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Saving at the Pump; New Spanish Version of National Anthem Creates Controversy

Aired April 28, 2006 - 15:00   ET

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

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: All right, we have been discussing this a lot, "The Star-Spangled Banner," synonymous with America, right? It's sung at our most solemn events, grandest of celebrations.
Now immigration rights activists have recorded a new version of the National Anthem in Spanish. Critics are outraged. And some immigration supporters worry the recording could spark a backlash.

We get more now from Ines Ferre of CNN Espanol.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (singing): At the twilight's last gleaming.

INES FERRE, CNN ESPANOL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's one of the most recognizable tunes in America, an icon of America.

(MUSIC)

FERRE: The Star Spangled Banner, the national anthem, the famous words written almost 200 years ago by Francis Scott Key.

(MUSIC)

FERRE: Now a version with new lyrics in Spanish called "Nuestro Himno," our anthem.

(MUSIC)

FERRE: Adam Kidron is the British music executive behind the idea.

ADAM KIDRON, MUSIC EXECUTIVE: I was watching CNN and I was watching the debate about the undocumented immigrants. And it felt weird to me that there was no -- I wanted to find a song that everybody could sing, because that's what we do, that would express unity and solidarity with the undocumented immigrants.

FERRE: The recording features Latin artists like Gloria Trevi and Voz a Voz, and American star Wyclef Jean all singing in Spanish.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's American dream. You know, everybody in this country came from somewhere else and they came and they work hard and they build a family and that is the American dream.

(MUSIC)

FERRE: Lyrics in the first stanza are relatively faithful to the English, but the second stanza takes a little more liberty with one phrase saying in Spanish, we are equals, we are brothers.

More than 300 versions of "The Star-Spangled Banner" have been recorded over the years, some controversial, but all, as far as anyone can tell, in English, until now.

KIDRON: Why not take the National Anthem, that's been interpreted by Jimi Hendrix and interpreted by Jose Feliciano and interpret it again as an express of solidarity for the undocumented immigrants.

FERRE: The song is going to radio stations. An album comes later, with producers saying some of the money goes to groups fighting for immigrants.

(MUSIC)

FERRE: But it is also sure to create controversy.

Ines Ferre, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Now, throughout the show, we have been asking you about your comments about this Spanish-language version of the National Anthem.

Here is some of what you have said, this coming from Connie out of North Carolina: "Let's ask Vicente Fox to sing the Mexico anthem in English. I think we have moved way past dumb and stupid, and into just plain insanity."

And this from Mike out of Tennessee: "Being upset over a Spanish version of our National Anthem is petty and mean-spirited. We should be honored to have it translated into other languages."

And I think we have got at least one more. Troy, who is of the U.S. Air Force, says: "Don't change the National Anthem or Pledge of Allegiance. These are American traditions. And they should not be altered, regardless of politically correct everyone is trying to be."

We encourage you to send more e-mails or your comments on this version of the National Anthem. Send it to LIVEFROM@CNN.com, and we will try to get it on the air before we get off the air this hour, at least.

President Bush had a quick answer today, when he was asked about the Spanish version of the National Anthem.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I think the National Anthem ought to be sung in English, and I think people who want to be a citizen of this country ought to learn English, and they ought to learn to sing the National Anthem in English.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: The producer who came up with the idea for the recording has released a statement.

Adam Kidron says -- quote -- "The intention of recording 'Nuestro Himno, 'Our Anthem,' has never -- was, rather, has never been to discourage immigrants from learning English and embracing American culture. We instead view 'Nuestro Himno' as a song that affords those immigrants that have not yet learned the English language the opportunity to fully understand the character of 'The Star Spangled Banner,' the American flag, and the ideals of freedom that they represent" -- end quote.

Well, earlier, I spoke with two radio hosts. One called the anthem idea silly, but the other said he is hearing opinions for and against the recording.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NICO JONES, RADIO TALK SHOW HOST: The response was quite divided. You know, I -- we had both points of view from Latinos and non-Latinos.

Latino 96.3 here in Los Angeles is a radio station that a lot of Latinos listen to. And we had Latinos that both felt it was a disrespect. People in our building that served in the U.S. Marine Corps felt it was a disrespect.

We also had Latinos that said, you know what, it's the words of the National Anthem that actually means something. And the words are there, and we are here as a country of immigrants.

So, it was pretty divided this morning.

BLANQUITA CULLUM, RADIO TALK SHOW HOST: I think it's pretty stupid.

