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65th Anniversary of D-Day: A Day of Tribute; Investigation Continues into Missing Air France Plane

Aired June 06, 2009 - 12:00   ET

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

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: A day of tribute to all those who fought to liberate France 65 years ago today -- D-Day, the largest seaborne invasion in military history.

World leaders and thousands of veterans and active duty military spend much of this day in Normandy, President and Mrs. Barack Obama among those saluting the acts of bravery on the beaches below.

The president told those gathered at the American Cemetery, "We cannot forget. We must not forget."

Many more are paying their respects at the World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C., which are some of the images that you're looking at right now. That's where we also find our Elaine Quijano, she is there. We'll go to her in a moment. But first let's go back to Normandy and White House correspondent Dan Lothian is there.

What a very emotional time we saw unfold there -- Dan.

DAN LOTHIAN, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: It really was. And, you know, the rain really cooperated. It held off until the ceremony had concluded and then everyone pretty much had cleared out of here.

Now the rain is coming down, but this is sort of the end and of what you pointed out, an emotional day with the military flyover, the 21-gun salute and the powerful speeches from the prime ministers of Britain and Canada, Presidents Sarkozy of France, and of course, President Barack Obama, who praised the courage of the soldiers who fought and died and the veterans who survived.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: For you remind us that in the end, human destiny is not determined by forces beyond our control. You remind us that our future is not shaped by mere chance or circumstance. Our history has always been the sum total of the choices made and the actions taken by each individual man and woman. It has always been up to us.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LOTHIAN: President Obama also pointing out some powerful examples of some of those warriors who were so brave, like Jim Noreen, a veteran who was ill, but still wanted to attend. Came by the cemetery yesterday, but then passed away in his sleep overnight. The president also pointed out to his great uncle, who was here today, that as the man who as a young soldier helped to liberate one of the camps of Buchenwald, he was in the audience, here today, so again, a very powerful day of remembrance. And you heard a lot about this ground, the sacred ground where more than 9,000 American personnel are buried, this sacred ground, everyone saying what they fought for, the justice, the freedom that they fought for should never be forgotten - Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right, Dan Lothian, thanks so much. We also know that a very poignant moment, too, was when four veterans received one of the highest honors, the Legion of Honor award being bestowed upon them from the French president, there. One being -- one representing Great Britain, one American, one French and one Canadian during the ceremonies, as well. Dan Lothian, thanks so much.

All right, let's go now to the nation's capital where people are also paying their respects to the sacrifices made on this day, many of them, octogenarians, who lived, who experienced D-Day there in Normandy.

CNN's Elaine Quijano is on the National Mall and giving us an idea of how the tributes are taking place, there -- Elaine.

ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well Fredricka, just take a look over my shoulder here, you will see a steady stream of people. That's what we've been seeing all morning here at the World War II Memorial on the National Mall. Over my shoulder, in fact, is part of the memorial that is specifically dedicated to those veterans who fought in the European theater.

Now, among those who are visiting the memorial today, a special group of veterans, about 80 veterans from Louisville, Kentucky, including five men who were there on D-Day. Now, we got a chance to talk to a couple of them. One of them was a teletype operator, 86- year-old Richard Straub. He describes his thoughts, his feelings, on that day.

Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RICHARD STRAUB, D-DAY VETERAN: It's almost breathtaking. I'm standing here looking at the Kentucky, but to think this represents all the ambitions and the desires and the fight that was in the young people back then. We all wanted to do good. There was nothing ugly about it at all. It was just -- just tremendous, it is magnificent looking place. I can't tell you how much I'm enjoying this.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

QUIJANO: It's really interesting to talk to some of these veterans. In particular, Mr. Straub described as a teletype operator, how he actually received the message, the end-of-war message from Dwight Eisenhower, and he described how he and his fellow teletype operators, they were hooting and hollering, as he said, when that message came over, Fredricka. Really fascinating to hear him tell his story.

And one thing that's very striking about all these veterans, too, is how humble they are. People have literally just strangers walking up to these veterans, thanking them for their service, and they really cannot understand what all this attention is about. But certainly a very special day for these veterans, they're now enjoying a little bit of lunch, Fredricka. We'll bring you that later on in the afternoon.

WHITFIELD: Oh, that's fantastic. And it's nice to see whether it be in the back drop where you are, even earlier pictures coming out of Normandy, that there have been grandkids, the younger generation that has been there in attendance with their forefathers on this experience.

It's so important to pass down these stories so that the younger generations really do have a clear understanding as to what took place, and what this greatest generation has been through. Thanks so much. Elaine Quijano. We'll see you a little bit later on.

And of course, later on this hour, we'll take you to Bedford, Virginia, home to the national D-Day Memorial. We'll look at its financial struggles, and how you might be able to help.

