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Shuttle Launch Delayed; Arrest in Couples Killings; Sotomayor Hearings to Begin Monday; Swim Club Aims to Resolve Controversy; Illinois Family Grieves Again; Hollywood Helping Michigan; African- American Radio Pioneer; "Bruno" Inspires Mixed Reactions
Aired July 12, 2009 - 18:57 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: All right. Oh, boy. I'm just getting some guidance from our producer.
John, you are on the air. We can hear you, John Zarrella. OK, maybe John can't hear us.
John, you are on the air. Listen, I'm getting some guidance from our producer on the ground and also from our Jacqui Jeras. I'm looking at the note. John, I'm going to go to you first.
Jacqui, you can nod your head. I'm hearing there could be trouble with the weather. So, I'm going to go to John Zarrella first.
John, what is going on?
JOHN ZARELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Don, if you look behind me, it is beautiful. Not a cloud in the sky. It's crystal clear. But if you look in front of me, due west, lightning and thunderstorms well within 20 miles of the landing site. That is problematic because if, in fact, the shuttle had to make an emergency return to the landing strip here, something goes wrong on liftoff and they had to try to get back here, they don't want any of this bad weather near the runway where they would have to land. They are no-go, unfortunately, right now. They are getting close to the 7:13 launch time.
LEMON: John, is it an official scrub yet? We don't know yet, right? Is it official?
ZARRELLA: No. Not an official scrub yet.
LEMON: Stand by, John. Don't go anywhere. I want to bring in Jacqui Jeras.
Jacqui, what is going on?
JACQUI JERAS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Thunderstorms, Don. That is what is going on. These have developed and moving in the area. I put a little distancer on here. This is the launch pad area. You can see the thunderstorms are well within the 20-mile mark. They are kind of moving towards the south/southeast. They are nudging closer and moving to the south.
At this time, I don't see this moving out of here in the next 14 minutes, unfortunately. What happens this time of the year is called sea breeze fronts thunderstorms. I want to show you because it is an interesting phenomenon. What happens is the land, during the day, heats up and the water temperatures are much cooler. We get the winds blowing off the water on to the land forcing that warm air up and getting thunderstorms developing.
See how these have been moving across the peninsula all day long, and unfortunately, it looks like they will make it potentially all the way over to the east coast.
LEMON: OK, Jacqui, thanks.
I want to real quickly go to John.
John, what is the window of opportunity here?
John Zarrella, can you hear me?
ZARELLA: Yeah, Don.
LEMON: What is the window of opportunity for launch?
ZARELLA: Right now, they can go from about 7:13. They can stretch it a few more minutes if they thought the weather would clear. It's about a 10-minute wind gust. They can go to about 7:18 or so.
But this weather is moving so, so slowly that, right now, although they have not official scrubbed, they are saying that they are no go because of the weather at -- for return to launch site, if they had to do that. If they have to wait and go tomorrow; 6:51 p.m. Eastern time.
LEMON: OK John, stand by, and Jacqui, both of you stand by. I'm going to reset here. But we're not going to go anywhere.
You're looking at inside of the central command zone there. Our John Zarrella, he is at Kennedy; our Jacqui Jeras following the weather as well.
We appreciate you joining us, I'm Don Lemon live at the CNN world headquarters in Atlanta.
Lots of breaking news this hour to tell you about, and we will get it all in for you. But first, we are just a few minutes away from tonight's scheduled launch of the space shuttle Endeavour, and you saw the breaking news we had -- it might not happen.
That was about until ten minutes ago when NASA put the brakes on a 7:13 lift time. As our John Zarrella has been reporting, not officially scrubbed yet, but it looks like it's leaning in that direction.
This is all due to showers and inclement weather around the Florida space coast. Our John Zarrella, as we've said, he's at the Kennedy Space Center along with the NASA astronaut, Cady Coleman, is joining us. Do you have Cady there with you? John? No, OK, we're going to talk to them in just a little bit. And we're going to see again how long the window of opportunity will last here. And they are in a holding pattern of sorts due to this weather.
We're going to keep you updated on that. Again, everyone is standing by.
Let's get back to our other breaking news here on CNN.
An arrest tonight, in last week's double killing of a Florida couple. They lived near Pensacola with 16 children, many of them with special needs. Tonight, police say, Leonard Patrick Gonzalez was arrested for allegedly tampering with a van that was seen in surveillance video at the home of Byrd and Melanie Billings.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SHERIFF DAVID MORGAN, ESCAMBIA COUNTY, FLORIDA: I will tell you this, we are very anxious to share this story with the citizens of Escambia County and with the nation, if you will. It's going to be a humdinger, I'll tell you that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Boy, he said it.
Our David Mattingly is there. David, there are a lot of details at this news conference just minutes ago. I thought it was particularly interesting when the sheriff said this is going to go much further beyond the borders of Escambia than we have thought and as I understand you have the sheriff with you.
DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: He called this a humdinger that prompted all sorts of questions. Does that mean and the scope and complexity, the money involved, the people involved. And he said yes to everything. Saying, that this is a case that with the complexity that they have not seen here in at least the last five years.
