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Rodney King has Died; Doubt about God Growing among America's Youth; Greek Parents Leaving Children at Orphanages; Women in Poverty Unable to Both Feed and Clothe Babies

Aired June 17, 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. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. Thanks for joining us in the newsroom.

The investigation is now under way into the death of Rodney King. It was his videotaped beating by L.A. Police back in 1981 and the acquittal of the officers involved that sparked a deadly riot. Police say Rodney King was found in his pool in Rialto, California about an hour east of Los Angeles early this morning. Our Paul Vercammen is there in Rialto.

So Paul, what more can you tell us about the circumstances of his drowning or the fact that he was found at the bottom of the pool?

PAUL VERCAMMEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fredricka, we did talk to police just a short time ago here in Rialto. What they told CNN is by all accounts this was an accidental drowning. There were no signs of foul play. Basically this morning around 5:00 a.m., as you suggested, the 911 call came in. It came in from Rodney King's fiancee. And she said that she had heard a splash, they had been talking, she went out outside and Rodney King was at the bottom of the pool. Police then responded. A 911 call came out here, tried to revive Rodney King after getting him out of the pool. They were unable to revive him and he was pronounced dead later at a local hospital.

Now Rodney King had made swimming a daily part of his life. It was a ritual. In fact, as we've been told Rodney King was swimming in many ways because of the therapy he sustained during his injuries, it was a physical therapy. This was part of his routine every day. Perhaps no one at CNN certainly knows Rodney King more than Stan Wilson, my colleague. I want to bring him in here.

Stan, when you met up with Rodney just s short time ago, about a month and a half ago you were in the backyard at the pool. Again, this was part of his life.

STANLEY WILSON, CNN PRODUCER: Well, when I asked him how did you manage to survive the beating 20 years ago? He mentioned that that was his main objective to get through that terrible phase in his life. But The other phase was his struggle with addiction. At the poolside, although it was a ritual for him, he also made it a point to try and get his life together. His fiancee Cynthia was an integral part of that. And so swimming was not just a therapy, a physical therapy, but it was the mental therapy he needed to cope with his other struggles in life. VERCAMMEN: And can you characterize just sort of where Rodney King was at in his life a short while ago when you came in here and interviewed him?

WILSON: Joyous. A tender heart, but a very disturbed soul. That was primarily because of his struggle with alcohol addiction. In February, he had been placed on probation for a misdemeanor reckless violation. And he acknowledged that he had been drinking and continued to drink, and that was his big struggle. But overall, his fiancee, Cynthia, was a major support system in his life. And when I spoke to her this morning, she was incredibly morseful and beyond her ability even to compose herself. All I can do is feel so much for her and the rest of the King family.

VERCAMMEN: Thank so much, Stan, for your insight, your unique insights to Rodney King. And again, Fredricka, the police will look into as Stan alluded to. Rodney King had said he had a problem with alcohol. They said that there were no signs there had been any party or drinking, poolside. But that's something that another stone that they'll have to turn over. Now back to you.

WHITFIELD: All right. Thanks so much, Paul Vercammen and Stan Wilson for that reporting.

All right. Many of the people who knew Rodney King are reacting to his death. People all over the world saw that taped beating and it brought the issue of race in America into the national conversation in a very big and very different way. One of the people who knew him is Pat Morrison of the "Los Angeles Times," joining us now. Good to see you.

So you described that it was always very difficult for Rodney King to strike some balance with being thrust into this situation that made him a symbol of something so many, particularly in the black community, had been saying for a long time was happening, that police officers were beating, you know, black suspects. This time it was caught on videotape and thereby Rodney King came to symbolize what many have been professing was happening for a long time. How do you cope with that?

PAT MORRISON, "LOS ANGELES TIMES" COLUMNIST: Rodney King said that he was an unlikely symbol. As big as he was, as broad as his shoulders were, don't know he was always capable of bearing that particular burden. I asked him whether it was worth it, this beating that was caught on videotape that changed so many things about Los Angeles? He said he was glad ultimately that it happened to him because it did make for those changes. His name now is symbolic. A police officer told him once, "Rodney, your name is going to be known when we've all been dead for 100 years."

