Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Creflo Dollar, Pastor of Mega Church Jesuit International was Arrested; Singer Bobby Vee has Alzheimer's; Group of Veterans are Planning to Climb Mt. McKinley in Alaska; Former President George W.H. Bush's Life Documented

Aired June 10, 2012 - 17:00   ET

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

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN HOST: Hello again, everyone, I'm Fredricka in the CNN NEWSROOM.

Three young men are dead and a fourth is fighting for his life after a shooting near the campus of Auburn University in Alabama. Three others were wounded, two of the dead are former Auburn football players. One of them has been identified as 20-year-old Ed Christian, who had been on Auburn's team until he was injured. And there is now a manhunt on for the man accused in the shooting. Auburn's police chief said he is confident they will catch the suspect quickly.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHIEF TOMMY DAWSON, AUBURN POLICE: This is a trying time, because it's not only university students, and athletes, but it's young people. It's six young people that have been shot. And were, as you can tell, that the community is shaken by this and grieving today.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Police say, they have a motive in the shooting but won't say publicly what it is.

And right now, out west, Colorado firefighters are trying to get a handle on the high park wildfire. Fourteen thousand acres have burned in the northern part of the state, forcing more evacuations. And so far, more than a dozen structures have been lost or damaged.

And people are looking for higher ground on the gulf coast. Heavy rainfall is causing massive flooding in Escambia County. A state of emergency has been declared and people living in low-lying areas are being urged to evacuate. Earlier, I spoke with the Escambia County emergency manager John Dosh about it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN DOSH, EMERGENCY MANAGER: We're advising all residents that are typically low-lying or has playing problems, when we have heavy rains, to consider going to higher ground. Maybe with friends or family or elsewhere in the county. So, it's just trying to get people out of harm's way, is the challenge right now.

(END VIDEO CLIP) WHITFIELD: Forecasters say Pensacola could get another five to ten inches of rain tonight.

All tight. The pastor of one of the country's largest churches was on the defensive today.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CREFLO DOLLAR, PASTOR, WORLD CHANGERS CHURCH INTERNATIONAL: And I want to say this very emphatically. I should have never been arrested.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Creflo Dollar heads the Atlanta based Mega Church World Changers International. He said he did not beat his teenage daughter.

Nick Valencia is joining me now right here in studio.

So, he met his congregation. He emphatically denies that the charges that anything happened. That he assaulted his 16-year-old.

NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It doesn't seem to have affected any of the congregation at all. He spoke to thousands of people.

WHITFIELD: it's the full house.

VALENCIA: It was a full house. We heard sound from our local affiliate, WXA, right before I came up here. We will try again a little later. But, parishioners are saying they support him. He's what is called a prosperity minister, he creatures and say God rewards those with material wealth. His critics call him cash-flow dollar. Doesn't fit in this incident, though, he said drawn any criticism from his parishioners.

WHITFIELD: Did he give any detail, or did he give his account of things from the pulpit? Was he that specific?

VALENCIA: He just said, well, we have some sound, if you want to listen to it. He said -- we'll take a look at this sound.

WHITFIELD: Yes.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DOLLAR: The truth is, she was not choked, she was not punched. There were not any scratches on her neck. But the only thing on her neck was a prior skin abrasion from eczema. Anything else is an exaggeration, and sensationalism.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VALENCIA: Now, the interesting part about this is that the witness to the alleged incident was another 19-year-old daughter that he has. He's a father of five. And she gave two different statements to police. Initially she gave a first statement that reflected a bit poor of the circumstances for Creflo Dollar. She changed her statement in saying that her sister was being disrespectful and she was the one that was disrespecting and at fault for this.

WHITFIELD: Because it's the 15-year-old that actually placed the 911 call.

VALENCIA: Right.

WHITFIELD: And then said that the father choked her.

VALENCIA: Right.

WHITFIELD: Creflo Dollar choked her.

VALENCIA: That's what she was saying, he ran up to her and put his hands around her neck and then took a shoe and started hitting her with it. Now, this is of course with the 19-year-old witness said as well collaborating with the 15-year-old daughter said. All of this over a party at apparently Creflo said she couldn't go because she had bad grades. And she didn't like that. What transpired is what he was arrested for.

WHITFIELD: So, he was released on his own recognizance?

VALENCIA: Yes, close to $5,000 bail and released later Friday. But he did spend the night in jail.

