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Key Primaries Ahead; Gulf Aid Concert; Music City Keep on Playin'; Eternal Reef; Al Qaeda in America; Back in College at 84

Aired May 16, 2010 - 17:00   ET

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

FREDIRCKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, again. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. You're in the CNN NEWSROOM. The hour's top story. Oil company BP says it has successfully reinserted a mile long tube into a damaged oil pipe at the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico after a weekend setback. Let's go straight now to David Mattingly in New Orleans for what this might mean.

David, how far does this go in stopping that massive leak?

DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We were asking BP those questions. But at this point they're not actually able to say how much oil that they're stopping from flowing into the Gulf of Mexico. You know, we've been watching that pipe spewing that cloud of oil out for days now. This has been going on since that oil rig sank weeks ago. And now we're finding out that this, even though this device seems to be working well, that BP cannot tell us exactly how much of this oil they plan to capture and move up to the surface.

WHITFIELD: And did they reveal anything more about whether there's another option if this is not effective?

MATTINGLY: This, so far, is going to be effective to some degree. We just don't know how much oil they're actually going to capture.

The next plan is going to come in about 7 to 10 days, and BP says they're going to use something called kill mud. Now, it's not your garden variety organic mud we're talking about. This is a heavy fluid that's used in the drilling process, and they're going to be pumping large quantities of that kill mud directly into the well to seal it off and to stop the flow of oil completely.

But, again, we're looking at that happening about 7 to 10 days. If they're successful with that, we'll - we will have been looking at this oil leaking into the Gulf of Mexico for over a month at that time.

WHITFIELD: All right. David Mattingly, thanks so much from New Orleans. Appreciate that.

All right. Several states are holding primaries on Tuesday. And the nation's anti-Washington move will be put to the test. Incumbents in Pennsylvania, Kentucky and Arkansas are facing big challenges from within their own parties. Let's talk about these races and why they are so important with our political editor, Mark Preston. He's in Pennsylvania. And our deputy political director, Paul Steinhauser is in Kentucky.

So, Mark, let me begin with you, you know, why this sentiment about this anti-incumbency, and this really does apply to both Democrats and Republicans, right?

MARK PRESTON, CNN POLITICAL EDITOR: It absolutely does, Fred. In fact, we just saw earlier this week Representative Allan Mollohan in West Virginia who had been in the House of Representatives for a very long time lose election - lose - lose his re-election - lost his primary bid.

On Tuesday, Senator Arlen Specter, the Republican who turned Democrat last year, someone who's endorsed by the White House, is facing a very tough challenge from Representative Joe Sestak, another Democrat. Sestak is running as on outsider saying there's time for change, there's need for change, and what we're seeing right now is a race for the votes.

The polls are very, very tight now here in Pennsylvania, Fred. And, in fact, this morning, both congressmen made their way all around throughout the city to Black churches. They believe that the African- American vote here in Philadelphia will be crucial to whoever wins the primary on Tuesday.

WHITFIELD: Well, interesting, both of them actually took to the air waves today on "STATE OF THE UNION" with Candy Crowley. This is what they said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. ARLEN SPECTER (D), PENNSYLVANIA: For years, I've tried to moderate the Republican Party. And when the stimulus came up and President Obama asked me for his support - for my support, and it looked like we were sliding into a 1929 depression, I sided with President Obama.

It wasn't my job to be saved. It was the jobs of thousands of Pennsylvanians and Americans.

REP. JOE SESTAK (D), PENNSYLVANIA: Well, I think it's a race that actually - where everybody knows Washington's broken. And everybody knows that if you're going to still send back to Washington, D.C. a career politician that actually would switch his party, as he said, to keep his job, then we're not going to fix the mess that we got into by sending him back.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: So that very statement, Washington is broken, that is something we heard a lot coming from the Tea Party. And as we move to Kentucky now and we hear the name and get very familiar with Rand Paul, Paul, he actually is finding a lot of support from the Tea Party. PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN DEPUTY POLITICAL EDITOR: Yes. Rand Paul has gotten a lot of support from the Tea Party Movement. He's also been endorsed by Sarah Palin, the former Alaskan governor. She is considered a favorite with the Tea Party as well. And - and this dynamic is playing out here in Kentucky as well.

