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Tiger Woods Accident; More U.S. Troops to Afghanistan; Cuban War Games; FAA Releases NWA Communication; Bomb Derails Russian Train
Aired November 28, 2009 - 22:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: For the second time, Tiger Woods and his wife refuse to talk to police about the car accident that sent him to the hospital. And who is Mrs. Woods? What do we know about her? The life and time of Tiger Woods' wife tonight.
And Cuba gearing up for war, and it's all because of the United States. Tonight the biggest military exercise in Cuba in recent years. We're live in Cuba with reaction from Raul Castro tonight.
Good evening, everyone. I'm Don Lemon. We're learning new information about that early morning car accident involving golf superstar Tiger Woods. He is OK, and his SUV was the only vehicle involved in that accident. But there are still plenty of questions, and police are having trouble getting answers.
Tonight our Susan Candiotti is outside Tiger Woods' exclusive gated subdivision near Orlando.
Susan?
SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Don, Florida highway patrol troopers say they are surprised as anyone else that they have been unable to hook with Tiger Woods and his wife to get their statement about what happened in that traffic accident. They said normally people are happy to tell them what happened, and give their side of the story. Not today.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CANDIOTTI (voice-over): The cracked up front end of what's believed to be Tiger Woods' Cadillac SUV. Accident photos provided anonymously to CNN affiliate WFTV. The shots taken after police say the golfing phenom crashed into a fire hydrant at the end of his driveway and slammed into a neighbor's tree.
CHIEF DANIEL SAYLOR, WINDERMERE POLICE DEPARTMENT: He was on the ground, semi unconscious and had lacerations to his up and lower lip.
CANDIOTTI: Florida highway patrol investigators in two separate cars entered the gated upscale community on Saturday to hear firsthand from Woods about what caused him to apparently lose control of his car at 2:30 in the morning Thanksgiving night. But on their way there, Woods' agent called and said come back tomorrow. Police say it wasn't the first time they were turned away. Just after the accident, the mother of two was described as frantic, standing over her husband when police arrived. They said she bashed out a rear window with a golf club.
SAYLOR: From what I understand, she explained to my office, the doors were locked and she could not gain entry.
CANDIOTTI: Florida troopers released an initial report that said the accident was not alcohol-related. Woods has a squeaky clean image and is known for keeping his private life private. Even his boat is called Privacy. Woods is not only golf's biggest draw and record setting title holder, he's an endorsement powerhouse. Everything from Nike, Golf, Gatorade and Video Game Titan EA sports.
His wife and two children are only occasionally seen at tournaments. When his son was born last February, Woods released this rare but heart-warming family portrait.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CANDIOTTI: Under Florida law, neither Tiger Woods nor anyone else for that matter is required to make a statement to police after a traffic accident. All you really have to do is prove that you have a valid driver's license, proof of insurance and a valid registration. Perhaps tomorrow Tiger Woods will do that.
Don, back to you.
LEMON: All right, Susan, thank you very much for that.
We want to talk about police procedures in a case like this one. So Mike Brooks. He is a law enforcement analyst for HLN and for "In Session," our sister network.
Hey, thank you so much for joining us tonight. You heard Susan Candiotti state by law he does not have to talk to police. But a police official there, a spokesperson of Mike tonight, they are saying, but people usually do. So what is going on here?
MIKE BROOKS, CNN SECURITY ANALYST (via telephone): You know, Don, it's very, very unusual. There are many type -- I have investigated many accidents during my day as a law enforcement officer, and most of the time people are willing to tell you exactly what happened or what didn't happen. But in this case, seems very, very suspicious to me.
LEMON: OK. So let me ask you this. You or I, or just most people, the police show up at our houses or whatever, and we say, OK, we can't talk today because we're not feeling well for an accident. And then we don't them to come back the next day, right? And then called them and say I can't talk to you. Does that really happen to most people, to the average person?
BROOKS: You know, no, because most average people will say, well, I just want to tell you my side of the story. And here's what happened, and here's the reason I hit a fire hydrant and then hit a tree. But for some reason, you know, again, we don't know if he had anything to hide. The initial Florida highway patrol report said no alcohol involved. But how do they know that? The first responders, Windermere police, did they give him a breathalyzer or roadside reflector test? No, because apparently as the first responders as we heard from them, he said that he was in and out of consciousness. So we don't really know exactly what happened -- Don?
LEMON: So, Mike, when they give statements to police, when police are questioning him and all of this. And as we said, according to Florida law, he doesn't have to talk. He could say, you know what, I'm not going to press charges. This was an accident involving just me, but he did hit property outside of. I'm not sure if it was on his property or outside of his property.
