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Rebels Advance on Tripoli; Libyan Rebels Take Zawiya; Pilot Dies after Biplane Nosedives; Long-Shot Bid for Citizenship

Aired August 20, 2011 - 22:00   ET

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

DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Right now on CNN, from Israel to Syria to Libya, the Middle East explodes in gun fire and chaos. We will take you to the middle of the fighting.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They did not kill my son.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: The father of a little boy speaks out on behalf of the men found guilty of killing his son. Just one of the bizarre twists in the case now known as the "West Memphis Three." And it's not over yet.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And you unleash us and you tell us you are readier for us to have this conversation.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Why Congresswoman Maxine Waters is ready to unleash on the president? And does the president's new promise to promote diversity have anything to do with her comment? We ask.

It is all right here, right now on CNN.

Good evening, everyone, I'm Don Lemon. We start with breaking news out of Libya tonight. Rebel forces say they have begun their offensive on the capital. The Libyan government denies it. Moammar Gadhafi went on TV tonight to rally his supporters and urge them to fight.

Straight now to CNN's senior international correspondent Matthew Chance. He joins us now from Tripoli.

Matthew, what's the very latest?

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's got a lot quieter outside over the past hour or so, Don. We have been hearing this very intensive burst of gunfire, clashes between these rebels and the armed forces, the Gadhafi loyalists who have been, you know, attempting to confront them, but those sporadic gun fires and exchanges appear to have stopped as we got into the early hours of the morning. We are not hearing anywhere near as many explosions as we did before. But certainly, this has been a night filled with mayhem and violence.

The government has come out and admitted that there have been a number of armed groups that have been confronting the armed forces, the military, the Gadhafi loyalists in various parts of the Libyan capital, Tripoli. So it is not just the one confrontation, it appears that in several different districts of Tripoli, there have been uprisings, all people have come in, rebels have come in from outside and challenged the Gadhafi security forces.

Now, the government say that the battle is now over, that Tripoli has been defended, that these armed groups have been defeated, but we will see what the situation brings when the daylight comes in a few hours from now.

And the expectation is that this is just the start of a much longer campaign to try and wrestle control of Libyan capital from Colonel Gadhafi, Don.

LEMON: And Matthew, we have been monitoring Libyan television. They have been showing patriotic images all evening on Libyan television. Earlier, Moammar Gadhafi, there were images of him, they are saying they were taken recently, if not, they were live pictures that were broadcast a short time ago where Moammar Gadhafi said, "we had beaten back the traitors. We've got rid of all of the traitors."

Do we know about the authenticity of that video, or either a live report from the Libyan television?

CHANCE: It was not video. It was a -- it was a telephone message that he was delivering over the pictures that were broadcast on Libyan television of the crowds that had gathered in Green Square in the center of Tripoli. He went to some considerable length, Colonel Gadhafi, to make it clear that this was a live broadcast. At least at one point during his speech, he said what the exact time was and he said what the date was, and everything.

And so he went to some lengths to show that this was something that he was doing live. He also talked about what pictures were being shown on state television. And so, this was clearly, you know, a phone-in. He called in to state television and had been patched through to them, and was delivering his message.

His message was one which we have heard several times in the past condemning NATO for their continued air strikes; condemning the rebels for, you know, for their military action. He said that they weren't Libyans. He said that when they go into towns, they destroy our air conditioners. He made a bizarre comment like that. And, basically, it was a bit of a rant at times. But, again, it was characteristically defiant from this Colonel Gadhafi who has been in power in Libya for the past 41 years.

LEMON: All right. Matthew Chance, appreciate it.

Rebel forces say they have driven Gadhafi's troops out of the coastal city of Zawiya. It's west of Tripoli and important for its oil refineries.

Here is CNN's Sara Sidner now from Zawiya.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SARA SIDNER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We are now in where the refinery is. This is the refinery that everybody has been talking about. Obviously, rebel fighters here, they've got their flag, and right behind them is the refinery here in Zawiya. This is obviously a very important get for the rebels. But they said that there has been a lot of fighting in the city. We have been hearing a lot of sounds and blasts that are happening. Definitely there has been some mortar fire and tank fire and small arms fire.

If you look over here, our crew is here, and the rebels have come in front of us just so that we can get through the checkpoints. We are now about 30 miles outside of Tripoli, so we are very, very, very close. And this could become quite a target, and because of that and because of the importance of this oil refinery here where there is tons and tons of the storage tanks. I mean, as we were driving along, we are seeing 10 to 15 of these large oil storage tanks, obviously oil being a very important commodity here and everywhere in the world, really.

