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Imus Reaction; Preacher's Wife Trial; Green Zone Bombing; Imus Off The Air

Aired April 13, 2007 - 10:00   ET

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

T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: Out of bounds. Now, out of work because of racially charged comments. What's next for Don Imus and his shock jock brethren? We ask our guests.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: She made herself a widow, but the defense says there's more to the story of the preacher's wife on trial for murder. We follow developments in court today.

HOLMES: And find fighting old age with hormones. A fountain of youth or risky remedy. Chasing life with Dr. Sanjay Gupta.

It is Friday the 13th. But don't worry, you're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

COLLINS: We want to first bring you this live shot coming to us from Rutgers. You may recognize some of those faces there now. That's the women's Rutgers basketball team, of course. The Rutgers board of governors is hosting an event in their honor to sort of recognize their accomplishments. Such a great season. Getting all the way to the final four there. And the team is expected, as you can see, to be there. Not sure if they're all there, but it looks like it.

It was a previously scheduled event, though, unrelated to everything else that's been happening regarding Don Imus and the comments that he made on his radio/television program that is no more. But we are there. We are looking at it for you. And we will bring you any developments should they happen.

HOLMES: And, of course, Imus is off the air this morning, but behind closed doors last night, after a week of public debate and just hours after his very public firing, Don Imus met with the women of Rutgers basketball team. They were the target of his racially charged comments.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

C. VIVIAN STRINGER, RUTGERS WOMEN'S BASKETBALL COACH: Hopefully we can put all of this behind us and look forward to a much more productive society. So we'll look forward to things and that's really what we would like to do, is to go forward and to let the healing process begin.

DEIRDRE IMUS, WIFE OF FIRED RADIO HOST: They gave us the opportunity to listen to what they had to say and why they're hurting, and how awful this is. And I have to say that these women are unbelievably courageous and beautiful women. And one thing I want to say is that the hate mail that's being sent to them must stop. It's -- this is wrong. If you want to send hate mail, send it to my husband.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: Imus' wife sitting in for him to host his fund-raiser for children's charities. CNN's senior correspondent Allan Chernoff is in New York now.

Allan, what lessons should other radio personalities try to take away from this controversy?

ALLAN CHERNOFF, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Heidi, they may learn that there could be bigger changes coming in the broadcasting industry, particularly if CBS follows through on some of what it's been talking about with regard to the firing of Imus. Yesterday CEO Les Moonves put out a memo to the staff of CBS. And I'll read a little bit of it. He's talking here about the firing. And he said, "in taking him off the air, I believe we take an important and necessary step in change that culture, which extends far beyond the walls of our company."

Les Moonves is talking about changing American pop culture, curbing offensive speech in that culture. And, in fact, he discussed that very issue with more than half a dozen African-American leaders yesterday morning. They were right here talking about that meeting that they had with Mr. Moonves. They called on CBS to fire Imus, but they also want to see further changes. And, in fact, these African- American leaders said they're going to carry that message to other media companies.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REV. AL SHARPTON, CIVIL RIGHTS ACTIVIST: We're going to be looking around the television industry and the music industry. And clearly I think that all of them ought to know that there's no one that does not, in our judgment, get a pass here. I think from musicians on.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHERNOFF: Well, let's see what happens from the other media companies and also CBS. Because, as you know, controversial and offensive comments very often do lead to big ratings in radio and television. And certainly outrageous lyrics in music, well, they haven't hurt sales one bit. And, obviously, these big media companies, which include the parent of CNN, Time Warner, they are in business to sell product. So there's a balance there and let's see how this all plays out. It will be very, very interesting.

Heidi.

COLLINS: Yes, there is no question about it. I mean, obviously, this is not the first time something explosive has been said. It certainly doesn't excuse it. But it's going to be really interesting to see it all go down.

Allan, I do wonder, both financially and from this public relations standpoint that we've been talking about, what does dropping the Imus show really mean to these networks?

CHERNOFF: Well, for CBS Corporation, and Imus is a complicated business, or at least was a complicated business, because it wasn't just CBS. But for CBS Corporation alone, the profit hit is not going to be all that bad. A source who is very familiar with the inside numbers says that Imus basically generated about $2 million for this company, for CBS Corporation. His revenues were far, far higher, but the program had big expenses for a radio show, particularly Mr. Imus' salary, which has been said to be about $10 million a year.

