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One Dead in St. Louis Storm; Washington Goes Hollywood Tonight; White House Correspondents' Dinner Now; Shawn Stockman's Son with Autism
Aired April 28, 2012 - 19:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, everyone. I'm Don Lemon. Thank you so much for joining us.
This just coming in to CNN. It's out of St. Louis, Missouri -- one person is dead, 16 others have been rushed to the hospital. Fans from a St. Louis Cardinals game, they were at this sports bar, a storm blew through the city and you see the bar's outdoor tent just collapsed and we're told the injuries were caused by flying storm debris.
Meteorologist Jacqui Jeras here.
Jacqui, were there any warnings that came in for these storms?
JACQUI JERAS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes, a good 15, 20 minutes ahead of time at least a severe thunderstorm warning was issued on this. The winds were clocked in downtown, about 44 miles per hour. We know that storm is capable of producing winds stronger than that. Maybe even up to 60.
That's an image of the radar at the time the storm blew through and we see a little bit of a bowing feature, as we call it, which is indicative of the strong damaging winds. There was also a lot of hail in the area, between around golf ball-sized and baseball sized. And I also want to show, this is the current weather now. Western and northern parts of St. Louis under a severe thunderstorm warning. Again, round two is moving on through.
LEMON: All right, Jacqui. Thank you very much.
We're going to continue to look at that, Jacqui will be standing by, keeping an eye on the weather for you.
In the meantime, we have some other news that's developing right now. As a matter of fact, let's go live now. This is not Hollywood, this is Washington, D.C. This is the red carpet and you see there at the left of your screen with a bun, that's Kate Hudson. That's the daughter of Goldie Hawn. She's at the White House correspondents' dinner tonight.
And Athena Jones is standing by. So, we're going to get to Athena a little bit.
Celebrities alike are attending. The president, live from the red carpet in just a moment. So stand by, maybe she'll get Kate Hudson and we will have that for you in a moment here on CNN. So, stand by.
In the meantime, more news to tell you about.
Police are looking for answers after a Washington man allegedly kills his wife and daughter and then himself. Forty-one-year-old Peter Keller was in a standoff with police for two days holed up in a homemade bunker. A SWAT team used explosives to blow out a hole in the roof at the hideout. They discovered Keller's body in a pool of blood with a gun nearby.
You know it was coming. The Secret Service now has a new code of conduct following the prostitution scandal. While the other countries now, they'll have to act like they're still in the United States, having foreigners in the room is a no-no, they can't do it. They'll also have restrictions of where they can go, and they won't be able to drink within 10 hours of reporting for duty.
Saudi Arabia has welcomed back members of Osama bin Laden's family. Just days before the anniversary of bin Laden's killing, the Saudi news agency reports his widow and children arrived just -- have arrived in Jeddah. Now, Tuesday marks one year since the al Qaeda leader was killed by a team of Navy SEALs in Pakistan.
It's one of a few nights of the year when Washington gets to be funny and they get to do it on purpose. The annual White House correspondents' dinner hosted this year by Jimmy Kimmel. It's an ultimate intersection of journalism, politics, oh, and celebrity.
Our Athena Jones standing by. There you see her on the red carpet, Rashida Jones.
ATHENA JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: No, this is Kerry Washington.
LEMON: Oh, Kerry Washington. I'm so bad with celebrities. Sorry.
Hey, Kerry.
KERRY WASHINGTON, ACTRESS: Hi, Don.
JONES: I have seen you a lot during the campaign. (INAUDIBLE) it was in Milwaukee. You know? I've seen you at the White House.
WASHINGTON: I did 14 states for the Obama administration.
JONES: You're a big fan. So what makes this is night so special for you to be here?
WASHINGTON: I think this is such an interesting night because you get such a hodgepodge of different people. You know, people in politics and in entertainment and in sports and in publishing and in finance. It's just a wonderful night for different interesting, quirky individuals to come together and share their minds.
JONES: So, it's new to you. It still excites you. What are you looking forward to most tonight? WASHINGTON: Again, I'm always looking forward to meeting people I have never met before and also seeing those friends. And just kind of -- you know, this is my home away from home, this town. So, it's just always a fun night. I feel like this is the Oscars of D.C.
JONES: Well, it kind of, because we sometimes lovingly call it the nerd prom.
WASHINGTON: Not nerd prom.
JONES: Last year, Seth Meyers was hilarious. President Obama was there, poking fun at himself, talking about here's the birth certificate issue, and all of that. Of course, meanwhile, he had already given the order to go -- on the go ahead for the raid on bin Laden's compound. So, a real interesting night.
