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30 U.S. Troops Killed in Chopper Crash; U.S. Credit Downgraded; Five Former Officers Found Guilty on 25 Counts of Civil Rights Violations

Aired August 07, 2011 - 22:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Good evening, everyone. I'm Don Lemon.

We begin in Afghanistan with the single deadliest loss for the U.S. in that country since the conflict began in 2001. 30 U.S. military personnel lost their lives in a helicopter crash while on a mission early today. Tonight, we're learning who they are, their names, where they're from, and how their families will remember them. But first, the details on exactly what happened.

This is file video of the type of helicopter that they were on. It is a CH-47 Chinook. It had 25 Special Forces on board. Most of them Navy SEALS when the Taliban apparently shot it down.

Let's go now to CNN's Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr.

Barbara?

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Don, in the worst single incident in ten years of war in Afghanistan, 25 U.S. Special operations forces lost their lives. Twenty-two of them were Navy SEALS, many from the same unit that conducted the raid against Osama Bin Laden, though none of the SEALS on that mission were on this latest raid. A U.S. military source confirms the SEALS were rapidly called in to assist another unit that had been pinned down in a fire fight in the eastern Afghanistan. The SEALS came in on a Chinook helicopter when they went down.

The official says there are growing indications the Halo was hit by enemy fire, but a full investigation will be conducted.

Commanders and special operations and the Navy are moving quickly to send assistance officers to the families and hometowns of those lost offering as much information and assistance as they can. Remains are expected at Dover Air Force Base Delaware in the coming days.

Don?

LEMON: Barbara Starr, thank you very much.

President Barack Obama was notified of the helicopter crash and released a statement which reads in part, "Their deaths are a reminder of the extraordinary sacrifices made by the men and women of our military and their families, including all who have served in Afghanistan."

There are nearly 100,000 U.S. troops in Afghanistan right now. That's about two-thirds of the total NATO force. But the U.S. Special Forces in Afghanistan are a breed apart.

Retired Army Brigadier General Mark Kimmitt joins us now live from Washington. He is now executive vice president of Advanced Technology Systems, a defense contractor.

General, what does this kind of loss do to morale?

BRIG. GEN. MARK KIMMITT (RET.), EXEC. VP, ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY SYSTEMS: Well, anytime you lose a soldier in your unit, it's going to affect your morale. But I think our soldiers, our sailors, airmen and marine who have been fighting these wars for the last ten years understand that the most important thing you can do to honor that soldier is to buck up, ruck up and just move out and continue the mission.

LEMON: Is the Taliban getting stronger just when the U.S. is beginning to draw down its troop levels?

KIMMITT: Well, it's certainly trying to give that impression. Whether or not that's the case is yet to be seen. I think we'll know by the end of this fighting season. But it may be that the Taliban see this as an opportunity as the U.S. Forces are drawing down, to give the impression that they're getting stronger and stronger. But they need to confront, however, is the growing strength of the Afghan National Security Forces that will be confronting them.

LEMON: What lesson can the Pentagon learn from this tragic loss?

KIMMITT: Well, listen, anytime there's an accident, anytime there's an aircraft mishap, there's going to be a thorough investigation done. That investigation is not only going to try to find out the cause of the accident, whether it was pilot malfunction, whether it was equipment malfunction, whether it was a shoot down, and learn from that and incorporate that into new tactics, techniques and procedures so that we can avoid it again in the future.

LEMON: General Kimmitt, thank you very much. We appreciate your time.

KIMMITT: Thank you.

LEMON: Let's get a little more insight into the SEALS in today's tragic incident in the Afghanistan.

Chris Heben joins me now from Cleveland. He was a Navy SEAL for ten years.

So, Chris, given what we know so far, is there anything unusual about this incident? These Chinook helicopters are reliable, but they're slow-moving.

CHRIS HEBEN, FORMER NAVY SEAL: That's correct. As a SEAL, you're trained to the tip of perfection. You can say about yourself and your buddies with 99.9 percent certainty that once you get boots on the ground, you are the master and commander of that situation. What you can't account for are the moments leading up to that insertion and also on the way back

As SEALS, as Special Forces operators, those are the times that we cringe. We're putting our lives into the hands of the air crew and they can only control so much.

So it's a very usual situation to be in. Very precarious though. We always hate the helicopter rides just for that reason. We can't control that situation. It's terrible.

