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Five Dead In Wisconsin Shootings; Petraeus And The Fight For Iraq; Reports Suggest Don Imus to Strike Deal With Citadel Radio; Oral Roberts University President Being Sued; Arkansas Boy Takes Joyride In School Bus; Civilian Runner Dies At Army Ten-Miler Race; Investigators Search For Clues In Tacoma Explosions; Denver Police Arrest 83 At Columbus Day Parade; Blackout At Coors Field; Typhoons Hit China And Vietnam

Aired October 07, 2007 - 17:00   ET

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

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Our top story, a Wisconsin gunman goes on a rampage, killing several people, the shooter reportedly a law enforcement officer. Hello, again everyone. I'm Fredricka Whitfield and you're in the NEWSROOM.
Wisconsin police reportedly shoot and kill one of their own after a deadly rampage. Here's what we know. At least five people were killed in a shooting spree in a home in the town of Crandon. After a manhunt, the suspected gunman said to work in the local law enforcement was brought down. It all started overnight, witnesses say, with about ten young people aged 17 to 20, enjoying themselves at a house party. Then shots were fired. Residents are still in shock.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: For someone to do that, just go crazy, and shoot a bunch of people is -- I can't even imagine it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Well, new details now about the shooting are coming in. Let's go to Robert Hornacek with CNN affiliate, WLUK, in Crandon. Do we have any better answers as to why this happened?

ROBERT HORNACEK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Right now, Fredricka, we don't know exactly why this happened. We're at the Crandon High School waiting for a press conference, which is expected this afternoon or early evening with officials from the Forest County Sheriff's Department to tell us the details of exactly what happened. But, we can tell you at least five people are dead and the suspect is an off-duty Forest County Sheriff's Deputy who also spent some time as a part-time police officer in Crandon. Now, we can tell you this is a small town; it's the kind of place where everybody knows everybody. The streets have been blocked off for much of the day. If we can take a look at some of the video we have from earlier today, word travels fast here in this small town of Crandon. People we've talked with all day are absolutely shocked at what happened. Residents say it all happened about 3:00 this afternoon when that off-duty deputy, who was going through some personal problems, broke into some residence in downtown Crandon that's across from the post office. His ex- girlfriend was in the house. That off-duty deputy, we're told by witnesses, came in, firing, shot and killed at least five people, including his ex-girlfriend. The victims are all under the age of 21. Some were students at the high school. Others were recent graduates of the high school. After that shooting, the suspect took off to a small town about ten miles outside of Crandon. Now after that initial shooting, the suspect took off to a small town called Argon, Wisconsin, that's about 10 miles outside of Crandon. There was a short standoff with police again witnesses tell us that standoff ended. There were a couple hostages taken but witnesses say that those hostages are okay. We don't have a firm answer from the sheriff's department right now as to what happened to the suspect. The Crandon Police Chief, all he would say was that they are not looking for the suspect anymore. I did speak with one man in town who knew the shooter, that off-duty deputy and he says he just simply cannot believe what's happened.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FRANK BOCEK, CRANDON RESIDENT: I know his mom and dad. He was an 'A' student, he was a good kid. You would have never thought this, you know, coming from a young kid like that, 20 years old, it's terrible.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HORNACEK: Now, in about an hour or so, the school district administrator tells me that people from the school district will be gathering at the high school to go over their crisis plan, talk about what they're going to do for grief counselors for the students here at the high school. And, again, we're still awaiting official word from the Forest County Sheriff's Department that's expected to come sometime this afternoon or early evening of exactly what happened. The mayor of the small town of Crandon did not want to talk about the investigation but he did say they are going to be strong, that this is a strong community and they'll get through this.

WHITFIELD: Alright, a frightening, horrible situation. Robert Hornacek, thanks so much.

On to Iraq now where General David Petraeus is again accusing Iran of meddling in that country. In an exclusive CNN interview Petraeus charged that Iran's top diplomat in Baghdad is a secret member of a covert force accused of helping insurgents. He also said six Iranians recently detained in Iraq belonged to the force as well; it's called the Quds Force.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAVID PETRAEUS, GENERAL, MULTI-NATIONAL FORCES, IRAQ: Let's be very clear. There is no debate that the individuals who we have detained are Quds Force members. We have confirmation from a variety of different intelligence sources and methods. So that's very, very clear. The Quds Force controls the policy for Iraq. There should be no confusion about that either.

