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18 Dead in Arkansas Flash Floods; BP Faces Sunday Deadline; School Mural Sparks Controversy; Survey Exposes Worries about Pools

Aired June 12, 2010 - 22:00   ET

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

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT: The witness.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Guilty.

O'BRIEN: Camille Bell.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Innocent but stupid.

O'BRIEN: That first task force detective.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No maybes, ifs, guilty. The right man for those homicides is in jail.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANNOUNCER: You may vote on your verdict starting at the top of the hour.

DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: You just saw the Wayne Williams documentary. Is he guilty? The man who sent him to jail for life joins us live. I'll ask him if he learned anything new from that interview.

A nightmare of a flood in Arkansas. A deluge of water in the middle of the night catching its victims off guard killing 18. More are missing tonight.

Developing news on the oil disaster down south. A large tank, the size of a refrigerator with BP markings, oozing oil washes up on a Gulf Coast beach. What in the world is it?

And Arizona is front and center in another controversial race. We are asking two artists who were asked to lighten the skin color of school kids on this mural. Why?

Well, from rescue to recovery. Crews are now looking for bodies, instead of survivors at that Arkansas camp ground that was swept by flash floods. The death toll rose to at least 18 today, and as many as two dozen are still unaccounted for. Governor Mike Beebe says four people are confirmed missing, but another 20 people may have been in the area when the floods hit. The flood waters came so fast many had no time to escape. But our Casey Wian talked to one woman who made it out alive.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JANICE MCCRAE, FLOOD SURVIVOR: He said the river is rising so fast. He said, "I can't get out of my cabin." His cabin was built on piers, you know, probably eight feet tall. And it was already up and his cabin was moving, and while he was talking to me, there was a trailer that floated into and smashed into his cabin.

As it turned out, there were people in that camper and he managed to pull them out of that camper, and get them up in his cabin and he keep them safe until the water went down.

I didn't have time to think. We went down there and the river was roaring. It was just -- and the cabins that were starting to float were crashing into each other and it was all this smashing and --

CASEY WIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): What was that noise like?

MCCRAE: Well, it was horrible.

WIAN: There, the examples of the power of the raging current, the wall completely sheared off of this cabin; next to it, a cabin that seems to have fared relatively well because it was up on stilts. But behind me, you see the remnants of a cabin that looks like it was hit by a bomb. It was actually knocked about 50 feet off its foundation, completely torn apart.

MCCRAE: This cabin, the red one with the crunched up roof, is the one where the kids were up there.

WIAN: Right.

MCCRAE: The two kids were up on the cabin screaming, "Help, help," and it went down enough eventually. It was falling pretty fast. Once it quit raining, it started falling. So grandpa starts walking out.

And we got -- we just went as far as we could and grabbed him. He sat right there after -- we found that chair and he sat there until we could get grandmother. She was on the other side of that drift, how she survived I don't know.

WIAN: Wow.

MCCRAE: She was on the other side.

WIAN: How did you get the boys down?

MCCRAE: They just helped them -- you know, as the water went down, they just made them stay up there until it went down and then they helped them down.

WIAN: Obviously, they are still looking for people here. MCCRAE: Yes.

WIAN: What has the loss been like? Can you describe it? Can you come to terms with it even yet?

MCCRAE: No. I don't want to try and come to terms with it yet. We'll all have to, though. There's still a lot -- the river hasn't given up the bodies yet. There's more.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: Casey Wian joins us now from Langley, Arkansas. He is live there.

Sad story, Casey. Where are we with the search now?

WIAN: Well, we had search and rescue teams coming throughout this area, throughout the day. They're using kayaks, they're on horseback, they're using ATVs, there were canine teams. Just everything you can imagine. They called up the operations for the night, because as you can see it is dark. They are going to resume again tomorrow. There's one sheriff told me they say it's basically turned into a recovery operation, not a rescue operation anymore. They haven't completely given up hope that they may find survivors, but as each hour goes by, that hope looks less and less likely -- Don.

LEMON: Casey Wian. Casey, thank you very much.

