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Three Killed in Blast in Washington State; Protests Flare after Soccer Riot in Egypt; Gingrich Blasts Romney Tactics; Bishop Eddie Long Apologizes; Remembering Don Cornelius; Fighting for Women and Children; New Details from JFK Assassination

Aired February 05, 2012 - 22:00   ET

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

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NEWT GINGRICH (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: If you can't tell the truth as a candidate for president, how can the country possibly expect you to lead as president?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Angry Newt. He loses Nevada, steals the spotlight, but promises a change in tone and to press on to the convention.

Out of control. Syria, Egypt. The fighting rages. The death toll rises. We take you inside the Middle East clashes.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is a scroll that is 312 years old.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: King Eddie. Megachurch pastor Bishop Eddie Long wrapped in a scroll and anointed king by what appears to be a rabbi. We talk with a real rabbi about this unusual ceremony.

"Soul Man." Remembering Don Cornelius with a woman who knew him well -- Jody Watley, famous singer and original "Soul Train" dancer joins us to pay tribute.

It's all right here, right now on CNN.

Hello, everyone. I'm Don Lemon. Thank you for joining us this evening.

Josh Powell was once a suspect in his wife's disappearance. Well, tonight, he appears guilty of another heinous crime, one that claimed his life and the lives of his two young children.

An explosion at his home in Washington state is believed to have killed the three of them. A medical examiner has not identified the bodies yet, but a police spokesman told me earlier, quote, "He set this up. He did it."

Powell was previously identified by Utah police as the lone person of interest in the disappearance of his wife Susan Cox Powell. Well, Josh Powell claimed the last time he saw her was on December 9th in 2009.

Joining me now from the scene is Kevin McCarty with KIRO, a Cairo television. I'm also joined in the phone by Pierce County Sheriff spokesman Ed Troyer.

First to you on the ground. Let me ask you -- let me ask you this story. What's happening at the house now?

KEVIN MCCARTY, KIRO REPORTER: Well, Don, what's happening right now is they're securing the scene for the night. The investigators, we're told, are leaving. The arson investigators leaving. They secured the house, removed the bodies of Josh Powell and his two sons. And they are now going to sit on the scene and return tomorrow morning.

We'll just give you a shot back there. You could probably see with the lights they've set up back there inside. Through the trees in the darkness, some flashing lights. That is the home that went up in flames.

What we're told is this. At about 12:13 this afternoon, a case worker, a contractor with the Department of Social Health Services here in the State of Washington was dropping Josh Powell's sons, Charlie and Braden, off for a regularly scheduled supervised visit. He is only been allowed supervised visits since he lost custody of his sons late last year.

The kids got out of the car, ran to the door as they generally do. Josh let them in, slammed the door shut. The case worker then said she heard explosions from inside the house. Flames quickly engulfed the house. She smelled gasoline in the air. By the time firefighters arrived, this home was completely engulfed in flames. Joshua Powell and his two sons were inside. All three of them died.

And what we've heard from Pierce County Sheriff Paul Pastor is that this was an act of evil. They are calling this a murder suicide. They're saying Josh Powell set this up, rigged the house to explode and burn and that's exactly what happened.

The bodies have been taken away to the Pierce County medical examiner in Tacoma nearby. There are going to be autopsies conducted to determine if there was actually another cause of death. Did he use another method to kill them, then burn the house down? Or whether or not they died from the fire itself -- Don.

LEMON: Kevin, stand by. Good reporting.

I want to get to Ed Troy now, who I spoke with earlier.

And Ed, you said that you believed that the time that Josh Powell set this up.

ED TROYER, PIERCE COUNTY SHERIFF'S DEPT. SPOKESMAN: Yes. We are acting as this is the suspect, Josh Powell, and that he killed both of the kids. There is no doubt about that. I mean, they were the only three people in the house when this happened.

I know we have to wait for the official confirmation from the medical examiner's office, but we have recovered all three of the bodies and we believe that they are Josh Powell and the two kids, and that this was done intentionally. It is a double homicide and that he had planned it. He used some acceleratant because the house went up very, very fast, fully engulfed in flames.

And we have just now gotten to the point where we're able to start processing the scene with the fire marshal's office to try and determine the origin and cause of the fire.

LEMON: What about reports, Ed, of an email? I think you told me earlier you did have an email and it's believed to be from Josh Powell?