Last night, the rebels were telling us that they got help from NATO, and that is one of the ways that they were able to secure this refinery. And important yet for the rebels, but fighting is sill clearly going on from the city center out towards the east because that is where Gadhafi's troops continue to try and fight their way back into this very city, a thoroughfare that gets supplies into the capital.

Right, so here is what we got. We are getting very, very close to as you can hear, the frontline. We are about a kilometer away from the Eastern gate where the Gadhafi forces are. But as you can tell, we are very, very close and any of the mortars could fall where we are. That is why you heard that so incredibly close to us.

A very dangerous situation here. We are up against a wall, because we want to make sure, we want to make sure that we have something between us and the fighting. And the fighting is literally on the other side of this building.

All right. Yup, so, it is getting too close. There are snipers on the top of the buildings. There are loud bangs. There are artillery fires, there are mortars so we have got to get out of here. Let's go.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: CNN's Sara Sidner with Libyan rebels in Zawiya. We are going to continue to follow this developing story on CNN. We're not going to go far away from it. So make sure you stay tune. We will get back to you as we get new developments.

Turning now to Iran, state media in Tehran report two American hikers have been convicted of spying and sentenced to eight years in prison. Josh Fattal and Shane Bauer were detained two years ago while hiking near the Iranian border and charged with espionage and trespassing. A third hiker, Sarah Shourd, was also detained but freed last year for medical reasons.

The Syrian military is crushing descent in the City of Homs, that's according to residents. Pro-Democracy activists say tanks rolled into the city today and they are now afraid to leave their homes because of snipers. Witnesses say at least 21 people had been killed since Friday, and what one calls quote, "a real war."

CNN is not currently allowed into the country to cover the unrest, so we are unable to independently confirm these reports. A television interview with President Bashar Al Assad were reportedly be broadcast, Sunday, his first since the U.S. and other countries call for him to step down.

Militants in Gaza are escalating their war with Israel. A rocket from Gaza killed one person in Beersheba when it smashed into a house and car. That attack came after overnight air strikes by the Israeli military. Seen here, the strikes targeted tunnels used by militants to launch attacks on Israel. Today was the third straight day of violence between the two sides.

Tropical storm Irene is swirling right now in the Atlantic, and those living along the southeast coast need to keep a watchful eye.

Plus, the deadly moments of the Kansas City air show.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: A new weather system is brewing up that could have a big impact on the U.S. in just a matter of days. Let's turn now to our meteorologist Jacqui Jeras. She's tracking the system.

Jacqui, the U.S. could get hit by a hurricane for first time this year.

JACQUI JERAS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Potentially, it is still a little early to say exactly who and exactly where and how strong this storm is going to be. But we are really concerned about what the models are showing and what kind of potential could happen here in the south-eastern U.S. as we head into the latter part of this upcoming week now.

Now take a look at this. This is Irene. It's a tropical storm. This has been a wave that came off the Coast of Africa a couple of days ago, and the computer models were showing it would likely turn into something. Finally, today, it's a tropical storm. The winds are 50 miles per hour and it's moving west/northwest at this time.

Now there are tropical storm warnings which are in effect for the U.S. Virgin Islands, as well as Puerto Rico. And this is going to be impacting you guys already as we head into tomorrow afternoon.

The storm is expected to intensify. There is very little wind shear, so the winds are very light ahead of the storm and the water temperatures will get warmer the further west this thing goes. So right now all signs pointing to this becoming our first hurricane of the season.

Now we are expecting in terms of timing for this thing to move through the Caribbean, through the middle of the week. Now if it spends more time over land, it will be a weaker storm, but if it takes a track which keeps it a little bit more over the open water, then that storm could be stronger.

Now the big question, of course, what everybody wants to know is what is going to happen over here? Are we talking about a South Florida storm? Are we talking Atlantic? Are we talking about a gulf storm? It is too early.

The margin of error this far out, we are talking about a couple of hundred miles. So, you know, either side of that line. But at this point, everybody certainly needs to be prepared for a landfall maybe late next week or into weekend. So we will keep you posted as the storm continues to develop over the next couple of days.

All right. Our other weather story today is impressive video. If you are not at your TV, come over right now and take a look at this. This is from Skokie, Illinois. It's a suburb of Chicago, and there were thunderstorms that moved through early this morning. Lightning struck a power line, brought it down which in turn toppled a gas line and ignited that fire. The firefighters were able to put it out. Nobody was injured. So that was the good news.

