two men tell espn that robert bobby dodd molested them back in the 1980 when they were playing on dodd's aau basketball team. police in memphis, tennessee opened an investigation. no comment from dodd who is battling colon cancer. >>> in oslo, norway today three women took center stage accepting the nobel peace prize. the women are being honored for their individual fights against injustice, dictatorship and sexual violence in libya and yemen. >>> congress is still focused the payroll tax cut. democrats and republicans have competing plans. president barack obama is pressing lawmakers to cut a deal, but even with that he acknowledged to cbs news there's no quick fix for the economy. >> did you over promise? did you underestimate how difficult this was going snob. >> didn't overpromise and i didn't underestimate how tough this was going to be. i always believed that this was a long term project. this wasn't a short term project. and, you know, for individual americans who are struggling right now, they have every reason to be impatient. reversing structural problems in our economy that ha

two men tell espn that robert bobby dodd molested them back in the 1980s when they were playing on dodd's aau basketball team. cnn george howell is in memphis. he joins us now live. so, george, what more, if anything, is being said about these allegations? >> reporter: fredericka, we just got off the phone with police. they say there's an active investigation into bobby dodd. the amateur athletic union is one of the largest sports organization in the country. two men spoke out claiming they were sexually abused back in the 1980s by dodd. one of them spoke anonymously. frank west spoke out. said he was sexually abused six times while a teenager. listen to what he told "outside the lines." >> i was dead asleep and i don't remember anything but waking up and he has -- he's trying to put his hand in my boxer shorts. i jumped up straight out of bed and he's not there but he's laying on the floor next to me down by the bed and of course i was freaked out. >> how did he get in the room? >> he had a key. he always somehow had a key to whatever room i was in. >> we are just starting to see bits an

. >> more allegations and tennessee and robert dodd. ralph west said he was 15 when his team was on a youth league trip in 1983 and he came into his room and assaulted him. >> i was asleep, i don't remember anything but waking up he is trying to put his hand in my shorts twoeurbgs accusers said that the publicity from penn state's and syracuse, along with the citadel, prompted them to act. >> i'm not surprised, every time this happens, it causes people to relive their trauma. >> pat thomas provides support for people to hakeem olajuwon were abused. >> it is like a sore that as a crust on it but when this happens, it opens that wound up again. >> reporter: and he kept his secret for 30 years. he thinks the stories will unfold as victims find a voice. >> i believe it is the bravery and the courage of people who make a decision to come forward that gives other the courage to do the same. it's not too late. >> reporter: dodd denied the allegations when confronted. he left the organization in november. now police are investigating. thompson

time at amateur athletic union or aau in memphis, tennessee two accusers say the aau president, robert doddbused them in the 80s. we talked to a therapist who says penn state maybe a platform for victims to fine their voice. >> i belief it's the bravery and courage of people who do make a decision to come forth that gives people the courage to do the same to realize it's not too late. >> dodd denied allegations when confronted by officials and left the organization in november. police are investigating. thompson believes the victims may learn to understands how it has impacted their lives. advocates say there is help. experts say going to a television station first may not be the best way to bring about justice. go to police, file a report, and if that's intimidating try social services. they could navigate the victims through the overall process. >>> video from a fire that broke out monday night. it happened around 6:45 on blue field in joppa. the fire reignited gen, this is the initial fire from 7:00. officers were able to get this under control. look at the massive flames, no family was

two accusers say former aau president robert dodd abused them in the 80s. we talked to a local adult therapist who says penn state maybe a platform for victims to find their voices. >> its bravery and courage of people to come forward. >> dodd denied allegations when confronted by officials. he left the organization in november and police are investigating. the victims may learn to understand how the abuse has impacted their lives. >>> new details in to a fire that broke out monday night. it happened around 6:45, after 11:00 last night , the fire lit up again. crews got it under control. this is new video from the original scene. the family pet didn't make it out. the rest of the family was not home. neighbors heard an explosion. the cause of the fire remains under investigation. >>> continuing coverage of two flash mobs that went viral. it's time to prevent the next one with tougher punishment. both were in montgomery county and the first in august, the second last month. dozens of teens and young people walk in to a convenient store, taking items off of t

