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CNN Sunday Morning
Subtropical Storm Beryl; Americans Detained In Japan; Protesters Target N.C. Pastor; Memorial Day Memories; Vice President Biden Delivers Commencement Address at West Point; Interview with Neil Diamond
Aired May 27, 2012 - 06:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
RANDI KAYE, CNN ANCHOR: From CNN world headquarters in Atlanta, this is EARLY START WEEKEND.
If you were planning on going to the beach this holiday weekend, you might want to have a plan b. The southeast is bracing for a tropical storm that could hit just hours from now. We'll have a live report.
Plus, finding our veterans. In honor of Memorial Day, we'll talk with one man who helps the families of those lost in war.
And you have got to see this video. A stray dog runs along with cyclists in a 1,000 mile race. We'll tell you if that little guy crossed the finish line.
And later, imagine if it was illegal to work more than six hours a day. Well, that's been the case in Bolivia. Now the government's attempt to change those laws is sparking riots in the streets. We'll explain.
It is Sunday, May 27th. Good morning, everyone. I'm Randi Kaye. So glad you're with us.
It is shaping up to be a pretty ugly holiday weekend in parts of the southeast, and you can blame Beryl. Subtropical Storm Beryl is set to dump several inches of rain along the Florida-South Carolina coast today. Already we're seeing warnings and some beach closures. Off Tybee Island in Georgia, at least 20 people actually had to be rescued because of potentially deadly rip currents.
Let's bring in meteorologist Bonnie Schneider.
Bonnie, bring us up to day date on Beryl and where these warnings stand. And good morning to you.
BONNIE SCHNEIDER, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Good morning, Randi.
Rip currents very, very dangerous. Sometimes you can see them, like in the pictures we just showed, but sometimes you can't. And even if you're in that surf zone so close to the shoreline, you are at risk by being picked up by a rip current. So never swim where there's no lifeguard. I'll talk more about rip currents in a moment. But here's a look at Subtropical Storm Beryl. A subtropical storm means we have characteristics that are tropical and characteristics that are not. But the main thing to note about this storm is that it will be a rainmaker, it will produce strong winds and right now the -- you can see the movement is right now -- we have gusts at 65 miles per hour. The winds are at 50 miles an hour. So, overall, that's what we're looking at.
Let's zoom in here. I want to take a look on this satellite perspective of what we're looking at. You can see that this storm is starting to get a little bit better organized as it works its way through. The warnings are posted for tropical storm force winds all the way from Savannah down through areas of northern and central Florida. Meaning we'll see winds of 39 miles per hour when this storm comes on shore, and that's likely to be sometime tonight.
In the meantime, most of the rain isn't quite hitting the region just yet, but we're starting to get those spiral bands, Randi, and that's what my concern is as we go into the evening. The rain will come in, in advance of it, of course. We do have to worry about the surf with the track of the system. You can see that it's moving, kind of looping back up, and it will be impacting this coastal area, not just for Sunday, but for Monday as well.
KAYE: And how far inland do you think that folks will be affected?
SCHNEIDER: I think pretty far inland because right now we're monitoring dangerous swimming conditions for the region, but also a lot of rain coming in. Look how far inland it does go. All the way to the I-75 area in Georgia. So we will feel that impact.
Some of the heaviest rain stretches all the way across, I'd say, two-thirds of the eastern part of the panhandle of Florida. So if you're driving on I-10, even if you're pretty far away from the coastline, you will feel the impacts of Beryl.
KAYE: And what about at the airports?
SCHNEIDER: Ah, the airports. Well, right now we don't have any airport delays. Of course it's still very early. But I'm anticipating delays. Certainly if you're flying to somewhere like Charleston, South Carolina, or Jacksonville, you'll be impacted by Beryl. Elsewhere across the country, since it's such a busy travel weekend, Miami is facing storms, as well as Orlando. And then Denver and Minneapolis also facing wind and some nasty weather. So today is a worse day than yesterday. Right smack in the middle of this holiday weekend, we have to deal with a tropical system.
KAYE: Yes, not very good timing.
SCHNEIDER: No.
KAYE: All right, Bonnie Schneider, thank you very much. We'll check back in with you throughout the morning as well. And now from home to abroad. Two Americans being detained right now in Tokyo. They were taken in for questioning after a woman was found dead in one of the men's hotel rooms. CNN's Kyung Lah joining me now on the telephone from Tokyo with new details on this.
Kyung, good morning to you. Do we know much more about who this woman is and how she died?
KYUNG LAH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (via telephone): We're getting many, many more details coming out from the police throughout the weekend. We've learned her name is 21-year-old Nicola Furlong. He's an Irish citizen and a foreign exchange student. She's attending a college about 60 miles north of Tokyo.
According to the Tokyo Metropolitan Police, she died by suffocation by cervical compression. It's the term that they use. It's essentially strangulation.
What the police tell us is that they have arrested two American men. Both of them are in the music industry. A 19-year-old musician. He is considered a minor because adulthood is 20 years here in -- 20 years old here in Japan. And the other is a dancer. Twenty-three-year- old James Blackstone. The U.S. State Department confirmed the two Americans have been arrested, but wouldn't go any further than that.
According to Kyodo, a news agency, though, we're getting more details from them. Furlong and a friend attended a Nicki Minaj concert on Wednesday night when they were approached by these two Americans. They all went to dinner after the concert and then ended up in a hotel in Shinjuku (ph). That area is known after hours as a party and drinking area. Tokyo Police confirmed to CNN that at the hotel a guest complained of a loud noise in the early morning hours of Thursday morning. When hotel workers got to the hotel room, they found Nicola Furlong dead in the room with a 19-year-old American.
Police have arrested the two men. They've arrested them for fondling the other woman in a taxi. Presumably they're trying to gather enough evidence to charge these two men for the actual crime itself. Concerned perhaps that they may be a flight risk. But this is an investigation that is certainly unfolding and at a high pace this weekend.
KAYE: Yes, it certainly sounds that way. So, once again, it sounds like she did go willingly with them and a friend, had dinner afterwards, and then her body was discovered.
Kyung Lah, thank you very much for those new details. We'll continue to check back in with you.
