Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Al Megrahi Dead; Chinese Activist in NYU; Obama at NATO Summit; Taps Turns 150; Transgender Beauty Queen; Talks on Iran's Nuclear Program; NATO Summit Preview

Aired May 20, 2012 - 16:00   ET

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

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, everyone. Thanks for joining us. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

The man believed responsible for killing 270 people over the skies of Lockerbie, Scotland will be buried tomorrow. Abdul Basset Al-Megrahi is the only person convicted of bombing Pan Am flight 103 just days before Christmas in 1988. Al Megrahi's family said the former Libyan intelligence officer died today at a hospital in Tripoli. He was 60 years old. His death comes two and a half years after his release from a Scottish prison. Al Megrahi was let go on compassionate grounds because he had prostate cancer. He was expected to live only a few months.

At the time of his 2009 release, victims' families were outraged after he received a hero's welcome in Libya. Many believe Al Megrahi was just a small player in the bomb plot, and the case needs to be pursued. Earlier today, I talked to a former spokesman for the victims' families who lost a brother in the attack. Bert Ammerman wants the U.S. and Britain to find all responsible parties.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BERT AMMERMAN, LOST BROTHER IN PAN AM FLIGHT 103 BOMBING: It's now up to Obama and it's now up to Cameron, the families have persevered for 24 years, and along with the support of the media we kept this as a front page story worldwide. And I do believe we could put the pressure on them to find the truth. And I would love to meet with President Obama . I met with Bush 41 on April 3rd 1989 for over 90 minutes regarding Pan Am 103. And I would love to have that one-to- one meeting with the president.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Ammerman and other family members suspect there are people right now in Libya, Syria and Iran who played a part in the bombing and should be brought to justice. Earlier I asked CNN senior international correspondent Nic Robertson if secrets of the Pan Am bombing died with Al Megrahi.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: There certainly will be people out there with information. Megrahi perhaps has died with the - you know, with him is the ability to point at the people in the regime who he could perhaps say to go to this person and this person, and then you'll get the truth. But we know that the head Abdullah (INAUDIBLE), the head of Libyan intelligence, who directed, who was essentially - Megrahi's boss will have a lot of information about this. Saif Gadhafi, Moammar Gadhafi's son also, still alive will have a lot of information about this.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: All right. Former Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi never denied involvement in the Lockerbie bombing and in 2003, he paid $2.7 billion in compensation to the victims' families.

All right. Let's take you right now to Chicago, the host city of the NATO summit, 50 nations, leaders of those nations are meeting there inside. And then outside you've got a number of protests, or at least demonstrators who have gathered. Many have said they're trying to make a statement about the economy. Others have said they've tried to make statements about the U.S. and its involvement in the Afghanistan war. Many pleading that the Afghanistan war needs to be stopped, or at least the U.S. involvement stopped immediately.

Again, these live pictures taking place right here, thanks to our affiliate WBBM, providing the images. Right now you just see a whole lot of people milling about. Unclear exactly what kind of activity is happening there on the ground, as the leaders of 50 nations meet inside. A wider view right now, you can see it's a sizeable crowd. But at least from the surface it appears to be peaceful. We're not getting any indication of reports that anything other than that is taking place. This is a peaceful gathering of demonstrators outside the NATO meeting.

All right. Meantime, inside, with those leaders of 50 nations, Afghanistan is dominating the talks. Before the summit began, President Barack Obama met with Afghan president Hamid Karzai. Let's bring in chief White House correspondent Jessica Yellin traveling with the president. So Jessica, what more can you tell us about this meeting between Karzai and Obama?

JESSICA YELLIN, CNN CHIEF WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Fredricka. Well, it is note worthy that the meeting - that Afghanistan is so important in this NATO summit, that the meeting took place, as you point out, before the summit convened. Hamid Karzai in that bilateral meeting in the presence of the media, thanked President Obama and the American taxpayers for all the support that the U.S. has given to Afghanistan.