So how much in all of this -- you know, do they expose themselves legally or perhaps with the law with statements they make to police?
BROOKS: No. What the Florida highway patrol needs to go ahead and close out this. You know, they even said, there's an investigation. Plus he hit a hydrant. We have seen pictures from the scene there, Don. The fire hydrant was cordoned off, apparently not be able to be used. So if he damaged that, that's county property. That's not the isle worth subdivision property. That is county property.
And the reason that the Florida highway patrol is investigating this, Don, is because it is not within the city of Windermere, Florida, it is in unincorporated Windermere. That's why the state patrol is investigating this. But I can guarantee you, when they were out there, they were looking for other things that are on the scene, too. Skid marks, any shadowing, were any brakes applied? Where exactly was the glass that was broken out the back.
LEMON: But for what? For what? If it's an accident as he says and his wife, you know, according to the police. His wife has said it was just an accident and she was trying to help him out. So then what are they looking for then? And is there any sort of exposure to the judicial system or the justice system by statements that they make to police officers?
BROOKS: Well, that remains to be seen. But every accident, Don, has a cause. Whether, you know, what it is in this particular case, we don't know. That's what they're trying to do to go ahead and close this out. If he doesn't want to talk to police by law, he doesn't have to. As long as he has the license, a proof of insurance and a registration.
LEMON: Mike Brooks, law enforcement analyst for HLN, and our sister network "In Session."
Thank you, Mike.
BROOKS: Thank you, Don.
LEMON: Now we all know about Tiger Woods, right? But what about his wife? She's married to the most famous athlete on the planet, but she managed to stay out of the spotlight, at least until now.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON (voice-over): Former Swedish model Elin Nordegren met Tiger Woods during the British open in 2001. She had been working as an au pair for a Swedish golfer Jasper Parnevik. In 2003, the couple surprise Woods' fans by announcing their engagement, and they were married in Barbados one year later. Then controversy. Nude photos of a woman resembling Nordegren showed up on the Internet. She denied it was her and Woods defended her.
TIGER WOODS, GOLF CHAMPION: It's hard to be very diplomatic about this when you have so much emotion involved and my wife is involved.
LEMON: The photos were not of Nordegren, and one of the magazine's involved apologized.
WOODS: It's just that sometimes they just don't let the facts get in the way of a good story. You know, that's sometimes what happens. And I think this was a clear incident of that. My wife is an extension of me, and we're in it together. We are a team. And we do things as a team. And I care about her with all of my heart.
LEMON: In June of 2007, the couple announced the birth of their first child. A little girl named Sam Alexis Woods, born just one day after daddy Woods finished second in the 2007 U.S. open. And earlier this year, Elin gave birth to a little boy named Charlie Axle.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: Mrs. Woods eventually won a libel suit against a newspaper over those fake photographs.
A show of force from Cuba. Military exercises turn the island into a battlefield. Is the message being sent to the U.S.?
The White House party crashers. They are talking a lot to a writer -- we're going to talk to a writer, I should say, from "The Washington Post" and they are as well. She says that the Salahis think they were invited to that state dinner. We're going to talk to her a little bit later on this hour.
And a high school student who seems to have everything except a home. His story and how an NFL player felt compelled to help. It's "What Matters" tonight.
Also, we want to know what's on your mind. Make sure you log on to Twitter, Facebook, MySpace or iReport.com. We will get your comments on the air.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: President Obama makes a key announcement Tuesday on additional U.S. troop deployments to Afghanistan. 34,000 extra American troops is the figure that has been floated. That's on top of the 68,000 already there, along with 45,000 troops from other countries.
Today the British prime minister announced a high-level conference next month in London to work out a time frame for Afghanistan to take over its own security. The White House endorsed the conference set for January 28th as an opportunity to discuss a wide range of issues critical to Afghanistan's future.
Tune into CNN Tuesday night at 7:00 p.m. Eastern for President Barack Obama's announcement. CNN will carry it live for you.
The U.S. is warning Iran that it is prepared to work for even stronger economic sanctions. Well, the warning follows Friday's censure of Iran by the U.N. nuclear watchdog agency, The International Atomic Energy Agency demanding Iran stop enriching uranium and also stop construction on its once-secret nuclear facility. In a rare show of unity, Russia and China join the U.S., Britain, France and Germany in supporting the IAEA resolution.
Tomorrow is National Defense Day in Cuba. To help mark the occasion, the communist country has launched its biggest military exercises in five years turning parts of the island into a battlefield.
CNN's Shasta Darlington joins us now by phone from Havana.
Shasta, thanks for joining us tonight. So why are they exactly holding these exercises now?
