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CNN Sunday Morning
Body of Missing Woman Found in Ohio; Powerful Twister
Aired June 24, 2007 - 07:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They're glad it's over. I mean, they wanted closure. Everybody needs closure to something like this.
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T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: After ten days of searching, a body believed to be a missing pregnant woman in Ohio is found. Her boyfriend, a police officer, now facing double murder charges.
BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: Also dramatic video in just overnight. A powerful twister touches down. That thing is huge. We have the amazing close-ups.
HOLMES: And an education outrage. Some of our nation's biggest cities graduating less than half of their high school students this year. We hit the halls to find out what in the world is going on.
Good morning to you all from the CNN Center in Atlanta, Georgia, this is CNN SUNDAY MORNING. I'm T.J. Holmes.
NGUYEN: Good morning everybody. I'm Betty Nguyen. We want to thank you for starting your day with day with us.
HOLMES: We are going to start this morning with the discovery in Ohio of a body believed to be that of Jessie Marie Davis a pregnant woman who has been missing for ten days. An autopsy is expected to be performed today.
NGUYEN: The medical examiner will also try to make positive identification using dental records. Now the suspected father of the unborn child Bobby Cutts Jr., you see his picture here, he is in custody facing arraignment tomorrow on two murder charges. CNN's Jim Acosta is live in Canton, Ohio this morning, with the latest on this case. Jim we waited to hear word and obviously this is not the word the Davis' family wanted to hear.
JIM ACOSTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Betty. A source close to this search tells CNN that Bobby Cutts Jr. the man in custody this morning, directed investigators to the body that is presumed to be Jessie Davis, but authorities are not confirming that information this morning saying their investigation is still ongoing.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) ACOSTA (voice-over): After ten days of searching for missing 26- year-old pregnant mom, Jessie Marie Davis, authorities combing the nearby Cuyahoga Valley National Park make a grim discovery.
CHIEF DEP. RICK PEREZ, STARK COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE: At approximately 3:30 pm today we recovered the body of who we believe to be Jessie Marie Davis in Summit County, Ohio.
ACOSTA: Attorney Rick Pitinii spoke on behalf of Davis' grieving family members who are coming to grips with the conclusion that Jessie and her soon to be born baby girl are presumed dead.
RICK PITINII, DAVIS FAMILY ATTORNEY: They have gone through an absolute roller coaster of emotions. I've seen them laugh; I've seen them cry. I've seen them be angry, upset.
ACOSTA: Also difficult to comprehend is the man now charged with two counts of murder in connection with the case, 30-year-old Bobby Cutts Jr., the victim's boyfriend and the father of their 2-year-old son Blake. He is no stranger to the world of law enforcement.
CHIEF DEAN MCKIMM, CANTON, OHIO POLICE: Much has been made of the fact that an officer of the Canton Police Department has been charged in this investigation. There is no denying that this is a result of giving our department a black eye in the opinion of the local community as well as the opinion of people across the nation.
ACOSTA: The Stark County Prosecutor John Ferrero says it is too early to say whether he has a death penalty case on his hands, adding that pending charges could be elevated.
JOHN FERRERO, STARK COUNTY PROSECUTOR: We will vigorously prosecute this case. We will take this to the court of law and we will prosecute, as I said, vigorously. As it stands now, he is facing two counts of murder, which is the murder of Jessie Davis and also her unborn child.
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ACOSTA: And Cutts who had denied his involvement in Jessie's disappearance, is scheduled to be formally charged in court, in Canton, sometime tomorrow afternoon, according to one local paper here, "The Canton Repository" that arraignment is scheduled to happen at 3:00.
Betty.
NGUYEN: All right Jim. Let's get a little clarification here. All along Cutts said he was not involved in this in any way. Now there is word -- possible word that he may have led authorities to the body?
ACOSTA: That's correct. You know, he talked to local reporter with the "Canton Repository" that is the main newspaper here in Canton, Ohio, that he had nothing do with her disappearance. He had complained about how he was being viewed as a suspect. And was pretty adamant that he was not involved in this disappearance. But it's unclear as to what he has told investigators, if anything, at this point. Local media reports say that at some point yesterday, before the body was discovered, this gentleman, Bobby Cutts, had a conversation with authorities. It's not clear at this point what he told them, how they came to find the body. Though one source close to the search tells us it was Cutts himself who directed authorities to that discovery.
NGUYEN: Of course we are going to learn a lot more about this case as we continue to follow it. Jim Acosta, joining us live from Ohio. Jim thank you.
HOLMES: And Jessie Marie Davis' family now taking time to grieve in private. The discovery of the body possibly getting them closer to closure. Earlier in the week her mother shared with us just one of her fond memories.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PATTY PORTER, MOTHER OF JESSIE MARIE DAVIS: When we go home at night, and we cry, we don't -- we cry because we're sad, but when we start talking about Jessie, we start laughing. She was one of the funniest people and my -- all my memories of her are funny. Even little Blake said it -- keeps saying today he saw her picture in the paper. He said mommy so funny. She was just a wonderful human being. Somebody you loved to be with. I couldn't have asked for anymore in a daughter.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: The community there in Canton certainly came together over the young woman's disappearance. Thousands of volunteers spread out across the area to search for the missing woman.
TIM MILLER, FOUNDER, EQUUSEARCH: We put all the effort into it. The community put all the effort into it. And, you know, I just don't have words to say how everybody feels right now. It's -- we're real human, we get close to the families, we get emotional at the end of the day. We have real tears and we'll be back for the funeral and continue to support this family and this community.
HOLMES: Again, an autopsy is being done today in hopes of positively identifying the body and a cause of death.
NGUYEN: Police officer Bobby Cutts Jr. set to be arraigned tomorrow, facing two murder charges. Now, earlier this week Cutts talked to a local newspaper reporter about whether he was even a suspect in this case.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TODD PORTER: "Bobby, did you have anything at all to do with the disappearance of Jessie?"
BOBBY CUTTS, JR.: "No, I didn't."
PORTER: "Have authorities given you any indication if you're a suspect?"
CUTTS: " I mean, they continue to say that I'm not a suspect, but, I mean, I'd be dumb and naive to think that they weren't treating me as a suspect. A lot of different things I've had to go through the past couple of days."
PORTER: "Have any authorities told you that you've been cleared in this investigation?"
CUTTS: "No, they have not told me that I have been cleared, but as like I said on the media, I mean they've said to the media that me nor my wife are suspects. But, I don't feel that we've actually been treated as that was 100 % true."
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: Now the newspaper reports that police also searched an apartment belonging to a high school classmate of Cutts as part of their investigation. We will have much more on the legal aspects of this case in about 20 minutes. Attorney Avery Freeman joins us live from Ohio at the bottom of the hour.
HOLMES: An arrest has been made in another murder mystery. This one near Chicago.