He assured the U.S. that the Afghans will be prepared to take the combat lead in 2014. And even said that Afghanistan will soon no longer be, his word, "a burden on the U.S." and in return, the president said that the U.S. effectively will not cut and run. Here's the president speaking earlier.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We are working with the Afghans over the next several years to achieve a complete transition to Afghan lead for Afghan security, one in which we continue to provide support for the Afghan national security forces, that have made excellent progress over the last several years. And also painting a vision post-2014 in which we have ended our combat role, the Afghan war as we understand it is over. But our commitment to friendship and partnership with Afghanistan continues.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

YELLIN: Now, Fredricka, addressing this issue in an election year, for the president is a careful political dance. On the one hand, he has to be very wary about talking too much about Afghanistan, which is, frankly, an unpopular war with the American public at this point. But at the same time, he has a great interest in holding together the support of NATO nations, because he wants both funding and troops from the coalition partners on this. For the Afghan war.

I'll point out today, Mitt Romney has an op-ed in the "Chicago Tribune" that in part accuses the president of weak leadership on NATO, saying that he has undermined NATO. Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right. Meantime, we're looking at some live pictures right now inside that summit, where it appears that we're seeing a pretty nice wide view of some of the military members who are involved in this meeting as well in what appears to be a tribute taking place right now. All right.

Also, Jessica, what else more might be up for discussion tomorrow?

YELLIN: So either the president or his cabinet members and staff will be discussing a number of issues not just tomorrow, but also in the remaining hours.

WHITFIELD: Go ahead. Looks like we lost our audio there with Jessica Yellin there in Chicago. So we'll try to resume that, as soon as we reconnect.

All right. Meantime, Italy's prime minister Mario Monte is heading home from the NATO summit after a strong earthquake shook parts of his country early this morning. The U.S. Geological Survey says the epicenter of the 6.0 quake was just northwest of Bologna. Workers are still digging through the rubble looking for survivors. At least seven people are dead and 50 injured.

A blind Chinese activist is spending his first Sunday with his family in New York. Chen Guangcheng got here only after a tricky diplomatic back and forth between the U.S. and China. Last month, he escaped from house arrest and arrived at the U.S. embassy in Beijing and after a lot of mediation, he was given clearance to leave the country. He spoke through a translator after arriving in New York yesterday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHEN GUANGCHENG, CHINESE ACTIVIST (THROUGH TRANSLATOR): At the most critical juncture, the American embassy in China provided a safe haven, and the American government has provided great assistance and given me partial citizenship rights here. (END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Chen will begin his fellowship at New York University soon.

NYU offered this opportunity after the Chinese government said he could leave the country to study abroad. I spoke to Chen's friend, and NYU professor, Jerome Cohen, earlier. He was involved in the mediation that finally helped Chen leave China. He said Chen could offer a lot of insight into Chinese law.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JEROME COHEN, FRIEND, ADVISER TO CHEN GUANGCHENG: Most people in China don't live in Beijing, Shanghai and in many other modern cities. They live in rural, often poverty-stricken conditions. And what law means to them is different from what it means in the cities. Chen can tell us a great deal. And he can tell us a lot about how China needs to do more to protect the rights of those who are disabled people, as he is, because he's blind.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: All right. Chen will be studying comparative law at NYU.

All right. In Chicago, a NATO leader's meeting inside, while outside a number of demonstrators. So what exactly is at stake for the president of the United States politically?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: This weekend President Obama has the world's stage, hosting both G-8 and NATO leaders. It's a powerful political image for a man facing a strong political challenge at home. CNN contributor and former George W. Bush adviser David Frum is following all this from Washington. Good to see you.

DAVID FRUM, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: And CNN political contributor and democratic strategist Hilary Rosen joining us from New York, good to see you as well.

HILARY ROSEN, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: Hey, Fred.

WHITFIELD: OK. So, yesterday it was the G-8 at Camp David. Today it's NATO in Chicago. So Hilary, you first. You know, does hosting these two summits further kind of cement President Obama's strengths on foreign policy?

ROSEN: Well, first of all, separate or apart from politics, it's actually his job to be the leader of the United States, and to welcome foreign alliances. And clearly President Obama has a real feather in his cap with the leadership he has shown on foreign policy over the last several years. Not just in terrorism, people talk all the time about Osama Bin Laden being killed. But also in strengthening the NATO alliance which was somewhat frayed after George Bush. And we've had, you know, record amounts of cooperation from NATO countries in things like Afghanistan, and Libya, and Syria, and Iran. And, you know, that's to President Obama's credit. So the extent that he's out there looking strong, and actually being strong, that helps the politics. But that's not obviously why he's doing it.