SHASTA DARLINGTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (via telephone): Well, Don, as you said, these are the biggest exercises they've held in five years. And the top generals themselves have said that this is in part to show that they are prepared for U.S. invasion. That may seem a little strange given that relationships have improved quite a bit under President Barack Obama and President Raul Castro here in Cuba. There's been a bit of warming. They've actually resumed immigration talks. President Obama has lifted restrictions on Cuban-American travel and remittances, and they may resume a direct mail service, which we haven't had for ages, for decades.
But while all of that is going on throughout Cuba, we've seen on state television these means exercises with troops trumping through jungles, storming through fields. We've seen tanks rolling down the streets, fighter jets, missile launchers. A fairly impressive show of force.
Now, what one general here said is that given the political and military relationship between Cuba and the United States, it has to be expected, but things could easily deteriorate and turn aggressive in a month, a week, a week or even a day.
LEMON: And, Shasta, you know, we've heard from Raul Castro, right. Him saying he toured, according to CNN here, he toured the military installations, met with his armed forces, high commands during the three days of extensive war games, exercises, saying, quote, "His forces' preparedness inspires more respect than possession of an advanced weapon ever could," he says. So are we hearing at all from Fidel Castro in this?
DARLINGTON: Well, Don, we have not heard from him yet. I wouldn't rule it out. The way that Fidel Castro has been communicating for the last three years since he disappears from public view, is through the written essay. And news can come out any time. He actually posts them on the Internet, and the foreign journalists are usually alerted fairly quickly. So we haven't heard from him yet about these exercises, but that could happen.
And, again, I think one thing to keep in mind here is that these exercises have actually been in the planning stage since 2004. So there isn't a specific event that set them off. This is something that Cuba does periodically. It is a show of force, but it isn't reacting to any specific event to the last couple of days.
LEMON: And, Shasta, what about the average Cuban on the ground there. People watching television. What's their reaction to this?
DARLINGTON: Well, you know, what Cuba has said is that there are millions of people involved in the exercises. Here in Havana, we haven't seen a lot of that. But Cubans, most Cubans are reservists. They've all -- there is -- they have a military training for everyone. So a lot of people probably are involved throughout the countryside and throughout the country. So while we're watching it on television, a lot of people are probably going through the motions of these military exercises -- Don?
LEMON: All right. Shasta Darlington in Cuba tonight. Thank you very much.
A Florida family gunned down by one of their own on Thanksgiving Day. Tonight, a new move by investigators trying to track him down.
The pilots of that Northwest Airlines flight that overshot the airports by 150 miles last month, hear the cockpit recordings as the pilots try to explain what happened.
And heading back home from the Thanksgiving holiday. Our Jacqui Jeras watching the weather for you.
Hi, Jacqui.
JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Hey, there, Don. Yes, minimal weather-related delays were prevalent today. But tomorrow, maybe not so much. We'll have the forecast plus damaging winds in the northeast. We'll have the pictures.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: You know it's a season to shop. Really. Yesterday was the day. We call it Black Friday. And retailers were encouraged by the people who open their wallets on Black Friday to help kick off the start of the Christmas shopping season.
A national research firm says total spending was up about half a percentage point from last year. JCPenneys and Sears among the chains that reported having a good day. The increase may get bigger when they total up cybersales. One analyst says the average online customers spent 35 percent more yesterday compared to a year ago.
Jacqui Jeras, that is good news. I wonder if they had some good weather shopping. Were you out there on Black Friday? Did you go get something?
(WEATHER REPORT)
LEMON: All right. They don't look like big delays so far, but who knows? Once it gets here, they could grow.
JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Hopefully not too bad. Wednesday was really good, overall, weather wise. So hopefully Sunday matches that.
LEMON: Yes, Sunday is the busy day. OK, Jacqui, thank you.
We're learning new details about that Northwest Airlines flight that overshot Minneapolis a few weeks ago, but still no explanation.
The FAA released recordings of air traffic controllers talking to the pilots of flight 188. The plane wondered about 100 miles into Wisconsin and lost radio contact for more than an hour before it was re-established.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PILOT: Minneapolis, northwest 1-88.
AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL: Minneapolis center go ahead.
PILOT: Roger. We got distracted and we have overflown Minneapolis.
AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL: Northwest flight 1-88, do you have time to give a brief explanation on what happened?
PILOT: Just cockpit distractions. That's all I can say.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Air traffic controllers ultimately had the pilots perform several turns to verify they were in control of that airplane.