Sheriff, what can you tell me when you call this a humdinger? Was this murder and this break in at this one particular home, was this part of something bigger going on that you hadn't anticipated?
MORGAN: Well, again, we can't release specifics, but the answer to that question is yes. Because as I explained in the initial press conference what we have discovered is this case is multifaceted. Meaning, again, as I explained a home invasion early on in this case, a home invasion can be a simple burglary, it can be a burglary for drugs, it can be an armed robbery.
But it's a home invasion. But it covers all those different areas and we're finding in this investigation that its complexity and the avenues that you're going to. Like you're trying to establish a motive, we have multiple motives at this point. And so we cannot come up with one motive for this or two motives for this. And when we run that one motive, we find that it branches off to several others and so the complexity of this is growing exponentially.
MATTINGLY: You said it was something like a movie script; that the more you went the more plot twists that you were running into.
MORGAN: And players.
MATTINGLY: And players. So, you started off with three persons of interest that you were looking for. Can you tell us how many people you might be looking for now.
MORGAN: Again, upon consultation advice to the state attorney, we're just prepared to say that there are multiple involved.
MATTINGLY: Is there any indication that this was part of an ongoing operation where other residents may have been affected as well?
MORGAN: No, sir. This case started as a result sadly of this double murder and so the other areas that are being brought into this was not ongoing crimes, if you will, that we were aware of.
MATTINGLY: And we need to make very clear that Mr. Gonzalez is a resident of this area, and he is not charged in the home invasion or in the murders.
MORGAN: Exactly.
MATTINGLY: He is charged with tampering with evidence. What exactly is he accused of doing?
MORGAN: Mr. Gonzalez altered the van that we have identified as being used in the commission of the double murder. And so that's tampering with evidence in a murder case. And so again, the state attorney's office this time was comfortable with starting with, if you will, that charge with Mr. Gonzalez.
MATTINGLY: Well there you have it. Sheriff David Morgan of Escambia County, here in the Florida panhandle; a very big and complex case that started with a double murder and a home invasion -- Don.
LEMON: Hey David, real quickly, if you can ask the sheriff. He said that they were confident that more arrests will be made. Does he have any idea how soon that could happen if they're looking to do that pretty soon?
MATTINGLY: He wasn't able to tell us before, but since we have the camera on you and have you on the hot seat right now, can you tell us when we can expect more arrests in this case?
I know, all day yesterday and today you were saying we're probably going to have something for you soon? Something for you soon... MORGAN: Yes.
MATTINGLY: Has that changed? And what -- have you got anything more specific for us?
MARGAN: As Mr. Edmond (ph) said, we are now picking up speed in this investigation and I would say in the ensuing days -- I can't promise you an arrest every day -- but I will tell you that in the ensuing days we will have many more arrests that will be forthcoming.
MATTINGLY: Well, there you go, Don. This is apparently one very big and complicated mess that they are trying to untangle. This, beginning with just one arrest so far; this 52-year-old Leonard Patrick Gonzalez charge with tampering with evidence.
So, we still have many more pages to go through here, many more plot twists to unfold apparently as we find out what truly was behind this double homicide and this tragic home invasion.
LEMON: David Mattingly, live on the scene, giving us breaking information and news that you won't get anywhere else but CNN. David, thank you and thank you to the sheriff as well.
Also in Florida, more breaking news: we're hearing it is official. Our John Zarella joining us now from the Kennedy Space; you give the sad news, John. I'll let you have that part of it.
ZARRELLA: Yes, I'm actually joined by Cady Coleman, a veteran NASA astronaut, has flown on two space shuttle missions. She is preparing right now for a mission to the International Space Station in November of 2010. And we're not going to get to see one launch tonight, Cady.
I guess, the weather Don, the bugaboo again today as it was yesterday. They just cannot fly...
LEMON: It is an official scrub, I want to make sure it's an official -- it's been scrubbed.
ZARRELLA: It is an official scrub. It is an official scrub. 6:51 tomorrow night. And Cady, did you have any scrubs for weather?
CATHERINE "CADY" COLEMAN, ASTRONAUT: You know, actually seven times over 30 days. So Mark's family and the rest of the crew -- they are probably still talking to him, but some people in my family still not talking to me. It is part of the business. I mean, we -- launching is part of the business. Scrubbing is part of it, too. We go when we're ready. This crew is disappointed.
But I will tell you, it's harder on the families and the guests; than it is on the crew because their job is to be ready. And tomorrow night they'll be ready again.
ZARRELLA: But frustrating no less as a crew member. This is the closest that they've got to the launch pad.
COLEMAN: It's true.
For me, I think after those scrubs you just say, well, tomorrow when I put that suit on I'm going to do everything I'm supposed to do, I'll be on the launch pad but I'm not getting excited about this because you know clearly it might not happen.
And then you wake up launch morning, you put on that suit, you'll climb in on to that orbiter and you just cannot help but really realize you're in a special place and be excited.
ZARRELLA: And then Don, when Cady flies actually the shuttle program will have officially ended and she's actually going to go up on a Soyuz rocket...