To Syria now and a massacre blamed on government forces may have also killed any chance for peace in the country. United Nations observers say at least 85 people were killed in the town of Hula. As many as 32 of them were children. Members of the opposition forces now say they are ready to retaliate and said the U.N.-backed peace plan is dead. Here's the head of the U.N. observer mission.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MAJ. GEN. ROBERT MOOD, U.N. SUPERVISION MISSION IN SYRIA (voice- over): We have, through our observers, counted 85 corpses. And the tragedy is elevated by the fact that 34 of the dead were children under the age of 10, and seven women. The circumstances that led to these tragic killings are still unclear.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: The Syrian government says regional and western enemies, such as the U.S., are responsible for the massacre. A spokesman for the Free Syrian Army, the leading voice of the anti-government opposition, says it's time for U.N. allies to launch air strikes against the Syrian military.
NATO says that four soldiers were killed in separate attacks in southern Afghanistan, but all of the deaths were caused by roadside bombs. The international security force hasn't released the nationalities of the soldiers.
And now we go even further from home to the International Space Station. These are new pictures from inside the Dragon spacecraft on its historical mission. Astronaut Don Pettit said it still had that new car smell inside. The Dragon carried more than 1,000 pounds of supplies to the Space Station. The SpaceX mission is the first fully commercial flight to the station.
And back here in the states, Newport Beach, California, wants President Obama to pay up. How much? How about $35,000? That's how much the city manager says extra police cost when the president was there in February. He was in Newport Beach for a campaign breakfast. The city says it wouldn't have billed the president if it was an official event, but a campaign event is fair game.
A historic battleship is making its final voyage. The USS Iowa set sail from Richmond, California, yesterday, and passed under San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge. Its destination? Los Angeles, where it will become an interactive museum. The Iowa saw battle in World War II and took President Franklin Delano Roosevelt across the Atlantic for his 1943 meeting with Winston Churchill and Joseph Stalin.
Here's a rundown of some of the stories that we're working on for you this morning.
A New Jersey couple says texting led to a head on collision with a distracted driver. Now they're suing that driver and the person who sent him the text message.
And on this Memorial Day weekend, I'll speak with a man whose father died in Vietnam and now works to help others coping with the same loss.
Plus, a false accusation of rape put Brian Bank in jail for five years. But today he's a free man after his accuser admits she made it all up. Hear his incredible story.
Then, he's a singing and songwriting legend, and he serenaded me. My conversation with super star Neil Diamond.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: This morning, protesters will head to North Carolina where they will publicly express their outrage against this man. His name is Pastor Charles Worley. In a sermon that has now gone viral, Worley denounced homosexuality and called for gays and lesbians to be put behind an electric fence. CNN's Gary Tuchman traveled to Maiden, North Carolina, where he attempted to talk to Worley and get reaction from those in the pastor's community and his church.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GARY TUCHMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We are not allowed on church property. Church security and sheriff's deputies have told us we cannot step foot on the property. We did want to talk to him, though. We went to his house earlier in the day. Members of his family were standing outside his house. We parked our car. They ran into the house so quickly that one of them left a lighted cigarette on the window sill. And then sheriff's deputies came there and they ordered us off that property also.
Maiden, North Carolina's a small town, but there are many people here not affiliated with this church who were embarrassed and a gasped (ph) about what this pastor has said. But, among the pastor's friends, among his congregants, he has a lot of support.
JANIE BEARD, WORLEY'S NEIGHBOR: He would give you the shirt off his back. He would do anything he could for you.
TUCHMAN: I mean he said in church that he wants to put gay people behind electric fences and have them all die out. I mean, what do you think about that?
BEARD: Well, that's not really what he said. He said -- yes, he said some of that, but he was going to feed them and everything else. And you know that.
TUCHMAN: So you're saying that it's OK if you feed them?
BEARD: Well, I'm not saying it's OK one way or the other. What I'm saying, that is his opinion.
JOE HEFFNER, CHURCH MEMBER: Probably the most compassionate man I've ever known. I don't know. He's just got a -- he's just got a big heart for people. He takes a real firm stance on the Bible and what it says about different things, whether I like it or not or whether anybody else likes it or not. I mean he stands for the Bible.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Being gay and lesbian or whatever, homosexual, is wrong according to the Bible. It's wrong.
TUCHMAN: Well, even if you believe that, though, his words that they should be put in an electrified fence, don't you think that's a little dramatic and a little rude and a little scary?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, because his point and reasoning was to see if they reproduce. Like it is, Adam, Eve --
TUCHMAN: Well, you know, there's a lot of -- there's a lot of heterosexual couples who don't reproduce either.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Adam and Eve. That's what was in the very beginning, Adam and Eve. Not Adam and Steve.
TUCHMAN: Yes. But why put Adam and Steve in a jail, an electrified jail? Isn't that just mean? And that's not what the Bible -- that's not what God wants for man to be mean to their fellow man.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He's not saying -- he's not saying that to be mean. Like I just said, we love the --
TUCHMAN: Well, if that's not -- if that's not mean, what --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We love the people.
TUCHMAN: If that's not mean, what is it though?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We love the people, hate the sin, OK. Point blank. You need to lay off my pastor.
TUCHMAN: Pastor Worley is more than aware, he's done it for years, that his sermons go on the World Wide Web. So we expected he would talk to us and defend what he had to say. But we can see two reasons, two possible reasons for him not talking to us. One, he doesn't have the guts to talk to us, or, two, he doesn't really care what we think.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAYE: That was our Gary Tuchman.
And keep it right here on CNN. I'll take a closer look at the intersection of Christianity and culture when I speak with author and writer Jonathan Merritt. That's coming up at 8:30 Eastern Time this morning.
Other church news. This time at the papal seat (ph). The Vatican says it may ask Italy to handle a case against the pope's butler. He's accused of leaking hundreds of personal letters and confidential documents to an Italian journalist. The butler is seen here riding with Pope Benedict in the Popemobile. CNN's senior Vatican analyst, John Allen, has been covering the breach and says the scope could widen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHN ALLEN, CNN SENIOR VATICAN ANALYST: But apparently this material involved significant stacks of highly confidential Vatican documents, while along with very sophisticated reproduction devices that would have been necessary to reproduce the photostats and so forth that got passed on to this Italian journalist. This is the great guessing game in sort of Vaticanology at the moment, is what might have motivated Paolo Gabriele, the accused mole, to have leaked these documents. And added to that is the question of whether or not he acted on his own or whether there would be other potentially more senior figures sort of behind the scenes who have not yet been identified who perhaps put him up to it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: The Vatican has not denied the authenticity of the documents, but instead says the breach of privacy is a criminal act.
A California family's foreclosure nightmare comes to an end with a little help from one of the country's biggest banks.
Plus, a couple severely injured by a texting driver. Now they want the girl sending the text message to pay too. We'll tell you what the judge says.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: Checking stories cross country.
