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An Array of Problems on President Obama's Plate: Where Does He Start?; Ray Nagin Under Lock and Key in China; An American Murdered in Iraq's Green Zone; Lone House Still Stands in Houston After Hurricane Ike; Tornado Touches Down Near Denver; Actress Phylicia Rashad Again Breaks New Ground; Hurricane Ike Spurs Baby Boom

Aired June 07, 2009 - 18:00   ET

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

DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Live this hour -- he's back. But to what? Souring unemployment, a crashing economy and a sickly health care system -- where does the president start?

Iraq exclusive: A rare Green Zone murder of an American allegedly by other Americans. CNN is the only place that you'll see the suspects.

Nowhere to be seen: One of the most vocal mayors in the U.S. -- Ray Nagin, we're talking about -- under lock and key in China. What happened?

And a perfect storm: What do you do when the power is out, no TV and no place to go? Well, in one city, you make babies -- and lots of them. We explain right now -- in the news.

(MUSIC)

LEMON: Hello, everyone. I'm Don Lemon, live here at the CNN world headquarters in Atlanta.

President Barack Obama is back after his week-long trip to the Middle East and Europe, squarely focusing on foreign policy. But now, back home, the president has some pressing domestic issues to contend with, namely: the economy and burgeoning unemployment. Over 2 million workers have been pink-slipped since the president signed his $787 billion stimulus package -- that has some wondering if another stimulus is needed.

But the president senior advisor tells CNN's John King to be patient.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAVID AXELROD, SENIOR WHITE HOUSE ADVISOR: Well, John, first of all, let me -- let me point out that when the president -- when the stimulus package passed earlier this year, the president said it was going to take some time for it to filter through the system. And that -- and that employment was the last thing that was going to respond. It's the nature; it's the economics of this.

One of the hopeful signs among very bad news in this past week is that far fewer jobs were lost last month than the month before -- in fact, far fewer jobs than were anticipated. And hopefully, that is a sign that this is turning. And while it's going to take some time for these unemployment numbers to turn around, for the momentum to completely stop and turn in the other directions, it feels as if we're moving.

And the stimulus package now is not nearly done; it's just really at its beginnings. That's the way the money is distributed. So, let's see how this stimulus package works before we begin talking about whether there's need for another.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: That was White House senior advisor David Axelrod urging patience. But it's hard to be patient, you know, when the jobless rate is 9.4 percent.

I want to bring in CNNMoney.com's Poppy Harlow to break down the numbers for us.

Again, Poppy, you know, he's saying, be patient. But if you don't have a job or if you're on the verge of losing your job, that's tough -- that's a tough advice to follow.

POPPY HARLOW, CNNMONEY.COM: Yes, it's incredibly tough. I mean, our unemployment rate, Don, is now near 9 1/2 percent. It went up by more than expected. We found that out on Friday morning, and 335,000 Americans lost their job last month.

But take a look at that bar chart on your screen, because what you're seeing is improvement in monthly job losses. The number we got on Friday for May was far better than expected, Don. But we have to take this all in perspective, because when you add up the numbers since the start of 2008, really shortly after this recession began, more than 6 million people have lost their job and what we now see is that long-term unemployment rate, Don. And that really matters.

People that have been looking for work for more than six months -- that's near a record high. It is at a record high. The highest we've since 1980. It's near 4 million people, Don.

LEMON: Where are we seeing the biggest losses, Poppy?

HARLOW: You know, the usual suspects: manufacturing, right? Construction -- who wants to build a home, let alone an office building right now? Retail -- those are where you're seeing a lot of the losses.

Some hopeful signs though in job gains. Let's show you those numbers. Education added jobs, health services and leisure and hospitality. That is something we haven't seen, Don, because people haven't been staying in hotels as much or going out to dinner as much. So, that's a hopeful sign if they're adding jobs in those sectors, Don.

LEMON: All right. The numbers, how do they break down? Because we heard, I guess it was earlier this year, that African-Americans and Hispanics ...

HARLOW: Yes.

LEMON: ... are losing their jobs, you know, more than -- more than white or they had higher numbers. What about gender and race? How does it break down there?

HARLOW: Yes, you know, that story continues, Don, here. When you look at the latest reading, almost 15 percent of African-Americans are out of work. Teenagers -- interestingly enough -- having the hardest time finding jobs, 22.7 percent, because those jobs are going to more qualified people. Hispanics, again, much higher than whites in terms of job losses. And adult men, near 10 percent unemployment; and then adult women are actually below the average there, Don.

So, you see the breakdown. But it continues that minorities are having a harder and harder time finding work. That's a very unfortunate statistic and it remains with us as it has through this recession.

LEMON: Yes, let's turn to the auto industry now, Poppy, because there's a big deadline looming ...