COLEMAN: That's correct.
ZARRELLA: ... with the Russian rocket right, to the space station.
COLEMAN: That's correct.
ZARRELLA: And you have been doing a lot of training for that.
COLEMAN: I have.
ZARRELLA: It's different, I understand. It's a lot smaller than the space shuttle.
COLEMAN: I think the guys on my crew -- actually I think may be like me just a little bit because I'm like not huge.
ZARRELLA: Cady, I wish we could have been broadcasting a launch tonight from the Kennedy Space Center but those thunderstorms are ominous out there, Don. And give it a try again tomorrow night. But again, tonight, no go for launch. Tomorrow's attempt 6:51...
LEMON: Wow.
ZARRELLA: ... P.M. Eastern time -- Don.
LEMON: I was looking forward to seeing it as millions of others were. It's always very exciting and your heart jumps when you see it in a good way.
ZARRELLA: In a good way.
LEMON: It makes you proud.
ZARRELLA: Yes indeed.
LEMON: Ok, John Zarrella and Cady thank you both very much, we appreciate it.
ZARRELLA: Thanks Don.
LEMON: And Jacqui Jeras, let's not forget Jacqui. Jacqui thank you for filling us in on the weather.
We're going to get back to Jacqui a little bit later on in our newscast.
We have other news to tell you about.
We told you about the breaking news in Florida. We told you about the space shuttle and now some other news.
A champion boxer found dead in a hotel room. His wife is now a suspect. We'll tell you what a purse strap had to do with it.
Also, there could be a new Michael Jackson tribute -- a tribute in the works. We'll tell you who's in the mix and when you might be able to see it.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Well, Washington is gearing up for tomorrow's start of Sonia Sotomayor's Supreme Court confirmation hearings. We are told President Barack Obama gave his nominee a good luck phone call this morning and he told here he is confident she will be confirmed.
Our Kate Bolduan previews this week's hearings.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SONIA SOTOMAYOR, SUPREME COURT NOMINEE: Thank you Mr. President.
KATE BOLDUAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A journey that began at the White House now heads to Capitol Hill for Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor.
SOTOMAYOR: I hope as the Senate and American people learn more about me, they will see that I am an ordinary person who has been blessed with extraordinary opportunities and experiences.
BOLDUAN: Senate Democrats who have the votes to confirm Sotomayor are expected to highlight her personal story to win favor. Growing up poor in Bronx public housing, then going on to an Ivy League education and now possibly, the first Latina Supreme Court Justice.
A smart approach for Sotomayor as well, says former Reagan chief of staff, Ken Duberstein, who has advised several high court nominees.
KEN DUBERSTEIN, FORMER REAGAN CHIEF OF STAFF: Give an awful lot on your personal life and your values but also your impartiality, that you'll judge them as you see them come in.
BOLDUAN: Conservatives have a difficult task ahead, challenging Sotomayor's record without coming across as attacking her. Republicans are expected to ask tough questions about Sotomayor's views on gun rights, abortion and affirmative action.
But Republicans think they have a better chance taking on her off-the-bench statements like this 2005 comment at Duke University.
SOTOMAYOR: Court of Appeals is where policy is made. I know this is on tape and I should never say that because we don't make law, I know.
BOLDUAN: Republicans are also sure to press Sotomayor on her past statement that a wise Latina woman would make a better conclusion than a white male.
Senator Jeff Sessions is the senior Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee.
SEN. JEFF SESSIONS (R), JUDICIARY COMMITTEE: She has advocated a view that suggests that your personal experiences even prejudices -- she uses that word -- it's expected that they would influence the decision you make which is a blow, I think, at the very ideal of American justice.
BOLDUAN: Democrats including the committee's chair will no doubt come quickly to Sotomayor's defense.
SEN. PATRICK LEAHY (D), JUDICIARY CHAIRMAN: She has the experience and the cases to show her to be a mainstream judge. Anything else is nitpicking.
BOLDUAN (on camera): Sources working closely with Judge Sotomayor tell CNN they've intensified Sotomayor's prep sessions in the past week trying to make sure she's ready. President Obama has said he wants her confirmed before Congress leaves for its August recess.
Kate Bolduan, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: As Kate reported, Democrats have the votes they need to approve Sotomayor. But that doesn't mean her opponents are giving up.
The anti-abortion group Operation Rescue is mounting a 12-city "Defeat Sotomayor Tour." Today's protest kicked off outside the Supreme Court building on Capitol Hill.
We will have complete coverage of the confirmation hearings for Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor this week. You can follow the pointed questions about her background, her rulings and controversial comments and the speeches; live on CNN, starting tomorrow at 10:00 a.m. Eastern -- 10:00 a.m. Eastern.
Other news from the nation's capital: serious allegations against former Vice President Cheney today from the chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee. Senator Dianne Feinstein says current CIA director Leon Panetta told this to Congress that Cheney once ordered the CIA to withhold information from lawmakers about a secret counterterrorism program. Feinstein suggested laws may have been broken and a Democratic colleague says the report is troubling.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. PATRICH LEAHY (D), VERMONT: If, as "The New York Times" says, we had the vice president of the United States telling people to break the law, that is a pretty serious matter. Either he did or he didn't.