TROYER: Yes, there was an email out there that is being circulated that has gone to family and friends of his stating that he couldn't live with what's going on and just a couple lines. We have not confirmed that it came from him yet, but we do believe that it is from him and it kind of confirms what we already knew he did here today and shows that there was intent. This was what he intended to do, is to kill his two children and then kill himself.

LEMON: And then earlier, besides the email, he had a hearing last week and it is believed that he may have been upset by that hearing?

TROYER: Well, he had a hearing last week where he was ordered to do some tests and he was trying to get custody of the kids and was not able to get custody and the judge determined that they would continue to live with Susan's parents. And that was the last court thing during the week.

And then this was a scheduled visit, supervised visit, which has happened before. The same lady who brought the kids here before without a problem brought them again today per court order. And that's when he brought the boys to the house and when he locked her out, she called 911, tried banging on the door to get in. Within minutes the house was on fire.

So, this is something that was done deliberately and intentionally and the plan was carried out very quickly.

LEMON: All right. Thank you very much, Ed Troyer.

I want to go back now to Kevin Mccarty quickly here.

So, Kevin, listen, Josh obviously troubled. You heard from Ed Troyer there. Also his father as well. Are you hearing anything from neighbors or relatives in and around the scene? MCCARTY: Well, we're not hearing a lot from neighbors. Josh Powell kept to himself in this neighborhood. This is a home he had moved to after he had to leave his father's house after he lost custody of his kids. He also was not allowed to have supervised visits in his home while he lived with his father, Steven Powell, who's now jailed here in Pierce County on charges of possessing child pornography and voyeurism.

Steven Powell tonight is under a suicide watch inside the Pierce County jail. I talked to Ed a little while ago about that. Talked to Steven Powell, he was angry with them. He blamed the police for all of this and he was placed under a suicide watch.

I had contact with Josh Powell earlier this week. I was at the custody hearing where he was hoping to get his kids back. That custody hearing was stayed. The state dependency hearing began at that point. And that's when the State Attorney General's Office here in the State of Washington raised concerns about what they called pornographic images found on Josh Powell's computer in West Valley City, Utah back in 2009. They wanted to investigate exactly what that was. Powell was ordered to undergo a psycho-sexual evaluation, a lie detector and counseling, and the next hearing was delayed until late July coming up this summer.

When Joshua Powell left, he looked distraught, he didn't say anything. I've talked to Josh Powell since I first met him this summer. I'd seen him over the months get continually more distraught. He looks 10 years older, frankly, than the time I met him in late August or early September. He had dark circles under his eyes, obviously distraught. And then this happens here today -- Don.

LEMON: Very sad. Kevin McCarty from our affiliate, KIRO. Thank you very much. We appreciate your reporting.

Many hoped that Josh Powell could someday shed some light on what happened to his wife. Earlier, I spoke with Holly Hughes. She's a criminal defense attorney and she gave me her take on this case.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HOLLY HUGHES, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY: The saddest part is now we may know what happened the two young boys, but we will never know what happened to Susan, and that's the torture, and that's a sick mind. That's a criminal mind.

LEMON: So what you're saying, you believe that he knew something about Susan's disappearance.

HUGHES: Absolutely. And I think because the children were getting older, because they were more removed from the tragedy, it's been about two years since she disappeared, I think they were starting to verbalize and maybe he got a little scared of what those kids were saying now that they felt safe in grandma and grandpa's house.

LEMON: These poor kids, poor kids.

HUGHES: Yes.

LEMON: But listen. This was a disturbed family.

HUGHES: Yes, absolutely. There were a lot of reports, we know, that Josh Powell's father, he was arrested for child porn, had put the moves on Susan, had made sexual advances to her, had even stolen her underwear from her drawer. And that she had reported this and said, you know, I'm not comfortable with this man, he makes me very nervous.

So what we are seeing is a family that had a lot of very disturbing patterns, you know. And now, some criminal behavior on both of them. It's what we've seen. You know, the father and Josh Powell.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: We move on now to the big international story in Syria. At least 43 people killed in violence on Sunday, five of them children. Most of them died in the city of Homs, where hundreds have died in recent days. Opposition groups called for a two-day civil strike to put pressure on President Bashar al-Assad's government. That came after the UN Security Council failed to pass a resolution seeking to halt the violence. An activist who goes by the name of "Danny" said the UN resolution, blocked by China and Russia, left the Syrian people completely vulnerable.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

"DANNY", SYRIAN ACTIVIST: We didn't want the Arab League. We wanted the UN to take control and the UN abandoned the Syrian people. And we have no one now. How are the Syrian people going to defend themselves? And now, the Assad army has the whole OK from the whole Europe countries, from the UN to hit as hard as they want.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: The Syrian government insists the whole crisis has been manufactured.

