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Senate Hearing Under Way for Navy Admiral William Fallon; Najaf Aftermath; Katrina Politics
Aired January 30, 2007 - 11:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: And good morning, everyone. You're with CNN. You're informed.
I'm Tony Harris.
BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Betty Nguyen, in for Heidi Collins today.
HARRIS: Developments keep coming in to the NEWSROOM on this Tuesday, January 30th.
Here's what's on the rundown.
NGUYEN: Cluster bomb controversy. Israel accused of using them in civilian areas, and that is raising questions for the Bush administration.
HARRIS: A battered city now a backdrop for a presidential election. Candidates are making New Orleans a political stage for 2008.
NGUYEN: And allegations of racism. A North Carolina campus rocked by an alleged attack on Middle Eastern students. College ruckus or a hate crime?
We take a look in the NEWSROOM.
HARRIS: And at the top this hour, a change of command in Iraq. A hearing under way this morning on Capitol Hill for Navy admiral William Fallon. He is poised to become the top U.S. commander in the Middle East and poised to inherit a growing list of urgent problems.
CNN Pentagon Correspondent Barbara Starr joins us with a closer look.
And Barbara, good morning to you.
What are you hearing from the admiral this morning?
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, Tony, Admiral Fallon on the Hill now, testifying for just about an hour and a half or so about his plans when he and if he is confirmed as the head of the U.S. Central Command. Much broader issues, say, than just Iraq.
Iran is likely to be one of the issues at the top of his list. He has already been asked by several senators about their concerns about Iran.
Listen to a bit of an exchange when he was asked about could Iran threaten access to oil supplies in the Middle East.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ADM. WILLIAM FALLON, CENTCOM COMMANDER NOMINEE: Well, based on the behavior that we've seen to date, they have not been helpful in Iraq, and it seems to me that in the region, as they grow their military capabilities, we're going to have to pay close attention to what they do and what they may bring to the table. The U.S. has been, as you well know, playing a significant role in this part of the world for many decades, and I believe it's in our interest to remain engaged in this region.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
STARR: Admiral Fallon went on to say that one of the assessments is Iran may be trying to develop the capability to shut down the Strait of Hormuz through which, of course, much of the world's oil supply flows.
On the questions of Iraq, he has pretty much danced around offering any specific thoughts, other than to say he knows that the U.S. must do something different, that it's not working out in Iraq. As for the surge of troops, he says that is going to be key to actually holding -- that's the word, of course, now that everyone is using -- holding certain areas more secure to try and get a handle on the violence -- Tony.
HARRIS: So, Barbara, let's be clear about this. The senators will ask some tough questions, get the admiral on the record with respect to Iran, Iraq. But at the end of the day, he will be confirmed. Won't he?
STARR: Oh, there is no question. He will in fact be confirmed as head of the U.S. Central Command, replacing General John Abizaid.
What the senators are really doing here is exactly what you say, Tony. They are getting Admiral Fallon on the record, establishing a baseline here, if you will, so months from now, when he comes back, they will be able to point to a record and say, OK, here's what you said last time, now what? That's what they're trying to do.
STARR: CNN Pentagon Correspondent Barbara Starr for us this morning.
Barbara, thank you.
NGUYEN: President Bush on the defensive over his new strategy for Iraq. As the Senate debates Iraq resolutions, much of that debate is expected to center on the buildup of U.S. troops. While the resolutions are non-binding, the president says a vote against his plan would undercut U.S. troops and their mission.
Also today, praise from the president for Iraqi forces after the fight against insurgents in Najaf.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP) GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: One of the things that I expect to see is -- is the Iraqis take the lead and show the American people that they're willing to do the hard work necessary to secure their democracy. And our job is to help them. So my first reaction from the -- on this report from the battlefield is that the Iraqis are beginning to show me something.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
NGUYEN: Now, we are getting word of more violence in Iraq today. At least 10 deaths reported in a mortar attack on a Sunni neighborhood in Baghdad. For Shiite Muslims, today is the holiest day on the calendar, the end of the Ashura holiday. And dozens of Shiite pilgrims have been killed in a series of attacks all across Iraq.