Police officers are swarming South Florida tonight asking, have you seen this man? There's a warrant out for 35-year-old Paul Merhige. He allegedly gunned down four members of his own family in a Thanksgiving rampage. Among the victims, a 6-year-old cousin killed in her sleep. Tonight, a vigil for the little girl, who was supposed to take the stage this weekend for "The Nutcracker Ballet." Merhige's twin sisters seen here, and a 79-year-old aunt were also killed and two relatives were wounded. Investigators say there had been ongoing family resentment, but it is not clear what prompted the shooting. Merhige is facing four counts of first degree murder and two counts of attempted murder.
A Louisiana highway littered with glimpses of lives lost when a minivan filled with children blew a tire and flipped. Louisiana state police say five people are dead, another 10 critically hurt after the GMC Safari clipped a delivery truck near Baton Rouge. It rolled 200 feet before landing right-side up. There were 15 people in the van, 2 adults and 13 children. Investigators say none of the kids was buckled in.
A popular Russian rail line, again, the target of an apparent terrorist attack with deadly consequences. But who was behind it?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
In Russia, authorities suspect a home made bomb beneath the tracks caused a high-speed train to the derail. At least 26 people were killed and about 100 injured. Eighteen people are missing.
Perry Smith of ITN has our report.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PERRY SMITH, ITN CORRESPONDENT: Cleaning up the wreckage, but there's still a long way from cleaning up the mystery of why this train crashed, killing dozens of its passengers. The express from Moscow to St. Petersburg was about halfway into its journey when it came off the rails. Rescuers worked under flood lights throughout the night to reach the injured. Witnesses spoke of hearing an explosion and others said there was a small crater left under the rails. The head of Russia's National Railway said sabotage was one possibility.
VLADIMIR YAKUNIN, RUSSIAN NATIONAL RAILWAY: What I can say now is that the possibility of the an explosion is also being investigated. As you know, there are objective reasons to believe there was one, but the investigation will determine this.
SMITH: If it was a terrorist attack, it would not be the first time Russia's rail network has been targeted. Two years ago, 30 people were injured when a train on the same line was derailed after an explosion. The finger of blame then pointed to Chechen rebels, who are also the prime suspects today.
Perry Smith, ITV News.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: A second bomb blew up while crews were cleaning up the derailment. No one was hurt by that blast.
In Bangladesh, a ferry packed with Muslim worshipers capsized as it was about to unload. At least 28 people are now confirmed dead. The passengers may have all crowded to one side of the ship as it pulled up to dock causing it to tip over. Now the ferry can safely carry about 1500 people, but police say it may have been overloaded with up to 2,000 passengers. In China, a cargo jet crashed and burned early today while taking off at the Shanghai airport. Three American crew members were killed. Four other crew members were hospitalized. Apparently, the plane's tail struck the ground causing it to veer off the runway. It burst into flames moments later.
The gold medal of publicity stunts. That's what one former secret service agent says about the couple who slipped uninvited into a White House state dinner. We'll tell you what else he had to say.
Then, a typical high school kid anything but he's homeless. But this honor student has captured the attention of an NFL star.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: We want to give you some top stories right now. For the second time in two days, Tiger Woods and his wife have declined interviews with Florida state troopers. Woods' agent asked the troopers to postpone the interviews until tomorrow. The officers want to meet with the couple to clear up unanswered questions about the other crash involving Tiger Woods early Friday morning. He suffered facial cuts when his SUV slammed into a fire hydrant, and then a tree. He was treated and released from the hospital.
British Prime Minister Gordon Brown today announced a high level conference next month to work out a prime -- a time frame, I should say, for Afghanistan to take over its own security. The White House's national security counsel issued a statement endorsing the conference set for January 28th in London.
On Tuesday, President Barack Obama will announce his decision on sending more U.S. troops to Afghanistan. CNN will carry it for you live at 7:00 p.m. Eastern.
Florida police hunting for an alleged Thanksgiving killer suspected of murdering four family members during a crowded holiday get together. Tonight, an arrest warrant has been issue for 35-year- old Paul Merhige. Police say he fled after killing his two sisters, a 6-year-old cousin and a 79-year-old aunt. Two other family members were also hurt.
Getting unauthorized access to the most powerful man in the world is supposed to be hard, right? But the gate crashers who finagled their way into the White House dinner didn't just hobnob with VIPs, they actually met President Obama.
Kate Bolduan is at the White House with a look at the handshake that has shaken up the Secret Service.
Kate?
KATE BOLDUAN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Don, the Secret Service insists President Obama was never in any danger as this Virginia couple Tareq and Michaele Salahi like all other guests attending Tuesday's state dinner, had to go through levels of security screenings to get in. But in a statement released Friday, the director of the Secret Service, Mark Sullivan, said the agency is deeply concerned and embarrassed. The statement goes on to say "they should have been prohibited from entering the event entirely. That failing," he says, "is ours."
