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Record-Breaking Hurricane Strikes Central America; Iraq Meets Few Benchmarks; Arab Language School Opens Despite Controversy; The Jena 6
Aired September 04, 2007 - 13:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: The first one made headlines. This one makes history. Hurricane Felix hits Central America as a Category 5, the second Cat 5 to hit land in two weeks. That's a first. We're live in Honduras.
DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: We're also in Jena, Louisiana. In a town divided by fear and violence over race. Months after a white teen was beaten, a half dozen black teens are fighting for their lives.
Hello, everyone. I'm Don Lemon, live at the CNN world headquarters in Atlanta.
PHILLIPS: And I'm Kyra Phillips. You're live in the CNN NEWSROOM.
In the path of a fearsome storm. For the second time this season, a Category 5 hurricane slams into Central America.
Felix roared ashore just before dawn near the Nicaragua/Honduras border, ripping rooms off shelters and forcing thousands of people to flee. Tourists and residents scrambling for the last flights out.
The worry now, tremendous rains and the potential for deadly mudslides.
CNN correspondents Susan Candiotti, Harris Whitbeck and Karl Penhaul are on the move across the hurricane zone.
LEMON: And Kyra, Harris is with rescuers and aid workers in La Ceiba, Honduras. They're waiting to hear where they are needed most. Any movement yet, Harris?
HARRIS WHITBECK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: No, don. As you can see, it has begun raining here. These are some of the outer bands of the storm that are passing over La Ceiba as the storm itself moves over into central Honduras and moves towards the capital.
The Honduran president said that he hopes that, as that storm hits a mountain range, it will dissipate even further. It's already a Category 3. And that the winds won't be as strong. But, as was mentioned in the tease before, the main concern here is not so much the wind as it is the possibility of flooding and mudslides.
This part of Central America is very mountainous. And in the past, when storms have happened -- like these have happened -- there have been mudslides. So that's the main concern there.
As far as Nicaragua, where the storm actually made landfall, very early this morning, no major reports yet as to what might have happened there. We did speak to the Nicaraguan minister of health, who was actually at a hospital in Puerto Caresa (ph), where she rode the storm out. She said it was absolutely terrifying: lots of very high winds and lots of very intense rain at times.
Also, CNN Espanol, CNN Spanish was reporting that some 35 fishermen apparently were missing and they were out in two boats and trying to get away from the area before the storm hit. And they haven't been heard from since.
So again, as the conditions permit it, rescuers and government officials will make their way to that area, in particular, which is the border between Honduras and Nicaragua, to make a first assessment of what is happening.
The U.S. military, which has a base in Honduras, has also said that it is waiting for the Honduran government to officially ask it for help and, once that takes place, then the military has helicopters standing by that can fly into some of the most effective zones to make early assessments -- Don.
LEMON: All right. Harris Whitbeck in La Ceiba, Honduras. We'll check back. Thank you.
PHILLIPS: Rob Marciano busy in the weather center today. You've got two hurricanes to worry about now. Bring us the latest.
ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Well, hurricane No. 1 is the one we're reporting on right now, which is the Category 5. This is Felix. As it came on shore early this morning. That eye goes away. It loses its moisture source, the fuel. So now it's a Category 3. And it's quickly, quickly weakening.
Getting some word now out of the equivalent of the National Weather Service in Nicaragua. And they're telling us that the onshore push has created some problems in that there's rivers that flow down into the Caribbean. And those rivers aren't being allowed to flow out. So they're starting to fill up. They're starting to flood.
And then on top of that you've got this rainfall that's beginning to pour in. So it's going from a storm surge wind event, which was really bad, and now slowly transforming into a big-time rain event.
How much rain falls, how much more slowly this storm begins to move, will determine, you know, just how many mudslides and how much death and destruction occurs as we go on through time.
One-twenty as far as winds right now. That will likely decrease as we go on to the next couple of hours.
And then look at this. This is Henriette. It's got a little eye here, south of Cabo San Lucas. It's going to make landfall across the southern tip of the Baja here in the next couple of hours as a moderately strong Category 1 storm. So that's no picnic either.
A lot of action south of the border. That's for sure. Kyra, back over to you.
PHILLIPS: All right. Rob, thanks.
LEMON: Judging by how fierce Felix was when it crashed ashore, emergency officials are expecting the worst gut hoping for the best. On the phone with us now, from Nicaragua's capital, is Rafael Callejas. He's Latin America's regional director for CARE.
Can you give us the very latest there?
RAFAEL CALLEJAS, REGIONAL DIRECTOR, CARE: Yes. Hello. We just received information from one of our partners that is in the area of the community of Restan (ph) for Toca Radio (ph). And he's reporting that in the different shelters that we build last year, we have right now approximately 8,000 -- 4,000 people that is being evacuated to these shelters.
LEMON: Four thousand people evacuated to shelters. And many of these shelters, Mr. Callejas, are new shelters that you've been trying to get established there in that area because of poor shelters before.
