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U.S. Soldier in Taliban Video Identified; Helicopter Crash Kills 16 in Afghanistan; Obama Defends Health Care Bill; Watson Fails to Win British Open; Burr Oak Cemetery Attorney Says Plots-for-Pay Not as Bad as Portrayed; Cheap Homes Available in Detroit
Aired July 19, 2009 - 18:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Right now on CNN: Held hostage in the hands of the Taliban -- a soldier's family speaks and the world wonders if he'll make it out alive.
And what about his captors? How far will they go? CNN's Michael Ware takes us inside the Taliban to places hardly anyone else has gone before until now.
Up in flames: Wildfires bear down on a small town, 15,000 people flee the raging inferno. We take you there.
And a quest for history at 59. He stands to be the oldest king on the links. Did he capture the crown?
The news starts right now.
Hello, everyone. I'm Don Lemon live at the CNN world headquarters in Atlanta.
It is confirmation of America's worst fears. The man in the video first posted on Islamic Web sites is a 23-year-old American soldier missing since June 30th. And the Pentagon says this man is U.S. Army Private First Class Bowe R. Bergdahl of Ketchum, Idaho. It is the first time he's been seen since he disappeared more than two weeks ago in southeastern Afghanistan.
On the video he can be heard talking about his family and his fears.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, TALIBAN VIDEO)
PFC. BOWE R. BERGDAHL, U.S. ARMY: Scared I won't be able to go home. It is very unnerving to be a prisoner.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Let's head right to Washington now and bring in CNN Pentagon correspondent Chris Lawrence.
Chris, any further comment from the Pentagon since they confirmed Private Bergdahl's identity?
CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT (via telephone): Yes, several, Don. And, you know, you've got nearly 30 minutes of video there that the military officials will be able to take a look at, trying to find any clues they possibly can about where he is being held, about who may be holding him.
At one point in that video, he and his captors both mention that he had been taken to Kandahar -- while the military can't confirm that, it, at least, does give them somewhat more to go on. The military released a statement recently just saying, "We strongly condemn this public exploitation and humiliation of a prisoner. It's a violation of the international law of war and we continue to use all resources available to us to return this soldier to safety."
Over the past few weeks, that has included a carrot and a stick approach. The U.S. military has been dropping pamphlets all over Afghanistan. One shows the soldier kicking down a door and basically saying, "If you do not return this American soldier, we will hunt you down." The other shows a soldier with his hand outstretched, surrounded by children. And that one says, "One of our American guests has gone missing. Please call this number if you are able to help."
So, two very different approaches there by the U.S. military as they -- you know, really spare no amount of work to try to find this missing soldier.
LEMON: All right. On top of the story, our Pentagon correspondent Chris Lawrence -- Chris, we appreciate it.
Private Bergdahl's family has released a statement. It says, "We hope and pray for our son's safe return to his comrades and then to our family. And we appreciate all the support and expressions of sympathy shown to us by our family members, our friends and others across the nation. Thank you and please continue to keep Bowe in your thoughts and prayer."
I want to get now some insight from CNN's national security analyst, Peter Bergen. He joins us now.
Peter, thank you for joining us. It's very interesting in these sorts of situations, we often hear that the time to -- the best time to get a soldier who has been captured is early on. And this is certainly not early on in the process.
PETER BERGEN, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: No, it isn't. And unfortunately, might conscious that he's not in Afghanistan anyway. I think he's already been taken to Pakistan. This is a fairly routine way with these kidnappings are handled when somebody is taken by a lower-level Taliban group and then sold or given to a higher level Taliban group, many of which are headquartered in Pakistan.
It's very likely the network, the Haqqani network, a group long ally to al Qaeda, the leaders of which are old friends of Osama bin Laden, speak Arabic and have kidnapped others in the past including David Rohde, "The New York Times" correspondent who managed to escape after being held for almost nine months.
So, dropping leaflets -- as Chris Lawrence mentioned -- in Afghanistan to try and encourage people to bring information in about this missing soldier may, in fact, be kind of a waste of time if he's already in Pakistan as is I think is somewhat likely.
LEMON: Yes. That was my next question to you. Do you think by doing this, by going to the Afghan people personally, directly with these types of messages, you don't believe it helps at all?
BERGEN: Well, not in this case, if he's in Pakistan. I mean, it doesn't hurt. Obviously, you want to try and do everything you can.
LEMON: All right. What about the overall war effort? What is the effect? What does this -- have any effect at all on the overall war effort?