LEMON: But that is the technology that you're faced with, and that so many of our service members are dealing with.

Listen, I realize the Navy SEALS are trained for any and every possibility. But Mr. Heben, how would you say the comrades of those who died are doing right now?

HEBEN: I tell you what, it's definitely -- it's definitely a hard thing for them to deal with right now. But knowing these guys like I do, they are already looking at getting back on that next platform, reinserting and taking the fight back to the enemy. It is a loss. We don't mourn each other in the ways that normal individuals do. We celebrate that person's life.

We feel tremendously terrible for the families, for the wives, for the children, for the parents. That's awful. But as warriors, we celebrate the lives of these individuals, and the best way that we can do that is by getting back to our jobs and never quitting. And America be assured, we are not going to quit.

LEMON: As well as they can, I would imagine that the families of these SEALS, they understand the dangers their loved ones face every day.

HEBEN: Yes, that's correct. Being a SEAL is hard. Being the wife of a SEAL, or the mother, or the son or daughter is extremely hard because at the end of the day, when that SEAL goes off to do his job, you don't know if he's coming home. That is a rough job in and of itself.

LEMON: What can people -- what can viewers do for these families?

HEBEN: Well, that's a really, really good question. People have been calling me all throughout the day. Chris, what can I do? I feel so helpless. Here's exactly what you can do.

You can logon to NavySEALFoundation.org and make a donation. You can logon to WoundedWarriorProject.org and make a donation. This money will get to these families right away. It goes to bereavement. It will pay for the funerals. It help to send their children to college and high school. It's probably the most important thing you can do today right now as an American is donate to those organizations without question.

LEMON: All right, Chris Heben, if you can just stand by. And that's the Web site there. It's NavySEALSFoundation.org. Chris Heben was a Navy SEAL for ten years.

I want you to standby and listen to this next interview, Chris, and I'll talk to you on the other side. Because we know those killed in action were heroes choosing to fight for their country.

But now we're learning the details that hint of the devastation their families are feeling. And we know one of the SEALS, Erin Carson Vaughn was the father of a 2-year-old and a 2-month-old baby. Geneva Carson Vaughn is his grandmother. She joins me now on the phone from Union City, Tennessee.

First, Mrs. Vaughn, we're deeply sorry for your loss, and please convey that to your family.

How did you learn that Aaron had been killed?

Miss Vaughn, are you there?

GENEVA CARSON VAUGHN, GRANDMOTHER OF KILLED NAVY SEAL (via- telephone): Yes.

LEMON: Yes. How did you learn that Aaron had been killed?

VAUGHN: His father, my son, called me after he found out about 8:00 this morning.

LEMON: Did military officials tell you or your son anything about the attack, and if the Taliban were responsible? Did they even go into that?

VAUGHN: No. All I know is about that is what I saw on the news. That the Taliban said that they shot the helicopter down that my grandson was in.

LEMON: Can you tell us about Aaron? He lived in Virginia Beach, right?

VAUGHN: Yes, he was stationed in Virginia Beach with his wife and two children.

LEMON: Yes. And he had a 2-year-old?

VAUGHN: A 2-year-old little boy. He'll be 2 in September, and a 2-month-old baby girl. Aaron only got to see her for two weeks. He was deployed when she was two weeks old.

LEMON: And his wife, how is she doing?

VAUGHN: His wife Kimberly. Kimberly right now is with her parents in Burke, Virginia with the children. She went there to stay until Aaron came home from his deployment. LEMON: We're looking at a picture of him on television now. And the last time you saw him and spoke to him, you had a very nice conversation with him. Can you tell us about it?

VAUGHN: Yes, yes, I did. It was Aaron's birthday in June. He turned 30. And I told him to be careful. And he said granny, don't worry about me. He said, I'm not afraid because I know where I'm going if something happens to me. Aaron was a Christian and he stood firm in his faith.

LEMON: And you said you know he's with the Lord now?

VAUGHN: He's with the Lord now. And I'll see him again some day. And that's -- that's what the family is standing on now is faith. We know that God is in control. And we know that he took Aaron for a reason. We don't know what, but we know that he took Aaron for a reason and the rest of them, too.

LEMON: Aaron knew the dangers, and the last time you spoke to him, he said grandma, don't worry about me.

VAUGHN: That's what he said.

LEMON: Why did he say that to you?