And let me tell you why: because, at a time when you are trying to show the American people, who question the Mexican-Americans or Mexicans who are in this country working in the United States, where their loyalties are, one of the demonstrations, out of respect, is learning the national anthem, learning the Pledge of Allegiance.

JONES: Right.

CULLUM: Now here's the other thing. Take it the other way.

WHITFIELD: Mmm-hmm.

CULLUM: Do you really think that Vicente Fox or the country of Mexico would be supportive of singing the Mexican national anthem in English? I don't think so.

(END VIDEO CLIP) WHITFIELD: Well, the record label behind the Spanish-language anthem wants stations to play it at 7:00 p.m. Eastern today in a show of solidarity.

Monday's planned immigrant boycott of schools and businesses has the official backing of the California Senate. The Democrat-dominated chamber voted 24-13 along party lines for resolution, calling Monday's protest the Great American Boycott 2006. Senate opponents call the resolution misleading. They say it fails to mention that one goal of the boycott is to pressure Congress to legalize millions of people who entered the U.S. illegally.

New details from a 10-year-old police report surfacing today in the Duke University rape case -- it's information that may never be exhibit A, but the defense team wants that other court, the court of public opinion, to hear it loud and clear.

Amanda Rosseter is in Durham, North Carolina, with more on that -- Amanda.

AMANDA ROSSETER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Fredricka.

Yes, a really interesting development here in North Carolina today. It all concerns -- it is coming out of Creedmoor, North Carolina, a town not far from here in Durham.

And it appears that the accuser in the Duke lacrosse rape case 10 years ago filed a police report, saying that, 13 years ago, three years prior to that, she was beaten and sexually assaulted by three men at an unspecified location.

She made that police report, identified all three men, but then never followed up. She never pursued the case. And, so, the police in Creedmoor say, since the pursuer -- since the accuser did not pursue the case, they did not pursue it either. And nothing was made of that report.

Following that announcement from the Creedmoor police chief this morning, we also heard from the Durham DA Mike Nifong. He came out to talk about North Carolina's rape shield law, and how that may or may not have any bearing on the Duke rape case.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAEL NIFONG, DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA, DISTRICT ATTORNEY: All the facts are not yet known, and many of the so-called facts that have been reported and commented on are simply wrong.

For the sake of the victim, for the sake of the accused, for the sake of our system of justice, I encourage everyone to step back from this situation and allow that system to do its job.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Again, Mike Nifong encouraging everyone, including the media in this case, to step back, let the system work. He says not all of the details are in, and we all need to be wary of that.

Of course, his -- he is up for reelection this year. A lot has been made of how he has handled this case, a lot of concern, a lot of criticism surrounding that. He is up for reelection. And that election happens on Tuesday, Fredricka.

So, we will see sort of how this gets played out politically -- back to you.

WHITFIELD: And, so, Amanda, the attorneys representing the Duke players have been quite loquacious throughout this whole thing. Have we heard anything from them about this now?

ROSSETER: We have not heard any from -- anything from them, particularly about this Creedmoor case -- report, I should say.

They had said last week, the attorneys for both Reade Seligmann and Collin Finnerty has said that they will not come out and speak publicly about this case, particularly their clients' cases, until the next hearing. And that is not scheduled until the end of May -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: And, then, what is being said about the timing of all of these developments, or even, you know, Nifong coming out, considering that, in just a few days is Election Day there?

ROSSETER: I will say that, although he has been criticized in the past for being very vocal and being very open with the media, coming out very early in this investigation, today, he read his statement and he did not take any questions -- Fredricka

WHITFIELD: OK, Amanda Rosseter, thank you so much for that update.

A wildcat? Well, someone has overfed the pet, maybe. Authorities at Andrews Air Force Base don't really know what they are looking for, after rather different accounts of a marauding feline. Witnesses agree it had whiskers and it was big, but one description said the cat was brown and spotted. The other said it was black. Police and animal control officers are keeping their eyes peeled, still, there in the suburbs of Washington, D.C.

In the meantime, three local schools are asking parents to pick up kids who usually walk home.

And capping our trifecta of urban animal adventures, no quibbling about the identity of this unexpected visitor in suburban L.A. Remember, we talked about that yesterday? Well, this is, unequivocally, a bear, a black bear. It was spotted in Westlake Village.

