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Car Bombs in Baghdad, Anti-war Activists on the National Mall, Former Arkansas Governor Forming Presidential Exploratory Committee, Judge Refuses Proposed State Farm Insurance Settlement

Aired January 27, 2007 - 12:00   ET

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

BETTY NGUYEN, CNN NEWS ANCHOR: We are still following breaking news out of Pakistan where a blast occurred at a mosque there killing at least 10 people. Of course there's going to be much more on this because CNN NEWSROOM continues with Fredricka Whitfield.
T.J. HOLMES, CNN NEWS ANCHOR: And that's coming up right after our short break, but we certainly do appreciate you hanging out with me and Betty today, and we are going to ahead, right now, and hand it over to Fredricka over at the news desk.

Hello Fredricka.

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN NEWS ANCHOR: Hello, good to see you. All right T.J. and Betty, have a great day.

Straight ahead, a U.S. missile shoots down a fake target missile today, part of a test over the Pacific Ocean. The Pentagon designed the system to help protect the U.S. from missile threats.

Off the U.S. California coast a search is underway for the search of three crew members of a Navy helicopter that crashed during a training operation, yesterday. At least one of the four people onboard died. No word why the chopper went down.

Two car bombs attacks, today, in a Baghdad market killed 13 people and leave dozens of others wounded.

And in Kirkuk two insurgents accidentally killed themselves while fiddling with explosive-rigged car near a Shiite mosque.

And new House leader, Nancy Pelosi says it is past time Iraqis take primary responsibility for their security. Pelosi spoke with Iraq's prime minister and the president, there, while she and other House Democratic leaders were in Iraq. It was her first trip as House leader to the war-torn country.

And in Kenya, gunmen carjacked a U.S. embassy vehicle on the outskirts of Nairobi killing two women in the car. A police spokesman described the gunmen as gangsters. The attackers escaped in the embassy car.

Anti-war protest in Washington, today. How big is the crowd?

And some of New Orleans kids and teachers back in school, but hundreds are left out. Why?

And might this team get a reprieve? He's in jail for consensual sex, his story part of our legal segment, coming up.

The news is unfolding live this Saturday the 27th day of January. I'm Fredricka Whitfield, you're in the NEWSROOM.

An unpopular war front and center at the nation's capital. Anti-war activists on the National Mall in Washington. Events started just about an hour ago. The latest now from CNN's Gary Nurenberg.

Gary, how is the turnout there?

GARY NURENBERG, CNN NEWS CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Fredricka. Well, an hour ago when the rally kicked off, it really wasn't very great at all, but within the last hour tens of thousands of demonstrators have now gathered on the National Mall on the west end of the capital to send a message that there is a growing opinion in this country, the war should end and as this particular speaker was just saying, "not one more dollar, not one more day." There is heavy appeal here among the speakers for a funding cutoff in addition to a resolution that the Senate is going to consider on Tuesday that would declare against the national interest, President Bush's plan to increase the number of troops there.

In addition to this main rally on the National Mall, on a beautiful January day, there have been other events around town halfway between capital and the White House, at the Navy Memorial, on Pennsylvania Avenue,. a group called "Code Pink" called an anti-war demonstration, heavy on Hollywood celebrities like Sean Penn, (INAUDIBLE), Eve Ensler, and Jane Fonda.

Fonda's advertised a presence there brought a couple of dozen counter-demonstrators to the Navy Memorial. They remain angry at Fonda's anti-war activities 40 years ago when she earn the moniker "Hanoi Jane."

Add it, among demonstrators throughout the city today, are military families who are opposed to the war and to troop increases. One of them. Oriana Futrell (ph) is married to an Army lieutenant who's now serving in Iraq.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ORIANA FUTRELL, HUSBAND IN IRAQ: Right now, at this very moment, I don't know where he is, what he's doing, if he's OK or not. And that's every day just that stress that weighs down on you. It's mind-boggling, and it's extremely difficult.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NURENBERG: After the rally, demonstrators are scheduled to march to the capital. In addition to the march and the rally today, many will be staying in town to lobby members of Congress on Monday in advance of that -- on the tentative resolution in the Senate on Tuesday and also to lobby simply for funding cutoffs. Among the speakers here, that is the prevalent theme, stop the money and the war will end -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: (INAUDIBLE), while we've already heard from a number of congressional leaders, on both sides of the aisle, speak out against this surge that the president is proposing and the protest taking place in the shadow of Capital Hill, you are not seeing any congressional leaders out there, are you?