We turn now to the Gulf of Mexico because it is day 54, and BP has finally been ordered to get more aggressive in stopping this disaster. The government says BP's efforts so far have fallen short. It is giving the company until tomorrow to come up with a new plan to capture more of the escaping oil. BP's chief operating officer in Houma, Louisiana today went there to meet with BP and coast guard officials, and they say he'll have a response by tomorrow night.

All of this is because of up to twice as much oil is flowing from that broken well as originally thought. And BP's containment cap is catching a lot of it, but it is still missing a lot as well.

Meantime, a stainless steel box about the size of a refrigerator washed up on the floor at a beach today. It is marked BP and it is leaking oil. But it is not known if it came from the doomed rig. So we go now to Chris Lawrence. He is Grand Isle, Louisiana.

Let's start with this box that's washed up. What is it? Do we know, Chris?

CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We know it is a stainless steel container, Don. It washed up, as you said, in Panama City Beach, Florida. It washed ashore this morning. We have spoken to the sheriff there, as well as one of our iReporters, Ben Wally. He says it washed up in the shallow water there. Some of the officials there got a crane out and dragged it up on the beach to get it out of the water. That is when they noticed that it was still oozing a little bit of oil. And they told all the swimmers to get out on the current sign, get out of the water.

From what we've been told, and what our iReporter has seen, this thing is about seven feet tall, about the size of a refrigerator. And although we are not sure if it came from that deep water horizon oil rig, it did have a BP marking on the side of it. It is now being brought here to Louisiana, where officials can investigate and find out exactly where it came from.

LEMON: Let's go now to this deadline. Is this really an ultimatum from the coast guard about changing plan? They want some answers and they want them real soon, Chris.

LAWRENCE: That's right, Don. You mention, the estimate is completely changed. So what the Coast Guard is saying is the plan that you have for the old estimate, it's not going to work now for what we now think is coming out of the exploded rig. So let's take you back. You know, when this well first erupted, the first estimate was anywhere around 42,000 gallons a day gushing out into the water. Then they scrapped that and said, no, no, no. It is much more. It's more like 200,000.

Now that's being thrown out to say the scientists' latest figure is anywhere between 800,000 and 1.7 million gallons gushing out every day. And what the Coast Guard has told BP is you have got to get a more aggressive plan in light of these new numbers.

Now the chief operating officer of BP did meet with the troops so to speak, employees, as well as the Coast Guard. He talked about some of the efforts that are going on now and talked about some of the resources that the company has been marshalling against this oil flow.

LEMON: Chris Lawrence, thank you very much, sir.

Still ahead here tonight on CNN --

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When he said you want the real Wayne Williams, you've got him. I think all of us, the jury understood that, yes.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: He was a prosecutor who put Wayne Williams behind bars following the murders of more than two dozen Atlanta children. If you just watched Soledad O'Brien's special on the murders, you'll want to hear more from Jack Mallard. He is going to join me next. It should be an interesting conversation.

And she is safe after being missing at sea for weeks. And now everyone is concerned about her. But the most important thing, she is found now. Questions come now for the 16-year-old, and should she have been allowed to sail around the world by herself. Her parents are sounding off tonight on that.

And he's won a primary election, but he's already lost the support of his party. And there are lots of questions about his legitimacy as a candidate for U.S. Senate from South Carolina. The curious case of Alvin Green in one of the most interesting interviews and conversations I've had in a long time. You don't want to miss it. That's coming up.

And here is your chance to sound off. Be part of the conversation. Send me a message on Twitter and Facebook. And check out my blog, CNN.com/Don.

We're back in moments.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: All right. I promise you this is going to be a very interesting interview, so stick around for this one.

You may have seen Soledad O'Brien's documentary, "The Atlanta Child Murders," which aired earlier this evening just before this program with our exclusive interview with convicted murderer Wayne Williams. In a two-year reign of terror, 30 years ago, Williams was linked to the killing of more than two dozen children abducted from the streets and murdered in Atlanta. The memories are still fresh for many Atlanta residents, especially those in the African American community whose children were being killed. Now Williams is serving two life sentences.

Jack Mallard was the lead prosecutor in the Williams case. A conviction he calls a high point of his 40 year career in which lead to a book that he has written, "The Atlanta Child Murders: The Night Stalker."

Thanks for joining us tonight.

There were 28 male victims that were on that list. They were possibly linked to Williams. But he was only convicted for the two older ones, the adults. Why is that?