Now, also, more problems in Chicago, Don, the air and water show. You know it.

LEMON: Yes.

JERAS: You have been there. It is beautiful. Unfortunately, they had to stop that for a couple of hours because of the thunderstorms that moved through. Everybody was OK there. They were able to resume, and great weather to run in Chicago in the 70s with sunshine, so they will get another day of it.

LEMON: You talked about a magnificent spectacle to watch. It's just amazing, especially if you are in a high-rise, because it looks like they come within inches of those. It's amazing.

JERAS: Yes.

LEMON: All right. That video, though, wow, you are right. Come to your television if you are not there. Thank you very much, Jacqui.

And come to your television now for this next story, because you can hear how the cheers turn to fear and horror as spectators watch a pilot in an air show fall sadly to his death in his small biplane.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, my gosh. Oh, my gosh. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK, everyone --

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Oh, my gosh. You know, it happened today at an airport in Kansas City, Missouri. The pilot, his name is Bryan Jensen, worked for Delta Air Lines.

And joining me now is the man who shot that video, Timothy Dorsett, and his 10-year-old son, Caleb, who also witnessed it.

Thank you, guys, so much for joining us.

I'm sorry you guys had to witness that. But Timothy, we could hear you throughout the video saying, please God, be with his family and then oh my gosh. I mean, it must have been just horrifying for you.

TIMOTHY DORSETT, WITNESS: Yes. The microphone?

LEMON: Timothy, are you there?

TIMOTHY DORSETT: Yes. The microphone -- we are actually on a telephone.

LEMON: Yes, that is fine. We can do it like this. So I can hear you in the video saying, "oh, my gosh," and then also, you saying, I hope God is with -- please God be with their families. It must have been horrifying to witness that especially with your son right next to you.

TIMOTHY DORSETT: Yes. My initial reaction was just shock and sadness at the same time. And I mean, my first instincts were to be concerned for the family. His family and friends that are having to deal with this.

LEMON: Yes. Well, Timothy, describe what you saw. The plane was doing some type of acrobatic stunt, and when did you notice that something was going wrong?

TIMOTHY DORSETT: Well, to be honest, a lot of us thought that this was part of the show, because it looked he was doing a barrel roll coming down, but of course, he just kept coming down, and he didn't pull back up. And it is honestly something you don't like expecting, you don't want it to ever happen in an air show. And I know they do happen, but you think it is part of the show until it happens. It really just hit us hard, emotionally.

LEMON: Can you put Caleb on, and ask him, what did Caleb hear and see? What was he thinking?

CALEB DORSETT: Well, I was kind of like, well, is this a trick or is he actually going to crash down? And as soon as he crashed down, I was like, whoa, did he just crash? And I was just kind of shocked, and I was like scared that he had just crashed down. LEMON: Yes. Hey, listen, it is horrifying to witness, and Timothy, I'm wondering what do you tell your son after this? How do you help him get through it?

TIMOTHY DORSETT: Well, we actually taken a whole group of kids from our church to the show today, and I think half of them saw it and of course, lots of other families and children saw it. But immediately when we went back to our car, we definitely sat down with all of the children and had a little discussion about, basically about life and death, how our moments can be short in this life.

Of course, as a Christian, we always bring it back to Jesus in our lives. And you know, I am going to get emotional now, because, I mean, it is hitting me hard this afternoon -- I mean, it is always sad to have anybody lost, and I don't want to see anybody die for any reason. And especially when we were just out there in the -- and the mood changed. That is what really hit hard. You know, because the day was great, because it was raining all morning even, and that didn't even dampen our moods, and it was still lively, everybody was having fun, and then once this happened, I mean, everything just went completely quiet.

And we were all just in an emotional, emotional feeling for each other, I think that, you know, for all of us to be alive and to care about each other - I mean, even those that we didn't know, you know, we were all holding each other and praying with each other, and -- I can't even put all of it into words except for this, the love that we still have for each other, and that we can value and cherish the moments that we have. Our hearts go out to his family and friends, of course.

(CROSSTALK)

LEMON: Yes, absolutely. Life is so precious and so fragile. Thank you.

TIMOTHY DORSETT: Yes.

LEMON: Thank you very much for that, Timothy and Caleb, as well. We wish the best for you. OK.

