>> thank you very much. >> larry: thank you, shaheen. shaheen jafargholi it's safe to say, hard to predict, you're going to be hearing a lot from him. tonight, a big break in a case that left a couple slain and 15 children orphaned. cnn is live at the investigation. cemetery plots. what people are asking about their loved ones in a grave robbing scandal. michael jackson saga. his death, his body, a family friend talks to us tonight. florida police got a break in a case of finding the florida couple found murdered in their

home. tonight, they have located a red dodge van. they believe it was used in the killings of a well-known couple in the town and 16 children were left behind and 12 adopted and many with special needs. police say finding the van left two people with two persons of interest along with interviewing a third person is also sought. finding that red van helped and what about talking to those two people. are you getting any information from them? >> well, don, what we can tell you is that the sheriff here says that his investigators were running into all kinds of dead ends as they were trying to solve this murder and that changed about 10:00 this morning when they got a call, a tip came in from the public. someone saying, i think i've seen that van that you've been looking for. it's a critical piece of

evidence and investigators are combing through it to see what evidence they can find. they believe this is the same van recorded by a home security camera the night someone broke into the home of the billings and shot them dead. and it was left with two persons of interest. we are left with a total of three. >> three, young, white men also recorded on the family security system as they broke into the billings home. investigators won't say but authorities say that they had some kind of experience. >> we are surprised with the rapidity of the crime. that's about the most that i can say about it. >> investigators will not discuss motive.

they were known for their kindness and had adopted more than a dozen children over the years, many with special needs. eight of the children were at home at the time of the murders. none was harmed. but why were the billings' targeted? was it robbery or was it something else? the sheriff identified this man as one of the persons of interest. he said his appearance matches one the men seen by security cameras. at the time he was seen by our camera, he had not been named as suspect, and no arrests had been made. and that has not changed at this hour. they are questioning two persons of interest and still on the lookout for a third person of interest that they believe is still in this area. don? >> so, david, that van just came in tonight and again also coming into the police station you said one person of interest? is that correct? is there a person of interest that the media witnessed coming in tonight to the sheriff's department? >> reporter: they have two persons of interest that are connected to the van that they brought in. that's how all of this happened together. they have a third person of interest that they are looking for. that they are looking for three young, white men that they saw

on the surveillance, this security video taken inside the family's home. that's who they're looking for. they have two that they are questioning, and a third that they are still looking for and, again, they think that person is still in this area. >> yeah. i was wondering, david, when the video came in of the van i saw one person holding their face. not two. trying to get clarification on that. david mattingly following this story. every detail. appreciate it. let's talk now about the president of the united states. president barack obama wrapped up a seven-day international tour in africa tonight. crowds of people clamored just and also had stern words for other african nations who are wracked by corruption. stern words for other nations.

>> no country is going to create wealth if its leaders exploit the economy to enrich themselves. or if police -- it police can be bought off by drug traffickers. >> well, the president and the first family also toured the cape coast castle, which the british used as an african slave dungeon. while at the cape coast castle, president barack obama spoke exclusively to cnn anderson cooper at this slave fortress. as you've heard moments ago, this is where slaves can held i should say citizens were held before being sold into the slave trade. >> do you think what happened here is something that should be talked an and remembered and present in everyday life? >> you know, i think that the experience of slavery is like the experience of the holocaust. i think it's one of those things you don't forget about. i think it's important that the >> you know, i think that the experience of slavery is like the experience of the holocaust. i think it's one of those things

you don't forget about. i think it's important that the way we think about it and the way it's taught is not one in which there's simply a victim and a victimizer, and that's the end of the story. i think the way it has to be thought about, the reason it's relevant, is because whether it's what's happening in darfur or what's happening in the congo or what's happening in too many places around the world. you know, the capacity for cruelty still exists. >> you can see anderson's exclusive conversation with president barack obama monday night. >> you can see anderson's exclusive conversation with president barack obama on monday night on ac 360 at 10:00 p.m. eastern only here on cnn. and see more of anderson's interview with the president on "state of the union with john

