hello, i'm don lemon. thank you for joining us. let's be honest. you have thought about it every time you get on a plane or cruise ship. what happens if something goes wrong? well, it happened to some passengers. one minute they're enjoying a pleasure cruise off the coast of italy. the next, thousands terrified racing for the life boats. >> the floors tilting right under their feet. life preservers strapped to their chests. their boat tipping over after it ran aground off of one of italy's islands. this is not how you're supposed to see the sunset from a cruise ship. look at those pictures. they are unbelievable. three people are dead. among more than 4,000 who were

onboard that ship, and here is what authorities are saying. they say 43 to 70 people could stl be missing. an estimated 16 americans, 126 were on the cruise, but none of them are reported hurt. the italian captain is under arrest right now. he could be charged with manslaughter and abandoning ship. the ship is owned by carnival. the biggest cruise line in the world based in miami. cnn spoke with one of the americans who had to flee the ship, army colonel vivian shafer on an r&r leave. >> we had just been on only a few hours. we didn't even have the safety brief yet. it was really bizarre. we had finished dinner and we were at the magic show. we thought it was really sort of a bizarre trick to have the curtains all be sideways and the lights because he was using different lights and smoke. all in all, it was pretty

bizarre. it was unreal. what was truly disappointing there didn't seem to be anybody in charge or anyone really with any authority to tell people anything. if it wasn't for the island people and some of the ambulance people, we wouldn't even have known about the church for the school or a place where to get warm. >> so unexpected there. joining me on the phone is journalist barbie nadal. let's talk about abandoning the ship, manslaughter charges against the captain. at least what he could face. is it actually the more serious charges of abandoning ship, which is more serious? >> reporter: that's right. abandoning ship charges are more serious in terms of maritime laws. the captain should stay until the last of his passengers and crew are off the ship. this particular captain was off the ship long before the rest of the passengers.

he was in one of the first lifeboats off the ship. this particular ship we are hearing was 2.5 miles off its course and that's why it ran into this rocky sand bar and ripped this 160-foot gaping hole into the hull of the ship. a lot of passengers i spoke with this morning were very disappointed in the way the cruise ship handled the evacuation. many felt they actually self-evacuated. that they got themselves to the lifeboat area because they could see that the ship was listing to that point. all those interviews will be taken into account when they continue the investigation into the captain of the ship and what his culpability may be. they are trying to decide if the people unaccounted for is administrative list keeping or 43 people still trapped, whose bodies are under the hull of that massive cruise ship. >> barbie, you said 2 1/2 miles

offshore. some people said they swam to safety. did they swim or did everyone leave via life boat? did some have to swim 2 1/2 miles? that seems a ridiculous amount to have to swim. >> reporter: the people that swam to the rocky shore, this is an island that has a very shallow base. when the tide is low, there is not much of a tide in the mediterranean. what tide there is, you can walk a lot of that area. the people that swam, swam to the rocky part of the shore or swam to boats out there. other life boats, i should say, that were already off the ship. there were a number of people that i spoke to who were on the high side of the ship, if you will, the side listing who were stuck in the life boats in mid air for about 45 minutes before someone was able to lower those life boats into the water. those people were terrified for that period of time. it's dark out. they are on the side of the ship

that didn't have light on it. they didn't know what would happen. they didn't know if the boat would be released or if they would go down with the ship. it was a harrowing experience for a number of people. 4,234 passengers and crew members on that ship. they are fortunate only three people, so far, have been confirmed dead. it's a really devastating disaster. >> you look at the pictures of this ship. first it was six. they believed six people died, now they say three. it is unbelievable more people didn't die. it's sad three people so far and the numbers are going to be updated as this situation continues. the parent company of this cruise is carnival cruise, which we are familiar with here in the united states. as you think about it, and i want you to talk about this a little bit more. when you see this ship listing and what happened, only three people so far, it is amazing

