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The Art of Chocolate; Texas D.A., Wife Found Dead in Home; New Pope, New Legacy; Senators Moving on Immigration; Faith and Same-Sex Marriage; North Korea Goes Quiet; Victoria's Secret Under Fire

Aired March 31, 2013 - 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: A community on edge. A district attorney and his wife murdered just two months after the assistant D.A. was killed. Are the two connected? We are live with that story.

An apparent kidnapping caught on tape. But no one is reported missing. Was there a crime even committed?

The new Pope delivers his first Easter mass and he, well, he shows once again that he is a pope of the people.

A CNN crew caught in the middle of a fire fight between U.S. forces and the Taliban. You won't want to miss this exclusive story.

I'm Don Lemon. You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

A horrific double murder has people on edge in Kaufman County, Texas. Here's what we know right now. Someone is murdering prosecutors there. No suspects. No real motive.

Long-time District Attorney Mike McClellan and his wife, Cynthia, were shot dead in their home. A source says investigators found shell casings from a semiautomatic rifle. Just two months ago McClellan vowed to put away the scum who murdered his assistant D.A., Mark Hasse, outside the county courthouse. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I hope that the people that did this are watching because we're very confident that we're going to find you, we're going to pull you out of whatever hole you're in and we're going to bring you back and let the people of Kaufman County prosecute you to the fullest e tent of the law. Anything that you people can do to accelerate our -- getting our hands on this scum, will be appreciated.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Well, right now the Kaufman County sheriff is not officially linking the three killings, but authorities are beefing up security for other county officials.

Ed Lavendera live for us now in Kaufman. Ed, you talked with the judge who believes McClellan and the Hasse killings may have a strong connection. What else did the judge tell you? ED LAVENDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, we talked to the judge extensively about just the -- the mood surrounding the courthouse and just what everyone around that courthouse has been going through in the last two months. And obviously how that has intensified here in the last 24 hours with the news that Mike McClellan and his wife were so brutally gunned down inside their home and discovered late -- late Saturday night.

So this is a situation that has a lot of people on edge. And many people very worried about what it means and what exactly is going on. Even though the sheriff is publicly saying that so far they're not able to connect the murders of Mike McClellan and Mark Hasse back in January, the assistant prosecutor who was killed brazenly, as he was walking to work one morning. But there are high-ranking officials here in Kaufman County who are having a hard time believing that these cases can't be -- they believe they have to be related somehow.

So this is a situation where given what is known at this point and there's very little known, that officials are believing that somehow these two cases have to be connected. The judge also went on to say that Mark Hasse and Mike McClellan worked very closely together. That -- that Hasse was the top prosecutor working underneath McClellan and those two men worked together very, very closely.

So a great deal of focus being paid to this. And it is interesting, because back in December of last year, the Texas Department of Public Safety, Don, put out a bulletin warning that -- that t had credible information, and this went out to a state -- a state-wide bulletin to law enforcement agencies, that the Aryan Brotherhood white supremacist group was planning attacks on people who had gone out after the gang leadership of that gang and had put out this state wide bulletin warning law enforcement agencies across the state about this credible threat.

So all of this is kind of percolating on there and has a lot of attention being paid to these gang members and the members of this gang and we presume at this point that that's where a great deal of the investigative focus is as well -- Don.

LEMON: Ed Lavendera -- Ed thank you very much. We'll check back with you later this hour. But for the latest on the Kaufman killings, we'll check in with Ed Lavendera.

Also moving on now a holy day ends in a heartbreak after a son shoots and kills his father just as an Easter Sunday service was ending. It happened this afternoon in the town of Ashtabula.

The police chief says the shooter waited for his father just outside the Hiawatha Church of God and Christ, spoke to him and then fired the fatal shot. The chief says the gunman then walked into the church causing a panic with many fearing he would continue firing.

This wreckage is from a 75-car pileup on a fog-choked strip of Virginia Interstate. It left at least three people dead. State police say fog rolling in from the mountains triggered a series of accidents on Interstate 77, six miles from the North Carolina border. What a mess there.

Tractor trailers were ripped apart some cars, now just burned out frames. 25 people were taken to the hospital for treatment. The investigation has closed all lanes, traffic being rerouted now.