You were talking about the anti-incumbent mood. There is no incumbent in this race in Kentucky. The current senator, Jim Bunning, a Republican, is retiring. But, there's an anti-Washington mood as well and anti-establishment mood that is helping Rand Paul, because he's saying that he's the anti-establishment candidate.

And this mood is hurting the other major Republican in this race - Trey Grayson. He's the Secretary of State here. He's just as Conservative in many ways as Rand Paul is, but he is backed by Mitch McConnell, the senior Republican senator, the top Republican in the U.S. Senate and a senior senator from this race. And so that dynamic also at play here in Kentucky, Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right. Let's talk about Arkansas now. And, gentlemen, why is Blanche Lincoln in so much trouble? Mark, you first.

PRESTON: Well, you know something? Blanche Lincoln is a centrist Democrat, somebody who at times has gone against the Democratic establishment particularly the unions. They now have a candidate in Lieutenant Governor Bill Halter that they think they can defeat Blanche Lincoln.

Now, on Tuesday, Blanche Lincoln, right now, Fred, is ahead in the polls. On Tuesday, Blanche Lincoln needs to get 50 percent plus one in order to avoid a primary runoff in June. The unions have been pouring lots of money into this race as have the liberal activists such as moveon.org.

Again, these are constituencies, Fred, that don't think that Blanche Lincoln has been very friendly to the liberal agenda and they don't think that she'd been very friendly to the union agenda. So that's what we're seeing play out in Arkansas in that intra-party fight.

WHITFIELD: So, Paul, is there a feeling that her vote on health care reform played some role in all of this?

STEINHAUSER: Yes. She was against the public option. Se was also against the use of reconciliation in health care. She did, of course, vote for health care reform in the end, but her - her moves against the public option and reconciliation did probably hurt her with some progressive groups, with union groups.

And, as Mark mentioned, they poured a lot of money into her opponent's - into his coffers. And remember also, it's an anti- incumbent year. She's the incumbent, so she's feeling a little of that as well.

Whoever wins that Democratic primary is going to face off against the - well, there are about eight now, I think eight Republican candidates vying for the nomination there. This is a state where the Democrats, where Barack Obama did not do so well in 2008. Republicans would like to see a pickup there in Arkansas, Fred.

WHITFIELD: So, the outcome of these primaries on Tuesday, give me an idea, Mark, just how closely the White House is watching this and how it will calculate what's at stake for it?

PRESTON: Well, there's a lot at stake for the White House, Fred. And, as we mentioned at the top, President Obama, Vice President Biden have all gone all in for Arlen Specter. In fact, President Obama appears in an ad that is running here in Pennsylvania where he's given his endorsement to Arlen Specter.

If Arlen Specter is to lose on Tuesday, you will see critics of the administration, particularly Republicans, say that the White House has lost its mojo. In the same vein, you're also seeing President Obama endorse and has backed Blanche Lincoln down in Arkansas, which has riled some of these liberal groups, to the fact is they don't think that Blanche Lincoln is carrying the Obama agenda forward.

So, again, a bit of a headache for the Obama administration going into the midterm elections where Democrats, Fred, are expected to lose seats in November. Question is how many seats will they lose?

WHITFIELD: And so, Paul, you get the last word on this. You have to wonder whatever the outcome is on Tuesday, if this is going to help craft, help the White House kind of craft where the president may be campaigning on behalf of any particular candidate from this point up until the fall.

STEINHAUSER: You know, I think the White House will say that they'll campaign for any Democrat. Of course, they, as Mark has mentioned, they're going - they're pushing for - for Specter in Pennsylvania and for Lincoln in Arkansas.

At the end of the day, when these primaries are over, they're going to be supporting as best they can any of the Democrats, be it - you know, regardless of who wins in the primaries, they want to keep control of Congress. That's very important for this president as he wants to get his agenda passed through Congress not only this year but in years to come, Fred.

WHITFIELD: Paul Steinhauser, Mark Preston, thanks so much, gentlemen.

I think this is a first. We finally got you all together even though you're not in the same city. That's OK. We got you on the air together. Excellent. Thanks so much.

PRESTON (ph): Thanks, Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right.

Coming up, we're going to take you back to New Orleans, because there's an incredible undertaking underway. You're going to hear from this man right here, Ben Jaffe on why he is so involved on Gulf Aid underway right now, a slew of concerts taking place over a 10-hour period on two stages in New Orleans.