VAUGHN: As a brave warrior, Aaron was brave but yet, he was a gentleman. He loved his family. He loved his country. And he was willing to give his life to protect his family and protect his country. He was a great American.

LEMON: Yes. Listen, Aaron and many like him go off to war and fight these wars for the American people. And they are the reason that we're able to have many of the freedoms that we have now.

What do you say to really the world who's listening about the sacrifices not only that Aaron made, but all of our men and women in uniform make?

VAUGHN: I say pray for our military every day. Hold them up to the Lord and support them in any way that you can. Pray for their families because the wives and the children are the ones that they really have to be brave because when their husband goes away, they don't know if he's coming back or not. And this time Aaron didn't.

LEMON: Mrs. Vaughn, are you going to be heading to Dover?

VAUGHN: Pardon me?

LEMON: Are you going to head to Dover?

VAUGHN: Dover?

LEMON: Yes, do you know where they're going to.

VAUGHN: Yes, yes. We're all going. We're all going when his body comes back. LEMON: OK. Mrs. Vaughn, our thoughts and prayers really go out to you. And we thank you for being able to come on tonight and say kind words about your grandson and about our men and women in uniform. Stay safe and God bless you. OK, thank you.

VAUGHN: Thank you, thank you.

LEMON: Thank you.

I want to go back to Chris Heben.

Chris, we talked about the sacrifices of the families and the families are well aware of the danger, but you don't want to get that phone call that that grandmother got and the father got.

HEBEN: No, that is the worst phone call you will ever get in your life. I assure you. My mother spent many a sleepless night over me. My younger brother is currently serving in the U.S. Army Special Forces just recently returned from an Afghan deployment. And my mom has spent many a night wondering if she's going to get that telephone call. It is not a pleasant occurrence.

LEMON: Yes. In everything that we're dealing with, when we talk about, you know, the things that are going on in Washington and quibbling over the debt ceiling and all those things, it really makes them in some way, they're important but seem insignificant when you talk about the possibility of the loss of life.

HEBEN: Absolutely. We're getting more air play today as the S&Ps downgrading from us being a AAA to a AA plus. I mean, that's -- when you think about what has happened in and around that, it shouldn't even be airing in my opinion. That is a back story. That's something that the politicians need to figure out. And they need to figure that out quick.

But as Americans we need to help the Special Forces community mourn these individuals. And let's do it respectfully. I'll have you know that probably a good percentage of the families of these guys that just lost their lives have not even been contacted yet. So that's -- there's still a lot of families wondering, is it me, is it us? Is this happening to us, too? So I want everyone to keep that in mind. This situation is so fresh still, that a lot of these families have not even been contacted yet.

LEMON: Chris Heben, thank you so much. We really appreciate it. And your expertise on this, and, of course, we appreciate the grandmother, Geneva Carson Vaughn, her grandson was Aaron Carson Vaughn, the father of the 2-year-old and a 2-month-old, and he died today in Afghanistan.

And we'll go to break with that. We have much more news here on CNN, but as Chris said, this is more important. We've lost so many today and this is one of our brave men and women in uniform who made the sacrifice for us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN CHAMBERS, S&P GLOBAL HEAD OF SOVEREIGN RATINGS: That's what happened five times with five different governments. One did it within nine years. The longest took 18 years to get back to AAA.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: That is a global head of Sovereign Ratings for Standard & Poor's on the dismal prospects for the United States regaining its AAA credit rating. S&P downgraded the U.S. to a AA plus rating for the first time in history. And it could directly affect you.

Now you could have to pay higher interest rates on things like credit cards and insurance. And that's just for starters. This is just days after the ugly protracted battle over raising the debt ceiling ended with a deal that seemed to make almost no one happy.

S&P says political gridlock is the main reason it did this, pointing fingers at both the Obama administration and Congress. But the report specifically calls out the Republicans in this section. It says compared with previous projections, our revised base case scenario now assumes that the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts, meaning the Bush tax cuts, due to expire by the end of 2012 remain in place. We have change our assumption on this because a majority of the Republicans in Congress continue to resist any measure that would raise revenues, a position we believe Congress reinforced by passing the act meaning the debt ceiling deal.

I want to bring in CNN's Poppy Harlow to talk about this now.

So, Poppy, who's left in the AAA club now that the U.S. is out of it?