(END VIDEO CLIP) WHITFIELD: Meantime, Iraqi President, Jalal Talabani, is thinking ahead, speaking to CNN's Wolf Blitzer, Talabani addressed the looming issue of the shape of the U.S. Military presence. After most of the troops withdraw, whenever that happens.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JALAL TALABANI, PRESIDENT, IRAQ: I am supporting military bases and I propose three bases after the ending of the American regime, one in the north, one in the south and one in the middle of Iraq with small numbers of American officers and soldiers for training and control of the civility of Iraq and preventing our neighbors from interfering in our interests(ph). I cannot describe it as permanent, but for a while, until it will be needed.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Talibani said he expects a major reduction in the U.S. force by next year.

And a report out today says that in record numbers Black Americans are deciding against U.S. military service. "The Boston Globe" reports a drop of 58% since the year 2000. The reasons cited by military analysts, Pentagon studies and interviews include the unpopular war in Iraq and distrust of the Bush Administration and a lingering perception that blacks are steered towards combat roles.

And a second chance for the I-man. If published reports this weekend hold true, radio talk show host, Don Imus, could be back behind the microphone by year's end. CNN's Jim Acosta is live in New York with more. Canned from (THE FAN), well he may end up at competitor WABC in his old time slot, is that right?

JIM ACOSTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: He may be radioactive no more, Fredricka. Don Imus' attorney says his client could be back on the air, perhaps, as soon as this December, announcing a deal, perhaps, as soon as tomorrow. It is a development that could put Imus back on the air, somewhere he hasn't been for some six months.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VOICE OF DON IMUS: Some rough girls from Rutgers.

ACOSTA: It was only last spring when Imus' verbal assault on the Rutgers Women's Basketball Team ignited a firestorm that quickly engulfed his career. Within days after his on-air slur, he had been shamed by the women at Rutgers.

VIVIAN STRINGER, COACH, RUTGERS WOMEN'S BASKETBALL TEAM: We have all been physically, mentally and emotionally spent. So hurt by the remarks that were uttered by Mr. Imus.

ACOSTA: And slam dunked by Al Sharpton.

AL SHARPTON, CIVIL RIGHTS ACTIVIST: Do you think it's funny to call people nappy-headed hoes? IMUS: No, I Don't.

CROWD: Imus must go!

ACOSTA: Under mounting pressure, both MSNBC and CBS radio pulled the plug on the I-man, ending a 30-year run; or so it seemed. "The Washington Post" and "The New York Times" are reporting Citadel Broadcasting is on the verge of a deal with Imus for a morning broadcast on WABC Radio in New York. A program that may be syndicated to over 200 stations across the country.

SHARPTON: Even if he's coming back, he's having to tiptoe back and he's going to have to watch every step of the way.

ACOSTA: If Imus is back, that means his old nemesis, Sharpton, will be listening.

SHARPTON: We will monitor it. We'll see if safeguards are in place to make sure he does not use racist and sexist language as his way of drawing an audience.

ACOSTA: Over at Rutgers University, some students are willing to give Imus a second chance, too.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think it was a good suspension for him and I think he's sincere about it. So I think he should be allowed to come back.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It was pretty harsh for him to say but I think we should all just get over it by now.

ACOSTA: On one of his final broadcasts, Imus declared he's capable of cleaning up his act.

IMUS: I'm sorry I did that. I'm embarrassed that I did that. I did a bad thing. But I'm a good person. And that will change.

ACOSTA: Now he just has to prove it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: Another question is whether Imus will succeed in finding a TV outlet for his radio show. At 67 years old, Don Imus appears doesn't do retirement, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: No, he does that on-air stuff. Thanks so much, Jim. Imus' return to the airwaves will surely come with some trepidation. Howard Kurtz, the host of CNN's (RELIABLE SOURCES) believes the I- man's next boss will keep a close reign to prevent another Rutgers- type flap.

HOWARD KURTZ, WASHINGTON POST: This was a huge controversy and I think at that time Imus was made what he said was admittedly wrong, admittedly insensitive and for which he apologized; he was made to be kind of a national symbol, Fredricka, of all that was wrong in terms of crude talk on the airwaves. And now that has settled down a little bit, he's going to try to come back. I don't know whether he'll make it back on TV but there's a lot of money he could make for some radio company and it looks Citadel is going to be the one.