Fish and game officials think it wandered down from local foothills. They plan to tranquilize it and relocate it , in that order. And we will just remind them to keep a trampoline -- a trampoline, rather -- handy -- ow -- in case the bear gets stuck up in a tree. And, hopefully, it did OK. Well, tired of feeling like you need a loan every time you pull up to the gas pump? There are ways to find lower prices, if you know where to look. We will tell you all about them -- coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Well, here's a sign of the times. It says self- service. New Jersey and Oregon are the only states in the nation that still require attendants to pump gas.

But with drivers demanding relief from high prices, folks in the Garden State soon may be pumping their own. New Jersey Governor Jon Corzine is asking his legislature to authorize self-service pumps, at least at some locations. He thinks the change could save drivers six cents a gallon.

Oregon, you might be next.

For many of us, the thrill of the open road has been replaced by the search for cheap gas. There's even a Web site to help out, GasBuddy.com.

Jason Toews is the founder. And he joins us now from Regina, Canada.

Good to see you.

JASON TOEWS, FOUNDER, GASBUDDY.COM: Oh, thanks for having me on.

WHITFIELD: All right.

Well, folks, especially right now, everybody wants some tips on how to find, I guess, a better deal out there. But is it even possible? They go to GasBuddy.com. And do they find, by putting in their zip code, that there's a selection of, I guess, gas prices out there? Or are they finding out that it's pretty much the average everywhere?

TOEWS: Well, GasBuddy.com is our main portal Web site. And we have local Web sites all across the country. And we cover Canada, too.

WHITFIELD: Mmm-hmm.

TOEWS: And it's just a way for people to share tips on where the cheapest gas is. So, you can log on to the site, punch in your zip code. And it will bring up a listing of all the cheapest gas in the area.

WHITFIELD: All right.

OK. We punched up my zip code. I mean, we don't have it on camera here, but we tried it before air. And there was like a one cent difference in all the -- the locations, at least in my area. So, are folks really finding that they can find a better bargain out there? Or is it just kind of verification, that, you know what, it's expensive no matter where you go?

TOEWS: It depends on where you are. But we noticed that a lot of metro area have a difference of 30 to 50 cents per gallon between the high and low price. So, you can -- can actually save some money. You just need to know where to look. It's quite easy to save 15 cents per gallon on a -- on one purchase in gas.

WHITFIELD: OK. Well, that's encouraging.

Well, let's talk about some other ways that perhaps you can, you know, stretch the dollar, save gas. You have some tips that you put online at your Web site. For one, you say avoid high speeds. Obviously, that's no way to conserve your gasoline. And you say, don't accelerate or brake hard. How does that make a difference...

TOEWS: Well, of course, if...

WHITFIELD: ... accelerating hard, braking hard?

TOEWS: Yes. Of course, if you accelerate really hard, you are wasting a lot of gas. Engines burn a lot more fuel when you accelerate hard.

And, of course, if you're speeding up to a traffic light, and you stop, well you're -- you're burning gas on the way to the traffic light. So, of course, don't accelerate and brake hard. Just try to drive calmly and smoothly.

WHITFIELD: And something as simple as keeping your tires properly inflated, it's amazing to -- to learn how much money you really can save by keeping a close watch on your tires.

TOEWS: Oh, definitely.

Like, if your tires are under-inflated, you're not rolling. You're -- you're getting a lot more friction on the road with the tires, and you're wasting a lot of gas that you really don't have to. So, always make sure that your tires are properly inflated.

WHITFIELD: All right. And this one kill me, especially if you live in a -- in a climate that is rather steamy. Use your air conditioning sparingly and, at the same time, keep your windows closed. Huh?

TOEWS: Yes. You know, it's -- it's tough to do in really hot climates.

(LAUGHTER)

TOEWS: But if you're driving on the highway, try to have your A.C. on. But it's actually more fuel-efficient. There's less drag than having your windows open.

But if you're just driving around in the city, it often makes -- it makes better sense to have your windows open, because there's not much air resistance at low speeds. WHITFIELD: OK.

And, recently, you had a deal with "The Washington Post" where you kind of had like an online chat with people who had some questions for you, who wanted to get some guidance. What were some of the things that stood out...

TOEWS: Well...

WHITFIELD: ... of the comments and the questions?

TOEWS: You know, we're sensing a lot of frustration on the part of consumers.

And people really don't know why the high gas prices are here. And they think a lot of the gas stations are gouging them. But, really, the -- the gas -- retail gasoline industry is a very cutthroat industry. They are very competitive with each other, because they don't want to be beat out by the competition down the street.

WHITFIELD: OK.

