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Police Pursuing New Leads in Florida Couple's Murder; Pres. Obama Left Africa After Historic Trip; Iranian Elections Protest in D.C.; Investigations Continue in Chicago Cemetery Grave-Robbing Scandal; Civil Rights Hero's Casket Found Rusting in Shack

Aired July 11, 2009 - 19:00   ET

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

DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, everyone. I'm Don Lemon.

We just heard from Florida police minutes ago, they say they are now closer to finding out who murdered a Florida couple in a brutal home invasion -- a couple leaving behind six children, some with Down syndrome.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SHERIFF DAVID MORGAN, ESCAMBIA COUNTY, FLORIDA: Our investigators slogged for the first 36 to 48 hours and hit a numerous number of walls, and then here, within the last 10 hours, you know, the dam has broke. And so, we got some very, very good leads that we're currently pursuing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: All right. Let's talk about all those good leads now. CNN's David Mattingly was at that news conference and he join us now with details on who killed and how they were killed -- Byrd and Melanie Billings of Beulah, Florida.

Tell us what you've learned, David.

DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A very good lead, indeed, Don. It all came down to the vehicle that was used in this crime and captured on surveillance tape at the family's home the night of the murder. They captured images of a red Dodge van. It's a very large vehicle. It was seen at their property leaving and going into the property.

And what they were able to do was put that out there. They got some tips this morning that led them to that van. That van led them to the owner of the van who then directed them to who was using the van, and that, and another person who was associated with the person using that van. All very -- just very, by the book police work. That brought them to two persons of interest that are being questioned right now.

And when we asked, are these suspects or persons of interest -- the sheriff was very clear to say that these are persons of interest. They are not charge yet. But listen to how he describes their possible suspected connection to the crime. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) MORGAN: At this time, the sheriff's office and our investigators are comfortable with the leads that we have developed to identify two people that are persons of interest that we can tie to enough significant events and instances in this case that would lead a reasonable person to believe that they have an association with these murders.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MATTINGLY: They're still looking for a third person of interest. But the two people of interest that they have right now and they are talking to right now -- they say they match the description of the men that they saw in the surveillance video inside the house. The murders of this couple happened on Thursday afternoon, about after 7:00 in the afternoon. The police say that they were shot multiple times in their home.

This couple is well known in the area for opening their hearts and their home to special needs children, adopting a dozen children over the years. There were eight children inside the home at the time of the shooting. Six of those children are Down syndrome children.

Police say that those children now are being cared for by family in an undisclosed location. Everyone is being very protective of them. Everyone very concerned about their future now that their parents have been killed -- Don?

LEMON: David, have they gotten this far yet? Did they talk about motive at all in this press conference? Are they still interviewing these two people of interest to try to figure that out?

MATTINGLY: That is the big question, Don. Why? Why would someone want to kill this couple? And for that question, the sheriff is not offering up any answers right now.

Something he did tell us about the way this break-in happened at the home, he said it happened very quickly -- surprisingly quickly. They got in. They kill the couple. And they got out. He said that suggests experience.

He won't go into any detail about what kinds of weapons were used, what they brought in to the home, or what might have been taken out. He won't even confirm that this was a robbery, to say that anything was taken out.

But, at this point, he said, the way this was carried out, it suggested experience. They got in, they killed the couple, they got out.

Now, as far as a connection to the couple or any kind of motive, that remains, Don, the very big question in this case.

LEMON: All right. They are questioning those two people of interest right now and our David Mattingly is standing by for more breaking details on this story.

David, we appreciate it. Thank you very much. Get back to us if you're getting more information.

Meantime, some emotional moments for President Barack Obama as he visited Africa for the first time since taking office. Crowds of people clamored just to get a glimpse at America's first African- American president who wrapped up his visit there just tonight. Now, in a speech to the parliament of Ghana, President Obama praised the sub-Saharan nation as a beacon of democracy.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The people of Ghana have work hard to put democracy on a firmer footing, with repeated peaceful transfers of power, even in the wake of closely contested elections.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: All right. The president and the first family also toured the Cape Coast castle, which the British used as a slave dungeon. He compared it to a recent visit to a German concentration camp.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

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.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Later this hour, we'll play the president's entire comments from the Cape Coast capital.

Now that Mr. Obama has spoken, some Ghanaians, well, they want to see some action from African leaders.

Nkepile Mabuse joins us now tonight from Ghana with more on that.

