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CNN Saturday Morning News
Powerful Earthquake Kills Thousands In Indonesia; Pentagon Documents Show Marines May Have Murdered Iraq Civilians; Sports Priced Out Of This World; Nearly 21 Million Americans Have Diabetes, Number Expected To Double In 25 Years; "N" Word Stirs Controversy
Aired May 27, 2006 - 07:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: The toll is rising rapidly from an earthquake in Indonesia. More than 2,200 killed, at least 2,000 injured. The 6.2 tremor struck last night along the southern coast of Java Island. Dozens of buildings are flattened. A live update in just a couple of minutes.
MELISSA LONG, CNN ANCHOR: Two more car bombings in Baghdad. One attack today targeted Iraqi police but wounded two civilians. A bombing last night killed three civilians and wounded 29 others.
HARRIS: Look for President Bush at West Point in about two hours. He's giving the commencement this morning. The graduating class is the first to enter the nation's military academy after the September 11 attacks.
LONG: Construction noise is being blamed for a four hour lockdown on Capitol Hill on Friday. Police and ambulances swarmed the Rayburn House Office Building after gunshots were reported. And now authorities think it was a construction worker in the garage below the building using an air hammer.
HARRIS: A noted New York heart surgeon was Johnny-on-the-spot in the midst of surgery on an 8-year-old boy in El Salvador. Samuel Weinstein had to donate his own rare type of blood. Both the doctor and patient are doing just fine.
For complete coverage of breaking news and today's top stories, stay with CNN, the most trusted name in news.
And from the CNN Center, this is CNN SATURDAY MORNING.
7:00 a.m. here in Atlanta and 6:00 p.m. in Indonesia.
Good morning, everyone.
I'm Tony Harris.
LONG: And good morning.
I'm Melissa Long, in this morning for Betty Nguyen.
Thanks for being with us this morning.
HARRIS: We begin with that powerful earthquake in central Indonesia. More than 2,000 are dead. Search and rescue teams report extensive damage. Countless people are hurt. Doctors are overwhelmed. It is a desperate situation there.
CNN's Kathy Quiano joins us by phone from the capital of Jakarta -- Kathy, good to talk to you.
First of all, back track us in time a bit and tell us when this earthquake struck.
KATHY QUIANO, JAKARTA, INDONESIA: Well, Tony, this happened early morning in Jakarta, about 5:50. People were woken up by this very, very strong tremor that lasted almost a minute and people ran out of their houses, ran out of buildings.
And very quickly this earthquake caused extensive damage and death. We're hearing now that it's 2,275 people killed and in just one area, about 2,091. That's in Bantul. That's southwest of Jakarta. It seems that's one of the hardest hit areas from this earthquake -- Tony.
HARRIS: So, Kathy, this was, local time, was this at first light? Was -- was it still dark in the area?
QUIANO: It was first light. It happened about 12 hours ago. It was early morning local time when that happened. So -- and many people were startled, you know, from their sleep...
HARRIS: Yes.
QUIANO: ... and woke up and just ran out for safety.
HARRIS: So, Kathy, give us a sense of the rescue operation that's underway now.
QUIANO: Well, that's right. Well, we are hearing that hundreds of buildings and homes were either flattened or partially damaged from this earthquake. Many of the houses there are built from bricks and just wood. And so you would imagine that many of them have been totally, you know, flattened to the ground.
And there's a fear now that some people may be still trapped under the rubble. The rescue operations are going on. We also hear that thousands of people were injured, were brought to the hospitals and doctors are trying their very best to treat all those who were injured. They've made some very urgent pleas for help. They're saying they need more medicine, more equipment to treat all the injured -- Tony.
HARRIS: OK, Kathy, we'll be staying with you and we know you'll be following developments in the story all day long.
Kathy Quiano for us in the Indonesian capital of Jakarta.
Kathy, thank you.
LONG: And now to Iraq. Murder or justified combat killings -- that is the question a military investigation is trying to answer.
At issue, the deaths of 24 Iraqi civilians in the insurgent plagued city of Haditha. The evidence is mounting and it does not look good for the U.S. Marines.
CNN's Jamie McIntyre has the details.
And before we roll this story for you, a warning. You may find some of the pictures disturbing.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's evidence like this, provided to CNN by an Iraqi human rights group, that Pentagon sources say is building a case against U.S. Marines suspected of killing as many as 24 civilians in a rampage in Haditha last November.
This 12-year-old girl told the Hammurabi human rights organization she survived an attack that killed all eight members of her family by pretending to be dead.
SAFA YOUNIS, ALLEGED WITNESS (through translator): First they knocked on the door. My father went to answer the door. When he reached the door, they sprayed the door with bullets. But when he opened the door, they shot him again. Then they entered the bathroom and they set off a grenade. We went into the kitchen and found my father already dead. Then we sat down. Then the Americans started shooting at us.
MCINTYRE: Pentagon sources say the investigation is now wrapping up and that the evidence is very incriminating. The Marines will not confirm any findings of the investigation so far. But congressional sources say the 24 victims included seven women and three children, some shot in their beds. Five unarmed men were also allegedly shot when their taxi cab was stopped by Marines.