All right, officials in northwestern Mexico are dealing with a national tragedy, a gruesome story to tell you about now. At least 31 preschoolers are dead and more than 100 hurt after a fire at a daycare center. It happened in the city of Hermosillo and it happened yesterday afternoon.

Parents rushed to the scene trying to find their children. All of the victims are five years old or younger. The most badly burned are being treated at Shriner's Children's Hospital here in the U.S. It's believed the fire started in a business next to the daycare.

And we'll have more on this story after news conference in the Shriner's Children's Hospital, that is scheduled for 2:00 Eastern Time. We'll give you the latest information on that.

All right, 24 error messages, that's how many signals the doomed Air France flight sent out before it crashed in the Atlantic. Aviation experts say flight 447 might have been given conflicting information about its speed as it flew into violent weather.

It may have been flying too slow, or perhaps too fast. We're also learning the plane's autopilot disengaged, lost cabin pressure and had an electrical failure before the disasters. Search teams are still trying to find the jet's debris. The flight was heading from Rio to Paris when it went down Sunday night with 228 people onboard, including three Americans.

Now, on to Kansas where security was very tight as funeral services got underway for abortion provider, George Tiller. The doctor was shot and killed last Sunday morning inside the Wichita church where he was an usher. Today's services were held at a different church. About 1,000 mourners attended. A 51-year-old man has been charged with Tiller's killing. Yesterday the U.S. Department of Justice announced that it will open a federal investigation into that case.

All right, the story reads like a movie script. A husband and wife accused of spying for Cuba for at least three decades. Our legal guys are on this case.

And mission accomplished, a father away in Iraq for more than a year makes his journey home just in time -- oh, very nice special surprise. You'll see more of this reunion between daughter and dad.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I missed you so much.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: All right, the feds say he was known as "Agent 202" and Havana sometimes called her "Agent 123." Well, now you can call both of them defendants. Former State Department employee Kendall Meyers and his wife Gwendolyn have been charged with spying for Cuba for nearly 30 years.

Investigators say Kendall Meyers told an undercover agent the couple spent an evening with Fidel Castro back in 1995. A law enforcement official tells CNN the couple, they were true believers in the Cuban system. And now it's going to be a pretty significant legal case and our legal guys are all over it. We turn to them at this hour.

Avery Friedman is civil rights attorney and law professor.

Good to see you.

AVERY FRIEDMAN, CIVIL RIGHTS ATTY.: Hi, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: And Richard Herman is a New York criminal defense attorney and law professor.

Good to see you.

RICHARD HERMAN, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTY.: Hey, Fred.

WHITFIELD: OK, this is right out of the pages of your favorite spy novel, isn't it?

FRIEDMAN: You bet.

WHITFIELD: OK, so Richard and Avery, we're talking about 30 years, that's the allegation, but there are diaries involved. There is actual documentation, perhaps federal investigators won't be able to interview Fidel Castro, for example, as being a key witness in this, but tell me, Avery, how significant these diaries might play into this investigation, or are we also dealing with admissions, too.

FRIEDMAN: Well, we have both, Fredricka. Actually, we have an enormous amount of evidence. You know, think about the juxtaposition of this case in our discussion, and the heroes at D-Day. We have a fellow who actually was very well-to-do, very well established, and was an ideadolog, really focused in on his support for Cuba against American interests, turned over at least at this point over 200 classified documents, and you're right, we've got his diary, overwhelming evidence in this case.

WHITFIELD: Wow, this is extraordinary stuff, Richard. At the same time, we're talking about, what, three decades ago. Why now? He is in his 70s. Why has it taken so long if there's all this incredible documentation of this kind of behavior taking place? Why is it just now coming to fore?

HERMAN: That's a good question, Fred, why now after 30 years. I mean, this guy is using Morse Code, they're going on the Internet, they're meeting in grocery stores and switching grocery carts with information. But I think it was his last year of employment with the government, in '07, where he received those 200 documents and then there was an undercover sting operation for the last couple years, which finally busted them. It's a 40-page indictment, Fred. I have it here. It's devastating. And these people, it's a very difficult case.

WHITFIELD: I there any money -- was there any money exchanged? Is that part of this indictment?

HERMAN: They were true believers, like you said. They got minimal moneys. There's a forfeiture claim in the indictment, here, but it does not appear they did it for money.

WHITFIELD: But what would they have gotten on return, though, besides being a true believer, what -- I mean, gifts, or access, what?

FRIEDMAN: You know what they got? They got a whole bunch of medals, which he boasted to the undercover agent. And you know what? Whether or not there was money or not, these individuals gave up classified documents that interfered with the security of our nation. I think there should be treason allegations. There are not. There's essentially wire fraud conspiracy. But this is the opposite of what we've seen with D-Day heroes.

