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Held Captive by the Taliban; Chicago Area Cemetery Scandal; Exchange Student Exploitation?; Fifteen-Year-Old Flies Around the World
Aired July 19, 2009 - 19:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, everyone. I'm Don Lemon live here at the CNN World Headquarters in Atlanta. It is the top of the hour.
It is a video that manages to stir feelings of both fear and hope. The Pentagon says the man you see here is U.S. Army Private First Class Bowe R. Bergdahl of Ketchum, Idaho.
It's confirmation that the 23-year-old, missing since June 30th, is in the hands of the Taliban. But it's also apparent proof that he is alive. 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 captivity.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PFC. BOWE ROBERT BERGDAHL, U.S. ARMY: Well, I am scared. Scared I won't be able to go home. It is very unnerving to be a prisoner.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Private Bergdahl also talks about his family back home in the U.S. and his fears.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BERGDAHL: I have my girlfriend who I was I'm 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.
And then I'm gone. I miss them and I'm afraid I might never see them again and that I will never be able to tell them that I love them again. I will never be able to hug them.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Well, 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 the 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 your prayers."
So what happens next? And what can the U.S. military do to return that captured soldier safely? Let's ask Ken Robinson. He's a former military intelligence officer with experience in special operations.
Hey, Ken, good to see you, I wish it was under better circumstances. A lot of people have been writing us saying, man, this is tough to watch. And the captors know it, don't they?
KEN ROBINSON, FORMER MILITARY INTELLIGENCE OFFICER: They do. Don, one of the things that in SERE training -- Survival Evasion, Resistance and Escape -- we teach soldiers that if they can get on video they should, because it gives the United States proof of life.
It let's us know that they are alive and there may be things that can be learned from it. And it also -- if they are willing to take video, yes, they are exploiting the soldier, but there also means that there is a potential for communication for some form of negotiation.
LEMON: But isn't this also a form of propaganda, too, Ken?
ROBINSON: It absolutely is. It -- what it does is it strikes fear in any soldier that doesn't want to get captured. We saw that exclusively used with the al Qaeda beheading videos in Iraq.
We haven't seen that same thing happen in Afghanistan and this is Taliban -- it's suspected to be the Hagani (ph) Network, which is holding this individual soldier and we'll see how it plays out.
LEMON: All right, Ken, let me ask you this. We're here showing the video, you and I are talking about it but tell us what's going on behind the scenes with the Pentagon, with the military? What's happening now with negotiations? Is there a way to forecast what's going on?
ROBINSON: Well, the United States military in the region takes this really seriously. They've already started distributing in the two provinces near the area in the eastern part of Afghanistan on the Pakistani border. They've started distributing leaflets with communications encouraging the local population to give them information. And also sending communications directly to who they believe the hostage takers are, this militant group of Hagani Network
And from that they hope to get low level sources who can give them information that's actionable. Or they hope to find some type of a way to get a negotiated settlement for it.
LEMON: All right. Is there anything the military can do, anything really to return this -- because even if they meet every single demand of what these people are asking, what are the chances of -- that they will release this man?
ROBINSON: Well, nothing's written, Don. The last chapter of this will happen day by day based on the decision-making that's done. You know, sometimes these people are released by accident during the time period when a cordoned search operation occurs.
Sometimes they get an opportunity and they escape. And sometimes there's a negotiation with a religious elder. It's not quite sure how this will play out but every single type of effort is being made to get him home safely.
LEMON: All right, Ken Robinson, we certainly hope so. We really do and it's tough.
I agree with the viewers that it is tough to watch that video, but they're saying that they want to see it. They need to see it so they know what our soldiers are facing.
Ken, we appreciate you. Thank you very much.
ROBINSON: Thanks, Don.
LEMON: A helicopter plunged to the ground in southern Afghanistan today killing 16 civilians. The chopper crashed just after taking off from NATO's Kandahar airfield, a major hub for coalition operations. This is the latest in a string of air crashes this weekend in Afghanistan raising urgent safety concerns amid an anti-Taliban offensive.
Police investigating Jakarta, Indonesia's deadly twin hotel bombings may have uncovered a major electronic clue. They believe they have found one of the bomber's laptops in the one of the blasted off buildings. Indonesia state media is reporting the computer had information and secret codes the attackers may have used to signal one another. Friday's explosions killed nine people including at least two suspected bombers; 50 other people were wounded.
New developments in the small-town slaughter of six people in a murderous rampage that spanned two states. Thirty-year-old Jacob Shaffer is held in the Lincoln, Tennessee county jail on five counts of murder. Police say they found him sitting on the porch at one of the crime scenes.