HARLOW: Yes.

LEMON: ... for hundreds of Chrysler dealerships around the country this week. Is it Tuesday?

HARLOW: It's Tuesday, June 9th. And that's when almost 800, 789 Chrysler dealers, Don, are going to no longer be allowed to sell new Chrysler vehicles. So, what's going to happen to those dealers is that they are likely going to continue to sell used models, and some of their others, Mitsubishi, et cetera -- but that means workers, Don, and that's what it all comes down to is this. They're trying -- Chrysler is trying to manage its brand better and trying to rein in its dealerships.

But the people that work at those almost 800 dealerships, they're not going to have as much demand, because they're not going to have those Chrysler dealers, and that's going to mean thousands of jobs are on the line. It's going to be really interesting to talk to folks at those dealers come Tuesday when they actually do hit that deadline, because anything can change between now and then, Don.

LEMON: All right. Thank you, Poppy Harlow of CNNMoney.com. And for more information, you go to CNNMoney.com and get all the information you need on everything that Poppy just reported on and much, much more.

The president also plans a big push on this number one domestic priority, and that is health care reform. He wants the bill drafted by fall. And CNN has obtained a copy of legislation drafted by a leading senator. As CNN's Kate Bolduan reports, the president says it is time to deliver practical health care for everyone.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) PRES. BARACK OBAMA, UNITED STATES: The status quo is broken. We cannot continue this way. If we do nothing, everyone's health care will be put in jeopardy.

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): President Obama wants health care legislation on his desk by October. The White House and Democrats aimed to ensure all Americans are covered. A draft bill by Senator Ted Kennedy obtained by CNN establishes a new government- run insurance option -- something Republicans strongly oppose, saying it threatens to drive private insurers from the market.

SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL, SENATE REPUBLICAN LEADER: The American people want health care decisions left up to families and doctors, not bureaucrats in Washington. They don't want a government takeover that denies or delays the care they need. And they don't want politicians telling them how much or what kind they can have.

BOLDUAN: Also, under the draft bill, many individuals and employers would face penalties for going without insurance. And it proposes the government subsidize premiums for people up with incomes up to 500 percent of the poverty level, but draft does not include specifics on how to pay for the health care overhaul.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you so much for coming.

BOLDUAN: This weekend, the Democratic Party's advocacy arm, Organizing for America, kicked off a campaign-style lobbying effort, hosting meetings across the country to build public support for the health care push. Republicans fighting for a seat at the bargaining table, say efforts like these aren't helping.

REP. ROY BLUNT, (R) MISSOURI: Activating the grassroots effort from the campaign is one way to keep your campaign effort alive. It's not a particularly effective way to create a bipartisan solution to an important problem.

BOLDUAN (on camera): Senator Kennedy's office insists the draft bill is just that -- a draft, meaning, it's not final and could change dramatically as the big health care debate begins in Congress.

Kate Bolduan, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: All right, Kate.

We're getting a first and exclusive look at the five Americans detained in the murder of an American contractor in Iraq's Green Zone. Tonight, they wait for their fates to be decided by American and Iraqi officials. And CNN's Phil Black brings us the details from Baghdad.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PHIL BLACK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: CNN has obtained exclusive images of the American men now being detained in an Iraqi prison in connection to the murder of another American. There are five in total -- all private security contractors working for the security firm CTU or Corporate Training Unlimited. Their names: Donald Feeney, he is the founder and CEO of that company, his son, also Donald Feeney, Michael Milligan (ph), Mark Bridges (ph), and Jason Morton (ph). The five were detained early Friday morning in a raid conducted by U.S. and Iraqi authorities and they are being held in connection to the murder last month of a James Kitterman, a 60-year-old construction company operator here in Iraq who is found bound and stabbed inside a vehicle within the Green Zone.

U.S. embassy officials have visited the five men. But their future for the moment is unclear. Should they be charged -- Iraqi authorities can potentially prosecute them now here under Iraqi legal jurisdiction. CNN understands that negotiations are under way between the Iraqi government and the U.S. State Department to determine their future.

Phil Black, CNN, Baghdad.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: OK, Phil.

You know, the polls are closed in Lebanon tonight after a crucial vote. Today's election could unseat Lebanon's pro-western coalition, replacing it with one dominated by the militant group, Hezbollah. President Jimmy Carter is in Lebanon, heading a team of international observers monitoring the process there. He says today's election is a long time coming.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JIMMY CARTER, FMR. U.S. PRESIDENT: Many of the Lebanese experts say this is the first fair and free opportunity that the people have had since 1972. I think that's 37 years. And so, I believe that the people of Lebanon have enough confidence and enough pride in their own country and enough dedication to democracy and freedom so that they will carry out these elections as sincerely and as honestly as possible. And -- so, I don't have any doubt about that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Early results are expected to trickle in tonight. The official tally is to be announced tomorrow.