POPPY HARLOW, CNNMONEY.COM: You're exactly right. We essentially got booted out of this club about 8:00 Eastern Time, Don, last night. It was 16 countries. Now it's 15. If we have them, we'll pull them up on the screen for you. But I'll just read you some. Australia, Canada, Germany, Singapore, Switzerland, the Netherlands, you see them there on your screen.

Even the Isle of Mann, that's a tiny, tiny country off the coast of the UK. Those are all rated still that pristine AAA credit. The United States no longer part of that club.

However, I want to put it in perspective. A double A plus credit rating is not the worst thing in the world. It's actually pretty darn good and it rates our debt higher than a lot of big countries out there.

Let's take a look at those countries. We are rated higher than China, higher than Japan. Those both having AA minus ratings. We're rated much higher than Brazil and India, Don. So when you put it in perspective, our debt is valued higher than the debt of those countries. An interesting note here, China is the biggest holder of our debt, and almost half of the debt in this country, Don, now is held by foreign entities. That's why it makes it such a global story. It's certainly not just about the United States.

LEMON: Listen, and there's a lot of consternation about exactly how they came up with this. A lot of folks in Washington are saying, oh, they miscalculated.

So what factors did S&P, Poppy, use to come to their decision to downgrade the country's credit rating?

HARLOW: There was this squabble last night between Treasury and Standard & Poor's about $2 trillion, which is a significant amount of money. But in the end, Standard & Poor's said even if our projections were off, we still think the debt to GDP ratio in this country is unsustainable for the long-term, and therefore we do not think this country deserves a AAA credit rating.

Here are the five things they look at, Don. Number one and arguably the most interesting and important in this was political. The political climate. We all know the bickering, the acrimony in Washington, the lack of getting a debt ceiling deal until the 11th hour was a big factor in this decision.

The real economy. How is the U.S. economy, from housing to jobs, we know it is not fundamentally strong right now. What's the fiscal situation? You led into this segment talking about The bush tax cuts and whether they will be allowed to lapse or whether they will be continued. That's part of this.

The external situation, how does the global economy look right now? It doesn't look great, especially when you look at the sovereign debt crisis in some European countries. And then finally monetary policy. The Fed and interest rates in this country.

They take five things into account, Don, but as you know from when this decision was handed down just over 24 hours ago, politics was key.

LEMON: Yes. I want to know how much because it appears Standard & Poor's doesn't even agree with the debt ceiling deal.

HARLOW: Right.

LEMON: And our agreement, the agreement that lawmakers made to get out of this. How much was this based on politics?

HARLOW: You know, it's hard to say how much, but I can tell you it was one of two key factors. The first factor was the fiscal road that this country is on, just the math, the way that they crunch the numbers, and the second certainly was politics.

Politics may have been the leading decision. I have, you know, the paper that we all read last night when the decision came down, Don. A lot of this is about politics in Washington. I want to pull up a statement from you that I think is really emblematic of just how disappointed they were with the way that lawmakers handled the debt ceiling debate.

Here's what they said. "The political brinkmanship of recent months highlights what we see as America's governance and policy making becoming less stable, less effective, and less predictable than we previously believed."

So this is saying in essence, Don, that they do not believe the way politics is going in Washington right now as it relates to our economy is worthy of a AAA credit rating.

That's a very troubling thing, and again, we're in this uncharted territory now. We've never seen our credit rating downgraded and the timing is interesting and important. It came after the market closed Friday. It gives everyone a weekend to sort of breathe through this before the markets open in Asia tomorrow night. So we'll see how it affects the stock market. But again, as you were saying in a previous segment, this is economics. This is money. This is important, but this is nowhere near the importance of all of those Navy SEAL lives that were lost in Afghanistan today. You got to put things in perspective, right, Don?

LEMON: In perspective, because we don't know how all of this is going to work, if it's even going to affect the markets on Monday and interest rates and all of that. They say it is. But we're going to have to see.

As you've said, we've had a little bit of time to digest it, but then uncharted territory.

Poppy Harlow, we appreciate your perspective. Thank you as always.

A federal jury in New Orleans has convicted five current or former police officers in the controversial shootings at the Danziger Bridge in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. The five were found guilty of Civil Rights violations.