WHITFIELD: Yes. So, it's unclear whether there still will be more, I guess, distance traveled on these charges, whether it will be dropped or not.

VALENCIA: This is the tip of the iceberg. And it seems that investigation is at its infancy. No formal charges just yet, but he was arrested and spent the night in jail.

WHITFIELD: Got it. All right. Nick Valencia, thank you so much for bringing that to us.

VALENCIA: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: Appreciate it.

All right. Protesters are taking to the streets right now in Mexico city. People are protesting about the upcoming presidential election there. We'll explain why.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Other stories happening around the globe.

We'll be closely watching world market in just a few hours after Spain cut a deal with the EU to inject up to $125 billion into the country's troubled banking system. Spain's prime minister insists it isn't a bailout. But money that will be paid back. Spain is the fourth biggest economy in the Euro zone. And then in Nigeria, a car bomb killed five people and injured dozens during church services in the town of Jos. And angry crowd clashed with police near the church. Three people were killed in that fighting.

And in Syria, more deadly fighting today as an opposition group named a new leader and vowed to end the regime of al Bashar al-Assad. The leader is a minority Kurdish activist. This election is seen as an attempt to unite various ethnic groups.

Climbing Mt. McKinley in Alaska is a challenge. It is the highest peak in North America at over 20,000 feet. And it is one of the coldest in the world. It's an even greater challenge if you're an amputee.

Well, today, I interviewed a group of veterans who are not letting that stop them. And they talked about the problems that they are likely to face on their climb.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SERGEANT KIRK M. BAUER, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, DISABLED SPORTS USA: There's a number of challenges that we're training for. One of them, of course, is the prosthesis themselves. They're made of plastic and metal and very, very cold weather, the carbon fiber, the plastic may crack. That puts a lot of pressure on our residual limb. Exertion- wise, people like Steve Martin here, a double amputee, they'll spend as much as 200 percent more energy doing climbing this mountain as a non-disabled person.

So we actually have to be in better shape than the regular climbers, to try to meet this challenge. So, there's a lot of challenges, but we think we've prepared for it and we're ready to go.

WHITFIELD: My goodness. And you know, Kirk, this is not a first for you guys doing this incredible climb. You actually led a team of all amputees back in 2010 on Mount Kilimanjaro in Africa.

So, how do you suppose this is going to compare? Conditions very, very different.

BAUER: Well, the Kilimanjaro climb, with Neil Duncan and myself, and another wounded, it was really a tough climb. This has been described as Kilimanjaro is the pussycat, and Denali is the tiger.

So, we know with the ice and snow and crevasses, this is going to be a much, much tougher challenge for us. But, the whole purpose, really, is to try to inspire and motivate the severely wounded coming back from Afghanistan, to let them know, give them a message of hope that no matter what has happened to them, injury-wise, they will be able to come back and lead an active life through sports. And I think we all feel that sports is really playing an important part in turning around our lives, and getting us back on the road to recovery.

WHITFIELD: Wow. And Neil, you can either get the credit or the blame for this, right? Wasn't this your idea of, you know, taking on Denali? How in the world that this come about and why?

SERGEANT NEIL DUNCAN, RETIRED U.S. ARMY: Well, this whole -- the whole seed was planted a couple years ago. I made an attempt at Kilimanjaro, and we weren't successful. And so, I came back frustrated with the situation and realized it was all about planning and it makes a lot of sense.

So, planning for the injuries that are, you know, the guys that are on the team, planning for contingencies and so far and so forth. So, we parlayed that into a successful summit of Kilimanjaro. And then, Kirk and I were talking about Denali and realized, you know, this is something that, again, if it's planned correctly, if we have the right contingencies, anybody can tackle this mountain.

WHITFIELD: Wow. And so, Steve, you know to you. This isn't just a personal challenge. You have - even though, you know, Kirk was pointing out, you are going to have to be, you know, 200 in better shape than anybody else given the prosthetics and equipment that you're dealing with. But this challenge really does symbolize the challenges of other wounded warriors, their families, and others with disabilities as well, right?

CPL. STEVE MARTIN, RETIRED U.S. ARMY: It is. After I was injured, getting back to -- trying to get back to what I considered a normal life, it's just -- I think I set the bar too low. And when I met Kirk and got involved with disabled Sports USA and work for sports, it helped me raise the bar to try to go out and do things that were more challenging than -- or bigger challenges I was putting on myself, be involved in like doing the baton death march with whole federal sports. And trying to, like Kirk said earlier, motivate and inspire people to get off the couch, to accept their injuries, accept what's happened and move on, move forward. And just not sit there and feel sad and upset.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: They are incredible, really inspiring. For more on this, and how to donate to their cause, visit my blog at CNN.com and follow the link to their Web site.