In this attack that you're seeing in Baghdad, police say gunmen took aim at a minibus carrying a group of pilgrims. Seven people were killed. Millions, though, have turned out to mark Ashura. And some of the observances have gone off without incident.
HARRIS: Iraqi troops taking the lead. U.S. forces in support, not just seen as a key to victory in Najaf, but a model for the future.
CNN's Jamie McIntyre reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN SR. PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Najaf was the biggest battle yet for Iraq's much-maligned military. More than a day of fierce fighting with fanatical insurgents described by Iraqis as cult-like religious extremists.
When the haze of battle cleared, the U.S. had lost two soldiers in a helicopter crash. But at least 100, perhaps more than 200, insurgents were dead.
While the Iraqi forces had taken the lead in Najaf, in the end it took U.S. fire power and air support to finish the battle. The U.S. military issued a statement quoting former top spokesman and now division commander Brigadier General Vince Brooks as saying, "This is an example of a promise kept. Everything worked just as it should have."
The U.S. argues this is the model for the future, Iraqi troops out front, with the U.S. backing them up only when needed.
SEAN MCCORMACK, STATE DEPT. SPOKESMAN: It is certainly a very positive thing when you see the Iraqis on the point. That is what they want, that is certainly what we're looking for as well.
MCINTYRE: The U.S. believes the Iraqi offensive thwarted a diabolical plot in which hundreds of gunmen would disguise themselves as pilgrim and murder clerics on the holiest day of the year, including, perhaps, the assassination of Grand Ayatollah Ali-Sistani, something experts say could have only made things far worse. KEN POLLACK, BROOKINGS INSTITUTION: It was Ayatollah Sistani consistently saying to the Shia, do not fight the Americans, do not fight the reconstruction, this is what we want, this is how we are going to have a better future that has been critical in whatever success we've had in Iraq so far. Without Ayatollah Sistani, things might have fallen apart even sooner than they already are.
MCINTYRE: The U.S. likes to portray the enemy in Iraq as a combination of disaffected Ba'athists and foreign terrorists, but Iraqi officials say the militants this time included both Shia and Sunni extremists, as well as members of several fringe splinter groups. It makes finding peace that much more difficult.
JUAN COLE, MIDEAST HISTORY PROFESSOR: Well, Iraq has become a cauldron of religious activism of a fundamentalist sort, often resorting to terror and heavy weaponry, and that, I think, for anyone who knew the old Iraq is a real surprise.
MCINTYRE (on camera): One thing this latest battle seems to show is that what Iraq is facing has moved from a clear-cut insurgency to what military experts increasingly agree is an all-out civil war.
Jamie McIntyre, CNN, the Pentagon.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: Well, if you're headed out today, which many are because we all have to work...
HARRIS: Yes.
NGUYEN: ... Chad Myers, you're not helping in that.
(WEATHER REPORT)
NGUYEN: All right. Party time in New Orleans. No, not Mardi Gras. Instead, political parties. But what do the people think about being a backdrop for 2008?
CNN's Sean Callebs has the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SEAN CALLEBS, CNN CORRESPONDENT, (voice over): All this devastation may no longer be front page news, but it is being used as a political stage by candidates running for president in '08. John Edwards stood in the lower ninth ward last month to announce his run for the Oval Office. Barack Obama was in New Orleans yesterday as a member of the Senate committee looking into the slow pace of recovery.
SEN. BARACK OBAMA, (D) ILLINOIS: The president came down and he said, we will do what it takes. We will stay as long as it takes to help citizens rebuild their communities and their lives.
CALLEBS: Critics point out the nation heard a lot of this in the weeks and months following Katrina. But during the State of the Union, President Bush was talking about something else.
BUSH: In Iraq...
Of Iraq...
To Iraq...
CALLEBS: On the subject of Katrina.
OBAMA: Not a single word. Not one word in the president's State of the Union Address about New Orleans.
CALLEBS: This time, New Orleans residents won't be an easy sell.
LARRY WILLIS, NEW ORLEANS RESIDENT: This is basically about where we had it before the storm.