What do they want to see? What do they want to hear?

NKEPILE MABUSE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Don, President Obama came to Ghana to speak to the parliament of Ghana, but he was not only speaking to this country. He was speaking to the rest of the continent. And this was how Ghana reacted.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MABUSE (voice-over): They lined the streets from early morning to get as close as possible to the first African-American president of the United States. Even if it was just his motorcade, and then an outbreak of jubilation in Accra, Ghana.

(PEOPLE CHEERING)

MABUSE: The first country in sub-Saharan Africa to host President Barack Obama. And as the president went out of sight to outline his vision for the continent, Ghanaians crammed into any place they could find with a television set to watch him. OBAMA: The 41st century will be shaped...

MABUSE: Some were just delighted by the mere sight of him in their own country. They cheered when he praised Ghana's progress but also when Mr. Obama spoke about the continent's shortcomings from which they have not been spared.

President Obama may have come here to highlight Ghana's successes, but this country is far from perfect.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have suffered too much from a government's corruption, from poverty, from inability of providing good education.

MABUSE: The failure to invest in infrastructure and a heavy reliance on commodities that Mr. Obama pointed to as having stunted growth and made African economies vulnerable is as evident here as it is in Nigeria. And the lack of clean water, sanitation and adequate health care services have been as detrimental to Ghana' population as any other on the continent.

But as Ghana's perceived seriousness in dealing with corruption, its record of good governance and relatively good economic growth that has earned it the title of the successful model in Mr. Obama's eyes.

So, will his one-day stop in Africa to deliver a critical speech laced with some inspiration and motivation make a difference on a continent that is struggling to stand on its own two feet?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If we apply what he said, definitely, it's going to make a difference. But if he doesn't, well, it's going to be the same as it is here today.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think it is not like one of those speeches that the white leaders (ph) gave us without any performance, but when he spoke, he's straight and he was very much emphatic about what he was saying. And you can -- you can see it from what he was saying that this man meant something for Africa.

MABUSE (on-camera): President Obama is not the first western leader to highlight the continent's failures and weaknesses. But this time, those words came from a man Africans consider one of their own -- a man whose own personal history would make it hard for those resisting reform by any means possible to dismiss as patronizing or racist.

(voice-over): At the end of his historic trip, Mr. Obama left the continent having made a critical promise: To support an Africa that is willing to uplift itself.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MABUSE: President Obama spoke a lot about responsibility, saying Africa should take responsibility for its own destiny. He repeatedly said: Africa's future is up to Africans. We'll have to wait and see whether leaders on this continent react to the speech in any meaningful way, Don, in the near future. LEMON: Nkepile, I was watching you yesterday on "THE SITUATION ROOM" with Wolf Blitzer when President Obama was arriving and they were doing the dancing and all of the people who were running up to him.

For a western leader -- I know foreign presidents come over there, they are usually warmly received -- but for a western leader, have you ever seen anything like this? Is this unprecedented?

MABUSE: It's not unprecedented. When President Bush was here, you will remember in February, there were people who are drumming. There were dancers and President Bush joined some of them. So, it's not unprecedented. This is a truly African welcome that is given to anybody, whether they're from Africa or anywhere else in the world, Don.

LEMON: So, they welcome everyone. It doesn't matter. This is part of how the people do it, right? Thank you.

MABUSE: Indeed, Don.

LEMON: Thank you, Nkepile. We appreciate your reporting. Thank you very much.

And tonight at 10:00 p.m. Eastern, we'll talk to the Discovery Channel producer Regi Allen about the new documentary, "10 Days in Africa." Allen will take us deep inside the heart of Africa. He made the journey to dispel some myths about the continent and find out firsthand what it is really like. Again, our conversation with the filmmaker is coming up tonight at 10:00 p.m. Eastern, only here on CNN.

The U.S. is now seeking amnesty for two American journalists. They have been imprisoned in North Korea, accused of entering the country illegally. The Secretary of State Hillary Clinton asked that Laura Ling and Euna Lee be released on humanitarian grounds. Clinton made the announcement as a State Department -- at a State Department briefing. A plea for amnesty implies forgiveness for some offense.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HILLARY CLINTON, SECRETARY OF STATE: The journalists and there are families have expressed great remorse for this incident. And I think everyone is very sorry that it happened. What we hope for now is that these two young women would be granted amnesty through the North Korean system and be allowed to return home to their families as soon as possible.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Ling and Lee are both serving 12-year sentences in a prison that requires hard labor.