NURENBERG: There are a very limited number of folks here, today. We just heard from Dennis Kucinich, a congressman from Ohio who has already announced that he'll be running for president in 2008. His message was echoed by many of the speakers here, his message, cut the funding off now. He was here probably more than other speaker in the last hour when he said to President Bush, "Congress is a co-equal branch of government that has a responsibility to end the war." That, as I said, got more cheers than any other speaker. But you're right, there's a limited congressional presence here today.

WHITFIELD: All right, very interesting. Gary Nurenberg thanks so much.

Well, baby boomers who lived through the '60s remember a very different kind of anti-war protest. In 27 minutes, our senior political analyst, Bill Schneider, looks at war protests then and now.

Protests aside, President Bush reminds Congress he is the commander in chief. More troops headed to Iraq and Iranian agents fueling violence in Iraq. Well now, they are fair game, as well. And Kathleen Koch at the White House. The president's plan getting a whole lot of criticism, how is he responding today?

KATHLEEN KOCH, CNN NEWS CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fredricka, the president is putting out the message, this week, that you may not agree with him, but he is, "the decision-maker." Now first of all, this to protesters on the mall from National Security Council spokesperson, Gordon Jondro, "The president believes the right to free speech is one of the greatest freedoms in our country. He understands that Americans want to see a conclusion to the war in Iraq, and a new strategy is designed to do just that."

And to lawmakers in Congress, President Bush, this week, speaking very bluntly to those who aren't heeding his State of the Union request to give the plan a chance.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I know there is skepticism and pessimism and that they are -- some are condemning a plan before it's even had a chance to work. And they have a obligation and a serious responsibility, therefore, to put up their own plan as to what would work. I've listened a lot to members of the Congress. I've listened carefully to their suggestions, and I have said the plan that I think is most likely to succeed.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KOCH: Now, President Bush is also standing up for his administration's get tough "kill or capture strategy," that when it comes to Iranian operatives in Iraq, where found to be directly involved in fermenting violence. The president says it's United States' obligation to stop those who are trying to harm U.S. troops, harm innocent Iraqis or prevent the U.S. from achieving its goal in Iraq. Now as to critics, (INAUDIBLE) that the United States is trying to expand the Iraq conflict across to borders into Iran, the president says, that's, "not accurate" -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right, Kathleen Koch at the White House. Thanks so much.

KOCH: You bet.

WHITFIELD: Meantime what seems to be indicative of the state of affairs there in Iraq, today the Iraqi emergency police is reporting that some 40 bodies have been found in and around Baghdad, today. We continue to work our sources to find out more details about this discovery being made, but right now, Iraqi emergency police saying 40 bodies have been found in and around Baghdad, today.

Turning now to presidential politics, Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton giving face time in Iowa, a full year before the caucus. Her weekend sweep begins today in Des Moines. Our senior political correspondent, Candy Crowley joins us live from Des Moines.

And so who is Hillary Clinton's audience right now?

CANDY CROWLEY, SR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, her audience, right now, are the people still making up their minds, the tell us, but a lot of fans here, of Hillary Clinton. They're hosting a town hall meeting here. You can see behind me the crowd just starting to get here. They tell us that this particular gymnasium, high school gymnasium, holding up 1,400 people. So, we'll see the draw. I can tell you, it's pretty crowded right now. I had to remind myself that those primaries and caucuses are just a year away because this looks very much like a full-scale campaign, say of January of next year.

Nonetheless it's her first trip to Iowa. A lot of people have been anxiously awaiting her appearance here, not, they say, because they so much support her at this point, but because they want to hear what she has to say, and she says she wants to hear what the audience asks about -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: And so, Candy, are there local polls that are already being conducted there in Iowa? Any kind of read of what people seem to think about her?

CROWLEY: Well, what's interesting is you know, Fredricka, in the national polls that Hillary Clinton leads by a fairly large margin over Barack Obama. It's very different here in Iowa, there have been a number of polls showing her running anywhere from second to fourth. The frontrunner is John Edwards, the former senator one who ran as a vice presidential candidate with John Kerry on the Democratic ticket. So, she has some work to do here and certainly over the next couple of days, she'll probably make some inroads. There are five events in all, three different cities, so she has her work cut out for her, but a lot of people here think it just was a matter of showing up.