TOEWS: And what you find is that they actually only make a penny or two per gallon on the price of gas. And it's really the oil companies that are having the record profits right now. And, of course, oil-producing countries like OPEC, they are making a lot of money right now, too.

WHITFIELD: And when you go to your Web site, you can also see that you have been tracking gas prices for some time, even before Katrina. But when you look at, you know, the prices now, and its peak, and you compare that to the peak just immediately after Katrina, we're seeing that we're paying pretty close to what we were immediately after that hurricane.

TOEWS: Yes.

WHITFIELD: How do you analyze this?

TOEWS: Well, you know, right after the hurricane, there was a lot of refineries that went out. They -- they weren't producing any more gasoline. And it caused some really short-term supply problems.

But now what we're seeing is that the -- the price of crude oil is very high. And that makes up about half the cost of a gallon of gas.

WHITFIELD: Mmm-hmm.

TOEWS: And any time you see the -- the one of the inputs for a commodity like gasoline go up that much, you are going to see the price reflected at the pumps. And, since we have seen such sustained high crude oil prices all winter long, we're seeing the ramifications this year.

But not only that; we're seeing it -- the switch-over from MTBE to ethanol this year.

WHITFIELD: OK.

TOEWS: And there's been shortages of ethanol, and -- which is impacting the price of gasoline.

WHITFIELD: All right.

Jason Toews of GasBuddy.com, thanks so much for the tips...

TOEWS: Yes.

WHITFIELD: ... and helping us to save a little money and stretch the gas dollar, if you will.

TOEWS: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: All right.

Well, here's one way to save on gasoline. Switch to one horsepower transportation. In other words, ride a pony.

(LAUGHTER)

WHITFIELD: Some students at a Salt Lake City high school decided they were better off saddling up, than filling up. They were spurred by a radio station that urged its listeners to -- quote -- "pass on gas" -- a little fun play on words there.

(LAUGHTER)

WHITFIELD: Well, call it a rude awakening. It's certainly not what some radio faithful were expecting when they tuned in this morning. Wait until you hear what they heard instead.

The news keeps coming. And we will keep bringing it to you on LIVE FROM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: That Howard Stern. The FCC is having issues with him again. And here's a twist. It has got nothing to do with potty humor, strippers, or four-letter words, not really.

CNN's Ali Velshi is here with more.

Ali, what is going on.

ALI VELSHI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That was a good lead-in. And, somehow, I have something to do with all those things? So, it's...

(LAUGHTER)

VELSHI: ... Howard Stern moves over to satellite radio. And, theoretically, the idea is, those who really want to listen to him say whatever he wants to -- to say can, and those who don't, don't have to.

Now, this wasn't really a problem, because, in the past, if you didn't want to listen to Howard Stern, when he was on regular broadcast radio, you just didn't listen to him. Well, now there's a bit of a problem, because in -- in certain parts of -- of the country, where I am, in Eastern Pennsylvania, in particular, there are a number of radio stations, some of which are -- are Christian radio stations, or conservative radio stations, where people are tuning in to listen, and they are getting Howard Stern. They are hearing Howard Stern.

Now, how is this happening, because Howard Stern is over in -- in -- in satellite radio world? So, how are people who -- with regular radios getting it? Well, according to -- to some people that we have talked to, if you don't install the satellite radio properly, it actually ends up acting like a bit of an FM transmitter.

And in certain areas where there are not a lot of radio stations or there is some space available on the regular broadcast radio spectrum, they are getting these signals. So, people are complaining to radio stations, and there are some radio stations saying, this isn't us. We're not broadcasting this stuff.

And a number of complaints have been sent over to the FCC, because people don't want to hear all that stuff you talked about...

WHITFIELD: Hmm.

VELSHI: ... the potty humor and strippers and all that kind of stuff.

WHITFIELD: OK. Well, wait a minute. But if it is not intentional, because there's no accusation that it's intentional, right?

VELSHI: Right.

WHITFIELD: It's a matter of the bleeding frequency. Then, what really could the FCC do, if you're not installing or not having your satellite radio installed properly, and this is the byproduct of that?

VELSHI: The FCC is one of those unusual bodies, where it's -- it's never really clear what they are going to do. But they...

(LAUGHTER)

VELSHI: ... end up surprising people all the time.

(LAUGHTER)

VELSHI: If -- intentionally...

WHITFIELD: You're not saying they are making it up as they go along, now, are you?

VELSHI: Intentionally -- oh, I don't think you even could make that stuff up, if you tried. (LAUGHTER)

VELSHI: I think -- I think...