CALLEJAS: That's correct. We invested approximately $400,000 last year to build three new shelters and repair another four. And we also introduced a new type of technology in this new shelters, and -- basically, they have a dynamic structure that allows assistance (ph) through this type of event.
LEMON: OK. So you've got four -- 4,000 people there. Just give me an idea. When you were there, when it came ashore, what it was like and what people had to do in order to get to shelter.
CALLEJAS: Well, what is important also is that we didn't only build the shelters last year. We also effected (ph) a lot of -- with these families, what we called local planning, emergency plans. So they can evacuate themself. They already knew the routes that they needed -- they needed to take. And what the reaction that -- the first step that they needed -- you know, they needed to act, while a situation (ph) this happened.
LEMON: So as prepared as they could be, they were at that moment when it came ashore.
CALLEJAS: Yes. It's important. This is early preparations and investment in specific (ph) buildings last year.
LEMON: Rafael Callejas, with -- Latin America's regional director for CARE. We thank you for joining us today in the CNN NEWSROOM. Best of luck to you.
CALLEJAS: Thank you, Don.
LEMON: And if you'd like to see more images of Felix as they come in to the U.S., just go to CNN.com. You can also track Felix's path and see this year's hurricane forecast. That and more as CNN.com/hurricanes.
PHILLIPS: So what's working in Iraq? What's not? With Congress back in session today, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee is getting new answers to those questions from the U.S. Government Accountability Office.
Our Jessica Yellin is on Capitol Hill.
What do we know about it, Jessica?
JESSICA YELLIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kyra, this is the first of three Iraq reports that Congress will be receiving in the next ten days. And it does not bring good news.
It finds, out of 18 benchmarks set out by Congress, this independent agency found Iraq met only three of the 18. Said they failed to meet 11 other benchmarks and only partially met four benchmarks.
Here's a quote from the report. It says it finds that key legislation has not been passed. Violence remains high. And it is unclear whether the Iraqi government will spend $10 billion in reconstruction funds.
Now, this is one report, again, that will help shape the debate on Iraq over the coming months. Democrats will seize on this report, no doubt, to say that the surge, the military surge has been a failure, because it was intended to create breathing space for the political process to work, and it has not done that.
But expect Republicans to say something different. Already, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell this morning said not all Iraq reports are equal. And he said the main one everyone will be looking to will be testimony from General Petraeus. That comes next week.
And already Senator McConnell, again a Republican, is laying some groundwork ahead of that debate. He says that the U.S. should expect to be in the Middle East for a long time.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL (R-KY), MINORITY LEADER: I would like to see us with at least some level of bipartisan agreement that we need a long-term deployment somewhere in the Middle East in the future for two reasons: Al Qaeda and Iran. Since we've been at war with them, not a single successful attack here at home.
So the question is, regardless of how you feel about the state of things in Iraq at the moment, what's the bust way to protect the homeland, us, here, civilians in America, for the future? And I think it involves at least some level of the American troop deployment in that area of the world.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
YELLIN: And the first hearing begins here on the Hill at 2 p.m. today. There will be more hearings this week. They expect debate to begin at the end of next week and a vote on the U.S.'s future strategy in Iraq by the end of this month -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: So Jessica, which benchmarks have been met, then?
And also, you mentioned General Petraeus, waiting for his report. He's the man on the ground, really running the show. So does this really hold weight when everybody is really wanting to hear from General Petraeus and what he has to say?
YELLIN: Well, that's exactly what the Republican position is here, that General Petraeus really is the driving force here. And Democrats will acknowledge that, as well.
But the GAO report does give a balancing force, if you will, because it's done by an independent branch of Congress. They're investigators. And so you can say there is absolutely no political interference. That's the position some will take.
And now you asked about what they have met. There were two benchmarks in that that had to do with creating new security plans in Baghdad and meeting that security plan. And the third was ensuring the rights of minority political parties in the legislature.
PHILLIPS: All right. Jessica Yellin from the Hill. Appreciate it.
LEMON: It started as a school yard dispute. Now six students face possible prison time. What happened in Jena, Louisiana? And is justice being served?
PHILLIPS: And another city, another school embroiled in controversy. Is it teaching Arabic culture or preaching a radical message?
LEMON: And speaking of preaching, a gay scandal cost him his career and his marriage. Now, New Jersey's former governor starts classes at a seminary.
All ahead on CNN, the most trusted name in news.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: It is 1:13 here in the east. Here are three of the stories we're working on you for you right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.
Parts of Central America facing the threat of massive flooding right now. Hurricane Felix weakens to a Category 3 storm after slamming ashore in Nicaragua today, but it could dump more than two feet of rain.
A desperate search going on right now in Lake Erie after a plane, a small plane, crashed into the water last night. A man and his 9- year-old son are still missing. The younger son was rescued.
