Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Bodies from Air France Flight Discovered off Coast of Brazil; A Look at Galveston's Recovery After Hurricane Ike; President Obama Recognizes the D-Day Heroes

Aired June 06, 2009 - 15:00   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. I'm Fredricka Whitfield and you're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

This breaking story that is unfolding off the coast of Brazil, as the search continues for any evidence of that Air France Flight 447, simply vanished from the sky a week ago. Well now, the Brazilian air force and navy are confirming locating the bodies of two men, as well as evidence of that Air France flight. They located a computer bag. And inside the computer bag, also tickets that correspond with that flight, 447.

They also located a blue seat, which they believe is indeed a signature seat of Air France and now the search is being refined, according to the reporting there. A press conference took place about two, three hours ago and the investigators by air as well as by sea are refining their search and trying to locate any more debris, any more evidence of this flight.

As a result of hearing this information coming out of Brazil today, President Obama, while he is still overseas, he authorized all U.S. government resources to help investigate this situation. He expressed condolences to the victims' families while he is in France, and while he's been marking the 65th anniversary of D-day.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE U.S: Obviously, I also want to make mention of the extraordinary tragedy of the Air France plane that we believe may have gone down. We don't know yet what exactly happened, but it is heartbreaking, obviously, for the families of the American people offer our thoughts and prayers.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Search crews are on deadline. Weather conditions in the area have improved, but officials say any debris will eventually sink and make recovery nearly impossible. So joining us by phone now, John Perry Fish, an expert in sonar technology. Because this is the kind of apparatus that is surely is being used and will have to be relied upon quite heavily as they continue to look for more details in this very vast debris field.

So, John, tell me how it is, based on what you have learned, the type of debris that's been plucked from the waters as of yet, how might this sonar technology help zero in on the search, help them uncover more evidence?

JOHN PERRY FISH, SONAR EXPERT: Good afternoon, Fredricka. This certainly is a major development in the search process because before -- before today, we really had no idea because the aircraft was out of range of radar, no idea where the accident occurred. But with Flotsom, material floating on the surface of the ocean that originated from the accident aircraft, now the search parties will be able to backtrack where that came from. It's a process called hind casting, and the scientist of Ply Oceanographic Algorithms to the debris position and time they try to backtrack it back to the time of the accident, which is fairly well known.

WHITFIELD: And because they have an idea weather wise, the weather pattern, how quickly things may have been able to float in this time stance since June 1?

FISH: That's correct. Some materials that would float high have a lot of wind age, would be more affected by the wind. Things that float low would be more affected by currents.

WHITFIELD: And this apparently, this area of the ocean has been reported earlier that the currents are quite treacherous there. And it is very mountainous below the surface. How might all of these things kind of compound, make it more difficult in this search?

FISH: Well, at the end of the day, imaging sonar will be used to try to determine the exact, precise location of debris field on the seabed. Mountainous terrain makes it a little more difficult, but nonetheless, the imaging sonar's, once the search area has been delineated from this hind casting process, then imaging sonar's will be deployed to map the seabed.

WHITFIELD: Involved in this investigation, France authorities, Brazilian authorities, the U.S., underscored by the president just now, whose saying he wants to make sure that all of the departments who are applicable could help out in this, among all of these entities, is the equipment that's already in use right now sophisticated enough for the conditions in your view?

FISH: Well, it will be. I don't think it's being deployed just yet. They still have to do that -- that hind casting process and they are probably going to look for more debris. Because the more data points they have on where the debris is, the more accurate their hind casting position. At that point, which might be a few days from now, at that point I think they will deploy and they have the equipment. Probably it's on its way to the site now.

WHITFIELD: All right. John Perry Fish, thank you so much. Sonar expert, joining us with some very important and interesting information in helping us understand the difficulties of this kind of search. Thanks so much.

More now on the discoveries being made there off the Brazilian coast. Our Karl Penhaul is actually in Brazil. He's been privy to a lot of the information that the Air Force, Brazilian Air Force and Brazilian Navy has been revealing. What more do you know, Karl? KARL PENHAUL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We do know that in about three hours from now, Fredricka, another press conference has been scheduled. That to give us the latest details. What we know from the press conference that concluded a couple hours ago by the airport and by the navy is that this morning, a Brazilian navy vessel recovered two male bodies. Along with those two male bodies, they also recovered items of luggage. They recovered a suitcase. They recovered a backpack with laptop computer inside and they recovered a leather briefcase.