another case of alleged molestation of young boys by coaches robert dodd was out ofs aof the a.a.u. still ahead this evening, to raise taxes or not raise taxes. a tale of two states is just ahead. set a record we without just as soon take pack back. drivers have spent $448 billion at the pump and $100 billion more than 2010. gas prices are an average $3.29 a gallon, 31 cents higher than a year ago. cutting deficits is a headache that has brought partisan gridlock at all levels. this week two governors took steps to tackle deficits in their states by targeting well-off taxpayers. tony guida begins our coverage. >> washington is not coming to our rescue, but that's okay. this is new york, and we will address the situation ourselves. >> reporter: the situation-- a state budget billions in the red and income taxes among the highest in the country. governor andrew cuomo addressed it the old-fashioned way-- political armtwisting in the proverbial smoke-filled backroom. when the smoke cleared, democrats and republicans were smiling, taxpayers cheering. new york pulled off what washington h

case of alleged molestation of young boys, the amateur athletic association oust the 63-year-old robert dodd as its president today. memphis police said yesterday they're investigating allegations of abuse by dodd that occurred some 30 years ago. the a.a.u. is one of america's biggest youth sports groups. still ahead this evening, to raise taxes or not raise taxes. a tale of two states is just ahead. >> mitchell: we americans sets a record this week. we would just as soon take back. drivers have already spent more than $448 billion at the pump in 2011. that's a new yearly record and $100 billion more than all of 2010. gas prices are at average $3.29 a gallon, 31 cents higher than a year ago. cutting deficits is a headache that has brought partisan gridlock at all levels. this week two governors took steps to tackle deficits in their states by targeting well- off taxpayers. tony guida begins our coverage. >> washington is not coming to our rescue, but that's okay. this is new york, and we will address the situation ourselves. >> reporter: the situation-- a state budget billions in the red and

dodd was a sports director at a local ymca. george? >> reporter: memphis police confirm there's an active investigation into the former president and ceo of the amateur athletic union, robertby dodd. this investigation started after two men decided to confront dodd and share their stories on espn's "outside the line" claiming that dodd sexually abused them back in the 1980s when these men were teenagers. both say they decided to speak out, given the sexual abuse allegation that are playing out at syracuse university and penn state. now one of the men spoke anonymously to espn but one of the men, ralph west decided to speak on camera saying he was sexually abused at least six times back in the 1980s. just look at what he told "outside the lines." >> i was dead asleep. i don't remember anything but waking up and he's trying to put his hand in my boxer shorts. and i jumped up straight out of bed and he's laying down there next to my bed. of course i was freaked out. >> how did he get in the room? >> he had a key. he always had somehow had a key to whatever room i was in. >> since the story broke, the aau contacted memphis police. an active investigation happening here. the aa

memphis police investigating sex abuse claims against the amateur athletic union's former president robert doddhen they were young teens in the '80s. the aau says it alerted police last week and even turned over the name of a third accuser. the aau dismissed dodd last month. >>> all right, ali. moving on to the penn state sex scandal. former football coach jerry sandusky will be forced to face his accusers in court for the first time tomorrow. he's charged with more than 50 counts of sexual assault. some of the alleged victims prepared to detail dramatic accounts of rape and molestation. here to weigh in on what we can expect in the courtroom, cnn legal analyst paul. what can we expect? the hearing is tomorrow. what can we expect from that hearing? >> well, it's going to be a very, very interesting development in the case because under pennsylvania law, at this hearing, you basically have to make out what's called a prima facie kate, meaning basic evidence has to be presented to a judge and the judge has to look at it and say if the evidence were believed a conviction at trial. not a full trial

dodd or the aau? >> reporter: we are getting some information, new information, from the aau, that they apparently received anonymous e-mails connected to these allegations, again, against robert "bobby" dodd with the amateur athletic union. again, this is a big sports organization for young people, one of the biggest in the country. this investigation, though, comes mainly from two former players who came forward to espn's "outside the lines" basically saying dodd toughed them inappropriately when they were teenagers in the 1980s, decades ago. both are now grown men. both say they decided to confront dodd and speak out in light of the sex scandals at penn state and syracuse university. again, we're getting these tips from the aau they got these anonymous e-mails also leading them to send this over to memphis police who are conducting an investigation into this. now, one of the men spoke anonymously, but ralph west spoke in that report on espn's "outside the lines" and claimed he was sexually abused at least six times in the 1980s. and the full story is set to air, don, on espn "outside the lines" at 10:00 p.m. sunday. since the story broke, the aau says that mr. dodd is no lo

