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Neil Armstrong Dies at 82; Isaac Strikes Haiti's Tent Cities; New York Shooting Left One Dead and Nine Wounded; Florida Bracing for Isaac; Romney, Ryan Hammer Obama; GOP Convention Readies for Isaac; 3 Day Care Workers Arrested for Toddler Fight Club; Huge Fundraiser for Lance Armstrong's Group, Despite Anti-Doping Allegations

Aired August 25, 2012 - 17:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, everyone. I'm Don Lemon. You are in the CNN NEWSROOM. We'll going to get you up to speed on the headlines right now.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NEIL ARMSTRONG, ASTRONAUT: That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Those famous words from American astronaut Neil Armstrong. When he stepped onto the surface of the moon, the first human being to do so, by the way. That was in 1969. The mission was Apollo 11. Neil Armstrong died today from complications following heart surgery. He was 82-years-old.

All nine people wounded in that Manhattan shoot-out yesterday were hit by police gunfire. That is according to Commissioner Ray Kelly. Police officers fired 16 rounds at Jeffrey Johnson near the Empire State building after he killed a former colleague on the sidewalk. We'll go live to New York in just a few minutes.

It's already starting to rain in South Florida as tropical storm Isaac makes its slow trek along the northern coast of Cuba inching closer to the United States. The storm has killed two people in Haiti overnight. Ripping through tent camps where hundreds of thousands of people live. Most of the island has no power. Live to Haiti in just a moment as well.

So far Isaac has not derailed any plans for the Republican National Convention, which starts on Monday in Tampa. Currently only tropical storm conditions are projected for that area, but there is a hurricane warning for the Florida Keys and parts of southwest Florida and the coast. The governor has declared a state of emergency but he says republican convention organizers are making the call if there will be any changes to their big event in Tampa.

America's most famous astronaut, Neil Armstrong, his name means one thing to American history. The moment the United States took that one giant leap onto the surface of the moon. As we said, he died today. He was recovering from major heart surgery and he was 82-years-old.

John Zarrella joins me now, and let's talk about Neil Armstrong. His place in American history is solid and how the space community, I'm sure, how they are feeling today is just horrific.

JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, there's no question about that, Don. It's, you know, you talked about the heart surgery, had about a month or so ago, and I recall talking to some of his colleagues after that. They all expressed the fact that they thought he came through it pretty well at the time, but as you mentioned in a statement his family released today, they said that his passing at 82- years-old from cardiovascular procedure complications.

So, certainly it turned for the worst in the last couple of weeks or so. I did speak with Bob Griffin, who was the pilot for the first space shuttle flight and a long-time friend of Neil Armstrong, and Griffin told me he says, "We've lost a great American. It is a sad day for the country and the world."

And you know, he was a very, very private person. I talked with him and saw him a couple of years ago. It was at the 40th anniversary of Apollo 14. He always came to those events whenever he could to support the other members of the Apollo program, every time they had an anniversary event. But even in those settings, while he was most comfortable there and seemed most at home there, he was always surrounded by people.

Everyone wanted to touch him. Everyone wanted a picture of him. And that was one of his last public appearances. Another one of his last public appearances was in 2009, at the 40th anniversary of his first flight. And he did speak at that event.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ARMSTRONG: We are humans that couldn't have explored the moon without the work of Robert Gardner. The existence of the cold war by the IGY perhaps. But certainly never on the schedule as it actually occurred. History is a sequence of random events and unpredictable choices, which is why the future is so difficult to foresee. But you can try. Thank you all for helping us celebrate this space flight anniversary.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ZARRELLA: You know, one of the other things he always supported and went to the Kennedy's space center for was to be part of the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation, that many of he and his colleagues founded years ago. To support the sciences and engineering, they give scholarships out to university students who are in aerospace and in engineering and in math. And that was one of the things that he loved dearly to support. You know, in their statement today, the family called him, you know, a reluctant hero. And I think that's probably about the best way that you can put it -- Don.

LEMON: Absolutely. John Zarrella, appreciate your reporting. Thank you very much, sir. We just gotten the latest from the National Hurricane Center. Tropical storm Isaac maintaining 60-mile-per-hour winds as it hugs the northern coast of Cuba setting its sights on the west coast of Florida and the Gulf of Mexico.

