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Manhunt for Escaped Inmate; Gay Activists Celebrate in NYC; Minot Flood Now Cresting; Deaths from Amtrak Crash Now at 6; Customer Turns Crimefighter; Baseball Stars Making a Difference; Two Years since Michael Jackson's Death; Chavez Tweets From Cuba; Minot Flood Now Cresting; Debt, Taxes & Spending
Aired June 26, 2011 - 19:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: It's at the top of the hour. And I'm Don Lemon. And we're going to get you caught up on the headlines and we're going to start with this.
Police are out in force descending on site in Oklahoma; guns drawn, hunting down an escaped murder suspect storming any and every location where he might be. This is the man that they're looking for. His name is Shaun Bosse accused of committing a horrific triple murder in 2010 in the summer.
Authorities say he killed a woman and her two young children then set a mobile home on fire with the victims inside. The sheriff described to me how Bosse was able to escape.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SHERIFF DON HEWETT, MCCLAIN COUNTY, OKLAHOMA: Bosse overpowered two of our jailers. He escaped by taking one of the jailers' vehicles. He is from Blanchard (ph) area that we are right here. We know he has numerous friends and acquaintances up here and that's where he was seen.
We are getting numerous calls of him being spotted but as they are coming in we are sending deputies and troopers to these locations.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: On now to eastern North Carolina, large wildfires have prompted the governor to declare a state of emergency in 29 counties. 68,000 acres have been burned. The largest blaze is in their county which started more than two months ago from lightning. Even though it's 95 percent contained the fire requires huge amounts of water daily to keep it from spreading.
Another fire near Gulf Shores, Alabama, it's contained but still not under control. It began Saturday as a small blaze near a camp ground but quickly grew to 175 acres due to dry and windy conditions.
Now to Arizona, the largest wildfire in state history is now 77 percent contained. That's according to affiliate KGUN in Tucson. The wildfire has scorched nearly 850 square miles and is still growing. KGUN is also reporting two persons of interest have been identified who may have been responsible for starting the blaze last month. The flames have destroyed more than 30 homes and several rental cabins.
Across the United States today, gays, lesbians, bisexuals, and transgender people and their supporters turned out in large numbers for Annual Gay Pride Parades.
The events are always colorful affairs but today's parade in New York City had a little extra flair. Late Friday the state of New York, legalized same-sex marriage; the new law takes effect in late July. Among those marching in today's parade was Governor Andrew Cuomo who was instrumental in getting the measure approved.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. ANDREW CUOMO (D), NEW YORK: I believe New York has sent a message to this nation loud and clear. It is time for marriage equality all across this country. New York for many years -- New York for many, many years has served as the progressive beacon for this country and passing marriage equality, I think advances the entire discussion in terms of social justice. And I was so proud and honored to be the governor of this state signing this law into effect.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Even though same-sex marriage is a done deal in New York State, some top Republicans are reaffirming their opposition to the idea.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. MICHELLE BACHMANN (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I stand for the proposition that marriage is between a man and a woman. I think what we know is that ultimately you have all the various laws and the various states. There'll be a conflict if someone from Pennsylvania or from New York for instance moves to a state where marriage is between a man and a woman, will these marriages be recognized. Ultimately it will go to the courts.
GOV. CHRIS CHRISTIE (R), NEW JERSEY: I am not a fan of same-sex marriage. It's not something that I support. I believe marriage should be between one man and one woman. That's my view and that would be the view of my state because I wouldn't sign a bill like the one that was in New York.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: President Obama and Vice President Biden meet today with Republican and Democratic Senate leaders. Their goal is getting negotiations on the debt ceiling back on track. The Treasury Department says, Congress has until August 2nd to raise the ceiling or the U.S. will start defaulting on its loans. Bipartisan talks to address the core problem in the country's growing deficit broke down last week over the issue of tax hikes.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JIM DEMINT (R), SOUTH CAROLINA: We've got more revenue than we ever have, we're spending more than we ever have, we don't -- we don't have a revenue problem, we have a spending problem. The government is doing things that we can't do well. We're wasting billions of dollars and we're not going to address that waste and the fraud unless we have to.
REP. NANCY PELOSI (D), MINORITY LEADER: You cannot achieve what you set out to do if you say it's just about cutting. It has to be about increasing the revenue stream as well. And there are many things you can do in terms of, again, special interest tax loopholes so that they -- the tax code is rampant and is just full of.