WHITFIELD: And so, Candy, what about the other candidates or prospective candidates that are making their way into Iowa? How are they trying to garner some support?

CROWLEY: Well, most of them have been here before many, many times. Iowa like New Hampshire, is a retail state so, Fredricka, so they go from house to house. They build this sort of groundswell of support. This really is a grassroots place. This is not a place that reacts well, at this point, to advertising. People here expect to see their presidential candidates, expect to talk to them. So, a lot of people who have come in before Hillary, and John Edwards, he among then, he has been here many, many times and he has been visiting in the living rooms, he has been holding his own town hall meetings, so a lot of people have been here working ahead of time, simply because they know that Iowa is that kind of retail state, where you really win votes shaking hand by hand by hand.

WHITFIELD: And so, what is this about over states trying who are trying to move up their primaries, perhaps closer to the Iowa caucuses? A little completion, here?

CROWLEY: Absolutely. And it really would change the race. We're talking about states like California and Florida, Illinois, perhaps New Jersey. Those are big states. Those are not retail states. Those are states where you have to put in heavy advertising, and it costs a lot of money. So, what you need to do at this point is raise a lot of money. And as we know, Hillary Clinton has quite a fundraising team, Barack Obama putting together his. But, the people at a disadvantage, if those big states are going to come in early in the process, the people at the biggest disadvantage are going to be those with low-name recognition and not a huge fundraising machine.

WHITFIELD: All right, Candy Crowley in Des Moines thanks so much.

CROWLEY: Sure.

WHITFIELD: And as if the GOP field isn't already crowded; former Arkansas governor, Mike Huckabee appears ready to jump into the pool of presidential candidates in 2008. He's expected to announce plans to establish an exploratory committee early next week. Huckabee would be the tenth Republican to declare interest in the nomination.

And why isn't there enough room for students in New Orleans classrooms? We'll talk to a local school official about this ripple effect post-Hurricane Katrina.

Also, NASA looks back on a tragic moment in its history. A live report from the Kennedy Space Center.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The motive of this case has to be found in area of passion.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: An incredible plunge to death. Authorities say it's the result of a love triangle turned deadly.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: So, just when hurricane victims in Mississippi were ready to celebrate, a district judge refuses to endorse a proposed insurance settlement. It would allow State Farm Insurance to pay at least $50 million to about 1,000 policyholders. The judge said the settlement was under "indirect control of State Farm" instead of an independent party. State Farm says it'll address the judge's concerns.

Recovery? What recovery? That's what a lot of people in New Orleans have been asking for months. Much of the city still looks still like it did days after Katrina struck. Gulf Coast correspondent Susan Roesgen reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SUSAN ROESGEN, CNN GULF COAST CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Sixteen months after the hurricane, most of New Orleans is stuck in a time warp. Street lights are out, city employees still work in trailers, and the city's streets are full of holes. The question is why.

(on camera): Take a look at this damaged school. It's one of dozens that still haven't reopened. The federal money is there to do it, but the mayor keeps saying that the state is holding up the cash. The state says that's not true.

Are you guys the bad guys?

COL JEFF SMITH, LOUISIANA HOMELAND SECURITY CHIEF: No, we're not. We're the good guys.

ROESGEN (voice-over): Louisiana's Homeland Security chief, Colonel Jeff Smith, says the problem can be traced back to New Orleans city hall. The city has applied for about $300 million worth of FEMA- funded projects, but only received about half of that, and the state says the delay is because the city hasn't properly applied to get the project started.

MAYOR RAY NAGIN, NEW ORLEANS: Tell them to prove it. Tell them to prove it. Because we have documentation that we have applied for every dollar beyond what they have authorized, I'm sick and tired of this.

ROESGEN (on camera): They say you haven't filled out the paperwork.

NAGIN: They are lying. Flat out lying.

ROESGEN (voice-over): So where is the paperwork? Keeping them honest, we found it.

CARY GRANT, CITY OF NEW ORLEANS: This is more of a parish- wide picture. That is a city-wide picture.

ROESGEN: New Orleans assistant chief administrative office, Cary Grand, showed us the numbers, arguing that FEMA hasn't allocated nearly enough money to begin a lot of projects and that the city's trying to play by the state's rules but those rules keep changing.

GRANT: When people tell you haven't applied for something, it's pretty hard to apply for it when the numbers aren't correct to begin with and then it's pretty hard to apply for it when there's no process of application.

