Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

New Orleans Rising; "Bonnie and Clyde" Captured

Aired August 20, 2010 - 10:00   ET

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

T.J. HOLMES, CNN, ANCHOR: Well, top of the hour now here in the CNN NEWSROOM. This morning, thousands of U.S. troops are in Kuwait between missions. There are part of the drawn down of the U.S. combat operations in Iraq. The U.S. military says 52,000 soldiers, the Marines are still in Iraq this morning and together they are transitioning into an assist and advise role.

Another 2,000 U.S. service members are expected to leave in the next couple of weeks. It's a long journey home. From Iraq, most of them will travel to Camp Virginia, in Kuwaiti desert. Then they will dust off, wash down, prepare their equipment or shipment out of the war zone.

Many of the troops will head home and be reunited with their families. We'll show you the scene here from Ft. Benning, Georgia, where 200 soldiers returned last night. We'll have more on that homecoming coming your way in just a couple of minutes.

We begin though in Camp Virginia, Kuwait. This morning, it's a hub of activity and a symbol of a changing mission for U.S. troops.

CNN's Ben Wedeman is there and filed this report for us late last night.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): We're in Camp Virginia in Kuwait. This is where the men of the Fourth Stryker Brigade 2nd Infantry Division have come after leaving Iraq. They arrived this morning and they are really wasting no time at doing the military equivalent of beating their swords into plow shears.

They are staking apart their Stryker vehicles, removing the weapons systems, some of which will stay here, and prepare them to be shipped back to the United States. Now, according to the officers here, this operation of taking these vehicles apart was supposed - was scheduled to take about two weeks, they say, because these men are so eager to get out of here, to go home, that it may take just half that time.

Anyway, let's talk to some of them. Hi. What's your name?

PFC. SCHWARTZ: My name is Pfc. Schwartz.

WEDEMAN: Where are you from? PFC. SCHWARTZ: Hanover, Pennsylvania.

WEDEMAN: So you guys are working, it's 10:30 at night here. You don't seem to be wasting any time. What are you doing?

PFC. SCHWARTZ: Absolutely. We are packing everything up and getting ready to go home.

WEDEMAN: And how do you feel about that? You've been in Iraq for a year. And now you're leaving.

PFC. SCHWARTZ: It feels great, (INAUDIBLE) refreshing feeling, actually.

WEDEMAN: All right. Thank you very much.

PFC. SCHWARTZ: Thank you. Take care.

WEDEMAN: So, obviously, there's a good reason to be working this hard, because these guys are going to go home. This is a complicated process. This is the last combat unit to leave Iraq. There's still odds and ends, various smaller units, but this is the biggest, the largest one that's leaving, and as of the 1st of September, the combat phase of the U.S. mission in Iraq will be over, and what will begin is something called "Operation New Dawn." That replaces "Operation Iraqi Freedom" that began in 2003 with the invasion of Iraq.

So there's clearly still a lot of work to be done. Hey, what are you doing there?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Cleaning our equipment, sir. We're trying to get the majority of the dust off to go back to the States. We don't want to take clumps of dirt or anything back.

WEDEMAN: And how do you feel? You've been in Iraq for a year. You're going home?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Feels good, sir. Going home to my wife and kid.

WEDEMAN: What are you going to do when you get home?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: See my wife and kid.

WEDEMAN: Good. Thank you very much.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you.

WEDEMAN: All right. So for these men, the operation is over, but, of course, U.S. forces won't be pulled out of Iraq completely until the end of 2011. But this is an important milestone.

I'm Ben Wedeman, CNN, reporting from Camp Virginia in Kuwait.

(END VIDEOTAPE) HOLMES: Well, that's part of the journey there. Let's show you the end, the actual homecoming that's taking place in military bases around the country. And CNN's Brooke Baldwin has a reunion at Ft. Benning in Columbus, Georgia.

BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: T.J., I'm here in Freedom Hall in Ft. Benning in Georgia. It may be empty right now but last night it was full of families waiting 11 months for their soldiers to come home, for their husbands, wives, moms and dads, who have been in Iraq and we were here for that magical moment. Here it is.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BALDWIN (voice-over): These are men and women from the Third Infantry division, 3rd Brigade. They have been deployed to delta base in Eastern Iraq since last October functioning, essentially as I'm told in an advise and assist capacity helping bolster Iraqi security forces, partnering with police and helping with the provincial reconstruction process.