They say inside that leather briefcase they say was a flight ticket. An Air France flight ticket with a name on the ticket corresponded to a name that was in fact on the passenger list of that doomed Air France 447 flight. In addition to that, the navy recovered a blue seat. We know that blue is one of the emblematic colors of Air France. They say authorities are now comparing the serial number off of that seat with details provided by Air France just to confirm that this seat also is, in fact, from that Air France flight, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: Talk to me about daylight. You still have some daylight there now. Upon making these kinds of discoveries today, how much time do authorities feel they have before this day closes out for them?

PENHAUL: They still have, I would guess, about another three, four hours of daylight. We also do know that specialized aircraft that are operating at nighttime are also participating in this search. We know that the teams have been divided into two now. One set of vessels and aircraft that are combing the area where this morning's discovery was made to see what more debris and possibly even human remains are still in that area.

The second team is covering a much wider area because the search teams do know that given the time that is elapsed, plus those strong ocean currents, that there could be remains spread across a much wider area of the Atlantic Ocean. What we also know is that the Brazilian navy vessel that picked up those bodies this morning is now heading to the Brazilian Island of Fernando de Hornohra, and then those bodies will be transferred here to the mainland where more details, identification will take place, along with further identification on the pieces of debris that has also been found, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right. Karl Penhaul, thank you so much. Appreciate that.

Meantime, this other story pretty horrific we want to report to you now. Out of Northern Mexico. A fire ripped through a day care center killing at least 31 children, all of them between the ages of 1 and 5. At least 28 others were injured. Authorities say the fire started at a warehouse next door and quickly spread to the day care center. Residents smashed the cement walls of the center with cars and vans as they and firefighters desperately tried to save these little children. Many of the injured children were severely burned. Some are being actually treated at a hospital in California.

Leaders of the United States, Britain, and Canada and, of course, France has joined elderly World War II veterans in Normandy, marking the 65th anniversary of D-Day. President Obama praised the courage of the troops, saying they went through unimaginable hell to win an improbable victory.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE U.S: You, the veterans of Atlanta, are why we remember what happened on D-Day. You're why we keep coming back. 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)

WHITFIELD: Britain has represented by Prince Charles and Prime Minister Gordon Brown. Other dignitaries included French President Sarkozy and Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper.

Honoring the 2500 troops who lost their lives storming the beach that day 65 years ago, today's ceremonies featured a number of moving tributes, including a 21-gun salute. The 21-gun salute is an internationally recognized show of respect. Also part of today's D-day ceremonies, a flyover by American, British and French military jets.

More than 150,000 allied troops participated in the D-day invasion. There were about 10,000 casualties in all. CNN's senior international correspondent Jim Bittermann is at the American Cemetery, overlooking one of the main landing points. He's joining us now. The weather held out earlier but now we can see it's very nasty and treacherous for you there.

JIM BITTERMANN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely. Absolutely, Fredricka. In fact, this is probably a pretty good indication, even though it is raining here in Normandy, it's a pretty good indication what it must have looked like on D-day morning 65 years ago today. It's raining fairly hard and the surf is really kicking up out there. I don't know if you can see that. I want to just give you an idea.

We were actually away from the cemetery, about two miles up the coast from the cemetery, and to give you an idea what the kinds of things that the soldiers coming ashore faced, right over to my left there you will see a very steep slope, and the surf is coming in off the boats, had to go up that slope, but what they faced on top of it were German trenches and firing positions and they were able to shoot straight down on the 29th Infantry that was trying to take the tops of the hills, and in particular this particular town where I'm standing. This was an access point from the beach that the troops could use to push inland. And they had to have some of these access points on the beach to get in. They were key points and many people died trying to take these positions along the -- what we call along the longest day 65 years ago.

WHITFIELD: And, Jim, of the veterans who made this very long journey to commemorate this day there, any idea whether some of them felt particularly compelled to come to this ceremony this year, if it was particularly more poignant for them this year versus any other?

BITTERMAN: Well, I think so. For one thing, a lot of these veterans are getting older as the years roll by and it's less and less likely that they will be able to make a trip like this. When you think about it, they were 18, 20 years ago back then and 65 years later, that puts them into their 80s. The consequence, they are in fairly fragile condition and the idea of ever coming back here again is starting to fade for a lot of them. I think that's part of it.