JACK MALLARD, FMR. FULTON CO. ASST. D.A.: We looked at each of the cases. And in doing so we noticed that we had more evidence against those two that were charged, Cater and Payne. We had to look at it from a legal viewpoint. Would the convictions stand up on appeal? Because if we charged in say 10 or 15 or 20 even, and I believe the jury may have convicted on that many, still, if there is not enough evidence from a legal viewpoint, then the appellate court would overturn it.

LEMON: So you think the jury would have convicted on 28?

MALLARD: Yes.

LEMON: You think they would have.

MALLARD: No. Not on 28.

LEMON: Yes.

MALLARD: I said as many as 15 or 20.

LEMON: As many as 15 or 20.

MALLARD: Yes.

LEMON: But people want to know, why were they never -- they weren't dropped.

MALLARD: No.

LEMON: You said they just weren't brought to trial.

MALLARD: That's right.

LEMON: And just because you didn't feel -- you felt the evidence was stronger on the two adults.

MALLARD: Yes. A prosecutor has to look at it not only from a viewpoint of let's solve the case. And I believe a jury will convict so let's indict and try him. We have to look at it down the road five years, ten years, when it is in the appellate court. Will the evidence sustained that conviction from a legal viewpoint when it is in the appellate courts? And we felt like at that time there was not enough sufficient evidence to charge, convict and keep the conviction down the line.

LEMON: When you were watching that interview, did it seem like the same man that you came across during questioning back in the '80s? 1982?

MALLARD: Yes. Yes. He hasn't changed. He hasn't changed. He was on the stand three days, and he was a wily character. Smart, articulate the first two days and he controlled himself the third day. He went into a tantrum.

LEMON: I want to go into that. Because he -- even he talked about it. There was a part during cross-examination where he had an outburst, and you believe that that was one of the things that convicted him was this outburst.

He talked about it in our interview. And I want to show you how he characterized it, and then we'll talk about it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WAYNE WILLIAMS, SERVING TWO LIFE TERMS: I was probably my own worst enemy. I was an arrogant buzz-headed idiot at the time. And I played right into these people's hands. I could see almost the shock in the juror's faces as if they said, my god, is this the same Wayne that was up here yesterday? I could see that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: How important was that moment in his conviction?

MALLARD: Everybody thinks that the Williams as a witness lost the case for him. The evidence lost the case for him. That was an important moment, however. The examination and how a defendant does on a stand is very important to a jury because they've got to have enough evidence to convict him. But he helped convict him.

LEMON: Mm-hmm. Looking back so many years and looking at that interview that Soledad did, what did you learn? Did you learn anything different, anything new?

MALLARD: Well, I learned that the end of the program when Soledad confronted him that he was speechless. And I learned that was in addition to everything else I had ever known about Williams. That I didn't know.

LEMON: It is very interesting and I was around living in Louisiana not far from here and this terrified me. And it is Jack Mallard and the book is called "The Atlanta Child Murders: The Night Stalker." It is very interesting. So go out and get it. And thank you so much for joining us.

MALLARD: Thank you.

LEMON: Well, appreciate it, OK?

MALLARD: I appreciate it.

LEMON: We want to tell our viewers, we asked all of you to vote on the Williams' guilt. Whether you thought he was guilty or innocent or whatever after watching Soledad's documentary. The results after the first night the documentary ran were 68 percent guilty, only 5 percent innocent and 27 percent said not proven either way.

And you can still vote online at CNN.com/atlantachildmurders.

And if you missed Soledad O'Brien's report on the "Atlanta Child Murders," earlier tonight, you can catch it on Sunday at 8:00 Eastern only here on CNN.

In a state where racial tensions are already high, a mural promoting racial harmonies does just the opposite after the artists are told to lighten the skin tones of their subjects.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Why would a mural showing kids smiling and having fun make some people so angry? Would you believe that it has to do with the color of their skin?

This is a mural at Miller Valley Elementary School in Prescott, Arizona. School officials told the artists to lighten the skin tones of two of the minority students, the children on it, but they later backed off.

This comes while race relations are under a microscope in Arizona, which begins enforcing its new immigration law next month.