they got off. considering, too, the captain was one of the first people in the lifeboat. >> reporter: that is really the interesting part. the other interesting part is the fact they hadn't done safety brief for the people. by law, they have 24 hours when the ship sets sail. >> usually it's as soon as you get on, before you leave port, you line up on the side of the ship, put on the life vests and they tell you here is what happens. you go through that. on the cruises i've been on, that's what happens. >> reporter: in this particular case, they knew their life vests were in their room. they knew based on a card they had been given what the muster section was they were to go, but they hadn't actually done that drill yet. i talked to a number of passengers this morning who were veteran cruisers. they knew what they were expecting. many of them said they were surprised they hadn't been given the safety brief. they knew they should be on the

life boats on the bottom of the ship. the first-time cruisers, those were the people on the top of the ship. they didn't know that's the not the place you do he in a situation like this. the stories that were harrowing, children screaming, passed over the heads of other people to get on the life boats, elderly people who had gone to bed earlier that night. those people all passed into the life boats to safety. this is done by the passengers. this wasn't directed by the crew according to all the witnesses this morning. there were hundreds of people milling around this morning happy to share their stories. >> we have to leave it at that for time purposes. thank you, barbie nadeau. we'll have more including a professor of naval architecture. he says this reminds him of the sinking of the "titanic."

check out c nchbnn.com for more passenge passengers. partially under water from what you saw from those amazing pictures. another story making headlines right now. former mississippi governor haley barbour defending his decision to grant pardons and other forms of clemency to more than 200 passengers. some had committed murder and other felonies. days after barbour's action, the outrage is flowing across the state. martin savidge is in jackson for us. he talked with one of the convicted killers who is now free. i want to know what he had to say. no matter how many times i hear from people involved with this from you, it is still as fascinating as the first time you hear about it. >> reporter: it is. it is a remarkable story, no doubt about it. the way this whole thing

transpired, and it's been nearly a week now since former governor haley barbour passed along those now infamous pardons. it was sunday when he pardoned the first five, four of whom were convicted murderers. i was only a day or two later he went on to do 200 more pardons. we had a chance to talk with anthony mcrae, one of those who was pardoned. he was convicted of murdering his wife. it was a brutal killing, shot her out in public, in a crowded cafe. shot her in the back. now he's been pardoned. first law enforcement couldn't find him. we tracked him down and here is what he said about being free. >> it's a blessing. i've been saying, i've been

saves, i've been baptized, reading the bible 12 1/2 years. it is a true blessing. i didn't do this. god did this. god blessed haley barbour to do this for us. >> keep in mind, there was no doubt about the guilt of anthony mcrae, which is why those opposed to his release were so angry. this murder was blatant. it should come as no surprise that anthony mcrae believes all the outrage, all the anger pointed at governor barbour is way over the top. >> talked to the brother of the woman killed by mcrae. what did he have to say? >> reporter: so many families that are in fear or this has

brought it all back. they have to relive the trauma they went through as a result of the pardons the governor did. we talked to ronald here. the brother of the woman we just talked about. here is what he had to say about the governor's pardons. >> you're going to give a murderer, somebody who shot another female person that they said they love and shot him in the back. you're going to wipe his slate clean. >> reporter: what do you think of governor haley barbour and what he did? >> glad he out. should have been out. i didn't vote for him now, neither time. >> reporter: by the way, tomorrow is the 11th anniversary of the murder of that woman, which is again adding to the pain of the family here. because it was a pardon, the slate has been wiped clean.

anthony mcrae can go out and live as if he had never committed the murder at all. >> martin savidge, thank you. we'll get more back to you and hear what haley barbour is saying for himself now. next, a mississippi law maker trying to keep this from happening again. south carolina is the next battleground for the republican candidates running for president. and it hasn't been going exactly as planned. cut. cut! [ monica ] i thought we'd be on location for 3 days -- it's been 3 weeks. so i had to pick up some more things. good thing i've got the citi simplicity card. i don't get hit with a fee if i'm late with a payment... which is good because on this job, no! bigger! [ monica ] i may not be home for a while. [ male announcer ] the new citi simplicity card. no late fees. no penalty rate. no worries.