ROESGEN: Louisiana's Homeland Security chief admits the process is complex, but he says it's time for Mayor Nagin to stop accusing the state of holding up the cash.

SMITH: We'll be very frustrated if this rhetoric continues, because we stand ready to work with him, we want to work with him, we want to help repair that city and do everything that we can.

ROESGEN: More post-Katrina finger-pointing. So, why don't the two sides sit down and talk? Well, believe it or not they do, weekly. And the city says the missing money will be at the top of this week's agenda.

Susan Roesgen, CNN, New Orleans.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: So, how does all of this affect the public schools in the New Orleans area? The Recovery School District superintendent, Robin Jarvis, is with us now. She's joining us from Baton Rouge.

And Miss Jarvis, we're hearing a lot of things, such as, hundreds of kids who are on waiting lists because they simply can't get into these schools that their families were hoping there would be room for when they decided to come back to New Orleans. What's happening?

ROBIN JARVIS, RECOVERY SCHOOL DISTRICT: Well, what's happening is we have in the Recovery School District about 300 students on a waiting list for the 17 schools that we operate, however there are another 30-something schools open in the city operated either by charters or by the New Orleans parish school system and those schools do have space and so what we try to do when people come into our office, is refer them out to those other schools. We also are continuing repairs on other buildings. The repairs have been slowed down by an inability to get supplies and doors and the electrical things we need for the buildings to get them repaired. And in addition there are about 50 buildings involved that we believe the damage is more expensive than what FEMA has determined at this point.

WHITFIELD: So you're saying there are other schools you're recommending, these parents put their kids it? It is a transportation issue?

JARVIS: It is not. Most of the schools in the city offer transportation either through school service or through public transportation. In fact, all of the public schools are required to offer transportation in the city.

WHITFIELD: So, there is apparently a problem with having enough buildings, even enough teachers. What are you doing or what can anyone do to try to recruit more teachers so that you can accommodate all of these kids?

JARVIS: One thing that we're definitely going to have to look at as a state and as a city is recruiting bonuses, we're going to have to look at recruiting bonuses, relocation packages, and potentially at incentives for teachers to stay with us, retention incentives so they stay more than a year or two. Not only is it an issue in bringing people from other states and other cities in, it's also an issue in bringing New Orleaneans who were teachers before, bringing them back. They've gotten jobs in other places, they've relocated at this point, while they may want to come home, we're going to have to be able to offer the salaries and incentives to get them back.

WHITFIELD: Are there enough classrooms, enough teachers for all of the kids who want to be in school right now? Because you've got at least one council member who is saying, you know, it's not only illegal to not have these kids in school, but it's unconscionable to not have the space available for them.

JARVIS: There is space available. It is a matter of parents having to go from school to school to school to look for that space. The difference in the Recovery District is we have a central registration center, they come to one place, they can register for any of our 17 schools.

What we're doing to address the problem is we have two additional buildings that are just coming available. We are going to be opening those schools. One of them will open on February 5 and take in pre-k through eight grade students. We'll be opening another pre-k through eighth grade shortly thereafter, and we have a high school that should be available by mid February. The work completed there, and we will open it as soon as it is open. In the interim, with high school students, Orleans Parish school system operates a p.m. school, an evening school at one of their high school campuses and they have space, and we're referring the children to them.

WHITFIELD: All right, Robin Jarvis, Recover School District superintendent, thanks so much for your time from Baton Rouge.

JARVIS: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: Well, still making your weekend plans perhaps? We'll check in with Reynolds Wolf in the CNN Weather Center, straight ahead. Also coming up, some tips for pet-proofing your home?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK).

WHITFIELD: We're just now getting new video in of this explosion taking place in Peshawar, Pakistan. At least 10 people killed in this blast, 40 more injured, 18 of which were critically injured. All of this taking place near a mosque, a Shiite mosque in Peshawar. Many people had converged in this mosque all as part of a celebration of a shura (ph), which is a religious observance. The dead apparently include one of Peshawar's police chiefs, according to officials there. This new video coming in of the aftermath of this explosion taking place in Peshawar.

And now here at home, let's get a check of the weather. Check in with Reynolds Wolf to get an idea of just what's happening out there. It seems every weekend we've been talking about all of these storms, these terrible fronts that are moving in. Clear skies this time maybe?

REYNOLDS WOLF, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Well, you know, we've got a good mix out there. I mean, really, nothing too compelling today. Today's one of the days where we're actually able to get a nice deep breath and enjoy.