If he did, that is something we ought to know because I have been here for six administrations. Usually if something is done wrong by one and it is exposed, the next one tends to behave themselves.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: A Republican senator casts doubts on the claims about Cheney. He pointed to a recent Washington dustup involving the Democratic speaker of the House.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JOHN CORNYN (R), TEXAS: This, of course, comes on the heels of a statement unproven, by the way, of Speaker Pelosi that the CIA had lied to her about enhanced interrogation techniques. This looks to me suspiciously like an attempt to provide political cover to her and others.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: The report about former Vice President Cheney first appeared in "The New York Times." CNN has been unable to reach Cheney for comment.
There is no arguing that the people in Michigan have been hit hard by this recession. But now a new plan is under way to get some of these men and women back to work. And the plan is coming there Hollywood.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Mark your calendars: Saturday, August 29, Las Vegas; a star-studded tribute and benefit concert honoring Michael Jackson. That is according to the "Las Vegas Review Journal." The newspaper says all the big names from the Vegas strip will appear in the show which will be at the Palm Casino. August 29th is Jackson's birthday; he would have been 51.
The paper also says Jermaine Jackson is talking to casino executives about a possible Jackson Brothers reunion tour. We'll keep you updated on that one.
The death of U.S. lightweight boxing champion Arturo Gatti may have been a homicide. The boxer's 23-year-old wife is now being held by Brazilian authorities. The Gattis were on vacation in Brazil with their young child when he was found dead in their hotel room yesterday. Police confirmed to CNN that Gatti appeared to have been strangled. Brazilian news reports say a bloody purse strap was found at the scene. We'll update you on that one, as well. A private swim club near Philadelphia is trying to remove itself from the deep end of controversy after retracting pool privileges to a group of minority kids.
Our national correspondent, Susan Candiotti, has been working this story for us. Susan, we are hearing that some type of resolution might be in the works here.
SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It could be, Don. A lot of animosity on both sides and serious issues here.
Today we got tipped off that a meeting was quickly put together at the valley club in Huntington Valley, Pennsylvania. When it was over the swim club said it agreed to try to work things out with the day care center following allegations that racist comments were made to some of the minority children.
As the president's wife put it, quote, "As long as we can work out safety issues we would like to have them back." The club has apologized for what happened but denies racism is why it canceled a contract to allow black and Hispanic children to use its pool once a week for an hour and a half. The club's director says the pool was overcrowded, and they were worried about safety.
At first the club's president issued a statement saying that the kids had changed the atmosphere and complexion of the club. Later, he apologized and called that a poor choice of words.
Pennsylvania's Commission on Human Relations has now issued a subpoena for the club's records. Formal complaints have been filed.
I asked the day care center's director what she thought of today's offer to try to smooth things out. In her words, "They should have done that before. Those children are scarred. How can I take those children back there?"
However, the day care center's lawyer says they'll look at the offer when they get it and seriously consider the offer. The chairman of the Human Relations Commission tells me that he hopes the two groups can resolve the matter amicably. So, Don, let's see where it goes from here.
LEMON: What about the timing, though, with the meeting and the statements? What's going on here, Susan?
CANDIOTTI: Well, the fact of the matter is this day care -- or rather, the swim club had been under a lot of pressure. It had been in the national media spotlight for days. There have been protests outside the club. They even had to move a swim meet that was scheduled at the club yesterday because of this controversy.
We also know that they had been in discussions with a lawyer, and they got some advice and this is what resulted.
LEMON: It all comes out in the rinse. We shall see what happens. Susan Candiotti on top of the story for us, thank you, Susan.
CANDIOTTI: You're welcome.
LEMON: Dozens of families are scrambling for information about the graves and remains of loved ones at a suburban Chicago cemetery. Four former Burr Oak Cemetery employees have been charged with digging up the bodies so they could resell burial plots. Many of the families met detectives at a nearby high school, since the cemetery has been declared a crime scene.
Meantime, the Reverend Jesse Jackson organized a vigil today. Police suspect that at least 300 of the 100,000 graves have been dug up at the historically African-American cemetery. My heart goes out to those folks.
Saying goodbye to a loved one, well, it is hard enough. But imagine trying to relive it. CNN's Cheryl Jackson spoke with one family about this story from Alsip, Illinois.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I can't understand how people can do that. I just do not understand it.
JANET JOSEPH, RELATIVES' GRAVES WERE DESECRATED: That they have no...
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They're all piled up on top of each other in one area.
CHERYL JACKSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Sisters Rosie Lumson (ph) and Anne Slay (ph) and their niece Janet Joseph say they have about 40 family members buried at Burr Oaks Cemetery.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: These are (INAUDIBLE) Manning.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is their oldest son, our brother, Lloyd. This is my sister Ursine Manning.
JOSEPH: This is my mom.
