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Outrage Grows Over Syrian Massacre; Two Americans Arrested In Tokyo; Storm Lashing East Coast; NATO Investigate Airstrike; Remembering The Fallen; Final Voyage For Historic Battleship; 80-Year- Old's Skydive Goes Wrong; Drunk Intruder To Face Trespassing Charges; Pole Dancing May Make Olympics; Inside The Military's Largest Aircraft
Aired May 27, 2012 - 14:30 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. You're in the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.
Outrage over a civilian massacre in Syria is spilling out on to the streets. This was the scene in several cities today, of people so angry over the killing of 85 people in the town of Hula. They risked retribution from security forces to turn out in force.
Video of some of the 34 children killed in Hula has surface d online. The images too graphic to broadcast show children under the age of 10, some with missing limbs and severe head wounds.
The U.N. Security Council is meeting on the crisis right now. CNN's Mohammed Jamjoom is following this story for us from Beirut, Lebanon. So Mohammed, CNN can't confirm the authenticity of the video. What do we know about what happened in this village?
MOHAMMED JAMJOOM, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Fredricka, opposition activists tell us horrifying tales about what happened on Friday in the town of Hula. They say that, first, mortars were raining down on town.
That the Syrian government was with shelling the town and then that after that was over, the pro-regime militias entered the town and started indiscriminately slaughtering entire families, men, women, and children.
Now, we've started to hear more today from residents in that town, witnesses to this massacre. Here's what one man had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): My God, I watched the dead bodies of nine children. One was less than 9 months old. Why are they treating us like animals? We are humans. Did the infant carry an RPG? Was he a fighter? He was a baby. He had a pacifier in his mouth. What was his guilt? Why was he killed?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: And, so, Mohammed, there's a lot of finger pointing about who is responsible. The Syrian government denies its forces carried out this attack, so who is it blaming?
JAMJOOM: Syrian government came out in a press conference earlier today, flatly denying they had anything to do with this. They said this is the work of terrorists. At times they say this is the work of al Qaeda-backed terrorists.
Jihad Makdissi, the spokesperson for the Syrian Foreign Ministry says that this was a tsunami of lies directed at the Syrian government. Here's more of what he had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JIHAD MAKDISSI, SYRIAN FOREIGN MINISTRY SPOKESMAN (through translator): We absolutely deny that the government-armed forces had any responsibility in committing such massacre and we strongly condemn the terrorist massacre.
That targeted our Syrian people in a blatant criminal manner and we also condemn the absurdity in blaming the government armed forces on the foreign ministerial level and not just on the level of the media outlets.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: So condemnation from the government. U.N. Special Envoy Kofi Annan is scheduled to visit Syria tomorrow. The peace plan he brokered two months ago clearly has failed. What does he hope to actually hope to accomplish this week?
JAMJOOM: Well, that's the key question, Fredricka. Whether it's been U.N. monitors on the ground in Syria or Arab League monitors, whatever peace plan has been in effect or ceasefire, it hasn't made any difference.
There's been no cessation in the level of violence in Syria. And in fact, since that peace plan and ceasefire was announced, about 1,600 more people have been killed in Syria.
So what can Kofi Annan do? Syrian activists saying they don't think anything. They think it's going to continue, the brutal crackdown will continue as it has been, that's what they're saying.
WHITFIELD: OK, Mohammed Jamjoom, thank you so much for that update. We'll check back with you throughout the day. Thank you.
Now to Japan, where two American men are being questioned in the strangulation death of an Irish exchange student. The dead woman is identified as Nickola Furlong. Japanese police say her body was found early Thursday morning in the Tokyo hotel room of one of the Americans.
CNN's Kyung Lah explains how the victim and the two Americans may have met.
KYUNG LAH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (via telephone): We know her name is Nickola Furlong. She's an exchange student from Ireland. She was studying here in Japan and that she had just recently celebrated her 21st birthday.
What Tokyo police are tell us is that she died by something called suffocation by cervical compression, and that does sound like it's strangulation. The news agency is reporting that she and a friend went to a Nicki Minaj concert on Wednesday night here in Tokyo when she was approached by two Americans.