Now, of course, the program also was syndicated to individual radio stations around the country. Many of which are not owned by CBS. And those individual stations certainly could take a hit as well.

COLLINS: CNN's Allan Chernoff for us on the story.

Allan, thanks so much for that.

The meeting between Imus and the Rutgers players held in the governor's mansion in New Jersey. Governor John Corzine, though was on his way to moderate when he was involved in a violent car crash. Today he is in critical condition but expected to recover. The crash broke his leg, several ribs, his sternum and fractured a vertebra. The trooper who was driving Corzine suffered minor injuries. Police are searching for the driver of a red pickup who is blamed for causing the crash.

HOLMES: The preacher's wife back in court this hour. Mary Winkler faces a first degree murder charge for killing her husband. Looking at a live picture of that courtroom here. Both sides outlining a secret life behind the facade of a perfect marriage in a small down in Tennessee. Our Thomas Roberts is covering the trial.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

THOMAS ROBERTS, CNN CORRESPONDENT, (voice over): A stoic Mary Winkler arrives at court for the start of her first degree murder trial. Once inside, the opening statements set the tone for two very different Marys. The prosecution paints her as a shrewd killer. One who chose to kill her husband instead of admit to him that she fell prey to an expensive Nigerian check cashing scam.

WALT FREELAND, PROSECUTOR: Mary set up a bank account in another town, in a town where she was going to college, at the First State Bank in Henderson. And the deposits in the First State Bank of Henderson were basically all these phony checks. She set up an account in her name -- her name -- in Henderson. She had, as the contact, not the home telephone on Mollie (ph) Drive, but her own cell phone number.

ROBERTS: When the banks became aware of these fraudulent checks, the prosecution contends Mary Winkler acted.

FREELAND: This was not a good reason to kill Matthew Winkler, but the state's proof will be that it informed her mind, and formed the intent that she had after her sleepless night on March the 21st, know that that next day Matthew and she had to go to the bank and get her problems straightened out.

ROBERTS: The defense, however, casts Mary as the victim of a loveless and abusive marriage. And on March 22, 2006, she snapped, shooting her husband once in the back with his own shotgun.

STEVE FARESE, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: He didn't like the way she talked. He didn't like the way she walked. He didn't like it because she was too fat. He would tell her she couldn't eat lunch because she was too fat. She wasn't perfect and she had to be perfect to be a preacher's wife.

ROBERTS: Winkler, who still wears a wedding band, had a hard time in court hiding her emotions. She would bite her upper lip, wipe away tiers and at one point even mouthed the word "wow" when listening to the prosecution. It's unclear if Mary Winkler will take the stand in her own defense.

LESLIE BALLIN, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: A decision will be made at the last minute. There's no need to make that decision now. But, practically speaking, if she doesn't tell what went on, we're not going to hear it, are we?

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES: All right. And our Thomas Roberts has been covering this trial for us, joins us now.

And, Thomas, we saw a few shots over there in your piece, sitting in court. Like you said, wiping her eyes and mouthed the word "wow" at one point. But give us a better idea. We've just seen a couple clips there, but give us a better idea of her overall demeanor as she sits in court.

ROBERTS: You know, she gets pretty upset at times, T.J., but most of all she's taking a lot of notes, she's talking to her lawyers back and forth at different times when witnesses are on the stand, maybe giving her lawyers some points when they get up to ask their own questions. But most of all she's paying very close attention to actually what's being said, and I think also at times, as we've seen, watching yesterday anyway, she was very aware of the cameras at different times as they were moving around the court.

But, most of all, she was keeping a very close eye on the prosecution and what they were saying, especially when they started first calling their witnesses. The first witness up yesterday was her father-in-law, Dan Winkler. So it was a pretty interesting day. They promised fireworks on day one and they gave them to us right out of the gate in the opening statements.

HOLMES: All right, Thomas Roberts covering all the fireworks in this quite interesting trial.

Thomas, thank you so much.

COLLINS: An al Qaeda-linked insurgent group now claiming responsibility for the suicide bombing in Iraq's parliament building. Let's get right to CNN's Kyra Phillips, live in Baghdad now.

Kyra, who is this group that's taking responsibility?

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Heidi, it was interesting. They held a special session today and everybody was wondering how many members of parliament were going to show up. There are 275 members. And there was a pretty low turnout.

