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Interview With Transportation Secretary Mary Peters; Massive Search Continues For Three Missing U.S. Soldiers in Iraq; Uncovering America; Teachers' Prank

Aired May 14, 2007 - 15:00   ET

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

BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: Hey there, everybody. I'm Betty Nguyen, in today for Kyra Phillips, at the CNN Center right here in Atlanta.
DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Don Lemon.

Fire and wind, a volatile combination that's consumed almost 500,000 acres of bone-dry Georgia and Florida.

NGUYEN: Fire crews try to save the houses, while they pray for rain.

You are in the CNN NEWSROOM.

LEMON: It is the top of the hour.

Vigilance the word for the daylong -- along the Georgia-Florida border. Wildfires keep raging, the smoke spreading as far south as Miami and as far north as Nashville. Armies of firefighters are doing everything they can to keep the flames away from any more neighborhoods.

They are widening fire lines and digging new ones. But it really depends on the wind.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BILL GOOTEE, COLUMBIA COUNTY, FLORIDA, SHERIFF: We're asking everyone to be ready, in the event that we have to do an evacuation process west of 441. We ask people to stay tuned to their radio, television, to heed any warnings or evacuations that we must do, and, of course, working very hand in hand with forestry and stay in close contact with them, to feed from them whether or not we need to move with our evacuation.

Everything is in place. We're ready to go, and we just hope that we don't have to do it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Over the past three weeks, about 250 wildfires have burned nearly 500,000 acres in the drought-stricken states. Most were sparked by lightning.

Let's check on all this. What's all those areas' need? Of course, rain, right, Bonnie Schneider?

BONNIE SCHNEIDER, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes. Oh, you're right.

LEMON: She's checking it out for us in the Severe Weather Center.

When are they going to get it?

SCHNEIDER: Well, Don, unfortunately, the rain is not hitting the areas that need it most.

And this is the area, as we take a look at Google Earth, Live Oak, towards Folkston in Georgia, down through Lake City, this is where we have been seeing the largest smoke plume across the area. But, looking at our radar picture right now, we do have some spotty showers south of Jacksonville, some heavier rain through central Florida, but really not enough where we need it most, right here on the Georgia-Florida border.

We have I-10, I-75, these areas affected, not only by the fire, but by gusty winds that are blowing the plume of smoke further to the southwest. This real-time data shows you the winds coming from the northeast. Look at these strong winds.

This isn't even the wind gusts. This is the actually wind speed, in Jacksonville right now, at about 22 miles per hour, even stronger in the Gainesville area, not quite as bad, but still gusty in Valdosta in Georgia.

Now, with all this wind from the northeast, the smoke plume and areas that will see the smoke, that is going to be different than it was this time yesterday. We had calmer winds then. So, a lot of the smoke was settling over Columbia County. But, with the winds coming in this direction, we will start to see it over Madison County, areas in Suwannee County.

More toward the coastal areas of western Florida, we will see that smoke plume kind of spread out. This is also fanning the flames of the fires, of course. And that is not good news for people that are in this region, with this brisk wind coming into the area.

Now, as we take a look at the rest of what we're looking at for weather for today, I want to talk a little bit about air quality, because, if you are living in an area that's smoky and uncomfortable, the main thing to note, even though it's hot outside, if you are running your air conditioner, make sure you run it with a clean filter. And you want to keep the particle levels inside and outside your home down.

Here's some more tips for you. And one you may not think of, don't use your vacuum, because that brings up the particles from the grass and from the outside and also anything we have inside kind of floating about, and it makes it poor air quality inside -- Don.

LEMON: And, Bonnie, I'm glad you brought that up, because I was wondering about the air quality. What about outdoors? Should people wear a mask? Does that help at all?

SCHNEIDER: It does help kind of control the particles from coming inside.

But what is very important to note for those that are going outside, do not attempt to do it for the elderly, young children, and anyone who suffers from an upper respiratory problem, because that's when it gets very dangerous.

LEMON: Yes. Stay at home with the air conditioners. Make sure the filters are clean, as you said.

Bonnie Schneider, thank you so much.

SCHNEIDER: Sure.

NGUYEN: Well, for those who can't stay home, the fire danger has meant delays or detours for motorists. A number of roads have been closed in recent days. Just look at this. This is why. Sections of the interstate actually closed as well.

So, what does it look like this afternoon?

Major Rick Carpenter with the Florida Highway Patrol is on the phone.

And he -- actually, he is live with us. Better yet.

And I can see behind you. That is good news.

What is the situation on the roadways. Are those roads still closed because of this fire?

MAJOR RICK CARPENTER, FLORIDA HIGHWAY PATROL: Hi, Betty.

