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Wisconsin Sikh Temple Reopens Doors; Victory for Tennessee Mosque; Meet Rob Portman; Spike Lee's New Movie; More Than Just a Gas Station; Price Cuts for Grocery Shoppers

Aired August 10, 2012 - 11:00   ET

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

KATE BOLDUAN, ANCHOR, "CNN NEWSROOM": Hello, everyone. I'm Kate Bolduan. It's 11:00 on the East Coast. That means it's 8:00 out west. Thank you so much for joining me.

Happening right now, these are live pictures from a memorial service in Oak Creek, Wisconsin that we've been following this morning. This is a memorial service for the six people killed at a Sikh temple on Sunday.

Three others were shot during the rampage. Thousands attending today's service to honor the victims.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: They range in age from 39- to 84-years old, five men, one woman, each visiting the temple that day to pray in peace. Now, families are left trying to cope with their senseless loss.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He was an amazing man. He left this world protecting the church, protecting the people.

BOLDUAN: Today, a memorial recognizing victims for their contributions.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Anything she did was for us.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: And again, you're looking live at pictures here of the service that is taking place in Oak Creek, Wisconsin, where a huge crowd is gathered to honor Sunday's shooting victims and, obviously, pray for the entire community.

I want to go now live to Oak Creek where our Ted Rowlands is there. He has been reporting this story as it really has unfolded from the very, very beginning.

Ted, talk to me about this memorial service. People have come, really, from all around the world to attend. Walk us through the program, if you will. What is happening during the memorial service?

TED ROWLANDS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, right now, what you're seeing is people filing through very slowly taking their time, walking by the open caskets, each casket has with it a large photograph of each victim with the casket. The victims are also portrayed on a large screen in the gymnasium.

Thousands of people are here, Kate. It's an amazing, the turn out here. And, like you mentioned, there are people not only from the community here in Oak Creek and the Greater Milwaukee-area, but from across the United States and around the world.

Many people have flown in from India for this service. And what will happen and what has been happening, it is a two-hour period for the community to come in and take part in this memorial service by slowly filing by.

Some people are stopping and praying in the white sheets that you see on the live feed in front of the caskets and near the chairs.

And then at 11:00, local time here, they'll have a program where there'll be several speakers, including family members, also the governor of Wisconsin, Scott Walker is expected to speak along with Eric Holder.

Following that, then families will have their own private ceremony at the temple.

BOLDUAN: And, Ted, while we are watching this very, very somber, somber ceremony, can you give us kind of an update on the latest on the three people who are wounded and still in the hospital right now?

TOWLANDS: Yeah, the three injured people are -- two of them are progressing well. One, unfortunately, is not. One is still in very critical condition. The police officer, Lieutenant Murphy, is getting much better.

We had an update yesterday from the police chief and the other victim shot in the temple is also doing much better.

And, of course, everybody is praying that the third victim can turn the corner here, but he is still in critical condition.

BOLDUAN: Yeah, absolutely. Our thoughts to him and his family and all the victims who are suffering still today.

Ted Rowlands in Oak Creek, thank you so much. We'll check back in with you a little later this hour.

When all the prayers and the hymns are done and the dignitaries finish speaking and the TV cameras stop rolling, family and temple members will return to the temple for a private gathering in just a couple of hours where they will begin an ancient right that's part of Sikh funeral traditions.

I want to go to, now, Rajwant Singh. He is the chairman of the Sikh Council On Religion and Education. He is joining me now, also from Oak Creek, Wisconsin, where he has been attending the services for the victims there. Dr. Singh, thank you so much for taking time to speak with me. First, I want to just get your sense. Give me your sense when you see the thousands who have gathered to honor the victims. What goes through your mind?

DR. RAJWANT SINGH, CHAIRMAN, SIKH COUNCIL ON RELIGION AND EDUCATION: Well, this seems like a family coming together. You know, the Sikhs from all over the world, it's feeling that the bullets have hit their heart.

So, every Sikh in the world is feeling the pain and grieving and joining in prayers and, like here in -- physically, people are traveling thousands of miles to be here. So, it's like a family affair.

