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Southern Water Wars; Your Money: Oil, Interest Rates & You; Seaport Security: Identity Program Behind Schedule

Aired November 01, 2007 - 11:00   ET

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

TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: And good morning again, everyone. You're with CNN. You're informed.
I'm Tony Harris.

HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Hi there, everybody.

I'm Heidi Collins.

Developments keep coming in to the CNN NEWSROOM on this Thursday, November 1st.

Here's what's on the rundown.

Your money our concern. Interest rates lower, crude oil higher. What about the price of gold? That too.

We'll break it all down in just a moment.

HARRIS: Race in America on our radar. This hour we talk about nooses in the news. Is this ugly image becoming more widespread or more reported?

COLLINS: And letters to the troops -- 300,000 down, 75,000 to go. Joining us, the jock behind a radio station's massive mission.

Coming up in the NEWSROOM.

HARRIS: And breaking news this hour. A Philadelphia police officer has died after being shot by a robber.

This is surveillance video from a Philadelphia doughnut shop. We reported the story yesterday right here in the NEWSROOM.

Police say the gunman in the hood shot Officer Charles Cassidy in the head just as the officer entered the shop. The gunman still on the run. Police are hoping someone will recognize the gunman's walk. He walks with a limp.

Officer Cassidy was the third police officer shot this week in Philadelphia.

COLLINS: Also want to tell you about this that we've learned about in the CNN NEWSROOM here. We are learning that Paul Warfield Tibbets Jr., he was actually the pilot and the commander of the B-29 that ended up dropping the atomic bomb on Hiroshima in Japan. This pilot, obviously World War II, is dead.

We again are learning that from a spokesman for Paul Warfield Tibbets Jr. He was the pilot and commander of the B-29 who dropped the atomic bomb.

So that information just in to us here at CNN.

HARRIS: A war over water in the Deep South. The governors of Georgia, Alabama and Florida fight it out in Washington, D.C., today.

CNN's Rusty Dornin is on Georgia's Lake Lanier, the drought- stricken source of the water wars.

Rusty, good morning to you.

RUSTY DORNIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning.

HARRIS: Let me just ask you, what is being done to conserve what is left of the water behind you?

DORNIN: Well, considering all the hand-wringing and the dire predictions, you know, that we've only got three months, we've got nine months, it doesn't seem like a lot. You can't water outside.

HARRIS: Yes.

DORNIN: You'll get a ticket for that. In fact, a bank, even, a local bank received a ticket, citation, $1,000, for doing that. And people are asked to be -- to conserve voluntarily.

Now, a lot of the industries -- you have Coca-Cola, Delta, UPS -- they're all talking about what they're doing. You know, they're putting low-flow faucets in their facilities. They're trying to recycle water. That sort of thing. Which really does -- it doesn't sound like a lot, but it does cut down on the overall use.

Also, Mayor Shirley Franklin is going to be asking people tomorrow at a news conference to please cut back your personal use. Cut back at least six gallons a day. You know, take those two-minute showers.

HARRIS: Yes. Yes.

DORNIN: If you want to water the plants, put a bucket in the shower, that sort of thing. The restaurants are not serving water, but really there are not any drastic measures in place yet. And of course, everyone is hoping to avoid that.

HARRIS: I don't know if you know the answer to this, but I know someone is thinking this because it just occurred to me -- Alabama, get your own water. Florida, get your own water. You know, I mean...

DORNIN: It doesn't work that way.

HARRIS: And it doesn't work that way. DORNIN: It doesn't work that way. This lake flows into the Chattahoochee River, which flows downstream. Alabama has cities, nuclear power plants that need cooling.

HARRIS: Yes. Yes.

DORNIN: Florida also has power plants that need cooling. But, you know, there's also cities downstream. So, of course, those states are very upset that Georgia is portraying this as all endangered species, that the endangers species in Florida are the only reason they have to keep releasing water.

HARRIS: Yes. Yes.

DORNIN: Now, Georgia wants to keep this water in. Alabama and Florida say, look, you cannot restrict it too much or we simply cannot survive, our utilities can't survive. We can't -- we can't give power to the cities.

HARRIS: Yes.

DORNIN: We have to keep this -- you know, we have to keep our own municipalities in water -- Tony.

HARRIS: But you know in that meeting of the governors, there's going to be some finger-pointing and somebody will say, get your -- all right.

