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President Obama Visits Moore, Oklahoma; Two Dead In San Antonio Floodwaters; 18-Year-Old Accused of Sexual Harassment; Saving Oklahoma's Injured Horses; Little Support for Gas Tax; Economy Hitting Summer Travel; TV Show Exposes Sexual Harassment; Guarding the Tomb of the Unknowns

Aired May 26, 2013 - 17:00   ET

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

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Hello again. Welcome back to the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. A look at our top stories right now we are following this hour.

President Barack Obama toured the damaged area from the EF-5 tornado today. He has told people in Moore, Oklahoma that nation has their back. We hear from people who say that seems to be the new motto in Moore.

British police say they have made more arrests in the killing of a British soldier. Three suspects were arrested yesterday and another today in connection with the murder of Lee Rigby on a London street. We will go live to London for the latest on that investigation.

And a wedding for the record books. It had 25,000 guests. Huge! A ceremony that lasted into the next day. We will tell you why the event was so significant to so many people.

We begin in Moore, Oklahoma where today President Obama toured the damage from that EF-5 tornado. He spoke at Plaza Towers elementary school which took a direct hit. The president also toured some neighborhoods that decimated by the twitter. His message to residents -- we have got your back.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We know Moore is going to come back stronger from this tragedy. Your mayor said that you are already printing new street signs. And I want folks affected throughout Oklahoma to know that we are going to be with you every step of the way.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: George Howell now joins us live from Moore.

So George, are you hearing some very inspiring stories from people of all walks there. And what are they saying about the fact the president did take time to tour the neighborhoods, to tour this school, get up close and personal with people? GEORGE HOWELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Fredricka, I think you know, people are definitely talking about the fact that the president was in town. The simple fact that the motorcade came through. Keep in mind, you know, usually, when the president comes to your town it could cause traffic back-ups. People -- one person said, he was happy that the president came a few days later just because those first few days, when we hear that, first day traffic was terrible. People trying to get back into the neighborhoods, trying to get back to their homes. They are happy though to see the president here now to see this damage, to go to that school and talk to first responders.

You also get a sense here that people are listening very closely to the president. He is saying that, you know, of course federal dollars will continue to flow. There is some concern though, Fredricka, months down the road, a year down the road, will than money still be available for people. But we are hearing from officials that will be the case. The president saying that, you know, the full force of his administration will be here to, as he said, he has got people's back.

And you know, we are talking to people here on the ground about how they are dealing with it. You find so much help in this community. Listen to one man's situation and how he's getting help from all around.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CALEB ALLISON, HOUSE DESTROYED: My home was hit by the tornado and it's pretty much destroyed. It is going to be pretty much ripped down to the studs and just completely destroyed all the contents on the inside.

HOWELL: You're a schoolteacher here. Yes?

ALLISON: Yes. I teach Spanish at West Moore high school.

HOWELL: And that kind of explains the crowd here. Can you tell us about these people?

ALLISON: Yes, this crowd is actually schoolteachers and support personnel. Students from West Moore high school, from Heritage Trails elementary where my wife teaches.

HOWELL: Morgan, talk to me about what you guys have been doing all day.

MORGAN DELONG, HELPING WITH CLEANUP: Well, we have been out here helping Mr. Allison with his house, picking up debris, like moving things just helping wherever we can.

HOWELL: So, how many people at it? At least 20 at one point?

DELONG: Yes, at least 20. I don't know an exact number but at least 20.

HOWELL: And what do you think? Is this what it is going to take to help people start over? DELONG: Yes. I think this is what it takes and more is the place where community will come out and help. Everyone here is just eager to get out and help. It is not even a question of should I go volunteer. It's I'm going to go volunteer. And a lot of us, like our houses weren't hit so it is our turn to return the blessing and go help others that were affected by this.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOWELL: And that is really the flip side of the coin out here. On one hand this terrible tragedy but at the other side of the coin, so many people coming together to help their neighbors to rebuild.

WHITFIELD: All right, George Howell, thanks so much in Moore, Oklahoma.