BOLDUAN: And give us a bit of a better understanding. I know, in brief, if you will, a better understanding of the Sikh traditions that will occur once the public service is complete. What takes place afterward for the family members of the victims?

SINGH: Well, basically, after today, once the funeral is done, the cremation takes place and where there will be series of prayers which are recited and then, after the cremation is completed, then the reading of the Sikh scriptures will begin in the Sikh gurdwara, or what is now known as the Sikh temple.

And the 1,430 pages of the Sikh scriptures, what we call the Guru Granth Sahib, will be read allowed by different members of the Sikh community, as well as the priests, and it will be completed on Sunday and then there will be a final memorial service.

BOLDUAN: And Dr. Singh, since this tragedy occurred, we've heard from many that, if there is anything that is gained from this tragedy, it's a better understanding of the religion, the culture, and the people.

What do you want people to take away from this horrific tragedy?

SINGH: Well, first is that the Sikh community is deeply touched by the outpouring of support from people across states, across ethnicities and cultures and communities.

And what we want people to understand, that we are part and parcel of the United States and we have been here for the last 100 years. And our faith is the fifth largest religion and, yet, people don't know much about it.

And that we are believers in monotheism and believe in one god and we -- our faith has three main pillars. Believe in one God and having a direct, devoted life toward becoming one with God, and second is to work with honest means and live by honest means and don't be dependent on the society. Don't, you know, be a parasite on society.

And the third is to really share your blessings with the unfortunate and underprivileged in the society. So, it's a very, very engaged religion, engaged society. On one hand, it believes in the spirituality of having a direct and personal relationship with God, but at the same time, it enjoins the followers to engage and be connected with fellow beings and serve them in love and service and human rights and justice are the core principles of this faith.

So, this turban, which is now so much misunderstood because of the events leading up to 9/11 and afterwards, and it is a symbol of freedom and justice and love and human rights and the equality.

So, the symbol of turban, which is seen in a negative term, really should be seen in a positive light, how this community and people who wear turbans are normal people and they are contributing for the betterment of the society.

BOLDUAN: Dr. Rajwat Singh, when you talk about love and community being pillars of the faith and you can definitely see that and feel that today throughout this memorial service.

Thank you so much for joining me. Thank you for your insights.

The families will hold a final memorial service for the six victims on Sunday after the reading of the holy scriptures is complete.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BOLDUAN: As if the Taliban weren't dangerous enough, allied troops in Afghanistan face a growing threat from their own comrades. "Green on blue" is the name given attacks on NATO forces by Afghan forces or insurgents wearing Afghan uniforms.

This happened again. Three U.S. troops killed today in Helmand province and our Pentagon correspondent, Chris Lawrence, is joining us now live with more details. So, Chris, what more are you learning about this?

CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kate, our sources are now confirming that these three troops were part of a special operations mission to stabilize that village there in Helmand province. They were going to meet some of the local Afghan contacts when they were shot and killed.

Now, the Taliban is claiming the man who shot them is actually an Afghan police officer who was working for the Taliban, who lured these troops there for dinner and then planned to kill them.

We haven't confirmed that part from U.S. officials, but they do say they have been hunting for this gunman.

You know, big picture, this would be the third so-called "green on blue" attack just this week. In fact, there have been more attacks of Afghan forces attacking American troops this year than there were all of last year and, Kate, we're only halfway through the summer so far. BOLDUAN: Absolutely. I mean, it's absolutely shocking. When you talk about that, how we're already further along this year than all of last year, is the Pentagon doing anything, advising troops to do anything differently to protect themselves?

LAWRENCE: There have been some measures on both sides, actually. And, you know, you don't want to give the impression that this is happening at every single level and every single base.

Many Afghans and Americans work quite well together, but these incidents have really a disproportionate effect on morale for the troops.

In some cases, the Afghan intelligence services have been putting their agents into Afghan police recruit training to try to sniff out if anyone has extremist tendencies.

On the American side, some commanders have been authorizing so- called "guardian angels," that troops that would look out for sleeping troops just to be on the safe side, Kate.