WHITFIELD: Yes, it is his job, but he does particularly poised and comfortable in these arenas when meeting with other heads of state of various countries, whether it's amicable or whether there is conflict. David, should it be expected that real business is brokered here?

FRUM: President Obama has a number of foreign policy accomplishments he can take credit for. As Hilary said, Libya, the killing of Osama Bin Laden. But he also has an enormous foreign policy failure on his hands. And two, terrible unresolved foreign policy dangers.

WHITFIELD: What is that failure?

FRUM: The failure is the president's decision to massively increase the American role in Afghanistan, made the United States even more hopelessly dependent on Pakistan than ever before with the result that even when Osama Bin Laden is discovered inside Pakistan, revealing complicity by at least some very important people inside Pakistan, the United States is helpless to do anything about it. It can't even talk candidly about it, because the over commitment to Afghanistan to serve for the president's campaign promise in 2008 has made the United States so dependent on Pakistan.

The two unresolved questions are Iran and the euro. Both of which are huge threats to the United States, the world hanging fire out there. And that may go very bad at any time.

WHITFIELD: So then - in Afghanistan and Pakistan, do you feel, David, that the president's at a point of no return, that it is too late to try to recover what you believe to be failures?

FRUM: We're so far past the point of no return in Pakistan, that Bin Laden was caught and killed a year ago. And we all know what that killing revealed about who had been sheltering him. What has been done about it, what is the message that has been sent to authorities in Pakistan with how they can treat the United States?

WHITFIELD: So then, Hilary, how do you see it? How does the president recover? How does the U.S., I guess, solidify or repair a relationship with Pakistan given that?

ROSEN: Look, President Obama inherited two wars, one in Iraq and one in Afghanistan. And he obviously has pulled back in Iraq. And in Afghanistan has determined to pull back. And in fact, we saw the announcement today from President Karzai thanking the American taxpayers, and assuring all of us that Afghanistan is going to be independent within the next couple of years. And President Obama echoed that commitment. When it comes to the relationships with Pakistan, that - you know, that is simply going to go on as it is. But the point that David's making, I think, is you have these delicate balances with our allies that as president you have to do.

What I was appalled about this morning was Mitt Romney sort of stepping in there to try and kind of attack President Obama and the NATO alliance when he's been doing nothing but attacking Europe over the last couple of months. You know, god forbid the United States should end up like Europe, according to Mitt Romney, and yet this weekend attacking President Obama for somehow weakening the NATO alliance.

I find it appalling that Mitt Romney would sort of step in so - with such a lack of grace into this foreign policy discussion over this important weekend.

WHITFIELD: Well, is Romney in a difficult situation here, David, in that, you know, as someone who is running for president, you have to at some point stake your claim on what your foreign policy would be? However, we've heard from Mitt Romney that he wants to talk about the economy, and the economy solely. However, it's also revealing this is a major deficit for him, his comfort zone in foreign policy.

(CROSSTALK)

FRUM: The NATO alliance is the United States and Canada, plus mostly the eurozone. That's who's in NATO, mostly eurozone countries. If the euro explodes, what is the effect on NATO? We are facing - this is, I think, something with Mitt Romney's economic concerns, (INAUDIBLE) strategic ones. We are facing the threat of a financial event in the world economy, worse than what happened in October of 2008, with consequences on both sides of the Atlantic so terrifying, that all of our futures are in question. You have to talk about it. And it is poorly understood in this country. And I understand President Obama's decision, again, to lead from behind. But the United States is acting as if this is a European problem, not one where Americans will suffer, too.

WHITFIELD: Hilary?

ROSEN: Not true. You know, President Obama had the G-8 leaders at Camp David specifically over the last couple of days to talk about the euro and to talk about the impact. I think if Mitt Romney were actually focusing on the eurozone, as David talked about, and its importance and offering economic solutions, that would be something. We haven't seen that. We've seen sort of military conversations out of him.