WHITFIELD: And you have to wonder if there will be any outrage on his return. That there might be critics who say, wait a minute, while he was taken off the air, he was penalized for that. He did still see a pretty sizable settlement that came from taking him off the air and now he's going to recover. He'll still get millions in some other contract deal.

KURTZ: Well, the executive who runs Citadel Broadcasting is recorded as saying Imus did something wrong and was certainly penalized for it but he didn't break the law and he shouldn't be punished forever. And Al Sharpton who led the charge, as you might recall, against Imus after those remarks about the Rutgers Women's Team, says he doesn't have any problem with Imus going back on the air, doesn't think she should be banned from the airwaves forever. But I think it's fair to say that every word he utters, every joke he makes, every bit of fun he tries to have is going to be carefully monitored, particularly by his critics, to see whether he gets in trouble again.

WHITFIELD: Alright, you'll recall that Imus and his former employer, CBS Radio, did agreed to a reported $20 million settlement back in August and also made Imus, in effect, a free agent. Still Imus' perspective employer, Citadel Broadcasting, isn't commenting on the published reports but something may be made official tomorrow.

Meantime, trouble at one of the nation's largest faith based universities. Three former professors at Oral Roberts University allege that university money was misspent and used to pay personal expenses for the Roberts' family. More from reporter Ashley Simms of CNN affiliate, KOTV, in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ASHLEY SIMMS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Clapping students greeted Richard Roberts as he took to the stage for morning chapel. He told them he was awakened in the middle of the night by God and told to write.

RICHARD ROBERTS, PRESIDENT, ORAL ROBERTS UNIVERSITY: We live in a litigious society. Anyone can get mad and file a law suit against another person whether they have a legitimate case or not.

SIMMS: Three former professors are suing O.R.U. and several top leaders, including Richard Roberts, for wrongful termination and defamation. The lawsuit claims the university illegally participated in the race for Tulsa Mayor and the Roberts' family misused university money to finance extravaganzas like a $50,000 clothing bill, luxury vehicles and a $30,000 senior trip for their daughter. Roberts told his students the lawsuit is not about wrongful termination.

ROBERTS: It is about intimidation, blackmail and extortion. Make no mistake about it, this suit is about money.

SIMMS: While many students seemed to be standing by their president, some folks just outside were standing against him.

CALEB TRUJILLO, FORMER O.R.U. STUDENT: I'm out here because I believe my friends here and the students here deserve to know the truth from the administration and the Roberts family about where their tuition money goes and what it's spent on.

SIMMS: Caleb Trujillo went to the O.R.U. for two years. He says he believed in the cause and in Roberts but now he says he feels cheated.

TRUJILLO: And I still owe that money to the school and the Roberts family is using that money to promote political campaigns. That's a federal offense. Just spending it on their own things, that's not right.

ROBERTS: Some may think I might ought to hang my head in shame. But I won't do that. I am confident that when the real truth is known, there will be no more questions.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: And in a written statement, Richard Roberts says he pays for his family's personal expenses each month and he says they are charged to him and he personally pays them. The statement always says the university regents have decided to hire an additional independent auditing firm.

Meantime, it's a police chase that won't soon be forgotten in Arkansas. For one, have you seen a school bus haul this fast before? And secondly, behind the wheel, someone very young, that story next in the NEWSROOM. And later, every presidential candidate has to face the pot question sooner or later. Mitt Romney got his this weekend. Plus this, and it's rap music or something in a place that you might never expect, hip-hop goes to Jerusalem coming up in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Have you seen anything like this? A police chase with a 10-year-old Arkansas boy behind the wheel; and now facing charges. He allegedly stole a school bus and led dozens of officers on a slow-speed 40-mile chase. Amanda Manatt, of CNN affiliate KATV has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

AMANDA MANATT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: As a stolen Dumas school bus flies down Highway 65 Friday night, dozens of officers from three counties, four towns and state police remained in hot pursuit. Duman School Officials had been closing up after their football game around 11:00 p.m. When they noticed lights coming from the bus yard and reported the vehicle stolen. From there, the driver of the bus led police down Highway 65, all the way into Jefferson County. That's despite road spikes state police set up to try and slow down the bus.