Clearly the review of the security breach continues. Fran Townsend, former Homeland Security adviser to President Bush says she expects to see fallout.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
FRAN TOWNSEND, FMR. BUSH HOMELAND SECURITY ADVISER: At best the uniform division Secret Service agents who let them onto the property will be disciplined, and at worst they could potentially be fired. I will tell you it is a very serious security breach because after all, bad people will watch this and watch how they did it and learn, and they may test the Secret Service in other circumstances, if not at the White House, as a result of this. So it is a very, very serious case.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BOLDUAN: The White House has requested a full review of the circumstances surrounding this incident. But White House spokesperson Nick Shapiro made the point in saying the U.S. Secret Service still has the full confidence of President Obama. Now the Secret Service has not ruled out the possibility of criminal charges in this incident -- Don?
LEMON: All right. Kate, thank you very much.
But how exactly did this couple slip by undetected? Earlier, tonight, I got some insider knowledge from a former Secret Service agent. His name is Scott Alswang, and he says protecting a president isn't that easy.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SCOTT ALSWANG, FORMER SECRET SERVICE AGENT: I think that the job gets tougher not by the day or by the week but by the hour. The more travel, the more visits, whether they're domestic or international, whether it's our protectees like the president or the vice president --
LEMON: Are you saying the Secret Service is overworked?
ALSWANG: I said that the workload increases daily and hourly. Yes. But the challenges are met. And agents are taught and instructed how to look at human emotions, to make decisions on whether someone is emotionally disturbed or might be a threat against the president. I think in this case, obviously, the director admitted there was a mistake in this reality TV era. I think that what these people pulled off is probably the gold medal of reality TV.
(END VIDEO CLIP) LEMON: All right. So what exactly do we know about the Salahis? Well, Virginia socialites, want-to-be reality stars and apparently quite bold. Our first glimpse of the couple appeared in the pages of "The Washington Post" courtesy of the Gossip Duo Reliable Sources.
Amy Argetsinger is half of that team, and she is joining us live from Washington, D.C. tonight. Amy, thank you. Good to see you.
So what tipped you off that the Salahis were, you know, not on the guest list?
AMY ARGETSINGER, WASHINGTON POST: Well, the fact that they weren't on the guest list.
LEMON: When you look at the guest list, right?
ARGETSINGER: My colleagues Roxanne Roberts and Robin Givhan were on the scene watching the various dignitaries and VIPs come into the White House. Both of them are familiar from past stories with the Salahis. And I think they are both surprised to see them since the Salahis are not the kind of people you would necessarily expect to see. They are not politically connected. They're best known for their involvement in a reality TV show, "Real Housewives of Washington," which is now being filmed, which tends not to be the kind of publicity that the White House is going to be seeking. It's kind of a wild show, hair-pulling, table-tossing kind of show. These aren't necessarily the kind of celebrities who get invitations to state dinners.
LEMON: Yes. But when you talked to them you said -- and I think someone from "The Washington Post" talked to them and you said when "The Post" asked the couple via Facebook, how they happened to attend the dinner, Tareq, captain of the America's Cup Polo team responded, "India is a challenger in the America's Cup world championship in 11/12/2010. And they are very excited in their first intercultural connection being hosted on D.C. Nation Mall since polo is one of the prime sports in India."
ARGETSINGER: Yes. Tareq is very big in polo circles. He is the organizer of a tournament that's been around for about 2-1/2 years now, the America's polo cup, which is an organization that had struggles of its own. It has been sued by a catering company for claiming that they haven't paid them. It's had accusations of general mismanagement. But, you know, you can say that about a lot of organizations. Tareq is indeed organizing polo match for next spring that is expected to host a team from India.
When I asked hem how they came to be at the state dinner, how they happened to get invited, he offer that as an explanation. He did not come out and say --
LEMON: But he said it was -- he said when you pressed him about why didn't he appear or they appear on the official list, he said it was a last-minute attending.
ARGETSINGER: He said it was a last-minute attending. That is the last I have spoken with the Salahis. And I think it might be the last anyone has spoken with the Salahis since then, since the White House made the claim that they were definitely not invited; that they should not have been there; that they were not sit at the dinner. Since then, the Salahis have not really been talking. They've only been speaking through a publicist and a lawyer.
LEMON: But before, they were all over that. Cameras following them around right at this event. And then all of a sudden, I think they are postponing they said an appearance on our very own network on "Larry King Live." What happened to loving the spotlight here for reality stars wannabe, supposedly?