Kimmel has admitted that he's really nervous going into this, this year. What you're going to say to him?
WASHINGTON: Well, I have full confidence in Kimmel. You know, I have this new show on ABC, "Scandal." So, I'm really excited to be here as team ABC, to be for Jimmy Kimmel. And I know he's going to rock the house, he's so funny and so smart, and I think he's going to do a great job.
JONES: Well, have a great night, I'm sure you will.
WASHINGTON: Same to you. Thanks.
JONES: So there you go, Don. That's just one of the many stars we have had a chance to talk too tonight. It's a real interesting mix this night. As she mentioned, it's a chance for Hollywood stars to mingle with government bigwigs. And, of course, all of us journalists who spend a lot of time on the White House or the Hill, or whatever it maybe, but not so much mingling with people like Kerry Washington.
Earlier, we spoke with Goldie Hawn and our Piers Morgan, Omar Epps. I mean, the list goes on and one.
But one thing that gets lost in the mix a lot of times is that this dinner is also about raising money for scholarships to give to aspiring journalists. They have given away almost $500,000 since 1991 to graduating seniors, and college level folks who want to be journalists, also rewarding journalistic excellence.
Each year, they give several awards to journalists for great stories or a great series of stories. So, a big night with comedy, a lot of drinking, a lot of good food. So, it should be fun.
LEMON: And listen, I'm just going to be completely honest with you. People are saying, what, you don't know that's Rashida Jones? I know, I'm just really bad celebrities. I don't know -- I'm like David Spade from that "SNL" -- and you are? I kind of don't know their names a lot.
So, Dave Munoz (ph) is the cameraman here and he's going to help me out because he knows all the celebrities names. So, I'm just being honest.
Go ahead, Athena.
JONES: I can totally relate --
(CROSSTALK)
LEMON: Dave's going to help me out. Dave, are you ready?
DAVE MUNOZ, CAMERAMAN: I'll try.
LEMON: All right. That was Rashida Jones. I mean, that was Kerry Washington, he told me, and you said she's in a new ABC show called "Scandal". Go ahead, Athena.
JONES: Well, I was just saying, you know, I can relate to that. It's a year on Capitol Hill sometimes and you're used to see all these senators and representatives on television. But once you see them in person, you're like wait a second.
So, it's been like that a little bit here. There are people who have she's along the way -- where they've already printed out everyone's name and picture, so they kind of know who they're expecting. So, it was totally understandable. And I kind of threw that at you. So, you can see.
We have a lull right here right now. But there have been moments of lots of shouting. There was a guy playing the saxophone here yearly. We spoke with Claire Danes. We know about that "Rolling Stone" interview.
LEMON: We've been watching you guys on the sidelines. We're going to continue to watch. We're going to check back with you. We're going to move on a little bit now, because we have got more news to tell you about. The fun doesn't end there.
And, oh, no, the red carpet, just the beginning. All the action, we're going to get started 9:30 Eastern. My sidekick, "SNL" cast Darrell Hammond. You know him from his impersonation of Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld, and you also hear from the president tonight, his comments. And also, Jimmy Kimmel. Again, 9:30, right here on CNN.
Of course, right this hour, Dave is going to be helping me out with all those celebrity names.
Straight ahead, the trial of John Edwards, a man who once wanted to be president, now trying to avoid becoming an inmate. But the testimony of a former campaign aide could put him behind bars.
But first, a new tornado warning to tell you about. Meteorologist Jacqui Jeras is going to join us to update us in just a little bit. But there is a tornado warning. There she is.
Jackie, what's going on?
JERAS: Yes, we wanted to get this out right away, Don. A tornado warning is in effect now for the St. Louis metro area, this includes downtown St. Louis, as well as St. Claire, Madison, St. Charles Counties. This is a Doppler radar-indicated tornado and it's also capable of producing winds in excess of 65 miles per hour, and baseball sized hail.
This was round two for St. Louis, about two hours ago, a severe thunderstorm move through the city, blew down a tent, at least one person was killed, 16 people taken to the hospital, and more than 100 people were injured in that incident.
So, St. Louis needs to be taking cover right now. There you see a live picture from KMOV TV of the heavy rain coming down.
The severe storm is just a few minutes away. So, get to your safe place.
