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Massive Search for Church Group in Southern California Ended; Hurricane Igor Headed Toward Bermuda; Worries About Civil War within GOP While "Values Voters" List Favorite Presidential Candidates; Freed American Hiker Back on US Soil; Ruptured BP Well Officially Sealed Shut; Chilean President Visits Trapped Miners; French Chef Gives Advice on How to Eat Healthy on a Budget; New Inductees in Guinness Book of World Records; Sex Slavery in America; Japan Apologies to WWII Prisoners

Aired September 19, 2010 - 17:00   ET

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

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: A massive search has ended in Southern California. A group that police feared was planning a cult- like mass suicide has actually been found alive and well. Thelma Gutierrez has been following this story and joins us now by phone.

Thelma, what more have we learned about this church group?

THELMA GUTIERREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (via telephone): Well, Fred, I can tell you that one of the women is being questioned by detectives right now about the nature of this group. Were they, in fact, a cult or did they break away from a more traditional church to form their own prayer group?

Here's what we know. The sheriff's spokesperson told us that it was an absolutely great Sunday. He says everyone is okay, no crimes have been committed, despite the fact that there was this huge, national manhunt taking place for the five women and the eight children.

And Fred, the way that it came to the attention of authorities that they were fine is that apparently, there was somebody here at the park, they recognized the cars and they saw this group of 13 sitting under a tree, on the grass, praying. They immediately called authorities, authorities came out to this park and found that they were fine.

And you could imagine, as we roll in, the press, and all the sheriff cars, the look of surprise on the faces of this group of people who are sitting on the grass praying. Unbeknownst to them, there was this manhunt going on. And one of the women told me in Spanish that she was surprised and annoyed that there was all this attention being paid to what was happening because she said we were perfectly OK, we were never in harm's way, we were out in the desert praying.

WHITFIELD: So, Thelma, give me an idea why police felt like this was critical enough to involve so many law enforcement officers to look for these members of this church. Just because one family member called and said they saw a purse and there was a note and it was alarming to them and so then there was this all-out search for these people?

GUTIERREZ: Well, Fred, what the sheriff's spokesperson told us, he said it was a combination of circumstances. Basically, you have two spouses coming in who were concerned and they say, "Our wives have gone out to the desert with all of these children, they belong to this prayer group, we're not sure what they might be up to. And here's what they left behind."

They produced cell phones for five adults that were on this trip, notes -- what was really interesting, is that the notes, at first they had characterized these notes as being good-bye notes. When we asked the sheriff's spokesperson about this, he said they weren't really good-bye notes, they were notes that had inspirational word on them. What that means, I'm not exactly sure, but he said they weren't good- bye notes.

And he says they were very concerned that perhaps these people were on their way out to the desert to hurt themselves and hurt the children, so he said, "We wanted to err on the side of caution." That is why we initiated this manhunt.

WHITFIELD: Thelma Gutierrez from Palmdale, California. Thanks so much.

Let's talk about Hurricane Igor now, and it's barreling toward Bermuda at this hour. The Category 1 storm is already lashing the islands with intense winds and rain, and CNN meteorologist Reynolds Wolf is right in the thick of this. He's joining us now, live from Elbow Beach, Bermuda Reynolds?

REYNOLDS WOLF, AMS METEOROLOGIST: That's right, Fredricka. This is getting very interesting to say the very least. We're getting a little bit of a break right now in terms of precipitation, you might see some rain drops across the screen at home. The biggest thing we've been getting is wind. We have a little bit of a break as one of the outer bands has past and others on the way.

Although Igor is still quite a distance off, you have to remember, it is an enormous storm. And for viewers across America who may not be that familiar with Bermuda, Bermuda consists of about 138 very small islands. If you were to cram them all together, it would equal about one-third the size of Washington, DC. As it stands, it's small, Igor is huge. Kind of hard -- that this area is not going to be able to deal with the brunt of this storm.

And I can tell you, the way the latest path looks, it appears as though the eye will either possibly make the landfall in the far western part of Bermuda, or at least come very close. Either way that happens, we should still get the full brunt of it, at least the northeast quadrant of the storm, which is going to bring the strongest winds, some of the heaviest rainfall and some massive waves.

Waves also affecting this area in terms of power outages. The population of the island, about 67,000 people. Half at this time without power. Many of the major roads are closed down. The main causeway connecting parts of Bermuda also shut down. People are advised to stay at home. But we actually went out, scouted around a bit. This is what we saw.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WOLF: Here in Bermuda, we're feeling the effects of the storm. Hard to believe we've been following this hurricane since September 8th off the coast of Africa. It's cut its way across the Atlantic, getting close to Bermuda, and now, the outer bands, the strongest winds, the heaviest waves, are right here on the doorstep of this island.