And to the NCAA tournament: a key player for the top ranked Louisville, top ranked Louisville has suffered a serious injury, very disturbing and very graphic to watch. Kevin Ware, a guard from the team, badly injured his lower right leg during the Midwest regional final against Duke today. It's a big delay in the game. People were gasping as they saw it happening, covering their mouths. "USA Today" reports said Ware may have broken his leg.

We're going to dig much deeper into this story when I speak to our sports analyst, Terence Moore, just a little bit later on in this show. Wow.

The new Pope leading an Easter mass for some 250,000 people, who gathered in St. Peter's Square today. Pope Francis showing once again his determination to be a Pope for the people, holding babies and stopping to kiss a disabled child in the crowd. His message: "a plea for peace". He wants an end to violence in Syria, harmony between Israelis and Palestinians, and reconciliation on the Korean Peninsula.

Senior international correspondent Jim Bittermann has more on the new Pope's first Easter celebration.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JIM BITTERMANN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Barely two weeks into his reign, Pope Francis as he celebrated his first Easter mass is putting distance between himself and his predecessor. For one thing the new Pope probably would not like the term reign. He already has done several things to show he's against the nature of the Papacy. He's indicated, for example, that he prefers the title of Bishop of Rome -- simpler and less majestic than Pope or his holiness.

There are plenty of other signs of a different approach. The broad smile and the wave as if he's identifying with specific people in the crowds. And the very conscious effort shown once again on Easter Sunday to reach out and touch the faithful.

Pope Benedict XVI is still alive and watching from afar, but with each move, no matter how symbolic, Francis seemed happy to abandon the austere and distant approach of his predecessor. If differences have come up between the two popes, it's not been before the cameras. In addition to their face to face meeting, they had several phone conversations including one this week that the Vatican spokesman described as intense.

There are other stylistic differences that set Pope Francis apart from Benedict. The Iron Cross and the more common dress and there's already been one substantive change that has annoyed traditionalists; the way he included two women in a Holy Week ceremony representing the moment when Christ washed the feet of his 12 disciples -- all men. Was the new Pope hinting that he was intending to elevate the role of women in the church? It was something that raised hopes among Catholic women at the Easter mass even if some remain skeptical that he can or will be able to bring about major change.

EMILIE DAY: If he is going to make changes, that he needs to sort of move forward with the times and yes, embrace -- embrace today as it is and stop trying to, I don't know, implement old ideas.

BITTERMANN: Still, as much as many Catholics, especially in the developed world, would like to see a more modern church, Pope Francis follows a pontiff who did not. Disagreeing on philosophical issues may be one way the new Pope can prove he is different from his predecessor, but a more immediate and visible way will be how he handles the festering problems of managing the Vatican, how he'll address the personnel changes many feel are necessary to firmly and finally deal with the sex scandals involving the clergy and charges of financial misdeed.

(on camera): Vatican experts say the real test of the new Pope begins now, now that the ceremonies are over. A test of whether he really can change the ancient institution he now runs.

Jim Bittermann, CNN, Rome.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Jim, thank you very much.

And stay with us to learn what happened after the first Easter. CNN examines the early years of Christianity from the crucifixion of Jesus Christ to the Roman Emperor who first legalized Christianity some 300 years later. Hear about the infighting and the persecution in a two-hour special narrated by Liam Neeson, "After Jesus: The First Christians." Tonight at 8:00 Eastern right here on CNN.

Google taking some heat, heat for its doodle. Every big holiday and special occasion, Google chooses a theme for its home page, this is the one Google picked for Easter Sunday a portrait of the late labor organizer and Latino civil rights leader Cesar Chavez. Well it's his birthday today.

Folks on Twitter are not happy with the choice, angry with Google for taking a pass on the religious holiday. Check this out.

"Damn Google, damn Google. Its home page today is dedicated to Cesar Chavez's birthday. No Easter wishes from those atheists."

Search engine rival Bing opted for an image of Easter eggs.

There's a lot of strong feelings, a lot of shouting in the debate over same-sex marriage.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What do we want?

PEOPLE: Equality.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When do we want it?