CALLEBS: Listen to Larry Willis, who was finally getting ready to move back into his Lakeview home.
WILLIS: When they politicians come in here and use it to go on TV, to put ads, they're just using the city of New Orleans for, you know, for their advantage, not for us.
CALLEBS: Silas Lee is a political consolidate in New Orleans. He says the government response to the disaster still looms large.
SILAS LEE, POLITICAL CONSULTANT: People still remember the horror of residents waiting for food, for water and the slow response. So that area is still going to be a strong, symbolic image.
CALLEBS: So candidates, pick up debris.
OBAMA: So what exactly are they doing right here.
CALLEBS: And tour flash points of disaster. But for people like Willis, it's going to take a lot more than that this time around.
WILLIS: I'm frustrated at the whole entire system, the whole entire political system.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: Illinois, a car rams into a school cafeteria during lunchtime. Man, look at that. We'll show you how it ended.
NGUYEN: Also, a campus divided by hate crime allegations. Was it just a ruckus or a racially-motivated attack?
That story in the NEWSROOM.
HARRIS: Breaking the rules. Did Israel violate a ban on the use of cluster bombs?
The story in the NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: A grief counselor is on hand at an elementary school in Illinois today. A car plowed into the school cafeteria yesterday, killing an 8-year-old boy. Two other children had minor injuries.
The 84-year-old woman driving the car was hospitalized. Police plan to question her today. So far, no indication of what may have led to the crash.
NGUYEN: Well, a campus divided. One small college now dealing with some big-time allegations: racism and brutality.
CNN's Dan Lothian has the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DAN LOTHIAN, CNN BOSTON BUREAU CHIEF (voice-over): The Guilford College campus in Greensboro, North Carolina, is a peaceful setting, a Quaker school, proud of its values.
AARON FETROW, DEAN OF CAMPUS LIFE, GUILFORD COLLEGE: Anything violent at Guilford College, really, it runs counter to the Quaker testimonies, to our heritage.
LOTHIAN: Now that's being tested like never before. What's described as a racially-charged fight outside this dorm has led to protests, rallies, and criminal charges.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm hurt. I'm angry about it.
LOTHIAN: According to court documents and a lawyer representing the alleged victims, three Palestinian students, including one visiting from nearby North Carolina State, were taunted and attacked by members of Guilford's football team as they left the dorm.
They say they were called "terrorists" and other racial slurs, and were kicked, pushed, and punched with brass knuckles, suffering concussions and fractures.
SETH COHEN, ATTORNEY FOR ALLEGED VICTIMS: They were minding their own business. It was unprovoked. They didn't want this. They don't want this.
LOTHIAN: One of the alleged victims told a local paper -- quote -- "It was the most horrific experience of my life."
Based only on the complaints, six football players have been charged with assault, five of them also with ethnic intimidation. No one is talking publicly.
But the father of one, Michael Bates, denied the fight was motivated by hate.
TIM BATES, FATHER OF ACCUSED STUDENT: This is not a hate crime. And this -- this is college students that had a -- a ruckus that lasted five minutes. LOTHIAN: Bates says, the players were provoked by their accuser, and were also victims. He showed pictures of Michael Six, one of the suspects.
BATES: The belt marks, a couple on his neck, the one in the middle of his back, of course, on his sides.
COHEN: Any injuries sustained by any of the attackers would have been in self-defense.
LOTHIAN: The fight has now divided this small college. Deena Zaru, a Palestinian student who knows one of the alleged victims, feels like she's now getting the cold shoulder.
DEENA ZARU, STUDENT: I feel like people that used to -- I used to talk to or say hi to or, "How are you?" that doesn't happen anymore with some of them. And they're a lot more distant.
LOTHIAN: Some of the 1,400 students on campus held a rally against hate. Then came a walkout to protest what some describe as the school's slow response, an attempt to cover up something so ugly, a claim officials deny.
FETROW: We will be loyal to our process. This is a process that we use in any case that involves an altercation, any case with facts in dispute.