After being evicted in a foreclosure, a California family is now back at home and they have Bank of America to thank for it. The bank bought the property from the investor who got it in foreclosure. It says it will work with the family who lived in the home for over 25 years to help them stay there.
And the bond between these two best friends just got tighter. The reason? They are the only graduates, the only graduates, in the class of 2012 at their Utah high school. It is the smallest graduating class in the state. No surprise there. And the school has a total of 10 students spanning grades seven through 12. Amazing.
And this Memorial Day weekend is a milestone for some soldiers in Washington state. They are reuniting with their families for the first time after one year in Afghanistan. One soldier talked about the significance of returning during a weekend that honors fallen members of the nation's military.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It reminds me of those that went before us. Those that sacrificed so that we can be here, so that we can come home.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: And more soldiers from that unit will be heading home from Afghanistan over the next few weeks.
In what may be a landmark legal decision, a New Jersey judge has ruled in favor of a woman facing a lawsuit over her text messages. David and Linda Kubert each lost a leg when they were hit by a distracted driver in 2009. That driver admitted that he was texting at the time. But along with suing the driver, the couple also sued the then 17-year-old girl who was sending the text messages. They contended that she was also liable since she was distracting the driver, but the judge said absolutely not. And in his ruling, Judge David Rand said the texts are no different than a GPS device or a billboard. He said the responsibility to pay attention is the driver's responsibility alone, but admitted that Americans are addicted to their mobile devices. The Kuberts plan to appeal. The driver in this case was fined $760 and ordered to speak to area teens.
All right, so now it's your turn to weigh in on this. Did the judge make the right decision? Are texters just another distraction or are they liable as well for accidents? Tweet me your thoughts. I'd love to know what you think. Don't tweet me if you're driving. Pull over or just tweet when you get home. Tweet me @RandiKayeCNN.
Remembering our fallen this Memorial Day. We'll talk with one man who has turned his search for his father's remains into an inspiration for others, and an organization dedicated to preserving their memories.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: Good morning, everyone.
This weekend we remember those who have fallen in battle. But I want to take a moment to talk about Vietnam. Last week, President Obama issued a proclamation asking Americans to remember the war. He declared May 28th, tomorrow, as the start of commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the Vietnam War, saying, "we reflect with solemn reverence upon the valor of a generation that served with honor. We pay tribute to the more than 3 million service men and women who left their families to serve bravely, a world away from everything they knew and everyone they loved."
Tony Cordero lost his father in Vietnam in 1965. He has now dedicated himself to honoring his father's memory and to helping other Gold Star children do the same.
Thank you, Tony, for joining us this morning.
TONY CORDERO, FOUNDER, SONS AND DAUGHTERS IN TOUCH: Thanks for having me.
KAYE: First, tell us a little bit about your dad.
CORDERO: He was a typical soldier from the Vietnam era. He graduated from Loyola University in Los Angeles, was an ROTC student, was a Hispanic officer in the Air Force in the late '50s and early '60s, which was unique, and was the navigator in a B-57 that was lost on the Vietnam-Laos border in 1965.
KAYE: And you founded the Sons and Daughters In Touch. That's the name of your organization. Tell me a little bit about it and what your mission is.
CORDERO: Well, in the late '80s, many of us were growing up. We were young adults and wondered, were we the only ones that had lost our dads in the war? And we quickly found that we were not. There was no organization that would bring us together. And so we formed this national coalition that became Sons and Daughters In Touch. And now we have members from every corner of the country. Our dads served in every branch and at literally every rank in the military during the war. And we were one of the standard bearers with the Gold Star Family's organizations.
KAYE: And I would imagine that a lot of you are still having trouble finding out what really happened to your fathers in Vietnam.
CORDERO: Correct. A number of our members still are searching for answers to the fate of their fathers. They're listed as missing. And the joint POW MIA accounting command in Honolulu is searching for those answers. But our members still are asking those questions.
KAYE: And do you reach out to others who you think have lost their fathers, or do they reach out to you? How do you get the word out there and help people find out what happened?
CORDERO: The beauty of our organization is that it was formed at the advent of the Internet age. And so the Internet and social media have been a wonderful help. Older organizations, the Gold Star sons and daughters from World War II or Korea didn't have that benefit to get them started. And we did. So that was really the tool that helped us become so instant in connecting with members across the country.
KAYE: Yes. And what about the sons and daughters who have lost loved ones in Iraq and Afghanistan? Do you have a message for them or some advice for them as well?
CORDERO: We do. Our members are actively involved with them. In fact, this weekend, there's a Good Grief camp taking place outside Washington where a number of our members share their life experiences and provide emotional support to them. We're middle-aged now and those young children are going to grow up, like we have. And this life-long journey has lots of questions and we can help answer some of them.
KAYE: And I understand that you're going to the White House tomorrow for a special memorial breakfast at the White House with the president. What will you say to him?
CORDERO: Well, I'm not sure that I'll get a chance to actually --
KAYE: If you get a chance.
CORDERO: But it's a great honor for us. The Gold Star family's breakfast has taken place Memorial Day for a number of years. I'm not sure when it started. But it's an honor for us in Sons and Daughters In Touch to be included with the Gold Star Mothers and Gold Star Wives. You know, the president issued the proclamation about the 50th anniversary of the war. He, like us, is 50 years old. Many of our members are in our late 40s or early 50s. And it's ironic that he would be issuing that proclamation, helping us launch this multi-year commemoration of the war when he shares the same life history. He was born in the early 1960s, lived through the '60s, and is the same age that we are.
KAYE: I have to ask because, you know, a lot of people on a holiday weekend like this, Memorial Day weekend, or Veterans Day, whatever it might be, a lot of folks, they think of it as an extra day off, but it's a lot more than that, isn't it? I mean tell us why it is so important to remember.
CORDERO: Well, I think it's the greatness of America. When you think about all that's going on, we're so busy. There's so many issues that distract us from a rough economy, high unemployment, angst across the country for so many reasons, but yet we'll take a three-day weekend and we will remember those who gave their lives so that we can be free. And, to me, it really sums up the greatness. We'll be distracted, sure. People will have barbecues and things like that. But if for just a moment they remember those who gave their lives in any one of the wars, then they have done their responsibility over Memorial Day weekend.
KAYE: Tony Cordero, well said. Thank you very much. And, once again, the name of your group, Sons and Daughters In Touch. The website, by the way, is sdit.org. So you can check it out there as well. Tony, thank you.
CORDERO: Thank you.