Now, let me just remind all this talk about tax cuts in the Bush years, the Republicans said that tax cuts will produce jobs. They didn't. They produced a deficit.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: All right, well, this story sounds outrageous, a 95-year-old woman who's wheelchair bound asked to remove her adult diaper during a TSA search. Her daughter is mad and she is speaking out.
And a woman leaps onto a moving car to stop thieves and it's all caught on tape. Not only will you see it played out but I asked her what she was thinking. Wait until you hear her answer.
And many of you have been joining me on social media. You can reach out to me on Twitter, on Facebook on CNN.com/don and also on FourSquare.com as well. And make sure you check out my new book. It's called "Transparent", anywhere books are sold.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Well, we want to go now to Minot, North Dakota. City officials are optimistic tonight that their town has turned the corner in the record flood that has engulfed thousands of homes and really just affected thousands of people as well.
Let's go right now to CNN's Jim Spellman. Jim, it still looks pretty bad but they're hopeful that it won't get any worse right now.
JIM SPELLMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Hey, Don. I mean, take a look. You're right, the river has stopped rising. It has crested; it won't go any higher. But look at all -- at what it's brought with it. I mean, block after block, neighborhood after neighborhood, mile after mile of this kind of devastation, and this is right at the edge of the flood zone where homes have only taken on a foot or two of water.
You go a half block down on this river of any of these roads and the water is nearly up to the roof. 4,000 homes, we understand, flooded; 12,000 people already evacuated. A few lucky ones who have built small -- small dikes here around their homes right on the edge they might be ok, but otherwise it's serious devastation.
And the good news as you mentioned is that the water is not going to come up any higher. The bad news is it's going to stay above record flood levels for at least a week and maybe longer. And I think that that's one of the things that as residents have come back and tried to peer down the street and get some -- see if they can see their home or figure out their fate, that's what's really I think is a hard part for them.
It stopped rising but it's going to be so long before they can get back into their homes and start to try to rebuild their lives -- Don.
LEMON: All right, well put. Thank you very much Jim Spellman, we appreciate it.
The number of victims killed in an Amtrak crash in Nevada has risen to six.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JUSTIN RHINE, PASSENGER: The next thing I know, I got hit by something, a big ball of fire comes in. I jumped out window.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You jumped out the window?
RHINE: Yes, we're on fire.
I just saw a fire and the train was moving fast. It was going to tip over, but it didn't tip over. And then, people -- I saw people flying on the other side of the train.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: A tractor trailer truck skidded some 300 feet before hitting the train at a crossing. That was on Friday.
Our affiliate KOLO reports 28 people are unaccounted for which may include people who never boarded or people who got off at earlier stops. The train with 218 people onboard was headed from Chicago to California.
More complaints of absurd pat downs by the TSA. This time the air traveler isn't a kid but an elderly woman who was forced to remove her adult diaper. The Florida woman said security agents asked her 95- year-old mother who was in the wheelchair to remove her diaper so they could complete a full search. It happened at the North West, Florida regional airport last weekend.
Jean Weber says her mother was detained for 45 minutes. The pair were heading to Michigan so Weber's mother could be with family during the final stages of her battle for leukemia.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JEAN WEBER, HER ELDERLY MOM SEARCHED BY TSA: They said they felt something suspicious on her leg and they couldn't determine what it was so they took her into a closed room that was private, and I was left outside.
And they came out and told me that it had something to do with her Depends, that it was wet and it was firm and they couldn't check it thoroughly, she would have to remove it. And I was -- I said I don't have an extra one with me. Normally this isn't a problem. And she said that she could not complete the security check without the Depends off.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Well, here's the TSA's response. Quote, "While every person and item must be screened before entering the secure boarding area, TSA works with passengers to resolve security alarms in a respectful and sensitive manner. We have reviewed the circumstances involving this screening and determined that our officers acted professionally and according to proper procedure."
Police don't like citizens getting directly involved if they see criminal activity because it's really dangerous but Monique Wallace was so angry when she saw three young men allegedly shoplift three cases of beer from a Houston Wal-Mart where she was shopping. She leaped into action literally.
She chased them outside and jumped on their car before they sped away. They didn't get far before the police caught up with them though, hang on. That's her being dragged and she does a face plant. And that's the police catching up with the suspects right there. I asked her, what was she thinking?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MONIQUE WALLACE, WAL-MART CUSTOMER: I was just reacting really. I was mad. I saw these kids walk in there, walking out with beer, you know, and I asked -- or told the cashier, do something, do something. And, you know, people are standing around. We were all waiting in line to check out so they heard me telling her and saw me pointing at them and no one was doing anything.