WHITFIELD: Just checking.

VELSHI: ... what happens is that intentionally broadcasting, interfering with somebody's else broadcast, is illegal.

WHITFIELD: Right.

VELSHI: That's one of those things that, you know, I think they -- they might send a letter out or, say, look, I -- I know nobody is intentionally doing this, but we have to fix this problem.

If there really is a problem of poorly installed satellite radios, I don't know what you do about that. Do you go to every installer in the country and maybe -- maybe these satellite radio companies have to send out a -- a bulletin to their installers to say...

WHITFIELD: Right.

VELSHI: ... hey, if you don't get this right or you cross a wire or something, this is what happens.

Now, as a business guy, Fred, you know what I would do out of this whole thing?

WHITFIELD: What?

VELSHI: Getting free -- free Howard Stern?

(LAUGHTER)

VELSHI: It's 12 bucks a month or something on Sirius. There's got to be some way to make money out of that.

WHITFIELD: Yes, I don't know. This sounds very complicated. Something tells me this is going to be a tough thing to fix for those who are complaining about it.

VELSHI: Yes. I mean, I -- I didn't know, until the story came up, that this actually happens, that, somehow, you can miswire things, and people can hear satellite radio. It strikes me that that's -- A, that's...

WHITFIELD: Yes. Someone is going to cash in now.

VELSHI: ... been a problem for everybody involved.

WHITFIELD: Like you said, someone...

VELSHI: Yes.

WHITFIELD: ... is going to cash in now on those miswires. (LAUGHTER)

VELSHI: You know, yesterday, there was a story about how people -- on the Web, you can find make-your-own-ethanol kits. And -- now there's a -- oh, how do we miswire our satellite radio, so that we can broadcast this stuff?

I...

WHITFIELD: Right.

VELSHI: I imagine there will be some do-it-yourselfers involved in this at some point.

WHITFIELD: That Howard Stern, he still has quite the draw, doesn't he?

VELSHI: He does.

WHITFIELD: All right, Ali Velshi, thanks so much.

VELSHI: Good to see you.

WHITFIELD: Well, the world's favorite young prince all grown up now. Prince Harry takes on a new charity in memory of his mother -- more on that coming up.

Jennifer Westhoven has today's look at "Life After Work."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JENNIFER WESTHOVEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): ... vice president of a wholesale baking company anymore. Instead, you're out calling balls and strikes on a baseball diamond and thinking this is exactly where I want to be.

HAROLD ROSENTHAL, BASEBALL UMPIRE: After I retired, I think within four weeks, I was attending my first class.

WESTHOVEN: That was back in 1998. And now every spring, Harold Rosenthal stands behind home plate, calling high school baseball games.

ROSENTHAL: Well, now I umpire pretty much six days a week from the middle of March until the end of July.

WESTHOVEN: His love for America's favorite past time runs deep.

ROSENTHAL: I always loved baseball. As a kid, I was a big fan. When I came out here 35 years ago, I got involved in the local baseball programs, coaching recreational baseball, little league, Babe Ruth. And I just loved being on a baseball field.

WESTHOVEN: And at 63, he says he's got plenty of years and enthusiasm for the game. ROSENTHAL: I did a game the first or second year I was umpiring, the other umpire was 82-years-old. I said to him after walking off the field, If you can tell me that I'd still be umpiring baseball when I'm 82, on my 83rd birthday, you can take me and I have no complaints.

WESTHOVEN: Jennifer Westhoven, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Our Tony Harris is in the newsroom with this developing story.

TONY HARRIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Fred, these -- these are some amazing pictures, sad pictures, really.

We want to take you now to these pictures coming out of Kenduis (ph) in Zanzibar. This is Tanzania, the Kenduis (ph) area of Zanzibar and Tanzania.

Hundreds of dolphins, about 400 in all, found dead on the beaches there this morning -- not clear what killed the dolphins. Poisoning has been ruled out, but it's possible they may have been stranded by an unusually quick change in the tide. The fact that the carcasses, Fred, were found along a

HARRIS: on the beaches there this morning. Not clear what killed the dolphins. Poisoning has been ruled out, but it's possible they may have been stranded by an unusually quick change in the tide. The fact that carcasses, Fred, were found along a 2.5 mile stretch of the beach is what's leading to that bit of speculation.

And this is a popular tourist destination in Zanzibar. Villagers were warned not to eat the dolphins' meat. Don't use it as a source of food, was the clarion (ph) call that went out. That's because the cause of death hasn't been determined yet. But we're told residents who did the dolphins' meat are all doing fine.