(on camera): I want to introduce you to Sergeant Jason Sunday. Sir, a pleasure. Thank you for serving our country and the lovely, Emily (ph) Sunday, who I see your eyes are still kind of glistening. Just a minute, sweetie. Your eyes are glistening. You're standing next to your husband. It's been 11 months. What's going through your head?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I just feel really blessed. You know, God has blessed us with an amazing marriage and family and I'm just really thankful to have him home.

BALDWIN: How was the trip home?

SGT. JASON SUNDAY: It was long but worth it. Glad to be back in Georgia, next to my wife and kids. Hopefully I don't have to go back there again anytime soon.

BALDWIN: Show me your poster, tell me your name and how old are you?

THATCHER SUNDAY: My name is Thatcher Sunday. I am nine years old and my poster says "Welcome Home, Dad" and it has my dad's name, Jason, and on the back, it says Sunday because that's our last name, and it has the American flag on it.

BALDWIN: Now, these 200 soldiers may be home, but not too far behind, the 3,000 other 3rd Infantry Division, 3rd brigade soldiers who are still in Iraq. I am told that they will all be coming home by the end of the month. So that means 17 more flights home here to Ft. Benning and 17 more ceremonies, T.J., just like this one.

HOLMES: Yes, we look forward to seeing more pictures like that.

So coming up in about an hour, secretary of State Hillary Clinton is expected to announce a direct Middle East peace talks will resume. President Obama plans to invite Israeli and Palestinian representatives to the White House next month. The two sides have not had direct talks since December of 2008. Those talks broke down over an Israeli military offensive against Hamas. Again, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, expecting an announcement sometime in the top of the hour. We will keep a close eye on that for you.

Also, the U.N. secretary-general Ban Ki-Moon making an urgent appeal for aid to Pakistan. The U.N. had asked for $460 million to help flood victims and has received just about half of that but Ban says the available resources are not enough to meet the needs on the ground. Here is how secretary Clinton put the disaster in perspective.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HILLARY CLINTON, SECRETARY OF STATE: The flooding, which has affected more than 20 million Pakistanis, more than the population of New York state, is so enormous that it is almost hard to fathom. This flooding has already affected more people than the Indian Ocean tsunami, the Haiti earthquake and the 2005 Pakistan earthquake combined.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: Well, here is how you can help out. Go to our website cnn.com/impact. On the impact your world home page, we got a link to 20 charities that are responding to the crisis.

Well, Roger Clemens, considered one of the greatest pitchers ever in the game, is facing charges of perjury, lying to investigators and obstructing Congress. But this former star pitcher says he's not surprised by that at all.

JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: When the widespread man hunt has finally come to an end. Weeks after three people escaped from prison led to this. The price paid along the way? We'll have more.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: Well, a three-week run from the law has ended for an Arizona prison escapee and his alleged accomplice. The search for John McCluskey and Casslyn Welch stretch all the way to the Canadian border but they were caught at an Arizona campground just 300 miles from the medium security prison where McCluskey was serving time for attempted murder.

The self described pair of "Bonnie & Clyde" suspected in the killing of another couple earlier this month in New Mexico. Authorities had been warning that the fugitive couple would not surrender without a fight. Welch was armed but dropped the gun when authorities caught up with them last night. They said McCluskey told them that if he had been able to get to his gun, he would have killed them.

Authorities now trying to piece it together where McCluskey and Welch had been for the past several weeks, what they've done as well. CNN's Josh Levs here now to help kind of has the story of this long and strange journey for this pair.

LEVS: It is. We have a couple of other players as well who also escaped and that's part of what is complex here, whether they escaped together, what went on to happen? What I want to do is talk you all through the drama of the last few weeks that led to this capture, this re-arrest today.

I want to start off here. We are going to starting out why John McCluskey was even in prison, in the first place. He is serving 15 years for attempted second degree murder. Now, let's go back a little bit. It's July 30th. You had McCluskey, Tracey Province and Daniel Renwick. They all broke out from Arizona State Prison and it is believed - authorities alleged, they had a system from Casslyn Welch, whose picture you're seeing before. That's July 30th.

LEVS: Look at this. It's August 1st, Renwick at that point was captured in this police shoot-out in Rifle, Colorado. The shoot-out taking place in Rifle. Ultimately, they got him back inside that shootout. Now, a few days later, August 4th was the next stage in this journey. What happened here is that two burned bodies were found in camper in Santa Rosa, New Mexico, and when authorities looked into that gruesome crime, What they said was for evidence linked McCluskey and Province. That's what they were saying to that crime.