We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Dramatic testimony to tell you about in the John Edwards corruption trial. Edwards' former campaign aide, Andrew Young, is considered the prosecution's star witness. Young testified yesterday that Edwards intimidated him and that he was scared for his life.
Here's CNN's Joe Johns.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOE JOHNS, CNN SENIOR CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Recounting the moment he and John Edwards finally had it out and parted ways, Andrew Young, the top Edwards aide, who falsely claimed he had fathered a child with his boss' mistress and field marshaled the cover-up, was now claiming he was afraid.
Young said he felt threatened by Edwards and feared for his life. He said he and Edwards went for a drive on a lonely North Carolina road. He said Edwards was driving erratically after learning that Young had received $725,000 from wealthy donor, Bunny Mellon, without telling Edwards.
Young said, "I was scared for my life. It was bizarre." Young told the court, "I said, 'If he won't tell the truth, I was going to tell the truth.'"
Edwards responded to him, "You can't hurt me, Andrew. You can't hurt me."
Defense attorney, Abbe Lowell, asked Young if he had threatened Edwards with exposure of the whole story. Young said, he and his family did everything that he, Edwards, "asked us to do. He completely abandoned himself from us. He walked away from us, and I was extremely angry."
Drilling down on the cost of shepherding John Edwards' mistress around the country while she was on the run from the media, Andrew Young admitted, under cross-examination, that he got hundreds of thousands of dollars more from two rich benefactors than he actually spent on Hunter's expenses.
Defense attorney, Abbe Lowell, pressed for more. Young said he had attributed expenses to Rielle Hunter that he actually spent on himself or on his family for lavish trips on a Disney cruise and trips to San Diego, Cabo San Lucas, and Legoland.
And Lowell continued to press on the issue of Young's dream house on ten acres in North Carolina with a $100,000 sound system.
Lowell pointing out that Young had gotten a construction loan to build the house and did not have to draw down on the money because he had hundreds of thousands of dollars in the bank from Bunny Mellon.
The cross-examination by Edwards' lawyer ended with Lowell quoting a line from Young's book asking him, "Are you concerned that people will see you as a cold-blooded schemer who was motivated by ego and greed or the desire for power?" Young, "Of course, I'm concerned about how people see me." Lowell, "Isn't that exactly what you are?"
PROF. STEVEN FRIEDLAND, FORMER FEDERAL PROSECUTOR: The defense is now saying they're dirty, too, and that they're playing in the same sandbox.
JOHNS: With the end of Young's testimony, his wife, Sherry, was called to the stand who talked almost regretfully about how many different jobs her husband did for the Edwards family, "things he was never able to do for my family," she said. "I allowed him to do that."
(on camera): The trial is expected to pick up next week where it left off with the wife of Andrew Young on the stand. No word yet on when Rielle Hunter, the mistress of John Edwards, is expected to testify.
Joe Johns, CNN, Greensboro, North Carolina.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: All right. Joe, thank you very much.
Celebrities and politicians together on to the red carpet. It is a glamorous night in Washington at the White House correspondents' dinner. There you see all the folks all gussied up, as they say, all dressed up.
And we're going to carry a big portion of it live for you. Lindsay Lohan, Kim Kardashian, George Clooney, they're all there, that is next. Don't go anywhere.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WOLF BLITZR, CNN ANCHOR: The president and the first lady --
LEMON: Oh, I thought we were going to hear from them.
All right. There's Brooke, there's Wolf and there's Brianna. They're all at the White House correspondents' dinner.
Look at Wolf, look at his dates. Wolf's angels, what a lucky guy. White House correspondents' dinner tonight, we're going to be covering it this hour. And also live coverage for you at 9:30 p.m. starting here in CNN, continuous coverage. We're going to show the president.
Right now we want to go out to that red carpet, they look wonderful and where we find Ted Johnson. He looks great too. He's a deputy editor for "Variety," the source for all things showbiz.
So, Ted, a lot of celebrities are all on the list, a lot. I just tweeted out that I'm seeing more celebrities here than the Oscars. So, we're saying it's like the Oscars. But you'd think it's, you know, more like Sundance, right?
TED JOHNSON, VARIETY: Well, like kind of has that feel. Tonight is like the Oscars, but all the events around it feel like Sundance, especially when you have the tech industry here. You have the fashion industry here. It's kind of this place where you want to see and be seen.
LEMON: See and be seen. Who have you seen and who have you been seen with so far?