All right, we are going to head now to that deadly flooding in San Antonio, Texas. This is what the area looked like yesterday after nearly ten inches of rain. Two women died after being swept away by the floodwaters. Rescue crews are now searching for a 17-year-old boy.

And the floodwaters are receding in most areas. So far the weather is much better today with cloudy skies in San Antonio but there remain chances of a thunderstorm.

A search is on today for suspects in the killing of a Kentucky police officer. His body was found yesterday at an exit ramp of the blue grass parkway. Authorities said he had been shot. 33-year-old Bardstown officer Jason Ellis (ph) has been heading home driving a police cruiser. Police say there is no communication with Ellis in the moments before he was killed. So far police have no suspects. Bardstown police chief had strong words for whoever is responsible.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RICK MCCUBBIN, POLICE CHIEF, BARDSTOWN POLICE DEPARTMENT: I can assure you, we won't give up on this person until we have him either in custody or in the front sight of one of our weapons. I personally hope the latter is the choice.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Officer Ellis had been with the department for just seven years. He leaves behind a wife and two sons.

Family of a murdered British soldier made an emotional spot to where he was killed. Lee Rigby was hacked to death on a London street near a military barracks last week. The family added their own tribute to the thousands of flowers and other memorials left by people who visited this site since it was reopened to the public.

Let's bring in Atika Shubert is in London for the latest on the investigation.

So, what more can you tell us about these new arrests made? ATIKA SHUBERT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. There are now six arrests in total. Of course, those two main suspects that were shot and apprehended on Wednesday. But, further, four arrests over the weekend. Now, we don't know how they are all connected. We do know they are all young men between the ages of 21 and 28. Take a listen to what the London metropolitan police had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STUART OSBORNE, SENIOR BRITISH COUNTER TERRORISM COORDINATOR: The metropolitan police counterterrorism command supported by the special counterterrorism offices and the secure service continue to work tirelessly and painstakingly to uncover the full circumstances relating to this attack.

We are pursuing a significant amount of CCTV, social media, forensic and intelligence opportunities and have active lines of inquiry. The two men arrested at the scene of the attack remain in hospital and will be formally interviewed when it is possible to do so.

Three further men were arrested yesterday. They remain in had custody at this time.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SHUBERT: Now, we may get a lot more information once those two main suspects are finally able to be interviewed. But at the moment, I believe they remain in serious condition at the hospital, at two separate hospitals under police custody.

WHITFIELD: So Atika, there are arrest. But, what are the charges exactly?

SHUBERT: Well, it appears that they have all been arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to commit murder. But again, we don't know fully how they are all connected. Are they friend? Are they acquaintances? Are they family members? We just don't know at this point.

WHITFIELD: All right, Atika Shubert, thanks so much joining us from London.

All right, back in this country, central Arkansas has been rattled by three dozen earthquakes over the past week. Scientists are trying to figure out what's causing them. They could be caused by a fault in the area, but it is also possible that they are triggered by natural gas exploration nearby that is using hydraulic fracturing known as fracking. Similar quakes near Guy, Arkansas ended two years ago after new injection wells were banned in that area.

And we are learning more now about the controversy involving the justice department's seizure of journalists' phone records. Our crime and justice correspondent Joe Johns has details on that.

JOE JOHNS, CNN CRIME AND JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Fred, new details are surfacing that the parent company of FOX News was aware years ago that the justice department was targeting one of its reporters in a leak investigation. Something FOX News is acknowledging only now.

This comes after a law enforcement source told CNN that the justice department notified a media organization almost three years ago of a subpoena for detailed telephone records and a second source told CNN that organization was FOX News.

After news of the subpoena broke Saturday, a FOX News executive told CNN the outlet's parent company, news corporation, was notified at a subpoena by the justice department in may, 2010. But FOX News apparently never got the word. FOX and other news organization has been highly critical of the justice department's aggressive pursuit of leak investigations involving reports.

But FOX has said nothing about the 2010 subpoena. That subpoena was part of an investigation of Stephen Kim, a former state department worker accused of unauthorized disclosure of sensitive information to FOX correspondent James Rosen. One law enforcement source told CNN in the investigation that led to the indictment of Stephen Kim, the government issued subpoenas for toll records for five phone numbers associated with the media. Consistent with department of justice policies and procedures, the government provided notification of those subpoenas nearly three years ago certified mail, facsimile and e-mail.