Bodies found August 4th. Let's jump ahead, a little bit, August 15th, this is when we get word that back at the prison where they escaped, they announced that the warden and a security official had both resigned. Obviously, tremendous concerns about how anyone escapes, let alone three people, so we had these resignations that were announced there by the group that runs that prison.

And it was the next day, August 16th, that Province was arrested in Meeteetse, Wyoming and that's not too far from Yellowstone National Park. That brings us up to today. We can go a little bit of video here.

So what we have now throughout these several weeks of this drama basically has been authorities searching to try to find all of these people and put them away before anything else horrible could happen and a new serious of allegations about what did happen once these people escaped from prison. So a lot of unanswered questions at this point.

What happened exactly, where did they go each day, and also what will happen here for the crime of escaping and the two bodies that were found. T.J., a lot of drama and a lot of questions but certainly authorities breathing a sigh of relief to have all three back in prison there.

HOLMES: All right. Josh Levs, we appreciate that. Thanks so much.

Well, the former pitching star, Roger Clemens says he looks forward to fighting charges that he lied to Congress. Clemens was indicted by a federal grand jury in Washington yesterday. The case stems from his 2008 testimony before a House committee that he never used steroids or human growth hormones.

Clemens faces charges of obstructing Congress, making false statements to investigators and perjuring. His attorney says the pitcher expected this indictment.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RUSTY HARDIN, ROGER CLEMENS ATTORNEY: Roger did not use steroids, did not use HDH and he didn't lie to Congress about it.

Roger has known from the very beginning that if he chose to publicly deny the accusations in the Mitchell report that this day would come.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: Clemens retired from baseball back in 2007 after a 24- year career. He was the first pitcher to win seven Cy Young Awards.

Turn to Nashville, now. It still looks pretty bad, but maybe it's going to get better. The National Weather Service has cancelled the flood warning for the Cumberland River. That river, of course, runs through the city. The mayor ordered thousands of sandbags filled because of fears of a second round of flooding. They have gotten several days of heavy rain this week that caused some pretty dangerous stuff as you see there.

Rob, can jump in here now. Keeping an eye on things for us. Were they kind of in the clear, for now as far as the weather goes?

ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: It turned out the Cumberland peaked and crest lower than we thought. So it was good. It was going to go over flood stage but crested well below that. You saw some of the video of the outskirts of Nashville and some of the tributaries of the Cumberland. That's where the flooding and rainfall is most severe.

That all moved to the east yesterday. North Carolina saw over six inches of rain, Cherat (ph) saw 4.52, and Fayetteville saw just two inches and (INAUDIBLE) Indiana, staying just under two inches of rainfall as well. As far as what we expect today and going forward, looking at potentially some severe weather across the northern tier, and that would include places like Wisconsin, Iowa, and heading on towards parts of Missouri. And Iowa does not need any more rainfall.

So that's the on-going threat there. And a very, very soggy summer for them. So regardless of how rough the weather gets today and tonight, they just don't want to see any more rain. Right now, things are fairly tranquil. But heat today and so forth will see things pop just a little bit.

Don't expect a whole lot of thunderstorms across the south but the heat is beginning to expand in places like Texas, which really hasn't been above the heat advisories. It's getting into places like Memphis, Tennessee, and also up into Arkansas where temperatures is 90 to 100 there. One other thing. This red box, very far from the Caribbean but this is probably be our next tropical storm, probably by Monday. So keep that in mind because we got quite a while to deal with that. And the other thing, the number three thing we teased in the last hour, the moon.

There you go. You know you love it and want more of it. Well, it is contracting. It has been doing that because it's cooling. Apollo 17, 1972, I believe, they took the cameras down there and took some shots.

This guy right here, he took some shots of some of the landscape, and this scarp is something that's basically like a scar on the land and when the moon or even the earth cools, it contracts and you get a little bit of a break in the landscape. We will go zoom in and go horizontal on this and you can actually see some of the terrain. Thanks to the pictures that these guys took.

There is the landing module. And zooming into that, you see some of the family mountain, take the family and take the kids out there for a picnic. Lincoln Skarp (ph), not to be confused with Lincoln Park and some other hills there. Bear mountain. T.J., did you know this? They had ATVs back in 1972. I mean, good old southern boys up there, up here on the moon driving around, getting it done. Bear Mountain not to be confused with Bear Mountain in California. Anyway, it's shrunk 600 feet in the last four billion years, in case you are wondering.