WHITFIELD: OK, and something else involved in the U.S. State Department, but in a completely different way. The U.S. State Department has been very involved and very interested in the case of David Goldman out of New Jersey, going to Brazil, going through so many different motions to try and get his child, after having lost his child to the child's stepfather's custody in Brazil.

He went through so many different legal courses there in Brazil. He even went to Brazil this week thinking he would be reunited with his child, bring him back home. So, Richard, what happened that he didn't get his child? And what recourse does he have now?

HERMAN: Talk about abomination, Fred. This wreaks of abomination. The Supreme Court in Brazil directed the child to be returned to the father and some political group at the behest of this stepfather in Brazil, stuck their foot in this door where it should not be. They directed the kid to stay in direct violation of the Hague Convention. This is outrageous. This guy's got to get his son, the United States has got to put more pressure on Brazil. They're acting like terrorists, Brazil, it's outrageous.

WHITFIELD: So Avery, is this a situation where the government is complicit? The Brazilian government is complicit in standing in the way of this man getting his child, or was something not done correctly on the part of Mr. Goldman?

FRIEDMAN: Well, no, no, I think -- David Goldman. Yeah, I think that he's done everything right to get his son, Sean back. The fact is Richard's right, there was some political intervention. But this Wednesday, June 10, the entire Supreme Court will get involved. You know what? Keep the faith. I think little Sean is heading back to the United States.

WHITFIELD: You do?

FRIEDMAN: I do.

WHITFIELD: The Supreme Court could get involved and would they be acquiescing from pressure from say, the U.S. State Department which says, you know, we are, you know, we're going to keep going on this as long as we can? I mean, why would the Supreme Court, I guess, rule in his favor when the lower courts didn't?

FRIEDMAN: The answer to that is that you have 12 members of the Supreme Court, the fact is, there is a relationship, Brazil is a signatory to the Hague Convention as is the sufficient. The law is on David Goldman's side.

HERMAN: And they're in direct violation of that convention right now, Fred. And this father who has the child over there, he's a very political guy, he's a lawyer, there's 40 law firms backing him in this case. It really is outrageous. This is the biological father, it's his son and he hasn't seen his son, he hasn't been with him in four or five years.

FRIEDMAN: He's nine years old now and he was kidnapped when he was four.

HERMAN: Unbelievable.

WHITFIELD: Yeah, and the mother died in childbirth and that's why the little boy has been now with the stepfather.

HERMAN: He wants his son. It's outrageous.

FRIEDMAN: It's the right thing to do.

WHITFIELD: All right. We've got other cases to talk about, including the man who's accused of killing Dr. George Tiller. We're going to talk a little bit more on where that case is going. Avery and Richard, thanks so much. See you in a few minutes.

All right meantime, no sun in South Beach. Oh, this is blasphemous. Really? Take a look at this picture sent in by an iReporter from Florida after a summer storm there yesterday. Reynolds Wolf is in the Severe Weather Center, oh with more.

Please, tell me this water is going somewhere like into the ocean.

REYNOLDS WOLF, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Can you believe that, Fred?

WHITFIELD: No, I can't.

WOLF: Can you believe that? Unbelievable.

WHITFIELD: I don't even tell me that was like Ocean Drive or something.

WOLF: Oh, I know. I mean, just crazy. All down around the downtown area, especially in the low-lying areas, they had some spots that were around nine inches of rainfall, up to a foot piling up in a few other places. Certainly a huge mess.

Now, there is rain in the forecast again for the Sunshine State. We're going to tell you how long it's going to last, how much they can expect through the weekend. Plus we're going to take a look at what you can expect across the nation.

You're watching CNN. We'll see you in just a few. Seriously.

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WHITFIELD: All right, thousands are meeting in coffee shops and living rooms today, talking about health care reform. The events organized by the president's camp come as the bill laying out his health care goals circulates on Capitol Hill.

The president wants to lower costs and extend the care to 50 million uninsured people. Mr. Obama used his weekly radio and Internet address to plead for action.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OBAMA: At this historic juncture, even though the adversaries are united around the same goal: quality of affordable health care for all Americans. Now, I know that when you bring together disparate groups with differing views, there will be lively debate. And that's a debate I welcome.

But what we can't accept is reform that just invests more money in the status quo, reform that throws good money after bad habits. Instead we must attack the root causes of skyrocketing health care costs. Now, some of these costs are the result of unwarranted profiteering, that has no place in our health care system. And in too many communities folks are paying higher costs without receiving better care in return.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Congress still hasn't figured out how to pay for health care overhaul. It could cost up to $1.5 trillion over a decade.

