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President Obama Wraps Up His Latest Overseas Trip; Rally in Washington in Support of Iranian Protestors
Aired July 11, 2009 - 15:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
TOM FOREMAN, CNN HOST: I'm Tom Foreman in for Fredericka Whitfield. You are in the CNN NEWSROOM. President Obama is wrapping up his latest trip abroad, his last stop Ghana in western Africa, the continent of his ancestors.
CNN White House correspondent Suzanne Malveaux joins us for a final time from Accra, Ghana. Suzanne a big trip and they're hoping for big rewards in the end. Tell us about it.
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: They certainly are, Tom. We saw President Obama, also first lady Michelle, the daughter Sasha, Malia board Air Force One, they are heading back to Washington, a ten hour ten minute flight back to D.C. they will land early Sunday morning. They will be back in the White House.
This is a seven-day trip that started off with Russia, then Italy, and then Ghana. Obviously the message that he wanted to leave with the Ghana people but also with Africans in general is holding up Ghana as a model of democracy, but also calling into account the need for other African leaders and other African nations to be responsible to be accountable to their people.
He specifically reached out to the youth, to the young people to say, that their future was in their own hands and in Africans' hand. What he did that was different from previous presidents, we have seen President Clinton and President Bush, both of the trips here to Accra, Ghana.
What President Obama did that was different is that he used his own personal link, his own personal connection to Africa, his father being a Kenyan, him being the first African-American president to give himself a sense of credibility here in laying down this new vision, laying down the new expectations, higher expectations for African leaders in dealing with the U.S. Administration, his own administration. I want you to take a listen to his final remarks before he left.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE U.S: As somebody whose father comes from Africa, obviously this visit has been particularly meaningful for me. I have had a chance to discuss the future of Ghana but also the future of Africa with President Mills. I have spoken to the parliament here in Ghana about America's commitment to supporting democracy and development. Michelle and I visited La General Hospital where we met with beautiful women and their children who are getting the care that they need for a healthy start. And finally we toured Cape Coast Castle. A place for centuries where men, women and children of this nation and surrounding areas were sold into slavery.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: Tom, as the president returns back to Washington, D.C., senior administration officials say, this is the fourth of a series of four major speeches to outline what his vision is of foreign policy. It started in Prague when he talked about the need to deal with the nuclear threat, nuclear proliferation. He made his second major speech in Cairo when he talked about reaching out to the Middle East, the Muslim world, unclenched fist, the open hand to that community around the world.
The third place was Moscow, that's when he said he was going to press the reset button for U.S./Russian relations to come up with common interest and common ground. And finally ending here in Accra, talking about the need for accountability, for responsibility, good governance. These are very lofty ideals, they are ambitious ideals. These are the goals of his administration. It is far from clear and really much too soon to see whether or not there are concrete policy differences, concrete policy changes that come out of this. But this is him laying out his vision. He clearly does have relations.
FOREMAN: Far too late for you, Suzanne. I know you have to get a plane back. I will let you go.
MALVEAUX: Got a plan to catch.
FOREMAN: Thanks for joining us. We will see you back in D.C. Have a good trip.
Our colleague Anderson Cooper, conducted an interview with President Obama in the last couple hours, it took place at the Cape Coast Castle where the president and family toured earlier. We're working to bring you some of that sound. We will try to turn it around for you soon as it is in. I know it is going to be interesting.
Meantime, plan ahead. Watch the complete interview, it is during Anderson's special on our show, "AC 360," Monday night at 10:00 Eastern. Don't miss it. Set your clock. Make sure you are there.
British Prime Minister Gordon Brown is defending his policy in Afghanistan this weekend after an especially deadly few days for British troops there. Fifteen soldiers were killed over the last 10 days in Helmand Province that is that area down south where the big push is going on. That pushes Britain's death toll in Afghanistan to 184 more than the number killed in Iraq. Brown says despite the spike in casualties Britain's mission in Afghanistan is critical in the fight against terrorism.
People are taking to the streets of Washington in a show of support over another foreign conflict. Protestors in Iran, many of the D.C. demonstrators are Iranian Americans.
CNN's Reza Sayah is in Washington.
Reza what is happening there today?
REZA SAYAH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Rally here in Washington, D.C. wrapping up about 30 minutes ago. You can see crews taking down the stage. In Iran these days, rallies are banned. If you come out and protest in the streets you are going to be met with security forces. That didn't stop a rally from taking place here in Washington, D.C today. Let's take a look at pictures, the rally, starting at about 11:30 a.m. a few hundred people gathered at the reflecting pool and made their way up to Lafayette Park in front of the White House.