One official told CNN the mass killing is far worse than the Abu Ghraib prisoner abuse scandal, which President Bush just identified as America's biggest mistake in Iraq so far.
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We've been paying for that for a long period of time.
MCINTYRE: None of the abused prisoners at Abu Ghraib died, but if the allegations at Haditha are substantiated, the civilian deaths would qualify as a massacre, which could undermine support for the United States both in Iraq and around the world.
Members of Congress have been warned to brace for the worst.
SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), ARIZONA: Apparently it's true. We don't know the details. It saddens you enormously. It reemphasizes the absolute requirement for discipline in the military. MCINTYRE: The Marine Corps' top general, Commandant Michael Hagee, is in Iraq meeting privately with Marines to stress the importance of protecting noncombatants on the battlefield, another sign of the gravity of the allegations.
(on camera): At Camp Pendleton in California, several Marines are waiting to hear if they'll be court-martialed, and sources say some could face murder charges. Meanwhile, a second group of Marines has been placed in pre-trial confinement on the basis of evidence indicating they may have killed a single Iraqi civilian last month.
Jamie McIntyre, CNN, the Pentagon.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LONG: And for more on this story, log onto our Web site, CNN.com/world.
HARRIS: A few eyebrow raising stories making news across America for you this morning.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICIAL: At night when the grandmother, the guardian, had gone to work, she was locking him in a dog kennel and then would let him out when she got home from work.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: Yes, that's right, a kennel. In Colorado, a detention counselor is in jail. She's accused of locking her grandson in a four by three foot kennel while she went to work four nights a week. This allegedly went on for three years. The woman is suspended from her job while police investigate.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED WLKY REPORTER: Someone was actually ejected from a Chevy Blazer and that person was barely moving.
Oh, gosh. Did I see...
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LONG: Yes, that couldn't have been more perfect timing if the reporter would have planned it himself.
That was in Louisville, Kentucky.
The reporter was live on the air covering a story of an earlier accident at that very intersection when -- you saw what happened.
Watch again. Another accident happened right behind him.
Good news -- no one appeared to be seriously injured.
HARRIS: Watching the reporter, not watching the road. I mean, that seems to be the case, anyway.
In Nebraska, the sentence in a molestation case has folks all over talking about it. A man who was convicted of molesting a 12- year-old girl could have gotten 10 years in prison. Instead, he was only given 10 years probation. Why? The judge says he's too short to survive in prison -- 5' 1." The state plans on appealing the ruling.
LONG: You certainly have an opinion on that.
So it brings us to our e-mail question of the morning -- should a defendant's size really be a factor in criminal sentences?
E-mail us your thoughts, Weekends@CNN.com. And we'll be sharing your responses throughout the morning.
HARRIS: A racially charged trial causes an uproar about the use of the "N" word.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JILL MERRITT, ABOLISHTHENWORD.COM: no other group has had to tell their people, their community, to not use a derogatory term to relate to themselves.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: Well, founders of a Web site seek to abolish the "N" word.
The debate and the controversy, coming up.
LONG: Plus, what do Halle Berry and "American Idol's" Eliott Yamin have in common besides entertainment?
Get the details in about 20 minutes.
REYNOLDS WOLF, CNN METEOROLOGIST: OK, folks. You've got to know what to expect weather wise for the holiday weekend. It's going to be pretty good through much of the country. We're going to give you all the details coast to coast, coming up in just a few moments right here on CNN.
But here's a great shot that we have from WGN in the windy city of Chicago. Partly cloudy, kind of hazy. It should be a beautiful weekend there.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LONG: If you're just joining us this morning, we're bringing you up to date.
A large earthquake in Indonesia tops the news this morning.
The 6.2 quake struck central Java near an active volcano. Nearly 2,300 people are known dead.
Do stay with CNN throughout the day for live updates from the scene.
In the United States, President Bush will be at West Point this morning. He will deliver the commencement to the class of 2006. These were the first cadets to enter the academy after 9/11. That ceremony gets underway 9:00 a.m. Eastern. We're going to take you live.
And in Poland, Pope Benedict XVI is in Wadowice this morning. It is the hometown of his predecessor, Pope John Paul II. Many Poles want the late pope declared a saint.
Stay with CNN, the most trusted name in news.
HARRIS: Good morning, Dad.
WOLF: Good morning.
HARRIS: How are you, pops?
WOLF: Man, we are tired.
LONG: Sleep deprived.
WOLF: Yes, pretty much.
HARRIS: Are you getting any sleep?
WOLF: A little bit. Somewhat.
HARRIS: What constitutes a little bit?
WOLF: A little bit? Probably a good three hour stretch is really -- that's really a good time.
HARRIS: Oh!
WOLF: Yes. There she is. There we are.
LONG: Proud poppy.
WOLF: That's...
HARRIS: Little Anisen (ph)?
WOLF: Yes, baby Anisen. Anisen Kate Wolf. And that is probably, I'd say, just minutes after her -- she was born. So...