I'm coming to you from Astwood Cove, Bermuda, this area is getting jack-hammered by Hurricane Igor in Bermuda. I'll tell you, the strongest part of the storm is yet to come. We've been pounded by some heavy rainfall, some immense waves that keep battering the shoreline.

The wind has been very strong at times. Tropical storm-force with several hurricane-force gusts have been coming on shore. We pan over just a little bit, you can see the sheer power of things pounding up against the rocks. It doesn't matter which direction you go, it's truly a sight to see. White caps as far as you can go in the horizon. And, of course, closer to shore, you see all that foam.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

While the coastline is getting ravaged, this city of Hamilton is a ghost town. Take a look, you see a few people out and about dodging and braving the elements just out of curiosity, seeing the way this place has transformed just over the last 12 to 24 hours.

What we can expect, though, is as this storm pulls away, as it drifts a little bit more to the north overnight, in through tomorrow and, of course, into Tuesday, things are slowly going to get back to normal. By Monday or Tuesday, the airports should open. That's when the cleanup begins, the power restoration wants to begin. And let me tell you, Fredricka, they've got a huge job ahead of them. Let's send it back to you in the studio.

WHITFIELD: All right, thanks so much, Reynolds. We know that cleanup often means picking up after all those downed trees, power lines, et cetera. Jacqui Jeras in the Hurricane Weather Center. And fortunately, that will be the extent of it, if they're lucky enough to get through this Igor.

JACQUI JERAS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Hopefully so. Some spotty communication back and forth already, and we're getting reports that thousands of people are without power, maybe even as much as half the population. So --

WHITFIELD: Hopefully no structural damage.

JERAS: Hopefully not. Actually, Bermuda is -- they do an incredible job in terms of hurricane-proofing their structures.

WHITFIELD: Good. JERAS: A lot of the homes and buildings there are made out of concrete and are designed to withstand a Category 3 or more storm. And that is because, well, when you have to evacuate, going inland, it is only 20 miles wide, the biggest island. So unfortunately, you know, tough pretty much take an airplane.

So, a Category 1. Hopefully, they can handle this, but they've been dealing with those hurricane-force wind gusts already for about four hours now. The last four hours, all the observations, looking at wind gusts, 74 miles per hour, so that's quite a lashing.

It's a very large storm. The center of circulation about 85 miles now to the south and west of Bermuda, and it's heading to the north. All signs now are pointing to not a landfall on this storm, but still getting quite a lashing from those winds and the waves.

So, a little bit of good news. And there's some very slight weakening in the last couple of hours. The maximum winds 80 miles per hour, that's down from 85 the last advisory. So, it's not much, but I think you kind of take any little bit that you can get there, most certainly.

Here's that forecast track, bringing it up to the north, and then curving to the north and east, and we don't think it'll make that curve until after it passes Bermuda, which is good news, because that means it's not going to get any closer to the island there in terms of getting any of those direct hits.

There you can see how we were talking about those outer bands. Remember how Reynolds was saying that we're getting a little bit of a break. This is Bermuda here. There were some bands that moved on through. And so now, they're are going to have a little bit of a break until that next line begins to move through.

And when you get those squalls like that, that's went winds really begin to pick up. So they've got maybe an hour or so before that.

I also want to mention that things have been very active in the Pacific Basin as well. These are pictures out of Taiwan, where a Typhoon made landfall earlier on Sunday morning. This was called a Typhoon Fanapi. Winds 120 miles per hour. Causing damage there before our very eyes, about three feet of rain has been recorded --

WHITFIELD: Wow.

JERAS: In some of these areas with the number of injuries as well. This typhoon is now moving toward China and, of course, those folks there bracing for the potential of flooding as well.

WHITEFIELD: Three fete of rain?

JERAS: Three feet. Yes.

WHITFIELD: That's extraordinary.

JERAS: Yes. Hard to imagine, isn't it?

WHITFIELD: I imagine the drainage system is not that reliable.

JERAS: Probably not.

WHITFIELD: Yes. All right, thanks so much, Jacqui. Appreciate that.

It's been quite the weekend for politics. We've heard about one candidate dabbling in witchcraft. Value voters picking their presidential favorite. Plus, we have a sitting senator who has now chosen to run as write-in candidate to keep her seat.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. LISA MURKOWSKI (R), ALASKA: You all know that I went back to Washington a couple days ago. The land of negative nabobism.