After the break, I'm going to speak with the mother of one of the men shot and killed on that bridge.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Tonight in "What Matters," our partnership with "Essence" magazine. We go back to New Orleans. One of the darkest chapters from Hurricane Katrina was an incident on September 4th 2005 that became known as the Danziger Bridge killings. Two people were killed and four were wounded by armed men who turned out to be New Orleans police officers.

On Friday, five of those former officers were found guilty on 25 counts of Civil Rights violations but not of murder.

Just a short time ago, I spoke with the mother of one of those who was killed on the Danziger Bridge. He was 17-year-old James Brissette. As you're about to see and hear, she does not believe justice has been served.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SHERRELL JOHNSON, MOTHER OF TEEN KILLED ON DANZIGER BRIDGE: I am very hurt. I am very hurt by this decision. By this jury's decision. JJ was my baby. He was my baby. He was very quiet. He was very passive.

He grew up in a home with no cussing, fussing, fighting. He didn't hear none of that. So our home life was very quiet. You know, no step parents over, none of that, you know. So that's why he didn't know anything about fighting and all. He didn't know all about that.

I'm in a courtroom, and I'm looking at this picture where my child is as far against trying to get under the bridge for protection, as far as he could. These officers leaned over the railing and sprayed my child with bullets. My child was in pieces. The part that hurts me is that after six years, New Orleans hard working investigation, they're guilty for everything except the fact that JJ wasn't murdered. He was just shot to death. I'm like what? I'm sitting in the courtroom, I stopped breathing. My heart stopped beating, and I stopped breathing, and I'm like, yes, indeed.

If you're hiding from me and I go out of my way to lean over, to search for you, find you, and then shoot you, but he wasn't murdered. You just was shot to death. I cannot understand that. I cannot understand that.

LEMON: Why do you think it's so important for you? Why do you want to be there for the sentencing?

JOHNSON: Because I want to know what kind of time they're going to get. I know what kind of time they gave my son. I know what JJ got. JJ got forever more box of ashes. That's what JJ got. So now you put my child in the box. You took his life. Now the government and justice is going to take your life and put you in the box.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Sentencing for the five former police officers is set for December 14th.

New developments from the very troubled horn of Africa. Thousands dying. Many of them children from lack of food and water.

Coming up, we take you inside the crisis and show you what the U.S. is doing to help.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: War torn Somalia. The government is celebrating its first night in control of the capital in five years. Officials announced today that the rebel group that runs much of southern Somalia has pulled out of the capital Mogadishu. The militant group al Shabaab is linked to al Qaeda and reportedly fled the capital after fighting with Somali and African Union Forces. Success on the battlefield could pave the way for aid groups to address the famine.

The United Nations and International Red Cross say a horrifying number of people have been ached. Latest estimate, 29,000 children dead from lack of food and water in the past month alone.

Aid groups are also pleased by a "U.S. decision to relax sanctions against al Shabaab."

Earlier, I spoke with our senior State Department correspondent Elise Labott who explained how that decision could help humanitarian groups.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ELISE LABOTT, SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT CORRESPONDENT: Up until now, basically any humanitarian group that's trying to operate in these areas has had to pay in taxes and tolls to al-Shabaab to get the aid through, and that's one of the reasons it's so difficult.

U.S. sanctions say no money, no U.S. aid can go to al-Shabaab. And if does, this people can be prosecuted. What Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said this week is we know how difficult it is to operate in these areas. The U.S. doesn't want to make it any more difficult, and so what they're doing is relaxing these restrictions on humanitarian groups.

If some aid inadvertently gets to al-Shabaab, if they have to pay some taxes they're told, the U.S. is not going to prosecute them as of now, Don.

LEMON: So, does this mean the U.S. could be letting groups' aid terrorists?

LABOTT: Well, no, I mean, what the U.S. is saying is there's going to be procedures in place to make sure that as little aid as possible is going to be diverted, but at the same time they don't want to penalize these groups, how difficult it is to get money in.

This is one of the real concerns about the Somali American community right now. They are wiring money home, they want to get money to help their families. But they're worried that it could be diverted to al-Shabaab, al-Qaeda is affiliated with these groups. Seniors, aid department officials are going to be traveling out some of these Somali American communities. In Minneapolis and Seattle in the coming weeks to try and lay these fears, that they're not going to allow money to get to them, but they're going to be as lenient as possible in terms of these restrictions.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: That was Elise Labott reporting.