(WEATHER REPORT)

WHITFIELD: All right, thanks a lot, Reynolds.

WOLF: You bet.

WHITFIELD: Critics in the war in Washington, well, dozens are converging on the National Mall, today. So, how have things changed since the anti-war protests of yesteryear, the '60s in particular.

And straight ahead, a women on a mission to tell others about the dangers of breast cancer.

Right now preventing your pets from wreaking havoc in your home, it's the focus of this week's "Modern Living." Here's CNN's Gerri Willis.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GERRI WILLIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): When you think of pets you probably think of cute, adorable, fuzzy. But what you may not realize is that this could turn into this and do a real number on your home. Pet experts, Bobby Dorafshar, recommends a busy schedule and boundaries to prevent pet messes.

BOBBY DORAFSHAR, PET EXPERT: Keep them little bit busy, socialize them, work with them and let them know what is not acceptable.

WILLIS (on camera): The other problem, of course, is dog hair all over everything.

DORAFSHAR: One of the things you want to do -- you do not want to give them a bath every day or every week. You want to make sure to give them a good quality food. You want a daily brushing, get all the dead put out.

WILLIS (voice-over): Bobby also recommends keeping them away from places where they can do damage while mom or dad are out.

DORAFSHAR: All I do, get a baby gate, pet them on the door, and I'll make sure, but the front, which there is no arm so the dog cannot climb over it.

WILLIS: With a little work your house and your four-legged friend can co-exist without any problem.

I'm Gerri Willis, and that's this week's "Modern Living."

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Now the news: working the phones, President Bush talks with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. An Iraqi spokesman said they discussed the plan to secure Baghdad. The president also called Afghanistan's leader to congratulate him on the birth of his son.

Well, evidence of sectarian violence in Iraq today. Police say they found 40 bodies today scattered in various Baghdad neighborhoods.

And Iran's former minister says his country welcomes all efforts to solve the dispute over its nuclear program. That, according to Iran's state-run news agency. The minister insists Iran's nuclear program is peaceful. Europe and the United States suspects Iran plans to build nuclear weapons.

A successful test of the U.S. defense shield designed to protect North America from ballistic missiles. The Pentagon says and interceptor missile fired from Hawaii hit a dummy warhead over the Pacific Ocean.

And it's not like the old days. Boomers might not recognize today's anti-war rally in Washington. Our senior political analyst Bill Schneider takes a look at war protests then and now.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WILLIAM SCHNEIDER, CNN SR. POLITICAL ANALYST (voice-over): An anti-war protest march evokes a lot of strong images -- '60s radicals, flag burning, Jane Fonda. The organizers of Saturday's march say this is not the same.

TOM MATZZIE, WASHINGTON DIRECTOR, MOVEON.ORG: It's not just about protest. It's about citizen engagement with their government. Back then, the protests were louder and more visible -- sit-ins, disruptions, often with an anti-American tone. We're not seeing much of that now.

One reason? No draft. Another reason, anti-war activities have a powerful ally they didn't have in the '60s.

MATZZIE: It's not just the anti-war movement anymore. There's now an anti-war public. SCHNEIDER: Sixty-three percent of Americans oppose the president's troop increase. The anti-war protest is aimed at Congress.

MATZZIE: You were elected with a mandate from the American people on Iraq. It's time to fulfill it. Congress needs to stop the president's escalation in Iraq.

SCHNEIDER: President Bush made this plea to Congress.

BUSH: Our country is pursuing a new strategy in Iraq and I ask you to give it a chance to work.

SCHNEIDER: But when it comes to influencing Congress, an unpopular president is no match for an unhappy public. Members of Congress have to answer to the voters. So do candidates running for president.

SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D), ILLINOIS: At some point, we've got to step back and say what are our responsibilities in the face of obstinacy on the part of the White House?

SCHNEIDER: One conservative Republican contender has already broken with President Bush on Iraq.

SEN. SAM BROWNBACK (R), KANSAS: It is difficult to understand why more U.S. troops would make a difference.

SCHNEIDER: So have two other potential Republican candidates.

GEORGE PATAKI (R), FORMER GOVERNOR, NEW YORK: Sending more American troops into Baghdad is unnecessary to achieve the core victory over Al Qaeda In Iraq.

SCHNEIDER: Senator Chuck Hagel's criticism has been full- throated.