Rusty Dornin for us this morning in Buford, Georgia.

Rusty, appreciate it. Thank you.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COLLINS: Interest rates down, oil prices up, and Americans feeling the squeeze. Are we on a collision course with inflation? What does all this mean to you and your paycheck? Because that's really what people want to know.

Ali Velshi is talking with us today now about all of these different issues.

So we have the Federal Funds Rate going down yesterday.

ALI VELSHI, CNN SR. BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Yes.

COLLINS: But my mortgage and my credit card bills, what does it mean for them?

VELSHI: Well, a couple things. One is the direct relationship between the Fed Funds Rate and what you pay generally on your credit card or consumer bills is that -- it's -- a lot of these loans that you have are tied to the prime rate. When the Fed cuts its rates by a quarter of a percentage point, the prime rate goes down, too.

So the new prime rate -- the new Fed rate is 4.5 percent. The new prime rate is always three percentage points higher than that, so it's at 7.5 percent. So a lot of people will see a fairly immediate discount on the interest that they pay on a monthly basis. Now, some credit cards take a little while to kick that in, believe it or not.

Your mortgage rates are priced somewhat differently. They're set in terms of bond trading, which is why yesterday I was at the Chicago Board of Trade.

COLLINS: Yes.

VELSHI: That's where that happens. And the new mortgage rates, you know, about 6.25 percent for a 30-year fixed mortgage. That's lower than it was a year ago.

So you are actually seeing mortgage rates come down. So there should be some fairly immediate relief for you.

The flip side, of course, Heidi, is the money you save on that end you lose if you take a trip outside of the United States because the dollar is lower.

COLLINS: Yes.

VELSHI: You lose every time you fill your car up with gas, and you lose every time you buy a product or a service that takes energy in terms of oil to manufacture that product or to ship it to the store that you buy it from because oil prices are up as high as they are.

COLLINS: Yes, and oil prices not the only thing up. Gold prices way up, too.

VELSHI: Gold prices.

COLLINS: Should I be going to the pawn shop and selling off all my gold?

VELSHI: Somebody took by gold bar.

COLLINS: Yes. I want to see that gold bar gain.

VELSHI: I've had a gold bar with me all morning.

COLLINS: You're reminding me of Willy Wonka.

VELSHI: No, it's real medal. It's not real gold, unfortunately.

COLLINS: Yes.

VELSHI: Gold prices are up. Look at that, $792 an ounce, up $7.70 at yesterday's settle. We should see that go up probably a little higher today.

And it's not -- it's all commodities. It's oil, gold, it's medals. It's cereal, it's soybeans, it's wheat.

All of these things are up, and that causes inflation. So your dollar buys less because you pay more for imported goods. Your oil prices are higher. Everything you are buying costs more money.

Take a look at this oil trading. I mean, we can't even make sense of how oil is going. It was $96 overnight. Pulled back, I think we're looking at around $94.

That's a live shot from New York Mercantile Exchange, where oil is traded. Taking a bit of a breather right now, but we're well on our way to $100 there, Heidi.

COLLINS: Yes.

VELSHI: I mean, what does that mean? That's got to translate through to your pocketbook.

COLLINS: Yes. Or somebody's pocketbook. Well, I guess a good business to be in at this point.

VELSHI: Yes. Well, it is. Exxon Mobil, which is the biggest of the oil companies, reported their quarterly profits this morning. Coming in with -- for the quarter, for three months -- the revenue was $102 billion.

But here's the interesting thing. The profit was actually down 10 percent. Still, $9 billion, but it's down.

Now, that's kind of interesting, that they're making less money on higher-priced oil. Bottom line though, as an investor in oil companies, one's done pretty well over the last 10 years. So, yes, somebody is making money when you're feeling it go out of your wallet.

COLLINS: Yes. That's true.

All right. Ali Velshi "Minding Your Business" this morning.

Thank you, Ali.

VELSHI: Talk to you later.

COLLINS: Yes.

HARRIS: Securing the nation's ports. The Department of Homeland Security said to be way behind schedule. Now officials are under fire.

CNN's Lisa Sylvester has this "Security Watch" report.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

LISA SYLVESTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Wilmington, Delaware, is one of only a handful of U.S. ports where truck drivers now have to sign up for a new biometric I.D. card called the Transportation Worker Identification Credential. The Government Accountability Office says the program that was mandated five years ago has faced key challenges.