(LAUGHTER)

MURKOWSKI: These outside interest groups like the Tea Party Express,

(CROWD BOOS)

MURKOWSKI: The pundits. There's a lot of naysayers. All the political guys, some of my fellow-Republicans, they tell me that this can't be done. That this is a futile effort. Well, perhaps it's one time that they met one Republican woman who won't quit on Alaska.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: CNN Deputy Political Director Paul Steinhauser is joining us now from Washington. Good to see you. So, Senator Murkowski, back out today, talking about her bid to regain this seat. And there are others who have some strong opinions about whether this is going to be, I guess, a futile or fairly legitimate campaign.

PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN DEPUTY POLITICAL DIRECTOR: Let's start with some history, Fred. 1954, that was the last time a write-in candidate in a senate election, with Strom Thurmond down in South Carolina. So, it's been a long, long time.

You're right. The Republican Party now, which was backing her in the primary, now not backing her anymore, they're backing the nominee, the Tea-Party-supported Joe Miller. And you just heard Murkowski have some tough words about the Tea Party Express and the money they spent up there. Sarah Palin, obviously, backing Miller and not -- and going against Murkowski, as well as Senator Jim DeMint, one of the top conservative senators.

You know, you're right, Murkowski was on "CNN State of the Union" with Candy Crowley, and there was a lot of talk about maybe a civil war in the Republican Party. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) CANDY CROWLEY, CNN STATE OF THE UNION HOST: Do you think he started a civil war inside the Republican Party?

MURKOWSKI: You know, is it a civil war? I don't know. I think that he has made people uncomfortable. I think that he has kind of rattled the cages. Whether it advances to a full-on civil war, I don't know.

SEN. JIM DEMINT (R), SOUTH CAROLINA: I'll tell you this. The only -- I will -- the only reason we have a chance at a majority now is a large part for the candidates I've been supporting. Candy, if the Republican Party in the Senate was now symbolized by Arlen Specter and Charlie Crist, we would not have the energy behind our candidates anywhere in the country.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STEINHAUSER: I'll you one thing. Whether it's a civil war or not, the grassroots is really, in a way, kind of like the tail wagging the dog. I mean, it's the grassroots, the Tea Party -- the Tea Party movement, they're the ones with all the energy right now, Fred, in the Republican Party, and they're winning a lot of these primary contest over establishment candidates.

WHITFIELD: That is right. You know, one of the latest examples, Christine O'Donnell out of Delaware. She won the nomination, she got the backing of the Tea Party movement. And I wonder if Jim DeMint or anyone else who is in great support of the Tea Party movement had anything to say about now her comments back in 1999, about dabbling in witchcraft?

STEINHAUSER: Yes, her comments on witchcraft, her comments about masturbation and a lot of other things is making a lot of news now. I guess there are some, maybe, skeletons in the closet. In the '90s, she was a spokesperson for social conservative causes.

Jay McMichael can you look at this? As you can see, Christine O'Donnell, of course, is our top story on CNNpolitics.com. Check this out. The Democrats aren't wasting any time, Fred. This is a brand new press release today from the Democratic senatorial campaign committee.

They're out with a new ad today in Delaware, going up against O'Donnell, not talking about what we were just discussing, but on her fiscally irresponsible problems, as the Democrats say. They're attacking her right now, they're not wasting any time. This is going to be an interesting race to watch in Delaware, Fred.

WHITFIELD: Meantime, there was also a straw poll yesterday of the Value Voters Summit. Mike Pence of Indiana won as the pick, the one who should become a presidential candidate. Then followed by some other familiar names. Newt Gingrich, for one. Mike Huckabee, et cetera.

STEINHAUSER: This was a surprise, no doubt about it, because we've got a list of maybe 15 people who we think may want to run, may want to run for the Republican nomination. Pence is on that list, but he's kind of down there. You're right, he's not one of the big names. He is one of the House Republican leaders from Indiana.

But last year, Mike Huckabee won, Romney, Palin, the big names. I tell you, a lot of people now are going to be paying attention to Mike Pence thanks to his win yesterday in that straw poll at that major conservative -- socially conservative conference. But I'll say one thing. Take these straw polls with a grain of salt, Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right. Paul Steinhauser, thanks so much, joining us from Washington. Appreciate that.

All right, back on American soil now, freed hiker Sarah Shourd speaks out. We'll tell you what she said about herself and her still imprisoned companions.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Back now on US soil, freed American hiker Sarah Shourd is calling for the release of her companions. Shourd spoke to reporters in New York this afternoon, and she offered and emotional plea for the release of Shane Bauer and Josh Fattal, still in an Iranian jail. CNN National Correspondent Susan Candiotti was there and joining us again now from New York. Susan?

SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Fred. She says that her spirit is bruised but not broken. Sarah Shourd may be free, but she says now is not the time to celebrate. Shourd landed in Washington, DC this morning and made her way to New York City for today's press conference.