Another story developing tonight: New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin, his wife and a member of his security detail have been quarantined in Shanghai, China, after possible exposure to the H1N1 virus, commonly called swine flu.

I received a statement from Mayor Nagin's office just a short time ago. And it says Nagin's plane carried a passenger who might have had the virus. But, so far, the major is symptom-free. Nagin is on an economic development trip. We'll update you on this story as information becomes available there.

People across a big chunk of the U.S. are bracing for possible tornados tonight. Let's get straight to our Jacqui Jeras in the CNN severe weather center.

Jacqui, what do you have?

JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Well, we're starting in Colorado right now, where we had warnings on and off over the last hour maybe hour and a half or so. Tornado warnings remain in place here for both Washington and Lincoln counties. This is a Doppler radar-indicated tornado. But we did have confirmed tornados earlier this afternoon. Our iReporters are catching pictures of them.

Let's go ahead and look at this first one from Mark Saab (ph) of Aurora, Colorado. He said this tornado was probably about 20 miles away from him. And he took these pictures safely from the basement. Actually, the first there, that was Russell Bramblett. These are from Mark Saab. There you can see the condensation funnel in this one. And the next one looks more like a rope tornado and you can actually see that little debris cloud at the bottom.

There's a little bit of damage from this one in the Buckley area, at Southland Shopping Center, and we also have some baseball-size hail in (INAUDIBLE) sized hail in Denver proper. We're also watching the threat of tornado in parts of Nebraska this hour -- tornado warnings in effect in here for Pawnee and Richardson counties. And there you can see the tornado watch, which remains in effect throughout the evening.

So, moderate risk. We're going to see a lot of action over the next couple of hours. Of course, we'll stay on top of it for you -- Don?

LEMON: All right. Jacqui, thank you.

And when Jacqui comes back, she'll revisit the only house left standing after Hurricane Ike roared through Gilchrist, Texas, right, Jacqui? So, take a look at this. She's going to tell us what happened with them, I'm wondering.

OK. Plus, how did it happen? The search for answers in that tragic daycare fire in Mexico.

Also, the mystery surrounding the fatal journey of Air France Flight 447. We have new pictures and there had been new bodies discovered there.

Also, it's time for you to weigh in -- Twitter, Facebook, MySpace or iReport.com. Let us know what you're thinking. I'll be tweeting with you and also, I'll be on Facebook right during the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: All right. This just in to CNN: More bodies have been found from the crash of Air France Flight 447 in the Atlantic Ocean, along with luggage and parts of the plane. We want to go now to CNN's Karl Penhaul. He joins us from Brazil with the very latest.

Karl, what are you hearing? KARL PENHAUL, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Don, a press conference is actually going on at this moment with Brazilian air force officials and Brazilian navy officials. We do have one of our team down there right now. She has just phoned in and what she has told me is that authorities are now saying they have recovered 17 bodies from that Air France Flight 447 which went down exactly a week ago now.

Now, the Brazilians are saying that of the bodies so far recovered, four are males, four are females. One of the bodies that the Brazilians have recovered is so far unidentified in terms of whether it is male or female, and they say that a French vessel that is also in the zone, helping out with the search and rescue, has recovered eight bodies. And so, the Brazilians have recovered nine, the French have recovered eight, for a total of 17 bodies recovered so far.

Now, those bodies are on navy vessels now, out in the Atlantic Ocean, more than 700 miles from the Brazilian mainland. Those vessels will sail to the nearest island, Fernando de Noronha Island, and then will be offloaded by a helicopter. They will be staged in the Fernando de Noronha Island and then, in the coming days, will be brought to Recife for the forensic examination. That will provide investigators with some clues, additional clues as to how the aircraft went down, but also may offer some closure to their loved ones, Don.

LEMON: All right. Karl Penhaul reporting from Brazil -- and they're finding more bodies, and the press conference is going on now, with our developing story here on CNN -- thank you. We'll get back if there are new details.

Meantime, 41, that's how many young children have now died from fire that engulfed a day care center in northwest Mexico. And tonight, we're hearing their parents took desperate measures to try to save them.

CNN's Thelma Gutierrez joins us now -- from the telephone -- with the very latest on this tragic story.

Thelma, we heard about some parents just standing by and they were helpless to even get to their children.

THELMA GUTIERREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (via telephone): Yes. Absolutely, Don. In fact, when some of the parents heard about the fire and then got to the day care center, all they could do is stand by and watch it burn. One of the doors was completely closed shut. There was only one way for those children to get out. And the windows were way up high and completely inaccessible.

