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Governors Warned to Resign; A Maryland School Unveils Anti- Bullying Campaign; Massacre in Iraq; Jobs & Polls; Catholic Priest Sex Abuse

Aired April 03, 2010 - 16:00   ET

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

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Is it just an idle threat or something more? That's what the FBI is trying to figure out this weekend. At least 30 governors, U.S. governors from the states seen right here on this map have received letters demanding that they resign. In response to an FBI warning, at least two states have stepped up security.

The letters are from an anti-government grew, a group that calls itself the Guardians of the Free Republics. On its web site that group calls for the peaceful determination of the federal government. One of the governors receiving a letter was Mike Beebe of Arkansas.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. MIKE BEEBE (D), ARKANSAS: What it basically said was that resign and re-apply, and we'll reinstate you if you sign this deal. So we just turned it over to state police.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Authorities say the letters contain no specific credible threats but there are still concerns. CNN national security correspondent Susan Candiotti is standing by in New York with more on this. Susan.

SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Fredericka.

Well, one of the members tells me that after those letters were sent, the FBI, the Department of Homeland Security, and someone from the Secret Service paid him a call. This member describes himself as an elder of this group. They're advocating something they call the Restore America plan. That includes the elimination of taxation. There are too many laws they say and other matters.

And the FBI says more than 30 governors also received letters from this group. It also demanded that the governors step down in three days or be removed from office. Now, that ultimatum prompted a visit from the FBI. Everything is fine with the FBI. That's what two members of the group told me, and someone else added this. "We have no interest in militia groups. We don't expect the governors to step down. We want them to remember that they represent the people and act for the people. They don't represent foreign interests or corporations." So, Fred, it's hard to tell exactly what's behind the letters and what they want the governors to do if they really don't expect them to step down. That same member told me that at the very least well they're putting the governors on notice, that they need to live up to their sworn oath. Now, the FBI is concerned and security has been stepped up because in the past these so-called sovereign citizen movements have at times turned violent, and the FBI says they have no indication of threats of violence in this case.

And the people that I spoke with them called themselves peaceful, yet the FBI is keeping an eye on other groups that might see these letters as some kind of call to action. Fred.

WHITFIELD: And Susan, while you mentioned some governors are actually leaning towards stepped up security, do we know whether or not these letters have in any way have kind of altered the travel plans, the public appearances of any particular governors?

CANDIOTTI: You know, Fred, we do not have any indication of that. And you heard many of the governors or their offices, their press secretaries telling us that when they received these letters, they simply turned them over to the FBI and said, let them handle it.

WHITFIELD: OK. Susan Candiotti, thanks so much, from New York. Appreciate that.

All right. The Jihad Jane investigation. It's now expanded with the arrest of another American woman, a 31-year-old mother from Colorado. Jamie Paulin Ramirez was detained in Ireland on U.S. terrorism charges. She returned to the U.S. yesterday and was placed under arrest. Her mother says Paulin-Ramirez was recruited over the internet.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHRISTINE MOTT, DEFENDANT'S MOTHER: She was looking for somebody to love her. They came in to that computer and have ripped my family apart.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Prosecutors say Paulin-Ramirez conspired with the woman known as Jihad Jane, the woman right there, Colleen Larose of Pennsylvania, to provide support for terrorists.

Well, this young girl's name is Phoebe Prince, the 15-year-old's suicide has shocked the country and has many calling for a battle plan to fight against bullying in schools.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: It's a story that has outraged the country and raised concerns among parents. A 15-year-old girl committed suicide after allegedly being bullied for months by classmates. Parents and friends of Phoebe Prince say nobody did anything to try and stop it. There have been calls for the principal, teachers and even the superintendent of schools to resign.

Authorities in Massachusetts have filed criminal charges against nine teenagers accused of bullying Prince. So everywhere you turn this week, people around the country were discussing how Phoebe's death could have been prevented. Our Kate Bolduan joins us now from Washington. Kate, you found a Maryland school, a middle school where they have a rather inventive program under way to try to stop bullying from really getting out of hand.

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, absolutely. It's a comprehensive anti-bullying curriculum, Fred. And the goal is to change the school's culture as they say as they try to prevent bullying behavior before it gets out of hand.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hey, guys. Come on in.

BOLDUAN (voice-over): Bullying isn't a new problem facing our nation's schools, but the tragedy of a 15-year-old Massachusetts girl killing herself after allegedly being taunted for months has forced the problem back into the spotlight.

MEREDITH WELTY, TEACHER: What happened, you know, with Phoebe up in Massachusetts, it may have been in Massachusetts but is it that far removed from what we go through all the time?