ARGETSINGER: It could be that they have become aware that there are very serious consequences here. That it's possible that they could be charged with criminal trespassing. I don't know if that's likely, but it's a possibility. The Secret Service was seeking to question them. Whether that's happened or not, I don't know. But it could be that the gravity of the situation has set in. Or perhaps they're waiting to make a bigger media splash on a larger outlet than Larry King. I don't know.
LEMON: Maybe they're shopping a story, too. One never knows as they say do one?
OK. So, listen, Amy, I want to thank you. But before you leave, I want to tell you that New York Congressman Peter King, right, said he wants a House committee on Homeland Security to launch a full investigation. He said there is no -- there's no one from the social staff at the -- at the gate to check arrivals. So when you were there, did you notice? Is that unusual about no one at the social staff being at the White House check arrival?
ARGETSINGER: We were told by a former staffer from the previous administration that there should have been someone from the social staff at the door.
LEMON: All right. Amy Argetsinger from "The Washington Post." Good reporting. Thank you very much. If you get more information, give me a holler, OK?
ARGETSINGER: Thanks.
LEMON: Enjoy. Thanks very much.
You know, it is the auto accident that shook up the sports world. A live update from outside Orlando. The latest on Tiger Woods. Late- night mishap and police efforts to clear up the confusion.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: OK. So a one-car crash right in front of his own home. Now Tiger Woods is enduring a media spotlight rarely found on the golf course. He and his wife have twice turned down meetings with Florida state troopers to answer questions about what happened.
So we turn now to Ryan Hughes of our affiliate WFTV. He is in Orlando. He is tracking the story for us tonight.
Ryan, I understand, you know about the new information about police coming today and then being sent away. For our viewers, we reported the facts on this story. Unless you have some new information, take us inside the neighborhood here. Tell us what it's like around the Woods' home, and as I understand you went very near the property, or if not on the property today? I'm not sure.
RYAN HUGHES, WFTV CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Don. As you can imagine, the homes inside the isle worth community here in Orange County, Florida, are very lavish. They are three, four, sometimes five-story homes. We went right by Tiger Woods' property today. There was one gentleman outside. He was walking inside when we drove by. There were two cars in the drive way, but all appeared to be quiet outside his property today. There was still some damage to an area where a fire hydrant was. He supposedly hit that fire hydrant early Friday morning and the tree that he hit as well was also damaged.
LEMON: Hey, Ryan, also we are hearing from police tonight, too, that they are asking for neighbors for surveillance video. What are you hearing about that?
HUGHES: We heard rumors that was the case, but a spokeswoman here in Orlando with the Florida highway patrol said that has not happened at this point. And we do not know at this point if they are questioning people who live next door. Of course, one can imagine that they probably will, if they haven't already today.
LEMON: 911 called to be released, maybe as soon as tomorrow, if not overnight?
HUGHES: We're hearing that as well. Possibly tomorrow, if not Monday. At this point we do not know if a 911 call was placed from his wife or perhaps somebody next door who may have saw something or heard something Friday morning.
LEMON: So what are people saying there, especially as a concern to police officers, or at least the troopers who were -- who said that they could come back today and then being turned around?
Are people sort of in shock by this, and are they surprised that the Woods are not speaking to police, have not spoken so far?
HUGHES: It seems like that's the sentiment. They are surprised that Tiger Woods is obviously a man of great stature, would essentially brush off the highway patrol two days in a row. We're told today that the Florida Highway Patrol troopers on their way here actually got a phone call from his publicist saying you'll have to come back tomorrow. So the people in this area, quite surprised by that.
LEMON: How long have you been standing out there, Ryan? This is a big story I would imagine in your market. You guys are probably working around-the-clock shifts I would imagine. HUGHES: Yes, we are. We have been out here in the past eight hours. And, of course, they plan to be out here once again tomorrow morning and throughout the day, especially when the highway patrol comes back tomorrow at 3:00 to attempt, again, to speak to Tiger Woods and his wife.
LEMON: Yes. This highway patrol, the accident investigation guys don't show up until 3:00. And so we should expect some movement after then hopefully. Ryan Hughes of our affiliate WFTV. We appreciate it. Have a good evening, OK.
HUGHES: Thank you. You, too.
LEMON: From a homeless shelter to Harvard. That is a dream of a high school kid in Los Angeles, and he's getting an all-star push from an NFL player.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Kenneth Chancey is a high school honor student. He played on the football team, a student body president. And, oh, yes, he is homeless. We did a story on him which caught the interest of an NFL star. And CNN's Thelma Computer picks it up from there in tonight's "What Matters."
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
THELMA GUTIERREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): He's the highest paid defensive back in NFL history. And he's about to give this teenager the surprise of his life.
(on camera): When we first aired your story, so many people wanted to help you.