LONG: Beautiful.
HARRIS: Oh, man!
LONG: Oh.
HARRIS: Oh.
WOLF: Yes. Yes, and she does a lot of that. LONG: Reiterating how you feel this morning.
WOLF: Absolutely.
HARRIS: Now...
LONG: How is mom doing?
WOLF: Mom's doing great. Mom's doing great. There's mom.
HARRIS: Wow!
WOLF: It was probably about...
HARRIS: You hit the lottery, man.
WOLF: It -- good time.
HARRIS: Wow!
WOLF: We're very, very lucky.
HARRIS: Hi, mom.
WOLF: Hey, you know what?
HARRIS: And...
WOLF: Probably -- there's dad. That's kind of like a scene that'll be repeated for some time.
HARRIS: Oh, that's great, man.
LONG: Oh.
WOLF: That's coming home from the hospital. And that's the first bath at home. And, you know, babies move around a lot when you give them baths...
HARRIS: Yes. Yes.
LONG: I love that.
WOLF: ... as you -- as so many people know, as you guys know.
HARRIS: Now, remember this.
WOLF: There she's...
HARRIS: Remember this. Right now she -- oh, look at that. That's great. That's great. That's great. She can fit right here in your hand, right there?
WOLF: Right here.
HARRIS: Elbow. Elbow to hand, right? WOLF: Um-hmm. Um-hmm.
HARRIS: Right there.
In no time -- enjoy that. In no time flat, you can't pick them up.
LONG: Yes.
WOLF: Good gosh almighty.
HARRIS: In no time -- hard to imagine right now when you can't sleep.
WOLF: Oh, yes.
HARRIS: But in no time flat.
WOLF: Wow!
HARRIS: That's wonderful.
WOLF: It's been...
LONG: Thanks for sharing the photos.
WOLF: Hey, no problem.
You know the weirdest thing about all of this, though, is you'll never take for granted just going to the store very quickly without a baby because as soon as you have a baby, it's like being a stage hand for the Rolling Stones.
(CROSSTALK)
WOLF: You carry so much luggage and stuff with you just going to the store...
HARRIS: Yes, yes.
WOLF: But it's such a wonderful experience and we'll talk more about it later on.
HARRIS: Beautiful.
Beautiful.
WOLF: OK.
HARRIS: Welcome to the fraternity.
WOLF: Yes.
We happen to have sort of, I guess, a holiday weekend, don't we?
HARRIS: That's right. That's right. WOLF: Well, a great time for families to get together.
We're going to show you what's happening around the nation.
(WEATHER REPORT)
LONG: Spreading the word this morning. A 14-year-old is on a mission to educate others about the difference between Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes, even taking her cause to Congress. How many kids can say that?
HARRIS: Wow!
LONG: Her mission and personal struggle, coming up.
HARRIS: Plus, it's a big holiday weekend, as Reynolds just mentioned a month ago. Did you catch a movie or a sporting event? Well, it depends on how much cash, perhaps, you have to spend this weekend.
Sports priced out of this world. OK, we'll frame it as a question for our sports business analyst, Rick Horrow.
There he is...
RICK HORROW, CNN SPORTS BUSINESS ANALYST: It's my ticket...
HARRIS: ... with playing cards.
HORROW: It's my ticket for the Miami Heat. The Miami Heat are playing, so it's my ticket. It's pretty expensive, so...
HARRIS: My friend.
HORROW: ... we'll talk about it in a couple of minutes.
I'll keep talking through the tease until we cut to a commercial, OK?
HARRIS: Yes.
We're back after the break.
HORROW: I'll just keep talking.
Good morning.
HARRIS: Good morning.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: So you love movies, you love sports. But if you have only a few bucks to spend, which gets your dollar?
Well, "The Da Vinci Code" costs an average of $9 a ticket. The cheapest major sporting event, $22 for a baseball game. Sports fans are screaming.
Well, that's the topic this morning as we take you "Beyond The Game."
So, it's Memorial Day Weekend and people are usually starving for some kind of entertainment -- NASCAR, Shaquille O'Neal, Derek Jeter are competing against Tom Hanks.
Let's size up the battle with sports business analyst Rick Horrow, joining us, as usual, from West Palm Beach, Florida, the author of "When the Game Is On the Line" -- Rick, good to see you.
Good morning, sir.
What are you...
HORROW: Oh, excuse me.
HARRIS: What are working...
HORROW: I'm sorry.
HARRIS: What are you doing there?
HORROW: I'm just -- I'm looking through -- I'm looking through my wallet.
HARRIS: What, do you need a loan?
HORROW: I'm just processing a...
HARRIS: Do you have a moth in there?
HORROW: I'm just processing a ticket request for your...
HARRIS: What is that?
HORROW: I'm just processing a ticket request from your producer, who just called and asked me to...
HARRIS: Oh, is that what's going on here?
HORROW: ... take care of some tickets.
Yes, yes, yes, that's what's going on here.
Sorry.
HARRIS: On your own time, not my time, buddy.
HORROW: It may be the last time I talk to you.
HARRIS: There you go.