No, we have been very, very fortunate over particularly today. All of the interstates are wide open. We're pretty much business as usual. We have been trying to notify people that the roads are open, but just take the necessary precautions that, when they are traveling through this area, just keep up with the Weather Channel, keep up with the news media, CNN, everybody. Check our Web sites, in case we have to close them.

As, you know, everybody has been saying, this is a volatile condition. It could change at a moment's notice. But we're trying to let everybody travel just as routinely as they do every day. And we are running open. All of the interstates are open.

NGUYEN: Well, that is great news, because I know there was a point where it was so bad, the smoke, that you could barely see in some areas.

And I imagine that's what you have had to deal with over these past few weeks that this fire has been burning.

CARPENTER: It's been a real challenge. It's been interesting, to say the least.

It started Saturday, real early, where the smoke set in. And we had to adjust what we were doing and shut down significant portions of I-75 and I-10 that really took people off of major thoroughfares and put them on side roads, as a detour, and get them to where they wanted to go.

And, as we were dealing with the evacuation for that, as every -- just about every detour that we have to set up, we had to reevaluate and shut down, because they became inundated with smoke.

NGUYEN: What a mess it has caused there. Good news that those roads are open.

Are you getting any word as to how contained this fire is, as of 3:05 Eastern?

CARPENTER: It's -- I'm probably the wrong fellow to ask about that. I know that we have been to numerous briefings. And I have a lot of respect and admiration for the forestry department and the fire departments. They have done a tremendous job of getting this thing contained and shut down.

But, as far as being contained, I really can't answer your question.

NGUYEN: OK. You haven't heard any latest word? I figured they would be in contact with you just to let you know the situation, as you have got to be pretty flexible there with the road closures and everything.

Major Rick Carpenter with the Florida Highway Patrol, thanks for the information that you provided today. We appreciate it.

CARPENTER: Thank you.

LEMON: A frightening end to an Alaskan cruise -- 248 passengers ordered to lifeboats in the middle of the night, after their ship, the Empress of the North hit some rocks.

You're looking at new video there. It was taken on -- taking on water and beginning to list, when dozens of volunteer boats and state ferries rushed to the area known as the Icy Strait. It's 15 miles southwest of Juneau. By mid-morning, all of the passengers were safely on board other vehicles and headed for Juneau.

Now, here's how one fishing boat captain described that rescue.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BLAKE PAINTER, CAPTAIN, EVENING STAR: About 1: 30 this morning, we were just finishing up a halibut trip, coming into the inside waters, and we heard them issue a mayday. And they were only five miles from where we were. So, we buzzed over there as quick as we could, got on the scene. They were laying over pretty heavy to one side. We came alongside. They put 33 passengers on us. About that time, another fishing boat showed up. They put a few guys on them. An hour or so later, more people started coming to the scene, and we kind of spread the passengers out amongst everybody, and got everybody off the boat safe.

Everybody is really fortunate that they only breached a certain part of the ship, because this water is, you know, frigid cold. If it would have went down, the people -- there's no survival suits. All they have is life jackets. And I wouldn't expect anybody to live more than a minute or two in this water.

HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Wow. Wow.

PAINTER: So, it was really fortunate that the weather was nice. We were on scene. A couple other boats tended. They were on scene. So, everything worked together in their favor.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: And that video just in to CNN last hour.

Well, some of the crew are still on board the crippled ship, which is en route to Juneau under its own power and under Coast Guard escort. It's a small ship, right, the one there on the right of the screen? Yes.

NGUYEN: The paddle-boat-looking...

LEMON: Yes. This is the second time in two years the Empress of the North has run aground. Last March, it was in the Columbia River between Oregon and Washington State.

NGUYEN: Well, never leave a comrade behind, a soldier's motto in action right now south of Baghdad; 4,000 U.S. troops are searching for three comrades missing since a deadly weekend ambush.

A militant group claims to be holding the troops. And it is warning the U.S. to stop searching. That group's claim hasn't been verified, but the U.S. military does believe the troops are in enemy hands.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAJOR GENERAL WILLIAM CALDWELL, U.S. ARMY SPOKESMAN, COALITION FORCES IN IRAQ: I'm here to let you know about the massive efforts currently under way to locate our three missing American soldiers.

Here's what happened on Saturday, May 12, west of Mahmoudiya in Iraq.

A coalition force unit was positioned west of Mahmoudiya to interdict terrorists engaged in placing roadside bombs. Elements of that unit heard an explosion at 4:44 a.m. They attempted to contact all of their observation posts. One position occupied by seven American soldiers, an Iraqi army soldier, and two Humvees did not respond. They requested unmanned aerial vehicle support to assess the situation on the ground.

