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Emotionally Charged Debate, Tempers Flare over Proposed NYC Mosque at Ground Zero; Tea Party Racism?; BP Containment Cap Tests Delayed; Four New Orleans Police Indicted for Shootings After Hurricane Katrina; Mayor, Daughter Found Dead in Home; Proposal: Sex Ed For Kindergarten

Aired July 14, 2010 - 10:00   ET

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

DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: New York's Ground Zero, the site of the nation's deadly terrorist attack and sacred ground for many Americans, and many Americans are outraged that a Muslim mosque could be built near the gaping scar left behind by Islamic terrorists. It's an emotionally charged debate and tempers flared as city officials in New York wrestled with the issues.

CNN's Deborah Feyerick explains.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DANIA DARWISH, MOSQUE SUPPORTER: My family died that day.

DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It was a meeting filled with pain, sorrow and outright anger. Many came to say "no" to building a mosque near Ground Zero.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Have we forgotten what happened at 9/11?

FEYERICK: Others, like Dania Darwish, who lost an aunt and two friends on 9/11 came to say it's the right thing to do.

DARWISH: And all of you people here yelling at me don't even know, and maybe if a mosque were built then you guys would know what Islam was about.

FEYERICK: For three hours, tempers flared on both sides.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is a very carefully planned effort on the part of radical Islamists.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's called Islamophobia, pure and simple.

FEYERICK: New York City's landmark preservation commission took it all in as it considers the fate of this 19th century building two blocks from Ground Zero. If designated a landmark, the original building will remain. If not, American Muslim groups will tear it down and move ahead with plans to build an interfaith community center and mosque.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I do feel that it would be a terrible mistake to destroy a 154-year-old building in order to build a monument to terrorism.

FEYERICK: The meeting wasn't pretty as emotions boiled over.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Then I'm ashamed to be an American.

FEYERICK: a Muslim-American reminded the crowd people from many countries and religions died on 9/11.

RAFIK GATHWARI, MOSQUE SUPPORTER: If anyone has a doubt, this is my American passport.

FEYERICK: Rosaline T, heckled for opposing the mosque spoke on behalf of her brother, a firefighter who gave his life saving those in the towers.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm not racist, thank you!

FEYERICK: Some we suspicious of Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf, whose Cordoba initiative is behind the project. With one gubernatorial candidate even calling for an investigation into the $100 million center's funding.

RICK LAZIO (R), GUBERATORIAL CANDIDATE: And I would ask that again, in the context of this decision that you give people the time to have these questions answered.

FEYERICK: New York's Mayor Michael Bloomberg rejects that.

MICHAEL BLOOMBERG, MAYOR OF NEW YORK: Government should never, never be in the business of telling people how they should pray or where they can pray.

FEYERICK: Imam Feisal was out of the country and unavailable for comment, but his spokeswoman said the center would counter extremism by giving moderate Muslims a voice.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: That was CNN's Deborah Feyerick. Deborah, thank you for the story.

A vote is expected next month. New York is not alone. Around the country in places like Tennessee, Wisconsin, and Ohio, proposed mosques have also been met with great resistance. Clearly the mosque at Ground Zero is unique because so many people see the site as sacred ground.

Want to check your top stories right here on CNN. It's Day 86 of the Gulf of Mexico oil disaster. Tests have been delayed on a new containment cap for the ruptured oil well. A review of the testing procedure is now under way. There is hope the massive custom designed cap may seal the well completely.

Eight more U.S. troops have died in Afghanistan. Five were killed today in the southern part of that country, one in a bombing and others in a small arms attack. Three other troops were killed yesterday in an attack on a police base in Kandahar City. The death toll is on pace to match June, as the bloodiest month for coalition forces in the war.

Four New Orleans police officers and two police supervisors will face federal charges in shootings after Hurricane Katrina hit. An indictment says two shootings at the Danziger Bridge led to deaths of a teenager and a disabled man. An earlier investigation by the DA resulted in charges but no convictions.

This is the water cooler story of the day. The story that people are talking about around the country and will continue to talk about probably until November towards the elections. The nation's oldest and largest civil rights organization taking aim at the Tea Party. The NAACP passed a resolution condemning what it feels is rampant racism in that group. The NAACP points to several examples, one of them, accusations of racist signs that degrade President Obama at the Tea rallies. They also point to reports of Tea Party activists spitting on African-American congressman during the health care debate. The Tea Party is calling the allegations a lie and they're calling it divisive, as well.

Benjamin Todd Jealous is president of the NAACP. And Matt Kibbe is the president and CEO of FreedomWorks, a Tea Party affiliated organization.