KAYE: Courting the veteran vote. President Obama has now made it a campaign priority. We'll show you how he's trying to sell himself and tell whether vets are buying.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: Welcome back. And thanks for starting your morning with us. I'm Randi Kaye. It is half past the hour. Take a look here. You are looking at live pictures of the Iwo Jima Memorial near Arlington National Cemetery. The memorial based on an iconic photo from World War II is dedicated to all of the Marines who have died in battles since the Corps founding in 1775. And on this Memorial Day weekend, many of you will no doubt be paying tribute to family and friends who are among the nation's service members, but you may be doing it in the shadow of some pretty wild weather. Subtropical storm Beryl hovering over the Atlantic prompting a warning from northeastern Florida to South Carolina. Officials say the storm, which gained strength yesterday could dump several inches of rain and bring heavy winds to the area. Rough seas have forced closures of beaches in the region, as lifeguards warn people to stay out of the water.
On this Memorial Day weekend Vice President Joe Biden is thanking West Point's graduating cadets. In yesterday's commencement address at the U.S. Military Academy, Biden said the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan may be ending, but the U.S. still faces plenty of challenges ahead, and he called the cadets members of the 9/11 generation.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOSEPH BIDEN, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Most of you were in elementary school in September 11, 2001 when your nation was attacked. Old enough to remember, perhaps, but young enough that that tragic day need not have shaped your lives, but for so many of you it did just that. As you and your immediate predecessors came of age, 2,800,000 of you were moved to join our military.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: Biden also said the United States relationship with rising economic super power China will help shape the 21st century.
President Obama is hoping to grab the attention of a group he lost in the 2008 election, that group is veterans. His campaign has made it a priority trying to chip away the traditionally Republican voting block. CNN White House correspondent Dan Lothian reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DAN LOTHIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: President Obama rarely misses an opportunity to talk about the help he is offering to military veterans and their families.
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: We will care and serve our veterans the way they've served us.
LOTHIAN: It's about policy and politics. His re-election campaign is actively courting veterans who have traditionally supported Republicans, launching a grassroots effort. "Veterans and Military Families for Obama."
BEAU BIDEN, (D) DELAWARE ATTORNEY GENERAL: It's door to door, person to person, grocery store to grocery store, letting people know the president's record as it relates to veterans.
LOTHIAN: In 2008 President Obama lost the veteran vote to Senator John McCain 55 percent to 45 percent, but the demographics are shifting, and Democrats sense an opportunity. A recent Reuters-Ipsos poll shows Mr. Obama with a 44 percent to 37 percent lead among this group over likely opponent Mitt Romney. Team Obama is looking for voters like Josh Prentice. He is a recent graduate of George Washington University Law School who served with the Army in Iraq. He is a proud veteran and a loyal Republican.
JOSH PRENTICE, IRAQ WAR VETERAN: The first presidential election I can vote in was 2004, and I voted for President Bush.
LOTHIAN: But for the first time he is looking to both the right and the left. He likes former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney. Yet, President Obama's foreign policy has gotten his attention.
PRENTICE: He has impressed me with the way he led the drawdown in Iraq and in Afghanistan as well.
LOTHIAN: The killing of Osama bin Laden has also won over some former critics. That's the sales pitch Democrats are making. Republicans say this outreach is honorable, but they're skeptical of an election year appeal to veterans.
ANTHONY PRINCIPI, (R ), FORMER SECRETARY OF VETERANS AFFAIRS: They deserve, you know, support every day of the year, but not just when it's convenient. LOTHIAN: Taking nothing for granted, former Veterans Affairs secretary in the Bush administration Anthony Principi is pitching Mitt Romney to veterans and their families.
PRINCIPI: We'll be doing our work as aggressively as we possibly can to make sure that the veterans understand who Governor Romney is and will cast their vote for him.
LOTHIAN: Republicans are using proposed defense budget cuts and concerns about America's military strength to raise doubts about the president's policies. On the "Military Times" Website one veteran posted "I simply can't vote for a president who advocates deep military cuts to those who gave so much to our nation." Another wrote, "This is one president that I could never endorse."
Prentice already has a job all lined up. He is one of the lucky ones because the unemployment rate among veterans is at 9.2 percent, well above the national average, but it could be a factor on election day, and Republicans say it could hurt the president. Dan Lothian, CNN, the White House.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAYE: And be sure to stay with CNN. We'll keep you up to speed on all the latest political news.
We've been following this story of a young athlete jailed for a rape that never happened. This weekend I had a chance to speak with Brian Banks who shared his amazing journey to freedom. Wait until you hear what he says about his accuser.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: Welcome back. A gifted young athlete in California has his dreams derailed when he is accused of a rape that never occurred. Ten years later his accuser reconnects with him on Facebook and recants her story. Now exonerated, Brian Banks looked back at the pain of his time in jail and of the weight that he carried as a falsely accused man. And he is looking ahead at the life of complete freedom he thought that he would never know. He joined me to talk about the day the truth set him free.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BRIAN BANKS: I will never forget that moment. It was the best day of my life. Just a lot of mixed emotions. From just happiness to reflecting on everything that's happened and that I have been through to get to this point and just overwhelmed with just all the love and support following it.
KAYE: Justin, I have a few questions for you, but I just want to ask Brian here first. So, this woman apparently, she finds you on Facebook and sends you a message, right? That's how this all started to unravel. What did she say?
BANKS: Well, she in a message said that she was hoping that bygones could be bygones, and she was immature at the time, but very much mature now.
KAYE: And Justin, can you take us through -- I mean how you were able to record her, right? Brian was able to record her somehow. Tell us how that came to be.
JUSTIN BROOKS, ATTORNEY FOR BRIAN BANKS: Yeah. I mean, the crazy thing is Brian's life is taken away by the testimony of this woman. He loses his football dreams, at least for then. You know, now he is going to make a comeback and I'm hoping to see him in the NFL. But then his life was taken away by this woman, and she Facebook-requests him and says, you know, let's get together, let's talk, wants to be friends with him, and it's just crazy. So once that statement was made and she said that they never had sex. In fact, that she lost her virginity years later, that this incident never happened, then all of a sudden now we've got some evidence to come back in and get his case reopened, but without that, Brian would have basically been serving a life sentence as a sex offender and Brian, you know, had an ankle monitor. I have been carrying it around for the past couple of days since we cut it off. He has had to wear this for the past five years, and he lifts weights every day, but he is always telling me, you know, this is the heaviest weight he lifts because it marks him as a convicted sex offender. He is on the sex offender registry lists. He couldn't get work. When the background checks came back he was a sex offender, and without that statement, that would have been for the rest of his life.