CNN's Martin Savage is live in Jacmel, Haiti for us where the storm ripped through early this morning. So, Martin, many people there are still living in tents, OK, Martin is not hearing us, but Martin is reporting live from there. Can you hear me, Martin? Martin, can you hear me now?

MARTIN SAVAGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, I can, Don. It's coming in and out. Let me just tell you what the update is regarding the circumstances here in the southern portion of Haiti. It took an extreme blow from hurricane, it seemed like it. It was tropical storm Isaac came in last night around 11:00 is when it really kicked up. And all night long until about 10:00 in the morning, you had these very extensive winds that were beating up against the coast.

And then on top of that, you had the torrential rain. As you might have pointed out in the introduction, there are a lot of people. Over 400,000 that are living in some kind of temporary shelter, many of them in tents, as a result of the earthquake from two-and-a-half years ago. So, this kind of storm coming in, in that kind of living conditions, well, it could have spelled disaster. The good news is, it didn't although it has spelled a great deal of misery here in the southern coast.

Heavy tree limbs have come down, many of the roadways were blocked much of the morning. They have since been cleared, power lines have come down, telephone lines have come down. We understand that water supplies have been interrupted. There is one death that's been reported in the area. They fear there could be more, but it could take time before people find out.

There was extensive street flooding and there were at least 1,000 or more people that had to be evacuated as to the rising water that came up very quickly last night. In all though, given the dire predictions that remain, just of the high winds and especially the heavy rains, it did not turn out as badly as it could have. But as we know, this is a nation that has had no shortage of devastation and disaster. Misery is nothing they need more of -- Don.

LEMON: All right. Martin Savage, thank you very much. I won't venture a question since you're having some trouble there and understandably with the tropical storm.

Let's move on now and talk about Cuba. Many Cubans feel like they dodged a bullet with Isaac. Havana experienced big waves and heavy winds. People pulled boats out of the water and drove cars to higher ground. But so far, no reports of major damage. East of Havana, Isaac made landfall in the town of Baracoa where several hundred people had to evacuate but again, no reports of serious problems.

The National Hurricane Center gave an update just moments ago. So, let's bring in our meteorologist here, Jennifer Delgado in the CNN Severe Weather Center for the latest on Isaac and what's it's doing, what's happening?

JENNIFER DELGADO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Hi, Don. I actually have two updates. We do know now that the tropical storm watch has been extended along the western coastline of Florida. And also the track of the storm now over towards the east a bit more. But I want to point out to you again for the tropical storm watch, we do know now that it's going to be along the west coast, north of Bonita Beach to Suwannee River. And of course, that is for Florida. Right now, as we start off, I want to point out to you, really, we have not seen a change in intensity, still at 60 miles per hour.

But as we track this, I want to point out, as it moves up towards the northwest, this is Sunday, 2:00. As we move into Monday morning, you can see it's going to be to the west of Key West. So, what's going to happen here, whether conditions are going to be deteriorating quickly on Sunday. In the morning, we are expecting tropical storm conditions. As we go into the afternoon and evening, we are expecting what looks like hurricane conditions down towards Key West, the Florida Keys and potentially in that western part of Florida.

Now, I want to point out one thing that's a big difference from last hour. Notice, it is now moving in a more westerly direction away from Tampa. This will be a category one. This is Monday, 2:00. And then notice, I'm using the warmer water, strengthening into a category two with winds of 100 kilometers or just say miles per hour. And then eventually tracking up towards the north.

But I want to point out to you of course, this is in the panhandle. This is Panama City, they kind of give you an idea of it anywhere from, we'll say to the east of New Orleans all the way over to the western part of Florida. This whole region needs to pay close attention to the system. Because there is that chance we could see this deviating. Right now, the warnings and the watches are in place. You can see in red or you can see the pink shading. That's our hurricane warning.

Miami, you are also under a hurricane watch. And I want you to know this, this area in yellow now being extended. You can see where the tropical storm watch is. As we go through the next couple of days, we still will be following a lot of the models and watching how the system does organize. Right now, 60 miles per hour just off the coast of Cuba and it looks like it's going to continue to move in that westerly direction, hugging Cuba but moving through some very warm waters. We are talking right around 90 degrees. The perfect development for this system.

LEMON: Wow! And Jennifer Delgado.

DELGADO: Yes, still a tropical storm, but a hurricane very likely.

LEMON: And you'll be watching it for us. Thank you, Jen, we appreciate it.