HORROW: I understand quite clearly.
HARRIS: All right.
HORROW: How are you this morning?
HARRIS: Good. Good.
HORROW: Happy Memorial Day to you.
HARRIS: Good to talk to you.
Well, here's the question. I'm wondering if sports fans are just simply getting priced out of all of this?
HORROW: Well, no, because they spent $15 billion on entertainment since 2001, so they're doing something. But there are areas that you could do more than otherwise. If you have $9, on average now, you're able to go to a movie; $22, you're able to go to a baseball game. If you're in the 40s, you go to a regular season hockey or basketball game. If you've got $60, you go to a regular season NFL game or you go to Disney World for the day or you go to a bad Madonna concert. And $70 is Broadway.
And everybody talks about tickets being higher and increased. Baseball's tickets have gone up 87 percent and the NFL, 65 percent.
But, Tony, here's the point. Disney World has gone up 55 percent and Broadway 50. So it's not just sports, it's all entertainment. And the increase in ticket prices makes good competition for the entertainment dollar.
HARRIS: Yes, it is tough if you've got a family of four, though, to pay some of these prices.
I have to ask you...
HORROW: You're going pay...
HARRIS: What are...
HORROW: You're going to pay $200.
HARRIS: Yes, yes, yes.
HORROW: Or more.
HARRIS: So what are the alternatives if you love sports, but you just don't have a lot of cash?
HORROW: You've got one -- it's minor league baseball. The average ticket price is $8, 250 spots all over America. You get to see teams with wacky names like the Toledo Mud Hens...
HARRIS: Right.
HORROW: ... the Albuquerque Isotopes. You have great entertainment value. And that's why over 40 million people have seen minor league baseball each and every year, a record year after year. And more will continue.
HARRIS: So, you know we have a little time this week. We haven't burned it all up, the way we normally do. We can get to your fair and foul ball this week.
HORROW: Yes.
HARRIS: What do you want to start with?
HORROW: Oh, my god. Well, let's start with the foul ball.
HARRIS: OK.
HORROW: And it's Tiger Woods. And it's clearly not foul as to his behavior. His dad passed. He had to attend to family matters, and everybody has to do that. But there are 100 million people who are interested in golf and 37 million of us play. And, as you know, some of us play worse than others. And a lot of us owe our excitement about that to Tiger Woods.
The foul ball is only that he's been away from the game. He just chose to skip the Memorial Tournament next week to stay with his family. He will be back for the U.S. Open, we think, and that'll be the fair part of that deal.
HARRIS: OK.
And what's your fair ball of the week?
HORROW: This one is a really good one.
The State of Connecticut, through the High School Athletic Association, passed a game management policy where in high school blowout games where a team wins by a lot...
HARRIS: Yes.
HORROW: ... if a coach wins by more than 50 points, he's subject to suspension. And I say that's long overdue...
HARRIS: Wow!
That's good.
HORROW: ... and there should be more of that around high school sports in this country.
HARRIS: OK, so you're going to the game tonight, I take it, for all the fuss at the top of the segment?
HORROW: Well, yes. I may -- I may have to give my tickets away to our producer, who is maybe holding air time ransom for my future. I think "The Heat" are going to win. I think the Memorial Day weekend, Indy 500 and all -- I'm going to the French Open.
HARRIS: What!!! HORROW: I'm going to the World Cup over the next couple of weeks.
So we've got some exciting remotes to do, my friend. And I'll be thinking of you. Maybe I'll send you a postcard.
HARRIS: That's the best I can hope for, I guess.
Well, Rick Horrow, good to see you, you traveling man.
You travel well.
Talk to you next week.
HORROW: Yes, sir.
HARRIS: All right.
HORROW: See you next week.
HARRIS: OK.
Take care.
HORROW: Have a good holiday.
HARRIS: You, too -- Melissa.
LONG: Tony, thank you.
The outcome of a racially charged trial depends on the meaning of one word.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MERRITT: It is not a term of endearment. It is a racial -- a derogatory racial epithet. It always will be. It always has been.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LONG: More on one woman's efforts to abolish the "N" word. The details in about 15 minutes -- Tony.
HARRIS: Plus, living with diabetes. A teenager takes her crusade to Congress and asks for some tough support.
WOLF: You know, golf seems like it should be an easy game. You see the ball, you swing the club, you hit the ball. But it's more difficult than that.
What is easy is picking out a great place to play. And today I would recommend Phoenix. We've got some scattered showers possibly this morning, but into the afternoon, plenty of sunshine. And temperatures warming up into the mid-90s.
That's is the look at today's Fairway Forecast. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: A powerful earthquake rocks Indonesia. More than 2,000 people were killed. Thousands more are injured and the casualty count is rising. The 6.2 quake rocked the island of Java before daybreak, as many people slept.
In Myanmar, military rulers have extended the house arrest of pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi. This despite international pressure demanding her freedom. Suu Kyi won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991 for her work in restoring democracy in the country, now ruled by a junta. She's spent about 10 of the last 17 years in detention for her politics.