KENNETH CHANCEY, HIGH SCHOOL HONOR STUDENT: Yes.
GUTIERREZ: But there was one person in particular who came forward who wanted to meet you. Do you have any idea who it is?
CHANCEY: No. I keep on hearing.
GUTIERREZ (voice-over): We met Kenneth Chancy and his little sister, Stephanie, earlier this year.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm going to (BLEEP) you up. (INAUDIBLE)
GUTIERREZ: They lived on skid row in a shelter in downtown Los Angeles, where life is uncensored, but a step up from what it used to be.
CHANCEY: I lived in a van. Let's see, my mom used drugs. My step dad used to hit me.
GUTIERREZ: What makes Kenneth's story so extraordinary is that this homeless teenager is president of his high school. He's a straight "A" honor student and an athlete. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He has proven he is up there with the rest of the top corners in the NFL. And he might just be the best.
GUTIERREZ: Kenneth is a starting running back at Helen Bernstein High School. He's going to college.
(on camera): Give me a list of the top schools. Where do you want to go to college?
CHANCEY: Harvard's still on top.
GUTIERREZ (voice-over): From skid row to Harvard. Lofty ambitions that moved this NFL star to ask us to arrange a meeting.
(on camera): This is Nnamdi Asomugha. He's with the Oakland Raiders.
CHANCEY: Yes. That would be awesome. They were just talking about -- the coach was talking about you yesterday.
GUTIERREZ: What was the reason that you wanted to be here to meet Kenneth?
NNAMDI ASOMUGHA, OAKLAND RAIDER CORNERBACK: Well, we saw the story, you know, on CNN and you know, I was just blown away by it. You know, just your drive and everything you were trying to do and you were playing football and all that kind of stuff so I was relating, you know, a little bit to that. So I said, there's got to be some way that I can, you know, get in touch with him.
GUTIERREZ (voice-over): Number 21, Nnamdi Asomugha is an all all-pro cornerback with the Oakland Raiders. At 28, he has his own foundation, the Asomugha College Tour for Scholars.
(on camera): This is a serious student, right?
ASOMUGHA: Yes.
GUTIERREZ: Does he qualify for your tour?
ASOMUGHA: Absolutely. He might over qualify for the tour.
GUTIERREZ (voice-over): Each year Asomugha hand picks a group of inner city school high school students and takes them on a week-long all-expense paid trip to visit different universities.
(on camera): Education's number one for your families, and I understand, with all due respect, I do understand you're the least educated in your family.
ASOMUGHA: I am. Yes. Because I have one degree.
GUTIERREZ (voice-over): Asomugha's mother has a PhD. His sister is a pediatrician. His other two siblings have graduate degrees. Nnamdi only has one. A degree in finance from U.C. Berkeley.
CHANCEY: And then we have my dad, Gordon Costello (ph) here.
GUTIERREZ: The next college tour for Asomugha's kids, Washington, D.C.
ASOMUGHA: And I knew how much you were a big fan of school and education and that stuff, so I wanted to invite you along for the tour.
CHANCEY: Oh, are you serious?
ASOMUGHA: Yes.
CHANCEY: Oh, my God!
GUTIERREZ (on camera): So what's in store for Washington?
ASOMUGHA: You know who we're working on now?
CHANCEY: Obama?
ASOMUGHA: We have to.
CHANCEY: Oh, my God!
GUTIERREZ (voice-over): This spring, the NFL star will take Kenneth into the heart of the nation's capital.
ASOMUGHA: My pitch to you, President Obama, please give us some time while we're in D.C. These kids will go crazy if they meet you. You'll inspire them.
GUTIERREZ: But first, Kenneth takes the Oakland Raider on a tour of his own to skid row, in downtown Los Angeles, where he lived.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: And we're going to take that tour with them in a second part of Thelma Gutierrez's story just ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: All right. So you just saw the first part of a homeless high school honor student, the story there, and the NFL star who is going to take him on a college tour. But first the teen led the Oakland Raider on a different kind of tour. Here again is CNN's Thelma Gutierrez.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hey, what are you doing?
GUTIERREZ: Skid Row in downtown Los Angeles.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do you see the bottle sitting over there?
GUTIERREZ: Is one of the last places you would expect to find an NFL star and a straight A honor student.
ASOMUGHA: This walking to school, walking back from school.
CHANCEY: This is walking to the train to get to school.
ASOMUGHA: Anywhere you go, you got to go through this.
CHANCEY: Yes. We have to go through this.
GUTIERREZ: But the pursuit of education brought them here together.
ASOMUGHA: Yes. We used to come down here in high school and like feed the people out here during Thanksgiving.