NGUYEN: Yes Christopher Vaughn has been charged in the deaths of his wife and three children. Kimberly Vaughn and the children ages 11, 12 and 8 were found shot to death in their SUV on June 14th.
HOLMES: Christopher Vaughn was found nearby with gun shot wounds to the leg and arm. He was taken in to custody at the funeral home right before the memorial services for his family.
NGUYEN: The families of Virginia Tech shooting didn't get what they wanted but they got something during a meeting with the governor yesterday. Governor Tim Paynes says relatives with get access to the panel investigating the campus massacre but he stopped short of giving them a seat on that panel which is what they wanted. Mean while, an adviser working with the families say the April shootings were preventable and that Virginia Tech officials well that they dropped the ball.
HOLMES: We want to turn to Iraq now, about two hours ago; the infamous chemical Ali was sentenced to death by hanging for directing a genocide campaign against Iraqi Kurds in the 1980's. Want to head now to Baghdad and live to CNN's Hala Gorani. Hello Hala.
HALA GORANI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello T.J. Ali Hassan al Majid known as chemical Ali found guilty today of war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide all related to the campaign which happened in 1988 in northern Iraq. Four other defendants were also found guilty of war crimes and crimes against humanity charges.
Of course, Ali Hassan al Majid, the most prominent of the defendants, he is a first cousin to former dictator Saddam Hussein. The defendants did remain calm. There were no outbursts in the courtroom as the verdict and then the sentencing rulings were read. Now, during the course of the trial, we heard from many of the victims who said that they witnessed chemical attacks on their villages as well as executions.
Now, the question is how this will be received among the Kurdish population. For many of them this is seen as a validation as far as their grievances are concerned against the regime of former dictator Saddam Hussein who they saw as responsible for genocidal acts against their people.
HOLMES: Hala how quickly could we see the execution take place? We are expecting an appeal, I assume. How quickly could this all wrap up?
GORANI: In fact, the legal team of the defendants based in Amman, Jordan, has confirmed to CNN that they plan to appeal. They have 30 days to do so. After the appeal, the court will then review the documents and then if they reject the appeal that is when the execution of these three defendants, including chemical Ali can take place.
But the world will be watching. Because after the Saddam Hussein case, some international legal observers said that the appeals process was flawed. The question is how will this court handle it this time.
HOLMES: Hala Gorani for us in Baghdad, Hala thank you so much.
NGUYEN: Well destination North Korea. The mission, making sure the country shuts down its main nuclear reactor. A team from the United Nations Nuclear Watchdog Agency is leaving for Pyongyang today to discuss how that will be done and it is due to arrive in country on Tuesday. North Korea promised to shut down the facility months ago but refused to act until it received millions of dollars in frozen funds. A top U.S. envoy says the shutdown could happen within weeks and North Korea could return to talks on ending its nuclear program next month.
Well CNN correspondents discuss the military offensive in Iraq, new accusations of Iran's involvement in Iraq plus the situation in North Korea. A lot on the table, you don't want to miss it. Jamie McIntyre hosts "This Week at War" today at 1:00 Eastern.
HOLMES: Stay here because coming up on CNN SUNDAY MORNING our "Uncovering America" series.
NGUYEN: A preacher has a change of heart on the issue of gay rights, and that changes everything.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Everything that I felt was secure became profoundly insecure.
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NGUYEN: We will tell you why he changed his mind and how he is sharing his faith. REYNOLDS WOLF, CNN METEOROLOGIST: You know that old cliche about a picture being worth a thousand words? What about video? Take a look at this shot from Manitoba, Canada. Just yesterday a big storm which produced a very big tornado. Any chance we will see that kind of activity further a little bit farther to the south? Say in the U.S.? I'll let you know coming up in just a few moments.
NGUYEN: That's some video.
HOLMES: We'll see you shortly here, Reynolds.
Also some students are not making the grade. What's going on in our schools and how can we help? Stay here that story is coming up.
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NGUYEN: A scary sight for tornado chasers and residents in central Canada. It's one of at least three tornadoes that touched down Friday near Winnipeg, Manitoba. No one was hurt but the twisters left 15 people homeless, they also damaged cars and took trucks off of the highway.
HOLMES: Some of the video we see of these storm chasers, it questions their --
NGUYEN: Mind set?
HOLMES: Common sense.
WOLF: What are you saying there? I'm a storm chaser.
HOLMES: You are?
WOLF: Are you questioning the sanity of everyone?
HOLMES: We always question your sanity.
NGUYEN: Especially you.
WOLF: That's because you're a very wise man.
HOLMES: Canada, we don't talk about tornadoes in Canada too much.
WOLF: You know, it does happen up there. In fact, part of the Great Plains extends into portions of Canada. Any time you have that moist air that comes in from the Gulf of Mexico, and you have a good frontal boundary that sweeps across, there's always the possible. Tornadoes can occur anywhere in the world. They are just more prevalent in parts of the central Plains in this case, the extreme northern Plains for our neighbors to the north in Canada.
We are not expecting a great deal of activity like that anywhere in the U.S. today, but we have our share of showers this morning, a few rumbles of thunder in parts of the Ohio Valley. In fact near Cincinnati, not much rainfall yet, but to the southwest in Louisville, you are getting the rainfall. That should continue on and off throughout much of the afternoon.
Later on today for Wheeling and Charleston, West Virginia, you are going to be seeing some scattered showers there also. At this time, over in Memphis, including West Memphis, which is T.J's hometown, we are seeing some scattered showers that are popping up, some storms just west of Jonesboro. Not severe yet but if we had the daytime heat with temperatures going in the 90s you would have a much better chance of instability and storms.
And on the Gulf coast from say Baton Rouge back over to New Orleans clear down to Corpus Christi, keep the umbrellas handy because rain will be in the picture for you today. Not a bad arrangement, but those temperatures along the coast they are going to be into the 80s and 90s. Those showers will keep things nice and cool for you. Hopefully in Orlando with that high of 95, you will get a shower in the afternoon which could drop off those temperatures some 10, 15 degrees.
That's the latest in your forecast. Let's send it back to you at the news desk. It is West Memphis right?
HOLMES: It is West Memphis.
NGUYEN: You got it.
WOLF: That is also in Arkansas.
HOLMES: Yes.
Thank you, Reynolds. Good to have you back.
WOLF: Good to be here.
NGUYEN: Thank you. So who has a worse reputation? Health care or Congress?
HOLMES: That's a tough one. We will talk about why Congress' reputation is in the dumps, in the toilet, down the drain, whatever you want to call it. How can lawmakers get our confidence back?
VERONICA DE LA CRUZ, DOTCOM DESK: Good morning, I'm Veronica De La Cruz from the dotcom desk, more on the tragic story of Jessie Davis. We will hear from people who were in the park where the body was found. That is coming up.
