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Missing U.S. Soldiers in Iraq; Battle Against Massive Florida Blaze; Summer Gas Prices

Aired May 15, 2007 - 11:00   ET

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


T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: Well, you are in the CNN NEWSROOM. You are informed. And now we are equipped to give you the news.
I'm T.J. Holmes, sitting in for Mr. Tony Harris.

HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Heidi Collins.

Developments keep coming into the NEWSROOM on Tuesday, May 15th.

Want to get to the rundown.

Three U.S. soldiers missing in Iraq. Home base, Fort Drum, New York. Officials telling CNN within the last hour Special Ops forces are involved in the search.

HOLMES: Also, crews in Florida scrambling this hour to get a massive wildfire under control, and under control soon. Thunderstorms in the forecast. Lightning could start more fires.

COLLINS: Road rage. Which city has the rudest drivers, the most courteous drivers? Florida's home to one of them.

Stick around. Is it Miami nice or Miami Vice?

In the NEWSROOM.

HOLMES: From our sources at the Pentagon, to the search on the ground, we have new details this hour about those American troops missing in Iraq. Here is what we know right now.

The three soldiers are from Fort Drum in New York. Their families at home getting word from the U.S. government about the soldiers' status. Some share their heartbreak, and you'll hear what they had to say shortly.

Meanwhile, on the ground in Iraq, the military questioning hundreds of people. The search has intensified. And just a short while ago, we learned that it includes U.S. Special Ops.

Let's go now to CNN's Hugh Riminton, who's been standing by for us with the latest in Baghdad.

Hello again, Hugh.

HUGH RIMINTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello again there, T.J. No surprise that Special Ops is involved in this. The key thing in these hostage-taking situations is to move very quickly, try to locate the people who have been taken as soon as you can. That's your best hope for a recovery.

When that doesn't happen, you start to fall back on intelligence, getting information that might lead you to where they are, and then look towards make a special forces recovery. That may be the phase they're into at the moment, but so much else to talk to you about at the moment.

There are still questions over exactly the identity of the three people missing. That is because -- let's go back to this initial incident -- two vehicles. Before dawn, they were involved in a stationary observation post, looking for people planting roadside bombs. They were ambushed in some way.

Five bodies found at the scene. Those -- one of those was an Iraqi army soldier. The other four, three of them have been identified, but one cannot be identified without DNA testing. The body was badly burned.

Those bodies been flown back or removed back to the United States for DNA to be done. This means that the three who are missing cannot be known for sure, their identities.

All of the seven families have been informed that their loved ones are involved. The mother of one who was told that her son was definitely among those killed heard the news from her daughter-in-law.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WENDY THOMPSON, DANIEL COURNEYA'S MOTHER: She said, "Daniel's dead." And I -- I just started screaming, begging her to tell me it was a joke, just some stupid sick Mother's Day prank. And it wasn't.

I'm more proud of Daniel now than I was the day I signed the papers and watched him take his oath.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

RIMINTON: Her son, Daniel W. Courneya, 19 years old, that was all, from Vermontville, in Michigan, private first class.

Also confirmed among the dead -- these names not being released by the Pentagon, but by the families themselves, having received the bad news -- Sergeant First Class James D. Connell, Jr., 40 years old, of Lake City, Tennessee. At the moment, those are the only confirmed names dead. But we do know they are from the 10th Mountain Division, the 2nd Brigade, and from Fort. Drum, New York.

HOLMES: All right. Our Hugh Riminton.

Again, as always, thank you so much for the update, Hugh.

COLLINS: We want to give you now more from the family of Private First Class Courneya. Reporter Tony Tagliavia had a chance to talk with Daniel Courneya's mother and learn more about his life. He's with affiliate WILX.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

THOMPSON: The military had been his dream since he was 3.

TONY TAGLIAVIA, REPORTER, WILX (voice over): Daniel Courneya was the keeper of that dream. His mother, Wendy Thompson, admits as a child he was a bit rambunctious.

THOMPSON: He was too much like me.

TAGLIAVIA: But he grew up hanging on to that dream. His mother says in high school he straightened out a bit.

THOMPSON: He just started working harder. He -- something clicked, and he started reaching out to younger kids.

TAGLIAVIA: And he did well for himself in algebra, track and soccer. It was then, after high school, that he was old enough to fulfill his dream to become Private First Class Daniel Courneya.