king," 9:00 a.m. eastern. in our next half hour we'll talk to discovery channel producer reggie allen about his new documentary called "ten days in africa." allen will take us in-depth into the heart of africa. he made the journey to dispel myths about the continent and find out firsthand what it is really like. that's coming up in our next half hour. you don't want to miss it. very interesting documentary. the u.s. is now seeking amnesty for two american journalists that have been in prison in north korea accused of entering the country illegally. the secretary of state, hillary clinton, asked that laura ling and euna lee be released on humanitarian grounds. clinton made the announcement as a state department briefing yesterday. a plea for amnesty implies forgiveness for some event. >> journalists and their families have expressed great remorse for this incident, and i think everyone is very sorry that it happened. what we hope for now is that the two young women would be granted amnesty through the north korean system, and be allowed to return

home to their families. >> ling and lee are both serving 12-year sentences in a prison that requires hard labor. protesters marched in the nation's capitol to protest the results of the presidential election in iran today. they walked from capitol hill to the white house. a rally and concert also taking place. the march and rally coincide with the tenth anniversary of the student-led uprising in iran. of course they take on new significance in the wake of the hotly disputed presidential election in iran. imagine this. you bury a loved one to have their body ripped from the grave. hundreds of people are going through that right now in illinois. we have the latest on this heartbreaking case. plus, an apology and explanation for kicking a group of minority children out of a private club swimming pool. but many in the community are not buying it. and you might want to close your eyes to this one.

swimmers in florida -- bare it all. to set a record. not all pretty, either. we're going to show to you. also, want to know what's on your mind, twitter, myspace, we'll get your comments on the air. - announcer: live a little... - ( crickets chirping ) - ( helicopter whirring ) - ...a lot. the first-ever is convertible from lexus. now every drop of shell gasolines... contain a nitrogen-enriched cleaning system... that seeks and destroys engine gunk... left by lower-quality gasoline. it protects engines from performance-robbing gunk. try new nitrogen-enriched shell gasolines.

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closed. four cemetery workers accused of digging up bodies so they could resell the plot. the cemetery has been closed to the public so that investigators can determine how many graves have been disturbed. among those buried at the mostly black cemetery, emmett till. his original casket re placed by a newer one four years ago found rust ing from a shack. >> emmett tills legend, in fundamental ways. so to see his casket in this state of desecration and neglect is -- of course, robbers of this level have no conscience. to them it's about the money. not about history. not about culture. it was found resting in a shack. >> to see his casket in this state of neglect and robbers and of this level have no conscience and it was not about history, not about culture. just about the money.

>> our chicago affiliate wgs covering this heartbreaking story tonight and joins us tonight. thank you for joining us. a chance to speak with family members? >> we did. they actually had to show them remote almost to get it the cemetery and literally be turned away. all they could do wait at this point. the magnitude of this investigation is extensive and pretty disturbing revelation today. the cook county sheriff was focusing on one area referred to at baby land where he buried numerous children and babies over the years. that area seems to be almost non-existent. they went out to the cemetery and couldn't find any of the headstones. one more element to this horrific story. >> erin, do we know how many bodies we're talking about now? it's massive. i heard you say massive and extensive. how many are we talking? do they even know? >> early estimates, 300 to 400 bodies. either double stacked dug up and dumped. as you mentioned, four people are sitting in jail each facing up to 30 years.

the sheriff said he don't even know what we're dealing with. we're trying to get our arms around this. short of digging up the entire cemetery. over 100,000 people buried here, we don't know how long the investigation will go on. >> talk about the four people in jail and the investigation. any closer to finding out why from these people or what happened? are they offering up any explanations? >> we have $300,000 in undisclosed funds. money not accounted for, and they're saying the ringleader was the cemetery manager at the time going by the name of carolyn townes, in jail along with three groundskeepers told, under her helm, they should be digging up and moving these bodies. it sounds like, again, early allegations, but it sounds like what they were doing is reselling the same plot over and over again. either stacking the bodies or moving them and selling them as new. it's pretty disturbing stuff, don. >> erin menendez, appreciate you joining us on a saturday night.