PEOPLE: Now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: We're going to move beyond the noise and have a civil discussion on this emotional issue from the perspective of faith. My conversation with the dean of the Washington Cathedral and a Catholic priest -- next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Activists who wants immigration reform have something to smile about. A bipartisan group of senators called the Gang of Eight has reached a deal, at least according to one of its members. Lindsey Graham, Senator Lindsey Graham told CNN's "STATE OF THE UNION" today that he expects to have a draft bill by the end of this week.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM (R), SOUTH CAROLINA: I believe it will pass the House, because it secures our borders. It controls who gets a job. As to the 11 million, they'll have a pathway to citizenship, but it will be earned. It will be long. And it will be hard. And I think it is fair. And the main thing, the combination of events in this bill, will prevent a third wave of illegal immigration.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Florida Republican Senator Marco Rubio said today no deal has been reached but others call the differences just semantics.

Supreme Court justices and activism on both sides of the same-sex marriage debate are just the latest to have their say on the issue.

Lots of passion outside the court this past week often rooted in religious faith. So on this Easter Sunday let's take a minute to get beyond the noise and the shouting. I spoke with Father Edward Beck, a CNN contributor and host of "The Sunday Mass" and The Very Reverend Gary Hall, Dean of the Washington Cathedral.

I started by asking Father Beck if, as he says, the Catholic Church believes gays deserve the same rights as everyone else, why does the church exclude gays from marriage?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FATHER EDWARD BECK, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: In our society, really, marriage has become about civil marriage, has become about rights. And so sacramental marriage is something different. So say you're two Catholics and you get married civilly in the United States. Well, the Catholic Church doesn't recognize your heterosexual marriage, either, if you're two Catholics because you're not married in the church.

Like in Europe, people get married civilly -- everybody. And then if they want to have it blessed by a particular church or denomination, they do so. I think it's better to keep the two distinct. We conflate the two. So priests and ministers are also officials who legally marry people and sacramentally and confuses the issue.

THE VERY REV. GARY HALL, DEAN, WASHINGTON NATIONAL CATHEDRAL: Essentially what we have is the society deciding at various times in its history how it defines marriage. And that definition has changed.

You know, as you rightly point out, marriage was originally polygamous. Then marriage became leverett, where if a man died his brother would take over the wife and the children. So marriage and, even our teaching about heterosexual marriage has changed enormously within the church. I mean, I'm old enough to remember when women promised to love, honor and obey. I couldn't get --

LEMON: Obey. Right.

HALL: I couldn't get a bride to say obey right now if my life depended on it.

LEMON: Yes.

HALL: So, you know, the church's teaching about marriage follows what the culture does and then we rightly theologize about marriage and we have -- we have a religious vision of it. But I think we should remember that marriage is fundamentally a civic relationship.

LEMON: I don't remember anywhere in my Catholic teachings or my Baptist teaching or even studying at times with Jehovah's Witnesses that there was ever a point in the Bible that said marriage was between one man and some woman. That seems to be something, a construct of society that society, that man has actually said and not God and not Jesus.

Different interpretations of the Bible, you did mention the verse where it says a man should cleave to a woman. But there are many other things in the Bible that were said once and no one takes it as sacrosanct -- Father.

BECK: Well, again, I think from the church's perspective, it's not only scripture but we look at a long tradition of how things developed in the church.

LEMON: Yes.

BECK: So we believe that the Holy Spirit actually acts in the evolution and in the history of the church and the common understanding right now within the Catholic Church has linked marriage to procreation. And so that's not possible in same-sex relationships which is why the Catholic Church would teach --

LEMON: It's not possible -- with all due respect, it's not possible in every heterosexual relationship, either, and every heterosexual marriage. Not every woman is fertile. Not every man can be a father as well. And there are many marriages where there's not procreation, where there are no children that come about from marriage. So --

BECK: That's true. But Catholic teaching would be that it's not a choice, therefore. It's thrust upon that couple by circumstances of illness or age. In the Catholic tradition, you can't freely choose not to have children as part of the marriage if you're able to have children. That's why the Catholic Church is against birth control.

HALL: And I think it's one of the places where our traditions -- it's one of the places where our traditions really differ. In the Anglican tradition, procreation is one of several purposes for marriage. At the beginning of our service we say that it's intended for the couple's mutual joy, for the help and comfort they give to one another in prosperity and when it is God's will for the procreation of children.