But the speaker of the house didn't mince any words. He came forward, offered condolences for the loss of one of their lawmakers, Mohammed Awad. Someone who was very outspoken against the government. A part of the national dialogue front. Eleven seats on that front. He was known to be outspoken with his views. He was also on the committee for security and defense.

But the speaker of the house coming forward offering condolences. Everybody offering condolences to his family, putting flowers on his chair. But at the same time saying to everyone, they're not going to let this suicide bomber in any way affect what this parliament wants to do.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAHMOUD AL-MASHADANI, IRAQI SPEAKER OF PARLIAMENT, (through translator): I would like to call on all the people of Iraq and assure them that we are going to be up to this situation. And this will showcase that we are in the same boat.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Now, Heidi, what exactly happened? How did this suicide bomber get inside the convention center where the Iraqi parliament was meeting yesterday, blowing himself up and killing one lawmaker and injuring 22 others? Still not sure.

A lot of speculation, though, that it was infiltration. That it was somebody within the cafeteria staff that got in there and blew himself up because they knew exactly what time those parliament members would be in there lunching after their session. So now investigators have detained three workers in the cafeteria, a number of security guards that were working there. Now looking into the possibility that it was an inside job.

COLLINS: Kyra, I'm sure you've probably noticed some changes with security inside the Green Zone. I mean when somebody gets in that close and into that building, it's got to cause some change.

PHILLIPS: That's right. And we talked about that yesterday, how many checkpoints there are and how tough it is even to get through there on a regular day. Today it took twice as long to get in, twice as long to get out. And I can tell you, all those checkpoints, there were more personnel, those checks were intense.

Everyone was going through the metal detectors because there is speculation also that it's possible that within this inside job, this suicide bomber may not have gone through any checkpoints. And if he did, it would have been one or two and possibly with somebody that helped him get through without having to be checked or show any identification. That is being looked into it as well.

COLLINS: Oh, I bet it is. All right. CNN's Kyra Phillips live from Baghdad this morning.

Kyra, thank you.

HOLMES: Don Imus. What he said and what his firing says about the times we live in. That's a closer look through the eyes of our guests. That's straight ahead.

COLLINS: Also, those former Duke University lacrosse players may be off the hook, but not the D.A. His legal troubling and what he's saying now coming up in the NEWSROOM.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The wind is just howling. Fire equipment on the move.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Look at that. It's going, dude, it's going nuts.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: Well, we've got a 90210 emergency. Flames engulf expensive homes in Beverly Hills. That story coming up in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: You're in the NEWSROOM. I'm Heidi Collins.

Others saw disaster. They saw opportunity. The new New Orleans, coming up in the NEWSROOM.

HOLMES: And I'm T.J. Holmes.

Human growth hormone, the fountain of youth or a shorter path to death? Our chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta examines it for his series "Chasing Life." That's in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: The firing of Don Imus, is it about time or is it really about much more than just what he said? We have two people to share their opposing views today. Ben Ferguson is the host of the syndicated radio show that bears his name. Marc Lamont Hill is sometimes called a hip-hop intellectual. He's an assistant professor in urban education and American studies at Temple University. Gentlemen, to the both of you, thank you for being with us today.

You know, we want to try to move forward the best that we can in this discussion, but clearly it's not over yet. Let me just ask both of you, did CBS do the right thing in firing Don Imus?

Ben.

BEN FERGUSON, THE BEN FERGUSON SHOW: No, I don't think they did the right thing at all. I think they basically had a product and a man that had been loyal to them for very long time, that said a very, very stupid and ignorant thing that should have been suspended for a couple weeks, but they overlooked all the positive things that he's done with his charity that he and his wife has done and they basically sacrificed this guy's entire career because of pressure for to keep their brand, I guess you could say, squeaky clean. And that's the unfortunate part.

COLLINS: Yes. But, Ben, to be fair, his charity work, though it is significant, about $250 million of his own money . . .

FERGUSON: It's a lot of money.

COLLINS: Going to several different charities, has nothing to do with his job of being on the radio or on television.

FERGUSON: Right. But I think part of the problem is, is people have all of a sudden tried to anoint this man as some moral leader and he's not. He's an entertainer. He's a man that goes on the radio and entertains. And then all of a sudden they try to hold him at this standard of somehow he's some moral leader and he's just not that. I think what he said was repugnant, it was despicable, but I mean for him to lose his entire career over this for something that he said that was stupid, I think is going a little bit too far. I mean look at all . . .