New York City bracing for what could be a major cabbie strike. A union representing about 7,000 taxi drivers plans to strike tomorrow and Thursday to protest new technology the city is requiring for cabs. Mayor Michael Bloomberg says the city has a contingency plan.
PHILLIPS: Reading, writing, radical Islam? It's the first day of classes at a new Arabic public school in New York City. Supporters say it's a great learning opportunity for kids of all cultures. Critics say it teaches a dangerous lesson.
CNN's Richard Roth visited the Kahlil Gibran International Academy in Brooklyn.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CARMEN COLON, PARENT OF STUDENT: Come on. Help me out here.
RICHARD ROTH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): When New York City announced plans for a public school that would teach Arabic language and culture, Carmen Colon saw a great opportunity for her 11-year-old son.
COLON: I know for a fact that any American who learns Arabic will make tons of money, whether it's translation, whether it's in the customer service area. I thought it was the best advantage I can give my son.
ROTH: But some are outraged over the school.
PAMELA HALL, STOP THE MADRASSA: We are paying with our public dollar for a religious school, a madrassa.
ROTH: Pamela Hall is with Stop the Madrassa. The group believes the Kahlil Gibran International Academy will impose a radical Islamist agenda in its classrooms.
HALL: The Arabic immigrant students will be isolated. Whether that materializes instantly into terrorists, that's a huge statement to make. But are these students not assimilating and becoming part of the American fabric? And is that potentially a problem? We think so, yes.
DEBORAH HOWARD, KGIA DESIGN TEAM: There's no basis in fact for what they're saying.
ROTH: Deborah Howard and Reyad Farraj, both parents of Brooklyn public school students, worked on the design team for the academy and say it is not a religious school.
HOWARD: In terms of the curriculum, if it's a New York City public school, it has to go by New York City standards. I'm Jewish. I would never be a part of a school that would in any way, you know, be involved with Islamic fundamentalists.
ROTH: Much of the criticism was directed at the school's Arab- American founding principal, Debbie Almontaser. Two local papers reported claims she had ties to Islamic extremist organizations. The controversy reached a fever patient when Almontaser was quoted defending the use of the word "Intifada" on a T-shirt. She said in Arabic it simply means "shaking off."
Soon after, Almontaser resigned, and the city replaced her with a Jewish principal who doesn't speak Arabic.
REYAD FARRAJ, KGIA DESIGN TEAM: To be attacked so viciously has been unbelievably unfair. And quite sad.
ROTH: The verbal attacks caused Colon to pull her son out of the school.
COLON: The people who are so against this school who, for me, seemed more like the terrorists by terrorizing the community and making us feel that it's unsafe for our children to be there. They're the ones who are terrorizing us. Not the school. Not the principal. And not the administration.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROTH: But not every parent has withdrawn their child. At the Brooklyn academy today, 55 of the 60 allotted slots were filled, as students filed in, very normal. Heavier police presence and a lot of media outside of the Brooklyn school.
The board of education officials there defending the school against accusations made here, today at New York's city hall, that the curriculum of the school was open to question and that potential terrorists could possibly be bred at this school, because nobody knows what's truly going on behind closed doors there -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: And just to make this clear, Richard, this is a New York public school. This is not a religious madrassa that is attached to a mosque and teaches theology.
ROTH: That is correct. This is a New York public school which is run by this part of -- a non-profit part of the New York City school system.
There are some 70 dual language schools like this -- Russian, Spanish -- inside the system. The group that just held a news conference here, Stop the Madrassas, they called it, they say it's no comparison, that after 9/11 and the threat facing America, that everything should be open for possible examination. What is exactly being taught at that school, they want to know.
PHILLIPS: Richard Roth, live in New York. Appreciate it so much.
And you heard briefly from Pamela Hall, who calls the academy a madrassa and wants to shut it down. You heard from her right there in Richard's piece. You're going to hear more from her in our next hour. Pamela Hall joins us live at 2:30 Eastern right here in the CNN NEWSROOM. LEMON: Outed in a gay sex scandal that cost him his marriage and his job, ex-New Jersey governor, Jim McGreevey, goes back to school, an Episcopal seminary. Details on his new calling, straight ahead in the CNN NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: A new voice enters "The View". There she is. Whoopi Goldberg takes her seat on the ABC gab fest. And true to form, she's already fanning the flames of one controversy: Michael Vick's dog fighting case. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WHOOPI GOLDBERG, CO-HOST, ABC'S "THE VIEW": There are all of these very, very strong opinions about it. And one of the things I haven't heard anybody say is, you know, from his background, this is not an unusual thing for where he comes from. It's like cockfighting.
BARBARA WALTERS, CO-HOST, ABC'S "THE VIEW": That part of the country.
GOLDBERG: It's like cockfighting in Puerto Rico. You know, there are certain things that are indicative to certain parts of our country.
JOY BEHAR, CO-HOST, ABC'S "THE VIEW": What part of the country is this?