KAYE: So, this accuser, from what I understand, she was awarded $1.5 million a payment from a civil suit, right, against the Long Beach schools where this allegedly happened. Why did she -- why did she lie? Did she say, Brian?
BANKS: I never got a clear reason why she lied. I really couldn't say.
KAYE: And Justin, is she going to have to pay that money back?
BROOKS: Well, that's the crazy part of this case. I mean, imagine from Brian's perspective. First, he gets, you know, accused wrongfully, he ends up in prison and then he is sitting in prison and finding out that his accuser gets a $1.5 million settlement for her lie. You know, fortunately for us, our job is done here. You know, my job was to give this guy's freedom back.
KAYE: So, Brian, I mean I know that I'm sure that this is all about looking forward for you now. You don't really want to look backward, I'm sure, but are you angry with your accuser?
BANKS: No, not at all. You know, I've had those moments where I was very angry and very bitter. This is around the time that I first received the six-year sentence in prison, but, you know, it was at that time that I realized that, you know, regardless of the situation that I'm in, it was more important how I controlled myself while in those situations, and I just saw it better for me, my health, and my future to just move forward and try to be the best person I could be regardless of what I'm going through. KAYE: So, Brian, now that you are a free man, though, tell me about the NFL. I knew you are working out. We've seen some video of you lifting your weights. Are you planning on the NFL being your future?
BANKS: Most definitely. Been working real hard at it, and I'm just waiting on that call. It's just been -- it's been a journey and, you know, I love to stick by a saying, you know, "Good things come to those who hustle while they wait," so I've been praying for this day and freedom and, you know, I tell God that upon my freedom, if you bless me with opportunity to play for the NFL, then I'll for sure meet you halfway. And I'm ready.
KAYE: Is there a certain team you're waiting on a call from that you want to give a shout out to? If you are watching?
BANKS: Oh yes, for sure. Shout out to the team that feels I deserve the opportunity. Let's play some football.
KAYE: I think that would include just about every team given your perseverance and what you have been through. I love this sweat shirt, by the way. Exonerate.
BANKS: Thank you.
KAYE: Just in case the folks at home haven't been able to get a close look at that. Very nice. And nice to have you on the program. Brian Banks, Justin Brooks. Brian, enjoy your freedom ...
BANKS: Thank you so much.
KAYE: And we will continue to watch your NFL career.
BANKS: Thank you.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAYE: Something tells me we'll see Brian on the field real soon.
A six-hour work day, that's something we could all get used to, and that's exactly what people in Bolivia are fighting to keep. They've taken to the streets for massive protests. So how does a six- hour day stack up to what we're used to right here in the U.S.? We'll tell you.
Also, a dog lover's delight. We'll bring you the tale of this cute little four-legged pup that ran an entire bicycle race across Tibet. Boy, he must be tired.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: Imagine if it was illegal for you to work more than six hours a day. Sounds pretty nice, right? Well, up until now that's been the case for doctors and medical students in Bolivia. The government is trying to change that and, well, let me show you what's going on there now as a result. Take a look at this. Yes, those are the doctors and students studying to be doctors rioting in the streets. They don't want the change, and, yes, they are making it known. So let's talk about this with Nadia Bilchik now. All right, so why does the government want to change this to begin with? And why are they so angry about it?
NADIA BILCHIK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I know, well, Bolivian doctors up until this point -- and these are doctors in the public sector have only had to work six hours, and that's been an enforcement for 40 years. So for the first time the government of Evo Morales has come along and said, no, we are extending that to an eight-hour work day.
KAYE: Oh, no.
BILCHIK: I know. And they are protesting. But I will tell you that just yesterday the doctors have been victorious and Morales is rescinding the decree and it looks like they'll be going back to a six-hour work day to be reviewed in July.
KAYE: Can you imagine this happening in this country? I mean, a six-hour work day does sound pretty nice, but how does it compare around the world?
BILCHIK: Well, when you think about work days, what would you think would be the most? You would probably think Japan, right?
KAYE: Yeah, exactly.
BILCHIK: But it's not Japan. It's Mexico.
KAYE: So long, really?
BILCHIK: Isn't that interesting? I found that astounding. It has the most 9.9 hour average work days. Japan is only second with around nine hours, and the U.S. is around seventh with 8.3 hours, and the last, probably the best place (ph) is Belgium with the average of seven hours a day.
KAYE: I wonder who they polled in the U.S. because I got -- I put in a lot more than 8.3 hours on average. All right, so you have this holiday weekend. So, let's talk about how vacation compares, because a lot of people have an extra day off. Are we about the same as the rest of the world?
BILCHIK: America has the reputation as the no vacation nation.
KAYE: Right. We walk so hard.
BILCHIK: Isn't that true? We really do.
KAYE: We do.
BILCHIK: So, apparently Americans generally have around only ten vacation days and then eight for national holidays. Now, that's much less than the U.K. which has around 28 days, and then France and Greece, the average of 25 days. But what I found particularly interesting is some surveys say that Americans don't take their full leave.
KAYE: That's true. That's true.
BILCHIK: Do you, Randi?
KAYE: Well, I try to, but, you know, the great folks at CNN, our wonderful managers, they always say take your vacation because they want you fresh and ready, and that's a good thing.
BILCHIK: And I know you are taking some vacation.
KAYE: I am taking a short few days, yes.
BILCHIK: And we are going to miss you.
KAYE: Well, I'll be back. Don't worry.
BILCHIK: Good.
KAYE: Just a few days.
(CROSSTALK)
BILCHIK: Are you back next weekend?
KAYE: No.
BILCHIK: So you're taking a bit of proper vacation?
KAYE: Yes. As we're supposed to do.
BILCHIK: Exactly. So let's change the reputation of America from the no vacation nation to the vacation nation.
KAYE: All right, here we go. Let's do it. Thank you, Nadia.
And there will be plenty of road trip stories this holiday weekend, but none quite like this one. A stray and hungry dog was fed and befriended by a bicycle racer in Tibet. I just can't get enough of this little guy. Go. The dog started following her newly adopted friend and eventually covered more than 1,000 miles along with a group of cyclists on a mountain course no less. There she's now in the back of a basket. The bikers say the pup kept their spirits up along the way. You know she must be exhausted. She had to go in the back of that -- in that little basket. Look at her go. Whoa.