COLLINS: All right. Mark, go ahead. Go ahead. Tell us what you think. Was there any other choice for CBS or for MSNBC?

MARC LAMONT HILL, ASST. PROFESSOR, TEMPLE UNIVERSITY: Yes. I don't think the expectation here has to be that he's a moral leader, but I think there are basic standards of decency that CBS wants his employers to meet. Now I don't want to make it seems as if CBS was motivated by feelings or genuine regard for the aggrieved (ph) people. Clearly they were responding to their fan base, they were responding to their audience and they were responding to their advertisers.

But at the bottom line here is, Don Imus is someone who made remarks that offended a whole community of people and the people responded. And now CBS is responding. Initially people said this was a free speech arguments and all the opponents said, no, no, let the market decide. Well, quite clearly, the market has decide.

FERGUSON: Actually, no they haven't.

HILL: CBS protected its brand and -- absolutely. FERGUSON: Marc, the market -- there's not one single radio station in America that had dropped this man because of what he said. They all said they would suspend him. They all said they would deal with that. But not one single radio station dropped him.

And the other thing about CBS is, they knew what this man was doing for a long time. And why don't they go after their stations that -- the number two songs in America are hip-hop songs . . .

HILL: They absolutely should, Ben.

COLLINS: Wait, wait, wait, let's not talk at the same time because then no one can hear what you're saying. Finish your point, Ben. I'm going to get to you, Marc.

FERGUSON: The number one and number two songs on the hip-hop charts right now have the word "ho" in it. And they play on stations that are owned by this corporation. Now why aren't they going after their stations for playing this stuff? And it's a double standard.

COLLINS: Marc, go ahead.

HILL: Well, I don't think it's a double standard. But I don't think you see any disagreement from any of us who have been fighting this battle. All of us have said, it's not either or, it's both and. We need to challenge Don Imus and we needed to challenge CBS, but we also need to challenge anyone who is degrading and disrespecting black women by calling them hos.

FERGUSON: Absolutely.

COLLINS: OK. And it's a great point. But I want to make sure we get that in, OK, because we have heard that from several people now, including the Reverend Al Sharpton, who just yesterday came out and said that's exactly what he and his organization are going to do. They're going to go after every radio, television or otherwise entertainer and hold them accountable. Then we also heard . . .

HILL: They have been.

COLLINS: We also heard from . . .

FERGUSON: No, they haven't.

COLLINS: Hang on, guys. We also heard from Tom Delay last night. I want to go ahead and play some of this sound for you and get your comments on the back side here.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TOM DELAY, FORMER HOUSE MAJORITY LEADER: I'm calling for conservatives to take on Rosie O'Donnell. She called Christians, compared them to Islamo-fascist. She criticized and ridiculed Chinese-Americans. She accused the president of being responsible for 9/11. Let's now start calling for her resignation.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: Marc, why does Rosie O'Donnell still have her job?

HILL: Well, for one, there hasn't been the great level of protest against her that would be for Don Imus. Rosie O'Donnell has done things that I found reprehensible as well and I think she should be punished for that. However, there is a difference between making controversial comments, like saying the president is responsible for 9/11, and making racist remarks that pollute the airwaves and mainstream hate speech. That's how a Rosie O'Donnell has done. But when she does do that or if she does do that or if she has done that, then we should respond in the same fashion. We have to have indignation across the board.

FERGUSON: Marc, is it not racist for her to go after Christians and compare them the way she did? Is it not racist for her to go after Chinese-Americans and the comments that she has made and the funny jokes she's made about them. I mean there's -- you look at this lady and the reason -- I'll tell you, I'll be honest with you, the reason why she didn't get -- no one called for her name to be fired is because she doesn't -- there wasn't people like Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson out there saying, this man deserves to lose his job, like they've done and beat the drums like they have. And the reality is . . .

HILL: Well, perhaps there should be. But there should be, Ben.

FERGUSON: But, Marc, Al Sharpton . . .

HILL: There should be. There absolutely should be. If she's doing things that are racist and reprehensible, then she should be challenged in the same way.

FERGUSON: Well, then why isn't she, because it's a double standard.