Pamela Smith and Ari Wall are the artists who painted the mural. They join us now from Phoenix, Arizona, live.

Thanks for joining us. I love your hats.

Before we get to this controversy, what are the hats for?

ARI WALL, PRESCOTT DOWNTOWN MURAL PROJECT: Well, the hats are what we consider our uniform for the mural mice in Prescott. It is a symbol of pride and service to our community.

LEMON: OK. So Ari, I just before I'd thought people would wonder at home why you are wearing those. Let's get to this controversy now.

I want to be specific about this. About who asked you to lighten the skin tones of the children on this mural?

Who did it, Pam?

PAMELA SMITH, PRESCOTT DOWNTOWN MURAL PROJECT: Well, there was a meeting between some of the teachers because they had been under pressure from people in the community, and that's where the first command came from to lighten the skin tones.

LEMON: OK. The first command came from to lighten the skin tone from them. But what about, who are these models? Where did you pick the models from for the mural?

SMITH: The models were actually children from the school. They had contests to see who would win and who would be chosen to pose for us.

LEMON: Ari, when you found out about it, what was your response? They later backed off. But did you say, I'm not going to do it? Were you in the process of doing it? Did you ever consider it?

WALL: No. I never seriously considered it. As an artist, myself and Pamela, had the picture fully under control. We were trying to depict the child exactly as he was in the photograph. And to have somebody to tell you to lighten up the skin tone, it really didn't go over very well with either me or Pam. And so it was my decision to step away from it for a few days and reconsider it.

LEMON: What was the explanation behind them wanting to lighten the skin?

WALL: There were several explanations around it. Mostly it was couched in the aesthetic value of the picture, whether or not it could be a better picture by having them coming into the light. But we knew by the experience we were having with the diversity issue and the racism that was coming from the city council members radio show and the audience out in the intersection, that it was -- it was the center and source of it was concern about the right looking kids on that wall.

LEMON: So do you think it was based -- you think it was racism, Ari? WALL: Oh, yeah, I do. I do.

LEMON: Pam?

SMITH: I absolutely do. And there were several times when I was painting outside with the little ones when motorists would drive by and yell racial slurs out the window, and it really upset the children.

LEMON: What is going on there?

WALL: It is hard to explain. You know, it didn't make a lot of sense to us. Neither one of us are racist people. And, you know, it's really hard to explain. Those are real children. Those are real kids. They go to that school not contrived from somewhere else. They have feelings. They have been affected by this. And it is really a shame that they should have played that card, unfortunately.

LEMON: So, then, Ari, why did they eventually back off?

WALL: They initially backed off because I think that they underestimated the support we had in our community, and had we not had that support, I'm pretty sure that they would have had us change it.

LEMON: All right. Very interesting conversation. We'll check in on them a little bit later on here on CNN.

Something you need to think about every time you go in the pool. How many people have gone in the pool?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: More people than one out of five probably have done it, but they just haven't admitted it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Now there is a way to test the waters before diving in. Can you imagine?

And a teenager's quest to sail around the world by herself ends in a rescue at sea, and her parents are facing scrutiny.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Want to check some of your top stories right now. A 16- year-old girl who tried to sail around the world by herself is safe and blaming bad weather for her failed attempt. A French fishing crew rescued Abby Sunderland today in the Indian Ocean. The California team became stranded after a storm broke the mask on her yacht. Her yacht called The Wild Eyes. She had to abandon the yacht, which remains in the middle of the ocean now. Her parents today defended Abby's solo effort.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) LAURENCE SUNDERLAND, TEEN SAILOR'S FATHER: This was not a flippant decision. Abigail has been raised on the ocean all her life. She's lived over half her life on boats. She cruised for three years with us on our own particular boat. This is like second nature to Abigail. And Abigail has a great passion for sailing on the ocean. She will return. And, again, it is a little frustrating when people without accurate information come out and make statements.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Abby's older brother sailed around the world last year.

Scatter clashes were seen around Tehran today on the one-year anniversary of the contested Iranian election. This video appears to show a demonstration today in the Capitol. The day began peacefully, but protesters fought with police at sites around Tehran. Witnesses told CNN that security forces flooded the streets. Last year's disputed election ended with President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad winning a second term in office.