But I can tell you, Don, that it has been really, truly, a day of heartaches here in Hermosillo. One after another, there were multiple funerals going on throughout the city, each for the children who lost their lives in that terrible fire, mothers cried out in grief and complete strangers sat in the pews weeping quietly. At the Pantheon Municipal, which is the largest cemetery here in Hermosillo, six churches brought six tiny coffins for burial; other ceremonies were taking place at other cemeteries in the city.

One mother that we approached was actually playing her daughter's favorite song as she sat by the grave. She said she never imagined when she kissed her daughter on Friday good-bye, that that would be the last time that she would see her daughter -- Don?

LEMON: Thelma, you reported last night on our broadcast, on our late broadcast, that a man wanted to get into that building so -- he wanted to get in there so desperately that he rammed his truck, I think you said three times into the building. What happened to that man?

GUTIERREZ: I can tell you, we talked to him today. He is 23- year-old Francisco Lopez. He is being hailed as a hero here in this town. He -- as parents were trying to get into that burning building, he thought very quickly, he jumped into his pickup truck and then he rammed into the building three times. When he finally broke through one of those walls, dozens of children came pouring out and people were able to get in to rescue the tiniest of the children who's trapped in their cribs in one of the backrooms where they were napping.

LEMON: Oh, Thelma Gutierrez -- Thelma, thank you so much for that.

And also, we're getting responses here. One person said, "It's so hard to watch this story and the bodies in the tiny coffins, Don." And that is absolutely true. You can't even imagine what the families and people are going through in Mexico. We're going to have another report at 7 o'clock, in just under an hour here on CNN, from Thelma, a live report, as a matter of fact.

Both sides are standing firm. A face-off that could land North Korea back on the list of states that sponsor terrorists. Saber- rattling? That's coming up in the NEWSROOM.

Plus, the race for the Republican nomination for the president in 2012 -- some say it has already started for Sarah Palin.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: On the heels of missile tests and threats and rescinding near 56-year-old truce with South Korea, North Korea may find itself back in familiar territory, on the list of state sponsors of terror, and the Obama administration is considering other moves to silence the saber-rattling from Pyongyang.

Here's CNN's Elaine Quijano.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): After North Korea's provocative actions, including its missile and nuclear tests last month, the regime could wind up back on the U.S.'s list of state sponsors of terrorism, according to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. HILLARY CLINTON, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: We're going to look at it. There's a process for it. Obviously, we would want to see recent evidence of their support for international terrorists.

QUIJANO: Clinton says the U.S. is just beginning to look for that evidence, but if officials do press ahead, it would ratchet up tensions even further. The move would mean South Korea could possibly intercept North Korean ships suspected of supplying missiles and nuclear materials to other countries. Actions Kim Jong-Il's regime has warned would provoke retaliation.

Still, President Obama, on his trip to Europe, made clear the U.S.'s patience with North Korea is wearing thin.

OBAMA: I don't think that there should be an assumption that we will simply continue down a path in which North Korea is constantly destabilizing the region.

QUIJANO: Without naming his predecessor, President Obama criticized the Bush White House, which took North Korea off the terrorism blacklist last fall. Mr. Obama says his administration doesn't plan to continue the policy of rewarding provocation.

CNN foreign affairs correspondent Jill Dougherty says, behind the scenes, U.S. officials are grappling with how best to deal with the region.

JILL DOUGHERTY, CNN FOREIGN AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: There's enormous frustration about how to really put the pressure on them and get them to do what they have promised to do, which is end their nuclear program.

QUIJANO: For now, the U.S. wants tougher United Nations sanctions.

CLINTON: If we do not take significant and effective action against the North Koreans now, we'll spark an arms race in Northeast Asia. I don't think anybody wants to see that.

QUIJANO: Complicating the picture, the state of two American journalists, Laura Ling and Euna Lee, now facing trial in North Korea.

CLINTON: I have taken every action that we thought would produce the result we're looking for.

QUIJANO (on camera): North Korea says the reporters entered the country illegally. They're accused of unspecified hostile acts. Secretary Clinton says their detention is a humanitarian issue, separate from political matters, and says the women should be let go.

Elaine Quijano, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: A vocal critic of the Obama administration lately is Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, who's been spotted all around the state of New York this weekend. Here's a former GOP vice-presidential candidate at a New York Yankees game earlier today.

Well, yesterday, Governor Palin attracted some 20,000 people in Auburn, New York. That's the hometown of the former Secretary of State William Seward, who helped broker the purchase of the Alaskan territory from Russia. Later, at a private fund-raiser, Palin reportedly took the Obama administration to task on economic and national security issues.

So, we're less than 140 days into the Obama administration. But there's GOP jockeying going on already for a 2012 presidential run.

Let's bring in CNN deputy political director, Mr. Paul Steinhauser. He is live in Washington this evening.