More from Ben, right after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right. Severe weather in New Orleans. Karen McGinnis is in the Weather Center with the very latest on this.

KAREN MCGINNIS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes. Over the last couple of hours, they picked up a fairly decent dousing of rainfall right around New Orleans. We did see in about a three-hour period, six-hour period, in fact, just under two inches of rainfall.

Right now, the thunderstorms are - have moved off well to the east of New Orleans. They're reporting 77 degrees, but that dew point, the humidity, is very high across this region.

What can we expect as we go into the afternoon hours and evening hours? Well, we're looking at a chance of thunderstorms there, about an 80 percent likelihood. But most of those have already moved through, so I think those rain chances dropped off just a little bit.

Here's some pictures out of New Orleans there. You can see some difficulty. This is very low lying territory, Fred, as everybody knows, below sea level in some cases. It's very easy for them to flood -

WHITFIELD: Yes.

MCGINNIS: -- with even just a little bit of rainfall, but it does move in. It moves out fairly quickly. But it was a stormy day.

WHITFIELD: Yes, to say the very least. Look at that. Some people trying to have a little fun in it, but, you know, you're right. It's a big ole damper.

MCGINNIS: Yes.

WHITFIELD: All right. Thanks so much, Karen. Appreciate that.

Of course, all this big rain, though, it's not washing out the compassion and good music that's going on in New Orleans today for the Gulf Aid Benefit Concert. All the artists are actually donating their time in hopes of raising awareness and money for the Gulf region as it deals with that massive oil leak.

Ben Jaffe with the Preservation Hall Jazz Band is with us now. Ben, good to see you.

BEN JAFFE, PRESERVATION HALL JAZZ BAND: Thank you for having me.

WHITFIELD: So no hesitation whatsoever that you wanted to be part of this huge event. It's like 10 hours over two different stages there in New Orleans today. JAFFE: Absolutely. The most powerful voice that we have as musicians is our music, and this is a way to get out the message that we're facing one of the largest catastrophes in - in our history.

WHITFIELD: So what will you all be performing today?

JAFFE: We're actually going to be performing a song we recorded just two days ago with Lenny Kravitz and Mos Def and Trombone Shorty with the Preservation Hall Jazz Band.

I - I woke up one morning and over coffee with a friend started talking about the hurricane and what we could do - not the hurricane but the -

WHITFIELD: Oil spill, yes.

JAFFE: -- oil spill and what we could do, you know, and what we could do to get out there and make our voice a little louder, and I called Mos Def up and by 2:00 that afternoon we were shaking hands. And by 11:00 that night we were in Preservation Hall recording "It Ain't My Fault" which will be released on Monday as part of our Gulf Aid projects.

WHITFIELD: So this really is very personal for you and very personal for other artists, too. You mentioned Lenny Kravitz, you know, he has a home there in New Orleans as well. This is hitting home for so many people, whether you are in the fishing industry or whether you simply live there, you appreciate the beautiful wetlands, et cetera.

With this compassion, does there also come some frustration about how the relief efforts in the gulf are going?

JAFFE: We're - we're definitely concerned about - about the future of our coastline and the environment, the lasting environmental impact that this spill's going to have. It's going to affect many people's lives who are family members of ours, people who live down on the coastal region who are fishermen and - and who are involved in the - the restaurant industry. This is going to change our - our way of life down here. It's going to have a huge impact on our environment.

We - we enjoy our coastline. This is what we do. This is where we live. We don't - we don't know how this is going to affect us. And - and we don't know how it's going to affect our culture. We've already been so - so affected by the aftermath of Katrina, rebuilding our city physically and culturally, just rebuilding our - our city, really, one brick at a time. We don't know how this is going to affect our city.

And part of this project this weekend, Gulf Aid, is to bring attention to all of the different aspects that this - that this spill is going to have on our community, not just an economic and environmental impact, but also a huge social impact on our cultural community.

WHITFIELD: There is a lot of unknown here. What's your hope, however, what or who will benefit directly from the money raised during today's extravaganza?

JAFFE: This money is going directly to bring awareness to the issues that we're facing along the Gulf Coast. It's going directly to the fishermen who are going to be affected by this. It's going to help with the cleanup of the gulf. And it's going to be a voice, speaking directly to our government, for legislation to improve the regulation of offshore drilling, which for the better part of my life has gone unregulated.