UNIDENTIFIED OFFICER: Be advised, he missed them all, we're now coming into town. Speed is 25 miles an hour. MANATT: Finally, the bus pulled into Pine Watts city limits, the driver slows down enough for a deputy to make the stop. But as officers approach, they're surprised by who they find behind the wheel. Police say the driver is a 10-year-old boy. He was immediately cuffed and taken into police custody then later released to his parents.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Now to some other stories across America. Right now, tragedy at today's Army 10-miler Race at the Nation's Capital. A runner from Fairfax County, Virginia collapsed near the finish line and died. A race organizer says the runner was a civilian, not a member of the military. And, investigators say it will take days to sort out what caused this series of huge blasts in Tacoma, Washington. It started near a foundry from a propane tanker-truck exploded and then set off a change reaction. The fireball sparked an evacuation, shut down a highway and cut power to thousands. Some frightening stuff. Four people were injured including the truck driver who was hospitalized with serious burns. And trouble at today's Columbus Day parade in Denver. Police arrested 83 protestors, including American Indian Movement Activist, Russell Means. Some of the protestors had poured fake blood and dismembered doll parts on the parade route. They insist Christopher Columbus was a slave trader who touched off centuries of oppression against Native Americans.

And officials are blaming a cranky computer for a blackout at Coors field in Colorado. It delayed last night's game by 15 minutes. But it didn't dim the hometown Rockies though, they beat the Philadelphia Phillies 2-1 to sweep the Divisional Series. And, thankfully, our lights are still on because our Jacqui Jeras needs those pretty lights and maps behind her to talk a little bit more about tropical weather. Don't you need the power?

JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: I need it to keep the computers running, I'll tell you that, because we've got a whole bunch of them back here with the latest technology and bringing you the latest information on the tropics. Something could be developing; the hurricane hunters are scheduled to fly out. We'll let you know when coming up and also talk about this heat. It's October already. Come on.

WHITFIELD: I know, it's crazy and I can't wait to hear about the heat in Chicago; big-time heat. Also coming up, Starbucks. Guess what? It actually saves a man's life. And it's not exactly what you might be thinking. You're thinking it's all in the caffeine? No, he's got details coming up, he joins us live, right here in THE NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Pretty severe weather around the world. Typhoon Krosa slammed ashore in China today, prompting massive evacuations. It has since weakend, that's good, and has been downgraded but the storm hit the mainland after lashing the island of Taiwan and CNN I- reporters there are chronicling the damage for us. Chieh-Yuan Shih took this video of the flooding in Taipei, he says the water outside his home was knee-deep and five people were killed when the storm hit Taiwan yesterday. And this picture from the Diato(ph) district in Taipei, Shuo-Chi Kao says the typhoon damaged part of a construction site and flattened a row of motorcycles. It also knocked out power to about two million homes. And devastation and misery in Vietnam today where another typhoon, Lekima, is blamed for dozens of deaths there. Government officials warn the death toll is likely to rise since many districts remain isolated in flood waters and, in some places, whole villages are under water. Red Cross officials estimate that some 5,000 houses have collapsed or simply been washed away. Another 88,000 were damaged by the flooding.

And here in this country, new video just in to CNN. Heat is causing big problems for runners in the Chicago Marathon today. 250 people had to be taken to the hospital for heat-related illnesses. Eighty-eight degree heat and humidity forced organizers to actually call off the race four hours after it actually started. Recreational runners were turned around midway through and thousands of others simply bailed-out before the race even began and here it is October, people. Oppressive heat in Chicago of all places, 88 degrees? Jacqui Jeras, in the Severe Weather Center, boy, that is scary stuff.