Hello to you, sir. So, we are seeing Sarah Palin this weekend really slamming the president and his economic policies, and also his foreign policies as well, and Mitt Romney doing the same thing last week. Coincidence?

PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN DEPUTY POLITICAL DIRECTOR: Yes. I guess, yes and no. I don't think they're comparing schedules, Don, but if you can believe it -- like you said, it's been seven months since the election and we're already talking about the next campaign. But, yes, these people who -- they will not admit they're running because they're -- right now, they're not running. They keep saying that's far too down the road, but they are really jockeying for position, thinking about running.

Sarah Palin doing -- as you mentioned -- talking to the brethren up in New York and criticizing the Obama administration.

Mitt Romney -- he did something very similar about a week ago right here in Washington, D.C. He went to a think tank here, a conservative one which is critical of the administration on national security. He's also been campaigning with Republican candidates who are running either this year or next year. And he's out there helping other candidates raise money and gets on TV.

So, it's all kind of early jockeying for position, Don. Think of this as the pre-game show. I guess, the real action will start after next year's midterm elections.

LEMON: And, you know, before the Palin pick, before McCain picked Palin, there was some talk that Tim Pawlenty might have been the vice-presidential -- his presidential running mate, at least his pick. So, he's deciding not run for re-election as the governor next year, bringing himself up for potential run in 2012, is that correct, Paul?

STEINHAUSER: That is correct. And he's got a lot of us keeping our eyes on Tim Pawlenty. He decided, as you mentioned, this week, not run for a third term as governor. He would be up for re-election next year in Minnesota. Yes, he was on that very short list for John McCain as his running mate.

But this just now frees him up. He'll be gone next year as Minnesota governor. And if he wants to run for the White House, he will be able to make that quick transition from governor to presidential candidate, and be able to do it full time. So, yes, the jockeying has begun.

LEMON: You know, it seems a little bit odd, as we said. You know, a couple of months since the election, what, 140 days into the Obama administration. But really, it looks like this race is officially -- unofficially, I should say, begun. Have we done any polls on this?

STEINHAUSER: Yes, we actually have. CNN has done a poll and a couple other organizations as well.

Take a look at our numbers we polled nationally. Republicans, we gave them five choices. And you can see right here, kind of -- this is in a kind of emblematic of the party there. There is no front- runner in the Republican Party right now. It's really up for grabs. You can see Mike Huckabee, the former Arkansas governor who ran last time around; Mitt Romney; and Sarah Palin, who -- as you mentioned -- the vice-presidential nominee, all kind of dead even right there with Newt Gingrich at 13 percent and Jeb Bush at 6 percent.

So, it shows this race, if there isn't even a race yet, is wide open. But just remember this, too, there may be names out there we don't even know, because, Don, four years ago at this time, Barack Obama was a brand-new freshman senator and we had no idea that he was going to think about running for president and look what happened.

LEMON: You know what, getting back -- if we're going to get back to Sarah Palin. We said that she was in New York and she went to a game. You know, criticizing the Obama administration, she says defense cuts are a show of weakness. And I'm wondering if it's a possible hint at the future GOP strategy at Obama, Paul.

STEINHAUSER: It might be. You know, they may go after him next year, and especially when he's up for re-election in 2012, over the economy. But if the economy rebound, national defense is often the way Republicans go after Democratic candidates. They went after Barack Obama when he was running for president this way. Obviously, it didn't work, he won the election.

And polls right now show that when it comes to national security, most Americans are giving Barack Obama thumbs up. But you heard Sarah Palin do this, you've heard Mitt Romney do it, you'll hear other Republicans criticize him as well, Don.

LEMON: All right. Paul Steinhauser, always good information. Thank you, sir. We appreciate it.

STEINHAUSER: Thank you, Don.

LEMON: OK. Here's what you guys are saying about the stories were putting on the air.

Billiegirltoo says, "I think Huckles will end up being amongst the choices again. He's likable enough to bend people's opinions." DarkKnight3565 says, "Of those three, I'd unhesitantly pick Palin, although I respect Romney, don't exclude Jindal and Sanford."

Mahogany_soul says, "Someone completely different. The GOP needs a changing of the guard before they'll be relevant again." And PhysicsPwnstr says, "Ron Paul. The Republican's only chance will be in the form of a libertarian."

Little, "The only chance at a youth vote is" -- that's the end of the tweet. Didn't finish it.

Kristienantwerp says, "Are we talking about that already? Oh, boy, I only recovered from these last elections."

I am with you on that one. It seems a bit early to me as well.

Twitter, Facebook, MySpace and iReport.com. As soon as we go into the break, I'll be on Twitter and Facebook and you can chat with me there if you like.