WHITFIELD: How did he accept that? How did he accept that?

MORRISON: It was a big burden for him. I think there was at first this sense of kind of the awe of celebrity that important people wanted to meet him. But after a while, the fact that Rodney King became a symbolic name and the person was a little bit different. He was a happy-go-lucky guy, he was an easy going guy as you were hearing, a bit of ne'er do well. After the riots police would stop him for some of these various offenses and say "Oh my goodness, it's Rodney King. You just be careful. You just drive carefully."

WHITFIELD: You describe him as happy go lucky. We just heard from Stan Wilson, our producer, who said he was joyous, he was tender. He had a tender heart, yet he continued to be or he was in and out of trouble an awful lot after that very public incident. What did he say was at the root of that trouble, whether trouble followed him or whether he found himself in trouble a lot?

MORRISON: I think it was a little bit of both. Certainly the fact that the spotlight was on him after the riots, after the trials made him very much more vulnerable, I think, to some of these pressures. He still had this element of Glenn King, that's the name the family and friends all knew him by. The guy who loved to go fishing and hang out with his friends. But at the same time he knew that people were watching him. He knew that young people were watching him and he was disappointed from time to time that he would have let them down.

WHITFIELD: And then a year after his beating there was the 1992 riots. What did he say to you in most recent years about, you know, how he assessed those '92 riots, whether there was a feeling off responsibility or even guilt that he simply felt by nature of how this all started with the beating of him by police officers?

MORRISON: I don't think guilt would characterize it at all. I think he was shocked as many angelinos were at what had been unleashed as a consequence of all of this. You remember that a couple of days into the riots when he went down and talked to the public and said, can't we all get along? Standing there in his sweater, this comes from his days going to the Jehovah's Witness Kingdom Hall when they were worshipping with Latinos and Asians. He said "We got along there. Why can't we get along in Los Angeles."

He understood, he said that the first couple of hours, maybe even the day, the first day was about political protest and anger, but after that he just couldn't understand the looting, the rioting, the children and the older people, as he said, getting in harm's way.

WHITFIELD: And that can't we all get along really came from his heart. His attorneys wanted him to say something else. They actually had something written and scripted for him. But he bypassed that and just really went with his heart as you said. Pat Morrison of the "Los Angeles Times," thanks so much for your time and your perspective.

MORRISON: A pleasure, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: And stay with us as we bring you more on Rodney King's death. Tonight CNN presents "Race and Rage" you can see it at 8:00 Eastern time, 5:00 Pacific, right here on CNN.

And we have a winner in Greece's critical parliamentary elections. The country's conservative new democracy party has declared victory over the leftist (INAUDIBLE) party. The party's lead wasn't big enough to form a government on its own and it will now look for coalition partner. The outcome is expected to have a significant impact on the world's financial markets tomorrow. We'll tell you how in just a few minutes.

In Egypt, polls have just closed in the presidential run-off there. Voters turned out in spite of the extreme heat to cast their ballots. They are choosing between an Islamist candidate and a former top aide of ousted leader Hosni Mubarak, but there are still questions about whether the military will relinquish power.

All right. Back here in the U.S., Jerry Sandusky is expected to be examined by a prosecution's psychologist today. What's in question is whether he has a disorder that could explain some of his behavior with the younger boys he is accused of molesting. Lawyers for the former Penn State assistant football coach will being presenting their defense this week when trial resumes.

And those elections in Greece could have an impact on your finances. We'll tell you how.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Republicans are struggling to have a united response on the president's new immigration policy. This morning Republican Senator John McCain said this executive order will likely be challenged in court. Former Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum called the president's execution of the policy "outrageous."

Meantime, Latinos like Jose Antonio Vargas who wrote a "Time" magazine cover story about being undocumented maintains the new policy is hopeful, even if it doesn't benefit him.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOSE VARGAS, FORMER NEWSPAPER REPORTER/ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT: These are Americans. At the end of the day, giving them status to be able to go to school and live their lives and a work permit is good for all of America. It's good for all of us.