He trained and eventually was deployed to Iraq. Just recently, during his service in Mahmoudiyah, he became a gunner. It was what he always wanted to do in the Army. But it was shortly after that assignment that his mother says Daniel Courneya lost his life.

Wendy got a call from her daughter-in-law.

THOMPSON: She said, "Daniel's dead." And I -- I just started screaming, begging her to tell me it was a joke, just some stupid, sick Mother's Day prank. And it wasn't.

TAGLIAVIA: It was the call she feared but one she knew she might get.

THOMPSON: I'm more proud of Daniel now than I was the day I signed the papers and watched him take his oath.

TAGLIAVIA: In Vermontville, Tony Tagliavia, News 10.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: Sergeant First Class James Connell also killed in the attack outside Mahmoudiyah. Connell was home in Lake City, Tennessee, just two weeks ago. This was his third tour in Iraq. Back home, his family is staying strong.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANGELA REYNOLDS, JAMES CONNELL'S SISTER: I'm extremely proud of him. It's hard to say at this time with the emotions so raw whether or not the sacrifice was worth it.

COURTNEY CONNELL, DAUGHTER: I'm proud of my dad because he didn't really fight for himself, he fought for the country.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: A memorial being planned in Lake City, Tennessee. Connell asked to be buried at Arlington National Cemetery. His family plans to honor his wishes.

HOLMES: In our look at U.S. casualties since the start of the Iraq war, 3,401 U.S. military personnel have died, 25,245 have been wounded. More than half of those wounded in action have returned to duty.

Another big story we've been keeping an eye on here, word from police in Portugal now that a suspect is being questioned about 4- year-old Madeleine McCann. This missing girl is from Britain, and police say she was taken from her parent's hotel room almost two weeks ago. Her whereabouts now unknown. And today, Madeleine's aunt, Diane McCann, talked to CNN's "AMERICAN MORNING" about how the girl's parents are holding up.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DIANE MCCANN, MADELEINE'S AUNT: To be honest, I mean, so far, they've both been amazingly courageous and inspirational for everyone. I mean, that's -- these guys are what's keeping us going.

When we see them on television and when we -- you know, when we speak to them on the phone, they are being very brave and very strong and they're helping us to cope with it as well just by -- you know, by remaining strong and remaining hopeful that somebody somewhere is going to know something, and that soon we're going to have Madeleine back.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: And it's reported that pledges for a reward for Madeleine's return have topped $5 million.

You can stay here with CNN for the latest on this developing story.

COLLINS: Chased by flames. More Florida residents flee their homes as a huge wildfire jumps a fire line. On the front lines, firefighters are making some progress, but the battle is far from over. Within the last hour, we got the latest on the fire from a news conference, and CNN's Rob Marciano is in Lake City.

Rob, I know you heard some of that. What's the very latest now as we get a little bit closer to noontime?

ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Well, what hasn't changed is the amount of -- that this fire's contained. Still at 50 percent, which is about the containment that we saw last night. Today, the winds are dying down, but it's going to be hotter. It's going to be dryer.

So pick your poison. The fire officials expect today to be as dangerous as yesterday, as far as trying to keep this fire back.

It is advancing to the west from the east, with east winds blowing 20, 30 miles an hour. But yesterday, for the first time, they were able to get air tankers up in the air and attack this thing from above. P2, P3 air tankers dropping fire retardant. Helicopters were dropping -- dropping water.

But then on the ground, you've got hundreds of firefighters who have not only been battling this blaze, but blazes all across the southeast. And one other problem is that these guys are just getting tired.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TOM SPEAKS, DEPUTY INCIDENT COMMANDER: Fatigue is becoming a huge issue. This, you know, actually has been going on now about four weeks between everything that's been going on, in the Oke Swamp. But, you know, we're talking about record droughts, incredible fuel loadings on the ground. Weather's not been helping one bit with that.

So our resources are getting tired. And, you know, the only thing would help is a lot of rain.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MARCIANO: That's one thing they're not going to get, not today. Maybe tomorrow a little bit, but don't hold your breath.

After the next two days of just about a 30 percent chance of getting rain over the weekend, we could see a return to dry and windy conditions. So these guys are going to have to fight it with their hands on the ground, with fire trucks that are out to protect some -- over 300 structures that have been evacuated up the road here.