>> absolutely. another interesting story to tell you about tonight. the head of a pennsylvania swim club says dozens of minority kids were kicked out because of safety concerns, not racism. but a lot of people are not simply buying that claim. our susan candiotti has the latest. susan? >> reporter: don, today visitors to the swim club were greeted by a small group of protesters as the key question remains -- will an explanation and apology from the swim club's director be enough to quell this controversy? on saturday a homemade sign at the entrance read, understaffed, not racism. the valley club denies racial remarks allegedly made by some club members. we're behind this decision to cancel the swim contract with a largely minority day-care center. >> really unfortunate. we apologize deeply, we regret deeply that this had to happen. >> i accept anyone's apology, but when you tell the truth. i want them to tell the truth. >> here's what happened. >> reporter: a day-care center

catering to mainly black and hispanic kids paid $1950 for the kids to use the pool once a week for an hour and a half. after one visit, their check returned, summer swim trips cancelled. >> we severely underestimated the number of children and our capacity to handle these groups. we not prepared for it opinion and that's the only reason it was a safety issue. that's the only reason that the children, we thought it was not safe for them to be here. >> reporter: the day-care center calls that a lie. the club flatly denied it discriminates and say two other day-care centers were also cancelled after one visit. >> we do have hurt children, too black in their skin to swim? this could impact them for a lifetime. >> reporter: pennsylvania's complaints timed by parents of

the day-care center. >> we always hope this will settle cases so the parties can move on with their lives and everyone feels they can walk away feeling whole and this can be a learning process. >> reporter: for now there doesn't appear to be a learning curve or compromise in sight. don? >> susan candiotti, thank you very much for that story. what is happening in pennsylvania and chicago is generating a ton of conversation around this country. later this hour we're digging deeper into the issues an the bigger questions about race. race in america. also, the turnout was massive. some of the biggest names in sports come out to say good-bye to football great steve mcnair. what's going on with the what's going on with the weather? >> great video. shuttle delayed due to lightning. pictures to prove it. it's so hot, inmates are getting cold treats. find out where coming up in the forecast.

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it is a no go for the space shuttle "endeavour." today's launch was scrubbed after a stormy night at -- at florida's kennedy space center. you can see bolt after bolt of lightning hitting right near the launch pad. technicians are doing checking for damage. so far they haven't found any. that's good. this is the third time "endeavour's" liftoff has been delayed. nauts nasa will try again tomorrow. better weather then, jacqui jeras, or -- >> mostly. >> mostly? >> mostly. you know, a rough of it across central parts of florida the last couple days.

had the shuttle taken off today like it was supposed to it would have been in the clear. there were showers and thunder showers a number of miles away. things clear in that area right now. tomorrow we're going to say a 30% chance of thunderstorms inhibiting the launch. 7:13 eastern time tomorrow. the sea breeze fronts move on in. differences in temperature between the land and water help trigger these types of thunderstorms. got a lot of thunderstorm activity in the northeast today. take a look at all the action. still going on at this hour, nothing really severe, but if you're going to bed, new york city on up towards boston, even into philadelphia, probably going to have some time of it. thunder and lightning waking you up. there's going to be some of that. also stormy weather here across parts of the east. heat is our other big story. look at these pictures, maricopa county in arizona. temperatures reached 114 degrees today. so hot they say they needed to cool the inmates down and bring them a little cool treat right there. look at that.

everybody loves a drumstick. right, don? >> oh, yeah! unfortunately, the drumstick doesn't love everyone, if you know what i mean. >> i know very well what you mean. >> don't you think the drumstick, ice cream sandwich, everything. >> yeah. whatever it takes to cool down. they say in tent city, closer to 138. very hot. >> okay. thank you very much. former nfl quarterback steve mcnair is being remembered as a legend in his home state of mississippi. thousands of mourners gathered for his funeral today in hattiesburg, current and former nfl quarterbacks including brett favre, vince young and doug williams also attended the service. nashville police say mcnair was shot and killed by his mistress on july 4th. they are calling it a murder/suicide.

new details about the michael jackson death investigation. talking to a prominent family friend and weeding out the roomers for you. and just starting and stopping. having to go in the middle of a ballgame and then not being able to go once i got there. and going at night. i thought i had a going problem. my doctor said i had a growing problem. it wasn't my bladder. my prostate was growing. i had an enlarging prostate that was causing my urinary symptoms. my doctor prescribed avodart. (announcer) over time, avodart actually shrinks the prostate and improves urinary symptoms. so i can go more easily when i need to go and go less often. (announcer) avodart is for men only. women should not take or handle avodart due to risk of a specific birth defect. do not donate blood until 6 months after stopping avodart. tell your doctor if you have liver disease. rarely sexual side effects, swelling or tenderness of the breasts can occur. only your health care provider can tell if symptoms are from an enlarged prostate and not a more serious condition like prostate cancer. so have regular exams. call your doctor today.