I think also this particular time with President Obama, a change in presidencies in the United States, is a much warmer feeling in Europe about the veterans, and I think they probably wanted to be here for that as well. This is I think a very moving kind of day. All four speeches from the four leaders here, the two presidents and the two prime ministers, were in fact addressed directly at the veterans, talking directly to them. I think it was the kind of thing that they really appreciated here. Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: Jim Bittermann thanks so much. Of course, we will see you again at the 4:00 Eastern hour as well. The sights, the sounds and smells of D-day are still vivid 65 years later to one of the heroes of that day. Leonard is an uncle of CNN's business correspondent Susan Lisovicz. She travels to home in Texas to hear his story from that day so long ago. We will hear what he has to say later on this hour.

And within our next hour, President Obama's visit this week to the Middle East, Europe, and his message to the Muslim world. America's appeal abroad overall, had his words or might his words promote or provoke any kind of change? How about for you? That's the topic for the entire hour, 4:00 Eastern Time. We want to hear from you. Your questions, your comments. Send them to our blog at CNN.com/newsroom, and then click on my name or on Facebook or e-mail us at WEEKENDS@CNN.com.

Paying their final respects for a provider of late-term abortions, gunned down in his church. Hundreds turn out for the funeral of Dr. George Tiller, remembering him as a generous man who overcame difficult challenges.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: In Wichita, Kansas, today, hundreds of mourners gathered for funeral services for the slain provider of late-term abortions, Dr. George Tiller. Security was extremely tight. Tiller was gunned down last Sunday at a church where he served as an usher. Tiller's son said his father's murder has resulted in an outpouring of love and support for the entire family. Tiller's accused killer is anti-abortion activist Scott Roeder. He is jailed on first degree murder and aggravated assault charges. CNN's Ed Lavandera talked with Roeder's former roommate.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): His real name is Eddie Ebashay (ph) but he's known as Wolfgang Anacon in the underground world of anti-government militias. That's how Anacon says he was introduced to Scott Roeder in the mid-1990s, when both men were involved with the Montana Freedom Movement.

WOLFGANG ANACON, FRIEND OF SCOTT ROEDER: He was a highly religious individual and had very high moral convictions in order for him to carry out this act.

LAVANDERA: Did his religious aspect of his life consume every second of his entire life?

ANACON: Yes, it did. He was constantly praying, constantly reading the bible. The foremost thing in his mind was Yahweh.

LAVANDERA: Anacon said he was Roeder's room mate for almost two years in the suburb of Kansas City, he says he often went with Roeder to anti-abortion rallies, including one rally at Dr. George Tiller's clinic in Wichita, Kansas. Anacon says they consider themselves part of the army of god, a group that has celebrated the murder of Dr. Tiller. And you said he became obsessed with Dr. Tiller, right?

ANACON: Yes, he did. It was almost his calling to do something about this particular doctor. I feel that Scott had a burden for all of the children that were being murder Ed and that he wanted to release the children from that kind of torture in the future.

LAVANDERA: Anacon said just days before Tiller's murder; he got a call from Roeder.

ANACON: He was going through the events of his life and that he was going to miss certain people and certain things were not going to be able to him anymore. So I should have picked up on that, that something imminent was going to happen, but I didn't.

LAVANDERA: Anacon said he never reported Roeder's obsession to the police. As for Scott Roeder, he remains in jail in Wichita, being held without bail. He's asked for a court-appointed attorney, but so far, he has not made any public comments about the case.

Ed Lavandera, CNN, Minneapolis.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Talk about some crazy weather out there. Very wild stuff. Just three states causing lots of damage. Jacqui Jeras is in the Severe Weather Center. She's got details and all kinds of great pictures. She's hard at work right now. Much more straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: In Cincinnati, an historic milestone today. Lisa Stanton became the first African-American woman in the world to be ordained a rabbi. Stanton was raised in a Pentecostal Christian family. But she converted to Judaism. She is going to assume the leadership of Cyagon in North Carolina.

And more on Stanton's fascinating journey with CNN's Don Lemon, "Up from a Past" that airs tomorrow 7:00 Eastern Time right here on CNN. More rain in the forecast for south Florida, where severe thunderstorms have caused major flooding in Miami's South Beach yesterday. Unrecognizable, isn't it? Take a look at the pictures. As much as nine inches of rain fell in a few hours. Homes and businesses were flooded. Our weather service received reports of golf ball-size hail.