We're on the western flank. This is State Highway 441, which is closed to our north. The fire itself about 10 miles northeast of here as the crow flies.

And these fire trucks were here earlier. They've been dispatched to protect the homes of people who have evacuated.

We expect a long, hot, dry day, Heidi. And that's been the biggest problem. But hopefully later on today we'll have better news to report to you as far as a greater percentage of this thing being contained.

COLLINS: Yes. And it is a little worrisome, though, is it not, Rob, that these crews are getting tired? Is there any -- is there any talk at all of them bringing new, fresh crews into the mix?

MARCIANO: Well, the policy is these guys are on for 14 days, and then they try to switch them out. So, it's 12, sometimes 16 -- ideally, 12-hour shifts, but sometimes the fire does not allow you to leave when you want to leave.

COLLINS: Right. MARCIANO: So, some of these guys are working 16, 18, 20-hour days, and it's just tough to get the down time that they need to be effective and to battle this fire in a safe manner. When you get -- when you get tired, you don't think certainly all that well. And when you've got a big blaze, you know, burning down the back of your neck, I'm certain -- I'm sure that -- well, that doesn't help.

So hopefully these guys can get their rest and get this fire under control before too long.

COLLINS: Yes. And more than anything, we want them all to stay safe, too.

All right. CNN's Rob Marciano for us live out of Big Lake today.

We'll keep our eye on this one, Rob. Thank you.

And parts of Arizona also feeling the heat from wildfires. Several hundred homes and other buildings are threatened by this fire near Promontory Pointe. At least 900 acres already scorched, and right now, zero containment. Another blaze near the Mexican border has burned 2,000 acres.

HOLMES: College students accused of throwing a racist party on Cinco de Mayo. Our correspondent has pictures.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ALLAN CHERNOFF, CNN SR. CORRESPONDENT: Students dressed as landscapers, with "Pedro" and "Jose" name tags on their work shirts. Written on the back, "Spic N Span Gardeners".

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: An insensitive celebration.

Stick around. We've got that story coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: Powerless at the pump. But not suffering in silence.

Millions of motorists urged a boycott gas today. You're not supposed to buy gas today.

CNN Senior Correspondent Allan Chernoff joins us now from outside New York at a gas station.

And people are taking that advice. You haven't seen anybody all day show up to buy any gas today, have you, Allan?

CHERNOFF: Hey, T.J. You know, this place is busy. And I have to tell you, a lot of people have heard about the boycott.

But are they boycotting? Of course not. Forget about it. You know, even if they did boycott today, they'd have to buy tomorrow or the next day.

If you really want to hurt the oil companies, hey, trade your car for a bike. Walk some more. Or trade your truck for a small car. But come on, people still have to buy gasoline.

Let's talk to a few of the motorists over here.

Sir, I just saw that you were filling up. Did you know today is Boycott Gasoline Day?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, I did. But so what? You know?

It's unlikely that boycotting on a single day is going to have any real impact. The other thing is that you're interviewing in the wrong place. You're interviewing where people come to buy gas.

CHERNOFF: We should be interviewing on the bike path, you're right.

But the fact is that the gas station here today, it's just as busy as it was yesterday.

Let's talk to the owner.

Jim, people boycotting at all? Any of your customers saying, "Hey, I'm not going to come today"?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, we haven't seen evidence of people not buying gas today. We're still seeing the same volume that we did yesterday or the day before.

CHERNOFF: You heard about the boycott?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sure.

CHERNOFF: Do you worry about this every year at all?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, we've never worried about it. We've never seen any decrease in business during the boycott.

CHERNOFF: As a matter of fact, you know, on the Internet, there's an rumor that back in 1997 this boycott, one-day boycott, actually led to a decline in prices of 30 cents a gallon. Do you know what? That's a big chunk of bologna. It did not happen.

This boycott, this so-called boycott has never impacted gasoline prices. And of course you know the prices keep on jumping up.

Over here, it's at $2.89.9. And that's pretty low for the national, because here in New Jersey, we have low gasoline taxes.

But as I was saying, the national average right now is all the way up to $3.09. And one reason, that people keep on buying that gas. The demand helping to push prices up -- T.J.

HOLMES: OK. So we're at about $3.09 now. But we're just getting going this summer. Where are the prices expected to go if we're already at $3.09?