BERGEN: Well, you know, the capture of one soldier is always an enormous strategy by for the family and for everybody who knows him, but I don't think it substantially changes the war effort. I mean, we've seen kidnappings of various kinds in Iraq and Afghanistan.
I mean, what -- you know, what are the kidnappers going to ask in return for this soldier is the question. And I think we can predict very quickly what they will ask for. They will ask for the release of prisoners from Bagram Air Force Base in Afghanistan, Taliban prisoners. They may also ask for a large ransom.
The U.S. government, unfortunately, you know, it is policy not to release prisoners from American custody, policy not to pay ransoms. So, unfortunately, this is an extremely difficult situation. The options are very limited. You can try and do a rescue operation. Rescue operations are inherently very difficult.
LEMON: Yes.
BERGEN: Often, the captive may be injured or killed in a rescue operation, and right now, no one really knows where the soldier is being held.
LEMON: I got to ask you, that leads to my next question because a lot of people are saying, including us, this is proof of life. But we don't know when these pictures were taken -- how long ago, if it was yesterday or the day before or two weeks ago.
BERGEN: Well, I don't think that's so relevant because -- I mean, the value of a kidnap -- somebody you kidnap is that they remain alive and healthy. That I -- you know, clearly as you can see from the pictures, he's not being in any way obviously mistreated and I would be very surprised if he were, because the value to the kidnappers is a somebody -- is a captive that they can continue to negotiate about.
LEMON: Leverage, right? OK, Peter Bergen, we thank you very much for joining us. He's CNN national security analyst.
Make sure you stay with CNN s because next hour, I'll talk about the captive soldier with Ken Robinson. He's a veteran of U.S. military special operations and a former military intelligence officer. That's next hour right here on CNN.
A helicopter plunged to the ground in southern Afghanistan today killing 16 civilians. The chopper crashed just after taking off from NATO's Kandahar Air Field, a major hub for coalition operations. This is the latest in a string of air crashes this is weekend in Afghanistan, raising urgent safety concerns amid an anti-Taliban offensive.
Ivan Watson is in Helmand province with the very latest for us.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
IVAN WATSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: They're not releasing the national at of these passengers but say none of the passengers or crew were military personnel. They're also saying that this was not a result of any kind of hostile fire. There will be an investigation into this.
This is the third crash in the last two days. Earlier today, there was also a hard landing, an emergency landing by a U.S. military helicopter in eastern Afghanistan, in Kunar province, and we're told that the passengers and crew were being treated for injuries. We don't have further details on that except that there wasn't hostile fire.
And yesterday, we had an F-16E Strike Eagle, the first, we believe, U.S. fixed wing warplane that crashed in the predawn hours with two crew members killed.
So, a very difficult day for aviation.
Despite that, we traveled with marine helicopters -- and I believe we have some video that we can show you -- traveled around Helmand province. This is a difficult province in the south of Afghanistan today. I traveled with U.S. Marines, some 10,000 marines have been moved into this area; 4,000 launched an offensive earlier this month, moving into areas that the Taliban insurgents had controlled.
During our trip and we stopped at several bases, it was very clear that -- I was in the same area last year -- the small forward operating bases have tripled, quintupled in size. The base that I'm at right now had perhaps several hundred American and British soldiers, marines, now, it has some 2,000 personnel, a sign that the U.S. and the NATO allies are ramping up their efforts here, trying to reach out and extend the Afghan government's authority in this very contested region where poppies, drugs are produced in massive quantities -- and this, ahead of the August 20th presidential elections that are scheduled to be taking place then.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: All right. CNN's Ivan Watson, thank you for that, Ivan.
Police investigating Jakarta, Indonesia's deadly twin hotel bombings may have uncovered a major electronic clue. They believe they found one of the bombers' laptops in one of the blasted-out buildings here. Indonesia state media are reporting the computer and the information and the secret codes the attackers may have used to signal one another. Friday's explosion killed nine people including at least two suspected bombers; 50 other people were wounded.
For the first time since the story broke about the dug-up bodies at the Chicago-area cemetery, we finally hear from the cemetery's lawyers.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There was not a situation where bones simply littered the cemetery.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: But police investigators just aren't buying it.
Plus, is President Barack Obama's health care plan dead in the water? His big push could dominate the news this week.