You see sometimes transformers are ignited as well with powers and lines being brought down. Some people say that they saw a lot of lightning strikes in the area as well. I-reporter Thomas took these in the flooding of South Beach. I feel sorry for all of the car owners. He said the water was three feet deep in some spots. He also saw some cars floating down the street altogether. Is he a professional photographer and lives just one block from the beach.

Rain in the forecast. More rain for Florida and parts of the Midwest. But also extreme fire danger in the southwest. Jacqui Jeras joins us with more on that.

JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Hey, Fred. We got a lot going on today. I have some more pictures that I want to show you. You saw those Florida ones. We have, as you mentioned lightning, but that's causing fires across parts of the northwest. And pictures to show you actually -- what is this? We're looking at Miami I'm going to guess here. Rain as well. OK, this is Eugene, Oregon. I was told we were talking about some wildfires. That's also going on in parts of Oregon as well, by the way, because those thunder storms have produced lightning which in turn sparked fire. That's something they have been dealing with out west.

And severe weather in Wyoming. A picture caught of a tornado. There you can see a nice little funnel there. This happened out in an open field near La Grange, Wyoming it lasted about 25 minutes, stayed in the open field. No reports of any damage or injuries. Those are the kinds of tornadoes we don't mind hearing about so much.

Today we have a slight risk of severe thunderstorms from parts of Iowa, extending down through Texas. It's really kind of a narrow band here coming in with this front. It's going to be a scattered in nature. So not everybody is going to get in on some of this action for today. The wet weather continues across the sunshine state throughout Florida, some stronger thunderstorms moving towards the West Palm Beach area right now.

We also have storms down near Miami. We could see some gusty winds associated with that. Yeah, even a little bit of hail. We have delays in Florida at the airports because of that as well as into San Francisco and into Washington Dulles. We have showers for Minneapolis down towards Chicago. Starting to clear its way out but, again, we can see those thunderstorms reignite across the nation's midsection late today and then we'll also see some severe weather there tomorrow.

WHITFIELD: Oh, man. Crazy weather. Keeping you busy.

JERAS: It is.

WHITFIELD: We appreciate you, Jacqui.

JERAS: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: Thank you so much.

President Obama traveling abroad, but domestic issues still very much on his mind. We've got the latest on his plans for fixing the health care system.

And funny or out of line? Another political cartoonist is in the hot seat after a cartoon featuring Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Twenty nine minutes after the hour. Here are the stories we're working on in the newsroom. The Brazilian Air Force said it has found the bodies of two men. So far one of them is confirmed to be a victim of the Air France mystery, flight 447 simply vanished off the coast of Brazil with 228 people on board. That flight making its way from Rio to Paris.

And CNN now confirms that 35 children died in yesterday's fire at a day care center in northwestern state of Sonora. At least 41 children, along with 7 adults, were injured. The fire started in a warehouse next door but the cause is still unknown.

And President Obama and other world leaders joined World War II veterans in France today to mark the 65th anniversary of the D-day invasion. Mr. Obama praised the courage of the troops, declaring that they went through unimaginable hell to win an improbable victory.

President Obama was also in the Middle East earlier in the week before heading to Europe this week. Have the president's words and actions changed attitudes towards the U.S. or vice versa? We're going to take an in depth look in our next hour to find out exactly what you think. CNN's Josh Levs is here with a preview.

Already you're hearing from people who have some pretty strong status about what was said or what wasn't said.

JOSH LEVS, CNN NEWS CORRESPONDENT: They do. They have a lot to say about this. I will tell everybody right now, Fred, as you know, I'm pretty much going to be camped out right here in front of this thing between now and 5:00. So we got -- first of all, lots of messages coming in at the blog, zoom in here, CNN.com/newsroom just click on "Fredricka," and you see our question there: "Will it strengthen ties?"

And Fred, I'll just give you a taste, a little bit of what we're getting, here. Charlie saying, "n a word, yep, absolutely." But over here we're hearing from the other side -- actually no, Vince is agreeing.

Over here from Ohio, "Patriot Girl," "No, are you kidding me? He's causing more of a divide and hatred for America."