LOTHIAN (on camera): College officials say they are conducting their own internal investigation. An, while they won't give any details about what they have found so far, they say it is too early to conclude that what happened here was a hate crime.
(voice-over): Despite that, some in the Muslim community believe the fight is, at the very least, a symptom of a bigger problem. In a statement, the head of that area's Islamic Center says, "This was not just an attack on Palestinians. To too many Americans, the words "Middle Eastern," "Muslim" and "terrorist" are synonymous. Across campus, there are now anti-hate signs on paper and sidewalks sending a strong message of tolerance.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We feel we can use this to bring the community together, stop some of the divisions that are happening.
LOTHIAN: A Quaker school, proud of its nonviolent heritage, trying to heal, even as the legal process creates a loud distraction.
Dan Lothian, CNN, Greensboro, North Carolina.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: And still ahead, party pictures, but not what you might think. A college bash draws accusations of racism.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This doesn't represent Clemson, and I think this is poor judgment on their part.
JENNIFER PHILLIPS, REPORTER, WHNS: That's a white guy in black face.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ah. Wow.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: Race relations at Clemson University in the spotlight in the NEWSROOM.
NGUYEN: Also, the Clinton campaign. What role will the former president play in a new Clinton White House? We're going to take a look at that in the NEWSROOM.
HARRIS: And from retired to suddenly rich.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Absolutely astonished. Couldn't believe it, and still don't.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I said, "Jim, you better come down here and look at this."
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: You may want to sit down first.
HARRIS: Hello. Meet the latest big Powerball winners in the NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: All right. So, have you heard the story? Because, if not, we do have an update for you.
Just 9 years old and in trouble with the law. Plus, in court for a hearing yesterday.
There he is. You may remember this young man from earlier this month. Well, he ran away from his Seattle-area home and managed to get on a flight to Texas.
A day before that trip, police say he stole a car and led authorities on a chase. His court appearance involved the car theft accusations, and a judge found probable cause to schedule another hearing for two weeks from now.
HARRIS: You know, with all of the talk about Senator Hillary Clinton's probable presidential run, the question remains, what about Bill?
CNN's Carol Costello takes a look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SEN. HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON (D), NEW YORK: From every continent...
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Perhaps the first sign Bill Clinton as first gentleman might be a little awkward came in Iowa. A campaigning Hillary Clinton heard a voice from the crowd ask, "What qualifies you to deal with evil men like Osama bin Laden?"
CLINTON: What in my background equips me to deal with evil and bad men?
(LAUGHTER)
COSTELLO: The crowd record for a full 31 seconds. To this crowd, Senator Clinton had just taken a playful jab at her husband, Bill. Republican pollster and author Frank Luntz, who wrote, "Words That Work: It's Not What You Say," says, "Brilliant."
FRANK LUNTZ, AUTHOR, "WORDS THAT WORK": Sometimes the most powerful language in American politics is to say absolutely nothing at all. She's starting to learn how to become a good communicator.
COSTELLO: And maybe get voters to pull that philandering husband, that impeachment thing, behind them and get them to think of Bill Clinton as first gentleman, something some Democrats say is a cinch.
LARRY HASS, FMR. CLINTON ADMIN. AIDE: People look back fondly on the 1990s, and if Bill Clinton, campaigning on behalf of Hillary Clinton, reminds people of the 1990s, that is a very good thing. And I think that's much more important than this getting used to process that we're going to have with a first gentleman of some kind.
COSTELLO: Maybe the role of first gentleman is something Mr. Clinton has long been thinking about. Back in 1999, with Hillary thinking of running for the Senate, then-president Bill Clinton put together this spoof for the Washington press corps.
CLINTON: I wish I could be here more, but I really think Bill has everything under control.
WILLIAM JEFFERSON CLINTON, FMR. PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Wait! Wait! Wait! Wait! Stop!
COSTELLO: But if he doesn't plate loving spouse role, will voters accept him in a more traditional first lady persona? Will he be warm and fuzzy like Laura Bush with her literacy campaign? Will he be responsible, a la Nancy Reagan?
NANCY REAGAN, FMR. FIRST LADY: What should you do when someone offers you drugs?
