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Flight 93 Memorial Dedicated; Security Heightened Amid Terror Alert; Flooding in the Northwest, Fire in the Southwest; First-ever Tea Party Republican Debate on Monday; Last Outpost of Gadhafi Supports Under Siege; One Man Doesn't Receive Lottery Jackpot Money; Amanda Knox Case Falling Apart
Aired September 10, 2011 - 17:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, everyone. You're in the NEWSROOM. Thank you so much for joining us. I'm Don Lemon in Tampa, Florida, where preparations are under way right now for Monday's CNN Tea Party republican debate. We begin tonight with the tenth anniversary of 9/11.
The nation, if not the entire world, pauses to mourn the nearly 3,000 people who lost their lives ten years ago on the morning of September 11th. Former presidents Bush and Clinton were in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, just this afternoon to dedicate a memorial to the heroic passengers of United Airlines flight 93. Their sacrifice on that extraordinary day, no doubt saved countless other lives.
President Obama has declared this weekend national days of prayer and remembrance. He and the First Lady spent some time today at Arlington National Cemetery. They visited a section where service members killed in Iraq and Afghanistan are buried. Just a short distance away at the Pentagon, former President Bush and his wife laid a wreath of flowers at a site known as the 9/11 stone. One hundred and eighty four people died at the Pentagon on 9/11 when American Airlines flight 77 smashed into the building.
And that is St. Patrick's Cathedral in Manhattan, a service today for the 343 New York City firefighters who lost their lives at the World Trade Center when the twin towers collapsed. Ground Zero where the twin towers once stood high above the skyline is now a large memorial plaza. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, she walked through it today ahead of tomorrow's formal dedication.
And let's get right to today's dedication ceremony in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. CNN's David Mattingly joins us now live from that site. David, thanks for joining us tonight. You were on that field ten years ago today. And there it seems to be a very different place with a different message, quite a different message.
DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Don, ten years ago, this was a site of a terrible tragedy of violent terrorist attacks. There was a great deal of anger, fear, uncertainty, all sorts of things happening at that time. Today, this is a field dedicated to courage and to those people onboard that flight who made the decision to rise up and try and take back their plane and fight their hijackers. It was an emotional day for everyone here, not just for the families of flight 93 but for former President George W. Bush as well. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, FORMER UNITED STATES PRESIDENT: For generations people will study the flight -- the story of flight 93. They will learn that individual choices make a difference. That love and sacrifice can triumph over evil and hate. And that what happens above this Pennsylvania field ranks among the most courageous acts in American history.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MATTINGLY: And we talk about courage and remembering the people here. There are some things that people are talking about in the here and now, for instance, this is a $62 million memorial. They are still $10 million short of raising the funds they need. This memorial isn't finished yet, Don. And it's been ten years. Former President Bill Clinton was at the podium earlier today. He also had something to say about that. He got a lot of applause when he said, "Let's roll, let's get this done" -- Don.
LEMON: Yes. You said it's not complete. Do you know how much more they have to go before they finish it, David?
MATTINGLY: Well, there's a couple of other features here that are very interesting that they haven't put up yet. There's a visitors center they haven't put up yet. Everything you see behind me here is just the basics. They've just got the site prepared. They've got a lot of grass and wildflowers planted around here. But as far as a permanent structure, they still have a lot to go and to get that done. Today, they did unveil a marble wall where it displayed the names of all the passengers and crew that were aboard flight 93. But that's just the beginning. And they want that message to be sent out to the rest of the country, we still need $10 million more to get this done -- Don.
LEMON: David, let's hope they get it. Thank you very much, David Mattingly in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, for us tonight. Hours away from the anniversary of the September 11th attacks and there are worries about another threat.
Susan Candiotti covering both angles of the story for us. She is at Ground Zero for us tonight. Susan, what are people talking about? And I'm wondering, are more people visiting today with the anniversary tomorrow?
SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: There have been a lot of crowds, particularly here at Ground Zero, looking over the memorial from a distance. Some people have had advanced tours. But in addition to thinking about what will happen here tomorrow morning in a wonderful ceremony, everyone is also talking about the possibility of that threat, a possible attack on New York City still unconfirmed, that threat is yet. But when you talk to people on the streets, they're also not overly concerned or worried about all the increased security around the city. They're putting up with it. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MAN: I think New Yorkers who went through the aftermath just got a little bit tougher. You almost accept the fact if you're going to live in New York, then that threat's going to be here perennially.
UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN: We hear that all the time. So, it's hard for that to sort of -- it doesn't necessarily seem like a reality.
UNIDENTIFIED MAN: There's always going to be threats out there like this. But you just got to -- and remember that we're out of here protecting each other.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CANDIOTTI: So, Don, people here, again, are putting up with all these security checkpoints, the random searches of cars and trucks and people at trains and bus stations and subways and bridges as well.
LEMON: Susan has been covering this story for us from the very beginning, really both angles, the anniversary and also that new terror threat. Susan, don't go far away. We'll get back to you.
CNN's Athena Jones has new information from FBI officials about this 9/11 anniversary terror threat. Plus, we'll ask a former FBI assistant director to take us inside agency headquarters to give us an insight, some insight on what it might be like there this weekend. That and more in just two minutes.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: I'm Don Lemon live in Tampa, Florida, where we're getting ready for Monday's first-ever Tea Party debate.
We're going to get to that coverage in just a moment but we need to cover the anniversary of 9/11 now. And no one wants to hear about a possible terror plot timed for the tenth anniversary of the 9/11. Intelligence agencies are trying to figure out how serious a threat that this really is.
So, let's join our Athena Jones now, she is in Washington for us. Hello Athena, listen, how worried are police in the nation's capital are they right now?
ATHENA JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, they say this is the kind of thing they've been preparing for, for 10 years, this anniversary, of course, didn't come up out of the blue. They've had 10 years to prepare for it. They know that it was coming. They know that these anniversaries are important to groups like al-Qaeda and their other extremist sympathizers. They say that they're ready. Across all Asian seas, and across the whole city, really, we've seen an increased presence, from the capitol police, from the park police, from the transit police and of course from Washington, D.C. metro police. They've added 200 to 400 officers to the schedule this weekend, depending on what time of day. And so, they're doing 12-hour shifts, overlapping shifts. And they've got a lot of people out whether it's tow trucks, able to tow away, any cars that people are reporting, that are suspiciously parked. Or in odd places, or just patrol officers in plainclothes, in uniform. All kinds of ways they say they've got it covered. And they say that the city is ready. Earlier today, we spoke with police Chief Lanier. Let's listen to what she had to say about that.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHIEF CATHY LANIER, WASHINGTON METROPOLITAN POLICE: We have one of the highest trained, most capable police departments in the country. We've had ten years of ramping up our training, our capabilities, our equipment. So, we've got one of the best police forces in the country. This should be one of the safest cities in America with the level of equipment that we have here in Washington, D.C.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JONES: And of course, one of the ways they hope to keep the city safe, one of the safest as she said it, she believes that America is to encourage public vigilance. They've been encouraging people to call the police any time they see suspicious activity or people they think are suspicious. We got an e-mail from a producer a while ago who was riding on the metro. Metro authorities, the subway here made an announcement saying that as we approach 9/11, everyone, ladies and gentlemen, keep your eyes and ears open, if you see something, say something. That sort of thing. And so, the D.C. police have reported an uptick in suspicious activity -- reports of suspicious activity, I should say. These are leads they're tracking down. Nothing so far is turning up on that, thank goodness, they would say. But they want to encourage the people to continue to call in. And the FBI officially spoke with earlier today, the assistant director here at the field office, said the same thing. He said about 85 percent of the tips they run down come from ordinary people. They want to continue to see that, continue to see people staying vigilant, Don.
LEMON: Yes. You can't really be too cautious when it comes to this. Athena, I'm wondering about where are you standing? Because behind you, I see a lot of apparatus. I see an FBI van. I see some other things. Is this a command center where you're standing? And I'm sure this is not every neighborhood in Washington, D.C. that has this much presence.