A high school principal also an Army reservist was shipped off to Iraq. That didn't stop him from delivering his commencement address from Baghdad and with a special guest.

Hi, Jacqui.

JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Hey, Don.

(LAUGHTER)

LEMON: I saw you and said, hi, Jacqui. How are you? What do you have?

JERAS: I'm great thanks. We're going back to Galveston today along the Texas coast and check in on Pam and Warren Adams, the owners of the last house standing. Remember that yellow house all by itself on the Valagriffin (ph) Peninsula? You'll want to stay tuned for this report.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: I can't believe it's been nine months since Hurricane Ike swallowed up part of the gulf. And it was at Galveston, at Gilchrest (ph), that family that the lone house...

JERAS: Yeah.

LEMON: And that house is still standing. You went back to check on them.

JERAS: We did. We talked with Pam Adams, the first time around, right after it happened. They were extremely devastated but felt really hopeful that it was there. We wanted to go back and find out if they're still there.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Wind! WARREN ADAMS, HURRICANE IKE SURIVIOR: We're all glued to the TV watching. And as the chopper made its turn to go back to the west, its cameras came upon a house. So emotional. But we saw it.

JERAS (voice-over): Warren and Pam Adams' house became, for some, the symbol of hope along the Texas coast after Hurricane Ike. The last house standing was a sign there would be a future. What would appear to be a totally intact house turned to be one of the greatest challenges of Warren's life.

ADAMS: We got water inside and it tore up this deck on this side and a lot of sheetrock damage. All the floors were damaged, all the cabinets and stuff.

JERAS: The damage was worse than expected.

ADAMS: When the wind hits the house, it sort of twists it back and forth and breaks the sheetrock and the joints, breaks those.

This is my temporary quarters.

JERAS: Adams wasted no time moving into a trailer on the property to oversee every step on the project.

ADAMS: We're working out of our pocket right now but we're getting to the point where we're going to have to rely on some finances that are due us. All this stuff has to be cleaned.

JERAS: Despite frustrations with his insurance company, his spirits remain high. He inspired others in the area over the holidays by putting up Christmas lights. And he hopes his new deck being constructed will encourage others to rebuild.

ADAMS: A lot of people come to me for advice. If you want to rebuild and your heart is heart is set on building, go for it. Take your chances. That is what it's all about anyway.

JERAS: Eight months after Ike left, Adams' dream house he called Fantasy is the only one standing for 11.5 miles. He sits beachfront now instead of three house inland, but says the great view of the gulf doesn't match having great friends to share it with.

ADAMS: It's not going to be as great as it used to when you don't have all your neighbors. I'm sure in time people will come back. There'll be a lot of people like me who love the beach.

JERAS: He hopes he can finish fantasy by July and get back to a relaxing retirement.

(on camera): Are you ready?

ADAMS: Sure, I am. I can't wait to get this thing back together. It's been a long time. It's been eight months now, so I'm really looking forward to it, looking forward to sitting right where we are sitting with all the handrails painted white and house back to its natural yellow color. (END VIDEOTAPE)

JERAS: Warren Adams is a man on a mission. He is very focused and determined to have this thing done. He said he hopes it will inspire other people to do the same.

LEMON: I think I probably know the answer why, growing up in a hurricane zone, but why do they stay?

JERAS: It was his retirement home. That was their dream.

LEMON: He loves it there?

JERAS: Yeah. Have a place on the beach. He says wherever you live, there's some kind of a natural disaster threat. If you live in California, it's earthquakes and wildfires. If you live in the plains, it's tornadoes. And if you live on the beach, you have to watch out for hurricanes.

LEMON: Is there anywhere you can go where there's nothing? Paradise, Hawaii?

(LAUGHTER)

JERAS: He's the only one for 11.5 miles. It's been that way for nine months.

LEMON: Let's talk about the French Open today real quickly, Jacqui. Hey, before we go to that, before we go to the French Open, do we want to go to this developing new Denver tornado damage.

Jacqui, tell us about the tornado. Before that, Jacqui, it's a live picture from our affiliate KMGH.

Jacqui, take it way and tell us what happened here today.

JERAS: All right. This is outside of the Denver area. A tornado touched down, happened probably around 2:00ish. There, you can see, there's been a little bit of damage. I'm not sure of the exact location we're looking at here. I know along I-70, a semi trailer had been flipped over and there was some minor damage to a shopping center in that area. A tornado touchdown causing some damage about two hours ago already.

LEMON: We don't have control of these pictures. This is from our affiliate. They're panning around. Probably discovering some of the damage themselves here.

JERAS: This is shopping center.

LEMON: Sometimes they don't find all the damage right away.

Jacqui says it's been two hours. As she said, a tractor-trailer turned over and some damage to the shopping center. You can see the emergency officials there on the seen.