Ben, I'll start with you. With staggering unemployment -- here's the question, poverty, crime, prison and so on in the African-American community. Why take on this issue? Why take on the Tea Party?

BENJAMIN TODD JEALOUS, PRESIDENT & CEO, NAACP: Well, you know, my speech was on those issues. We also called for people to be responsible. Look, the Tea Party has growing power, has growing influence in this country. Frankly they're growing much faster that Kibbe can control them. He helped start them, but his factions is now the second smallest of six factions in the Tea Party.

We've seen the signs. We've heard the report from Congress. We have, you know -- and what we haven't heard, you know, is them come out and say there's no place for bigotry in the Tea Party.

LEMON: And Ben, here's the thing though -- I understand what you're saying, and many people will say, why not let the administration handle that. Why not let the president, because it seems to be directed at the president when you see these things.

(CROSSTALK)

Because this is not the biggest issue that's facing the African- American community.

JEALOUS: Don, look. This is a serious issue. The issue of - if we're silent in these times when people call for violence and they call for hate, what we know happens is violence. We've seen it happen again and again in this country. We've seen a spike in hate crimes in this country. We've seen a spike in threats against members of the NAACP across this country. We have a role.

The last hundred years of standing up for justice and for unity in this country has taught us that when you see a party who gets up there and says, we aren't the racists, but then there's people making racist statements in the ranks, people out there with racist signs, people spitting on Congressman, you better stand up quickly.

LEMON: Ben, I want you to finish your point because I want to let Matt get in on this. I think you have some - listen, let me get Matt in, because I want to get as much time on this because a lot of people are talking about it.

Matt, you can't deny that supporters at some rallies are carrying degrading signs. We've seen them in the video, people have witnessed it, sometimes comparing the president to a monkey.

Does that not prove the NAACP's point here?

MATT KIBBE, PRESIDENT & CEO, FREEDOMWORKS: I just wish that Benjamin and the NAACP had invited us from Freedom Works to come over and talk about the Tea Party. As we understand it, they call out quote "racist Tea Party leaders," they call out my chairman Dick Armey by name --

LEMON: Matt, hang on. Answer the question for me. When you see the people -- as you're speaking, Matt -- hang on Ben and Matt. Hang on.

As we're speaking, we see the signs of the president in (INAUDIBLE). We see someone carrying a monkey.

So, Matt, again, does this not prove the NAACP's point?

KIBBE: Please go back to my April 15th speech on the Mall in front of the Washington Monument. We have always aggressively denounced racism, we've called it out. Whether it's Tea Party crashers from the left or members that attend our events. We don't tolerate it on our stage, we don't tolerate it in our audience, and the members of the Tea Party that I know have been very aggressive about denouncing it. But it's hard to --

LEMON: You can't control what everyone does at those rallies. But what about this billboard? It's paid for by a Tea Party group that's in Iowa, it's comparing President Barack Obama to Adolf Hitler and to Vladimir Lenin.

What do you say about that? That's not members. This is a sponsored billboard.

KIBBE: Well, I don't know who the group is. Is it bad taste or is it racism? You guys have to help me define it because the definition keeps changing. It's nothing that we would tolerate because this group is color blind. I'm telling you guys, we are a color blind organization that are worried about the policies that this country is pursuing and that this president is pursuing. And we have enough respect for this president to treat him exactly the same as we would treat anybody that proposes bad policy.

LEMON: Then real quickly, just a quick answer for me Matt, how then do you explain the lack of diversity in the Tea Party?

KIBBE: I don't think it's true. I think if you look at the Gallop Poll that came out in April, the Tea Party and Tea Party supporters very much represent the make-up of America, including black Americans.

LEMON: Yes. I'm not sure if that's so. But hang on. I want to get to Sarah Palin because she is - the Alaska governor, as you know is a Tea Party supporter. She appeared on FOX News saying that racial accusations are untrue.

Take a look at this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SARAH PALIN, FORMER GOVERNOR OF ALASKA: So, to be called a racist, yes, those over there on the left that are opposing the good message of Tea Party Americans are using this racism accusation in order to keep people away from, not only the movement, but keeping a wall built between what the message actually is and the American public that is today receiving that message very well.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: So, Ben, my question is, could this backfire on the NAACP, and fire up the Tea Party members even more?

JEALOUS: Don, the night before last when I got to give my speech, a black member of the Tea Party in Texas, came up, put his arm around me and said, thank you. He said, look, I know there's a place for me here at the NAACP, and right now there's a place for me in the Tea Party. But I'm feeling more and more uncomfortable and I appreciate you speaking for folks like me.