BOLDUAN: Chris Lawrence at the Pentagon. Chris, thanks so much.

Turning now to the civil war in Syria, the Obama administration is imposing new sanctions aimed at the Syrian government of President Bashar al-Assad. The target? The Lebanese-based terrorist group, Hezbollah, for supporting Assad.

Today's actions by the Treasury Department will freeze any assets Hezbollah may have under U.S. jurisdiction. It also bans Americans and U.S. companies from dealing with the group.

U.S. officials say Hezbollah has been providing training, advice, and logistical support to the Assad government.

Great Britain, also, extended aid to the Syrian opposition, an additional $7.8 million for medical and communications supplies.

These moves come as heavy fighting continues for control of Syria's largest city of Aleppo, as well as other cities across the country, something we have been tracking very, very closely. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BOLDUAN: A little Olympic update for you. The U.S. men's 4-by- 400-relay team goes for gold today because of a special effort by one of its runners. Manteo Mitchell broke his leg while running in the semifinal, but still found some way to finish. Truly amazing.

Let's go to London and bring in Zain Verjee. Zain, I couldn't believe this when I first heard about this.

ZAIN VERJEE: I know.

BOLDUAN: I mean, I can -- I'm speechless when you think about running a race on a broken leg. Clearly, a hero of the track yesterday, huh?

VERJEE: Yes. And not only that, he was the fifth fastest of everyone on the track and he ran with that broken leg.

And, you know, he said, I felt it break, and then he went on to say it kind of felt like someone had just snapped him in half and he continued running.

He passed the baton and the U.S. team qualified for the 4-by-400 final that's a little bit later today. But it is absolutely an incredible story. What a great hero.

BOLDUAN: What an absolute hero. And another story that we've obviously been watching is the Jamaican sprinter, Usain Bolt, breaking a huge record with his win in the 200. And he is definitely not shy in bragging about it.

VERJEE: Sorry. Who was that? Yeah, it was basically the Bolt show. OK? I mean, he was such a showman, but he matched it with an incredible prowess on the track. It was amazing to watch.

And, you know, he'd all this antics. He looked so comfortable at the beginning, was kind of wearing a hat backwards and then he did a little bit of the Queen's wave. And when he went across the finish line, he kind of went -- putting his finger to his lips, as kind of to silence everyone who had even dared to criticize him to think that he may not win the 200-meters.

And then, afterwards, a few push-ups and grabbing the camera and taking a few pictures. They weren't bad, too, either, by the way. But he did get that coveted double-double, 100-meters, 200-meters gold in two consecutive Olympics.

BOLDUAN: Now, Zain, I know we're out of time and I have not seen this photo yet, but I hope we can pull it up. If there is a photo of you?

VERJEE: Yes.

BOLDUAN: There you go. There you go.

VERJEE: Yeah, you know what? I actually did get -- I got two tickets to the 200-meter finals yesterday and I gave them away and I thought I would just slum it with everyone else at Hyde Park.

Actually, it was really fun. That was me with my mates doing "The Bolt."

BOLDUAN: Mates? Doing "The Bolt?" You look beautiful, as always, and it's good to see you can have a little fun since I know you're hard at work all the time, covering the Olympics.

VERJEE: All the time. Constantly working.

BOLDUAN: Have a good weekend. Also, today coming up, the U.S. men's basketball team takes on Argentina in the semifinals. The two teams faced off in a preliminary round, Team USA winning that 126-97. Today's game starts at 4:00 p.m. Eastern.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BOLDUAN: The U.S. has just suffered through the hottest month on record. The searing heat and dryness has left much of the country in one of the worst droughts in half a century, something we've been tracking closely.

Our Martin Savidge is looking at what effect it's having on one of the most important waterways in the nation. Martin is joining me now from Memphis along the Mississippi River.

Martin, so, what are you seeing? It seems like you've got some amazing, amazing pictures.

MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It truly is, Kate. Good to see you, by the way.

The Mississippi River, we call it "The Mighty Mississippi." Now, you might call it "The Missing Mississippi." It has pulled off, perhaps, in the last year, one of the greatest vanishing acts of modern time.