HOLMES: And he's overcome tremendous odds and still has time to teach others. We'll profile our "CNN Hero" next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Well we found today's CNN hero in a country with one of the largest displaced populations in the world, Columbia. He name is Alvaro Restrepo and he is sharing his creative craft to help impoverished children.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) ALVARO RESTREPO: It is one million inhabitants city, where 70 percent of the population is living below poverty line. My name is I co-direct the college of the body. We work with kids coming from poor, difficult neighborhoods, teaching them dance and through dance values that can change the lives.
Kids like Jose; he was born in the midst of something for him, which is natural.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (Translator): Sometime here's we see violence. Almost every Saturday or Sunday someone is killed.
RESTREPO: They have the courage to realize yes, I can become somebody with doing this. So when you're teaching a simple exercise, you are speaking about concentration, about self-esteem, you are learning to work with others.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (Translator): Whenever I perform, I was afraid. But Alvaro encouraged me. He tells me there are two options. Either you do it or you do it. I have to do it.
RESTREPO: From the very beginning we started to realize that we were plowing in very fertile soil. We were able to prove that if these kids are given opportunities they can become -- they can become great human beings.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: If you would like to make a contribution to the dance school or nominate your own hero for special recognition later this year, you will find more information on our Website, CNN.com/heroes.
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NGUYEN: Well Veronica De La Cruz has been using the Internet to learn more about the Jessie Davis case that we have been following in the death here. What have you found out?
DE LA CRUZ: Well you know we have seen lots of aerial footage of that park and I wanted to go ahead an zoom in and use Google Earth to show you more of the area where the body was found, believed to be that of Jessie Marie Davis. This is Google Earth and this is a location in Ohio, it is an area near the Cuyahoga Valley National Park, north of the city of Canton off of West Bath Road. Authorities are not saying where that body was recovered, but this is the general area. Local residents were in the park at the time and noticed something was happening. We pulled a bit of this report from affiliate WOIO's Website.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Around 7:00 tonight, park rangers asked the public, media included, to leave this spot called top of the world. It's believed the body of Jessie Davis was recovered somewhere near this rugged and isolated spot.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How remote is this area?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's very -- very few people are up here at any given time.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Top of the world is in Summit County and part of the Cuyahoga Valley National Park. When news broke that Jessie Davis' body may have been recovered from these woods, the curious who had been following her disappearance on national TV for more than a week had to come see for themselves.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We actually saw helicopters flying all over. It was divulged to us what was going on.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DE LA CRUZ: So, again that was a report from WOIO. Also on that Website, a page for condolences that you might wish to sign. We have seen page after page. All these sympathy notes posted for the family. Reading a couple of them, they all follow the same sentiment. One from Kathy who says, "I'm so sorry for your loss of a beautiful daughter and granddaughter. Justice will be served and may they rest in peace."
This is from Kelly who says, "Words cannot express the sadness I feel for your family. My prayers are with you as you raise the little boy who no longer has his mommy."
To find this page of condolences, logon to the WOIO Website, it's WOIO.com. We have been seeing not only condolence pages on that Website but also myspace, there's a tribute page, and again share some of that video with you hopefully coming up later in the show.
NGUYEN: All right. Veronica thank you very much.
HOLMES: Thank you Veronica.
Just exactly what is next in this investigation?
NGUYEN: That is a big question. Well CNN Jim Acosta is in Canton, Ohio. He will join us live with what investigators are learning this morning.
HOLMES: And another sad story here. When toy guns look too real. Coming up it's happened again. A child carrying a toy gun is shot dead by police.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Welcome back, everybody. You are watching CNN SUNDAY MORNING.
I'm T.J. Holmes.
NGUYEN: Yes, good morning, everybody. I'm Betty Nguyen.
We want to thank you for joining us today. We've got a lot to tell you about. First up, though, police believe they have found the body of Jessie Marie Davis, the pregnant woman missing who has been for 10 days. Positive identification could come during an autopsy today.
Now, the man police believe is the father of Davis' unborn child, well, he is now in custody facing two murder charges. The body was found about 25 miles from Davis' home in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park.
Law professor Avery Friedman joins us now live from Broadview Heights, Ohio.
You are on the ground there in Ohio, and you've learned a lot of information.
Let me start with this. We talked to CNN's Jim Acosta a little bit earlier today. And he was saying that while police aren't saying how the body was found or any of that, there is word from the local media there that Cutts, which is the boyfriend, Bobby Cutts, the boyfriend of Jessie Marie Davis, and possibly the father of her child, unborn child, may have led authorities to the body.
AVERY FRIEDMAN, LAW PROFESSOR: Well, our information is exactly that, Betty, that at about 1:20 or 1:40, one of those times, a decision was made that Bobby was going to cooperate with his lawyer and local law enforcement. Now, that information came to me through a local TV anchor who had actually received text messaging from within the Cutts family compound. And indeed, about 1:40, all the families started leaving, including Bobby, who got into a sheriff's deputy's car and presumably went to the site at that point.
NGUYEN: Well, we heard a little bit about this earlier, too. CNN's Jim Acosta saying that Cutts' classmate's apartment or home is being searched.
FRIEDMAN: Yes.
NGUYEN: Can you confirm that? Because -- and I do want to let viewers know, though, Avery, is that you have been hired by the Canton Policemen Association to be a part of their legal advisory team.
FRIEDMAN: Well, actually, even more than that, Betty. I actually got involved with the police union in representing them in federal court. And it's important, because Bobby was going to be a witness in the federal proceeding. And it's now morphed into of course where we are right now.
NGUYEN: And let's get to the place where we are. Cutts is in custody right now facing two charges of murder. And the prosecutor has said, and I'm going to quote here, "The charges could get elevated to a higher degree down the road."
FRIEDMAN: Right.
NGUYEN: Are we talking death penalty?
FRIEDMAN: Yes, that's exactly what we're talking about.
Our theory on this, though, Betty, is that a decision was made early afternoon yesterday to cooperate with law enforcement. My presumption, based on a little bit of experience, is that they're trying to work a deal. But I think that's exactly right.
I'm surprised that the charges are not aggravated murder for two. But we're going to know that more specifically tomorrow morning in the Canton Municipal Court, where the charges will be talked about in court.
NGUYEN: Avery, do you expect more arrests to come in this case?
FRIEDMAN: I do. I think the individual involved working with Mr. Cutts in purportedly taking the body out of the Davis home, taking it out to the Cuyahoga Valley Park, may be involved. On the other hand, they may be using her as a witness, giving her immunity. So it's going to be one or the other -- Betty.
NGUYEN: And what do you know about this person? You said obviously that she's a she. What's the relationship?
FRIEDMAN: Well, according, again, to the information that was text over to the local affiliate in Cleveland, the information was that this woman and Mr. Cutts had dated. They were long-time friends. They went to high school together.
The name of the individual was actually put in the text information. So it's pretty specific.