Kibbe was quick to come out and call us racist yesterday. We haven't called the Tea Party racist. I've said explicitly Dick Armey is not a racist. This isn't about any policy debate we've had with Dick Armey in the past. Our concern is that we haven't seen Dick Armey, and we haven't seen Kibbe, and we haven't seen the others come out and aggressively denounce people.

And frankly, we've seen them move a couple of signs. But we see Tea Party groups across this country, folks there holding up these signs and shaking them. And there's no sergeant at arms who goes, takes down the signs and escorts them, the way that we would do at our rally, somebody who showed up with that sort of foolishness.

Look, with increasing influence, comes increasing responsibility to act responsibly. You are irresponsible when you called us racists. We've never called you racists. That's a false debate. We have simply asked you to repudiate the racists in your midst and insist let this debate be about taxes and policy. Don't turn this into something that feels like the 1930s. LEMON: Ben, let Matt respond to that. Go ahead, Matt.

KIBBE: I don't think we've ever called you racist. What we're calling for is a colorblind society and a debate about issues.

JEALOUS: It was on NPR yesterday.

LEMON: Well, hang on, Matt. Here's what I have to say. You're calling for a colorblind society. When you say that, of course you see color. You see someone as a male, you see that someone is a female, someone has brown eyes, blue eyes. Everyone sees color. It just depends on what your perspective or prejudice is about that person. So, I'm not sure what you mean by a colorblind society.

KIBBE: I'm talking about judging people based on the content of their character. I thought that was the goal here.

And that's a better way of putting it. But a colorblind society, that makes everybody sort of appear the same, sort of homogenous way, and that is not what America is about.

But I interrupted you. Go ahead. I want you to finish your point of what Mr. Jealous said.

KIBBE: I think that the Tea Party is all about good public policy and I would like to just point out that there has been a new generation of African-American leaders that have taken to the Tea Party stage, and they've taken to congressional campaigns.

And I don't know how you can jibe the fact that the Tea Party is supposedly racist with the fact that Tim Scott wins in South Carolina, that Alan West is a Tea Party rock star, that the Reverend CL Byrant and Daneen Borelli are the most popular speakers at Tea Party events. And if we're all racists, how is it that these black leaders are taking the Tea Party by storm?

LEMON: That's going to have to be the last word. And that's not the end of this debate, at all. Not the end on CNN.

Ben, sorry to cut you off. Thank you both very much for joining us here on CNN, an interesting conversation.

KIBBE: Thank you, Don.

JEALOUS: Thank you.

LEMON: And it's going to continue.

Meantime, I want to tell you this. A new ABC/Washington Post poll asked whether racial prejudice against President Barack Obama plays a role in support of the Tea Party movement. 28 percent said a great or good deal; 21 said just some; and 43 percent said not at all.

200 million gallons are oil. It's a daunting cleanup task and just ahead, a look at a unique invention to try to tackle that problem. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

On this, the 86th day of the Gulf oil disaster, a growing sense of optimism takes a hit. Crucial tests were delayed to measure just how effective that new containment cap really is. Scientists for the oil giant say they're reviewing the procedures that would be used for those tests. There have been no details on the reason for this delay, but an informed source tells CNN there were quote "potential complications." That means the actual testing will not begin before sometime today at the very earliest.

And across the Gulf of Mexico, all eyes are on this latest effort to snuff out the flow of oil there. But no where are the moments really ticking by more slowly than at BP's command center in Houston, Texas. And that's where we find CNN's Brian Todd. He's there and he spoke with the government's point man on this crisis.

So, Brian, any sense of what's behind this latest delay?

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Don, what we're told is -- first, we can kind of tell you where we are in the process. What we're told by BP officials is that the team, the response team, and that means the incident command, BP officials and others are going to be meeting at midday today to decide the next steps in the operation.

You mentioned the delay in the well integrity tests. The sense that we're getting and what we're being told by BP officials is they are reviewing testing procedures. What they want to make sure is that they understand the readings that they're going to get on the pressure inside that well when the well integrity test goes on whenever that is.

And specifically what we're told is they're going to be a couple of different sets of readings that they're going to get that will tell them about the pressure and the pressure is key because if there is higher pressure, meaning about 9,000 pounds per square inch, maybe between 8,000 and 9,000 pounds per square inch, that's actually a good sign. That means that the well is strong enough to hold this new replacement cap and that they probably can keep that cap on there.

If there are lower pressure readings, and that means about 6,000 pounds per square inch or lower, that's not a good sign that means that the well could be leaking from another place and they may have to bring containment ships back to the surface and continue those siphoning operations.