GOLDBERG: He's from the South.
BEHAR: The South.
GOLDBERG: He's from the Deep South. And dog fighting is a lot...
BEHAR: Dog torturing and dog murdering, though.
GOLDBERG: Well, that's part -- unfortunately, it's part of the thing. You know.
BEHAR: It's part of the fun.
GOLDBERG: I don't think it's -- I don't think they see it that way. You know, you're a dog lover.
(CROSSTALK)
GOLDBERG: For a lot of people, dogs are sport. It's not -- and so I just thought it was interesting, because it seemed like a light went off in his head when he realized that this was something that the entire country really didn't appreciate.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: Whoopi Goldberg, fanning the flames of controversy. And guess what? Our very own A.J. Hammer, he was backstage for Whoopi's arrival. What will her unrestrained humor mean for the fab ladies of daytime talk? He'll be along to tell us all about it, straight ahead in the CNN NEWSROOM.
PHILLIPS: Well, parents have a love-hate relationship with their kids' cell phones. But a major wireless company has a proposal to make them easier to bear.
Susan Lisovicz at the New York Stock Exchange with all the details.
Now, Susan, I can remember the day where the phone call -- I could actually go back to 15 cents at the pay phone. How about you?
SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I can go back to a dime. How's that?
PHILLIPS: All right. And then when cell phones came out, of course, we were adults, and they were about this big. They were the size of a shoe box.
LISOVICZ: Oh, yes. I love when they -- when you see an old movie from five years ago.
PHILLIPS: Oh, yes. It just kills me.
LISOVICZ: Our technology is dated.
PHILLIPS: These kids all have phones.
LISOVICZ: That's right. Well, kids are not going to like this proposal, Kyra.
AT&T is offering parents more control over kids' cell phone use. It's a web-based system that includes the ability to block the text messaging feature. The system also allows parents to block calls to and from certain numbers and to deny phone access during certain hours, like school hours, for instance.
Calls to 911, on the other hand, always go through.
And it lets parents filter wireless Web content. This could keep costs under control by limiting total minutes and putting caps on downloads of wallpaper, music and ring tones. Those $2 and $3 charges, as so many of us know, can really add up.
By the way, we have a poll going on at CNN.com asking whether you'd be willing to pay for this service. So far, 52 percent of you say yes; 48 percent say no. So it's pretty close. Logon to CNN.com and tell us how you really feel about it -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: All right. I had a rotary phone in my room. Top that.
LISOVICZ: OK. I had a carrier pigeon.
LEMON: But did you have -- did you guys have a party line? Did you have a party line? You remember the party line?
PHILLIPS: Oh, my gosh. I do remember those.
LISOVICZ: I remember the party line.
LEMON: A party line, and you'd pick up and it's like...
LISOVICZ: Person-to-person calling.
PHILLIPS: You could never do that now. OK.
LEMON: Who is this?
PHILLIPS: I'm sorry. I digress. That was pretty good about the pigeon.
All right. AT&T, of course, carries Apple's iPhone. You were talking about that. But we're hearing more about a Google phone now. Right?
LISOVICZ: Yes, a G-phone. Imagine that. Now see, Don, he's confused now, because he wanted the iPhone.
PHILLIPS: He won't know what to do.
LISOVICZ: Now what are we going to get him for -- for the holidays? Well, so far...
LEMON: A party line.
LISOVICZ: Always a party line when you're involved, Mr. Lemon.
PHILLIPS: ... phone.
LISOVICZ: So far it's just rumors, but the blogs are really heating up with chat about what they're dubbing the G-phone. The bloggers expect it to come out next year.
Google has no comment. We do know it has heavily invested in the mobile search market. That is going to be a great area of revenue. And that's why so many companies want to get into it.
(STOCK REPORT)
LISOVICZ: And we're beginning to get August sales results from the automakers. Unfortunately, not looking so good. We're already seeing declines. Full details coming up in the next hour of NEWSROOM.
Are we going to go head to head about what kind of big car with fins and big engines?
PHILLIPS: I had a ham radio. Beat that. All right.
LISOVICZ: I had smoke signals.
PHILLIPS: OK. I'll smoke signal you in about five minutes. See you in a little bit.
LISOVICZ: You got it.
PHILLIPS: Thanks, Susan.
LEMON: A Louisiana town ripped apart in a dispute that started over a tree. Now six young men could be jailed for decades. We'll hear from one of the Jena six defendants, next in the NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Hello, everyone, I'm Don Lemon live at the CNN World headquarters in Atlanta.
PHILLIPS: Some saw it as a prank, others saw it as a racist insult.
LEMON: Either way the incident ripped Jena, Louisiana, apart. And now, six young men could pay a steep price for the way they reacted. You're live in the CNN NEWSROOM.
PHILLIPS: First, let's get straight to the news room. T.J. Holmes working details on a developing story for us. T.J. what do you have?