So we put it number three and we realize that there are, as you say, heterosexual marriages that will never result in procreation.

BECK: Let me say, too --

(CROSSTALK)

LEMON: I have two friends now who just got married in their 50s. They're heterosexuals. I doubt that any kids will be coming from that marriage.

BECK: No, but again, my point is, it's not physically possible for them.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Thanks to both gentlemen.

North Korea now silent after numerous threats against the U.S. but one top lawmaker says we need to take them seriously. I'll explain, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: All is quiet on the Korean peninsula today after a week of video propaganda. So-called battle plans and threats against South Korea and the U.S. North Korea issued just one bizarre statement today telling the world that nuclear weapons were a national treasure and won't be traded, not even for billions of dollars. CNN's Jim Clancy is in Seoul, a city watching and waiting for North Korea's next move -- Jim.

JIM CLANCY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Reporter: it's far too early to really predict what this silence on Sunday amounted to. First of all because the North Korean regime is so unpredictable; but also because we can't see inside it to understand the decision-making processes. It's just that removed from the rest of the world. Now, of course, there's speculation that perhaps Kim Jong-Un, the North Korean leader, heard the messages being sent by Beijing, by Russia, and so many others to dial it all back, to try to tone down the rhetoric that was calling for war, a nuclear conflict on the peninsula, even rockets going to the mainland United States.

At the same time, some North Korean experts were warning that Kim Jong-Un was taking it too far. He was whipping up so much fervor for war inside North Korea that when he had to back down, he could lose face, or worse yet, he would have to make good on some of his threats. What is sure at this point is that in the coming days and hours, everyone from Washington, to Beijing, from Seoul to Moscow, are going to be waiting, watching, and listening carefully for what comes from Pyongyang. Back to you.

LEMON: All right. Jim, thank you very much.

The man behind all these threats, Kim Jong-Un, a young leader who since taking the reins from his father has further isolated the country from the rest of the world. One Senator describes the North Korean government as an organized crime family with a blood line of brutal leaders. Athena Jones has more on New York Congressman Peter King's comments.

ATHENA JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Don. As Jim said officials here are closely watching this situation and at least one member of Congress, Congressman Peter King, said he believed the North Korean leader's strong words aren't just an empty threat. He also echoed this concern that Kim Jong-Un could be putting himself in a difficult position with this fiery rhetoric. He's a member of the House Homeland Security Committee, and let's listen to what he had to say today on ABC.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. PETER KING (R), NEW YORK: It's not an empty threat. I wouldn't be that concerned about them hitting the mainland U.S. right now, even any U.S. territory. I think the real threat is to what North Korea might be boxing itself into.

Kim Jong-Un is trying to establish himself. He's trying to be the tough guy. He is 28, 29 years old, and he keeps going further and further out. And I don't know if he can get himself back in.

Might concern would be that may feel to save face, he has to launch some sort of attack on South Korea or some base in the Pacific.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JONES: And any attack on South Korea or a Pacific Base would, of course, be a dangerous escalation of things. In response to all of this rhetoric from North Korea, the Obama administration has increased U.S. military capacity on the West Coast and conducted training exercises with South Korea and, of course, as I said, the White House folks here are pays close attention to developments on the Korean peninsula -- Don. LEMON: Athena, thank you very much.

In Texas a district attorney and his wife murdered. This just two months after an assistant D.A. was killed in the same county; the FBI, U.S. marshals -- now hunting for the killer or killers.

Is there a connection between the two brutal crimes? I'm going to ask an FBI profiler for his insight next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Getting close to half past the hour so let's get you caught up on the headlines right now.

President Barack Obama heads to Colorado this week to promote that state's new gun control laws. He's hoping that momentum will boost his own push for new federal regulations.

This morning former astronaut Mark Kelly, the husband of former congresswoman and gunshot victim, Gabrielle Giffords, said it's time for Congress to reflect the will of the American people.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARK KELLY, RETIRED ASTRONAUT: In this country we have a very powerful gun lobby, and the leadership of the NRA has done a very good job over many, many years of controlling the debate on this issue. But one thing that is different now is the fact that we had 20 first graders murdered in a classroom along with six educators. I mean that's unacceptable, and the American people, you know, want something done on this.