WHITFIELD: Ben Jaffe, thanks so much, with the Preservation Hall Jazz Band. You all are going to be performing not long from now as you take the stage with a host of artists.

There must - there must be a real feeling of camaraderie, too, that everyone has committed in such a short amount of time. This was all thrown together in about a week that everyone is committed for the very same reason. Does it feel that way?

JAFFE: Absolutely. We - we feel very passionately about our community and we feel very passionately about music. And, I mean, absolutely everybody we called not only wanted to perform but wanted to volunteer their time to perform, and that's one of the most touching things that a musician could do is give - is give their voice for free.

And I - I applaud all of the musicians that came out today to give up their time and to raise money for this - and awareness for this very, very critical cause that is going on as we speak.

WHITFIELD: Ben Jaffe, thanks so much. Break a leg, as they say. We know that you'll do a tremendous job in getting the attention of a whole lot of people. Thanks so much.

JAFFE: Thank you. Thanks for having me.

WHITFIELD: All right.

Well, from one aid benefit to another, Brad Paisley will talk to me from Nashville following a devastating flooding in Tennessee. There are a lot of people there who feel like, hey, what about us?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: OK. So we've been talking about lots of problems in New Orleans with the rain, and Karen McGinnis is back with us now, because now we're also going to talk about Tennessee. They have experienced a whole lot of water lately as well.

MCGINNIS: Yes, they have and it's not over for them yet.

All across the southeast, what we were showing you earlier, at least during the past hour, all of the terrible weather right now across Central Oklahoma. But that's not the only place. We've got it right along the Gulf Coast area, all across the southeast, bearing down on Nashville even as we speak. We've got some thunderstorms across the region. I just checked the latest conditions. A shower just moved through, but more expected in the forecast. As a matter of fact, we've got about an 80 percent likelihood of some thunderstorms across this area. Just an awful feeling for those who've been trying to clean up from that 20 inches of rainfall in one day that they saw there that caused the river to rise so badly.

Also across the south, the east as I've mentioned and the south central United States, big thunderstorms rumbling around here. We'll have more on that just a little bit later.

I want to show you the forecast very quickly for Nashville. Those expected rainfall chances, about 80 percent tonight and 80 percent coming up for tomorrow, Fred.

WHITFIELD: Oh, boy.

MCGINNIS: Yes.

WHITFIELD: It's just nonstop, isn't it?

MCGINNIS: I know. It seems as if it's that way, yes.

WHITFIELD: All right. Karen, thank you.

All right. Well, Nashville, it is also known as Music City, lots of music stars living there, performing there, and many of those stars are actually gathering this evening in Nashville to help raise money for the flood relief there in that city.

Brad Paisley is one of those stars who also had a whole lot of flood damage himself, joining us now from Nashville. Good to see you, Brad.

BRAD PAISLEY, COUNTRY WESTERN PERFORMER: Hey, good to see you.

WHITFIELD: OK, so you'd -

PAISLEY: Thanks for having me.

WHITFIELD: -- you just heard from Karen just kind of refreshing the memories of a lot of people, 20 inches of rain causing just significant flooding there. You experienced it yourself. A, how is the cleanup effort been for you at your house?

PAISLEY: My house is OK. I mean, I live sort of on a hill, so I'm all right.

But what's been amazing is watching the city as it becomes sort of a better place than I've ever seen as far as the spirit of people. They have sort of banded together in a way I never thought possible, and it's amazing the grace it has handled all of this with. I mean, people are volunteering, there's no looting. It just seems like you're seeing the heart and the best of Nashville through this tragedy. WHITFIELD: That is extraordinary. There have been so many lovely stories. I remember a couple where people just kind of came out of nowhere, descended upon a neighborhood and just started helping people knock down walls to kind of get all that muckety-muck (ph) dry wall out of the way so people could, you know, kind of rebuild.

So, is this your way, other country music artists' way, of saying a big thanks with this concert?

PAISLEY: Oh, it is. This is our way of knocking down dry wall one way or another.

WHITFIELD: Yes.

PAISLEY: Because I think we're probably better at this than the actual manual labor, most of us.