JONES: No, no, no. We're outside the field office here. That's a bomb squad truck behind me. Back behind there is the command center -- the mobile command center. This is a public show of force. And of course, a lot of what we're able to see is not as visible. We're not able to see this kind of thing each day. A lot of what happens goes on behind the scenes. But certainly, as you travel out from here through the rest of the city, you're definitely seeing a lot more police. We were out on the subways yesterday, there were bomb- sniffing dogs. Up on the Capitol Hill, you're seeing more K-9 units. More of these special K units, these hazmat units, bomb squad. That sort of things you show that they're everyone sending at the right. The park police told me they're also, of course, observing through their network of cameras. And we have cameras all around the city. And so, that's the sort of thing that all these officials are going to be using to make sure they keep an eye on things around here -- Don.
LEMON: Athena Jones, appreciate it. Stay safe out there. We'll talk to you very soon. I want to bring in now the former FBI Assistant Director Tom Fuentes for some insights into this possible threat that Susan has been talking about, that Athena talked about. Tom, you know, we talked about it. At first, it was unsubstantiated but credible. All right. So, what does that really mean? People are writing me saying, Don, it's confusing, I don't know what that means.
TOM FUENTES, FORMER FBI ASSISTANT DIRECTOR: Well, I understand, Don. It is confusing. It's not specific enough to identify the individuals involved or whether they're already here in the U.S. or en route or who dispatched them, who trained them, what was their training like? So, I think that from that standpoint, it's too vague of a threat to really completely help the authorities track down who's behind that. But I think that members of the intelligence community...
LEMON: Let me ask you this -- if I can jump in here Mr. Fuentes. You said it's too vague of a threat. If it's that vague, do you think -- I hate to say you shouldn't warn people. But what do you do? Because it's sort of scaring people if you're saying it's vague and that it's unsubstantiated, yet it's credible. Then should you even warn people about it? Are we making too much of it?
FUENTES: No. The concern is that this particular weekend, even a vague threat or any other weekend, they would track it down. But this particular weekend, a vague threat's got to be look at, got to be considered as possible and go forward with every effort to stop it. You were just showing the tactical vehicles of the FBI in the Washington field office. Those vehicles are not only for show but they are also ready to respond. All of the tactical teams and investigators are ready to immediately be deployed in the event something happens. But I started to say is that the intelligence agencies, the law enforcement agencies, have a sort of guarded optimism or confidence that it would be very close to impossible to have a large-scale international-coordinated attack such as 9/11 was. But the main fear now is that a small group, one individual, five individuals, a dozen, could plan something.
And even though they may do that type of attack whether it be with small arms fire or explosives or gas tanks or some other readily available material, that if they can do that tomorrow or over this weekend, it ensures everlasting fame that they pulled it off on the ten-year anniversary. And I think that that's what the authorities are concerned with. Not just the people that may have been dispatched from Pakistan or other reports that have come up over the weekend, that come up all the time, those are almost daily reports that come in. But that somebody that's not even on the radar is sitting alone and has already decide that they're going to be very famous if they can do anything at all tomorrow.
LEMON: Tom, I just want to ask you, and if you can answer quick, I want to move on to something else. If it wasn't 9/11, do you think that it would garner this much attention? Do you think that federal authorities would be giving out such warnings if we weren't coming up on the anniversary tomorrow? FUENTES: Well, that's hard to tell. Personally, I don't think it would be ramped up to the degree it has been. It's just the absolute heightened concern that it is the ten-year anniversary. And it does add an additional motivation, the media coverage that Bin Laden had an interest in the ten-year anniversary or the new leader of al-Qaeda, Zawahiri had an interest. And so, somebody that wants to impress the leadership of al-Qaeda, maybe these days knows that it will be accomplish to face successfully can pull an attack off in the United States tomorrow.
LEMON: And I think you kind of alluded to the answer to this next question before. It's three people. There are small groups of people, and if not individuals in the United States that the federal authorities are watching or maybe don't even know about. So, aren't these people here all the time? Is this anything different really than people who are here who may want to attack the United States or retaliate in some way, you know, always?
FUENTES: That's right. There are people here all the time that want to attack us. These attack plans come up all the time. An example of a vigilant public that helped us most recently who had this student that was trying to obtain chemicals so that he could blow up George Bush's home in Dallas, Texas. The chemical company alerted the police and the FBI and they were able to prevent that. So, yes, these attacks are almost on a monthly basis, the FBI and New York City police or Washington metro, other large police departments in the country, come up -- discover a plan either through community support or some other method or overseas interceptors. A number of methods that alert the authorities to a possible plan. And we have seen these arrests over and over and over again. The D.C. metro system a little over a year ago, same thing.