Somalia can test the survival skills of anyone. But for people with disabilities, life can be unimaginably hard. At the country's only school for the blind, students learn what it takes to make their way in a dangerous world.

CNN's Nima Elbagir shows us their world and why their life there is now in jeopardy.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NIMA ELBAGIR, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's the children's break time. And although they're definitely having fun showing us their favorite games, this is more than just play time.

So who won this time?

In war torn Somalia's only school for the blind, playing is a matter of survival. In addition to Braille, the children must learn to be aware of their surroundings. And in a country where disabilities are viewed as a curse and the afflicted hidden away, they're also learning to be proud of themselves and their gifts.

AMAL, STUDENT: I felt lonely.

ELBAGIR: Amal is a budding poet who wants to grow up to be a professor.

AMAL: Before, when I was not in school, I was (INAUDIBLE), I am only the girl who is blind. When I was in the school, now I learn something. I can do most things which I never thought.

ELBAGIR: There are no figures for how many blind children there are here, but other than those blinded by war wounds, many Somali children's blindness is reversible if only the resources were available.

Six months ago, Abikar Bashir, the founder of this school, began knocking on the doors of families that he knew had blind children. He couldn't raise the funds needed for treatment, but he could try to ensure they were no longer locked away by their families.

ABIKAR BASHIR, AL BASEER SCHOOL FOR THE DEAF AND BLIND: In Somalia they are not much known about blindness. So the families do that when their child gets blind they just keep on their bed, staying there just eating, going to the toilets without doing nothing.

ELBAGIR: For some parents it's a matter of protecting their children. For others in a country where everyday is a struggle for survival the burden is just too great.

Ali is 20 now and wants to learn English to be an interpreter. But as a child he survived fending for himself on the streets of Mogadishu. He can mimic and recognize the sounds of the different weapons used in the Somali conflict perfectly.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is M16.

ELBAGIR: A talent that helped save his life, helping him to gauge the intensity of the fighting and how quickly he needed to reach shelter.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I go to El Baseer School.

ELBAGIR: Now he says the school is helping change his life.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And I have learnt more subjects.

ELBAGIR: But Abikar worries that they won't be able to afford to do that for much longer.

BASHIR: There is not any other international agency or local agencies working about that issue. They don't want to check project is for relief education, for IDPs, for whatever. But educating these disabled people, they are not much interested.

ELBAGIR: In a country where millions of children are starving, the aid agencies priorities are understandable. But Abikar hopes someone will help him continue to give these children a purpose, not just give them aid.

Nima Elbagir, CNN, Mogadishu.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: CNN will be sending more people to report on this.

Our chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta and Anderson Cooper will be reporting live from Somalia on the devastating drought and famine next week. Included will be an AC360 special report, "SOMALIA: ON THE FRONT LINES OF FAMINE," that Monday at 8:00 p.m. Eastern.

Also you can help with the humanitarian crisis, too. To find out how, you can go to CNN.com/Impact. Our Impact Your World Web site will tell you what aid groups need and how you can get in touch with them. That's all at CNN.com/Impact.

But new developments to tell you about out of Syria. A major world figure acts to try to stop the bloodbath in the country.

I want you to take a look at this. Dramatic new video inside a Missouri high school when a powerful tornado ripped apart the City of Joplin.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: We want to get you caught up on the headlines tonight. U.S. troops in Afghanistan have suffered their deadliest single incident since the war began.

Thirty American troops died early today when their helicopter crashed during a mission in the Province Wardak. This is file video of the type of helicopter they were on. A CH-47 Chinook. It had 25 special forces on board, most of them navy SEALS when the Taliban apparently shot it down. In the wake of a bloody crack down in Syria, U.N. Secretary- General Ban Ki-Moon has called the country's president to plead with him to stop the violence. He spoke with Bashar Al Assad today to express his, quote, "Strong concern over the rising death toll." The Syrian Observatory for Humanitarian Rights and activist group estimates 2,000 people have died in the unrest.

Take a look at these pictures. We'll have much more in-depth reporting coming up on CNN in the upcoming days. But this is from Britain.

British police are trying to stamp out the riots in the north London neighborhood of Tottenham. Mobs torched police cars tonight while others looted shops and stores. The violence exploded after a crowd marched on the police station angry over the death of a 29-year- old local man. Police reportedly killed the father of four during an anti-firearms operation. More to come on CNN.