Take a look at some of the images we found yesterday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SAVIDGE: You might think this is some kind of desert just outside of Memphis. It's not. I'm actually standing on the exposed bottom of the Mississippi River. That's how dramatic the drought impact is being felt here.

Hard to believe a year ago we were talking about record flooding. Now, they're worried about a new kind of record, a record low.

The river was three miles wide here. It's now down to three- tenths of a mile and that's causing all kinds of problems.

There are some benefits. I mean, take a look over here, new beachfront. In fact, some have quipped now that the Mississippi River has more beaches than the entire state of Florida, which would be funny if it didn't have an impact on trade.

A lot of stuff we use goes up and down the Mississippi River. We're talking steel, coal, ore, grain. The problem is, now, a lot of those barges have had to lighten their loads and, even doing that, they're still running aground.

There is a real fear that there could be a possibility of closing the Mississippi River is a real fear. If that happens, well, all that product that used to be carried cheaply by barge is now going to be carried more expensively by truck or train and guess who is going to pay for all of that?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SAVIDGE: You know, by the way, if you wanted to transfer all of the stuff that's on a typical barge string on to, say, a truck, a pack of semi trucks, it would take a thousand of them just to carry the load of one barge.

So, you don't really want to do without this river, Kate.

BOLDUAN: Martin, I mean, it's one thing to talk about such an historic drought, but to see those pictures, the video that you just had, I mean, it is a different thing entirely. It is truly amazing and shows just how dire the situation is really becoming.

Martin Savidge in Memphis, tracking this historic drought. Thank you so much.

Not only was July the hottest month on record, but the past 12 months have been the warmest of any such period on record, as well. Every state except Washington experienced warmer than average temperatures.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BOLDUAN: Mourning their senseless deaths and honoring their lives, today, the community and families say goodbye to the six victims killed during Sunday's temple massacre, each of them a devout believer of their faith. They were Sikh priests, grandfathers, fathers, husbands, and one mother.

This is a live picture of the public service that's being held to honor the victims. Live pictures here, right now, from Oak Creek, Wisconsin.

Just yesterday, members reopened the temple and our CNN's Ted Rowlands was given exclusive access inside.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROWLANDS: A bullet hole is still in the door of the main prayer room inside the Oak Creek temple. The plan is not to fix it, but to keep it forever, as a reminder of what happened. Everything else was quickly cleaned by volunteers who showed up almost immediately after the crime scene was cleared.

KANWARDEEP SINGH KALEEKA, TEMPLE MEMBER: It takes a toll and you're thinking of the lives that are lost and what -- how our temple is never going to be the same again.

ROWLANDS: Of the four people who were killed inside the only female victim, Paramjit Kaur, died here near the back wall of the prayer room. The three others were all shot and killed in the room down this hall where, as you can see, the carpet has been replaced.

This tiny pantry just off the kitchen area is where more than 15 women and children hid for more than two hours, some of them injured, none of them knowing if the gunman would return to kill them.

Several of the victims' family members were there to help clean and pray. Some of them joined Reverend Jesse Jackson on the floor where Paramjit Kaur passed away.

AMARDEEP KALEAK, TEMPLE MEMBER: Simply put, our families, his mother who left behind two beautiful boys and was the only mother, imagine losing your mother, our father, the four other victims, the people who were shot and are in the hospital, the police officer that did his job, they are heroes. They are living the American dream.

The other person was a coward. And at the end of the day he should always be remembered as a coward.

ROWLANDS: The hope here is that these six lives will be remembered as a reason to change the way people treat each other.

KALEEKA: I think that's really what this message is. We're all God's creation no matter how we look, no matter where we come from. No matter what we believe. We're all joined together.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BOLDUAN: Ted Rowlands is joining me once again from Oak Creek, Wisconsin, where thousands have gathered -- you're looking at live pictures here -- for the service that is under way right now.

So, Ted, as we've talked about people have traveled from across the U.S. and the world to honor these victims. Many of whom may be strangers to these victims. And you pointed out this tragedy has touched so many lives and united so many people. Give us some perspective on the crowd, on the people who are attending this service.