We are learning more about the shooting near the Empire State building, including how nine innocent bystanders were injured and why the victim might have been afraid of being attacked by the gunman. Well, before that shooting happened.

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LEMON: Brand new revealing details today about the horrific shooting on the sidewalk and the crowd at midtown Manhattan yesterday. One man shot another to death outside the Empire State building on a busy and crowded Friday morning. Well, police responded and killed the shooter. Several people were hurt, nine in all. And that's a part of this investigation we are talking about right now.

Jason Carroll is in New York tonight.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JASON CARROLL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Police surveillance video captures the shooting in front of the Empire State building. Fifty eight year old Jeffrey Johnson suddenly appears to pull a gun when confronted by two police officers. Police fire. Johnson goes down.

Amateur video shows a different angle. Johnson is still moving after being shot. He dies a short time later. Nine bystanders are hurt during the shooting all by police bullets, including Robert Asika, a tour guide.

ROBERT ASIKA, SHOOTING VICTIM: When I turned around, I see the guy with suit and he pulled out a gun. Then I guess he shot the police officer, and the police officer shot him and one of them shot me in the arm and I fell.

CARROLL: None of the bystanders' injuries were life threatening. Police fired 16 rounds but were quick to explain why so many innocent people have been hurt.

COMMISSIONER RAY KELLY, NYPD: There were flower pots and other objects around, so when the officers did fire, they had bullets fragmented. And in essence, that's what caused the wounds of the bystanders.

CARROLL: Police say, the shooting happened moments after Johnson shot and killed a former coworker. Forty one-year-old Steven Erkalino (ph). Johnson was a women's accessories designer at Hazan Imports, he was laid off a year ago but had a long-standing grudge against Erkalino over sales of his designs. Witnesses say, Johnson used his 45-caliber pistol to shoot Erkalino in the head. Then kept firing at him.

UNIDENTIFIED MAN: Pop, pop. So, we think it's like, you know, (INAUDIBLE). It was really loud. Then we heard like four more shots. Pop, pop, pop. So, we all kind of like, you know, OK, that's gunshots. So we all kind of like, you know, scoot over and we looked and we see a guy in a gray suit just walking away.

CARROLL: Johnson's neighbors say, he lived alone at this apartment building on New York's Upper East Side with his cat. One had recently had died. GISELA CASELLA, JEFFREY JOHNSON'S NEIGHBOR: I'm in shocked. I can't believe it. He was the nicest guy. I think he snapped. I don't know.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: Jason Carroll joins us now live from the Empire State building. Jason, if they hadn't taken that gunman down, many more people could have died there. But tell us what you know about the bystanders. Anything more?

CARROLL: Well, Don, as you know, there's been a lot of sort of speculation about how exactly those nine bystanders were hurt. Who exactly was at fault? Well, today Police Commissioner Ray Kelly confirmed that three of the bystanders were, in fact, hit by officers' bullets. The other six were hit by fragments but we are told, none of the injuries were life-threatening.

LEMON: OK. Anything more, you mentioned in your story, the relationship between the alleged shooter and the target, between the shooter and the target here. What more do you know, if anything, about their relationship?

CARROLL: Well, those reports that we were hearing yesterday, that the two had some sort of a tumultuous relationship, that there was a grudge between the two of them. Again, today the Police Commissioner Ray Kelly shedding a little bit more light on that. He said at one point, Erkalino had actually filed a police report against Johnson and saying that he said that Johnson had threatened to kill him.

But also, Johnson had also filed a police report against Erkalino. So, it's very clear that these two had some sort of a tumultuous relationship. What we don't know at this point is what set Johnson off yesterday?

LEMON: The investigation continues. Thank you, Jason Carroll.

Just how good are you at your job? Find out why if you lie about your abilities, you know, fudge it just a little, people might think you are a little better than you really are.

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LEMON: Ever wonder why sometimes the least qualified people often rise to the top of the career ladder? Yes. A new study may provide us some insight. Researchers at the University of California Berkeley found that when you think you're better than you are at certain tasks, people tend to believe you.

A psychologist Alduan Tartt joins me now from Los Angeles. Dr. Tart, this study I think is absolutely right. I don't know what you think, but why are we so easily persuaded by others confidence in our perception and our perceiving them?