So when it became obvious that Wal-Mart couldn't do anything, I just told her, you know, "Watch my purse and my basket," and I took off after them.
LEMON: You weren't afraid that they could have -- you could get hurt by the car, they could have beaten you or they would have had a weapon of some type? You didn't thing about that?
WALLACE: No. When I -- when I first saw them, they looked fairly young. I knew they couldn't -- I was thinking 19, 18 years old -- about my kids' age, you know. And when confronted by an adult, my kids are going to stop, and yes, sir; no, ma'am; yes ma'am. Where these kids had no fear whatsoever and any kind of authority or adult or anybody; they, they didn't care.
LEMON: Yes we're just showing the video of them actually getting caught. Listen, did -- did they drag you for a little bit? It looks like on that video you got dragged just for a minute or a second there.
WALLACE: Yes. When I opened the driver side car door and he -- he took off then and I had a hold of the door and it pulled me forward and I lunged forward and did a face plant into the asphalt.
LEMON: Oh and that's where the black eyes came from. Ok.
WALLACE: Yes that's where the black eye, the bruised nose, everything -- yes.
LEMON: You've got some breaking news for me that you haven't told anyone else. That is --
WALLACE: I received a Facebook message from family members of -- of the Sylvester boys. And you know, they apologized to me from the family. They said we're really, really sorry that you had to go through this event but we're thankful for what you did. We're thankful for your actions and that they deserve whatever punishment they get. They deserve to be in jail right now and have to pay for what they did. They were wrong.
And I told the family member, you know, thank you, thank you, thank you because I felt bad. I feel for the family. Everybody's affected by this. Your community is affected; their family right down the line.
And I want to say thank you to that family for reaching out to me and letting me know that they felt like I did the right thing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: The Williams sisters are back in action and once again they look like America's best hope at Wimbledon. Jon Wertheim of "Sports Illustrated" joins me live from London in just a minute.
But first, Major League Baseball player and high school students joining forces to help communities in need. CNN Education contributor Steve Perry went to Camden, New Jersey, to find out what's going on.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
STEVE PERRY, CNN EDUCATION CONTRIBUTOR: It's Saturday Sunday morning in Camden, New Jersey and these teens gather at a drug addiction facility. It's not what it sounds like. They're here to help. Here to make this a better place.
(on camera): What makes you want to give back? You're a young kid. A lot of young kids are not thinking about giving back right now.
JUSTIN JOHNSON, HIGH SCHOOL JUNIOR: I'd rather not be in the streets all day. I'd rather do something productive.
PERRY: This is a rough neighborhood for sure. Why here?
ERICA BENEDETTI, HIGH SCHOOL JUNIOR: It's not about where. It's about who needs the help and when they need it.
PERRY (voice-over): Justin Johnson and Erica Benedetti are here as part of the Action Team. It's a program that was created eight years ago by the Major League Baseball Players Trust and Volunteers of America. Major Leaguers and high schoolers come together so that they can encourage young people to make a difference in their communities across the country.
PERRY: Do you feel like what you're doing here is going to make an impact?
BEN FRANCISCO, PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES: Yes. Everything you do makes an impact if it helps one person or helps a thousand.
JIMMY ROLLINS, PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES: It isn't always, you know, giving money. Sometimes it's giving time.
PERRY: What do you want the kids to get out today?
RYAN HOWARD, PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES: You know what? I think that they've already gotten the message just because they're here. You don't have to be a Major League Baseball player or an athlete or anything to be a good role model in your community.
GREG BOURIS, MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL PLAYERS ASSOCIATION: We take players off of a pedestal. We lift the high school students and put them on a pedestal and give them the resources to go out in their own communities, inspire their peers to go out and pick causes that are important to their own environments, their own communities, their own schools and make a difference. And then they realize that they do have that power.
PERRY (voice-over): Today, there are 163 high schools that have Action Teams in 33 states.
BENEDETTI: Seeing people happy, helping them out, it's the best feeling.
PERRY: Steve Perry, Camden, New Jersey.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What's going on here fellows?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What have we got here?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Football?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, I'm not saying anything.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mike Manning.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You're not playing by the rules of football cops.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And Eli Manning.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I've got some news for you. This, unnecessary roughness.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, yes? Well, I didn't hear a whistle.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And I don't see a flag.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I guess nobody told them that justice was a team sport.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Well, I guess that's what happens when two of the top quarterbacks in the NFL have time on their hands. They become crime busters. But there are more signs of progress in the labor talks that may get the Manning brothers back on the football field and hopefully soon.