LEMON: Tom Fuentes, thank you so much for putting this into perspective. Good information. Always appreciate it.
FUENTES: Thank you, Don.
LEMON: We're going to move on now and tell you about, there are some Americans who know -- sorry Tom -- there are some Americans who know very little about what happened ten years ago tomorrow. Many of them weren't born or too little to even remember it. What should you tell your kids about 9/11 or do they really have to know about it? That discussion straight ahead here on CNN. Don't go anywhere.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: You know, the images and video are everywhere on this tenth anniversary of 9/11, reliving the tragic moments may be very hard to do. We know they're hard to do. Seeing the mangle buildings, and smoke-filled streets may trigger emotions and thoughts long-ago buried. Probably things you buried there on purpose and didn't know were even there. So, how should you handle this? It's a serious discussion. How do you handle it? Because you don't always know that you're dealing with it.
I'm joined now by human behavior expert, Dr. Wendy Walsh. Dr. Wendy, thank you so much for joining us. You know, people may be caught off guard at the rush of feelings from something that happened so long ago. So, how does a person get through it? And they may not even realize it.
DR. WENDY WALSH, HUMAN BEHAVIOR EXPERT: They may not even realize it. And the distinction is, whether they're suffering from major posttraumatic stress disorder. And in that case, they have to get some therapeutic help and specifically reach out to others who have been in the same situation. If they can talk through and heal their pain, they will be less sensitive to these images again. But for the rest of us, I think it's good to take an opportunity to mourn a bit and reflect and remember and keep our feet on the ground.
LEMON: So, can we talk about kids because adults, you know, I mean, we're adults, we're responsible for ourselves. Let's talk about kids now. And I say that because this week one of our producers wrote an opinion piece for Cnn.com about when and how he should tell his 9- year-old twins about 9/11. He opted to keep them in the dark for another year. Said he didn't want to tell them. What do you recommend, Windy? How do parents deal with this? I mean, should they even tell their kids?
WALSH: Well, it's going to be a different choice for every family. My recommendation is based on the age. If they're under 10 and you can protect them from it, then I would suggest, yes. Because it's only going to create more childhood fears. Now, I have a middle- schooler who just turned 13, who's been watching quite graphic films in her school all week. So, we had the occasion last night Don, of sitting in a traffic jam on our way to a WNBA game and I got to talk to her about the meaning of it, about how some people's lives were turned around for the positive after grieving from the tragedy, how unfortunately some people became more prejudice, how some people became more civically minded and involved. So, I talked about the meaning. And I think that's the key with older kids.
LEMON: Yes. And you know, I talked to one of the kids who was in the classroom, remember, when President Bush got the news. And she said, you know, for them, she really doesn't think about it that much. She and her classmate, only when it comes to the anniversary. And she said in our conversation, they were sort of -- her class is sort of a symbol of how America and people can really recover through this. I want to talk to you about something that you write about. What is sublimation? You said, sublimation can help people get through this trauma?
WALSH: Sublimation is one of those big psychobabble words, it's one of the defenses that Freud originally defined as being a healthy defense to trauma. The other one of course being humor. And sublimation is when we take our own pain and we turn it around and help other people who are experiencing similar pain. And so many people in amazing numbers did this after 9/11. There were widows who began to help other widows in Afghanistan. There were people who made foundations to help the orphans. So many people did so many great works as acts of sublimation and that's sort of the healthiest way to respond to this kind of tragedy.
LEMON: Dr. Wendy, appreciate it.
WALSH: Good to see you.
LEMON: Oh wait, Doctor, wait a minute before you go. Before you go, there's a little surprise. Can we back up here? Back that up. I forgot about this. Sorry Doctors, listen, I want to congratulate you on your new gig, we're doing it for the break, you're going to be co- hosting the daily TV show, "The Doctors" which focuses on health issues. And you know all about that. You're going to be great. Your first appearance is going to be Tuesday. And we like to think that you helped us -- this was an act of sublimation for us. You helped us, we helped you. And so, I think it's great and we're very happy for you. Congratulations, all the best.
WALSH: Thank you. I appreciate it. I love my friends at CNN. I'm not going anywhere, Don. I'm still going to be in your face every week.