Demonstrators marched in the nation's capital to protest last month's presidential election in Iran. They walked from Capitol Hill to the White House. And CNN's Reza Sayah has the story from Washington.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

REZA SAYAH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Over the past couple of weeks, there have been more pro-democracy rallies for Iran outside of Iran than inside. And that, of course, is because people for the most part are free to protest outside of Iran.

The latest rally is taking place in Washington, D.C., a few hundred people gathered into the Reflecting Pool at about 11:30 a.m., working their way up to Lafayette Park in Washington, D.C. Some Americans are part of this rally, but most of them Iranians, part of the Iranian diaspora, who left Iran over the past three decades because they simply weren't satisfy with the conditions there. They want more social and political freedoms and they've really been concern about the post-election turmoil and inspired by the uprising there. And they say, from far away, they want to do their part.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: To hear the voice of the Iranian people, we need to have free and fair elections that are supervised by the United Nations. Secondly, we want the western nation and the Obama administration, specifically, to seek tougher sanctions against the Iranian regime -- diplomatic, economic sanctions.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm here to support all of the Iranian people that have been fighting in Iran for the past two, three week after the elections and everything. And I'm here to support the revolution that is going on in Iran now.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: U.S. and Canada aren't trying to interfere. We're not. We're simply standing beside the people of Iran for getting rid of a totalitarian government.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I want Iranians and Iran to see that the people in U.S. support them.

SAYAH: Because of the aggressive government crackdown in Iran, the number of protests there have dramatically decreased. And there appears to be very little recourse for the opposition. Nevertheless, the people here at this rally say they'll continue to try to make their voices heard. Most of these people are calling on the international community to come up -- all diplomatic and economic relations with Iran. That's going to be part of the debate we'll be hearing for the weeks and months to come.

Reza Sayah, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: All right, Reza. New information tonight about the cemetery plot scam in Chicago. Many parents can't find the remains of their babies.

Plus, I was on the phone with the LAPD just a short time ago and I have new details about the Michael Jackson death investigation -- the rumors and the truth on that.

And, one of the most exciting boxers of his generation was found dead in a hotel room today. What happened?

Logon to Twitter, Facebook, MySpace or iReport.com -- that's how we get your comments on the air. I'm reading some of them right now. I'm going to read some on the air -- coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Thousands of anxious family members showed up at the Burr Oak Cemetery outside Chicago today only to find the gates closed. Four former cemetery workers are accused of digging up bodies so they could resell the plot. The cemetery has been closed to the public so that investigators can determine how many graves have been disturbed.

Among those buried at the historically black cemetery is Emmett Till, a hero of the civil rights era. His grave has not been disturbed. But his original casket, replaced by a newer one four years ago, was found rusting in a shack.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REV. JESSE JACKSON, RAINBOW/PUSH COALITION: Emmett Till's lynching redefined emotions in our culture in very fundamental ways. And so, to see his casket in this state of desecration and neglect is very painful. But, of course, robbers of this level have no conscience. To them, it's about the money -- not about history, not about culture, just about the money.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Well, the arrest in Chicago drew a quick response from the Emmett Till Justice Campaign, a group formed to convince the Justice Department to reopen the investigation into Till's killing.

And joining us now from Kansas City is the president and founder of Till Campaign. His name is Alvin Sykes.

Mr. Sykes, when was that -- he was exhumed, what, back in 2005, right?

ALVIN SYKES, FOUNDER, EMMETT TILL JUSTICE CAMPAIGN: Yes, sir.

LEMON: 2005. And that was because of a Justice Department investigation. And I remember a correspondent who worked at my old station, Renee Ferguson, was working on a documentary there and talk about that and talk about his mom.

But tell us the -- surrounding that, why was he dug up? And why was he not placed back in that same -- in that same casket?

SYKES: Well, back in 1955, when the trial was commenced surrounding Emmett Till's death, the state of Mississippi never did an autopsy. And when the jury acquitted the two perpetrators, they stated that the reason they did it was because they did not believe that the state of Mississippi had verified that the body was that of Emmett Till.

So, in 2005, when the investigation was underway and reopen, it was necessary, as part of the criminal investigation, to have an autopsy done to establish the identity of the body and to recover any possible forensic evidence that may be within the casket.