we'll continue coverage right now about former mississippi governor haley barbour. he left office this week but left behind more than 200 clemency orders, including pardons for several convicted killers. mississippi state house member bobby moke is among the many people angered by these pardons and leader of the mississippi

house democratic caucus. thank you for joining us today. i understand you are taking steps to try to change the way these pardons are issued. what are you working on? >> sure. several of my colleagues have gotten together. we introduced legislation during the past three or four years in order to look at this issue. we have legislation that we brought forward in our chamber on friday that will probably be dropped monday. we are looking at probably one of the most difficult things to change in mississippi. that it's constitution. more likely, we have two other pieces of legislation that are statutory, that we think we can get some impetus to pass this session. >> i would imagine you found out about this just like everyone else about the time everyone else did. what was your gut reaction, your first reaction when you heard? >> when we heard about this sunday morning, it wasn't so much the numbers at that time, but it was the convictions, the

murderers who were being released. that really drove home to us and got us together and we started calling our colleagues saying, this is something we don't need to see happen. this is the reason the legislation has been pushed during the past years. we need to step out on this. >> it's a gut check, i'm sure. >> it shocked us. absolutely at that time. later we saw the huge numbers that everybody has been taken aback by. >> have you had a chance to speak to the new governor? any republican law makers about your plans? if you have, what are they saying? >> of course, we've spoken to our colleagues. we invited everybody to come join us because this really has moved beyond any partisan issue. this is an issue that all mississippians are now interested in. so i think we are going to get support from all across the aisle on this. some of our colleagues in the senate have been moving that

way. governor bryant made a statement woe like to see something moved. hopefully, we can get everybody to come together and push something forward so that families aren't left out, law enforcement is not left out, and prosecutors aren't left out the next time this comes along in mississippi. >> take a listen to this, if you will, mr. moak. >> i'm not saying i'll be perfect. there is nobody who received clemency will ever do nothing wrong. i'm not infallible and nobody else is. but i am very comfortable and totally at peace with these pardons, including those at the mansion. >> the governor's mansion, we should note, is where those convicted killers work. haley barbour said some of them, he allowed them to play with his grandchildren and so forth. what do you think of his

response? >> the trustee program in mississippi and the instance we've seen pardons have a path that come through the trustee program, through the governor's mansion, that's why some of the legislation we are pushing makes sure that when a governor looks at a pardon, that he has to notify the district attorney that prosecuted the case. especially in cases of murder. he can call a public hearing. he can get input from the families. that's one thing here. the families didn't know this was going to happen. the families of the victims didn't know this was going to happen. they are certainly not comfortable tonight, i can tell you that, after speaking with them. >> mississippi state house member bobby moak, thank you. appreciate your time. on to politics now. religious conservatives decided to throw their support to republican presidential candidate rick santorum.

they heard pitches from surrogates for the gop candidates. santorum was chosen after three rounds of voting. tony perkins is president of the family research council. he was asked last hour by fredricka whitfield if he thought santorum could get the gop nomination. >> i think that is the thinking. it's time to get off the sidelines, move into the process and express support for the candidate that is most conservative. >> south carolina primary one week from today. i'll be reporting there. join us for those reports. that meeting in texas has the attention of a lot of republicans in south carolina. i want to talk with cnn's political reporter shannon travis in myrtle beach right now. is this a big deal these conservatives are now backing rick santorum? >> reporter: it is a big deal. think of it this way. there's been no secret these