HOLMES: 600 feet? OK, we are not in danger of losing it?

MARCIANO: No, no. If it looked smaller to you in the last few years -

HOLMES: I knew something was up.

MARCIANO: Yes, there you go.

HOLMES: ALL RIGHT Rob, we appreciate you as always.

But you're a Yankee guy, right?

MARCIANO: Yes. Absolutely.

HOLMES: (INAUDIBLE) But the Yankees last night taking to the field. Everybody won on the field this time around. We're going to take you to the field where some special needs kids got to be up close and personal with their heroes. It's 20 minutes past the hour. Stay.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: Taking a look now at some of the stories making headlines. A dangerous escaped inmate and his alleged accomplice now in custody. John McCluskey, you see him there and Casslyn Mae Welch. There she is. They were caught last night at an Arizona camp round. They have been on the run since the end of July. Also accused of killing a couple in New Mexico while they were on the run.

Also, funerals will be held today for a two-year-old and his 18- month-old brother. Police say their mom, Shaquan Duley murdered them last week in South Carolina. Investigators say she tried to make it look like they drowned in a car.

Also, the Centers for Disease Control says the national egg recall may expand. The eggs may be linked to Salmonella poisonings. 380 million eggs have been recalled so far. You can go to our web site at CNN.com for a list of all of the brands involved.

Well, some special needs kids got a chance to play ball with the New York Yankees. The team hosted the kids at Yankee Stadium yesterday. The event was part of the Yankee's annual hope week (INAUDIBLE) for helping others persevere and excel. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DANIEL FRATTO, MEMBER OF HOPE: It's really exciting for the kids and for the adults. More so the kids. Because they watch the Yankees every day, and they're like their idols.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: Now, everybody got to take part here. Check that out. Now, he wasn't able to go down to the field, Daniel, that you heard from in that sound bite, but he actually was able to evoke memories of recently passed Yankee Stadium announcer Bob Sheppard by giving the lineups. How cool for a young person to be able to do that.

Well, we are going to be taking a look at New Orleans Five years now after Hurricane Katrina. Soledad O'Brien sat down with a New Orleans family and showed them video of their house under water. Look at this.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Wow, wow.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: Yes, five years later. They still can't believe what happened to their house.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: All right. Nearly five years now since Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast. It's hard to forget the sites we saw. Many of houses in New Orleans under water. Our Soledad O'Brien is reporting on the rebuilding of that town and she watched a video from 2005 with a New Orleans family showing their house under water. Check out their reaction.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Can you press play? SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): We sit down with Audrey and Melvin Woods in a house they rebuilt to show them footage of Pontchartrain park after the flooding. They were joined by their children, grand children.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, my god. See, Mel, I didn't dream it was that high.

O'BRIEN: They are stunned by what they see.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, wow! That's our house.

O'BRIEN: For the very first time, they're seeing their own house under water.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, god.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Wow!

You know you thought -- we knew it was high but we never actually saw it, and to see it. I had no idea.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Just knowing - just knowing how bad it was.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It never goes away. I think about how close we came to losing our parents.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't see how we're sitting here in the same house.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That's our house.

O'BRIEN: Every child is literally sobbing, and me, too, and your grandchildren, and you're not crying.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No.

O'BRIEN: Why not?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No, because we made it.

O'BRIEN: Within a year, 74-year-old Audrey and 81-year-old Melvin were gutting their house.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They had on these white suits with white masks.

O'BRIEN: You are in their 70s?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, and they're hauling out sheet rock. My father with a cane carrying out sheet rock. I remember calling my brother and saying, "do you know what your parents are doing? They're gutting their house by themselves."

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (INAUDIBLE) closing statement. O'BRIEN: A record of the woods' initial down payment. $465 was one of the few things in the thousand to survive the flooding, but when it came time to rebuild and refurnish their home, the projected price tag was staggering, over $300,000. It's a common tale in New Orleans. The money offered to them by the road home, the federal program set up to help Katrina victims, coupled with their home owners insurance was nowhere near enough. The Woods were forced to take out a loan for more than $120,000.

AUDREY WOODS, HOMEOWNER: And it's still tough wondering how I'm going to repay that loan, because I know that I won't in my lifetime.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES: Oh, this story is just hard to tell.