At that time, we were told that the casket was not in good shape and that therefore, there was a new casket. Emmett's body was put into a new casket for his reburial. But there was also the assurance at that time that the original casket would be preserved for the mausoleum and the museum that was to be dedicated to Emmett.

LEMON: That's what I was going to say, a lot of people think that that casket should have been -- should have been put in a museum. And, you know, it's so funny because I'm just getting --you know, how fast the social networking sites -- are getting a text from Renee saying that, as you said, an all white jury acquitted him. There was no evidence the body was really Till's until DNA was proved that it was his body. So, that -- that casket really, really should be put into -- should be put into a museum.

When you hear this is happening, not only for Emmett Till but also for the dozens of families who, you know, don't know where their loved ones are, especially their children, what goes through your head?

SYKES: Well, the issue is unimaginable. But it is a criminal act. So, the only thing I can say at this time is that we are mad. But, at the end of the day, we want to see the criminal justice system hold these people fully accountable to the full extent of the law for their actions.

LEMON: Have you had a chance to speak with Simeon Wright yet, who is Till's cousin?

SYKES: I haven't talk to Mr. Wright, but did I talk to Wheeler Parker and some of the other family members. The family as a whole, you know, feels that they're going through grieving again and certainly want the casket rush to them as swiftly as possible. That property does remain the property of the Mamie Till-Mobley estate and is to be return to the family as swiftly as possible.

LEMON: Yes.

SKYES: And if it's restorable, it can be restored and be placed in a memorial, a proper -- you know, a proper setting.

LEMON: You know what? If it can be restored. But, I would, you know, venture to guess, Mr. Sykes, even if it's not restored, if it's left in a condition that it is, that it will all be part of the story. Don't you think? And I think I would -- I, as well as many other people, would love to see that particular casket in a museum.

Listen, I want to ask you this. It sounds a bit odd, but, you know, Mamie Till died, what, back in 2003 -- just a couple years before it was proven that was her son's body. What do you think she would make of all this? Because she fought really hard. She wanted to have an open casket and what-have-you with this.

Where do you -- where do you think she would want to see this casket go? Would she want to see it restored? Would she want to see in a museum? What do you think? SYKES: Well, Mrs. Mobley cooperated with the people there at the cemetery for this mausoleum to be built. So, she wanted a mausoleum to be built that would house her remains, Emmett's remain, the stepfather's remains, and would be -- have like a time line of events within the mausoleum. So, she would definitely want it preserved and kept, and certainly the remaining family members are going to see that that happens under the leadership of Mr. Lester Barclay, who is the attorney for the estate.

LEMON: OK. Thank you. Hey, Alvin, we really appreciate it. Thank you very much.

And, you know, the whole story about Emmett Till, and I'm not sure if we told coming up to this, was because he allegedly whistled at a white woman, right?

SKYES: Yes. And that's what that was about. But now, with the Emmett Till Unsolved Civil Rights Crime Act and other activities surrounding the case and all unsolved civil rights matters, there will be some vindication for his death.

LEMON: Thank you. We appreciate it. Thank you. Let us know what happens. That is a piece of our history that should be preserved no matter what the outcome of this case at the cemetery. Thank you, again, sir.

SKYES: Thank you.

LEMON: A lot of you are weighing in on this story, and especially, the Jackson story. And I'm just getting a couple here. Let see. Which site do I want to go to?

Let's talk about the one about the cemetery. Webber933 (ph) says, "The cemetery story is just horrible. I can't believe someone would do something like this. People will do anything for money." UniversalSoul (ph) said, "Stealing caskets? I know we're only flesh here on Earth and spirit later, but how can they have a conscience? Where is the respect?"

Dr. CMG (ph) says, "A member of my women's group said her entire family was at Burr Oak. She was really shaken and was shot right back into her grief again."

KeithEvans518 says, "As a relative of Emmett Till's, this is very disheartening." Keith, send me a direct message on Twitter. I want to get in touch with you. I would really like to talk with you.

Also, do you know Warren Valentine who is on our show a lot, he's a radio host? He had a number of family members in that cemetery and he called me yesterday and said that that he was devastated. We're going to reach out to him and see what he's doing as well.

There you saw it. Twitter, Facebook, MySpace or iReport.com, that's how you get your comments on the air. And I read all of them. If you've been on Twitter or on Facebook, you know, I respond to a lot of them -- if they make sense, of course. It's not just people who are looking to create controversy. I will respond to your comments. It is me.