CHERNOFF: Yes, we're all wondering that. T.J., part of the reason that we have prices so high now, it's not just that we've had strong demand, but also the fact that lots of refineries have been shut down.

They've been doing lots of maintenance. There have been a few fires at some major refineries over the past few months.

Those refineries have now been fixed up. So they are reopening. They're producing more gasoline. So the supply of gas actually is going to be improving as the summer goes along. That's the good news.

The bad news, of course, is that the summer is coming and demand for gas also increases. So, along with higher supply, we're going to have higher demand.

So that could keep prices around where they are right now, close to that $3 a gallon level. But people have been worried about the idea of $4 gas. Experts say we're not going that high. Not that bad -- T.J.

HOLMES: All right. Our Allan Chernoff at the wrong place, apparently, according to one motorist there. You need to be somewhere else.

We'll see if you take his advice. Or tell him not to tell you how to do your job, Allan. No. Appreciate your help, appreciate your work.

CHERNOFF: We'll go to the bike shop next time.

HOLMES: All right. We'll see you.

Allan Chernoff for us.

Thanks, man.

COLLINS: Well, whether they have gas or not, Miami topping New York today. It's the hot spot for road rage. Miami, number one for the second straight year.

The rude driving survey done by Autovantage looked at things like running red lights and tailgating. Rounding out the top five are Boston, Los Angeles and Washington.

On the other end, Portland, Oregon, ranks as the most courteous of the 25 cities surveyed. St. Louis gets the distinction for being the least likely to have drivers swear at each other.

Now how do they know that?

HOLMES: They take a survey.

COLLINS: They're all honest, too. Aren't they? HOLMES: You're very likely to be -- are they? Yes. All right.

Well, some more unhappy folks. And this time, not on the road, but in the skies. Unhappy with the airlines.

Overall customer satisfaction falling to its lowest level in seven years. As for the individual airlines, a new survey puts United at the bottom of the list.

Delta, I don't know what you're laughing at. You're not too far behind. American Airlines, Northwest and US Airways rounds out the bottom five.

The survey looked at quality, service and expectations. Southwest actually had the fewest complaints, followed by Continental Airlines. Researchers from the University of Michigan surveyed 20,000 air travelers during the first few months of this year.

COLLINS: You know, I think that's because Southwest always tells jokes.

HOLMES: They tell jokes?

COLLINS: Yes, the crew usually tells jokes.

HOLMES: Really? OK.

COLLINS: Anyway, on to this -- yes.

Vacation interrupted. A sightseeing trip becomes a rescue mission. An update on a crippled cruise ship. We told you about it yesterday right here in the NEWSROOM.

And listen to this. You know, I have heard that sound before, and it's exactly like that. This is four inches of hail falling on Colorado. We'll tell you all about it coming up in the NEWSROOM.

HOLMES: And Rocky down for the count? Oh, no, not Rocky. Rocky?

Actor Sylvester Stallone pleads guilty to importing growth hormone.

Say it ain't so. Not Rocky Balboa.

COLLINS: It's him.

HOLMES: OK. We've got an update on this in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: Imagine if you were just starting first grade and someone made this promise: Graduate from high school and I'll pay for college. In Oakland, California, a woman named Oral Lee Brown did just that. How she kept her promise is what makes her today's CNN Hero. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ORAL LEE BROWN, CNN HERO: These are our kids. We should at least take them to a position in their life that they can lead their way. And they can't do it without an education.

An education can get you everything you want. You can go wherever you want to go. It's the way out of the ghettos, bottom line.

UNIDENTIFIED CHILDREN: Good morning, Mrs. Oral Brown.

YOLANDA PEEK, FMR. SCHOOL PRINCIPAL: She says, "Give me your first graders who are really struggling and who are most needy. I want to adopt the class. And I want to follow the class until they graduate from high school."

And she says that she was going to pay their college tuitions.

BROWN: How many are going to college?

At the time, I was making I think $45,000, $46,000 a year. So I committed $10,000 to the kids.

I grew up in Mississippi. I lived off of $2 a day. That's what we got, $2 a day for picking cotton.

And so I really feel that I was blessed from God. And so I cannot pay him back, but these kids are his kids. These kids are -- some of them are poor like I was.

LAQUITA WHITE, FMR. STUDENT: When you have that mentor like Miss Brown, a very strong person, you can't go wrong, because she's on you constantly every day. "What are you doing? How are you doing?"