And folks, we're using Facebook, we're using Twitter. Let's show the graphics quickly, how you can send your words, your thoughts. That's everything you need for Fred right there. You've got the newsroom blog, you have her Facebook page and you also have our e-mail address. Let's end on my screen now, you've got facebook.com/JoshLevsCNN. Twitter.com/JoshLevsCNN, We're checking all of these things plus your iReports. Going to get in your views and your questions throughout the 4:00 hour. What has this president achieved? And how did his trip affect everyone?

WHITFIELD: Great. And we've got great guests that are going to be on hand with us. We've got a blogger out of Cairo, we've got a Middle East analyst and we also have a historian talking a little bit more about Normandy, the significance of. Yeah, so all of these experts. We're also going to hear a lot of these questions that we're getting on the blogs, on e-mails on Facebook.

LEVS: Yeah we're going to try to get you some answers. Really like the opportunity, folks, get your question answered. There you go, next hour.

WHITFIELD: Perfect. All right, thanks so much, Josh. Appreciate it.

LEVS: Yeah, thanks Fred.

WHITFIELD: OK, well you think it's been a busy week for the president? It's been a pretty busy week for the Supreme Court nominee as well, Sonia Sotomayor. For three days she was on Capitol Hill meeting senators and answering questions about controversial comments that she's made in the past. At least one was repeated several times. Comments, I'm saying.

Of course, we were referring to the statement that a Latina woman with the richness of her experiences would more often than not reach a better conclusion than a white male, sometimes the omission of the word Latina and white.

All right, well, in papers she submitted to Congress that sentence or similar one that came up in speeches between 1994 and 2004. So, now a lot of dialogue as to why the current day brings controversy and why in the past there was no controversy.

Well, the top Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee promises that he'll be tough but fair during judge Sotomayor's Supreme Court confirmation hearings. Senator Jeff Sessions delivered today's GOP media address.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN JEFF SESSIONS (R), JUDICIARY COMMITTEE: I and my Republican colleagues in the Senate are firmly committed to conducting a fair and respectful process. Too often in the past, confirmation hearings have devolved into political theater, short on substance and long on distortions of character and record. I'm convinced that the Senate can do better. When the American people look back on these hearings, I'm hopeful they will remember them as the most substantive, the moat thorough, and the most thoughtful in memory and focused on the issues that really matter.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Senator Sessions recently warned fellow Republicans to stop calling Sotomayor a racist.

Sotomayor is the subject of a political cartoon that is raising anger in some corners. CNN's Mary Snow reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MARY SNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The Oklahoma newspaper published the cartoon titled "Fiesta Time at the Confirmation Hearing." It features Judge Sonia Sotomayor strung up as a pinata while President Obama wears a sombrero and asks elephants, or Republicans, "Now, who wants to be first?" The cartoon quickly gained attention far beyond Oklahoma.

ROSSANA ROSADO, PUBLISHER, EL DIARIO LA PRENSA: I saw a lot of reaction in our community, you know, people were upset about it and somewhat stunned.

SNOW: Rossana Rosado publishes New York's largest Spanish language newspaper. She's also friendly with Judge Sotomayor who's Puerto Rican. Rosado questions why a Mexican sombrero and pinata were used.

ROSADO: I do know that it's offensive, and I think that it reflects a lot of the ignorance that many Americans have about Latinos, that, you know, we're kind of -- we're all Mexican or we're all this or all that. And in the end, it's just not that funny.

SNOW: The syndicated cartoonist who drew about Sotomayor says stereotyping was his point.

CHIP BOK, SYNDICATED CARTOONIST: Since she emphasized her Latinaness and that played it up as a virtue, I thought, you know, how about a fiesta and a pinata? This is a Mexican thing, but, again, we're dealing with stereotypes. That's all kind of the joke, I thought.

MARISSA TREVINO, LATINA LISTA: Not too many people are laughing in the Latino community.

SNOW: Marissa Trevino's Web site is dedicated to news impacting the Latino community. She actually comes to the defense of the cartoonist and says, looking at it closely, he's poking fun at Republicans, not ridiculing Sotomayor, but she still calls it insensitive.

BOK: When you tell a cartoonist he's insensitive, it's kind of like telling a basketball player he's tall. I mean, that's our job description. SNOW (on camera): The cartoonist says his aim was to poke fun at the situation Republicans are in. Calls to the editor for the Oklahoma newspaper for comment weren't immediately returned.

Mary Snow, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: All right, the Atlantic hurricane season now officially underway. Last season was a devastating one for the Gulf Coast. Eight months later, residents of Galveston, Texas, are still struggling financially and emotionally from Hurricane Ike. Our own Jacqui Jeras returned to see for herself what was and wasn't done. It is very difficult to recover from a blow like that.

JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Absolutely. And then you put today's economy on top of that, and certainly makes things a lot more difficult. I found out a lot of interesting things and went to Galveston on the island, which is still in a state of recovery.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GARRY DEPINGRE, GALVESTON BUSINESS OWNER: This was really a beautiful shop. What can be worse than this? I'll be back. I just don't know when. The water line was up to here.

JERAS: That's Surf Style's owner, Garry Depingre in September, after eight to nine feet of water and mud flooded his business of 25 years.

DEPINGRE: It was absolute sheer terror, devastation, depression. Anything you can name in the way of being horrifying. You know? It was awful. The biggest challenge of my entire life, you know?

JERAS: As soon as you cross the bridge into Galveston, evidence of Ike is everywhere on the shores and neighborhoods and downtown.

JEFF SJOSTROM, : Ike came and brought us to our knees.

JERAS: Jeff Sjostrom, the city's director of economic development, remembers.

SJOSTROM: A hundred percent of the businesses were impacted. And if it wasn't the business, then it was the owner's personal residence. If it wasn't the owner, it was the employees.

JERAS: But he credits loans from local banks and the owners themselves for the quick recovery.

SJOSTROM: They didn't come to the street corner and put their head in their hands and wait for somebody to come help. They came and they cleaned up.

JERAS: Depingre had no insurance. Looters took everything of value and emotions ran high, but he got a small business loan and it took him about four months. This is what Surf Styles looks like now.

DEPINGRE: Thank you so much.

JERAS: Seventy percent of devastated businesses in the historic strand district have reopened. Depingre is roughly breaking even, but couldn't be happier.

DEPINGRE: I'm home again and my shop's back alive. And that's a miracle.

JERAS (on camera): Footsie's is another business on the strand and while they had hopes and dreams just like Surf Styles of reopening, these doors remain closed, and there are no plans to reopen.

MAYOR LYDA ANN THOMAS, GALVESTON, TX: It's rough.

JERAS (voice-over): Mayor Lyda Ann Thomas shows us around the hard-hit neighborhood of Bayou Shores. Residential neighborhoods are not bouncing back as quickly as the business sector. Many homeowners are rebuilding, but other houses remain vacant or heavily damaged.

THOMAS: And you can still see the damage here.

JERAS: Mayor Thomas says 25 percent of evacuees have not returned to Galveston. Several schools had to close and 200 teachers laid off. Federal money is coming in, but it's not enough.

THOMAS: Our challenge right now, frankly, is to get FEMA to pay 100 percent reimbursement for the work we have to do here. The government does what it can, but the citizens themselves have to do some of the work, and they are doing it here. It's just slow and it's going to take time to rebuild.

JERAS: She said Galveston will look and feel different once rebuilt, but it will be stronger and more resilient as a result of Ike. A sentiment that Garry Depingre amplifies.

DEPINGRE: Stay driven. Stay with it, you know? You can do it. If I can do it, anybody can do it.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

JERAS: And so much work still to be done there in the Galveston area. It's amazing but the people really are resilient. Like they said, as they were welcoming, they were very happy to see us there and very motivated.

WHITFIELD: And it's an issue of commitment. I mean, it's a personal choice, as we heard from the man who has the surf shop. And it's a commitment of, you know what, I'm willing to stick it out. I really love this city and I want it -- I want to be here to help bring it back.

JERAS: Yeah, Garry Depringre.

WHITFIELD: Not everybody can do that.

JERAS: No, but he was really lucky. And the community is doing everything they can to help each other. For example, you know, he got a loan from a local bank, so the locals are helping each other so he was able to reopen. He had nothing. He didn't have any insurance, everything was a complete loss. So, it's amazing that he was able to come back.

WHITFIELD: Well, it looks like Garry is half glass full. That's the kind of person he is.

JERAS: Yeah, he definitely is that guy.

WHITFIELD: Well good. OK, well hopefully the recovery will eventually see a nice bounce back.

JERAS: That would be good, yeah. And hey, speaking of Galveston and recovery, do you remember the last house standing on the Boliver Peninsula? Amazing pictures.

WHITFIELD: I actually remember that.