At 4:59, a UAV observed two burning vehicles in that area. Coalition forces immediately directed two units to move to that scene. En route, the first responding unit discovered two roadside bombs. The second responding unit discovered an additional roadside bomb.

By 5:40 a.m., both units were at the scene, began securing the area, and initiated a search for the soldiers who failed to respond.

By 8:04, the responding units were able to finally confirm the deaths of five soldiers. Four of the deceased were located in their Humvees. The fifth was found a short distance from the unit's original location.

Saturday evening, we confirmed that two of the bodies found in the Humvees were American soldiers. Currently, we know that four of our soldiers were killed in action, along with an Iraqi army soldier serving with the unit.

We have completed positive identification on three of our American soldiers. We're working hard at making every effort to identify the fourth American, so we can properly notify the families as to the status of their loved ones.

We still have three missing American soldiers. Their duty status is classified as whereabouts unknown.

At this time, we believe they were abducted by terrorists belonging to al Qaeda or an affiliated group. And this assessment is based on highly credible intelligence information.

The details I can share right now are limited, for two important reasons. First, the operations to locate our soldiers are ongoing, and we would not want to do anything that would jeopardize these efforts. And the second is we're still providing the families of our soldiers with all of the information we can.

Our thoughts and our prayers are with the families of those killed and missing soldiers. What these families must know is that we are using every asset and resource available to the United States and our Iraqi allies in these efforts. We are doing everything we can to locate our soldiers, who did nothing but come here to serve our country and to help the Iraqi people.

We are receiving cooperation from the Iraqi people in these efforts. Tips are coming in. And they are leading to operations against targets of interest. Thousands of our soldiers and our Iraqi counterparts are focused on this mission. They're supplemented by national and theater assets, by manned and unmanned aerial platforms, by intelligence elements, from interrogators, to collectors, to dog teams, each providing a unique capability to support this effort.

I cannot promise you that these efforts will produce the results we all are praying for. But what I can promise you, the American people, and particularly the families of these missing men, is that we are doing everything we can to find these brave and courageous soldiers.

Everyone who wears this uniform in combat understands and lives by the soldier's creed. And one of its key tenets is, I will never leave a fallen comrade.

We live by that creed.

Thank you. And, when we have more information we can release, we will do so immediately.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NGUYEN: Now, the soldiers were ambushed in a region called the Triangle of Death. Four other U.S. soldiers and an Iraqi translator were killed.

LEMON: Well, next to death, it's what soldiers in Iraq or anywhere fear most, being captured by the enemy.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON (voice-over): The attack caught the Americans completely off guard. English-speaking Iraqi militants wearing U.S. military uniforms and carrying American weapons surprised a U.S. patrol in the Shiite holy city of Karbala last January. Four Americans were abducted.

Three were shot dead. The fourth was shot in the head and died on the way to the hospital. Few American troops have been captured in the Iraq war. But, based on past action, the chances of surviving capture would be slim.

In June of last year, two American soldiers went missing after an attack on a checkpoint south of Baghdad. Their bodies were found days later, showing signs of torture. At least two other American soldiers are still listed as missing in Iraq. An Iraqi-American reservist, Ahmed Kousay Altaie, was abducted in Baghdad last October and has not been found.

In 2004, Army Specialist Keith Matthew Maupin was captured in an attack on a fuel convoy. An insurgent video surfaced purporting to show Maupin's execution. But the Pentagon says the video was inconclusive.

Former Army Private Jessica Lynch is a rare example of an American soldier to survive being captured in Iraq, eventually rescued in an Iraqi hospital by U.S. forces.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: When the president talks, especially about energy, it's her job to listen and then act. Transportation Secretary Mary Peters joins us live in the CNN newsroom. NGUYEN: The changing face of America, as hoppas join the melting pot. What is a hoppa?

Find out ahead in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: It's 3:17 eastern. Here are three of the stories that we're working on in the CNN newsroom this hour.

Three missing U.S. soldiers believed to be in enemy hands in Iraq -- the U.S. military thinks al Qaeda-linked terrorists captured them after a deadly weekend ambush of their unit south of Baghdad. A militant group claiming to have them is now warning U.S. forces to stop searching.

Well, there's no love on this boat. All 248 passengers had to evacuate their cruise ship, which ran aground off the Alaskan coast. The Empress of the North is damaged, but now heading to port. That same ship slammed into a sandbar last year.

And lawyers have spent years battling over his detention, his rights and his alleged crimes. Now opening arguments have started in Miami in terror suspect Jose Padilla's trial. Prosecutors say the U.S. citizen helped to send money and weapons to terrorists around the world.

LEMON: A year-and-a-half after admitting America's oil addiction and a month-and-a-half after a rebuke from the Supreme Court, President Bush is directing federal agencies to work toward new regulations on cutting gas consumption.