This is our way to give back to the community that is our home. And it just means a lot to us that we use our talents to - to help rebuild this city and help all these people that are in really horrifying conditions.

And also, you know, you think about the fact that so many musicians have lost things, and the music community is not immune. So we're - you know, a lot of the people standing on this stage tonight, doing stuff, have been impacted. Some of them, like Dierks Bentley, was having to empty his basement, I know, himself, you know, and ended up having to miss a tour date, I think, because of it.

So, we're - we're all one big happy family tonight, and hopefully we'll all be better off when we're done and raise some money.

WHITFIELD: Have many of you in the music community there in Nashville kind of banded together similar to how we just heard from many in the New Orleans area, musicians who just kind of started improvising came together and will be sharing the day today as they carry out Gulf Aid, and now today it's kind of a Nashville Aid?

PAISLEY: Yes. I think that's - I think that's the case. I mean, I've talked to a few guys on the phone that were in a similar boat as me where I lost all my touring instruments but one. And, you know, Vince Gill had a similar situation, Keith Urban, and we've all discussed this. And, you know, the phone calls went out right away.

I talked to Vince and said tell me that your old 53 Telecaster I really associate with you is not in there. And he said, no, it's fine. You know, we've been all kind of sharing the war stories at this point. It makes you close.

I mean, we all - we kind of - when you're in the music industry, you get a little spoiled. And you think about - you complain about the catering at your - at your concerts or you're mad because they didn't take all the blue M&M's out of the bowl in your dressing room like you asked. And it's kind of ridiculous at times how spoiled we are. And this really brings you together, makes you realize what is important, which is all the important things in life and the fact that people are healthy and we can hopefully rebuild some things for folks.

WHITFIELD: So, Brad, what are you going to be performing?

PAISLEY: I'm going to be doing a couple of things. I'm going to do "Welcome to the Future" to kick off the show tonight, and then, I'm going to do - later on in the program, I'm going to do a song that was written by one of my heroes, Roger Miller. It's called "River in the Rain." And it's a song that came from "Big River," his musical, which is a tribute to Huck Finn. And so, Roger, being one of my heroes, I named my son Huck. It's just - I don't know.

WHITFIELD: Oh. OK.

PAISLEY: The song is kind of about a love affair with a river --

WHITFIELD: That's a beautiful story.

PAISLEY: -- that gets out of hand.

WHITFIELD: So - so you now have to give me a couple of lines as we say goodbye to you, since we all cannot be there in Nashville.

PAISLEY: Oh, lines of the song, you mean?

WHITFIELD: Yes.

PAISLEY: Yes. Well, like that song is talking about the love affair with - with the fact that this river is your - is this way that you get around. And, at the same time, it's unpredictable and it takes away the things you treasure at times. And that's what we have here.

We love the Cumberland River. I mean, it's been sort of the lifeblood of this city for centuries. But, right now, we're kind of - kind of questioning it a little bit and hoping that it gets back to the size it ought to be.

WHITFIELD: All right. Brad Paisley, thanks so much. All the best and have a great concert.

PAISLEY: Thanks. Thanks for watching, everybody. Hope we - hope we raise some money.

WHITFIELD: I'm sure you will.

All right, we're going to talk some more about what's going on in the gulf area as well as the oil spill threatens the shoreline. It's also putting the already fragile ecosystem beneath the surface at risk.

Meantime, there's a unique program going on across the country and in the gulf aimed at actually rejuvenating sea life through artificial reefs. Reefs, by the way, made of concrete, also mixed with human ashes. A whole new take on burial at sea.

We follow three families as they laid their loved ones to rest in the waters off Sarasota, Florida.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So let's go out there and in fact let's make a new - a new reef out there. Let's (INAUDIBLE) with more today.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My husband, he passed away in November of 2008, and he loved fishing. And when I found this online, I knew this was perfect for him. He had said he wanted to be in the ocean.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Memorial reef for John Joseph Cepiel, Jr.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And there's the reef for - for my dad, and I made a fort because he loved making forts, so -

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It was perfect (ph). He would have loved it. Absolutely.

DON BRAWLEY, FOUNDER, ETERNAL REEF: Each family has a memorial reef out there that's already cast has platforms (ph). You just cap that off.

What we'll do today is put a little bit of concrete. We'll take - take the molds and buckets, then we'll add a little bit of remains. And then once I'm done with that, you can start putting shells.