BROWN: The world doubted us. I was told that, "Lady, you cannot do it." And I would say, "You know what? These kids are just like any other kid. The only thing, they don't have the love and they don't have the support."

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They called me yesterday and told me I was accepted. Good news.

BROWN: You're looking at doctors and lawyers and one president of the United States. When you give a kid an education and they get it up here, nobody or nothing can take it away.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: If you know someone like Oral Lee Brown, who is championing children, tell us about them at cnn.com/heroes.

HOLMES: Atlantis is on the move. Not blasting off into space. It's just creeping along right now. It's on its way to the launch pad at Kennedy Space Center. Happening right now. Atlantis was supposed to actually blast off in March, but there was a freak hailstorm there and it damaged the fuel tank. NASA says it's fixed all those dings now and liftoff will be some time after June 8th.

COLLINS: An update now on the Alaska cruise ship rescue story we first brought you yesterday. The Empress of the North is in Juneau this morning. It arrived with a Coast Guard escort some 10 hours after it ran aground on a reef.

When the Coast Guard crews reached the area, the ship was listing and taking on some water. Good Samaritan boaters joined with state ferries to rescue more than 200 passengers. The passengers were returned to Juneau, where some praised the response.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Everything was really fantastic. I mean, the help that came, everything was superb.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was all very orderly. The captain came on, gave us instructions. Everybody in the crew did what they were supposed to do. And the Coast Guard came. I can't say enough.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: An NTSB team will investigate the incident.

HOLMES: New developments in the school prank story we told you about out of Tennessee. An assistant principal and teacher who staged a fake gun attack on a group of sixth graders have been suspended.

You'll recall this: While on a field trip, the school staff members told students a gunman was on the loose and to take cover under tables. They later said it was just a prank.

But some students were crying and actually fearing for their lives. And why not?

The parents are now outraged. The suspensions are without pay. They last until the end of the school year, on June 1st.

Also, out of bounds, off campus. College students take a Cinco de Mayo-themed party just a bit too far. Outrage follows. That's here in the NEWSROOM.

COLLINS: Tenth Mountain Division soldiers missing in Iraq. They are based at Fort Drum, New York.

The anxious wait coming up in the NEWSROOM.

HOLMES: All right. You pull up to the toll booth. You drop your change. Then what?

HOLMES: All right. You pull up to the toll booth, you drop your change and then what?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That money went to the state of Indiana and the city of Chicago respectively, not anymore.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: That is because the road is for rent. Find out what this is all about right here in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: And welcome back to the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm TJ Holmes sitting in today for Tony Harris.

HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR, NEWSROOM: Good morning to you, everybody, I'm Heidi Collins.

From our sources at the Pentagon to the search now on the ground. We have new details this hour about the American troops missing in Iraq. Here's what we know right now. The three soldiers are from Ft. Drum in New York, their families at home getting word from the U.S. government about the soldiers' status. On the ground in Iraq, the military now questioning hundreds of people. The search has intensified. Just a short while ago, we learned it includes U.S. special ops. Four Ft. Drum soldiers were killed in that ambush on Saturday. We now know the names of two of them. One is 19-year-old private first class Daniel Courneya of Vermontville, Michigan. The other is sergeant first class James Connell of Lake City, Tennessee. He was 40 years old. An Iraqi soldier also was killed in the attack.

HOLMES: The flames are closing in and more people in north Florida are getting out, trying to get away from a huge wildfire. More evacuations ordered after the blaze jumped a fire line and spread west. Several hundred families were told to leave their homes as a precaution and officials say more evacuations could be on the way. Despite that worrisome news, there are some new developments. Firefighters are making headway. Significant progress reported on the eastern side of that blaze. The western side still the biggest trouble spot. About half of the fire is now said to be under control.

COLLINS: Probably a good idea to go ahead and get a look at things all across the country, specifically in these fire areas. Jacqui Jeras is in the weather center for us to do just that. Hi Jacqui.

JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Hey guys. The weather today clearer there again. So that allows the air tankers and the helicopters to fight this fire but the winds are strong and that's going to continue to advance that fire westward today and very low relative humidity. So red flag warnings have been posted in this area once again for today. We had a little rain here on Sunday. No real rain in the forecast, maybe Thursday if we're real lucky. All the showers and thunderstorms have been down here into south Florida, kind of hit and miss, kind of the splash and dash type.