WHITFIELD: So looking at the criteria of this policy that is now effective immediately, and it seems as though just from you just riddled off, you qualify, you're law-abiding, you went to school, you went to college, but you have to be under 30 and you're 31.

VARGAS: Actually, today I have to say today is probably the day I feel old. I haven't acquired that feeling before. But I feel old today. But you know, again, given, I traveled since coming out of the "New York Times" magazine last year. I've been to like 20 states, and countless cities, meeting face-to-face, talking, hearing the stories of the dreamers. Many of whom we'll feature on "Time" Magazine -

WHITFIELD: So is this bittersweet for you?

VARGAS: No. This is such a big win. And you know, it's beyond politics. It's not about democrat. It's not about republican. It's not about, you know, Obama's re-election strategy. At the end of the day these are everyday people trying to live their lives and trying to live as fully as they can.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Let's bring in Bryan Monroe, he's the editor of CNN politics.com. So Brian, not only the Republicans having trouble mounting a united front, but among them Mitt Romney's response has been rather tepid, described by some. Let's remind everyone what he had to say Friday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MITT ROMNEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I think it's unfortunate that this sort of thing comes up 4 1/2 months before the election. President's been in office 3 1/2 years. He had both Houses of Congress, and did nothing in his first two years with them. Of course, this comes up at a time when it's a temporary measure. We need something that's long-term so people can understand what the future will be for them.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: So Bryan, does that response indicate there is kind of an internal struggle within the Republican Party or perhaps even just within his Republican candidacy about how to handle this issue?

BRYAN MONROE, EDITOR "CNNPOLITICS.COM": Well, Mitt Romney has come out clearly against the Dream Act. He did that last year and several months ago reiterated it. But in some ways, I think the Obama administration painted him into a corner. It made it clear that he has to take a stronger position one way or the other. Either fully against anything that smells like amnesty or come over and say, "you know, maybe this might be a good idea." Right now, they are kind of stuck because the Republicans have very clearly been against the Dream Act or anything that was like that. Even though there was agreement on many of the principles.

WHITFIELD: Did it appear though that Romney is uncomfortable even talking or venturing into this area because he's made it clear or his camp made it clear that they want to focus on the economy, and this immigration issue is a potential distraction from his strategy?

MONROE: Well, on one hand he actually may be hitting on the right track. Because in survey after survey, while immigration is always important issue to the American people, it's never ranked as highs as the economy or the debt ceiling or taxes. And so, you know, this is an issue that is not in his wheel house. And he knows it.

WHITFIELD: OK. Now, what's at stake potentially for the sitting president who is trying to keep his post there at the White House? We heard John McCain earlier who said he is not so sure if there's going to be a challenge on Capitol Hill, but there will likely be a challenge on this executive order in the court system. What is at stake for the president?

MONROE: Well, clearly, the Republicans in congress were not too happy about this. They felt that it was an end run around their process, around the constitutional process. But this actually wasn't an executive order. It was a process from the Homeland security to stop the enforcement of a certain part of the regulation. So it's one step short of an executive order.

But even there, many in Congress felt they were cut out of the process. Of course, the administration will come back and say they gave them plenty of time to act on the Dream Act as a whole. And even yesterday the president reiterated that he wants them to, again, take action on the Dream Act. But right now, they are not too happy with him.

WHITFIELD: OK. Now that moment Friday, we are looking at the videotape, the president in the Rose Garden. Certainly his announcement elicited an emotional response by many across all the country, on all sides. It elicited a response from a reporter from the "Daily Color" website who interrupted the president while he was delivering his speech, except the reporter later would say "I thought the president was done and that's why I spoke at that moment. But that reporter continue to go on.

Does that incident seem to display, you know, a level of disrespect that has trickled from some leaders of Congress that we saw during the "State of the Union" address, during his first "State of the Union" address to a campaign strategists talking about the whole heckling, if that's allowed, et cetera, to now members of the press?