All right, well, thousands took part this morning in a 5k in Washington to raise money for breast cancer research. Organizers say the Susan G. Koman annual Global Race for the Cure has raised $1.3 billion since it began in 1982. Vice President Biden and his wife were honorary co-chairs of this event.

OK, take a look at this. No joke. This is some serious rain. And this is in south Florida. People want some sunshine there in the Sunshine State. Not a chance. Lots of rain. Buckets of it. Inches of it. All flooding the streets there, causing power outages, et cetera and apparently a lot of cars have been simply inundated. Some of them even lifted and floating away.

Our Reynolds Wolf is in the Weather Center.

Give us a little bit more. This is south -- oh, she's got a smile on her face, that's nice. She's optimistic about it all. Maybe she feels like they're on South Beach, the water's going to dissipate? The rain will go away?

WOLF: You know, I think part of it is just being in Florida. I mean, Florida's a happy state. I mean, it's just going to happen. I mean, you're going to have the smiles.

I'll tell you, you normally see the showers down there. If you've ever taken a trip to Disney world, or you've been anywhere on the beach, you'll notice that into the afternoon hours, especially, you're going to have the sea breeze thunderstorms that pop up. Rain is typical in Florida.

But, seeing that much rainfall, anywhere from seven to nine inches of rainfall at a very quick rate, is where you have some issues.

(WEATHER REPORT)

Now we have some iReports I know that are just compelling that really told the story about what happened in Florida. Again, these still pictures that were sent in from Thomas, you see right there, are just amazing. Several feet deep in the water.

You know, Fred, they always say you should never drive through an area where water is at least 18 inches or higher, because even the biggest car can get swept away. But in this situation, a lot of people didn't have a choice, they came outside, the rain was coming down, it just began to pile up around their cars.

WHITFIELD: Yeah, there isn't the kind of drainage system in south Florida, in Miami, like you have in some cities. When you get a big rain like this, suddenly it has nowhere to go.

WOLF: Oh, no question. So certainly some rough stuff, but incredible pictures. Just sorry that the folks had to go through it.

WHITFIELD: That's a drag to see that on that lovely South Beach. WOLF: Can certainly dampen your day.

WHITFIELD: Yeah. All right, thanks so much, Reynolds. Appreciate it.

OK, well, he has been in Iraq for almost a whole year, but Master Sergeant Joseph Myers from San Antonio, Texas, had a new mission. Make it back home before the last day of class at his daughter's grade school. Well, guess what, mission accomplished. The girl's face says it all.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MASTER SRGT JOSEPH MYERS, U.S. ARMY: Where's my daughter? Come here, baby. Come here. God, I love you. I missed you so much.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Oh, she's so sweet. That surprise visit from dad, nothing like it. Master Sergeant Myers says he missed most of his daughter's fourth grade school year and missed another daughter's first steps. He didn't want to miss this, her last day of school. Boy, was she happy about that.

All right, remembering D-Day and its veterans, not just today, but forever. In Virginia, an ongoing struggle to keep a national memorial open.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Half past the hour, here's what's happening right now, 31 preschoolers have died after fire tore through their daycare center in northwest Mexico. All the victims are five years old or younger. More than 100 were hurt, some of them are being treated here in the U.S. for their burn injuries.

President Barack Obama is in France where he joins veterans and other leaders for the 65th anniversary of D-Day. And the valor of U.S. troops is not forgotten on this side of the Atlantic. June 6, 1944, is honored at the World War II Memorial in our nation's capital.

President Obama paid tribute to soldiers past and present at the D-Day anniversary ceremonies in France.

The president shaking hands with troops when he arrived in Normandy. The first couple joined thousands of veterans and other dignitaries for this anniversary. French president Nicolas Sarkozy, the British and Canadian prime ministers, and Britain's Prince Charles were also there. President Obama spoke at the America Cemetery overlooking one of the D-Day landing points for U.S. troops.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OBAMA: Friends and veterans, we cannot forget what we must now forget is that D-Day was a time and a place where the bravery and selflessness of a few was able to change the course of an entire century. An hour of maximum danger, amid the bleakest of circumstances, men who thought themselves ordinary, found within themselves the ability to do something extraordinary.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: D-Day holds special importance for one small American town. People from around the world go there to visit the National D- Day Memorial. Well, now the future of the memorial is in doubt.

Kate Bolduan has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The small town of Bedford, Virginia, suffered among the country's greatest losses on D- Day. Out of a population of just 3,200, 19 soldiers from this community died in the invasion. That's why the National D-Day Memorial was opened here in 2001.