Also, we want to know what's on your mind tonight. Twitter, Facebook, MySpace or iReport.com, that's how you get on the air here.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: During his weekly address, President Barack Obama tried to set the record straight about what is and isn't in his health care initiative. Watch.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, WHITE HOUSE VIDEO)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Those who oppose reform will also tell you that under our plan, you won't get to choose your doctor -- that some bureaucrat will choose for you. That's also not true. Michelle and I don't want anyone tells us who our family doctor should be and no one should decide that for you, either. Under our proposal if you like your doctor, you keep your doctor. If you like your current insurance, you keep that insurance. Period, end of story.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Well, it's not quite the last word. Health care was a hot topic on this morning's talk shows as our John King shows you.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOHN KING, "STATE OF THE UNION" HOST: If the sounds of Sunday are part of your water cooler chatter, it's a good bet that health care reform is one of the topics. The biggest debate in Washington is how to pay the big price tag. And things got for complicated last week when the Congressional Budget Office said the leading Democratic plans increase costs instead of meeting the president's promise to trim health care spending.
KATHLEEN SEBELIUS, HHS SECRETARY: The House's bill unmarked-up. This is a work in progress.
SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL (R), MINORITY LEADER: They passed a budget that puts us on a path to double the national debt in five years, triple it in 10. And here comes health care on top of it.
REP. CHARLES RANGEL (D), WAYS AND MEANS COMMITTEE: The fact that it's not bipartisan is not because we, Democrats, don't want to have a bipartisan bill. We don't have any Republican answers.
KING: Now, the fight over how to get it done is affecting the plans for when to get it done. A presidential call for the House and Senate to act by early August, not long ago, was a firm deadline -- now, a goal.
PETER ORSZAG, WHITE HOUSE BUDGET DIRECTOR: We want to get it done by August, by August recess. And we think we can.
SEN. ORRIN HATCH (R), UTAH: He knows he can't sell it if it lasts -- if the debate lasts very long because it is so expensive and costly.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: We want to get it done by August. You saw that.
Joining us now: our senior political analyst, Bill Schneider.
Bill, is that possible, by August?
WILLIAM SCHNEIDER, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, I won't say it's impossible, but I'd say it's unlikely at this point, simply because it's going to be very, very hard to get a bill this large and this complex to Congress in the next couple of weeks, particularly, if the administration wants any bipartisan support. Republicans are dead set against that and are likely to try to drag things out.
LEMON: OK. You know, he's got a lot on his plate. And his approval rating soared for a while but that is not the case. It's not bad but it's slipping.
SCHNEIDER: No. Slipping a bit -- which is predictable. The recession is becoming very, very serious for many people. The job losses mounted in June.
He still got a positive job rating. Fifty-seven percent is the average of the most recent surveys -- you see that here -- dropped about four points since the average in June. That's pretty good. I mean, it is holding up well.
But Republicans here in Washington see some vulnerability. Particularly on the economy and they are trying to make the argument: how can we afford this big health care plan if people aren't doing that well and if we -- and if it involves a tax increase, which it almost certainly will?
LEMON: All right. So, the party's over, or should I say, the honeymoon, I would imagine...
SCHNEIDER: Right.
LEMON: ... is over when it comes to that and people are looking for results now.
SCHNEIDER: That's right. And it will be a while. The administration has cautioned that this recovery is likely to be slow. There are going to be some reversals. They claim that the recession that they inherited was very, very deep -- which indeed it was. By most counts, the worst recession since the Great Depression of the 1930s, and you can't expect things to improve that quickly, particularly joblessness.
In every recession, we've seen in the past number -- really, since the 1930s, job gains are the slowest thing, the last thing to catch up even after the economy as a whole starts to improve.
LEMON: Bill Schneider, thank you very much.
You can bet President Obama will talk about the economy and health care during his news conference on Wednesday at 9:00 p.m. Eastern, and, of course, CNN will bring it to you live.
It takes a great golf story to get Tiger Woods out of the headlines and we have one for you. Fifty-nine-year-old Tom Watson's quest for history has everyone talking. Did he make it? Can you give us any clues, Jacqui? How was the weather for that?
JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: It looks gorgeous in those pictures. I'll tell you that. We're tracking the weather in the U.S., though, and let me tell you, the temperatures have been extreme. We've had near record highs and even some record lows across the country, plus, lightning sparks some wildfires. The latest on that coming up in your forecast.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Well, these next pictures you're going to see are just amazing. There are new wildfires across the border in the Great White North. Some 15,000 people who live in the town of Kelowna, British Columbia, have fled their homes as two fires surround the town. Look at that. It's really nothing you can do.
Firefighters are hoping forecast of cooler temperatures and light winds will assist them. Nine structures have been lost already, three of those were homes.
We turn now to our Jacqui Jeras in the CNN severe weather center.