All right. Back here at home. The nation is marking Memorial Day weekend. We'll show you how the country is paying tribute to the men and women who keep us safe and how some families who've lost loved ones to war are finding solace at sea.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: This weekend we are remembering America's men and women who have made the ultimate sacrifice to keep the country safe. An organization called Dive Hard pairs families who have lost a loved one to war with injured veterans so that both may find some healing. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Diving has a very calming affect, so when I'm down there diving, I don't think about anything else.
Whenever you're handed a Gold Star and a folded flag, you think you're all alone. You think that there's nobody around that understands you.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is our first boat dive. We're getting everybody together, getting squared away.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're going to take Gold Star families. We're going to have them dive with veterans with disabilities. They both have new normals that the Gold Star families have new normals, as do the veterans with disabilities.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You guys keep coming. Walk right through.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Two steps.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Step down.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: When you learn to do something as difficult as scuba diving, you learn to -- that you can overcome anything.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And just like somebody with a physical disability or an injury that's traumatic, you have to go through rehabilitation, you have to go through therapy, and hopefully it will be kind of like a rehabilitation for their spirit, for their emotions, you know, and hopefully it will heal.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He wanted them to grow. He wanted them to build strength, build character, to deal with stresses in their life and that is something that has been stressed this weekend.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's not about scuba diving. We're going deep inside the person and then touching, you know, their heart and touching their spirit and having them reach inside themselves. This is about helping people imagine the possibilities in their life.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Just go for it. You can do anything you can put your mind to.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAYE: The nonprofit Dive Hard organization was founded in 2001. Its mission to build confidence and independence in children, adults, and veterans with disabilities through scuba diving. To find out more about this great group at diveheart.org.
Neil Diamond is a legend in the music industry. You know this song, I bet.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) NEIL DIAMOND (singing): Sweet Caroline bah, bah, bah
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: Yes, he has sold more than 100 million albums, he is still making music and serenading me, as you saw right there. My interview with him ahead about his new tour, his new bride, and how Twitter is helping him get closer to his fans, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE (voice-over): Remembering our troops. This Memorial Day weekend we pay tribute to our veterans for their service and those who made the ultimate sacrifice.
Plus, planning to hit the beach this holiday weekend? Might want to have a plan B. Part of the country is bracing for a tropical storm that could hit just hours from now. We'll have a live report.
And, later, no, it's not a strip tease. It's a sports craze that now a movement is underway to make pole dancing an Olympic event. We'll explain.
(MUSIC)
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAYE: Good morning, everyone. I'm Randi. It's 7:00 on the East Coast, 4:00 on the West.
Let's get straight to it. We start with what's shaping up to be a pretty ugly holiday weekend in parts of the Southeast, and you can blame it all on Beryl.
Subtropical storm Beryl is set to dump several inches of rain along the Florida, South Carolina coast today. Already we're seeing warnings and some beach closures off Tybee Island in Georgia. At least 20 people actually had to be rescued because of potentially deadly rip currents.
So, let's bring in meteorologist Bonnie Schneider.
Bonnie, good morning, once again to you.
Bring us up-to-date on Beryl and the warnings.
BONNIE SCHNEIDER, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Right now, we are still watching subtropical storm Beryl, this time getting closer to shore than we were yesterday. A little more organization, the winds are intense. They're at 50 miles per hour.
So, the storm has picked up strength and speed in the past 24 hours. It will impact land. You can se the watches and warning posted all the way from Savannah, down through areas north of Orlando, Florida. That means we'll see winds at least 39 miles, an hour or stronger within the next 12 to 24 hours. We are anticipating that. The rain doesn't look too heavy right now. Some of the spiral bands forming along the radar picture, but I can tell you that we are anticipating the storm to come on shore and stay on shore for a good portion of the day into the early part of the week. Monday and Tuesday, it will become a depression, but it still be a rainmaker, Randi, as we start off this holiday weekend.
Unfortunately, the timing looks like landfall will occur sometime tonight and then bring a lot of rain into Monday and Tuesday.
KAYE: So you say inland. How far inland is what a lot of folks probably want to know?
SCHNEIDER: At least 50 miles or more, because when we are looking at our computer models, look what happens right here? See this area in orange just to the west of Jacksonville, Florida. So if you are driving along I-10 and you are halfway through the state of Florida, you are going to be impacted by Beryl, and some of the rain could be two inches, up to four inches. So, heavy rain pretty far inland. Mainly in Florida, southern Georgia. Not so much so for the Carolinas. It will be lighter as you head into central North Carolina and South Carolina.
KAYE: A lot of people on the roads, Bonnie, but also a lot of people at the airports.
Are they going to be affected too?
SCHNEIDER: I think so. We'll be looking at the potential for airport delays, anywhere you see here, some of the smaller airports like Jackson and into Charleston. But look at this.
We're anticipating delays in other parts of Florida like Orlando and Miami. And elsewhere, windy weather continues for Denver and stormy weather, severe storms, are possible today for Minneapolis. And that may impact your air travel there.
So, a lot of different types of weather happening across the country.
KAYE: You got it all covered for us. Bonnie Schneider, thank you very much. We'll be checking back with you throughout the morning.
And from home to abroad. Two Americans under arrest right now in Tokyo. They were taken into custody after a woman was found dead in one of the men's hotel rooms.
CNN's Kyung Lah joining me on the telephone from Tokyo.
Kyung, you've been digging into this story. What can you tell us about the woman killed and how she died?
KYUNG LAH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (via telephone): Well, we know she's 21-year-old Nicola Furlong. She's an exchange student from Ireland who was studying here in Japan, just north of Tokyo. What Tokyo police are telling us is that she died of suffocation by cervical compression. That sounds like strangulation. What the Kyoto News Agency -- I'm sorry. On Wednesday night when she and her friend were approached by two American men. They went to dinner after the concert.
They ended up in a hotel at a party, drinking area, and then the police say she was found dead in a hotel room hours later with one of the Americans. That's where the investigation is at this point.
KAYE: So, Kyung, you mentioned she was an exchange student. What do we know about these two guys? Were they students? About how old are they?
LAH: We know that they're both Americans. The U.S. State Department does confirm that two Americans have been arrested. What the Tokyo police are telling us is that one of them is a musician, the 19-year-old. We don't have his name because he is considered a minor here in Japan.
The other man is 23-year-old James Blackstone. He is a dancer. What's unclear is if they were performing with the Nicki Minaj concert, or if they were simply there attending, or if they were perhaps with another band. We know that at this point these two people are the focus of the investigation by Tokyo police.
KAYE: And they have been arrested. What exactly were they arrested for? Have they been charged?
LAH: Yes. This is where it really gets interesting, because they arrested the two men not for this murder, even though the younger one was allegedly found m room with the victim. What the police is saying is that they are holding them for fondling Furlong's friend in the taxi.