I have to tell you about another plane crash. This one is in northern Canada today that killed 12 people and left three others injured. The charter flight went down near the Resolute Bay Airport ten minutes after its last communication. One of the survivors was reported in critical condition. Members of the Canadian military were among the first to respond to the downed plane. The cause of the crash not is immediately known.

A federal judge has awarded an illegal immigrant $200,000 in a lawsuit against a Tennessee sheriff's office. Find out how deputies violated her civil rights when we talk to her attorney in just a few minutes.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) LEMON: An illegal immigrant who successfully sued a Tennessee sheriff's office is now taking a long-shot bid for a VISA. Lawyers for Juana Villegas will ask a judge for a special VISA that allows her to stay in this country for three years and possibly seek citizenship. This comes after she was awarded $200,000 for being handcuffed by sheriff's deputies during and after giving birth of her fourth child.

Her attorney, Elliott Ozment joins me from Nashville, Tennessee.

ELLIOTT OZMENT, LAWYER FOR JUANA VILLEGAS: Handcuffed, can you imagine? So, Mr. Ozment, explain to our viewers what your client went through so they can understand what is at stake here.

Well, she was arrested for driving without a license, and was taken to the Metro Nashville Jail which is supervised by the sheriff here in Nashville. After she had been in jail for two days, awaiting her day in court on the driver's license charge, she went into labor. Her water broke. She was taken to the jail infirmary, then put in an ambulance and taken to Metro General Hospital.

There, she was ordered shackled while she was in labor, while she was having contractions. And during the trial she testified about how she was afraid for the safety of her baby. She thought that maybe her baby would even be choked as the delivery was about to take place. She didn't know what to expect. She didn't know what was going to happen.

LEMON: What do you mean her baby would be choked? Choked by whom?

OZMENT: Well, choked by the fact that she was restrained and her movements were restrained and that that she did not have free movement of her legs to achieve the separation that she felt she needed in order to have a safe birth.

LEMON: Her legs were shackled?

OZMENT: Yes.

LEMON: Her legs were shackled as she was delivering this baby?

OZMENT: No, as she was in labor. Just before the baby was born, they did remove the shackles, but she did not know that was going the happen.

LEMON: OK, OK, I understand. Listen, that is horrible. But here is the question, your client did break the law. So what entitles her to a VISA? That does not say that what they kid was right. I mean, it was terrible to be shackled and handcuffed. But what entitles her to a VISA now?

OZMENT: Well, we believe that she was the victim of an illegal action by the sheriff. And the law says that an immigrant who is the victim of an illegal action if it rises to a certain level of activity and outrageousness, may be entitled to something called a U-VISA. This is something that is written into the law. It is a part of the U.S. Law. And it is provided to victims of wrongs that rise to a certain level.

But a U-VISA has only been awarded once by a federal judge. What makes you -- what do you think your client's chances are here?

OZMENT: Well, we don't know. We are going to ask a federal, the judge in this case, next week, to certify a U-VISA, he does not issue it, he simply certifies that she either has been or may be helpful in the investigation of possible criminal activity. And if he does certify that, then we will take his certification and send it to immigration service and the immigration service --

LEMON: And what if he doesn't?

OZMENT: Well, if he doesn't, then we will have to resort to other means to try to keep her here in this country.

LEMON: OK.

OZMENT: But she has been the victim of a terrible, terrible wrong. And what's outrageous about this even after this was all said and done, and after the trial was over, the sheriff came out and said, that he was going to appeal this verdict whether the award was $1 million or $1. What that tells me is --

(CROSSTALK)

LEMON: And Mr. Ozment.

OZMENT: Yes?

LEMON: Go ahead and finish your thought. This is going to have to be the last word, but you can go ahead and finish.

OZMENT: Well, what that tells me is that he still does not recognize how wrong his conduct or the conduct of his office was in this case.

LEMON: Yes, and we don't have a comment from the sheriff's department so we will take you at your word on that. But, listen, thank you. I'm sorry I have to cut you off, but we've got more show to get and we are running out of time here. The attorney is Elliott Ozment.

Thank you so much, sir. Let us know what happens, OK?

OZMENT: Thank you, sir.

LEMON: All right.

Ahead, The West Memphis Three, freed from prison the same day they pleaded guilty to murdering three children. The little known legal strategy that allow that to happen.

But first, flash flooding in Pennsylvania. A mother and her children die when their car is swept off of the road.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: In the headlines tonight, Libyan rebels say they have taken their fight into the capital. This is video of a recent NATO air strike in Tripoli. By all appearances Moammar Gadhafi is still in control. A message from Gadhafi on state TV urged his supporters to fight. Libyan government says there has been some fighting in the capital, but claims the rebels were quickly defeated.