Most of these people are part of the Iranian contingent that left after the Iranian resolution because they didn't like the conditions there; they wanted more social and political freedoms. Many of them are yearning to go back and are concerned about post-election turmoil. They want to do their part to help. Interesting when you talk to people here, very different opinions on how to address the post- election turmoil. I will talk to two young ladies here. This gives you an idea of the diversity here. Not just Iranians here. We have Taylor Lewis from Annapolis, Maryland. You are not Iranian, why come out here today?
TAYLOR LEWIS: I have always, from being an American, you get, from Iran, this closed kind of country that is anti-American. To see the people come up and say, separate from that, it is very interesting and very inspiring.
SAYAH: You believe the Obama administration is doing enough?
LEWIS: At this time, yes. Because it's not exactly sure whether Ahmadinejad will be overthrown. Hopefully he will. But he has his administration.
SAYAH: We have someone next to you who disagrees. This is Apa Sepenrod (ph) you lost your father. He was executed in the 1980s. You believe the Obama administration is not doing enough?
APA SEPENROD (ph): Absolutely don't think he is doing enough. I think he needs to come out and reject the elections that happened. Support the Iranian people and cut off all ties with the Iranian government.
SAYAH: Thank you very much. What to do about the post-election turmoil? Do you get involved? If you are the Obama administration? If so, to what degree? It is a complicated situation. Tom, it is going to be part of the debate in the weeks and months to come.
FOREMAN: Reza one very quick question. I saw a sign earlier that said down with Khamenei. I have talked to Iranians who have said this protest can be seen in one of two ways, it is against this election, and others say no it is against the entire rule of the mulens (ph) there, but people are afraid to say that because of retribution. That's what it is really about. What is your take on it from this crowd?
SAYAH: Tom, it evolved into the latter. The people here are saying death to Khamenei, death to the supreme leader, and even death to his son. So I think it evolved from what was a protest against the election and its results to now, a protest against the regime.
FOREMAN: Big developments. Thank you, thank you for being out there today.
Thousands attend the funeral service for slain former NFL quarterback Steve McNair. We'll have a live report.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
FOREMAN: Delay for space shuttle "Endeavour." NASA has postponed this evening's planned launch by at least 24 hours. That decision after nine lightning strikes hit last night within a half mile of the launch pad. The shuttle is not damaged. But NASA says it needs time to evaluate the equipment. It is the third delay for the "Endeavour" launch. Two planned launches were scrubbed last month because of a liquid hydrogen leak.
Jacqui Jeras is over in the Weather Center. Jacqui I have been inside all day. I had no idea all this was happening around the shuttle. What is going on with the weather of this country?
JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Well we have a lot of stormy weather. A lot of lightning, lightning is more frequent in Florida than any other state in the United States. Just for your information. We are going to see a lot of lightning and thunder and maybe some damaging winds, hail and even isolated tornado possible. Areas we're watching, interior parts of the northeast, parts of the Ohio Valley, and then also the high plains here across Nebraska into Kansas even into eastern parts of Colorado.
Our area of concern at this hour, the northeast, here across upstate New York where some very heavy, strong thunderstorms are pushing through at this hour. They are producing wind in excess of 60 miles per hour. They roll on through here. Some heavy rainfall too, in fact we have seen as much as 2 inches per hour. Just southwest of the Syracuse area. We also have a little flash flooding down here in Cattaraugus County. So be aware that this is coming down at a really good rate.
Also going to kind of ruin your plans, unfortunately for your barbecues today, around Louisville, up toward Cincinnati. We had heavy thunderstorms, just roll through Indianapolis. The worst is over for now. Look for drying conditions in the next couple hours here.
In addition to the thunderstorms, we have got a lot of heat to talk about again today. Yeah, same old sad song for a lot across the southern plain states, 96 degrees right now in Dallas, Houston is 93. But you add in the humidity. It is feeling really close to the triple digits at this hour.
Now at the same time we have got coolish conditions here across the upper Midwest, 74 degrees in Minneapolis. Hey though you are in the 70s, Boston pushing 80 degrees. Feeling a whole lot better than some of the 60 degree temperatures we have been seeing as of late. The heat is reaching dangerous levels in the southern plain states from Wichita, Kansas extending down towards Houston, Texas.
At time, the heat index could be reaching 115 degrees. So stay inside today. Maybe take a planned movie, or head to the library, perhaps. Heat precipitations tomorrow and starts spreading towards the west. Excessive heat warnings in effect for Phoenix. You know when the heat warnings are out there in Phoenix it has got to be bad, Tom Foreman, and 113 degrees tomorrow.
FOREMAN: That's hot. Many thanks out there Jacqui.