Up until now, the focus of this controversy has been on a separate search warrant for the personal e-mails of James Rosen, something FOX News indicated it learned of just recently. And while FOX News has now acknowledging that the justice department notified its parent company about the phone record search, that notice apparently did not include anything about the separate search of Rosen's e-mail -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: Thanks so much, Joe Johns.

All right, they are disabled veterans but answering the call of duty again, this time in Oklahoma's tornado alley.

And a Florida teen accused of having a relationship with a 14-year-old girl has turn down a plea deal. We will have our legal analyst weigh in on that.

And going undercover in Egypt to uncover sexual harassment against women.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: This is an especially tough memorial day weekend for some in tornado-torn Oklahoma. Veterans make up 11 percent of the state's population with more than 340,000 vets in Oklahoma. And many have been impacted by this storm.

Danny Oliver is a marine who served in the Vietnam war and now works with the disabled American veterans in Oklahoma.

Mr. Oliver, good to see you.

DANNY OLIVER, DISABLED AMERICAN VETERANS, OKLAHOMA STATE ADJUTANT: Hello. Good to see you. WHITFIELD: So, we know about 27,000 vets live in that county and about 1,600 live in or near the tornado's path. So, what is your organization doing to help locate them, reach out, assist?

OLIVER: Well, what we are doing for them, Fredricka, is we are providing service officers here on the ground and we are providing relief, financial relief, to those veterans affected. We are applying for several different types of grants here in Oklahoma. And in order to reach the vets, we have mobilized two types of ground crews. We have a ground crew that is driving their pick-up trucks and SUVs through the area and we have our foot brigade, our foot soldiers who are out there literally going from former home to former home seeking out to find the veterans to inform them that we are here to provide assistance to them.

WHITFIELD: You know, and I wonder --

OLIVER: At the same time we are providing water, Gatorade, rakes, buckets, trash bags and stuff as we fine the veterans and also providing that throughout the community.

WHITFIELD: And I imagine you have a different level of assistance that's going out to some of your Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans who have already been having a difficult time in many instances kind of get their footing being back home in Oklahoma. And then something like this happens. What kind of special assistance are you extending to them once you locate them?

OLIVER: Well, once we are actually -- we have got veterans, you know, veterans can -- we have our special language. We can communicate. A veteran can always communicate to another veteran. And so, our foot soldier when they are out there finding the veterans if we need to sit down and just, you know, let it all out with each other, we do.

We also have our department chaplain on site he has provided just numerous counseling sessions. We had a very good turnout this morning. He held a special service this morning and will be holding another one tomorrow and it was a great time for the veterans to let it go.

WHITFIELD: Hey, is there a reason behind why there is such a heavy concentration of vets right there in that part of Oklahoma?

OLIVER: We are pretty close to Tinker Air Force base. Oklahoma city has also been rated nationwide as one of the top ten cities for retirees and veterans to live in here in the state of Oklahoma, our service connected veterans are exempt from (INAUDIBLE) taxes or 100 percent service connected. So, it is just a great place to not only be an Oklahoman and an American, but a veteran as well.

WHITFIELD: You are doing some great work. And I know it is greatly appreciated by so many.

Danny Oliver of the disabled American veterans, thanks so much for joining us from Moore and all the best.

OLIVER: And thank you for helping us get the word out.

WHITFIELD: Absolutely. All right. Take care.

All right, that Oklahoma tornado, well, didn't just claim the lives of people. Hundreds of horses were killed and injured in that storm. We will take a look at how horse owners are coping with their losses and what veterinarians are doing to help save those that did survive.

And a Florida teen is rejecting a deal that would require her to plead guilty to child abuse. We will talk to a legal expert about that case coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: A Florida teen has rejected a plea deal in a controversial case. 18-year-old Kaitlyn Hunt is charged with having sex with her 14-year-old girlfriend. The deal would have required Hunt to plead guilty to child abuse. Her family says their relationship was consensual but the parents of the alleged victim say they went to authorities because their daughter was damaged psychologically by engaging in sex at such a young age.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JULIA GRAVES, KAITLYN HUNT'S ATTORNEY: He we have never, ever requested that the charges be completely dropped. We have suggested since the day of her arrest that we are willing to enter a plea to a misdemeanor charge with appropriate punishment that will allow everyone to move on and not dwell on this for their entire lives.