But what they're trying to determine now is the readings between 6,000 and 9,000 pounds per square inch, what it's going to mean if they get certain readings in that range. What-they're trying to determine now what they're going to know about those readings and they want to know it before they go into the test. So it's a little technical, but they are trying to essentially just nail down everything that they're going to be told during the test before the test starts.

LEMON: All right thank you very much Brian Todd in Houston, Texas for us. And as BP tries to move closer to capping the leak, the focus will soon turn to cleaning up the oil currently that's already in the water.

Scientists estimate about 200 million gallons have spewed from the well so far and that number continues to increase each second. We have told you about the A whale and some other methods that officials are trying to use to remove the oil. Dr. Chandra Theegala says that he has a solution, a long term solution that is cost effective, it's also environmentally friendly, it is a skimmer but different than the ones currently in use.

And he joins us now to demonstrate his invention. Dr. thank you for joining us. So show us how this works.

CHANDRA THEEGALA, PROFESSOR, LSU: Okay. Go ahead and start the engine.

LEMON: So explain to us what is going on, doctor.

THEEGALA: What we have is like a skimmer. We are sucking oil and water from this tank here, and it separates water in this yellow pipe, and the oil will be coming here in the purple pipe and it works on very simple concept. The first principle being like a u-tube.

If you have two immiscible liquids in a u tube with oil on one side and water in the other side, the limb (ph) with the oil will stand up higher. That's the first principle. The second principle is like I'm using a special pump. If you were to use a regular centrifugal pump and you are taking the oil and water that' naturally separated in the ocean and send through a pump it, it emulsifies, once you make it emuls (ph)-and you're talking like hours and days for it to separate.

LEMON: How is this different than the A-whale, than the ships that are already, that are going to siphon the oil out of the water? How is this different?

THEEGALA: It is different because there is no centrifuge, and I could make it as big as I want, And it's very cost effective. I'm expecting it to be 50 to 100 times cheaper than any of the commercial unit's.

And it's basically a network of skimmers. I personally think as opposed to one single skimmer, this is analogous to like a super bee trying to collect honey from acres and flowers, what we need here is more mouths, we need hundreds of these skimmers and to try to collect all of the oil.

LEMON: Have you made the powers that be aware of what you're doing, this invention, and if so, what is the current status of the unit?

THEEGALA: The current status is we built this about a month ago, and we have been waiting for the permissions from the U.S. Coast Guard and BP to test this unit and waited for a month or so, made a complete unit and then I brought it back to the lab, and we are trying to do like a lab demonstration, and what you see here is like you have oil coming from the yellow pipe and -- water coming from the yellow pipe and oil coming from the purple pipe, and this like a total separation and it's almost like 99 percent efficient.

LEMON: Just about two-not even two minutes ago you started this up and you started explaining it to us, and we see that, that is you have oil and water mixed in that big bucket, there big barrel, and in the yellow pipe, that's water running out, and in the purple pipe you see the oil coming out, and it separates it just that quickly, so it's fast.

THEEGALA: It is fast. It's almost instant.

LEMON: Very interesting, doctor. Let us know what happens if you do get to use this device at all during this cleanup. But, you know, ingenuity.

THEEGALA: OK. Last week --

LEMON: I just like looking at this. How quickly did it take to you come up with this? How long was it?

THEEGALA: We took like eight days to build this but a commercial shop can probably do it in three days. We can have hundreds of these built locally in Louisiana, I mean even in Baton Rouge if we have to, I'm talking like within in a week's span. And these are extremely low cost. This whole thing right here is probably $7,000.

LEMON: Very interesting, Dr. Theegala, thank you so much OK?.

THEEGALA: OK, you're welcome. Thanks for having me on the show.

LEMON: All right, a drug for diabetics is the subject of a government hearing right now. Today we could learn in if the FDA thinks Avandia should stay or go.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Want to check your top stories right now on CNN, it's day 86 of the Gulf of Mexico oil disaster. Tests have been delayed on the new containment cap for the ruptured oil well.

A review of the testing procedure now under way. There's hope the massive custom designed cap will be able to seal the well completely.

A Los Angeles airport police union says cutbacks have left LAX vulnerable to terrorist attack. A study found the three most likely attacks scenarios are a truck bomb, a curbside car bomb and a luggage bomb.

The airport director rejected the union claim, saying the police budget has been increased and calling LAX. one of the safest airports in the world.