SEN. CHUCK HAGEL (R-NB), FOREIGN RELATIONS COMMITTEE: And I think all 100 senators ought to be on the line on this.

What do you believe? What are you willing to support? What did you think? Why are you elected?

If you wanted a safe job, go sell shoes.

SCHNEIDER (on camera): Only one presidential candidate, Democrat Dennis Kucinich, is scheduled to speak at this weekend's anti-war march. Why are the candidates staying away? Probably because they're worried it could like the '60s. Jane Fonda is on the program.

Bill Schneider, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Senator John Kerry takes his anti-war campaign to the economic forum in Davos, Switzerland. The Massachusetts Democrat slammed the Bush administration's foreign policy and told the economic forum the United States has become, quote, "a sort of international pariah".

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JOHN KERRY, (D) MASSACHUSETTS: I don't care how many troops are put in. Iraq is not going to be pacified. Now, we are partly responsible. The absence of legitimate, significant diplomacy is a disgrace. (INAUDIBLE) by a secretary of state are not diplomacy. There should be a special envoy, maybe a joint, bipartisan special enjoy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Kerry criticized what he called the unfortunate habit of Americans to see the world through an American's lens.

Well, now we look at "Saving Your Life" and the role of race in cancer deaths. Our medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen examines why black women are more likely to die of breast cancer than white women.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Patricia Hepburn walks the streets of Harlem looking to save lives.

PATRICIA HARLEM, COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CTR.: Hi, honey.

COHEN: At beauty shops, clothing stores, schools, Hepburn tells women the simple hard truth: cancer is not color-blind. For example, black women who are diagnosed with breast cancer are much more likely to die than white women, 32 percent more likely. White women, more likely to survive.

HEPBURN: Give us a call and come up and get a mammogram.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK.

COHEN: Why would this be true? After all, some of the best cancer care in the world is in African-American communities like Harlem, and more top-notch centers are just a subway ride away?

So what's going on? Why are blacks dying of cancer at higher rates than whites?

Some people believe doctors treat minorities differently than they do white people.

DR. JENNY ROMERO, ONCOLOGIST: There are physicians -- not all -- but there are physicians whose will see the outside first.

COHEN: Dr. Jenny Romero says it started when she was a medical resident, seeing first-hand white doctors treating minority patients like second-class citizens.

ROMERO: It was my first rude awakening to the fact that people aren't always going to be treated according to their disease, but rather what their outward appearance was.

COHEN: And some studies back her up. One found that white doctors were more likely to perceive their black patients as non compliant with medical orders and less intelligent with a tendency towards substance abuse.

And several studies show African-Americans some are less likely to get certain life-saving medical treatments.

(on camera): So when a black person and white person have cancer, the white person is more likely to get surgery, chemotherapy, all those treatments?

DR. ALFRED NEUGUT, COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CTR.: Yes.

COHEN: Why is that? Is that just plain old racism?

NEUGUT: I don't think I would use the term that way. If you mean by that that somehow, in some kind of Ku Klux Klan fashion...

COHEN (voice-over): Dr. Alfred Neugut is head of Cancer Prevention and Control at Columbia University Medical Center. He says there are many reasons why blacks get different care than whites, including education and income levels.

Patricia Hepburn agrees. When she's out on the streets, she hears all sorts of reasons from women about why they won't go in for testing. Sometimes women tell them their husbands won't let a doctor touch their breasts.

HEPBURN: The husband is the head of the household. And he says, "Well, I don't want you to go in. I don't want you to -- I don't want anyone to touch you."

COHEN: And sometimes fatalism plays a role.

HEPBURN: "God gave me the cancer, so this is what I'm supposed to die from."

You know, some women think that way.

COHEN: Hepburn's trying to change all this. She's training women in the community to talk to their friends and family about breast cancer. And in the meantime, she'll keep knocking on doors, keep trying to save lives, working towards the day when black women will survive breast cancer just as often as white women do.

Elizabeth Cohen, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: It was a tragedy from which NASA learned some very important lessons. We'll look back in a live report from the Kennedy Space Center coming up next. And who wouldn't want a presidential library at their university? You'll hear why some people at Southern Methodist University would rather not become the home for George W. Bush's library.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: A spacecraft test that erupted into a ball of flames. Three astronauts trapped and burned to death. Their death remembered today, the 40th anniversary of the Apollo I disaster. (INAUDIBLE) needed safety changes in the space program. CNN's John Zarrella reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Three astronauts, Gus Grissom, Ed White and Roger Chaffee were going to run through a simulated launch of the Apollo One spacecraft. The test never happened. Immediately after the three astronauts were strapped in, problems developed, one glitch, one gremlin after another. Wally Schirra, Grissom's backup on Apollo One, remembered the crew and ground controllers having serious communications problems.