memphis police tell us there's an active investigation into the alleged actions of robert bobby dodd the now former president and ceo of the amateur athletic union which is one of the largest nonprofit organizations in sports. the investigation comes after two former players now grown men came forward espn outside the line alleging that dodd touched them inappropriately when they were teenagers playing for one of his teams here in memphis. one of the men spoke anonymously to espn. but ralph west in miami spoke publicly. he said he was sexually abused six times in the 1980s, sneaking into the hotel's hotel room when the team traveled out of town. dodd drugged him and suing gived to pay him $1,000 to perform a sex act. since the story broke the aa uconn tacted memphis police about these allegations and dodd's former nonprofit released a statement basically saying that they launched their own investigation after these investigations and the organization named a new leader saying dodd has cancer and has been planning to retire. but, again, the full story on this, set to air on espn at 10

investigators are looking into allegations that ex-aau president robert dodd molested children 30 years ago. the 63-year-old retired last month. so far authorities have not received a formal victim complaint. >>> two former ball boys for the syracuse men's basketball team are now suing the university and head coach jim boeheim. the coach initially said bobby davis and mike lang were lying when they accused former assistant coach bernie fine of molesting them of the the stepbrothers are suing boeheim for defamation. syracuse fired fine when his wife was heard in a taped phone call suggesting she knew about the alleged abuse. the u.s. attorney's office is investigating claims from a third accuser. prosecutors said they could not move forward with allegations from the stepbrothers because of the statute of the limitations has expired. bernie fine denies the allegations. >>> the spotsylvania man who shot and killed a police officer at virginia tech legally purchased the gun that he used. despite nonstop efforts since thursday, state police say they still cannot find a link between the shoot

two men tell espn that robert bobby dodd molested them back in the 19 0s when they were playing on his aau baseball team. there's been no comment from dodd. he's battling colon cancer right now. >>> there was a candlelight vigil last night on the virginia tech campus. they were remembering a police officer that was killed. the officer was killed before the gunman killed himself. he was a part-time student at nearby radford university. they're still searching for a motive. people trying to come together after that. >>> the supreme court has agreed to hear a challenge to texas's congressional redistricting plan. state republicans aren't real happy with the way a federal court redrew the map last month. that court was responding to a lawsuit filed on behalf of minority groups. the supreme court will hear that case in early january. >>> let's talk about newt gingrich. he says palestinians are an invented people. raising a lot of eyebrows this morning. he made the strong statement in an interview on the jewish channel. take a listen. >> i believe that the jewish people have the right to hav

aau is working with police to investigate allegations of sexual abuse against the former direct, robert dodded them in the 1980 s when they played n his basketball team. >>> baylor university, congratulations to you an to your junior quarterback, robert griffin iii. he has become the 77th heisman trophy winner and the first player from baylor to pick pick up the award. he beat out stanford quarterback andrew luck who everybody agrees is going to go number one in next year's nfl draft. but on this night, he was only the second-best quarterback. >>> 2011 has been a year of nonstop breaking fluz. cnn has covered it all, of course. go to cnn.com/topstories, cast your vote for the top ten stories of 2011. then join us on december 30th to find out what picks make the final cut as "cnn newsroom" unveils the top ten stories of the year. >>> so you get married. time to spend the holidays with the in-laws. i know you're looking forward to it. it can often be stressful for a lot of folks, it can also be a clash of cultures especially if there are religious differences. in this morning's "faces of faith