Congressional critics point out it has fallen way behind schedule.

REP. BENNIE THOMPSON (D), MISSISSIPPI: We owe the American people security. We owe them accountability. And, most importantly, we owe them freedom from fear. We are here today to find out why the Department of Homeland Security has failed in its mission to improve the maritime security.

SYLVESTER: In back to back hearings, the House Homeland Security Committee outlined failures in our nation's port security -- high tech readers used to check those new port I.D. cards are not expected to be installed for another two years. DHS grossly underestimated the number of identification cards it would need. In the port of Houston, DHS concluded they needed 30,000 cards, but port officials say the number is actually 10 times that amount. And DHS missed a deadline under the Safe Port Act to develop new federal regulations for securing U.S. bound shipping containers.

Federal officials, on the defensive, said they have made headway -- screening cargo for radiation and nuclear devices.

VAYL OXFORD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY: At select seaports, scanning now covers 100 percent of all containers and vehicles. By the end of 2007, 98 percent of all containerized sea cargo entering the United States will be scanned for radiological and nuclear threats.

SYLVESTER: But critics say the efforts are still falling short. Other concerns -- the possibility that the new port security I.D. cards, which are supposed to be tamper-proof, could be counterfeited. The chair of the Homeland Security Committee cited a Coast Guard advisory that warned that gang and organized crime members could be looking for ways to bypass the new port security system.

(on camera): The Coast Guard says it believes the cards are highly resistant to tampering or counterfeiting. But right now, without the machines to read the cards, many workers will just have to flash the pass, creating a potential vulnerability.

Lisa Sylvester, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: A letter from home for each U.S. soldier abroad. That's the goal of one popular radio station.

Find out how it's all coming together. We'll talk with the host.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: Outrage over potential orders to serve in Iraq. We are not talking troops here. We are talking diplomats.

Hundreds of State Department foreign service officers voicing concerns over a policy that could force them to serve in Iraq or risk losing their jobs. The sharpest comments at a State Department town hall meeting coming from a 36-year veteran of the foreign service. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JACK CRODDY, FOREIGN SERVICE EMPLOYEE: It's one thing if someone believes in what's going on over there and volunteers, but it's another thing to send someone over there on a forced assignment. And I'm sorry, but basically that's a potential death sentence, and you know it. Who will raise our children if we're dead or seriously wounded?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: The move to directed assignments is rare but not unprecedented. In 1969, an entire class of entry-level diplomats was sent to Vietnam.

COLLINS: Reaching out to the troops. An Atlanta radio show collecting hundreds of thousands of handwritten letters.

The man behind the push, Bert Weiss, of Q-100, "The Bert Show," with me now live.

Nice to see you in person than just hear you.

BERT WEISS, Q-100, "THE BERT SHOW": Thank you. Thank you.

COLLINS: So how does all of this work? I mean, this is a pretty big deal.

WEISS: It's a really big -- it was ambitious right from the start. Ten days ago we started a campaign called "The Bert Show's Big Thank You." And what we wanted to do was we wanted to touch every serviceman and service woman that was deployed...

COLLINS: Every single one of them.

WEISS: Every single one over -- deployed over seas. So we're talking 375,000 troops. So we kind of figured if we're going to touch one, we have got to touch them all. So we started a campaign for 375,000 thank you letters for Thanksgiving, and we're well on our way right now.

COLLINS: Well on your way. In fact, we're looking at some still photos now of some of those letter. What number are you at right now?

WEISS: Our best estimate is about 300,000.

COLLINS: Wow.

WEISS: We got 300,000 in the first 10 days, which is great.

COLLINS: That's amazing.

WEISS: It's really good. But we're still 75,000 short. So we're still collecting letters until Friday.

COLLINS: OK. And so in fact you've had to extend that deadline, right?

WEISS: We did. We got -- I mean, right out of the gate it was fantastic. We just need the extra 75,000 because, like I said, we want to touch everybody. It doesn't matter if they're in Ecuador, Afghanistan, Iraq, Diego Garcia, Portugal, it doesn't matter.

COLLINS: Yes.

WEISS: We want one letter in everybody's hands.

COLLINS: Yes, because we obviously do hear mostly about Iraq and Afghanistan.

