>> that does it for me. i'm candy crowley in "the situation room." the news continues next on cnn. hello, everyone. i'm don lemon. you're in the cnn newsroom. i want to get you up to speed on the day's headlines. towering flames sending colorado families fleeing for their lives. i want you to take a look at this, just a week after igniting, the waldo canyon fire is colorado's most destructive. thousands of people are holding their breath, waiting to see if their homes were spared. nicole frye let the cameras roll as she said her good-bye.

>> i'm leaving my house for probably the last time. oh, my god, there's smoke in the air so bad. let me see if i can pull up through here. the hill was on fire just a second ago. there's flames. [ bleep ]. >> my goodness. i can't even imagine that. the fire has destroyed 350 homes and killed two people. millions of people are suffering through record high temperatures with no electricity this evening. a line of powerful thunderstorms killed at least 11 people and knocked out power across nine states. president barack obama has called several governors. more on the heat and on the storm in just a minute here on cnn. >> who knew what and went whether? new questions this evening on the jerry sandusky rape case. cnn recovered an e-mail thread that seems to indicate officials knew they had a problem with

sandusky dating back to 2001 but decided to handle the issues internally. see the complete report coming up in moments on cnn. ♪ >> an historic moment in cairo, egypt as they inaugurated its first new president, mohamed morsi, the first democratically elected president in egypt's history. one of his biggest challenges may be dealing with the military, which still hold as lot of power in egypt. >> avoiding the record heat that knocked out power to more than 3.5 million people. ohio, west virginia and virginia are under a heat emergency. at least 11 deaths are blamed on last night's thunderstorms packing 80 mile-an-hour winds from the midwest all the way to the capital.

virginia's governor says restoring power in his state will be a multi-day challenge. the places hit hardest by last night's storms places that now have no power, are the same areas facing more triple digit record high temperatures. more on that heat wave in just a moment. first an update on the area around washington, d.c. now. we go to athena jones in rockville, maryland. we're hearing president obama getting updates on the storm damage. what else are you learning? >> reporter: that's right, don. the president has gotten an update from the fema director on the response activities by several of the states that suffered from the severe storms that rolled through. he's spoken with four governors in the area, ohio, maryland, virginia and west virginia. and in fact, it was caught on tape the moment that he called virginia governor bob mcdonnell. let's take a listen to what happened there. >> i'm going to -- i've got a call, the president is calling

to see what he can do for us. the president was very kind as he did during several of the recent weather events. he's called me personally and asked if the federal officials were on the ground and doing the things that needed to be done and gave a direct offer of assistance, told me to call him personally if there's anything that we need. >> reporter: and, you know, of course president obama was also calling to offer his condolences to the governors of these states for the deaths in their area. 11 deaths nationwide. at least eight in this region alone. one man was killed in washington, d.c. after a tree and power wires fell on his house. he and his wife stepped out of his house last night around 11 p.m. both were electro kruted, and she's in critical condition and he was killed. a lot of signs of how dangerous

this kind of storm can be. and also showing how it may take a while to get back to normal across this area. >> absolutely, athena. this is a terrible day to be without power. so what's the situation in the area now with that? >> reporter: well, exactly. i mean, 1 million customers were without power in virginia. that number is slowly coming down. as many as two-thirds of the residents in montgomery county, maryland, were without power. it was a block-by-block situation. many of the businesses saw the power come back. some. streets don't have it. i spoke with an older man earlier who was concerned, didn't have air conditioning and said i'm going to have to take my sister who had a serious operation somewhere where she can stay warm. they are working as quickly as they can to safe restore power

but they say it could take about a week for full restoration. they asked for help from thousands crews around the region but other areas are going to need it as well. people will have to stay cool by going to cooling centers and shopping malls. >> one week with record high temperatures without power, not good. >> 12 states are now under excessive heat warnings today. we should go to our meteorologist now to get some information on this. bonnie, i asked you last hour, any relief? what's the relief for these people? coming soon? >> it's not coming soon, don. it's not your typical heat wave where we talk about records being broken. what's happening, especially today, are all-time records being broken, meaning for cities like chattanooga, atlanta, huntsville, it's never been this hot before. whooef never had chattanooga at 107 today or atlanta at 106.