JACKSON: One funeral program after another shows where their loved ones were laid to rest. Now they say there is no rest for anyone connected with Burr Oak.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: When we finally buried them, they are at peace now. So we can't even say they are at peace now because they've dug up their remains and done who knows what. How heartless can people be?
JACKSON: Police say four Burr Oak employees are responsible for digging up the graves and reselling them. Piles and piles of human remains were found above the ground of the cemetery; some mingled and crumbled at the cement vaults they were buried in. Other remains scattered throughout the grounds. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: As long as my relatives have been out there, they may have dug them up and put somebody on top of them.
JACKSON: Records do indicate that some graves may have more than one body in them. Janet Joseph's mother died about 20 years ago; information from police leads her to believe that her mother's grave may have been targeted.
JOSEPH: And they'd go so far as to dismember the bodies, the bones and put it somewhere else. It is like a serial killer to me.
JACKSON: It is already hard enough to bury your mother once, what if you have to do it again?
JOSEPH: You know what, I haven't thought about that; if I have to bury her again. I haven't thought about that.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We have so many questions. We have a lot of questions. We are going to hold hands and pray whatever that needs to be done we will do it.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: Did you hear that? She said it was like a serial killer.
And the interesting thing in all of this is that they don't really know how many bodies. They said it could be thousands because in many cases there are no records.
We're going to follow this story for you here on CNN.
A lot of people are talking about this. A lot of people are talking about the stories we are putting on as well.
Someone is talking about the Cheney story.
Let's go to this one first. It's from Andrea65ss: "That Cheney story is no surprise to me. Talk about evil doers, hope he goes down in flames." Wow that's pretty strong language.
And then more people talking about the cemetery, the launch of the shuttle.
Voiceofthetruth said: "Too bad it was delayed again. One of those astronauts went to my high school and knew my mom."
And then wlperry says, "Wow. Those parents seem like great people. My prayers are with the children." They're talking about the pool story in that one, I believe.
And then Cal1637 says, "As a police officer I'm really interested in who and why that couple was killed." Probably who killed that couple and why they were killed is what he meant to say. You only have 147 characters so we understand when you shorten it that way.
We want to know what's on your mind tonight. We want you to be part of our community: Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, and iReport.com. That's how you become part of our show.
It is outrageous and some say it is over the line. Meet this guy -- not him -- we are talking about Bruno. There he is. The new film by comedian Sacha Baron Cohen; some people are not laughing at it at all.
And you're going to meet a pioneer in the radio business. Her name is Cathy Hughes. You're going to hear her story and -- you're going to hear how she ended up homeless and then made her way back to the top.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: All right. Updating our developing stories here on CNN. You see to the left of your screen that is the space shuttle Endeavor. The mission has been scrubbed for today, I should say the launch has been scrubbed for today because of weather problems. They are going to try again tomorrow. Let's hope it happens. We will carry it here on CNN when it does finally get off the ground.
Also we're going to tell you about what is happening in Escambia County, Florida. A suspect has been named and arrested in the case of two parents who were killed. He is not charged with murder or in connection with the killings of these two people. He is charged with tampering with evidence. His name is Leonard Patrick Gonzalez. Sheriff's deputies say they hope to make numerous arrests soon - more arrests coming soon in that case.
California has already had to issue IOUs to cover some of its bills. Now state lawmakers and Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has reportedly made some progress on trying to close their $26 billion budget deficit. They are back at work this hour looking for ways to squeeze savings from education, welfare and other expensive social programs. Today's talks are expected to last for several hours.
It is known more for cars than for movies, but with unemployment at more than 14 percent and the auto industry struggling, the state is rolling out the red carpet to Hollywood film crews. That's right, Hollywood film crews. There is just one problem. CNNMoney.com Poppy Harlow joins us with more. OK. That caught my attention when I read it earlier, Poppy. Hollywood film crews? Are they trying to get their cars in movies? It's like free advertising? What is going on?
POPPY HARLOW, CNNMONEY.COM: Not exactly that, Don. This is about bringing jobs to Michigan. And what we could see is Detroit changing from the motor city folks to the movie city. Here is what is happening. They got over 14 percent unemployment in Michigan. A huge underemployment problem and there is actually some help coming from an unexpected place. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HARLOW (voice-over): Don't be surprised to see George Clooney or Robert De Niro next time you're in Michigan. Those Hollywood A- listers have joined others like Clint Eastwood to make major motion pictures in the embattled state as it works to reinvent itself. GOV. JENNIFER GRANHOLM (D), MICHIGAN: We are focused entirely on diversifying our economy, in creative economy, whether it's film making.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Here is the deal, you stay away, if I have to come back here again, it's going to be ugly.
HARLOW: Clint Eastwood's Academy Award-nominated "Gran Torino" takes place just a few miles from Detroit. So, what's the incentive to film here? A 42 percent tax break for studios that hire local workers rather than bring in their own crews. Sounds great, but here's the problem. Even though Michigan has a skilled labor force most don't have any experience working on film sets. Enter Mort Mizer in and the Center for Film Studies, started in March the school gives Michigan workers the chance to hone their skills to meet the needs of movie execs.