HILL: The one thing here is, Rosie O'Donnell . . .

COLLINS: OK. OK.

HILL: No, no, there just aren't people advocating on that side. Rosie O'Donnell makes or two comments. But Don Imus had a whole history of making these comments and that's what people were challenging. It wasn't just that one of his remarks, it's his (ph) whole position (ph).

COLLINS: But this is the comment that changed his job and lost the job.

HILL: Absolutely.

COLLINS: So here's the question for you. And I have to say, I don't know a single, living, breathing soul who has ever said that these comments were OK. Everyone agrees on that. There's no question about it.

FERGUSON: Absolutely.

COLLINS: However, what does it do for the future of race relations, Ben?

FERGUSON: Well, I don't think -- I mean, here's the thing. You look at the ladies of Rutgers and you look how they handled themselves. That's where we should take the lead from them. They said, you know what, we're going to sit down with this man. We're going to talk to this man. We're going to see if he's legitimate in his apology.

And that's exactly what we should learn from this. We shouldn't point fingers. We shouldn't go back after -- you know, and hold press conference after press conference trying to tear people down. These ladies said, you know what, he doesn't know us. We're going to meet with him and let him get to know us.

That's what we should learn from this, not have people go out there and constantly try to beat a man into the ground after he apologizes over and over again. Try to come to the table, talk about it. And, you know what, these ladies are half the age of Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson and they showed 10 times more class than they ever have.

COLLINS: Yes, it was pretty remarkable.

Ben, I'm going to give you the last word. And I just want to let everybody know what we were looking at on the other side of the screen. That's file tape now, but right now the board of regents at Rutgers is holding a special sort of ceremony for the basketball team -- there you see the live shot now -- in recognition of their great accomplishments and their great season.

Ben, I'm going to give you the last word.

FERGUSON: Go ahead, Marc.

COLLINS: I'm sorry. I'm sorry. Forgive me. Marc Lamont Hill, you last words.

HILL: Yes. I think the question here is not -- the future of race relations really hinges upon not what we did yesterday, but what we do tomorrow. The issue here isn't just hate speech. If those of us on the left think that we won a big battle by getting Don Imus fired, we're wrong. We need to get underneath this issue. We need to not just talk about people who call women hos or use the "n" word and things like that, we need to talk about the systemic structures that actually treat people like that. That's what makes Al Sharpton's work and Jesse Jackson's work and all the activists' work so important is that we're not just looking a this one individual, we're looking at the larger structure that make this thing possible. That's what we have to do. We have to get together at the table and talk about how we're going to change this system.

FERGUSON: I hope they really start to do that. HILL: That's what their whole careers have been about and that's what we're going to continue to do. That's what I'm going to continue to do.

FERGUSON: They didn't just get the memo that rap music is disgusting (ph).

COLLINS: Guys, I've got to tell you, it's . . .

HILL: And they've always been fighting it. Last week . . .

COLLINS: And we never ever have enough time to fix all the problems of the world in our little blocks that we try to bring it up.

HILL: We try, though.

COLLINS: We do. And it's a good discussion. And we appreciate your time, to the both of you.

FERGUSON: Thanks for having us.

COLLINS: Ben Ferguson and Marc Lamont Hill.

Thanks, guys.

HILL: Thanks. Thank you.

HOLMES: Well students get a surprise from their pen pal in Afghanistan. The soldier shows up in class.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You're sitting in the bunk and you're away from your family and stuff and you're reading some of the stuff that they're writing there, you know, and it just brings a smile to your face.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: Letters from home. That's coming up in the CNN NEWSROOM.

GERRI WILLIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Gerri Willis. Managing your credit score and making the most of a financial gift. We answer your questions next on "Top Tips" in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: Checking out the Dow Jones Industrial average. Oh, it's down again. But it's only down eight. I guess it could be a lot worse than that, right? The Nasdaq down about eight as well, resting now at 12,542 or so. We'll check those business stories with you a little bit later on.

HOLMES: Well, let's see here. We're going to be talking Don Imus in a second. But first, we need to tell the people who we are. COLLINS: Go right ahead.

HOLMES: I'm T.J. There's usually a guy named Tony sitting here, but I'm taking care of it for him today. He's just taking a day off.

COLLINS: Yes, he is. And I'm Heidi Collins, everybody. Welcome to a Friday morning right here in the NEWSROOM.