CNN's special "New Orleans" live with Soledad O'Brien taking you on the journey to rebuild the neighborhoods. You just saw Pontchartrain Park. Watch on Saturday and Sunday, 8:00 Eastern, right here on CNN.

HOLMES: Well, a question that some people are starting to ask now. Do you think Islam is more likely than other faiths to encourage violence against nonbelievers. A new "Time" magazine polls says 46 percent of Americans say yes. Nearly nine years now after the 9/11 attacks.

We're have a frank discussion about whether America is Islamo- phobic?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: Two-and-a-half million Muslims live, work and pray in America. Not always easy. Case in point, protests in California. Check it out, marching against proposed mosque in their area, holding signs with slogans such as "Muslims danced for joy on 9/11." Or how about the planned Islamic center and mosque near New York's Ground Zero? More than 60 percent of Americans are opposed to that center being built.

But the scope is bigger than that according to a "Time" magazine poll. More than 3 in 10 Americans would say no to a mosque in their neighborhood. Then there are statements like this one from evangelical leader Franklin Graham.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REV. FRANKLIN GRAHAM, SAMARITAN'S PURSE: To hate the Jew, to hate the Christian, to kill them - their goal is world domination. And for the Muslim, peace means when all of the other nations are subject to Islam. Then we are at peace. The world will be at peace when the entire world is under Islam.

Well, I don't agree with the teachings of Islam --

(END VIDEO CLIP) HOLMES: He was speaking with John King about a new poll saying one in five Americans think President Obama is Muslim. He's not. President Obama is Christian, and he's said so over and over again.

But all of this begs the question, does the U.S. have an issue with Islam? Are we a nation Islamaphobic? You're starting to hear that term thrown around a bit. it's an upcoming cover story for "Time" magazine by deputy international editor Bobby Ghosh. He's joining us right now from New York. Also, we have the mayor Mohammed Hameeduddi of Teaneck, New Jersey, a New York suburb just 20 miles from ground zero. And also in Los Angeles for us this morning, Reza Asla, contributing editor with "The Daily Beast."

Gentlemen, thank you all for being here. Bobby, you ask the question, does America have a Muslim problem? What is -- in your reporting have you found, is America's problem with Muslims?

BOBBY GHOSH, DEPUTY INTERNATIONAL EDITOR, "TIME": Well, a great deal of the problem stems from the fact that America doesn't know very much about Islam, and there are far too many people like the person you just showed there -- like Franklin Graham -- who have made it their business to project Islam in the most negative possible light.

The answer to the question in our cover story, "Is America Islamaphobic?" No. America as a society, as a country is not. But there is a lot of Islamaphobia about in this country, and it's growing and becoming more vicious. And with this latest mosque controversies -- not one, but several controversies around the country --it's coming into the mainstream, and that is reason for alarm.

HOLMES: Mr. Mayor, let me ask you, do you think this country has a problem with Muslims?

MAYOR MOHAMMED HAMEEDUDDI (D), TEANECK, NEW JERSEY: No, not at all. I mean, one of the things that -- when I ran for office in 2008, my religion was never an issue. It was something that we were talking about policy and politics and taxes. Those are the issues that I think most Americans are concerned about.

Right now, what you are seeing I think in society, especially with the mosque debate, is anxiety because of the uncertainty in the economy. And when you see these anxieties manifest themselves into people protesting and finding scapegoats and blaming people like Muslims for the problems that are happening in the country. Unfortunately, where the mosque gets built or does not get built, it will not put Americans back to work. And that should be the topic of discussion right now. This topic --

HOLMES: Yes -- excuse me. I know a lot of people would agree with you.

Reza, let me bring you in here. You heard Mr. Mayor say the country doesn't have a problem at all. You heard Bobby not exactly Islamaphobic. You have pockets. But is it fair to say in your estimation, Reza, that the country doesn't have a problem at all with Muslims? REZA ASLAN, CONTRIBUTING EDITOR, "THE DAILY BEAST": The funny thing is I would like to see what happens when -- if the mayor was running today, instead of 2008, which tells you how quickly things have descended over the last couple of years.

Look, there have always been pockets in this country that have had a real problem with Islam, that have seen Islam as violent, as bigoted, and that have brushed all Muslims with the exact same brush as they use to describe al Qaeda.