Russian media report police in Kyrgyzstan will shoot to kill as they struggle to keep the peace in the central agent country. Two days of ethnic clashes left 77 people dead according to the health ministry. More than 1,000 have been injured since fighting broke out Thursday night. The U.S. maintains a military base outside the capital that is a crucial supply hub for the war efforts in Afghanistan.

A fluke goal helped team USA scratch out a 1-1 tie against England in the opening round at soccer's world cup in South Africa. The Americans trailed early by rallied when England's goal keeper flubbed a shot by USS Clint Dempsey. England was heavily favored in the match. And the draw should help the U.S. advance past the first round.

OK. The summer heat is on but be careful how you cool off. A new study shows public swimming pools can be pretty contaminated. There is a proactive way you can protect yourself from dirty water and it is free. You want to pay attention to this report. CNN's Carter Evans explains now.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CARTER EVANS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): When it comes to pool safety, most of us look for a life guard and jump right in. But do you ever think about what is in the water.

What do you think about people who pee in the pool?

AMBER WORRELL, BRONX, NEW YORK: That has to be one of the most disgusting things.

EVANS: But it does happen.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, I don't pee in the pool. EVANS: She may no not. Others do. According to a study from the water quality in health council, one in five people admit to peeing in the pool.

KEVIN MCCARTHY, BRONX, NEW YORK: I think more people than one out of five probably have done it, but they just haven't admitted it.

EVANS: The people who clean pools also know what happens that is why at this YMCA pool in the Bronx, New York, they check the water every two hours.

PHILIP MORGAN, YMCA OF GREAT NEW YORK: It is tough. You have to be constantly monitoring it. You have to be persistent in checking your levels.

EVANS: But a new report from the centers for disease controls suggests this YMCA and its high standards are more the exemption than the rule.

MICHELE HLAVSA, CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL: We found that almost one in eight pools was immediately closed on inspection because of serious violations that threatened public health and safety. By serious violations, I mean, for example, no chlorine in the water.

EVANS: That could leave swimmers unprotected from bacteria that could cause everything from an upset stomach to an E. coli infection. So how do you know when not to take the plunge?

KEVIN MCCARTHY, BRONX, NEW YORK: You kind of have to take a leap of faith that someone's doing their job.

EVANS (on camera): But the CDC says you really don't have to take a leap of faith because pool testing kits like this are readily available and easy to use. You just take the strip and dip it into the water, and then compare it to the chart on the back of the bottle.

The red is the pH. It is OK. And so is the chlorine. It is purple.

HLAVSA: If they're not right, we recommend talking to the pool operator. If the pool operator doesn't correct the situation, go into your local public heath department.

EVANS (voice-over): Although, the CDC is working on it, there are no national guidelines for pools, which means the quality of the water can really vary. So it is really up to you and those test strips.

HLAVSA: When we go biking we wear helmets. Now when we go swimming, CDC recommends that you test the water before you go in.

EVANS (on camera): The CDC says many pools only get inspected once a year and some not at all. Doctors say you should always keep your mouth closed when you're in the pool and never swallow the water. As for those test strips, you can get them for free from the CDC at healthypools.org. Carter Evans, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: One in eight pools shut down because of pee. That is gross.

All right, examining the domino effect of divorce. It can be contagious.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: If you were to get a divorce, friends of your friends who may not even know you or hear about it have more of a chance of getting divorced.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: And also tonight, out of the disastrous oil spill, something laughable. BP's actions make for some funny moments by comedians.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: It was surprising enough when Al and Tipper Gore announced their separation after 40 years of marriage. But this week, this family photo got a little more bittersweet.

The couple's oldest daughter Karenna Gore Schiff shown here on her wedding day in 1997 announced she is also separating from her husband of 13 years.

All of this comes after Kirsten Gore, the daughter on the right of the picture, filed for divorce last year.

Three marriages falling apart in the same family in such a short time. Is it timing, a coincidence or can divorce really be contagious?

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: Wendy Walsh is a psychologist and she's joining us from Los Angeles.

Hey, good to see you, Wendy?

WENDY WALSH, PSYCHOLOGIST: Nice to see you, Don.