HOLMES: And the other name you've been hearing a lot today, Don Imus. His voice now silenced on the radio, but talking and listening when it may count most. Just hours after being canned by CBS, the radio host met last night with the women of Rutgers basketball. They were the target of his racially charged comments, of course. This morning we heard from two women at that meeting, the team's coach and Imus' wife.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DEIRDRE IMUS, WIFE OF FIRED RADIO HOST: They gave us the opportunity to listen to what they had to say and why they're hurting, and how awful this is. And I have to say that these women are unbelievably courageous and beautiful women. And one thing I want to say is that the hate mail that's being sent to them must stop. It's -- this is wrong. If you want to send hate mail, send it to my husband.

C. VIVIAN STRINGER, RUTGERS WOMEN'S BASKETBALL COACH: Hopefully we can put all of this behind us and look forward to a much more productive society. So we'll look forward to things and that's really what we would like to do, is to go forward and to let the healing process begin.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: Meanwhile, New Jersey's governor was critically injured while on his way to moderate that meeting between the players and Imus. Doctors say Governor John Corzine will eventually recover, but it will be a long and painful road back. He suffered several broken ribs, as well as a broken leg and sternum. He also fractured a vertebra. The trooper who was driving Corzine suffered minor injuries. Police are searching for the driver of a red pickup truck who's blamed for causing that crash.

COLLINS: Saying "I'm sorry" may not be enough. Trouble for the district attorney who brought rape and sexual assault charges against three Duke University lacrosse players. They are now cleared of all charges and considering a lawsuit. This despite D.A. Mike Nifong's carefully-worded apology issued yesterday. This is what he wrote. "To the extent that I made judgments that ultimately proved to be incorrect, I apologize to the three students that were wrongly accused."

Nifong is also up on ethics charges with the North Carolina state bar for the way he handled the case. And that could cost him his law license. The case will be heard in June. HOLMES: Well, the ins and outs of credit cards and that first life lesson of investing with graduation gifts. These are some of the topics of Gerri's Top Tips.

And here to answer your e-mails now, CNN's personal finance editor, Gerri Willis. Hello to you ma'am, how are you doing?

GERRI WILLIS, PERSONAL FINANCE EDITOR: Hey there, T.J., good to see you. Hit me with that first question.

HOLMES: All right, let's get it going here. First up, somebody asks if you use a service that will consolidate your credit card debt, you know, where they close your account and they pay off at a lower rate, will this damage your credit score? We see a lot of ads about these kinds of companies that do this stuff -- so?

WILLIS: Yes, you bet you. You know, there's a good chance this will negatively impact your score. After all, you're not paying the creditors back as agreed. On the other hand, it sounds like you're trying to get better control of your finances and that could be more important than worrying about fluctuations on your credit score -- T.J.

HOLMES: All right, next question here says my credit card company just convinced me to upgrade a card that I had for about eight years to a card with rewards. We hear that a lot. My new card has a different account number. Does this upgrade hurt my score?

WILLIS: Good question from David. Everybody loves rewards cards. But it's not likely to hurt the credit score. Credit bureaus (ph) are pretty good about linking accounts. It shouldn't appear on a credit report as a new account. But hey, you never can be too careful. Order your free credit report from annualcreditreport.com, then you can call the credit bureau and ask if the new rewards card is the same account as the old card. So check up on them.

HOLMES: All right. And this one kind of blew my mind when I read this. I am receiving around $30,000 for a graduation gift. What is he graduating -- I guess he's graduating from med school hopefully. What would be the best investment with that $30,000? I was considering investing in a cheap property, fixing it up and reselling. I'm also interested in investing. What would be the best short or long-term gain?

WILLIS: Wow, that is a nice present. The best long and short- term gain is to use the money to pay off high-interest credit card debt. This is a risk-free return. Then you want to establish your emergency fund. That's three months worth of savings that you can keep throughout your life. If you have a retirement fund that work already, put that money towards a house down payment. It's a good long term investment.

And a good place to park that cash while you're saving up the CDs, they're paying about five to six percent right now. Remember, home buying is a long term goal, not a short-term goal. And of course I think Chris is going to get a lot of marriage offers after today's question.

HOLMES: What did you get for a graduation gift?

WILLIS: It wasn't $30,000. No, no, no. It wasn't $300. How about you, T.J.?