let's take a look at what's going on and when the weather pattern is going to change. as high pressure emerged from the rockies and dropped to the south, it just spread across the country. now this heat is so expansive, it extends all the way to the east coast where w heat indices all the way up to 115 degrees. it's a slow moving system so it's going to sit here through tomorrow. many of the heat advisories extend into sunday and some began on wednesday. looking ahead to the forecast, you're asking when relief is in sight. depends how you spell relief. we have temperatures dropping down from 100 to 96 monday into tuesday for memphis and louisville finally dropping to 92 on wednesday. so we are seeing a gradual cooldown but it's not going to be cool. if you have don't have power and you don't have air conditioning, 92 degrees on wednesday is still going to be oppressive and

dangerous. >> yes, yes. you've shown us where the temperatures and chance of rain to help out in the situations, what's the weather forecast? >> right now we do have a chance for thunderstorms but it's not where we want it to be. the severe thunderstorm watch crosses overs to the dakotas. even as can you see in this watch back we have, we're not getting a lot of activity. we need the rain. unfortunately it's not in the immediate future. just more heat is for sunday. >> thank, bonnie. stand by. we'll need you throughout the evening. we want to go to colorado where the flames of an out of control wildfire keep growing. firefighters aided by helicopters, air tankers and military planes are dropping water and retardant in hopes of containing the flames but homes are still being threatened. i'm joined by part the firefighting crew assisting with the wildfires. major, thank you.

you have been flying over these fires all week and just looking at some of the information here, i want you to tell me what they look like from the sky right now. >> we've had some varying conditions all week long. monday weep got out to colorado springs, got into the fight right away that afternoon. tuesday was a very, very challenging day. weather was extremely hot, the terrain is higher than some of any of the terrain we've dropped in before. we've had challenges with the terrain, smoke, altitude we're working at, the heat, the smoke was very, very, dense, made it difficult to acquire our targets. the fire made a run tuesday night. >> what's your plan of attack? is that the plan of attack to keep hitting it from all ends? >> the plan of attack is come up with by the forest service.

we're ready at a moment's notice, we're at the aircraft ready to launch within minutes. s like a nascar pit stop. we get slurry loaded, we go to the lead formation, and heap takes us on the targets to drop our load. >> it's interesting, like a nascar pit stop, get them in, get loaded and get them out very quickly. as you look at this aerial, we're seeing a lot of smoke coming out of the area and from the sky in colorado. does that impact your of teffort all? >> in it impacts visibility, it makes our job very tough. sometimes we have to go into an area expecting to drop in one spot, smoke can drift on us. several times we came in on tuesday for a line they picked out they wanted to reinforce and the wind would shift and we'd have to go around and try it

again. sometimes it would take three, four attempts before we could get the direction we wanted. other times they have alternate targets picked out where we can continue to attack. >> major, what about the terrain there, the rough terrain? do motst of the firefighting efforts come from above or does it play into it? >> oh, it plays into it. we're dropping in the 9,000 to 10,000 foot elevation range. extremely high temperatures. everything that's causing these fires to burn hot as they are creates great problems for us. the aircraft doesn't perform all that well. we're flying at the edge of the envelope the entire drop. you're constantly looking for terrain, there's other aircraft. >> all right. thank you very much.

we appreciate it. major neil harlow from the national guard joining us. we're going to continue to talk about this. the waldo canyon fire destroyed about 350 homes. among those who lost just about everything is susan and her four grandsons. it is the latest in a series of heart breaks for the family. >> reporter: for fire victim susan solage and her grandsons, their pain and heart break began long before the flames hit their neighborhood. in the fall of 2010, susan's daughter, kim, died in her sleep. then just three months later, the boys' father, nolan, died of a heart attack. >> i spent a couple months packing them up, wrapping up their lives and moved them here. >> reporter: susan now had four

grieving grandsons to take care of. >> it kind of feels like sadness in my heart. >> i just miss them so much. >> most of the time i think why me? but that's pretty much normal because, like, people that go through that think like why me? why does this happen to me? >> reporter: do you ever get an answer to that question? >> no, not really. >> reporter: they managed as best they could. >> it's been a struggle, been in some counseling. we've gone up and down. but everyone's doing much better. >> reporter: and then the fire came, forcing them to pack up what few things they could and head for safety. >> and as we drove, we could see in our rear view mirrors the side of the hill just exploded. there had to be 40 fire just bam. >> reporter: they would have to start over again.