Boy, oh, boy, Jacqui, and the weather here is extreme as well.
JERAS: It is. And, you know, we've got some wildfire concerns, too.
You know, Don, overall, it's been a pretty quiet year. In fact, compared to the 10-year average, we've had a pretty low fire season thus far. For example, this time last year, there were 1 million more acres which had burned. However, we're starting to see some more activity as you can see here. And all these little hot spots are being detected by satellite.
We're stretching out here in California because yesterday, 26 new fires were started here, small fires. But they were all ignited by lightning. The biggest one of those is 2,000 acres. These are burning in the Bishop Creek Canyon area and this town here, Aspendale, has been under an order for a mandatory evacuation. There are also about 100 campers in the area that were ordered out.
So, we're going to continue to follow this story. We're also trying to get some pictures for you. So, watch for that tonight at 10:00.
And the temperatures out west have been extremely warm. We got heat warnings in effect across parts of southern California and on over into the Phoenix area. And this is going to last for a good couple of days yet.
In the meantime, we got cool temperatures across much of the east. Seventy-four degrees in Detroit. That's it.
We have a strong cold front which has dropped across about the eastern half or so of the country. Showers and thunderstorms are still triggering along that front, mostly down into parts of Florida. We do have a few severe thunderstorms to talk about in parts of Colorado on into Texas as well. There's a severe thunderstorm warning in effect for Tarrant County, that's in the Fort Worth area. But we're really expecting large hail and damaging winds to be the primary threat -- Don?
LEMON: All right. Thank you, Jacqui Jeras.
The oldest winner of the British Open, it's not Tom Watson. For a while today, it looked like the 59-year-old might make history when he tied Stewart Cink at the end of the regulation at Turnberry in Scotland. But a four-hole playoff with Cink didn't go Watson's way. Cink walked off with the title by six strokes.
CNN's Justin Armsden spoke with Watson just a short time ago.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JUSTIN ARMSDEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: In the end, heartbreaking into the open championship for you, Tom Watson. I just wonder if you can sum up the entire week for us.
TOM WATSON, FINISHED 2ND AT BRITISH OPEN: Well, right now, it's very disappointing. It's hard to take a lot of positives away from it, but the positives were that, at the beginning of the week, I really felt like I had a chance to win the tournament. I started off great. And I knew I was playing well enough to win the tournament. And it almost happened.
ARMSDEN: What kept you going all week?
WATSON: Well, my driving. I put the ball in play. And that's -- you know, that's critical when you're playing nice golf, you know? You look at the players who missed the cut. They couldn't keep the ball on the fairway. You hit the ball in the rough and they lost balls.
I hit -- I just hit one tee-ball in regulation and it was really out of play. And then one in the playoff that was out of play at the 17. But that was it for the week. So, my driving was very good. My -- I think my strategy was pretty good, too.
ARMSDEN: It seemed like, at times, an emotional week for you when you spoke about the spiritual feeling during your round.
WATSON: Yes.
ARMSDEN: Is that something that kept you going and kept you -- your spiritual journey like (ph)?
WATSON: Well, it was. You know, it's just -- this is a beautiful spot. I mean, if just look over the House of Craig (ph), you look over out to the sea, you see, you know, see sights that can fill you with emotion and spirit. And it's always been that way for me here at Turnberry. Of course, it doesn't hurt to have one really magical moment here actually two years ago.
ARMSDEN: You were certainly the sentimental favorite among the fans. Did you feel that from them?
WATSON: I feel a lot of respect from the fans and a lot of cheering going on, and as I said all week, the feeling is mutual.
ARMSDEN: We'll we see you back at St. Andrews next year?
WATSON: I'll be there.
ARMSDEN: Very good. Thank you very much for joining us. So, we'll hand it back to the studio.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: All right. You know, still, congratulations are in order for him. Not a bad life, though, Mr. Watson. Congratulations to you.
Our sports business analyst, Rick Horrow, was also at the British Open, lucky man. He's going to join us live next hour to talk more about the significance of Cink's triumph and Watson's heartbreaker.
Breaking their silence, lawyers for the cemetery at the center of a grave desecration scandal speak out.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There are any number of operational reasons why headstones were out back and they did not mean they had been removed from a family's legitimate grave site.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Police aren't buying it, though.