You know, 92 percent of Americans support a universal background check. It's 74 percent of NRA members. I would hope at some point that the leadership of the NRA would just listen to their membership on this issue.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Republican Senator Lindsey Graham says it's not so simple. For starters, he tells our Candy Crowley, that we don't need additional background checks for gun buyers because the checks in place now are rarely enforced.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM (R), SOUTH CAROLINA: Before you'd expand the background check, there are 76,000 people last year failed a background check, and less than one percent got prosecuted. There are 9,000 people in 2010 failed a background check, who are felons on the run and none of them were prosecuted. Before you expand background checks to include private individuals, let's put some resources into the current system we have that's clearly broken.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Lindsey Graham.

A man is accused of driving a car into a Wal-Mart and attacking customers. Police in San Jose, California, says a driver used a blunt object to assault people inside the store. Four people were injured. One seriously. Driver now in custody. His motive, unclear. Police say drugs and alcohol may have been involved.

New York City police trying to find the victims of some kidnappers caught on surveillance video. Witnesses say they saw the masked men grab a man and a woman off the streets in the Washington Heights neighborhood on Friday. But so far no one has filed a missing persons report. Our affiliate WABC reports that two 10-year-old girls saw what happened, called 911.

A Texas prosecutor shot and killed in his own home almost exactly two months after his colleague was murdered outside the courthouse. No suspects, no motive. Kaufman County Defense Attorney Mike McClelland and his wife, Cynthia, were found dead in their home last night.

Two months ago, McClellan's assistant, Mark Hasse, was shot and killed in broad daylight outside the Kaufman County courthouse.

CNN's Ed Lavendera live now at the sheriffs department there. So, Ed, we're hearing that shell casings from a semiautomatic rifle were found inside the McClelland home. What else are you hearing now from police?

ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, they're hoping that those shell casings can at least provide some leads that they can begin tracking down. This is from a two 23-caliber high-powered rifle that was found inside the house. I'm told from a law enforcement source that it was several casings that were discovered inside the home.

So it's a little bit of what we've learned about what they're discovered at that crime scene. For the most part, investigators here are remaining very tight-lipped about what is going on. And they're not even confirming whether or not they believe these cases might be connected. The case of Mike McClelland, he and his wife gunned down yesterday, as well as Mark Hasse, an assistant prosecutor with the Kaufman County prosecutor's office who was killed back at the end of January. Almost exactly two months ago in a brazen attack as he was walking to the courthouse for work one morning.

So many people, high ranking people here in the Kaufman County area, believe these cases are connected. They're having a hard time believing that they can't be connected. So they're, you could tell, Don, by the law enforcement presence that was at the scene very quickly last night that that seems to be the way they're reacting to it. We've seen FBI agents, they're assisting in this investigation as well as Texas rangers and the state police as well as the local law enforcement agents who have been at that crime scene for a great long while.

So a great deal of attention surrounding, and authorities here say they're adding extra security to elected officials here in Kaufman County, but despite that, the courthouse will be open for business tomorrow morning except for the prosecutor's office. The prosecutor's office will be closed. Don?

LEMON: Hey, Ed, quickly, I have to ask you something. Before Mark Hasse was killed, he told a friend that he was afraid for his life. What are you hearing about protection again? Because you said tomorrow morning it's going to be open. More protection but are they beefing up protection outside the courthouse, outside of them going to work in any other way?

LAVANDERA: Well, we've heard from people that there's a great deal of uncertainty and many people feeling, you know, like the chill went up their spine as they've seen these attacks carried out. The law enforcement officials are not being specific about what kind of protection or to what lengths they are going to protect the elected officials, but they are also beefing up security presence at the courthouse and that will be, we're told, very visible tomorrow morning as well.

LEMON: All right. Ed Lavendera. Ed, thank you very much.