ALDUAN TARTT, PSYCHOLOGIST AND RELATIONSHIP EXPERT: You know, Proverbs 27:3, as a man and woman think, and so they are. We like people who are really confident. In psychology, we know it is self- efficacy when you believe in yourself. And the more you believe in yourself, the more other people tend to believe in you. Here's the catch, even when you don't know what you're talking about.

(LAUGHTER)

LEMON: So can psyching yourself out, psyching one's self out really help achieve or undermine success?

TARTT: Oh, absolutely. Let's talk about the positives. One, if you believe that you're already something, you're going to behave that way. You'll have to behave as if. You said, a lot of times in the entertainment industry, where they would create audiences for people and they'll say, they are great just to develop a talent to think that they're great and then they'll develop into how people see them.

However, when you start thinking about paranoia, how the world is out to get you, you start having self-defeating thoughts about what you can't do, you tend to actually mess up. One thing that happens in sports a lot, you think, don't miss the free throw, don't miss the free throw, you end up missing the free throw because the brain does not process not. Don, if I say right now, shut the door. Don't shut the door, what happens? All you think about is shut the door.

(LAUGHTER)

LEMON: Yes. Fake it until you make it as they say. Listen, we are all looking for success in life. Is this, is this the only way to get to success by believing it, seeing your dream or seeing you be the best at what you want to be and then going into it? Having it be realized?

TARTT: Absolutely. It's called auto suggestion where you suggest to your mind things that you want to happen. And you put them on vision boards a lot of time they recommend. That's not just hokie stuff. It actually works as a science behind it. And the more you see yourself doing something, the more you behave that way. A lot of people that want to move to the next level success have to try it on and they have to already be what they dream. So, that's why you have to tell kids you are a doctor, you are a lawyer, and then they see themselves as doing that. It's really that simple, you are what you think about.

LEMON: Oh, you sound like The Secret. I don't know if you remember The Secret from a couple years ago. If you think it --

TARTT: But it is true.

LEMON: Yes. But you have to be realistic. I mean, I would like to be an opera singer but I can't sing a lick. So, you know, you have to be realistic about your talents.

TARTT: That's true. There's a study out that shows if you put in 10,000 hours of work in a particular profession, you'll be successful, regardless of your initial talent level. That's noted by Malcolm Gladwell, his book called, "Outliers."

LEMON: Yes.

TARTT: So, what happens is, if you believe in yourself and you have self efficacy, you actually work hard to get better at what you're doing but you have to be realistic. You're right.

LEMON: All right. You hear that everyone. Fake it until you make it. You see it there on the screen.

TARTT: That's right.

LEMON: Thank you, Dr. Tartt. I appreciate it.

TARTT: Take care.

LEMON: Tropical storm Isaac is poised to become a hurricane before it hits the U.S. People along the Florida Gulf Coast are getting ready filling sandbags and are boarding up shops. We'll take you live to the Florida Keys, next.

Don't forget, you can stay connected, you can watch CNN live on your computer. You can do it from work, just go to CNN.com/TV.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: It is coming up on half past the hour, so we want to take a look at your headlines now.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ARMSTRONG: That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Those famous words, of course, from American astronaut Neil Armstrong when he stepped onto the surface of the moon. The first human being to do so. The year was 1969. The mission was Apollo 11. Neil Armstrong died today from complications following heart surgery.

President Barack Obama released a statement saying Neil was among the greatest of American heroes. Not just of his time but of all time. Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney made this statement just moments ago about the passing of Neil Armstrong.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MAN: Governor Romney, did you hear about Neil Armstrong passing away?

FMR. GOV. MITT ROMNEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Very sad. He was an American hero.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Neil Armstrong was 82-years-old. All nine people wounded in that Manhattan shoot-out were hit as a result of police gunfire. That's according to the Police Commissioner Ray Kelly. Police officers fired 16 rounds at Jeffrey Johnson near the Empire State building after he killed a former colleague on the sidewalk. None of the bystanders' wounds are life-threatening.

It's already starting to rain in South Florida as tropical storm Isaac makes its slow trek along the Northern Coast of Cuba inching closer to the U.S. The storm killed two people in Haiti overnight ripping through tent camps where hundreds of thousands of people live. Most of the island has no power.

Isaac is maintaining its track and speed according to the National Hurricane Center. Its setting its sights on the west coast of Florida and the Gulf of Mexico.

CNN's Jim Spellman live now in Key West. Jim, it's usually sunny and beautiful there, not so sunny right now. The city getting ready?