JOHNSON: Well, the person that I was really surprised was here was Rick Santorum, and I chatted a little bit with him. He's here with his family and he said the reason he's here is because his kids wanted to come. He said he took them all over the country, and that was kind of the promise he made to them, is once this campaign was over, he would take them to some place where they would want to go and that happened to be this night.
LEMON: Hey, Ted, I've got to ask you. I notice because I cover it every year, for the past four years, I've been here live on CNN covering the White House correspondents' dinner. And I've noticed the trend over the years of more celebrities, more celebrities, more celebrities. The first time it happened, it's like, what in the world is going on? Why do celebrities flock to these events so much?
JOHNSON: Well, it's for a number of reasons. The first is what I mentioned. These celebrities have a tendency wherever the cameras go, you know, this is a media event. They have a tendency to show up.
But, you know, a different reason. A lot of them have been invited by media organizations. Woody Harrelson, you know, someone asked him, why are you here? And he said I was invited.
I talked with Rosario Dawson today and she was here because she's really promoting this Voto Latino project.
George Clooney, you know, is back in D.C. quite often. You know, he was arrested just a couple of months ago. He's promoting Darfur. The more he engages with people in the Washington community, it helps him, especially as he pursues his cause.
LEMON: Yes. JOHNSON: So, I think there's a variety of reasons. But really, you know, when it comes down to it, I think it is the fact that this is a media event.
LEMON: I'm wondering, though -- I don't know, I'm just asking, are there more celebrities because there's a Democrat in the White House and Hollywood is viewed as being more liberal and maybe that's why so many celebrities are showing up than have been showing up the last couple of years?
JOHNSON: Yes, I think this whole weekend has really taken on a new -- it's just like a whole new event. I mean, it almost gets lost that this is about a White House correspondent because you do have these other parties, these after parties that happen. And I definitely think it is the cache that Obama who is very highly supported by people in the entertainment community, the cache that he brings.
The first year that he was here and the first year that he attended a dinner, there was, you know, a dramatic uptick in the celebrity quotient that showed up, and the event did really take on this new color. It wasn't just about White House correspondents, it was about advertising, it was about promoting causes. It was about, you know, all these other parties that I mentioned.
So, I think we're going to continue to see that as long as Obama is in the White House.
LEMON: All right. OK. Thank you, Ted Johnson, deputy editor of "Variety." We appreciate it. We'll see you a little bit later on, thanks for helping us out.
We're going to continue our live coverage of the red carpet, the White House correspondents' dinner.
The first family is probably in there getting all dressed up and glammed up for tonight and the president is preparing his jokes. We're going to have it live here on CNN.
Don't go anywhere. More White House correspondent dinner coverage live.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: All right. Let's get straight to our meteorologist Jacqui Jeras.
Jacqui, we have tornado warnings in St. Louis?
JERAS: Yes. We're still tracking the storm. It's right over downtown as we speak. It's a radar-indicated tornado, but skies looking very ominous. This is from the earth cam network, showing us the St. Louis arch. It's so dark, it literally turned in the last five days from day to night looking like that.
There is a possible tornado. In addition to that we're getting reports in Overland, Missouri, of baseball and tennis ball-sized hail, tennis ball-sized hail. So a lot of damages and a lot of threats associated with this storm. It's moving through the downtown area right now.
The tornado warning in effect until 6:30 Central Time. So, that's just about 10 minutes left on this warning, but we think this is a very intense storm that will stay strong as it moves through the entire metro area and makes its way to Illinois.
So, we'll continue to track this storm. If we get any ground truth on that tornado, we'll break in right away -- Don.
LEMON: All right. Jacqui Jeras, thank you very much. Stay tuned. Jacqui is going to be on top of it. We'll also have our top stories coming up next.
And then imagine looking at a Web site full of missing children and seeing yourself. That's what happened to a Philadelphia man. His story is just ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Coming up on half past the hour now. We're going to take a look at your headlines.
One person is dead, 16 others have been injured by flying storm debris. They have been transported to area hospitals. Fans from a Cardinals game were at a sports bar in opportunity St. Louis when it happened. You can see the storm blew down the bar's outdoor tent.
Another round of dangerous weather is moving through the city right now. Stay with CNN for the very latest and be careful.
A man accused of killing his wife and teenaged daughter. Police say 14-year-old Peter Keller was holed up in an elaborate homemade bunker for two days. A SWAT used explosives to blow a hole in the roof of a hideout. They discovered him in a pool of blood, a gun nearby, an apparent suicide.