T.J. HOLMES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, that plane, we have been following that went down in Lake Erie last night. The search continues for 46-year-old man and his 9-year-old son. That plane went down, took off, as you can see, from Kelleys Island there at Lake Erie. Went down about a half mile from the shore.
The remarkable part of this story is that another one of that man's kids, a 7-year-old son, survived the crash and was actually rescued by a good samaritan who saw the plane go down and actually rowed his boat out to try to help and heard the cry from the 7-year- old son and picked him up. That 7-year-old, by some reports is said to be in pretty good condition, was alert. Not exactly sure how he was able to survive the crash.
And right now, his father and his brother have not been found. Boats are helping out in this search. Divers are in the water. Not sure what brought this plane down. What the weather conditions were. And if it was having any mechanical failure or if it was able to issue any kind of a mayday in such a short time. But, the plane went down last night around 9:30.
The 7-year-old son was picked up and did survive. But his 46- year-old father and also his 9-year-old brother have not yet been found. But that search continues. Hoping for another remarkable part of this story and possibly that the father and the other brother could possibly be found. But we are keeping an eye on this story.
We have been watching it all day. So, hopefully we will get some good news to go along with that other good news. Certainly remarkable, Kyra that that 7-year-old was able to make it out and was rescued last night. PHILLIPS: Wow, that is good news. T.J. Holmes, thank you so much.
LEMON: Hangman's noose, racial taunts, fights between black and white, all tearing apart a small town in Louisiana. Today a judge is being asked to throw out a black teen's conviction in a racially divided case known as the Jena 6. We also have late word prosecutors reduced charges against two other defendants.
CNN's Susan Roesgen reports from Jena.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SUSAN ROESGEN: Nestled in the heart of Louisiana, is the small town of Jena where the town motto is it's a nice place to call home. But not so nice for everyone.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Don't you say nothing.
ROESGEN: Marcus Jones is outraged and frightened. His son, 17- year-old Mychal Bell, has been found guilty of aggravated battery and conspiracy to commit aggravated battery. Charges that could send him to prison for more than 20 years. A chain of events that all began under a tree at Jena High School. Like the town itself, the school is mostly white. And the unwritten rule was that the tree was a meeting place for white students only.
But last year, several black students sat under the tree and the next day, three nooses hung from the branches. To the black community the message was clear.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I was very offended because that's a racial slur against us.
ROESGEN: But some white residents said it was no big deal.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think a couple boys made a mistake, you know. I think it is all being blown out of proportion.
ROESGEN: From there, tension between white and black students escalated. In November, a fire destroyed part of the school. Police said it was arson. Many in town suspect it was connected to the worsening race relations. Then in December, a white student, Justin Barker, was knocked unconscious and kicked as he lay on the ground.
Some said barker provoked the fight, but in an exclusive interview his parents told us Justin didn't do anything. And they believed he could have been killed.
KELLI BARKER, JUSTIN BARKER'S MOTHER: Several lacerations on both sides, both ears was kind of really damaged. And both eyes, his right eye was the worst. It had blood clots in it.
ROESGEN: These are pictures taken of Justin's face by the police department at the hospital. Justin was released the same day and attended a school ceremony that very night. A few days later, six black classmates were charged with attempted murder. Carwyn Jones, Bryant Purvis, Robert Bailey, Jr., and Theodore Shaw all face the prospect of life in prison.
A fifth teenage, whose name has not been released, is charged with attempted murder as a juvenile. And in June, the sixth teenager, Mychal Bell, was found guilty of aggravated battery. It took an all- white jury just three hours to reach the verdict.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: But, the blacks do not stand a chance. Throw them away just like that.
ROESGEN: The local district attorney plans to pursue the charges against the other five boys. D.A. Reed Walters released a written statement after the incident last year saying, he had never charged anyone based on who they are. But the boys' parents don't believe that any of them will get a fair trial.
CASEPTALA BAILEY, ROBERT BAILEY'S MOTHER: D.A. had come up with horrendous charge, outrageous charges, or whatever. And he just felt that since this is the way that he has been doing things for years to the black people is -- this is just something that we will allow him to roll over us and let it happen.
ROESGEN: Another mother, Tina Jones says the D.A. offered to drop charges against her son if he would testify against the others. Her son refused. Do you think your son should have agreed to the plea deal?
TINA JONES, BRYANT PURVIS' MOTHER: No. If he didn't see who hit him, that's a risk we'll have to take.
ROESGEN: A risk that could mean life in prison.
Susan Roesgen, CNN, Jena, Louisiana.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: And again, we have this update for you. The Parish D.A. has reduced charges against Carwyn Jones and Theo Shaw from attempted murder to second degree aggravated battery. More in a moment on this case. But first, back to Kyra with some breaking news. Kyra?
PHILLIPS: We do have breaking news. Right now we are being told searchers looking for world record holder Steve Fossett. This is according to the Douglas County Nevada paper, "The Record-Courier." You remember Steve Fossett first made the solo nonstop, non-refueled circumnavigation of the world in 67 hours in the Virgin Atlantic GlobalFlyer.