NGUYEN: All right.
So, as we watch this unfold, and you expect more arrests to be made in this case -- again, we have not heard any word of that according to the police as confirmation at this point -- I do want to ask you this, because I found this so interesting yesterday. In listening to the Canton police chief, he said that the fact that Cutts is a police officer has pretty much put a black eye on the department. And he went to far as to say that he urged people not to be too quick to judge, saying that this was an "isolated act," and it was of a "rogue officer," his words, calling Cutts a "rogue officer".
Essentially, is he convicting Cutts?
FRIEDMAN: Yes, the chief is half right. I don't think that the women and men who serve the city of Canton and the police department have a black eye at all.
The fact that Mr. Cutts, who has now been arrested for these two murders, may have been characterized by the chief as a "rogue cop," I mean, it sounds like the chief indeed has convicted him. But it is absolutely no reflection on the good women and men who serve at Canton PD.
NGUYEN: And just briefly, since you do serve as an adviser to the Canton Police Association, how was Cutts viewed by the police department, by his colleagues and his friends within that department?
FRIEDMAN: Well, you know, that's interesting. To a person, every woman and every man who serves at CPD, looked at Bobby as a first-class officer.
So, the unspeakable crimes that have occurred have obviously been devastating to the family. But interestingly enough, for those who are sworn to serve and protect, Betty, they are suffering because they feel what has happened here. And it has been very difficult for law enforcement.
NGUYEN: Well, you know, it's been very difficult for people following it...
FRIEDMAN: Sure.
NGUYEN: ... just from a distance. Viewers just hoping to find Jessie Marie Davis alive in some way. And of course we heard that that was not the case yesterday.
Avery Friedman, we appreciate your time today. Thanks for the insight.
FRIEDMAN: Nice to be with you, Betty.
HOLMES: We've more information coming out of Pennsylvania this morning, where a school crossing guard faces more than 1,000 child molestation charges.
Police in Berwick started investigating Dale Hutchings this past Monday after an 11-year-old girl complained he tried to touch her inappropriately. Hutchings was arrested Tuesday. Police now say assaults on seven children took place between 1998 and 2007, and that all the victims were under the able of 13 when the attacks happened. One teen who is now 18 years old told police that Hutchings molested her more than 300 times in three years.
Well, it has happened again. A boy with a toy gun shot dead by police who apparently thought the gun was real.
It happened last night in West Memphis, Arkansas. Police say officers were on surveillance at an apartment building when the boy appeared carrying a toy pistol that looked identical to a real weapon. Police say an officer fired, killing the 12-year-old boy. The shooting is now being investigated.
Well, as Congress gears up to tackle immigration reform again this week, protesters hitting the streets.
Demonstrators representing several sides of this issue turned out in Los Angeles yesterday. Police say there was a lot of trash talking. No violence, though. More demonstrations are planned in L.A. today.
Meanwhile, on Capitol Hill, lawmakers want to add new crackdowns to a broad immigration bill in a bid to attract more Republican support.
NGUYEN: Well, let's talk about immigration and Iraq, two major issues for voters and for Congress, but lawmakers don't seem to be getting much done, and it looks like that's leading to a crisis in confidence.
More now from CNN senior political analyst, Bill Schneider, part of the best political team on television.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WILLIAM SCHNEIDER, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST (voice-over): If contempt of Congress is a crime, a lot of Americans could find themselves in jail along with Paris Hilton. Confidence in Congress has collapsed to its lowest level in nearly 35 years. Lower than big business. Lower even than HMOs.
If you really want to hear contempt of Congress, just listen to Congress.
SEN. DAVID VITTER (R), LOUISIANA: Let me translate for you what the American people just heard. To quote Charlie Brown, "Wa, wa, wa, wa, wa, wa, wa." The fact is, what Americans are faced with is an energy crisis. And we have all this inside baseball tackling us up in the Senate, in the House, and we're not doing a darned thing about it.
SCHNEIDER: Five polls this month all show approval of Congress at lows for the year. A lot of Republican voters are infuriated over the immigration proposals.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If you talk to staff in terms of the mail they're getting, the anger, the frustration, they say it's off the chart.
SCHNEIDER: Confidence in Congress has also been dropping among Democrat, but over a different issue -- Iraq.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Their view is that the Democrats should be able to stop the funding, stop the war. Democrats on Capitol Hill say we can't.
SCHNEIDER: Ratings for Congress are now as low as they were last fall, when voters threw out the Republican majority. Is the new Democratic majority in danger? Theoretically, yes.
Democrats have a narrow majority in the Senate. But Republicans have a lot more seats at risk next year. Same thing in the House. The Democratic majority is small, but most of the endangered House seats are held by Republicans.
(on camera): For Republicans to win back Congress, we'd have to see a tide of anger at Democrats. That seems unlikely with an extremely unpopular Republican president. More likely, Democrats will argue, give us a Democratic president and we might be able to get something done.
Bill Schneider, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: And there is a new initiative between CNN and YouTube for the upcoming presidential debates. Now, the Democrats will go at it on July 23rd, and then the Republicans take to it on September 17th, live right here on CNN and hosted by Anderson Cooper.
HOLMES: All right. You need to stop what you're doing for a second. If you're just listening to the TV and listening to us, you need to stop for a second and take a look at this video.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Go! Go! You've got to move!
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NGUYEN: Yes, I'd say you've got to move. That's some good advice.
Coming up, chasing a monster tornado. Do you see how big that thing is?
HOLMES: Yes.
NGUYEN: And getting pictures to prove it. We are going to take you in depth.
HOLMES: Plus, an evangelical minister who once preached against homosexuals has a change of heart.
Coming up, the message of tolerance he now wants you to consider. It's ahead on CNN SUNDAY MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Religion and gays in America, part of our "Faces of Faith" segment and our series "Uncovering America".
This morning, the story of an evangelical minister who had a change of heart about gays in the church. And that spiritual shift changed his whole life.
Here now, our Rick Sanchez.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BISHOP CARLTON PEARSON, NEW DIMENSIONS CHURCH: You know when you're a true shepherd because the holy righteous indignation rises up inside of you.
RICK SANCHEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): He was one of the hottest tickets on the Christian evangelical circuit.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And I want you to welcome Bishop Carlton Pearson back to life today. Would you welcome him right now?
SANCHEZ: This Tulsa, Oklahoma, bishop spent 30 years saving souls. His tears, his dancing, his singing got Christians excited about serving god. He ministered in high political circles, praying with both President Bush and Bush Sr. Jim Baker counted him as a friend before and after his downfall.
Just like most other evangelists, Carlton Pearson's concept of sin included homosexuality.
PEARSON: The people who were gay were disfigured and dysfunctional and confused. And those are the only explanations we had. And that god would not be pleased with that, it's not natural. This is of the devil. You know, we need to rebuke this thing and bind it, and I had all my gay friends fasting and praying and seeking out -- we were anointing them with oil and encouraging them to go further into counseling.