avodart. help take care of your growing problem with the ncacp marking the centennial, the nation has elected its first

african-american president. i put that question to you, the nation of islam leader, louis farrakhan. take a listen. >> the naacp, the reverend jesse jackson, the reverend al sharpton, the urban league, the nation islam, all of us will continue to be relevant if the focus is on injustice correcting it and on developing black people towards self-responsibility and independence. stopping the violence in our community. the self-hatred that exists among us and getting our people to pool our resources to create economic stability for our community. >> i also got positive spend the afternoon at his home talking about issues closest to his heart. >> reporter: at work, ben is the boss. at home he's a husband and daddy to 3-year-old morgan. >> who's that? >> daddy. >> that's who? >> daddy. >> that's right. >> reporter: the president of the naacp says fatherhood is his most important job, even with the pressure of heading a 100-year-old civil rights

talking about issues closer to his heart. >> at work, he's the boss. >> who's that? >> daddy. >> that's who? >> daddy. >> that's right. >> reporter: the president of the naacp says fatherhood is his most important job, even with the pressure of heading a 100-year-old civil rights organization struggling to stay relevant and afloat, his day begins and ends with family. >> i take care of my own business first and foremost. ultimately what we're all called on to do is that, to make sure our own lives are in order. >> reporter: and if more black men follow his lead, he says it would help with two of the biggest challenges facing the black community. absentee fathers and the stunning number of black men behind bars. a president now addressing these issues is also a big help. >> it seems something very interesting is going on. >> well, it's great.

>> it seems something very interesting is going on. >> well, it's great. the fact that obama is in the white house really affirms our strategy. our strategy for 100 years, to practice discipline pursuing for years, for decades. >> reporter: and in a father's day column, jealous spells it out in hard numbers. 60% of the people in prison are people of color. one in three black men today can expect to go to prison, and on any given day, one in every eight black men in their 20s is in prison or jail. so for the sake of his daughter, which is the title of his column, jealous challenges black men to step up. >> if my daughter tomorrow morning decides she wants to marry a black man, treads that we've known through our lifetimes continue and may be

very hard. i'm by no means saying that it must be from her own community, but she needs to have that option. deserves to have that option. >> look at that big smile on your face. why is that? >> because i'm in love with my daughter and in love with my wife. it's that -- for me, it's the foundation of everything. >> do you sit down with your daughter in mind and say, i'm going to write this for my baby, or -- >> really, that piece was an expression of why i took this job first of all. when you're raising a child, you have to think about this and you also have to think 20 years ahead, because that's the world they're going to inherit. >> reporter: two dads, two moms, hoping to break the cycle for children across america from the top down. >> my conversation with the jealous family a couple weeks ago. a good time to talk about this. is the naacp still relevant and a good time to talk about race, with the president overseas visiting where he was. we're going to talk to a filmmaker who has something very

personal to share about that and a panel. we're going to have a real holds barred discussion, nothing off limits, about race. how far have we come? back in a minute. woohoo!

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good choice. only meineke lets you choose the brake service that's right for you. and save 50% on pads and shoes. meineke. one more good-bye for michael jackson, this time, his hometown of gary, indiana. take a look. ♪ beat it no one wants to be defeated ♪ >> thousands of people gathered last night in the city's minor league ballpark featuring the reverend michael jackson and michael's father joe jackson. jackson and his family left gary, he was 11 when they did that, but he never forgot the place where he and his brothers got their start in a local talent contest, really at a school. boy, did they go on there.

a quick update on the michael jackson death investigation to tell you about. spoke with lapd sources tonight, and they tell me this investigation remains a death investigation. not criminal investigation. the findings of jackson's toxicology reports could change all of that. those findings in fact will determine whether and where the investigation goes next. but we don't know when those results will be finished or released. we also have to wait a little longer to find out who gets custody of michael jackson's three children. a court hearing scheduled for monday has been pushed back to july 20th at the request of jackson's mother. mrs. katherine jackson and his ex-wife is debbie rowe. katherine jackson has temporary guardianship of the children. it is not clear if debbie rowe is going to challenge her for custody.