And the latest Gaza bound aid ship trying to breach an Israeli blockade is veering from conflict. Bolivian backed shipped is apparently heading toward an Egyptian port. An Egyptian official says the ship is having engine trouble, but has not yet requested permission to dock. Is the diabetes drug Avandia safe? That is a question the FDA debating again right now. Critics say Avandia increases the risk of heart attack, stroke or premature death and should be pulled off the market. Drug maker GlaxoSmithKline did its own study and said Avandia is safe. An FDA scientist says don't trust it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There is a grade a symmetry in the way the agency handle safety and efficacy. .If the record trial was a study to get registration of the drug to get approval of rosigltisone (ph) for some indication, it wouldn't even be presented, you wouldn't even hear about it because it's garbage for approval.

So why would we consider using record that would be garbage for approval as being something that's so perfect so holy that it could exonerate a drug or that it can actually be used to establish that it's safe?

I just---that asymmetry does not protect public health. And so I personally believe that everything we have seen up to now, talking about record, is as Dr. Marciniak (ph) said, you can't trust it. And if we do trust it, we are engaging in the willing suspension of disbelief.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: The FDA panel could vote today on a recommendation

It's been almost five years since Katrina brought chaos to New Orleans. One of the many stories to come out of that disaster was the infamous Danziger Bridge killings. Where police were accused of killing two unarmed people.

The Feds are now going after the cops they say pulled the trigger and the ones they say covered the whole thing up. We're taking a closer look next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: The federal government is now going after six members of the New Orleans police department for a deadly incident that happened days after Hurricane Katrina. An indictment claims four officers shot and killed two people on the city's Danziger Bridge, a teenager and a 40- year-old disabled man, neither of them armed. Two police supervisors are accused of covering up, the whole thing. Attorney General Eric Holder says the New Orleans PD has a long way to go to win back the public's trust.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ERIC HOLDER, ATTORNEY GENERAL: We will not tolerate wrongdoing by those who are sworn to protect the public. This will not stand.

KEVIN PERKINS, FBI SPECIAL AGENT: These police officers took oaths to protect the citizens of New Orleans, and instead, as alleged in the indictment, they killed two people and wounded four others.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Well, this could become a death penalty case. The first investigation into the so-called Danziger Bridge killings did lead to charges but no convictions. Drew Griffin, CNN special investigation unit, started to asking questions about this case right after it happened. His reporting led to the investigations. He had the chance to talk with one victim's family, a witness, and the city's police department to try and figure out what really happened on the Danziger bridge that day, September 4th, five years ago.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DREW GRIFFIN, CNN INVESTIGATIVE UNIT CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Chaos engulfing New Orleans that Lance Madison and his mentally handicapped brother, Ronald, fleeing floodwaters ran head on into what's become known as the Danziger bridge killings.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'd say he was shot right up in here. Right here. And we kept running up the bridge here, trying to go zigzag so they wouldn't hit us.

GRIFFIN: Crossing the bridge, they suddenly found themselves being shot at by armed men dressed in T-shirts driving a postal truck. What they didn't know was the armed men were actually police who thought they were coming to the rescue. There'd been a frantic radio call that Sunday morning. it was reporting police under fire, contractors being shot at on this bridge.

GRIFFIN (on-camera): It turns out it was all just one big mistake in the chaos after Katrina. Some would say it was based on lies. There were no contractors under fire on this bridge. Police never found anybody with a gun.

GRIFFIN (voice-over): What they did find was a man running away from them down this bridge. They chased him, shot him and killed him. Two people were killed that day. Ronald Madison was one of them. Another four were wounded. The seven police officers involved have always said the shooting was justified, and the New Orleans police department, which investigated itself, agreed.

PETER SCHARF, TULANE UNIV. CRIMINOLOGY PROFESSOR: The more critical question is not the seven guys on the bridge, but can this police department investigate itself?

GRIFFIN: Police say they fired in self-defense when Madison reached for his waist and turned on them, but CNN has been uncovering details that raise doubts. An autopsy revealing Madison was shot in the back. Lack of any evidence Madison was ever armed and finding a witness who said he saw officers line up and gun down a man running away.

KASIMIR GASTON, WITNESS: With all motion, moving, and just --

GRIFFIN: And then how did he fall? GASTON: He just fell like he was collapsing, like he was collapsing. Like something had just like wiped him out.

GRIFFIN: You didn't see any gun on him?

GASTON: I didn't see any on him.

GRIFFIN: Seven police officers cheered as heroes by their colleagues were indicted for the murder and attempted murder of Ronald Madison, but the case was thrown out on a technicality.

You believe these officers did nothing wrong, that there was no crime or even misconduct on that bridge?