ROWLANDS: Well, Kate, yes, you're right. And you were talking thousands of people. Clearly they didn't all know these victims and they did come from around the world. A lot of people did come from India but many came from the United States as well. We've seen a lot of Sikh people and we've seen others as well coming that are not in the Sikh community that are local here or have come -- a lot of them from the Midwest just to take part in this ceremony and this memorial.

They've been going up looking at the victims who are in open caskets and there's been a couple poignant moments, we've seen people break down. At one point there were several law enforcement officers that came in and it was very, very emotional. They gave hugs to family members here and there were -- a couple broke down in tears.

It really has been, and this is their hope, that what happened here, this tragedy will be used as a building block to try to bring the Sikh community closer to everybody else. They really do truly hope that if any good can come of it, that'll be it.

BOLDUAN: Yes. Ted Rowlands in Wisconsin doing some great reporting. Ted, thank you so much. Sikhs in this country aren't the only ones who are the target of apparent intolerance. A long battle that included bomb threats, protests, and vandalism has ended in victory for members of a Tennessee mosque. The Islamic Center of Murfreesboro is opened today after anti-Muslim opponents fought for two years to keep the doors closed. At the center of the conflict arguments that the mosque posed a risk of terrorism.

I'm going to go to our George Howell joining me from Murfreesboro for more on this.

George, first remind our viewers, because this has been a long- fought battle. But remind our viewers how this dispute first started.

GEORGE HOWELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kate, it first started when this mosque, the members here, decided that they needed to expand. Keep in mind that this group has been in Murfreesboro for several decades now and some in the community felt that there wasn't enough public notice to know what was going to be built on this site. There were some in the community who simply did not want it here from the start.

But, Kate, you see this building is now here. We got an exclusive look inside. Really the first visitors inside to see this mosque. A 12,000 square foot facility, much larger, Kate, than the old mosque that members here have outgrown.

BOLDUAN: And, George, now that the mosque is opening, how do leaders -- what are the plans for kind of the community to try to heal, to try to ease the tensions between the members of the mosque and those who oppose the -- the expansion of the mosque?

HOWELL: Well, Kate, the first thing, and they're making this very clear, that they believe that they are welcomed in this community. They believe that a lot of the resistance has come from people outside this community. Take a listen to what one member had to say today.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SALEH SBENATY, ISLAMIC CENTER MURFREESBORO: And we know that we are going to have a much brighter and much more prosperous future. We know that for sure because we have lived here for a long time. So it's not something that, you know, is like wishful thinking. It is a reality that we know that this community is going to overcome this hurdle. They're going to come again and unite against, you know, forces that are preaching fear and hate.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOWELL: And, Kate, the plan at this point is to welcome anyone, to welcome everyone to this new facility if they would like to learn more about the religion or if they'd just like to visit.

BOLDUAN: George Howell in Missouri for us. George, thank you so much. For more on the issues facing Muslims in the country be sure to tune in Sunday to CNN's Soledad O'Brien's special on the dramatic fight over a mosque in the middle -- in the heart of the bible belt. It's called "UNWELCOME: THE MUSLIMS NEXT DOOR." Starts at 8:00 p.m. Eastern. Only here on CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BOLDUAN: A new CNN/ORC national poll shows President Obama with a seven-point edge among registered voters over his GOP challenger Mitt Romney. But here is some good news for Romney. A majority of his supporters now say they strongly support him. In May that wasn't the case.

And whom do Republicans want on the bottom half of the ticket? By a double-digit margin they chose Florida senator and Tea Party star, Marco Rubio. New Jersey Governor Chris Christie comes in second tied with Wisconsin Congressman Paul Ryan. Other names are in single digits, among them Ohio Senator Rob Portman.

And if you're thinking Rob Portman who? You may not be alone. Every name, every name that's believed to be on Mitt Romney's short list is a mystery to most voters.