We now know the name of the Secret Service agents who allegedly trigger the scandal in Cartagena, Columbia. Sources tell CNN he is Arthur Huntington. Prior the president's arrival, Huntington allegedly got into a dispute with an escort, one of several he and other agents partied with at their hotel. Huntington is no longer with the Secret Service.
Fifteen more U.N. monitors are due to arrive in Syria this weekend. But a fragile ceasefire is unraveling more each day. A State Department spokeswoman says the peace plan is clearly failing. The opposition says at least 31 people were killed today across the country.
An assault on the governor's compound in Kandahar has killed two Afghan police officers. Soldiers were able to kill the para- militants. The Taliban is claiming responsibility for that attack.
I want to get you live to Washington now where the White House Correspondents' Dinner begins very, very soon. We've been watching the red carpet where with some of the least powerful journalists and some of the most powerful journalists. That was a little joke there.
This year's hosting honor goes to Jimmy Kimmel. We got coverage for you for the dinner beginning at 9:30 live right here on CNN. There's the red carpet in Washington. So stay tuned. You can help me out with some of those celebrities, because I'm not very good with the names, as you have found out if you've been watch me. (INAUDIBLE) good time. There are those two guys right there, you know, on the red carpet, whoever they are.
A browsing through a missing children's Web site suddenly realized he is supposedly been missing for years. And in that moment he realized he found himself 34 years after his biological father reported him missing. Susan Candiotti has the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Steve Carter says he has lived a happy life. Adopted when he was four, he had little reason to search for his biological parents.
STEVE CARTER: I didn't really care where else I came from.
CANDIOTTI: Yet he always had some nagging questions about his past.
When he was six months old, he was put in an orphanage in Hawaii but he never knew why. Then he saw a CNN story about a woman who discovered she was a missing child and started his own internet search.
CARTER: I brought up Hawaii male missing for 34 years and low and behold, a composite picture of (INAUDIBLE) pops up.
CANDIOTTI: Mark Panama Moriardi Barnes had been reported missing by his father in Hawaii after his mom left with their baby and never came back. The report included a sketch of what he might look like grown up.
CARTER: I think, my god, it really looks like me, and it really does. I mean it's pretty much the spitting image.
CANDIOTTI: He contacted authorities, took a DNA test and got a phone call.
CARTER: He said you are Mark Panama Moriardi Barnes.
CANDIOTTI: Now knowing that he is that missing child, he learned his biological father lives in California. They haven't yet met but spoke by phone.
CARTER: He was convinced that my mother had taken me and you know, taken me and raised me somewhere else. And I think one of his first questions to me was where's your mother? And I said that's a fantastic question, I have the same one for you. And I think he was a little bit dumbfounded by that response. CANDIOTTI: He hopes to meet him in person this year.
CARTER: I think a face-to-face meeting is definitely going to be very emotional.
CANDIOTTI: Carter still has not found his biological mom and still doesn't know how he wound up in an orphanage. One of many confusing aspects of his life. Ten names, three birth certificates and two birthdays. I do celebrate those birthdays and it's been a real nice plus for it.
ERNIE ALLEN: Just because it's been a week or a month or a year or 10 years or even 34 years, there's hope. There are more missing children out there who can be identified and can be brought home.
CARTER: People need to have hope, especially about missing people.
CANDIOTTI: Carter says he's always known who he is, and thanks to this sketch, now knows more about who he was.
Susan Candiotti, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: A member of the R&B group Boyz to Men shares his son's personal story of autism in an effort to help others. That's next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: The White House Correspondents' Dinner. See that guy, the guy in the tuxedo? Ha, ha, ha. The guy with the beard and his wife, Leslie Mahn right, David? "40-year-old Virgin," "Knocked Up," "Superbad." Anyway, see, I know all that stuff, just because I'm being fed to it by the camera people and the producers.
Anyway, White House Correspondents' Dinner going on the red carpet. Lots of celebrities, lots of celebrity this year. We're going to be covering it tonight for you and our rolling coverage starts at 9:30, you have to tune in. We got Darrell Hammond, because he performed, he hosted one year.
Look, inside the room, we're in the room, if you're at home, you are at the White House Correspondents' Dinner yourself. You are a celebrity. Your red carpet is in your living room. If you're at home right now, get up and walk the red carpet. Strut your stuff because we're going to take you there live.
I don't see anybody I recognize. Half the celebrities I know they're celebrities, but I don't know their names. Who's that? is that anybody? Do we know? There's that lady with the shiny purse and the black dress, you know, and the people coming down the escalator. All right. Let's move on now. We're going to have live coverage for you.