BOLDUAN: Students, parents and teachers left asking why, but also how? How can this be prevented in the future? That's a question Urbana Middle School in Maryland has been tackling for two years by adding a school-wide research-based anti-bullying program to the curriculum.

WELTY: What it does is to encourage kids to step up, take control of any situation that they might see and really make them feel empowered to make a change in their lives, in their peers' lives.

BOLDUAN: The program involves ongoing training for faculty and administrators but probably most importantly weekly classes focused entirely on reducing bullying behavior. We sat in on one such class with eight graders.

WELTY: Who is involved in the cycle of bullying? Trey (ph).

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There is the person that is activating the bullying and then there's the bystanders and then there's the people that support him like his friends.

BRYSON ZACHARY, EIGHT GRADE STUDENT: I understand like how it feels to be tormented by what other people say, and that feeling kind of really strikes true with a lot of people my age.

BOLDUAN: 14-year-old Bryson Zachary says the classes have helped by keeping student's attention on respecting and standing up for one another. ZACHARY: It's really shown me that to be, like, a good human being you need to respect other people's values and who they are. Because everyone has - you know, they want to be successful and make it in life just as much as you do. So you shouldn't bring someone else down.

BOLDUAN: Teacher Meredith Welty says she is most worried about social media.

WELTY: You can sit behind a keyboard and not be responsible and not held accountable. Not only are you bullying that person, you've now made the other 300 people who are friends on your Facebook, also be witness to that bullying.

BOLDUAN: Welty says she sees the program helping at Urbana Middle School, helping to change the school culture in dealing with bullying. That is a lesson author Rosalie Wiseman says many more schools, households and communities need.

ROSALIE WISEMAN, AUTHOR: Every community can have this happen. Every community is messy. Every community is vulnerable to these things.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BOLDUAN: Now, most states, more than 40 actually have some sort of law against bullying, but in the latest government statistics, Fred, almost one-third of students 12 to 18 years old reported having been bullied at school. So clearly, there is more work to be done here.

WHITFIELD: Wow, that's an extraordinary number. So when it coming down to it, the basic lesson that's being taught in programs like this would be what?

BOLDUAN: It's obvious, but unfortunately it seems that the message isn't getting across. I mean, what this program is really trying to hammer home are basic logical things you want to teach your kids. Don't bully. If you see someone being bullied, stand up and help that person or go and alert an adult and don't stand by.

The biggest thing they say is don't stand by and watch it. But what's interesting about these programs, Fredricka, as you can see in the piece is that they're doing this in a really comprehensive consistent and interactive way. So it shows the kids that, you know, the school is taking this seriously, so it kind of instills in them that they should take it seriously as well.

WHITFIELD: So it looks like program is focusing on the students, but I wonder a program like this, does it kind of reteach or help some of the administrators, the teachers approach the issue of bullying a little differently?

BOLDUAN: This particular program and you can be sure that there are many different types of programs at schools across the country. But this particular type of program requires ongoing training and meeting amongst the faculty and administrators. So it also keeps it in the forefront of the adults at the school, it keeps it at the forefront of their mind, which I also think we can understand is very important as well.

WHITFIELD: Kate Bolduan, thanks so much, in Washington.

BOLDUAN: Thanks, Fred.

WHITFIELD: A new jobs report has President Obama kicking up his heels. We'll break down the numbers for you.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right. President Obama says the economy is beginning to turn the corner. He was reacting to the new jobs report which says businesses added 162,000 jobs in March. That's the biggest increase in three years. Despite that, the unemployment rate remained at 9.7 percent and more than 44 percent of the unemployed have been jobless for at least six months. The president admits, in his words, "we're still going through a hard time."

Case in point, the U.S. Postal Service wants to cut Saturday service to save billions of dollars and thousands of jobs there would likely be eliminated. But some long time mail carriers think customers will feel the cuts the most. Here's CNN's Sandra Endo.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SANDRA ENDO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Loaded up, ready to go. Mail deliveries are on the way in letter carrier Mike Hotovey's hands.

(on camera): So I have my comfy walking shows on today to tag along with you.

(voice-over): He has thread many miles in this Gaithersburg, Maryland neighborhood.

(on camera): What has been the biggest challenge in terms of being on the job for 17 years?

MIKE HOTOVEY, LETTER CARRIER: The older you get, it's the physical part of it. you know, regardless how my body feels in the morning, I still have to come out here and walk my three and a half miles and I have to put the bag on my shoulder.

ENDO (voice-over): But now Hotovey's worried about where he'll be able to keep on walking. The cash strapped postal agency is proposing to drop Saturday deliveries, cutting 40,000 jobs and saving $3 billion a year. Letter carriers like Hotovey would be hit hard.

(on camera): How is that going to affect your job and what you actually do?