HOLMES: I didn't get enough to pay for my graduation party either. Finally here, one more. This one says, after we stop persistent charity fund-raisers. We are now averaging at least one call per day. Sometimes three. I have answered no but the calls keep on coming. So what do you do?

WILLIS: Well, that's frustrating. Charities are not subject to the Do Not Call Registry that the Federal Trade Commission has established. But, hey, there are some things you can do. First, tell the fund-raisers that you've already picked your charities that mean the most to you. And then ask them to put you on their specific do not call registry. Some of the charities keep these lists. And finally, file a complaint with the FDC if you can't get them to stop calling.

And if you have a question, send us an e-mail to toptips@CNN.com. We'd love to get your questions and we answer them right here every Friday.

HOLMES: All right, you want to tell them about "OPEN HOUSE," that's coming up this weekend, right?

WILLIS: The big "OPEN HOUSE" showm Saturday morning, 9:30 a.m. We're going to have more last-minute tax advice, very important. Buying versus renting, what should you do if you're in the market right now. And allergy proofing your home.

I don't know if you have a problem with allergies, T.J., but it can be unpleasant.

HOLMES: Yes, I'm lucky in that regard. Don't have issues. But I will be tuning in as I do every weekend for "OPEN HOUSE."

WILLIS: Oh, T.J., you and my mom. Love to hear it. Good to see you.

HOLMES: Yes. Good to see you as always.

Well, stick around with us here in the NEWSROOM. We're going to be talking about this video -- that video that we've been seeing the past couple days. That blast at the Iraqi Parliament building. Not as deadly, however, as first thought. We'll be live to Baghdad as lawmakers meet to defy terrorism. That's ahead in the NEWSROOM.

Going nuts in Beverly Hills, this is a 90210 emergency. Flames engulf expensive homes in Beverly Hills. That story coming up in the NEWSROOM.

And while others saw disaster, they saw opportunity. The new New Orleans. That's in the NEWSROOM. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: An insurgent group that includes al Qaeda in Iraq now claiming responsibility for the Parliament building bombing. The claim made on an Islamist Web site. U.S. and Iraqi authorities now say one person was killed in yesterday's blast. Earlier they reported as many as eight. Investigators suspect the suicide bomber got help from insiders. They detained three cafeteria workers and several security officers.

Iraq's Parliament is mourning the lawmaker who died in the blast. Parliament holding a special session this morning to defy terrorism. Only a few lawmakers showed up.

HOLMES: Winds and wildfire, a pretty dangerous duo in southern California. You're looking at the results of it. A line of flames in Beverly Hills. Officials say just toppled powerline which it ignited brush behind somebody's house. Three homes were damaged. That fire now mostly contained but firefighters still working to sniff out burning embers. Winds also knocked out power to nearly 200,000 customers. A high wind warning remains in effect this morning.

COLLINS: We got a little bit of wacky weather going on across the country.

HOLMES: Man needs a good word.

COLLINS: We've got the fires and the snow and the wind and the -- geez, I'm so glad Chad Myers is with us, the professional, to knock it all out.

CHAD MYERS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: We were looking for the locusts, and then we're going to ...

COLLINS: That could be great, add that in the mix.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COLLINS: You just heard Chad talking about New Orleans. Another story on it now. Others saw devastation and left. They saw a challenge and came.

CNN's Susan Roesgen with a story of hope from New Orleans.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SUSAN ROESGEN, CNN GULF COAST CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Sharrita Bishop came all the way from New Mexico to be a cop in New Orleans. Why?

SHARRITA BISHOP, NEW ORLEANS POLICE DEPARTMENT: I feel like I just fit in here. I feel like this is my niche, this is where I need to be.

The idea of helping somebody, the idea of trying to make a community better I think is what drives me. ROESGEN: These are the first new recruits to graduate since Hurricane Katrina. Just 30 cops to fill more than 300 openings.

The help wanted signs are up all over New Orleans. A city that lost half its population after the hurricane needs new blood to stay alive.

(on camera): But some of the newcomers are among the best and brightest in the country. And if the hurricane had not hit New Orleans, they might never have come here.

(voice-over) John Alforfd is originally from New York. With an MBA from Harvard, he could work anywhere. But he chose to reopen a school in New Orleans.