Tense standoffs come to an angry boil in Egypt. Protesters throwing rocks at police. Police responding with tear gas. These protests have popped up in Cairo ever since last week's deadly soccer riot. CNN's Ben Wedeman reports on the anger behind the clashes.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): The chaos regardless of who is to blame is on display nearby where clashes continue. It's not clear how many of these mostly young men are dedicated revolutionaries or are just here for the adrenaline.

Slightly cooler heads and full throats try to convince the crowd to move back, singing the Egyptian national anthem, chanting those who love Egypt can destroy it.

(on camera): This is an attempt to try to end these protests which have paralyzed the center of Cairo. They've linked hands, trying to stop the protesters from moving forward to getting towards the interior ministry.

(voice over): Some watching and worried the violence is (INAUDIBLE).

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE) don't agree with - we are not agree with that. We are looking and we are very sad they don't share with us, look and say sorry.

WEDEMAN: At least here, however, he's in the minority.

"They started this confrontation with us," this man tells me. "They opened fire on us, so we have the right to defend ourselves. If they don't stop fighting with us, we won't return to Tahrir Square."

The logic of street fighting doesn't allow for retreat.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: That was CNN's Ben Wedeman reporting.

Coming up tonight on CNN, Mitt Romney picked up another win this weekend in Nevada. Before the night was over, Newt Gingrich is already on the attack. Will Cain and Jamie Harrison will take a look at where things stand now.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: The next presidential contests are Tuesday in Colorado, Minnesota and Missouri. Mitt Romney leaves Nevada with a big victory and Newt Gingrich is still angry about Romney's campaign tactics. I spoke about it with the always well-dressed Will Cain and Democratic strategist Jaime Harrison.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WILL CAIN, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Mitt Romney is the obvious choice by default. You look at the alternatives and you go, no, that's not going to work; no, that's not going to work.

And I do think that's happening in the voting booth. I think people are going in and going, yes, I guess I'm going to vote for Romney. But that being said, all these issues are problems. They do see him as a man that they can't seem to trust, who don't have a core. It's not that that's not a problem, it's just that he is the inevitable guy.

LEMON: All right. OK.

Now it's time for Jaime to come in here.

Jamie, who dressed appropriately, needs no chastising.

Jaime, the Obama camp has consistently gone after Mitt Romney, never mentioning any other Republicans, even when Newt Gingrich was high on the polls, never really mentioned him. He has now won two battleground states in a row. Is that what Democrats want?

JAIME HARRISON, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: Well, listen, if that's what we end up with, let's go. You know, looking at Mitt Romney's campaign is like watching a remake of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. I mean, he is one way -- one, you know, before he decided to run for president, he was pro-choice, you know, pro-gun control, pro-health care reform. And as soon as he drank that elixir to run for president, he's now anti-everything else.

So, you know, if we get Mitt Romney, we are really salivating because the campaign that they ran against Kerry in 2004 is going to pale compared to what we'll run against him in 2012.

LEMON: All right. I want to talk more about Newt Gingrich. He did not hold back last night. And we were watching it live here, Will, you know, back in that post-caucus news conference was very unusual as well. Here's a taste of what he had to say about Mitt Romney. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NEWT GINGRICH (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I didn't have any good mechanism to turn to somebody who is being blatantly dishonest to the entire country as a candidate for president. If you can't tell the truth as a candidate for president, which is by the way a charge that has been made by McCain, by Fred Thompson, by Huckabee, if you can't tell the truth as a candidate for president, how can the country possibly expect you to lead as president?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: All right. So, Jamie, watching this, what are Democrats thinking? What's the president thinking or his strategists as they are watching Newt Gingrich last night go after Mitt Romney this way? But then saying, I want a more positive tone, but then he comes out and he is very negative against Romney.