in an in depth report today on espn's "outside the lines" two men tell how robert "bobby" dodd molested them in the 1980s when they played on one of his basketball teams. he's being treated for colon cancer and denied the allegations in a meeting with aau officials last month, but cnn has confirmed the organization investigated those claims and then fired dodd. >>> so with all of these new allegations of coaches abusing children allegedly, what can you do to ensure your child's safety? what standards should be set for organizations designed to actually help children? we get those answers when we talk to the executive director of the national children's advocacy center today in the 5:00 eastern hour. >>> from syria now, a warning. a blood bath could be imminent. the syrian government is giving protesters a deadline. the details straight ahead on that. >>> checking news headlines overseas now. an earthquake struck southern mexico overnight, centered about 100 miles south of mexico city but still felt in the capital city. officials say the 6.5 magnitude quake killed at least two people and

the incidents supposedly were committed in the 1980s by robert dodd hp the aau based in orlando is oneorts organizations in the u.s. >> an angry message from tens of thousands of protesters in moscow to russian prime minister vladimir putin. today's protests were some of the biggest since the fall of the soviet union. many believe the last election was rigged in favor of putin's united russia party. the demonstrators want the results thrown out and a new election held. >> in oslo, norway three women accepted the nobel peace prize today against the back drops of the object spring and democratic changes in africa. liberia's president,a social worker and peace campaigner in like were and a yemeny activist and couragist, all three dedicated to the honor of equal rights for people struggling around the world. >> and if you looked up in the sky this morning, you might have noticed the moon's disappearing act. a total lunar eclipse. the earth blocked the sun from reflecting off the moon, completely hiding it from view. i'm don lemon, i'll see you back here at 10:00 p.m. eastern if i can get m

the incidents were committed in the 1980s by robert dodd who later became head of the amateur athleticthe largest amateur sports organizations in the u.s. volunteers across the country are remembering fallen u.s. service members by laying wreaths on their head stones. wreaths across america has grown into a tradition. dozens of u.s. military cemeteries on foreign soil and all of the sites of the september 11th attacks take part. 90,000 wreaths were left on head stones of arlington national cemetery. happy homecoming for thousands of sailors aboard two u.s. destroyers, a cruiser and the aircraft carrier george w. bush. they arrived on saturday after a seven month deployment. family members were right there to welcome them back. all thrilled their loved ones will be home for the holidays. a cross town rivalry got out of hand in cincinnati. players from xavier and cincinnati traded punches as their basketball game was ending. the brawl cut the game short with nine seconds left. xavier had already put the game out of reach. 76-53. suspensions are expected once the league has a chance to re

the incidents supposedly were committed in the 1980s by robert dodd hp the aau based in orlando is oneganizations in the u.s. >> an angry message from tens of >>> at one point during our dinner party, russell excused himself and left the table. and decided to go explore our house. in just a few minutes, you'll find out exactly what he was up to. >> we're going to have a wonderful filet mignon. from a farm. a beef filet. a cross between japanese beef and american beef. very tender, really delicious with some mushrooms and a few potatoes and a light sauce with it. so it's really simple. and for you, we have something special. >> thank you. >> okay. >> then we'll continue with the next one. >> what keeps you up at night? you, i know. >> what you think keeps me up at night is not what keeps me up at night. >> you keep her up at night. >> no, no. she's up all night with the ipad, the twitter. >> no. i'm thinking. i'm thinking and i'm worrying. and i'm thinking about the kids. >> what are you worried about? >> you know what? i'm worried about what's happening with -- with our kids and who th

it's working with police to investigate allegations of sexual abuse against former director robert "bobby" dodd. two men say me molested them in the 1980s. the 63-year-old dodd left the aau last month. he's undergoing treatment for colon cancer. the aau says dodd denied the allegations when they first surfaced last month. >>> and national league mvb ryan brawn could miss the first 50 games of last year because he tested positive for a banned substance. synthetic testosterone was found in braun's system when he was tested in october. he is appealing the test. a spokesperson for braun said there were highly unusual circumstances surrounding the case and that the milwaukee brewers all-star will be cleared. >>> another sports story. a nasty one. look at this mess. this is a crosstown rival. became an all-out brawl. the end of the game between xavier university and their rival, university of cincinnati. this started shortly after xavier's point guard taunted players and coaches on the cincinnati bench. there will no doubt be suspensions after officials review this game. again, this happened just wit