JIM SMITH, ALLEGED VICTIM'S FATHER: We had no alternative but to turn to the law.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Former prosecutor Wendy Murphy joins me now from Newton, Massachusetts.

Good to see you, Wendy.

So, since Kaitlyn Hunt rejected the plea deal, now what?

WENDY MURPHY, FORMER PROSECUTOR: Well, I think the short answer is she will always have another chance to accept the plea deal and the plea deal itself could change before trial. But if she says forget about it, I don't want to plead to what the prosecutor wants and the prosecutor says forget it, we are not giving that you deep discount that your mom is talking about, then there will have to be a trial.

And I think at that point, the defense really has no choice but to try to argue to what's called the nullification defense because, you know, the 18-year-old has admitted doing the crime. So there's no real defense here. They may well take this case in front of a jury an say don't find her guilty, it is not that she didn't do it, it is that she is being targeted unfairly because she is a lesbian and send a message to this prosecutor that these charges are unfair. That could be the strategy.

WHITFIELD: But, would that work being targeted unfairly when it is an issue of age, whether it be same sex or heterosexual? In fact, what is the age of consent in Florida that we are talking about here?

MURPHY: Well, generally in almost every state in this country the real age of consent is 16. However, Florida, like a bunch of states, has also what's call a Romeo and Juliet provision that provides that you can sort of have certain kinds of sexual activity within an age range. In other words, if you are at least 14 and your partner is not older than 17, then you're not going to get in criminal trouble. You may get in trouble with your parents but you're not going to get prosecuted.

And you know, there is something to be said for some of the arbitrariness of this so-called statutory age cutoffs. Because some 14 year-olds are mature and some 18-year-olds are not. And there are occasions when true consent happens between teenagers. But, arbitrary age cutoffs are design to protect all children as a class, and that is the point.

So, you have to perceive with these cases even when they may well be in love and the 14-year-old may well have technically consented because as a matter of law it doesn't matter that she consented. She can't, she is 14. Her brain isn't even yet done developing. She is not old enough to make sexual decisions about her body and relationship with anybody, much less a much older, in this case four years older, 18-year-old.

WHITFIELD: Eighteen and a 14-year-old. So, is this considered unusual this kind of case or is it unusual in this case because we are talking about two young ladies?

MURPHY: Well, if you are saying is it unusual to see a prosecution of an 18-year-old for example male for having sex with his 14-year-old girlfriend, the answer is it's not unusual because in most states that's considered too great a gap. Even if they are madly in love, it is too much. Eighteen is a lot more mature than 14.

You know, it is, I suppose, popular as a defense in this case to say, they are picking on her because she's gay. I don't think so. I mean, and I don't think that the prosecutor here has a record of only going after lesbians with this age gap. If that were true, then there might and defense there.

But, no. On average prosecutors who see that four-year age gap because 14 is so much less mature than 18 when it comes to sex, you will see prosecutors take on those cases. They don't go to jail and they don't get the kind of punishment adults get but you do see prosecutions.

WHITFIELD: All right, Wendy Murphy, thanks so much in Newtown, Massachusetts. Appreciate it.

Wait, no, we are not done with you. I'm going to actually talk to you, I'm sorry, about the George Zimmerman case because that's right around the corner as well. And you know, while it is hard to believe we are going to see that case that's going to end up in court in June just a couple of weeks away, now we are talking about evidence by the defense attorneys. At least evidence they want to present to this court and this will in so many different ways change, I guess, the character or what is believed to be the character of the victim, Trayvon Martin. Will first it be determined if the pictures are even admissible?