So the ads that you see there, see these ads? Some parents, they push them over the edge. They're protesting a lingerie line aimed at young girls from Victoria's Secret. Coming up, we'll hear from one parent who wants companies like Victoria's Secrets to stop turning daughters into sex objects.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Victoria's Secret under fire this week because of this. Sexy lingerie marketed to tweens and teenage girls. The line called Bright Young Things featured underwear printed with the phrases, call me, feeling lucky, and wild. The company says the line was meant for college-aged women, but many parents think it's gone too far. Online petitions have sprung up all over the internet and one dad wrote an open letter to the company asking Victoria's Secret to pull the line.

That dad is Evan Dolive. He is also a reverend and he joins us now from Houston. So, Mr. Dolive, Reverend Dolive, thank you so much for joining us.

REV. EVAN DOLIVE, PARENT: Thank you for having me.

LEMON: What's angered you so much about this particular collection?

DOLIVE: Well, I saw it as yet, again, Victoria's Secret's attempt to set up an unattainable standard of sexuality and beauty that is setting our girls up to fail, that this is something that they're not going to be able to ever attain. For me, it seemed like, again, the demographic was getting younger and younger. And this downward trend that we're seeing not only at Victoria's Secret, but at other retailers, to aim at younger demographic. And this over- sexualization that we're seeing was just problematic for me.

LEMON: OK. I want to read a portion of your letter here, OK? You write, "As a dad, this makes me sick. I want my daughter, and every girl, to be faced with tough decisions in her formative years of adolescence. Decisions like should I be a doctor or a lawyer? Should I take calculus as a junior or senior? Do I want to go to Texas A&M or University of Texas or some Ivy League school? There are many, many more questions that all young women should be asking themselves, not will a boy or a girl like me if I wear a "Call Me" thong?" OK. What's your inspiration behind this? And then I have another question for you. What's your inspiration behind this?

DOLIVE: Well, when I was, you know, reading other articles about this particular line that Victoria's Secret put out, I started thinking, what are some things that I'd want to tell my daughter, who's only three, about growing up? You know, about 10, 12, 15 years down the line? I wanted to let her know that I didn't want the hardest decision she had to make growing up be would someone like me or if I'm, you know, accept me because of the underwear that I 'm wearing? I mean, there are bigger things in this world to worry about, especially in adolescence, which we all know is difficult, than whether or not my undergarments define who I am. I just want to let her know that is not the case, that underwear will not define who you are.

LEMON: OK. So my question to you is - I'm not a parent, I'll tell you that, but I was a teenager. And if my parents didn't want me looking at those catalogs, then I wouldn't have access to them. So do you understand my point?

DOLIVE: Yes. Sure I do. And I think it's a both/and, though. I think we also have to look at how Victoria's Secret is marketing. I mean when a 13, 14, 15-year-old girl goes to the mall and sees an eight-foot poster of a model in bra and panties, that's the standard that they're saying is acceptable. And as a trend younger and younger, we're in this overt sexualization, we're seeing that these girls can't attain the standard and setting them up to fail. So it is on the parents on part. It was also on Victoria's Secret not to -

LEMON: Peer pressure as well.

DOLIVE: Sure. Yes. I've received e-mails from parent's all over the country saying that, you know, one parent in particular said that her daughter came home and wanted a particular kind of underwear because, you know, a group of girls had it and the only reason she knew it is because they were changing for gym.

LEMON: Right.

DOLIVE: I mean, it's peer pressure in the culture that we live in.

LEMON: OK. Thank you. Thank you so much. Very interesting that you wrote that letter.

DOLIVE: Thank you.

LEMON: We do have to say that, you know, since you wrote your letter, Victoria's Secret has pulled the line from stores and their website. So thank you very much, Evan Dolive. Reverend Evan Dolive.

Coming up, a CNN crew caught in a fire fight between the U.S. and the Taliban.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Many of you now are probably sitting down to Easter dinner. Don't forget about some Americans who don't have that luxury.

As the war in Afghanistan wages on, one CNN crew got a rare up close and personal interaction with a group of dangerous, dangerous special forces and their combat with the Taliban. In this exclusive report, our Anna Coren gives us a glimpse into their deadly world.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANNA COREN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): As rounds of gunfire ring out in the distance, U.S. special forces run straight into the thick of it. They're the military's elite, and this is what they're trained to do.

They just don't fight back, they hunt down the enemy.