HOTOVEY: Well, it's - as a I - we're going to take six days worth of volume and compress it down to five days. That means the bags are going to be a little heavier.

Good morning.

ENDO (voice-over): Not to mention the community they've become a part of.

HOTOVEY: I'm sure Netflix still wants their movies delivered on Saturday. I'm sure prescription drug companies and you know, the people who receive those medicines want their medicine on Saturday

ENDO: Hotovey worries that as the postal service moved to cut its losses, the carriers and the customers will end up being the real losers.

HOTOVEY: Let's try to protect the jobs. That's the bottom line. And I hate to see to take away service.

ENDO: In Gaithersburg, Maryland, I'm Sandra Endo.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: We're going to talk movies coming up and pose this question. How far would you go to find out if the one you love is cheating on you? That's the premise of a new thriller. We'll check out all the latest releases with our film critic, Ben Mankowitz. There he is.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: A look at our top stories right now. A Colorado mother is providing a new twist to Jihad Jane. Jamie Paulin-Ramirez is accused of conspiring with Colleen Larose to support terrorists. She was detained in Ireland when the plot was uncovered and voluntarily returned to the U.S.. Paulin-Ramirez was arrested yesterday when she arrived in Philadelphia.

And Hollywood is mourning the loss of one of their own. Actor John Forsythe died of complications from pneumonia Thursday after battling cancer. He was 92. Forsythe started in radio and spent time on Broadway, but really is best known for some of his television roles. He was the voice of Charlie on "Charlie's Angels" and he played Blake Carrington in the 1980s show "Dynasty."

All right. Thousands of iPad fans lined up in stores overnight to get their hands on the lightweight, tablet-like computer today. Even though prices for the iPad range from $499 to $829, Apple says it expects to be sold out today. Apple has more than 200 retail stores here in the U.S. You're taking a look at the long lines across the country.

Mythological gods and monsters, a teen-singing sensation's new romance, and a woman's scheme to uncover her husband's infidelity. I'm talking about three different kinds of movies there, all opening this weekend. Film critic and host of "Turner Classic Movies" Ben Mankowitz joins us now from Los Angeles.

Good to see you.

BEN MANKOWITZ, HOST "TURNER MOVIE CLASSICS": Good to see you too, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: Coming from Los Angeles today. Let's begin with "Clash of the Titans" and why folks should get really excited about this.

(VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: I don't know, your kind of movie here, Ben? You like it?

MANKOWITZ: I don't think folks should get really excited about this, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: No?

MANKOWITZ: I don't want -

WHITFIELD: The trailers are very provocative.

MANKOWITZ: Yes, that's the point of the trailer. They want you to get excited.

WHITFIELD: (INAUDIBLE) to the theater.

MANKOWITZ: The movie's in 3D, and that was a very late decision here. And I understand that the director, Louis Leterrier actually didn't like it. They delayed the release to add 3D, and I got to be honest, the 3D adds nothing. You're sort of left throughout the movie wondering why it's in 3D. I can take off your glasses off and you can watch it even if you see it in 3D. You can even see it if you take the glasses off.

Sam Worthington who was in "Avatar" is in it. Also Liam Neeson and Ray Fiennes.

WHITFIELD: Oh, yes, release the Kracken.

MANKOWITZ: Yes, release the Kracken. That's really the highlight of the movie. But that's not even all that dramatic and there isn't a lot of drama. I think even the scenes that are supposed to be dramatic, they appear sprung on you. There is no sort of build up of suspense in the movie. And also -

WHITFIELD: So D for dull, is that what I'm hearing from you?

MANKOWITZ: Yes, throughout the movie people talk in sort of that hushed Christian Bale "Batman" voice, so I got to be honest, Fredricka, I did not like this movie at all.

WHITFIELD: OK.

MANKOWITZ: I gave it a D. WHITFIELD: I see. OK. How about Miley Cyrus? She has a huge following. Folks love her songs and now they're going to love her movies, too, aren't they? "The last Song" is what this is one is called. Let's take a peek.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: no, no, no I'm not going in here. Not looking like this. What if somebody sees me?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Let go.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: OK. What do you think?

MANKOWITZ: Well, I want to - I brought this little pad with me and you can bring the - this is the notebook, the pad that I used to take notes during the movie. And one of the things I wrote here while watching the first movie we reviewed "Clash of the Titans," how is it possible that in the same week that I saw the Miley Cyrus movie I might like a movie less?

So keep in mind, I love movies. So the fact of the matter is in the end "The Last Song" I actually do like a little bit less than "Clash of the Titans." And I don't mean to be extra tough on Miley Cyrus and some of the reviews are very tough. There's a lot wrong with this movie, and it's not really her.

