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Manhunt in Yellowstone National Park; Medical Mission Ends in Death; "For-Profit" Schools Under Fire; Man Behind the Mosque
Aired August 08, 2010 - 22:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Tonight, everything you need to know for your week ahead, including a CNN exclusive. The man behind a proposed mosque near ground zero that's prompted nationwide outrage tells CNN why he chose that particular site and what he plans to do next.
A competition gone terribly wrong when a man is literally cooked to death. Another man shaking and bleeding is rushed to the hospital. What happened?
And Usher, Justin Bieber, Bill Clinton, teaming up to help your kids. My one-on-one interview.
But our lead story tonight. More than 3 million people visit Yellowstone National Park each year and right now, two suspected killers could be among them. An intense manhunt for a prison escapee John McCluskey and Tracy Province is going on at this hour, in and around the family vacation spot. A female accomplice may be with the fugitives. Both men are considered armed and extremely dangerous. They've been on the lam since fleeing an Arizona prison July 30th. U.S. Marshals say Province and McCluskey have white supremacist leanings and may be searching out fellow sympathizers. A third escapee was recaptured in Colorado last week.
Under arrest, McCluskey's 68-year-old mother. She faces charges of helping her son escape. The fugitives may have left a trail of blood as well. Police say an Oklahoma couple was found murdered in New Mexico on Wednesday. Their camper and bodies burned.
Tracking the escapees is no easy task. Yellowstone Park is over 3,400 square miles. I want you to take a listen to what police and a security expert told me earlier about this investigation.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MAJOR ROBERT SHILLING, NEW MEXICO STATE POLICE: Yellowstone included, but anywhere else in the southwest, we're telling people that, you know, please be aware of your surroundings. And if you see anything that may be remotely associated with this investigation and with these three individuals on the run to call their local law enforcement. We're extremely concerned about the continued threat to public safety that these three pose.
LOU PALUMBO, DIRECTOR, ELITE GROUP: Part of the methodology, the mechanism I would implement if I was in law enforcement leading this, I'd call on the resources of the National Guard.
If I really thought that there was a significant amount of information supporting their presence in Yellowstone, for example, I would bring in the National Guard, spearheaded by the U.S. Marshals, augmented by the local jurisdictions. And I would just saturate that place and literally do tent by tent searches because there are people, as you know, who are in there in campers, who are in there in tents. They are out there trying to enjoy outdoor life. I mean, they really need to saturate this region at this point with as much resource or assets as they possibly can.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: And marshals believe it is possible that McCluskey and Province have split up.
U.S. officials have condemned the brutal attack on a group of international medical workers in Afghanistan. Ten people were shot and killed last Thursday, including six Americans. Well, Taliban claimed responsibility. The victims' bodies have been returned to Kabul. CNN's senior correspondent Allan Chernoff has more on team leader Tom Little and the family and friends he left behind.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
REV. STAN KEY, LONDONVILLE COMMUNITY CHURCH: Tom Little stood right here four Sundays ago and he told us about this trip. And then we were here and he said, "Please pray, there's dangers."
ALLAN CHERNOFF, CNN SENIOR CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Optometrist Tom Little knew he was living a life of danger. But it was to do God's work, he passionately believed.
KEY: A lot of us talk the gospel. But few people live the gospel. And Tom lived it.
CHERNOFF: For 33 years he lived it. He and his wife Libby raised their three daughters in Afghanistan so Tom could provide eye Care to the Afghans for free.
LIBBY LITTLE, WIFE OF SLAIN AID WORKER: There was danger. There's been danger at times we have seen along the way. But it really was what we thought God wanted us to do. And we -- I felt it was a privilege to and it was a joy to be doing what we're supposed to do.
CHERNOFF: To provide eye care in Afghanistan, where it is badly needed, the Littles endured rocket attacks during wartime and numerous hostile encounters.
LITTLE: We've often just stopped everything when they've held us sort of hostage, saying we're not going to let you go any -- any further. Then we'll do -- we'll do eye care on them. Or serve them. That's ok. Then they'd let us go.
CHERNOFF: But after surviving close calls for three decades, Tom Little was shot and killed Thursday along with nine other aid workers, an attack for which the Taliban has claimed responsibility.
KEY: It was an act of evil in its rawest ugliest form.
CHERNOFF: Even in the face of such brutality, Libby and her friends say Tom's murder was not in vain.