Reef falls (ph), we developed that in the early '90s. We were scuba divers and we wanted to do something to help save the reef.

In '98, my father-in-law came over for dinner one night and he said, you know, Don, I got a favor to ask you. When I pass away, I'm going to be cremated and I want you to take my remains and put them in those artificial reefs you build.

TAMMIE STAHL, BURYING HUSBAND: Mike was a fossil hunter, diver, and - down in Charleston, South Carolina. And so these are some Megalodon teeth that he found in the river.

I couldn't think of anything else. He would never want to have a tombstone in a graveyard where someone would go to see him. He'd much rather we looked over the ocean and - and think of him.

CLINT PARSON, LOST WIFE TO CANCER: When we found out that she was terminally ill, we discovered the Eternal Reef's program where we decided it was the sort of thing that we all wanted to be involved in.

We dashed by the store, grabbed eight bouquets of roses or of flowers, and decided to leave those flowers in the reef for the placement. And it's just absolutely made it. It's just - and then rising up there and floating more beautiful than I've ever seen. I loved my wife very much. And I look forward to joining her some day in the same way. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We're placing Mike where he was happiest and most comfortable. And so I think it's the best tribute we can do for him.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Anyone that knew him, that I've told about this, they just instantly know, this is exactly where he belongs.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: All right. BP says it is making progress on capturing some of the oil from that massive Gulf leak. That and the rest of the top stories, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right. The folks in Oklahoma need to look out. Karen Maginnis is here.

(WEATHER REPORT)

WHITFIELD: It is, indeed, a scary question. The failed bombing now in Times Square makes it even scarier. Are terror groups recruiting American citizens to kill us? CNN's Nic Robertson spent a year unraveling just such a case, a middle-class New Yorker who conspired to kill fellow Americans.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice- over): This is the story of a young man who wants to attack America, who joins al Qaeda, meets some of its top commanders, volunteers to become a suicide bomber.

His story begins not in the Middle East, not in Europe. His story begins in middle-class America, a typical all-American childhood, playing baseball, riding bikes.

He is Bryant Neal Vinas, and he is part of a frightening new trend - homegrown terrorists.

MITCH SILBER, DIRECTOR OF INTELLIGENCE ANALYSIS, NYPD: Radicalization is definitely on the rise in the United States.

ROBERTSON: American citizens radicalizing, eager to kill their countrymen. Vinas is the terrorist next door, the American al Qaeda.

ROBERTSON (voice-over): Al Qaeda's target, the busiest commuter railroad in the United States, the Long Island Rail Road in New York, hundreds of thousands of passengers every weekday.

Helping plan the bomb attack is an American, a lifelong New Yorker, Bryant Neal Vinas. He gives an al Qaeda leader detailed information about the operation at Long Island Rail Road system. Bryant is not providing the information from long distance. He is in the mountains of Pakistan, living and training with al Qaeda. But he is not only helping plan attacks inside the United States, he's also attacking U.S. troops in Afghanistan.

SILBER: We've almost called Vinas the Forrest Gump of the Jihad in the sense that he seems to find his way to get himself involved in operations or attacks that seemed way beyond a 20-some odd convert from Long Island should be involved in.

ROBERTSON: An American so radicalized, so dangerous, he is willing to help al Qaeda plot bombings that could kill his own friends and even his own family on Long Island.

PHIL MUDD, FMR. DEPARTMENT HEAD, FBI NATIONAL SECURITY BRANCH: In a - in a conventional war, you have companies, you have divisions, you have brigades, you have battalions. In this war, every single person counts. Every single individual goes over their liking (ph) is somebody that we can't miss.

ROBERTSON: But the tables could be turning on al Qaeda. Their one- time secret weapon could be spilling their secrets. Family, friends and intelligence officials are left wondering, why and how did Bryant turn into a terrorist? Who convinced him to wage Jihad against his neighbors?

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: And for more on how the young American from New York became an al Qaeda terrorist, watch CNN's hour-long special, "American al Qaeda." It airs tonight, 8:00 p.m. Eastern.

All right. At his age, some might say he's seen it all and done it all. But now this World War II vet is gearing up to serve his country again.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: A look at our top stories right thousand. BP has resumed pumping oil from that massive oil leak in the gulf into a ship. The company successfully reinserted a siphoning tube into the ruptured pipe on the ocean floor.