So not everybody's getting in on the action here today, but they will be quite common we think throughout the day. We've got a live picture for you out of the Miami area from our sister station there, WPLG TV. You can see those puffy cumulus clouds, not a great day for the beach, not just because of the thunderstorms, but a very high threat of rip currents because of that long patch (ph) of those easterly winds making their way onto the coastline.

Let's go back to the map and show you where else we have some wet weather going on today. Throughout the northeastern corridor, a warm front pushing through the area today so watch for your temperatures to go up but some gusty winds. Expect to see some delays at the airport. We also have some showers and thunderstorms here across the nation's midsection from Des Moines down towards the Kansas City area, even into Tulsa, Oklahoma. This storm system is the one that could bring some wet weather by Thursday to parts of the southeast. So we will be looking forward to maybe some of those changes. Heidi, TJ.

COLLINS: All right, Jacqui Jeras, thank you.

HOLMES: Meanwhile in Colorado, not the best time to be on the road. Drivers near Ft. Lupton confronting this massive severe thunderstorm moving through the area. There were reports of up to four inches of hail on the ground. And in Denver, torrential rain turns streets into streams, two people actually missing after they were swept away in flash floods, one of them a toddler who was in a stroller, the other person, a teenager.

COLLINS: A group of college students learning a lesson about the sting of stereotyping the hard way. CNN's Allan Chernoff explains.

ALLAN CHERNOFF, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A Cinco de Mayo south of the border party off campus at the University of Delaware. Students dressed as landscapers with Pedro and Jose name tags on their work shirts. Written on the back spic 'n' span gardeners.

JISELLE MARTINEZ, CAMPUS ALLIANCE DE LA RAZA: I was disgusted. I was surprised, shocked

CHERNOFF: All three of the students photographed are members of a campus honor fraternity, a fact that outraged the university's Latino students after pictures of the party were posted on facebook.com.

MARTINEZ: To know that my own peers have looked down upon the Latino community and see us in this manner and have called us derogatory terms. It's just shocking.

CHERNOFF: Other partygoers wore Mexico t-shirts. The back of one said full of tequila. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No matter how far we think that we're going, it seems like people are doing the same things over and over.

CHERNOFF: In recent months, students have been throwing racially themed parties across the nation. At California Santa Clara University, white students dressed as Latino janitors, gardeners and pregnant teens at a similar south of the border party last February. At Clemson and University of Connecticut, so-called gangster parties parodied African-Americans. Why does this keep happening? Latino students here at the University of Delaware comprise just 4 percent of undergraduate enrollment. As is the case at many schools, there tends to be a division between minorities and the majority white student body.

SARA NILES, SOPHOMORE, UNIV. OF DELAWARE: You can see groups of, like, Latinos are friends and groups of white kids are friends.

CHERNOFF: Segregation?

NILES: Kind of. But I don't think it's anything that's been sort of done on purpose. I think it's just how it naturally sort of evolved.

CHERNOFF: But university President David Roselle says there is no excuse for offending Latino classmates, even if such behavior is protected by the first amendment.

DAVID ROSELLE, PRES., UNIVERSITY OF DELAWARE: We certainly can't condone it. There's a question to the extent to which we can punish.

CHERNOFF: Phi Sigma Phi honor fraternity did exact punishment. They expelled these three students for a year. Latino students sponsored a campus town hall where one of the partygoers publicly apologized.

LAUREN BOROSKI, CINCO DE MAYO PARTY ATTENDEE: I did not mean it to be malicious at all. I really do care about this issue. You know, I did make a mistake but I do care about what's going on.

CHERNOFF: Other students issued a written apology. More important than retribution Latino student leaders say, is the fact that their classmates have had an important lesson on the danger of stereotyping. Allan Chernoff, CNN, Newark, Delaware.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: A rock star holding the richest nations accountable, policing a pledge to increase aid in Africa. Bono in an exclusive interview with our Dr Sanjay Gupta. We'll hear from him in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: AIDS in Africa. That's something very close to the heart of U2 lead singer Bono. COLLINS: He's been at the forefront of the fight for sometime now and just this morning, our chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta talked to Bono about the issue in an exclusive interview. Sanjay shared some of their conversation a little bit earlier in the NEWSROOM.