But, you know, clearly what happens with the euro is going to have a significant impact on us over the next six or eight months. And that's something that maybe no president of the United States can control.

WHITFIELD: All right. Hilary Rosen, David Frum, good to see both of you. Thank you so much. Have a good rest of the Sunday.

FRUM: Thank you.

ROSEN: Take care. WHITFIELD: All right. There's one presidential candidate we actually have not been talking about, until today. Roseanne Barr. Yes, the very same. And the comedienne and actress said that she is very serious about it. We'll ask the green party candidate what she has in mind in the next hour of the "Newsroom."

And it has been one year since a deadly tornado devastated Joplin, Missouri. Tomorrow, a new beginning for graduating seniors at Joplin High. Their keynote speaker, President Barack Obama. I talked to one of the graduates.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: This Tuesday marks one year since the deadly tornado flattened and devastated Joplin, Missouri. 161 people died. It's the deadliest twister we've had in the U.S. in 60 years. So Joplin High School, well, it got wiped out when that tornado hit. Devastating so many of its students.

Lydia McAllister was one of them. Well, tomorrow she and more than 400 classmates are graduating. She anticipates the day will bring relief and will be particularly special because of the keynote speaker, President Barack Obama.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD (on camera): I know it's really exciting for you. But at the same time there are lots of reminders just looking at the building behind you, lots of reminders, of what happened one year ago.

LYDIA MCALLISTER, GRADUATING SENIOR, JOPLIN HIGH SCHOOL: There are a lot of reminders still. But honestly I think we can all say we're happy with the progress that we've made. I think we've come a long way in a year.

WHITFIELD: Well, that's encouraging. You know, you wrote on cnn.com soon after that tornado that in your words, "Life has changed forever." What did you mean at the time?

MCALLISTER: I think I meant just, a tornado definitely changed our lives, because, I mean, obviously I didn't have a house after the tornado. I didn't have a school. I didn't have half of a town. So a lot changed for me, and a lot changed for everyone in Joplin. And I think it's still an ongoing thing. Because there's not a day that goes by that I don't think about the tornado. And I don't think that that will ever stop.

WHITFIELD: You've been really committed and very diligent to share your feelings with the general public. You wrote again for cnn.com and you wrote about what you anticipate your feelings to be after graduation tomorrow. Are you prepared to read a little passage for us?

MCALLISTER: Yes, I have it right here. OK. So "On May 22nd I expect the feeling to be a relief, a relief that I survived and so did my family, a relief that my town doesn't look like a bomb was dropped on it. Relief that the trees are growing again. Relief that if all goes according to plan, my little brother will be part of the first class to graduate from the new Joplin High School. But most of all, I will feel relief that even though when my world seemed to end, the pain didn't last forever. And to know that this, too, shall pass."

WHITFIELD: The president of the United States, President Obama, will be the keynote speaker at your high school graduation.

MCALLISTER: Yes.

WHITFIELD: What does that mean to you? What does that mean to your classmates, your family, the town of Joplin?

MCALLISTER: It's such a huge honor. Honestly, I can't - I can't even describe the feeling that we all have. Because it's such an honor to have the president of the United States speaking at our school, and politics aside, it's such an honor.

WHITFIELD: Well, congratulations, well deserved. I know you're going to have a great time tomorrow, and beyond. Thanks so much for your courage. And for sharing your thoughts and feelings with us.

MCALLISTER: Thank you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: She's fantastic. You can read more about Lydia's story, just go to our schools of thought home page on cnn.com. And she's off to the University of Missouri to study journalism.

So May is typically peak tornado activity month. And this year is no exception. A couple of twisters touched down in the midwest just this weekend. Bonnie Schneider in the Severe Weather Center with more on that.

BONNIE SCHNEIDER, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Hi, Fredricka. That's right, we had twisters yesterday, at least 24 reports of them. And luckily, we don't have any severe injury reports. We do have home damage, though. We have some pictures of some of those twisters as they rolled through Kansas and Nebraska. It's been very volatile over the past few days. (INAUDIBLE) see in this radar loop plays some of the tornado reports that have popped up across much of the region.