OK. Meantime, minority children are told they're not welcome in a private swimming pool outside of Philadelphia. Now, the swim club president is on the defense. You're going to hear his explanation coming up.

Plus, our very own Jacqui Jeras. Hi, Jacqui. So good to see you in person after a couple of weeks.

JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Hey, Don. I know. Great to be back. And great weather across for much of the country, but we do have some troubled areas. Showers and thunderstorm which are severe in some parts of the country.

And what are you doing Sunday? Is the weather going to impact your weekend? We'll let you know -- coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Jacqui Jeras in the severe weather center.

Jacqui, no shuttle, no shuttle, is not going to go, right?

JERAS: Yes. I know, you'd think the third time was charm, right?

LEMON: Yes, you would.

JERAS: Yes. Unfortunately, lightning struck it about 11 times yesterday.

Check out this video, Don. This is really incredible. We get this from NASA TV. There you can see one strike and I think we've got one more. Wow. Just incredible.

This actually did not hit the shuttle itself, but it hit the shuttle launch pad. Usually, you know, it happens all the time, believe it or not. It's a pretty common thing but these were unusually strong bolts of lightning. So, they were a little concerned, wanted to check the electrical system. So far, everything is looking OK.

So, why does this get hit all the time? Well, a lot of thunderstorms in Florida, for one thing. But for another thing, this is a tall object. This thing is almost 200 feet up in the sky.

There you can see on the top of that -- that is a lightning rod. And they actually have a lightning protection system in place here and it's design to have the lightning attract to this rod. And then there are series of wires that directs that energy away from the shuttle. So, hopefully, everything is A-OK. It is scheduled to launch tomorrow at about 7:13, I think, p.m.

Now, one thing that could inhibit it is more thunderstorms. And we've got maybe a 30 percent chance of more storms inhibiting that launch tomorrow. So, we'll continue to watch that for you.

Storms in the northeast, nothing severe right now. The watch boxes have all expired. But we're going to continue to see moisture here. If you have plans across the Northeast tonight, heading out of town, maybe going to Broadway, New York City, bring the umbrella because you could have those thunderstorms before you get home.

We've got rain in Denver, but the severe stuff is to the east of you, into the Plains area. So, watch out for that.

And our other weather story here for today, it's certainly -- oops -- the heat. And we want to talk about that across parts of Texas here. We're going to see temperatures in the triple digits once again for tomorrow. A hundred and two in Dallas and Phoenix is real hot, too -- 112 degrees -- Don?

LEMON: Did you say 112 degrees?

JERAS: Yes -- 112, 113, I think, there right now.

LEMON: Yes. Is that why everybody out there has like a pool in that area because this is just too hot all the time?

JERAS: You need it. Yes, absolutely.

LEMON: All right. Jacqui, thank you very much.

Well, he was one of the most popular fighters in the sport. Today, a former champion was found dead in a hotel room. We're sorting out all the details. This just came in to CNN a short time ago. We're going to figure out what's going on with that.

Plus, the Michael Jackson death investigation. I've been on the phone with police in Los Angeles. I'm going to tell you what they told me.

Plus, tonight at 10:00, I have to tell you, we're going to talk to a very close member of the Jackson family. We're going to find out how those children are doing. Everyone has been asking about those children -- especially Paris. We've got some inside information.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: One more goodbye for Michael Jackson. This time in his boyhood home town of Gary, Indiana.

Thousands of people gathered last night in the city's minor league ballpark for a celebration featuring the Reverend Jesse Jackson and Michael's father, Joe Jackson. Jackson and his family left Gary when he was 11. But he never forgot the place where he and his brothers got their start in local talent contests.

Now, we have a quick update for you on the Michael Jackson death investigation. Just over an hour ago, just about an hour ago, L.A.P.D. source told me tonight that it remains - they want to be very careful to say that it remains a death investigation. That it is not a criminal investigation. The finding of Jackson's toxicology reports, however, could change that. Those findings in fact will determine where the investigation goes next. At the onset of this, they said it would take six to eight weeks. It has been about two weeks. So you can expect to have those results pretty soon. So the test results should be finished and released soon. And that's when we will know more. We'll also have to wait to find a little bit longer, just to find out who gets custody of Michael Jackson's three children. A court hearing is scheduled for Monday. It has been pushed back to July 20th at the request of Jackson's mother, Mrs. Katherine Jackson and his ex-wife Debbie Rowe both requested that it be pushed back. They needed time to get their papers and everything in order.