Shaffer is accused of killing his wife, her 16-year-old son, her brother, her father and a 16-year-old family friend. Friends of Shaffer's wife say they thought trouble was brewing.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARLEE TURNER, FAMILY FRIEND: I knew that she was having problems with him and she was already having her own personal problems as we all do to deal with -- you know. She kind of had a hard time in life but she was a very kind-hearted person and definitely loved her children and loved her family and was a typical concerned mom.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: A sixth and still unidentified victim was found 30 miles away at the Huntsville, Alabama business -- at a business there. Shaffer has yet to be formally charged in the death. Investigators believe the motive behind the murders was domestic-related.
We have new developments in the home invasion that claimed the lives of two foster parents near Pensacola, Florida last week. The Associated Press is reporting that Ashley Markham, the 26-year-old daughter of Melanie Billings plans to raise the 13 special needs children the murdered couple had cared for.
Eight people have been arrested and charged. Byrd and Melanie Billings were laid to rest on Friday.
And for the first time since the arrest of four employees in an alleged burial plot scam, an attorney for the embattled Burr Oak Cemetery outside of Chicago is firing back at the Sheriff's Department saying conditions described by investigators have been grossly overstated. But the attorney does concede the cemetery's owners did not have full-time oversight of that graveyard.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUDI FOUSHEE, ATTORNEY, BURR OAK CEMETERY: 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. There was not a situation where bones simply littered the cemetery. We have people in and out of the cemetery every day.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: A spokesman for the Cook County Sheriff scoffs at suggestions by the attorney. Cemetery workers allegedly dug up hundreds of plots and resold and dumping the bodies in mass graves; the alleged scheme is thought to have pocketed more than $300,000.
Federal investigators are in San Francisco tonight trying to figure out what caused a light rail fender-bender that sent 48 people to the hospital. The NTSB and local offices are examining mechanical problems and human error as possible causes in yesterday's crash. Witnesses say one car was stopped on the tracks when it was rammed by the one car train behind it.
The fight to fix your health care, well, it hit a bunch of roadblocks this week. Congress heads back to work tomorrow so where do we stand?
And it was supposed to be the ultimate life experience for a group of foreign students but their trip to study in America was anything but. Some say they were malnourished, dehydrated and abused. We investigate.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Supreme Court Nominee Sonia Sotomayor is said to be a virtual shoo-in with lots of support on the left and even some on the right. But the judge has not won over the top Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee.
The panel is scheduled to vote on her confirmation as soon as Tuesday. But Senator Jeff Sessions is pushing for a weeklong delay to review testimony from her confirmation hearings. President Obama hopes for a Senate-wide vote before August recess. After the affair, Governor Mark Sanford is saying sorry to the people of South Carolina with the Sunday "Opinion Piece." He writes that God will change him so he can emerge from the scandal a more humble and effective leader.
The Republican has been clinging to office ever since last month's shocker about his tryst with the woman in Argentina. Critics have called for Sanford to resign. But a criminal probe found nothing illegal.
President Obama is trying to run his health care reform initiative up the Hill, but it hasn't exactly been easy sailing there.
Joining me now, our senior political analyst, Mr. Bill Schneider. Bill, let's start with the money. Of course, let's follow the money trail here and doubts -- are doubts growing about the President's economic stimulus plan?
WILLIAM SCHNEIDER, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, they are growing a little in the public because people saw these jobless figures mounting last month. They're wondering when is this recovery going to start? People are very anxious about it. And that has emboldened critics and a few Democrats here in Washington against this President.
Now, they're demanding to know when is the recovery supposed to start working? When is the stimulus supposed to happen? And of course the administration says most of that stimulus money has not yet been spent, so have patience.
LEMON: And so he's not able to do -- I guess, the administration health wise what they want to do. So is this impacting the president's -- I would imagine this -- his entire health care agenda?
SCHNEIDER: Well, it is.
Because the critical number in Washington, I call it the DOW Jones Industrial Average of Washington is the President's approval rating. When his approval rating goes down, he loses clout.
Now, it hasn't gone down very much. It was an average of 61 percent in June. It's 57 percent now. Just a few points, 57 percent is still pretty strong but his critics smell vulnerability. And they're beginning to think maybe this president because of the economy is losing clout. And that emboldens them to criticize his agenda and particularly the top item in his agenda which is health care.
It's going to involve a lot of money. Republicans are critical of anything that looks or smells or feels like a tax increase. And that's making it a little bit tougher for the president to get it before the August Congressional recess.