MURPHY: Yes. So, let's talk about the evidence that you are referring to. It is going to be a very important issue in this case. The defense has only recently uncovered that Trayvon Martin had texts and photos that were located on his phone showing guns, talking about guns, and drugs. And the defense is saying, hey, the jury should hear all of that stuff because there's been an unfair portrayal of Trayvon Martin in the public since the beginning of this case that he's just an innocent kid who knows nothing about guns and had candy in his pocket. And that this monster George Zimmerman was the real aggressor bad guy.

You know, the defense wants the jury to be fair to George Zimmerman and fairness to the defense means not letting them presume falsely that Trayvon Martin wasn't aggressive and wasn't interested in gun violence.

Remember, one of the defense arguments here that this is a self- defense case. George Zimmerman is saying I thought he went for a gun at the time I shot him. He reached his handover and I thought he was about to pull a gun on me, that's why I shot him in self-defense, I was in fear for my life. I think, you know, the defense is going to have a strong argument that the jury should hear that Trayvon Martin was talking about, in close time by the way to the incident, was talking about guns and was talking about aggression and violence and talking about getting in trouble at school and so forth.

So, the judge has to decide though, whether it is more probative, in other words will it help elucidate the truth about that self-defense claim or would it be kind of unfair and gratuitously harmful, disrespectful even to Trayvon Martin.

WHITFIELD: And that decision will have to be made before they actually go to court. But, that would have to be kind after pre-trial motion to admit that evidence well before any kind of jury selection. Right?

MURPHY: That's exactly right. It is the so-called prior bad acts rule. The judge balances the prejudicial versus the probative value based on the arguments of counsel. And we are going to find that out, perhaps as early as this week if the judge lets that evidence in. Boy, think that will change the flavor of this case.

WHITFIELD: All right, Wendy Murphy, thanks so much.

So action on that case as early as this week just a couple weeks before the trial is scheduled to begin.

Thanks so much for sticking around. And not leaving when I said good- bye prematurely. I'm glad you are still there. Thanks so much, Wendy.

All right. Back to Oklahoma in a moment where many horse owners lost their beloved animals during that tornado. We will take a look at how they are coping with their losses now.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Moore, Oklahoma has lost so much. Twenty-four people, thousands of homes, entire schools. Well, here's one more measure of the devastation. Moore sits in horse country and many breeders, trainers and others who love these majestic animals are grieving over their losses.

Here now is Gary Tuchman.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GARY TUCHMAN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Painful lacerations cover Duke's body as he gets treated by a veterinarian at a horse hospital only a couple of miles away from where the tornado came through. Hundreds of horses were killed and hundreds of others injured in the Moore, Oklahoma, twister according to the doctors and staff at this hospital.

JOE BOECKER, VETERINARIAN: It's horrific but you have to go to a different place. You can't -- you can't be in an emotional state. You have to just be in that place where there is no emotion there at all. You know what has to be done, you have to do what has to be done and you can't be thinking about the what-ifs. You just -- you make a decision and you live with it. You triage and go on.

TUCHMAN: Duke has a wonderful temperament. A very serious injuries. In addition to the lacerations, he also has a broken rib. Doctors are doing the best they can to try to save his life.

They're working hard to take care of Samantha and Nancy, both covered with lacerations, too. Vixen has lacerations on her face. And Dixie does also.

(On camera): Samantha and Nancy are mother and daughter. Nancy, as you can see, was also seriously hurt. She's only about 60 days old.

(Voice-over): The tornado tore through this fertile horse country.

(On camera): So your horses lived here and you lived here, too, in an apartment.

RANDY WEIDNER, RACEHORSE TRAINER: Correct.

TUCHMAN: You live with your horses.

WEIDNER: We live with our horses.

TUCHMAN (voice-over): Randy Weidner and Lindsey White are race horse trainers. Racing these horses at Oklahoma's Remington Park and Minnesota's Canterbury Park. These are pictures they took of the tornado coming towards the barn and apartment they rented. They wanted to evacuate their horses but couldn't do it fast enough. When they came back the barns were destroyed and all 12 of their race horses were killed.

WEIDNER: As soon as we get dressed, we come out, give them breakfast, and then we go in and eat.

TUCHMAN (on camera): Tell me your favorite horses.

WEIDNER: Mayan Corona.