HARRISON: Yes. I think the theme from last night is Newt Gingrich really dislikes Mitt Romney. It's gotten really, really bad. And I think if I had to give Romney any advice, it is just don't talk about Newt Gingrich at all and just continue to run your campaign because the more he prods Gingrich, the more angry he's going to get, and that means he's going to stay there until the end of the race. And so, if I were Romney, I would just be quiet about Gingrich and continue to run the campaign.

LEMON: So, Will, is Gingrich -- is he running out of steam by doing this? Is he focusing on the wrong person? Because Romney was all Obama, Obama, Obama and Gingrich was Romney, Romney, Romney.

CAIN: Well, I don't think Gingrich is really interested in winning the presidency anymore. I think all he is interested in is denying it to Mitt Romney. I think -- that's not just a reflection of his speech last night, Don, which basically was this huge massive I hate Mitt Romney tone, from invoking George Soros to calling him a liar, this from start to finish. Let's put it this way. It wasn't presidential. (INAUDIBLE) He will have some strong states in the South, but it doesn't add up to 1,144 delegates. It just doesn't. But what he can do is deny Mitt Romney that number of delegates. Just stringing this thing out and try to deny it to Mitt Romney.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: Will Cain and Jaime Harrison, thank you very much. Remember to check with CNN Tuesday evening. Check in with us. Our entire political team will be here to bring you the latest result. Our coverage begins Tuesday evening at 6:00 Eastern time.

Coming up, Bishop Eddie Long wrapped in a Torah and pronounced king in a bizarre ceremony at his church. You've got to see this video which has now gone viral. Straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Two Florida-based cruise ships are already back in service following a stomach virus outbreak that sickened hundreds of people. Nearly 500 passengers aboard the Ruby Princess and Crown Princess arrived in port this weekend suffering from Norovirus infections. Norovirus causes stomach pain, diarrhea and vomiting.

The response to the outbreak by the ships' crew got mixed reactions from passengers.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No accommodations made for how horrible it was. Nobody from the crew bothered to say they were sorry.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Sometimes it seemed a little overdone because you had to sterilize your hands as soon as you went in to eat. And then once you sterilized, they still wouldn't let you touch it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think they did an excellent job. Told you not to touch any surfaces. So that left me hugging my wife.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Norovirus spreads easily. Crews disinfected the ships while CDC investigators searched for a cause of the outbreak.

Bishop Eddie Long admits new video of him may be offensive, but that was not his intention. A video from YouTube shows him swabbed in a Torah as self-proclaimed Rabbi Ralph Messer declares him king.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RALPH MESSER, SIMCHAT TORAH BEIT MIDRASH: It doesn't matter where you go or how you try to attack him. You can't attack him. He's sealed. Wherever he turns, wherever he turns, the power of God is there.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Well, Bishop Eddie Long, the megachurch pastor in suburban Atlanta, at one point had 25,000 people attending his services. Then he was sued for sexually coercing young men. That lawsuit was settled. But this video is unsettling because many say it misuses the Torah.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RABBI HILLEL NORRY. SENIOR RABBI, SHEARITH ISRAEL: It's very offensive. A number of people have reached out to me and said how offensive they find it for a few reasons, really. One is the reverence that we show for the Torah. It's not something that's to be used or to utilize in some way and to pronounce some kind of coronation ceremony, which, well, frankly, just doesn't really exist. It's pretty deeply offensive.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Well, Bishop Long just wrote a letter of apology to the Anti-Defamation League. "The ceremony was not my suggestion," he says, "nor was it my intent to participate in any ritual that is offensive in any manner to the Jewish community or any group. Furthermore, I sincerely denounce any action that depicts me as a king, for I am merely just a servant of the Lord."

Ralph Messer, who directed the use of the Torah, also apologized in the YouTube broadcast on his sermon on Saturday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MESSER: If you only watch that one 10 to 14-minute clip, you can walk away very easily to say, wow, who does he think he is? He is proclaiming Bishop Eddie Long as king. I and Bishop Eddie Long have already discussed this. We in no way are claiming for him to be a king. What we are saying, though, we serve the king of kings and the lord of lords.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: I spoke with the cultural critic Goldie Taylor of TheGrio.com and she says Bishop Eddie Long should have known how the Torah ritual would have been viewed.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GOLDIE TAYLOR, EDITOR-AT-LARGE, THEGRIO.COM: I think the idea that Bishop Long didn't know what he was getting into was frankly laughable. As a theologian, he should know that a ceremony like this has no basis biblically, it has no basis in Jewish law.