LEMON: So the Gores, you know, there aren't alone with divorce. I mean, there are lots of divorce clusters in the country, right? Is it a psychological -- is it a phenomenon here?

WALSH: It is. I mean social behavior can be contagious. And in fact, one study showed that it could even be contagious through friendships, two degrees away. In other words, if you were to get a divorce, friends of your friends who may not even know you or hear about it, can -- have more of a chance of getting divorce because the group norms change, our sort of general rule.

To give you an example of how group norms change. Not so long ago the "F" word was the worse thing you could even say, and now it's in American literature all the time. The group norm has changed in our society. But the other thing I think, Don, that is really important that we should consider is not that divorce is contagious within families, it's that poor relationship skills are transmitted to the next generation.

LEMON: Now, you just answered the next question. Could there be something else going on within a family or within even a neighborhood that makes it -- that makes it spread -- what is the word I am looking for, dysfunctional. And so it's more likely that people might get divorced or have bad marriage, you know, attributes within a marriage?

WALSH: If their parents got divorced. You know, the Gores had good reason to keep this marriage together for so long. Because the marriage was an enterprise. They were building a political campaign. They had many things, glue, that kept them together, but we don't know behind closed doors what kind of relationship skills they had and what their intimacy issues were. What we do know for sure is that's what was taught to their children.

LEMON: Yes. And some families, you know, teach that just because the parents, you know, may want to have big careers and maybe following their careers and may be so devoted to their careers that they see family as second, right? And it's not necessarily the parents may want to send out to their children but just by them following a career so much and putting their family second. That's what the kid sees.

WALSH: Exactly. And you know, that's sort of part of capitalism. Capitalism is all about individual rights and freedoms, individual ability to produce and family kind of second. Whereas in more socialists countries, on Canadian, you'll see in Canada, we have kind of a little more interdependence and the belief systems that's what's good for the group is good for the individual.

So, yes, people who put their careers first and family's second send that message to their kids.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: All right.

So you get a traffic ticket, you can fix it, right? At least try to fix it. Or you can do what one man did. And it's left a police department red in the face.

And one woman's crusade to change the revolving door in prison.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We all leave prison saying we are going to make it. I'm going to get my life on track. I'm going to be an asset. I'm going to go to school. I'm going to get a job. If there is not support to do that, it is not going to happen.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: You are going to meet our CNN hero of the week coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: In California nearly 60 percent of those released from prison end back behind bars within three years. This week's CNN hero broke that cycle. Once a crack addict and a two-time inmate, Susan Burton got out. Got clean and transformed her life. Now she's created a program to help female offenders do the same thing.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SUSAN BURTON, COMMUNITY CRUSADER: I'm writing in regards to my parole plan. I'm 21 years old with two strikes. I'm scared to relapse again. I want to be a success story. Please hold a bed for me.

We all leave prison saying I'm going to get my life on track, and you end up getting off a bus, downtown Los Angeles, Skid Row. People know who you are when you come off that bus, and you're targeted. Many times you don't even make it out of the Skid Row area before you're caught up into that cycle again.

My name is Susan Burton. After my son died, I used drugs. I just spiraled into a pit of darkness. I went to prison six times. Finally, I found rehab and I thought, I can help women come home from prison.

I pick them up, bring them back to the house.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Miss Burton is like a mother to all of us. She offers you a warm bed, food, like a real family.

BURTON: I want to see you shine.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She made me want to change my life.

You proud of me, Miss Burton?

BURTON: Sure. You came a long way.

I want the women who realize that they have something to contribute. This is giving life. That's what it's all about.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: Since 1998, Susan Burton has helped more than 400 women get their lives on track. To see the story of one of her more challenging cases and to nominate someone you think is changing the world go to cnn.com/heroes or CnnHeroes.com.

He is unemployed and facing felony charges, but he is South Carolina's democratic nominee for U.S. Senate. The political mystery that is Alvin Greene.

And a word in many people's daily vocabulary that the "New York Times" says is no longer fit to print.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: OK. I have to be honest about this. This is one of the most bizarre interviews I have ever conducted. Strange to say the least. The Democratic Party in South Carolina is opposing its own candidate for the U.S. Senate. The man who won the party primary to run as a democrat is fighting charges he showed obscene material to a student and calls that he step down.