JIM SPELLMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Indeed, they are, Don. Yes, we have seen some squalls of showers, not too bad here, but they really want visitors here in the Keys to leave. They added extra flights today, but after that last flight leaves around 7:00 tonight, that's it. The only way out, two main road, and 120 miles, back to the mainland of Florida. They want anybody leaving, to leave.

Anybody staying, they've got four shelters set up, they're especially concern about people who live in trailers and live on their boats, they want those people out of their boats and needed their shelters. But Don my friend, you know why people come to Key West, they come to party. And people here that are staying are not going to let the hurricane get in their way. Some of them are already planning their hurricane parties. I caught up with a man named Paul came all the way from Chicago, he said, he's not going to let Isaac ruin his fun. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SPELLMAN: Are you going to evacuate, Paul?

PAUL CANNELLA, TOURIST FROM CHICAGO: No.

SPELLMAN: How come?

CANNELLA: You know, we came down here to have a good time. I'm not going to let a little hurricane get in the way. So, just, you know, we go on lifetime experiences, hear about hurricane parties so we'll going to have some fun with it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SPELLMAN: Don, the mayor here told me that in the past they have gotten lucky when storms have come close, they are hoping to get lucky again with Isaac.

LEMON: Yes. So, you mention that long drive, the only one road in, one road out, and it's at that very end of the Keys. You mentioned some of that. But are people actually evacuating or are people getting out now?

SPELLMAN: People have been. They have been trickling out all day. We understand traffic is flowing smoothly. People here, who live here who are seasoned vets of these storms, they say, if you're going to get out, go early. If you're not, stay. There are narrow stretches where it is just elevated road. They say one accident can back the whole thing up. That's why they really want people out of here before it really starts impacting the islands tomorrow -- Don?

LEMON: Can you do me a favor, Jim? And you're photographer. Can you give us a little tour and show us around a little bit where you are?

SPELLMAN: Sure, yes. Check this out. This is Duvall Street, the main drag. Normally on a Saturday afternoon, it would be packed with people. Frankly, they would be fairly tipsy at this point. Now some families and locals are enjoying it not being crowded. Usually, this is the boardwalk of Key West. Now it's not quite a ghost town, but definitely not nearly as packed as it would be on one of the last summer Saturdays of the year.

#: In August, I was just there Memorial Day. That place should be packed right now.

Thank you. Appreciate it, Jim Spellman.

SPELLMAN: Yes. Thanks.

#: Good luck.

A major storm looming offshore as Republican convention delegates arrive in Tampa. Should they be worried about this weather? Well, we'll take you to Florida again for the very latest on the storm preps at the GOP national convention.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: That means politics, and specifically, we'll talk convention politics right now. Mitt Romney's wife, Ann, will speak at the Republican National Convention in Florida on Tuesday now, instead of Monday. Originally, scheduled for Monday. Now she'll do it on Tuesday. The Romney camp decided to delay her speech by a day after learning that the big three broadcast networks would not be carrying the first night of the convention live. So the party considers Ann Romney a strong asset for her husband's campaign, and moving her to Tuesday night will ensure a larger audience for her primetime speech.

Vice President Joe Biden also making a schedule change. He's canceled the campaign events scheduled for Monday in Tampa because of Tropical Storm Isaac. Campaign officials say local law enforcement should stay focused on protecting citizens and emergency response efforts.

Mitt Romney and his running mate, Paul Ryan, are not in Tampa yet. They made a stop this morning in Ohio. It is a state that, like Florida, is crucial to their White House hopes. They have been outside Columbus and drew thousands of people. Romney actually had President Obama's convention speech on his mind. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MITT ROMNEY, (R), FORMER MASSACHUSETTS GOVERNOR & PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: As he lays out all these wonderful things he's going to do, people are going to stop and say, but how are you going to do something different than last time? They have experienced the last four years. They know if they re-elect him they get four more years of the same. It is not his words that people have to listen to. It is his action and his record. And if they look at that, they will take him out of the office and put people into the office that will actually get America going again.

(APPLAUSE)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

#: Let's go now to Tampa and bring in senior political director, Mark Preston.

Mark, good to see you.

Mr. Romney, Mr. Ryan spent a lot of time this morning hammering the president on the economy. Are they trying to get back to their core argument in this race now?