TOM HALE, FRIEND OF SLAIN AID WORKER: I think it is going to inspire more people -- more people who are on the fence -- more people who realize that staying in a nice comfortable position in America is perhaps not what God wants them to do.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: CNN's Allan Chernoff joins us now live. Allan, any evidence of proselytizing as a Taliban claim?
CHERNOFF: No, not at all. Libby says they absolutely did not proselytize. They did not give out Bibles. Yes, they were working for a Christian organization. But that's it. It was no proselytizing.
LEMON: Did Tom Little intend to remain there for 33 years? That's an exceptional amount of time, even, you know, to spend giving aid.
CHERNOFF: Yes, that really stands out. He and Libby actually went there when they were quite young, expecting to spend two years there. And she says there never was a good time to leave. Now consider that was during a time of war over those 33 years, yet they stuck it out. They felt this is where they were intended to be. Yes, they do have a home that they keep in upstate New York, but they really were living in Afghanistan for most of that time.
LEMON: All right. Sad story. Senior correspondent Allan Chernoff. Thank you, Allan.
A federal probe of for-profit colleges. The investigation was caught on undercover videotape. And we've got the tapes -- next.
Also --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, no. Oh, no, no, no, no, no.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: You're not going to believe this video. Take a look at this. This gives the term, "a little too close for comfort" a whole new meaning. And would you believe this is just one two of incredible twisters caught on tape.
And vampire novelist Anne Rice announced on Facebook this week that she is quitting a, quote, "quarrelsome, hostile, disputation and deservedly infamous group." What group could she possibly be talking about? Would you believe Christianity? My interview with her straight ahead.
And don't just sit there. Make sure you become part of the show. Send me a message on Twitter or Facebook. Check out my blog on CNN.com/Don. We're also on FourSquare.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: High pressure sales, exaggerated value, sometimes outright fraud. You might expect that from a shady car dealer, not when you are applying for school. But 15 for-profit colleges are under fire for their recruiting tactics. These are well-known corporate-run schools like the University of Phoenix, Kaplan College and Everest College. Undercover investigators from the Government Accountability Office visited each of them and they brought hidden cameras.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A lot of people have student loans --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: -- but the best thing about it, it's like a car note, where if you don't pay they're going to come after you.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You got to look at it -- I owe $85,000 to the University of Florida. Will I pay it back? Probably not.
I look at life a little differently than most people. I look at life as tomorrow's never promised.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm not signing up for the school right now?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, you are actually reserving your seat.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I really need to see -- figure out, the money thing first, I was hoping I could talk to the financial people first.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No, they won't even let you back there.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK, but here's the thing. You are not a financial aid expert.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, that's why we want to talk to someone, before we sign anything.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You owe it to yourself, finish your paperwork, apply to the school. This is your admission and application process. No one here has not gone to school because of financial aid.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Don't you be the first.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) LEMON: There you saw it. Potential students apparently talked into getting loans they don't need. Promised job opportunities they won't be qualified for and encouraged to lie on financial aid forms.
Harris Miller is the president and CEO of the Career College Association which represents more than half of the schools cited in this investigation. And he promises this kind of thing will not continue.
HARRIS MILLER, PRESIDENT & CEO CAREER COLLEGE ASSOCIATION: We can't defend the indefensible. It is critically important that every perspective student be given total accurate and full information about the programs, about the financial aid.
And I was extremely disturbed, as was my board of directors and my members about what we saw in the hearing on Wednesday. And changes are going to happen.
LEMON: OK, changes like?
MILLER: We need to come up with a standardized form that every school agrees to use to present to the student where they go through in a checklist item by item and making sure that the student understands all of his or her rights, understands exactly the program they're signing up for. Understands the cost of the program, understands the cost of all the loans and the repayment, and no student walks away before making enrollment decision without being as fully informed as he or she could possibly be.
What we have here, Don, is a great set of schools offering great benefits. But if it's perceived that students are being subjected to high-pressure tactics or not being given the accurate and complete information, then people are going to question the value to these students.
LEMON: Well, here -- and here's the thing. And real quickly if you can answer have all, have you -- you said you're going to do the standardized forms. All of the schools agreed to do this. This is going to protocol at every one of those schools.
MILLER: Absolutely --
LEMON: OK.
MILLER: -- we have to make changes.
LEMON: OK.
(CROSSTALK)
MILLER: But the current system just isn't working.
LEMON: I want to show you, Harris, a few tuition comparisons from the GAO's report and I want to get your response to this.
To get a certificate in computer aided drafting -- in computer aided drafting for instance, it will -- it will cost you nearly $14,000.