We come under heavy machine gun fire less than 400 meters away. An incoming round flies close overhead. We take cover behind a mud brick wall.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Keep going.

COREN: With the attack coming from three different directions, special forces spread out across open farmland.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Right on back side. Right on the back side.

COREN: Their only cover in this fertile valley, low-lying ditches and sparse undergrowth.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All right. This is what we're going to do. We're going to continue up this [bleep] riverbed until we get to the left side. We want it (INAUDIBLE) with us, OK? Straight there. Let's roll.

COREN: For a brief moment, they pause. A special forces operator targets the enemy firing position with a 40 millimeter grenade launcher. But the fire fight rages on.

(on camera): We got intelligence that there was an IED in this area with a number of associates. We've come into these open fields. Soldiers are taking fire. We don't know where the enemy is, but we do know there's a Taliban strong hold about a kilometer from here at the base of these mountains.

(voice-over): With enemy fire getting closer, special forces are exposed as they move along the banks of the river. A soldier reloads, preparing for another assault.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Move in.

COREN: We run towards the compound where insurgents staged one of their attacks.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're pushing down this way, all right? Let's go.

COREN: They quickly secure the area, not knowing what's behind these walls.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Somebody looking back that way?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Nope.

COREN: Movement inside has everyone on high alert.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Somebody's just run across the door.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And back again.

COREN: Soldiers locate the enemy firing point. With spent cartridge cases littering the ground.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They're Taliban which we're getting reports that they probably are, then they may not necessarily live in these areas. Which means that when they go into other people's compounds that they may get intel relayed back to us, so that's what we're hoping on.

COREN: Apache helicopter gunships circle the valley searching for the enemy who've made their escape, but they already vanished, blending back into the community and the landscape.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You know, I admire their resiliency and their conviction for sure. There's a degree of mutual respect, but you know, but that doesn't mean we want to kill them any less.

COREN: While America's war may be finishing up soon, these brave soldiers know it's yet to be won.

Anna Coren, CNN, Nadrab, eastern Afghanistan.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: The final four is now set, but that's not what everyone is talking about right now. A Louisville player suffers a disturbing and gruesome injury. We'll tell you more about it, next.

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LEMON: All right. We are down with the final four, and the battle for the NCAA basketball championship. Let's talk about it now Terrence Moore, CNN.com's sports contributor and a columnist at nlb.com. So Terrence, Syracuse, Wichita State, Michigan just a few minutes ago, Louisville punched their ticket to Atlanta, so a great day for those schools, but we got to talk about something a little bit more. We were all sitting around watching in the newsroom, people gasping.

TERRENCE MOORE, CNN.COM SPORTS CONTRIBUTOR: Wow.

LEMON: A guard for - Kevin Weir, a guard for Louisville, he suffered a horrific injury today. Apparently broke his leg in two pieces, two places, and people - the team members were crying on both sides, both teams, have you ever seen anything like this?

MOORE: Well, I tell you something. Yes, I have, and this brings back bad memories. I was there in November 1985 when Joe Theismann broke his leg with the famous Lawrence Taylor thing. Just like this injury here when I was at RFK sitting back then, you could actually hear the break, with all the crowd noise and that sort of thing. I can't watch this stuff anymore.

LEMON: Well, they said and we're not showing it, because it's so gruesome. They said you could hear the break as well.

MOORE: Yes.

LEMON: And I mean, again, it was so disturbing. People were crying. I was sitting there, we're watching and the guy sitting next to me, my senior producer said, "What just happened in this game? Why are people gasping? Why are they holding?" And then we realized what had happened here.

MOORE: Well, I'll tell you one thing, Don, there's a positive part of this. They say as the kid was laying down on the ground there with that bone about six inches out - I even hate to say that - they said that he told his team go out there and win it. Just like win one for the gipper. This is a great story. You know where this kid's from< Kevin Weir. He's from Atlanta, OK? Where's the final four next week? Here in Atlanta. So they could win one for this young man here, and maybe ease some of his pain.

LEMON: Oh, my goodness. We were worried. They were calling for his family and calling for his girlfriend to come down to the court before taking him up. We didn't know what had happened. I didn't know what happened.