LEMON: Awesome, thank you, Wendy. Congratulations, see you soon.
WALSH: All right. Bye-bye.
LEMON: All right. To the viewers now, your top stories are straight ahead. And have you heard? The United States is going back to the moon. Blastoff just a few hours ago. And we'll tell you about that.
Plus, the reason I'm in Tampa this weekend, the CNN Tea Party republican debate, Monday night. Which candidates need to make a move and who is trying to hold their position? We'll going to talk about it?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SUSAN HENDRICKS, CNN ANCHOR: Hi there, I'm Susan Hendricks at the CNN World Headquarters in Atlanta. Back to Don in Tampa in just a moment. But first, to check on the top stories, checking the headlines. From somber moments there in Pennsylvania as the names were read of all 40 passengers. The dedication ceremony that's in Shanksville on the eve of the tenth anniversary of 9/11.
Former Presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton, as well as Vice President Joe Biden were all on hand to honor the heroic actions of passengers and crew members aboard United Airlines flight 93. The marble wall is inscribed with the names of the 40 passengers and crew members who fought their hijackers and prevented the plane from reaching its target.
President Obama and the first lady visited Arlington National Cemetery today to pay their condolences to families mourning loved ones who served in the military. They visit the section of the cemetery where soldiers who served in Iraq and Afghanistan are buried. The president has proclaimed this weekend as national days of prayer and remembrance. He is expected to attend memorial services in New York, Washington and also Pennsylvania.
NASA again is shooting for the moon. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MAN: Two, one, zero, and lift-off of the Delta 2 with GRAIL
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HENDRICKS: There you here it. A lunar research rocket blasted off from Cape Canaveral this morning after two weather delays. Two washing machine site satellites you could say, will examine the moon to study how it was formed. This is the first mission to determine the internal structure of the moon. Pretty interesting.
Residents along the Susquehanna River are rolling up their sleeves as floodwaters are finally going down. They've been waiting a long time for this. The clean-up is starting after some 100,000 people had to evacuate central Pennsylvania and Upstate New York in the last few days. Many neighborhoods are still, though, under water and more rain is in the forecast. But evacuation orders are expected to be lifted any time now. The flooding from Tropical Storm Lee killed at least nine people.
From too much water to not enough. Look at this. This is Texas, experiencing the driest period since 1895. Today, firefighters say they have spotted 24 new fires. That is in addition to the 179 fires crews battled this past week that have charred more than 170,000 acres, destroyed more than 1,000 homes. The good news here, the worst one, the Bastrop fire, is 40 percent contained. That is up from 30 percent. They will take what they can get there.
Flooding in the northeast, fire in the southwest, we want to get the latest on what may be ahead for those areas.
Meteorologist Jacqui Jeras joins us from the Severe Weather Center.
We're hoping for good news. They need to dry out there in the northeast, Jacqui.
JACQUI JERAS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: They really do Susan. Most of the rivers have crested and are receding. That's the glass half-full scenario. But unfortunately, they're still in flood, which means there's still water all over the place. Lots of roads are still shut down and they're not going to go back within their banks until Monday and Tuesday for many of them. So flood warnings remain in effect for about half a dozen states.
Now, there is rain in the forecast. We've been seeing spotty showers coming in, east to west. We have a frontal boundary here and seeing light rain showers. The rainfall totals are going to stay pretty minimal, maybe under an inch for everybody over the next 24 to 48 hours. That rainfall is taken into account in those flood forecasts that we still expect that not to be enough to make the rivers go back up.
This is also affecting, believe it or not, what's happening in Texas. On the backside of this high, we're bringing in the dry, gusty winds. So very dry in Texas, 90-degree temperatures. And the fire situation remains dire for those folks in Texas -- Susan?
HENDRICKS: Yes, certainly.
Jacqui Jeras, thanks so much. Appreciate it.
We want to go back to Don now in Tampa, doing a great job, talking about the first-ever Tea Party debate.
Hi, Don.
DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Hey, Susan. You're giving Wolf Blitzer a run for his money. I see you everywhere.
(LAUGHTER)
Last night, I think you were on "360," and I see you on HLN and now you're doing NEWSROOM.
HENDRICKS: I may show up in Tampa. I may show up in Tampa.