OK. You may know Shawn Stockman from the R&B group Boyz 2 Men. He is hoping his son's story about autism will help others. CNN education contributor Steve Perry has a special edition of "Perry's Principle" for you.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SHAWN STOCKMAN, SINGER: I don't think any parent expects their son or daughter to develop a condition that basically changes their life.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
STEVE PERRY, CNN EDUCATION CONTRIBUTOR (voice-over): You may know him from R&B group Boyz 2 Men, winner of four Grammys and selling more than 60 million records. Or you may have seen him offering advice to acapella groups on NBC's "The Sing Off". Shawn Stockman has never shied away from the camera, until something drastically changed his life.
Twin boys, Micah and Ty were born in 2003. Stockman and his wife, Sharhonda later found out that one of them was autistic.
STOCKMAN: We started to see a change in Micah after one year old. It was drastic, because Michael was the first one to talk. He was the first one to walk. Everything seemed to be very, very normal. Then just all of a sudden everything just started going like this.
SHARHONDA STOCKMAN, WIFE OF SHAWN STOCKMAN: After the speech therapist saw him for two days, she said, "I don't think that we're dealing with a language delay, I think it's something else." When he finally got the diagnosis, I felt like Micah was taken from me.
STOCKMAN: I did not know what to do. One thing a man hates when it comes down to his family is not knowing what to do.
SARA KAUFMAN, BEHAVIORAL BUILDING BLOCKS, INC: When Mika first came to us, he wasn't talking. So the first things we worked on were imitation and begin the process of communication.
Now we're really working on self-help skills that will help him to get through the day independently.
STOCKMAN: She works with a behavior therapist at home but we put him in a beautiful school called Lockhurst Elementary. They have a program for special needs kids.
SHARHONDA STOCKMAN: He has a therapist sit with him here at the school. He is Mika' support throughout the classroom, to make sure he stays on task.
STOCKMAN: Both Mika and Ty are in the school together. They're pretty much having the same friends and it's cool. They don't treat Mika any different. We try our best to make Ty feel just as special as Mika. Because of his brother's condition he has to go through certain things that a normal kid doesn't have to.
SHARHONDA STOCKMAN: (INAUDIBLE) I'm exhausted by 9:00. I have Mika who has autism which is a challenge in itself. He also has a typical brother who still needs my love and attention and then we also have a two-year-old. STOCKMAN: We have learned in the midst of our journey with Micah, honestly how fortunate we are to have money. There's no way a normal couple or a single mom could afford this. So Micah's voice, which is our non-profit organization that we just developed this year, our goal is to sponsor one to two families a year to actually cover those costs.
Very good. No one would ever think that something like autism could happen to their child. All you want for your sons is to grow up and develop a life of his own. And to know that he may or may not happen for my son, Micah, is extremely hurtful.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: One in 88 children is diagnosed with autism, but is the risk greater for twins? We asked senior medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen.
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Don, it really depends on what kind of twins you're talking about. If you're talking about identical twins, that means that the twins have the exact same genes. And in that case when one twin has autism, most of the time, the other twin is going to have autism too. However, when you're talking about fraternal twins, it's a different story, fraternal twins don't have the exact same genes, it's really just like any other siblings. They share some genes, but not all. And in that case, when one twin has autism, the other twin most likely does not have autism, and that of course is what we have seen with Ty and Micah. Don?
LEMON: All right. Thank you, Elizabeth.
Growing old gracefully is what we all hope to do.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's not necessarily the wrinkles on your face or the, you know, if your body's breaking down in some manner, it's how engaged you are in what you're doing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: All right. Well, just ahead the rock group Styx finds their magic by staying on the stage.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Do you know who that is? Now, even I recognize her. That's Martha Stewart at the White House Correspondents' Dinner tonight. Arriving with the red carpet. Lots of other celebrities, a bunch of them. We're going to have live coverage for you, complete coverage, 9:30 Eastern tonight. Look, oh, there you are, inside the room. A peek, just a peek. I wish I could see that. I can't see who that is. But you know, there are all the people in their tuxedos and their beautiful gowns. And they're all assembling. They're going to be glad handing and laughing, "Oh, Mr. President you are so funny, you look so nice." Whatever. Anyway, there you go, stay tuned. (MUSIC PLAYING)
LEMON: They rocked the 1970s and '80s like few bands did, but unlike so many classic rock acts who have faded away, Styx is still hitting the stage.