JERAS: Do you remember it? Yeah, the yellow one? Only one for 11-1/2 miles on the Boliver Peninsula. It's the home of Warren and Pam Adams. And tomorrow we're going to visit with them and see if their house is left and what they're doing.

(CROSSTALK)

WHITFIELD: OK. We'll talk about that tomorrow. All right, Jacqui, appreciate it.

JERAS: Sure.

WHITFIELD: All right, a D-Day hero. CNN's Susan Lisovicz travels to Houston to see this man. It's her uncle and he talks about his experience on the longest day and he talks about it for the first time, actually.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Move over kids, let grandpa take a turn at that Wii. Turns out the technology is a great way to rehab old war wounds. T.J. Holmes has our "Technofile."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

T.J. HOLMES, CNN NEWS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): They arrive one after another. America's retired warriors, veterans from World War II, Korea, the Vietnam War, they all want to see one of their own take on the boss in a showdown of sorts. Atlanta's Veterans affairs administrator, James Clark, oversees the medical care and rehabilitation of more than 70,000 veterans, but today he's taking on the challenge of this 76-year-old resident in a bowling match. But why? JAMES CLARK, DIR., ATLANTA V.A. MEDICAL CENTER: It brings life to those who have lost their limbs. It has brought a quality to their life that they could never have done before this technology.

HOLMES: The technology is Wii. Yes, that one, Nintendo Wii. And Wii games are now being used by therapists everywhere.

CHAUNCEY ROZIER, V.A. RECREATIONAL THERAPIST: Around the world recreation therapists have all gotten on board with knowing that a Wii game is one of the greatest therapeutic activities right now that's going on in community living centers.

HOLMES: The boss warms up for his big game.

CLARK: This is going to be a long game ladies and gentlemen.

HOLMES: Uh, yeah. You see the challenger, Mizanuel Phillips? He's bowled 7 perfect games. That's 300 points, all strikes, in every frame.

CLARK: Hey champ, give me five? All right. Nice pick-up there, champ.

MIZANUEL PHILLIPS, ARMY VETERAN: Thank you. Now we're running neck and neck.

CLARK: Ooh, oh, you got robbed!

HOLMES: Mr. Phillips' game is a little off. The big crowd, TV camera, the photographers, all have him a bit nervous. And another perfect throw. And another.

CLARK: Where's that towel? I think I need that towel? Oh, bow to the champion.

HOLMES: After a slow start, Phillips threw seven strikes in a row to win, 221 to 138.

CLARK: So, how do you throw a perfect game with the hand that shakes?

PHILLIPS: I control it in my upper body. Relax the body, relax the mind.

CLARK: As you have just seen, you can take a veteran who has lost both of his limbs, who is confined to a wheelchair, get up to the line and bowl a beautiful game.

HOLMES: With his victory comes a steak dinner for all 90 residents of the Eagle's Nest Community Center, and now there's a new boss in town.

(END OF VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: As veterans are honored and remembered on this D- Day anniversary, our own Susan Lisovicz sits down with her uncle, who was there the day the allies stormed Normandy. In Houston, he reminisces for the first time at length about the longest day.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN NEWS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): All of my life, I've known that my uncle is a war hero but he never wanted to talk about it.

LEONARD LISOVICZ, U.S. ARMY (RET): I don't want to -- I try to rub that out of my mind, but it won't go away.

S LISOVICZ: What won't go way is the chaotic scene 65 years ago on a sliver of sand thousands of miles away. He was a 26-year-old lieutenant when stormed Omaha beach. The first word came from his captain.

L LISOVICZ: He says this is the real thing. Let's see what you can do. That was it. So you hit the beach.

S LISOVICZ: But the Germans hit back.

L LISOVICZ: They had to pinpoint, it was just like shooting ducks on a pond. Your comrades gets artillery busted, a hand flying here, a leg there, guts laying out on the ground. Just asking for help and you couldn't help them. You had to move. You just had to push them aside.

S LISOVICZ (on camera): You lost so many men. Were you ever scared?

L LISOVICZ: Nobody can tell me that you don't fear going up against a man you never seen in your life and look them in the eye and know you're going to kill them.

S LISOVICZ (voice-over): But the Nazis held the superior position. Then Uncle Lenny said, help came from above.

L LISOVICZ: At times there were so many planes in the sky, you couldn't see the sky. You could see them forming from all directions coming into one pattern, and that's how we got off the beach, darling. We found the paratroopers. But they were all dead. They massacred them in the field.