This is an adaptation of a Nicholas Sparks' book. He actually wrote the screenplay first and then the book. And like so many of his films and books, I guess, it's incredibly predictable. Young love, there's an obstacle, somebody gets sick and wants to die at home. I don't think I'm giving anything away by saying that. That's like giving away an episode of Larry King and saying he'll be wearing suspenders. That's what happens in a Nicholas Sparks' novel and in a film. Greg Kinnear is pretty good. This is Miley Cyrus' first effort at a sort of dramatic role.

She has some screen presence. I think maybe with some better material she might be OK. I don't think a young Katharine Hepburn could have done anything with this. This is a bad movie. It's really, really manipulative and it's really, really sad. Really, really sad but you feel manipulated. You might cry, but afterwards, you'll feel like they made you cry and it wasn't in any way authentic. I gave it a B minus.

WHITFIELD: Something tells me you did not cry.

MANKOWITZ: No. I got to be honest, I lifted my glasses. There was a little -

WHITFIELD: Moistness?

MANKOWITZ: But I cry during really effective commercials.

WHITFIELD: Really? A tender side of Ben Mankowitz.

MANKOWITZ: Definitely.

WHITFIELD: Julianne Moore goes to great lengths to find out if Liam Neeson is unfaithful, here's "Chloe."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My husband's cheating on me. At least I think he is. I want to find out. I want to see what he does.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: This is very dramatic.

MANKOWITZ: Yes, this is dramatic. This is really not so much a psychological thriller but sort of a sexy psychological drama that if it had been the 1950s they'd call it a woman's film directed by Douglas (INAUDIBLE) but this is pretty good. I got to be honest. That was a nice scene between Julianne Moore who is the lead here and Amanda Seyfried who is sort of a rising young actress. And I got to be honest -

WHITFIELD: It's thriller-like? We're talking thriller like "Jagged Edge" kind of thriller? "Body Heat" kind of thriller?

MANKOWITZ: That's why I want to call it like a psychological drama. Because it's not so much a thriller. I mean, there are some twists, some of them you see coming. But again some of them you don't. Tom Goyan (ph) takes on in some different directions here. It's also a reminder that Julianne Moore is really one of the best lead actresses we have at the time. And she's had some supporting roles, but when she's given the lead, and she really is the lead here, she does a great job. Liam Neeson plays her husband.

I gave it a B minus. You know, as I've been talking about it over the last couple of day, I might have been to harsh. I think that grade could come up. It's good. It certainly held my interest, but audiences should know this is a sexy movie. I was concerned about how I was going to talk about it even on -

WHITFIELD: So don't take the kids in other words?

MANKOWITZ: No, don't take the kids, and if you're squeamish, don't take you. But I liked it and Julianne Moore is wonderful and so is Liam Neeson and so is Amanda Seyfried. There were impressive performances although there are moments the reason I didn't give it a higher grade, there are moments when it becomes - when it definitely becomes predictable but there are some nice things happening in this movie.

WHITFIELD: All right, something you can expose to the kids, "Alvin and the Chipmunks, the Squeakquel". We're going to be talking about the DVD and others out soon. Ben, we're not done with you. We'll see you again in a few.

MANKOWITZ: Good. All right.

WHITFIELD: OK. Rocked by the expanding sex abuse scandals. One of the basic tenets of the Catholic priests is under scrutiny.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't think all the pedophiles are priests, in fact probably a small minority but there is that thing that if you don't know how to deal with it, it's a safe haven for you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: So could reform mean an end to their vow of celibacy?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: New reminders of Iraq's violent past and uncertain future. A gun man dressed in military uniform shot dead 25 people in a village near Baghdad.

Authorities say it appears to be the work of al Qaeda.

CNN's Mohammed Jamjoom joins us now from Baghdad. So what's the latest on these killings and the investigation?

MOHAMMED JAMJOOM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Fredricka, Iraqi officials tell us that at least 20 gunmen who were wearing Iraqi military uniforms and who drove to the scene of the crime in what appeared to be Iraqi security vehicles committed these crimes.

They say that these attacks have all the hallmarks of an al Qaeda attack. It looks like al Qaeda fingerprints all over this, but it's too early to say that just now. They don't know at this point, and there's been no claim of responsibility.

What's interesting is that it's been a while now since we've seen this type of attack. These type of attacks in which killers dressed as Iraqi - Iraqi army men would go to villages and/or compounds and kill people en masse like this.

Those things were happening in the days of all the sectarian violence when it was at its highest, 2006, 2007, 2008. We haven't seen an attack like this in a while.