That's at a "for-profit" school, one for a "for-profit" in California and only $520 at a nearby public college. Don't you think that's outrageous when you compare that?
MILLER: What that doesn't talk about Don, is the fact that every California citizen is paying taxes to subsidize those students at those public colleges and universities. It's $10,000 per students.
The other thing it doesn't talk about --
(CROSSTALK)
LEMON: But the difference between $13,000 and $520 or the difference between -- what is that $13,400 -- I mean, that's a huge difference; no one is paying that much taxes.
MILLER: And they are. That's exactly the point. The other point, they don't talk about in the report Don is unfortunately the graduation rate from our community colleges across the country is about 22 percent, whereas from our colleges with exactly the same demographics, the graduation rate is closer to 62 percent.
So if you talk about return on investment, it's actually a good return on investment for people in the public to allow students to have the choice whether to go to a community college or traditional college or to a career college.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: And straight ahead here on CNN, the man behind the proposed mosque at ground zero.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is not about the World Trade Center. This is not about -- this is not about a particular location.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
The developer speaks out about the firestorm the mosque plan has created.
But first -- two big political names are soaking up the sun and heat right here in Georgia trying to sway the voters before a big run- off election on Tuesday.
And we'll tell you why President Obama is heading to Texas.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Tomorrow kicks off a very busy week in politics, and we have the information you need to know. Our deputy political director Paul Steinhauser is on the road in Colorado with a preview.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN DEPUTY POLITICAL DIRECTOR: Hey, Don. I'm with the CNN Express. I got to tell you. We have a real busy political week ahead. Let's start your way in Atlanta, where Sarah Palin will be there tomorrow. She's campaigning for one of the two Republican governors' candidates. They're battling in a primary run- off election on Tuesday.
Also Monday, keep an eye on President Barack Obama. He's going to be in Texas. He's going to be helping his party, the Democratic Party, of course, raise some big bucks.
On Tuesday, big primaries right here in Colorado. That's why we're here with the Express. We're heading to Denver. Keep an eye on the Democratic and Republican Senate battles. Their nomination battles.
And also a tough Republican gubernatorial battle as well. Also, we're holding primaries on Tuesday -- Minnesota and Connecticut.
And finally Tuesday, the former president will be on the campaign trail. He's going to be in Pennsylvania helping the Democratic Senate nominee there stump.
Don, like I said, a busy political week ahead.
LEMON: All right, Paul, thank you very much.
Let's head now to Washington. Our senior political editor Mark Preston spoke with Republican Party chairman Michael Steele this week at the RNC gathering in Kansas City.
Mark, Michael Steele has had his problems with the party faithful. That's no secret. He told you he's not worried about what he called the noise of midsummer, but what about his future?
Is he going to run for another term as party leader?
MARK PRESTON, CNN POLITICAL EDITOR: Well, Don, that is a really big question. You know, Michael Steele has come under a lot of criticism for his stewardship of the committee. People don't think he's been a very great leader. Also, they don't think he's raised enough money. And of course our viewers know he's made a lot of gaffes and misstatements. You know, I posed that question to him in Kansas City on Friday, Don. Will you seek another term? This is what he had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PRESTON: It sounded like you were going to run for a second term. I mean you were very --
MICHAEL STEELE, REPUBLICAN PARTY CHAIRMAN: Oh my goodness. Can I -- can we get through -- can we finish this one first?
PRESTON: So you are -- you're thinking of running for a second term? STEELE: You know what I'm thinking about right now? Lunch.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PRESTON: There you go, Don. Of course, at that time he was thinking about trying to get a sandwich. It had been a long day for him on Friday. He's also trying to steer the conversation towards the 2010 midterm elections, Don. But you know he also got a very big boost. Michael Steele under a lot of criticism from many in the GOP. Sarah Palin has put a fundraising letter out on his behalf. Very, very big move. Sarah Palin weighing in even more so in the midterm elections -- Don.
LEMON: I was just going to say, that was a good deflection, around lunchtime. What can I do? Oh, yes, I got to go get a sandwich, I'm hungry.
All right, let's talk about the Democrats, Mark. They have worries of their own, right? How are things looking for them in November?
PRESTON: Well, Don, you know, the Democrats have the money, but the Republican Party seems to have the momentum right now. Democrats right now, Don, are telling me that they are bracing to lose at least 25 seats in the House. For Republicans to take the house majority, they need about 40, 41, 42 seats, perhaps 43. So Republicans are very well within striking distance. And that's very alarming right now to Democrats especially because President Obama's approval rating, Don, is below 50 percent.