UNIDENTIFIED CHILDREN: Just say no!
COSTELLO: Nearly everyone I spoke to says none of the above. No. First traveler is more like it.
LUNTZ: I'd love to see Bill Clinton in Africa. I'd love to see him in Europe rebuilding those bridges that have been destroyed. COSTELLO: Carol Costello, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: Attacks in Iraq on a holy day. Bullet holes and busted windows tell one story. Pilgrims targeted -- in the NEWSROOM.
NGUYEN: Also, breaking the rules. Did Israel violate a ban on the use of cluster bombs?
That story in the NEWSROOM.
HARRIS: A college theme party raising a lot of eyebrows.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They acted out off ignorance. It promotes a negative image on black people as a whole race of people.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: A good time for some students, a slap in the face to others.
That's ahead in the NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: The picture, they keeps popping up on the Internet, and charges of racism keep flying, college theme parties filled with racial stereotypes. And yesterday we told you about such parties in Texas and Connecticut. Well, now pictures surfaced from Clemson University in South Carolina.
Jennifer Phillips is our affiliate station WHNS, and she takes a look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JENNIFER PHILLIPS, WHNS REPORTER (voice-over): As students at Clemson University head to class, some are taking a break to talk about what they call disturbing pictures, pictures taken at an off- campus party. This guy painted his body black. Another Clemson University student showed up, gripping bottles of malt liquor, 40 ounces, with their hands duct-taped to the bottles.
Lerone Smalls man says it is very offensive.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They acted out of ignorance.
PHILLIPS: The theme -- a "Living the Dream" party held on the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday.
LERONE SMALLS, CLEMSON STUDENT: It promotes a negative image on black people as a whole race of people.
PHILLIPS: There are more pictures. This girl is showing off some gold teeth and is wearing a T-shirt that shows someone smiling with a gold grille.
ADEDOYIN SALAMI, CLEMSON STUDENT: It's my role to break the stereotype.
PHILLIPS: And this girl stuffed her pants to enlarge her behind. And there are several people sporting gold chains, jerseys and baggy clothes.
But some say the most offensive thing -- this poster at the party which shows Martin Luther king with the words "drink more!" coming out of his mouth. Adedoyin Salami went to the party.
SALAMI: Went from making fun of a culture phenomena to making fun of the people, and at that point it became offensive. A lot of other people left the party.
PHILLIPS: Adedoyin says he left, too, but originally came dressed in business attire. He says he went hoping to change minds.
SALAMI: There are differences amongst people and we just have to learn to work with each other in a way where we're not always just stereotyping one another.
PHILLIPS: So we decided to show these pictures to other students on campus to see what they thought.
ASHLEY YORK, CLEMSON STUDENT: It seems almost racist.
PHILLIPS: Some couldn't believe it.
YORK: This doesn't represent Clemson, and I think this is poor judgment on their part.
PHILLIPS: Others say it didn't offend them at all.
JUSTIN GRIFFITH, CLEMSON STUDENT: These kind of theme parties, I mean, even lingerie parties, those are popping up a lot more often, too. So I guess it is pretty commonplace, to tell you the truth.
You see here -- I mean, you've got white and black people here. So I mean that's not really defining anybody.
PHILLIPS (on camera): No, that's a white guy, a blackface.
GRIFFITH Ah. Ah.
PHILLIPS (voice-over): Now these students who came here to learn say they want to teach others a lesson -- one of respect.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(WEATHER REPORT)
HARRIS: We are getting word of more deadly violence in Iraq. At least 10 deaths now reported in a mortar attack on a Sunni neighborhood in Baghdad. For Shiite Muslims, today is the holiest day on the calendar, the end of the Ashura holiday. And dozens of Shiite pilgrims have been killed in a series of attacks across Iraq. In this attack in Baghdad, police say gunmen took aim at a minibus carrying a group of pilgrims. Seven people were killed. Millions have turned out to mark Ashura. And some of the observances have gone off without incident.
NGUYEN It is a controversy over cluster bombs. Did Israel break an agreement with the U.S. by using them in a civilian area?