Just southwest of us here, murder in rural Florida. Parents of 16 children killed, police on the move.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
FOREMAN: We have been watching President Obama in the West African nation of Ghana all day today. An Atlanta charter school wanted some students to get some firsthand knowledge about Ghana, the kind you can't really get in a classroom. Steve Jones is a former social studies teacher with Kipway Academy; he took a group of 8th graders to Ghana three years ago. Made the whole country their classroom. Charles King Jr. was amongst that group. Let me start with you Charles since you are sitting right here with me. What did you think as you watched the president there today, must have brought back many memories?
CHARLES KING, JR, TRAVELED TO GHANA: Yeah, just being able to reflect on our time being in Ghana, and experiencing another country and basically being as young as I am to go out of the country and experience my, or the previous lives of my ancestors.
FOREMAN: Sure the way people live there. Let me ask you something, Steve. I have often said that globalization is about a lot more than cheap sneakers it is about understanding other cultures and how we can get along economically, politically and many different ways. I'm guessing that was one of the driving forces behind you taking folks over there?
STEVE JONES, TRAVELED TO GHANA: Absolutely. I wanted our students to see their place in a global economy and just where they fit in this world. By going to Ghana and taking our students at Kipways to Ghana they had a chance to actually see a different, another culture that is different but also is very similar because that is where, their ancestors came from many years ago. So just connecting those dots for them I think was very powerful.
FOREMAN: Charles, what surprised you about your experience over there?
KING: I guess the media portrays Africa in general as being a country where they need a lot of help economically and in different areas. But when I went over there, I saw families of all types. They were happy. And normally in America, you find happy families and then there are some that are not. But in Africa, it's the opposite of what the media portrays.
FOREMAN: Seemed different to you.
KING: Yes, to me.
FOREMAN: How do you feel that you were received? How did the Ghana people see you?
KING: I think they saw me as another tourist, basically, an African-American. But I mean in my eyes I see it as I am a visitor in their country. And I wanted to be respected and be basically treated the same way as they did. I wanted to feel a part of them.
FOREMAN: Steve what do you hope comes out of this sort of effort? When you see the president there talking about the need for countries to stand up and make things happen. What would you actually in a practical sense look to see happen here with young people who have been through this experience or others who might go through it?
JONES: The biggest thing that I would look to see is just for young students. Especially African-American students to have their eyes and their minds open to Africa. Because Africa can serve as a source of power for them and a source of motivation for them to really excel in life. By having this rich experience, this really places them in a place of power so that now, they're thinking beyond just what they can do here but also what they can do globally, you know, to make it a much better world.
FOREMAN: Robert, beyond, Charles, beyond your experience earlier on, what do you think this has done for your life? For your plan for what you are going to be? You are a young man. Going into your junior year of high school anything different about you based on what you will do based on your experience?
KING: Yes, of course. Just going over there and experiencing their lives. It taught me how to appreciate things more and from that aspect. I mean I want to, I look to give more than I receive. And that is just out of the kindness of my heart.
FOREMAN: What about your career? What do you think you will do for a living?
KING: I want to be just like President Obama, the first African- American president now. I can't achieve that.
FOREMAN: That job is taken.
KING: But I would look to, I mean be an elected official.
FOREMAN: Service of some fashion.
KING: Yeah, want to wrap it up quickly with you, Steve. You must look back three years later and say it was a bit of success. What was your feeling as you watched Barack Obama depart Obama? JONES: Well it was very motivating because now I see that, you know, President Obama has had the opportunity to shed light on a country that has a rich history, a rich culture. And is basically is pointing to the rest of the world to recognize Africa as a place that has rich resources, a place that has a rich culture, and encouraging other African-Americans to go back to Ghana and reconnect to their past to move forward so they can have a positive future.
FOREMAN: Many thanks. Congratulations to both of you for your efforts. Good to have you here.
More disturbing news about an historic African-American cemetery near Chicago. Why that cemetery is now declared a crime scene.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
FOREMAN: News happening now at this hour. President Obama is on his way back to Washington. Pictures from a short while ago. Air Force one is now over the Atlantic. He wrapped up a week long overseas trip with a visit today to African nation of Ghana. It was Mr. Obama's first visit to sub-Saharan A Africa as president. The president praised the country for choosing constitutional rule over dictatorship. He called on other African countries to reject tribal warfare, embrace reform and improve human rights record too.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE U.S: It is never justified, never justifiable to target innocents in the name of ideology. It is a death sentence of a society to force children to kill in wars. It is the ultimate mark of criminality and cowardice. We must bear witness to the value of every child in Darfur and the dignity of every woman in the continent, -- no faith or culture should condone the outrages against them. All of us must strive for the peace and progress.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOREMAN: Back in D.C. demonstrators are converging on the streets of Washington in support of protestors in Iran. The D.C. demonstrators, many of them Iranian Americans are calling on the White House to reject the re-election of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. They say the results were rigged. They're demanding a new election supervised by the United Nations.