In the Senate, Republicans are very likely to pick up seats as well. Right now it doesn't look like that they will make enough gains to take back the majority in that chamber, Don.
LEMON: Mark Preston, thank you very much. We'll see you next week, sir.
PRESTON: Take care, sir. Thanks.
LEMON: A contestant burned to death at the World Sauna Championships. We're looking at the effect extreme heat can have on you.
Plus, author Anne Rice as she is quitting Christianity but not Christ.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANNE RICE, AUTHOR: What I can't find in Scripture after 12 years of study, I can't find in the Scripture any basis for many of the things that organized religion does today. I can't connect them back to Christ.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: More of my interview with her straight ahead. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Checking some of our top stories this hour.
(VIDEO CLIP)
It was a clash of blue against blue in Juarez, Mexico, ending with several officers getting hurt. Local media say 200 heavily armed federal officers gathered to protest a commander of the federal police force saying he was working with drug cartels. The commander's supporters defended him. Mexican authorities say they have suspended four federal police commanders, but it is not known if the commander in question is one of them.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, it hit that -- Oh, no. Oh no, no, no, no.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Oh, no is right. A storm chaser caught this very dramatic video of a tornado that touched down late yesterday afternoon in Wilkin County, Minnesota.
As you can see there, it literally sucked those farm buildings into the air. We're told the farmer and his family weren't home at the time. That storm was part of a severe weather system that produced at least three tornadoes in Minnesota and North Dakota yesterday.
Here's video of some of the others. The twister touched down in southeastern North Dakota. Weather experts say it's rare. This tornado stayed on the ground for about 30 minutes. One north Dakota farm was destroyed but nobody was seriously injured.
It is just what fire-plagued Russia doesn't need. Nearly 300 more wildfires have cropped up in the drought-plagued country in the past 24 hours. According to the emergency ministries, more than 500 wildfires are raging. At least 52 people have been killed and dozens are hospitalized. Adding to the woes, Moscow is choking in intense fog that have stranded hundreds of air passengers.
President Barack Obama has had the White House to himself for the last few days. The First Lady and the girls away on trips. And he's had what he jokingly called a real bachelor's weekend playing golf, grilling on the south lawn and hooping it up with some NBA greats. It must be nice.
Here he is with Chicago Bulls players Joakim Noah and also Derrick Rose there in the photograph. They joined the president along with players like Lebron James, Dwyane Wade and Magic Johnson on the court at Ft. McNair.
Did we get a score? They all went head-to-head in front of an audience of wounded servicemen. A battle pitting religious freedoms against emotions still raw from 9/11. Divisions over the plan to build a mosque two blocks from ground zero are spreading well beyond New York City. There's no shortage of this voice in this debate. But what about the developer at the center of it all? Sharif el-Gamal. He tells our very own Allan Chernoff exclusively why he is so driven by this project.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHERNOFF (on camera): If what you have in mind is building bridges, interfaith dialogue, then why not have the center a little further away from the World Trade Center? Instead of just two blocks right there. There probably wouldn't be much opposition if you were further away.
SHARIF EL-GAMAL, DEVELOPS BEHIND MOSQUE PROPOSAL: You know, this is not about the World Trade Center. This is not about a particular location. This is about a need that exists in the lower Manhattan community and a need that exists within the Muslim community to have a community and a cultural center. And it's pretty hard finding real estate in New York.
CHERNOFF: So you have the building. Therefore, do it there?
EL-GAMAL: We have the building. And we're doing it there. God willing.
CHERNOFF: No change of plans. Nobody is going to convince you guys elsewhere.
EL-GAMAL: There's a need. The community has spoken.
CHERNOFF: You expect opponents eventually will embrace this?
EL-GAMAL: They already have. And as people start understanding what we are trying to achieve here, they want to be a part of this.
CHERNOFF: And the fact that you have ground zero, are you telling me that it really has nothing to do with ground zero? Nothing to do with the World Trade Center.
EL-GAMAL: It has nothing to do with the World Trade Center.
CHERNOFF: You just happen to own the building.
EL-GAMAL: That's where we found the real estate that took us almost five years to buy.
CHERNOFF: So what do you say to the opponents who argue, you know what this is a victory mosque. Maybe the funding is coming from people who are supporting terrorists.