MICHAEL GLASSER, POLICE ASSN. OF NEW ORLEANS: None whatsoever. We're confident that these officers acted appropriately, in fact, heroically and we're certain that this investigation will have the same conclusion as the last one. That they did, in fact, act appropriately and heroically.

GRIFFIN: Rommell Madison says in the aftermath of Katrina, the police force did what it wanted.

Of all the victims of hurricane Katrina, your brother among them, was justice and the rule of law also a victim in this town?

ROMMELL MADISON, BROTHER KILLED SHOOTINGS: Yes. They were just as badly wounded as my brother was because it just doesn't exit.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: That was CNN's drew griffin reporting. If the cops are convicted in the killings, they could face the death penalty.

We have news across the country right now this morning, police in a Dallas suburb are working an unusual case. The mayor of Coppell, Texas, Jayne Peters, and her 19-year-old daughter were found dead in their home. Both of them had gunshot wounds to the head, and there was no indication that anyone had broken into the house. Police went to the house after Mayor Peters didn't show up for a city council meeting.

The thin boo (ph) line is getting stretched even thinner in Oakland, California. Eighty police officers are losing their jobs after negotiations between city officials and union leaders broke down. Police say it is a top bow (ph) for the force which is still reeling from a shooting deaths of several officers last year.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DOMINIQUE AROTZARENA, OAKLAND POLICE OFFICERS ASSOCIATION: Losing four officers last year was a shock to us all, and we haven't really recovered from that yet, and now, we're losing another 80 officers this year. Not by the hand of a gun, but by the hand of a pen.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: The big sticking points in the talks, job security and pensions.

A big crowd jammed a school board meeting in Helena, Montana, where the board is debating whether to start teaching sex ed in kindergarten. The curriculum draft proposal outlines a plan to teach 5 and 6-year-olds the proper names for reproductive body parts. By first grade, students would learn about love between people of the same gender, and by fifth grade, they'd be taught about different types of intercourse. Supporters and opponents of the plan, of course, are sounding off.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm against all of that. It's not up to the school. It's up to the parents to teach in the way that they deem proper.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That they're willing to put the education of kids firs. They're willing to put the safety and health of kids first and go through this process over a two-year period to use research and evidence based practices from around the country and defend it. I'm proud of them.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: The school board says it will continue to take public comments until it votes on the curriculum next month. Stay tune.

Six months after an earthquake left much of Haiti in ruins, we wanted to update you on a story of hope. What happened to those orphans who were brought to the U.S. in those first days of this disaster? One family shares its story.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: This week, we have revisited Haiti six months after a powerful earthquake left much of the capital in rubble. Tents still house many of the 1.5 million people who lost their homes. But you may remember these images of hope, 54 orphans were plucked from the despair and put aboard a plane for a new life right here in the United States.

We want to introduce you to one couple that opened their homes and their heart. Sam and Dianne McMutrie. They raised three children who had grown up and moved away. Now, they're in the process of adopting four-year-old, Fredo. CNN's All Platform journalist, Sarah Hoye, shows us how all of them are adjusting to their new lives.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED KID: Mom -- that's me right here.

DIANE MCMUTRIE, FREDO'S ADOPTIVE MOM: In so many ways, he's changed us. I'm glad that he's here. I'm glad that we can make a difference in his life, but he makes us smile every day. He makes us laugh. He says the cutest things. And he is just now the love of our life.

SAM MCMUTRIE, FREDO'S ADOPTIVE DAD: I don't consider ourselves special, though. We just happen to be adopting a Haitian boy who our daughters love and thought it would be great for us.

UNIDENTIFIED KID: There's Jenny -- yes and that's Ali.

DIANE MCMUTRIE: Had you said no to that a year ago, you wouldn't be enjoying what we're enjoying now. We want him to be able to go back there as a child and just stay in touch with who he is, who his family -- you know, who his immediate family, but then, also just the people of Haiti as his family.

SAM MCMUTRIE: Going forward with Fredo, we're just going to be completely honest with him. He's going to know about his mom who's still in Haiti. He's going to know about his siblings. You know, it's going to be very open with him.

DIANE MCMUTRIE: I want him to feel like he's just another kid, you know, like there's no difference and we love him because of who he is, and not, you know, anything with color or race. We already told his mom that when he's old enough, and he wants to go back to Haiti, if that happens, that we would not hold onto him, that we want him to be able to have whatever it is he wants. I just know that we'll do what we can for him and then when the time comes, we'll let him make his decisions.

Good one! Are you all right?

UNIDENTIFIED KID: Yes.

DIANE MCMUTRIE: OK. Good.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: Sweet story.