Jon Wertheim of "Sports Illustrated" joins me now from London. And let's show -- there's the cover of S.I., right there, "Golf's New Era".
So Jon, I know that you're there covering Wimbledon. And we're going to get to that in just a moment. But first what are you hearing on the NFL labor front? Are we closer to getting the Manning brothers and others back on their day jobs?
JON WERTHEIM, "SPORTS ILLUSTRATED": Yes, I think to the disappointment of viral videos, we're getting closer. Both sides are talking face to face. We seem to be moving away from courtrooms and lawyers.
And, you know, now it's just going to come down to dividing a pie. And what I'm hearing is, it's better than 50/50, my team source says. We're going to have meetings this week. It's looking to be about 48 percent revenue for the players, you know, which sounds like a reasonable compromise. Still a lot to get done, but it's definitely a better place than it was a few weeks ago, no question.
LEMON: All right. So let's move on now and talk about tennis. You are halfway through Wimbledon. Any big surprises?
WERTHEIM: No, not really. It's actually gone pretty smoothly, and that usually -- it usually bodes well for the second week. You know, it's always fun when you have a big crashing upset the first couple of days. We didn't really have that. Andy Roddick lost. That's about as big as it got.
But really -- you know, the Williams sisters, Nadal, Federer -- all the big names are still in the draw which usually means things will heat up the second week.
LEMON: Ok. So let's talk about the Americans. How are they doing? Can the Williams sisters make a run at the title after missing much of the last year? They're the best hope for America.
WERTHEIM: They are the best hope for America, and, really, they're what's keeping us afloat. There's one male left in the draw, but, no, it's looking like the Williams sisters. They looked a little rusty which you'd obviously expect from a couple of players that really basically haven't played over the last -- I mean Serena hasn't played in the past last 11 months, Venus about six months.
But you know, they sort of used those first couple of rounds to get into it, shake the rust off. All of a sudden, they're looking great again. And I think, if either of them won, it wouldn't be at all surprising.
LEMON: Ok. So listen, let's come back here to the U.S. You were listening to the interview with Ron Artest. He's a colorful character. People thought we were fighting. But we know it -- we tweet each other. That's how we talk. That's how we talk in the barber shop. It's like, hey, man, don't come out here and talking about me. What did you make of the interview and him and changing his name?
WERTHEIM: He's one of the all-time great colorful figures in sports. I'll tell, he's actually on a comedy tour this summer. I mean he's on the marquee at Carolyn's comedy club in Midtown, seriously.
You know, I mean if it were anyone else, you'd roll your eyes. With Ron Artest, you never know what's next. You know, I think, I'm not sure what he expected. I mean that brawl is really a seminal moment. I'm not sure how he could expect that not to have been shown.
But it is true, in his defense. He's done good since then. He's won a title. He's made some donations. You know, he's one of these guys that keeps things interesting. It's something he does, you roll your eyes. A few years ago he was going to change his name to True Warrior. So I think that Metaworld Peace in an improvement. You don't throw a beer at Metaworld Peace. But you know, he's one of these guys frankly who you like to have around because he keeps things interesting.
LEMON: Yes. You know what? I like people who -- hey, they go by the beat of a different drummer and he's his own person.
Jon Wertheim, thank you sir. Appreciate it.
WERTHEIM: Thank you. All right.
LEMON: You can follow his work this week from Wimbledon at si.com and it's open source tennis blog. Thanks again to Jon Wertheim.
Straight ahead Joe Jackson, the father of the legendary Michael Jackson talks about his son on the second anniversary of his death. He also is responding to the criticism he received for something he said in an interview with me just three days after Michael died.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: A music icon and perhaps his most famous iconic individual video. You all remember "Thriller" and that cool red jacket Michael Jackson was wearing in it.
Now someone is the new proud owner of that jacket. Look at that right there; price tag -- $1.8 million at an auction today. There were actually two of these jackets used in the video. The other is on loan from the Jackson estate to the "Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. $1.8 million; that's a lot of money.