New information expected this hour on the murder of a wealthy Florida panhandle couple known for adopting large numbers of children. Byrd and Melanie Billings were shot in their rural home Thursday while eight of their children slept. The children were not hurt. The couple had 16 children overall, 12 of them adopted and some with special needs.
A video surveillance system caught images of three men dressed in black getting out of a large red van at their home. Police are expected to release more information at a news conference set to begin shortly. We'll keep you up to date on that. A cemetery outside Chicago is now an official crime scene. Burr Oaks in Alsip, Illinois will be closed for several days as investigators try to get a handle on just how many graves there have been disturbed. Four, former workers are accused of digging up and dumping bodies at the historically black cemetery and then reselling the grave sites. Investigators will examine 5,000 graves, trying to answer an ocean of complaints; the probe is going slowly because the records kept at the cemetery are also in a shambles.
It is going to be at least another week before we know who gets permanent custody of Michael Jackson's children. A hearing scheduled for this coming Monday has now been postponed until the Monday after that. The children will stay with their grandmother, Katherine Jackson for the time being. Michael Jackson's ex-wife, Debbie Rowe, is the biological mother of two of the children. It is still unclear if she will fight Katherine Jackson for custody rights.
America's biggest and oldest civil rights organization, is celebrating a milestone. The NAACP, 100th annual convention opened this morning in New York where the organization was founded.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FOREMAN (voice over): Not only does this year's convention mark the NAACPs centennial it is also the groups first national convention since the election of America's first black president. At last year's convention, candidate Barack Obama acknowledged a dance.
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: It is always humbling to speak before the NAACP. Because the powerful reminder of the debt that we all owe to those who marched for us and fought for us and stood up on our behalf.
FOREMAN: It would have been almost impossible to imagine a black president when the NAACP was founded a century ago. Slavery had ended less than 50 years earlier. And its legacy included segregation, race riots and lynching. Within a half dozen years, D.W. Griffith's birth of a nation would open in the nations movie theaters, glorifying the Ku Klux Klan, the NAACP, organized a national boycott of that film.
Many of the organizations' battles were fought in the courts. One of the biggest victories came in 1954 when the Supreme Court outlawed school segregation, one year later, Rosa Parks; a secretary for NAACP branch was arrested after she refused to give up her seat on a bus to a white man. That sparked the Montgomery, Alabama, bus boycott. One of the first big protests of the Civil Rights era.
Those protests were usually led by other newer Civil Rights groups, like Martin Luther King's Southern Christian Leadership Conference. The NAACP worked through more traditional channels and in the end it was a combination of both approaches that seemed to pay off. In 1964, President Lyndon Johnson signed a landmark civil right bill designed to give African-Americans equal access to the American dream.
Forty five years later, a black man occupies Johnson's old office. That's led some to wonder whether after 100 years the NAACP has achieved its goal and perhaps outlived its usefulness. President and chief executive officer Ben Jealous disagrees.
BENJAMIN TODD JEALOUS, CEO, NAACP: We're not the National Associate for the Advancement of a Colored person, we're the National Association for the Advancement for Colored People, we're not the N- triple A, we're the N-double ACP. We have one black man who has become president of the United States. I would really like to go out of business, but it's progress that takes us out of business and we're about halfway towards where we need to be.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FOREMAN: Interesting bit of trivia: "Birth of a Nation" was reportedly the first film ever shown inside the White House under Woodrow Wilson in 1950. Times have certainly changed a great deal since then.
If that piqued your interest, here is a must see, CNN event. Our special correspondent Soledad O'Brien will examine what it really means to be black in America. BLACK IN AMERICA 2 premieres next week ON July 22 and 23rd, Only on CNN. You do not want to miss it.
On a mission to save children of all races and creeds by changing their diets and their sedentary ways. We'll introduce you to a "CNN Hero."
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
FOREMAN: Americans have gotten fatter over the past year. A study by two advocacy groups shows 2/3 of Americans are now either overweight or obese. Adult obesity rates exceed 25 percent in 31 states. Think about that. Perhaps most alarming, childhood obesity rates in the U.S. have more than tripled since 1980.
Well, eight out of 10 of the states with the highest rates of overweight children are here in the south. This week's CNN's "Hero" attacking this epidemic in one of the states -- Georgia.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANNOUNCER: This is "CNN Heroes."
MALIK, PARTICIPANT IN FITNESS AND NUTRITION PROGRAM: My life feels not that great. It was not easy to carry around this weight, so I wanted to get healthy and fit.
(BEGIN GRAPHIC)
Malik is 13 years old and weights nearly 500 pounds.