She and her friend ended up with these men at a hotel in a party area here in Tokyo. The police confirm that she was hours later found dead in the hotel room and that in that hotel room was one of these Americans.
And that at this point, the police say that they are trying to figure out how these two men fit in this with this woman's death.
WHITFIELD: All right, Kyung Lah, thanks so much. Nickola Furlong's death has rattled her small community back in Ireland. Earlier today, CNN's Randi Kaye talked with Furlong's pastor, Father Jim Fitzpatrick.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
FATHER JIM FITZPATRICK, NICOLA FURLONG'S PASTOR (via telephone): She celebrated her 21st birthday party last December. She was really looking forward to being finished, her course in Tokyo, which would have been the last days of July.
So she was literally, according to text messages, to come over recent days, even, she was looking forward to going to the concert, but she was also looking forward very much so to getting back to our local community.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: The U.S. State Department confirms the arrests of the two Americans, but is not providing any more details at this point.
Back here in the U.S., Tropical Storm Beryl is about to dump a whole lot of rain on Northern Florida, all the way up to the Carolinas. This is a live shot right now, you're about to see, of Jacksonville Beach, Florida.
Florida Emergency Management officials are urging people to stay out of the water. You can see right there, the surf kicking up, just a little further north, on Georgia's Tybee Island, lifeguards reported 48 rescues yesterday because of dangerous rip currents.
Jacqui Jeras is following the storm in the CNN Weather Center. And you know, those rip currents, or rip tides, sometimes it's a little confusing, what's the difference, you know, can be very dangerous for people who venture out.
JACQUI JERAS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes, rip currents is the technical term for it and it's that fast channel of water that pulls you away from the shore and carries you out into deeper water. And Olympic swimmers can even get out of these things. You always want to try to swim parallel to the shore, get out of that rip current before you attempt to try and get back towards the beach. Now, that's going to be a threat again today. And what a difference a day makes because yesterday, Beryl was just choked off with dry air.
Winds were like 34 miles per hour. It had hybrid characteristics. Today, this is a different animal. It's a much more symmetrical storm, it's gotten stronger, winds are now 65 miles per hour and it's all tropical characteristics.
We're calling it a tropical storm, not a subtropical storm, and the threats are little more serious today. You want to take this storm seriously. I know it's not a hurricane, but there are still issues we have to deal with.
Showers and thunderstorms are spreading across Georgia into northern parts of Florida, looking for maybe 40 to 45-mile-per-hour gusts with some of these thunderstorms and some brief heavy downpours.
But the rains are going to be increasing throughout the day today, as the storm is about 100, 110 miles away from the coastline, as it heads towards the west. There you can see the dangerous swimming conditions. So I know it's still a hot day.
The waves are really starting to kick up as we just saw in that live picture. So that threat remains very strong and it's going to stay that way through tomorrow too. So just go ahead and go to the pool or go to the beach, but don't get into the water.
Now, where's this thing going? We're looking for it to make landfall, we think, overnight tonight, and it's going to slow down a little bit, and then start to curve on up toward the north.
So that shows you, it's going to be sticking through parts of the southeast, well into the middle of the week. As it moves back over open water, we think, off the coast of the Carolinas, come Wednesday, it could intensify once again back into a tropical storm.
So still lots of threats with this, heavy rain, we could see as much as 3 to 6 inches in Northern Florida and Southern Georgia. That would actually be some welcome news, although the flooding could be a little bit of a concern, but drought conditions across much of that area.
WHITFIELD: Wow, stubborn storm with some potential real staying power there.
JERAS: Yes.
WHITFIELD: All right, Jacqui, thanks so much.
All right, NATO is launching an investigation into an air strike in Afghanistan after local officials reported civilians were killed in the attack. It happened in a province south of Kabul.
An official there claims an entire family was killed, six children and two adults. A NATO spokesman says insurgents attacked NATO troops and the troops returned fire.
He says investigators have been sent to the region to determine if any civilians died.
An 80-year-old woman's daredevil attempt to skydive went terribly wrong. She started slipping out of the harness, thousands of feet in the air. We'll bring you more details.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: It's Memorial Day weekend here in the U.S., and right now you're looking at live pictures of the U.S. Marine Corps Memorial in Arlington, Virginia.