In Afghanistan, the U.S.-led coalition says troops attacked a suspected Taliban training camp, killing five extremists, including key senior Taliban leaders. It happened last night in a southern Afghan province near the Pakistani border. The operation comes during an upsurge in fighting in the area.
President Bush will address graduates at the U.S. military academy in West Point in about 90 minutes or so. Aides say Mr. Bush will tell them their graduation and their generation will bring victory in the war on terror. The class of '06 is the first to have entered West Point after the September 11 attacks.
Paying homage to a pope. Pope Benedict visited Pope John Paul's hometown in Poland today. Pope Benedict says he shares the hope his predecessor will be declared a saint.
For complete coverage of breaking news and today's top stories, stay with CNN, the most trusted name in news.
LONG: This is a tale of two diseases that happen to share the very same name, diabetes. You may not know it, but diabetes is growing so fast, it borders on an epidemic. Right now, nearly 21 million Americans have diabetes and that number is expected to double in the next 25 years.
Only five percent of diabetics have what is called Type 1. And while that number is small, the voice of the group is big.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HALLE BERRY, ACTOR: We're getting killed out here.
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: Yes, I know.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LONG (voice-over): Oscar winner Halle Berry is big in the box office this weekend with the latest installment of "X-Men." But did you know this former model and beauty queen is also a Type 1 diabetic? Every day, Berry must check her blood glucose levels. Each day could also include several insulin injections. She has to be extremely careful of what she eats, not for weight control, but to keep her blood glucose levels under control.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ELIOTT YAMIN: I've got a thing for you and I can't let it go.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LONG: "American Idol" contestant Eliott Yamin shares a similar daily routine. Yamin discovered he had Type 1 Diabetes when he was 17. Yamin told an "Idol" audience one of his goals is to educate people about the disease.
March madness and those anything but obese or out of shape college basketball players. One player, Adam Morrison, of Gonzaga University, emerged as one of the best in the finals. But Morrison must monitor his blood constantly. Like Berry and Yamin, Morrison has Type 1 Diabetes.
Swimmer Gary Hall already had four Olympic medals when he was diagnosed with Type 1 in 1999. His doctors told him then not to expect to swim competitively. Hall ignored that advice and went on to win another four medals one year after being diagnosed. Some days he needs as many as 12 insulin injections.
Superstar Berry, "Idol" contestant Eliott Yamin, basketball star in the making Morrison and Olympian Hall, each a role model for Type 1 Diabetes.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LONG: Type 1 Diabetes, Type 2, are you a bit confused?
Let's sort it out for you. Here's a crash course this morning.
Type 1 usually strikes children. For some unknown reason, the body stops making insulin. Without insulin, you slip into a coma and die. This disease needs constant medical intervention.
Now, Type 1 is the one that hits mostly older, sedentary population. The body produces insulin, but cannot use it effectively. Exercise, change in diet and medication can help to keep it in check.
From Boston this morning, we turn to Moira McCarthy and her 14- year-old daughter, Lauren Stanford.
Lauren was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes when she was just five and together they are on a mission to keep Type 1 Diabetes from being lumped together with Type 1.
Moira, Lauren, thank you so much for your time.
We appreciate it. MOIRA MCCARTHY, LAUREN'S MOTHER: No problem.
LAUREN STANFORD, HAS TYPE 1 DIABETES: No problem.
LONG: Moira, let's first talk about the fact that you are fighting to keep the two diseases separate versus one entity.
Why is that?
MCCARTHY: Well, sometimes we parents of children with diabetes like to say we wish they had different names. Type 2 Diabetes is a very serious disease, as well. But in my own selfish world, I want the world to understand that Type 1 Diabetes is not from anything that Lauren did wrong. She -- we could not have raised her any different way. This was like getting hit by a bolt of lightning and there's nothing that we can do to change it except come up with a cure.
LONG: Now, some progress has been made. As you said, there is no cure. But some progress has been made.
And, Lauren, I'm curious about the daily struggles that you face now. And compare them to when you were diagnosed at five and how your struggles and your blood sugar testing has changed.
STANFORD: When I was younger, it was easier for my mom to just take control and tell me to check my blood and do everything for me. But now that I'm getting older, it gets harder because I have to do everything on my own. Well, not everything, but more of it on my own and I have to become more of an independent person.
LONG: You, also, of course, want to keep that independence.
So, mom, how do you factor in, then, trying to allow your daughter to grow up and keep her independence, but you still, of course, want to monitor exactly what she's doing?
MCCARTHY: It's an interesting tightrope to walk. Lauren is my second teenaged daughter and usually teenagers want more independence. But I am finding, with her struggle with diabetes, after nine years, that Lauren actually wants me to be more involved at a time when I selfishly wish that she was ready to do more on her own.
She needs me kind of hovering over her every minute just making sure what her blood sugar levels are at, what kind of insulin we're putting into her body, what she's eating. She needs support more than ever, actually, now. So...
LONG: We have talked now about some of the problems, the challenges you face now. Let's go back in time nine years ago.
What were some of the symptoms that made you say, Moira, that, oh, boy, I'd better get my daughter to the doctor and fast?