MONROE: Well this has been a fiery issue both in the journalistic community, those who cover the White House and really out there amongst readers at home. We have a piece up on CNNpolitics.com where we asked was that an appropriate move or was it really disrespectful? You know, most folks who cover the White House know it's absolutely appropriate for reporters to be aggressive and ask questions of the president, but not when he's speaking, not when he's doing prepared remarks. And you know, if you look at the videotape, you can see that reporter, Neil Monroe, no relation, he didn't even have a notebook in his hand. It was almost a confrontational approach to the president.

WHITFIELD: And do we know whether his credentials have been jeopardized as a result, you know, violating a certain code of conduct among the White House press corps there?

MONROE: Not that I know. The folks I talked to at the White House Correspondents Association with know that's something that has to be worked through. But certainly, I think just about everyone you talk to that covers the White House know he crossed a line. He should not have gone there. And we are hearing a lot from the reaction from readers and others about, you know, did he go too far.

WHITFIELD: Right. All right. Bryan Monroe, thanks so much for joining us this Sunday. Happy father's day.

MONROE: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: We took you away from your family.

MONROE: They are right outside. I want to say Happy father's day to my dad General James Monroe. And your father is a Tuskegee airmen.

WHITFIELD: Oh, thank you so much. Appreciate it. He is listening and watching.

MONROE: Thanks, Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right. Those elections in Greece could have an impact on your finances. We'll tell you how.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Not many overseas elections have the power to dramatically impact your 401(k), but today's vote in Greece does. Here's why. It was a choice between leftist candidate Alexis Tsipras who wants to tear up the country's debt deal with Europe and conservative Antonis Samaras who wants to keep the debt deal largely intact. And that decisions is expected to impact the world's financial markets tomorrow. And the results are in.

Let's go right to CNN's Matthew Chance right now in Athens. So Matthew, how does it look?

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fredericka, if you're worried about your 401(k) you can probably breathe a sigh of relief for the moment, at least. Because even though the threat at the eurozone hasn't been dissipated all together, it receded somewhat this evening because results of the final results has delivered a victory of sorts for one of the parties that backs the austerity deal and backs the financial commitments that Greece has made to its international creditors.

That's an enormous relief to many people in the euro zone and many people around the world watching this very intently. Because if Greece had gone the other way, and it could have according to the opinion polls if you look at the weeks ahead of the election, it may have gone back on those agreements and crashed out of a single currency. That would have had a knock-on effect all over the global economy. At the moment, new democracy as the conservative party is called, they've emerged with the largest number of seats and are looking on target to form the next government. And to keep Greece on the path of economic reform.

WHITFIELD: And Matthew, were there some remarks that were already delivered by this presumed winner?

CHANCE: Yes, there have. Antonis Samaras is his name. He is most likely to be the next Greek prime minister. He already said this victory for his new democracy party is a victory for Greece. But also a victory for Europe, as well. He promised to put the country back on what he calls a path to hope, an acknowledgement of the fact that the country has been in deep recession over the past five years. Unemployment amongst the youth has risen to well over 50 percent. Half of all people between ages 16 to 24 don't have a job. Obviously, that creates a very depressed poverty-stricken atmosphere in this country. He's vowed to try and address that and he also vowed to go back to the troika, the IMF, the European Central Bank, the European Union to try to renegotiate the terms of the austerity measure to sort of inject a sort of growth element into them as well.

The austerity by itself isn't working. Everybody acknowledges that. But at least Greece isn't going to turn its back on its international creditors. It will continue, for the moment at least, in the single currency in the euro.

WHITFIELD: Matthew Chance in Athens, thanks so much.

Back in this country with the passing of Rodney King, we'll look back at his tumultuous life.

And the sporting world is mourning the loss of an Olympic great. Long-time American public servant and great family friend. Reggie Pearman, an admired mid distance runner in the post World War II era, died Monday of complications from pneumonia. The 1952 Olympian will be laid to rest this week in Brandywine, Maryland.