robert bobby dodd was dismissed from his post about a month ago. that's according to a pr firm hired by the aau firm hired to take care of this crisis. dodd denied the allegations when confronted but the aau saw fit to tell dodd to leave his post and not return. george howe, they must have found something to force dodd out. do we know what that was? >> reporter: don, at this point that does seem to be the case. in fact, we are learning new details as we examine the time line of events. how long did this group know about these allegations before making the call to contact police? now, what we do know is that two men spoke publicly to espn outside the lines to share their story about the alleged sexual abuse that happened back in the 1980s when the men were teenagers. what we learned is that a third person may have also contacted that group with similar complaints but it all goes back to the timeline. on november 7th and 8th, this group apparently received anonnous e-mails about a source only known as shrimp breath. again, it took a little over a mon

two men told espn that robert bobby dodd molested them in the 80s.here has been no comment from dodd, battling colon cancer now. >>> now the aau and are bringing sexual abuse out of the shadows. at noon, we'll hear from the ex-wife of an abuser and the impact it has on the families. >>> a connecticut jury has recommended the death penalty in the case of a bulths home invasion. it left a mother and her two daughters dead. >> christi, the petit family came to this courthouse ever day of the trial and every day of the penalty phase as witnesses testified for the defense as to why the jury should spare the life of joshua karmashecsky. in the end, it was not enough. the jury did not buy the argument that karmaschevsky was mentally impaired during the commission of this horrible home invasion, nor did they believe that he played a minor role. death on all six counts for the murder of the mom, jennifer hawke-petit and her two daughters hayley and michaeala. the sole survivor, dr. william petit says this was not about blood loss or vengeance. >> we certainly

the allegations are coming from two men who claim they were molested by robert bobby dodd in the 1980s when they were teenagers. details and a live report straight ahead. >>> also, are police closer to what happened to missing mom? divers conducting a search in a canal in a home owned by the primary suspect's father. we'll have the latest on this investigation. >>> and two weeks left in the holiday shopping season. needed a nagging. >> me, too. if you're trying to cross off people on your list like we are, we have gifts for pup flat screens to gadgets to gamers. >> i'm still compiling the list. busy time. >>> allegations of child sex abuse leveled against the ex-president of the amateur athletic union. jay gray has details. >> reporter: good morning, lester. in the wake of the scandal's here at penn state and syracuse university, the scenario's become hauntingly familiar. young athletes and allegations of abuse by a coach. this time the focus shifting to the former head of the amateur athletic union. this morning there are shocking new accusations that the longtime president and ceo of

two men tell espn robert bobby dodd molested them back in the 1980s when they were playing on his aaul team. one told reuters dodd drugged him and offered him a thousand dollars for oral sex. no comment from dodd who is battling colon cancer. >>> how do you deal with sexual abuse? it is a mature subject that may not be appropriate for all audiences. dottedy sandusky she continues to believe her husband, jerry, is innocent. the former penn state assistant football coach faces a number of sexual abuse charges. he hasn't been tried yet but it is not unusual for abusers' families to remain in denial even after the abuser has been convicted. julie peterson talked exclusively to the ex-wife of one sexual predator. >> he was arrested for soliciting minors on the internet. >> her nightmare started eight years ago with a phone dpraul jail. it was her husband. he had been arrested at a shopping mall preparing to meet a young girl online. instead of the young girl it was the fbi. he was indicted on five sxoupts pleaded guilty to one charge transferring obscenity over the internet. we hid her fac

commenting, talking about these allegations of sexual abuse by its former ceo an president, robert bobby dodd. police confirm there is an active investigation into this. this basically came after two men shared their story with espn's outside the lines claiming that dodd sexually abused them in the late 80s. both men saying they decided to speck out after things happening that we have seen play out at penn state and syracuse university. one of the men spoke anonymously to espn but ralph west spoke publicly on camera, claiming he was sexually abused six times in the 1980s. just look at what he told outside the lines. >> i was dead asleep. and i don't remember anything but waking up and he has -- he is trying to put his hand in my boxer shorts. and i jumped up, straight out of bed, and he is not there, but he is laying on the floor next to me down by the bed. and you know, of course i was freaked out. >> how did he get in the room? >> he add key. he always somehow had a key to whatever room i was in. >> thp story, supposed to air on espn tomorrow, sunday at 10:00. clearly, this story creating a