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Everyone knows Bono as the front man to U2. He does a great job. But he's also the front man to an organization called Data which I know you've heard about since (INAUDIBLE) AIDS trade in Africa, I forgot there for a second. We're only a few weeks away from the next G-8 summit. This organization is sort of a watchdog organization in some ways for the G-8 leaders. What are they doing for Africa is Bono's question often and as he tells people, as he told me this morning, it is a case of good news and bad news. Here's what he said specifically.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BONO, U2: Well, there's good news and bad news Sanjay. The good news is aid is really working on the ground. There's huge breakthroughs being made fighting the AIDS emergency and malaria, breakthroughs led by the United States, I might add. But the bad news is as a general compact with the poorest of the poor, the G-8 is way off. And this is very upsetting because it's one thing to make a promise to people like me or Data or your own citizenry. It's really -- there's something extraordinarily bad about breaking a promise with the poorest, most vulnerable people on earth.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GUPTA: You know, he's very passionate about this Heidi. A couple points he made to me is that there's a difference between charity and justice. He said a lot people may open up their pocketbooks but in order to actually do justice to this, you got to believe it in your heart. And I think that's what he's so good at doing because he's so passionate about it. I also asked him interestingly, is there Bono fatigue because he's everywhere. This guy's everywhere. He had a sort of funny response. He said, I'm Bono and I'm sick of Bono. But the truth is that a lot of people aren't and they really do listen to him and we're going to put the whole interview by the way on cnn.com/health and also on a podcast on iTunes as well.

COLLINS: You can also see more of Sanjay's interview with Bono, First Lady Laura Bush, as well as former President Bill Clinton in a special edition of house call with Dr. Sanjay Gupta that will air Saturday and Sunday morning at 8:30 a.m. Eastern. And as always, 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. That address, cnn.com/health. And about 15 minutes away from "Your World Today." Hala Gorani will be sitting on the desk today. Hala, nice to see you.

HALA GORANI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Nice to see you Heidi, hi TJ, a lot going on in the world. We will bring you the world on "Your World Today" at noon Eastern. We will be asking the question, will Paul Wolfowitz keep his job as the head of the World Bank? A panel is due to decide soon. What, if any, disciplinary action to take against the former number two at the Pentagon? Some accuse Wolfowitz of breaking World Bank rules by helping his girlfriend get a pay raise and a promotion.

Also, the U.S. and Russia agree to tone down the rhetoric after a period of strain between the two countries. We'll go live to Moscow for the latest on Condoleezza Rice's visit to Russia and her meetings there.

Also, we'll be bringing you the latest on this investigation that's been gripping parts of Europe. Madeleine McCann, the four- year-old British girl who disappeared from her holiday villa about two weeks ago. A man is now in custody and a house was searched. That and a lot more at the top of the hour. Join Jim Clancy and myself for "Your World Today." Back to you guys.

COLLINS: A lot of people really watching that case and hoping for a breakthrough, certainly. Hala Gorani, we'll be watch in about 10 minutes from now.

Meanwhile, the price of gas today, it's a record. What's down the road, though? Lawmakers look to the summer driving season. The outlook coming up for you in the NEWSROOM.

HOLMES: Also, collecting the toll. When you drop in a quarter or two, do you know where your change is going? The answer may surprise you a bit. We'll fill you in here in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: Motorists, take heart. The government says gas prices may soon ease down a bit. That, from an Energy Department hearing this morning on Capitol Hill. We want to go to our Brianna Keilar now. Brianna, that sounds great, but still, crude oil prices are actually lower than they were last year. But the gas prices are higher. That really doesn't make much sense. We know you have the wisdom to make it all make sense to us. So please do so.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: All right, well, yeah, that's right. At this point, there may be some relief in sight. If you're like me TJ right now and your gas gauge is sitting there on empty, you're just loathing heading to the pump where gas prices at a record high, an average of $3.10 a gallon regular unleaded self-serve and as you mentioned, crude oil at $66 a barrel right now, actually down from what it was this time last year. But experts testified before the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee today, pointed instead to a decrease in imports and also, a decrease in refinery capacity, two things that are really out of the norm for this time of year. Refineries are of course stretched to the limit, especially since it's been more than 30 years since a new one has been built in the U.S.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GUY CARUSO, ENERGY INFORMATION ADMIN: Until that investment is made in the infrastructure to provide some cushion in this industry, the only pressure relief valve when unexpected events occur is price. (END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: The big question here, what does summer hold for us? Refinery production, good news, it's expected to increase through the rest of May. Oil imports also expected to increase over the next few weeks. That should mean that gas gets cheaper. The bad news, it's not going to get too much cheaper. The head of the Energy Information Administration says expect it to fall below $3 bucks here in a few weeks. But it could, again, hit at least $3 in August, which is peak driving season. Now, the good news, those experts who testified today didn't seem to think we're going to be seeing any $4 a gallon of gas. $3.25 a gallon was the highest projection that we heard, TJ.