You know, the world lost Michael Jackson exactly two years ago this weekend. And on the anniversary of his death, I had the chance to speak with his father Joe Jackson. And we got into some pretty tough topics. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: So Mr. Jackson, I want you to take a look at you and I on the red carpet two years ago and then we'll talk about it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: The last couple of days, I know it's been really tough for you guys.
JOE JACKSON, FATHER OF MICHAEL JACKSON: And? It has been really tough. Remember, we just lost the biggest star in the world. I want to make this statement. This is a real good statement here. Marshal and I, we own a record company called -- tell them.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ranch Records. It's truly about Blu-Ray technology and that's his next step.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: What do you think when you see that, Mr. Jackson?
JACKSON: I don't think nothing about it because Blu-Ray I mean that company don't exist. As soon as it happened, it went out of business. It's no big deal to me.
LEMON: But this was only three days after Michael's death. That's what I'm asking. What do you think --
JACKSON: I don't care if it's a minute after Michael's death. Listen. I am -- the Blu-ray is not even existing as a record company with the same guy that I was talking with, you know. That don't even happen.
What I am here now is promoting (INAUDIBLE) and promoting the things that I'm doing now.
LEMON: What about the children? How are they?
JACKSON: The children are fine. They're fine. They're going to acting school and Prince is taking up karate -- he's taking up martial arts and all that stuff. And Blanket -- he's just happy. He's a happy little kid. He wants to be a producer or something. But, yes, you know, they're fine.
LEMON: People have talked about your alleged treatment of Michael Jackson, some of the family members, even him said that you were abusive in the sense that you pushed them too far. Is the --
JACKSON: Don, Don, Don, Don, I know what you're trying to do. I'm not going there. Everybody back in those days are abused -- they didn't abuse the kids. They whipped the kids when they did wrong. Now, you can't do that these days because if you whip a kid now, they call 911 on you. But if you don't train them to be right toward people and how to conduct themselves when they get young, if you don't do that, you're going to have some kids in prison.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: Time to check the headlines now. Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has popped up after nearly two weeks of silence, apparently he's recovering from surgery in Cuba. The official explanation is Chavez has a pelvic abscess. Chavez sent out a series of tweets Friday from Cuba which was e first public comment from him in 12 days. He's expected to return home to Venezuela in about 10 days.
Right now a manhunt is on for an accused murderer on the loose in Oklahoma. Here's what officials are saying there. That Shaun Bosse escaped from custody, overpowering two jailors and stealing a dispatcher's car. Police aren't sure if is armed but they do consider him dangerous. They say he has been spotted in the area and officers are chasing every lead. Bosse is accused of killing a woman and her two children and burning a mobile home with the victims still inside in 2010.
A school bus accident in Pennsylvania has injured at least 25 people, some of them children. It happened almost three hours ago in the Harrisburg area. At last word, that interstate that you're looking at there, 81 northbound remained closed. We're not sure what caused the school bus to roll over, but another car was involved in the collision. Our affiliate WHTM reports that the bus belongs to the Cumberland Valley Christian School in Chambersburg.
An unexpected twist in the Casey Anthony murder trial. After what was supposed to be almost a full day of court Saturday, the judge called a recess until Monday morning. We'll break it down next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: The Casey Anthony murder trial resumes Monday morning. The number one question is why Saturday's session was abruptly cancelled. We talked about it a lot last night here on CNN. In a week of dramatic testimony for the defense the sudden recess over a "legal issue sent the speculation machine into overdrive." So I want to bring in Drew Petrimoulx. He's become a regularly now here with me. He's covering the trial for WDBO Radio. So Drew, thanks for joining us. Let's listen to what the judge said Saturday and then we're going to talk.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JUDGE BELVIN PERRY, ORANGE COUNTY CIRCUIT JUDGE: As both sides concur that a legal issue has arisen unrelated to the issue that we talked about, the first thing this morning dealing with the Dr. (INAUDIBLE) that would necessitate us recessing for today.
(END VIDEO CLIP) LEMON: OK. Drew, any insights into the legal issue that the judge cited there?
DREW PETRIMOULX, REPORTER, WDBO RADIO: Nobody's talking, and we really don't know. When we came out of the courthouse, the lawyers had nothing to say. Also the court file that contains a transcript of everything that was said in these closed-door meetings is sealed by the judge, so we really don't know what was said at this point.