(LAUGHTER)
LEMON: We'd love to have you. We could -- eight people are going to be on stage, we could use your help.
Thank you very much, Susan. I'll see you in just a little bit.
Eight GOP contenders, as I said, will take the stage at Monday's CNN Republican debate. Two frontrunners hope to build on their leads while the other six try to make some noise. You guess. It's early on.
CNN's senior political editor, Mr. Mark Preston, joins me with a preview. He's back.
You abandoned me, man. Where have you been all summer?
MARK PRESTON, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL EDITOR: I think the last time we were together was in New Hampshire. And it's about 150 degrees down here in Florida. New Hampshire was about 30 degrees, if you recall.
LEMON: Yes, I know. I know. At the beginning of summer, if was like June, right?
PRESTON: Yes. It's crazy.
LEMON: Listen, what should we expect? Here's what all the pundits are saying -- it's a two-person race, it's going to be Perry and Romney. But Bachmann won the straw poll.
PRESTON: She did win the straw poll. But she won the straw poll on the same day that Rick Perry decided to announce he was running for president. By doing that, he took all the wind out of her sails. It's interesting. Probably the person who has the most on the line Monday night is going to be Michele Bachmann. This is supposed to be her constituency, these Tea Party grassroots activists. These are the ones that really fuel her candidacy. If she can't light the fire on Monday night, her candidacy could be over.
LEMON: Yes, that's her base. That's her base, right?
Listen, this is history. That's the thing. We've had Republican debates. We've had Democratic debates. But we haven't had a Tea Party debate. Does anybody really know what to expect when it comes to this?
PRESTON: No, not really. But the Tea Party movement came about a couple of years ago. But it was kind of always there, though, Don, right? It was this -- conservatives who were angry at Washington that want limited government. The thing about the Tea Party, though, what really helped them expand is they brought Independents in, and folks that necessarily weren't involved in politics. That's what we're seeing.
LEMON: It's interesting you say that. I've been talking to the Tampa Tea Party and the head of the Tea Party and some of the members, and they say, listen, we had this idea for a while. We just didn't have one name for it like the Tea Party. One young lady said, "I was involved with Freedom Works," which they believe is sort of a similar thing.
But it's interesting because they don't blame one person. Most people think, oh, these people blame Barack Obama. There are some who do. But they're saying this started happening under President Bush. They blame Bush just as much. So they say it's really not about the person in charge, it's not about the party for them. That's what the people I spoke to said. It's really about spending and big government. They say they don't want to do away with government. They just want a limited government.
PRESTON: And that's true on the macro issues of Washington, limited government, less spending, let's get the federal government shrunk down, not expand it. However, we'd be remiss to say the Tea Party is not wholly aligned with the Republican Party.
LEMON: Yes.
PRESTON: And they want Republicans to win.
LEMON: Yes. I'm sure there are some Democrats.
PRESTON: Sure.
LEMON: There are some Independents. But for the most part, it's Republicans.
Here's what I'm wondering. If you are going to be up there on a stage for a Tea Party debate, for the first time, is that your main focus? Do you want to just appeal to the Tea Party voters who are watching, the ones who are in the audience, or do you have to appeal to the broader electorate as well?
PRESTON: It's a great question. Yes, they want to appeal to the Tea Partiers supporters in the audience. They're going to be at these remote sites that we're going to be beaming in from across the country. And everyone is going to be watching it on their TV. At the same time, you have to be careful not to seem that you might be too extreme. I'm not saying the Tea Party is extreme. But there are people who think that it is. If you're somebody like a Mitt Romney who's been very careful not to absolutely align himself with the Tea Party, but say that he supports their principles, you have to be careful about how you walk that line.
LEMON: Yes, but extremism -- if you think extreme is a bad word -- I mean, extremism, always a bad word. These are people who are very conservative. And really there is no negotiating when it comes to spending. So if you want to say that's extreme, if you want to say that's extreme, yes.
PRESTON: Sure. And it's extreme on the liberal side, too.
LEMON: Absolutely.
PRESTON: And I'm not the one that's saying this.
LEMON: Right.
PRESTON: But you know what, the critics of the Tea Party are going to rail against Monday night's debate. I guarantee you, as much press as there's going to be about the Tea Party debate being historic, you will see the critics really try to gin it up.