LEMON: Bill Schneider, I appreciate it sir.
SCHNEIDER: OK.
LEMON: All right.
Well, you can bet President Barack Obama will talk about the economy and health care during his news conference on Wednesday, 9:00 p.m. Eastern; Wednesday, 9:00 p.m. Of course, CNN will bring it to you live.
We are learning tonight there will be two funeral services for legendary CBS anchorman Walter Cronkite. Cronkite died Friday in New York at the age of 92.
According to the Associated Press, a private funeral will be held Thursday in New York at St. Bartholomew's church. Another funeral will come later in Kansas City where Cronkite will be buried beside his wife Betsy. A memorial service for Cronkite is expected in the next couple of weeks at New York's Lincoln Center.
Walter Cronkite took us to the moon, and we'll show you how NASA is giving us a better look at the historic Apollo 11 mission.
Plus, exchange students excited about studying right here in America; now some are saying they were taken advantage of and abused. CNN investigates.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: It looks like cash-strapped California will be in the red for a little while longer. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and other legislators were expected to shake hands on a deal tonight, but after working through the weekend to find a way to overcome the $26-billion budget gap, the governor abruptly postponed any announcement until tomorrow. His office blamed a legislator's scheduling conflict. But that lawmaker says her calendar's open.
The final unemployment check is in the mail for 18,000 jobless Pennsylvanians. They exhausted their benefits yesterday. But governor Ed Rendell is pleading with state lawmakers to keep the money flowing for another seven weeks. He's accusing GOP lawmakers of holding jobless people hostage. But Republicans say they want to measure the costs to local governments before signing on.
Foreign students getting a chance to study in America, for many of them it is a dream. For some, it turned into a nightmare and now the State Department admits to a major failure in the treatment of exchange students. Watch this exclusive report from our Drew Griffin of CNN's Special Investigations Unit.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DREW GRIFFIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT, SPECIAL INVESTIGATIONS UNIT (voice-over): Tanzania Musa Mpulki was told he would be living with a pre-screened loving family. He ended up in a second floor apartment with a 72-year-old man and hardly any food.
(on camera): You're the guy that passed on track?
MUSA MPULKI, FOREIGN EXCHANGE STUDENT: Yes. GRIFFIN (voice-over): Carlos Villareal came here from Colombia for a year in high school. It cost his family $13,000.
CARLOS VILLAREAL, FOREIGN EXCHANGE STUDENT: I ended up in a house living with a couple of ex-convicts with low amounts of food, which I lost a lot of body weight and in a non-safe environment.
GRIFFIN: There was a drug bust on this street the week Carlos moved in. His host, a local reverend who according to the local prosecutor, also houses his drug dealing grandson.
(on camera): Did you starve him? Were you not feeding him?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (Expletive) Do you think I would have a kid and not feed him? I have two of my own. He -- I bought -- get that camera off me, will you please?
VILLAREAL: We signed up for a family that was going to transport us from our homes to school, that was going to feed us three times a day and basically that was going to be a family.
GRIFFIN: This Norwegian girl who doesn't want us to show her face found herself in sort of a sort of flop house and took pictures of the dog droppings all over the floor.
The mother and daughter slept on the couch. You slept on the bed. And there was this man who stayed somewhere else in the house?
ANNE, FOREIGN EXCHANGE STUDENT: In the apartment -- a three-room apartment.
(voice-over): Health officials in Scranton actually condemned part of the house and county officials say the girl and four other students were taken out of their host home.
What happened to these guests of the U.S. is now a criminal investigation.
ANDREW JARBOLA, JR., DISTRICT ATTORNEY, LACKAWANNA COUNTY: They expected to get a certain degree of quality of life for the money they provided and obviously weren't. That's one possible crime that we'll be looking at as well.
GRIFFIN: This is the local placement agent who placed youngsters in the homes of ex-cons and rooming houses and was paid $400 per student. She kicked a local television station out of her home and so far has not responded to calls and door knocks from CNN.
She worked for Aspect, a San Francisco firm that takes in millions of dollars bringing students here with the State Department approval. While local prosecutors are looking at charges against Aspect and its placement director in Scranton, there is a much bigger question going on in Washington.
SEN. BOB CASEY (D), PENNSYLVANIA: It's inexcusable that our government didn't do a better job of oversight and it's inexcusable this foundation hasn't done the job to provide basic protection for children.
GRIFFIN: Aspect gave conflicting responses to CNN. While calling the Scranton situation deplorable it also said based on its investigation in talks with county officials no student was abused, malnourished, or dehydrated; that, county officials repeatedly told CNN, is just not true.