WALLY SCHIRRA, APOLLO ASTRONAUT: They were complaining about the communication system. Gus said something like, if I can't talk to you guys, how the hell are you going to talk to me from going all the way to the moon (INAUDIBLE).

ZARRELLA: Five and a half hours after they got into the spacecraft, as engineers worked through the calm issues, a voice was heard. Quote, we've got fire in the cockpit. They tried getting out but the hatch was bolted. 17 seconds after the word fire was heard, Grissom, White and Chaffee were dead. The pure oxygen in the capsule caused a flash fire. Many years later Grissom's wife Betty said she believed her husband's death led to needed changes in the Apollo program.

BETTY GRISSOM, GUS GRISSOM'S WIDOW: I'd like to think they did. (INAUDIBLE) statement was, you learn more from your mistakes than your advances. He's always said that.

ZARRELLA: Grisham and Chaffee were buried in Arlington National cemetery. White is buried at the cemetery at West Point. After the accident the Apollo spacecraft underwent major changes. Among them, flammable materials in the cabin were replaced. The hatch design changed and could now be opened in 10 seconds.

CHRIS KRAFT, FMR. APOLLO PROGRAM MANAGER: I don't think we would have gotten to the moon in the '60 had we not had the fire. It's a terrible thing to say, but I think it is the truth. It gave us a time period to reflect back on what were doing in the design of the space craft.

NEIL ARMSTRONG, APOLLO ASTRONAUT: Tranquility Base here. The Eagle has landed. It's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.

ZARRELLA: Two years later, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin walked on the moon.

John Zarrella, CNN at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: And now news across America. Cell phones in Milwaukee schools are being banned in a bid to curb violence. Officials say some students use cell phones to call in reinforcements during fights. The ban goes into effect on Monday.

A manhunt is underway in Las Vegas for a priest. Police say the priest may have sexually assaulted and struck a woman at a Catholic church and then fled the scene. The woman was treated and released from a hospital.

Police are searching for an escaped prisoner last seen driving a tour bus belonging to country music singer Crystal Gayle. The suspect escaped from a prison van last Sunday. He allegedly stole a truck in South Carolina, a Wal-Mart tractor trailer in Tennessee and then the tour bus last spotted in Lakeland, Florida. Suspect Christopher Gay (ph) is believed to be trying to see his dying mother.

Police say a love triangle gone wrong caused the death of a sky diver. We'll sort out the details straight ahead.

REYNOLDS WOLF, CNN METEOROLOGIST: I'm Reynolds Wolf looking at the cold and flu report. And we've got widespread cases of the flue in Indiana, Iowa, even into South Carolina. But once you get over into the Rockies, the southern, central and northern Rockies as well as the Pacific Northwest, we only have sporadic cases to report.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Going global now, a bomb exploded near a Shiite mosque in northwest Pakistan, killing at least 11 people, wounding dozens of others. The blast happened in the provincial capital of Peshawar, near the border with Afghanistan. The dead includes one of the local polices chiefs.

At least three now dead in continuing violence between Hamas and Fatah supporters in Gaza. Palestinian medical officials say the deaths brought to 18 the number of Palestinians killed since Thursday.

The Royals are here. Britain's Prince Charles and his wife Camilla are in Philadelphia. And you can hardly them in this shot, but trust me, they are there. It's them. Today they are touring landmarks. And tomorrow they head to New York, where the prince will pick up an environmental award.

Well, was it murder in the sky over Belgium? And was jealousy the motive?

That's what investigators want to determine after a skydiver plunged to her death. CNN's Anderson Cooper reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) ANDERSON COOPER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It was supposed to be just another jump for three members of a Belgian sky diving club, one they had done countless times before. But this time something went terribly wrong.

At 13,000 feet Elsa Van Doren (ph) pulled the cord on her first parachute. It wouldn't open. Neither would her second chute, and she plummeted to her death.

Belgian investigators say it wasn't an accident, her fate was sealed before she even left the ground.

MICHEL ZEGERS, CHIEF PROSECUTOR'S SPOKESMAN (translated): Both her main parachute and here reserve parachute have been tampered with; the first by binding it, and the second by cutting the strings. She died after a spectacular fall.