Katherine Jackson, Mrs. Katherine Jackson has temporary guardianship of the children. It is not clear if Debbie Rowe is going to challenge her for custody. Rowe is the biological mother of two of Jackson's children.

And tonight, coming up at 10:00, I just want to tell you that we're going to speak to a close Jackson family friend and adviser. We're going to talk about those children that you see there. How those children are doing? How the family is doing after all these? We'll have the very latest information for you tonight on what's going on with the Michael Jackson investigation. They're in grief. We're going to talk about all of it.

Meantime, there's a developing story that's coming in to CNN tonight. It's coming from Brazil. The former boxing champion, Arturo Gatti has been found dead at his hotel room at a seaside resort. The investigator described the death as "strange but said it is unclear how Gatti died." There are reportedly blood stains on the floor. Gatti had arrived at the hotel on Friday with his wife and young son. He had a career record of 40 and 9 with 31 knockouts.

Arturo Gatti retired from boxing in 2007. He was just 37 years old. He was 37. McNair, 36, Michael Jackson, 50, Farrah Fawcett, 60. All these young people. What's going on? I mentioned Steve McNair. The former NFL quarterback Steve McNair is being remembered as a legend in his home state of Mississippi. Thousands of mourners gathered for his funeral today in Hattisburg. Current and former NFL quarterbacks including Brett Favre, Vince Young, Doug Williams, all attended that service.

Nashville police say McNair was shot and killed by his mistress on July 4th. They are calling it a murder-suicide.

The head of a Pennsylvania swim club says dozens of minority kids were kicked out because of safety concerns, not racism. They say it was safety concerns, not racism. But a lot of people aren't buying those claims. Susan Candiotti is outside the Valley Club where vocal critics have been gathering. Susan.

SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Don, today, visitors to the swim club were greeted by a small group of protestors as this key question remains. Will an explanation and an apology from the swim club's director be enough to quell this controversy?

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) CANDIOTTI (voice-over): On Saturday, a home made sign at the entrance read understaffed, not racism. The Valley Club denies racial remarks allegedly made by some club members were behind its decision to cancel swim contract with a largely minority daycare center.

JOHN DUESLER, PRES., THE VALLEY CLUB: It's just really unfortunate. And we apologize deeply. We regret deeply that this had to happen.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I accept anyone's apology when you tell the truth. I want him to tell the truth.

CANDIOTTI: Here's what happened. A daycare center catering to mainly minority black and Hispanic kids paid $1,950 for the kids to use the pool once a week for an hour and a half. But after one visit, their check was returned and summer swim trips cancelled.

DUESLER: We severely underestimated the number of children and our capacity to handle these groups. We were not prepared for it. And that's the only reason. It was a safety issue and that's the only reason that the children, we felt it was not safe for them to be here.

CANDIOTTI: The daycare center calls that a lie. The club flatly denies it discriminates and says two other daycare centers were also cancelled after one visit.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When you have hurt children, that heard racial comments and they don't understand. Are they too black in their skin to swim? This could impact them for a lifetime.

CANDIOTTI: Pennsylvania's Human Relations Commission now is investigating two formal complaints filed by parents of the daycare center.

STEPHEN GLASSMAN, PRESIDENT, PA. HUMAN RELATIONS COMMISION: We always hope to settle these cases so that parties can move on with their lives and everyone feel that they can walk away feeling whole and that it will be a learning process.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CANDIOTTI: But for now, there doesn't appear to be a learning curve or a compromise in sight. Don.

LEMON: All right. Thank you very much. Susan Candiotti, we're going to be talking about that story a lot more at 10:00 p.m. Eastern tonight. Digging very very deep into that story.

There you see the first family. They are in Ghana. President Barack Obama delivers a personal message to Africa in person. Hear his complete comments while visiting the Cape Coast Castle where Americans or Africans, excuse me, were once held before being sold into slavery. Plus a silent struggle that is raging all across America but especially among black men. A look at depression as part of CNN's "Black in America II." We're going to get the solution to that.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) LEMON: And tonight's money in Main Street. We'll get to that in a little bit. Sorry.