rowe is the biological mother of jackson's two children. you should have all that information because it's been reported so much over the past week. so let's talk now to someone who knows the jackson family very well. talk about the investigation. and really how the family's doing, especially those children. i'm joined now from new york by the reverend al sharpton. as you know, she a very close friend of the family and thank you very much, sir. can you talk to us? there have been so many rumors over the past week and you and i talked about this in los angeles. that people don't know what's true and what's not true. do you know anything about the investigation now? do we know? have you heard from the family whether or not it's moved from a death investigation to a homicide investigation? >> no, i have no idea from the family. i know the family's position has been from the beginning that they want the truth, and that they will respond once all the facts have been laid out. there's just so much back and forward, and i think from my discussions with the family, i don't know if the instructions with attorneys or each other,

but from my discussions it has been one -- all the way through the discussion, that the truth cup out and that's all they want. >> everyone's wondering, where is michael jackson going to be buried? do you have an update on that for us? >> no. i really don't. i don't think that's been discussed and i think when the family's ready to discuss that they will discuss it. >> okay. what about paris? everyone is -- were you there, and your quote, the quote of the day. i'm going to get to the that. hang on. your quote was the quote of the day. when the children, and i hear that sound bite by paris jackson, it breaks my hearts. how are the children doing? >> my observation, when i visit the compound and wage the children playing with their cousins and comfortable there, with mrs. jackson, i think that they are very, very clear that their father's gone, but i think that they have the comfort of a

home and a family that they grew up around. this is the environment they know. >> reverend al sharpton i wanted to get that out of the way before i brought the next person in. you and i have talked about this, david from the "baltimore sun" thank you for joining us, david. we talked about the media coverage. how this has been so personal for so many people. in the conversation i had with you and reliable sources, somehow that morphed into race. i don't know how it became a race issue, because i said that, you know, criticism was elitist. awe agreed, weren't quoted and weren't called a racist in all the coverage? >> yeah, well, you know, first of all, don, i don't think -- i

think it was a good thing that we had a discussion of race within the context of the michael jackson story. i said one of the most interesting things as a cultural critic and pop culture critic at "the sun" was the discussion about race that was going hand in glove with this story, and i think on the show i cited an interview katie couric did with spike lee, where spike lee commented about jamie foxx' comments on the b.e.t. show, and there was, there was a lot of stuff happening in that discussion, and i think if people were paying attention, they were smarter about race after the 13 days of coverage of michael jackson than they were before, and that's a good thing, i think. yeah. >> is this a good place, david? i'm going to bring the reverend back in. as we were going through all of this and i was sitting there with soledad o'brien, who's going to do "black in america 2" and i said, boy, oh, boy, isn't this a perfect place to launch

an open conversation about race rand about those issues? because there were things michael jackson did that people weren't even aware he was doing at the time. changing hearts and minds, but not being preachy about it. go ahead, reverend, then i'll let david chime in. >> that's true. michael jackson made tremendous strides in increasing racial comfort levels, that he never got credit for and in part because he never did it for credit. he never did it in a preachy way. he was not an activist like me. that was not his goal, but he was a strong, proud man of who he was. so he would open valleys and walk through doors that weren't already open and excel. that was the whole point. not that everybody has to become civil rights activists but that everyone could take advantage of it and be prepared to rise to the occasion, and michael did that, and by rising to the occasion, he kept those doors open and he kept those barriers out. >> reverend, you're very critical of the media coverage. are you feeling better about it

now that the memorial's been had? . i think the media has been somewhat better but i think a lot of that is because the memorial was live and the people that watched it around the world, unprecedented numbers, were able to see for themselves what the family was about, what michael was about and the level of respect he has for people from a stevie wonder level across the board. so it was hard for the media to continue to demonize him once they'd seen these kind of people come forward and document what michael really was about. >> david, we had the discussion about whether it was too much media coverage, and if you look at the numbers, some of the, as the reverend said, most unprecedented numbers of people tuning in and people reaching out. your final thoughts on this and especially, again, i believe this is the great jumping off point to have really frank discussion answer race in respect was a racial and cultural divide there and a few