EL-GAMAL: We are planning on using including best practices when it comes to raising funds. We plan on having topnotch experts that are going to be recognized by the Treasury Department. That are going to be recognized by our Homeland Security. And we plan on working closely with those advisors, with those auditors to come up with the best practices that are going to satisfy the rules and laws of the land. We plan on being fully transparent.
CHERNOFF: To make sure people don't accuse you of getting money from folks who are funding terrorism.
EL-GAMAL: I think I answered that very clearly.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: This interview has been posted on CNN.com. It's already generating hundreds of comments online. Just logon to CNN.com/belief and join that conversation.
The Super Bowl Champs heading to the White House. That's just one of the stories you can look forward to this week. We'll tell you what else is happening.
And Usher is on the Red Carpet. Not because he's getting an award but because he's giving them. His way to pay it forward.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Now a look at the stories that will be topping the news in the week ahead from Washington to Wall Street to Hollywood. We start tonight at the White House.
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: I'm Suzanne Malveaux in Washington.
The president's week starts off welcoming the Super Bowl champs, the New Orleans Saints, to the White House from the "Who Dat Nation." They won their first ever Super Bowl earlier this year. Now later in the day, the president is going to travel to Texas. That's where he plans to deliver a speech at the University of Texas, which is in Austin.
He's then going to attend a DNC fundraiser, followed by a fundraiser for the Democratic Senate campaign committee. That's going to happen in Dallas. And at the end of the week, the president and the first family -- well, they are going to head for a weekend vacation on the Gulf Coast of Florida.
BRIANNA KEILER, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I'm Brianna Keiler in Washington.
And on Capitol Hill this week, Congress was supposed to be out of town. But now the House is making the rare move of coming back in the middle of August recess to vote on a $26 billion bill. Democrats say it will save the jobs of about 140,000 teachers. But Republicans say it's an election year payoff to teachers unions and it's just more big spending by Democrats.
POPPY HARLOW, CNNMONEY.COM: I'm Poppy Harlow in New York. Well, Wall Street is gearing up for the Fed's latest meeting this week. Central bankers will announce their decision on interest rates on Tuesday afternoon and investors will be watching very closely for that news. We're also going to get some major corporate earnings this week from Disney and also tech giant Cisco. Then at the end of the week, we'll get two key economic reports both weekly jobless claims and also retail sales. Both will have a big impact on the market. We'll track it all for you on CNNMoney.
BROOKE ANDERSON, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: I'm "Showbiz Tonight's" Brooke Anderson. And there is a remarkable box office showdown coming this week involving the biggest stars in Hollywood, including Julia Roberts and Sylvester Stallone. And for the first time, superstar actor Laurence Fishburne's 19-year-old daughter will explain her disturbing decision to become a porn star.
The latest developments on "Showbiz Tonight" live at 5:00 p.m. Eastern on HLN and still TV's most provocative entertainment news show at 11:00 p.m.
LEMON: All right. Thank you very much. From all of those -- I have to be honest. You are like, man, this is the beautiful woman segment. I've got all -- and then top it off, Azadeh Ansari, who is also very smart to tell us internationally what is coming up next week. What do we have? We're going to start where -- Brazil, right?
AZADEH ANSARI, CNN INTERNATIONAL DESK EDITOR: We're going to start in Brazil and British explorer Ed Stafford. Don, this guy is going to be the first person to ever walk the entire length of the Amazon River. No one has ever been able to do this before. Two-and- a-half years later, he started this journey on the Pacific coast of Peru. He's going to end in Belem, Brazil. And literally, he's hours and steps away from making history.
So you can believe this is a story we're following.
LEMON: Oh, that's going to be told. You know, I feel like it was spin the globe. Where do we go to next? Let's go -- why don't we go to South Africa? What about that?
ANSARI: Well, over a million government workers are expected to hit the picket lines. And they want more money. They want better housing subsidies. And three years ago when something similar like this happened in South Africa, it nearly crippled the city. And it lasted -- the strike lasted for weeks.
So, you can bet we're watching this story.
LEMON: That's going to happen in Pretoria.
All right. Is this one Kigali? I know it's in Rwanda, but I'm not exactly sure where -- there we go.
ANSARI: So, Monday's elections are going to be the first or the second presidential elections since the 1994 genocide in Rwanda. And as expected, Paul Kagame is projected to win another seven-year term. Ours is four. Theirs is seven.
So again, another story -- another hot story we're going to be monitoring going into next week.
LEMON: I went to a soccer game in Rwanda in Kigali and he was there. He's really cool, really cool. But he's been there -- as you said, been in power for a long time there.