Here's CNN's John King with an introduction.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN KING, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Rob Portman is at the old farm for a firsthand look at a punishing drought. On the one hand politics 101. A freshman senator checking in on a big issue back home. But there's something bigger at play here. And Phil (INAUDIBLE) gets right to the point.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I really wanted to ask you about being vice president.

(LAUGHTER)

KING: If Senator Portman shares the GOP ticket the history of his home state will be a driving force.

SEN. ROB PORTMAN (R), OHIO: The road to the White House goes through Ohio.

KING: It's a must-win for Mitt Romney. And so Ohio roots are a major Portman plus. Others? A former budget director who knows every nook of the federal bureaucracy. Foreign policy experience from his days as U.S. trade representative and his Senate committee work. And Portman is a pragmatic conservative respected by Democratic colleagues.

Sources tell CNN the former vice president Dick Cheney has told Romney he views Portman as the best choice. Former House colleague and Portman friend, Rick Lazio, shares that view. RICK LAZIO, FORMER NEW YORK REPRESENTATIVE: If you want controversy go watch "Jersey Shore." If you want -- you want to solve the problems that are facing America pick a competent vice president to run with a competent president.

KING: Some potential Portman downsides? Bush baggage. He served a president who left office very unpopular among independents. That experience many value translates into Washington insiders to others. And a low key style some call bland, even boring.

(On camera): When some of your friends say, you know, Portman, a good guy but he'd be a safe pick, be bold. Governor, be bold. What goes through your mind?

PORTMAN: That's fine. I mean, you know, I am a guy who has worked across the aisle to get stuff done. I'm someone who believes that when you get elected to office you're hired to actually achieve a result.

KING (voice-over): Republicans across Ohio say Portman would give Romney a boost in the must-win state. But Democrats, like Hamilton County Party Chairman Tim Burke -- that's Portman's old house district -- aren't so sure.

TIM BURKE, HAMILTON COUNTY DEMOCRATIC PARTY CHAIRMAN: Like so many Republicans he's been driven so far to the right right now and he's a Bush Republican, who helped give us the economy that we're -- still trying to recover from right now. I don't think he gives them the state of Ohio.

KING: Senator Portman is a case study in campaigning for the VP slot. Rule number one? Insist you're happy right where you are. Rule number two, rebut the critics.

PORTMAN: I'm proud of my service in the Bush administration. I was there as the budget director for just over a year and during that time period we were able to put all earmarks on line. I was also able to propose a balanced budget over a five-year period. Imagine that today. You know, my dad did that for me.

KING: He insists he can rev up a room but also says the incumbent is proof pizzazz is over rated.

PORTMAN: Looking back to 2008, you know, we hired somebody to be president who made a lot of commitments, a lot of promises. But in a sense it was a celebrity pick. And, unfortunately, he didn't have the experience or the record or the policies to be able to do what has to be done to move our country forward.

KING: Portman's unique niche in GOP politics going back to the Bob Dole 1996 campaign is serving as a debate stand in, Al Gore for George W. Bush, a famous woman in his friend Lazio's failed Senate campaign.

(On camera): How's his Hillary Clinton?

LAZIO: His Hillary Clinton was pretty good. You know, obviously not good enough.

KING (voice-over): So will Portman be preparing for his own big debate this time?

(On camera): Are you ready for this decision to be made? Are you tired of the questions?

PORTMAN: Yes. I'm ready for it to be made. You know. I am.

KING (voice-over): John King, CNN, Shelby, Ohio.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BOLDUAN: John King, thank you so much.

And in a new CNN/ORC poll out just today we are asking what qualities voters are looking for in a potential VP. Almost 9 of 10 say it's very important Romney choose someone who's qualified to be president. If in case the worst would happen 6 in 10 say the running mate should agree with them the voters on the issues. Four in 10 say the running mate should be strongly antiabortion to the point of wanting it -- it to be outlawed and just 3 in 10 say the VP pick should be someone they know a lot about.

And for all of the talk about geography I found this one interesting. Only one Republican in eight say the running mate should be from his or her home state or region.