Aspect says it fired its local agent and two other of its officers have resigned but that was after the fact. CNN has learned Aspect knew about the problems in Scranton way back in October when a student sent photos and an e-mail pleading for help. And the State Department which spends $34 million a year on exchange programs, well, it knew, too.
CASEY: I'm the father of four daughters, OK? I would never want my daughter, nor would any parent want their daughter or son exposed to these kinds of conditions.
GRIFFIN: Senator Casey says e-mails show the State Department knew about the problems here since last October and did nothing for months. And then the State Department allowed Aspect, the agency that placed the students in these homes, to investigate itself.
P.J. Crowley, assistant secretary of state for public affairs says that was a mistake.
P.J. CROWLEY, ASST. SECRETARY OF STATE FOR PUBLIC AFFAIRS: I think in large respect because we put too much emphasis on the program agents to police themselves we recognize that that has not worked properly.
GRIFFIN: Danielle Grijalva who has been tracking exchange student abuse for years says the difficult scenario is kids complain, the State Department does nothing, and agencies around the country keep recruiting students.
DANIELLE GRIJALVA, DIRECTOR, COMMITTEE FOR SAFETY OF FOREIGN EXCHANGE STUDENTS: It's self-regulated, unmonitored, underreported. Students becoming raped, placed in the homes of convicted felons, placed in the home of registered sex offenders, come to the United States and lose 20, 30, 40 pounds.
GRIFFIN: Musa Mpulki says despite the living conditions, he's loved his time in the U.S.
MPULKI: All the people are good.
GRIFFIN: He plans to come back but next time, he says, not to a home where he needs to wonder where his next meal is coming from.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: Boy, it is a stunning report.
Drew Griffin joins us now here on set. Is there any sort of reform that's going to take place because of this? GRIFFIN: Well, since this story broke this week, the State Department has really gone pro-active trying to say they are going to clean up the mess, Don. But you know, they've known about this for years. They've had e-mails and warnings from other students years past and have done nothing.
Now the State Department says, look, we're going to begin management audits. We're going to set up a 1-800-number so students can call us if there are problems. And we're going to actually send out State Department employees to actually check host families.
LEMON: That's what I was going to say. Do a little footwork.
GRIFFIN: But you're wondering, this has been going on for years and they're just thinking of this stuff now?
LEMON: I want to get -- you know Cheryl Boone sent me something in. As we were sitting here, I showed that to you and she says -- Cheryl says, "Hi, Don. Will you ask Drew this? What in the world is going on with the exploitation of exchange students? How are they being placed in those homes? That's unreal."
GRIFFIN: Yes. Here's how it works. The host homes -- they don't get paid anything. The host families don't get paid anything. The agencies do so -- the agencies try to recruit as many kids into their programs as they possibly can.
What has been happening and what has happened here in Scranton is there's more kids than host families. So now you have to actually go out and find these host families. Literally this woman in Scranton, Pennsylvania was going up and down the street asking people to take in and host kids.
LEMON: Oh, my God.
GRIFFIN: That's how they got in this situation.
That reverend did not like seeing you or the camera, did he? Get that camera out of my face. Wow that got my attention.
Drew, thank you. Let us know what happens, ok?
GRIFFIN: You bet.
LEMON: Really great story. Thanks a lot.
Is -- one of the keys to America's success or failure in Afghanistan? Is it there? We'll take you behind enemy lines, a place few Westerners have ever been. And you'll find out who may be the key to winning this war.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Checking our top story, the military says this Taliban video shows U.S. Army Private First Class Bowe R. Bergdahl of Ketchum, Idaho. It's apparent proof he is alive but it is also confirmation that he is in the hands can have the Taliban. On the tape he can be heard talking about his family and his fears.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PFC. BOWE R. BERGDAHL, U.S. ARMY: My girlfriend who I was hoping to marry. I have my grandma and grandpa. I have a very, very good family that I love back home in America. And I miss them every day. And then I'm gone.
I miss them, and I'm afraid that I might never see them again and that I will never be able to tell them that I love them again. I will never be able to hug them.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Well, the spokesman for U.S. Forces in Afghanistan condemn the video calling it public exploitation and humiliation of a prisoner and a violation of international law. The Bergdahl family has also released a statement asking Americans to keep Private Bergdahl in their thoughts and prayers. Of course he is.
A successful military effort in Afghanistan could depend on help from Pakistan. As we know, Taliban and al Qaeda forces are headquartered along the rugged border between the two countries.