Then you may remember in 2002, he was the first person to solo around the world in a balloon. Now we are getting word the world record holder is missing. We are told that searchers are looking for him airborne right now. He was last seen taking off from the Hilton Ranch south of Smith Valley in a single-engine aircraft.
All they know is that he was heading south once he took off. The next thing we knew we were hearing from the Mission Public Information Officer, the Civil Air Patrol, that three crews are now airborne looking for Fossett's blue and white aircraft. And apparently, there are more on the way. The spokeswoman there is saying that they will be launching more aircraft shortly.
Apparently the search area covers hundreds of square miles of pretty rugged terrain. The Civil Air Patrol has called the area airports, asking representatives there to look for Fossett. Once again, searchers right now looking for the world record holder Steve Fossett. His small single- engine aircraft missing after takeoff from the Hilton Ranch just south of Smith Valley.
All of this according to the Nevada paper, "The Record-Courier" out of Douglas County. We'll track this and follow it as we get more information.
LEMON: Absolutely, Kyra. So back now to the Jena 6 and new information. This update, the Parish D.A. has reduced charges against Carwyn Jones and Theo Shaw from attempted murder to second degree aggravated battery. Of course, the burning question for the Jena 6 is justice possible in their mostly white town?
Joining us in Jena with their take on that and other issues, Attorney George Tucker and his client, one of the Jena 6, Theo Shaw. Thank you both for joining us today. How are you doing, Theo?
THEO SHAW, DEFENDANT: I'm doing all right, and you?
LEMON: I'm doing fine. Thank you for joining us. Mr. Tucker, I want to get to some breaking news from you. You said there was an incident right after the motions hearing today with your client and a police officer. What happened after court?
GEORGE TUCKER, ATTORNEY FOR THEO SHAW: Well, I mean, myself and other family members of other defendants, as well as just family supporters, were standing outside. Robert Bailey came out excited saying they arresting Theo. They are arresting Theo. We go in there. They ushered him back there to the sheriff's office.
I get back there. There's some officer -- Officer Evans, who is accusing Theo of using profanity in the lobby. And they had arrested him.
LEMON: Theo, did you use profanity in the lobby?
SHAW: No, sir.
LEMON: You did not. This, I imagine, has been an emotional roller coaster for you and everyone involved in this case. You spent more than seven months in jail. For a 17-year-old, now you are 18, talk to us about that. What that experience has been like for you to be locked up for that long and accused of charges at 17-years-old.
SHAW: It started off a little rough. It had got to me in time, but we all kept each other up -- keep our head up. And we had church services during the week to help us put our mind on other things. LEMON: What is it like for you living in Jena now? Do you -- do you plan to stay there? If this is over and -- however it ends, will you stay in Jena?
SHAW: I'll stay here when this wasn't going on, and I'm going to stay here now that it's going on.
LEMON: Do you think you can get past this incident?
SHAW: Sir?
LEMON: Do you think you can get past all of this and go on with the successful life? I know that you want to be a pro-basketball player. You want to go to Grammling (ph) University. You have things that you want to accomplish. Do you think that you'll be able to do all this after this is over?
SHAW: Yes, sir.
LEMON: Yes.
Let me talk to you now, Mr. Tucker. You have compared this case -- and I don't want to put words in your mouth. But you say the district attorney in this case is sort of a cowboy D.A. And you compared him to Mike Nifong in the Duke lacrosse players incident. Why do you say that?
TUCKER: Well, it's because I think that if there are some due diligence done in actually investigating these facts, we probably wouldn't be here at all. If we were, we wouldn't be here. But maybe these other kids charged. I don't think there has been a real diligent attempt to get these facts so that they can always justify these charges. I mean, but they're ridiculous.
LEMON: Yes, and you talked ...
TUCKER: Are completely unfounded.
LEMON: You talked about the media coverage in all of this. In the beginning, you have been quoted and others have been quoted as saying that you weren't getting the media coverage that you thought that you should have been getting in this case. Why not? And how did you all of a sudden get that coverage?
TUCKER: Well, I just happened to -- soon after I enrolled, I went to the National Bar Association Convention. And the president of the bar -- National Bar Association and other members and chairs of different departments ushered me to Reverend Jesse Jackson. And once he was informed of what the facts were, he became totally appalled and committed to saying that there's going to be something done and he was going to spearhead the effort.
LEMON: Why do you think you weren't getting the coverage that you thought you deserved? That's my question.
TUCKER: I think it's because there's already a story out here. And if the real media came in with the resources they have, they would be able to completely -- completely destroy what has been dispensed through the media here locally with "The Jena Times" and the "Town Talk." The "Town Talk" not so much as "Jena Times."