More than 10,000 children in New York are growing up with their mothers in prison. Since 1986 CNN Hero Sister Teresa Fitzgerald has been transforming the lives of these women and helping them and their children start fresh.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SISTER TESA FITZGERALD, CNN HERO: Across our nation there were thousands of mothers behind bars. I've never met a woman inside who said gee, I'm going to go out and I'm going to really mess up again. What's your lesson you learned?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Not to ever come back.

FITZGERALD: The depth of her guilt what she's done to this child is unbelievable. And they want to do everything to make it right. But they're always unsure whether it's really going to work.

I'm Sister Tesa Fitzgerald, and I happily worked with incarcerated mothers to keep their families together and to rebuild their lives. When women come out of prison they are so vulnerable.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't have money or a job. It feels like there is no way out.

FITZGERALD: A home is the heart of what's going to make their life possible.

So good to see you. How are you? You're back home.

We give them a lot of love, a lot of support. Around her is a community who have seen growth and change.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Once you forgive yourself, (INAUDIBLE), trust me. It's going to be all right.

FITZGERALD: Over time broken bonds have been mended and there can now be a wholeness to their life.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hi. It's Kelly from the mentoring program.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I was a crack head. I gave birth while I was still incarcerated. I just didn't know how I was going to change my life.

Sister Tesa didn't just save me. She saved my entire family. She made me proud of who I am today.

FITZGERALD: It's everyone's right to live the best life that they can. And when I start seeing that take place in the women that I've worked with and I love -- very proud of you -- that makes it all worth while.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BOLDUAN: To nominate someone you think is a CNN Hero go to CNNheroes.com.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BOLDUAN: Filmmaker Spike Lee is really synonymous with New York film -- movie making. In his latest film releasing today in New York only he's once again telling a very thought provoking story.

Our Don Lemon had a chance to sit down with him earlier to talk about the film. It's called "Red Hook Summer."

Hey there, Don. Nice to see you. It's been a while.

DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Hey. And good to see you as well.

BOLDUAN: Don is in Atlanta.

So, Don, what is -- what's this movie about?

LEMON: You said that it is -- it was touching or provocative. It is moving. I was so surprised by some parts of this movie because it sort of veered from what you usually expect of Spike Lee, but the movie is about a young boy who is growing up just by chance here in Atlanta, and then he goes to Brooklyn, to Red Hook, which is a neighborhood in Brooklyn, to spend the summer with his grandfather.

And you think, you know, it's a movie about a kid, whatever, that's not out of the ordinary. His grandfather is a preacher and so on and so forth. And that's what the movie is about. It's really sort of a coming of age story -- Kate.

BOLDUAN: And Don, but at the same time, if you kind of look at the breadth of Spike Lee's work, his movies are often -- often have a social commentary.

LEMON: Right.

BOLDUAN: They have -- they have a viewpoint and they have message that they're trying to send, so what's the kind of message he's trying to send in this one?

LEMON: Well, I can't really talk about what happens --

(LAUGHTER)

LEMON: No, I can't talk about what happened in the plot twist.

BOLDUAN: I'm so sorry. No, it's fine.

LEMON: Because I'll give -- because I'll give it away.

BOLDUAN: OK.

LEMON: But I said it is -- it was so -- it moved me so much, and I know it will the people who are watching. I said, are you sure you wanted to include this in the movie? Are you OK with that? He said, yes, he's OK, but his co-writer didn't want it in, because he thought it was too much. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SPIKE LEE, DIRECTOR: The twist, he didn't want to have in it. He didn't want that in there.

LEMON: Really, why?

LEE: It's touchy. It's -- you know, what we did is touch and go. That's a -- that's one of the hardest scenes. I mean I don't want to give too much, but you know that -- what we did, that's not easy.

LEMON: I think that, yes. Without giving it away, I don't think you'll give it away by saying that was, that was some crazy --

LEE: Well, that's one of the hardest --

LEMON: It was deep.

LEE: That's one of the hardest he's ever had to film. If he don't include that scene, why even make that film? I have been a punk move to not include that. If you are going to go that way. If you're going to go that way and do this film, you would be a punk move not to include it. And we are not punks.