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PAMELA GREEN-JACKSON, FOUNDER, THE YBH PROJECT, INC: Where did we go wrong as a country where P.E. in schools is no longer a priority, or children's health is no longer a priority? Something had to be done, and I just decided to be the one to do it.
My name is Pamela Green-Jackson, and my organization is a physical fitness and nutrition education program for elementary and middle school youth in my community. My brother Bernard died at age 43 at the weight of 427 pounds. He didn't have to die, and so I promised myself that I would do whatever I could to make sure that another child didn't suffer like he did.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You've got another 10 seconds.
GREEN-JACKSON: So, what we've done is converted vacant classrooms and turned them into health clubs.
This is a free program. We have personal trainers, dietitians that work with them. We allow each individual child to set their own goals.
(BEGIN GRAPHIC)
Since 2004, Pamela's program has helped nearly 4,000 children, ages 15 and younger, lose thousands of pounds.
(END GRAPHIC)
MALIK: Miss Pamela is my hero because she always helping me to do things that I never thought I can do.
GREEN-JACKSON: If we instill these habits in them early, then they will grow up and become healthier adults. That's what it is all about, saving the lives of children.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FOREMAN: You can find out a lot more about Pamela's work and nominate a "CNN Hero" of your own on our Web site at CNN.com/heroes.
And July is the last month to get your nominations in, so if you know about a hero, don't wait to tell us about them, go to CNN.com/heroes, right now.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
FOREMAN: Mississippi says farewell to a favorite son. Thousands gathered today on the campus of Southern Mississippi University to honor former NFL quarterback Steve McNair. He was killed a week ago in Nashville. CNNs sports correspondent, Larry Smith was at the service today. He joins us live from Hattiesburg.
Hi, Larry.
LARRY SMITH, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Well, hello there, from Hattiesburg. As you mentioned, this was an emotional two hours that at some times is very upbeat, but at other times again very sad as everyone said goodbye to Steve McNair. One of the largest home-goings in Mississippi history was attended by several famous NFL athletes including three-time NFL most valuable player, Brett Favre, quarterback Jay Cutler of the Chicago Bears, also Ray Lewis of the Baltimore Ravens, the star linebacker who recruited McNair to go play with him in Baltimore after 11 seasons with the Titans.
Steve McNair, as you mentioned, NFL most valuable player shared that award with Peyton Manning back in 2003. Grew up here in this area and although the sordid details of his death have come out during the week, everyone here wanted to remember his legacy both on and off the field.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CARDELL JONES, MCNAIR'S COLLEGE COACH: Mississippi has lost a tremendous legend.
(APPLAUSE)
I truly feel that it will be a long, long time before there will be another player the caliber of Steve McNair.
VINCE YOUNG, TITANS QUARTERBACK: Steve was like, you know, a hero, a hero to me. You know, heroes are not supposed to die.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SMITH: That was maybe the most emotional point of the afternoon. Vince Young, the man who ultimately replaced him in Tennessee.
Now, meanwhile, the woman who killed McNair, Sahel Kazemi, she was buried Friday in a small ceremony at the gravesite in Jacksonville, Florida. Kazemi, 20 years old had dated McNair who was married with four sons. In recent months things turned badly and then she shot him before shooting herself in a condo in Nashville just a week ago.
Steve McNair, right now, by the way his body and family and friend are on the way to Mount Olive, his hometown about 30 miles away where he will be buried this afternoon. Let's go back to you.
FOREMAN: Thanks very much for being out there for us today, Larry.
Chicago's children are dying. Dozens of school age children have been killed in what one observer recently called a tidal wave of urban violence. We're going to take an in-depth look at youth violence during the next hour of NEWSROOM. To give you a preview, here's a look at a story by CNN's Abbie Boudreau from back in May.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PAM BOSLEY, VICTIM'S MOTHER: OK, tell me your name.
TREVON BOSLEY, VICTIM'S BROTHER: My name is Trevon Bosley.
P BOSLEY: And how old are you?
T BOSLEY: I'm 10 years old.
ABBIE BOUDREAU, CNN SPECIAL INVESTIGATIONS UNIT CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Trevon Bosley sits in front of a video camera. His mom asks him questions about his older brother, who was killed.
P BOSLEY: Did you have fun with your brother?
T BOSLEY: Yes.
P BOSLEY: Do you miss him?
T BOSLEY: Yes.
P BOSLEY: OK, so the day when all this took place, you was there, right? You went to the hospital?
T BOSLEY: You know this (ph).
P BOSLEY: No, let's talk. You went to the hospital.
T BOSLEY: No.
P BOSLEY: Come on, Trey. It's hard. It's too hard?
T BOSLEY: Yeah.
P BOSLEY: OK, OK. All right.
BOUDREAU: A few minutes later, Trevon sits back on the couch in front of the camera.