All right. Right now, Mexico city, people are protesting about the upcoming presidential election. We'll show you why.

And immigration, both legal and illegal is the topic for a special program tonight on CNN. How can we make immigration really work for America. What can the United States learn from other nations.

Watch Fareed Zakaria's special "the GPS Road Map for Making Immigration Work," that's tonight at 8:00 Eastern time right here on CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: In Mexico, right now, thousands of students are gathered to protest the country's last televised presidential debate, which happens tonight. The Grass Roots social media group called IM-132 is behind some of these protests and say big media companies are trying to manipulate public opinion in favor of the candidate who is currently in the lead.

Miguel Marquez is on the ground where the protests are going on right now.

Miguel, what exactly are these protesters so upset about? More so the media, or the candidate in the lead?

MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, they're certainly angry at the media. But the medias are not the problem here. They said the media is part of the bigger problem. That the PRI and the PALM, the two parties ha that have been in the power for the last seven years or so, don't really represent the real people of Mexico. It's a very - while the tough economy has been relatively good here compared to the rest of the world, a lot of people here are still struggling and they want more opportunity, more democracy for everyone.

I'm joined by a young man, 22-yearsold, Stefano Alvarado, you will be a first time voter. Who will you vote for?

STEFANO ALVARADO, VOTER: I will vote for Lopez Obrador.

MARQUEZ: And why do you feel that he will bring more democracy to Mexico?

ALVARADO: Because he is the only one that has shown the people that doing things right can work out. He lives here next to the city, in comparison with the other candidate, Enrique Pena Nieto. He's doing things wrong, like he did in (INAUDIBLE), not good for us.

MARQUEZ: So, you think whether the economy or security or nay other things people are concerned about, he will do a better job?

ALVARADO: That's right. And he, as I told you, he's the only one that has shown us he can do it.

MARQUEZ: Thank you very much.

Now, also, Fred, the students here have called for a third debate to happen next week. So far, all the candidates accept the front-runner Enrique Pena Nieto has agreed to do it. It looks like this one may -- he probably won't show to that, but they'll put as much pressure on him all the way up to Election Day.

The one thing about the big protests that have been growing here, it's not just students anymore, it's brought in a lot of other Mexicans. And it appears there's a real movement now afoot to try to get Lopez Obrador, a populous candidate in the presidency -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: And so Miguel, you know, as these protesters converge, you know, given that this is kind of just hours ahead of that final televised debate, are they also trying to kind of shut down the debate? Are they trying to be that disruptive?

MARQUEZ: Well, they certainly won't do that here. I mean, the debates are in two different cities. One, they are going to be protesting in Guadalajara as well. But here in Mexico, they want to send a very clear signal to the two big television stations here that they will not stand for the sort of coverage, the giveaway coverage that Nieto has had over the last year, and what they believe is giveaway coverage, and they want to see a harder line taken. They're tired of sort of the old way of doing things. And that's really what's at the heart of this. PRI is seen as the old way, the dinosaur, the corruption of the past, the institutional corruption of the past will be back in power, and they fear that.

People come up and tell you the stories about how the PRI beat them up, killed their wives, injured their children. Over these years, I mean, these grievances go back 70 years, and they fear they're slipping back into that -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: Miguel Marquez, thank you so much from Mexico city. Keep us posted.

A big boxing controversy, and the heat get hotter. It is the best sports stories of the week. And NPR Sports correspondent Mike Pesca is with us now. What has his take on this.

So, Mike, let's start off with boxing. A sport not exactly immune to controversy. However, you know, Manny Pacquiao 's loss last night to a guy named Timothy Bradley has a whole lot of folks talking, and fuming. And even Pacquiao, is he not asking for like a rematch?

MIKE PESCA, NPR SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Well, controversial might be kind. Bridges, egregious jaw dropping, bar head slapping. These are some of the things that I would use to describe them. Sorry.

WHITFIELD: OK. Yes, we need a microphone on you. So we can hear you clearly. I think someone's going to try to help you out there, Mike. When we get that attached to you, then maybe we'll continue our conversation.