MART MIZER, CENTER FOR FILM STUDIES: I don't think Hollywood woke up this morning and decided, hey, let's go to Michigan. They are coming to Michigan because the tax incentives are here.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: These are normally just painted black and then their done.
HARLOW: A full course isn't cheap. It costs five grand. But 75 percent of the workers in the program are getting a free ride, thanks to funding from Michigan's "No Worker Left Behind" program. At this class, construction workers that are used to building homes are learning how to build sets.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It seems like the movies are coming here. There is a demand for carpenters. So I want to be actually right in the front of it right now. So I want to be right there.
MIZER: The real mission pure and simple is leave a legacy of jobs.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARLOW: Boy, could Michigan use some of those jobs, Don. Not a movie mecca yet, but the state has really made progress. Thirty-five films were made in Michigan last year that brought in $125 million revenue, Don. And that's up from just two million in 2007. So, some impressive returns so far.
LEMON: Very good. Very good. I'm sure people are optimistic. Are they encouraged they are going to get some work from this program? I hope so.
HARLOW: They really are. We spent a day with those construction workers, Don, and a lot of them told me the next day they got some freelance work for you know, about $300 for a day. So they said, pretty good pay working on a set for a pilot that a network was filming right there in Detroit. So they were actually working the day after that class ended. So they are very positive about it, Don. But this is still a small slice but it is some hope and we would like to show you the good news as well.
LEMON: All right. Poppy, thank you very much. Hey, Poppy, congratulations, you know what I'm talking about. It's nothing really weird, guys. Don't worry about it. She is not getting married or anything, she is finally in the same spot with someone who I like. Thank you very much.
HARLOW: Thanks.
LEMON: I made you blush.
The weekend's number one movie pokes fun at stereotypes but not everyone is laughing. We'll check the brouhaha over "Bruno," plus Jacqui Jeras updates your work week forecast. We hope it's good.
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LEMON: Two U.S. Marines were killed in Afghanistan yesterday. Both victims of improvised explosive devices, the marines were apparently a part of a massive anti-Taliban offensive in southern Afghanistan's Helmand province. A third U.S. service member died at home Friday from wounds he received in June. A total of 647 American troops have died since military operations began in Afghanistan since 2001.
In the final leg of his seven-day international tour, President Barack Obama sat down exclusively with our Anderson Cooper. A throng of people bid farewell to the president and the first family as they departed Ghana on Air Force One. Before Obama left sub-Saharan Africa, he spoke with Anderson about investigating possible war crimes in Afghanistan.
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ANDERSON COOPER, CNN HOST, "ANDERSON COOPER 360" (on camera): Now it seems clear that the Bush administration resisted efforts to pursue investigations of an Afghan warlord (INAUDIBLE) who was on the CIA payroll. It's now come out that there were hundreds of Taliban prisoners under his care who got killed.
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Right.
COOPER: Some are suffocated in steel containers, others were shot, possibly buried in mass graves. Would you support, would you call for an investigation into possible war crimes in Afghanistan?
OBAMA: Yes, the indications that this had not been properly investigated just recently was brought to my attention. So what I have asked my national security team to do is collect the facts for me that are known and we will probably make a decision in terms of how to approach it once we have all the facts together.
COOPER: So, you wouldn't resist categorically an investigation?
OBAMA: I think that there are responsibilities that all nations have even in war. And if it appears that our conduct in some way supported violations of the laws of war then I think that we have to know about that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: I want to tell you that you can see Anderson's exclusive interview, that exclusive conversation with President Obama tomorrow night, "AC 360." Also, Anderson will share his exclusive access to the president on this historic, historic journey to Africa, again 10:00 p.m. Eastern only here on CNN.
In Iraq, more religious intolerance, but instead of Sunni versus Shia, this time insurgents are targeting Christian houses of worships. Six churches have been bombed in and around Baghdad in less than 24 hours. At least four people have been killed, dozens more wounded. U.S. forces pulled back from major Iraqi cities earlier this month.
Our Jacqui Jeras standing by in the CNN severe weather center. She is on top of all the weather and she's going to tell us why that mission was scrubbed. I'm getting so many tweets people saying, ah.
JERAS: I know. Well, thunderstorms they were just too close. You know, they got to be 20 miles or more...
LEMON: They want them to be safe.
JERAS: Yes, absolutely. Better safe than sorry. Because actually, you know, if they did have to abort lightning struck with the shuttle, it just would have been catastrophic. So, we are going to go again tomorrow. There is a chance of sea breeze thunderstorms tomorrow afternoon again. So, you know, the probability about the same in terms of what the chances are. So, about a 30 percent chance of the launch being inhibited by the weather. The showers and thunderstorms just lit up on the radar map at this hour.
This complex of thunderstorms that you see right here. We have been watching this thing for about 12 hours. Believe it or not, it's continuing to march its way across parts of Kentucky and on to Tennessee. Right now, Nashville, we want to warn you, you may be an hour away from strong to severe thunderstorms rumbling through that could produce some wind damage along with some very, very heavy downpours. So stay tight tonight and just kind of sit where you're at and take cover if siren do go off. We're also seeing some showers and thundershowers popping up around the Atlanta metro area. A strong line right across western parts of Georgia. That's going to be rumbly through in a couple of hours. So if you have any travel plans, oh, a bummer for you.