P BOSLEY: It's hard to talk about him because everything has changed, right?
T BOSLEY: Yeah.
P BOSLEY: OK, so you don't have that same happiness in your house anymore?
T BOSLEY: No.
P BOSLEY: No more music.
BOUDREAU: School children throughout Chicago are scared. In the last school year, 36 students attending Chicago public schools have been killed. Thirty-six, compared with 26 the previous year. The crimes happen off school property. Most are shootings.
(on camera): How is this happening now? What is going on?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Because no unity. Because we are not unified. Because our young people are not unified, because we are not. We are their leaders. We're their parents. We're their community.
BOUDREAU: So, who's failing the children?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think we all are.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We all are.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What is wrong with us? Wake up!
BOUDREAU (voice-over): A memorial was held on Chicago's south side.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm wondering why we are not out in the street, crying, screaming and beside ourselves.
BOUDREAU: Each you see represents a child killed in the city. This is Pam Bossley. The voice you heard behind the camera asking her young son about losing his 18-year-old brother, Terrell. This is his brick.
MAYOR RICHARD DALY, CHICAGO, IL: If we have a moment of silence.
BOUDREAU: Chicago Mayor Richard Daly was at the memorial. We asked him about the rise in student deaths.
(on camera): I am wondering what you want the country to know right now about what's happening in Chicago? Tell us beyond, what is happening, for the people here in Chicago, they know what is going on. What about the people in...
(CROSSTALK)
DALY: We're not in Chicago. You go to every community. You go to a large city or small city. It is all over America. It is not unique to one community or one city. You're killing another generation, that's all they're doing.
BOUDREAU: But there's a lot more students here being killed in the Chicago public school district?
DALY: Because they follow them. They identify them. In other cities they're dropouts. They don't call them students anymore. You dropped out of school at 15, you're gone at 14. We count them as even students, even though they drop out, we count them as students. The rest of America doesn't count them. You're a dropout forever. We don't think they're dropouts. They're students, they're 13 years old, or 14 or 15 or 16 or 17, or even 19, 20. And that's what you see. People forget them. They're called the dropout society.
BOUDREAU: So, the problem isn't worse here than in other places?
DALY: It's all over. The same thing.
BOUDREAU (voice-over): But, a Chicago public school district spokesperson told us none of the 36 victims were dropouts. Though 15- year-old Alex Arriano (ph), who was recently killed after being beaten, burned and shot in the head, was forced to leave school. His mourning family says Alex left because he was threatened by gang members.
And when you compare student homicide in other major cities this school year, Chicago does stand out. In Los Angeles, a bigger city, known for gang activity, 23 students were killed. In Atlanta, there were four. In Philadelphia there were also four killed, compared with Chicago's 36 student victims. Most of the homicides happen on the city's south side.
And if we zoom down to this neighborhood, street level, and inside this house. There, a 10-year-old boy dreams of making a difference.
T BOSLEY: Unity over division. And sending a powerful message that change is coming to America. I am the first black president of the United States. I have to learn that speech because I want to be president just like Barack Obama.
BOUDREAU: For two weeks -- we gave the Bossley family a camera.
P BOSLEY: I have not Ben here since my son was murdered.
BOUDREAU: And asked them to record video diaries.
T BOSLEY: I would give up any one of the gangsters the things I have, anything, just to get him back.
P BOSLEY: I'm here at the cemetery visiting my baby. This is crazy. This is not the type of life that no mother should ever have to go through.
I tried to leave on my own, even though I was raised in the church, I tried -- The first year I tried to commit suicide. I couldn't take the pain. And I tried, and I thank God that he did not allow me to go out like that because my other two boys are already suffering.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FOREMAN: One more student was murdered after Abbie Boudreau filed that report, bringing the total to 37. And since the Chicago school year ended, June 13, seven more school-aged children have died. We'll hear more about the Bosley family coming up in the next hour of NEWSROOM when we take a special in-depth look at youth violence, not just in Chicago, but all across the nation. We'll also be getting answers to your questions about youth violence in the next hour. Our Josh Levs here to explain -- Josh.
JOSH LEVS, CNN NEWS CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, hey there, Tom. You can see Abbie there talking on a national level, right, that you can look at Chicago as a microcosm, but the truth is, there's some new statistics we're going to be showing you about how many young people are facing violence in this country.
Let's just go to a couple, right now. We can show you a couple from the CDC, you see that there, 668,000 victims of violence between 10 and 24, treated in emergency rooms, that's just in 2007.
Let's show you one more, here, again kind of broadening it out to America. Eighteen percent of high school students carried a weapon and when they were asked about having carried one just in last 30 days. These are the latest stats that have just come out from the CDC. So, what we're doing right now is getting your questions, your stories. We want to get you some answers and we want to share your stories on the air.