connor, tell me how this makes you feel. >> like a little kid. >> like a little kid he says. >> reporter: dozes it feel bettr when you're sitting with your grandma? they gained strength from each other. what was the most important this evening you got? >> probably my mom and dad's blanket. it makes me feel safer. >> reporter: what would you say to them if you could have them back for a day? >> i love them so much. >> reporter: susan says when she needs strength, she gets it from the boys. she's not sure if she'll rebuild in their new nabbed but no matter how uncertain their future, they'll take it on together. >> you can't just walk around feeling sorry for yourself. you have a lot of things to consider. if you fall apart, what's going to happen. we're all together, we're safe

and it's just stuff. and, you know, we can replace it. we'll always have the memories. >> to find out how you can help this family and anyone else affected by the wildfires, go to cnn.com/impact. >> just when you thought you've heard enough details about the sandusky tried abuse scandal, new details of alleged e-mails from penn state officials suggest there may have been a cover up. a cnn exclusive report is next. it's very important to understand

how math and science kind of makes the world work. in high school, i had a physics teacher by the name of mr. davies. he made physics more than theoretical, he made it real for me. we built a guitar, we did things with electronics and mother boards. that's where the interest in engineering came from. so now, as an engineer, i have a career that speaks to that passion. thank you, mr. davies.

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the child sex abuse scandal involving former penn state coach jerry sandusky shocked the nation andnded the legendary career of joe paterno. >> reporter: cnn has been given details of four purported e-mail exchanges from sources with knowledge of the case. raising new questions about what penn state knew and when they knew it. the e-mails are between penn state president, the vice president and the earth lathlet director where grad assistant said he saw sandusky about the shower incident.

paterno testified "it was a sexual nature." by now mccurrie testified he told athletic director curly and vp schultz about exactly what he saw, a boy with his hands up against a wall with sandusky behind him. the alleged e-mails don't mention sandusky by name, instead calling him the subject and person. in the first exchange, schultz messages curly about a three-part plan to, quote, talk with the subject, contact the charitable organization, second mile, and contacting the department of welfare. that's an agency required by law to investigate suspected abuse. yet the next night curly indicate a change of heart. he allegedly sends an e-mail to pen state's president and refers to a discussion they had two days earlier about sandusky. curly says he wants to talk things over with sandusky and work with him before deciding whether to contact child

welfare. he also refers to coach paterno. did something he said change curly's mind? quote, after giving it more thought and talking it over with joe yesterday, i am uncomfortable with what we agreed with the next steps. i am having trouble with going to everyone but the person involved. i would be more comfortable meeting with the person and tell him about the information we received and tell him we are aware of the first situation. the first situation he's referring to is a separate shower incident sandusky had with a boy in 1998. sandusky was not charged at the time. he was convicted of both incidents at trial. curly plans to tend sandusky, quote, we feel there is a problem and offer professional help. and at some point soon inform his organization, sandusky's second mile, and, quote, maybe the other one.

according to a source with knowledge of the e-mails, he's referring to child welfare. if sandusky is, quote, cooperative, curly writes, quote, we would work with him. if not, we do not have a choice and will inform the two groups. two hours later penn state's president purportedly responds and agrees with the approach, quote, i am supportive, he writes and adds this -- the only down side for us is if the message isn't heard and acted upon and we then become vulnerable for not having reported it. but that can be assessed down the road. he calls the plan humane and a reasonable way to proceed. the next day vp schultz ways in with an alleged e-mail to the president and athletic director curly. quote, this is a more humane and up front way to handle this, he writes. we will inform his organization with or without his cooperation. we can play by ear to decide

about the other organization, another reference a source says to outside authorities. but that never happened. authorities say records show suspicions about sandusky in 2001 were never reported to any outside agency. victim five was molested by sandusky in a penn state showers about six months after the mcqueary incident and sandusky went on to sexually abuse at least three other boys. years later, all testified at trial. >> that was susan candiotti reporting. gary schultz and tim curly are charged with perjury and failure to report suspected child abuse. they've pleaded not guilty and former penn state president could also face charges. they say he never reported the incident and never found that

boy in the shower and sandusky is expected to be sentenced in september. >> egypt's first democratically president is sworn in. meanwhile, violence continues in syria as leaders of the international community forge an agreement to try to bring peace to the nation. those reports are next. ou see ee way it's meant to be seen. experience life well lit, ask for transitions adaptive lenses.