Does he have that mic now? All right. We're going to get that mic on mike in a moment. And then we'll get back to him.

All right. Meantime, let's talk about opening statements that will begin tomorrow in the trial against Jerry Sandusky. He's the former Penn State assistant football coach charged with child sex abuse. But both sides may face some challenges proving their case.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right. Mike now has a mic. Let's return to our selection of some of the best sports stories that we're going to talk about.

NPR's Mike Pesca with us now.

All right. Let's talk again about this boxing match last night involving Manny Pacquiao's loss to a guy named Timothy Bradley. And folks are fuming, including Pacquiao. How did this happen? A split decision. PESCA: Yes. I mean, to call it controversial is a little kind. This was egregious, or jaw-dropping or forehead slapping. This was the kind of decision, here's the only bad thing about Manny Pacquiao, the best fighter in boxing today. He is too good. Except for Floyd Mayweather, who is always docking him, he can't get the one fight where everyone tunes into because he just kind to destroys his opponent.

Sometimes they last 12 rounds, but he destroys them. This is exactly the case last night. They go to the judges' decisions, they announce the score, 115-113. There's a gasp in the arena.

How could it possibly be that close? Now, at that point, I'm assuming everyone is thinking how could Manny have only won on that one judge's scorecard by that little? But when they announce all the judges' score cards, it was shocking.

The HBO announcer had him winning 10 of the 12 rounds. I did a survey of the sports illustrated guy, the "Wall Street Journal" guy, the "USA Today" guy, you know, people had him winning easily. There was no doubt he had won this fight. Except there were two out of three people who didn't have him winning. And those were the judges at ringside.

And it's another black eye. Can boxing survive, does boxing have this many eyes? You know, is boxing a hydro? Can all these eyes be black? It's a ridiculous development for the sport. People are, you know, crying about corruption. We don't have any proof of that. But it's just so incomprehensible.

WHITFIELD: Wow. So then, what is it now about Pacquiao having something in his contract which says he would demand a rematch?

PESCA: Yes. Right. So even before the fight, Bradley, Tim Bradley, who you aptly described as somebody named Tim Bradley, you know boxers usually go by the beast or stunner, he's just some guy named Tim Bradley, actually trod it out a huge poster that mocked up the rematch. Because in a contract was, if Bradley won, he give him a rematch.

Yes, whatever. I mean, there was no case this was going to happen. Except it did happen. People are going over the contracts and his finances to try to get their head around some way of understanding how this decision could have occurred.

WHITFIELD: My goodness.

PESCA: Yes.

WHITFIELD: OK. It isn't over.

All right. Let's talk about NBA action. Lebron and the Heat beating the Celtics. Was this a victory of sheer talent over Boston, you know, that was playing, driven by heart? What happened here?

PESCA: You know, I would say that's a good analysis. I would say that Boston tried really hard. Their coach did really well. They're just a little old and the Heat, when all their players are healthy, they got Chris Bosh back at full strength last night. The Heat were not going to lose to Boston, especially in Miami. It sets up, I think, a fabulous final between Oklahoma city and Miami. Because you have in Lebron James, from Miami, and in Kevin Durant from Oklahoma city, the number one and two vote-getters for the MVP.

The last time we saw this kind of marquee matchup between the best and second best maybe when Michael Jordan played Carl Malone. But you know, everyone knew the gap between the two best players was really big especially offensively. This is a scintillating and captivating final, where I don't think either defense will be able to stop the other team. So that's great. It's going to be a lot of haymakers and back-and-forth action.

WHITFIELD: All right. Game one Tuesday. Thank so much, Mike Pesca. Appreciate it.

PESCA: I'm glad I was mic this time.

WHITFIELD: Me too.

All right. Right now, out west, Colorado firefighters are trying to get a handle on the high park wildfire. Fourteen thousand acres have burned in the northern part of the state, forcing more evacuations. And so far, more than a dozen structures have been lost or damaged.

And three young men are dead. And three others wounded after a shooting near the campus of Auburn University in Alabama. Two of the dead are former Auburn football players. One is identified as 20- year-old Ed Christian who had been on the Auburn team until he was injured. There is now a manhunt on for the man accused in the shooting.

And tomorrow, the Supreme Court could have a decision on whether to overturn the president's health care law. It could eliminate the mandate that everyone obtain insurance, and we'll bring you that decision right here on CNN as it happens.