State media in Iran report two American hikers have been convicted of spying and sentenced to eight years in prison. Josh Fattal and Shane Bauer were detained two years ago while hiking near the Iranian border and charged with espionage and trespassing. A third hiker, Sarah Shourd, was also detained but freed last year for medical reasons.

The United States could feel its first hurricane of the year. Tropical storm Irene has formed east of the Leeward Islands in the Caribbean, bringing there threats of fierce flash floods. It is the ninth named storm of the year and forecasters say it's possible sometime next week it will hit the Florida Keys. It is not clear yet if the Gulf of Mexico will be impacted.

A sixth person has died from the stage collapse at the Indiana State Fair. State police say the 22-year-old woman succumbed to her injuries on Friday. Today, mourners gathered for the funeral of another victim, 23-year-old Alina BigJohny, who was hoping to be a teacher. A scholarship has been set up in her honor. State police believe a powerful burst of winds caused the structure to give way last Saturday.

Intense flooding in Pittsburgh claimed the lives of four people including a mother and her two children. The young girls were 12 and 8 years old. Emergency crews found a fourth body today from another car. From our affiliate WTAE, the water on the street was at 1.9 feet high. At one point, I should say 9 feet high.

Congresswoman Maxine Waters has issues with President Obama, but not everyone agrees going public is the best way to handle it. Both sides of the argument coming up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Let's talk "What Matters" now, our partnership with "Essence" magazine. He is the president, so criticism comes with the territory. But President Obama really has not gotten a lot of criticism from the high-profile African-Americans until now. At a jobs fair this week, Congresswoman Maxine Waters said she supports the president, but he needs to fight harder for his principles. Earlier, I asked the congresswoman what's behind her frustration.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

REP. MAXINE WATERS (D), CALIFORNIA: The young people who cannot find jobs and mothers who have worked hard and fathers to send their kids off to college, and they come back, they can't find a job, and the parents are asking us, what is going on? I mean, I have worked hard to send this kid to college and he can't get a job. And then, of course, a protracted debate on the debt ceiling where we got our clocks cleaned and the Republicans walked away with everything. And we have no new revenue in this picture at all.

LEMON: OK, OK, Congresswoman...

WATERS: It calculates -- it calculates to frustration.

LEMON: Let's stick to one thing at a time, and we're going to talk about leadership...

WATERS: Yes, sure.

LEMON: And I want to talk now.

WATERS: Yes.

LEMON: Do you think -- are you saying that a black president is not doing enough as president to help black people?

WATERS: No, I am not saying that. And this argument, this discussion that I asked the constituents who were there in Detroit to tell us whether or not they wanted us to have is basically that, a discussion. What is going on? Why is it the unemployment is so persistent in the black community?

LEMON: What would you have him do?

WATERS: And it is a discussion that I have opened up.

LEMON: What do you want him to do?

WATERS: Well, listen, you know what, I was inspired by? The president went on a trip to three states in this country. He went to Iowa. He went to Iowa where the unemployment is about 6.2 to 6.7 percent, and he took about $510 million to help with the development of biofuels to infuse those dollars into the community and increase lending so that it would have jobs. We liked that. And we want the same kind of thing in the urban community.

LEMON: What do you think of the leadership? Has he been a good leader? Can he be a better leader in some areas, and if so, where would you like to see it?

WATERS: I think the president has worked hard and he's doing the best that he possibly can do. I think the tea party has made it more difficult. I think the president's style is really to try and work, to get along, to try and get people to come together and...

LEMON: But has that been effective, Congresswoman?

WATERS: It's time -- it's time to fight. It's time to fight. It's time to look them in the eye, stare them down, not give in and go for it.

(END VIDEOTAPE) LEMON: Well, Goldie Taylor has a different view. She is an opinion columnist for thegrio.com. She is well aware of the frustration some people are feeling toward this president. But listen to what she had to say when I asked her if African-Americans should be publicly criticizing the president.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GOLDIE TAYLOR, MANAGING EDITOR, THE GOLDIE TAYLOR PROJECT: Your grandmother and mine, they did not like back expense (ph) talk. They didn't like putting our dirty laundry in the street. They didn't like us publicly criticizing one another out in the public square where other communities could see. That is at play here with this president.