Our Kyra Phillips caught up with them and showed us how Styx learned to age against the machine.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): When Styx made this music video in 1981, the career clock was counting down, now nearly four decades and more than 2,000 shows later, time has been nothing but good to Styx, especially when so many '70s rock bands have become extinct.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The dinosaurs have come back.
PHILLIPS: James J.Y. Young, the godfather at 62. Tommy Shaw, an ageless 58. Ricky Philips a sultry 59, Todd Sucherman, they call him sweet baby at 42. Chuck Panozzo, all class at 63.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He wants to know if there's a restroom.
PHILLIPS: And Lawrence Gowan in a class of his own at 55.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How rock is that?
PHILLIPS: A band of boomers redefining what it means to grow older.
LAWRENCE GOWAN, STYX: It's not necessarily the wrinkles on your face, or the, you know, if your body is breaking down in some manner, it's how engaged you are in what you're doing. I'm very close to the 15- year-old that I was, you know, dreaming of doing this. That person is not someone way in the distant past, he's completely alive again when we hit the stage.
PHILLIPS: And they got here surviving hard living and hard times.
JAMES "JY" YOUNG, STYX: The thing that shaped me more as a human being was having a sister in her 20s when I was in my teens become a quadriplegic. And I learned so many lessons from the way my parents responded to that.
PHILIPS (on camera): What did you learn?
YOUNG: You have to take care of your own. Things can go wrong will go wrong in rock 'n roll just the way it is but I was able to just sit back and say, you know, and, I get to walk around doing these things that my sister can't do. So I don't complain.
PHILLIPS: Wow.
YOUNG: Enjoy each day. PHILLIPS: Chuck, you're such an inspiration to me and to so many people, living with AIDS, you battled prostate cancer. Why not retire?
CHUCK PANOZZO, STYX: This band means a lot to me, my brother was part of the band until he passed away. So there's a lot of emotional aspect to the band for me.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Is it music that keeps you living?
PANOZZO: Totally. This is as good as the best western medicine I have been taking for the last two years. And it just gave me the strength to go on and to be here today.
TODD SUCHERMAN, STYX: Being in the band with these guys, they're a great example, and great role models, because, you know, being that I'm younger than everyone if I was in a band that, you know, partied like crazy and threw television sets out the window, it could be very easy to go, "This looks like fun," and then all of a sudden you get caught up in that life where the music becomes secondary.
RICKY PHILLIPS, STYX: I will throw down a little bit of something from my own experience and you can get a lot more done when you stop all that. You're going to actually do more quality work. You might think that you're writing your best stuff when you're doing whatever, but that isn't the case at all.
TOMMY SHAW, STYX: I don't smoke anymore. I gave up the booze and all the party favors quite some time ago. Thank goodness.
PHILLIPS: Tell me about this healthy living. Where does this come from? Why do you live this way?
SHAW: We've discovered there's great ways to eat healthy.
PHILLIPS (voice-over): A discovery that stems from his garden.
SHAW: So here's our black fig tree.
PHILLIPS: Grew with his wife Jeanie -
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I send him on the road with Tommy all the time in a bag.
PHILLIPS: Now branching off to the road.
SHAW: The bus food has become -
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's a health food restaurant.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It is. It's little by little the Cokes have gone away and the Ruffles have gone away.
PHILLIPS: Be honest, guys, is his food tasty? UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's great.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He just says drink this. What's in it? 27 things. All right. Sure.
Being on a tour bus that's rolling down the high way at 100 miles an hour and he's with a Ginsu knife chopping it all up is quite impressive, really. And he's still got nine fingers. It's quite amazing.
PHILIPS (voice-over): Healthy food and humor, the elixir that keeps this band of renegades young at heart.
(on camera): How would you describe yourself now?
Grateful.
SHAW: I've got to go with grateful.
YOUNG: Joyful.
PANOZZO: Blessed.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thankful.
Because we're all digging what we're doing.
PHILLIPS: Grateful, joyous, blessed, thankful. Nobody said sexy.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We were hoping you might say that.
PHILLIPS (voice-over): They're seasoned veterans in a young man's game.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That is the fountain of youth for all of us to get up there and just celebrate the joy of the music. That's the key to our sort of longevity and good health.