MILLS HOBBS, D-DAY-VETERAN: This is Black. This is Zorphus (ph). This is Cochran (ph).

BOLDUAN: 87-year-old Mills Hobbs is one of the few surviving members of the 115th infantry. He remembers the invasion in vivid detail.

HOBBS: You didn't know where any bullet was coming from, where any shell was coming from, what direction, aimed at who or nothing. You only knew that you could be the subject that it was seeking, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

BOLDUAN: But now, the very memorial honoring Hobbs and the thousands of other soldiers who fought that day could itself be lost, a victim of the struggling economy.

ROBIN HALSEY, VISITOR TO MEMORIAL: I know things are tight because of the recession. But everybody should throw in a little bit to keep this monument open. It is absolutely fabulous.

BOLDUAN: The memorial is privately funded, and donations would make up more than half of its funding are way down. The foundation's president says the situation is dire.

WILLIAM MCINTOSH, PRESIDENT, D-DAY MEMORIAL FOUNDATION: Obviously, this is something that nobody wants. And it's something that nobody wants to contemplate on the 65th anniversary of D-Day.

BOLDUAN: So, he's begging for help, approaching universities about taking it over, but no luck. Congressman Tom Perriello who represents Bedford introduced a bill this week to transfer the site to the National Park Service, but that could take years. And time is something the memorial and its biggest base of support, World War II veterans, don't have.

HOBBS: We were just like brothers. We would stand up for one another, no matter what. BOLDUAN: Mills Hobbs says it's memories like that he hopes live on, memorial or not.

HOBBS: I hope they learn that freedom ain't free, and that they'll never forget it. Never forget it.

BOLDUAN: Kate Balduan, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: And today at 4:00 Eastern time, the president's visits this week to Africa, Europe, the Middle East, his message to the Muslim world, overall America's appeal abroad. Have his words and his actions perhaps change any attitudes toward the U.S.? That's the topic for the whole hour.

We want to hear from you. If you think that there are particular messages that really resonated with you or with the rest of the world, how does this change America's appeal abroad? So, that's your questions, your comments to our blog now at CNN.com/newsroom and then click on my name, or by Facebook or e-mail as well, weekends@cnn.com. We want to hear from you.

OK, issue No. 1., the economy. And we're now at 37 and counting. 37 U.S. banks have failed so far this year. The latest is Chicago's Bank of Lincolnwood. State regulators in Illinois padlocked it yesterday. Both of the bank's offices reopened today as branches of Republic Bank of Chicago.

Chrysler will be back in court on Monday working out details of its own demise. An appeals court late Friday OK'ed the sale to Fiat. So, what does this mean on the Chrysler sales lots across the country?

Carlos Planas has run a Chrysler dealership in the Miami area for 20 years now. He's joining us right now. OK, so give me an idea, what's this week shaping up to be like for you? Is it true that Tuesday will be the day that you would be forced to close your doors to your dealership?

CARLOS PLANAS, CHRYSLER DEALER: Yes, Tuesday is D-Day for us, for the Chrysler dealers. You know, the other day, we saw the GM chairman going out and telling them where to go. They're going to take a year-and-a-half to close those dealerships. In the moment of Chrysler, we only have 24 days to get rid of everything across our business. This is ...

WHITFIELD: So, 24 days to get rid of everything, your entire inventory. How much inventory are we talking about and how do you get rid of it?

PLANAS: Well, I was one of the nice guys that believed in Chrysler and the chairman. I took over 300 units more, so I have about 260 units left between now and Tuesday. I think I can move about 40 of them, so I will have approximate a little over 200 units in the end, that's about ...

WHITFIELD: So, you have about 260 units or cars we're talking right, and you think you'll be able to sell them how or move them how?

PLANAS: Oh, I will probably move about 40 or 50, (INAUDIBLE). Now, the bad thing about it is that after that day, we longer are going to have holdbacks, incentives, rebate, nothing. So, we have to take the the verse (ph) on each one of them.

WHITFIELD: OK, so you got to take big losses. Now, how willing are you to make these incredible deals in order to sell these vehicles? How do you do this? Are you saying ...

PLANAS: First ...

WHITFIELD: ...you got to have cash only in order to make a purchase?

PLANAS: That's right because it's -- the banks no longer go ahead and do any business with us. One of the things we're trying to is to make sure that if Chrysler will do the same thing that GM is doing. They're paying them everything except about $300 less. So, we hoping that Jim Press and his comrades will go ahead and do the same thing that GM is doing and let us go free at least.

WHITFIELD: So, you think there's hope for that? You feel pretty optimistic that's still a possibility?

PLANAS: I'm always optimistic. The possibility, I don't know. These guys, they're drawn out or out of the handcuff, I don't what type of decision they're making. But not very good ones, especially since they're going to create 100,000 unemployed this past Tuesday.