MARK PRESTON, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL DIRECTOR: They certainly are. It's been a very tough week for the Romney campaign. Don, they wanted to stay on message and talk about the economy and have people focus on it. In the run-up with the convention next week, that's been sidetracked by the controversy regarding Todd Akin, the congressman from Missouri who is running for Senate, who said some very, very strong language that has been very embarrassing to the Republican Party regarding rape.

In addition to that, we have this storm right now that is charging up into the gulf coast and will, in some way, impact where we are here in Tampa right now. Mitt Romney wants to talk about the economy. He wants to rally his base as he heads into next week. That's exactly what he was trying to do this morning, don.

LEMON: They are trying to get back on message. Yesterday talking about the birth certificate, he said it was a joke. But whatever it was, it took him off message and now the headlines are that instead of what he wanted it to be.

Let's listen and talk about the storm. What's happening there? Do they pretty much think it's not going to affect the situation in Tampa?

PRESTON: Yes, so from this level right now, I've been speaking to somebody who is on all the telephone calls between the state, the local and the federal officials, as well as the RNC officials trying to figure out how they will handle the storm when it comes up towards Tampa. Now we know it will not be, or we are told it will not be a direct impact on Tampa, which is very good news. 50,000 people from across the country are expected to be here in Tampa. They've started to arrive in the past couple of days. But what I have been told is there is concern about very high winds. Winds that could, in fact, close down the bridges. And get this, Don, it's not to evacuate people from this area. It's actually to get some of the delegates to the convention center. There's no one talking right now, even privately on the telephone calls, about evacuating at all. But, yes, the convention right now, the organizers have got to be a little concerned because, right now, what are we talking about? We are talking about the weather, not Mitt Romney's message.

LEMON: Absolutely. And also getting people in with the airports, too. If the winds are high and if there's bad weather, that could affect them there. Listen,

I mentioned that the vice president was not going to go. He's not going to go to Tampa. That's probably a good idea, a good strategy on his part.

PRESTON: Yes, a very good strategy. In fact, I can tell you there were officials down here in Florida that did not want the vice president to come down here. The resources are so taxed right now with the convention, had he come in he would have had to pull the law enforcement resources away. In addition to that, with the storm coming in, it was a smart move for him not to come here.

However, there is a war room, so to speak, a political war room, being run by the Democratic National Committee in the Obama campaign. And I've been told by one campaign official that, in fact, that war room will shut down if the Republican National Committee decides to curtail their political event down here.

So politics is still very much at play, but I do have to say this. Everyone is a professional. If things tend to head south, so to speak, we'll see both political parties show a little bit of respect for one another and to stop the politicking, at least temporarily -- Don?

LEMON: OK. We hope.

Thank you, Mark Preston.

Don't forget, CNN's live coverage of the Republican National Convention starts Sunday night at 7:00 eastern right here on CNN. And then again Monday night, at 8:00 p.m. eastern, we'll present a profile of soon-to-be presidential nominee, Mitt Romney. Gloria Borgia is doing it, as a matter of fact -- "Romney Revealed, Family, Faith and the Road to Power." It's going to air again, 8:00 here eastern on CNN.

A harrowing video showing toddlers being forced to fight each other. And it all happened at a day care center. Attorney Holly Hughes is joining us next to talk about the case.

But first, one way to get through a difficult circumstance is to talk with someone who has been through it. That's the premise of Imerman's Angels, connecting cancer patient with survivors. Meet Jonny Imerman, our "CNN Hero" of the week. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JONNY IMERMAN, CNN HERO: All of a sudden, it was like somebody took a syringe and stabbed me directly in my left testicle. At 26, I was diagnosed with cancer, so I had to go right into chemo.

In the hospital, I saw these people by themselves. I could see the fear.

My goal was to get in there and motivate patients so that they wanted to jump out of the chemo bed and literally start swinging at this thing.

My name is Jonny Imerman. I'm a two-time testicular cancer survivor. And I created an organization to make sure that people diagnosed with cancer are able to reach a survivor.

(on camera): You need to be strong and listen to your body. It'll tell you what you need to do.

(voice-over): It started with a few survivors sharing information one to one with somebody diagnosed with the exact same cancer.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: As a 29-year-old healthy young adult, cancer is not a part of our language. I'm really happy I have this community that Jonny has built.

IMERMAN: We have helped people in over 60 countries. We have matched over 8,000 total since inception.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Terry has been like my guardian angel. Anytime I call her, she's right there.