Plus, finding success in a tough housing market. One person's secret.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: We want to check our top story for you now. The military says this Taliban video shows U.S. Army Private First Class Bowe R. Bergdahl of Ketchum, Idaho. It is the first time he has been seen since he disappeared more than two weeks in southern Afghanistan. And he can be heard talking about his family and his fears.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BERGDAHL: I have my girlfriend who I was hoping to marry. I have my grandma and grandpas. I have a very, very good family that I love back home in America. And I miss them every day. When I'm gone, I miss them and I'm afraid that I might never see them again. And that I'll never be able to tell them that I love them again. I'll never be able to hug them.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Well, the spokesman for U.S. forces in Afghanistan has issued a statement about Private Bergdahl. It says, "We strongly condemn this public exploitation and humiliation of a prisoner. It is a violation of the international law of war and we continue to use all resources available to us to return this soldier to safety."
Private Bergdahl's family has also released a statement and it says, "We hope and pray for our son's safe return to his comrades and then to our family. And we appreciate all the support and expressions of sympathy shown to us by our family members, our friends and others across the nation. Thank you, and please continue to keep Bowe in your thoughts and in your prayers."
The mayor of Private Bowe Bergdahl's hometown is on the phone with us tonight. It's Ketchum, Idaho's mayor. And his name is Randy Hall.
Hello, sir. How is the town doing?
MAYOR RANDY HALL, KETCHUM, IDAHO (via telephone): Well, you know, I think it's a little early to take the temperature of such a -- you know, a tragic issue right now. I know that tomorrow, once everybody wakes up, I'm sure this will run through the town like wildfire and, you know, we're all very concerned.
LEMON: Yes. So, a lot of folks don't know already?
HALL: Well, you know, it's Sunday. And I've gotten several phone calls, but, you know, I have not spoken to the family yet. So, I don't exactly know how far and wide this story is going, at least today. But I'm sure, again, by tomorrow, everybody will know.
LEMON: Do you know the family at all?
HALL: You know what? I don't. I know of them and I do not know Bowe. But, you know, we're a very close community, a very small community. And we're all very proud of Bowe's service, you know, to his country, as well as all the other young men and women, you know, who are fighting overseas right now.
LEMON: And as I understand, you said that you are putting your faith and confidence in the U.S. military and U.S. government to bring him home safely?
HALL: Well, you know, you bet. You know, it's a difficult situation. And, you know, we just have to trust, you know, the people who have the resources to bring him home safely. And I know that it's a high priority of this country, you know, to protect all of the people who are fighting abroad.
LEMON: Have you thought about or are opened to any sort of plans or events or ceremonies to help the family?
HALL: Well, of course, we are. Again, I don't want to speak out of turn. I have not spoken to the family yet so I want to respect their privacy. But the city of Ketchum stands by to help out in any way we can.
LEMON: All right, Mayor Randy Hall, please give our thoughts -- tell the family our thoughts and prayers are with them as well, OK?
HALL: Will do. Thank you very much.
LEMON: Appreciate your joining us.
HALL: OK.
LEMON: Time for some of your feedback and here's how you guys are responding, mostly, a lot of you to the soldier story.
Sleuth17 says, "Yes, we have to know just how brutal war is."
Talking about the video and should it be aired.
Angelina247 says, "Yes, the tape makes us uncomfortable, but we should see it. It reminds us of the price we pay for freedom. Let's get this soldier home. "
And vanadamsports says, "I would not want to see this, nor would I want it to be shown. I cannot imagine what this is doing to the family."
And serena5401 says, "I don't think it should be aired, at least not as much as it has been this weekend. It plays into al-Qaeda's hands in my view." And Sophiemokie says, "Been sad all day. I see a face here whose words I have just prayed have not, will not hurt him. Support his family."
Quita8 says, "If they can't handle to see it, they should thank god that they don't have to live it. That poor man is. He can't change the channel."
Logon to Twitter, Facebook, or MySpace or iReport.com. That's how you get your feedback on.
Police in Tennessee have charged a 30-year-old man with the murders of his wife, three of her relatives and a family friend. The victims were found at a pair of neighboring homes outside Fayetteville, Tennessee, yesterday morning.
A sixth body apparently related to the case was found some 30 miles away at a Huntsville, Alabama, business. No identification yet. The sheriff of Lincoln County, Tennessee, describes it as the worst crime in his community's history. Held without bond is Jacob Schieffer, found at one of the crime scenes. The police believe the attack was a domestic dispute or domestic related.
Over exaggerated, not as bad as the sheriff suggests, that's the just from what the lawyer from Burr Oak Cemetery outside of Chicago. The cemetery is roiled in a plots-for-profit scandal that broke 11 days ago with the arrests of four cemetery employees accused of digging up graves for resale.