Our Michael Ware recently traveled to the region and found some Pakistani officials think negotiations, not confrontations, can help end the conflict. Pay attention to this because you never -- rarely get to see this -- we're going inside the Taliban with Michael Ware. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MICHAEL WARE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I came to these mountains to unravel how the Taliban in Afghanistan are based from here across the border in Pakistan. In these remote mountain valleys of Pakistan's northwest frontier province, the Taliban can hide, train, smuggle weapons, and launch military strikes against U.S. Forces in Afghanistan.
For generations the border here has been little more than a vague blur, and that is what is crippling the American effort in Afghanistan.
(on camera): To put it simply, America cannot win the war in Afghanistan. Certainly can't win it with bombs and bullets and it can't win it in Afghanistan alone. Part of the answer lies here where I'm standing in these mountain valleys in Pakistan on the Afghan border because this is Al Qaeda and Taliban territory. Right now, there's as many as 100 Taliban on that mountaintop. Between the snowcapped peaks and amid those trees, they're currently under siege from local villages who are driving them from their bunkers.
But at the end of the day, it's the Pakistani military that tolerates the presence of groups like the Taliban and it's not until America can start cutting deals with these people that there's any hope of the attacks on American troops coming to an end. (voice-over): The key leader the U.S. may have to deal with is this man, Mullah Muhammad Omar, the one-eyed cleric who actually created the Taliban and led its regime. The man who after the 9/11 attacks sheltered Osama Bin Laden choosing war with the U.S. rather than surrender Bin Laden.
Even with a $10 million reward on his head, Mullah Omar has defied all American attempts to capture or kill him. He still commands the Afghan Taliban as they continue killing U.S. and NATO troops. He and other top commanders do all of this according to U.S. intelligence from sanctuaries here in Pakistan. It was the Pakistan military who helped create the Taliban when the CIA was funding many of these same Afghan groups in the 1980s in their war against the Soviets, it was the Pakistan military that delivered the money, expertise and weapons like Stinger missiles.
Now for the first time in this CNN interview, the Pakistan military concedes it still maintains contact with the Taliban. At the military headquarters we met Major General Athar Abbas. He concedes the army's link to the Taliban were turned down after 9/11, but...
MAJOR GEN. ATHAR ABBAS, PAKISTAN ARMY SPOKESMAN: But having said that, more intelligence organization in the world shuts its last door on any other organization.
WARE: And more than talking to the Taliban, the general says the Pakistan military can actually get the Taliban to sit down with the United States and broker a ceasefire.
(on camera): And that's where Pakistan can perhaps provide valuable assistance to the American (inaudible)
ABBAS: I think yes that can be part of it. That's possible.
WARE (voice-over): And this is one of the men he says who can help work that deal.
GEN. HAMID GUL (RET.), FORMER ISI DIRECTOR: People like me who serve the cause of the freedom of Afghanistan.
WARE: Former CIA ally General Hamid Gul, once the head of Pakistan's equivalence of CIA, known as the ISI. He is famed as the godfather of the Taliban.
GUL: The guarantees can be given. No problem.
WARE (on camera): How? In terms of American national interests, who does America need to dialogue with?
GUL: Mullah Omar. Nobody else.
WARE (voice-over): Mullah Omar, the most important Taliban leader. But to get him and the other Talibans to the table, Pakistan wants something in return. It wants the United States to use its influence to rein in Pakistan's number one military rival, India. WARE (on camera): India's close association with the U.S.-backed government in Afghanistan worries the Pakistanis and the Pakistanis accuse India of supporting armed separatists in one of Pakistan's provinces. And senior U.S. officials tell CNN the Obama administration is willing to raise those concerns with India and the U.S. is willing to talk with Mullah Omar and other Taliban commanders. Michael Ware, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Michael Ware, inside the Taliban. Wow. That was unprecedented access.
You guys are weighing in on a lot of stories, including the soldier video coming out of Afghanistan. Lenny 101 says "No, do not air it. It makes the enemy bolder." Borthergrimace says, "It's good to show the video Actually, being from Idaho, I know the Taliban is in deep dung now." Onenessministry says "It's part of the war. Don't go to the war if you don't want prisoners." Kaybee2323 says, "The video is absolutely gut wrenching but needs to be aired to remind us why war isn't the answer." Sasah0777 says, "My brother is a Marine. It would kill me, but I would want the world to see and never forget the evil we face and our heroes' sacrifice."
Joangoatfoot says "Don, the constant showing of the video would make the captors feel good. They want publicity. They are cowards." We want to know what's on your mind. Twitter, Facebook, Myspace or ireport.com. Log on and send us your comments. We'll get them on the air.