Time now to check your top stories right here on CNN.

On day 86 of the Gulf oil disaster, tests have been delayed on the new containment cap for the ruptured oil well. A review of the testing procedure is now under way. There is hope that the massive custom designed cap may be able to seal the well completely.

A big win for television and radio broadcasters. A federal appeals court has struck down the FCC's indecency ban. The court says a longstanding rules are unconstitutional and go too far. FCC commissioner, Michael Copps, called the decision quote, "anti-family."

Major league baseball all-stars pause to honor George Steinbrenner last night. Heads were bowed for a moment of silence at the mid season classis in Anaheim, California. Steinbrenner, the legendary owner of the New York Yankees died of a massive heart attack yesterday at the age of 80. Well, Steinbrenner was known as the boss, and he was known as the boss for a reason. His players will tell you he ran a very tight ship, and in a sentimental punch line, Jay Leno says Steinbrenner is not finished calling his shots yet.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAY LENO, HOST: Sad that day for baseball. The Yankee owner, George Steinbrenner, passed away today at the age of 80. We had him on the show one time. He was a tough guy. In fact, within hours of entering heaven, he fired God and told Jesus, lose the beard.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Next, a story of redemption and rebound, really. Fathers are rebuilding their lives after nearly losing it all. Here's CNN's Deborah Feyerick. She explains in today's building up America.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): 57-year-old Dawud Ward is the first to admit he wasted 30 years of his life on drugs and in jail.

DAWUD WARD, PARTICIPANT, FATHERS NOW: I had nowhere to go.

FEYERICK: Two years ago, he hit bottom.

At that moment, if somebody had come to you and leaned over and said, you're going to be a teacher, what would have you said at that moment?

WARD: No, I wouldn't have believed it.

FEYERICK: And now, I mean, you light up when you talk about being a teacher.

WARD: It's possible. Yes. I'm able to dream again.

FEYERICK: It was one of those moments fate plays a hand. He saw a sign for Fathers now, a nonprofit group in New Jersey helping men turn around their lives, teaching them how to get jobs and be good parents.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is Jason Murphy. He's one of our best graduates.

FEYERICK: Program case manager, John Leslie, can relate to his students. Drug, prison, the hope of redemption.

Is this about giving people another chance? Is this about giving people a first chance? Or is this about what that sign says, we want our men back?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's basically that. It's basically about family reunification, and we want our men back.

FEYERICK: 90% of those in the Fathers Now program are ex-cons. It's not a requirement, just a reality. Out of the 110 guys who applied last semester, only 32 graduated. The majority quit even before classes started.

At what point does a man decide enough, I want to starts living my life in a positive way, the way you did the way these other men are doing?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's a different point for every person. You know, everybody hits bottom, you know, and you got to know when your bottom comes.

FEYERICK: For 23-year-old Steven Ziemlinski, an ex-marine and now aspiring tattoo artist, it was when he found himself fleeing from police over what he thought was a suspended drivers license. The course was a condition and probation.

STEVEN ZIEMLINSKI, PARTICIPANT FATHERS NOW: It made me realize that a lot of people have it a lot worse off than I imagine myself having it because, I mean, it was a perspective (ph).

FEYERICK: Steve's daughter became the star of the class filled with men like Keith Harrell. After 30 years as a self-described street thug, he now has a part time job and is trying to be more of a dad to his six kids, inspired by son Shaquan, now a college junior.

KEITH HARRELL, PARTICIPANT, FATHERS NOW: There are my reason for wanting to do better or focusing on doing better.

FEYERICK: Do you judge your dad for the kind of life he lived?

SHAQUAN BAKER, KEITH HARRELL'S SON: Not at all. I like to think that every mistake kind of makes you stronger.

FEYERICK: Do you ever see yourself going back to the life you were living?

HARRELL: No.

FEYERICK: Because why?

HARRELL: I have too much to lose.

FEYERICK: Deborah Feyerick, CNN, Newark, New Jersey.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: Nice.

Beautiful people, beautiful babies. A sperm bank for only the world's prettiest? They only let the prettiest subscribe to the sperm bank. It could happen, thanks to a website that's making some waves.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) LEMON: Now for the time in our show when we honor one of America's fallen heroes in Iraq or Afghanistan. We call it "Home and Away." And we'll tell you how you can be a part of it in just a minute. Right now though, we want to lift up Staff Sergeant David Bullard from Marion, South Carolina. He was killed when his unit came under fire in Afghanistan in October of 2007. His grandmother told us that David came home just weeks before that for the birth of his son. And here's what else she said about David.