Ben Bradley of our affiliate WLS in Chicago has the latest round.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BEN BRADLEY, REPORTER, WLS NEWS (ph): Ten days of turmoil and finally, answers on those responsible for the cemetery.
TRUDI FOUSHEE, BURR OAK CEMETERY ATTORNEY: How does that happen? Apparently, it happens when you hire what you think are good people and you leave them to do their jobs and they find schemes of taking money where they shouldn't.
BRADLEY: Trudy Foushee is not only an attorney but she was running the cemetery for its investors-owners when the sheriff came calling.
TOM DART, SHERIFF OF COOK COUNTY: What we found was beyond startling and revolting.
FOUSHEE: There was not a situation where bones simply littered the cemetery. We have people in and out of the cemetery every day.
BRADLEY: Ms. Foushee says it was a backhoe operator practicing on the machine in an unused back lot who unearthed a partial skull on Memorial Day weekend. The Cook County sheriff's police were called in and, since then, Foushee suggests, facts have been twisted. Reports have discovered bones exaggerated and truths omitted. Case in point? She says discarded headstones are the result of typos, not part of a plot to resell graves.
FOUSHEE: There are any number of operational reasons why headstones were out back. And they did not mean that they had been removed from a family's legitimate grave site.
BRADLEY: A spokesman for Sheriff Tom Dart responded by saying, "We'd expect the attorney for a firm that has more than a dozen civil suits filed against it so far and ongoing state and federal criminal investigations to try to downplay what's been found. But the FBI wouldn't have sent in a team of investigators if this were just a case of a backhoe operator stirring up dirt."
Still, the Burr Oaks operators insist that the families of the vast majorities of those buried here have nothing to worry about.
FOUSHEE: Right now, we don't know exactly what families were impacted. And we're hopeful and we're cooperating with the authorities that we can find out those that were.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: That was Ben Bradley reporting from our CNN affiliate, WLS, in Chicago.
Ben adds this. The cemetery owner concedes they did not have a full time caretaker overseeing Burr Oak or three other graveyards the company owns. Meantime, a spokesman for the sheriff scoffs at the suggestions by the attorney that you heard. The plots-for-profit scandal is thought to have pocketed more than $300,000.
To California now. There is still no word on what caused yesterday's collision of two commuter trains. It happened mid afternoon in San Francisco when one train struck another one that was stopped. Some 48 people were hospitalized with injuries. None fatal, though. Now the National Transportation and Safety Board is joining in on the probe 37 investigators say they'll look into the signaling systems, the conditions of the rails, the tracks and the structural integrity of both train cars.
Looking for a deal on a cheap home? Roll down the street in northwest Detroit. Bank-owned homes, some abandoned and others vandalized, may not be pretty, but there's an upside.
Here's CNNmoney.com's Poppy Harlow.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
POPPY HARLOW, CNN NEWS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This how this in northwest Detroit recently sold for $7500. Just $4,000 would have bought you this one across the street. You may have missed the investment opportunity of a lifetime.
MICHAEL ALEXANDER, EZ ASSESS FINANCING: We have actually a waiting list of people to rent and buy.
HARLOW: This man thinks he didn't. Michael Alexander has purchased 250 homes in Detroit, betting the motor city will rise again.
ALEXANDER: When we find a nice street like this, we try to buy all the available inventory on the street.
HARLOW (on camera): Why on earth is this a good place to put your money to work?
ALEXANDER: That's a good question and I get asked that a lot. We're buying homes in that particular market range and we're able to offer them at better prices, so since everyone is going to need a place to live, we're offering value.
HARLOW (voice-over): Alexander's company invests between $10,000 and $20,000 rehabilitating the homes, which they say they've been able to flip for a 20 to 30 percent profit. Even with buyers scarce, Alexander said he was able to rent many of the homes at attractive prices.
But it's far from a safe bet. Home values in Detroit are down 45 percent from their peak in 2005. And the city continues to battle a high crime rate.
ALEXANDER: This house since we acquired it has been broken into. I didn't know that until a minute ago when we walked into the kitchen.
HARLOW (on camera): Really?
ALEXANDER: If you turn around, you'll see that someone kicked in this door.
HARLOW: So you saw a home that's foreclosed and in shambles and one in the process of getting fixed up. Here's the finished product, what we're walking into. For this investment to work out, you have to get someone to rent or buy this home. And the man in charge of doing that is Eric. He's the property manager.
ERIC JETER, PROPERTY MANAGER: Since winter we've done about 70 homes. Of the 70 home, we have about 64 of those have already been filled with families.