Thank you very much.
ANSARI: Thank you, Don.
LEMON: Appreciate it. We'll see you next week.
ANSARI: For sure.
LEMON: Azadeh Ansari.
All right. Author Anne Rice, best known for her vampire novels, grew up a Christian and she quit the Church, rejoined and now she is quitting again.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANNE RICE, AUTHOR: There was a lot of anger in me and toxic pressure. I couldn't go on as a public Christian being implicated in the things the churches were doing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: We'll hear more from her next.
And free from prison after two years. He was behind bars because of Toyota's acceleration problems. It's made so much news this year.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Before "Twilight," before "True Blood," there were the "Vampire Chronicles," the series of best-selling novels by Anne Rice. She was the "Queen of the Undead," but in 1998 she returned to Catholicism, the religion she had abandoned at age 18. But now 12 years later, Rice says she is quitting Christianity altogether. The famous author explains why it was time to part ways with the church.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RICE: I can't find in Scripture, after 12 years of study, I can't find in Scripture any basis for many of the things that organized religion does today. I can't connect them back to Christ. I have -- I have read Scripture every day of my life. I can't find a basis there for most of the stance that churches and denominations take today on civil rights of gay people, on women and reproductive rights, on the questions of how you vote in our society. I mean, I can't find it. So certainly, theological decisions lie behind my decision to step away. Now I would not say churches need to modernize. That's not the question. The question is what is the authentic message of Christ for us? And, you know, we exist in time. He put us here. Two thousand years has passed since he died on Golgotha since he rose from the dead. Now, there's got to be a reason for this that we're moving through time. There have to be some implications.
Are we really meant to simply cling to the interpretations of the Bible that we had in the first century? Have we clung to them?
I mean, these are very complex issues. I am somewhat overwhelmed by those issues. But I know this. I have to walk away.
LEMON: You are saying some very subversive things. Are you -- are you prepared for the possible backlash of -- for any of the things that you are saying?
RICE: I have to be prepared for that. You can't make a statement like this without expecting something of a whirlwind. I mean, I made it because I felt I had to. There was -- there was a lot of toxic anger in me and toxic pressure. I couldn't go on as a public Christian being implicated in the things the churches were doing.
So, yes, I'm prepared for a backlash. I'm prepared for whatever happens.
Is it going to be difficult? Yes, it's somewhat difficult. Right now, what I'm getting is overwhelming support. I mean, the e- mails coming in, the blogs being written. The public statements being made are very supportive in the main.
Of course, there's criticism. There is definitely criticism. But the overwhelming support is what I'm hearing more than anything. People saying thank God you said this, I felt this way for a long time, et cetera, et cetera.
LEMON: Essentially giving voice to the voices.
But here's what I want to say. Your son, Christopher, is gay. Did this factor into your decision at all?
RICE: No. No. But certainly, gay rights have mattered to me all of my professional life. I've always been for complete equal rights for gay people. I felt that way before Christopher was ever born.
LEMON: How is this going to change your writing, if at all?
RICE: I think it will give it a renewed burst of energy. I think that I've been blocked for a while. I've been confused and stymied. And now I feel like I'm sane again for the first time in a very long while. I feel like I'm talking the truth instead of remaining silent in a state of anger or making excuses for my brothers and sisters who are followers of Christ.
LEMON: What would you like to see Christianity do as far as women, as far as gays and other people you feel that they are -- and I don't want to put words in your mouth -- being hypocritical towards? Is that correct?
RICE: I'm not somebody that can seek to reform these institutions. I can just say again that I can't find in Scripture a basis for persecuting gay people. I can't find a basis for singling out them in the secular society for -- you know, as a target for the hatred of Christians against them and for trying to deprive them of the civil rights or interfere with their civil rights revolution. I can't find the basis.
So maybe if the churches had not been so strident about these things, if they hadn't been so outspoken about political matters in this country, it would have been easier for somebody like me. When I spoke out about issues that concern me like gay rights or many different issues, I got a lot of pressure from Catholics and from Christians not to do this.
I mean, they would go on my Facebook page and they would say, if you're going to criticize the Catholic Church for the clergy abuse scandal, what kind of Catholic are you? How can you do this? How can you post a link to the "New York Times" story that criticizes Pope Benedict? How dare you do this?
OK. I've come out now and I've said I'm not part of your group. So I feel free.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: Anne Rice. Rice says even though she is leaving Christianity, she says she is still committed to Christ.