We had one up towards the Lincoln area. And today we're monitoring a severe weather threat in a different part of the country. That is more towards Wisconsin and even into parts of Minnesota. So we're seeing some powerful thunderstorms rumble through this region, mostly to the north of the Green Bay area at this hour. This severe thunderstorm watch box will continue into the evening hours. I think by about 8:00 tonight it should expire and you'll get some better weather to deal with. Things will be a little bit calmer as we go through.

Let's talk about the tropics. We're monitoring tropical storm Alberto, the first named storm before the Atlantic hurricane season begins, which is actually June 1st. So unusual to start so early but the storm really is definitely not as impressive on radar, and or satellite as it was yesterday. Let's take a look. You can see the movement now to the west-southwest. The storm is now away from the gulf stream. That's keeping it over cooler waters, which is one of the reasons it's weakening as it goes through.

On the radar, if we zoom in, you'll see some of the heaviest rain is working its way into the Jacksonville area, into Florida as well as into Georgia. Lets get a tight shot. Here you can see that we have some heavy rain sliding through the Brunswick area. That's where some of the heaviest thunderstorms are at this time.

But generally speaking, a lot of this rain is subsiding as it pushes south, because the intensity of Alberto is dying down. Having said that, we still have a tropical storm watch that does extend from parts of Georgia into South Carolina. So unfortunately we could see some windy weather and some downpours of rain. But this is an area that's actually been so dry, that a lot of the rain that comes in will be beneficial. This is the kind of tropical system we want that will bring some benefits rather than any negatives. But it's still so early, as I mentioned, tropical season, at least hurricane season on the Atlantic side doesn't begin until June 1st. But this year, it's been so unusual, the first time we had a storm like that since 2003, when we had Anna, (INAUDIBLE) in this part of the world, before hurricane season began. So it's been a fascinating start and we have ways to go.

WHITFIELD: All right. Very early start. Less than two weeks away before the start of hurricane season. All right. Thanks so much, Bonnie.

SCHNEIDER: Sure.

WHITFIELD: All right. She didn't win the Miss Universe Canada pageant but she made history anyway.

And if you're away from your TV today, just a reminder, you can continue watching CNN from your mobile phone. You can also watch CNN live from your laptop. Just go to cnn.com/tv.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: The man convicted of the 1988 bombing of Pan Am flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, will be buried tomorrow. Al Megrahi died today at a hospital in Tripoli. The former Libyan intelligence officer had prostate cancer and was released from a Scottish prison on compassionate grounds back in 2009.

Right now rescue workers in Italy are looking for survivors after a powerful earthquake shook parts of the country early this morning. The U.S. Geological Survey said the epicenter of the 6.0 quake was just North West of Bologna. At least seven people are dead and 50 injured.

John Edwards heads back to a North Carolina courtroom tomorrow to wait for a verdict in his campaign corruption trial. Jurors ended their first day of deliberations Friday without reaching a decision. Edwards is accused of using almost $1 million in campaign donations to hide his sexual affair with Rielle Hunter and the baby they had together.

A young woman makes history on a pageant stage. Jenna Teleckova began the first transgender contestant to compete in the Miss Universe Canada Pageant last night. Paula Newton is live from Toronto to tell us the story. So, was this kind of a bittersweet defeat or slash victory for her?

PAULA NEWTON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I saw her this morning. She obviously is quite tired. You could see on stage she was quite disappointed that she didn't make it to the final five and she didn't win. Having said that perhaps it was unrealistic. Pageant officials have said look there are a lot of strong candidates out there. But I think to move this beyond an actual pageant, Jenna, when we spoke to her this morning, had said, look, I want this to mean something more. And I want it to mean that legally transgender people can take this into other spheres, and fight for their right to compete. I want you to listen now to Jenna Talackova this morning. Take a listen

JENNA TALACKOVA, TRANSGENDER MISS UNIVERSE CANADA CONTESTANT: I've never told my story out fully on my own. Because I'm -- I haven't. But I have let them know a lot about myself thus far. So I did come out with what my statement. And that's that people should embrace their individuality, and follow their dreams like I did.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NEWTON: You know, what's interesting here is that she says this isn't the end. She's going to write a book and that she wants to encourage others. She said that she hasn't told her complete story. Clearly there's more to this young woman and what she had to go through, starting from the age of 4, when her name was Walter and she told her parents, look, I don't feel like a girl -- I mean, apologies, I don't feel like a boy, I want to be a girl. I think you will hear more from her. She has said, of course, she wants to say in the perhaps reality show, and beyond that do speaking tours, she talks to people about how difficult it is, but how important it is, that if you're feeling this, that you can go through it and that there are people around you who support you.

Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right. Paula Newton thanks so much for bringing us that story.

All right. Now let's get a look at what's happening in the week ahead. A critical day in the worldwide dispute over Iran's nuclear program. CNN's Josh Lev is here with that.

JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes and Fred we are going to start off with that and on Wednesday this week that Iran will be meeting in Baghdad with key world powers for talks on its nuclear program. Now folks this is the follow-up to a meeting last month which both sides at the time described this constructive. Big question hanging over this meeting taking place this week, will there be common ground. U.S. and European leaders have called on Iran for transparency. And they're concerned the country could be working on building nuclear weapons. Iran said its program is peaceful and Iran government is actually now calling on U.S. and European leaders to, in Iran's words, restore lost trust.

Now, also ahead this week, the sentencing, this would be on Monday, for Dharun Ravi the 20-year-old former Rutgers student convicted of invasion of privacy and other charges in the case involving his former roommate Tyler Clemente. Ravi as you know by now probably used a webcam to spy on Clemente having sexual encounter with a man, he wrote about it on twitter. Clemente committed suicide. There are extensive debates going on across the country, even other parts of the world, about what sentence Ravi should face. Expect a lot of attention.

And speaking of attention I had to read this several times to believe it myself. This is real. This week there will be an auction for a vial of President Reagan's blood. Let's zoom way in, folks. I want you to see this. The auction ends Thursday. So I guess someone's going to get it. That's the vial right there. This comes from a horrible day in America, that all those of us old enough to remember, the day President Reagan was shot in March 1981. He suffered a punctured lung and survived. The director of a lab let an employee keep this one vial.

It's been in the family ever since. Now the man putting it up for auction says he offered it to the Reagan Library, which then checked with federal agencies and got back to him saying, no one wanted it. The seller also says he did not offer it directly to the Reagan family. So we'll see what happens with that. More details on that. I'll bet you'll want to see them.

A lot more happening this week, it is all up on my page, facebook and twitter, JoshLevsCNN and always to stay ahead of the news. Check out "Ahead of the Curve" on CNN.com. It comes out every Sunday afternoon. We want to keep you guys ahead as the news comes during the week.

Fred how about that?

WHITFIELD: Yes, that last story kind of stopped me in my tracks. I'm wondering if Nancy Reagan or other Reagan family members might still say something to halt that potential auction.

LEVS: They've got some time. It's interesting, because the auction put out this statement from the person auctioning it, establishing that the offer was given to the Reagan Library, which would represent in that sense the Reagan legacy. But that said, there are still days if someone wants to come forward and say something. We have not heard a public statement on it from the family.

WHITFIELD: All right. Keep us posted on that.

LEVS: I will.

WHITFIELD: Josh thanks so much.

LEVS: You got it. WHITFIELD: All right. Meantime, we are watching the streets of Chicago. This is the city that's hosting the NATO Summit. However, while things appear pretty peaceful inside with the NATO leaders, outside there are lots of demonstrations. We'll be taking you to the protest, and help explain why they're heating up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right. The only man convicted in the 1988 bombing of Pan Am flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, Al Megrahi will be buried tomorrow. He died today in Libya at the age of 60. CNN senior international correspondent Nic Robertson has more.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): He had been ill for some time, cancer according to his family. When this rare video was shot in August 2011, he already seemed very sick. Apparently slipping in and out of a coma. His son, appealing for his father to die in peace.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He will die a hero.

ROBERTSON: It was Al Megrahi's return from a Scottish jail in August 2009 that so inflamed passions. To his Libyan countrymen, it was a triumphant return of a national hero, unjustly jailed in a foreign land. To relatives of those killed in the 1988 Pan Am 103 attack, his release, the only man convicted of the bombing, it was a travesty.