Many know it as the Iwo Jima Memorial, where that historic sculpture rhymes us of the last territory our troops captured from the Japanese during World War II. President Obama will honor our fallen soldiers at Arlington National Cemetery tomorrow.
On the west coast, the historic battleship makes its final voyage. Crowds gathered as the "USS Iowa" cruised under San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge. The "Iowa" saw battle in World War II.
It took President Franklin Roosevelt across the Atlantic for his 1943 meeting with Winston Churchill and Joseph Stalin. The ship's final destination is Los Angeles and it will open as an interactive museum come July.
All right, it was a birthday celebration that didn't go quite as planned. An 80-year-old California woman decided to go skydiving for her big day, but she never envisioned this.
All right, it's difficult to see, very scary, heart-stopping moments there, but she actually began slipping out of the harness there. Fortunately, Laverne Everett and her instructor who was holding on to her ever so tightly, they both landed safely.
Our affiliate KOVR spoke to the daring lady on her harrowing experience.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I just wanted to do it.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER, KOVR (voice-over): The daredevil herself, 81- year-old Laverne Everett. Laverne, who lives in this modest studio apartment in Oakdale says she craves a little excitement once in a while. So last year for her 80th birthday, she decided to jump out of a plane.
(on camera): When you're telling your family you want to skydive, what's their reaction to you?
LAVERNE EVERETT, 81-YEAR-OLD SKYDIVER: What's their -- they thought I was very brave, but, it's just something I've wanted to do for a long time. UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER (voice-over): So last May, Laverne did just that at parachute center.
EVERETT: Once you get on that edge, that's another story. The upper harness came off. You know, it slipped down.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Laverne says her shirt flew up against her face so she couldn't see a thing and didn't realize exactly what happened until she saw the video for herself.
EVERETT: I didn't know anything, only to hold on, that's all.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: And now she says it's time to cross another item on her bucket list.
EVERETT: Well, I never have ridden in a race car.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: Go, Laverne! So Laverne says she signed a waiver, so she actually has no plans to actually sue that skydiving company.
All right, so we're about to show you next may seem a little bit risque. Pole dancing, not from a strip club show, but there is a serious effort by the Pole Dancing Federation to make it an Olympic sport.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: All right, a woman shot by a Colorado homeowner when she wandered into their house will face felony trespassing charges. Zoe Ripple walked through an unlocked screen door in the middle of the night last Wednesday. Police say Ripple's blood alcohol level was three times the legal limit. Here's what the homeowners told 911.
(BEGINV VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: College Avenue, somebody came into our house. Yes, she's in the house now. She's awake. She's -- she's fine, but she's shot. We walked into her bedroom, and we told her -- we were screaming at her as she was coming into the bedroom and we shot her.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: The couple is not expected to face any charges because of Colorado's "Make My Day" law. It allows the use of deadly force against a home intruder.
And pole dancing no longer just carried out mostly in dark lounges and clubs. There are exercise classes featuring it and now a push to make it an Olympic sport. Here's Sandra Endo.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SANDRA ENDO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Don't call this a striptease or some cabaret performance. For these pole dancers, showing some skin is part of their sport.
BECCA BUTCHER, POLE DANCER: It can be extremely challenging. You know, it can be can -- you know, it's Olympic level, you know, difficulty.
ENDO: And dancer, Becca Butcher isn't exaggerating. These pole performers could soon be going for the gold. Tim Trautman is the president of the International Pole Sport Federation and is spearheading the push to make pole dancing an Olympic sport.
TIM TRAUTMAN, INTERNATIONAL POLE SPORT FEDERATION: The biggest challenge is going to be stereotyping that we have to deal with. And quite frankly, everyone thinks that pole fitness and pole sports and everything came out of strip clubs. But it started long before then.
We have to take some of the eroticism out of the moves, take off the high heels. We're going to frame it as these are athletes that you're watching.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You lean back, you hang up your hands.