IMERMAN (on camera): It's a brother and a sister, and that's for sure.

(voice-over): We help people of all ages -- caregivers, spouses. We will help the parents connect to other parents. And they just get a ton of young adults who share stories, they listen, you learn.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I was 30 years old when I was diagnosed and I wanted to make it until my son was at least 5. And I'm still here today.

IMERMAN: We help each other.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's the kind of information you need to hear from somebody who's been through it. There's really no other way.

IMERMAN: I don't really count the days since cancer because every day is a good day. I'm happy I got out of bed this morning. Life is amazing.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: Imerman's Angels. Nominate your hero now at CNNheros.com. Nominations for this year close next week.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: You are not going to believe this story. A toddler fight club. I'm not kidding, a toddler fight club. Three day care workers in Delaware have been arrested after police got a hold of what they are calling disturbing and shocking cell phone video. They are accused of encouraging toddlers to fight each other. Then they filmed it. Dover police talked about that video.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CAPT. TIM STUMP, DOVER POLICE: Clearly, one of the children is crying and does not want to continue on. And he is pushed back into the fray by one of the adults.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: So criminal defense attorney, Holly Hughes, is here.

CNN reached out to the day care and they have not given us a response yet.

What charges do the three women face?

HOLLY HUGHES, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY & PROSECUTOR: They are looking at a couple of difference misdemeanors.

(CROSSTALK)

LEMON: First of all, what the hell?

(LAUGHTER)

(CROSSTALK)

LEMON: Come on!

HUGHES: What's going on in Delaware is what I want to know.

(LAUGHTER)

Because, last week -- no, seriously. Last week, we covered the case where the doctor is accused of waterboarding his daughter. These are accusations, just like these are. We have not proven them yet.

LEMON: It's real, Holly.

HUGHES: But it is disturbing indeed.

(CROSSTALK)

HUGHES: Two little 3-year-olds, right?

LEMON: Yes. HUGHES: And they are encouraging them to fight so they are charged with endangering a child, engaging the welfare of a child, reckless engagement, conspiracy and assault.

LEMON: OK, so the day care providers have been suspended. Who is liable here, the day care or the state?

HUGHES: What you'll find out -- the day care did their due diligence. I have been reading the reports on this. They ran background checks on these workers and the workers came up clean. So at the time they hired them, the day care had done what they were supposed to do under the law.

The problem now becomes, Don, was this an ongoing thing, and who knew about it, and when did they know about it? Did the owners of the day care know? That may play into liability. But if they're like, hey, we ran backgrounds, put these women in charge, not going to be held liable.

LEMON: Whatever it is, I mean, it's nuts.

HUGHES: Well, it is.

LEMON: Well, I've never --

(CROSSTALK)

HUGHES: And one of these women is 47 years old. Can we just say that? Talk about, you show know better, encouraging 3-year-old little boys to punch each other. Unbelievable.

LEMON: AS they say, innocent until proven guilty, but it's a crazy store. I've never heard anything like it.

OK, so the day care's business license suspended.

HUGHES: Right.

LEMON: We said that Delaware, you said doesn't have an issue with this, with liability, so it will be on the day care.

HUGHES: Right. Exactly.

LEMON: OK. Just wanted to make sure.

HUGHES: It's coming down to the day care owners, what they knew and when.

LEMON: Let's move on. I want to talk about a story in Dallas, Texas. A young woman found dead in her home two days after making a desperate call to 911 screaming for her life. CNN affiliate, WFNA, reports police went to the home but left when they didn't see anything wrong. City leaders are investigating now and her family wants answers. Could the city be responsible in her death?

HUGHES: It's possible. We need to know who dropped the ball here. The allegations are that the officers who went to the house, who were dispatched to the house, were not given all the information the 911 operator had. And that's where it comes down to, can she be held personally liable for not passing on this information. The officers who went out there acted responsibly with all due diligence. They were not aware that when this phone was called in, this woman is screaming for her life. The 911 operator taking the call clearly can tell the woman was in distress. That was never relayed to the police officers who went out there. Did they knock on the door, hollered out, didn't see anything wrong and left. So if there's liability -- and it is very difficult to hold a city liable -- it's going to come down to the actions of the 911 operator, not the officers.

LEMON: Thank you, Holly Hughes.

HUGHES: Absolutely.

LEMON: We'll follow all of these.

HUGHES: Yes.