ALEXANDER: My partner and I have both been investing in real estate for over 30 years and we're at a point where we want to give back. We saw an opportunity here where we could make some money and give back and help to revitalize this community.
HARLOW (voice-over): As far as the rest of the city, there are some parts where Alexander just isn't willing to make the same bet.
ALEXANDER: There's a lot of properties available in the inner city which can be bought for little to next to nothing. But if I turn around and invest, $15,000 to $20,000 in a renovation, even though may have bought it really cheap, if people are afraid to live there, my house is going to be empty.
HARLOW: In Detroit, Poppy Harlow, CNNmoney.com.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: All right, Poppy.
Let's put this a little bit more into context. A new report shows a record 1.5 million-plus homes fell into foreclosure in the first half of this year. In Michigan, that equates to one in every 74 households. And on Friday, Michigan became the first state in 25 years to top a 15 percent unemployment rate. Experts say those job losses account for much of the increase in foreclosures. It's bad out there, huh.
A once unspoken subject in the black community. Not anymore. Depression is no longer a dirty word.
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LEMON: Depression in the African-American community has long been a taboo topic and, as a result, many cases go undiagnosed and untreated.
My colleague, Soledad O'Brien is searching for some solutions -- Soledad?
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN NEWS CORRESP0NDENT: Don, sometimes black women are the backbone of the family and that means that sometimes they are the very last person to take time to care for themselves. That means vulnerability, often, to an illness that affects millions of Americans, depression.
Because depression isn't often openly talked about in the black community black women sometimes are unaware that's what they're suffering from.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
O'BRIEN (voice-over): Terrie Williams is a successful publicist who's had a long list of top tier clients. On the surface, she always looked like she had it together. But on the inside...
TERRIE WILLIAMS, AUTHUR, "BLACK PAIN": It was so dark. It was the hardest thing in the world to just get up and to shower and to dress and to put the mask on because you had to put the mask on. You had to walk out that door and pretend that all was well.
O'BRIEN: Even a background in social work didn't help Terrie see that she was suffering from depression.
(on camera): You're a social worker. How come you didn't know that's what you had?
WILLIAMS: You don't. You just don't.
O'BRIEN (voice-over): Some mental health experts say there's a reason that black women don't always recognize that they are depressed. DR. MARILYN MARTIN, PSYCHIATRIST: It's definitely something that hadn't been talked about in our culture so people don't know what the signs and symptoms of depression are.
O'BRIEN: Because it's unrecognized, depression often goes untreated. And some health experts say ignoring their mental health may be causing black women physical health to suffer, contributing to high rates of heart disease, hypertension, and diabetes.
DR. MICHELLE BALAMANI, PSYCHOLOGIST: It has to do with -- I call it the body screaming. You know? Somehow, it has to get out. Something has to break down eventually. And so we are breaking down in numbers that are astounding. I think I'm vulnerable.
O'BRIEN: It was after a mental breakdown that Terrie got help in the form of therapy and medication.
WILLIAMS: I was highly irritable. I snapped at people.
O'BRIEN: She decided to share her story in a book and with audiences around the country. She's been moved by the response.
WILLIAMS: When I speak about it at these events, I can't tell you the number of people who come up to me afterwards and say, that's my story, in tears.
O'BRIEN (on camera): How many of those people who say "that's my story, too" are black and female?
WILLIAMS: Overwhelmingly female, black female. Black women carry the nation, carry our communities, you know? We're nurturers. We're care takers and feel like we have to be there and do for everybody.
O'BRIEN (voice-over): Brenda Galleon (ph) is the oldest of five children. And was the bun the family turned to after her siblings became ill and her mother was diagnosed with cancer. She cared for everyone, but herself. She was worn out and gaining weight.
BRENDA GALLEON (ph), SUFFERED FROM DEPRESSION: I don't recall ever crying. I did not have time to cry. So 65 pounds could have been mostly tears, you know? Just stuff on the inside that wasn't -- I didn't have the ability to get out.
O'BRIEN: It never occurred to Brenda to see a therapist. Like so many generations of black women, she turned to god instead.
GALLEON (ph): We grew up in church. And when things were beyond what I for naught I could handle I would pray about it.
O'BRIEN: Dr. Michelle Balamani understands the importance of the church to black women, because she's also an ordained minister and she spent her career trying to build a bridge between church and therapy, letting women know they're not turning away from god by seeking help.