WHITFIELD: So, what are you going to do? Now, how long have you had this dealership and what are you going to do since you've been in business for quite a few years now? And how about all of your employees who've been working for you, who have been very loyal about the Chrysler products?

PLANAS: You know, that's one thing that I really going to be very sad about. I have a total of 101 employees; for the past six months, I have not fired anybody. And at the same time, they have kept every day with me. Until yesterday, I had every one of them very loyal, and I have to tell them that the bad news.

But we're going to get rid of the units, we're going to find out what's the best way and we're going to continue. We're going to sell these cars for parts service, but we're going to file these franchises that they're calling us already because we're very good at it.

WHITFIELD: OK, want to keep in touch with you, Mr. Planas, to see you know, what happens next for you. If you will be looking for, perhaps another maker or will you still be interested in the business of selling cars after this or if this will turn you on to yet an entirely different industry altogether.

Carlos Planas, we want to keep in touch with you. Thanks so much for your time.

PLANAS: Thank you very much for everything.

WHITFIELD: And all the best, and so sorry it's all coming possibly to an end like this. I know it's very difficult for you and your entire car dealership family of 101 employees. Thanks for your time.

PLANAS: Thanks again.

WHITFIELD: All right, bankrupt GM has reached a deal to sell its Saturn unit to Penske Auto Group. The sale it part of GM's strategy to shed its four non-core brands as it restructures. Penske is owned by former race car driver Roger Penske. He also owns Nascar and Indycar racing team.

All right, there are new numbers, new numbers about the job market out there. Out for May. But it's hard to decide if it's good news or bad news. The unemployment rate is now a 26-year high. Look at the jobs lost last month: 345,000. But that's actually a lot fewer than the month prior, about 160,000 fewer. The jobs that were lost came from all across the economy, from manufacturing and construction, to retail, and professional. But now, the unemployment rate is over nine percent.

All right, meantime, 6 million jobs have been lost since the beginning of the recession. But there's so much more to the story than just the numbers. There are people.

CNN's Carol Costello takes a look at the possible extinction now of the middle class.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Danny Borden makes things, at least he used to. He was a steel worker in Cleveland for the past 32 years.

DANNY BORDEN, UNEMPLOYED STEELWORKER: Oh Obama, if you're looking at CNN, help the steel mills, too, man.

COSTELLO: It's a plea he knows well. Laid off more than once, he has a feeling this time, he won't be going back to work.

BORDEN: Angry, I'm very angry, you know? But I just can't let the anger get to me.

COSTELLO: But that's tough because Borden feels he's not only lost his job, but his economic status.

BORDEN: I don't see no middle class. I see myself as fortunate, but I really don't see myself as middle class.

COSTELLO (on camera): Just saying. Is Borden right? Is the middle class extinct?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think what you have is a real fear. The manufacturing jobs that have traditionally been here, everyone knows they're not going to be there anymore.

COSTELLO (voice-over): According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, in 1980, 21 percent of the nation's jobs were in manufacturing, the bulk of good paying middle class jobs. Today, just nine percent of jobs are in manufacturing. And as some economists say, that puts the middle class in a massive economic black hole.

LARRY MISHEL, ECONOMIST POLICY INSTITUTE: You have to start creating jobs and we have to work on creating good jobs, you know, for people so that they can start earning good family paychecks and increase their consumption based on that.

COSTELLO: But Borden doesn't see that happening in Cleveland. He doesn't see a guy like him finding a job that would enable him to buy a car, a home, and raise two college-bound kids.

BORDEN: I hear everybody talk about jobs, but where are they at? Because they're not up here.

COSTELLO: He hears about green jobs replacing manufacturing jobs one day. But they pay around 12 bucks an hour, 60 percent less than what someone like Borden would make at the plant.

(on camera): Critics say, hey, Danny Borden, it's time to move on. The world is changing. But consider this, according to the Census Bureau, 72 percent of Americans don't have a college degree. Some economists think that'll change one day, but not for a long time. So, the challenge for President Obama is how to create jobs that pay enough to keep the middle class in the middle class.

Carol Costello, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: All right, one man in South Dakota has found a way out from under his financial problems. This is real inspiration. He won the Lottery. 23-year-old Neal Wanless came forward to claim the $232 million Powerball prize. He'll take the one-time cash payment; after taxes, it's about $88 million.

Wanless still lives with his parents on their farm. That's what you're looking at right now, the farm he lives on. But now, he says he'll get a bigger spread. That's not enough land for him. And he says that he'll repay the kindness of his neighbors. Nice guy.

