, a nationwide project that tries to bring playgrounds to more neighborhoods across the country. Significant here, because it was just three years ago that Metairie and New Orleans were under water because of Hurricane Katrina. Let's take a listen.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: ...believe, just like we do, that every child deserves a great place to play and that you know that active kids are healthy kids and all of these amazing kids today have been doing tons of activity and I believe that he have a song or a cheer for us? Is that true? Yes? Do you guys have something for us?

DR SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: They're tired.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes? OK? Come on up. If you know it -- oh, here you go, OK.

All right, guy, turn around and face the crowd. All right, give a hand to these kids who made this beautiful ribbon. Now, we would like (INAUDIBLE) the opportunity to say a few words. Do you guys have a song?

You have a song. OK. You have a song and do you guys want to sing it now? All right, let's give them a big round of applause?

(APPLAUSE)

KIDS: K-A-B-O-O-M go KaBOOM go! K-A-B-O-O-M go KaBOOM, go! K-A-B-O-O- M go KaBOOM, go!

(APPLAUSE)

(INAUDIBLE)

(APPLAUSE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: All right. (INAUDIBLE)

WHITFIELD: All right, well, they're having, obviously, a lot of fun there. This is kind of official ribbon cutting, but maybe they don't want the kids to have scissors, maybe they're going to tear that tissue paper-like ribbon apart, just to officially, I guess, welcome the opening of this great playground there in Metairie, there in, New Orleans years after Hurricane Katrina did a lot of damage there to that community. This playground, quite magnificent, designed in part by a lot of these kids, there. Oh, and look, there's our Dr. Sanjay Gupta. Should we listen in?

GUPTA: Thank you very much. I can't believe -- if you can see how many volunteers are here. You guys all look great, despite the fact that you're hot and sweaty. Look at what you've accomplished, today. Wonderful, thanks to all, thank you.

(APPLAUSE)

You know, we are very committed to this issue at CNN as you know, talking about obesity, talking about childhood obesity, and people keep coming to us and say, look, we hear the message, but now we need to you do something about it, help us to execute it, so the kids actually have a place they can to do this. And thanks to KaBOOM, thanks to our partner COX, this is what we have today. So, thank you so much for the sweat equity you put in today, but this is something that's going to last forever. Thank you very letting CNN be a part of this. Thank you very much.

(APPLAUSE)

WHITFIELD: All right, well, there you have it, that playground in full force and ready to be played upon, there in Metairie, New Orleans. We'll take a short break for now. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: There are so few mount gorillas left in the world that when seven were killed in central Africa last year, it made international news. Pictures of the dead gorillas being carried like royalty appeared in magazines and newspapers around the globe. So who would slay them and why? This story takes to us one of the most dangerous places in the world, a national park in war-torn Congo near the border with Rwanda. It is the cover story of this month's "National Geographic" magazine and the subject of an upcoming documentary.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They took leaves and bound their mouths and the wounds. It was almost as if these rangers were attempting to preserve what remained of the spirit of the animals.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

Photographer Brent Stirton took the now-famous photographs, he joins us now from New York. Brent, so glad could you take the time with us. And it is just so heartbreaking to see these images, but it really is a topic that people need to understand, you know, the gravity of what has taken place after these gorillas were killed because they're a national treasure and so much so that these families of gorillas have been given names and to learn that this 12-member family named the Rugendo family had been killed horribly like this, talk to be me about the importance of these animals?

BRENT STIRTON, PHOTOJOURNALIST: Well, I think Fredricka, that you have to remember there are just over 700 of them left on the planet today, in terms of our DNA as human beings, they are second only to chimpanzees to us, so they are animals which are very close to us as human beings. And you know, I think it makes a wider comment about diminishing resources and where we are as a civilization as to what we would care about today in the natural world.

WHITFIELD: Brilliantly intelligent, why in the world would anyone want to kill them?

STIRTON: Well, this is a classic case of an illegal industry exploiting the park. Conservation rangers trying to get in the way of that activity and then being stopped and the way in which the illegal activity continued, this illegal charcoal industry, they slew the gorillas in order to discredit the rangers and to have them removed from the park so that they could continue with their activities.

WHITFIELD: So you say that the illegal charcoal industry, you're talking about there is coal, charcoal at the base of the very properties where these animals inhabit.

STIRTON: Well, the way that it works is that gray charcoal comes from hardwood, the only hardwood remain in the region is in Virunga National Park, so militia groups and corrupt businessmen and members of the Congolese army are involved in this industry as well as a couple of corrupt officials within the Congolese Conservation Authority. And this charcoal is created in the park and then taken to (INAUDIBLE) and sold and is currently a $30 million industry in one of the poorest countries in the world.

WHITFIELD: And were there other minerals at stake as well, gold, tin, some of the other natural resources that are highly sought after which also happen to be right in the neighborhood of these gorillas?

STIRTON: Those resources have a lot to do with the militia presence in the region, but affecting the gorillas right now, the most immediate thing is the charcoal issue.

WHITFIELD: So the militia presence, or these rebels that have been seen walking through the jungles with their weaponry, they're not actually attacking the gorillas?