I talked to his daughter, Lydia, who reminded me how privileged she and I are and our siblings are to learn and be guided first hand by a remarkable generation of exceptional world class athletes like Mr. Pearman and my dad Mal Whitfield who would go on to dedicate their lives to sport, global humanity and service.

After his Olympic and athletic career Mr. Pearman would dedicate his services to the Peace Corps, public school teaching and climb the ranks of the U.S. Office of Education.

A bit frail and moving gingerly, he told me back in 2008, before the Beijing games, years of hard training caught up with his body, but he had no regrets giving his all.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REGGIE PEARMAN, FORMER OLYMPIC ATHLETE: All the things I got away with when I was teens and 20s and 30s and 40s have now come home, and they demand payment. And I'm paying it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: We will miss you. Mr. Pearman was 89.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Rodney King's body has been transported to a coroner for an autopsy. He was found at the bottom of his swimming pool earlier this morning in Brealto, California. Our Nick Valencia grew up in Los Angeles and remembers the beatings of Rodney King and the riots that ensued. It really does feel like it was almost yesterday. When it happened for so many of us, but especially for those of you Angelinos who lived it.

NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It was a formative week for those riots, a formative week for all of Los Angeles, white, black, Asian. Whatever you were, if you were living in the city you were affected by it. Rodney King as we mentioned died earlier today at his home at the age of 47. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was this scene caught on camera that would turn Rodney King's life and Los Angeles upside down. In 1991, King led police officers from the LAPD on a high-speed chase after leaving a friend's house during a night of drinking.

RODNEY KING: I had a job to go to that Monday. I knew I was on parole and knew I wasn't supposed to be drinking.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What transpired in its aftermath changed the dialogue on race in America. King, 25 when the incident happened, was nearly beaten to death. He was in surgery for five hours. He admitted he should have stopped the car. Following a three-month trial, three of the officers involved in the beating were acquitted on charges of assault with a deadly weapon and excessive use of force.

The jury was deadlocked in the case of the fourth officer. The verdict sparked riots across Los Angeles and the United States. In L.A. riders ran through the streets, looting businesses, torching buildings and attacking those who just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. At least 50 people were killed and $1 billion worth of property was damaged. As the riots entered their third day, Rodney King emerged to plea.

KING: Can we all get along?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In the years that followed, King struggled to leave his past behind.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You didn't want to be part of history?

KING: No. I wasn't expecting to get tossed in history like that. Unfortunately, it happens to us unexpectedly to some of us. I was one of the unexpected ones to survive through it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In his later years, Rodney King battled addictions to drugs and alcohol. Never quite escaping the demons that caused his infamous encounter with the Los Angeles police officers.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VALENCIA: Rodney King, whether he wanted to accept it or not, was an infamous character in Los Angeles and U.S. history. In a recent interview he said, "Understand, we can all get along. It will always be my saying and that's how I will want to be remembered."

Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: OK. Again, the police underscore that it was the fiancee who heard a splash of water. She couldn't swim so she couldn't jump in the water to try to save Rodney King.

VALENCIA: He was a big man.

WHITFIELD: And he was too heavy. Yes. So she called 911 and then officers arrived and consequently found Rodney King's body at the bottom of the pool. All right. Thanks so much for that update. Appreciate it, Nick.

All right. Is the millennial generation giving up on god? A new survey indicates a growing number of young people have doubts that god exists.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Doubt about god's existence seems to be growing among young Americans. According to Pew Research, the percentage of Americans under 30 who never doubted god's existence has dropped 15 points in five years from 83 percent to 68 percent. No other age group showed a change of more than 2 percent. Is the millennial generation giving up on god? CNN's "Belief Blog" co-editor Eric Marrapodi joins me now from Washington. Eric good to see you.

ERIC MARRAPODI, CO-EDITOR, CNN "BELIEF BLOG:" Hi Fred.

WHITFIELD: So why is this apparent drop-off in belief seem to be so concentrated among younger Americans?