And for this rabbi, who as I understand is not even formally recognized, you know, in Judaism, you know, as a rabbi, is a farce. And to wrap a man in paper and claim that he is somehow absolved of all of the, you know, crimes that he's committed on this community against children, I think, is most unfortunate about this.

LEMON: And when you -- doesn't the video speak for itself?

TAYLOR: I watched the extended version unfortunately. And, you know, I am a proud Christian. A stirring in me hit so deep. It was so utterly offensive that they would present a sermon that had no basis of scripturally.

LEMON: OK. Let's talk then as just human to human, people.

TAYLOR: Sure.

LEMON: So then, if you are -- is this what Jesus and the Lord and Christianity is about? This sort of ceremony and showmanship? And that's the whole thing about Bishop Eddie Long and megachurches and all of that, I mean, that people have questions about.

TAYLOR: The Christ that I've come to know is not a showman. And so this kind of boisterous, grandiose showing of faith is certainly something that is skewed biblically. And so that's, you know, a problem.

Now, the second with this is the people of New Birth itself. And you have to ask, you know, what kind of influence and manipulation are they under?

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: Ralph Messer says he has performed the same ceremony with a non-kosher Torah (ph) many times before the ritual with Bishop Long.

Coming up, a horrific scene in Washington state. Two children and their father dead after an explosion levels their house. You can see what it did right here in the video. The most heart breaking part, police believe it may have been blown up on purpose. That's ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: The New York Giants are the new Super Bowl champions. For the second time in five years, New York defeated the New England Patriots for the NFL championship.

These live pictures we're looking at from Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. Everybody is excited there, kind of, well, more excited, New York Giants, of course, 21; 17, Patriots. They won at a last minute touchdown. Quarterback Eli Manning was the MVP. He led that 9 play, 88 yard drive that capped the Giants' comeback.

Congratulations.

The Pentagon is investigating the death of a highest ranking soldier to die in Afghanistan. Brigadier General Terence Hildner died Friday in Kabul Province apparently of natural causes. The 49-year- old general was based at Fort Hood, Texas. He was deployed to Afghanistan to assist the NATO training mission.

Police in Pierce County, Washington believe Josh Powell is responsible for an explosion at his own home that appears to have claimed the lives of him and his two children. Utah police previously identified Powell as the lone person of interest in the disappearance of his wife, Susan Powell Cox.

Now, Powell said the last time he saw his wife was on December 9 in 2009 before he left on a camping trip. It is no secret, though, that Josh Powell was locked in a bitter custody battle with his wife's parents. And just four days ago, a judge ruled against him deciding his two children would remain with their grandfather and ordering Powell to undergo a psycho-sexual evaluation.

With more on this -- on this case, I am joined on the phone now by Anne Bremner, an attorney representing Susan Powell Cox's family and she is in Seattle, Washington now.

So, first of all, thank you for joining us. My condolences to the family because I know you know them. This must be tremendously difficult for you and for them at this time.

ANNE BREMNER, ATTORNEY FOR COX FAMILY: Thank you.

LEMON: What were you hearing from the family about Josh Powell's behavior?

BREMNER: Well, I represented the family in connection with Susan Cox Powell's disappearance and they firmly believed that he was clearly a person of interest in her disappearance, no doubt, and they were very much opposed to him having any contact with the children or custody. I was not the lawyer in the family case.

Today, of course, is devastating, horrific, unthinkable day. How does one where -- the family, Charles and Judy, my clients, have always had very real and very serious fears about Josh Powell.

LEMON: So, Ms. Bremner, do you believe that Josh Powell is capable of such a crime?

BREMNER: Absolutely. I believe he was capable of killing his wife. We've always said that publicly for two years now. And I believe that he is capable of this, but no one could imagine anything as bad as this. Setting himself and the kids on fire. It's just beyond belief, beyond horrific and beyond even being thinkable.

LEMON: I spoke with a criminal defense attorney and a former prosecutor, Ms. Bremner, and she said she believed that this may have happened because the children were getting older and they were starting to give away secrets that Josh Powell didn't want them giving away.

BREMNER: Well, we heard that in the Casey Anthony case that Caylee was getting old enough to talk about whether she had nanny or not, you know, what her life circumstances were. And I know that to be true in this case because, as recently as Christmas, the boys were talking about mommy is in the mine, the girl at the mine, we'll find mommy, they're in Utah and also their father that were being searched by the police. The boys were talking about that, at least the older boy, to their grandparents, my clients.