All right, an abortion doctor gunned down in church adds new fuel to an already heated debate. Our legal guys are back with the debate of their own about this case.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right, more is being learned about the man suspected of killing Dr. George Tiller, well known for performing late-term abortions. He was killed last weekend. Already in custody is a man by the name of Scott Roeder. And our legal guys have a few thoughts about where this case might be going. They're back with us. Avery Friedman, Richard Herman.

OK, gentlemen, Richard, I'm going to have you tackle this first because we're talking about this case being rather complicated because we're hearing things from domestic terrorism to charges of murder, premeditation. So, how might this case be approached and why is this different from pursuing another case of murder where there's premeditation?

HERMAN: You know, Fred, I think this guy -- if you look at premeditation and the definition of premeditated murder, this guy fills it to the tee. You know, he's an anti-abortion fanatic, he targeted this doctor, George Tiller, he went locked and loaded to the church where he slaughtered him in front of the congregation. This guy, however they bring their charges against him, is going to spend the rest of his life in prison, or perhaps face the death penalty.

WHITFIELD: And there are some witnesses who say Scott Roeder was obsessed with Dr. Tiller, that he'd been following him for a long time in terms of watching him, knowing about his every move, that sort of thing. Maybe not necessarily right outside the church, but just in a very broad kind of way, being obsessed. That was the word that some witnesses used.

HERMAN: Yes. There's not going to be a diminished capacity defense for this guy. He targeted him. He knew what he was doing, he thought about it, he carefully planned it and he executed it ...

FRIEDMAN: Right.

HERMAN: ...and executed the doctor. Oh, it's bad.

WHITFIELD: So Avery, Avery, how do you see this, see the -- I guess a litany of charges being played out? Because, you know, might there be a stalking? Might there be, you know, does domestic terrorism have an entirely different type of charge and potential, I guess litany of sentences versus premeditated murder?

FRIEDMAN: Yes. Actually, what's especially troubling here, Fredricka, is that this is a guy that had already been convicted of bomb-making back in 1997. The truth is that there was information out there, I think he actually busted into the clinic before.

I don't know where the FBI was here, but to answer your specific question, yes, there are federal charges, criminal sections of the civil rights division of the Department of Justice, opened an investigation yesterday. So, we're going to have efforts by local law enforcement as well as the Justice Department to put this guy away, remove him from society.

WHITFIELD: OK.

HERMAN: And the federal charges, Fred, may bring the death penalty. So, that's why it's important.

FRIEDMAN: Yes, that's right. WHITFIELD: Got it. OK, and now we're talking about a separation of church and state situation. You've got a kindergartener's mother who wants to read her child's favorite book in front of the class, which happens to be the Bible and is taking the case all the way to the appellate court. If the appellate court doesn't rule in this family's favor, Avery ...

FRIEDMAN: Right.

WHITFIELD: ...we've gone down this road before, haven't we?

FRIEDMAN: Yes, I love this case, love this case. It's such a classic constitutional battle of public entity saying you can't proselytize in public entities. And what mom did here, Wesley Bush's mom decided instead of talking about the hamster and the church, and the things that her son loves, decides to break open the Bible and start reading out of Psalm 118. And you know what, the school officials did the right thing. 2-1 the federal appeals court agreed with the school district, shut it down.

WHITFIELD: All right and Richard, I ...

HERMAN: Yes, but ...

WHITFIELD: Oh I'm sorry, go ahead.

HERMAN: Honestly, a close vote on that, Fred. And it's coming back, it's not over with. They're going to come back with this.

WHITFIELD: OK, Richard, I know you love this case. It's very gruesome, I'm only kind of poking fun. It's nasty. We're talking about an EMT who was charged now with misusing a photo that he took on his cell phone of a woman who had been murdered, and putting it on his Facebook and then he says it was a mistake, he didn't really mean to. But at the same time, Richard, he has an upstanding record. All of his co-workers say that this really is the antithesis of his kind of behavior that we know. So, where does this case?

HERMAN: Hey Fred, 20-year decorated detective, New York City police department, he was at a crime scene, there was a body that was dead, he took a picture from his cell phone. Later on, he downloaded his pictures to his Facebook page.

FRIEDMAN: Yes.

HERMAN: He claims they went in one bunch. I don't know, Fred, I'm told from Stephanie from my office, BlackBerry downloads one at a time to Facebook.

FRIEDMAN: Yes.

HERMAN: So, if it was a one at a time download, I think he's going to get convicted if he goes to trial. If it's a full download, I think he's got, you know, I think he's got a very good defense. I think he could win this case

WHITFIELD: His name is Mark Mozralla (ph), facing these misdeamonor -- they're misdeamenor charges, right?

FRIEDMAN: Yes.

HERMAN: Yes.