CNN's Ben Wedeman takes a look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BEN WEDEMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): They're scattered all over Southern Lebanon, around a million unexploded cluster bombs, according to the United Nations. Israel dropped most of them in the final days of its war with Hezbollah. Cluster bombs are designed to spread hundreds of small explosives, or bomblets, over a large area. Many of these munitions, some decades old, were provided to Israel by the United States, on condition they not be used in civilian areas.
And now the U.S. State Department has submitted a preliminary report to Congress indicating Israel may well have violated that condition in Lebanon.
A spokesman for the Israeli embassy in Washington gave CNN a written statement defending Israel's actions in Lebanon, saying "Israel suffered heavy casualties in these attacks and acted as any government would in exercising its right to self-defense."
Officials claim the weapons were used to try to end the rain of Hezbollah rockets on Northern Israel. If it's determined Israel violated the agreement with the U.S., the provision of such weapons could be halted and not for the first time.
(on camera): The U.S. suspended sales of cluster weapons to Israel under similar conditions for six years following its 1982 invasion of Lebanon. Since then, Israel has itself become a major manufacturer and exporter of such weapons. Some of which it sells to the U.S.
(voice-over): The U.N. says the bombs have killed at least 30 Lebanese since the fighting ended. And injured more than 180 others. And they've wreaked havoc long after the guns went silent.
LUCY MAIR, HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH: This put a huge damper on the harvest in an already devastated region of the country, because farmers were literally afraid that they would go into the fields at risk of their lives.
PHILLIPS: Several Israeli officials involved in the Lebanon War voiced reservations at the extensive use of cluster munitions. An Israeli newspaper quoted an unnamed commander who said, "What we did was insane and monstrous. We covered entire towns in cluster bombs."
Ben Wedeman, CNN, Jerusalem. (END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: Still ahead, Alzheimer's, multiple sclerosis and other neurological diseases, more common than we thought. New findings in the NEWSROOM.
NGUYEN: And say the 'n' word, get a fine. A small-town mayor pushes his plan, but the town is pushing back. We have that ahead in the NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: In medical news this morning, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, Multiple Sclerosis. Just how prevalent are they? Neurological diseases affect millions of Americans. Researchers say some of them are far more common than most people believe. A new study finds MS about 50 percent higher than it was in 1982, Alzheimer's also substantially higher, and along with Parkinson's, expected to increase dramatically as the population ages.
NGUYEN: This is also really interesting, Tony, because scientists may be closer to finding out what triggers our salt cravings. They found what may be a link between salt levels at birth and later preferences. Researchers looked at 41 children and teens who had been born prematurely and they found that a majority of kids born with lower sodium levels in their blood chose salty snacks over sweets. So to get your daily dose of health news online, just log on to our Web site. You'll find the latest medical news, a health library and information on diet and fitness. The address on the screen, CNN.com/Health.
HARRIS: "YOUR WORLD TODAY" coming up in about 18 minutes, at the top of the hour right here on CNN. Jim Clancy standing by with a preview. Good morning, Jim.
JIM CLANCY, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Hi, Tony. Hi there, Betty. Bumping into you everywhere.
We take a look at what's happening today in the streets of Iraq. Iraqi cities, an incredible scene there as millions of Shia Muslim pilgrims turn out to commemorate Ashura, their day of atonement. Despite heavy security, suicide bombers strike in three cities killing more 30 people though.
And in Georgia, the former Soviet republic, details are beginning to emerge about a deeply troubling offer to sell weapons-grade nuclear material. We're going to have an exclusive report that traces the investigation.
And you know, you talk about tracing things back. Well what scientists have discovered now near the mysterious ruins of Stonehenge. You see it right there. How it could cast light on the murky origins of that site.
So we've got a look at past and a look at the future, all of it coming up at the top of the hour with the news with an international perspective. Back to you guys.
HARRIS: All right Jim, thank you.
Outlawing the "N" word. A small-town mayor's move hits a big bump in the road. CNN's Ed Lavandera reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MICHAEL RICHARDS, COMEDIAN: He's a (EXPLETIVE DELETED).
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, my God.
ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): When comedian Michael Richards launched into this racially offensive meltdown, the scandal over the N-word hit home in an unlikely place, Brazoria, Texas, a small town of nearly 3,000 people near Houston.
For Mayor Ken Corley, it brought back an old demon.
KEN CORLEY, MAYOR OF BRAZORIA, TEXAS: I have also been asked I have -- if I have used the N-word. And, to answer that question, I have. You know, I'm not proud of it. I do no longer use that word. And -- and I'm thankful that I have made that change in my life.
LAVANDERA: Corley decided to erase the word from his town's vocabulary, too, making it a crime to use the N-word, disturbing the peace, and a $500 fine.
CORLEY: I think the racial problem is everywhere. It's somewhat swept under the rug, you know? You know, a lot of people don't want to admit that they have racial issues.
LAVANDERA: So, this hard-charging former car salesman set out to win people over, starting with black ministers in town.
Bishop Ricky Jones liked what he heard.
RICKY JONES, RESIDENT OF BRAZORIA: This word has been used to demonize, demoralize and degrade black people as a whole. I believe that what has taken place here can really be a trendsetter for the rest of the nation.
LAVANDERA (on camera): When the mayor came up with the idea of banning the N-word, he thought it was a slam-dunk idea, couldn't imagine why anyone would be against it. But he quickly discovered he was wrong.
(voice-over): Around town, most black and white residents thought it was a horrible idea.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't see no reason to do it. We will probably be the ones probably get fined the most, anyway.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Let's get rid of the F-word. Let's get rid of some of the -- the really repulsive curse words that we hear on the street. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How many are you going to pick out, just that one?
LAVANDERA: Opposition was so intense, that a public hearing on the issue couldn't fit in the city council chamber. So, instead, 200 people gathered under the lights in the city hall parking lot to let the mayor have it.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This ordinance is not going to combat racism going on, on under the table.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You have opened up a can of worms.
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And it's time for it to be stopped.
LAVANDERA: Mayor Corley knew this was the end of the road.
CORLEY: You all have spoken overwhelmingly against this ordinance. And I think that, this evening, you will hear the last of it.
(APPLAUSE)
LAVANDERA (on camera): Was that rough to go through?
CORLEY: Yes, sir. It probably was the roughest thing I have had ever had to deal with in my 62 years, you know?
LAVANDERA (voice-over): Ken Corley walked into the darkness a defeated man, but hoping that, if nothing else, people here are a little more aware of the power of their words.
Ed Lavandera, CNN, Brazoria, Texas.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: I'm Susan Lisovicz at the New York Stock Exchange. All those cut backs have created an opportunity for one regional airport. And that may be very good news from Bakersfield to Spokane. I'll have details when the NEWSROOM returns. You're watching CNN, the most trusted name in news.
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NGUYEN: So you know, getting a direct flight between big cities like New York and Los Angeles, not so hard to do. But it is a different story if you're flying from one small city to another. Here's the good news. That may change. Susan Lisovicz is at the New York Stock Exchange with all these details. People are listening very closely, Susan.
(BUSINESS HEADLINES)
NGUYEN: We appreciate it. Thank you, Susan. HARRIS: And still to come, from retired to suddenly rich.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JIM WILSON II, LOTTERY WINNER: Absolutely astonished. Couldn't believe it and still don't.
SHIRLEY WILSON, LOTTERY WINNER: I said, Jim, you better come down here around look at this.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: Oh, yes.
HARRIS: Double-time it. We will meet the latest big Powerball winners in the NEWSROOM.
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HARRIS: You already know to catch us weekday mornings from 9:00 a.m. until noon Eastern, right? OK, good, good, good. But did you know you can take us with you anywhere on your iPod? The CNN NEWSROOM podcast available 24/7 right on your iPod.
NGUYEN: And you know the news doesn't stop here.
HARRIS: Sorry.
DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: I was listening to Tony on my iPod. Hold on, what did you say? Oh wait a minute, you can tell me in person.
HARRIS: Absolutely.
NGUYEN: Don Lemon coming up this afternoon.
LEMON: It's on my favorites.