JOHN ALFORFD, PRINCIPAL: If I thought in the back of my head that this wouldn't work, I don't know if I would have dropped everything and moved here. But I really do believe it can and will work.

ROESGEN: And New Orleans needs the help. Unopened schools, ungutted houses. To some, what's happened here is a disaster. To others, it's a calling.

PASTOR RAY CANNATTA, REDEEMER PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH: The Lord loves this city. I know he does. And it belongs to him. And that's why we're involved in the rebuild effort because, you know, we're doing it for him. We really believe that he smiled on the city, despite all the heartbreak and brokenness and pain and anguish that this city's experienced.

ROESGEN: Ray Cannatta and his family moved here from New Jersey. He turned down a cushy job in San Diego to be the pastor of a New Orleans church with just 15 members after the storm. New people driven to make New Orleans better. Locals call them the city's new Vanguard.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They believe that New Orleans is one of the greatest challenges in their lifetimes. How could they sit back and go to New York, Boston, Atlanta, when they had this grand opportunity in New Orleans?

ROESGEN: And these new New Orleanians may be Hurricane Katrina's silver lining, rebuilding the city's security, schools, and soul.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: Following the e-mail trail. A top insurance company under scrutiny now after Katrina. That story straight ahead in the NEWSROOM.

HOLMES: And from the front lines to the head of the class. A soldier's surprise visit to his sixth-grade pen pal. That story ahead in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) (NEWSBREAK)

(BUSINESS HEADLINES)

COLLINS: Human growth hormone -- the fountain of youth, or a shorter path to death? Our chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta examines it for his series "Chasing Life" in the NEWSROOM.

HOLMES: And are some people just programmed for bigness? Scientists report an intriguing finding for the first time evidence of a fat gene. That's in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: Staying healthy as we age. Today chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta concludes his series, "Chasing Life." Decisions we make every day may add or subtract from our lives. The focus of his new book also called "Chasing Life." One of those controversial decisions, using human growth hormone.

Sanjay Gupta reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Like many approaching retirement age, Adam and Beth Lothamer were starting to feel less energetic than they once did, until Beth decided to try a controversial and increasingly popular treatment -- human growth hormone.

ED LOTHAMER, USES HUMAN GROWTH HORMONE: She kept telling me how good she was feeling, and I was getting a little sluggish, but she said, you know, why don't you at least come and take a shot at this.

BETH LOTHAMER, USES HUMAN GROWTH HORMONE: You just stick in it there.

GUPTA: So, now, they each take a shot, every day. Ed Lothamer felt the effects within a month.

E. LOTHAMER: When I woke up I wasn't fatigue fatigued. I noticed in the gym I was much stronger. I had more endurance, my memory was sharper.

GUPTA: Click on the Internet, and you'll find countless pitches for human growth hormone.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANNOUNCER: By dramatically supporting healthy endocrine (ph) function, research suggests that we can increase energy and stamina.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GUPTA: Not everyone shares the enthusiasm. Dr. Thomas Perls is an outspoken critic. DR. THOMAS PERLS, CENTENARIAN PROJECT, BOSTON UNIV.: No one sends me any scientific articles indicating that growth hormone works for combating aging simply because they don't exist.

GUPTA: But that depends who you ask. Multiple studies have found that growth hormone reduces fat while building up bones and muscle, but those studies also found a lot of side effects, like joint pain and swelling. And to Perls that's not even the worst of it.

PERLS: It shortens lifespan and it probably increases people's risk for cancer.

GUPTA: Perls says the risk is just too big to take. But to others, the gamble is worth it.

LOTHAMER: I'm sure it's not for everybody in the world, but for us, we think it works and, so we do it.

GUPTA: To be clear, the Lothamers are taking human growth hormone with a doctor's prescription. He diagnosed them with a deficiency. Human growth hormone for anti-aging treatment is illegal.

Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN, reporting.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: You can catch all of Sanjay's hour-long CNN special "Chasing Life." It will come your way Saturday and Sunday, 8:00 p.m. Eastern only on CNN. You can also find more information on the specials Web site, CNN.com/chasinglife.

HOLMES: Fired twice in one week. That's not a good week. So what's next for Don Imus, and what happens to the national debate stirred by his racial remark? We look for answers coming up in the NEWSROOM.

One day after a deadly explosion in Iraq's parliament building the Pentagon reacts. A live report ahead in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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