Reading from a prepared statement, Shourd shared a little bit more about what happened the day she and her friends were detained in Iran She says the three had no idea how close they were to the border and that it was unmarked. She says she never dreamed she'd be a prisoner. It appears her freedom has not come easily, of course, with her fiance and friend still sitting in an Iranian prison.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SARAH SHOURD, FREED HIKER: I stand before you today only one- third free. That was the last thing that Josh said to me before I walked through the prison doors. Josh and Shane felt one-third free at that moment, and so did I.

The only thing that enabled me to cross the Gulf from prison to freedom alone was the knowledge that Shane and Josh wanted with all their hearts for my suffering to end. They showed nothing but joy at my release. And that, more than anything, is testimony to the selflessness and beauty of their spirits.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CANDIOTTI: Now, the mothers of her two companions, one of them, of course, is her fiance, says the day has been bittersweet for them as well. All of them pledge to continue to lobby for the release of the others. One of the mothers told me she believes the truth will prevail.

At the same time, President Ahmadinejad from Iran is in New York City for the United Nations General Assembly. He is giving no indication that more releases are coming. In fact, an Iranian prosecutor who -- is bringing spy charges against the two others in recent weeks.

And the other thing we also wanted to mention is, we asked about how they were all treated. Sarah didn't take any questions. We asked the mothers, but they said they have not yet had a chance to have a long chat with her because it's been a very long day and she's now resting.

WHITFIELD: Susan Candiotti in New York. Thanks so much for that update.

Well, they are lured to the United States by false promises. Then, they are forced into prostitution. I'm talking about young ladies. Straight ahead, a behind-the-scenes look at how the sex trade exploits women and girls from other countries.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Eating healthy can be tough when you're on a strict budget, but it doesn't have to be. In today's Fit Nation, CNN Senior Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta gets some tips from famed French chef, Eric Ripert.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): With the economy in a slump, families are struggling to make ends meet. But you don't have to sacrifice good nutrition. Where better to look for tips on healthy living on the cheap than a five-star French chef?

ERIC RIPERT, CHEF, LE BERNARDIN RESTAURANT: It is easy to find ways to eat for a budget, which is not too expensive, good food.

GUPTA (voice-over): World-renowned chef Eric Ripert says it's all about doing what works for you.

RIPERT: You can buy a chicken, which is very inexpensive. Instead of buying the chicken already cut or cooked, you buy it whole. And therefore, you save a lot of money.

If you want something healthy and something inexpensive, you have to think seasonal. If you want to eat tomatoes in January, it's very expensive. Now, if in January, you eat root vegetables, if make a soup with a squash, it's going to be very inexpensive.

GUPTA (voice-over): So, how does this French chef extraordinaire stay healthy himself, surrounded by top-notch cuisine all day long?

RIPERT: Just before I leave the house, I have a little bit of dark chocolate, very good quality. I leave my house around 10:00. And I walk through the streets of New York. It takes about 40, 45 minutes. I think it keeps me in a certain good health and in shape.

GUPTA (voice-over): The bottom line, says Ripert?

RIPERT: I'm a strong believer that you can do a lot of things, in terms of eating, which is -- you can eat a burger, you can eat chocolate, you can have a little dessert here and there. But again, it has to be in a quantity that is controlled, and you have to compensate with some exercise.

GUPTA (voice-over): Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN, reporting.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: A look at our top stories this afternoon. The BP well is officially sealed shut. A pressure test on the concrete poured into the well was successful this morning. President Barack Obama commended crews for finishing the job, but also said a lot still has to be done to make sure the Gulf Coast fully recovers from the oil disaster.

And a massive search has ended in Southern California. A group that police feared was planning a cult-like mass suicide has actually been found praying at a park. Authorities had been scouring the Palmdale area of northern Los Angeles County on horseback and by helicopter in search of the group. It included eight children between the ages of 3 and 17.

Chilean president Sebastian Pinera visited the mine site today where 33 miners have been trapped for over a month. He was able to speak to the miners through a cable hookup and visit with their families. The president also saw the powerful drills working to free the miners. Today is also the first day all three drills have been working at the same time.

Some unusual animals and a flexible granny have earned a spot in the history books. They're the latest inductees into the Guinness World Records and, earlier, I spoke with our Josh Levs about some of these wacky new winners and categories.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(LAUGHTER)

WHITFIELD: The stuff to make us laugh.

JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This is, like, my dessert.

WHITFIELD: I know.

LEVS: I look forward to doing this show, because I get to take the most fun stuff.

WHITFIELD: Yes. LEVS: All right. So one thing on here, the animal least likely to be named Fluffy. Longest snake in the world. Look at this picture.

WHITFIELD: OK.