And one of the things that always concerned Iraqi officials here is the fact that anybody - practically anybody here, can go and get an Iraqi security uniform, a military uniform, an army uniform at any shop, even in Baghdad. When we've driven around over the past few days covering other stories, you still see these uniforms hanging. You can get them for as cheap as $15, and that's especially even more concerning considering what happened today to Iraqi officials - Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: And this also taking place with another vote is taking place. Explain that. JAMJOOM: Well, everybody thinks that the voting is - is done with here in Iraq since the parliamentary elections happened on March 7th and the preliminary results have been announced, and that is the case.

But what's been going on here is because it is a parliamentary system and because none of the coalitions who are running won enough seats to get a majority in parliament to be able to form a government on their own, what you have to see if there's going to be coalition building that goes on. Parties are going to have to come together in order for them to get the number of seats to start forming a government here.

What you have happening the last two days, a referendum was called for by a radical Shiite Kurd Muqtada al-Sadr. He has so far not backed any of the leading candidates for prime minister. What he's saying is he wants his supporters to go out. He wants them to pick who they think should be the next prime minister.

It's really a political game. It's jockeying, it's political theater. The had ballots printed up. We went out to Sadr City, to some of the makeshift polling stations, where he had asked his supporters to go in order to cast their vote.

But we spoke to people. We said do you think this is going to make any difference? And what a lot of the people told is you know what? What they really want at the end of the day, whoever they might have voted for is they just want a government to be formed that will put aside sectarian differences, focus on the people, give them jobs, give them security.

We went to what used to be a schoolhouse and is now occupied by families, displaced families. They don't have jobs. They can't pay rent. They're living seven, eight people to one room. They have all their earthly possessions there. What they want is a government that can function and better serve them - Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: Some real stability.

Mohammed Jamjoom, thanks so much, from Baghdad.

President Barack Obama is all smiles over a new report showing that businesses added 162,000 jobs in March. That's the biggest jump in three years, and the president says that's a sign that the economy has, quote-unquote, "turned a corner."

CNN's Paul Steinhauser looks at the latest public opinion polls to see which party the public thinks would do a better job in creating jobs.

PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN DEPUTY POLITICAL DIRECTOR: Fred, why do we spend so much attention on the jobs report? Simple, the economy ranks by far the most important issue on the minds of Americans when it comes to how they'll vote. It's more than 20 points ahead of health care, which is in second place. A tough economy means a rough political climate for incumbents running for reelection this year, and there are more Democrats than Republicans bidding for another term in office.

Our new poll indicates that Democrats have lost their edge on the economy. According to a CNN/Opinion Research Corporation survey out this week, 48 percent of people we questioned said the Republicans in Congress would do a better job fixing the economy, with 45 percent saying Congressional Democrats would do a better job. That's a switch from last August when our poll indicated the Democrats had a 13-point advantage on the issue.

This could be one reason why the Republicans now have a slight edge over the Democrats when we asked which party's candidate you would vote for in your Congressional district. Last fall, the Democrats had a six-point advantage.

One thing about polls, they change as people change their minds. And remember, the Congressional elections are still seven months away. Fred, that's a long time in politics.

WHITFIELD: Paul Steinhauser, thanks so much.

And tomorrow we'll see Paul again. He'll be talking about the week coming up in politics.

All right, the Catholic priest sex scandal is raising many questions within the church about its long-standing practices and policies, including celibacy.

More on that from CNN's Anna Coren.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANNA COREN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): As the Catholic church searches for answers over the scandal that's rocked it to its core, the priesthood and the vow of celibacy is under scrutiny, with calls for serious reform.

Former priest Ed Gerlock is one of those voices. He joined the seminary in New York straight out of high school, where, as a young man curious about sex, he began to question his chosen vocation, which he believes is normal.

But he admits the clergy also attracted people struggling with their sexuality.

ED GERLOCK, FORMER PRIEST: I don't think all the pedophiles are priests. In fact, probably a small minority. But, there is that thing about if you don't know how to deal with it, it's a safe haven for you.

COREN: He spent the next 27 years committing himself to God's work in the Philippines, and it was during that time he met Ching.

E. GERLOCK: When I was in Parish work, thinking to myself, I don't think I want to do this for a very long time. And I - I genuinely loved this lady. In a sense, she saved my life.

COREN: Thirteen years of friendship blossomed, and, at the age of 44, Ed left the priesthood and married his true love.

The circle was complete with the birth of their daughter.

ALAY GERLOCK, DAUGHTER: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

COREN: While it created quite a scandal, Ching says her husband never deserted the church.

CHING GERLOCK, WIFE: First of all, you love each other. Secondly, you continue doing the work that you are committed to.

COREN: Now, at the age of 74, Ed strongly believes priests should be allowed to marry if they want to.

E. GERLOCK: It would help a lot of people to grow, first of all. I mean, grow emotionally, sexually and all, that they - they would be more holistic kind of people, that they would realize what people go through.