All right. The trial of former Penn State assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky starts tomorrow. A jury has been selected. And they're ready to get started. Final attempts to have the case thrown out Friday were denied.

Sandusky faces 52 counts of sexual misconduct involving young boys. CNN's national correspondent Jason Carroll talks about the legal challenges both sides face.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JASON CARROLL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The Jerry Sandusky case will likely come down to one simple question --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE REPORTER: How do you feel about the opportunity to face your accusers, sir? CARROLL: Who did jurors believe? The 68-year-old former defensive line coach from Penn State or his accusers, who say Sandusky sexually assaulted them when they were children.

Legal analysts say the defense will have to carefully show the accusers are not credible.

JEFFREY TOOBIN, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: One of the big challenges for the defense is to try to discredit the accusers without making the jury even more sympathetic to them. That's very hard to do.

CARROLL: State law may end up playing into the defense's favor. Pennsylvania is the only state that does not allow expert witness testimony in cases involving rape and sexual abuse.

That means the prosecution will not be able to call expert witnesses to explain why, for example, some of the alleged victims waited long periods of time to report the abuse, or why some continued to have contact with Sandusky. State Representative Cherelle Parker helped introduce a bill to change the law.

REP. CHERELLE PARKER (D), PENNSYLVANIA: The jury, without their having an expert to testify about the normalcy of this type of behavior, they don't have a proper context in which to develop their response.

CARROLL: The prosecution's strategy appears clear, let each of the accusers testify. Allow the jury to hear the common pain they allegedly suffered because of Sandusky. So says the attorney who was privately representing the young man identified in court records as victim number five.

TOM KLINE, ATTORNEY FOR VICTIM NUMBER 5: We have a serial presentation of serial predatory acts, which occurred one after another, in similar fashion, in similar manner, with similar technique. That's what I believe the jury will be shown in this case.

CARROLL: Before the judge imposed a gag order, a Sandusky attorney Joe Amendola told CNN, he will challenge the accusers' motivation saying it's all about money.

JOSEPH AMENDOLA, JERRY SANDUSKY'S ATTORNEY: We may never know what allegations were basically fabricated because people are looking for some money.

CARROLL: Even so, legal analysts say the defense has its work cut out for them.

TOOBIN: The sheer number of accusers makes this an incredibly difficult case to defend. One person can be lying. Two people can be lying. But can eight accusers really be lying?

CARROLL: Sandusky says they are. He continues to maintain his innocence.

Jason Carroll, CNN, Bellefonte, Pennsylvania. (END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: And a local official in California is free on bond this weekend after being charged with felony child abuse. Video of imperial valley official, Anthony Sanchez, allegedly showing him repeatedly hitting his stepson, Zach, with a belt during a game of catch in their backyard.

A neighbor who shot the video alerted police. And after they viewed the pictures, charged Sanchez with a felony. The boy's grandfather spoke out about this spanking earlier today.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TERRY GRAMMAR, BOY'S GRANDFATHER: I'll say Anthony had excessive spanking. He spanked him -- he spanked him a little, you know, too much. But Anthony, again, is in a very difficult situation. He's trying to be a stepfather for a child that has some behavioral issues, a child that I love dearly. Like I said, that has blessed my life.

And on top of that, and this is all documented, Zach and my daughter, they're going to behavioral counseling in California. And, you know, the first thing, they tried time-out, they tried removing things. But in this documented, in his church, this documented school, when the spanking discipline has worked, it's helped his behavior.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: And that was from NBC's "Today" show earlier today.

Sanchez posted a $100,000 bond Friday evening shortly after turning himself in to the Imperial County Jail. His stepson, Zach, is now in Alabama with his mother.

A new documentary is coming out this week on the first President Bush.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE H.W. BUSH, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We fell in love. Old-fashioned falling in love.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: The former president opens up about love, and life, in the HBO documentary "41." I spoke with one of the president's close friends about it.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Former president George H.W. Bush will turn 88 this week. And to celebrate his life, HBO will air a documentary appropriately titled "41" which gives a rare glimpse into his life.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BUSH: I've seen the unexpected crises rise in a young aide's hand. And so, I know what it all comes down to, this election is the man at the desk, and who should sit at that desk, my friends, I am that man.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: The film's executive producer Jerry Weintraub said the film is told in the former president's own words. I asked Weintraub if there was anything off-limits for Bush while making this film.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JERRY WEINTRAUB, PRODUCER, HBO DOCUMENTARY, 41: There were no areas that were off-limits. The fact of the matter is that if you look at the president's past, he's never bragged about anything in his dossier. He's been the most prepared -- he was the most prepared man that ever entered the presidency, because of all the jobs that he did leading up to it.