two men told espn robert dodd molested them in the 1980s when he was a ymca coach. an aau spokesman says there is a third potential victim not mentioned in that espn story. now a spokesman goes on to say that dodd denied the allegations when the organization's board confronted him and fired him last month. cnn has not been able to reach dodd for a response. >>> there's a new turn in the penn state sex abuse case. assistant football coach mike mcqueary told a grand jury that he saw jerry sandusky sod odoe miezing a boy in the showers. mcqueary told a family friend after the incident that he heard what he called sex sounds in the shower. according to that report, young boy stuck his head out of the shower stall and then an adult arm pulled him back. a few moments later sandusky left the shower wearing a towel. >>> new information comes as cnn contributor sara ganim has a detailed article from the newspaper, "the patriot news." she joins us from penn state. sara, other than these ten alleged victims, mike mcquery was the only witness we know about. what do you think th

two men told espn that robert bobby dodd molested them in the 80s.phis, tennessee opened an investigation. no comment from dodd, who is battling coal yn cancer. >>> the next story is about an adult subject matter. and may not be suitable for all audiences, especially younger children. the charges against former penn state assistant football coach jerry sandusky have many people telling their own stories about sexual abuse. julie peterson talked with a woman who was molested in her childhood home. >> married a year and a half -- college gradate, heidi, likes letter life. not even her hearing impairment gets in the way. but the 26-year-old has a devastating past. for several years, beginning at 8 years old, she said she quietly suffered sexual abuse by her step father. >> just like in every other incident, i just -- closed my eyes and the only thing that i could think or say in my mind was, jesus, jesus. even they he didn't take state n satan away right there, i knew he would get me through it. >>> at 21, her stepfather tried to abuse her again. this t

the men tell the sports network they were playing for robert bobby dodd's aau basketball team when he molested them. there's been no dment, by the way, from dodd. he's battling colon cancer right now. >>> newt gingerich facing strong criticism this morning for comments he made about the palestinian people. he said they were invented. take a listen. >> well, i believe that those people have the right to have a state and i believe that the commitments that were made at the time -- remember, there were -- there was no palestine state as part of the ottman empire. i think that we have invented palestinian people who are historically part of the arab community. >> gingerich went on to say that it's tragic the palestinians didn't leave the area when he had the chance. he also called the middle east peace process, quote, delusional. you know there are people that have something to say about this. here i want to let you know what top members of the palestinian executive committee are saying this morning. hanan ashrawi says gingerich has lost touch with reality. she says his statements show ig

shocking new accusations that the long-time president and ceo of the amateur athletic union, robert bobby dodd sexually abused young basketball players while he was their coach during the 1980s. >> that was his m.o., was coming in in the middle of the night when you were asleep and trying to assault you. >> reporter: one of dodd's accusers spoke with espn. >> must have been 3:00 in the morning, i was dead asleep and i don't remember anything but waking up and he has his -- he's trying to put his hands in miz boxer shorts. and i justed up, straight out of the bed. and he's not there but he's laying on the floor next to me, down by the bed. and i -- you know, of course i was freaked out. >> reporter: nbc news has been unable to reach dodd for comment on the accusations. in written statements released overnight, both the aau and memphis police confirmed they are investigating the allegations. while at penn state, federal agents, local police, the university and big ten conference all continue separate investigations as jerry sandusky and his attorney prepare for their first court hearing early ne

shocking new accusations that the long time president and kre o of the amateur athletic union robert bobby dodd sexually abused young basketball players while he was a coach during the 1980s. >> that was his m.o., coming in in the middle of the night when you're asleep and trying to assault you. >> one of the dodd's accusers spoke with espn. >> it must have been 3:00 in the morning. i was dead asleep and i don't remember anything but waking up and he's trying to put his hands in my boxer shorts. and i jumped up straight out of the bed. he's not there, but he's laying on the floor next to me down by the bed. and i -- you know, of course, i was freaked out. >> nbc news has been unable to reach dodd to comment on the accusations and written statements released overnight. both the aau and memphis police confirmed they were investigating the allegations. while at penn state, federal agents, local police, the university and big ten conference all continue separate investigations as jerry sandusky and his attorney prepare for their first court hearing early next week. >> this is going to be a one-side