MCCARTHY: Well, I actually, at first, had no idea what the symptoms were, like most people. I wasn't familiar with Type 1 Diabetes. And she began, shortly before kindergarten, wetting her bed, losing weight, drinking a lot of water. But they were all things that I could attribute to anything in life.
She was about to start kindergarten. I thought she might be nervous.
Shortly after she started kindergarten, I became very worried. She had her annual checkup and it was at her annual checkup that they actually let me know that she was critically ill and needed to be rushed to the hospital.
LONG: And one of the differences between Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes is, in fact, weight. With Type 1 you often lose a lot of weight.
MCCARTHY: Exactly. Many -- most children, when they're diagnosed, are almost skeletal, they've lost so much weight so quickly.
LONG: Lauren, you have become so outspoken and you have taken on what can be, perhaps, an intimidating challenge to go before Congress. And we have pictures of you in Washington.
Tell me about that experience and why you've made this your mission.
STANFORD: Well, ever since the day I was diagnosed, I've wanted to care for diabetes. So I thought hey, I've got to get out there and tell them what I need to say. And when I went to speak before Congress, they really listened and it felt really good. And it was an amazing experience.
LONG: Lauren, what other pieces of advice would you have for teens going through a similar experience?
You know, teens have enough challenges as it is.
STANFORD: Well, I'd probably tell them to just keep going. I hope there's a cure soon. And we're just going to have to keep fighting for our cure until it's found.
LONG: And, mom, what advice do you have for other parents out there?
MCCARTHY: Well, probably the best thing I did for myself, besides getting a really great endocrinology team and learning all I can about the day to day struggle and how to deal with it was to get involved. It's very simple to sign yourself on as an advocate and it really makes me feel empowered.
There are days with diabetes in children that you can feel hopeless. And being part of the voice that's bringing the cure really lets me end a day taking I've taken another step further and I've made a difference. And I would just advise that everyone do that for themselves.
LONG: Moira McCarthy, Lauren Stanford, thank you so much for your time. And, Lauren, very nice to have such a poised young lady speaking on behalf of people with Diabetes Type 1.
Thank you, ladies.
STANFORD: Thank you.
MCCARTHY: Thank you.
HARRIS: And still ahead, what's in a word?
Well, it depends who's saying it. Young kids of all races listen to rap music that's laced with the "N" word. But now a new Web site says enough is enough. Is it time to say no more to the "N" word?
Stay with CNN, the most trusted name in news.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WOLF: Hi, folks.
I'm meteorologist Reynolds Wolf and it's time for the Allergy Report.
Aren't you glad?
All right, folks, we've got high traces of pollen in the atmosphere over portions of the Four Corners, into the Central Plains, also into the southern half of the Mississippi Valley and into the Southeast. So you may be hacking, wheezing, sneezing, that kind of thing.
But in the Northern Plains, conditions are not that bad. And in Southern and Central Texas, it is a little better, too.
That is the latest on your Allergy Report.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: A trial is underway in New York this week in which a white man is accused of beating an African-American while shouting the "N" word. It has stirred controversy, to say the least, in part because the defense argues that using the "N" word does not signify a hate crime.
Now, a Web site, ABOLISHTHENWORD.com, is trying to get rid of the word altogether.
We must warn you that the images from their site are graphic and you might find parts of this segment offensive.
CNN understands the sensitivity of this topic and as part of our standards and practices, we do not use or write the full spelling of the "N" word.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She killed me mom.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Now, I ain't saying she a gold digger.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When I'm in need.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: But she ain't messing with no broke bloke.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS (voice-over): You hear the word in music, in movies, too much so for ABOLISHTHENWORD.com founders, Jill Merritt and Kovan Flowers.
KOVAN FLOWERS, ABOLISHTHENWORD.COM: The music industry, I feel, is like in a state of emergency.
HARRIS: In fact, it's so commonplace, a New York lawyer says he plans to use the word's frequent use to help clear his white client of hate crime charges. Nick Minucci is accused of beating a black man with a baseball bat last June while yelling the "N" word during the attack in Brooklyn Minucci's attorney says use of the word cannot be a criteria for a hate crime because blacks frequently use it as a term of endearment.
Minucci, a fan of rap music, says he hears the word all the time from artists 50 Cent, Jay-Z and others.
MERRITT: It is not a term of endearment. It is a racial -- a derogatory racial epithet. It always will be. It always has been.
HARRIS: It's that history of the word the site's founders are counting on to change public opinion.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
NINA SIMONE, SINGER: Southern trees...
(END AUDIO CLIP)
HARRIS: When you log on, you see pictures of lynchings, beatings and other powerful images of the civil rights era, images put there with one purpose in mind.
MERRITT: Shock.
FLOWERS: Definitely, a culture shock.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
NINA SIMONE, SINGER: Blood on the leaves...
(END AUDIO CLIP)
MERRITT: A wake up call. Some people cry. I cried when I first saw everything put together.
HARRIS: Merritt says it's important to associate the word with hate and lynchings.