LEVS: All right, this is winning a Guinness Book -- that's one python.

WHITFIELD: No.

LEVS: Look at the thing. It's a reticulated python.

WHITFIELD: Amazon? Where?

LEVS: From the Columbus Zoo in Powell, Ohio.

WHITFIELD: What?

LEVS: It is -- take a look at this -- 24 feet long, 7.3 meters long. One snake.

WHITFIELD: I want to know where they got that sucker from? That's huge, my gosh.

LEVS: Can you believe? But what's fluffy about it? I don't see the fluffy.

WHITFIELD: Oh, that's the name for it?

LEVS: That is named Fluffy.

WHITFIELD: Oh, now that's hilarious.

LEVS: I know. I love it. Something more likely to be named Fluffy? We were seeing before the break, this little Jack Russell terrier?

WHITFIELD: Yes, that's what I was expecting.

LEVS: Yes, see? So that's what you would think would be named Fluffy.

WHITFIELD: Even though, you know, it's not really a good name for a terrier. You know?

LEVS: Take a look at the terrier.

WHITFIELD: But hey.

LEVS: This terrier named Anastasia from California, in the book for popping 100 balloons in the fastest time by a dog, 44.49 seconds.

WHITFIELD: That's crazy.

LEVS: They'll just give a record to anything. Apparently, when Anastasia sees a balloon in public, she goes wild and has to pop all of them.

WHITFIELD: Oh, I'm sure that can be misinterpreted when out in public. People are like, "Mad dog!"

LEVS: If a kid's carrying a balloon.

WHITFIELD: Oh, yes, Jack Russels, they've a lot of energy.

LEVS: They do. And apparently, there's now a record for popping balloons if you're a terrier. All right.

WHITFIELD: Was this a category that was created for this one? Because surely there was not a previous record this dog broke?

LEVS: I know.

WHITFIELD: One hundred balloons. That just has to be a one-time thing.

LEVS: Well, now there will be competition. Everyone with a terrier will try to beat it. It's a thing.

WHITFIELD: Right. OK.

LEVS: And this one's pretty cool. This is also one you wouldn't think would be in there. The oldest acrobatic salsa dancer in the world.

WHITFIELD: OK.

LEVS: Take a look at her. This is a grandmother named Patty Jones.

WHITFIELD: Woo, go mama.

LEVS: From Starbridge, in England, who scooped the title, 76.

WHITFIELD: Wow.

LEVS: She has a retirement home in Spain. Apparently, she's been on an Argentinean show about dancing. Soon to be a great- grandmother, now in the Guinness Book of World Records.

WHITFIELD: Oh, my gosh, she's amazing.

LEVS: I think she is amazing. Look at that.

WHITFIELD: Woo!

LEVS: An acrobat and a dancer.

WHITFIELD: Oh, my gosh. Oh, 76.

LEVS: Go grandma.

WHITFIELD: Brilliant. LEVS: I'm so proud of her.

WHITFIELD: That's fantastic.

LEVS: I put the whole list up for you, Facebook and Twitter. You can see all the records yourself. Maybe you'll be inspired. Maybe you'll want to break one of them.

WHITFIELD: And fast. And you said acrobatic salsa?

LEVS: Acrobatic salsa.

WHITFIELD: Geez.

LEVS: Yes, 76 years old, about to be a great-grandmother.

WHITFIELD: OK, go.

LEVS: See?

WHITFIELD: She's like, "Forget the tango, that's just a little too mellow for me. I go for the acrobatic stuff."

LEVS: You didn't know you were going to be inspired by one of these whacky, wild, world records, did you?

WHITFIELD: And I am inspired by her. Maybe not the terrier, but I am inspired by her.

LEVS: I'm flying to Ohio to meet Fluffy.

WHITFIELD: OK. There you go. That's a good source of inspiration, too. All right, Josh, appreciate it. Thanks.

LEVS: Thanks, Fred.

WHITFIELD: Good to see you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Last hour, we told you about a Mexican girl who was lured to the United States and then forced into prostitution. Sadly, her story isn't all that unusual. CNN's senior Latin American affairs editor Rafael Romo explains.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RAFAEL ROMO, CNN SR. LATIN AMERICAN AFFAIRS EDITOR (voice-over): His name is Amalor Cortez Mesa (ph). The 36-year-old Mexican national is charged with involvement in a prostitution ring based in the Atlanta area that victimized women and girls smuggled from Mexico, some as young as 14.

BROCK NICHOLSON, ICE SPECIAL AGENT IN CHARGE: They were brought in with romantic promises, with job promises, young girls from a certain state of Mexico. Brought up, smuggled in, immediately forced into prostitution.