The difference now is how mainstream it's become. I mean, when the leading GOP candidate for president, Newt Gingrich, openly and repeatedly compares al Qaeda to American Muslims, just referring to both of them as simply "they," as in "they attacked us and now they wanted build a mosque," you are starting to realize how part of the regular political discussion overtly anti-Islamic sentiment has become. That's what is different now. It's always been there, but its now part of the mainstream dialogue.

HOLMES: Well, let be bring you back in here for a second, Mr. Mayor. And he was talking about - yes, I'm letting you come back in here. He said it might have been different if you had to run today versus 2008.

But I know you are all proud of what you have been able to do there. You're the first Muslim mayor of your town, but your town -- I don't know if your town represents every town across the country. Correct me if I have the demographics wrong. But I think it's 30 percent black, 30 percent Jewish and another 40 percent is just multicultural. So, you ran and were elected to the council, then the council appointed you mayor.

Is it fair to say your town is really representative? And would it have been different if you had to run today versus some some two years ago?

HAMEEDUDDI: Well, again, I was appointed -- just been mayor now for six weeks. July 1st is when I took office. So it's the same controversy was going on.

I think my point is that if you talk to the average guy in the street, they are more likely to talk about Roger Clemens being indicted for perjury than any kind of Islamaphobia.

Now, I hate to use -- make the media the scapegoat on this, but we consistently see things -- Muslims portrayed in very negative lights on TV, and you don't necessarily see, if you look at Times Square in December, where they did an ad campaign about "I'm Muslim, I'm an American." It was doctors, lawyers, fireman, policemen, people of all of American society being put on the billboard.

And I think that the discussion -- we need to raise the content in the form of our discourse. Are there problems and are there protests? Yes. But in my town when we went before the zoning board to get the expansion for our (INAUDIBLE), it was done in one night and it was a 9-0 unanimous vote. So -- HOLMES: Well, let me get Bobby back in here. Bobby - and he makes a point there. The dialogue, the discourse has not necessarily been civil in a lot of ways. Are we missing an opportunity here now with this controversy going on in New York about this proposed Islamic center and mosque -- are we missing an opportunity to have a discussion, to educate people a little bit more about Muslims?

GHOSH: I worry that we are missing the opportunity. I think the window is still open. It hasn't closed yet, but there is so much anger and there is so much noise, there's screaming that is taking place from one side of this discussion that I worry that there will be no calm, composed, rational debate.

Now, to the mayor's point, I'm delighted that in Teaneck, when they expanded the mosque, this was done without any real rancor. However, in California, Tehmecula - California. Blue state. People who are protesting the mosque, turned up to Friday prayers with dogs. Now, knowing full well that that would be considered deeply offensive to people.

We have gone to a point where people opposing each other are now looking specifically for ways to offend the other. And that suggests to me that a calm, rational discussion and this very moment seems impossible.

HOLMES: You all help me wrap this up. Reza, and to you - we can do this quickly. Reza, who can help in this conversation? You heard the mayor mention kind of the media doesn't help sometimes. But who can help? Who can step out there and lead the conversation, somebody that people will listen to, a Muslim leader, whether that's a great communicator, whether that's a politician? Who can step out there and help bridge this divide that clearly is there, according certainly of the polls and some of these pictures we see at these protests?

ASLAN: Well, it's supposed to be our political and religious leaders, but they are doing the opposite. They're either running away from this or openly espousing religious bigotry as a political platform. And then, of course, we have an entire cable news broadcast, Fox News, I have to say -- that is essentially turning this into a way of economic gain.

So, I really don't have a lot of faith that the people who we should rely on to bring everybody down and make sure that the values of American pluralism are ascendant, that they will actually do that.

HOLMES: And quickly if you can, same question, Mr. Mayor. And I know you were in the room last Friday when the president made his statement that kind of sparked the controversy over the weekend about the proposed mosque and Islamic center in New York.

Has the president helped in the statement he made? Can he be the one? Who can help us in this conversation?

HAMEEDUDDI: The statement he made was one of a constitutional argument, which I swore to uphold the Constitution, and I think the president did also. So that's where he came from. But as a Muslim, when we talk about Islamaphobia, we have the power within ourselves to either be bitter or better. If we are bitter, we don't help our society around us. But if we become better, we can uplift the society. And that's where our challenge faces us in the next years to come.