SANCHEZ: That was then. This is what he preaches now.
PEARSON: Do you ever see anywhere in scripture where Jesus rejected anybody, period? From the prostitute caught in adultery, to the tax collector?
SANCHEZ: After his change of heart the bishop is accepting sinners for who they are and allowing gays to just be.
PEARSON: Why do you have to judge a person based on a label or a title with which you attach to them? Are you all hearing me?
We just love god. We just love people. And we are the most radically inclusive worship experience in the city of Tulsa.
SANCHEZ: His revelation has nearly ruined him. Christian magazines and leaders have labeled him a heretic.
His new preaching cost him everything. Most of his 5,000-member mega church abandoned him. He can no longer afford the church property, lost his place to minister. And his speaking engagements, which made up three-quarters of his income, went dry.
PEARSON: Everything that I had -- that I felt was secure became profoundly insecure. My whole life's work went up in smoke.
SANCHEZ: So what led the bishop who had it all to take what evangelists called a detour away from god? For one, his best friend told him he was gay.
PEARSON: I couldn't see sending him to hell. He was spiritual. He loved the lord. He loved gospel music. He was a physician. I had seen him go through med school, and he was part of our family.
SANCHEZ: Then it was seeing how most people in Tulsa weren't leading righteous lives, despite being a Bible Belt city.
PEARSON: We have one of the highest -- second highest divorce rates, second only to Nevada. We have one of the highest out-of- wedlock teen pregnancies. And I kept thinking all of this hyper- conservative fundamentalist religion is probably not working.
SANCHEZ: Then he wrestled with the scripture issue. The bible does say, "Thou shalt not lay with mankind as with womankind: it is abomination."
However...
PEARSON: It also says, "Slaves, obey your masters." That's new testament. It says if you -- Jesus says you must hate your mother and father and brother and sister if you're going to follow me. You want to take that literally? Does that mean I have got to hate my parents to follow Jesus?
PEARSON: Pearson decided god was not going to send all sinners to hell. They were already saved by god's grace.
PEARSON: The scripture says that god was in Christ reconciling the world to himself, not counting men's sins against them. So, if god doesn't count men's sins against them, why are we Christians or religious people so comfortable doing that?
SANCHEZ: Today, this Episcopal church is all that's left of his Tulsa ministry. He leases space for his service with dozens of other churches that don't have a home of their own. But he's gaining a lot of fans by preaching what he calls the gospel of inclusion.
TOBY JENKINS, OKLAHOMANS FOR EQUALITY: He is courageously suffering and lost so much and rejected by so many for people like us. Now, that's our hero.
SANCHEZ: In May, Bishop Pearson was one of dozens of religious leaders who went to Washington to support adding gays to hate crime legislation.
PEARSON: I think we have idolized the bible and used it -- and I call them bible bullets -- to denounce anything we don't like or don't understand or anything we fear. And I would like for that to be corrected in the Christian consciousness.
SANCHEZ: Rick Sanchez, CNN, Tulsa, Oklahoma.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: And Rick Sanchez continues our "Uncovering America" series tonight with "Living From the Inside Out," a look at being transgender in America. That's at 7:00 p.m. Eastern.
NGUYEN: Well, an education outrage.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TREANDOUS CUTHBERTSON, DETROIT HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT: Don't be a statistic. They tell us that all the time. And that's one of the things I've grown to know -- do not become a statistic. Grow up and be somebody.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: All right. Well, let's talk about numbers, because millions of American high school students are at risk of dropping out.
We are going to show you the rate. What is going on? That's coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: Well, school's out for summer, right? But for many people, in fact too many American teens, it is also out for good.
HOLMES: Yes. More and more are leaving high school without their diplomas. Nowhere is the problem more evident than in Detroit.
CNN's Christian Romans takes a closer look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): There is little doubt Treandous Cuthbertson will graduate from high school. But if statistics hold true, anywhere from a third to three quarters of his Detroit classmates won't graduate with him.
CUTHBERTSON: Don't be a statistic. They tell us that all the time. And that's one of the things I've grown to know -- do not become a statistic. Grow up and be somebody.
ROMANS: Treandous lives in a place where auto jobs are disappearing, families and students are fleeing the public school system, and dropout and poverty rates are among the highest in the country.
Anthony Womack has been an educator here for 29 years. He says students today are distracted and parental involvement in their children's lives is declining.
ANTHONY WOMACK, HIGH SCHOOL PRINCIPAL: In no uncertain terms, public schools have become the educator and the parent.
ROMANS: He would like to see greater involvement from parents, but also pay for performance for teachers and more funding for urban schools.
WOMACK: Money, financial, state aid, that whole piece is needed to make it work.
ROMANS (on camera): According to the Census Bureau, Detroit has the highest poverty rate of the 20 largest American cities. And the state of Michigan has the highest unemployment rate in the nation, 6.9 percent.
(voice over): From March to May this year, 28,700 Michigan jobs gone. As the manufacturing jobs disappear, so do opportunities and resources.
CINDY BROWN, CENTER FOR AMERICAN PROGRESS: Public institutions like schools have seen their tax bases decline and their revenues decline.
ROMANS: To compete in a global economy, our workers need education and skills, but our education system is not keeping up. Education Week says more than a million American high school seniors won't graduate this year.
CUTHBERTSON: Are we going to make this planet a better planet? We all have to come up together, you know?
ROMANS: Christine Romans, CNN, Detroit.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: All right. Not sure if this was one of the commandments on the tablet or not when he came down the mountain and the whole thing.
NGUYEN: I kind of doubt it.
HOLMES: But thou shalt not commit road rage.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He's right.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The pope is right.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Drivers, take the righteous path. The Vatican road rules coming up.
NGUYEN: Interesting.
And today at 8:30, summer travel warnings. Find out what you should do before leaving home, including not committing road rage. What happens though if you get sick or hurt on vacation? Well, that's on "HOUSE CALL" with CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta. That is today at 8:30.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Also, a television exclusive. Wednesday night, Paris Hilton talking to our Larry King. Her first TV interview after her release from jail. Don't miss the interview everyone has been waiting for and some reportedly even willing to pay for. That's going to be Wednesday night.
NGUYEN: But Larry's not paying.
HOLMES: Larry is not paying for that interview, I assure you.
NGUYEN: Let's just put that out there. HOLMES: But that's Wednesday night at 9:00 Eastern on "LARRY KING LIVE".
Well, it's Sunday. Some of you heading to your church services. But before you get into that car, you may want to review The Ten commandments. The drivers' ten commandments, actually, we're talking about here.
The Vatican issued the unusual document last week warning that your ride can also be an occasion of sin. So, it's urging you, Betty, to drive with courtesy.