"Jena Times" has covered this thing almost weekly. And each time, somewhere in the article, it indicates that these -- the incident at the school was not connected to the noose hangings and not connected to the arson of the school. Well, how do they know that because they still say that they haven't found anything in the investigation to tell who did the arson.
LEMON: Right, and ...
TUCKER: So.
LEMON: ...we have not heard from them. So, you know, I'll have to take your word on that. But what I want to know, what does this mean for your client now that the charges have been reduced? Does this mean that the district attorney may be softening, a lesser sentence for your client?
TUCKER: Well, it means a lesser possible sentence. He is exposed to less time. But I think it's also an attempt for the D.A. to lessen the number of jurors necessary to get this kind of conviction.
LEMON: Do you think you can get a fair trial there?
TUCKER: We go from a jury of 12 to ...
LEMON: Do you think you can get a fair trial?
LEMON: No, no, we -- we've got a motion to transferred venue pending. But that won't be argued until November 9th. But, no, he won't get a fair trial here.
LEMON: All right.
TUCKER: Nothing that even resembles it.
LEMON: Real quickly, Theo, what do you want to see happen in this?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He didn't hear you.
LEMON: Theo, what would you like see happen in this whole case?
SHAW: Drop all the charges and let us go on with our lives.
LEMON: Theo Shaw, George Tucker, thank you for joining us today from Jena, Louisiana. We appreciate it.
TUCKER: Thank you.
SHAW: Thank you.
LEMON: Kyra, back to you.
PHILLIPS: More on the developing story right now out of Nevada. We told you just a few minutes ago that searchers are looking for world record holder Steve Fossett right now. Apparently, he took off from Hilton Ranch just south of Smith Valley. This is according to the Nevada paper "The Record Courier." He launched in a single engine aircraft and has not been seen since. Three crews in the air looking for him right now, possibly more on the way from the Civil Air Patrol.
Our Miles O'Brien and, obviously, aviation expert, a pilot himself, he knows Steve Fossett, joins us from the phone now. He brought us the news that this was out and that searchers were airborne.
Miles, what more can you tell us?
VOICE OF MILES O'BRIEN, LICENSED PILOT: Well Kyra, this all comes in the Civil Air Patrol there in Smith Valley, that part of Nevada. It happened last night. He took -- took off, actually, noon yesterday, in a like a (ph) super decathlon. That is an aerobaticly capable airplane.
We're told he was not wearing a parachute as is the mandated FAA regulation for anyone doing acrobatics in an airplane. According to the Civil Air Patrol, Steve Fossett does not like doing acrobatics. He had four to five hours of fuel in that super decathlon. This ranch, the Flying M Ranch, owned by Baron Hilton (ph), is 30 miles southeast of Yerington, Nevada, about 120 miles southeast of Reno.
A very extensive search began at 6:00 p.m. local time yesterday. Six aircraft from the Nevada Civil Air Patrol, helicopters from the Naval Air Station in Fallon, Nevada, the Nevada Air National Guard chopper, California Highway Patrol helicopters.
He -- as we say, no sign of him so far in that area. But, took off from that private air strip there on that ranch and the search is underway for Steve Fossett who holds numerous, numerous records in balloons, hot air balloons and of course, aircraft. Most recently, flying around the world twice, setting a distance in speed record in a single-engine jet designed by the aviation legend Burt Rutan -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: So, Miles, apparently this search area covers hundreds of square miles of rugged terrain. So, was he airborne in this aircraft doing aerobatics, and possibly something went wrong at that point? Or was he flying to a different destination, do you know?
O'BRIEN: The presumption is he was not doing aerobatics. We are told that he did not enjoy aerobatic flight and thus, when he took off, was not even wearing a parachute as would be required if he were to be doing aerobatic flight.
But he was alone in the aircraft, so we have no way of knowing right now what sort of mission this was. He did have a lot of fuel onboard, four to five hours. So, that wouldn't necessarily be the amount of fuel you'd bring along if you're doing a short aerobatic- type flight. So, this is developing, we're trying to figure out where he was headed and what he was doing. But at this point, he is missing.
PHILLIPS: All right, our Miles O'Brien, breaking that news for us. Miles, we'll stay in touch with you.
If you're just tuning in, searchers right now looking for world- record holder Steve Fossett who launched out of Nevada in a small aerobatic aircraft. As Miles mentioned, no parachute, apparently doesn't even like to do aerobatics. But took off from this Hilton Ranch just south of Smith Valley there in Nevada and has been missing since then.
Air crews from the Civil Air Patrol out searching for him at this time. You remember his world records for ballooning, aviation. Miles has talked about that a number of times over the years. We're going to keep checking in with him as he gets more developments from his sources there in the aviation world.
Also ahead, the ABCs of your DNA. A new path to understanding your genes and your potential for disease straight ahead from the CNN NEWSROOM.
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LEMON: This just in to CNN. We are learning that world record holder Steve Fossett is reported missing by agencies. They're searching and looking for the world record holder, missing since Monday night we are told. Fossett, who is 63, was last seen taking off from the Hilton Ranch south of Smith Valley. He was doing that in a single-engine plane.