As Reza said, yes, it is up to politicians like me. On September 4th, I'm having a conversation at a synagogue from Rosh Hashana to Ramadan. These are the things that need to happen on a local level, on an interfaith level to see these things blossom all over the country.

I think right now, it's a very trying time, and I think this issue with the mosque doesn't help anything in New York, but it is an opportunity to build on, understanding of what Muslim Americans really believe in America.

HOLMES: Well, that is the point right there, Mr. Mayor. We appreciate you being here. Reza, we appreciate you as well. And again, Bobby Ghosh, again, the article is coming out. Going to be hitting newsstands I believe soon. I don't think it's out yet. But Bobby Ghosh -- coming out Monday, I'm just told now. But Bobby, a lot of people need to check out --

GHOSH: Should be on newsstands over the weekend.

HOLMES: Over the weekend! All right. Make sure we get that in and know exactly when it's going to be. But Bobby, I thank you as well. Bobby Ghosh, the deputy international editor for "Time" magazine. The cover story asking the question, does the U.S. have an issue with Muslims.

Gentlemen, thank you so much for being here. Thank you for the conversation.

We wanted some feedback as well from our viewers. You out there, a lot of people are responding. Going to share just a couple.

From Scott here, saying "I don't believe that America is Islamaphobic. We have been at war with Islamic nations that use nonconvential methods of warfare to attack us from within. America is distrustful because we are not sure of motives or origins of some Islamists and are weary of another attack."

Another from Micha here: "It pains me to see how the U.S. is moving away from its value of tolerance and acceptance of all cultures. Angst has gripped the masses. If you read the Bible, there is just as much fire and brimstone condemning infidels as you find in the Koran."

Also one more Gail here. Says "Seems many people in this country are Islamaphobic. The reason for this is obviously 9/11, but if we really study Islam faith, we would know there are few who would actually be violent."

Again, we want to hear from you and we appreciate you and have been reading what you have been sending in so far. Go to the blog, CNN.com/tj and be a part of that conversation.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: A 13-year-old boy from Mississippi had an idea that's now taking him around the world. He wanted a chance for kids to play together, kids from all over to get together and play. Emily Chang shows us how this intrepid kid is helping to make a mark for peace.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

EMILY CHANG, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): He's a 13-year-old boy turned international envoy.

JONATHAN LEE, PEACE ADVOCATE: Hello, my name is Jonathan, and I'm the founder of a youth humanitarian environmental group called "I See Hope."

CHANG: Just off a plane, Jonathan greeted throngs of global media after a mission to one of the most isolated nations in the world.

LEE: Actually, I was really kind of scared at first but once I got there, I was kind of relieved because I felt in my experience very safe.

CHANG: As a Korean-American from Mississippi, his idea was simple but ambitious: to convince Kim Jong-Il to plant a children's peace forest in the demilitarized zone that separates North and South Korea, two nations technically still at war.

LEE: I would really like if possible maybe of children from both countries to be able to meet and play with each other, like a big playground.

CHANG (on camera): How did you feel when he came up with this idea?

MELISSA LEE, JONATHAN'S MOTHER: I was like, really? You want to go to North Korea, and when? And then he was so adamant and strong about how he felt, I was like okay. I was cool with it. I was fine.

I said, no way.

CHANG: Completely opposite.

(voice-over): His father, originally from South Korea, was hesitant but eventually agreed and the family embarked on their journey.

LEE: My idea for the mission statement of the (INAUDIBLE) is "Above politics, above borders, above ideology, above conflict."

CHANG: Jonathan's humanitarian work started three years ago. He developed Go Green Man, a superhero who teaches kids to protect the environment. He's met with President Obama and other top leaders. He's filed more than 30 iReports on CNN and waged a seven-day campaign to urge McDonald's to recycle. But his trip to North Korea would be the most challenging and eye opening.

LEE: I went to a school children's palace and found out the children there are very talented. They learned piano and did it really impressively. The accordion, calligraphy, embroidery.

CHANG: He didn't meet with Kim Jong-il but says he did meet with other government officials who told him a peace treaty would have to be signed before there could ever be a children's peace forest.

LEE: Well, I was a little disappointed, but I'm going to keep trying. Maybe if I keep trying - I don't know. Eventually, hopefully.