Now, the push comes as Congress considers energy legislation on new fuel standards for cars. It's all part of the president's what he calls 20 in 10. That's his plan, to reduce our gas use by 20 percent over the next 10 years.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Last month, the Supreme Court ruled that the EPA must take action, under the Clean Air Act, regarding greenhouse gas emissions from motor vehicles.

So, today, I'm directing the EPA and the Department of Transportation, Energy and Agriculture to take the first steps toward regulations that would cut gasoline consumption and greenhouse gas emissions for motor vehicles, using my 20 in 10 plan as a starting point.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: And someone who was listening closely to that speech and was right there for the speech is Secretary of Transportation Mary Peters. And she joins us there, you can see, from the White House lawn.

What does the Transportation Department have to do with any of this, Secretary?

MARY PETERS, U.S. SECRETARY OF TRANSPORTATION: Well, Don, what the Transportation Department has to do is, we are, by statute today, the agency that regulates corporate average fuel economy.

And, in fact, twice during President Bush's term, we have regulated the fuel economy for light-duty trucks. What the president announced today is that we will work with EPA, through a regulatory process, to determine whether or not we can -- we can regulate standards for automobiles for passenger cars under that same methodology.

LEMON: And, you know, I have to ask you this, Secretary. With all due respect, people have been talking about this for years. And, in the '70s, with the long gas lines, 1973, the Arab oil embargo, people were writing about America's dependence on oil.

What makes the president or anyone in Washington think that something will be done about it now?

PETERS: Well, I think the president's plan is very, very well thought out, Don. And what it's asking us to do is reduce our dependence on foreign oil, foreign gasoline by 20 percent over the next 10 years.

And he's assigned very specific goals, to myself at Department of Transportation, in terms of corporate average fuel economy for passenger cars, and to the Department of Energy and EPA to work together to develop more alternative and renewable fuels, and very specific measures that we're working against.

LEMON: OK. Just real quick, because I want to get to the consumer part of it, the people at home are wondering, well, how is this going to affect me?

So far, since he's talked about this -- he talked about it in the State of the Union -- so far since he has admitted this addiction, what has been accomplished with the 20/10 plan, if anything?

PETERS: Well, Don, what's been accomplished is, we sent legislation to the Hill on both fronts, on the alternative and renewable fuel standard and on the new reform for passenger cars' CAFE standard. And congress has not yet acted on those.

The president felt it was very important to act on those before the summer driving season.

LEMON: Yes.

PETERS: And, today, looking at prices across the nation, that really underscores the importance of our moving forward now.

LEMON: Yes. And, just as you were talking there, we saw those prices, $3.09, $3.35, the average price of gas in some parts, $3.07 today. The average consumer is wondering -- and I'm wondering -- how is this going to affect me? Even though you have this plan, you are sending the legislation now to the Hill, how -- how is this going to affect me, and how soon, if at all?

PETERS: Well, it will be several years before the cars are on the market, Don.

But we will have cars, trucks, and, as a matter of fact, across the broad spectrum of vehicles, on the market that get proportionately greater fuel economy.

And that is something that we think is very important. We want to be responsive to the types of vehicles that Americans want and need to drive, but to make sure all of those over time are more fuel- economic.

LEMON: Well, Secretary of Transportation Mary Peters, thank you.

And you know what? A whole lot of people are counting on you, because it's really hitting us in our wallets.

PETERS: Indeed. Thank you.

LEMON: All right.

NGUYEN: Coming up: the changing face of America, as hoppas join the melting pot. What is a hoppa?

Find out ahead in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: Well, the auto industry tie-up once billed as a marriage made in heaven has gone to -- well, you know where.

Susan Lisovicz is at the New York Stock Exchange with more on the sale of Chrysler -- Susan.

SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Betty, at least it's an amicable divorce. All right?

NGUYEN: Sure.

LISOVICZ: We can at least say that. Everyone is acting...

NGUYEN: But it's not cheap.

LISOVICZ: No. No, it isn't.

(LAUGHTER)

LISOVICZ: DaimlerChrysler has agreed to sell most of its money- losing Chrysler unit. Private equity group Cerberus Capital Management plans to buy an 80 percent stake in Chrysler, which will now be called Chrysler Holding. Its paying nearly $7.5 million, and taking on billions of dollars more in pension and retiree health care costs. Once the deal goes through, and Chrysler's additional losses are totaled, Daimler may actually end up paying millions to unload the company.

In 1998, Daimler-Benz bought Chrysler for $37 billion. So, just a fraction is the sale price, or at least the sale price as we know it now -- Betty.