LEMON: Yes. When I talked to them, they said if you think extreme means that we want to limit the government and we want to cut spending, then call us extreme.
PRESTON: Sure.
(CROSSTALK)
LEMON: That isn't always a bad thing.
Thank you very much, Mark Preston. Appreciate it.
As Mark said, we're going to be here. You don't want to miss it. It's Monday night's Republican debate. Actually, it's a Tea Party debate. It's hosted by our very own Wolf Blitzer. I'm going to be live here from Tampa. It's at 8:00 p.m. eastern. I'll be live right here from Tampa, the site of the 2012 Republican National Convention. That's the CNN's Tea Party Republican Debate, Monday night, 8:00 eastern, only here on CNN.
Let's change topics now. Libya -- Libya's new government may have taken control of Tripoli but the war is far from over. Supporters of Moammar Gadhafi apparently won't surrender in several towns, not without a fight.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: One of Libya's last outposts of support for former leader Moammar Gadhafi is under siege right now. Fighters loyal to the new government are trying to take the town of Bani Walid by force after talks collapsed this week.
CNN's senior international correspondent, Ben Wedeman, filed this report from near the Gadhafi stronghold.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: As soon as the deadline expired, opposition fighters fought their way to the edges of Bani Walid. But there, after making initial progress, they came under intense fire from Gadhafi loyalists. NTC officials saying they believe there are some Special Forces or elite forces of the Libyan army inside that town. And they were forced -- the opposition fighters -- to move back under fire.
ABDULLAH KINSHEI, NTC BANI WALID NEGOTIATOR: Our troops, they started to come out -- the remnant of Gadhafi troops at the entrance of the city. However -- and they found a lot of weapons still there. They had been fired on by artillery, rockets and also snipers all over that entrance. And they used the houses as their -- protection (ph).
WEDEMAN: Later in the day, we heard overhead jets and saw large plumes of smoke on the horizon. It appears that that is NATO bombing on the town of Bani Walid.
In the meantime, opposition fighters pulled back, apparently waiting for more reinforcements before making another attempt to enter the town of Bani Walid.
I'm Ben Wedeman, CNN, reporting from western Libya.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: All right then, the lottery jackpot was worth a whopping $99 million but not one cent went to a man, not one, one red cent, went to a man who played the lottery for eight years with his co-workers. Can you say lawsuit?
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LEMON: This is one of those things where you go, "Isn't that just my luck"? The one time you don't play the lottery with your buddies, and guess what happens?
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think that he could have sent his money in. He's probably in contact with somebody that he worked with that he could have given the money to to stay on top of it.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sorry about your luck, I guess. You've got to pay the play. And if he was part of the group at one time, he was part of the group while he was paying. To win the lottery, you have to pay in.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I feel for him, but if you didn't put into it, I don't think you should get anything at all. (END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: What would you do? what would you do? You play the lottery for eight years, eight years with your co-workers, even chipped in for some of them when they were out sick and they weren't at work, but when you're out sick, they finally hit it big, and then tell you, hey, tough luck. You'd probably feel a little bit cheated, right? I know I would. Wouldn't you, guys? I'd feel cheated. So if you're like one Ohio man, you might sue, because he is.
Let's bring in criminal defense attorney and former prosecutor, Holly Hughes.
Holly, first question, does this man have a case?
HOLLY HUGHES, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY & FORMER PROSECUTOR: No, unfortunately, Don, he's not going to be able to get any money back. We've seen these cases fail over and over and over. The court says it's an illegal contract. It's a gambling contract. There's nothing written down. This isn't something you entered into. Sadly, the legal system can't help him. But, quite frankly, if he played for eight years, his friends need to pony up. Come on now. What kind of friends are those?
LEMON: Amen. Amen.
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Yes, if you were -- wouldn't you do it? I know I would do it.
HUGHES: Yes.
LEMON: Say, hey, Bob, he's been with us for eight years. We've been doing it. Come on, chip in. Let the guy get some money.
HUGHES: Exactly. That's the difference between legal and moral right, you know?
LEMON: Yes.
So let's move on to Arkansas. This one is really a strange story. A weatherman at a local TV station wakes up in a hot tub after a night of partying next to a naked dead man wearing a dog collar. Holly, crime? What's up with this?