COREN: But, in his adopted Philippines, most of the faithful aren't quite as open-minded.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They should not be allowed to marry so they could really give themselves to God.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The vow of celibacy, they promised that. It's their conviction, and I believe they should follow it.

COREN (on camera): Testament to the strength of the Catholic Church here in the Philippines, more than 80 percent of the population is Catholic. And while there's been a significant drop-off in other countries in recent years, especially among the younger population, here the people's faith remains strong as ever.

COREN (voice-over): The Archbishop of the Manila, Cardinal Rosales, says the Catholic Church in the Philippines has seen its share of sex abuse scandals, but remains optimistic about its future.

CARDINAL GAUDENCIO B. ROSALES, ARCHBISHOP OF MANILA: The Church will begin to be reformed when you reform the clergy. We are now in a state of renewal.

COREN: But as for priests leading a marital life, the Cardinal insists that wouldn't be happening in his lifetime.

Anna Coren, CNN, Manila.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: And, in this country, all eyes are on that guy right there, Tiger Woods, taking another step towards redemption after a string of tawdry affairs tarnished his image.

What he's planning for Monday ahead of the Masters.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: A look again at our top stories.

A security concern for U.S. government from a group calling itself The Guardians of the Free Republics. Letters to dozens of governors threatening them and demanding that they step down.

The FBI confirms more than 30 governors have received these letters. Even though there's no credible threat of violence, security has been beefed up for many of those governors.

"Discovery" is poised for launch. The space shuttle is scheduled to lift off on Monday, if the weather cooperates. NASA has been worried about fog.

"Discovery's" cargo includes supplies and science equipment for the International Space Station.

And golfer Tiger Woods wants to put his infidelity scandal behind him and get back to the golf course. Next week, he reenters the professional tour at the Masters in Augusta, Georgia, and Monday at 2:00 Eastern time CNN will bring you live coverage of his press conference scheduled at the Masters.

If you're away from the television set, just watch it on cnn.com or on your iPhone App.

She was a teen who planned out her life. Then, something happened that changed everything that she thought about the world.

We're checking out "An Education" and other latest DVD releases.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: A master sleuth, an Oxford-bound British teen and some rambunctious chipmunks. There's something for everyone coming out on DVD.

A film critic and host of Turner Classic Movies, Ben Mankiewicz, is back with some tips on what to see and what to avoid.

So let's see again, with "Sherlock Holmes", I can't recall when we talked about its release whether you liked it or not. So go ahead, refresh my memory. You like or no?

BEN MANKIEWICZ, HOST, TURNER CLASSIC MOVIES: I'd be - I'd be happy to refresh your memory.

I'll tell you what I did like - I did like about the movie is that Robert Downey, Jr. is a wonderful actor. I like Jude Law a lot too, and their chemistry is really good, good enough that Guy Ritchie, who was supposedly working on a sequel, gets me excited for the sequel. You know, it's a big departure for Sherlock Holmes in general. This is certainly not your Basil Rathbone, Nigel Bruce Sherlock Holmes stories, the kind of story that Sir Arthur Conan Doyle envisioned, I'm sure. A lot of action. Mark Strong makes a good villain. Rachel McAdams is in it too.

The plot, I lost track of it. I didn't quite know what the heck was going on. But, that said, the chemistry's good. It's better than average. If you're a Robert Downey, Jr. fan, and I think movie fans ought to be because he's a terrific actor -

WHITFIELD: Yes. He's so great.

MANKIEWICZ: -- with a great, great screen presence. And, like I said, the chemistry with Jude Law is there.

I gave it a C plus. It's better than average. And, you know, like all movies that - that are - that are not bad, they're probably better when you just can sit at home and watch it and you haven't paid as much money.

WHITFIELD: Yes. That is true.

MANKIEWICZ: I think it's certainly - if you - if you missed it in the theaters, definitely worth seeing. I got to stick with my original grade, but it's definitely worth seeing and renting and watching.

WHITFIELD: C plus? That's a nice grade. So rent or buy that one.

Let's talk about "An Education". How in the world did this one get by me? I don't remember this.

MANKIEWICZ: Yes, well, it's good, and it - you know, it got a big bump at the Academy Awards because Carey Mulligan was nominated for Best Actress and it was one of the 10 films nominated for Best Motion Picture.

Carey Mulligan, she plays an 18-year-od girl. She's Oscar - Oxford bound. She gets a lot of pressure from her parents, Alfred Molina and Olivia Williams, to go to college.

But she meets - you see him there, Peter Sargaard. He's an older man and she sort of falls under his spell, and he's a charming guy but we're left to wonder is he - is he sort of all that seems to be, all that he says he is. And, if he isn't, how will she react - how will Carey Mulligan react to the kind of guy Peter Sarsgaard is.