evangelicals wanting to take on somebody like mitt romney. now they are saying it should be rick santorum. two problems. number one, it's coming late in the pros. mitt romney won iowa. mitt romney won new hampshire. secondly, these christian evangelicals tried to do it with mike huckabee in 2008. it didn't work so well. there is question whether their influence is waning. a few issues with that. i can tell you that the rick santorum campaign is happy about this little gift a week before the primary in south carolina. >> you said it's coming late. it's not going to -- you don't think it's going to make a difference in south carolina or in the upcoming primaries or caucuses? is this just something that looks, i don't know, i guess it helps him as a republican, looks good as a conservative, but you don't think it will help him in

any caucus in any primary? >> it certainly could help him. the question is by how much? how much could it help him? any level of support from more people for rick santorum. you know, was low in the polls a few weeks ago. is going to be good. tomorrow we'll have the first-ever tea party convention here in south carolina and the governor of this state, jim demint, both big tea party boosters. mickey haley is supporting mitt romney. you've got tea party crowds backing mitt romney. it's a question how much it will help him. santorum and newt gingrich will be here at this tea party convention. the others won't be. >> mr. travis, thank you very much. on to the u.s. marines we've been hearing about. urinating on the corpses of taliban fighters. what were they thinking?

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you heard it, you may have seen it. a video on youtube that appears to be a group of u.s. marines urinating on several bodies. we are going to show you a brief clip. please be warned that the video is extremely graphic.

>> have a great day, buddy. >> got it on video? >> yep. >> golden like a shower. >> deputy forces say that incident violates basic standards of human decency. i'm joined by psychologist and relationship expert here in atlanta and in miami dr. terry lyle. why do you think they do something like this? i can't judge, i'm i not in a war zone, not a soldier, not a marine, i don't know, but why? >> several of the soldiers have been killed. in war you're taught to dehumanize them as an enemy. you're not thinking them as brothers, fathers and nephews, but as the enemy. especially after they've been killed and they try to kill you.

i can see how it happened. it's not right. war is ugly. >> terry, i heard a lot of folks saying if i walk by it and i saw it, i wouldn't think twice about it, but i certainly wouldn't videotape it, as well. why would they film this? >> unfortunately, this is the age we live in with everyone having a phone, being able to capture things and not using fw judgment. this is another element of war stress. war images can be very difficult. when you live in that environment, it begins to numb the senses and decisions that we make and questionable in our judgment. this has a lot to do with just the images of war being there and just not using good judgment. of course, leadership is going to be involved in this

conversation, i'm sure. >> this is what happens in war, that's what you're saying. then what do you do? what do you do in this case? what do you do for marines, soldiers, anyone in uniform who may have done something like this? they may not and probably are not the first people to do something like this, obviously. >> sure. war doesn't cause this kind of thing, but opens that door up. that's why leadership has to stay accountable to their troops. i think you'll hear more about this through the legal system and the military system. it's staying in a state of awareness, communicating clearly that we have to be at our best because everyone is watching. the world is watching this through little cameras now everywhere we go. it's a leadership piece and something that has to be communicated clearly. good can come out of this by teaching and use this as a teachable moment. >> what should the punishment, if any, be for these marines?

>> i don't know what you do. reason i say that is because it's one of those things. they videotaped it because they felt like heroes, hey, we killed four of the enemy and we want to send it out to show we killed them. they didn't think twice about it. when you look at it, had it been americans, same thing, we would be outraged. that cultural sensitivity training. in war, it's hard to talk about what you do when someone is trying to kill you. >> it's a tough one. you want our men and women in uniform to be held to higher standards, but sitting in our comfy, air-conditioned studios, going to work in air-conditioned cars. >> it's hard to say kill and be killed. >> thank you to both doctors. we'll move on and talk about our top story here on cnn. a cruise ship runs, flips over off the coast of italy.