ENDO: Over the last decade, pole dancing classes emerged as the latest fitness craze offered at local gyms, but it's moved far beyond a fad.
Thousands of dancers from around the world train to perform in international pole competitions. U.S. national champion Natasha Wang hid her passion for the sport for six years until she started winning titles.
NATASHA WANG, U.S. POLE DANCING FEDERATION CHAMPION: I was in PR for ten years, working in an office, and this was a hobby. It's a sport for regular people who come from like very normal backgrounds.
ENDO: And that's what you'll see at the Annual International Pole Convention, where women and men come to train with the best.
Dancer and convention organizer Jessalyn Medairy says there needs to be more public awareness about the sport before it can go on a global stage like the Olympics.
JESSALYN MEDAIRY, INTERNATIONAL POLE CONVENTION: People are just like, why are you in a bikini? Well, we're in a bikini because we need to skin to actually stick to the pole. That's what we need to actually achieve some of our tricks.
ENDO: And (inaudible) are excited to celebrate the sport, Wang says the world may not be ready for it just yet.
WANG: I feel like the public's perception needs to catch up with what the sport is really about.
ENDO: But it could bring some sexy into the world of sweaty sports, Sandra Endo, CNN, West Palm Beach, Florida.
(END VIDEOTAPE) WHITFIELD: And taking flight. A plane so big, it gives other planes a ride. CNN's Reynolds Wolf gives us a tour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: As we honor our fallen soldiers this Memorial Day weekend, thousands of motorcyclists called the rolling thunder pay tribute to prisoners of war and soldiers missing in action. The parents of the only known American prisoner of war in Afghanistan led the way from the Pentagon to the National Mall today. Boberg Dahl was captured by the Taliban in 2009.
And also this Memorial Day weekend, an emotional, but joyous homecoming of more than 100 soldiers arriving at Fort Lewis McCord in Washington. Families and loved ones cheered as they marched into the gym. The soldiers of the First Corps spent 12 months in Afghanistan.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER (voice-over): It's the first time most of these soldiers and their loved ones have seen each other in a whole year.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: First thing you do is look for your family.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A smile over your entire body.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I feel complete, like I can relax again, and I can finally be happy.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Did you know that dad was coming home?
UNIDENTIFIED CHILD: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You knew?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: And more soldiers from the First Corps are coming back from Afghanistan in the next few weeks.
All right, imagine a plane so big it can carry another plane inside of it. Reynolds Wolf takes us on board the military's largest plane on today's "Travel Insider."
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
REYNOLDS WOLF, AMS METEOROLOGIST: I'm coming to you from Robin's Air Force Base. I want to take a moment to show you something incredible. This is the C-5. It's America's largest military aircraft.
Right behind me you see the ladder. It goes up some 11 steps all the way into the aircraft. The flight deck on the top, three stories of the ground.
Inside, it is just amazing. I mean, take a look at how big this thing is. This plane is so huge, you could actually transport another plane inside of it, or tanks, or Humvees.
To give you more of an idea in a civilian way, this is about two- thirds the length of a football field. Believe it or not, there's more than one floor. On this deck, you've got plenty of room.
In fact, this place, this area could be outfitted with plenty of chairs to seat 75 service members. No surprise at all that even the flight deck is tremendous.
In fact, you could sit six people here very comfortably, incoming Captain Ryan White, who happens to work on this aircraft. Can you give us a few pointers of some amazing facts of this plane?
CAPTAIN RYAN WHITE, U.S. AIR FORCE: Well, just due to the sheer size, like you said, it has over 100 miles of wiring throughout all the aircraft. And then also, a fun fact about the aircraft is that you can fly the Wright Brother's first flyer flight within the cargo bay itself.
WOLF: I hope you enjoyed a quick tour of an amazing aircraft, the C- 5. Reynolds Wolf, CNN, Robin's Air Force Base.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: All right, very cool stuff. Thanks so much, Reynolds.
I'll be back in one hour. We'll have the story of a soldier who uses music to help fight posttraumatic stress disorder.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm going to do it like I normally. I'm going to do the forward and then come back.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: I'll be talking to him. Stay with us, "YOUR MONEY" starts right after this.
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