If you are at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, there is a ground stop in effect there now. We also have a few delays in the northeast. Everybody is really under an hour here. And most of that is due to some windy conditions. The heat continues to build across the southern plains states. There you can see the heat advisories which remain in effect here from Kansas extending all the way down towards the Houston area. The heat is starting to spread a little farther off the east. Expect this to persist for another couple of days. All right. The storms did not cause problems for a launch yesterday for the blue angels. Thanks to our i-reporter, James Amerson, we were able to bring you a couple of these pictures. Just an incredible show out there and some amazing shots. You said you could see the pilot like eye level from the balcony of some of their condos out there.
LEMON: It's amazing. You know, every year in Chicago there is an air and water show. And they used to fly right over my building where you go up the roof. I mean, you could see the faces. I'm surprised they let that happen, you know, in a major city right now but keep doing it.
JERAS: Makes you a little nervous.
LEMON: Yes. But very exciting to watch every summer. I don't know what it is this year. We'll check in to it. All right. Jacqui, the producer's saying, got to go.
JERAS: All right.
LEMON: Thanks, Jacqui.
Breaking barriers - in the male-dominated world of radio, she once lived in her office, now she is a media mogul. We'll introduce you to an African-American firsts, Cathy Hughes, there she is.
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LEMON: She built a radio empire, gained a massive following all kinds of barriers in broadcasting and believe me, it wasn't easy. Because at one point she ended up homeless. Cathy Hughes, "Up from a Past," she is an African-American first.
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CATHY HUGHES, AFRICAN-AMERICAN RADIO PIONEER: Our responsibility as dictated and mandated by the Federal Communications Commission is to serve the public interest.
LEMON (voice-over): Cathy Hughes is living the dream, one she has had since growing up in Omaha, Nebraska.
HUGHES: I knew it when my mother bought me the transistor radio, I knew it was the toothbrush that was my microphone. When god put something on you, I mean, you know, if I were probably in the clergy, they would call it a calling.
LEMON: A calling that inspired her to work her way through the hardscrabble, male-dominated radio business. Her first gig was at a Nebraska radio station. But a job offer as a lecturer at Howard University's communications department would help shape her destiny, by moving her to Washington, D.C. Hughes had even bigger plans.
HUGHES: I didn't want to be on the other side of the radio running things. I wanted to be on that microphone and I wanted to be the first black woman with a nationally syndicated radio show.
LEMON: In 1973, Hughes became sales director of the university's struggling radio station, WHUR FM. By the time she left in 1979 she was general manager and said she boosted WHUR's revenue from $300,000 to $3.5 million.
HUGHES: This was the greatest opportunity in my life. It was a defining moment in my career.
LEMON: It gave her the confidence to buy a small D.C. radio station WOL and start her own company called Radio One. It wasn't easy.
HUGHES: Black folks weren't borrowing millions of dollars, and women were not able to get a million-dollar loan, and I was under 30. So, I had all of these things going against me.
LEMON: Against her professionally and personally. Her marriage ended in divorce. But her newly found single-mother status would end up helping her career.
(on camera): Because of the "Quiet Storm."
HUGHES: The "Quiet Storm." I had all these girlfriends who on Friday night would be calling up each other saying let's get together. Let's go out. Well, that's not my idea of an exciting Friday evening. My idea of an exciting Friday evening is a good-looking brother like you, going out to dinner, going to a movie, doing stuff and having some, you know, intellectual exchange. And so, I created the "Quiet Storm" for my girlfriends quite frankly so they would have companionship.
LEMON (voice-over): People started listening, and Hughes got bolder by targeting D.C.'s black community with an all-talk format.
HUGHES: It is the African-American community of Washington, D.C., that has kept this country functioning, running, and no one allowed a voice. No one covered the greatness of their community. The only thing that we ever got from the media in Washington, D.C., was a crack house being raided or someone being shot, stabbed or robbed.
LEMON: A risky move for which she took a lot of flack.
HUGHES: WOL, we are in the business of keeping our doors open. Our bottom line is our number one consideration. We're not here to bring you something that is of displeasure.
I'm fighting white advertisers who are telling me that black folks don't want news and information. And I'm fighting black folks who are afraid that they're going to be embarrassed if they start expressing themselves.
LEMON: Hughes had the willpower and the drive. But she didn't know how to manage money. The fledgling radio mogul almost lost it all ending up homeless, living in her office with a sleeping bag for a bed.
HUGHES: I'm washing up in the public bathroom and going to a girlfriend's house that I've grown up with in Omaha, Nebraska, taking my showers in the evening and washing up in the morning in the public bathroom that my staff and guest would be in.
LEMON (on camera): Did your staff know?
HUGHES: Oh, yes. Absolutely they knew. I was cooking on a hot plate.
LEMON (voice-over): As the bank threatened foreclosure, at the final meeting, Hughes clung to her faith.