studies showed that, david. >> that's absolutely true, don. i'll tell you one thing. just as i said, if members of the audience were paying attention, they were smarter about race after the 13, 14 days than before, also the mainstream media in some ways got a little bit of an education, if not an education, at least a reminder, that there are still cultural divides in this country, and i really think that when, after the first day or two, people understood that this was a massive story with global implication, and implications about how we see ourselves as a nation, culturally and racially, and i -- i really think there was an education there, and i think people got it after about three or four days. i think that the reverend sharpton said, people got smart. some folks didn't get it until after the memorial service. but when they saw the dignity and the majesty and the power of that memorial service, i think people even who came into that television experience maybe not thinking much of michael jackson walked away impressed and better

educated about what he'd accomplished. >> david, from "the baltimore sun" and reverend al sharpton, thank you both so much. thank you. >> thank you. >> thank you, don. so social networking sites have a lot to say about what's happening in philadelphia, with this jackson story, also everything. the pool thing. all of it. we're going to be taking your comments and we're going to be talking about that on the other side of the break. vitamin d, and exercise,h c, i still got osteoporosis. i never thought i could do more than stop my bone loss. then my doctor told me i could, with once-monthly boniva. boniva works with your body to help stop and reverse bone loss. studies show, after one year on boniva, nine out of ten women stopped and reversed their bone loss.

i know i did. (announcer) don't take boniva if you have low blood calcium, severe kidney disease or can't sit or stand for at least one hour. follow dosing instructions carefully. stop taking boniva and tell your doctor if you have difficult or painful swallowing, chest pain or severe or continuing heartburn, as these may be signs of serious upper digestive problems. if jaw problems or severe bone, joint, and/or muscle pain develop, tell your doctor. i've got this one body, and this one life, so i wanted to stop my bone loss. but i did more. i reversed it with boniva. ask your doctor if boniva can help you stop losing, and start reversing. (announcer) for a free trial offer, call 1-800-4-boniva. so we're going to continue our decision. disturbing stories about race making the news tonight. having a discussion about it. a group of minority kids turned away from a pennsylvania swim club tool, and in illinois former employees accused of desecrating an historically black cemetery. a consultant joins us now via web cam.

thank you. we heard about the michael jackson story. the comments, you could see and read the comments online. it's interesting in this current, social networking instant feedback culture. any little thing do you can be perceived wrong and then, boom. there you go. so go on. you have the floor now. >> actually what i wanted to say don tonight is that, what was interesting about the social media space, it provides a story for a platform. fills in all the blanks of the michael jackson story. gave individuals along with the michael jackson story and really talking about it in a real community sort of environment. what i found in my own facebook stream was that blacks and whites talked amongst each other in the facebook stream about the media coverage, about the mourning, about all the issues that are around the michael jackson story. i was able to look at it in a stream, and see african-americans and

non-african-americans talking amongst each other about some of the issues. >> hey, james -- >> throughout the -- >> james -- is, this is interesting. because of the social media and everyone can get on, really, when you're online, unless you tell people who you are, does this put everyone on equal footing in a way you can talk about race and you don't have to cast gate people or don't get harsh criticism, because nobody knows who -- i shouldn't say harsh criticism. you do. nobody knows who's black, who's white on these social networking sites? >> in some instances that's true. not so much a profile picture but twitter, absolutely. comments ge out, you don't know whether they're african-american or not.

wrap i saw was really honest dialogue with white folk whose were very honest about what they felt about the media coverage and african-americans mourning showing that, hey, this is serious. this is michael jackson. this should be taken on the same plain as an elder. i saw healthy discussions. social media brings up an opportunity to hide behind a profile time. >> smart for folks to realize that james andrews, a social media consultant, thank you very much. a good point to talk. always a good time to talk, as we do it openly. thank you very much. >> thanks, don. appreciate it. president barack obama's

president obama visited africa for the first time since taking office. he and the first family toured the cape coast castle, what the british used as a slave area. he said it was good for his daughters to see that history.