So just a massive kill there along that coastline. Just hundreds of dolphins washed up, dead.

WHITFIELD: So sad. So when you talk about the tide change, you mean like a high tide while the dolphins were, you know, closer to shore, and then a sudden low tide and they just kind of got stuck?

HARRIS: Exactly. And just a sudden shift. Something that, you know, meteorologist and oceanographers can explain. But yes, a sudden shift in the change of the tide and it just left the dolphins, as you can see here, beached.

WHITFIELD: And it is unusual for us to hear about a report like this in this part of the world.

HARRIS: Yes, it really is.

WHITFIELD: So seldom are we hearing about the marine life in trouble.

HARRIS: No, you're right. You're absolutely right. Although there was -- I'm trying to remember the coast. There was another incident not too long ago. I can't remember the specifics of it, but I know that marine oceanographers were looking whether sonar might have played a role in it.

WHITFIELD: Interesting.

HARRIS: Yes, yes. But that doesn't seem to be a factor in this story.

WHITFIELD: All right. We'll look forward to more details on that. Tony, thanks so much.

WHITFIELD: All right. Well, we'll look forward to more details on that. Tony, thanks so much.

(WEATHER REPORT)

WHITFIELD: Well, for the first time in four years, lawmakers in Nepal took to their seats today in parliament. It's not been the most stable few weeks for Nepal. A steadily growing and increasingly violent pro-democracy movement is blamed for the deaths of more than a dozen people. Nepal's king dissolved parliament in 2002, but under pressure from all sides restored it this week. The prime minister designate was out sick for the opening session.

And you think they're just wild about Harry only in the United Kingdom. Oh, no. The prince's stock just went way up in a part of the world whose predicament desperately needs attention and a face, and royal compassion that would make his mother proud.

CNN's Jeff Koinange reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEFF KOINANGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Prince Harry has traveled the world and met tens of thousands of people, some very important. But he has not forgotten the children he met at this tiny mountain kingdom nearly two years ago, children like six-year-old Mutsu Potsane (ph), who lived in the AIDS orphanage in the country's capital Maseru.

PRINCE HARRY, UNITED KINGDOM: It's really good to see him. I think he remembers me. His English is still as good or as bad as it used to be. But to see so many new kids here -- it's nice, in a way, to know that they're being looked after. But, at the same time, more kids are coming in, which is a problem.

KOINANGE: Lesotho has one of the highest HIV rates in the world: 29 percent of the adults in a country with just over two million people. The young prince has teamed up with Lesotho's prince, Seeiso Bereng Seeiso. Their message? AIDS is real and does not discriminate. Together they hope to prevent the spread of a disease that's decimated entire households in Lesotho.

PRINCE SEEISO BERENG SEEISO, LESOTHO: Parents are dying. Both spouses are dying. We have so many double orphans in this country. And a 14-year-olds, a 13-year-olds, you wouldn't be surprised to be heading a household.

KOINANGE: In 2004, the two princes worked with the British Red Cross to set up a fund that has since raised nearly $2 million. Now, in an effort to call more attention to the pandemic in Lesotho, they've formed a new charity this week, Sentebale, a local Lesotho word meaning forget-me-not. It's going to take a concerted effort to help stamp out the scourge in a nation where one in three are said to be HIV positive.

PRINCE HARRY: As far as I'm concerned, I'll be here, come do visits as much as I can to come and see my good friends Seeiso, to come and see all the kids.

KOINANGE (on camera): AIDS in Africa was an important issue for the late Princess Diana. Looking every bit like an officer and a gentlemen, the recent military school graduate seems to be picking up where his mother left off.

Jeff Koinange, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Here's something else. Could a simple medical procedure cut down on the spread of HIV/AIDS? The jury is still out, but initial studies seem to show that circumcision can lower a man's risk of infection by about two-thirds. Circumsized men who have HIV/AIDS also seem less likely to transmit it to their partners. Experts say at the World Health Organization say it's too early to start recommending circumcision over other prevention methods. More study results are due out in June.

Well, imagine a world without AIDS. That's the premise of our weekend special. "CNN PRESENTS: The End of Aids," a global summit with former President Bill Clinton. It airs Saturday at 8:00 p.m. Eastern and again on Sunday.