ROMO: Immigration and Customs Enforcement Special Agent Brock Nicholson says four members of the same family were involved in the prostitution ring.

Twenty-seven-year-old Otto Jaime Alerio Sperez (ph), who has admitted one count of providing false information, drove victims to several secret locations in the Atlanta area, forcing them to see multiple clients per day. They were kept locked up in several houses.

NICHOLSON: The houses had bars on the windows, locks on the outside of the door. We find 11 additional victims ranging in age from 14 to 28. All confirmed victims, all have been trafficked for the purpose of prostitution.

ROMO: This case offers a glimpse into how these rings operate.

AMB. LUIS COEBACA, U.S. STATE DEPT.: There's a lot of word of mouth. And a lot of the word of mouth actually comes with these little business cards that often have something very innocuous on them that you only would know it's a business card for a prostitution ring if someone had whispered it to you.

ROMO: As a former prosecutor, Luis Coebaca says the level of cruelty of these prostitution rings is hard to imagine.

COEBACA: We have situations in the United States, cases that I have worked on when I was with the Justice Department involving women who had to service up to 50 customers a day. Just a crushing amount of what in effect is a daily set of rapes.

ROMO: We found the Mexican woman who was only 15 years old when she became a victim. Her boyfriend in Mexico promised a good life in the United States and smuggled her through the border. Once here, she was forced into prostitution. She agreed to talk to us on the condition that we protect her identity.

"CLAUDIA", FORCED INTO SEX TRADE (via on-screen translation): The first time I had to sleep with 25 men, then 25, and it kept on going up. I ended up sleeping with as many as 60 men in one day.

ROMO (voice-over): Claudia, not her real name, describes to us a world of abuse and beatings, drugs, forced sex, and sleepless nights with strangers.

"CLAUDIA": There were girls my age who couldn't take the abuse. They were forced to take drugs like cocaine and marijuana so that they could work longer. We were all about the same age: 15, 16, 18. A lot of men would come looking for girls our age, so they kept us very busy.

ROMO: Maja Hasec is a social worker who works with law enforcement agencies to rescue victims of human trafficking who come from all over the world. (on camera): It must be really difficult for you to see the situation in which some of these victims come to you.

MAJA HASEC, SOCIAL WORKER: It's very difficult to see them in this situation, specifically sexual exploitation, and more so seeing minors go through this and knowing that their lives are never going to be the same, and they're going to be scarred forever.

ROMO: What is the greatest challenge that you guys face when you're trying to help a victim in this situation?

HASEC: The greatest challenge that we have is getting the victim to actually admit that they are a victim. They have been brainwashed by the traffickers for so long, and told that the trafficker is the only person that they can trust.

ROMO: And back to the suspects in the Atlanta case, Salvatore Cortez Mesa and the others accused of human trafficking, have pled not guilty. Their trial is due to begin in November.

Rafael Romo, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: We are telling you about all of stories and occurrences because September is Human Trafficking Month and it's the time to make you even more aware than you have already been. So despite worldwide programs fighting this exploitation, to many women and youngsters still fall victim. According to the U.N. GlobalCompact.org, an estimated 2.5 million people are forced into forced labor, including sexual exploitation at any given time as a result of trafficking. And 161 countries are reported to be affected by human trafficking by either being a source, transit country or final destination. An estimated 1.2 million children are trafficked each year. Most of the trafficking victims are between the ages of 18 and 24.

Nancy Rivard is the founder of Airline Ambassadors and works directly with Innocents At Risk, an organization dedicated to raising awareness about human trafficking. Good to see you.

NANCY RIVARD, AIRLINE AMBASSADORS: Nice to be here.

WHITFIELD: Well give me an idea of what Airline Ambassadors International does and how you believe you are able to help identify and help save a lot of young children, in particular?

RIVARD: Well, right. We -- I started at this humanitarian organization in 1996 and we began as flight attendants, using our pass privileges to help children. And we have expanded to doctors and builders, engineers, retirees and students.

WHITFIELD: Let me stop you there. So, what is it that you saw as a flight attendant when you were traveling, what is it that provoked you to say, you know what I can use this privilege that I have as a flight attendant to help identify young people around the world and, you know, kind of be their angel and help them?

RIVARD: Well, I will tell you the story. First of all, I have been living in Haiti since January. We were successful in leveraging 17 airplanes and three million pounds of aid and I have seen a lot going on there.

But to go back to the trafficking story, back last summer, I was on our humanitarian mission in Cambodia, we have humanitarian missions every month, and our team found a little girl that was living with no clothes, no hair and we learned later, no name. She was living like an animal on the dirt underneath a house where she had been abandoned by her mother who had worked in the karaoke bars nearby. The neighbors told us that the mother hopes somebody would take her. So we did and we got her into a safe house and then I went on to Thailand and I saw so many of the young girls that had been basically sold into slavery by their families, and we were working in the night markets of Thailand that are so famous.