"He made a difference in all of our lives," she said. "He was a good son to his parents. He never gave our family a minute's worry. He believed in doing the right thing. He was so special. He spent every Friday night with his granddaddy and me. And we loved to go ton trips together. He flew out west with more for many of my class reunions. Just always the life of the party."

If you have a loved one who made the ultimate sacrifice, we want to hear from you here at CNN. Go to our website at CNN.com/homeandaway. Put your service member's name and upper right search field and then pull up the profile there and send us thoughts and pictures. We love getting pictures, and we'll keep the memories alive.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Oh, good times. Remember that song? Pretty soon, though, the very name YMCA will be as old school as the Village People. That's the Village People? Couldn't help but bring back the video as we report this story. It's always fun to see that. the YMCA -- Tony is dancing over there, by the way. The YMCA is dropping the last three letters from its official name.

The Young Men's Christian Organization is now officially calling itself the Y. You've been doing it for years, right? One official tells "New York Times" that it's warmer and more welcoming to call yourself what everybody else calls you anyway, right?. So, the Y joins KFC, the Shaq, and FedEx in the abbreviation club. Hey, what about CNN? Cable News Network, we're in the abbreviation club as well.

OK. You know, the world's super rich have their own exclusive clubs in places they socialize, and online, the super hot have their own special place to meet each other, swap telephone numbers and even genes. Not blue jeans but genes. CNN.com Poppy Harlow takes us there. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

POPPY HARLOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): There are dating sites and then there is beautifulpeople.com.

GREG HODGE, MANAGING DIRECTOR, BEAUTIFULPEOPLE.COM: Men bless us. We vote women solely on how they look. Men are dogs.

HARLOW: That's right. It's a website where members vote in new members based just on their looks. HODGE: All beautiful people does do is remove the first hurdle.

HARLOW: Which is?

HODGE: Attraction.

HARLOW: To date, some 5.8 million people have been rejected, and the company raised eyebrows last year when it allowed members to vote people off the site for putting on too many pounds over the holidays. It's latest offering, however, may put that to shame.

A sperm bank?

HODGE: We like to call it a fertility forum.

HARLOW: No, it's not a joke.

HODGE: Since going global in 2009, we've been receiving numerous requests from fertility clinics to advertise on our website to try to secure our member's genetic donation.

HARLOW: shocking or just the next step in digitally enhanced nation selection. Hodge sees it as filling a need created by poor government regulation and prospective parents who want to but can't have their own babies.

HODGE: If you are in the unfortunate position as a couple unable to conceive a child, you are going to want to secure every advantage for that child. Like it or not, attractiveness is an advantage in our day and age.

HARLOW: The company says it doesn't make any money off the fertility forum, but it is a way to attract new members. Angela is one of the site's 650,000 members who pay an annual fee of up to nearly $500 to be listed.

ANGELA BATES, MEMBER, BEAUTIFULPEOPLE.COM: I think being attractive as you grow older helps you so much in the long run, I mean, with jobs, with life in general. I think it actually is helpful. Whether the baby will actually turn out attractive or not, I mean, it's a crap shoot. It's like anything else.

HARLOW: Some critics call it a publicity stunt. Folks we talked to on the street have their own opinions.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think it speaks to the decline of our society and what we value.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think it's an absolutely ridiculous idea.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's a great website. If I donate my ray z (ph) sperm, everything should work out.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't see the problem with it. I mean, hell, you want to have a beautiful kid, don't you?

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: The beautiful Poppy Harlow joins us now from New York. So, Poppy, besides Tony Harris who's coming up next, very beautiful person, who's joining beautifulpeople.com.

HARLOW (on-camera): You're already a member, Don. I saw you on there -- I'm kidding, folks. You know, people they pay $500 a year almost to be a part of this, and I asked who are the members. They say lawyers, doctors, firemen, you name it. There are folks on this site up to 75 years old. So, you're never really too old for this. And you know, it's so controversial, Don, especially with the sperm bank, they've gotten death threats. They don't care. They're plowing ahead, and get this, they're planning a reality show.

LEMON: Yes, I wondered how they figured out because beauty is in the eye. That's what we've always been taught, Poppy.

HARLOW: The beholder, far deeper than the surface. It is. It is.

LEMON: Interesting story, though, Poppy. Thank you. Good to see you.

HARLOW: You got it.

LEMON: And speaking of beautiful people, that's what I'm talking about, Tony Harris continues with more of the CNN newsroom. Tony, you're beautiful, man!

TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Yes, sir. Yes, sir. I am beautiful. Don, have a great day. Good to see you.

LEMON: You too.