We've been telling you about the first family's visit today to Ghana's Cape Coast Castle. But as the former British fortress that served as the center of African slave trade in the 17th century. After he toured the buildings with Mrs. Obama and their daughters, President Obama shared his thoughts on seeing such painful history firsthand.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PRES. BARACK OBAMA, UNITED STATES: It is reminiscent of the trip I took to Buchenwald. Because it reminds us of the capacity of human beings to commit great evil. One of the most striking things that I heard was that right above the dungeons in which male captors were kept was a church. And that reminds us that sometimes we can tolerate and stand by great evil, even as we think that we're doing good.

You know I think it was particularly important for Malia and Sasha who are growing up in such a blessed way to be reminded that a history can take very cruel turns. And hopefully, one of the things that was imparted to them during this trip is their sense of obligation to fight oppression and cruelty wherever it appears. And that any group of people who are degrading another group of people have to be fought against with whatever tools we have available to us. So, obviously it's a moving experience. It's a moving moment. We want to thank those who arranged for the tour, and the people of Ghana for preserving this history, as painful as it is.

I think that it helps to teach all of us that we have to do what we can to fight against, the kinds of evils that sadly still exists in our world, not just this continent but in every corner of the globe. And I think as Americans, and as African-Americans, obviously there is a special sense that on the one hand, this place was a place of profound sadness. On the other hand, it is here where the journey of much of the African-American experience begin.

And symbolically to be able to come back with my family, with Michelle and our children and see the portal through which the diaspora began but also to be able to come back here in celebration with the people of Ghana, of the extraordinary progress that we've made because of the courage of so many, black and white, to abolish slavery and ultimately, win civil rights for all people. I think is a source of hope. A reminder that as bad as history can be, it is also possible to overcome.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: While inside the Cape Coast Castle, president and Mrs. Obama unveiled a plaque commemorating their visit. It was placed on a wall outside the male slave dungeons. For "Black in America II," CNN's Soledad O'Brien introduces us to what you might call a silent struggle that's raging all across America, affecting all but devastating African Americans. Soledad looks for a solution.

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN HOST: Don, depression is an illness that affects more than 14 million Americans every year, black, white, young, old. But black Americans seek help for depression far less often than whites do. For black men, sometime it's the stigma of mental illness that prevents them from being open about their struggle with depression. But we spoke to one man who is trying to change that for other black men.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

O'BRIEN (voice-over): Shawn Andrews is much of the strength behind the Philadelphia Eagle's offensive line. But last summer, this 6'4", 330-pound right guard almost side lined himself.

SHAWN ANDREWS, PHILADELPHIA EAGLE: I talked to my agent and told him that I don't think I'm going to training camp.

O'BRIEN (on camera): You wanted to quit?

ANDREWS: Yes, I wanted to give it up. And he said there's a chance that you can lose a few million dollars. And at this point I'm like, so what?

O'BRIEN: You didn't care.

ANDREWS: I didn't care.

O'BRIEN: So you knew something was wrong.

ANDREWS: I knew something was wrong.

O'BRIEN (voice-over): That something was clinical depression. An illness Andrews said he's battled since grade school. But he never talked about it to anyone.

(on camera): Were you thinking about killing yourself?

ANDREWS: I did have some suicidal thoughts. And I was in my truck. I never forget I got up to about 140 miles an hour. And I was thinking, you know I don't want to be here. And it's funny, just as I was thinking about flipping my vehicle or whatever the case, a picture of my son came across my phone. And the look in his face was, you know, as he didn't know what was going on but the look was like, why, dad? You know, it was tough.

O'BRIEN: It stopped you.

ANDREWS: Yes.

O'BRIEN: From killing yourself.

ANDREWS: Uh-huh.

O'BRIEN (voice-over): For many black men, depression is a dirty secret they keep hidden. They suffer mental illness as much as white men but seek help for it only half as often.

(on camera): African-American men generally do not run to the therapist's office when they have a problem.

ANDREWS: Very true. I speak for a lot of African-American men and I think a lot of guys will agree that we do have in a sense have this, not only this wall up but we feel like we have on this mental armor that we just, we can't be touched.

O'BRIEN (voice-over): Health experts say societal pressures faced by black men can cause depression even in those who have achieved success.

DR. DAVID SATCHER, FORMER SURGEON GENERAL: You have a job. But the question is, do you think that you have to prove every day that you deserve to be there? These are the kinds of things that I think over time take their toll in terms of our psychological well being.

ANDREWS: I love being here.

O'BRIEN: For Shawn Andrews, a childhood marked by poverty and school yard teasing led to feelings of worthlessness that even a multi- million contract couldn't heal.