And I got to tell you, some of these black elected officials, they are losing frankly access to this White House because they are being publicly critical. If you have someone like Maxine Waters, there are 12 African-American women serving in the United States Congress, between the Senate and the House of Representatives. If out of 12 -- out of 535, and she is the most senior-ranking African- American woman serving, if she does not have a direct line to this president, we are in trouble.

LEMON: Wow. You just said a lot there. I want to tell you something. I just got a tweet from Spike Lee, and Spike Lee was having a social event with the president who attended that Professor Ogletree's house. Spike Lee tweeted this. He said, "In a hella quick conversation with President Obama, I told him he will continue to have my support, and he needs to take off the kid gloves."

There is a growing sentiment of that among African-Americans.

TAYLOR: If you look at the unemployment rate, for instance, among all Americans, somewhere around 9.1 percent, 9.2 percent, and being look at double that for African-Americans, and if you look for African-American men in places like Detroit and Atlanta and it is up to nearly 40 and 45 percent, we are feeling the heat. And so to ask this White House for a concerted agenda that is focused on urban issues, on African-American issues, I think that that's right for America and I think this president has to do it.

LEMON: You wrote a column in TheGrio and basically saying -- would you hold him to a different standard if he was white? I think we should hold every president to the same standard.

TAYLOR: But culturally, African-Americans don't do that. We are circle the wagons kind of community. So, if someone is being attacked from the outside, and even if we see the flaw, he ain't perfect, but he is ours.

LEMON: But criticism isn't always an attack. I was always -- I've always been told, even from own black people, constructive criticism is good for you, you need that, boy.

TAYLOR: I got to wish and hope that our community advances and matures in a way that constructive criticism can be taken. However, we are not there yet.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: Two very different and interesting perspectives. Congresswoman Maxine Waters and columnist Goldie Taylor. Thanks to both of you.

Coming here on CNN, from death row to freedom. How a little known legal strategy allowed the "West Memphis 3" to walk out of prison after 18 years and still plead guilty to murder.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Jason Baldwin, Damien Echols and Jessie Misskelley are free men today. Known as the "Memphis 3", they were just teenagers when they went to prison for killing three little boys nearly 20 years ago. They always insisted they were innocent. Now they are out, thanks to a highly unusual plea deal in which they had to admit guilt. It was a bitter pill. Here is CNN's David Mattingly.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): After more than 18 years behind bars, the men known as the "West Memphis 3" find that freedom has a bitter taste.

JASON BALDWIN, "WEST MEMPHIS 3" DEFENDANT: This was not justice. In the beginning, we told nothing but the truth, that we were innocent and they sent us to prison for the rest of our lives for it. Then we have to come here and the only thing that the state would do for us is say, hey, we'll let you go only if you admit guilt. And that is not justice no matter how you look at it.

MATTINGLY: In a complicated deal, Jessie Misskelley Jr., Damien Echols and Jason Baldwin get out of prison to proclaim their innocence, but only after admitting the prosecution has evidence that could convict them. The "West Memphis 3" go free, but not free of the word murderer.

DAMIEN ECHOLS, "WEST MEMPHIS 3" DEFENDANT: It is not perfect. It is not perfect by any means, but at least it brings closure to some areas and some aspects. You know, we can still bring up new evidence. We can still continue in the investigations we have been doing. We can still try to clear our names. The only difference is now we can do it from the outside instead of having to sit in prison to do it.

MATTINGLY: And after their entire young adult life spent in prison, what next?

They have the support of celebrities like Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder, who was inside the courtroom when they were set free. They also have the relentless hatred of some of the families of the murdered children.

In this outburst, a father yells to the judge, he is opening a Pandora's box. JUDGE3 DAVID LASER, CRAIGHEAD COUNTY, ARKANSAS: I don't think it will make the pain go away to the victim's families. I don't I think it will make the pain go away to the defendant families. I don't think it will take away a minute of the 18 years that these three young men served in the Arkansas Department of Corrections.

MATTINGLY (on camera): Prosecutors say the case is closed. They have their killers and their guilty pleas, but others including the father of one of the murdered boys say they still want answers.

JOHN MARK BYERS, FATHER OF MURDERED BOY: I have been on their side and I have been fighting for them hard since 2007 when I realized that I was wrong. And I had to make many amends to people, but I am still standing and fighting for justice, because they are innocent. They did not kill my son.

MATTINGLY: The "West Memphis 3" saved from a lifetime behind bars now facing a lifetime of questions.