JERAS: It really is. You're thinking a couple months ago, you're training for this event and you're thinking maybe I'm going to need to wear long sleeves, perhaps. The average high in Chicago is 66 degrees for this time of the year. Look at the temperature right now there. It's 87 degrees, and you add in some humidity and it feels like 89, so just incredible, and yes, does it sound unusual? You bet it is. It is a record, the record high was 86, so we broke that today. What a huge difference just a few miles make. Look at this line where the cold front is. It doesn't take a meteorologist to point it out today, now does it? Eighty degrees in Minneapolis and 49 degrees in Fargo, North Dakota. Quite a few records, not just Chicago, today Bowling green, Kentucky, 93 degrees; Indianapolis go up to 90 this afternoon; Flint at 88; Milwaukee at 85, and even in Asheville, North Carolina, 82 degrees. So the entire, really eastern two thirds, is getting in on this heat while the western third of the country is dealing with temperatures 10 to 15 degrees below normal. We don't have a lot of in between, we do have showers and thundershowers, so those of you getting wet and cloudy, your temperatures are a little bit more moderate just because of that. We've got a real strong upper level system. Here's where your cold front is at the surface. We've got strong winds coming in ahead of it in that warm sector and not really anticipating any of these thunderstorms, however, to be on the severe side, you're just going to see that big drop. In fact, Denver yesterday in the 80s, today, you dropped 30 degrees, so you were down in the 50s. Chicago, your cool down is coming, there you can see the five-day forecast. You're going to be in the 60s by Tuesday and lucky to hit 60 by Wednesday. And, as promised, we want to talk a little bit about the tropics here over toward Central America. We kind of have an area of low-pressure trying to develop. The hurricane hunters are going to be flying into this tomorrow, although that said, they had a flight scheduled today and they canceled it because it just hasn't been organizing. But slow development will be possible over the next couple of days, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: Alright, all eyes also are on that. Thanks so much, Jacqui.

And all eyes on presidential politics. New polls are out today with a look at which presidential candidate is ahead or how many are ahead in the crucial state of Iowa. Plus a touchy situation for one of the leading contenders, Mitt Romney faces the medical marijuana question. But does he answer it? Also life-altering cups of Joe. The author of "How Starbucks Saved My Life." he joins us, live.

JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi folks, I'm Josh Levs. Do you know that the same scream has been used in dozens of movies? Including some of your favorites, major movies. Well, now these clever YouTubers have put together these hilarious compilations you've got to see. This is coming up right here on CNN, the most trusted name in ahhh! How was that? Alright, I'll keep my day job.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN NEWS ANCHOR: At least five people are dead in Crandon, Wisconsin, after a gunman goes on a shooting rampage. The suspect is reportedly a local sheriff's deputy. Police won't say if the suspect is dead or captured, only saying that no one is being sought right now. Folks in the small town of 2,000 are understandably stunned.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: For someone to do that, just go crazy and shoot a bunch of people is -- I can't even imagine it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: And published reports have the I-man, Don Imus, and Citadel Broadcasting very close to a contract deal. Imus was fired back in April for his racially insensitive comments targeting the Rutgers women's basketball team. Citadel's CEO is quoted as saying Imus has more than paid the price for what he did.

And three former professors at Oral Roberts University are suing the school, charging President Richard Roberts are financial improprieties. Roberts, the son of the school's founder, says the suit is baseless but the university's Board of Regents voted Friday to hire an outside auditor.

And a new poll shows Hillary Clinton is making major gains in the politically critical state of Iowa. The "Des Moines Register" poll shows that Clinton leads the Democratic pact there with 29 percent of the vote. John Edwards is second with 23 percent. And Barack Obama is a close third with 22 percent. That's a significant change from the paper's May poll when Clinton came in third behind both Edwards, who had the top spot and Obama, who was in second place.

On the Republican side, no change in the front runner there. Mitt Romney held on to his leading spot with 29 percent of the vote. Fred Thompson finishes second and Mike Huckabee gained momentum since May, moving up to third place. And Mitt Romney confronted by a voter who wants the federal ban against medical marijuana lifted. During a stop in New Hampshire, Mitt Romney was approached by a man with muscular dystrophy and the man explained that marijuana is the only substance that allows him to stay at a survivable weight by countering the side effects of his medications.

When Mitt Romney responded he was against legalizing marijuana for medical purposes, the voter asked him this...

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Will you arrest me and my doctors if I get medical marijuana?

MITT ROMNEY, (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I'm not in favor of medical marijuana.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So will you have me arrested?

ROMNEY: Hi, how are you?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You're not going to answer his question, Governor?

ROMNEY: I think I have. I'm not in to legalizing medical marijuana.

Hi, how are you?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He asked if you're going to arrest patients like him.

ROMNEY: Nice to see you. Hi, how are you? Hi, how are you?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: So after that encounter, Romney made several more stops in New Hampshire where he promoted his fiscal record while serving as governor of Massachusetts.

The Congressional Black Caucus will hold the final Democratic presidential debate before the South Carolina primary. It will be held January 17th in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. And you can see it live only on CNN.