And the crew of "Atlantis" has opened the hatch to the International Space Station. They delivered equipment and fresh batteries to the floating observatory after they arrived. Today's shuttle docking marks the last time "Atlantis" is scheduled to visit the outpost. NASA has just two shuttle missions remaining.

And it's another deadly day of anti-government protests in Thailand. At least seven people were killed in clashes between troops and protesters in the capital of Bangkok. The government says a crackdown will continue despite protesters' calls for U.N.-mediated talks. Four days of street battles have killed 30 people.

All right. He received a Purple Heart for his service during World War II. But today, people probably know him best for his heart of gold. An army veteran who has returned to college at the tender age of 84. And he has a new mission in mind, helping today's war veterans. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD (voice-over): He's a husband, a father, a grandfather, and a war hero. But retirement is not in the cards.

JACK SLOTNICK, 84-YEAR-OLD FRESHMAN: Well you can make a profession of deciding where to go for breakfast, and you read the local newspaper, and one day runs into another day. So that's not for me.

WHITFIELD: So now, at 84 years of age, Jack Slotnick is doing something else.

SLOTNICK: Now look at that campus. I don't know how anybody learns anything.

WHITFIELD: Going to college. After passing by Lynn University's campus for years, he decided to attend, as a freshman.

SLOTNICK: Good morning.

WHITFIELD: His war experience got him to stay. Christmas Eve, 1944, the "SS Leopoldville" was torpedoed by the Germans just off France. Nearly 800 of his fellow GIs died while Jack, a young private first class, floated in the cold water, waiting for help.

SLOTNICK: When I got fished up, I was stiff as a board, they tell me. I was in the water almost two hours. So I'm very lucky, I guess, to be here.

WHITFIELD: He served two additional years in combat, but says survivor's guilt plagued him for decades. So he decided to major in psychology, hoping he can eventually counsel returning vets.

SLOTNICK: Unless you've been a soldier, you really can't relate to a soldier. In World War II, the GI knew he faced an enemy. He wore a different uniform. It was pretty obvious. Today's conflicts, it could be an 11-year-old civilian, it could be a 40-year-old woman, it could be a 16-year-old girl carrying the bomb. Nobody knows. Everybody looks the same, and there is no, like, fixed enemy. And maybe that creates the stress that these soldiers are under. And my wife and my wife is going to scratch your eyes out for being so pretty.

WHITFIELD: Even at his age, it doesn't take long before he's just one of the guys.

DAN HENNESSEY, SENIOR, LYNN UNIVERSITY: We definitely want to take him out once before summer rolls around. I don't know if it's going to consist of an all night event, but at least show him the social aspect of college life.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I hope I have that much spunk when I'm his age.

WHITFIELD: That age brings a whole new perspective to a class. PROF. JOHN PICKERING, LYNN UNIVERSITY: Well, he's lived 84 years. I mean, he's experienced things that - and he still has very good memory, he's still very sharp, and to have someone like that, you know, especially when you talk about a time period that he remembers, I mean, that's great.

WHITFIELD: Jack is set to graduate in the fall of 2011. So what's he planning next? Grad school, of course.

SLOTNICK: I'm having like the best time of my life.

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WHITFIELD: And she is the voice of not one, but two characters in "The Boondocks." Regina King in the NEWSROOM.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Don't tell me you don't want to be a part of kick ball history.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't want to be a part of kick ball history.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm not making a request. I'm prepared to blackmail you with a picture of you wearing Kanye West venetian sunglasses, hip hugger jeans and Louis Vuitton driving shoes.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That's Photoshop.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Explain that to Media Takeout.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'll risk it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: But nobody needs to be reminded.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: All right, a scene from "The Boondocks" there. After a two-year hiatus, the show that never shies away from taking risks is back for a third season. The show, "The Boondocks," the animated comedy delivers witty commentary on American culture and race relations. But the popular show may soon come to an end, say some. Earlier this week, I spoke with actress Regina King, the voice of two character, Huey and Riley.

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WHITFIELD: All right, so Regina, I wonder, were you a big follower of "The Boondocks" comic strip before you became a voice of not one but two characters?