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i tell mike what i can spend. i do my best to make that work. we're driving safely. and sue saved money on brakes. now that's personal pricing. world leaders are desperately seeking a solution to the fighting in syria but you can't put a crisis like that on pause. what you're looking at was an attack on a funeral in the suburb of the capital of

damascus. activists say a car bomb caused this carnage. cnn can't confirm the authenticity of the video posted online. while that was unfolding in syria, diplomats huddled in geneva. >> no one has any illusions about the difficulties ahead. we are dealing with not only a murderous regime in a combustible region but the potential for that region to be gravely affected by the continuance of this violence. >> the plan for a peaceful transition in syria calls for both sides to recommit to the original six-point peace agreement. that called for a cease-fire and

pretty much went nowhere. >> while envoys plan for a new searia egyptians are celebrating their own future. the president's enough president, mohamed morsi was inaugurated today. he was a candidate of the muslim brotherhood, a group that said it wasn't interested in political power. we have more on the dawn of egypt's democracy. >> reporter: it wasn't how he wanted to become president, a parliament that was dissolved by egypt's temporary military rulers but at the constitutional court. disagreement between leadership briefly forgotten as he took the oath as the first ever democratically elected president. right across the street is a

hot. guess who is being kept under armed guard here, the another on that hosni mubarak, the new and old juxtaposed on the streets of cairo. suddenly all the trappings of power were his. the artillery salute, the secret service jogging by his car. but in a sign of northeastern university freedom this country is enjoying, also a small protest by students outside, unthinkable in mubarak's day. inside he made a speech about the role. army but also acknowledging that the armed forces must eventually reinstate parliament and hand back powerfully. >> translator: elected institutions will come back to take their role. >> reporter: in the cafes and

restaurants of cairo, the people spoke. >> i spoke he was truly a president for egyptians. we've heard so many claps he lab president for the brotherhood. he came across as a president for all egyptians. >> his speech gives us hope. i feel we should give him a chance. otherwise the revolution will not succeed. >> reporter: there was also an overt pledge of support. >> translator: we pledge our support for the syrian people. the blood bath must stop. >> he's a member of the friends of syria group. so, again, he is building on something that has been already done but he is giving it, you know, his support. and he is gaining from it. >> reporter: egypt now has two powerful leaders, a president and a field marshall. it will take many months to establish who really runs this country. one of mohamed morsi's first

engagements as president was a military parade. the armed forces here still have enormous power and aren't afraid to show it. >> it's half past the hour now. i want to get you caught up on the headlines here on cnn. the power is out in more than 3 million homes across nine states and president obama has spoken with the governors of virginia, hai oh west virginia and maryland. those are states among the hardest hit by storms that killed at least 11 people and they're also dealing with blistering triple digit temperatures. and in colorado, a raging wildfire continues to grow, forces the evacuation of more than 30,000 people earlier this week. many have been allowed to return to their homes. the fire has destroyed 350 homes and two people are lost their lives. it is just 30% contained now.

>> the students involved in that now infamous bus bullying case have been suspended from school for one year. the rule big the greece, new york school district also bans the four students from taking the school bus. the kids were seen on this video harassing 68-year-old bus monitor karen klein earlier this month. the kids have to take an anti-bullying program and complete a 50-hour community service with senior citizens. are girls bigger bullies than boys? and does that carry over to the board room as girls get older? a special look at 10:00 p.m. >> actress jada pinket smith on human trafficking. our interview with her just ahead. make sure you grab your mobile

phone and go to cnn/tv. if you're on a desktop or laptop, you can also watch cnn live. [ normal voice ] so i can trust 'em. unlike randy. are you in good hands?

unlike randy. i'm one of six children that my mother raised by herself, and so college was a dream when i was a kid. i didn't know how i was gonna to do it, but i knew i was gonna get that opportunity one day, and that's what happened with university of phoenix. nothing can stop me now. i feel like the sky's the limit with what i can do and what i can accomplish. my name is naphtali bryant and i am a phoenix. visit phoenix.edu to find the program that's right for you. enroll now. this is new york state. we built the first railway, the first trade route to the west, the greatest empires. then, some said, we lost our edge. well today, there's a new new york state. one that's working to attract businesses and create jobs. a place where innovation meets determination... and businesses lead the world. the new new york works for business. find out how it can work for yours at thenewny.com.