Time now to go global for news around the world. Myanmar's pro- democracy movement gains ground outside the secretive Asian nation. Pro-democracy supporters rallied in Seoul, South Korea today. But authorities in Myanmar are hanging onto power by jailing hundreds of monks and supporters for democratic reform.

And in Cuba, authorities say 28 people are dead and another 73 hurt, 15 critically, in a collision between a bus and a passenger train on Saturday. Cuba's state media says authorities are investigating the cause of that crash. A college fair today at Gallaudet University for low-income African-American students. Given the news of nooses and swastikas lately, particularly the recent controversy at Gallaudet, one group still believes the way to beat poverty and racism is through education.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Tiffany Burch is any college's dream, a hardworking high school senior who is second in her class, a star on the basketball team and anxious about the next step -- college.

TIFFANY BURCH, ARCHBISHOP CARROLL HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT: I'm kind of nervous because you're going to start over as a freshman. And I'm going to feel inferior again, like when I went to high school.

WHITFIELD: So Tiffany is scouting schools at a college fair, run by a program that's helping fund the education for 250 Washington-area African-American students.

EUGENE ROBINSON, WASHINGTON METROPOLITAN SCHOLARS: The Washington Metropolitan Scholars provide college access and, in some cases, supplemental funding for lower income students from the Washington area.

WHITFIELD: Finding the right fit is crucial. A message being made clear at this fair hosted at Gallaudet University, an event scheduled long before last week's shocking incident here where a black high school student said other students held him against his will, drew swastikas and wrote KKK on him with a marker. A lot should be learned from this, says the chairman of Washington Metropolitan Scholars.

ROBINSON: It's a reminder that diversity is something we have to keep working on. It's a process. It's not something you arrive at and then say, oh, well, we're done with that. You have to keep working at it.

BURCH: I feel kind of scared to go to college. But you can't really do that because all that stuff could happen at any college.

WANDA SMITH, MOTHER OF COLLEGE APPLICANT: Racism is somewhat endemic in our society but it doesn't necessarily mean it's going to slap them in the face on a day-to-day basis. But they have to be aware of it.

WHITFIELD: And Tiffany is. And she's not allowing anything to side track her pursuit of getting into college and earning a degree.

BURCH: There's going to be more opportunities in life. You can go forward, moving on, saying you got your bachelor's degree, maybe a master's degree. And you just have a vibe that you can tell others wow, I finished college.

(END VIDEOTAPE) WHITFIELD: And something else here, over 12 percent of all African-American students who entered Ivy League schools in 2005 were Washington Metropolitan Scholars.

And if you need proof that money doesn't always buy you happiness, how about a trip to a Starbucks? That just might be the answer. We're not talking about the coffee though. We want you to meet this man, the author of the new book called "How Starbucks Saved my Life." Some great surprises in this story. He joins us live to talk about it in the "NEWSROOM".

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: So many of us need a cup of Joe to get going in the morning, but for our next guest, coffee is so much more. "How Starbucks Saved my Life." A son of privilege learns to live like everyone else. It's from Michael Gates Gill, joining me now live from Los Angeles.

Good to see you.

MICHAEL GATES GILL, AUTHOR, "HOW STARBUCKS SAVED MY LIFE": Hi, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: This is an incredible journey that talks about your life of privilege and how it has brought to humbling simplicity. Usually, it's the other way around.

GILL: Yeah, I sort of did the reverse of going from rather rags to riches. I went from riches to rags. And one day I had been fired from my job, I had been diagnosed with a brain tumor, I was feeling very sad and lonely and broke. And I wandered into a Starbucks store that happened to be having a hiring event.

WHITFIELD: But you didn't go there for that. You ordered that latte and you even write how this might have been one of your last lattes because money was was tight. And, lo and behold, here comes this woman named Crystal who says, even though you're wearing that pinstripe suit and you got that cell phone, do you need a job?

GILL: Exactly. It broke through my cocoon of self-pity and she reached out to me. I never would have reached out to her in my previous life because she had grown up in a difficult situation with no education. But she was sympathetic enough to reach out for me and offer me a job.

WHITFIELD: What she said was quite remarkable too, because she said, would you be willing to work for me? She was right point on saying would you, a white man, be willing to work for me, a black woman.