TUCHMAN: I'm so sorry to both of you.

WEIDNER: Mayan Corona was a filly that we saw her run for the first time in Canterbury Park last year. And we saw a lot of potential in her. We went and bought her.

TUCHMAN: She was like a daughter to you.

WEIDNER: Yes. She was --

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: In every sense of the way.

TUCHMAN (voice-over): And this was that horse, Mayan Corona . But not all is lost here. These fields will be cleared and Duke and the other injured horses will hopefully be back in them, recovering along with the rest of Moore, Oklahoma.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: That was Gary Tuchman reporting.

So if you want to help in the recovery efforts in Oklahoma, you can go to our Web site, CNN.com/impact. There you'll find charities helping people affected by the tornado.

All right. The bridge that collapsed in Washington State last weekend had been listed as functionally obsolete. Washington's governor said repairs could cost $15 million.

We all want safe roads and bridges, right? But are we prepared to pay for it?

CNN's political editor Paul Steinhauser joining us live now from Washington.

So, Paul, polls show that not many of us are willing to pay up for better roads. So what gives?

PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN POLITICAL EDITOR: That seems to be the case. Yes, of course everybody wants to make sure that the bridges, the roads, the tunnels are safe but take a look at this, Fred. The most recent polling, national that is, from Gallup. Let's go -- back in April, just last month, and it asked, would you be willing to support any increase in the gas tax, the -- the tax on your gas in your state to pay for bridge and tunnel repairs? Only 29 percent say yes. Two- thirds oppose.

That seems to be the story line here. Of course people want safe bridges and roads, they're not willing to have an increase in their taxes to do it -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: Oh my. OK. And this week we're going to look at the political landscape. The president of the United States meeting with New Jersey Governor Chris Christie. Of course we're talking about seven months after, you know, super storm Sandy. But how is this meeting this many months after that storm kind of being received?

STEINHAUSER: Yes, this is definitely going to be the highlight as of now for the president this week at least politically and for Chris Christie. Yes, let's flashback seven months. Remember it was a week before the election. New Jersey had just been hit very hard by super storm Sandy. The president went up there to survey and help out New Jersey with a federal response.

And Chris Christie, the Republican governor, who at the time was a big surrogate for Mitt Romney, the GOP nominee. He received the president and then spoke very fondly of how the president and the government were reacting. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. CHRIS CHRISTIE (R), NEW JERSEY: And I cannot thank the president enough for his personal concern and compassion for our state and for the people of our state.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STEINHAUSER: Of course the president went on and won the election. Some people say that the governor of New Jersey, his response and his glowing comments about the president, may have helped. And there's still some tough feelings seven months later. So here we go again, take two, the president going up there on Tuesday to see how the recovery efforts are doing in New Jersey.

Listen, if Chris Christie runs for the White House in 2016 on the Republican side some people say, some people say this may hurt him this incident seven months ago and well, here we go again on Tuesday -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right. Interesting stuff. It is going to be a fascinating week. All right. Thanks so much, Paul Steinhauser in Washington. Appreciate it.

All right. A lot of folks making summer travel plans. Right? But we aren't hitting the road as much as we did last year. Find out why.

And, when I say a huge wedding, I mean a huge wedding. This one in Israel. You will never guess how many people showed up for this set of nuptials.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) WHITFIELD: An average wedding, what do you say? A few dozen? Maybe a few hundred guests? Well how about 25,000? That's how many guests showed up at an Orthodox-Jewish wedding in Jerusalem this week. Insane. It's huge.

The 18-year-old groom is the future leader after prominent Hasidic Jewish sect. Well, some guests actually had to use binoculars to see. The ceremony was full of tradition however. The 19-year-old bride was in white with a heavy veil. Everyone else, of course you see in the crowd -- oh my gosh, gorgeous. Everyone else wearing plaque. And the wedding lasted until dawn the next day. The ceremony lasting hours. Very opulent.

All right. Thousands of Americans are hitting the road this weekend for Memorial Day and the economy, however, is still pretty shaky and considered to be taking its toll. The number of people taking a road trip this summer is expected to either be flat or rise just a little bit.