UNIDENTIFED FEMALE: He's not going to get forgiveness from me. And as far as I'm concerned, he should die in prison and his soul rot in hell.

ROBERTSON: Two hundred seventy people died when Pan Am flight 103 was brought down by a terrorist bomb, placed in a transistor radio. It exploded, as the pre-Christmas flight from London bound to New York entered Scottish air space. Debris was strewed over a wide area. One of the engines landing in the town of Lockerbie. Eleven of its residents were among those killed. Megrahi, was a 36 year old alleged Libyan intelligence agent at the time of the attack, protested his innocence right up until the time of his release.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He said, look, I have five children growing up in Tripoli. I'm desperate to go back. I want to go back as an innocent man.

TOBERTSON: When Megrahi finally boarded the controversial flight to Libya, he had not proved his innocence and had served barely eight years of his 27-year sentence. His freedom granted on compassionate grounds, because doctors judged he had incurable prostate cancer, and gave him less than three months to live. But behind the scenes, according to leaked U.S. cables, Libya threatened Britain if Megrahi died in a Scottish jail, there would be enormous repercussions for British businesses in Libya.

The British government denied the allegations. But to walk free, Megrahi was forced to give up an appeal against his conviction. At his trial in a specially convened Scottish court in 2000 in the Netherlands, many felt the case against him was deeply flawed. The senior-most U.N. observer at the trial called the proceedings a spectacular miscarriage of justice. Megrahi's appeal later won his sympathy among Scottish lawmakers.

UNIDENTIFED FEMALE: There are a lot of people there who don't want the truth out. As far as I'm concerned Mr. Megrahi has been a scapegoat.

ROBERTSON: A month after his release in 2009, Megrahi posted this inconclusive 300 page denial of his involvement in the bombing. In early 2012, documents in the hands of Scottish lawmakers also seemed to undermine the case against him. But Megrahi was never able to exonerate himself. He died, the only man convicted of the Lockerbie bombing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: We continue to watch the developments in Chicago outside the location where the NATO Summit is taking place. There are a number of demonstrators. We'll continue to watch, we'll take you there live.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: We want to take you back to Chicago, where security is tight for that NATO Summit, and thousands of anti-NATO protesters and demonstrators are in the streets right now, Paul Vercammen is there. This is not far from the location where the summit is taking place just south of downtown, right on Lake Shore Drive?

PAUL VERCAMMEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: No, not at all, Fredricka. In fact, the demonstrators, they say 1,800 and 2,200 of them have just arrived here. Off in the distance you can see over my shoulder, that is McCormick Place. That is where the Summit is taking place. The demonstrators as you said, many of them chanting against NATO. No, no, NATO. Saying we're against the drone attacks. Saying they want the United States and NATO out of Afghanistan.

Largely so far today, a peaceful demonstration nobody getting too out of hand, all calm. But you're pouring a lot of people right as we speak, people still marching from Bryant Park up that direction. A lot of them coming into this intersection. In due time, all of this is going to become overwhelmed and filled up. If you're wondering if the protesters had any idea they're that trying to make some sort of run toward McCormick Place and the summit, beyond you can't quite see, but at least a dozen officers on mounted horseback, and obviously a long line of officers in riot gear. Again, the Chicago Police Department said things have gone smoothly for them, and so far, Fredricka, they have been able to keep this as a peaceful protest.

WHITFIELD: Well I wonder if all of this is an organized group. I mean is this a permitted demonstration and that's why police are generally on the periphery? They're not trying to stop the -- this organized demonstration? VERCAMMEN: Well, we can take it a step further Fredricka. Police have actually helped the demonstrators make their pass through the streets of Chicago. They did the same thing last night, there were a couple hundred just circling around, meandering. Sometimes there were some dust-ups, for lack of a better term. But right now, it's very calm. And again it is basically, if you think about it, a police escort in some ways, the people over here right now that you are looking at, many of them are choosing to leave this part of the demonstration, and they're doing so without any sort of harassment from police. And police have been facilitating what they're doing.

There have been moments Fred when we've heard demonstrators walk right up to officers and absolutely unload a bunch of expletives on them and they've just stood there. So the police have obviously been warned that this could be a tense moment, and they have not in any sense been aggressors. But they do have all these areas around here cordoned off. And again the idea is these demonstrators will not have access, or get close to where the NATO Summit is taking place right now.