GUTIERREZ: Nnamdi Asomugha plays for the Oakland Raiders and is the highest paid defensive back in NFL history. Kenneth Chancey is 17, a starting high school running back, who aspires to study medicine at Harvard University.
CHANCEY: I'm student body president.
ASOMUGHA: And you had to organize --
CHANCEY: To feed the homeless.
GUTIERREZ: What no one knew was that this accomplished high school senior who organized feedings for the homeless was actually living on skid row himself with his father and younger sister.
CHANCEY: So, imagine, you have a 13-year-old little girl walking through this every day.
GUTIERREZ: Kenneth took the 28-year-old NFL star on an unsettling tour through a part of Los Angeles most never experience.
ASOMUGHA: Wow! That almost hit me!
GUTIERREZ: But a place Kenneth knows well. His academic success, despite all of this, is the reason Nnamdi Asomugha is here.
ASOMUGHA: My thing is reaching out to people like Kenneth that have their back against the wall, that have a lot of obstacles that they have to face and they're still overcoming. You know, you never want them to stop.
GUTIERREZ: Four years ago, at the age of 24, Asomugha started his own foundation called the Asomugha College Tour for Scholars. For one week each year, kids like Kenneth have a chance to leave their neighborhoods and experience different universities and cities. Kenneth is Asomugha's latest recruit.
CHANCEY: But we used to live in that corner room.
GUTIERREZ: Asomugha wanted to see where he came from, so Kenneth took us to the Union Rescue Mission where he lived. CHANCEY: Here there was no room. There's a lot of people in back of me, but I feel worse for the two-year-olds and three-year- olds. They haven't even started the pressure.
GUTIERREZ: Here, the kids can't play in their rooms, they're too small. They can't go outside, it's too dangerous. So Kenneth says he'd come here to the roof of the shelter to study. You see the contrast right here.
CHANCEY: Yes. Like this, oh, this is so nice -- yes.
ASOMUGHA: That's amazing. He was explaining it. He said, when you come up, it's kind of like, just keep your head up and you see all the good things. And then once you look down, he's absolutely right. Was that your mantra that you basically used while you were up here, keep your head up?
CHANCEY: That's what I use in life. I just keep my head up. OK, I'm dealing with this now, five years from now, I'll be at a university studying this, this, and this. I'll be graduating and getting a degree.
GUTIERREZ: Then Kenneth says he'll give back too, just like Asomugha, the all-pro cornerback who graduated from U.C. Berkeley and has done so much to change the lives of disadvantaged scholars, just like Kenneth.
Thelma Gutierrez, CNN, Los Angeles.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: Nice story. We wish him well. Hope he gets to meet the president as well. Someone weighed in. A couple of you weighed in on that story, and you're weighing on the Tiger Woods story. And a lot of things we're putting on the air. So we're going to read your comments from Twitter and Facebook straight ahead.
And what the governor of one state saw when he looked out his window, I should say, on Thanksgiving morning. It was not a pretty sight.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: OK. So when you think of the Colorado governor's mansion covered in winter white, you probably think snow, right? Well, not toilet paper. But the 101-year-old state has been TP'd, as they call it. Long trails draped across the lawns, strewn over signs and hanging from trees in a home that was hosted, that has presidents and dignitaries, but even Governor Bill Ritter can't wipe the smile off his face.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. BILL RITTER (D), COLORADO: We still have two kids at home that are teenagers, and it could well be that they had been honored with being TP'd. (END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Well, the first lady said she would have -- the first lady of the state said she would have been worried if the house had been egged or soaped, but she's letting the toilet paper prank roll off her back.
OK. So time for your comments. By the way, I'm going to go through them really quickly. If I don't say your name, don't get upset.
"Thanks for that last piece. I hope that they get to see Obama in the spring. Very touching."
Talking about the kid, Kenneth Chancey.
"Did you watch the Bayou Classic today? Who is your favorite team?"
They know I'm from Louisiana. I have to say Southern. I'm sorry. But I have family members who went to Grambling.
"It's a shame that none of the children in the car accident were not belted." The Baton Rouge story with the van that flipped over. Five people dead.
"Uninvited guests that sneaked into the White House should be arrest. Criminals are getting too many pats on their backs."
"Tiger should tell the police to mind their business and go find some missing children, murderers, pedophiles, et cetera. Unbelievable."
"Good question on Woods' story. At the most, he will get a ticket for hitting the hydrant. People just want something to gossip about."
Really appreciate your comments. I'm Don Lemon in Atlanta. I'll see you back here tomorrow night, 6:00, 7:00 and 10:00 p.m. Eastern. "CNN HEROES AN ALL STAR TRIBUTE" begins right now.
Good night.