David Mattingly, CNN, Jonesboro, Arkansas.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: All right, David.

The "West Memphis 3" may be free, but they still have the burden of trying to clear their names in this horrible crime. I spoke about that very difficult challenge with criminal defense attorney Holly Hughes.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HOLLY HUGHES, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Remember, there are three victims here and one of the fathers does say that and has said that for a very long time and several of the mothers have come out and said, we think that these three young teenagers are innocent. And of course now they are young men. They are in their 30s, Don. They've been in prison for over half of their lives.

What they are going to have to do is hire investigators, hit the street, interview people if they want to clear their name, and the sad fact is -- the evidence is gone. It is degraded, and if some drifter did this 18 years ago, they may never clear their names.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: The three little boys you just saw -- Steven Branch, Christopher Byers and Michael Moore were second graders in 1993 when their mutilated bodies were found in a ditch.

A group of Mississippi teenagers accused of beating a black man. Ahead, new developments in this racially-charged case.

But first, we have all seen the moving images from Somalia. Tens of thousands of children literally starving to death, victims of famine and war, but the drought extends across Kenya as well, where one group founded by a 2010 CNN hero has stepped up its efforts to reach thousands of its youngest victims.

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UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER (voice over): As millions struggle across the drought-ravaged Horn of Africa in what the U.N. refugee agency is calling the worst humanitarian disaster in the world, CNN hero Magnus Macfarlane-Barrow's organization, Mary's Meals, is in the middle of the crisis.

MAGNUS MACFARLANE-BARROW, CNN HERO: We have been working in northern Kenya for about four years now. We have seen the situation worsens steadily. Today, around one-third of the children are malnourished, and so we have a real situation of life and death. And because of that, we are trying desperately to expand our program the reach more children at risk.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Since 2006, Mary's Meals has been feeding thousands of young children in schools across the region.

MACFARLANE-BARROW: The mission of Mary's Meals is about linking food to education, and that education can be the light out of poverty in their whole community.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: In recent weeks, Magnus' organization has responded to the drought crisis by feeding an additional 6,000 children daily, and 24,000 in all.

The kind of important global work for which Magnus was named the top ten CNN hero last year, and received an Order of the British Empire from Queen Elizabeth. But Magnus remains laser-focused on the critical work in Africa.

MACFARLANE-BARROW: As part of our East African emergency response, we intend to reach many more thousands of children, and we will do that as funds allow us to.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Many more thousands of children to be supported by an organization already feeding 500,000 daily in 16 impoverished countries.

MACFARLANE-BARROW: It's so much just about the will of people to share a little of what they have in order that these children can be fed.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: It is the kind of heartless act that is a reminder of the Jim Crow days in the South, but right now, as I'm speaking, a 19-year- old sits in a Mississippi cell accused of murdering a man because he was black. Witnesses said that they heard the attackers screaming "white power" as they beat 49-year-old James C. Anderson, and now federal investigators are getting involved. CNN's Drew Griffin explains why the case became a capital crime.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) DREW GRIFFIN, SPECIAL INVESTIGATIONS UNIT: The investigators found out that the victim in this case, James Craig Anderson was robbed before being beaten and killed. And it is because the murder took place in the commission of a crime that now prosecutors there can file a capital murder charge which makes him eligible for the death sentence. So it was the addition of being robbed which is why that capital murder charge was filed yesterday.

BARBARA ANDERSON-YOUNG, MURDER VICTIM'S SISTER: But I have only one thing to tell the media, and that is, go to Brandon, Mississippi. Go to Brandon, Mississippi and get those other five murderers who committed such a horrendous violent act against my beloved brother James Craig Anderson. Now, run and tell that.

GRIFFIN: Don, that was the emotional plea of Barbara Anderson- Young, James Anderson's sister. As you know, since this crime happened, not a single member of Mr. Anderson's family has come forward to say anything. She finally broke the family's silence yesterday with a plea that we have been hearing ever since we aired the surveillance tape, that gruesome surveillance tape, which shows James Craig Anderson being run over by an F-250, a large Ford pickup truck in the parking lot of a hotel.

That video went viral. There were many, many people calling for more charges to be filed. There were 7 teenagers in all who were involved in this. Only two have been charged. Darryl Deadman was the person driving the truck and another fellow by the name of John Rice has been charged with a lesser crime.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: I will continue to follow the story with you. I have been in touch with the attorney and the family involved. And look for an update when I host the "Joy Behar Show" next week at 9:00 p.m. Eastern on HLN.