S LISOVICZ: From that beach, my uncle fought all the way to Germany. He started with 220 men, but says only 22 made it back home alive.

My uncle returned with many medals for his service, including the prestigious Silver Star for his valor in the battlefield.

(on camera): What does this mean to you now when you look at it?

L LISOVICZ: I don't care for it. I did the walk, baby. I did the walk.

S LISOVICZ: You don't need to do the talk?

L LISOVICZ: That's right.

S LISOVICZ (voice-over): But I finally convinced lieutenant Leonard Lisovicz, my uncle Lenny, at 91 to do the talk. After 65 years, it was time.

Susan Lisovicz, CNN, Houston, Texas.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Oh, we love that he brought that story to us, and of course, Susan, as well.

All right, the latest on the Air France flight 447. Two bodies found in the Atlantic along with debris from that plane. We'll bring you a live report.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: A reported cases of child rape have surged in Zimbabwe prompting the U.N. to launch an awareness campaign to stop it. One woman is taking matters into her own hands. Betty Makoni is this week's "CNN Hero."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN Heroes.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He shoved me to the ground and covered my mouth with his hand. When the rape ordeal was over, he plant (ph) some leaves and wiped me.

BETTY MAKONI, PROTECTING THE POWERLESS: In Zimbabwe, young girls are raped because of the myth that virgins cure HIV and AIDS.

Ten girls per day, they are raped. They needing advocates to help them break silence.

My name is Betty Makoni. I founded an organization that raises these girls from abuse. I was sexually abused at six years and also lost my mother at nine years. After my mother died from domestic violence, I told myself that no girl or woman would suffer the same again.

I started related (ph) to provide a safe place for girls to yield from abuse. When a girl gets to the clinic, she is provided with the emergency medication, reinstatement in school as well as counseling. It gives them the confidence to transform from victims to leaders.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

Betty's organization has rescued more that 35,000 girls since 2001.

Betty currently lives in England due to threats against her life.

MAKONI: To child abuse, say no! To child abuse.

CROWD: Say no!

MAKONI: To child abuse!

CROWD: Say no!

MAKONI: To child abuse!

CROWD: Say no!

MAKONI: Say no!

CROWD: To child abuse!

MAKONI: Say no!

CROWD: To child abuse!

MAKONI: This is (INAUDIBLE) I always wanted to do. It gives me a fulfillment and, in girls, I see myself every day.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: If you would like more information on Betty Makoni, the Girl Child Network or if you would like to nominate your own "CNN Hero," log on to CNN.com/heroes.

For major developments in the investigation of Air France flight 447. We're live in Brazil.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right, more now on our top story. This breaking story. Crews searching for the wreckage of Air France flight 447. They've actually found two bodies in the Atlantic Ocean, among other things. CNN's Karl Penhaul joins us live now from Recife, Brazil with the latest on that -- Karl.

All right, looks like we've lost our audio with him, but what we understand is that the Air Force and the Navy in Brazil located the bodies, as I've mentioned, they've also found other items of debris that identify certain passenger who may have been on board. Here now is Karl Penhaul.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KARL PENHAUL, CNN NEWS CORRESPONDENT: In a joint press conference today by the Brazilian Air Force and the Brazilin Navy, authorities are confirming to us that they have recovered two male bodies from the Atlantic Ocean in the area where the Air France flight was presumed to have gone down. In addition to the corpses, authorities say they have also recovered items of luggage. They say that they found a suitcase; they say they found a back-top (sic) with a laptop computer inside, and they've also found a leather brief case. Inside that leather brief case an Air France ticket and on it the name of a passenger that was listed on that doomed Air France flight.

In addition that, authorities say that they have found a blue seat. They are confirming the serial number on that seat and the details provided by Air France to confirm if that seat was from the Air France flight.

Now, the location of where the discovery was made this morning is about 670 miles off the Brazilian mainland, about 450 miles north of that Brazilian island of Fernando de Noronha (ph).

What the authorities say now is that the search is divided into two teams -- one team which is scouring the area where the bodies and luggage were found this morning to see if they can find more debris and more human remains. They also say that the second team is continuing to search other areas of the ocean because they think they know that given the time that has transpired and the ocean's current in that area, that the debris could be scattered far and wide across parts of the Atlantic Ocean.

Karl Penhaul, CNN, Recife Brazil.

(END VIDEOTAPE)