NGUYEN: Well, you know, we have been hearing a lot about Cerberus lately, but we don't know much about it. Exactly what does it do?

LISOVICZ: It's a good question, and it is a very busy company, Betty.

Cerberus buys up distressed companies, with the hopes of returning them to profitability. It's headed by former Treasury Secretary John Snow. And former Vice President Dan Quayle has been running a portion of the company for some time now.

It owns pieces of auto suppliers, rental car firms, and, last year, bought a majority chunk of GM's financing arm. In all, Cerberus owns all or part of 50 companies, with sales that top McDonald's and Coca-Cola combined.

Cerberus, by the way, is the name of the hound of Hades in Greek mythology, a monstrous multi-headed dog that guarded the gates of hell. The investment strategy at Cerberus is to keep companies from flaming out, so to speak.

There's your Greek mythology for you.

DaimlerChrysler shares are hot, by the way, gaining 2 percent on the news -- shares of Ford Motor also on the rise, up 4 percent on word it might be making some changes of its own. Bloomberg reports that Ford's founding family members are weighing the sale, a part of their controlling stake in the automaker. The Ford family says there's no truth to the report.

As for stocks outside of the auto world, well, they're mostly lower, although the Dow -- the Dow is up modestly, with a lot of help from a nearly 4 percent gain in GM shares.

Right now, the Dow is hanging in there, up three points. The Nasdaq is down 18, or about three-quarters-of-a-percent.

More on this landmark breakup of the auto industry when I return for the closing bell -- in the meantime, Don and Betty, I will throw it back to you.

NGUYEN: Thank you, Susan.

LEMON: Remember this in school, when they would say duck and cover?

NGUYEN: Yes. I live in Tornado Alley.

LEMON: Well, yes, there you go.

NGUYEN: I know exactly about that.

LEMON: Well, this you are going to see next definitely was not that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED STUDENT: We're downstairs, and they tell us to get under the tables. We have a code red.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Yes, code red, and some parents are seeing red about that code red -- the fallout from a teacher's prank coming right up in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Hello, everyone. I'm Don Lemon, live at the CNN world headquarters in Atlanta.

NGUYEN: And I'm Betty Ngyuen, in for Kyra Phillips today.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I grew up in a Chinese household. My siblings are all full-blooded Chinese from China. I grew up as like the white kid.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NGUYEN: A growing number of people are growing up Hapas. What's a Hapa, you ask? Well, we are talking about race and identity in America.

You are in the CNN NEWSROOM.

There are 14 million Asian-Americans in the United States. And at some point, just about every one of them will have to answer the question, what are you? And for many, the answer is simple. But for a growing group, one that's been labeled the face of the future, that answer is as complicated as their genetic makeup.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NGUYEN (voice over): Look at these faces. Do you know what they all have in common? They are part Asian. Better yet, 100 percent hapa.

What's a hapa? Let's ask Kip Fulbeck. He's had to answer that question all his life. Maybe that's why he's inked his Chinese heritage on his back. KIP FULBECK, AUTHOR, "PART ASIAN, 100% HAPA": I grew up Buddhist. She's the goddess of mercy. Basically, it's kind of a karma thing.

NGUYEN: Call it karma or an identity badge, this California surfer knows the meaning of hapa. It's a Hawaiian slang term for people of mixed heritage, with partial roots in Asian and or Pacific Islander ancestry.

Kip is the only hapa in his family. His Chinese mother had four children before her first husband died. She came to America, where she married a man with European roots and gave birth to Kip.

FULBECK: I grew up in a Chinese household. My siblings are all full-blooded Chinese from China. I grew up as, like, the white kid.

NGUYEN: But he isn't just a white kid. And neither are some students Kip teaches in his identity class at UC Santa Barbara.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm the only half-Thai person I know.

NGUYEN: Actually, there are 1.6 million hapas in the United States. There is no way to count them until the 2000 census, when people were allowed to check more than one box for race.

FULBECK: For my whole life, it was always check one box basically meant, mom or dad, pick one. You know? It's like "Sophie's Choice". I'm not going to do it. So I want people to be able to realize that millions of people go through the same thing all the time. And that's all right.

NGUYEN: But it isn't always easy. At least not for this little girl.

That's me. Yes, I am a hapa, too. A baby born of war to a Vietnamese mother and an American serviceman.

(on camera): I get a lot of times, a lot of people think I'm Hispanic or, you know, a lot of people think I'm something. And they don't quite know exactly what it is.

FULBECK: Well, you've got be down with La Raza. Come on, Betty.

NGUYEN: Right. I mean, how many different cultures and nationalities have people mistaken you for?

FULBECK: Oh my god. I get all of them from -- you know, I usually get Hawaiian, Filipino, Middle Eastern, black, Mexican, South American. Rarely -- I never get Chinese.