We talked to our Miles O'Brien just a moment ago, saying that he did not like to do acrobatics. And we're also told he was not wearing a parachute. But we're also hearing that more planes, search planes, are being sent to look for him and they will launch them shortly. That's according to officials.
So, we'll follow this story and bring you the very latest as we get it right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.
PHILLIPS: People are less alike, genetically speaking, than scientists earlier thought. A DNA pioneer is releasing some surprising new findings. Today, new science will give people a better understanding of their own personal DNA.
It's a brave new world, and our Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta is here to tell us all about it. Does sound pretty cool.
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: It is absolutely amazing. We're talking about someone actually doing his entire genomic sequence, everything about his DNA, 6 billion pieces of information there, just to put it in perspective.
And we're talking about Craig Venter. He was part of that race, as you may remember, Kyra, to map the human genome as part of the company named Solara. Well, now he's releasing his own genetic code, about 96 percent of it, anyways. And he's found some interesting things along the way as he's been investigating this.
One of them you already mentioned. It was long believed that you and I, and every other human for that matter, were 99.9 percent alike in terms of our genetic structure. It's actually more like 99 percent, at least according to his studies. Still very similar, but less so than we thought.
And he also found 300 more genes that -- the code, if you will, for different diseases. So this is just moving at a -- just a wildly fast rate. It's amazing how much we know now as compared to even five years ago.
He himself, Venter, found out a lot of things about himself. For example, he found out he has an increased risk for melanoma, he has an increased risk for blindness, he has an increased risk Alzheimer's and alcoholism and anti-social behavior. He shared that with us as we had a chance to sit down and talk to him about this.
The question for a lot of people is what do you do with this information. And that's sort of where this brave new world is going to take us next. Lots of information out there. What do you do with it?
PHILLIPS: Well, didn't we hear about the human genome project being mapped back in 2003? And how is this DNA map different from that one?
GUPTA: Yes, we did hear about that. And remember, it was kind of interesting with the consortium or the government-led project, took about 13 years, billions of dollars. And it actually wasn't just one person's DNA being mapped. It was actually almost 270 people's DNA. They got different pieces from different people.
Solara, which was the company that Venter head up, it took them a few years, several millions of dollars, and they used five people's DNA to actually arrive at what they called their final map. Now, we're talking about one person's DNA and doing it much faster and much cheaper.
Look, Kyra, there's a -- researchers out of Harvard right now who believe that within the next few years, you'd be able to take a little cheek swab, just some cells from the inside of your cheek, and get the most pertinent DNA for any given individual and it'll cost just a couple thousand dollars, and be done very quickly as well. So, it is just rapidly evolving in terms of what we can do.
PHILLIPS: So, do we want to get our own map? Is it worth it? And why would we want to do it?
GUPTA: Well, you know, I think that this is an interesting question. I think you're going to get different answers from different people on this. I think it's sort of like peering into a crystal ball to some extent to find out about yourself or to find out about your kids even. I mean, the time a child is born, could you find out if they're more likely to develop Alzheimer's or more likely to develop breast cancer or heart disease.
What do you do with it, I think, is a question you're asking and I mean, if there was -- if you can screen for breast cancer, for example, more regularly, if it would make you more likely to actually check some of these things out to prevent them from happening in the first place, that obviously might be a good thing. There are certain diseases you might find out that you are likely to develop, but there's nothing you can do about, and we're not sure if you want that information.
There's also the ethical questions. Would you want your employers, like CNN, or wherever you work, to find out about it. Or would you want your insurance companies to have this information as well? Medical, ethical, legal, there's all sorts of things that come into play here.
PHILLIPS: It's fascinating stuff. Dr. Sanjay Gupta, thanks much.
GUPTA: Thanks, Kyra.
PHILLIPS: And you can see Dr. Gupta's full report, "Into the Human Body's DNA" tonight on "ANDERSON COOPER 360." That's at 10:00 p.m. Eastern.
LEMON: Making landfall and hurricane history. Felix hits Honduras with everything it's got and sets a new record. Early damage reports and an update on where the storm's headed next, in the NEWSROOM.
And hurricanes, the topic of our news quiz today. The question: when was the last time two category 5 hurricanes made landfall in the same season? When was the last time in the same season? Two cat 5 hurricanes. The answer after a quick break.
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LEMON: Now the answer to our news quiz. Before the break, we asked you the last time two category 5 hurricanes made landfall in the same season. Well, that was a bit of a trick question. This is the first time that's ever happened since record keeping began in 1886. More on Hurricane Felix with Chad Myers in the weather center coming up in just a few minutes.
PHILLIPS: Also, more on that search for Steve Fossett, the famed adventurer who is missing, last seen in Nevada. That breaking news story straight ahead from the CNN NEWSROOM.
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