LEMON: So, sadly, listen, if he is as you believe, as law enforcement there have told us this evening that they believe he is responsible for this, do you think that that is -- what happened to his wife is going to go with him to his grave or do you think it will ever be revealed?

BREMNER: You know what? I firmly believe and, you know, I practiced law almost 30 years, I've never seen anything like this and I've been a prosecutor and has many cases, everything else. I think that what we saw today tells us what he did to his children.

LEMON: Anne Bremner, thank you for your time.

BREMNER: Thank you.

LEMON: We want to go now to the big stories in the week ahead. From the White House to Wall Street, our correspondents tell you what you need to know. We begin tonight with the president's plans for the week.

DAN LOTHIAN, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: I'm Dan Lothian at the White House as Italy, the Eurozone's third largest economy, deals with its economic woes. President Obama welcomes its prime minister, Mario Monti, to the White House on Thursday. They'll talks about a range of issues, but in particular, what the Italian government is doing to restore market confidence.

Then on Tuesday, President Obama will host the second White House science fair, a chance to celebrate kids from across the country but also push initiatives to make sure that more students not only excel in math and science but also earn degrees in those fields.

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I'm Kate Bolduan in Washington. This week on Capitol Hill, the House is expected to take up a bill that would explicitly ban insider trading among lawmakers and thousands of executive branch employees. The Senate passed its version of the bill with broad bipartisan support last week.

And the Senate is expected to vote on a long-debated plan to fund the Federal Aviation Administration for four years. The House adopted the measure Friday, bringing to a close months of negotiations and multiple short-term extensions.

This could also be a key week in the negotiations to extend the payroll tax cut for a full year as the House-Senate conference committee tasked with working out a deal inches closer and closer to their deadline.

POPPY HARLOW, CNNMONEY.COM: I'm Poppy Harlow in New York. Well, following Friday's strong jobs report, Wall Street is gearing up for a slew of corporate earnings. We will hear from Coca-Cola, Disney, Cisco, BP, Visa and Sprint.

And there could be a massive foreclosure settlement. State attorneys general have until Monday to agree on a deal with the nation's biggest banks that could be worth as much as $25 billion. It would settle the robo-signing scandal of 2010 when we learned that some mortgage servicing companies signed off on foreclosures without checking that all the paperwork was accurate.

That's all ahead. We'll keep an eye on that Monday and all the business news of the week on "CNN Money."

LEMON: Time now for tomorrow's commute tonight. For that, we turn to CNN's Jacqui Jeras.

Hey, Jacqui.

JACQUI JERAS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Hey, Don.

(WEATHER REPORT)

LEMON: I have to be honest. I would not have recognized it. I only knew it because of the WSVN. Doesn't it have a skyline that's recognizable like this one, Jacqui? Guess which one this is.

JERAS: OK.

LEMON: Not that one.

JERAS: That would be Miami.

LEMON: Next one. That one.

JERAS: Is that Nashville?

LEMON: No. Look at that. The Empire State building. Giants blue.

JERAS: Oh, geez.

LEMON: Giants blue. New York City. Of course, they won.

JERAS: I have a very small monitor, just so you know.

LEMON: I know. People at home I always tell them when I say, I can't quite see that really. "Don, it's a car, can't you see it?" I'm like, no, we don't have the big -- we're not watching a big giant screen television.

So, congratulations to the Giants and beautiful Miami.

JERAS: Yes. Good game

LEMON: Thank you, Jacqui. Yes. Good game. Appreciate it.

Up next here on CNN, one of the original "Soul Train" dancers -- Jody Watley joins me to talk about her memories of the show's creator, the late Don Cornelius.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: In 1971, Don Cornelius spent just $400 to film the pilot episode of "Soul Train" and for the next 22 years, he became the voice that changed music in America.

But his impact on America was much bigger than the music. Just ask Jody Watley. You may remember her dance moves as a regular on that show.

That's Jody there with all the dance moves.

Over the years, Cornelius gave a number of performers their big break. He handpicked Watley to be a member of the group Shalamar. And I spoke with Watley about the legacy of Don Cornelius.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JODY WATLEY, GRAMMY AWARD-WINNING SINGER: What an incredible legacy. A great man, trend setter, pioneer, legend. And so many of us, needless to say, are very shocked and saddened by his passing, but his legacy is incredible and it will live on.