HUGHES: Don, this is very odd. It sounds like a crime scene there. I think they need to take their time and go through it.
The biggest thing that I find odd is after he wakes up next to this dead man, he leaves the scene. That, to me, says volumes. If you are leaving a scene where your friend is dead next to you, what are you taking away? What are you hauling away from that scene? And even more suspicious is that we're hearing reports, unconfirmed at this point, that he has resigned his job. He quit his job on Friday. So it gets stranger and stranger, Don. I think after the forensics come in, we might see some charges levied. LEMON: The partying probably just got a little bit out of control, my guess. I don't know for sure.
Let's move on now, overseas to Italy, the father of Amanda Knox, convicted of murdering her roommate in 2007, Holly, he believes the case against his daughter is falling apart. He does.
Here's what they said earlier. Take a listen and then we'll talk about it.
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UNIDENTIFIED FATHER OF AMANDA KNOX: Basically, they have no case. There is no case left. And I'm very hopeful that by the end of the month, we'll get to bring Amanda home.
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LEMON: Holly, even the judge seems to be fed up with the prosecution. What happened?
HUGHES: Actually, he is, Don. What we're seeing here is this case is falling apart because all the evidence that was used in the initial trial has now been called into question, not just the physical evidence, not just the DNA testing. They went on and on about Amanda's DNA is on the knife handle. This was a knife found at her boyfriend's house that she used for cooking. They said that the victim, Meredith Kercher's, blood was down inside. It wasn't found. The judge himself appointed DNA specialists to review this evidence and they said, no, it's not there or it's contaminated. So the physical evidence is falling apart.
And bear in mind, too, the original prosecutor has been charged for prosecutorial misconduct in other cases for doing the wrong thing, for not being upfront.
So when you add all that together and you se that the prosecution is now begging the judge -- they just went running up there saying, let us retest again -- and they basically insulted the judge and his DNA experts and said, we don't believe your results. So yes, the judge is frustrated. I think what we're going to see is we're going to see both Amanda and her boyfriend's convictions overturned based on this new evidence.
LEMON: Appreciate it, Holly.
HUGHES: Thanks, Don.
LEMON: Two parents face a horrific ordeal with their children, and yet they still found a way to let their tragedy benefit others. That's ahead.
But first, here on CNN, on this eve of the tenth anniversary of 9/11, our "CNN Hero" is a New Yorker who was deeply moved by the outpouring of help his city received after the attacks. In 2004, Jeff Parness established a nonprofit that sends volunteers from New York to rebuild their disaster-stricken communities. Take a look now.
(CNN HERO)
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(HUMAN FACTOR)
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HENDRICKS: I'm Susan Hendricks at CNN world headquarters in Atlanta. Back to Don in Tampa in a moment. But first, a check of stop stories.
People gather to remember this morning in Pennsylvania.
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HENDRICKS: A dedication ceremony in Shanksville on the eve of the tenth anniversary of 9/11. Former Presidents George W. Bush, also Bill Clinton, as well as Vice President Joe Biden were there to honor the heroic actions of passengers and crew members aboard United flight 93. The marble wall is inscribed there with the names of the 40 passengers and crew who fought their hijackers and prevented the plane from reaching its target.
A quiet moment of reflection today for President Obama and the first lady at Arlington National Cemetery. They visited a section of the cemetery where soldiers who served in Iraq and Afghanistan are buried to pay their condolences to family members. The president is expected to attend memorial services in New York, Washington, Pennsylvania this weekend.
High school football is making a triumphant return to tornado-ravaged Joplin, Missouri, tonight. The Joplin High School stadium was one of the only structures left standing after the massive twister tore the town apart, leveling it in May, killing 160 people. A wide receiver, who lost both of his parents and suffered a season-ending injury in the storm, will do the coin toss. The pregame will include a memorial service and a fly-over. More than 10,000 fans expected to jam that stadium that was built for 4,500, certainly a huge game in Joplin. We're rooting for the entire town.
Now back to Don in Tampa, getting ready for the first-ever Tea Party debate -- Don?
LEMON: And just in time, Susan, because that's it for us here.
I'm Don Lemon, live in Tampa, Florida. I'm going to see you back here an hour from now. "THE SITUATION ROOM" with Mr. Wolf Blitzer begins right now.