GILL: Exactly. Because of my -- I was decades older and because of my background, it was clear. But she gave me the chance. Not only she says would you be willing, you actually helped me make out the job application. In other words, I felt she was on my side, helping me the way I would have never helped her in my previous life. WHITFIELD: In this journey, it's about all these intricacies, all these steps, but the big picture too is you are happier, more -- you are happier now than ever before. You had all the great trappings of a great privileged life and now things have grounded you and you love being a barrister and this is the life that you embrace.

GILL: Exactly. Working at Starbucks with all my partners -- and, by the way, I would have told you before I did this that different races and genders and ages could never work together and we do it every shift. After every shift, I go outside and say I'm happier than I've ever been.

WHITFIELD: Wow. I love the book. I try to do a little speed reading but, it also reads like a movie and, come to find out, it's going to be. Tom Hanks is going to be you, likely, huh?

GILL: That is another set of -- there's a series of happy surprises since Crystal rescued me from my previous life.

WHITFIELD: Wow. Where is Crystal in your life now?

GILL: She's managing the store on Broadway on the west side of New York that I originally was in. And luckily I think she says that she's equally fulfilled and happy. But I'll never forget that generosity of that day when I was in this box. I didn't know how to get out of it. And she reached across and helped me out. That's been a great lesson to me.

WHITFIELD: What a gift. Go Crystal, and go Mike. It's a great story, "How Starbucks Saved my Life." Michael Gates Gill, thank you for your time and congratulations for an incredible full circle kind of life.

GILL: Thank you, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: Nice to meet you as well.

Straight ahead in the NEWSROOM -- isn't that so inspiring?

TONY HARRIS, CNN NEWS ANCHOR: Yeah, that is very great.

WHITFIELD: Because everyone spends their life -- no everyone -- but people spend their life trying to get, get, get to the top and come to find out -- for him he was there and he said you know what? It's kind of the beginning stages, the foundation that is most important.

HARRIS: Good stuff.

(CROSSTALK)

HARRIS: I am so excited about the show tonight. We'll start at 7:00 p.m. tonight, and we're going to talk about Myanmar. There's breaking news and all this stuff is happening in Myanmar and other news happens and we worry sometimes that we'll lose focus on what's happening. Perhaps this is the opportunity that something positive can happen in terms of changing the way this military regime operates in the country. So we have a Burmese refugee and representative from Doctors without Borders on at 7:00 p.m. tonight to talk about the history of this country. And perhaps this is the moment when something really can happen to change the direction of that country. So that's coming up at 7:00.

And at 10:00 tonight, Crandon, Wisconsin and everything that's going on there. We will give you a profile of this city. The people in this town. This is a horrible tragedy in a small town. 2,000 people, 2,500 people -- you know what that means, everybody knows someone impacted by this tragedy. Susan Roesgen, on the ground shortly, will bring us the latest information tonight at 10:00 p.m. I had to fire through that because you've got a packed show.

WHITFIELD: I know. We got it all in there. Thanks, Tony.

HARRIS: Thanks, Fred.

How about this, movie trivia for you. Ever been to the movies? Yeah, you have. But you've heard this character scream or at least what sounds kind of like a character scream, like this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED: Aah! Aah! Aah!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: So when you play it like that, yeah, they all do sound the same. It's like roll that track again. Josh Levs have been getting into it, getting dirty.

Your scream earlier -- I don't know.

JOSH LEVS, CNN NEWS CORRESPONDENT: I can't match it. You haven't seen this yet?

WHITFIELD: No, I haven't.

LEVS: You're going to love this. The scream that we first used back in 1951. It was so successful all these other movies used it, all the way through to today. It's everywhere. So now folks have put together compilations on YouTube and we want to show that to you that right now.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED: Ahhh! Ahhh! Ahhh! Ahhh! Ahhh!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: We get it already.

LEVS: It's called the Will Hell (ph) scream. It's named after a character from one of the movies in the 1950s who let out that scream. And it's believed that the actor who recorded is way back at the time was named Shelby Wooly. They don't know for sure.

WHITFIELD: That's a great name.

LEVS: Used all the time. They're still using it today. You got to love it.

WHITFIELD: Please tell me he or his estate or somebody gets residuals from that scream, that's used so many times over?

LEVS: I'm looking into that. Somebody has to be getting rich off that spring.

WHITFIELD: Can you do that scream one more time?

LEVS: I cannot match it. Maybe you can.

WHITFIELD: No, that's OK. I wouldn't match that one. Josh, thanks so much.

LEVS: You got it.