Forget age, this is all about experience. Fifty-nine-year-old Tom Watson takes on the 20-somethings at the British Open championship. His run at history next. A one-on-one chat.
And 15-year-old Kimberly Anyadike is making history of her own. How she and her 86-year-old friend are flying high. She's an African- American first.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: The oldest winner of the British Open is not Tom Watson. For a while it looked like the 59-year-old might make history becoming the oldest golfer to win a major tournament. All he had to do was sink an eight-foot putt to win. He missed. That tied him with Stewart Cink. Watson's performance went downhill in the four hole playoff. Cink walked away with the title by six strokes. And CNN's Justin Armsden spoke with Watson immediately afterwards.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JUSTIN ARMSDEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: In the end, a heartbreaking end to the Open Championship to you, Tom Watson. I just wondered if you could sum up the entire week for us?
TOM WATSON, FINISHED SECOND AT BRITISH OPEN: Well, right now it's very disappointing. It's hard to take a lot of positives away from it. But 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.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: So, Watson didn't win but it was a great performance nonetheless. And let's check in with another older gentleman. I was going to say elderly, that's in the prompter. I'm not going to call you elderly who was at the British Open as well.
Business sports analyst Rick Horrow, who joins me now via Skype from Turnberry, Scotland. Thank you, sir. You're looking dashing there in Turnberry. Turnberry, Scotland. He didn't win but he really did win, don't you think?
RICK HORROW, CNN BUSINESS SPORTS ANALYST: Well, he didn't win but he absolutely did win. And it was a victory for all of us old geezers. You realize that Stewart Cink was four years old when Watson won the last time here in a duel in the sun against Jack Nicholson in 1977. And Cink was 10 years old when he won his last major in 1982.
And think about it, 68 of the players in the field here this beautiful week here in Scotland weren't even born yet when Tom Watson won. He gave all of us old guys pause that the best times in our life are ahead of us. What do you think about that? Yes, sonny. You're right.
LEMON: Let me ask you this, though, because a lot of people were rooting for him. Everyone I know is like oh, my God, is he going to do it? And we were texting back and forth watching. This makes him marketable again, I would imagine.
HORROW: Well, yes. He's got a deal with Ralph Lauren. Polo got his (INAUDIBLE) sponsorship. He made $21 million on course earnings over the life of his career. (INAUDIBLE) is plentiful. And the sky is the limit for him. Look for him to do some major endorsement and marketing efforts for this. It's been a huge success for someone who if he had won and made that eight-foot putt, he would have been the oldest player to win a golf major by 11 years. That is stout, my friend, the Scottish term here in Turnberry.
LEMON: Yes, and you're right. I think you said $21 million. When you think about when he started, that is a lot of money to make. It's nothing now to a lot of athletes. How does this affect the game of golf? Does this, you know, make older guys more in fashion? I don't know. Does this affect marketing in some way, the demographic?
HORROW: Yes, very important for three quick reasons. Number one is, you got to realize that the ratings last year were down about 14 percent. Greg Norman was the story when Tiger Woods wasn't around. Now, Tom Watson is the story. It proves you don't need Tiger to have a successful golf story.
Second, Nike, by the way, won even without Tiger here. Why? Stewart Cink, a Nike client. Third, the bettors took a bat, 9-4 odds that there would not be a playoff this year. The players, the bettors who took the odds and said there would be a playoff, four-hole playoff, they won. You bet on anything over here and the bettors did not win today, nor did Watson, but he really did win as you said.
LEMON: You know what as you mentioned Tiger Woods. Tiger didn't make the cut which is rare. So but what's the buzz about him?
HORROW: Well, the buzz is he's back in Orlando honing his game. He didn't make the cut for the second time as - in his pro career. Look, life goes on. And yesterday and today were two of the most dramatic days in sports that I've ever seen and as you said earlier, I've been around and so the bottom line is that you don't really need Tiger. Tiger lifted everybody in this sport, is a billion-dollar industry but life goes on without Tiger, quite clearly. Kudos to Tom Watson and the Scots for putting on a heck of a tournament.
LEMON: Hey, enjoy Scotland. Can you understand, sometimes, that's the hardest accent really for me to understand especially when they speak really quickly. The Scottish accent.
HORROW: Quick Scots when you try to listen, you'd better do something else. You better get them to write it.
LEMON: Rick Horrow, I appreciate it. Safe travels back here. Have a good time, OK.
HORROW: Bye, man. See you next week.