LEMON: And when you found out -- you knew he had been sick, I'm sure, and when you found out, I'm sure, it was just unbelievable to you. What ran through your mind?

WATLEY: Well, the first thing -- I was, you know, shocked. And I'd seen Don last year. I sat on a panel with him at the Grammy Museum here in Los Angeles, celebrating the 40th anniversary of "Soul Train." And the first thing I thought of was I was happy that I did have the chance to thank him again. I've been thanking him my whole career and to let him know how much we all appreciated him and everything the doors that he opened for us.

LEMON: Did you know, Jody, back then when you were, you know, I'm sure, a little pip squeak dancing on "Soul Train" as one of the "Soul Train" dancers, did you have any idea the impact of this, what you were doing with Don Cornelius, he was doing a soul train on the world? Because everybody watched it, not just black folks. It was watched all over the world.

WATLEY: Right. Well, you know, we all lived to be on "Soul Train." It was our culture and, you know, that's where you found out what was hip, what was hot. And when I moved to Los Angeles with my family, I'm from Chicago, and that was my guy, I said I'm going to get on "Soul Train."

And, you know, to become one of the popular dancers on the show, it was great. But all of us, we did it for free for the love of it. Freestyle dancing. And it was great. And again, Don made that happen. And as an artist, "Soul Train" was and probably, you know, will always be a place that you could go whether you were hot 100, top 40, top 10 R&B, whatever. "Soul train" was there for black artists, this music, and so, I'm very grateful to Don for that as well. (END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: Jody Watley, thank you very much.

We need an extra cam just for Jody's hair. It was great -- it was great seeing Jody.

Thanks again, Jody Watley.

Coming up, a knife at her throat, a desperate woman tries to calm her attacker by reading him from the Bible. An incredible story is next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: After being slashed by a knife, a North Carolina woman did not panic. She calmed her attacker with Bible verses. 32-year- old Lindsay Wood have just arrived home when a man walked into her house and slashed her across the neck with a knife. Shelby Police Captain Rick Stafford explains what happened next.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CAPT. RICK STAFFORD, SHELBY POLICE DEPARTMENT: She offered her car up as well as her money that she had on her. She actually opened her Bible. She was reading Bible verses to him. Actually invited him to her church.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: An hour and a half later, Wood's attacker apologized and left. Woods' injuries left her with at least 20 staples in her neck.

New recordings from the moments after the JFK assassination hidden away for decades now offering a rare glimpse into the confusion that followed the president's murder. You're going to hear them yourself next.

But first, a new year brings a new group of CNN heroes, and starting next week, we will begin introducing you to the class of 2o12. First, our Anderson Cooper speaks with Robin Lim who is dedicated to the safety of women and their babies, has earned her the nickname "Mother Robin." She was your choice for the 2011 CNN Hero of the Year.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: Congratulations. How do you feel?

ROBIN LIM, CNN HERO: Full of gratitude.

COOPER: Did you think you might have a chance of winning?

LIM: Of course not. We've helped so many people since 2005. Almost 113,000 people got free medical care and medicine.

COOPER: What does it feel like to start with one person and then slowly start to build the organization?

LIM: I found that if you have a good idea and you do it with love, a lot of people want to help you.

COOPER: It was a very personal loss that got you involved in this.

LIM: My sister died. She was pregnant. This was 21 years ago.

COOPER: What was your sister's name?

LIM: Her name is Christine. I feel like she really helps me.

COOPER: You carry her with you still?

LIM: Yes. And I think I carry her baby, too.

COOPER: What kind of impact do you think this will have?

LIM: The clinic we have in Aceh in the tsunami zone, that one is really safe, but the clinic in Bali is falling apart and it's too small for our patient care.

COOPER: You are hoping that maybe we rebuild the clinic.

LIM: We have been saving money for years and we did get a piece of land right in our village so we are ready to build. And now we have the money to begin.

COOPER: You have 250,000 plus 50,000, so $300,000.

LIM: Yes. That goes a long way in Indonesia.

COOPER: What keeps you going? I mean, in those dark days when, you know, when you don't have money and when you don't have support?

LIM: Some days I don't have money, but I always have support. Just when you think how are we going to pay the electric bill, there's always an email that says we are spending money. It's just a miracle everyday just like birth.