He always was instilled by his mother and father with a sense of service. Family is the most important thing to him. Family and friends. And he took that and served the country in so many different capacities.

And I was lucky enough to be there, because I knew him before he went into politics, I was lucky enough to know his mother and father, lucky enough to know his whole family, and lucky enough to see this journey firsthand.

WHITFIELD: He also really shares his sense of humor. And he did that by talking about his love of boats. Let's listen.

BUSH: I've been in boats all my life. You learn the currents, you learn the shore waters. That's where I'm at peace. I just love it. I can't do a sports, I've lived my whole life doing. Nobody asked me to be on the team anymore.

I remember I used to stand around -- no, no, next to you, I'll take you, you, you. I'm standing there, nobody wants me. Because I can't move very well. This is a metaphor, but I miss it. Boats, I'm still in the game. I'm now privileged to have a very fast boat, a very powerful boat. Everyone wants to go on it. It's a wonderful, wonderful outlet for me.

WHITFIELD: He has a great sense of humor. People are able to see that, particularly after his presidency. Do you feel like he kind of kept that close, that he didn't want people to know how amicable and funny that he was while a sitting president?

WEINTRAUB: No, no, he was always amicable. He was a lot of fun. But he had a big job. You know, remember, people forget this, or maybe some don't know it. He was shot down in the second world war. He was in a little fighter plane. He was a young man. He got shot down. He should have been dead. Luckily, a submarine came along and picked him up and rescued him.

So, he was very serious about his job as president of the United States. He wasn't cavalier. And when he sent kids to war, he knew what that was. Because he went himself. And he almost died. So he was a serious man. Very, very serious man. He has a great sense of humor, and he can't putt very well, but other than that, he was a very serious guy.

WHITFIELD: The Bush legacy. Was it his intention to groom his sons to become governors and the president?

WEINTRAUB: No, I don't think so. I have never had that discussion with him. But I don't think he groomed them to be anything except to serve the country and serve themselves and be decent people and citizens.

His family is a wonderful, wonderful family. Barbara Bush is a great partner for him. She's an extraordinary woman. His children are terrific. And I don't think he ever set out for his son to be president of the United States. I think he was extraordinarily -- I know he was extraordinarily proud of the fact that his son was president twice.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE REPORTER: What was it like to see your son elected president?

BUSH: Very emotional for me. Very proud father. First time it's happened, I guess, in the history of our country, except for the Adams'. But it was, you know, it was mind-boggling. It was enormous. And a source of great pride for the family.

WHITFIELD: Jerry, you know finally, you talk about the partnership, the 67-year marriage with Barbara Bush, who, of course, is celebrating her birthday as well. Happy birthday to both of them. What is the secret behind their partnership, their marriage for so long?

WEINTRAUB: You know, I don't know.

(LAUGHTER)

WEINTRAUB: It's an incredible partnership. She's a very strong woman. And she supported him all the way. You know, 100 percent. If he made a decision, that was the decision. And she stuck by him. And she campaigned with him. And she was at his side the whole way. Have you seen pictures of Barbara Bush when she was a young woman?

WHITFIELD: I saw those pictures by way of your documentary. Beautiful.

WEINTRAUB: Beauty queen. She was a magnificent looking woman. And George Bush likes beautiful women. I'll say that.

WHITFIELD: OK. We have seen him, you know, since '80, celebrate his birthday by jumping out of an airplane. What do you know about how he'll be celebrating this 88th? Is he taking any daring, adventurous excursion again?

WEINTRAUB: I sure hope not. I hope not.

WHITFIELD: All right. Jerry Weintraub, thanks so much. Have a great weekend in Kennebunkport with the Bushes. And send my regards and a big happy birthday.

WEINTRAUB: Thank you very much, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: Thank you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: All right. Jerry Weintraub of the HBO documentary film "41" debuts on HBO Thursday, June 14th.