I'll tell you what we do know. When court opened yesterday, the prosecution was complaining that it had just been given new expert testimony by the defense, and it said that it was a violation of court rules because all expert testimony has to be filed with the court months before this trial. They went behind closed doors. Casey Anthony was back there. The court reporter was back there. But when they came back out, they said it was a separate issue. Something new had came up, something legal as you just heard and after about 45 minutes behind closed doors they recessed for the day. And a really big mystery right now as to what was really happening.
LEMON: OK. Casey's mother, Cindy Anthony, front and center last week and talking about chloroform. Listen, Drew.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOSE BAEZ, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: In March of 2008, were you doing any types of searches for any items that might include chloroform?
CINDY ANTHONY, CASEY ANTHONY'S MOTHER: Yes.
LINDA DRANE BURDICK, PROSECUTOR: Do you recall denying that you made any searches for how to make chloroform?
CINDY ANTHONY: I didn't look up how to make chloroform. I looked up chloroform.
BURDICK: Did we cover whether or not you did a search for the word shovel?
CINDY ANTHONY: No, I wouldn't need to look up the word shovel.
BURDICK: Do you recall denying that you searched for self-defense?
CINDY ANTHONY: Yes, I did not search for self-defense.
BURDICK: Household weapons.
CINDY ANTHONY: I did not search for household weapons.
BURDICK: Neck breaking.
CINDY ANTHONY: I did not search for neck breaking.
BURDICK: OK. So did she help her daughter's case?
(END VIDEO CLIP) PETRIMOULX: You have to think that would be initially a victory for the defense. Of course, the key here is going to be work records, whether or not she, the prosecution, can prove that she was at work. The records that we've seen so far indicate that she was. She testified that just because the work records say that doesn't mean that. She was a salaried employee. She could leave at times. She would have overtime and her boss would allow her to leave to make up for it. So I would imagine the prosecution is scrambling right now to subpoena records and go back to her place of employment, and try to prove, on some kind of paper trail that they can prove that she was actually at work on those days.
LEMON: OK. More testimony. Let's listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LEE ANTHONY, CASEY ANTHONY'S BROTHER: I was very angry at my mom. I was also angry at my sister. I mean I was angry at everyone in general that they didn't - that they didn't want to include me and didn't find it important enough to tell me, especially after I had already asked. I was very hurt.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Casey's brother, Lee, on the stand front and center this past week as well. Real tears? Crocodile tears? Were people buying it in court?
PETRIMOULX: It seemed like very real, very emotional testimony talking about not being brought to the hospital when Casey - Caylee Anthony was born. He said he was very hurt by that. I think what the defense was trying to show here, a family dysfunction, a history of keeping secrets and not telling each other things because in it's opening statement they said abuse and this family dynamics is what caused her to basically act like nothing had went wrong after her daughter drowned those 31 days when she was out partying. That's what the defense is trying to use to explain this. So I think the testimony went to this dysfunction within that family.
You know, I'm not inside Lee Anthony's head so I can't tell you what he was thinking. But from where I was sitting in what I heard while I as in court it seemed to be very real testimony.
LEMON: All right. Drew Petrimoulx, WDBO Radio, thank you, sir, again.
It's billed as the ultimate party weekend, the Essence Music Festival will take over New Orleans next week. Straight ahead, the magazine's editor in chief will give us a preview of this year's headlines.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(MUSIC PLAYING)
LEMON: Oh, yes. Independence day is not just about patriotism in New Orleans. It's also about powerhouse performances at the Essence Music Festival. We call it the Essence Music Festival or the fest. You know you're going to have a lot of fun. This is fun from last year that we're looking at.
OK. So this year's festival is now just a week away and the managing editor of essence.com, Emil Wilbekin is right there. You see him, in New York, getting ready to go down to New Orleans. So the basic question is, I know we ask you this every year. But you know, some people may not get it. Why do you do music?
EMIL WILBEKIN, MANAGING EDITOR, ESSENCE.COM: Well, you know, music is so important to the "Essence" brand. We cover black women on the cover of the magazine but it really is the soul of what black culture is about and so we started the music festival 17 years ago as a way to celebrate music. You know, it's fourth of July weekend. It brings 400,000 black people together to celebrate music, to celebrate black women, and to celebrate being the best that we can be.
LEMON: And also people of really all ethnicities who want to have those people as buyers of their products, right? So.
WILBEKIN: Absolutely.
LEMON: You get major stars. Who's going to be headlining this year's lineup?
WILBEKIN: Well, this year, the headliner Friday night is Usher, Saturday night is Kanye West and Sunday is Mary J. Blige.