I went back and I read in our union newsletter about a group called Innocents at Risk and they were spearheading a flight attendant initiative to train flight attendants in this issue. And I called Deborah Sigmund, the founder of Innocents at Risk, and invited her on my next Airline Ambassador mission. The interesting part was that when we left our small humanitarian team, we were aware of the issue.

WHITFIELD: So are you working with -- do you end up having to work with the U.S. State Department as well because you are intervening in various countries and you're identifying what you believe to be a troubled child, either removing them from that setting or finding some to other safe place and I imagine that there are lots of layers that have to be checked or gone through, especially with the State Department in order to do this, to use this privilege that you have as a flight attendant and through your own organization?

RIVARD: Well let me just say how it started. On all three airlines that our team left on, JetBlue, Delta and U.S. Air, there was an issue -- there was a trafficking incident that looked suspicious and we asked the flight attendants on each airline to take action. They didn't know how. We had these bracelets on from Innocents at Risk that give the human trafficking hotline number and we said, have the pilots call this number. So what happens was ICE, Immigrations Customs Enforcement was informed so when the passengers got off the airplane and tried to go through customs, they were questioned and in every case, we were correct. So I went to Congressman Craig Smith who offered the legislation on trafficking and asked him to give a congressional briefing to airline partners and that we did in July.

WHITFIELD: So then what is your recommendation --

RIVARD: American.

WHITFIELD: How might people be able to identify when it is not so obvious that a child or a woman or someone is in trouble and is in just dire need of some sort of intervention?

RIVARD: Well, this is the interesting thing is that 800,000 people, according to our numbers, are trafficked across international borders every day. And they are not hidden in a dark room somewhere. They are transported on airplanes, on buses, on trains. And some of the things we can look for, is just remain observant, number one. Notice children and who they're traveling with. Does that look like they're their parents? Are they under the control of someone else? Are they wearing clothes that aren't appropriate for the place that they're traveling to? Notice if they appear drugged or alert or ravenously hungry.

WHITFIELD: But then what do you?

RIVARD: Well then if you feel that your instincts tell you that something is wrong or it might be two girls traveling alone that say they are going to a modeling job, they got a great new job, no experience required and they're not exactly sure who is meeting them, that is another red flag.

What we ask people to do is tell the pilots and have the pilots call the international authorities. They really don't have to do much more. Let's say hey, I hope we are wrong, but if we are right, we may be saving a life right here. And every year, airlines give emergency procedure training to pilots and attendants so this is an easy way for an airline to support the international effort and to train their flight attendants that can become eyes and ears for international security.

WHITFIELD: Nancy Rivard, the organization that you founded, Airline Ambassadors International, thanks so much for your time coming to us from New York today.

RIVARD: We are very happy, we just completed two safe houses for UNICEF as well, which we are building and developing airport training all over in Haiti and Dominican Republic. This it is great to be here.

WHITFIELD: Thanks so much. I know you are doing a lot of great work there in Haiti and the Dominican, I know people are very appreciative of your generosity, of your time and resources.

RIVARD: Well and the main thing is that we support not only awareness of the trafficking number but the support to international aid organizations, like Airline Ambassadors that are strengthening families. We are offered children every day in Haiti to take them. And actually, by creating jobs, creating health and education and welfare for these children like we are, we can create a situation where not so many children are vulnerable, and more of them have a future.

WHITFIELD: All right, Nancy Rivard, thanks so much, appreciate it.

We're going to talk hurricane, Hurricane Igor when we come back, the outer bands, already pounding Bermuda and apparently it's getting worse. We will check in with meteorologist Jacqui Jeras, right after this.

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WHITFIELD: All right, Hurricane Igor is closing in on Bermuda. We know those outer bands have already been quite the nuisance. Meteorologist Jacqui Jeras is right now in the Weather Center. Will it be anything more than that, a nuisance?

JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOLOROGIST: Well yes, I would say so. I mean, there's thousands of people without power. About half the island from what we're hearing doesn't have any power right now. And there is going to be a lot of damage, in particular tree damage. We don't think a lot in terms of the structures because the buildings are very well reinforced there and prepared for major storms but, you know, the other issue is that this is such a long-duration event.

They've been seeing tropical storm force winds, that's 39 plus miles per hour, since yesterday and they've been enduring about four hours now with hurricane-force winds, that's at 74 miles per hour, plus. The sustained wind at this hour is 60 miles an hour. So imagine if you were standing outside or just that wind, 60 miles per hour constantly pushing on trees. That is going to cause a lot of damage, not to mention quite a bit of erosion into the coastal areas as well.