MERRITT: That word was very prevalent. That was the label that was used, the slave owners and plantation masters, they did not use black person. They did not say Negro at that time. They used N*****. That was the word that they used.
HARRIS: It's a fact, they say, that has been lost on a generation.
FLOWERS: Saying the "N" word is not hip hop. It's so not hip hop. And, you know, a lot of people think well, I only can write a rhyme unless I say it. I can't -- I can't -- I don't see where I can't say it. How do I come up with an alternate word?
MERRITT: No other group has had to tell their people, their community, to not use a derogatory term to relate to themselves.
HARRIS: Merritt uses an e-mail from the site to sum up her feelings.
MERRITT: This teacher said it perfectly to her student -- every time you use that word, it's like you're re-lynching someone. Every time you use that word, it damages the person who's hearing it and it damages your soul.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: Man.
Joining us now is a man who thinks it's OK for blacks to use the "N" word among themselves.
University of Pennsylvania Humanities Professor Michael Eric Dyson is the author of several books, including the "New York Times" best-seller, "Is Bill Cosby Right Or Has the Black Middle Class Lost Its Mind?"
He joins us by phone from Detroit this morning.
Michael, thanks for taking the time to talk to us.
We appreciate it.
MICHAEL ERIC DYSON, AUTHOR, PROFESSOR, RADIO HOST: How are you doing, Brother Harris?
HARRIS: First of all, why do -- why do rap artists use the "N" word?
DYSON: Well, I think they use it because, remember, it is a term of endearment. It is a term of love and acceptance and embrace. But let's not -- let's not be dishonest. It also can be used as a term of directing venom and disdain. But the reality is, for the most part, it is a term that they have inherited, even conscious rappers like Talib Kweli or Kaman, who are known to be politically motivated, understand that this is a term that has been transmitted to them as a loving embrace of their culture and people.
HARRIS: You know, for some folks who hear you say that, that the word can be used as a loving embrace, it just doesn't -- it just doesn't add up.
So explain how this word has been -- is being used in a loving way.
DYSON: Well, look, it is a term -- it is -- I agree with the founders of the ABOLISHTHENWORD.com that this has been a racial epithet that has been used in the commission of crimes, lynchings, murders, rapings, castrations and the like. So we know that it has a history and a negative legacy.
But black people determined, almost from the beginning of use of that term, to take it and take the poison out of it by circulating it among ourselves, similar to but not, you know, the same as when gay people take a term of derision, queer, and use it among themselves or other groups.
But there's a unique character with the African-American experience. So black people determine from very early on we're going to take this term, we're not going to allow them to impose it on us. We are going to overtake that term and use it in a way that will deprive it of its ultimately negative meaning.
HARRIS: You can't -- it's impossible to do that, isn't it, Michael?
It's impossible to take that word and redefine it in a way, by a group, for its own purposes.
This is -- this is not a situation where a group can take ownership of a word.
DYSON: Oh, of course it is. But you see, you're dealing with a different time. Let's be honest. This was used by slaves themselves on the slave plantations to distinguish between the field negro and the house negro. The field negro was identified with the black struggle among black people. The house negro was perceived as being in massa's house, so to speak, and with his interests.
So very early on they were using that "N" word as a term of distinction.
Subsequently, black people have used that term forever. Don't pretend that hip hop is the first generation to use that.
Preachers and pastors from earlier generations, politicians from earlier generations. Here's the difference -- hip hop now have made it their republic. Because you can now buy a CD with the term on their, it can get circulated more broadly.
But, see, I don't infantilize white people. I think white brothers and sisters must own up to their responsibility to know that that term has been used by white people as a derogatory epithet and must never be used by them, whereas black people have the right, at their discretion, to use that term.
Those are just the racial politics and the racial realities we have to confront. And I don't want to infantilize white brothers and sisters. They're big enough. They understand that.
HARRIS: So when -- so when Kanye is using the "N" word in "Gold Digger" and it's one of the most popular songs that you could find anywhere for a stretch of time there, if you were a white person listening to this song in the car, do you -- do you, what, self-censor yourself?
DYSON: Of course. But not only that, the coolest, the hippest and most of the white people understand that that's not a term that they will use in the presence of African-American people and that's not a term to be appropriated by them, because that's not the only thing they're listening to.
Kanye West is not the only thing they're listening to. They're also listening to other forms of music. They're also reading. We're assuming that these people live in a bubble, that they're only consuming Kanye West. That is to deny the legitimate intelligence and cultural sensitivity that most Americans possess.
HARRIS: Hey, do you make a distinction between the "E-R" form of the word and the "G-G-A" form of the word?
DYSON: Oh, absolutely. That's the whole point. The "N-I-G-G-A" -- Tupac, about whom I've written a book -- said the "N-I-G-G-A" stands for never ignorant getting goals accomplished. There is a difference of signifying an insider discourse, an insider rhetoric that suggests that black people have the right to say this word.
And I understand and even empathize with black people who find it offensive. But the reality is that their grandfathers, great grandfathers and great, great grandfathers and mothers used the term as a term of endearment, as well.