Avoid using your car as an expression of power. And be charitable to your fellow drivers, Betty.
NGUYEN: Why are you directing this at me?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REV. EDWARD BECK, THE PASSIONATE COMMUNITY: If you're taking somebody else's life, or if you're threatening other people's lives by your driving, this is a moral issue. This is sinful.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: And the document also highlights what many of us notice during our commutes. And that is, T.J.?
HOLMES: It's road rage.
NGUYEN: Absolutely.
HOLMES: Some of you...
NGUYEN: You know it well.
And it warns driving can be really a primitive behavior, no kidding, because in the next hour of CNN, we're going to tell you much more about this. And that begins right now.
No rage here.
HOLMES: None.
NGUYEN: We're good to go. Good morning, everybody, from the CNN Center in Atlanta. It is Sunday, June 24th. I'm Betty Nguyen.
HOLMES: I'm T.J. Holmes. So glad you could be with us this morning. Need to get you updated on a story that broke yesterday and our top story this morning, the new information now in the case of Jessie Marie Davis. CNN has learned that Bobby Cutts Jr. led authorities to a body found about 25 miles from Davis's home and an autopsy today could positively identify that body of that as of the missing woman. CNN's Jim Acosta live for us in Canton, Ohio. Good morning to you, again, Jim. ACOSTA: Good morning, T.J. Yes a source tells CNN, a source close to the search for Jessie Davis tells CNN that the man in custody this morning, Bobby Cutts Jr., did direct authorities to the location of the body presumed to be that of Jessie Davis. But authorities are not confirming that information. They are saying that their investigation is still ongoing, and because of that, they just really don't want to get into the minutia of this case until this goes to court and goes in front of a judge.
But we can say that yesterday afternoon, in a county park adjacent to Cuyahoga Valley National Park in neighboring Summit County a body believed to be that of Jessie Davis, a pregnant woman, presumably carrying that unborn child, who is going to be named Chloe, that body was found yesterday afternoon about 3:30 in the afternoon and then sometime during the day yesterday, we're not sure if it was before that discovery or after that discovery, a Bobby Cutts Jr., the ex-boyfriend of Jessie Davis, also the father of Jessie Davis' 2-year- old son Blake and presumably the father of that unborn child was taken into custody. He is facing two counts of murder.
Police, law enforcement officials held a press conference yesterday afternoon detailing all of this, not revealing all the details but at least providing an outline of what has happened, the big developments that have happened in this case. After that press conference, an attorney for the family of Jessie Davis, Rick Pitinii, stood in front of reporters, asking the media, asking the public to respect the family during this time as they grieve in private.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RICK PITINII, DAVIS' FAMILY ATTORNEY: They have gone through an absolute roller coaster of emotions. I've seen them laugh, I've seen them cry, I've seen them be angry, upset, everything you can imagine.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ACOSTA: And Bobby Cutts Jr., as we mentioned, is scheduled to appear in court tomorrow morning. He is facing two counts of murder. I should say not tomorrow morning. Tomorrow afternoon. He is facing two counts of murder, one for Jessie Davis, the other for that unborn child, and the local prosecutor here, who will be handling that case, says it's possible that the charges facing Mr. Cutts could be elevated.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHN FERRERO, STARK COUNTY PROSECUTOR: We will vigorously prosecute this case. We will take this to the court of law and we will prosecute, as I said, vigorously. As it stands he is facing two counts of murder, which is the murder of Jessie Davis and also her unborn child.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ACOSTA: And authorities aren't confirming or aren't talking about whether or not there will be other suspects brought into custody in this case. But they did emphasize over and over again yesterday, T.J., this investigation is still ongoing.
HOLMES: And Jim, do we have any idea on when we might get results of that autopsy? Positively identifying, first of all, this as Davis, but also a cause of death?
ACOSTA: You know, I don't think will happen for a couple days. We might get some primly feedback from the local medical examiner within the next day or two, but it's difficult to get that kind of information that quickly. So we'll just have to see. But during this arraignment that a local paper says will be held tomorrow afternoon, we may get some more information that we haven't heard as of yet.
One thing that the chief deputy for the Stark County Sheriff's Department said yesterday, during that press conference is that they want the details of this case to come out in court. So it's possible that we may get some more information about all of this tomorrow afternoon.
HOLMES: All right. Jim Acosta on the story for us in Ohio, thank you so much.
Of course, as he was just mentioning there, Bobby Cutts is in custody, now believed to be cooperating with investigators, his suspected involvement in the case making it harder on the family of Jessie Davis.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PATTY PORTER, JESSIE MARIE DAVIS' MOTHER: Bobby Cutts is my son's -- my grandson's father. This is the most painful part of this whole thing for me, is that I pray every day that it's not Bobby Cutts. Those are my prayers, that it is not him. I want it to be someone that doesn't even know us.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Well Cutts himself talked about the investigation a few days ago, he spoke with a local newspaper reporter about his status as a possible suspect.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TODD PORTER: "Bobby, did you have anything at all to do with the disappearance of Jessie?"
BOBBY CUTTS, JR.: "No, I didn't."
PORTER: "Have authorities given you any indication if you're a suspect?"
CUTTS: " I mean, they continue to say that I'm not a suspect, but, I mean, I'd be dumb and naive to think that they weren't treating me as a suspect. A lot of different things I've had to go through the past couple of days." PORTER: "Have any authorities told you that you've been cleared in this investigation?"
CUTTS: "No, they have not told me that I have been cleared, but as like I said on the media, I mean they've said to the media that me nor my wife are suspects. But, I don't feel that we've actually been treated as that was 100 percent true."
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Bobby Cutts Jr. Now in custody, his arraignment on murder charges scheduled for tomorrow afternoon.
NGUYEN: In other news, the man accused of unleashing chemical weapons on thousands of Iraqi Kurds has been sentenced to hang for his crimes. That verdict handed down just hours ago. Want to take you live to CNN Hala Gorani in Baghdad for the latest on this. Hala.
GORANI: Well, Betty, Ali Hassan al Majid, better known as chemical Ali, sentenced to death by hanging for war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide as well. Now, these all related to the Anfal campaign which occurred in 1988 here in Iraq at the end of the Iran/Iraq war against Kurds in the northern part of the country. When the verdict and the sentence was read out, chemical Ali remained silent. Some of the other defendants said they were innocent and they were fighting in the name of Iraq.
Now what we expect to happen is that the defense team for these defendants, the defense team based in Amman, Jordan, a neighboring country to Iraq, will file an appeal. In Kurdistan and other parts of Iraq, there were celebratory outbursts, because Kurds see this sentence and this verdict as a validation of the grievances they've had for so many years against the regime of the former dictator, Saddam Hussein, who they see as responsible for genocidal acts against their people.
Saddam Hussein was one of the defendants in this trial, but the charges against him lapsed. He was executed, of course, last December in a separate case Betty.