MARRAPODI: This group of millennials I think is particularly interesting. It's important to note there are still 2/3 of millennials who say they have never doubted god. But when you look at the way the question was phrased by Pew, it says, I never doubted the existence of god. Agree or disagree. Millennials don't like words like "never." They are not crazy about black and white; they are much more interested in the gray.

At least that's my experience in talking with a lot of millennials particularly when it comes to religion. For a lot of religions, doubt and questioning, that's still a big part of the religious journey for a lot of folks. In particular in the stories in Christianity and Judaism we see a lot of characters in the bible wrestling with doubts about the existence of god. I think with millennials we are seeing a lot of that. I will bet you it has to do with the technology too and the technology gap. These are kids that can't remember life without the internet.

WHITFIELD: Does that point to why now?

MARRAPODI: Yes, I think you can make that leap. If they have questions about doubt and their life they can quickly get to it and find it. And one of the things, it is interesting Fred is now we are seeing a real spike on college campuses of secular groups who sort welcome and embrace this doubt. While millennials overall are less likely to be atheist, only about 3 percent of American millennials are atheist, we are still seeing a big spike in those secular groups on campuses where kids can kind of come out and question together and figure things out as they go.

WHITFIELD: So is there a difference or a notable difference as to how some religious groups might be reaching out to younger people to kind of get them reinterested or enticed at all? MARRAPODI: Yes, absolutely. We are seeing lots of religious groups in particular reach out in ways like social media. There are a number of services who are streaming on facebook now. Today even as we speak around the country. It gives millennials a chance and everybody a chance to kind of scope them out before they head out there, check them out online. We are seeing lots of pastors on twitter and facebook reaching out and connecting to folks who otherwise they would have never had a chance to do.

Look there is not many people in America who had a chance to sort of go back and forth with Rick Warren. Well now you can do that on twitter. So there's definitely a big reaching out from a lot of groups. In fact the Catholic Church is going to have their own social media push coming up here in the not-too-distant future. So we are definitely seeing a reaching out to try to hit these millennials where they are. Whether or not it's going to work and that doubt meter is going to shift the other way to absolute faith, I think that's probably pretty unlikely. What we may see is more of these millennials that are getting back into it, checking it out and feeling things out for themselves.

WHITFIELD: All right. Interesting stuff. Eric Marrapodi thanks so much for bringing that to us.

MARRAPODI: You got it Fred.

WHITFIELD: So what will happen if more people continue to question the existence of god? Decades from now could that mean people just stop believing? CNN's Don Lemon plays devil's advocate and picks up the conversation there. That is tonight at 10:00 Eastern Time. And more on this story be sure to check out our "Belief Blog." You can add your own comments, as well.

Some struggling families in the U.S. are forced to decide between buying food or diapers. We will show you how one woman is helping moms living in poverty.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: It's something many of us take for granted, buying food, milk, and diapers for the baby. Mothers living in poverty are often forced to pick one or the other. As our Lisa Sylvester finds out one woman is on a mission to help moms take care of all the needs.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LISA SYLVESTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Just a few miles from the White House, in a neighborhood called Anacostia, poverty is so rampant that many mothers have to make a choice.

JULIE LONARDO: If they have to choose between feeding their family and diapers, they are going to feed their family.

SYLVESTER: People here so poor, the little things we take for granted are out of reach. Naishia Davis is a mother of three. Her youngest is 3month old Talia (ph). That simple act of keeping her baby dry and clean is not so simple.

NAISHIA DAVIS, SINGLE MOTHER: Before I had my daughter, I didn't know how many pampers that I would really use in a day, in a week and a month's time. It's a lot.

SYLVESTER: An average of eight diapers a day, about 240 diapers a month at a cost of more than $100. Naishia can't afford enough diapers for her baby. You can't get diapers through the food stamp program. It's considered a hygiene item, often the only alternative, reusing diapers.

CORINNE CANNON, DC DIAPER BANK: I'm the executive director of the D.C. Diaper Bank.

SYLVESTER: Boxes and boxes of donated diapers. Being delivered to a neighborhood community center.