(END VIDEO CLIP) LEMON: So why do it? And he said, well, he's a storyteller and this is just his evolution, even though the subject that we're talking about, Kate, is -- it's been in the news lately and it is drawn controversy. He says, didn't have anything to do with it, it was just his evolution as a filmmaker.

BOLDUAN: That twist, quite a tease.

LEMON: Yes.

BOLDUAN: The movie is called "Red Hook Summer." Don will have -- sitting down -- sat down with Spike Lee obviously and his full interview will Spike Lee will air this weekend on CNN, Saturday at 10:00 p.m. Eastern.

Don lemon, thank you. Great to see you.

LEMON: Thank you. Thank you. You, too.

BOLDUAN: See you soon.

If you thought gas stations were only for gassing up your car, well, think again. Our Ed Lavandera tells us about his favorite gas station in Texas where you get fuel for your car and as well for your tummy.

Here's our "Travel Insider."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): What if I told you that some of the best tacos you'll find not just in Dallas, Texas, but the entire state of Texas are hidden in this gas station? Fuel City.

You're not going to find this place in some fancy photo spread with the Dallas Chamber of Commerce. It's off the beaten path. You've got to drive past a bunch of bail bondsman stores, some liquor stores, even a couple of closed-up strip joints, but it's worth the drive.

All right. We're going to take you inside where the magic is made. Como esta, senioritas. So check it out. You've got beef, you've got chicken, picadillo, you've got pork, you've got barbacoa. Check out the jalapenos and the grilled onions. Delicious.

Now Fuel City is kind of like Texas on steroids, and not many car washes where you can actually look at real long horns, some donkeys, car washes, windmills. It's kind of like Texas over the top, really.

One of my favorite things about this place? It's open 24 hours. They got breakfast tacos, you can come here any time. And it's just $1.40 per taco.

All right, now it's time for us to order. I'm ordering for everybody. We have a feast. Ready for everybody to enjoy. All right. Heaven. It's all good. Beautiful. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Gracias. May I help you?

LAVANDERA: Now after you've enjoyed the tacos and you're full, take a moment and feel sorry for the poor animals that don't get to enjoy them.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BOLDUAN: Grocery shopping, we all do it, of course, and even presidential candidates do it, and to save some money, many of us go ahead and cut out those newspaper coupons every weekend or so. Well, those days may soon be a thing of the past.

"The New York Times" reports grocers like Safeway and Kroger are customizing cheap prices just for you.

Alison Kosik is at the New York Stock Exchange looking into this.

Alison, I found this fascinating, but how does it work?

ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Yes, talk about the shopping habits, did you notice that most of us basically buy the same things week after week when we go to the grocery store? You know, sometimes we get things on sale, sometimes not. But wouldn't it be nice if you can save some money based on the things we always buy?

So yes, "The New York Times" did something interesting on this that more grocery chains are offering these personal discounts to their shoppers. Safeway is doing it, for one, giving people certain offers based on their shopping history and according to the "Times" prices can be different from person to person. So let's say one shopper is always buying different types of yogurt, very frequently. They would get a deeper discount than someone who maybe just buys it every few months.

Kroger reportedly is rolling out something similar. Now some people may be worried about privacy, but the general sentiment, Kate, seems to be that people will that tradeoff, they're willing to get that lower price and let that supermarket know what they're buying, because they're getting that lower price, they're willing to go ahead and be tracked with those loyalty cards -- Kate.

BOLDUAN: And Alison, right now, is it kind of considered -- is it a pilot program? Are they rolling this out at both of these chains?

KOSIK: Safeway currently has its program rolled out. Kroger once again is reportedly rolling out a similar program and they seem to be pretty successful because it's catching on, don't be surprised if all grocery stores catch on.

BOLDUAN: We will see it. Everything it seems these days is going personalized. Grocery shopping as well.

Alison Kosik at the New York Stock Exchange. Thank you so much, Alison.

And thanks to all -- thank you to all of you for watching. I hope -- hope you had a great week. Hope you have a great weekend. "NEWSROOM INTERNATIONAL" starts right now with Michael Holmes.