An accident on the Boston subway brought trains to a halt. It was all to reunite a 3-year-old girl with a fallen friend. That one that she's holding up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: John McCain is slamming President Barack Obama for the recent national security leaks. He said the president is responsible for what happened. That some of what was on the Sunday morning talk shows.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

CANDY CROWLEY, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Senator McCain, you have been out front and very outspoken saying you believe these leaks are political. Your reaction to what the president had to say.

SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), ARIZONA: Well, I think it's offensive what has happened. It's offensive to those who are doing the incredibly difficult work of intelligence. It's offensive to our allies who are terribly upset. So this is very offensive. Our intelligence leaders in the administration say that this is the worst breach that they have ever seen.

DAVID AXELROD, OBAMA CHIEF CAMPAIGN STRATEGIST: I can't say that -- at least there were obviously leaks, but they weren't from the White House. Let me tell you something, I sat with the president for two years. And I don't think there was anything that weighed on him more heavily than these life-and-death decisions.

MCCAIN: It's obvious on its face that this information came from individuals who are in the administration. The president may not have done it himself, but the president is certainly responsible as commander in chief.

CROWLEY: Let's start out with a really simple yes or no. Do you agree with the president that the private sector is doing fine?

AXELROD: I agree with the president who called the press conference on Friday to say that we need to take a series of very urgent steps to accelerate job creation in this country, because we have storm clouds rolling in from Europe.

CROWLEY: I just want to know whether the administration, whether you believe that the private sector is doing fine? Is it doing better? AXELROD: I believe -- it's certainly doing better than the public sector. 4.3 million jobs created in the last 27 months. We need to accelerate that, Candy. And we all agree on it. The question is how we do it.

Governor Romney's response was to light on the notion that we should hire -- that we should help state and local governments keep teachers and firefighters and police on the jobs. He said we don't need any more teachers. What planet is he living on that he thinks we can take these kinds of hits in our education system and progress as a country.

RICK SANTORUM (R), FORMER PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: What we need to do is have education reform, not throw more money at teachers. And Mitt Romney knows that.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE REPORTER: It would lower unemployment, wouldn't it?

SANTORUM: Well, actually, it doesn't. This money that you're paying teachers, this money that you're paying public sector employees comes from somewhere. And it comes out of the private sector. And it tends to hurt job creation there, and actually the net effect is less jobs.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: All right. Here's a story about achievement and success against the odds. In Chicago, all 50 seniors at Christ the King Jesuit College prep earned their diplomas yesterday. But more importantly, all of them have been accepted to college. What's more of the school did not even exist just four years ago.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SHALAMIYAH BROWN, GRADUATING SENIOR: I'll be the first graduating class of my school. And the first graduating -- the student of my family.

ROWSHAWN TREADWELL, GRADUATING SENIOR: The first to come in, the first to leave out together, as one. So, and that's why at graduation, it's going to be bittersweet.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: That is so incredible. Christ the King is a Catholic Jesuit school. Its doors opened in August of 2008 with 120 freshmen.

All right. In Boston, a 3-year-old girl will be forever grateful to some transit workers. Little Riley dropped her favorite stuffed bunny named Numby on to the train track. Her mother told the train worker and then the worker radioed the driver, the driver then stopped the train in the middle of rush hour and actually rescued the little girl's beloved bunny.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CASEY-CASEY-BROW RILEY'S MOTHER" Riley just fell apart immediately. So I told her we could just get her another one, or something, trying to fix the situation. She said, no way, that's my friend. I need my friend. And now he's going to get squished by the train. She was why upset. They helped us out. And, you know, it's certainly not the end of the world. It's no emergency, but it felt like it to her.

FANNIE MATCHETTE, MASSACHUSETTS TRANSPORTATION AUTHORITY: It felt really good. It felt really good, because I have grandkids. I know what little kids are like when they have a special toy. And a toy is a friend.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: That's right. That toy is everything to her. After it was all over, Riley and her mom personally thanked the rail workers for saving Numby, the bunny.

A 1960s pop idol says he has Alzheimer's. How Bobby Vee is probably handling the diagnosis.

If you have to go out today, just a reminder, you can continue watching CNN from your mobile phone. You can also watch CNN live from your laptop. Just go CNN.com/TV.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right. Millions of families are dealing with it, Alzheimer's. The government says it is putting more resources into finding a cure.

Bobby Vee, one of the original teen idol singers in the 1960s just acknowledged that he has Alzheimer's.