At this point, that certainly sounds like they're trying to gather enough evidence to charge them for the actual crime itself and that perhaps they're concerned about a flight risk. But as of this point they are simply being held for fondling another woman.
KAYE: Kyung Lah, I know you'll continue to dig on this and we'll check back with you in our next hour. Thank you.
And to Syria now. A massacre blamed on government forces may have also killed any chance for peace in the country. United Nations observers say at least 85 people were killed in the town of Houla. At many as 32 of them were children.
Members of the opposition forces now say they are ready to retaliate and say the U.N.-backed peace plan is dead. Here's the head of the U.N. observer mission.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MAJ. GENN. ROBERT WOOD, U.N. SUPERVISION MISSION IN SYRIA (via telephone): We have observers with a total of 85 corpses. The tragedy is elevated by the fact that 34 of the dead were children under the age of 10 and seven women. The circumstances have led to these tragic events are still unclear.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: The Syrian government says regional and Western enemies, such as the U.S., are responsible for the massacre.
A spokesman for the Free Syrian Army, the leading voice of the anti-government opposition, says it's time for U.N. allies to march air strikes against the Syrian military.
Well, it looks like we'll get an official end to the presidential race this week, but that's just one of the big events on the political calendar.
Here's CNN's political editor Paul Steinhauser.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN POLITICAL EDITOR: Good morning, Randi.
Call them the odd couple, Mitt Romney teams up with Donald Trump Tuesday at Trump's Las Vegas hotel for a fundraiser for Romney. His campaign is also raffling a chance to have dinner with the Donald for supporters who donate to Romney.
DONALD TRUMP, TRUMP ORGANIZATION: I think Mitt Romney is going to be an amazing candidate. I think he's going to be not only an amazing candidate. I think he's going to be an amazing president.
STEINHAUSER: Trump flirted with his own bid for the Republican presidential nomination last year, but eventually decided against it.
And earlier this year he endorsed Romney.
TRUMP: It's my honor, real honor, and privilege to endorse Mitt Romney.
STEINHAUSER: Making Tuesday's event even spicier, Newt Gingrich, a fierce rival of Romney's during the primaries, he'll also be there.
And also Tuesday, Texas holds its primary. Romney, of course, is expected to easily win, and he could capture enough delegates to give him the 1,144 needed to officially clinch the Republican presidential nomination -- Randi.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAYE: Thank you very much, Paul.
And wait until you see the next clip. you'll understand one of the many reasons I love my job.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NEIL DIAMONDD, SINGER: Sweet Caroline, bah, bah, bah --
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: I mean, how many people can say they got serenaded by Neil Diamond? Still ahead, my conversation with the singer and songwriting legend.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: Any chance you woke up this morning humming this song?
(MUSIC)
KAYE: I do that every once in a while.
It is hard to believe, but Neil Diamond has been making music now for more than half a century. He has sold more than 100 million albums. He has been inducted into the songwriter's hall of fame and rock 'n' roll hall of fame and he just tied the knot.
I spoke earlier with him about his new bride, his favorite songs, and what gets him tweeting.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KAYE: Last month, you married your music manager, Katie McNeil -- congratulations, by the way.
I thought it was interesting you sent out a photo of the two of you on twitter because you're a pretty private person, or at least you have been and now you're a tweeting machine, posting pictures from your wedding.
What has made you decide to be a little more public?
DIAMOND: Well, I'm not sure it's a little more public but it's an easy way to get the word out to the fans and the public. You know, the thought comes to you, hey I should let folks know that I'm getting married, or here's a picture of my dog. And it's easy and it's fun and it's instant feedback. I like it.
KAYE: I love you announced the adoption of your new puppy on Twitter, picture and all. Very cute.
Let's talk about your recent album, compilation of your popular songs throughout the years. I know a lot of folks have their favorite. But do you have a favorite?
DIAMOND: Well, you know, "Sweet Caroline" is at the top. I have a dozen or two dozen other favorites, and I try to get them all in the show.
KAYE: Any chance we can get you to sing a line or two of "Sweet Caroline"?
DIAMOND: Yes. Let me think what are the words -- oh, yes. (singing): Sweet Caroline, bah, bah, bah, good times never seemed so good --
KAYE: You made my day. That is wonderful!
I'm also curious what artist you're listening to, because there are so many new artists, so many new types of music coming out all the time, what's on your iPod, if you have one?
DIAMOND: Well, interestingly enough, I just put all of my catalog, all of my recorded music on my iPod, and some of these things I haven't heard for years and years, so it's a kick to be able to pull them up and listen to them and it takes me back instantly.
So, right now, I'm listening to Neil Diamond and getting in Neil Diamond's music because starting next week, that's what we will be presenting.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAYE: It was great to chat with hem. You can catch the entire interview on my newsroom blog. Go to CNN.com/Randi, and you'll find it there.
If you are ready to become a homeowner, well, listen up because now might be the best time to buy many more than 60 years. Financial analyst Clyde Anderson will tell us why.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: If you are looking to buy a house, then what are you waiting for? This week, mortgage rates hit a new low. The 30-year fixed loan fell to 3.8 percent.
To put that in perspective for you, that is the lowest it's been since long-term mortgages began in the 1950s.
Let's bring in our financial analyst Clyde Anderson to talk about this.
All right. Good morning to you.
CLYDE ANDERSON, FINANCIAL ANALYST: Good morning.
KAYE: Do low rates mean that the housing market is making a comeback.
It's a slow recovery, but there is a recovery. I mean, think about it, 3.8 percent, 30-year fixed mortgage. Who knew we would get down this low? Those are amazing rates. So, it's driving a lot of people into the market because it's making homeownership affordable.
KAYE: It's a little shuffle, right? It's not a full race. Not fully there yet.
ANDERSON: Right. A little bit of a shuffle, I like that. KAYE: All right. So, the rates may be low, but I guess the question is are people buying?
ANDERSON: Yes. People are buying. First time home buyers are the ones really buying. Again, banks are lending as much as they were in the past. They're not making it as easy to lend. I mean, 640 is generally the rate that you're going to have to be around to get somewhat of a reasonable or good market loan and to take advantage of these low mortgage rates. So, you got to make sure the credit is good as well.
KAYE: So, the home sales are up about 3.3 percent.
ANDERSON: Yes, that's great news.
KAYE: All right. So they're up, and that is good news, as you say, or great news as you say. What about the loans? Are the loans getting any easier for people to get?