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there's a lot of news to get caught up on. an italian ship captain is under arrest after his cruise ship ran aground on one of italy's islands. three people onboard are dead. dozens of others unaccounted for. one of the survivors compared it to the most infamous sea

disaster of all time. >> translator: i can easily understand comparisons to the film. how it must have been on the "titanic" or in a fiction film. scenes of panic create disaster. people are scrambling over each other and elderly people wetting themselves. >> it is believed about 126 americans were onboard. apparently none was hurt. in iraq, shiite pilgrims were the target of a suicide bombing in a city here basra. the blast killed 53 people. the bombers struck a police checkpoint. iraq's president and the u.s. embassy condemned the attack. many fear the u.s. military's withdrawal would be followed by an uptick in violence. a new sign of the rising threat from iran. the pentagon released these photos showing iranian speed boats harassing military ships in two separate incidents.

we asked retired naval captain what it's like to respond to confrontation like this one. >> your first instinct is i've got to protect my ship and crew. you don't want to start something that doesn't necessarily need to be started. so there is this playoff between what is the history, what is going on in the situation and deciding whether these guys are really a threat or not. my biggest problem, i think, was a problem of a rogue rambo boat driver that decides to say, i'm going to show off to my friends and charge at a ship. maybe the guy up front decides i'm going to fire off a few rounds and they started something they don't mean to. the command and control of those little boats is not very good. >> one took place in the strait of hormuz where iran has warned the u.s. not to intrude. a family on the verge of being ripped apart. a married couple could be split up and four children may have to watch one parent leave. deported after living in this country legally 22 years.

susan candiotti has their story. >> reporter: this french national says he has a typical american life. he routinely greets his four kids at the school bus, then goes home to his husband. >> i feel more american than french. i love the history. i love the people. there is something that attracts me. >> reporter: the united states government doesn't see it that way. they allow their u.s. citizens to sponsor spouses, but don't recognize marriage between the same sex. >> if i were a woman marrying a man, we wouldn't be in this situation. this would have been resolved years ago. >> reporter: frederick's final visa expired in september. after 22 years in the u.s., he faces possible deportation. >> we'll go through it, but it will affect so many people. it is every day. it's a daily fight. uncertainty of the future, not

knowing where we are going. how to build a future. how do i protect my kids? how do i make sure my kids have a stable family, stable environment? >> reporter: frederick and mark adopted their four children together and were married in the state of california where gay marriage was recognized at the time. the defense of marriage act prevents the federal government recognizing marriages between people of the same sex. >> what it says is that the federal government cannot recognize legal marriages of gay and lesbian couples. as a result, issues like immigration can't be resolved. your marriages don't count for immigration purposes, therefore, an american citizen cannot obtain a green card for his husband. >> reporter: mark lived his entire life in the suburbs of harrisburg, pennsylvania. >> why should i have to leave my country and all my family and all my friends i've known for 43

years just because the government doesn't recognize our relationship? >> reporter: last year, the department of homeland security gave immigration authorities the discretion to stay deportations based on, quote, the person's ties and contributions to the community, including family relationships." frederick says no government will divide their family. >> our children come first. we are a real family. we have to stay together no matter what. so if the government doesn't want me, unfortunately, we have to expatriate and find a country. >> reporter: after a hearing this week, the couple awaits a decision on whether frederick can remain with his family in the place they call home. >> susan candiotti is live for us in new york right now. at the end of your story, you mentioned homeland security gave the folks at immigration wiggle room to stop deportations like this. do you know if they are going to

use it? >> reporter: that's the problem. in cases like this, immigration authorities won't talk about individual cases. we do know this. as you heard, the department of homeland security has told its prosecutors and investigators that they have to prioritize cases, and they have to consider family ties, that includes people of all sexual orientations, contributions they made to the community before they start deporting someone. we know there's been a hearing in this case and certainly frederick and his spouse hope they don't have to be torn apart and separated from their children. >> great report. thank you, susan candiotti in new york. up next, a cnn hero who is changing the world and he's only 18 years old. murderers, rapists and thieves pardoned by the outgoing governor of mississippi. is that legal?

millions of young people say they want to change the world. today's cnn heroes recognizes someone who did. justin churchman is his name. he's 18 years old, but he's already changing lives in juarez, mexico. how is he doing it? one house at a time. >> to give someone from a home is from your heart and to their heart.