UNIDENTIFED FEMALE: Hi, sweetie.

CANNON: Diapers are a necessity for infants, they are not a luxury. You have a mom who wants to work, who has been really trying to work, who doesn't have enough diapers to send her child to daycare. Has to stay home with that baby.

SYLVESTER: Corinne Cannon became a mom for the first time in 2009. The first months with a colicky baby were rough.

CANNON: One night around 5:00 a.m. I had been up with him all night. I thought how do you do this if you don't have somebody you can call? After we got out of that hazy first six months of having an infant, we looked around and said what can we do to help families? What can we do to help other moms, I called organizations, what do you need? I can give time, money, what can you need? I was blown away when they said diapers it hadn't accord to me.

SYLVESTER: So Corinne started the D.C. Diaper Bank, an idea that has been catching on nationwide. She recently helped launch the national diaper bank network. Each one of these boxes contains 50 diapers. The D.C. Diaper Bank distributed 2,600 boxes in the last year that is more than 130,000 diapers. The diapers are donated. From individuals and corporations.

CANNON: This is a need they want to help. We are doing this so they don't to worry about where their diapers are coming from. They can have time with their baby and they can smile at their baby and they can know that there's a network here that is going to help them and support them. These are all our kids.

UNIDENTIFED FEMALE: Thank you.

UNIDENTIFED FEMALE: That will last you for a week.

CANNON: Whether we see them or not, we are all one large community. I want to make sure that our kids are taken care of.

(END VIDEO CLIP) WHITFIELD: All right. Lisa Sylvester joining me now from Washington. So Lisa you know are there programs like this in other cities. Surely, there is a great need in other cities, too.

SYLVESTER: Yes. As a mom you know you can just imagine what it would be like if you're not able to provide the basic necessity of diapers for your children. So what has happened is really in the last ten years or so, those individual groups that started in Arizona and then Connecticut and it started spreading through church groups and community groups. They have now about 100 of these diaper banks.

What they did is have all come together, they did this a couple of months ago. There is now a national diaper bank network. You can go online and get information there. But they are now working together. Because it's, as you said, Fred, this need is not just in Washington, D.C. there are impoverished women all throughout this country facing the same thing. Because food stamps, you can't pay for diapers with food stamps it is considered a hygiene item as I mentioned in the story. You can't pay for it with the women and infant program. They have no way of getting diapers. And sad to say some mothers end up having to reuse a diaper.

WHITFIELD: Oh, my goodness. Clearly, a lot of these programs could use some help, donations, assistance of some kind.

SYLVESTER: Yes. I would advise people, if you see the story and if this is something that calls to you, speaks to you, you want to help, really go to the national diaper bank network's website. I believe we have a full screen that we can put up for you. But it is the Diaperbanknetwork.org that is the site where you can get information. Again Diaperbanknetwork.org.

There is a wealth of information there. They actually have a list of different organizations that you can connect with. You can also start a diaper drive if you're part of a community, if you are part of a church, a company. You can run a diaper bank. You can certainly start with a diaper bank but you can certainly start with a drive of collecting diapers. They always welcome diapers.

Fred.

WHITFIELD: Yes. Because someone is in need and could use that kind of effort.

SYLVESTER: Absolutely right.

WHITFIELD: All right. Thanks so much, Lisa Sylvester from Washington. Thanks so much.

Forty years ago the Watergate scandal forced President Nixon to resign. Now the Sufigate Gate has become a symbol of so much more.

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WHITFIELD: Mitt Romney's six-state bus tour rolls onto Ohio today. He isn't alone on this Father's Day. All five of his sons and his wife are with him. Romney has made two stops in key battleground states already. His last stop will be in Troy, Ohio, in about an hour from now. He's campaigning with potential vice presidential pick Senator Rob Portman.

Later this evening, President Barack Obama heads to Mexico for the G- 20 Summit. The group of 20 is made up of the world's biggest economies. The summit comes a day after parliamentary elections in Greece. The financial turmoil in Greece will be on the G-20 agenda.