You know, it looks like a horror film, but instead it's real-life video from the tornado that tore a path of destruction through Joplin, Missouri last May. Cameras at the town's high school captured the twister on video as it battered the campus. The tapes were just released. The tornado badly damaged a school and destroyed a big part of Joplin. More than 150 people died.

The U.S. no longer has perfect credit. For the first time ever, the S&P took the country's top rating down a peg. Up next, we take a look at what that means to you.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN CHAMBERS, HEAD OF SOVEREIGN RATING CRIME AT STANDARD AND POOR'S: I think it could have done a few things. I mean, the first thing you could have done is to raise the debt ceiling in a timely manner so much of this debate could have avoided to begin with. As it had done, you know, 60 or 70 times since the 1960s without that much debate.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: All right. So, well, it looks like the damage is done from the battle over the debt ceiling. That was the head of the sovereign rating committee at Standard & Poor's. The agency that has now stripped away the AAA credit rating for the u.s. For the first time in history, the U.S. has been downgraded to AA plus.

The U.S. political climate is definitely one of the main factors in this. But there were five factors in all that S&P considered. It looked at the overall state of the U.S. economy, which is not in good shape right now. Taxes were a factor. The debt ceiling deficit reduction plan called for no new taxes at all, and then there's the external situation. The global economy also very bumpy. Final factor was monetary policy meaning Federal Reserve decisions on interest rates. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MELISSA FAZLI, IREPORTER: No more debt. And I think Standard & Poor's made a great point to the United States government and their politicians when they said to you, "Hey, you guys are not getting your act together."

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: All right. As you just heard, not everyone is dissing the downgrade of the U.S. credit rating. So are there any positives to this negative turn for American history? Any positives here? And how will a AA plus rating affect your family's bottom line?

We're going to get some answers from Chris Markowski of WatchdogonWall Street.com. He's also a former investment banker.

Chris, good evening to you. Do you agree with our iReporter there?

CHRIS MARKOWSKI, WATCHDOGONWALLSTREET.COM: Oh, I love it. I love it. I think this is a great, great thing. I think it finally makes us face our medicine. I know there's no Mary Poppins, no spoonful of sugar to make the medicine go down. But we're going to have to deal with the fact that we've got to get our fiscal house in order.

LEMON: All right. How will the average family be impacted on this? Will this affect our daily lives in any way?

MARKOWSKI: Well, you know, it depends. If you've got a lot of credit card debt, you may start to see your credit card rates start to bump up a little bit, that's if interest rates are affected. But everyone needs to understand something.

We don't know what's going to happen on Monday. Still a lot of money has been flowing into the United States and everyone knows that we've got a dire fiscal situation. Everybody knows that we're $14 trillion plus in debt.

We haven't passed a budget in over 800 days at this point in time. So, it may not affect it at all as far as interest rates. I think this is one of the worst kept secrets going. I think a lot of this stuff is priced in. And I think the average family is not going to be affected much at all.

LEMON: OK. So what if you're thinking of refinancing your home, or buying a home, should you hurry up and do it, or do we not know?

MARKOWSKI: Well, I missed it wrong. I thought I was getting a good deal a couple of years ago when I refinanced at 4.8 percent, but I could have done better than that.

This past week we actually saw the lowest 15-year rate in history. You always want to get your interest rate as low as possible, especially on your mortgage rates. And you also want to get all that credit card debt paid off. But you know, for the average family out there, Monday morning, you're not going to see any type of change.

LEMON: OK. What should investors do or not do on Monday morning? Just wait and watch? As you said you're not going to see that much of a change. Just hold on and be patient?

MARKOWSKI: Well, in investors, I've seen more people lose money by reacting to situations rather than sitting back and taking a deep breath and taking everything all in than people who made bad decisions in regards to asset allocation or even stock picking.

So you don't want to jump and say oh, OK, I heard some guy on the business program said I should do this, so I'm going to go ahead and do this. If you've got your financial plan done the right way and you've got a goal-centered portfolio, none of this is going to matter unless you think that, you know, Mad Max is going to be coming down the pike soon and we're all going to be living in tuna fish cans and some sort of, you know, storing gold bars in our backyard. You're going to be fine. Make sure you get your financial plan done the right way and sit this one out.

LEMON: Chris, I've got to ask you this, because, you know, everyone says invest, invest. You got to go into the market long- term. OK.