NGUYEN: Hala, let's talk about U.S. troops for just a minute and we're going to shift because I understand the death toll has gone up in Baghdad?
GORANI: It has indeed, across Iraq 11 U.S. soldiers confirmed dead in combat operations across the country. This, of course, within the context of the latest offensive, which comes within the context, of course, of the troop surge, the increase of boots on the ground. This brings the total of deaths in the month of June alone for coalition troops to 81. The total number of U.S. soldiers killed in combat, 3,558, Betty.
NGUYEN: CNN's Hala Gorani joining us live from Baghdad. Hala thank you.
Also want to let you know about this, CNN correspondents discuss the military offensive in Iraq, new accusations of Iran's involvement in Iraq, plus the situation in North Korea. You don't want to miss it; Jamie McIntyre hosts "This Week at War" that is today at 1:00.
We want to tell you about this programming note; Lieutenant General Ray Odierno will be a guest on "Late Edition" later this morning that is at 11:00 am.
HOLMES: The U.S. military says it's a sign of how desperate the Taliban is becoming in Afghanistan. A 6-year-old boy foiled a suicide- bombing plot by asking an Afghanistan police officer why he was wearing a vest full of explosives. The U.S. military says militants put the vest on the boy and told the boy to walk up to the officers and push the button. The incident happened several weeks ago but just not coming to a light at a meeting of regional leaders and military representatives in Afghanistan.
NGUYEN: Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is saying bye to the new French president. She arrived in Paris today to meet Nicolas Sarkozy and his key cabinet ministries. Tomorrow Rice attends an international conference at stopping violence in Darfur the troubled region of Sudan.
HOLMES: Back in the U.S., U.S. park police arrested 16 people outside the White House Saturday for refusing to move on when ordered to move on. They were part of a group of activists protesting the treatment of detainees in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. The group is staging a 24-hour vigil in Lafayette Park.
NGUYEN: The Rev. Jesse Jackson arrested in suburban Chicago. Jackson and other activist well they were demonstrating outside a gun shop yesterday and he was cuffed and charged with criminal trespass. Jackson and other activists have held several protests there in recent weeks following the fatal shooting of a 16-year-old honor student on a bus.
Well it is one of the most popular stories on CNN.com.
HOLMES: Historic fire still is burning. We'll show you what else the viewers on our Website are itching to see.
WOLF: When it comes to forecasting we usually talk about what could happen in the future in terms of your forecast. But when we talk about, well, some cool video, we have to go yesterday. Take a look at what happened in parts of Manitoba. A large tornado, spectacular video, could we see that kind of activity in the U.S. somewhere today? I'll have the answer coming up in a few moments.
NGUYEN: Let's hope not. Thank you, Reynolds. We'll check with you shortly.
Right now CNN chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta takes a look ahead to "House Call."
DR SANJAY GUPTA, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Thanks Betty. If you're traveling this summer, you will need to watch the show this morning. Because you may not know it, but vacation time is prime time for getting sick. Tune in, find out what you need to pack and be aware of.
Plus, working out at your desk. Good idea, right? It's possible. Could help you burn up to 1,000 calories a day. All that and the latest headlines coming up on "House Call" at 8:30.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Get the picture Dave?
NGUYEN: Dave got the picture, all right.
HOLMES: Get pictures, is that what you would be yelling? Get the keys, hit the gas.
NGUYEN: Get out of here. Scary sight no doubt for tornado chasers and residents in central Canada. This is Canada. One of at least three tornadoes that touched down Friday near Winnipeg, Manitoba. No one was hurt but the twister did leave 15 people homeless and they also damaged cars and blew trucks off the highway. All right. Reynolds Wolf.
WOLF: Bring it on.
NGUYEN: These things blow trucks off the highway yet you are racing just like these guys into the storm.
WOLF: Well, yes I mean you're dancing on the edge. You want to get as close as you can to take good video but also don't want to lose your life, get so close you're going to be in harm's way. That unfortunately is the case quite often, but really, the objective when you're storm chasing is to stay away from the big cloud, that tornado. Usually not a good idea to get too close.
NGUYEN: Is this a different tornado that we're looking at right now?
WOLF: It's very possible that it could be the same twister. I'm pretty sure it is. These things, the funnel cloud you see there often has some in flow that will be drier air, sometimes it will have more moisture that will get pulled in. It will take different shapes. It will become the color of whatever it makes up. Moving over an open field, where you have plenty of soil that was freshly plowed, and this happens to be a red clay cover, a reddish tornado. A lot of water almost like a gray color. Depends on what it picks up.
NGUYEN: What a powerful sight, though.
WOLF: It's a scary sight too. One of the weird things when you see one, it's almost -- at least for me -- kind of locked in there pinching my arms, trying to pinch myself and see if what I'm seeing is the real deal. They're captivating and at the same time scary.
Anyways, there's a chance, a slight chance we could see some of that activity across the U.S. today, not an overwhelming shot. What we will be seeing is beneficial rain. As we go to the weather computer we will see a lot of that rain forming now, just the west of Memphis at this time. Some impressive thunderstorms, not severe mind you, but still where you have the slow-moving cells in places like Truman, or back over to Jones Borrow, all this rain that's going to be drifting towards the east and northeast. In Johns Borrow this morning, or maybe even to Perrygold to the north, you could see some flash flooding. Keep that in mind around the low-lying areas, your want to avoid driving over roadways that happened to be covered with water.
Meanwhile, North of Port Author in Texas and just northeast of the Houston near Livingston, some scattered showers there. In Baton Rouge, you may be dealing with some storms today and the same conditions can be expected in Columbus, Ohio, back over to Cincinnati to Charleston, West Virginia and Pittsburgh. But right now the heavy hitters happen to be right along the I-64 corridor to the west of Louisville.
Lets talk about the rain we may see in the southeast, scattered showers just to the east and southeast of Charlotte. Not a bad thing, because we're expecting high temperatures for much of the south to be in the 90s. Any rainfall you get into the afternoon hours will be a welcome thing helping temperatures cool down 10 to 15 degrees. The heat will extend from the northern Plains, nice and cool in the northwest and to the northeast, 82 in New York, not bad.
Back to you.
NGUYEN: Thank you, Reynolds. So don't ask, don't tell. The debate about gays serving in the U.S. military, it is back in the spotlight.
HOLMES: Is there enough momentum to get the policy repealed?
DE LA CRUZ: And for once, the news is not about Paris Hilton, but Perez Hilton. The celebrity's blogger ganged up Perez. I'll explain next when we take a look at the most popular stories on CNN.com when CNN SUNDAY MORNING continues.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Summer is the season for fresh fruits and vegetables. Here are some fresh picks you'll find in your local supermarket that tastes great and have helpful benefits.