And today marks the 40th anniversary of the Watergate scandal. But even now we tend to affix the word "gate" to just about anything even remotely scandalous. Candy Crowley finds out why this suffix has become so notorious.

CANDY CROWLEY, CNN HOST, "STATE OF THE UNION:" Fred, today is the 40th anniversary of the arrest of five burglars for breaking into the headquarters of the Democratic National Committee. Sound familiar? Well try this; it's the 40th anniversary of Watergate. That name Watergate was the name of the building complex housing the D.C. offices. In the history books it's the name of a scandal that brought down Richard Nixon. The Oxford English dictionary devotes considerable space to the word including the modern use of just the suffix, "gate." The continued success of gate, it reads, "Shows how English speakers have welcomed the means to describe any sort of scandalous event with a snappy suffix." In deed over the decade there has been travelgate, Billygate, Monicagate --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Someone got access to my account. That's bad. They sent a picture that makes fun of the name Weiner. I get it.

CROWLEY: Weinergate.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Today I'm announcing my resignation from congress.

CROWLEY: There has been Climategate, Koreagate, Naftagate.

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I think it's fair to say number one; any of us would be pretty angry. Number two that the Cambridge police acted stupidly.

CROWLEY: Henry Lewis Gates-gate. That was the one about the Harvard professor, a cop and a president who stepped in it. No resignations, just a round of beers and awkward photo op closed the books on that one. Initial google search turns up more than 120 gates, Contragate, Memogate, and Nannygate. Examples range beyond U.S. borders and the confines of politics. There is Nipplegate, Tigergate, Camillagate and --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If there is one thing that's followed you --

SARAH PALIN: Tasergate.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Troopergate.

CROWLEY: Palin's troopergate is not the same as former President Clinton's Troopergate. That one dealt with four Arkansas state troopers and alleged extramarital affair and federal jobs. After 40 years, sometimes it's just hard keeping the gates straight.

Fred.

WHITFIELD: But thanks to you, we are keeping it straight. Candy Crowley, appreciate it.

All right. The struggling economy is creating a nightmare scenario for some parents in Greece. What they are being forced to do with their kids.

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WHITFIELD: None of the reports we brought you on the Greek financial crises captures the human toll like this next story. Desperate parents are no longer able to care for their children; they are dropping them off at orphanages. CNN's Matthew Chance reports.

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MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): These are the youngest victims of Greece's economic despair. Abandoned not through lack of love, but money. We gained access to this orphanage in Athens where care workers say they witnessed a surge in the number of Greek families unable to feed and clothe their children.

STELIOS SIFNIOS, SOCIAL WORKER: I think that is first time for us. I'm working since 1982. For the first time I see so many poor families ask for help for their own children.

CHANCE: Austerity and years of recession are literally breaking up families here. Of course, there have always been orphans, children in care in Greece, but what's changed over the course of the past two years is this, previously children in care came from problem families, parents who were drug addicts or alcoholics, but over the past two years, that's transformed dramatically.

The vast majority now come from families who simply can't afford to look after their children. Parents like Kassiani, a single mother, unemployed and unable she says to care for her three children. We caught one of her rare visits.

Pleased to meet you. How are you?

KASSIANI PAPADOPOILOU, MOTHER (via Translator): Michaela.

CHANCE: Michaela, good to see you. Giving up this family, she told me, was painful, but in Greece's economic climate, still her best option.

PAPADOPOILOU (via Translator): It's really difficult, really tragic for a true mother to leave her children, but when you understand they're not at fault and deserve a future, it's better to make a move like this then have them beside you without even a plate of food.

CHANCE: Who do you blame for putting you and your family in this situation? Do you blame the government? Do you blame the economic crises? Who do you hold responsible? PAPADOPOILOU (via Translator): For me, it's all those who govern. They have all looked out for themselves instead of the people. The poor like us should be the responsibility of the state.

CHANCE: But this is the terrible social price of Greece's economic crisis, even for its youngest, most vulnerable, the state can barely afford to care.

Michael Chance, CNN

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