COOPER: Congratulations. I'm so happy for you and for the work you're going to do and the lives you're going to save. Thank you. Thank you.

LIM: Thank you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: One way you can do more to help the world is by telling us about someone making a big difference in your community. It's very easy. Just go to cnnheroes.com. We could end up honoring your nominee and as you have just seen, that can have some very big results. Go to cnnheroes.com to nominate the 2012 CNN hero today.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: We have a rare and intriguing glimpse inside one of the darkest days in American history. Thanks to audiotapes hidden away for 50 years. CNN's Brian Todd reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): They were among the most anxious, gut-wrenching hours in American history, the chaos following President John F. Kennedy's assassination. Everyone including top administration officials was scrambling for accurate information.

Newly released audiotapes offer fascinating insight into the confusion and the government's response. Listen to this phone call from White House physician Admiral George Burkley who was in Dallas to Army Surgeon General Leonard Heaton on where to take the president's body.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

ADM. BURKLEY: Regards to the taking care of the remains of the -- President Kennedy and we are planning on having the president's remains taken directly to Walter Reed. Probably Mrs. Kennedy will also be going out there. But we will clarify that later.

GEN. HEATON: Oh, all right.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

TODD: But it wasn't clarified. Just minutes earlier, Secret Service head Gerald Behn had called another official with the president in Dallas, saying the remains should be taken to another military hospital.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

AGENT BEHN: Arrangements have been made for a helicopter for the Bethesda Naval Medical Center.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

TODD: The president was taken to Bethesda. For decades, critics said his autopsy was incomplete, mishandled, maybe even part of a conspiracy.

I listened to the tapes with historian Max Holland.

MAX HOLLAND, AUTHOR, "THE KENNEDY ASSASSINATION TAPES": The government had no protocol for having an autopsy of the president. It was just never -- something no one had ever thought would be necessary. They were completely unprepared.

TODD: The tapes were discovered by the Raab Collection, historical document dealers. They got them from the estate of General Chester Clifton, a top aide to President Kennedy, then donated them to the National Archives.

The recordings were made by the White House communications agency and include radio traffic from president's plane Air Force One.

(on camera): Part of the recordings, which are not new, are still riveting like when a distraught Lyndon Johnson and his wife get on the phone from Air Force One to console President Kennedy's mother.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

PRESIDENT JOHNSON: I wish to God there was something that I could do, and I wanted to tell you we were grieving with you.

ROSE KENNEDY: Yes. Well, thanks a million. Thank you very much.

PRESIDENT JOHNSON: Here's Lady Bird.

ROSE KENNEDY: Thank you very much. I know. I know you loved Jack, and he loved you.

LADY BIRD JOHNSON: Mrs. Kennedy, we feel like we've just had...

ROSE KENNEDY: Yes, all right.

LADY BIRD JOHNSON: We are glad that the nation had your son as long as it did.

ROSE KENNEDY: Yes. Well, thank you, Lady Bird. Thank you very much. Goodbye.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

TODD (voice over): It leaves us all wanting to hear more, but some of these recordings we may never hear. Officials at the Raab Collection say at least two hours of raw tape are still missing.

Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: Thanks, Brian.

Coming up, the New York Giants defeat the New England Patriots, 21-17. There you go. Live pictures. People celebrating in the streets of New York. There's WABC. It's already getting going. So, make sure you stay tuned.

And the person who may have worked the hardest in the game? Guess what. It's Madonna. More on that next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Finally, the most anticipated event of the year happened in Indianapolis tonight. In case you missed it, here it is from the NBC in the NFL.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: That's right. That most anticipated event is Madonna gyrating, grinding, curling her way to a half-time performance at the XLVI Super Bowl. It was a spectacular performance with pyrotechnics, that means fireworks, a marching band and a moving stage.

Cee Lo Green performed with Madonna. So did Nicki Minaj and rapper MIA, who by the way, had a quick middle finger incident barely caught on camera.

Madonna did a medley of her hits from the 80's and 90's and one song from her new CD.

And by the way, New York beat New England, 21-17, taking home the Vince Lombardi trophy for the fourth time. Congratulations to the Giants and to Madonna.

Live pictures now from New York City. People hitting the streets to celebrate and the Empire State building in Giants blue.

Congratulations and good night. I'll see you next week.