And this storm not just impacting Bermuda. It's also impacting the United States. We're getting lots of reports now out of the Carolinas as well as Florida with rip currents and some beach erosion there as well. So this is concerning a whole lot of people. Now the storm less than 100 miles away from Bermuda right now, winds 80 miles per hour. So this is a Category 1 storm. But such a huge, huge system as well.

There you can see the forecast track. And if you look real closely, here's Bermuda. So we're not even in that corner of uncertainty anymore, but because of such a huge storm, they will still have those hurricane force winds, basically all evening long. And we'll see those tropical storm-force winds last well into tomorrow.

And for those of you along the East Coast of the U.S. too, by the way, your high surf and damaging conditions here are going to last probably through Monday, maybe possibly even into Tuesday as well. Want to show you a little bit of fun though, here one of our iReporters set us this video. This was from Friday, so she wanted us to know that people are taking his storm seriously yesterday and today. Jaymee Larrison was on Elbow Beach and she said she caught these great pictures of kite surfers, looks like oh so much fun, though, doesn't it look like fun?

WHITFIELD: I think I want to try that.

JERAS: Danger, danger, but fun.

WHITFIELD: Yeah, that looks fun, fun.

JERAS: You know me, I had to say it.

WHITFIELD: Oh, my gosh. JERAS: Stay safe when you send iReports.

WHITFIELD: Yeah, OK, next beach trip. I'll work that one in. All right, Jacqui, appreciate it. Maybe without a hurricane brewing --

JERAS: That too.

WHITFIELD: And bring us video, by the way. Thanks.

All right, World War II, POWs return to Japan for an apology.

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WHITFIELD: Sixty-five years is a long time to wait for an apology, but it finally came this week for six American POWs invited back to Japan as honored guests instead of bitter enemies. The story from CNN's Kyung Lah.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KYUNG LAH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The final days of World War II -- Japan had surrendered, America's prisoners of war finally free. Earl Szwabo was 17 when he was captured, held for almost four years in a Japanese prison camp, worked nearly to death, weighing only 70 pounds.

EARL SZWABO, FORMER WWII PRISONER OF WAR: They made us all get out of our barracks and watch them shoot the six prisoners. I can't forget all these different things cause I've seen a lot of atrocities.

LAH: Joseph Alexander was just a boy who snuck into the military at age 14. A year later, he was America's youngest POW in World War II. What he has wanted all these decades is a face-to-face apology.

JOSEPH ALEXANDER, FORMER WWII PRISONER OF WAR: It would give us satisfaction. I mean, that's what we want.

LAH: Sixty-five years later, the horrors remain, and what these six American POWs have come to reconcile in the country that once imprisoned, the very first American World War II prisoners, invited by the government of Japan, for a peace visit.

LESTER TENNEY, FORMER WWII PRISONER OF WAR: We're between 90 and 92.

LAH (on camera): So 90 and 92.

TENNEY: Yes, I'm 90, I'm going on 91.

LAH (voice-over): Lester Tenney was a radio operator for the U.S. Army when he was captured. He survived what's known as a Baton Death March. Thousands died on that 86-mile march at the hands of the Japanese military.

Now shaking hands with Japanese government leaders, Tenney shared a long-awaited message. TENNEY: Our needs are very simple. We have never asked for much. The biggest thing we have asked for is recognition that we exist.

LAH: An apology from Japan's foreign minister, who called their imprisonment inhuman treatment.

(on camera): Much has changed in 65 years. This former POW Camp now a modern day company. This is a factory that produces chemicals. The United States and Japan, close allies for more than 50 years.

But after all this time, the American veterans say what they need and the reason why they're here is some sort of official acknowledgment of what they went through when they were POWs here in Japan.

ED JACKFORT, FORMER WWII PRISONER OF WAR: I came here for a purpose.

LAH (voice-over): That purpose, says Edward Jackfort, here from the management of the company where he was once a slave laborer, a meeting the company would not allow us to attend, but one that Jackfort says is decades overdue.

JACKFORT: If all the other companies would do the same, it would make a big difference to us, to know that they acknowledge that what they did was wrong, and perhaps it would make it easier on everybody.

LAH (on camera): So they did acknowledge that to you.

JACKFORT: Yes, right.

LAH (voice-over): Sixty-five years after the war's end, some small peace for those who paid an enormous price.

SZWABO: War is no good. I mean, it's no good for nobody. There's losers on both sides. So I think it's time for us to forgive and forget.

LAH: Kyung Lah, CNN, Tokyo.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: And I'm Fredricka Whitfield. Don Lemon is coming up next with more of the day's headlines and on the top of the list, Elmo's World.