Well, this story got me really upset the other day. A little girl told to shut down her lemonade stand by the health department. Can you believe that? I'm serious. But guess what? There's a happy ending. That's coming up.
But first this --
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DR. RICHARD ZANE, HARVARD MEDICAL SCHOOL: At those temperatures, those poor guys were slow cooked.
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LEMON: One man dies. Another severely burned at the World Sauna Championships. We're looking at the effect of hot water and extreme heat. What it can have on you.
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LEMON: You know, this story is really hard to imagine. But one man has died at the World Sauna Championships in Finland apparently from severe burns. Photos show the two finalists sitting next to each other yesterday, then on the ground surrounded by medical personnel. A Russian finalist was pronounced dead after being dragged from the sauna. A finalist from Finland is in the hospital with severe burns.
Competitors try to outlast each other in the heat and steam with temperatures as high as 230 degrees. Organizers say the 12-year-old event will not be held again.
And we talked to an expert about the dangers of extreme heat and extreme cold. Dr. Richard Zane is vice chairman of the Department of Emergency Medicine at Harvard Medical School.
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DR. RICHARD ZANE, HARVARD MEDICAL SCHOOL: First response to extreme heat is for your body to try and dissipate that heat. So it shunts a lot of blood to your skin and tissues so the heat goes off and you sweat. But at those types of temperatures, your body has very minimal ability to keep the core temperature normal. So you said it exactly correctly the first time. At those temperatures, those poor guys were slow cooked.
LEMON: My gosh. OK. So tell us, over time, how long does it take for your body to start going down or for you to start going down? I mean, I would imagine at that temperature, it's pretty quick.
ZANE: Well, everybody is a little bit different. And there are people who are more prone to developing heat illness and people who are less prone to developing heat illness. If you are an otherwise healthy person at a mid adult age, the first thing you'll do is sweat profusely and your body will try and shunt blood to the skin so that you can get rid of that heat. And then eventually, you will shunt blood from vital organs, including your brain and heart and your kidneys and your liver and you go into a multi-organ system failure.
In this case, in addition to those physiologic phenomena, they actually suffered full thickness skin burns. And these are not burns like a blister from hot water or like sunburn. These are through all the layers of the skin. So they were essentially going through all of those changes and being cooked at the same time.
LEMON: Oh, my gosh. Is it -- I guess -- we talked about the cold water ice competitions. These two do equally as bad of things on the body, one hot, one cold?
ZANE: Well, both are extremes and both can cause damage. And the body has compensatory mechanisms to combat cold and to combat heat. And the human body can only last so long under extreme conditions. And essentially the body wants to maintain physiology. They want to maintain the same temperature.
So essentially the opposite happens for cold temperatures. The blood is shunted away from the skin to protect the core. Really the opposite. But both can lead to death and multi-organ system damage.
(END VIDEO CLIP) LEMON: Obviously, we're talking about extremes here. But health experts say we should all be mindful of the hot weather right now and take precautions against heat exhaustion and stroke. Their best advice, stay hydrated and stay out of the sun as much as possible.
Hey, this is a celebrity story unlike the others you've been hearing of lately, right? No anger audiotapes. No jail terms. Just plenty of good will.
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JUSTIN BIEBER, SINGER: It's amazing. You know, you got to have a mentor. You got to have somebody to look up to, you know, so you can better yourself. So, you know, I'm glad to be here and support my mentor.
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LEMON: Bieb's a cool guy. That's right. That's Justin Bieber. "The Bieb." Learning a lot from this man.
And Usher's charitable work reached a major milestone this week. My conversation with him coming up.
And how did Toyota's acceleration problems help free this guy from prison? I'll tell you.
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LEMON: In tonight's "What Matters," a spotlight on Usher, the music mogul, dancer and singer experienced a first this week.
Well, instead of getting an award, he gave them out. Friday night, his New Look Foundation presented its first World Service Awards. Former President Bill Clinton received the Service Legacy Award for his work with youth.
As Usher prepared for the event, he spoke with me about his drive to help young people. He knows they are the source of his success, and he hopes his foundation can be the same for them.
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LEMON (voice over): Where Usher goes, the cameras and crowds follow. And while he can control his environment, he knows that plenty of kids have to fight theirs.
USHER, FOUNDER, NEW LOOK FOUNDATION: You can either be a product of our environment or a product of our experience. I'm giving them a new experience to rise above whatever they are dealing with.