Scott Bleier is an investment strategist and founder of CreateCapital. He's joining us now from New York.

The economy -- good to see you -- is doing a little better. Shouldn't have be translating into more people wanting to hit the road?

SCOTT BLEIER, FOUNDER, CREATECAPITAL: Well, the good news is that there is stability. You know, 35 million people are hitting the road this weekend, 90 percent of them are in their cars. Gas prices are approximately $3.70 average cost. And that's the very same as last year. The bad news and the flip side is, gasoline demand, overall demand, is down about 4 percent. And these are depressed numbers showing very little economic growth.

WHITFIELD: OK. You know, and then this week we'll be looking ahead to the latest consumer confidence index. What might we expect?

BLEIER: Well, the consumer confidence index is a lagging indicator to the stock market. Almost always you can gauge consumer confidence by looking at what the stock market's done over the last three or four weeks and you can extrapolate gains or losses in consumer confidence.

Now our stock market is hitting record highs, albeit with a little turbulence over the last week or two. But consumer confidence reflects that stock market gain over the last couple of weeks. And if the stock market should dip here, you'll see consumer confidence dip as well.

WHITFIELD: Oh, boy, OK. Scott Bleier, thanks so much for the warning, the heads up. The look ahead for the week.

BLEIER: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: All right. A television crew in Egypt going undercover. Their story of sexual harassment against women. We'll show what you one reporter did to try to get the scoop.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right. Overseas now a television production crew goes undercover to expose the sexual harassment of women. The crew in Egypt resorted to a rather unusual tactic.

Here's Reza Sayah.

REZA SAYAH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Fred, sexual harassment against women here in Egypt is a huge problem. It is incredible how widespread it is. Obviously the first step to solving this problem is raising awareness, getting people to understand that it is happening. A group of filmmakers and activists have found a pretty creative way to do that.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SAYAH (voice-over): It took four hours and layers of cosmetics to may actor Waleed Hammad look like a woman.

WALEED HAMMAD, ACTOR: They had to pluck my eyebrows and shave my arms.

SAYAH: The mission, for a group of investigative journalists to go undercover and expose what they call an epidemic of sexual harassment that torments Egyptian women every day.

LENA EL GHADBAN, SHOW HOST: We wanted men, those men, to feel how it would feel like to be the target of whether it's words, it's looks, it's -- you know, someone walking after you.

HAMMAD: Anything to -- I can do to help make people be more aware of this problem, I was like yes. Yes.

SAYAH: With hidden cameras recording his every move, now looking the part, he hits the streets of Cairo. Within minutes, it starts.

HAMMAD: It's like under a microscope.

SAYAH: Stares. Sexual advances. Offers of money for sex even when Waleed puts on an Islamic veil.

HAMMAD: Some were mild, like hey, pretty face or something, or like, in a very sugarcoated way of, like, you know, let's go have some fun. Let's -- I want to sleep with you tonight.

SAYAH: But then things take a dangerous turn.

(On camera): Tell me about this guy. He kept following you.

HAMMAD: Yes. That's the one that kept following me for 45 minutes.

SAYAH (voice-over): No matter where Waleed goes, the man follows. When Waleed ignores his plea for a date, the man gets aggressive.

(On camera): Ultimately he grabbed you.

HAMMAD: He grabbed my arm and -- yes. That's it.

SAYAH: You were scared.

HAMMAD: Yes. Yes. Like I didn't know what he was going to do. And then at the end he's looking right into my eyes, it's like you have to give me your number, you have to let me take you out.

SAYAH (voice-over): This hidden camera experiment was joint project by private TV channel onTV in Cairo-based Belail Productions, a group of Egyptian activists and filmmakers.

(On camera): The two partners say the best way to take on the toughest problems in post-revolution Egypt is to do good old-fashioned investigative journalism and put it on TV.

ALI BELAIL, BELAIL PRODUCTION: Television in Egypt in terms just only begun to scratch the surface in terms of the content but that's possible.

SAYAH (voice-over): Belail and onTV have tackled social issues and government corruption but none of their shows created more buzz than when they dressed a man as a woman.

EL GHADBAN: The target for us was what if men felt what women felt like.