COOPER: Tampered with, they say, by another member of the skydiving club, this woman: 22 year-old Elsa Claudermans (ph). Her motive? Prosecutors say it was jealousy.

They says both women were dating the same man, another member of the skydiving club, identified only as Marcel (ph). They turned their attention on Claudermans when she attempted suicide the day before she was set to be questioned by police.

ZEGERS: The motives of this case have to be found in the area of passion.

COOPER: Sandy Reid wrote the FAA's official handbook for rigging parachutes and skydives around the world. He says it wouldn't be hard for a close diving companion to cut the cords and sabotage a fellow skydiver after the parachute's been packed.

SANDY REID, PRESIDENT, RIGGING INNOVATIONS: It's very easy for other people to come along and to take a look at that and to do something with it. They'll wander off and go get a cup of coffee or a Coke or have a cigarette or just take a break for an hour or two and come back. And they'll look at that parachute and say, "Hey, it's still there."

But I think it's not very secure in the long term.

COOPER: Police say they have a video of Van Doren, a video they haven't released yet, shot from a camera she was wearing in her helmet. It shows her desperate attempts to open her parachute. She failed. She hit the ground at 130 miles an hour, landing in a back garden in a small Belgian town.

It's taken two months, but prosecutors say they know she was sabotaged by a woman she considered her friend.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We can see on the video that Ms. Elsa Van Doren was panicking very much when it appeared to her that her parachute would not open while going down. And that makes us conclude that she was not intending to commit suicide. COOPER: At her suicide, Elsa Van Doren's sister said, "You did all you could during that final jump to save your life, but someone did not want you to live."

And Belgian police say Elsa Claudermans, fellow sky diver and once her friend, is now the prime suspect in her death.

Anderson Cooper, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Up next, find out why some at Southern Methodist University would like to close the books on a presidential library at their school.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE) someone who has a history of continually committing the same crimes (INAUDIBLE).

WHITFIELD: A night filled with drinks and sex lands this student in prison. And even though he broke the law, many people, even the prosecutors, wonder if the punishment fits the crime. Our legal team will discuss the case at 2:00 p.m. Eastern.

And more on this amazing legal case that is far from over tonight at 10:00 Eastern in the NEWSROOM.

But first, President Bush has his presidential library at Texas A & M University. Now another university in Texas is pushing for the current President Bush to have his library on its campus. There's one major problem, though.

CNN's Ed Lavandera is in Dallas where the controversy is being played out.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In the long six years SMU's push to win the George W. Bush Presidential Library was moving as smoothly as the university's finely manicured landscape.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is the icebreaker.

LAVANDERA: But then a retired anti-war professor wrote a little column in the student newspaper. William McElvaney argued the Bush library threatens SMU's academic integrity.

WILLIAM MCELVANEY, SMU PROFESSOR EMERITUS: (INAUDIBLE) develop what turned into a -- I call it a bully pulpit for the neocon philosophies and things, I think SMU would lose respect.

LAVANDERA: What critics are most concerned about is the plan to attach a conservative think tank to the library.

REV. ANDREW WEAVER, SMU GRADUATE: Your name, you e-mail and affiliation.

LAVANDERA: Methodist minister and SMU graduate Andrew Weaver started an online protest. About 8,000 people have signed on.

WEAVER: We, as Methodists, do not want to be associated with a presidency that has breached the Geneva Conventions. It has held people in prisons without trial. It has tortured people to death under the military authority he has given them. We do not want them to be a part of that.

LAVANDERA (on camera): Some critics are also beginning to fear that bringing the Bush library to this campus could create a terrorist target in an exclusive, well-to-do Dallas neighborhood where 11,000 student go to school.

(voice-over): In a post-9/11 world, the university says security measures are a part of the planning process. Despite the opposition, SMU officials say the library has overwhelming support and will bring history to its campus.

BRAD CHEVES, SMU VICE PRES. OF DEVELOPMENT: Being to bring those resources to the fingertips of students, faculty, scholars, researchers and schoolchildren is a very important thing.

LAVANDERA: A priceless opportunity, SMU says, to study this controversial presidency for years to come.

Ed Lavandera, CNN, DALLAS.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Meantime, an anti-war rally rages on in the nation's capital. We'll give you an update in a moment.

Meantime, "IN THE MONEY" is coming up next.

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