LEMON: That's why 11 years ago, the entertainer set up his New Look Foundation that provides programs like sports lessons and business training for kids who are dealing with a lot. New Look says 1 in 3 of its children have a parent in prison and more than half of New Look's kids have a family member or friend in a gang. So instead of surrounding himself with only the good life, the five-time Grammy winner immerses himself in their lives.
USHER: Start a small recycle thing and it would grow and grow and grow.
LEMON: Through efforts like his "Powered by Service" initiative, which he just launched. It's a day dedicated to taking kids to places like the Georgia Aquarium and teaching them about the environment so they can turn around and teach others.
I caught up with him at a safe driver training session.
USHER: That is what "Powered by Service" ultimately. You know, being able to take them out of their environment and give them a voice to hopefully make a difference, you know, in their region.
LEMON (on camera): Why do you have contact with these kids? Not every celebrity makes themselves available like you. And I am just being honest.
USHER: Well, I mean, they have a dream. They have an idea. But they don't necessarily have the means or the understanding of how to implement a plan to accomplish whatever it is that they need to do.
LEMON: I know it's going to sound like a weird question because Justin Bieber is so successful now. But you saw this kid and you were like -- you wanted to nurture his talent. And look where he is now. Is that the same sort of spirit that led to Justin Bieber's success?
USHER: Well, that same passion that was in Justin Bieber is in a lot of these kids who are dealing with real issues.
LEMON (voice over): Usher is a mentor to teen sensation Justin Bieber. And not everyone can find Bieber's success, Usher admits, but they will have the confidence to present their ideas and develop plans as all New Look's people have to do, including Amie Gomez, who was once homeless.
AMIE GOMEZ, NEW LOOK, NEW YORK: Our campaign is called the evolutionary movement, where we basically use our talents and ideas to bring them creatively together to perform shows and raise awareness about malaria and to help benefit the community to keep people off the streets.
LEMON (on camera): How old are you?
GOMEZ: I'm 17 years old.
LEMON: How do you get an idea like that at 17?
GOMEZ: I learned this at New Look last year, actually, from them.
LEMON (voice over): The foundation says 8700 young people across the country have gone through Usher's program. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's actually a life experience.
LEMON (on camera): Is that where the name came from?
USHER: The New Look -- yes. The New Look came from, you know, my hopes of being able to offer a new look on life.
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LEMON: All right. Thanks to Usher for that interview. And among the recipients of New Look's award this weekend, a woman named Hital Muraj. She donates her own money aiding and educating poor young people and commercial sex workers in Kenya.
All right. On Sunday, you know we always want to try to catch you up on some of the news that you might have missed throughout the week. Give you something to think about for the next week.
A Minnesota man is enjoying his first weekend of freedom in more than two years after serving prison time for a deadly Toyota crash back in 2006. A judge ordered the release of Koua Fong Lee on Thursday. Lee claimed his 1996 Camry was accelerating out of control when it crashed, killing three people. Prosecutors originally claimed he had his foot on the accelerator and Lee was sentenced to eight years. The recent Toyota recall didn't include the 1996 Camry, but it was enough to get the court to re-examine Lee's case. Now he is adjusting to life beyond the prison walls.
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KOUA FONG LEE, PRISONER: Sometimes I dream and wake up still in the little room. But now my dream come true.
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LEMON: The victim's family support Lee's release. They are now suing Toyota.
In Portland, Oregon, a county inspector ordered 7-year-old Julie Murphy to shut down her lemonade stand at an arts fair because she didn't have a restaurant license. Well, he even threatened a $500 fine. I'm not kidding either. The whole episode caused an uproar, not surprisingly. But now everything is settled. The county chairman has even called her to apologize.
Rudy Giuliani's daughter arrested for allegedly trying to shoplift cosmetics in a Manhattan store. Police say 20-year-old Caroline, it's Caroline Giuliani, was caught on camera Wednesday stuffing her pockets with $150 worth of cosmetics. The store security confronted her at an exit and then called police. The Harvard student was charged with petty larceny and released. She is to go before a judge on August 31st.
A familiar name has risen through the ranks of the Chinese army. The grandson of former Chairman Mao has been promoted to general. The young Mao is one of the youngest ever to hold that rank. He's a researcher at the Army's Academy of Military Sciences. He'll have a tough time topping his grandfather who led China with absolute authority for 37 years until his death in 1976.
I'm Don Lemon at the CNN world headquarters in Atlanta. Thanks for watching. Have a great week, everyone. I'll see you back here next weekend.