ANDREWS: In my mind, I still didn't feel like I made it. I still feel like I need to buy this $300,000 car just to make me feel like I'm successful and I wanted people to think more of me than what I was.

O'BRIEN: Author John Head wrote a book about his 20-year struggle with depression and says the stigma of mental illness keeps many black men from seeking help.

JOHN HEAD, AUTHOR "STANDING IN THE SHADOWS": There's this fear that if you admit that you're struggling that way, that you're not living up to what you should be as a black man. The idea of manhood for black men is you don't struggle with your emotions, you barely have emotions.

O'BRIEN: Former surgeon general David Satcher says the silence has a cost in violence and substance abuse.

SATCHER: Many of the people in our criminal justice system are suffering from mental disorders undiagnosed and untreated.

ANDREWS: I'm better. I'm a lot better -

O'BRIEN: Sean Andrews has seen a therapist and is now on medication and is finally talking.

ANDREWS: I always knew something was wrong with me. I always was an angry person.

O'BRIEN: Shining a light on his own pain in the hopes of helping others out of their darkness.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

O'BRIEN: Shawn Andrews says he didn't speak about his depression before because of the shame and embarrassment he felt. He was afraid he says of being ridiculed. But now he's bringing attention to the issue particularly for young people. He's working with an organization that's called active minds that helps raise awareness of mental health issues on college campuses. Don.

LEMON: Good stuff, Soledad. Thank you very much for that.

And Soledad has been working on more stories you'll see on July 22nd and 23rd when CNN presents "Black in America 2," two nights, two primetime documentaries right ere on CNN. I wanted to tell you this documentary is about solutions and personal responsibility. "Black in America 2" again airs July 22nd and 23rd right here on CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Well, communities can crumble if an automaker leaves. Well, Alina Cho finds one community that that didn't happen to. Take a look, "Money & Main Street."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALINA CHO, CNN, CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In the heart of the south, the face of tiny West Point, Georgia is literally changing. The old Pizza Hut is a Korean barbecue, the old KFC, Young's Garden. Jobs once scarce are finally returning.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Just like Christmas time. It's like Christmas.

CHO: Christmas in the middle of a recession? In West Point, yes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We jokingly call it Kiaville.

CHO: Kia, the Korean car company is about to open a sprawling manufacturing plant. Thanks to $400 million in tax breaks. Even in the midst of a recession, the company will hire 2,500 new workers, add suppliers and new businesses, and the mayor says West Point's population 3,500 stands to gain 20,000 jobs over the next five years. Divine intervention.

MAYOR DREW FERGUSON, WEST POINT, GEORGIA: The economic activity here is incredible. The trickle down effect in the local economy has been staggering.

CHO: Remarkable for a city that was slowly becoming a ghost town. Textile mills that once defined West Point shut down in the 1990s, leaving many out of work, including 52-year-old Margaret McMannis(ph), laid off last year, now working again at one of Kia's suppliers.

(on camera): Did you ever think you would be making car parts?

MARGARET MCMANNIS: No, not at all.

CHO: Not in a million years

MCMANNIS: No.

CHO (voice-over): New construction is everywhere. At Roger's Barbecue, business is booming.

DEBBIE WILLIAMS, CO-OWNER, ROGERS BAR-B-QUE: Well, we can get them in here one time, we can get them back. And they're coming back, and they're enjoying it.

CHO: Malcolm Malone's car wash business is up 70 percent, and down the street at Irish Bread Pub, Ruth Anne Williams invested her life savings in the business, it's paying off.

RUTH ANNE WILLIAMS, IRISH BREAD PUB: I came here because of Kia. I wanted to come down to this area because of Kia. We have jumped in with both feet and we have not looked back one time.

CHO: So how is this tiny rural community adapting to the new Asian infusion?

(on camera): Does West Point feel more like a melting pot now?

CHRISTY MAGBEE, WEST POINT RESIDENT: Yes, you've got the culture coming in. You don't have to travel to Atlanta anymore.

CHO (voice-over): From mill town to manufacturing mecca, a bright spot in an otherwise gray economy.

Alina Cho, CNN, West Point, Georgia.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: I'm Don Lemon. We've got a lot for you tonight at 10:00 p.m. Eastern. So join us then. Meantime, Campbell Brown begins right now.

ANNOUNCER: "CNN Primetime" begins right now.