CNN contributor, Bob Greene says Vee is handling it with the same grace he shown all of his life.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BOB GREENE, CNN CONTRIBUTOR (voice-over): Bobby Vee was 15-years-old when in 1959, the night after the accident that took the lives of Buddy Holly and Ritchie Valens in the Big Bopper. Their tour continued, but they needed acts to perform in the next town which happened to be more head Minnesota.

So, the promoters turned to nearby Fargo, North Dakota, to this kid Bobby Vee. And him and his band played that night. And that began his career. He went on to have a string of very big hits.

Bobby, the night has a thousand eyes, robber ball, take good care of my baby. Run to him. And for years, he stayed out on the road on tour for decades on tour. It is -- when a person whose job it is to create memories for others. He is dealing with Alzheimer's. it is especially point.

Bobby Vee recently acknowledged that he is dealing with Alzheimer's. he acknowledged it with enormous Grace and perspective. He sent a letter to his friends and fans saying that what he is doing right now is concentrating on the things that are most important to him. His family and his music.

This Alzheimer's, when you're young, you think it will never affect your personally. But, of course, as the years go by, so many people find out that they cannot outrun it. It has estimated that there are five million people in the United States dealing with Alzheimer's right now.

But I hope he knows, most of all, that for his whole life, he has been making memories for people who even now, when they hear his voice and his songs, the day suddenly seems a little brighter. The sun again seems a little bit in the sky.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: And you can read Bob's columns and other great opinions on issues that shape your world, cnnopinion.com.

Much more of the CNN newsroom straight ahead with my colleague, Don Lemon.

DON LEMON, CNN HOST, NEWSROOM: Yes, yes, yes. Hey, listen. We wish them well. Alzheimer's is terrible.

WHITFIELD: It affects everybody.

LEMON: Another thing that is terrible is cancer. Tommy Chong, "Cheech and Chong," we brought him in to talk about the New York law as it comes to the possession of marijuana with governor - the governor's doing here and to talk about the possibility should marijuana be legalized or regulated at least.

And then he dropped a bomb shell and announced on CNN that he has prostate cancer. Take a license.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TOMMY CHONG, ACTOR: It is almost ironic that I have made a living smoking pot all this time and then, the time that I had to quit smoking pot, I get cancer and now I'm going cure it with it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: He believes he got cancer -- he went to jail for a while because of drug paraphernalia, it was on Web site, it was back in 2003. It was a sting. He was not selling drugs. And he believes in that jail, that believes he got cancer because he says it was built on a toxic waste dump. The prison has not responding to that. and he also says, he believes he got gout from the food. And he said, that's how I got cancer. So, we are going hear more about that.

WHITFIELD: So medicinal marijuana, he is saying, might help him in his fight of prostate cancer? I can't say I have heard that before.

LEMON: He is going use oil. Hemp and cannabis oil. And that's how he is going to cure it.

Now, to this legalization of marijuana.

WHITFIELD: Yes.

LEMON: $110 billion a year cash crop. The largest cash crop in America has been 17 million pounds grown, that just in the United States, $3,000 a pound. It's an industry that is a $50 billion industry. That is the crop. The money people spend on it is $110 billion a year. There are people - there is a growing -- there are people saying --

WHITFIELD: But that's the amount spent as a narcotic.

LEMON: That's the amount spent as a crop, right?

Listen to the sound bite and I will explain it. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JON GETTMAN, PROFESSOR, SHENANDOAH UNIVERSITY CRIMINAL JUSTICE: All that money that is spent on it is money that is not generating tax revenue. It is not being spent at the local grocery store, at the local hardware store, on cars or boats, or whatever. Not generating tax income whatsoever. That alone is costing state, local and federal government 15, $17 billion a year in tax revenue.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: OK. So, $50 billion a year is what is grown. Americans spend $110 billion a year is being taxed. None of that is being taxed and going back to the economy.

WHITFIELD: Because it is mostly illegal.

LEMON: Because - yes. If it is regulated then you can make the money off of that.

WHITFIELD: Interesting.

LEMON: It is an actual legitimate industry. That's the argument. He provides a good argument. He is not the only one. Many economists say it's time to change our thinking on decriminalizing or legislating marijuana. It could help our economy.

WHITFIELD: All right. We are going to be watching all of that straight ahead.

LEMON: All right.

WHITFIELD: Don Lemon. Thanks so much.

All right. That's going to do it for me. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. Much more minutes away. The clock is ticking. Two minutes to Don Lemon. There he is. Have a great week.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)