PHILLIPS: Pushing back the boundaries of aging. Still nowhere near the final encore.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: Brings me back to high school, riding around in my jeep. Well, before that it was a VW bug. Styx. Pretty cool. You can catch Styx on their U.S. tour in the midwest. "Rock and roll Express" kicks off May 1st in Texas. And if you can't make that show head to styxworld.com to see when you can catch it. OK. Tonight it's al about the jokes, and one-liners. And most of them at the expense of politicians. A lot of it's going to be at the expense of the president.
One pretty consistent source of material, Vice president Joe Biden. Did you see this? Listen to his latest.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) JOE BIDEN, U.S. VICE PRESIDENT: I promise you the president has a big stick.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Wait until you hear what comedian Loni Love had to say about that one, poking fun at politicians and the president, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: OK. The White House correspondents dinner. First of all, people on Twitter know I'm not drunk, I'm not inebriated, I haven't had a drink. I'm not hating. I'm just having fun. It's the White House Correspondents dinner. Come on, lighten up a little bit. And if you're home as I said get up and walk your own red carpet. 9:30 we're going to take you there live, continuous coverage.
All right. So if you're inside this room that you were looking at - well, that's the red carpet. But let's go if you're in that room, let me tell you what's happening. "Oh, Tom, oh, my god, I love that story you did on - you're so awesome. Oh, thank you so much. You look so great. Look at your shoes. Where did you get them?" That's what's happening right now.
"Ha, ha, ha, I'm so glad we're here." That's what's going on. Is that Jon Stewart? Where? No? See, if you say there's something there and then - oh, someone says I'm going to be on Jon Stewart for doing that. No, I'm just telling the people at home what's happening. A lot of gladhanding. A lot of patting each other on the back, congratulatory things.
But it's all really for a good cause because it goes to charity and some aspiring journalists as well. And you know what? I've noticed over the last couple of years there have been more and more celebrities showing up. Red dress. To me I can't really see because of what we had before. That looked like Viola Davis. But more and more celebrities showing up over the past couple of years. I asked one of the folks from "Variety" why, and I said "Was it because there's a Democrat in the White House?" And they said "Maybe so, because Hollywood tends to lean left a little bit more. Than they lean right. Not that there aren't conservatives in Hollywood, but there are a lot of liberals." That kind of place.
So there's a red carpet. There's, you know, that lady in that dress right there with the bow on it and then the other one with the, you know, her back out. And some other stuff. I know Viola Davis. Everyone keeps saying in my ear Viola Davis. Where is she? Show me Viola Davis. If you keep saying where is Viola Davis. We're not on her anymore. OK. All right.
So we're going to move on now. It's definitely not a crowd you want to bomb in front of. Fortunately, many of our presidents know how to be the comedian in chief. And sometimes their first ladies bring down the house. Here's a look back.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm absolutely delighted to be here. As is Laura.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She's hot. Muy caliente.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: As you know, I always look forward to these dinners. It's just a bunch of media types. Hollywood liberals. Democrats like Joe Biden. How come I can't have dinner with the 36 percent of the people who like me?
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: All this change hasn't been easy. Change never is. So I've cut the tension by bringing a new friend to the White House. He's warm. He's cuddly, loyal, enthusiastic. You just have to keep him on a tight leash. Every once in a while he goes charging of in the wrong direction and gets himself into trouble. But enough about Joe Biden.
The state of Hawaii released my official long-form birth certificate. But just in case there are any lingering questions, tonight I'm prepared to go a step further. Tonight for the first time I am releasing my official birth video.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
OBAMA: I want to make clear to the Fox News table, that was a joke.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: All right. At tonight's dinner the president won't be the only one feeling the heat. Sometimes politicians give comedians all the material they need. Take, for example, Joe Biden.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BIDEN: Speak softly and carry a big stick. I promise you, the president has a big stick.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: You know comedian Loni Love had a thing or two to say about that one.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LONI LOVE, COMEDIAN: I love Joe Biden because Joe tells it like it is. We all know our president's black. He's got a big stick. What are we trying to pretend? Come on, Don. Come on now. Let's get real.
LEMON: You would go there.
LOVE: Hey. You shouldn't have had me on the show if you didn't know I wouldn't go there. Me and Joe should hang out. I would love to have a beer with Joe Biden.
LEMON: I know. And just let him rant and talk. Can you believe he said that? Anyway, he'd be a good wing man, I'm sure. LOVE: He would definitely be a good wing man. But you know, that's why we like Joe Biden, because he tells it like it is. Even if it's a little edgy. You know, that's - he's on point.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: Loni Love. All right. CNN's special coverage of the White House Correspondents' Dinner at 9:30. I'll see you back here then. Good night.