WHITFIELD: Well, American hip-hop artists -- maybe this will make you scream or at least make you holler.

(VIDEO)

It is a tour sponsored by -- get this -- the U.S. State Department, people. Hip-hop goes to Jerusalem, next in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: The U.S. government is trying to strike a cord with the Muslim world through music. It has sent an American hip-hop group to the Middle East to spread the message of peace and hope through the region.

Reporting from Jerusalem now, CNN's Ben Wedeman.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN NEWS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Spiritual hip- hop from the United States comes to Jerusalem's old city.

This is the last performance in a tour by Native Dean, an American Muslim band that went to Egypt, Jerusalem and the West Bank, sponsored by the U.S. State Department. It's part of Washington's effort to build bridges between the U.S. and the Muslim world.

Theirs is a message of faith, joy, hope and pride.

BAND MEMBER: You have to help us out. OK, can you do that?

WEDEMAN: Band member, (inaudible), from Washington, D.C. studied Arabic at Georgetown University. BAND MEMBER: One of the things that we really wanted to do here is to come here and inspire the people living here. There are people going through hardships and so we came here to use our voices to inspire them.

WEDEMAN: Before the performance, the band broke the Ramadan fast with children at a local community center. Then they did the usual things stars do, heading through the old city's ancient alleys to the Temple Mount to pray at Islam's third holiest site.

Their fans are, well, young, but certainly not lacking in enthusiasm. For 11-year-old Malak Abu Stani (ph) -- Native Dean, dean is Arabic for religion and way of life -- put fun back into faith.

MALAK ABU STANI (ph) (through translation): I really liked it, she says, because it's the first time they come here from America to sing all these songs.

BAND MEMBER: All of us, we are fathers. And so seeing the children, any children, no matter what faith, but especially the Palestinian children here, it touches us. And being able to interact with them and to really play with them and see them smile, it's an amazing experience. It's an amazing thing for us.

WEDEMAN: The band tiptoed around the political land mines littering the ground here, focused instead on showing their young audience a different face of America.

Ben Wedeman, CNN, Jereusalem.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: All right, still on the beat of music, we know him for his "Achy Breaky Heart." Then we saw him "Dancing with the Stars."

How could you forget? When we come back, a new look at the Billy Ray Cyrus, you think you know. He's collecting toys for one of the oldest charity organizations in this country, Toys for Tots' 60th anniversary next in "the NEWSROOM."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Before the break, we asked you to read this question, how many toys did Toys for Tots give out during its first year in 1947? Marine Major Bill Hendricks collected 5,000 toys that year. The first toy? A Raggedy Ann doll, like the one you see right there. Last year, Toys for Tots gave out 19 million toys.

So country music star Billy Ray Cyrus is paying tribute to the sacrifices of others today. He performed a concert for U.S. Marines and helped in the Toys for Tots program to celebrate a milestone -- 60 years in business.

Earlier, Billy Ray Cyrus spoke about a new project he's sharing with his daughter, "Hannah Montana" star, Miley. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BILLY RAY CYRUS, COUNTRY MUSIC STAR: Are you kidding me? I'm going to be there this Tuesday night. Miley and I -- listen, Miley and I are performing our new duet, "Ready, Set, Don't Go" this Tuesday night on "Dancing with the Stars." I'm so glad to make a return trip to "Dancing with the Stars." And this time, I'm going to be on the right side of the microphone. I'll be there as the singer. I'll sing and let the dancers dance. It's going to be a beautiful thing.

WHITFIELD: It was great. It was a pleasure watching you on "Dancing with the Stars."

CYRUS: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: I'm sure we're all going to be tuning in again on Tuesday to see you. And just as a last note...

CYRUS: Tuesday night. Tuesday night.

WHITFIELD: Yeah. And for a last note on Toys for Tots, because that's what you're in Quantico, Virginia, for, what do folks need to do if they want to contribute to Toys for Tots this year?

CYRUS: As always, just find a place where their depositing toys. And again, just stay in touch with your local Marine Corps. The Marines will be out throughout the whole holiday season.

Again, I want to say thanks to all the Marines, to their families, to all the men and women who are serving this great country this very moment. That's what makes America great. And go out today and thank a veteran for this great freedom that we enjoy. And don't forget Toys for Tots this holiday season.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Meantime, I hope that kid on that slide is OK.

Well, to find out to help Toys for Tots in your area, go to toysfortots.org.

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