(CROSSTALK)
LEMON: I have not heard of any of those three people. Let's see. You said Mary J. Blige, who else? Usher and Kanye West. I'm going to have to Google them.
WILBEKIN: Yes.
LEMON: That is - I mean those are some huge headliners. This is serious stuff.
WILBEKIN: And then in between, Don, I mean we have Jennifer Hudson, Fantasia, Charlie Wilson, Chaka Kahn, and New Edition is going to be reuniting at the Essence Music Festival on Sunday night.
LEMON: OK. Listen, there's been some controversy about your event. This year's theme is empowerment and some are complaining that some of the speakers don't embody that theme, in fact, just the opposite. So you say two of the speakers are Tami Roman and then Evelyn Joseta from the reality show "Basketball Wives." Here's a clip.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm saying (INAUDIBLE).
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You're a (INAUDIBLE).
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No, no, no, no, no. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (INAUDIBLE).
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Tami, Tami.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (INAUDIBLE).
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Can you see why, you know - when you see these images - and I know "Essence" is a positive, the fest is supposed to be a positive thing. But can you see why it concerns some people?
WILBEKIN: I see the point. I mean I think the thing that has been misconstrued here is that the theme of our essence empowerment experience is about transformation. And what we do is we bring thought leaders and entertainers and educators around the country here to talk about different topics so we are doing reality TV and black women panel, but we're also talking to Dr. Cornell West, Tavis Smiley, Reverend Al Sharpton, Sophia A. Nelson who just wrote the book "Black Women Redefined" as well as Terry McMillan.
So, yes, we are having this reality, you know, TV, discussion but that's just a small part of the bigger picture that is happening at the Essence Music Festival.
LEMON: Yes and it's always a good event. And I think as you say, you have to talk about it, you got to discuss those issues, right? About those women and all of that. That's the best way to get it out there. And improve it.
WILBEKIN: Absolutely.
LEMON: So, listen, thank you, Emil. As someone who's from Louisiana, I want to thank "Essence" for making a commitment to New Orleans. I don't have time to talk to you about why you do but I know you do it in part because you think it's important and it's an important city. So thank you and I look forward to seeing you next week, OK?
WILBEKIN: Great. Thank you so much.
LEMON: All right. Coming up, I'll talk with actress Mira Sorvino about the worldwide plague of human trafficking.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MIRA SORVINO, UNODC GOODWILL AMBASSADOR: Let me tell you one fact. The world on drugs spends more than all the money than all the money that has spent up to date by the United States government, in all of its domestic and international programs on human trafficking.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: An important topic. Our conversation, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) LEMON: Human trafficking is a huge problem virtually wherever, including right here in the United States. The statistics are staggering. Worldwide, 800,000 people are snatched every year and forced into slave labor. It's also a money maker. The U.N. estimates human trafficking is a $32 billion industry, but there are people working hard to stop it. One of them is the award-winning actress Mira Sorvino. She's a U.N. goodwill ambassador and I asked her if she was stunned to learn just how serious this problem has become.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SORVINO: Yes. And you know, the idea of 800,000 people a year is misleading because those are just the people just being brought into it right now. I mean some estimates put the number of people living as slaves across the globe at over 30 million people. So those are just the new recruits. And actually here in the United States, we have a really gigantic problem of our own young people, American kids, being trafficked for sexual exploitation. So basically children being bought and sold for sex on the streets of America. Anywhere between 100,000 to 600,000 a year.
LEMON: People think, well, this is an overseas problem, it doesn't happen in the United States. But they would be wrong.
SORVINO: Right. You know, we've been doing this Blue Heart campaign for the UNODC, that's the agency that I am the goodwill ambassador for at the U.N. and it is a global problem. Every country in the world has trafficking in some form or another. Either they are a transit country, a destination country, or a source country and some are all three. And we are all three here in the U.S. and the fact that it's our own children we really need to wake up and we have this gigantic problem that I've only recently really begun to understand to its full extent.
Our state laws don't harmonize with our very excellent federal laws. We have Trafficking Victims Protection Act which is our great federal body of laws that concern trafficking and protect trafficking victims. And they see any person under the age of 18 who is in commercial exploitation - commercial sexual exploitation is considered a trafficking victim of the severest form of trafficking, whether or not they were coerced.
However, our state laws see kids in prostitution as criminals. Many of our state laws. Most of our state laws. So when your beat cop arrest a prostitute and finds out that they're under age, they treat them as a criminal. They book them, they send them sometimes to juve, sometimes to adult jail. They're not seen as a victim.