MOORE: Well, no one did. In these situations, you have to kind of play it cautiously. And the thing that's interesting is, when you're a team like Louisville, you can go one way or the another. You can either just fall apart. In this case they spurted into the second half like crazy, which is why they're going to win the national championship next week here in Atlanta.

LEMON: So Louisville, you think, will take on Wichita State, Michigan, Syracuse. And so you think they're going -

MOORE: It will be Syracuse-Louisville in the final. Louisville will win one for the Kevin. LEMON: All right. Let's hope so. Man, that was disturbing.

MOORE: It really was.

LEMON: Our hearts go out. We hope you're OK. We hope everything is OK with that. We wish him luck. Godspeed, as we say.

MOORE: Yes.

LEMON: Let's move on now and talk about the Miami Dolphins. Look at this logo.

MOORE: I mean, this is ridiculous.

LEMON: Why? You don't like it? I like it.

MOORE: They changed their logo. Can we see the logo?

Yes, this is just dinner.

LEMON: They're working on it. Anyway, it's a dolphin and it's going like -

MOORE: (INAUDIBLE).

LEMON: He looks like a bionic dolphin.

MOORE: Exactly.

Well, here's whenever a team does this, it's a sign of desperation. When you'll drastically change your logo like this right here or your uniform. That's a sign that you've got issues. Green Bay Packers, the Dallas Cowboys, how many times have they changed their logo?

LEMON: I don't think they've changed it.

MOORE: Exactly. And that's why combined they have won six Super Bowls. The last time Miami's won one and that was the early '70s.

LEMON: The first looks safer, because it's actually wearing a helmet.

MOORE: That's exactly right, especially with the safety- conscious NFL --

LEMON: There you go.

MOORE: That's a good thing.

LEMON: I like the new one, though. Lighten up a bit. They'll be all right. Thank you, Terrence. Appreciate it.

A graffiti artist often risks prosecution while creating what some see as an uneasy mix of art and politics. Add to that a government that doesn't allow criticism of itself and the stakes aren't much higher.

Next, what is it like to be a graffiti artist on the streets of Iran?

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LEMON: One man's graffiti is another man's street art. And if you're doing it in Iran, you better work fast. Two Iranian brothers who have been taking great risks to color their world for the past several years, well, they're bringing their unique artwork right here to the U.S..

Azadeh Ansari is here from our international desk. Tell us about these guy.

AZADEH ANSARI, CNN INTERNATIONAL DESK EDITOR: Well, Don, when you see the artwork, it's hard to believe that these two brothers (INAUDIBLE) are in their 20s, and they're self-taught on top of that. So they're stencil artists. And like you said, they have to be fast, they have to be quick and creative in order to be able to bring these creations to life.

And one of the things that they do here in order to make this happen on the streets of Iran is that they cut out stencils, and then they take those stencils, you see those white paper there, and then they superimpose that on a sheet of paper, use spray paint, paint over it and then they take that design and then they fix it on the wall. So that's how they do it. They also have designs where they spray on the wall itself, but part of the reason is that because certainly forms of artistic expression are limited in Iran, they've had to come up with this way to get their vision out to the people.

It's a really need concept.

LEMON: It is. What are the risks, though?

ANSARI: Well there's plenty of risks.

In 2012 they were actually detained for their work, but since then, in an interview that I had with them, they said, "You know, it's what you have to do" is that they never thought that their street art would come to America, they would come to America and be able to practice their street art, but one of the brothers I see right now is - and he's the older brother - has not been granted asylum, more or less, but the older brother has been, and they're touring all across the U.S..

LEMON: So where can we see it? Just all across the U.S.

ANSARI: Well, they have been touring across the U.S. with a group called The Yellow Dogs, but yes, you can see their artwork in galleries online, Facebook is huge. They have over 10,000 likes on their Facebook page.

LEMON: Really cool.

ANSARI: They've gained a lot of attention. Very talented.

LEMON: Thank you, thank you. Very cool. You can see Azadeh's full story on cnn.com.

ANSARI: That's right.

LEMON: Azadeh Ansari and thank you so much for watching. I'm Don Lemon. See you back here at 10:00 p.m. Eastern, "After Jesus, The First Christians" begins right now.