you literally change their life forever. my name is justin churchman. i work with an organization and they build houses in juarez, mexico. after i built my first house, i just fell in love with it. it changed my heart and changed the way i saw the world. it's an addiction. >> he organized a team at 13 years old and led a group of americans across the border. he built a home and handed the keys of that home to that family in need. >> this is our first house we built. we met this wonderful lady. i've fallen in love with it. >> he had a goal early on that he wanted to build 18 houses by the time he turned 18. >> my parents got behind me and supported me. on my 18th birthday i completed my 18th house. >> he's absolutely a young

wonder. he's changing the world one house at a time. >> haley barbour is no longer mississippi's governor, but he left office with a huge legal bombshell. clemency for more than 200 people, including pardons for several convicted murderers. a lot of people are asking, what was he thinking? on my journey a, i've learned that when you ask someone in texas if they want "big" savings on car insurance, it's a bit like asking if they want a big hat... ...'scuse me... ...or a big steak... ...or big hair... i think we have our answer. geico. fifteen minutes could save you fifteen percent or more on car insurance.

everybody is trying to figure this one out because rapists, burglars, even murders are all among the scores of inmates pardoned or who had their sentences suspended by mississippi governor, former mississippi governor haley bauschor. about 200 convicted criminals total, including these men. we'll explain what they did.

joseph ozment convicted of killing a store clerk during a robbery. charles hooker convicted of murder. david begatlin who shot and killed his estranged wife and was holding a child at the time. anthony mccray who is guilty of murdering his wife, though he insists now it was an accident. holly hughes is here. it is a tradition in mississippi to have trusted inmates, convicted murders, you get to work at the governor's mansion and in return, many receive a pardon. are they usually people convicted murderers or who are accused and convicted of crimes like these? >> believe it or not, yes. southern tradition we find in a lot of the lower southern states, kentucky, georgia, mississippi, alabama, most of the folks who are given the privilege of working at the governor's mansion are murderers. let me back up. all i'm hearing as far as

justification is, it's a tradition. let's point out, don, that this country has had some traditions that were indecent, immoral. let's say it, slavery used to be a tradition, okay? denying women the right to vote was a tradition. so this sad, pathetic justification of, it's okay, we've always done it, i'm not buying it. >> he gave his explanation. he said i let these people play with my grandkids, what have you. everyone is shaking their head going, what? haley barbour who built his career on people being accountable for what you've done, whether it's good or bad. they don't understand it. what was he thinking? >> it is completely out of character with what we have seen of his political career. again, you accept responsibility. there is a difference between forgive and forget. that's what we call in the news business the back story, don.

we need to know who made him angry enough to do this in-your-face move. no notification to the family of these victims? you're revictimizing these people all over again. legislative intent. when the legislature says a judge has the power to sentence you and the judge says life sentence, why can one single man come along and wipe that out? >> some of them said we need them to check in. do they have to check in? >> no. it's a done deal. it's called ex post facto, after the fact. you can't change the law and go back. say you got a speeding ticket three years ago. you paid it, it's over. somebody now enacts a law that says we can cut of your pinky because you got a speeding ticket. they can't come get you. these people got a pardon, they went away.

>> 1 other people got a pardon and are still in prison. can they block them? >> they are going to get out. >> why? >> they have tried. basically the constitution of that state gave him the power to do it. that's why he is proudly standing up on tv saying, i did what i did, y'all, live with it. they can't touch him and can't touch these folks. >> thank you. >> absolutely. >> he enjoyed a storybook career in college football. the heisman trophy winner found winning on the field was easy compared to what he faced after leaving the field. first, we are three weeks into the new year. three weeks already? are you still on track on your financial new year's resolutions? if not, the best investment you can make in 2012 is to get out of credit card debt. christine roman shows us how in this week's smart is the new rich. america's national debt is about as large as the u.s. economy. $15 trillion and growing.