Lessons in life.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I wanted to tell them all about what it means to be different, how to cope with alienation, how to deal with other people who look at you differently -- or worse, don't look at you at all.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: A grandfather with physical obstacles. A grandson with mental challenges. Words of wisdom, coming up on LIVE FROM.

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WHITFIELD:: Well any parent or grandparent knows nothing on earth compares to holding a new baby for the first time. The connection is powerful and permanent. Now imagine a grandfather with challenges that meet the eye, and a grandson with challenges that don't. The love and life lessons they share collected in a new book called "Letters to Sam."

Here is CNN's Daryn Kagan.

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DARYN KAGAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): You're watching a love affair between a grandfather and a grandson, the type of relationship you see every day. This one, though, has a twist. Grandpa is Daniel Gottlieb, psychologist, host on National Public Radio and a quadrapalegic.

DANIEL GOTTLIEB, AUTHOR, "LETTERS TO SAM": My accident took place 26 years ago. I was driving on the Pennsylvania Turnpike to Harrisburg to buy a surprise 10th anniversary gift for my wife. An 18-wheel truck lost one of its wheel, the whole wheel. And it bounced across the turnpike and hit my car, crushed it and broke my neck.

KAGAN: Gottlieb has been paralyzed from the shoulders down ever since. He says he doesn't remember much about the accident.

GOTTLIEB: I don't recall anything except seeing a black thing in the sky moments before it hit my car. My -- I often say to people, though, that's not my story. That's so many people's story. So many of us are hit by a black thing. You discover a lump or a spouse says I can't do this anymore or something happens to a child. Most of us are hit by a black thing at some point in our life.

KAGAN: And that's how Gottlieb works, takes his unusual journey and applies it to the rest of our lives.

GOTTLIEB: I have learned lessons over these last 25 years about how to cope with it, how to enjoy one's life living inside the body that I have.

KAGAN: Nothing has given Gottlieb more joy than the birth six years ago of his first grandchild Sam.

GOTTLIEB: Anybody who has had a child experiences a perfect love when they see that child for the first time. Their hearts are wide open. And that's what I feel when I see Sam. Not that he's a perfect child but that the love is perfect. KAGAN (on-camera): That love proved to be an inspiration to write a series of letters grandfather to grandson. The letters have turned into a book, "Letters to Sam," letters about life, love, loss and the gifts of life. But the focus of the book changed right after Sam turned one and was diagnosed as autistic.

GOTTLIEB: Well, once I discovered that Sam had autism, it did feel more urgent to write this book because I had so much more I wanted to tell him. I wanted to tell him all about what it means to be different, how to cope with alienation, how to deal with other people who look at you differently or worse, don't look at you at all.

KAGAN (voice-over): From his wheelchair Gottlieb points out the world sees his disability on the outside, while Sam looks normal, he has challenges inside.

GOTTLIEB: He can't do big emotions. And most important, he doesn't read subtleties in other people's emotions. He just can't do it. And that's why they have difficulty socially.

KAGAN: So Gottlieb wrote Sam a letter about being different.

GOTTLIEB: Your differentness and my differentness are just facts. Sometimes what we do with our minds turns those facts into pain and sometimes we can just treat them as facts, acknowledging them but not feeling them. The more you feel your differentness the more lonely you'll feel.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: How many ladybugs? Who wants to tell me how many ladybugs?

KAGAN: Big lessons for a little boy. Another reason for the book because of his condition Gottlieb isn't sure how long he'll live. Not surprisingly he wrote a letter about loss.

GOTTLIEB: Sam, almost everything we become attached to we will eventually lose, our possessions, our loved ones and even our youth and our health. Yes, each loss is a blow, but it's also an opportunity. Sam, there's an old saying that says when the heart weeps for one it has lost, the soul rejoices for what it has found.

KAGAN: As they each sign the book, it's clear Dan Gottlieb has found a partner in his grandson, a partner for teaching the world what it means to be different.

Daryn Kagan, CNN, Atlanta.

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WHITFIELD: Such a sweet story. Daryn Kagan anchors "CNN Live Today" every weekday at 10 a.m. Eastern.

When we come back, George Clooney leaves the bright lights of Hollywood for the heartbreaking scenery of Darfur. He spoke to our Wolf Blitzer, and Wolf joins me next on LIVE FROM.

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WHITFIELD: A man on a mission. Actor, director, and writer George Clooney believes the world can no longer ignore Darfur. Tens of thousands of Sudanese have died in that region from war and starvation. The U.S. government calls it genocide. Politicians, religious leaders and others are calling for action with rallies across the U.S.