So the market is tanking right now. Is that actually good advice? Is there somewhere else that people should be putting their money into? Should they be maybe putting it into real estate? You mentioned gold. Is there something else besides the market, because a lot of people don't have faith in the markets right now and it's understandable.

MARKOWSKI: That is understandable, but if you take a look at the markets over the long-term, and when I say markets, I also include commodities like gold and you know food, and there's various different other things. Your portfolio has got to be built around you. You shouldn't have everything in one stock or one sector or all stocks. Real estate should play a part too if you're obviously getting positive cash flow from something like that.

(CROSSTALK)

LEMON: What about good old fashioned savings accounts? What about a good old fashioned savings account?

MARKOWSKI: You're losing money. If you put money in a good, old fashioned savings account, what are they paying you? Nothing. And inflation rate is higher than that. If you're sticking your money in a savings account, you're actually losing money, not gaining money.

LEMON: That's better than seeing it negative, though, when you get your portfolio back. You go wait a minute. I put in $10 and now I have $5? What the heck happened. All right.

MARKOWSKI: But you've got companies out there Exxon, all these other companies that have got AAA rating credit at this point. They're paying nice yields and good dividends.

LEMON: OK.

MARKOWSKI: And, honestly, does anyone think these companies are going anywhere.

LEMON: Got you, Chris Markowski. That's it. That's a final word. Thank you, sir. Have a great evening.

MARKOWSKI: Got it.

LEMON: We're going to tell you about this CNN's hero. She survived three breast cancers. Plenty of people helped her. So now she's paying it forward. We'll tell you how when we come right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: More than a quarter of a million women are living in this country who had been diagnosed with breast cancer before their 41st birthday. Debbie Cantwell is one of them. She was fortunate enough to have a husband and family as a support system.

Now this CNN Hero is helping others as they, while they cope with this deadly disease.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DEBBIE CANTWELL, COMMUNITY CRUSADER: When I was diagnosed with breast cancer, my kids were really young and I was working full time. We were struggling, and when you start adding hospital bills and medication costs, it just throws your world upside down.

My husband took care of me, took care of the kids. My parents and my friends did everything for me. But, through treatment, I was meeting women that just didn't have it as easy as me. All these people were there for me, and I couldn't possibly pay everybody back, so I decided I was going to pay it forward.

My name is Debbie Cantwell and I provide care and comfort to young women fighting breast cancer.

We get Subway, get 225 Subways.

We send out gas cards, restaurant gift cards, grocery gift cards and housecleaning services.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I was really bottoming out emotionally, and then, all of a sudden, I can buy diapers and I can get food.

Yes, there's a card. Look at that.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's so much more than just tangible things. It's hope.

CANTWELL: I help young women that can't wait for a cure. These women are sick right now and they need help today.

Hi, Rachel, how are you? Did your groceries come?

RACHEL, CANCER PATIENT: They did. I just got them.

I appreciate it. It's - it's such a huge help.

CANTWELL: They're my sisters, and I honestly would do anything to help them out.

I take it really personally. It's hard when I lose somebody, but it's just part of the job.

I'll probably die of breast cancer someday, but - and I want to really make the most of the time I have by doing some good in the world and being the best I can for whatever time I have left.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: Since 2008, Debbie's organization has provided practical and financial assistance to more than 150 young women with breast cancer.

And CNN Heroes are chosen from people you tell us about. To nominate someone who is making a big difference in your community, go to CNNHeroes.com.

Stay with us. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, Lucille Ball would no doubt appreciate today's gathering of Lucy look-a-likes in her hometown of Jamestown, New York. 915 Lucy imitators set a record for the most Lucy in one place at a time. It's part of a weekend long celebration of Lucille Ball's 100th birthday. She died back in 1989 at the age 77. But her legacy in TV history endures. All of us have a favorite episode and some are true classics, unforgettable moments that connect young and old. And anyone who has ever seen will never forget them. Here's one of our favorites.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Here she comes.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Ah, never really gets old. One of my favorites is, what is it? Vitavitavegamins. Vitavitavegamins, where she got drunk drinking that stuff. Hilarious.

Lucy, we love you. 100 years old today.

I am Don Lemon at the CNN World Headquarters in Atlanta. I'll see you back here tomorrow night 6:00, 7:00, and 10:00 p.m. Eastern. Thanks for watching, everyone.