Straight ahead here tonight, we'll meet the man who could be the next Eddie Murphy. Trust me, it is an interview you don't want to miss.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: All right. In the headlines right now -- Libyan rebels say they have taken their fight into the capital. This is a video recently of NATO airstrikes in Tripoli. By all appearances, Moammar Gadhafi is still in control. A message today from Gadhafi on state TV urged his supporters to fight. Libyan government says there has been some fighting in the capital, but claims the rebel forces were quickly defeated.

Tropical storm Irene has formed east of the Leeward Islands in the Caribbean, bringing there threats of fierce flash floods. It is the 9th named storm of the year, and forecasters say it's possible some time next week it could hit the Florida Keys. It is not clear yet if the Gulf of Mexico will be impacted.

All right. Kevin Hart is a vertically-challenged man with a potty mouth who has a fierce following as his new movie shows.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KEVIN HART, COMEDIAN: As a kid, my dad was supervising my events. And if he were asked in a lot of events -- I didn't play sports, I was in spelling bee. My dad busted the back door. All I heard was, all right, all right, all right. Yeah!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Well, Hart talked to me about his new film, "Laugh at My Pain" and a bunch of topics. He was a funny man throughout but I noticed he grew most serious about his connection to his fans including his 2 million followers on Twitter.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HART: I'm very big with being accessible, and I take an obligation to make sure I am talking to my fans personally, like I am back and forth with them on Twitter, on Facebook, vlogs like I'm serious about talking and connecting with my fans.

LEMON: And you have to be real on social media. You can be, make sure you join me, and whenever you have to talk to people, and I'm eating chicken fried wings, and this is on point. You know what I mean.

HART: It can't be all promotions. Like they have to understand that they are really talking to you, and they're seeing who you are as an individual. I think because I have been so consistent with that, my fan base is growing and they've been loyal, they support me.

LEMON: Who inspired you? I'm talking about the "Original Kings of Comedy." I mean that movie is timeless...

HART: OK.

LEMON: ...and the people in that movie. Who inspired you?

HART: I'm going to say, Richard Pryor definitely. You know, what he has done for comedy and the doors he has opened is unbelievable. Eddie Murphy, of course. Martin Lawrence. I mean, the list can go on and on. I'm a student. I'm a student of comedy. Chris Rock.

LEMON: And everybody you said use a lot of cuss words. Do you think if you didn't use a lot of cuss words that you would be as funnier or as popular?

HART: I don't know, Don, because I cuss a lot. I've got a filthy mouth.

LEMON: I'm glad you're not doing it on air.

HART: Hey, I'm not going to junk Obama on air, but if I were talking on the street, I'll be dropping a lot of bombs, Don, because I have a dirty mouth. I don't even know where it came from. It's just who I am.

LEMON: How tall are you?

HART: I'm 5'5" and a half -- 5'4" -- 5'3" -- OK, 5'2". If you want to be honest, 5 feet.

LEMON: All right, listen, we're going to see a clip of your movie. Set it up for us.

HART: OK, the clip that you're about to see, that is a good friend of mine who is in politics. He knows all about it -- Larry King.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HART: This is just my man, my man, Pots and Pans, you know. I think he probably understands, you know, it's the current time, I would not ask, Larry, you know, it is not what it used to be.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I beat the hell out of this boy.

HART: That's what he is, Larry. He put his hands on me.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Maybe right, but he got to remember, I cut him.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: All right, all right. How about the tea party?

HART: What tea party? I'll go. When is it? Oh, no. I said you could be a double for Barack Obama. You just need better hair grease. You don't have the same section that he has, which isn't bad.

LEMON: And Sarah Paling?

HART: Yes, I know Sarah.

LEMON: Yes?

HART: Yes, I go her tea party all the time. I went last week.

LEMON: You did? How was it?

HART: It's every week, right? Everybody got to wear white. The one I went to was a white party.

LEMON: You are a fool, you know that, but you are funny. Thank you.

HART: Thank you, man. CNN! Kevin Hart on CNN!

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: Kevin Hart. He is crazy. "Laugh at My Pain" debuts September 9th. Hart says he is also working on a second film and a TV project.

Thank you, Kevin.

I'm Don Lemon at the CNN world headquarters in Atlanta. I'm off on Sunday, which is tomorrow. Hala Gorani is in for me. I'll be hosting the "Joy Behar Show" all next week on HLN at 9 p.m. Can you believe it? Make sure you tune in. Good night.