BALAMANI: I preach that god can heal in many ways. The same way you go to a doctor to get your leg fixed if it's broken, you can go to a therapist if you need to. You need to put your own gas mask on first so if you're going to be taking care of all these other people, take care of yourself first so you can do a better job at it.
O'BRIEN: Now with her own gas mask in place, Terrie Williams hopes her words can help others begin to heal themselves.
WILLIAMS: When you hear somebody else and their tears start to flow and you feel the emotion, it gets other people talking. That's the goal.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
O'BRIEN: Last year, Terrie Williams started a national mental health awareness campaign directed towards the black community called "Healing Starts with Us." She hopes to educate African-Americans about the signs and symptoms of depression and end the stigma associated with getting professional help -- Don?
LEMON: Thanks so much for that, Soledad.
Soledad will join us tonight at 10:00 p.m. eastern in the "NEWSROOM" as well. And Wednesday night at 7:00 p.m. eastern, catch "The Moment of Truth" with Steve Harvey and Tom Joiner, live from Times Square, and then at 8:00, the premiere of "Black in America, Part 1".
Here's some of your feedback that we captured on Facebook, talking about that soldier.
Adrianwhite says, "Yes, Eric, the video, war isn't made to look pretty or comfortable."
JenniferJohnson says, "I am so afraid for this young man. He is doing what he has to do for his country, for all of us, in trying to survive. I hope the tape will help the U.S. military find and rescue him soon. Prayers to him and his family."
We want to know what's on your mind and the way you can give it to us, let us know, Twitter, MySpace, Facebook or iReprot.com. We appreciate your comments here.
Talking about a power walk, there's now a way to capture the energy from walking, jogging and running. It's a new way. We're taking you to the "Edge of Discovery."
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LEMON: If your kid is heading to summer camp this year, home sickness isn't the only thing to worry about. I always got home sick. Camps across the U.S. are trying to fend off the H1N1 virus, commonly called swine flu. Some are canceling sessions, quarantining kids with flu-like symptoms, even prescreening kids before accepting them. The virus was declared a global pandemic last month with more than 27,000 cases reported in the U.S. alone. So ask your kid's camp if they're doing health screenings and if they have any flu cases. Also pack some extra hand sanitizer and just be careful overall.
Taking a walk is a great way to get energized. Canadian researchers are taking that concept literally.
Our Gary Tuchman takes us on a true power walk.
(EDGE OF DISCOVERY)
LEMON: That looks pretty cool.
All right, $160 million in five days. That's how much money this week's top movie earned. So what is it?
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LEMON: "Half Blood" just doubled its box office.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ACTOR: You are looking at memories. In this case, pertaining to one individual, Voldemort, or as he was known then, Tom Riddle.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Well, no riddle here. Harry Potter is still one of the most lucrative movie franchises around. Since opening Wednesday, the film has grossed nearly $160 million in the U.S. Half of that was just this weekend. Worldwide, "Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince" has conjured up nearly $400 million in ticket sales.
Out of order, not what you want to hear in space. Really, anywhere. One of the two toilets on the international space station is broken. It looks like the most number of astronauts ever. Until it's fixed, the six station residents will have to get in line to use their one working toilet. and the seven "Endeavour" are restricted to their shuttle bathroom. This isn't the greatest way to mark the eve of the 40th anniversary of the "Apollo 11" moon mission.
Tonight, the "Apollo 11" astronauts hold a discussion at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington where we assume everything will be in working order.
So time now for your feedback. This is what Twitter says.
Giventalent says, "It is sad to see that video. I fear for what the end will be."
BoldB says, "Yes, seeing him gives you hope. Maybe the enemy holding him will look at him as human and let him go. This I pray."
Rollo76 says, "It should be aired. It puts a human face on the war."
Goodness23 says, "Yes, America needs to know what our soldiers are subject to." MLRH23 says, "I don't like seeing this manipulative airing of war negotiations, but we must stay acutely aware of the costs of our actions."
Billygirl2 says, "Uncomfortable and important news must be aired."
Cubs51, "You have to show it. It is the face of the worst our soldiers can face. If we don't show it, we are doing him a disservice."
FarmbridgeCT says, "I don't think it should be shown. Very disturbing and I think used for propaganda by enemy."
Logon to Twitter, Facebook, MySpace or iReport.com and tell us what you're thinking. We'll get it on the air.
She is 15. He is 86, her flight instructor and an original Tuskegee Airman. With his help, she became the youngest African- American female to fly solo across the country. In our special series "Up Fro a Past: An African-American Firsts" I will introduce you to both live right here on CNN coming up in the next hour.