She's great. It's a great movie. Everybody in it is very good. There's some really top-notch performances in it.

And Sandra Bullock said, you know, when she - when she won the - the Best Actress Oscar, you know, Carey Mulligan is - there's a big career coming for Carey Mulligan. She is - she's terrific and this is a B - WHITFIELD: All right. She was anointed.

MANKIEWICZ: This is a - this a B plus movie and - and certainly worth seeing if you missed it. It's a great story.

WHITFIELD: So a movie that you really need to be listening to? This is not an action-based - this is very dialogue-based?

MANKIEWICZ: Yes, it is and I - I just want to mention that - that Nick Hornby wrote the screenplay. He's an author that - that I admire a lot. I think this was his first crack at a screenplay, and it's good. He was also nominated for an Oscar.

WHITFIELD: Very good.

All right, well one that may be a little action-based in an animated kind of way, "Alvin and the Chipmunks: the Squeakquel". I just liked saying "squeakquel". That is cute.

But is it something that you want to see even if you're not a kid?

MANKIEWICZ: No. Certainly -

WHITFIELD: (INAUDIBLE). OK, if you are a kid, do you want to see this? Do you want to own this DVD?

MANKIEWICZ: Yes, well first - first of all, if you're a kid young enough to - to enjoy this movie, why are you watching CNN? That's my - that's my first question.

WHITFIELD: Parents looking out for the youngsters.

MANKIEWICZ: No, look, you know, I have a - a theory about movies like this. You know, will the kids like it and will the parents find it bearable? And, you know, in a movie theater, the answer to that question for "The Squeakquel" here was unquestionably no.

I don't know that that would have been the answer to the first one. The first one was better. This - I don't even really remember the story, nor does it matter. They have another adventure. There's some chipettes, so there's some female chipmunks in this, and there's singing, obviously, and in it -

It's nonsense. There's a lot of slapstick. It's a bit unbearable. But the good news is - I gave it a C minus, as you saw there. The good news is when you rent it or watch it at home, you can go into another room. So -

WHITFIELD: Right. You don't even have to pause it. You can keep - you know, allow it to keep going while you go and do your thing.

MANKIEWICZ: Right.

WHITFIELD: You come back, OK. I get it. I haven't missed anything out of the flick.

MANKIEWICZ: I mean, will - will your 5-year-old like it? Yes. But, well, your 5-year-old pretty much likes everything.

WHITFIELD: Right.

MANKIEWICZ: So, I mean, you - you can do - you can do better. But, again, to rent and take home, you know, whatever, you'll be all right.

WHITFIELD: All right. There was lots - lots to choose from. We appreciate that.

Ben Mankiewicz, good to see you. Enjoy L.A. I hope it's nice and sunny and beautiful there like it is in many other parts of the country this weekend.

MANKIEWICZ: It's beautiful here today. Beautiful.

WHITFIELD: Perfect. All right, enjoy. Thanks.

MANKIEWICZ: Thanks.

WHITFIELD: OK, so with that Easter bunny just hopping and skipping away this weekend, let's find out from our Bonnie Schneider coming up - oh there it is. Hopping and jumping and skipping away.

It's very happy there in the southeast - or southwest, I should say. How about the rest of the country?

BONNIE SCHNEIDER, AMS METEOROLOGIST: We will have a look at that, coming up.

WHITFIELD: OK.

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WHITFIELD: We must have sunshine on the week of Passover and Easter, and -

SCHNEIDER: Yes.

WHITFIELD: -- Bonnie Schneider has delivered. We have that.

SCHNEIDER: I take credit. Don't blame me when it's stormy out there.

WHITFIELD: That's right. Just wave your magic wand.

SCHNEIDER: Well, I must have done a good job, because the temperatures in the northeast, well, this is very unusual, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: Oh, boy. Let me get out of the way because that's gorgeous (ph).

SCHNEIDER: We are looking at extreme warmth, 83 degrees. That already shattered a record in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, so the temperatures are on the way up. These are the current numbers. I think it could even get warmer from what you see here.

Now, outside right now in Boston, Massachusetts, it's 69 degrees, and I want to take you to Boston, because there's a lot of excitement in the air there. We can show you a live picture of what it looks like in the city. It looks pretty good. We're going to see some nice weather, a little bit of cloud coverage there. You're looking at the Charles River, courtesy of our affiliate, WCVB.

But it's a big weekend because the season opener for the Red Sox is tomorrow. 8:05 is the first pitch, and the weather looks fantastic, really nice. And, I can tell you, as a former Boston resident, it's not that unusual to see wintry and snowy conditions in April, but not this week. All the way up to 72 tomorrow. Looking good, and it stays nice for the rest of week.