JERAS: No reports of injuries so far so knock on wood.

LEMON: Was this part of the system?

JERAS: Yeah. There's a severe thunderstorm watch across the area, a perfect example of we say take those warnings seriously because sometimes tornados can occur when you have a severe thunderstorm watch. And we have a number of watches in the plains, Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska. This is going to ongoing throughout the evening.

LEMON: They're saying it's very minor damage. I don't hear much about tornado, am I wrong, in Denver, in that area?

JERAS: No so much in Denver. Denver is right along the front range right there. It's usually farther off to the east when you get into the plains.

LEMON: We're glad. There's minor. As you said, no reports of injuries. Let's go to something a little lighter. It could have been serious because we know there have been tragedies at this event. This time, a bit of excitement at the French Open.

JERAS: Yeah.

LEMON: We're talking about Roger Federer, right, about his win? We're not just talking about that. Everybody was watching as this happened. They were shocked to see this guy run in the middle of the match.

JERAS: Got past security. Check this out. He's going to jump over the net.

LEMON: He tried to place a red hat on Federer's head and security wrestled him to ground.

JERAS: Despite this, he plays the whole thing and ties Pete Sampras for number of cups won. Amazing.

LEMON: We're just lucky -- did he look upset. He took it in stride, right?

JERAS: No.

LEMON: It looks like he did.

JERAS: I wouldn't be happy.

LEMON: Wacky. At least the guy wasn't a streaker.

(LAUGHTER)

All right. Let's move on now. We were talking about the tornado, minor damage, no one injured in the Denver area. Let's talk more about storms. This is a stormy romance. It look likes a lot of couples found something to do when Hurricane Ike struck Texas nearly nine months ago.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JENNIFER: Saturday of Hurricane Ike...

TIM: 8:30 Saturday morning.

JENNIFER: We had a fertility procedure planned and got the phone call we had go to plan B.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: No lights, no TV, plenty of babies.

Plus, from Mrs. Huckstable to Broadway pioneer, we'll tell you why Phylicia Rashad is getting raves and making headlines.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: We know she broke ground in TV in the '80s as Bill Cosby's better half. Remember, Claire Huckstable? That was a great show. Five years ago, she became the first black actress to win a Tony for a leading dramatic role. Now, Phylicia Rashad is breaking ground yet again.

Here's CNN's Alina Cho.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALINA CHO, CNN NEWS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Phylicia Rashad may be best known for the 1980s TV role as Claire, in "The Cosby Show."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PHYLICIA RASHAD, ACTRESS: Cliff, listen to yourself.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHO: The sitcom was considered groundbreaking in its portrayal of an upper-class African-American family.

Nearly two decades later, Rashad is breaking ground again, this time on Broadway. The 60-year-old actress plays Violet Weston in the Pulitzer Prize-winning play, "August Osage County," a drug addicted mother in a dysfunctional family. The move to cast Rashad is unusual and it's making headlines because all her relatives in the play are white.

RASHAD: I didn't know -- it gets old.

CHO (on camera): How did you feel?

RASHAD: I didn't know how to respond, because it was so unexpected.

CHO (voice-over): One scholar of African-American theater calls it a significant step and a sign of the times.

HARRY ELAM, PROFESSOR, STANFORD DRAMA DEPARTMENT: In this age of Obama, in many ways, things are opening up and opening up possibility. So this allows producers to think outside the box.

CHO: There have been plays in the past that have been recast with actors of a different race than the playwright originally intended. That usually involved all the actors, like "On Golden Pond" and "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof," which also featured Rashad.

The actress down plays the significance of playing a matriarch in an all-white family.

(on camera): Do you look at this role as groundbreaking as well?

RASHAD: I'm an actor doing my work. That's how I see it, an actor doing my work.

CHO (voice-over): Will audiences buy it?

ELAM: Theater is built on the convention of disbelief that you will accept something when you walk into a theater. So you can see an actor playing a dog or a chair, and you accept that for the time you're in the theater.

CHO (on camera): Is it your hope that there will be more Violet Weston's cast who look more like you?

RASHAD: My hope is that it won't matter. That is my hope. My hope is we really put the tomato in our shoe and catch up and that it won't matter.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: That was CNN's Alina Cho.

We have a reminder for you, CNN presents "Black in America 2," two nights, two primetime documentaries, all new stories right here on CNN that will air July 22d and 23rd, only on CNN.

Father's day is two weeks from today and we have perhaps the perfect gift. How about a lawn mower that cuts the grass all by itself?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: So father's days this month. We have a cutting-edge gadget he's sure to love. I think anybody would love this. I do. I could have used it today when I was out in the yard. We do mean cutting edge. It sure beats a necktie.

CNN's Sean Callebs has tonight's "Edge of Discovery."