NGUYEN (voice over): And that's why Kip traveled the country taking photographs for his book called "Part Asian, 100% hapa". Everyone answered a question asked a thousand times: "What are you?"

Some said, "I feel like a chameleon socially." "No one questions my father's race or ethnicity, but suddenly one generation later, I'm not Asian?" "I am a daily contest to guess what I am."

SOPHIA MEANS, MODEL: I'm Vietnamese. And if you hear my mom speak, you'd believe me, too.

NGUYEN: Sophia Means is a model who believes she's missed out on jobs because she's not one race with one look. And yet, times may be changing for hapas.

MEANS: Every now and again I book work, and they want a girl who is "ethnically ambiguous". And it's nice to see that category now. I don't think it existed before.

DANIEL SPICKARD, CHINESE & CAUCASIAN: I'm the guy who says and does whatever he wants because whoever I'm with, white or Asian, just says to himself, "It's OK. He's half."

NGUYEN: Daniel Spickard is half Chinese and half Caucasian.

(on camera): Do you feel like that you have received some of the benefits of being a little bit of both?

SPICKARD: Sometimes I do feel a little more unique in the fact that I'm not -- it's not just another face in the crowd.

NGUYEN (voice over): They might just be the faces of the future. Already dubbed the poster children for 21st century globalization.

(on camera): In this book, I think what's fascinating is, not only do they look different, but there's always this sense of, "I've got to explain who I am." You know?

FULBECK: Oh, I've got a story about that. I gave people these half sheets of paper to write their statements. I'd be like, "Go ahead. Write a statement. Just respond to the question, 'What are you?' If you don't like it, here's more paper."

I had one girl go through 17 pages, just crumpling them up and throwing it away, crumpling it up and throwing it away. And I had one girl at a shoot in L.A., where she sat through the entire shot, three hours, with her pen and she never made a mark.

NGUYEN (voice over): Which speaks to how many hapas are searching for their true identity. And that's why Kip created his book of faces.

FULBECK: Ultimately, I think I want it to be a thing of celebration. I want people to really celebrate the diversity of hapa people, and so it's not a thing of like, "Oh, I know someone who's half Asian, too." "Oh, you kind of look like him." It's like vastly varied people, and I want people to be able to go and put themselves out there and have it be a real celebratory thing.

NGUYEN: So, Professor Fulbeck's lesson is this: It's perfectly normal for hapas to deal with identity issues. And preserved in these pages, each face tells a unique story.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: Betty, it's a great story. And obviously it was personal to you, because I remember you talking a little bit about it when you were -- when they put the image of you, the effigy of you, what have you, in the museum, which I thought was...

NGUYEN: Well, yes. I mean, because growing up like Kip, I didn't fit into one category alone. I mean, I am a mixture.

I'm proud of my heritage, both Vietnamese and the Caucasian side of me. And so, growing up, it was hard to find people that had that mixture, hapas, as we call them.

So, it was wonderful to get to talk to Kip, because we all go through the same experiences. Going through that identity -- well, I wouldn't call it a crisis, but that search for exactly, who am I?

LEMON: Right, who you are.

NGUYEN: How do I find a happy medium here?

LEMON: Yes. And it's amazing. Just sitting here watching as an African-American person, the same questions. People would go -- you know, because of my skin color, "Well, what are you?"

NGUYEN: "What are you?" yes.

LEMON: "What race are you? Are you full black?" Or whatever. How do you answer that question. So knowing that you and Asian people deal with that as well...

NGUYEN: I've been asked that a thousand times. And, you know, the great thing about this book "100% hapa," not only the pictures that you get to see, but when he went across the nation, when Kip started taking these photographs, he would set up shop, and people would come lining up before the doors were even open...

LEMON: Yes, you said that.

NGUYEN: ... because they wanted to see others like them. They wanted to find that group, a place where they fit in, and talk about those experiences, and talk about being proud of your heritage, even though it is mixed.

LEMON: Yes. Well, it's an amazing story, and an amazing discovery. And, you know, a learning experience for all of us.

Thank you for bringing it to us.

NGUYEN: This is a melting pot, isn't it?

LEMON: Absolutely.

NGUYEN: Thank you, Don.

And to get more on the diverse experiences of Asian-Americans in a special report at CNN.com, you can view a gallery of notables. You can watch an audio slide show. Even see the population breakdown state by state with a cnn.com/asianamerican interactive map. That and so much more at cnn.com/asianamerican.

LEMON: And if you are lucky like me, you can just get to talk to Betty Ngyuen and she can explain it to you all afternoon.