Yes, it's still tight out there. Again, banks have record profits or they're going up in profits as well, but they're not lending as much on the mortgage side. They're making more money on fees and over things, but they're not necessarily seeing their mortgage portfolios increased because they're still a little rigid when it comes to some of those criteria for actually lending and getting money out.
KAYE: Yes. I want to ask you about appraisals because they're some talk of appraisals -- they're actually going down. They're coming in lower than they have been, which was a big problem, right?
ANDERSON: It's a huge problem, because if it doesn't come in at an appraised value of the sales price of the home, you can't buy the house, unless you're putting more money down, and everybody doesn't have that ability to actually put more money down and to reduce the amount that they owe on the house.
KAYE: Because the loan is based on the appraisal, so why are appraisals coming in lower?
ANDERSON: Well, I think you got a lot of reasons. Some of the laws have changed in the past when you're getting appraisal. You can't necessarily pick the appraisal that you want to use, and, therefore, you may not have an appraiser that knows the area fully. And so, you may have an appraiser from all over, and they're not looking at the comps that they should look at in a lot of these situations because comparables are really key, meaning that what houses have sold in the last six months in my neighborhood comparing to the house that I'm buying.
KAYE: Right.
ANDERSON: And if you are picking raw comps and including foreclosed properties, you're going to get skewed values, and that really messes things up for a buyer's standpoint especially.
KAYE: Appraisals are part of the big mess.
ANDERSON: That caused a lot of the problems in the past. We have overinflated appraisals and property values, and, therefore, the true value wasn't in the property.
KAYE: Right.
ANDERSON: So, they're tied up on that.
KAYE: So, have mortgage rates bottomed out, do you think, getting back to that?
ANDERSON: You know what? If I had that crystal ball --
KAYE: I thought you did. That's why we have you here.
ANDERSON: I probably wouldn't be sitting here right now. The thing about it is I always learned if you like it, lock it. Lock that rate in.
KAYE: I like that. It's a good saying.
ANDERSON: I learned that early on. I mean, don't wait. This is one of the best times in history. What are you waiting for? Yes, they may go down. People had a 4 percent rate and now it's 3.6 or 3.8.
But again, these are great rates. You're talking about few dollars here.
KAYE: So, yes or no, buy or no buy?
ANDERSON: Buy now. This is the time to buy.
KAYE: More than a yes. Buy now.
ANDERSON: Don't get confused in the conversation, where it may be a good time to sell, but it's a great time to buy.
KAYE: OK. Lock it. I like it. Love it, lock it. Thank you, Clyde.
Coming up, Olympic fever is in the air. As we head into the Summer Games in London later this year, but here's a stretch. Have you ever thought of pole dancing as an Olympic sport? Advocates say it's time we became more flexible in our perception.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: Well, this next story will grab your attention. Pole dancing at the Olympics. Going for the gold on the pole? Yes, that's right. Serious pole dancers are pushing for it, but can it shake its naughty reputation?
Sandra Endo has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SANDRA ENDO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Randi, six inch heels skimpy outfits. It's not the typical uniform of an Olympic athlete, but pole dancing could become the newest Olympic sport. Advocates say first people immediate to drop their perceptions.
(voice-over): Don't call this a strip tease or some cabaret performance. For these pole dancers, showing some skin is part of their sport.
BECCA BUTCHER, POLE DANCER: It can be extremely challenging. It can be -- it's Olympic level difficulty.
ENDO: And dancer Becca Butcher isn't exaggerating. These pole performers could soon be going for the gold.
Tim Trautman is the president of the international pole sport federation and is spearheading the push to make pole dancing an Olympic sport.
TIM TRAUTMAN, INTERNATIONAL POLE SPORT FEDERATION: The biggest challenge is going to be the stereotyping that we have to deal with, and, you know, quite frankly, everyone thinks that pole fitness and pole sports and everything came out of strip clubs, but it started long before then. We have to take some of the eroticism out of the moves and take out the high heels. We're going to frame it as these are athletes that you are watching.
ENDO: Over the last decade pole dancing classes emerged as the latest fitness craze offered at local gym. But it's moved far beyond a fad. Thousands of dancers from around the world train to perform in international pole competitions.
U.S. national champion Natasha Wang hit her passion for the sport for six years, until she started winning titles.
NATASHA WANG, U.S. POLE DANCING FEDERATION CHAMPION: I was in P.R. for 10 years working in an office, and this was a hobby. It's a sport for regular people who come from, like, very normal backgrounds.
ENDO: And that's what you'll see at the annual international pole convention where women and men come to train with the best.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Having fun?
ENDO: Dancer and convention organizer Jessalyn Medairy says there needs to be more public awareness about the sport before it can go on the global stage like the Olympics.
JESSALYN MEDAIRY, INTERNATIONAL POLE CONVENTION: Where people are just like why are you in a bikini? Well, we're in a bikini because we need the skin to stick to the pole. That's what we need to achieve some of our tricks.
ENDO: What pole athletes are decided to celebrate the sport, Wang says the world may not be ready for it just yet. WANG: I feel like the public's perception needs to catch up with what the sport is really about.
ENDO: But it could bring some sexy into the world of sweaty sports.
(on camera): So, when can we see pole performers go for the gold? Well, the International Sport Federation says it hopes to see pole dancing debut in the 2016 games -- Randi.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAYE: Sandra, what a story. Thank you very much.
Here's a look at some of the big news coming up in the week ahead:
Kicking things of tomorrow, Monday. It is the official start to summer. Monday is Memorial Day, as you know.
On Tuesday, voters in Texas have a big day ahead of them. That is the Texas primary. They'll get the chance to make their voices heard, the voters will, in a Republican presidential primary.
Also on Tuesday, the nuns will be gathering in Washington, D.C. A group of Catholic nuns begin a week-long meeting in Washington. What's on the agenda? The Vatican's recent decision to appoint a bishop, to keep the nuns in line with the church's teaches.
Now, let's move to Saturday where we could get a verdict on the Hosni Mubarak trial and sentencing. If that's the case against the former Egyptian president. He is accused of corruption and ordering the deaths of those opposed to his regime. Mubarak has denied all of those charges.
And one week from today, Sunday, there we go, the diamond jubilee. Royal watchers with an historic occasion as Britain's Queen Elizabeth marks 60 years on the throne. Her majesty's diamond jubilee celebration kicks off with a special flotilla on the River Thames. And CNN will bring you the whole event live.
We'll have much more at the top of the hour when CNN SUNDAY MORNING continues. But, first, "SANJAY GUPTA, M.D." begins right now.