LEMON: She is 15, he's 86 and her flight instructor, an original Tuskegee airman. With his help, she became the youngest African- American female to fly solo across the country. I'm going to introduce you to them both in a special series "Up from the Past: An African-American First" next. Hey, guys, wave.
Hello.
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LEMON: Most 15-year-olds are busy preparing for school dances and SATs, but my next guest was learning how to fly a plane. Kimberly Anyadike is the young African-American female to fly solo across the country. And Levi Thornhill is with her. He taught Kimberly how to fly. And he has plenty of experience. He is one of the original Tuskegee airmen. How are you guys doing today?
LEVI THORNHILL, TUSKEGEE ARIMAN: wonderful. Wonderful.
KIMBERLY ANYADIKE, FLEW ACROSS THE U.S.: Thank you. How are you?
LEMON: Glad to be here? I'm doing great. Hey, Kimberly, I got to ask you, are you still excited? Are you still up on that high from making that flight?
ANYADIKE: I'm super excited. None of the excitement has left me. It's still pumping.
LEMON: Really? Do you want to do it again?
ANYADIKE: Of course. Why not?
LEMON: What kind of a student was she? Is she a good pilot, Mr. Thornhill?
THORNHILL: I'm very impressed.
LEMON: Why?
THORNHILL: I have flown with guys that were lieutenants in the United States Air Force that in my opinion at her stage, the number of hours miles that she has, they weren't anywhere nearly as good.
LEMON: And they weren't nearly as good. Maybe she's just a pro or a natural, probably.
THORNHILL: Well, a combination of all of the above.
ANYADIKE: Thank you.
LEMON: And she's nice and she's humble. So listen, how did you guys meet? How did you get to know each other and decide to do this?
THORNHILL: Well, I'm going to go first. She's one of those young ladies that you notice right off the bat because of her bearing and her manners and everything. It was very pleasing. And you knew that she had had the kind of upbringing and schooling and what have you that she was going to go far. And she has.
LEMON: And so you got in touch with her? She got in touch with you? Was there a program that you met through?
ANYADIKE: Well, we met through a (INAUDIBLE) program. Occasionally some of the Tuskegee airmen go here and they are great mentors to the students that are available at the center.
LEMON: How old are you now, Kimberly? You're 15?
ANYADIKE: Yes, I'm 15.
LEMON: You've been flying since you were, what, 12?
ANYADIKE: Since I was 12 years old, three years ago.
LEMON: Yes. What made you want to fly? Why are you interested in flying?
ANYADIKE: I think I was kind of interested in flying when -- ever since I was young, while my sister - with my brother, sister and I would go on top of the roof and we watch the big 747s and the jetliners go by and we would say, that's so cool, and we'd wave to them to see if they could see us. I doubt they ever could. But when we found like a program that could actually put our ideas to manifestation, we just jumped to it.
LEMON: So, listen, you've flown across country. You are one of the youngest. Do you even have a driver's license yet? You're only 15.
ANYADIKE: No. Of course, I'm thinking about my driver's license. But I like flying way more than I think I like driving. Because you can go way farther in a plane than can you in a car.
LEMON: You can. Listen, who are your role models? I don't want to put words in your mouth but the man sitting next to you might be one of them. But who do you get inspiration from?
ANYADIKE: My parents, my sister. My sister, she's, like, one of my biggest rivals but we're best friends. So, it's like a motivational thing.
LEMON: Yes.
Mr. Thornhill, there is something special about Tuskegee airmen, and, you know, I can't put my finger on it except to say that they have a very special quality. They inspire people to do what Kimberly did and other things as well. Do you - what is that about Tuskegee airmen that they want to help out so much and that they're always reaching back to pull people forward?
THORNHILL: Well, you know, the thing about it that I think motivates us all is that we realize that it's our responsibility to pass on any knowledge or any encouragement or anything we can do to help the youngsters find out what it is they really want to do in life. And then stress upon them that they should prepare themselves, to participate in anything that might come their way.
LEMON: Yes.
Kimberly, Mr. Thornhill said that you were an exceptional student. What's next for you? What would you like to do next?
ANYADIKE: Well, I plan on getting my pilot's license when I turn 17. And I also want to become a cardiovascular surgeon.
LEMON: OK. I think you should aim higher. But I'm kidding. That is sarcasm. Very nice. I'm sure you'll achieve. And Mr. Thornhill, do you think she can probably do anything she wants?
THORNHILL: Truly. Truly. I sincerely believe that.
LEMON: All right. Levi Thornhill, Kimberly Anyadike, congratulations and thank you for joining us.
ANYADIKE: Thank you so much for having us.