she is one of hollywood's brightest stars, a musician and activist. she also happens to be married to one of the giants of the big screen, none other than will smith. but she's taking on a giant issue, human trafficking. she's making people aware of her cause in a haunting video where

she appears nude. take a look. ♪ >> you're looking at "don't sell bodies." in part it would have my interview, she tells me her major weakness and if politics might be in her future. but it was her passion in fighting human trafficking that really made me lean forward. so then what can jada pinkett smith do to get everyone else passionate about this particular issue? >> i think that having the ability to sit and talk with you about it and hoping that people will start to become more aware of how this is happening in our country. trafficking is recruiting, coercion, hoarding, force, abuse of power. so if you're rolling down the street and you see two young

girls 2:00 in the afternoon who should be in school but they're sitting on a bus stop -- >> there you go. >> okay? and most of the time they're trafficker is right across the street. you see them sitting there with their little cell phones so their trafficker stays in communication with them. it's a very, very well oiled little network. >> is this a transition for you? we know you're a great actress. i can hear, can you sing in the video, you look great. >> thank you. >> so is this a transition for you? you have a band now? is this the mogul that's jada pinkett smith and global ambassador for peace and goodness? what's going on here? >> you know, i think being a mother and being a woman and i think that it's just i'm growing and expanding in many different ways in those areas, especially

as a mother and as a woman, right? >> are you going to get in politics? >> i don't think you want jada pinkett smith in politics. i don't think you want that. >> what is something that people don't know about jada pinkett smith? me like gummy bears at midnight is my little secret. >> if i could live off french fries and pizza i would. >> and you weigh 2 pounds. >> those are my two favorite foods. if i could live off of french fries and pizza i would. and that's just the truth. >> amen to jada pinkett smith. same thing for me. if you want to find out how you can help for this praj foject o human trafficking. >> a new law could close the only abortion clinic in

mississippi but the clinic's employees are not allowing that to happen. not without a fight. insurance was out of her reach. until she heard about the value plan. see how much you could save with allstate. are you in good hands?

in just a few hours mississippi's only abortion clinic is set to close. an abortion rights group as asked a judge to intervene but so far nothing has changed. here's cnn's george howell. >> reporter: the owner of this women's clinic closed the doors after being open this weekend. what happens next really is

anybody's guess because of a new state law here in mississippi that could effectively force this clinic to shut down. the signs are hard to miss outside the only clinic offering abortions in the state of mississippi, and now the director at the jackson women's health organization is gearing up for a legal fight to keep the doors open. will this clinic be forced to shut down? >> i want to say over my dead body but i'm afraid. hopefully not. we're going to do whatever it takes to keep servicing the women of mississippi. >> reporter: despite the letter she got in the mail -- >> we are licensed until june the 30th of 2013. >> reporter: diane says the paper could be worthless if she fails to comply with a new state law effective july 1st. doctors who perform abortions must be board certified obgyns

and be on the staffs of hospitals so they can admit patients if necessary. >> the clinic has had over 70 days to be compliant with the legislation. they should not be surprised. >> reporter: the man who sponsored the bill signed into law by republican phil bryant. >> i think it's historic. today you see the first step in a movement i believe do what we campaigned on, to say we were going to try to end abortion in mississippi. >> we intend to lead. this is not an example we're trying to show the other states look at what we've done. >> reporter: but if it eliminates the one abortion clinic in the state? >> i'm very pro-life. i believe that life begins at conception. i think a lot of mississippians do as well. >> reporter: some say political

pressure may be a reason hospitals haven't signed on to help the clinic. >> a lot of facilities like hospitals and so forth no doubt don't want to from this standpoint look up to be labelled as the one facility that is hospitable to providing abortions. >> reporter: so come monday if this clinic does not have what it needs to be compliant with this law, what happens? >> if the clinic cannot get in compliance with this legislation, sure, i think again if we reduce the number of abortions, it is a positive result for mississippi. >> this is not about safety. this is about politics and politics do not need to be in our uterus. >> reporter: people here at the clinic say they filed a lawsuit and a temporary restraining order against the ylaw to becom more compliant. every day this clinic is open after july 1st and monday, the day the clinic is supposed to

open, employees, nurses, physicians and the management could face civil and criminal penalties. >> all right, george. a small colorado town with only one medical facilities, resident there is have some strong opinions about the supreme court's health care decision. that is ahead.

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enroll now. the make-up of the american family is changing and same-sex parents want to make sure their children's education needs are met in a supportive environment. lorie is searching for a school for her kids. >> since my kids are coming from a lesbian family and we have different faiths, i want my kids to be -- >> the children aren't going to

not just because of what they're going to learn academically but how they'll be treated. i suggest you go visit the school, go as a family, what are your values of diversity, how do you respond to a gay family? get them to answer the questions and ask the questions until you feel you've got answers. more importantly, ask your friends. when you get the opportunity to go on a tour, go with other students. ask them. kids and all they do, they don't typically lie. the kids will tell you the truth. so somewhere between asking the school directly, visiting the school, asking the reputation and asking the students that attend that school, you should find your answer. >> it is a tiny town in colorado that dates back to the 18 00s. there's only one medical facility and the people have some strong opinions about the supreme court's health care decision. so you're out and about and you're not in front of a