Here is how to send them. First of all, I got all my interactives going. So you go tour CNN NEWSOOM blog, CNN.com/newsroom. Facebook and Twitter, both cases it's /JoshLevsCNN. We have a child psychiatrist I'm going to be speaking with and getting you lots of answers about how to handle your kids, what to watch out for, warning signs. And also we're following Fred's pages, as well. Let me show you those. We have Fredricka Whitfield on Facebook, as well. And, you don't have -- OK, that's all right, when you're on Facebook, there you go. You got her Facebook and you also have the blog, CNN.com/newsroom.
We defiantly encourage you. Send those stories, send those questions. We'll be camped out here through 5:00 getting them on the air for you -- Tom.
FOREMAN: That's coming up, Josh. Make sure you stay with us for us an important hour of television, you should be watching.
Eat, drink, connect. We'll tell you what's on the menu at a restaurant in North Carolina, too.
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FOREMAN: There's something new on the menu at a restaurant in North Carolina. Besides the tapas, there's now a head heaping helping of social media and technology. CNN's Reynolds Wolf has the story in today's "Technofile."
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REYNOLDS WOLF, CNN NEWS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Tapas may be one of the hottest trends in restaurant dining, but the owners of T1 Tapas hope that where and how they serve theirs will start a trend that's even hotter. Their motto: "Eat, Drink," is what you expect, but the connect part, that is what attracts many diners to this Huntersville, North Carolina, restaurant.
STEPHANIE WILSON, DINER: It's cool, the technology. That's why we've come before and loved it, so about invited our friends.
WOLF: Diners can hook up their personal electronic devices and share their photos and music or chose preprogrammed images on the high definition TV.
MIKE FELDMAN, T1 TAPAS: We wanted to use technology as a way to bring people together, rather than these individual electronic devices which tend to be isolating.
WOLF: The heart of the system is this tabletop touch screen. Owners Mike Feldman and Jim Morris, both electrical engineers, created the system to allow diners to access all the high-tech goodies as well as place their orders.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Let's pick out this one, say the marinated chicken. It pops up and. I can order it like I did back there and the quantity went up.
WOLF: The order is sent directly to the kitchen.
JIM MORRIS, T1 TAPAS: We try to get local, in-season and organic. You can find information about all of that in the menu.
WOLF: You can watch the latest movie trailers. And get show times.
MARK BAUNACH, DINER: And we actually picked out a movie we wanted to see just by looking through the different options. So, it's neat.
WOLF: And if you forget your iPod, you can still enjoy the booth.
MORRIS: We put in a whole series of different media that's already in the system that you can look at, you know, pictures, music videos, concerts.
WILSON: We were actually joking that it's a good first date place in case it didn't go well, you'd have something else to talk about.
WOLF: Feldman and Morris think this high-tech customized dining experience is the way of the future and plan to market their T1 connection booths to other restaurants within the year.
Reynolds Wolf, CNN.
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FOREMAN: President Obama's Supreme Court nominee could become the first Latina to join the group, but first there are the hurdles. We will look at the confirmation hearings ahead for Sonia Sotomayor..
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FOREMAN: Well, here it comes, confirmation hearings start Monday for Supreme Court nominee, Sonia Sotomayor. And now that Americans know a little bit about the judge, Sotomayor, almost half say she should be confirmed for the Supreme Court. Almost half, 40 percent say no, 13 percent still unsure. Those findings in a new poll by CNN and Opinion Research Corporation. CNN deputy political director, Paul Steinhauser has more on the numbers.
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PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN DPTY POLITICAL DIR: That's right, Tom. Our CNN Opinion Corporation national poll, we broke it down by party. And take a look at this. Really, our poll suggests a major partisan split over the nomination of Sonia Sotomayor.
You can see from these number, Democrats overwhelmingly, nearly seven in 10 say they think that she should be confirmed by the Senate to the Supreme Court. Independents, yeah, they're pretty much split over whether the Senate should confirm Sotomayor. And the Republicans, only one in four feel that Sotomayor should be confirmed.
But take a look at that number in the lower right, there: 65 percent of Republicans indicating in our survey that Sonia Sotomayor should not be confirmed to Supreme Court.
Our polling director, Keating Holland (ph) tells me that that number is higher than the number of Republicans who opposed the confirmation of Judge Ginsberg back in the '90s and it's higher than the number of Democrats who opposed the nominations of Alito and Roberts four years ago.
Take a look at this, this is also interesting. You can see right here, if Sotomayor is qualified should senators still vote against her because of her stance on the issues? Now you can see Americans are split on that answer, but that's a big difference from the old days.
Back in the day, it used to be public opinion was pretty much if a nominee were qualified, the Senate should vote for that nominee, that the issues or her stance or his stance on the issues really should not about part of the problem or the equation. But, obviously this is a much more partisan time than in the olden days.