(EDGE OF DISCOVERY)

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: We found the latest price range for the auto mower, between $2100 and $3500. Can you afford that? No. A lot of people can't afford that. May as well get out there and cut with the push mower, right?

Dad, start dropping hints right now if you want it and save up because it's really expensive, up to 3500 bucks.

So what do you do when the hurricane knocks out the power? The answer, plenty of couples in Texas found out.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JENNIFER: Saturday of Hurricane Ike...

TIM: 8:30 Saturday morning.

JENNIFER: 8:30 Saturday morning, we had a fertility procedure planned and got the phone call we had to go to plan B.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: It is a baby boom. And it's blamed on Hurricane Ike.

Plus, he was shipped off to war. A Michigan high school principal won't let a little thing like car stop him from delivering the commencement address. You'll see.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: The principal of Goodrich High School in Flint, Michigan, he didn't get the chance to hand his seniors their diplomas. That's because David St. Aubin isn't just the principal. He's a lieutenant colonel in the Army reserve and duty called late last year. His service to his country didn't mean he had to miss out on his students' big day. Today, he delivered their commencement speech and he had a special guest.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAVID ST. AUBIN, HIGH SCHOOL PRINCIPLE & LIETENANT COLONAL, ARMY RESERVE: Be proud to be an American. Be proud to live in the land of free. Just don't take these for granted. Remember, others, like our Iraqi friends, don't have the same freedoms to see these things as a gift and take advantage of what we Americans give and excel on your own terms, excel with the freedoms that you were given.

I'd like someone to come out here and say hello to you.

STEPHEN COLBERT, HOST, "THE COLBERT REPORT": Congratulations, class of '09. Stay strong! Whoo!

AUBIN: Yeah! (END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: That was a little help from Stephen Colbert.

Principal St. Aubin also told his graduates that it was the USA is the best darned country in the world to live in.

It's been nearly nine months since Hurricane Ike hit the gulf and we're starting to see how some couples weathered the storm.

Here's Rachel McNeill from KPRC in Houston.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RACHEL MCNEILL, KPRC NEWS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Maybe it was the howling winds or the pounding rains, but Hurricane Ike certainly stirred up romance.

JENNIFER, MOTHER OF TWINS: We weathered the storm and ended up with two little babies.

MCNEILL: Twin girls Jocelyn and Jeicie are two living, breathing mementoes of the storm of the century. Before Ike hit, Jennifer and Tim were planning to conceive but needed a little help.

JENNIFER: The Saturday of Hurricane Ike, we...

TIM, FATHER OF TWINS: 8:30 Saturday morning.

JENNIFER: 8:30 Saturday morning we had a fertility procedure planned and got the phone call that we had to go to plan B, which was on our own.

MCNEILL: Mother Nature stepped in when science could not.

JENNIFER: I'd like to say it was a miracle. I mean, it could just be...

TIM: Two miracles.

JENNINER: Yeah. Two miracles. But, yeah, it ended up working out in our favor.

DR. RAKHI DIMINO, OB/GYN: I know that women's hospitals have been really preparing for that and our new half of the hospital is open so they have many more beds. They are hoping to ramp up the staff a little bit to accommodate what we think is going to be a little bit of a baby boom.

MCNEILL: As an obstetrician, Dr. Rakhi Dimino, cares for many Ike mommies. In fact, she's an Ike mom, too.

DIMINO: I had actually joked during the hurricane, when I went to the grocery store and I was looking for, you know, bread and stuff like that to fill our grocery cart with, and I'm watching other people with all their wine bottles and beer, and I told my husband, I should have dropped condoms in all of their carts. Then at the end, I was, like, maybe we should have done that.

MCNEILL: So what's behind the 25 percent spike in babies achieved during the storm? Change in barometric pressure? No, experts say it was more likely the loss of conveniences.

DR. JENIFER BRATTER, ASST. SOCIOLOGY PROFESOR, RICE UNIVERSITY: We had no TV, no computer, no Internet. It seemed very natural that people had more time together.

We saw an uptick in it after 9/11. We saw it after the Oklahoma bombing, the black-outs in New York and also corresponded with an uptick in births. This is not entirely uncommon.

MCNEILL: We had to ask, did Ike inspire any namesakes.

DIMINO: Everyone who hears you got pregnant during Ike, are like, will it be an Ike baby or Ikia.

TIM: For about three seconds, not going to work, even if they were boys, we weren't going to go that route. No.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: That was Rachel McNeill from Houston's KPRC.

Do you have a stormy romance story? I'd love to hear about it. You can put it on Twitter, you can put it on Facebook and I'll check it out. It could be good reading. Maybe I'll share it so careful what you say.

The next hour of the CNN NEWSROOM starts right now.