There's a difference between "N-I-G-G-U-H" "A-H" and "A," as opposed to "N-I-G-G-E-R," which is a term of white supremacy directed toward black people with the purposes of reinforcing negative images and also hateful sentiments.
HARRIS: So what are you saying to young white folks who may not be, because of the generation that they're growing up in, be as aware and as conscious of the history of the word as, certainly, you are?
DYSON: Well, we -- one of the things that I think that this Web site can do is help teach that history. People like me, I teach at an Ivy League school. There are people who teach at community colleges. We have to invite young white people to learn. They don't -- they weren't there when the constitution was written. They weren't there when the Declaration of Independence was written. They weren't there when the Gettysburg Address was written. But they learned those words.
And so we have to be vigilant about teaching them the importance of racial history and dynamics and distinguishing between the internal discourse of black people as a term of endearment and white racist discourse like Nick Minucci beating up on a black man.
And the irony is, of course, he's deeply influenced by hip hop, but that's not what influenced him. We don't see images in hip hop of a white man standing over a black man with a bat using the "N" word. We see the history of 1915 birth of a nation and white supremacist culture, which has been much more intent upon demonizing black people.
HARRIS: How do you tell white kids of a certain age, I don't know, teenagers who are growing up with black friends who are listening to the same music and -- how do you tell that white kid, who doesn't feel that he or she is a racist at all -- it's OK for the black kid to use the "N" word but the white kid can't?
DYSON: Look, if that same white kid goes home that night because he -- he hears his friends using the "B word?" call your mother the "B word." If you live the next day -- and that's a big if -- if you're alive the next day, you're going to understand this is a woman, this is a group, this is a great set of women that I cannot use this word with.
People understand context clues and they understand history. This is something -- like Chris Rock said, joked, he said white people feel they can be the head of the corporation. But if I could just use that word, my life would be fulfilled.
No. It's off limits. That's the message that must be transmitted. That's one of the negative consequences of white supremacy that you cannot use this word. And one of the advantages of black people is that we get a chance to circulate this as a term of endearment to deprive you of the ability to name us by that negative impulse.
HARRIS: Michael Dyson.
Michael, appreciate it.
Always good to talk to you.
DYSON: Brother Harris, always good to talk to you, my man.
HARRIS: OK.
You have a great day, man.
DYSON: All right.
HARRIS: Wow!
So where do you stand on the use of the "N" word?
The debate continues this morning at 10:00 a.m. Eastern. ABOLISHTHENWORD.com cofounder Jill Merritt will face off with moviemaker Todd Williams, the director of the documentary "The "N" Word." His film examines how the derogatory term has been "taken back" by the very people it's meant to humiliate. Williams is against the Web site.
A live debate on the use of the "N" word 10:00 a.m. Eastern, right here on CNN SATURDAY MORNING.
LONG: Tony, thank you.
Too short to survive in prison? That's what one judge says about this man. Instead of 10 years in prison, he was given 10 years probation for molesting a 12-year-old.
HARRIS: So, should a person's size really be a factor in criminal sentences?
I think we all know the answer to this, but I'm curious to hear what you have to say.
E-mail us, Weekends@CNN.com.
We'll read your responses after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LONG: Good morning to you.
This morning we've been posing the following question -- should a person's size be a factor in criminal sentences?
And we've asked for your opinions and you're sharing your thoughts on one of our big stories this morning.
HARRIS: Yes.
LONG: B.J. from North Carolina writes in, and I quote now: "No. If you do the crime, then you can do the time." B.J. says they should be put in prison forever for being a sexual predator.
HARRIS: Yes. And this from Bob, who writes: "The judge does not seem to care about the little girls. Maybe Richard Thompson should meet a few of the bigger guys in the slammer and they will correct his problem with little girls. The judge needs some rehabilitation, too."
Thanks, Bob.
LONG: John writes in: "The real question is, is the victim too short to be a victim? The answer will always be yes. Richard Thompson," John says, "should go to prison and find out what it feels like to be a victim.
HARRIS: let's take a look at this picture.
There he is. He's the guy we're talking about here. There he is. Too short for prison, according to this judge -- 5' 1" tall. There it is.
LONG: Ten years probation versus 10 years behind bars.
HARRIS: Yes.
So there it is. There's the question this morning, should size be a factor in criminal sentences?
Our address, Weekends@CNN.com.
More of your e-mail responses next hour.
Speaking of which, the next hour of CNN SATURDAY MORNING begins in a moment.
But first, Gerri Willis has your Tip of the Day.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GERRI WILLIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): You may be tempted to do some home renovation yourself, but be aware of a common pitfall. Many homeowners try to save money by becoming their own general contractors, but they often end up spending more than if they had hired a professional in the first place. Here's why.
Subcontractors give general contractors a good rate on services, but homeowners will likely pay retail. That's because subcontractors see you as a one time deal. So for minor home improvement projects, an experienced general contractor will probably be the most cost- effective route.
I'm Gerri Willis and that's your Tip of the Day.
For more, watch "OPEN HOUSE" today, 9:30 Eastern, on CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
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