REGINA KING, ACTRESS: Yeah, I did follow the comic strip. And for those people that followed the strip and now the cartoon, there's a big difference between the two. Because the strip, he can be very current with events and social issues that are changing daily. Whereas with the cartoon, we have to take time to be very selective with what we choose so that when the show actually starts to air, the things that we're talking about are still relevant.

WHITFIELD: So are you part of that creative process? Do you interject with, I don't think Huey would do that? I think Riley would do it this way? Because you are playing the character voices of two, an 8-year-old and a 10-year-old, boys, by the way.

KING: Yes, yes, and I do, we all are able to input our own ideas. Obviously, this show has been going on for three seasons on TV, but we've been recording the show and been a part of the show for seven years now. So there's some choices that I think are very specific to Huey that I won't let Huey do and some things that are Riley that -- you know, Riley's just wild and, you know, anything that comes out of his mouth matches him. But Huey is a much more thoughtful provocative young man. So Huey, I have to really make sure he stays true to who he is.

WHITFIELD: So you're an actress. You're an artist. But how do you, you know, bring the distinction between these two characters? You didn't set out to do two voices, did you? It just happened that you know, they felt like nobody was more perfect than you. But then it was up to you and your creativity and your artistry to make them distinctively different.

KING: Yes, you're right, I did not set out to do both voices. I actually auditioned for the part of Riley and had gotten that part and a year had gone by and we -- we had a hard time, I'm including myself, finding a Huey that worked. And so being the artist that I am, I asked if I can go back in and audition for Huey, and I did, and here we are now talking about Huey and Riley. I -- it's been an amazing journey. Huey is Aaron's baby. I think Huey definitely --

WHITFIELD: And Aaron McGruder is the creator of "The Boondocks."

KING: Aaron McGruder is the creator. It's his opportunity to express himself through anime.

WHITFIELD: And we know in his expression, traditionally over the years whether it be the comic strip or maybe even this, you know, comedy show here, he has never shied away from controversy. Is that what has made it so appealing to people for three seasons now? Or might it also be the demise, if there is no fourth season, in your view?

KING: You know, I think there have been rumors that there's not going to be a fourth season. I guess that was said some place. I don't think that that is the reason why it's remained popular, even with two-year hiatuses. I think people really appreciate -- even if you don't agree with the opinions that are shared on "The Boondocks," people appreciate the honesty and just seeing on TV something just so racy and, like, I can't believe those words just came out of that cartoon character's mouth. But yet you know someone who kind of shares the same, you know, way of thinking, as the characters on "The Boondocks."

WHITFIELD: Yes, that boldness perhaps is what makes it so unique and that's why it's so appealing to so many people. Regina King, thanks so much. Always great to see you on the silver screen, on the big screen, and hear you as well, on "Bookdocks."

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: And of course, you can check out "The Boondocks" on Sunday nights at 11:30 Eastern on the Cartoon Network's "Adult Swim."

OK, it's new, it's different and you don't want to miss it, my new segment "Face-to-Face With Fredricka." It starts May 22nd with an interview, a sit-down interview with CNN founder Ted Turner. But we want to hear from you, which means if you have questions -- you know you've always wanted to ask Ted a question, this is your opportunity. You can send your questions to me at my blog, CNN.com/Fredricka, or my Facebook, and I'll actually post some of your questions to Ted Turner and you'll get to hear his responses, May 22nd. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. I'll see you back here next weekend.

After a devastating loss in 2008, the Republican Party seems to be making a comeback. Coming up in the next hour of the NEWSROOM, Don Lemon will take a look at what went right for the GOP.

And Lebron James, one of the top players in the NBA, and now he's a free agent as well. Where does he go from here? Don talks with sports analyst Rick Horrow and stay with Don -- how many times am I going to say his name? 7:00 Eastern hour. Good lord, Don Lemon, where are you? Come on, man. He's next in the NEWSROOM. Don Lemon, Don Lemon, Don Lemon. Have fun tonight.

DON LEMON, CNN HOST: I want to see your discussion. What is it called, with Fredricka?

WHITFIELD: Face-to-face.

LEMON: Face-to-face. I can't wait, that's going to be interesting.

WHITFIELD: Tune in. All right, have a good show.

LEMON: All right Fred, love you.

WHITFIELD: Coming up soon, bye-bye.

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