he compared the fortress to a recent visit to a german concentration camp. wanting to visit africa since a child, his only knowledge of it came from history books and saturday matinees. he finally made the trip for his new documentary, "ten days in africa." >> reporter: it's kind of funny. i really don't know where i'm going, yet i feel sometimes i'm not sure where i have come from either. it's a funny feeling being between two continents, these two worlds. >> talking about his journey to africa. funny, i went to africa and called it a journey to africa. it is life culture. don't you think? >> it really is, don. when i was a kid the only thing i knew about africa was sort of "roots" and "tarzan" movies, and what i found in my trip to africa was that the africans had only seen us through the lens of media, sort of the huxtables and

music videos and so on. a cultural distortion there, and it's like once you can get past that, there is an amazing connection that can be made. >> when you see the president there, we saw the president's speech in cairo and what that did for folks in that part of the world, and now you see him in africa. not only for africans being seen on the world stage like that, but what do you think it means for african-americans to watch that and witness that? does it help or -- does it help the discussion? does it help race in this country? how we feel about each other? >> well, i think that we're all inherently specifically african-americans connected to africa and to see the first african president, african-american president, return to africa is just really impactful on both sides of the water. i think that when he went to ghana, basically sending a message not only to africa but

to the world that you know we can, you can, do anything. so -- yeah. definitely. >> as you know, this is ---i just want to get your take on this. obviously, i'm sitting here. you're sitting there. the president is in the white house. what do you think about the journey from ghana when you look at the castle until now as african-american? talk to me -- >> he went to cape coast. the castle in cape coast. a personal sort of experience that i had. we went, we came to this door, which was called the door the no return. through this door the slaves went, walked on a plank to the slave ships to be taken away never to return. err go the door of no return. as our guide took is through there she said, this is called the door of no return. mistaken. how can it be called the door of no return when here you are. there i had a physical emotional breakdown and right there and then made a connection with africa. it must be something in the dna.

something that i remembered, a collective memory passed on through -- through, you know, the generations, but i right then and there had a connection to africa. it was pretty amazing. >> summed it up well. how can it be called the door of no return when here you are. >> thank you. one for the record books. thousands swimmers shed their clothes to set a world record for simultaneously skinny-dipping. you'll see the naked truth, and i don't know if we're going blur it. so look out. live a little... a lot. hi. the first ever is convertible from lexus.

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a town that is thriving even after an automaker pulled out. we have more from alina cho. >> reporter: in the heart of the south, the base of west point, georgia, is literally changing. the old pizza hut is a korean barbecue. the old kfc, and jobs once scarce are finally returning. >> it looks just like christmas time. i like christmas. >> reporter: christmas in the middle of a recession? in west point, yes. >> we jokingly call it kia. >> the korean car company is about to open a sprawling manufacturing plant thanks to $400 billion in tax breaks. even in the midst of a recession, the company will hire 2500 new workers, suppliers, and new businesses and the mayor says west point's population

3500 stands to gain 20,000 jobs over the next five years. divine intervention. >> the economic activity here is incredible. the trickle down effect from the local economy has been staggering. >> reporter: remarkable for a city slowly becoming a ghost town. textile mills that once defied west point slit down in the 1990s leaving many out of work. including 52-year-old margaret, laid off last year, now working again at one of kia's suppliers. did you ever think you'd be making car parts? >> not at all. >> reporter: not in a million years? >> no. >> reporter: new construction is everywhere. at roger's barbecue, business is booming. >> get them in here one time we'll get them back. they're coming back. they're enjoying it. >> reporter: malcolm's car wash business is up 70% and down the street at irish bread pub, ruth anne williams invested her life savings into this. it's paying off. >> i came here because i wanted to come down. we have jumped in with both feet and we have not looked back one time.

>> reporter: so how is this tiny, rural community adapting to the new fusion? >> feel more like a melting pot now? >> you don't have to travel to atlanta anymore. >> reporter: from mill town to manufacturing mecca, a bright spot in an otherwise gray economy. alina cho, cnn, west point, georgia. i've helped somebody. you know, it makes me feel pretty good. we're offering a solution for a customer that maybe has to choose between paying their credit card or putting food on the table and that's why they call us. our main objective is to reach out to the customers that are falling behind on their payments.

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