Alvin Greene's bizarre behavior has some accusing him of being a plant by the Republican Party. Tonight, I spoke with the unemployed army veteran who was on the phone from Manning, South Carolina.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALVIN GREENE (D), SOUTH CAROLINA SENATE CANDIDATE (via telephone): Job, education, justice. Let's get South Carolina and America back to work.

LEMON: The "New York Times" ran a story saying that you were a plant by the Republican Party. What do you say?

GREENE: No. I've always been a Democrat, and I am the best candidate for United States Senate in South Carolina.

LEMON: Who paid the $10,000 to your -- for your campaign to run?

GREENE: It was my personal money from the army.

LEMON: From where?

GREENE: Army.

LEMON: From the army.

GREENE: Personal money that I saved in the army.

LEMON: All right. Because you are unemployed, right?

GREENE: Yes.

LEMON: So that was part of your savings?

GREENE: Yes.

LEMON: You are facing a felony charge. Can you explain to the voters, to the viewers, what that is all about?

GREENE: I have no comment.

LEMON: No comment.

Did you commit a crime?

GREENE: No comment.

LEMON: Well, don't you think if you, listen Mr. Greene, if you are a private citizen, then you have every right in the world to say no comment about something like this, but when you are running for office, you are now a public figure. You have made yourself a public figure. And there are certain things that you are going to have to be accountable for and you're going to have to be transparent. And more people than me are going to be asking this question about that.

So do you have any comment about committing a crime?

GREENE: My lawyer is dealing with that.

LEMON: What is it -- what are you charged with?

GREENE: My lawyer is dealing with that.

LEMON: OK. And you won't answer what you are charged with. And you won't tell us what happened?

GREENE: My lawyer is dealing with that.

LEMON: That is going to be a matter of public record, and by you not talking about it, people are going to think, it makes it look like you have something to hide if you don't want to talk about it.

GREENE: I want to talk about the issues.

LEMON: But that is an issue. The people of your district have the right to know whether or not they're going to elect someone who is convicted of a crime, or may be convicted of a crime, or someone who committed a crime.

GREENE: OK. Yes. OK, it relates to the third issue that I'm dealing with, justice in the judicial system. We want to make sure that punishment fits the crime. We know that -- we know that, well -- we know about the statistics in the judicial system in our country.

LEMON: OK. Are you talking about your platform now, or are you talking about this being charged with a crime?

GREENE: I'm talking about my platform in general. We know --

LEMON: OK, I have asked you about your platform. We've already got that line of questioning. You told me about what your platform. You said jobs education.

GREENE: And justice.

LEMON: And justice.

GREENE: Yes.

LEMON: OK. So you're talking about the justice system. What about your own particular bout with the justice system. What do you say to that? Did you commit a crime?

GREENE: My lawyer is dealing with that.

LEMON: OK. Two lawmakers from your state have concerns that you may have some sort of mental impairment. What's your response to that?

GREENE: Who are those lawmakers?.

LEMON: There are two in your state.

GREENE: Name them.

LEMON: Bakari Sellers and Todd Rutherford say that.

GREENE: Well, I say that back to them then.

LEMON: OK.

GREENE: They're the knuckleheads.

LEMON: How are they the knuckleheads? And what is funny about that?

GREENE: Well, that's just --

LEMON: Listen the Democratic Party in your state is calling for you to withdraw. Do you have any plans of withdrawing?

GREENE: The election was certified as of 3:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time yesterday. So I'm on the ballot here on out. I'm in all the way. And I'm the best candidate for United States Senate in this race in South Carolina.

LEMON: OK. Are you always this soft spoken? Are you OK right now?

GREENE: I'm fine.

LEMON: You're fine and you're --

GREENE: I'm OK.

LEMON: You are mentally sound, physically sound? You are not impaired by anything at this moment?

GREENE: No. I'm OK.

LEMON: No. Just what --

GREENE: I'm OK.

LEMON: I want you to finish your thought. What were you going to say?

GREENE: I'm OK. LEMON: You don't sound OK. Quite honestly, you don't sound OK. And if you are not, then you should let us know if you are not OK.

Are you impaired by anything right now?

GREENE: No.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: Told you it would be interesting.