One thing it seems Americans agree on, according to our poll, is this. Check these number, six in 10 say they think the confirmation hearings this week are going to be a major fight between the parties. A little less than four in 10 think there will be some bipartisan agreement among the senators, they think that it will be a kumbaya moment.
So, that's kind of what our poll spells out just days, now, before Sonia Sotomayor goes in front of the Senate for her confirmation hearings -- Tom.
FOREMAN: Many thanks, Paul.
President Obama is heading home, Air Force One, wheels up in the air and out of Ghana just a short time ago. He's over the Atlantic now. CNN's Ed Henry has been following the president on the whole trip from Russia to Italy to Africa and Ed joins us from the capital city of Accra in Ghana, right now.
Ed, what do you think? When you wrap the whole trip up, not just the emotional moments today -- good trip, bad trip? What is the White House feeling?
ED HENRY, CNN NEWS CORRESPONDENT: White house feels good. Top aides are saying they believe that the broader point for this president was to try to show that the U.S. is leading again in the world. They believe he did in Moscow in arms talks, they believe he did in Italy in terms of dealing with financial issues, climate change and the like. And now in Africa, he was trying to administer what you might call a little tough love.
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(voice-over): Day of the extraordinary moments, none more powerful than the first African-American president visiting a former slave fortress with his family.
BARACK OBAMA (D), UNITED STATES PRESIDENT: I think it was particularly important for Malia and Sasha, who are growing up in such a blessed way to be reminded that history can take very cruel turns.
HENRY: After touring Cape Coast Castle, which the British used as a slave dungeon, President Obama compared its power to his recent stop at a German concentration camp.
OBAMA: It is reminiscent of the trip I took to Buchenwald because it reminds us of the capacity of human beings to commit great evil.
HENRY: The president used his personal connection to deliver some tough love in a speech to the parliament of Ghana earlier in the day.
OBAMA: We must start from the simple premise that Africa's future is up to Africans. I say this knowing full well the tragic past that is sometimes haunted this part of the world. After all, I have the blood of Africa within me and my family's own story encompasses both the tragedies and triumphs of the larger African story.
HENRY: He chastised African leaders over corruption, saying they can't blame the West for their economies winged up in shambles.
OBAMA: No business wants to invest in a place where the government skims 20 percent off the top. Or the head of the port authority is corrupt. No person wants to live in a society where the rule of law gives way to the rule of brutality and bribery. That is not democracy, that is tyranny.
HENRY: Mr. Obama's father was from Kenya and he visited that country as a senator, but he chose Ghana as his first stop in sub- Saharan Africa as president because he wanted to highlight its stable democracy and growing economy.
So he mixed the stern lectures with some inspiration, the day having the feel of Mr. Obama taking last year's campaign it a whole new continent, in shirt sleeves playing with babies, working rope line, even ending his parliament speech with a familiar slogan.
OBAMA: The world will be what you make of it. You have the power to hold your leaders accountable and to build institutions that serve the people. You can serve in your communities and harness your energy and education to create new wealth and build new connections to the world. You can conquer disease and end conflicts and make change from the bottom up. You can do that. Yes, you can.
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HENRY: Now, after wrapping up this week-long trip, the president said he came to Ghana in part to show the 21st century is going to be shaped not just by what happens in capitals like Washington, Rome, Moscow, but also what happens in tiny capitals right here in Africa -- Tom.
Well Ed, you know, certainly one of the questions that we've been asking all day today is that around the world a new public opinion poll has shown he is enormously popular, people are inspired by him, excited by him, but many people are also asking the hard questions of in terms of policy how do we make this happen?
For example, you could look as far away as Iran and say there many people would like a change, the government doesn't want it and how much they want it seems to make very little difference without violence coming to the streets.
What does the White House hope for the places that are intractable, that are hard to make his vision come true?
HENRY: They believe it's a long process, as you noted, in Iran.
Certainly obviously not going to happen overnight. We saw at the G-8 Summit, completely different issues like climate change. The president tried to bring along countries like China, India, Brazil -- big, big countries growing in population, vast energy needs. They need to have a seat at the table, they didn't want to come along with the U.S. and other big powers just yet in terms of cutting greenhouse gas emissions.
A lot of work yet to be done, but this White House believes the president is showing leadership, trying to bring other folks along. And then when he comes here in Africa, for example, by delivering that tough medicine, again, not going to change overnight throughout the continent but set an example that is going to get the ball rolling and they hope certainly in the years to come this is going to make a big, big difference -- Tom.
FOREMAN: Many thanks, Ed Henry, on your travels over there. We'll look for you back in D.C.
Thanks very much.