television to stay connected to cnn, can you. you can pull it up on your cell phone or watch it from your computer, even at work. go to cnn.com/tv. tell them don lemon sent you. you want to save money on rv insurance? no problem. you want to save money on motorcycle insurance? no problem. you want to find a place to park all these things? fuggedaboud it. this is new york. hey little guy, wake up! aw, come off it mate! geico. saving people money on more than just car insurance. by what's getting done. measure commitment the twenty billion dollars bp committed has helped fund economic and environmental recovery. long-term, bp's made a five hundred million dollar commitment to support scientists studying the environment. and the gulf is open for business - the beaches are beautiful, the seafood is delicious. last year, many areas even reported record tourism seasons.

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the supreme court ruling on health care reform affects just about every american. and it will be a big issue in the presidential race, especi especially in the battleground states like colorado. so what doo folks think about the decision? martin savage visited a small colorado town to find that out. >> reporter: news that the supreme court's decision arrived about the time the folks sat down for their rancheros in the absolute bakery. this rural, southwestern

colorado town, population 1300, dates back to the days of the old west. gene arshebow is the editor of the newspaper first published in 1893. >> we have snow birds. we have people who just come for the summer and leave for the winter. we have people who have retired here. and we have people who have lived here all of their lives. >> reporter: a bit about the area politically. it voted 1500 for john mccane in 2008. veronica egan came from new mexico. >> i think it's wonderful. i think there were problems with the law as it was originally written. but it's about time the united states of america start taking care of its own citizens. >> reporter: the physician's assistant runs the only medical facility. 60-70% of his pashltients rely some kind of publicly funded

system. >> it's always an interesting conversation for people that are either on medicare or receive some type of federal assistance to complain about having government health care. >> patient betty romero has health care insurance. but she knows many who don't. she, too, is an obama care fan. >> there's people out there that are dying of cancer because they don't have health care. they're dying of other things because they can't walk into a doctor's office and get the help they need. >> reporter: it may surprise you. but unlike the rest of the country, the big news here in town isn't the supreme court's ruling on health care. inste instead, it's that. wild fires that continue to threaten from just down the road. still, it's easy to get people here talking about health care, which i did with will stone who makes wagons for a living. he's against obama care, mainly because of the individual magnet. >> yeah, i'd say that's the

biggest burr under my saddle is the mandate. i just don't care for it. i don't like to be told do do anything. >> reporter: matt lauer owns and runs fahrenheit coffee roasters. like will, he, too, is against obama care. not because he's against national health care, he just thinks the president's plan is the wrong one. >> it's not good to do anything to assure health care to all in this country. and i think that's the bottom line. >> reporter: it may seem like a long way from anywhere, but i find it to be a microcosm of anywhere. martin savage, cnn, mancas, colorado. >> a man wearing an out fit resembling famous muppet named

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you don't want to miss this story tonight. from first round draft pick to convicted felon, former nba pro jason williams had it all. he had basketball, money and fame until he lost it all. now he says prison saved his life. you don't want to miss my exclusive interview, live tonight, 10:00 p.m. eastern with jason williams right here on cnn. a new york city impersonator is giving elmo a bad name.

his recent rant had children and adults scrambling to get away. >> reporter: when you think of elmo, you think of warm, fuzzy hugs, getting kids to eat vegetables, singing happy songs. ♪ elmo's song ♪ >> this is elmo's curse. >> reporter: a guy dressed up as elmo has been ranting in central park yelling antisemitic slurs. elmo needs his mouthwashed out with soap. >> filthy, stinking [bleep]. filthy, stinking [bleep]. >> that is the scariest elmo i've ever seen. . >> reporter: it was such a weird sight, everyone was stopping to take pictures. >> people didn't want their kids to see that coming from elmo.

>> reporter: it's been going on for months, documented by videos posted to youtube. watch mom grab her kid. it was too much for another performer wearing a drum. he started pushing elmo around. >> do i look like i'm playing with you? come over here and start kurcurg at me around some kids, man. >> reporter: and in time's square, a guy dressed up as shrek shoed elmo away and was applauded. but a few minutes later, there are good elmo's out there. so how do you tell the good elmos from the bad elbo? look for the bad and the knee pads. knee pads are for all that kneeling he does with children. but this passed weekend, things came to a head. tickle me elmo? make that handcuff me elmo.