Do you drive a Chevrolet? Most of you probably called a Chevy. Well, you can't drive your Chevy to the levee anymore because GM doesn't want you to call it that. We'll explain.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: All right. Every weekend here, we try to catch you up on some interesting news items that you might have missed during the week.

First story. One of the most iconic brands in America is now a bad word. General Motors has ordered everyone in the company to stop using the term "Chevy." What?

From now on, they're only allowed to say Chevrolet. GM said the Chevy nickname causes confusion outside of the U.S. The edict does not apply to the of us, which means you can still drive your Chevy to the levee. You can call it if you want.

Don't look for the word tweet in the "New York Times" unless it is a story about birds. The popular term for a twitter message has been all but struck from the "Times" vocabulary. A memo from the "The New York Times" editor argues that tweet is jargon and sounds silly and should be avoided. The "Times" may succeed in keeping tweet out of the paper, but the term is already well-established as both a verb and a noun in regards to Twitter.

You know, out of the disastrous oil spill, a moment of laughter, a coffee spill in a conference room turns into an epic failure. We'll speak with the people behind this wickedly funny satire.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: You know, there is nothing funny about the oil spill disaster polluting the Gulf of Mexico. BP's efforts to fix it, however, have been a fodder for countless jokes. Take a look as a comedy troupe upright citizens brigade tackles the BP coffee spill.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED COMEDIAN: Best plan of action.

UNIDENTIFIED COMEDIAN: Yes. UNIDENTIFIED COMEDIAN: Great.

UNIDENTIFIED COMEDIAN: Don't worry about it. It's a small spill on a very large table.

UNIDENTIFIED COMEDIAN: Sir, I think we're underestimating just how much coffee was spilled.

UNIDENTIFIED COMEDIAN: Yes, that's a lot of coffee.

UNIDENTIFIED COMEDIAN: Well, we better hurry up because it's almost reached my laptop.

UNIDENTIFIED COMEDIAN: Calm down. Calm down.

UNIDENTIFIED COMEDIAN: It's also going to destroy all the fish.

UNIDENTIFIED COMEDIAN: Oh, boy. OK. Oh, look at that.

UNIDENTIFIED COMEDIAN: My god, it's encroaching on my map of Louisiana.

UNIDENTIFIED COMEDIAN: OK. I'm sorry. Oh, it's going over.

(CROSSTALK)

UNIDENTIFIED COMEDIAN: Map. Fish.

UNIDENTIFIED COMEDIAN: Laptop.

(CROSSTALK)

UNIDENTIFIED COMEDIAN: Wait, wait, wait! I've got a brilliant idea.

UNIDENTIFIED COMEDIAN: Oh.

UNIDENTIFIED COMEDIAN: OK. Jones, you've got to hurry up. I think the public is getting suspicious.

UNIDENTIFIED COMEDIAN: All set. Damn. Didn't work.

UNIDENTIFIED COMEDIAN: Ah.

(CROSSTALK)

UNIDENTIFIED COMEDIAN: Oh, my god. We are really screwed now.

UNIDENTIFIED COMEDIAN: Look. Garbage will fall into the coffee cups, stopping further spillage.

UNIDENTIFIED COMEDIAN: Now there's just coffee and garbage.

UNIDENTIFIED COMEDIAN: Wait. I've got an idea.

Damn. I really thought that would work. UNIDENTIFIED COMEDIAN: Well, maybe it doesn't work right away. Let's observe it for three hours and then reassess it.

UNIDENTIFIED COMEDIAN: OK.

We just wasted three hours.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Well, since that video was posted three days ago on YouTube, it has received some 2 million views making it an instant viral classic.

OK. So listen. Twitter is going crazy over the interview that we just conducted with Alvin Greene from South Carolina.

Someone writes, "That was just bizarre."

Someone says, "I think something is not right. South Carolinians are not this crazy. This doesn't make any sense. I thought he sounded bad. I really hope he is OK."

So people are going on and on talking about this interview. And I was worried that he didn't sound OK as well. I even ask him.

I'm Don Lemon from the CNN world headquarters in Atlanta. See you back here tomorrow at 6:00, 7:00 and 10:00 p.m. Eastern. Thanks for watching. Have a great evening, everyone.