Remember this, duck and cover? We've been talking about this. This one had some problems.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We were downstairs. And they told us to get under the tables, "We have a code red."

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Well, you won't believe this teacher's prank coming up in the CNN NEWSROOM. We're going to explain it to you.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Iran and the United States, a passive aggressive relationship, to say the least. They'll talk about Iraq, but they make threats over nuclear issues. Just today, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad warned the U.S. against attacking his nation over its disputed nuclear program.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAHMOUD AHMADINEJAD, IRANIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): They realize that if they -- if they do such take (ph) and error, then the retaliation of the Iranians will be a severe one and they will repent that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Despite the nuclear standoff, Iranian and U.S. diplomats plan to meet in the coming weeks in Baghdad to talk about Iraq. But the White House is downplaying any broader meaning, saying the U.S. has no intention of normalizing ties with Iran.

Well, if the U.S. were to go to war against Iran, most Americans would oppose it, but not quite as many as in January. A new CNN- Opinion Research Corporation poll shows 33 percent of Americans would favor military action if the U.S. decides to take that step. That's up from 26 percent at the beginning of the year. More than 60 percent would oppose it.

NGUYEN: Well, so much for the Palestinian cease-fire. After just hours of calm in Gaza, the feuding factions Hamas and Fatah were at it again.

Two people shot to death. Four people killed before the Egyptian-brokered truce took effect at midnight. It didn't even last until dawn. Fighting is a major threat to the new Palestinian coalition government formed by Hamas and Fatah in March.

LEMON: They deliver through snow, through rain, heat and gloom of night. You know the old saying. But not if you haven't taken care of that new postage increase. The rising cost of sending mail straight ahead in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: Well, we have an Amber Alert to tell you about out of Garland, Texas, today. Here is what we know, that on Friday, May 11th, 36-year-old Jonathan Benjamin Taylor -- you see him right there -- was taking care of his brother's stepchildren. They are 7-year-old Dakota Parker (ph) and 5-year-old Elizabeth Michelle Parker (ph). You see their pictures there.

And he had taken them shopping at some point, but he failed to show back up. And then the police took a missing persons report on Saturday.

So again, they've been missing since Friday. And the picture of the gentleman right there, Jonathan Benjamin Taylor, that is the brother of the father of these children.

And here's what we know. Jonathan is believed to be driving a 2004 silver Ford Focus, a four-door with Texas license plate X01-BXG. And police are concentrating their effort in the Dallas area.

Again, much is being done to try to find these two children. And if you have any information for any -- or anything about these children, if you know any information, you can call a number as well. That being 972-485-4868.

So as soon as we get more information on this, we'll bring it straight to you.

LEMON: Well, when schoolkids play pranks, they go to the principal's office. When an assistant principal pulls a prank, he goes before bigwigs on the school board. Well, that's what's going to happen in Murphysboro, Tennessee. The prank the assistant principal and other teachers pulled on sixth graders during a field trip might cost them their jobs.

Catharyn Campbell from our Nashville affiliate WSMV explains exactly what happened.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CATHARYN CAMPBELL, REPORTER, WSMV (voice over): It was a big trip for the sixth grade class from Scales Elementary, a week-long stay at Fall Creek Falls State Park. But on the last night, students say a teacher told them a gunman was on loose in the park. They say assistant principal Don Bartch even told them to get low and take cover.

SHAY NAYLOR, 6TH GRADE STUDENT: Him and the assistant principal, Mr. Bartch, sat down and were looking at the window, and there was a van there, and it had the lights flickering on and off and the horn beeping.

CAMPBELL: Shay Naylor said someone then started banging on the windows. She says finally teachers admitted it was a prank. Naylor says her classmates had mixed reactions.

NAYLOR: About 20 of us -- 20 of them were crying, and there were seven more laughing about it.

CAMPBELL: Lon Nuell, a school board member for 11 years, says the trip is a tradition and teachers have been known to pull pranks.

LON NUELL, SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER: Ghost stories are standard, and you scare the kids out of their wits.

CAMPBELL: But with school shootings an all-too-common occurrence, he says this situation crossed the line.

NUELL: But this was, you know, very unfortunate timing. If the timing would ever be good to do this sort of thing, this was not it.

CAMPBELL: But school board members feel they've only heard one side of the story. Now they're interested in what teachers have to say.

PATRICK MCCARTHY, SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER: And there's some differences in stories. So first of all, that has to be resolved to figure out what really happened.

CAMPBELL (on camera): Board members tell me the director of schools is scheduled to meet with the assistant principal and the teachers. They say disciplinary action could range anywhere from a written reprimand to losing their jobs.