HOLMES: Oh, well, just $3.25, sound great, Brianna. Please, go get some gas in your car.

KEILAR: It's pretty bad, I admit it.

HOLMES: We don't want to have to come pick you up, at the side of the road. See you, Brianna Keilar for us in DC.

COLLINS: Roads for rent. States consider plans to go private. So what does that mean for your commute? CNN's Keith Oppenheim has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KEITH OPPENHEIM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: When I go to work, there are two roads I always take, the Indiana toll road and that big bridge between Indiana and Chicago, the skyway. So for years when I plink 50 cents into a basket to ride in Indiana or $2 to ride over the skyway, that money went to the state of Indiana and the city of Chicago respectively. Not anymore. Now the skyway and the toll road have been leased. The tolls aren't going to government. They're going to a private company called Center McQuarrie (ph). Center McQuarrie is not American. It's a consortium of two foreign companies from Spain and Australia. In 2005, Mayor Richard Daly and Ceinter McQuarrie inked a deal that gave Chicago $1.8 billion to lease the bridge. In return, the company collects every cent of every toll for the next 99 years and becomes responsible for the bridge's maintenance.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Something's going on in Indiana.

OPPENHEIM: Then in 2006, Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels followed suit and leased Indiana's 175-mile toll road to the same firm. The terms, $3.8 billion for 75 years.

GOVERNOR MITCH DANIELS, INDIANA: We were $3 to $4 billion short, no prospect of finding that money. You couldn't triple the gas tax. You couldn't borrow that kind of money. So we were just out to solve a problem and one that's very common in America.

OPPENHEIM: State representative Pat Bower believes the toll road deal is a bad deal, structured to give too much profit to the company, not enough to the state.

PATRICK BAUER, INDIANA STATE HOUSE: So they get it every which way. And the people in the state of Indiana are the losers.

OPPENHEIM: With some truckers, the Indiana toll road lease has not been popular.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I just see, you know, the toll rates going up so I don't really see the benefit.

OPPENHEIM: For the record, rate increases on the toll road are regulated, essentially tied to rate of inflation. On Chicago's skyway, the limits on toll increases end after 15 years. And after that, the company can charge whatever it wants. There's also an escape clause. If Center McQuarrie fails to maintain roads as stated in the contract, the company gets fired. Government keeps the money. It's enticing enough that across the U.S., politicians are interested in similar deals for their states.

ROBERT PUENTES, BROOKINGS INSTITUTION: They get to receive a lot of cash in hand without having to raise taxes, without having to raise tolls. It's very attract to a lot of legislatures.

OPPENHEIM: So now if someone tries to sell you the Brooklyn bridge, don't assume it's a scam. It might just be the next long-term lease come down the road. Keith Oppenheim, CNN, Chicago.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES: Tenth mountain division soldiers missing in Iraq. They're based at Ft. Drum, New York. Tell you about the anxious wait here in the NEWSROOM.

COLLINS: On the run as the flames close in. More people in north Florida now threatened by a massive wildfire. The latest from the front lines coming up in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: want to show you this new video coming into CNN, courtesy of the Department of Defense. This is the video of U.S. and Iraqi forces searching for the three missing American soldiers. It's south of Baghdad, Mahmoudiyah, this abduction apparently took place. Of course, on Saturday, after an ambush that left four U.S. soldiers and an Iraqi soldier dead. We continue to follow this story as the American and Iraqi forces do continue to search for the three missing American soldiers. We'll stay on top of that one for you.

Meanwhile, CNN NEWSROOM does continue just one hour from now.

HOLMES: But "YOUR WORLD TODAY" is up next with news happening across the globe and here at home.

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