CHANG: Emily Chang, CNN, Beijing.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES: We, of course, are committed to telling the story of every U.S. service member who died in Iraq and Afghanistan. Today, we are honoring Specialist Chad Drake. His brother in arms lifts him up. Stay here.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(MUSIC PLAYING)

HOLMES: Time now for our "Home and Away," a daily tribute to a service member whose been killed in Iraq or Afghanistan. Today we're lifting up Specialist Chad Drake of Garland, Texas, killed in Baghdad in September of 2004. Joining us via Skype to talk about him is Michael Grady. Michael served in Iraq with Chad, now lives in suburban Washington.

We appreciate you being here. That was back in 2004, Michael. Does it ever get easier to cope with the loss of a comrade like that?

MICHAEL GRADY, SERVED IN IRAQ WITH SPECIALIST CHAD DRAKE: Yes, it's actually tough, because Drake was like, everybody's favorite buddy to talk to. You could always talk to Drake about anything. And he was just a good friend to be around. I definitely miss him.

HOLMES: What would he be doing right now? What did he want for his life moving forward?

GRADY: He just basically wanted to do his job. He loved what he do, he loved his family, Randi and his daughter Kailee. But most definitely his heart was set to other guys that got deployed with him as well. That was his main objective.

HOLMES: What part about him are you missing most? We all know you guys did the tough guys, business guys who get the job done, but you also have personalities. What was his?

GRADY: Drake was the type of person -- he was a know-it-all. That was his nature. He basically knew his job. You couldn't tell him nothing, really. But when it came down to answering the call, he was always there.

HOLMES: Michael Grady, who answered the call as well as your buddy Chad Drake, we appreciate you coming on and helping us bring some of these stories about these soldiers to our listeners. Thank you so much. Sorry for your loss, and again, so many guys are coming hope from Iraq not wondering if they have to go back now that we see the end to the combat mission in Iraq.

Thanks again. Quick break. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(MUSIC PLAYING)

HOLMES: Yes, white satin. I'm told that was back in 1967. But 2010, Tony, could be the year of the Snazzy Napper. It's like a Snuggie with a mask if you're into that kind of thing. Our Jeanne Moos certainly is.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEANNE MOOS, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Are you tired of napping using a cap or a sleeve to block out the light?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The snazzy to sleep while you travel.

MOOS: Move over, Snuggie.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The blanket that has sleeves.

MOOS: The Snazzy Napper is the new blanket on the block.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Where do you snazzy nap? In the car? On a plane? Snazzy Napper is here.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You put it here.

MOOS: It's the brain child of Atlanta physician, Margaret Wilson, after she had to resort to putting a jacket over her head to sleep on a flight to London. She designed the Snazzy Napper.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They don't have to look at you with your mouth open while you sleep or --

MOOS: No. Now, they have to look at you wondering what is that thing on your head? As we discovered when we tested this Snazzy Napper and got giggles on a Central Park bench. You strap it on with Velcro. There's a hole for your nose with a metal strip.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So, that it would crimp to your nose.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's like privacy in a bag.

MOOS: It comes in two sizes, small and large enough to wrap yourself up in.

We think it's the next Snuggie.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It looks ridiculous.

MOOS: Wearing the Snazzy Napper in the New York subway provoked both smiles and the cold shoulder.

Would I be able to ask your opinion about this?

My neighbors on the platform didn't know what to make of me. Strange looks sometimes turned into outright stares.

(LAUGHTER)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What is that, a big bib?

MOOS: Someone tweeted, if you wear this thing on a plane, they'll arrest you for terrorism. The napper's creator said she tried to make it look friendly by putting Zs and a sheep logo on it. And there's that non-threatening name.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Snazzy, Snazzy Napper.

MOOS: Down in the subway, the napper soon had rappers serenading it as jazzy rather than Snazzy.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Jazzy napper.

MOOS: There's even a contest. Win $100 by sending in your funniest photos.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Be sure to tell us time, date, and location of the napping.

MOOS (on-camera): This by the way, is a no-no. The packaging explicitly says no smoking.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Where do you snazzy nap?

MOOS (voice-over): At the office but only when I'm covering Snazzy Napper, or it's covering me. Hello?

Jeanne Moos, CNN --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Grab yourself a jazzy napper.

MOOS: -- New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: You can't rap about everything, can you?

HOLMES: Good luck following that, Tony.

HARRIS: You know, and at that moment, voila, the gift for Mr. Holmes for his birthday, a snazzy napper (ph).

Happy birthday weekend, Doctor.

HOLMES: Thank you, kind sir.

HARRIS: Yes, sir.