politicians are deadlocked how to fix it. only you can tackle your own personal debt. you can pay down your highest interest rate credit card first. if you need to pay off one that is a low interest rate but a smaller balance because it will make you feel good, do that, too. whatever it takes to get you to start cutting down that debt. cut your spending. strive to live on 70% of your income. if you can't afford it, put it down. use a debit card or cash to limit spending. don't activate the overdraft protection. keep your credit card balance below 30% of your overall limit and finally, please, please, please, please, check your credit history at annualcreditreport.com. clean up mistakes. don't closure eyes. find out what that credit history looks like. it's really important. in america, we believe in a future

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he won the heisman trophy and a national championship. one famous quarterback got knocked off his feet when a rare disorder hit him. sanjay gupta explains in today's human factor. >> for danny, 1996 was a great year. the university of florida quarterback won the heisman trophy and led his team to the national championship. deeply religious, he took his job as a role model seriously. >> when i drafted by mike ditka to play with the saints in '97 i was looking for something in the city to be a part of but i didn't know what it was.

that's when i got introduced to desire street. >> it was working in the poorest areas of new orleans. he volunteered part time for seven years before he realized this. not the nfl was his true calling. >> i drove down my treat and have to turn right to keep practicing football and turn left to go desire street and i got tired of turning right. >> leaving money and fame of pro football wouldn't prove to be the biggest obstacle in his future. early in 2011 his body took a hit way harder than any from a linebacker. >> i got out of bed. when i landed on my feet i almost fell over. we were staying in the inner-city in montgomery and staying with family. we went to see their family dock or on ooh thursday. the next morning somebody knocks on my door at 5:00 a.m. and it's this doctor. he said i think you may have a rare degenerative disorder that

can thread paralysis. but with rapid treatment patients do get better. at his worse, he said he couldn't stand, couldn't walk, his infamous touchdown throwing arm was too weak to even open a both. water. >> for a guy who is used to having gear five, six and seven if you need to it try to function which is a couple of gears, has been difficult. >> several months after his diagnosis, he has recovered to the point where he can walk. and use his arms. but he is still incredibly fatigued. he now runs desire street ministries says the whole ordeal was a blessing in disguise. >> really needed to slow down to reprioritize and think, i think, i hope i'm a better husband and father. >> dr. sanjay gupta, cnn, atlanta. four homeless men stabbed to death. police in california believe it is the work of a serial killer and now they have a suspect in

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. again, italian captain under arrest after his cruise ship round aground on italy's islands, one of the islands there, three people on board are dead. dozens unaccounted for. the captain could be charged with manslaughter and abandoning ship. a california man is in custody and police say he fits the description of a serial killer who has been preying on the homeless after a man was

killed last night witnesses led police to that suspect. he hasn't yet been linked to the three other killings of homeless men in the los angeles area last month. a man suspected in a series of, get this, rear end slashings in virginia last year is in custody in peru. fairfax county police issued a warrant in september charging him with malicious wounding. he was captured friday in play. all the victims women in their teens or early 20s. in each attack the victim was distracted before being cut on the back side. oprah winfrey celebrating her graduation class. >> everybody asks are you going to do what you did in 2008? >> i did it in 2008 my own friends didn't know who this guy

is. do you think that guy will be president. i go yeah, i really do. >> winfrey tells cnn she will help the campaign if the white house asks her to. more on penn state coach joe paterno has been hospitalized from complication from his cancer temperatures. the fami hopes it will be a short hospital stay. paterno just spoke with "the washington post" in his first interview since leaving penn state. he says he called his superiors and said we've got a problem, i think. he goes on to say i had never had to deal with something like that. coming up tonight in one hour, ever hear of the term passing? thousands of african-americans had to make this choice off ten for survival during jim crow days. this is a story that could make you question your own racial identity. i'm don't lemon at cnn headquarters in atlanta, see you back here one hour from