HUGHES: I prayed this prayer that God would just use me to say the right thing. I stood up and said to them that they did not have the power to foreclose on me. That I felt that God had me on a mission to provide a voice for black people.
LEMON: Her prayers were answered. She says the government-run Small Business Administration came up with a payment plan that included a finance lesson in exchange for her teaching it to others. Soon WOL began turning a profit, enough to buy other radio stations in D.C. and eventually around the country.
In 2004, she launched TV-One, also targeting a black audience. And Hughes is the first African-American woman to head a company publicly traded on a U.S. Stock Exchange.
(on camera): Is it more about faith, or is it more about passion and drive?
HUGHES: I think it's a combination. I think that you have to have the passion and drive. When you are able to earn a living in something that turns you on, that excites you, that stimulates you, that inspires you, it's not work.
LEMON (voice-over): The little girl who fell asleep listening to her transistor radio now owns the airwaves. Cathy Hughes is an African-American first.
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LEMON: Boy, it was a joy interviewing her. Thank you, Cathy. And sorry it took so long. We kept getting pushed back because of our breaking news with the Michael Jackson death. Cathy Hughes, again, an African-American first. And "Up from the Past, an African-American First" airs every Sunday night here on CNN, 7:00 and 10:00 p.m. Eastern.
I want to remind you of this as well. While all of our reporters are covering the stories developing every day all over the world, and in the black community, our Soledad O'Brien has been working on some very special stories that you'll see on July 22nd and 23rd when "CNN Presents: Black in America 2." Two nights, two prime-time documentaries, all new stories, only here on CNN. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Wow, very busy news day here. This just in to CNN. Two killers and a rapist on the loose right now. Three inmates have escaped from a maximum security state prison in Michigan City, Indiana. They were discovered missing this morning. Police, sheriff's deputies and staff from nearby prisons are joining in the search. Authorities believe the three might have used tunnels and pipes under the prison grounds.
They are identified as 45-year-old Lance Battreal, 48-year-old Charles Smith and 48-year-old Mark Booher. We'll keep following this developing story for you all evening. Trying to get some more information.
You know, first it was Ali G. Then "Borat." But comedian/filmmaker Sacha Baron Cohen's last character, Bruno, well he may go too far over the line and way below the belt for some. Here's CNN's A.J. Hammer.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Made entirely out of Velcro.
A.J. HAMMER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Bruno on the cat walk.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Help me out of this.
HAMMER: Bruno by the campfire.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE): So like the "Sex and the City" girl.
HAMMER: Bruno in the crossfire.
AARON HICKLIN, EDITOR IN CHIEF, "OUT" MAGAZINE: I thought it was outrageously funny.
RASHAD ROBINOSN, GLAAD: We expressed, you know, incredible concern.
HAMMER: Sacha Baron Cohen's new comedy in which he inserts himself into real-life situations as a flamboyant Austrian fashionista is dividing the gay community, some say it performs a valuable service.
HICKLIN: I think in his best moment this movie very powerfully puts home.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How do you protect yourself from being attacked by homosexuals?
They probably were attacked from behind.
HICKLIN: There is really extraordinary things in this movie which I think exposed the prejudice of everyday Americans. HAMMER: Others fear it will only validate those prejudices.
ROBINSON: We do feel like they just kind of missed the mark in many places. And in overreaching really, you know, enforced stereotypes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What type? What is that? What is this?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What is D&G?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Dolce & Gabbana. Hello.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hello.
HAMMER: Rashad Robinson of GLADD, the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, says his group tried unsuccessfully to get filmmakers to cut some scenes. GLAAD was particularly concerned about this sequence where Bruno appears on a talk show with his newly- adopted child.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You chose to dress that baby up in a T-shirt that says what?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Gayby.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's not the baby's name, is it?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No. I gave him a traditional African name.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So, what is the baby's name?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: O.J.
ROBINON: From people in a place like Arkansas that recently went to the polls and overwhelmingly voted to ban gay and lesbian couples from being able to adopt children, having a movie that portrays our community and cites problematic ways isn't really a welcome sense.
HAMMER: Universal issued a statement to CNN acknowledging some people might misinterpret "Bruno's" humor, but it added, "We believe the overwhelming majority of the audience will understand and appreciate the film's inarguably positive intention." Aaron Hicklin, editor of "Out" Magazine sees their point.
HICKLIN: You really have to be quite dense and idiotic to think that this was in any way an accurate reflection of the way that gay men live their lives.
HAMMER: Cohen hasn't said much in defense of his film, preferring to do most interviews as his "Bruno" character. And he has shown little inclination to tone things down.
SACHA BARON COHEN AS "BRUNO": Don't adopt a black baby now because they're about to become out. They've been in for about 12 months. Yes, everyone's going to be getting rid of their black babies. I'm about in one month, putting mine up on eBay. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What?
HAMMER: A.J. Hammer, CNN, New York.
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LEMON: I'm Don Lemon at the CNN world headquarters in Atlanta. See you back here at 10:00 p.m. Eastern. "State of the Union" with John King begins right now.