WHITFIELD: Is this one organization that is leading this or is it a conglomeration?

VERCAMMEN: No, it's a conglomeration. I think the organization that might be the most prevalent is the Occupy Organization. And underneath that umbrella are many other groups we should note this weekend there was an arrest over the weekend, you may have heard, and these were three members of the so-called Black Block Party who police say had conspired to fire bomb Obama's campaign headquarters and some other places. They are in the black block group. That's one group that sort of has -- you'll watch authorities on edge, but so far as we said, no extreme violence here, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right. Very good. Paul Vercammen thanks so much in Chicago. Keep us posted.

All right. A baby boy is sound asleep. Then lightning strikes and it starts a fire. Wait until you hear who was driving by, and then saved the day.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: An off-duty fireman reaffirmed what it means to love your job. He got delayed on the road, and he left a Rockies game. And that's when he spotted flames coming from a house. What he did next has one family calling him a hero. Here's KUSA's Nelson Garcia.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHAD REEVES, HOUSE STRUCK BY LIGHTENING: 10:00, this lightning struck eleven, superman showed up.

NELSON GARCIA, KUSA: Chad Reeves looks inside his home thinking it could have been much worse. His wife, sister and friends were hanging out at the house when the night got exciting.

DIANA REEVES, MOTHER: AIMEE REEVES, CHAD'S SISTER: Scary. GARCIA: Chad had just gotten home.

REEVES: I thought my girls were making it up.

GARCIA: What they didn't know was lightening had struck their rooftop and a fire started. That's when Nate Kelley drove by, and saw the flames and like superman hopped over this fence in a single bound.

NATE KELLEY, FIREMEN: At that point your instincts just kick in.

GARCIA: A guy dressed in regular clothes --

D. REEVES: The first thing I thought was there was a couple of kids trying to mess with us.

KELLEY: Some kid with a flannel shirt, jeans and a ball cap jumps over my fence asking where my hose was.

GARCIA: They didn't know Kelley was an off-duty Denver firefighter.

REEVES: At one point Nate was fighting it without the nozzle on it.

KELLEY: I just wanted to at least try to put some water on the flame.

GARCIA: Flames which burnt --

KELLEY: You can see the ceiling.

GARCIA: Right above where 5-month-old Jackson was asleep.

REEVES: My 5-month-old lives right up there in the room on the right. The fire had literally burned out the trusses above him.

D. REEVES: A few more seconds they would have toppled on top of us. So he saved his life.

GARCIA: And their home. Flying across the rooftop like a man of steel.

KELLEY: I thought I could make it so I just kind of jumped over.

GARCIA: Nearly putting out the flames single handedly until the fire department arrived.

REEVES: I felt god put Nate in our path, my son would be gone.

AIMEE REEVES, CHAD'S SISTER: What's the chances of an off-duty fireman hopping a fence to tell us that we need to get out of the house.

REEVES: He's amazing. And he's going to tell you that he's not amazing, but he is amazing.

D. REEVES: We think he's superman. He literally appeared and disappeared, just within an instant.

KELLEY: I don't view myself as a hero. I just -- I'm just there to help.

GARCIA: Mild-mannered, fast as lightning.

KELLEY: I never thought I would come across something like that off duty.

GARCIA: Superman.

WHITFIELD: That's so nice. Nelson Garcia from our affiliate KUSA reporting.

All right. A haunting melody turned one have centuries old. We will tell you how buglers decided to honor the military tune.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: One of the most famous military signals, Taps, just turned 150 years old, and nearly 200 buglers and trumpeters gathered in Arlington National Cemetery to honor that tune.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RICH PAULING: This is part of the 150th anniversary of Taps. And we're one of over 200 buglers that have been invited here today to give the playing of bugles all over Arlington National Cemetery. If this doesn't make you proud to be an American, I don't know what's wrong with you.

(Playing Taps)

ALLISON CUMMINGS, BUGLER: It's just such an honor to play that for them. It's for the families as well. But I think of it as playing to that person, just a final thank you for what they did.