THORNHILL: Thank you.
LEMON: I want a ride, OK, in the plane.
ANYADIKE: Of course.
LEMON: With you piloting.
ANYADIKE: Of course.
LEMON: Thank you.
Next weekend in our special series "Up from the Past, African- American First," I'll introduce you to Sophia Dananberg. She is the first African-American to reach the summit of Mt. Everest. They were cute. And another programming note for you, Wednesday night, 7:00 p.m. Eastern on CNN, catch the moment of truth with Steve Harvey and Tom Joiner, live from Times Square. And then at 8:00, the premier of "Black in America 2," part one.
Some trouble in outer space right now. There are 13 astronauts up there and you've got one less bathroom. What does it mean? We'll explain.
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LEMON: Something just in to CNN, the military says this Taliban video shows U.S. Army Private First Class Bowe R. Bergdahl of Ketchum, Idaho. It is apparent proof they say that he is alive. He is in the hands of the Taliban, captured almost three weeks ago in Afghanistan. Just moments ago, Tim Baker, a family friend, spoke out about the soldier's capture. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TIM BAKER, CAPTURED SOLDIER'S FAMILY FRIEND: You know, it's a terribly sad thing that our men and women have to expose themselves in defense of those that see destroying others as a way of life when all we desire is to have peace with other nations.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Did he look healthy to you?
BAKER: The video, the picture on the Internet was really not that clear. It's hard to tell anything really.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Tim Baker, that is a family friend. The family released a statement asking you, the entire world, to keep their loved one in your prayers.
Exactly 40 years ago tomorrow, Americans were glued to their television sets for this singular moment. Astronaut Neil Armstrong became the first human to step on to the face of the moon. President Kennedy first proposed the moon landing in 1961. It seemed impossible because almost none of the necessary technology had even been developed. Well, to this day, many people still regard the Apollo 11 moon landing as nothing short of miraculous.
And tonight, the Apollo astronauts hold a panel discussion at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington. That is going to be very interesting to pay attention to.
Fast forward 40 years to the International Space Station and some less miraculous news. One of its two toilets busted, out of order. Not what you want to hear when you're in orbit. They can't exactly call a plumber from the yellow pages. So the space shuttle "Endeavour" docked with the space station and show the astronauts are restricted to using their own bathroom into -- I don't know, I guess to conserve.
JACQUI JERAS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: You know -
LEMON: I love that laugh. I love that laugh.
JERAS: You know, our producer Brad told me that they were going to do that story for us. And I asked him, you know, there are 13 astronauts, which is like the most they've ever had on the International Space Station. I said how many of them are men and how many are women sharing that one bathroom? Answer, 11 men, two women.
LEMON: So they -- so they might actually get to go to the bathroom.
JERAS: They might.
LEMON: I grew up in a house of all sisters. I had to eventually add on a bathroom for me. I'm not kidding.
JERAS: I believe it. I can't imagine how many times those women are having to put the toilet seat down.
LEMON: OK. All right. You got me. We're even now. We're even.
JERAS: All right. Let's talk a little weather, shall we? You know, it's quite a gorgeous weekend. Can I just say, overall, very few of you have anything to complain about weather wise this weekend.
Temperatures have really been the big story. Some of which you may like and some of which you may not. We've had extreme heat across the southwest. While east of the Rockies we've had temperatures way below average. In fact, as much as 20 degrees below average. And just to kind of put it in perspective for you, a couple of cities, these are unofficial highs by the way so far. Eighty today in Atlanta. You should be around 90. Seventy-two in Chicago. You should be around 84. Seventy-two in Cincinnati. You should be up to 87. And 75 in Nashville. The average high is 89 degrees.
So oh, yeah this is definitely cooler than you should be for this time of year. The exact reverse across parts of the Southwest, extreme heat in Phoenix and also across parts of California. Now, you know, some of this heat that you've been dealing with here in addition to some lightning strikes has sparked quite a few fires across parts of Southern California throughout the weekend. In fact, 26 new fires started in the national forest due to the lightning strikes. The largest of which right here has burned 2,000 acres now in Bishop Creek Canyon in the town right here that you see of Aspendale. It has been evacuated, this is a story we're going to continue to follow over the next of couple days as it continues to stay very hot and dry throughout California.
LEMON: Yes, be careful out there. OK, Jacqui Jeras, appreciate it. Thank you very much.
Hey, we're going to see you back here at 10:00 p.m. Eastern on CNN. I'm Don Lemon at the CNN World headquarters in Atlanta.
President Barack Obama's African journey begins right now.