LEMON: Tell us about the Blue Heart campaign and trust fund for victims of trafficking.
SORVINO: Yes. OK. Well, this is one way that if you care about human trafficking and your heart is breaking for the millions of men and women and children around the world who are living in slavery because that's what it is, it's slavery. The word "trafficking" is misleading because you think of it, you know, crossing borders, objects being moved around.
No, these are people who are living as slaves. You can do something. Even with the amount as small as a dollar. There's something called the U.N. voluntary trust fund for the victims of human trafficking. And countries can donate to it, individuals can donate to it. Corporations can donate to it and it gives money directly to go to victims of human trafficking to assist them. It goes to NGOs around the world. Any NGO who's been an NGO for longer than two years in their country can apply and it gives them grants to help more people.
Let me tell you one fact. The war on drugs in one month spends more than all the money that is spent up to date by the United States government in all of its domestic and international programs on human trafficking. In a decade. In a decade of work, we have spent as much as one month as the war on drugs. These are human beings living in abject misery. And let's wage a war on slavery and let's be modern day abolitionists and really, really step up.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: And CNN is going "In Depth" into the problem of modern day slavery. Make sure you stay tuned next hour, in just a few minutes here for a documentary on young women and girls bought and sold for sex in Nepal. Actress and activist Demi Moore joins the CNN Freedom Project to present "Nepal's Stolen Children." That's coming up in just a few minutes, 8:00 p.m. Eastern only here on CNN.
I want to tell you, the producers are going to be taking your questions and comments live. Check our twitter site or our web site and you can see where to send your comments.
Make sure you stay with us. Your top stories are just ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON (on camera): I don't have cooties, I promise.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Good. Yes. A lot of flavor.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: There I am. Mooching a bite of a steak taco from a new friend and never met that woman until then. She didn't get it at a fast food joint or sit-down restaurant. She got it off a food truck and they are everywhere these days. They're quick, they're cheap and the food is often gourmet quality. Really.
All you have to do is - to find them is use Facebook or go to Twitter and they'll tell you where they are. Here's a twitter page for the Tamale Queen, one of our personal favorites. They send constant updates about where they're going to be and when. So we decided to head out and hit a few trucks at lunch time.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I got chicken and (INAUDIBLE) sausage (INAUDIBLE).
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I have a barbecued pork sandwich with some chips and sweet pickles.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: How was the cupcake?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: But you're not eating a cupcake.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I will next.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How do you follow it?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Facebook is a good place to get updates on where the trucks are going to be. They have all these festivals. They have events like this.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Through Facebook and Twitter. (INAUDIBLE) ad agency so we monitor the social media.
LEMON (on camera): I'm going to do a taste test. Are you worried?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No worries.
LEMON: Why?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No worries. Because our food is the best in the whole wide world.
LEMON: Wow. That is really good. Wow! Look at all these people chowing down.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I can sneak out without my boss knowing.
LEMON: It's definitely a break in the routine that you get out after rut, should we eat here today? We've had that. What do you think?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm tired of heading to the mall every day. So it's something new. Something different.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We do bring our lunch except for Friday because the food trucks are here.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I brought my lunch today but I ended up actually coming here instead. I caved.
LEMON: What do you think?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Actually, it's really good. I just wish I had a table. I'm not good at eating on my lap.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: Let's check your top stories.
The African Union is set to negotiate peace talks in Libya but there is a key peace missing. Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi. It's not clear who will represent Libya in the talks or when they'll begin. Earlier this month the United Nations declared Gadhafi a legitimate target. That followed more than two months of NATO-led bombings in Libya.
The flooding in Minot, North Dakota is not expected to get any worse than it is now. The swollen Soris River has crested and will slowly recede over the next week. Up to 4,000 homes have been flooded to some degree representing one-third the city. Residents have been ordered to boil their tap water before drinking or cooking.
Now that Vice president Joe Biden's budget talks have collapsed, President Obama is getting directly involved in the standoff over reducing the budget deficit. He's going to host separate meetings Monday with Republican and Democratic Senate leaders. The government faces an August 2nd deadline to increase the federal debt ceiling or risk possible default.
Now you're all caught up. Hope you enjoyed it. I'm Don Lemon at the CNN World headquarters in Atlanta. I really invite to you stick around for this. "NEPAL'S STOLEN CHILDREN," a CNN Freedom Project documentary. It's right now.