Clooney will be at one of those rallies in Washington on Sunday. Just back from Sudan, he spoke with CNN's Wolf Blitzer about what he saw, and Wolf is here to share part of that interview that we'll be seeing on "THE SITUATION ROOM."

Good to see you, Wolf. George Clooney has really made this a passionate effort on his part and he's also made it a family affair, hasn't he?

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: He went there to these refugee camps in neighboring Chad near Darfur, Fred, with his father, who himself is a journalist in Cincinnati. And clearly George Clooney is very blunt.

When we sat down and spoke, he made it clear that he does want to use his celebrity status to generate some publicity. He feels the world, including everyone here in the United States, is not doing enough to focus in on the situation in Darfur and this is an issue that unites liberal Democrats and conservative Republicans, and even unites George Clooney and President Bush. Listen to this exchange we had.

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GEORGE CLOONEY, ACTOR: We are a country that is always slow to act. We always have been on almost everything, but especially on situations like this. Rwanda is a perfect example. The Balkans are a good example.

But once we get our mind to it, we do it pretty well. We have failed -- you know, it's politically savvy to say hey, we're all doing a little bit of something and that's good that we're moving in the right direction. We're not doing enough.

BLITZER: What do you want President Bush to do?

CLOONEY: Well, there's -- immediately we want to try and get security. That's the first thing. Security ...

BLITZER: Send in U.S. troops? You want to send in the Marines?

CLOONEY: No.

BLITZER: What do you want to see happen? Militarily get involved?

CLOONEY: I think through NATO, if we can get a bridging force through NATO while we put together something in the U.N., I think that that's our best bet. I don't think that -- I don't think anyone wants that to be or thinks that is going to be American troops. It means that we who -- America who is usually very good at coordinating these things can be the leader in coordinating these things.

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BLITZER: And this is a heart-wrenching story. And Clooney, as you say, Fred, is very passionate about it. He's going to be here in Washington at this huge rally, "Save Darfur" on Sunday. He's going to be speaking out and he wants the American public to respond.

He wants the government to respond. He wants those of us in the news media to respond, as well. And he's trying to do whatever he can to spark some attention on the hundreds of thousands of people who are endangered right now.

WHITFIELD: And so, Wolf, with this rally taking place on Sunday, who is he expecting will be in attendance except for -- you know, besides those who were at the National Press Club with him yesterday?

BLITZER: Well, the press club yesterday he had a very liberal Democrat, Senator Barack Obama, who was on one side, a conservative Republican, Sam Brownback of Kansas, on another side, both of them taking a leadership role in trying to deal with the Darfur crisis in the United States Senate.

Elie Wiesel, the Holocaust survivor, the Nobel Prize winner, will be with George Clooney here in Washington at this rally. There will be religious, political figures, and entertainment figures, as well, because they really want to get the American public to focus in.

I remember when I went with President Clinton in 1998 to Rwanda and Burundi. He had been in office when he first got those reports of the slaughter that was happening there, and he didn't really do anything in the Oval Office and went there and he said this was his big regret, that hundreds of thousands of people were killed when the United States could have done something and didn't.

And, you know, 60 years after the Holocaust, this is something that world leaders are very sensitive to. And George Clooney is now taking this issue up with a passion.

WHITFIELD: All right, Wolf, thanks so much. And we look forward to seeing more of your interview with George Clooney there in "THE SITUATION ROOM" beginning at 4:00. And those excerpts, especially being seen in the 5:00 Eastern hour and 7:00 as well. Thanks so much.

And the news keeps coming. We'll keep bringing it to you. More LIVE FROM next.

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WHITFIELD: Let's go straight to Jamie McIntyre. Jamie McIntyre is in the Pentagon with an update on a developing story -- Jamie.

JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN SR. PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fredricka, we're just learning now the Pentagon is announcing that there's been a breach of one of its computer systems. This is a public server that has information for military members using the Tricare medical system. It's not one of the classified military computers.

But nevertheless, they said they detected some unusual activity. It appears that some personal information may have been compromised. They've notified the affected individuals that they could be a potential victim of identity theft. They've given them some hints about what to do and, meanwhile, they've tightened all the security controls around that Tricare computer system.

Again, it's a public server where people are able to access it remotely, not a classified system that has national security information. Nevertheless, in this day of identity theft, a big concern. The Pentagon felt they should announce it -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD:: All right. Jamie McIntyre, thanks so much.

Let's check in with Ali Velshi who's in Washington but always an eye on New York.

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