WHITFIELD: But still charges nonetheless.

HERMAN: Still a crime.

WHITFIELD: Yes, you don't want that.

HERMAN: No, you don't want a criminal record and it's a crime. I don't think he's going to prison on this one.

FRIEDMAN: Well, bottom line -- yes, he's not going to prison. But you know what, at the end of 2009, Richard and I probably agree with this, this has got to be one of the top 10 dumbest things a person could do. Believe me, this is ridiculous.

WHITFIELD: All right, thanks so much. Avery, Richard, thanks so much. Not that it's a laughing matter because ...

FRIEDMAN: No, no, it's idiotic.

WHITFIELD: But it is kind of strange. I don't know who thinks this is OK.

FRIEDMAN: It's not.

HERMAN: I don't.

WHITFIELD: All right, OK, we're all in concert on that. All right, Avery ...

FRIEDMAN: See you soon.

WHITFIELD: ...Richard, thanks so much. Good to see you.

HERMAN: OK, Fred, have a good weekend.

WHITFIELD: And Richard, great, you're with us this weekend. I think you look terrific.

HERMAN: Thank you, Fred. You too, and Avery does.

FRIEDMAN: Hey, you bet.

WHITFIELD: All right, thanks. And you too, of course, Avery.

All right, see you all later.

OK, years of classwork, homework and tests led up to their big moment. So, why did their school cancel this moment? Seniors denied their graduation day.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) UNIDENTIFIED CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): One of the best ways to recession proof your summer vacation may be to set sail.

GENEVIEVE SHAW BROWN, TRAVELOCITY.COM: Cruising might be a great way to take the whole family on a vacation for a reasonable price. It includes your accommodations and all your meals.

UNIDENTIFIED CNN CORRESPONDENT: And you might be surprised how inexpensive a cruise can be.

BROWN: There's a cruise line for everybody at every budget. Families tend to flock towards the bigger ships because of kids' clubs. A couple might gravitate to more upscale cruise line with a smaller ship, a more intimate setting.

UNIDENTIFIED CNN CORRESPONDENT: But if being out on the open water isn't your thing, there are also bargains on dry land.

CHRIS MCGINNIS, TRAVELSKILLS.COM: Some of the best deals are out in the Caribbean. So, countries like the Dominican Republic and Jamaica are really rolling out great packages. You pay for nearly everything ahead of time, your food, your hotel, your entertainment. And in some cases, even alcohol.

UNIDENTFIED CNN CORRESPONDENT: Or go international without leaving the U.S.

MCGINNIS: People should also check out flights to San Juan, Puerto Rico. There's a lot of new, low fare competition, a lot of East Coast cities. You don't need a passport to go there.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: All right, this breaking news we're following. We're just now learning from Brazil's Air Force that, in the case of the Air France jetliner that went down over the Atlantic, this was bound from Rio to Paris, apparently the Air Force is saying that bodies have been found. Flight 447. This investigation ongoing.

We, of course, when we get more information about these discoveries, the circumstances of the discoveries, we'll bring that to you as soon as possible.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: We're getting a little bit more information on this breaking news story. The ongoing search for the Air France plane that went down presumably last weekend as it was making its way from Rio to Paris. Now, we understand, according to the Brazilian Air Force, that a ship that was in the region where the search has been going on for days now actually located two bodies, a seat from an aircraft and luggage.

That material has since been recovered from the water in the area where the search has been ongoing. The search continues by air and also by sea there. When we get any more information about what else may be discovered, this information was released during a press conference that took place not long ago in Brazil.

This is the latest update coming from the Brazilian Air Force that a ship that was participating in the search for this plane, or wreckage, came across two bodies in the water there, in the ocean, along with a seat from an aircraft, as well as luggage. And all of those items have since been recovered. The investigation ongoing.

Of course, now, they will likely be concentrating extensively in this area to see if there are any other discoveries that can be made. All this pertains to the Air France plane that simply vanished, disappeared from the sky as it was making its way from Rio to Paris last weekend.

Much more straight ahead here in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right, news happening right now. We continue to follow this breaking story. The Brazilian Air Force is saying, just moments ago during a press conference in Brazil, that two bodies have been found in the ocean, as well as luggage and a seat as they continue their search for any evidence of that Air France plane that simply vanished from the sky as it was making its way from Rio to Paris last weekend.

And now, this new information coming in from the Brazilian Air Force that these discoveries have been made, and that the recoveries of these items have also taken place.

We're going to continue to follow this development throughout the day and bring you any new information as we get it. They continue to search that area that these discoveries were made and their hope is they might make some other discoveries as well.

Much more straight ahead throughout the day. We'll see you again in about an hour from now unless there is other news that merits.