So some really good-looking conditions there, but we are monitoring some stormy weather. For those of you that are traveling, we'll be looking out for some rainy conditions. And, just to let you know, for Easter Sunday -

WHITFIELD: Yes?

SCHNEIDER: -- it is looking so nice.

WHITFIELD: Beautiful.

SCHNEIDER: Despite the wet weather in the Midwest for today and possibly for early tomorrow, most of the country will enjoy a fantastic Easter, with warm temperatures, a little cold and snowy in the northwest and windy as well. I'll talk more about that at 5:00.

WHITFIELD: Perfect. All the little kiddies will be very happy that Peter Cottontail has no excuse. Deliveries will be made because the weather is good.

All right. Thank you, Bonnie.

SCHNEIDER: Sure.

WHITFIELD: All right, new stories from the civil rights movement now coming to light for many.

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JOEANN ANDERSON ULMER, ARRESTED AS ONE OF THE "ST. AUGUSTINE FOUR": They started throwing everything they could find, and I know they had to bring a lot of that with them. And so many of our people got hurt.

WHITFIELD (voice-over): A city with civil rights history very much lost until now.

(END VIDEO CLIP) (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Think of cities that were important to the civil rights movement and you'll probably come up with Birmingham, Montgomery, Selma. But this country's oldest city, St. Augustine, Florida, had a role that has largely been forgotten.

April Williams reports on a new documentary that shows us why we should remember St. Augustine.

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APRIL WILLIAMS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It started as a one-man sit down, eventually sending people to jail and to the hospital, attracting nonviolent leaders and violent ones.

It became one of the critical points of the 1960s civil rights movement, yet many have never heard about what happened in St. Augustine, Florida.

ANDREW J. YOUNG, FORMER U.N. AMBASSADOR: This is your story as much, if not more than, it's my story.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you, Ambassador Young.

WILLIAMS: Civil rights leader and former U.N. Ambassador Andrew Young recently returned to St. Augustine to show students at Flagler College a documentary he produced about those times.

YOUNG: By going back and telling the story and reliving it on film, we hope to start the process of healing.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Nightly demonstrations of from 200 to 400 negro marchers paraded to the downtown plaza, around the old slave market, where as many as 1,000 people would gather and gangs of up to about 150 whites attempted to attack the Negros.

WILLIAMS: Young's film, "Crossing in Saint Augustine", weaves together both historic footage and interviews with those who were there.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You know, it takes a whole lot of courage to stand up to hatred. Have you ever seen hatred when they throw bricks at you, bottles, chains and axe? We all experienced that by just marching.

ULMER: They started throwing everything they could find, and I know they had to bring a lot of that with them. And so many of our people got hurt.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They would pull our Caucasian friends out of the line first.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Tall, white guy, with a lot of black faces? You knew you were going to get hit.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Stay in your place, then you'll be all right in St. Augustine.

WILLIAMS: Large protests began after six black students were arrested for trying to get service at a local lunch counter. Four were sent to an adult prison.

Fearing peaceful protesters would begin to retaliate against the violence and hatred, Martin Luther King sent Young to intervene.

YOUNG: King was afraid that if it exploded into violence, it would kill the Civil Rights Bill.

WILLIAMS: Young was savagely assaulted for his efforts.

YOUNG: It happened to be a first for me. If we had fought back, we would have been beaten down and we would have lost the movement.

WILLIAMS: Segregated beaches were also the target of demonstrations, as was the whites only Monson motor lodge and restaurant.

When a group of protestors jumped in the Monson pool, the owner reacted by pouring hydrochloric acid into it. The incident was captured by the national media.

President Lyndon Johnson, struggling to overcome a Senate filibuster and pass the 1964 Civil Rights Bill, voiced his concern to Attorney General Robert Kennedy.

LYNDON JOHNSON, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Our whole foreign policy (ph) and everything else is going to hell over this. Yesterday, in this (INAUDIBLE) pool of St. Augustine, they jumped in and the police jumped in, their clothes on. They started pouring acid in the pool.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Before an audience of legislators and civil rights leaders -

WILLIAMS: The Civil Right Act of 1964 was signed two weeks later.

YOUNG: It was probably the most rigorous test that nonviolence had, and we passed it. if we had not passed it, we could have lost the Civil Rights Act.

WILLIAMS: And now, a new generation is getting a chance to learn Young's history lesson.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE). I appreciate all you did for us.

WILLIAMS: April Williams, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: And I recently spoke with Andrew Young about this documentary, and you can hear what he had to say tomorrow at 4:00 Eastern time, only here on CNN.

Thanks so much for joining us. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

Coming up in the next hour, Don Lemon will talk about something that didn't happen in Newark, New Jersey last month for the first time in 44 years. Join Don for this behind the story straight ahead.

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