STIRTON: Well, there is some controversy around that. We know that in January 2007, General Laurent Nkunda CNDP forces did in fact killed two gorillas and have claimed to have eaten one. They deny that, but locals have backed it up and we retrieved a body from that region which they occupy. So, I think that evidence speaks for itself.

Right now, Laurent Nkunda's rebel militia, CNDP occupies the gorilla section of the Virunga National Park and have forced out the conservation rangers who traditionally look after these gorillas, so the people who are most well informed as to the welfare of the gorillas and the ongoing survival of the species are no longer present in the park as a result of this militia group.

WHITFIELD: So, as a photojournalist, what kind of journey did this take you on?

STIRTON: Well, you know, I've been working the Congo since 1994 on humanitarian issues, and this is the first time I really ventured into the conservation realm, but I said the biggest epiphany I've had in this is realizing the connection between diminishing resources and conflict and just how much of -- part of the future we can expect that to be unless we pay attention to these issues now.

WHITFIELD: What about these animals, when you saw them, the few hundred that are living, what was that experience like to see them so close and in their natural habitat?

STIRTON: Well, as someone who hadn't spent a lot of time with these animals, what really struck me was how human they are and how, you know, they're very gracious creatures in terms, they're large, they could be very aggressive, but they are actually quite welcoming, they have a very sophisticated society of their own. And, you know, it just seems that with so few of them around, it would be a tremendous pity to lose this resource. So for me, working with these gorillas has been a real break through in terms of seeing my work as going beyond conflict into the realm of the natural world.

WHITFIELD: What did you notice about just their family reaction, or you know, interaction, I should say, you know, and how they were with looking at the images of keepers and the babies, but did you get a chance to see the adult gorillas interact with the babies?

STIRTON: Oh, that's always a very endearing sight, you know, it's a very human reaction. And when you see what you see, you know, what you perceive to be a wild animal behaving in the same way that you would expect to see, frankly, members of your own family behaving when it comes to children, I think that's always very endearing and it reminds of just how connected we are to these animal and how precious a resource they are.

WHITFIELD: They are really beautiful. It's hard to understand and imagine how anyone could kill them and so brutally, I mean, these were brutal killings as you described with -- in the documentary with their mouths being stuffed with grass and leaves so they couldn't breathe. Being suffocate and really being hacked to death.

STIRTON: Well, you know, these gorillas were shot by AK-47s, at least five rounds in east one of the female gorillas was burnt, a very heavily pregnant gorilla. I mean, this was a statement of power by a very brutal group of people in a very tough part of the world. But like I say, an attempt to discredit a group of rangers which has failed to work.

WHITFIELD: All right, Brent Stirton, really fascinating work. "National Geographic," of course, that cover story of the magazine and of course, this documentary coming up, as well, Tuesday night, 10:00 Eastern on the National Geographic Channel, that is. Thanks so much, Brent, I appreciate it.

STIRTON: Thank you, Fredericka.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My dad bought this land in 1947. I've been here all my life, it's home. It's where they belong.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's their roots.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: People don't realize how tough it is until you lose everything.

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On August 24, 2006, a tornado destroyed the Kappenman family farm.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Anything on the path of the tornado, you name it, it was gone. We didn't have no insurance.

BILL GROSS, RESCUE: The family farmer is in danger, and so when a major injury, illness or natural disaster occurs, it's devastating to them. I'll Bill Gross and I help family farmers in crisis.

We're ready to go. Farm Rescue is operated by volunteers and we're very proud of that. The volunteers are eagler to come in and by the time we leave, we have their crop plant or harvested. I was raised on a family farm in North Dakota and now a airline pilot for UPS; however, my heart never left the farming community. I firmly believe that if you're going to help people, you should do something that you know how to do and so I started Farm Rescue to help the farmers.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In a situation like we're in, there's no way we'd be able to survive on our own.

They seeded 200 acres of wheat and 530 acres of soybeans.

(BEGIN GRAPHIC)

Since 2006, Farm Rescue has helped 59 American farmers keep their farms.

Resource: Farm Rescue

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We got a place we can call home again. It's a new beginning.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Sure is.

GROSS: If Farm Rescue didn't come in and plant these farm, then they would not be able to maintain their livelihood and the families are very, very thankful and become life-long friends.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Wow, a labor love that's rescuing people, if you know someone who deserves to be a "CNN Hero," go to cnn.com/heroes and tell us about them. You never know, you can see your hero right here on CNN.

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WHITFIELD: All right, marine biologists are pretty excited about a rare find all right northern California coast. The body of what's believed to be a giant squid. Look at it right there. Yuck. It's about 25 feet long and nearly 200 pounds. It was found near Monterey Bay. Researchers say its tentacles are as thick as a human leg and they think another animal just might have snacked on it. I only say yuck, because it's all in pieces now, but alive and intact, it's a beautiful thing.

Well, there are only a few giant squid to ever have been found in the California waters. Now I know a lot of you are probably thinking, calamari.

That's going to do for this hour of the CNN NEWSROOM. The next hour of CNN NEWSROOM starts in three minutes.