I'm Catharyn Campbell for CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: So what are parents saying about this so-called ghost story? Well, the mother of one student on the trip told our John Roberts that there was nothing funny about the prank. And here's what she said on CNN's "AMERICAN MORNING".

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BRANDY COLE, MOTHER OF SIXTH GRADER: Absolutely. You know, they have -- I am holding their news release in my hand, and the very first thing they said is, you know, "a typical campfire prank".

And it's just appalling that they would even classify this as such a thing, because there's nothing typical about what they did to our children. The kids were underneath tables crying and praying to God and begging for their lives, thinking that they were going to die and that they were never going to see their families again.

JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: Yes. You know, a ghost story is one thing. I mean, everybody told ghost stories around the campfire. COLE: Absolutely.

ROBERTS: But this sort of thing, this hits a little too close to home?

COLE: Absolutely. I mean, you know, especially considering what happened at Virginia Tech. You know, all the kids knew about that.

These kids had been away from home for four days at this point. They trusted these people. We trusted these people.

And, you know, they are calling this an educational drill. And, you know, saying that it was a planned thing. If this was a planned thing, they should have told us about it.

We had parent meetings about this trip. They could have told the parents that they were planning on having some sort of code red drill for these kids. They could have gotten the parents' permission. We were told nothing about any such thing taking place while the kids were up there.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: That was from CNN's "AMERICAN MORNING".

NGUYEN: "AMERICAN MORNING".

LEMON: Well, time now to check in with CNN's Wolf Blitzer. Are we going to check in with Wolf? Is he ready?

NGUYEN: Yes. He's standing by in "THE SITUATION ROOM" to tell us what's coming up at the top of the hour.

Do we have him?

LEMON: There he is.

NGUYEN: There he is.

LEMON: Hey, Wolf.

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Hey, guys. Thanks very much.

Preparing for the unthinkable. What if terrorists detonated a nuclear bomb on U.S. soil? We're going to take an inside look at a major military exercise and show you how U.S. forces are actually preparing right now for that worst case scenario.

Also, three American soldiers missing in Iraq, possibly in the hands of al Qaeda. We're going to find out what kind of training they've undergone to help them survive in the hands of such a ruthless enemy.

Plus, our chief medical correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, joins us. The first lady, Laura Bush, sat down with Sanjay exclusively to spotlight women's health issues. You're going to want to see this one-on-one interview -- Sanjay and the first lady.

All that, guys, coming up right here in "THE SITUATION ROOM".

NGUYEN: Looking forward to it. Thank you, Wolf.

LEMON: Closing bell and a wrap of all the action on Wall Street straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: Let's get you an update on this developing story, an Amber Alert out of Garland, Texas.

Take a look at this man. This is 36-year-old Jonathan Benjamin Taylor. He was taking care of his brother's stepchildren, 7-year-old Dakota Parker (ph) and 5-year-old Elizabeth Michelle Parker (ph). And he was taking care of them on Friday.

He has not shown up since that day. And an Amber Alert has gone out. What we do know is that he was driving a 2004 silver Ford Focus, four-door, with Texas license plate X01-VXG.

If you have any information, there's the number to call, 972-205- 1699.

LEMON: Well, ladies, it's time to show your heart some love. The Heart Truth road show is one of several events going on to promote national women's health week.

First lady Laura Bush is traveling the country to help raise awareness. And one of the issues she talked about with our very own medical correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, cervical cancer prevention and that controversial new vaccine for girls and young women.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LAURA BUSH, FIRST LADY: There's nothing new about requiring a vaccine that will protect the health of people in our country. And I think it's important for young women to have this, or girls, actually, to go ahead and have this vaccine.

It will protect them from cervical cancer later in their lives. And it's just like getting a flu shot. I mean, you get those vaccines so you won't have a problem later in your life with disease. And in this case, it's cervical cancer.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: And you can see more of Dr. Gupta's interview with the first lady tonight at 10:00 Eastern on "ANDERSON COOPER 360".

NGUYEN: Mailing any bills today?

I got a lot of them to mail.

Well, how about some letters to friends? That Mother's Day card that you never got out? Well, it's going to cost you a little more, because as of today, first class postage is now 41 cents, up from 39 cents.

But you can also buy the new Forever Stamp. And it will stay valid regardless of any future rate hikes. Hey, that's a good deal. The postal service says even though items dropped in mailboxes yesterday should have the new stamp, it doesn't plan on a rash of returns.

Thank goodness.

LEMON: Thank goodness.

NGUYEN: That closing bell, though, it's coming up pretty soon.

LEMON: Yes. Susan Lisovicz standing by with a final look at the trading day.

(STOCK MARKET REPORT)

LEMON: And now it's time for "THE SITUATION ROOM".

NGUYEN: And Wolf Blitzer.

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