PAGE LOVE, DIETITIAN: The top choices that are really in season in the summertime; pears have just come in, berries, strawberries and melon. That gives you a nice variety of three different kinds of fruits and that mixture makes a nice fruit salad.
COSTELLO: Take a stroll through your farmer's market and find lots of vegetables and fruits of every color and shape bursting with flavor and good nutrition.
LOVE: A variety of color really tells you about a wide spectrum of nutrients that you need. The vitamin a and vitamin c family. They help pump up the immune system and are great disease fighters.
COSTELLO: And there is no better time of the year to make fruits and vegetables the spotlight of every meal.
LOVE: A fruit salad is a wonderful side for a meal and it's a great way to get a mixture of fruits.
COSTELLO: By seasonal produce whenever possible for the freshest taste and for the nutritional value.
Carol Costello, CNN.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Well, you know it, don't ask, and don't tell. That sums up the military's policy towards gays for the past 14 years.
NGUYEN: It has always been controversial but in a time of war, and with a presidential election upcoming, it is prove to be a political hot topic. CNN's Gary Nurenberg has the latest in our series "Uncovering America."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GARY NURENBERG, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Steven Benjamin was an Arabic translator in the navy.
STEVEN BENJAMIN, FORMER NAVY ARABIC TRANSLATOR: The work I was doing was really important.
NURENBERG: But when the navy found out last year he's gay it forced him out of the service. This at a time when the military says it needs more translators.
BENJAMIN: There's definitely a damage that's been done to -- not just the war in Iraq and Afghanistan, but to our military as a whole.
NURENBERG: Congress is considering legislation that would change the policy and allow homosexuals to serve openly.
REP. MARTIN MEEHAN, (D) MASSACHUSETTS: We cannot kick out highly qualified service members because of their sexual orientation.
NURENBERG: Recent polls show substantial public support for the view, but opponents of gay military service say wartime is the wrong time to impose a cultural change on the military.
PETER SPRIGG, FAMILY RESEARCH COUNCIL: There would be a serious threat to good order morale and discipline, were homosexuals allowed to serve in the military.
NURENBERG: The ousted navy translator Benjamin says gays serving in the military face enormous stress keeping their secrets. BENJAMIN: It is an incredible thing to ask someone to spend four, eight, 20 years of your life, I mean, lying to everyone around you.
NURENBERG: When CNN and youtube asked viewers to submit questions for the upcoming presidential debates this man disguised his identity saying he was burdened by the don't ask, don't tell policy.
BENJAMIN: If you become president, how will you help gay military members like myself?
NURENBERG: CNN debate moderator Wolf Blitzer asked Democratic presidential candidates this month to raise their hands if they thought it's time to get rid of don't ask, don't tell. All of them did. Republican presidential candidates to speak up if they thought gays should be allowed to openly serve, none of them did. And the expense in training gays likes Benjamin, who are discovered and then booted out.
SPRIGG: To me it suggests that we should go back to a system where we do ask and do tell so we don't waste the taxpayer's money.
NURENBERG: Since it was first enacted during the Clinton administration the Pentagon says more than 11,000 service members have been expelled from the military because of don't ask, don't tell.
Gary Nurenberg, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Coming up, burning up the Web.
NGUYEN: A popularity contest and Paris isn't the winner. Oh, no. What is most popular on CNN.com. We'll tell you just minutes away.
And be sure to tune in tonight for "Danger Poisoned Food" from CNN's special investigations unit with senior medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta that is tonight at 8:00 p.m. Eastern.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: All right. It's not Paris, it's Perez, also talking about a contestant winning a car and a historic wildfire burns.
NGUYEN: Lots of topics there. All the stories making headlines on CNN.com.
DE LA CRUZ: Let's talk about that car. The 1957 Plymouth Belvedere. Seldom driven, lots of rust, Miss Belvedere as the car is now called, was recently unearthed in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and buried 50 years ago as a sort of automotive time capsule. Time as you can tell wasn't kind to her. She does have a new owner. A local man or his nearest relatives won a contest-laying claim to the Detroit fossil by correctly guessing the Tulsa population in 2007. Remember this prediction was made back in 1957, believe it or not.
NGUYEN: OK.
DE LA CRUZ: I wanted to show you a couple photos. These are all I-reports sent by a couple reporters-reporters and Re Humbertson wherever you are your new ride is ready.
NGUYEN: Just needs an engine and some wheels.
DE LA CRUZ: A face-lift pretty much.
Also popular this morning, the southeast isn't even out of the woods yet on that enormous wildfire that flared up in April. This is the fire at its peek in May. Officially the largest in the southeast and more than 100 years. The fire in southern Georgia is 90 percent contained but it is still smoldering. If dry conditions continue and the winds pick up, the flames could easily return.
Finally, popular gossip site Perez Hilton shut down over copyright concerns. The celebrity blogger pulled the site earlier this week after several lawsuits by the paparazzi were filed. Being sued for more than $7 million in damages by paparazzi who claim that Perezhilton.com posted their photos without permission. For those of you who need the Paris news, the site is up and running again this morning it is hosted by a different Internet provider and the top story right now is Gwen Stephanie. I'm sure that won't be the top story.
HOLMES: What's going on Gwen?
DE LA CRUZ: You have to log on to Perezhilton.com and find out. He's the gossip columnist, not I.
NGUYEN: OK, Perezhilton.
DE LA CRUZ: Not something that I frequent too often, sorry.
Well apparently he's posting all these paparazzi pictures without their permission or so the lawsuit goes.
NGUYEN: There are laws against that.
DE LA CRUZ: Exactly.
NGUYEN: Thank you.
HOLMES: Thank you Veronica.
NGUYEN: Well you better pucker up all you ladies and lasses, because it is time for the big kiss-off.
HOLMES: Thirty thousand couples in England got together for this event and it was aimed at smashing the world record. The world record was recently set in Hungary by about 6400 couples.
NGUYEN: The event was organized by the on-line dating service Match.com. I imagine there were a few hookups shall we say.
HOLMES: Hookups. All right.
NGUYEN: They were kissing.
HOLMES: Just for the record.
NGUYEN: They may have -- she found a match.
HOLMES: Don't want a relationship out of it. It's just a kiss.
NGUYEN: Hello. They're smiling, you never know.
HOLMES: It's just a kiss.
NGUYEN: OK, let's move on.
And we wanted to tell you about this: A television exclusive. Wednesday night, Paris Hilton talks to Larry King in her first TV interview after her release from jail. You don't want to miss the interview everyone has been waiting her. That is Wednesday night at 9:00 Eastern on "LARRY KING LIVE."
Well, you all know about ID theft, and here's something new, though, that you might want to worry about.
HOLMES: Yeah, one more thing -- ID spoofing. And it could bring police to your door. The story you need to know. That's coming up in our 9:00 Eastern hour.
NGUYEN: But first, "HOUSE CALL" with Dr. Sanjay Gupta starts right now.
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