HARRIS: All right, good, good.
NGUYEN: As long as he's not singing.
LEMON: I listen to you guys every day and we hope you watch us every day at 1:00.
Here's what's coming up. Reporting for debrief, California Representative Tom Lantos just back from Iraq and Afghanistan. And no real surprise, he is not backing the president's plan to increase troop levels.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. TOM LANTOS (D), CALIFORNIA: You cannot unscramble this omelet by injecting additional American troops.
(END VIDEO CLIP) LEMON: Do House Democrats have any other solutions? At 3:00 p.m. Eastern, we'll take you live to Washington to hear from Nancy Pelosi and other lawmakers who made the trip.
And also this -- can't get enough of this. Former supermodel Tyra Banks says she is sick of being tagged as chunky and she's ready to throw down the critics. She's throwing down. We'll hear more from her. We also want to hear what you think about America's obsession with weight, not just our own, but everybody else's. We'll be taking your e-mails so be sure to -- ouch -- weigh in on this one. All that coming up today at 1:00 p.m. Eastern right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.
NGUYEN: It is a talker.
LEMON: Until then, I'll be listening to you guys.
HARRIS: Well I just want her to lose the weight because I want her healthier.
NGUYEN: Tony.
HARRIS: I just don't want her to run any increase.
LEMON: Have you seen her?
NGUYEN: You know, both of you need to stop right now before you get into trouble.
HARRIS: ... risks of any problems with her health. That's all I'm saying.
NGUYEN: Tyra, Tyra, don't listen to any of this.
LEMON: I agree with you because she should be healthy, but Tyra is a beautiful, healthy woman.
NGUYEN: She absolutely is.
LEMON: As long as you're healthy, you should be any size you want to be.
HARRIS: OK, all right.
NGUYEN: Let me just say, Tony, I'd hate to be in your shoes right about now, Tyra's calling.
LEMON: Thanks, guys.
HARRIS: And still to come -- he is 84. She's 79. And now they have more than a quarter billion ways to spend their retirement. It is all thanks to a winning Powerball ticket. Report Kelly Jackson of CNN affiliate KSDK has details.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KELLY JACKSON, KSDK CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Smiles as big as the check the Wilson family won. Missouri's newest millionaires still can't believe it. It was mom Shirley Wilson who discovered their amazing fate.
SHIRLEY WILSON: Well, I looked at the numbers first. Like four times I went over them. And then I said, Jim? You better come down here and look at this.
JACKSON: Since all five, each pitch in $1 when the jackpot is big, they called their sons for a meeting later that day.
SHIRLEY WILSON: We didn't tell them anything until they got to the house. Then naturally, oh, my goodness!
JAMES WILSON III, LOTTERY WINNER: It's still unbelievable. I mean the chance of just an ordinary person winning this.
JACKSON: The odds of winning the $254 million prize, we were told by lottery officials, one in 146 million.
JIM WILSON: Absolutely astonished. Couldn't believe it, and still don't.
JACKSON: Especially since the elder Wilson bought the ticket at south county Dierbergs just an hour before the close of Powerball sales last Wednesday night. It was an extra quick pick among a group that had already been printed during the rush.
JAMES WILSON: He didn't know if that ticket would be any good.
JACKSON: Mr. Wilson has been retired for years as an electrician. One son was forced to retire. Another recently found a new job after a long search. The modest family is still deciding what to do with all that money.
JAMES WILSON: Things you've thought about possibly buying that you could never afford. Good college education for the grandkids, to make sure that's all taken care of. And possible a home in a warm climate.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: Mr. Wilson, hello? Man, that's a good story.
NGUYEN: That's nice.
HARRIS: That's a lot of nice.
NGUYEN: Maybe we can be related to them in any way, we can go back to the records perhaps. Give us a call.
HARRIS: Sure, I'm open to it.
NGUYEN: In the meantime, CNN NEWSROOM continues one hour from now.
HARRIS: "YOUR WORLD TODAY" is next with news happening across the globe and here at home. I'm Tony Harris.
NGUYEN: And I'm Betty Nguyen.
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