LEMON: Thank you.

The Republican National Convention gets started on Monday but comedians are already having fun with the GOP gathering.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Comedian Bill Maher is offering his own preview of next week's Republican convention in way that only Bill Maher can.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BILL MAHER, COMEDIAN: They'll all go down to Tampa we're an evangelical party is going to nominate a Mormon and a Catholic and then get wiped out by a hurricane --

(LAUGHTER)

-- leaving Florida to the Jews as God intended.

(LAUGHTER)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(LAUGHTER)

LEMON: Don't forget CNN's live coverage starts Monday night at 7:00 eastern.

And Wolf Blitzer is coming up live at the top of the hour with a special edition of the "Situation Room." Stay tuned.

His foundation helps cancer survivors around the world, but can Livestrong survive with the scandal surrounding the legendary founder, Lance Armstrong? A 24-hour cycling marathon is underway right now to prove, yes, it can. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Lance Armstrong knows about uphill battles his latest cycling watchers say he won't be able to beat. Yesterday, the Anti-Doping Agency says it's going to strip him of his seven Tour De France titles after Armstrong decided not to contest charges that he used performance-enhancing drugs. The head of the World Anti-Doping Agency said Armstrong's inaction speaks volumes.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN FAHEY, PRESIDENT, WORLD ANTI-DOPING AGENCY: His failure to rebut the charges, very serious charges, has effectively admitted they have substance.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Well, he's always denied allegations of doping, Armstrong has. And many of his fans and followers are standing by him, including those at a fundraising event for Livestrong, Armstrong's nonprofit foundation for cancer survivors.

CNN's Athena Jones live at that event in Columbia, Maryland, for us now.

Are people staying positive, even in light of all of this?

ATHENA JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: They absolutely are, Don. We're hour hours into this 24-hour bike ride. There are going to be people riding the majority of that 24 hours to raise money for the Lance Armstrong Foundation. They're going to be sharing money with a local cancer research group.

The organizers and the riders we've spoken to here are all remaining positive. They stand behind Armstrong's decision. They also say they believe him. They believe he's been riding clean all these years and that all of this news is really a distraction from what his true legacy is, which is cancer research, raising money for cancer research -- Don?

LEMON: How much of support are you finding for Lance Armstrong, the cyclist versus the anticancer campaigner?

JONES: It's an interesting question because it's really a little bit of both. You have people who say that, yes, we recognize him as the champion bicyclist, but really the more important part of it is his fight against cancer, his fight to raise money for cancer research, raise money for people who can't afford to get their cancer treatments. And so one question we ask, though, is will this news affect fund raising? Will it affect the money that people donate to Livestrong?

Here's what one of the organizers had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) BASIL LYBERT, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, 24 HOURS OF BOOTY: Once we read the news, we received so many messages from people that their resolve to fight was even greater. That it's not about fight, it's about fighting cancer. He's inspired people to do, is to get on the bike and raise the funds for those who need it, that need that advocacy, that patient advocacy and those services. So I think it's something that, on our end, we will see people getting more engaged. Over the last 24 hours, there's been $25,000 of donations that we've received.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JONES: And now you heard him say $25,000. That's just this event here in Columbia. Lance Armstrong himself tweeted yesterday, you know, thanking all of his supporters worldwide saying that between thursday and Friday, donations were up 25 times. So it certainly doesn't seem they're too concerned that they're going to be affected when it comes to fundraising about this. As I mentioned, you're going to have some people who reach 300 miles over the course of the next 20 hours or so of bicycling here -- Don?

LEMON: Athena, it's a very interesting question because, in his initial statement the other night, he did not admit any guilt. He just said I'm tired of fighting these accusations, and actually called out to people who were going against him, the Anti-Doping Agency.

But a real question -- you and I tweeted -- what happens with the yellow bracelets right now? What do I do with my yellow bracelet? And people say wear it with pride. I would imagine when you're talking about a disease like cancer that would override any situation that Lance Armstrong may be dealing with.

JONES: That's certainly the response that we've seen here. I mean, this is about people who are dealing with cancer, people who have lost people to cancer. You have people out here riding who are survivors. And so we expect there to be continued support -- Don?

LEMON: Thank you, Athena. We appreciate it.

I'm Don Lemon in Atlanta. See you back here an hour from now. In the meantime, a special edition of "THE SITUATION ROOM," live now with Mr. Wolf Blitzer.