SAYAH: Waleed says the stress and fear he felt walking the streets as a woman --

HAMMAD: I, as a man, I can't imagine living my life like that every single day.

SAYAH: -- is something he wouldn't wish on anyone.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SAYAH: Sexual harassment against women is technically against the law here but activists say authorities simply don't pay enough attention to it. With this television program, they hope both police and lawmakers start taking it seriously -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: Thank you so much for bringing us that, Reza Sayah.

All right. They are among the military's most elite. With spotless military record. Next, we'll hear what it takes to guard the tomb of the unknowns.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: They're fixtures at the Tomb of the Unknowns, military guards known as Sentinels. They are among the military's most elite with spotless military records. They go through rigorous training and testing before earning the prestigious volunteer duty.

We went behind the scenes and talked to one of these Sentinels. He reminds us what this Memorial Day weekend is all about. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SPEC. NATE CHARTER, TOMB SENTINEL: It's an honor being able to work in Arlington cemetery. There are some days where you just get that, like, hair raising on the back of your neck feeling that like this is just right, that it's just perfect. You wouldn't want to work anywhere else for the rest of your life. And we want to work on each other's uniforms evenly.

You'll have somebody else around you, taping you off, making sure there's no lint, debris, or anything in there. May not look as good or may not look uniform to the other soldiers on the plaza.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Let me see your pants.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sir.

CHARTER: The reason why some of us may have certain things going out the door is because it just works for us during training to kind of calm us down before we go out the door.

One of those things just gives you motivation. We're like, hey, I'm going to crush this guard change. This guard change is going to be amazing.

Another hot one. You have the sun hitting the plaza and then with it being so bright it bounces off and hits you back and it just feels like the temperature's even warmer than it is if you're in regular clothes. I did not think I'd ever be guarding the Tomb of Unknown soldiers.

Hope people realize that their freedom isn't free. It really isn't. you have thousands of soldiers that die for our country.

I don't look at it as just three unknown soldiers that I'm guarding, I'm guarding the 300,000 plus soldiers that give their life for this country.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Well, today we've been showcasing U.S. veterans from wars in Afghanistan and Iraq to sacrifice their life. This hour, two more.

Francis Toner IV. Toner was posthumously awarded the Silver Star after he was fatally shot by an Afghan soldier in March of 2009. Toner distracted the gunman to save others.

And 27-year-old Kimberly Hampton. Hampton was the first female pilot in U.S. history to die in combat. Her helicopter was shot down in January 2004 over Iraq.

For more log on to CNN.com and join us in honoring the memory of 100 soldiers in 100 hours.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right. Welcome back to CNN NEWSROOM. A look now at the week ahead.

On Tuesday President Obama joins New Jersey Governor Chris Christie on a tour of coastal communities devastated by Hurricane Sandy. They'll take a look at the rebuilding efforts, meet with families and business owners.

Also on Tuesday the best young spellers in the world get together for that I little friendly competition. The National Spelling Bee gets under way in National Harbor, Maryland.

On Thursday, Oprah Winfrey gives the commencement address at Harvard's 362nd graduation ceremony. Also on Thursday so many people want to see the One Fund Boston Strong concert that tickets sold out within minutes. The concert on Thursday features the band Boston, of course, plus Aerosmith, Jimmy Buffett, New Kids on the Block and James Taylor.

And Saturday is June 1st, the start of hurricane season. Experts predict as many as 11 hurricanes and one analyst says we could see another superstorm Sandy hitting the same place this year.

All right. It could be a very busy week ahead. That's going to do it for me. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. Much more straight ahead in THE NEWSROOM. Joe Johns is here in the house in Atlanta with a lot straight ahead.

JOE JOHNS, CNN CRIME AND JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Right. Great to be here.

WHITFIELD: Yes.

JOHNS: Absolutely, thanks so much for a great job.

WHITFIELD: All right. Have a good evening.

JOHNS: And happy Memorial Day weekend the rest of it.

WHITFIELD: You have a great one, too.

JOHNS: You bet.

You're in the CNN NEWSROOM, I'm Joe Johns today in for Don Lemon.