WEISS: Yes. Yes.

COLLINS: How on earth are you going to get them all to these people?

WEISS: It's a complicated formula, but after 9/11 you can't send a letter to any soldier anymore.

COLLINS: Right.

WEISS: So what we literally have had to do is call each and every military base and get an address and get a contact, and we'll send the boxes of letters to that one contact and have them distribute all of them.

COLLINS: Who came up with the idea?

WEISS: Kind of my morning show, "The Bert Show" on Q-100, all together collectively said, what can we do for the troops? And this is what we came up with.

COLLINS: Yes. And really is amazing for them. People might not realize what it's like to get a care package or just a letter from somebody.

WEISS: Yes.

COLLINS: Especially a thank you letter.

What do some of these say?

WEISS: Well, we -- it varies, from 4-year-olds to 65-year-olds. You know?

And all of them are just saying -- this doesn't have anything to do with politics. It really is just a show of appreciation that you're sacrificing your time and we're aware of it, and our listeners are just giving them a little connection to home. That's really it.

COLLINS: So, if people want to participate, what do they do?

WEISS: I would suggest you go to our Web site. There's a whole bunch of different specs you've got to kind of like care of. And that's at allthehitsq100.com.

COLLINS: Do you have any letters that you remember reading that really stood out to you?

WEISS: The ones from the kids are always the ones that are most touching.

COLLINS: Yes.

WEISS: It doesn't have anything to do with words. The pictures that they draw are the ones that are the most touching. And just the ones that say, "Dear Soldier..."

My 5-year-old wrote one that just said, "Dear Soldier, Be happy." And that's it.

COLLINS: Yes. And I bet he wrote the proverbial smiley face that they do, right?

WEISS: Of course. Right.

COLLINS: All right. So if you had to do it again, I mean, I imagine that when you guys came up with the idea, which is a great idea...

WEISS: Thank you.

COLLINS: ... that you may not have realized how massive this project was going to be.

WEISS: Well, I mean, 375,000 was an ambitious number and we knew that.

COLLINS: Yes.

WEISS: But as I said before, I don't know that we'd do anything differently, because I think we're going to reach that goal. And like I said, I think if you're going to touch one, you have got to touch everybody. And I think that's what the campaign is for.

So at this point I wouldn't say we'd do anything differently yet.

COLLINS: Yes. Well, give us the Web site one more time.

WEISS: AllTheHitsQ100.com.

COLLINS: AllTheHitsQ100.com.

WEISS: Yes.

COLLINS: There you go -- Q100.com.

All right. Very good.

Bert Weiss, we appreciate your time.

WEISS: Thank you. Thank you for your time.

COLLINS: Good luck with the mission, too.

WEISS: I appreciate it. Thank you, guys.

COLLINS: You bet.

HARRIS: Bert, one more time, what's the radio station again?

WEISS: It is Q-100.

HARRIS: Q-100?

WEISS: Yes, sir.

HARRIS: AllTheHitsQ100?

WEISS: Yes, sir.

HARRIS: All right, Bert. Thanks.

Couldn't resist.

It is cold season, and your child gets sick. Some of those over- the-counter remedies you relied on are now off limits. What do you do?

Our medical correspondent, Elizabeth Cohen, will have some timely tips coming up for you.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: So what's a parent to do? It's miserable, absolutely miserable, when your child gets a cough or cold, but there are some serious safety questions about over-the-counter remedies. So what else can you do to help your child?

CNN Medical Correspondent Elizabeth Cohen has these tips from doctors.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Cold season is upon us, but this year cold season is going to be a little bit different if you've got a child under the age of 6. The reason for that is last month an FDA panel advised not using over-the-counter cold medications for children under the age of 6. They say that they haven't been proven to work and there are concerns that they might not be safe.

So what is a parent to do when they're up in the middle of the night with a screaming, miserable child who has a cough or a cold? Well, I put that question to several medical doctors, MDs, who believe in alternative medicine.

I said, "What else can parents do?" And here are a couple of ideas they had. They said give your child a massage with lavender oil. It will calm them down, and certainly less stress will help them recover from their cold. And that lavender will work as aromatherapy to hopefully help them get better.

Also, a bath with some menthol drops or eucalyptus drops in the bath, that can also be helpful.

Another thought, ginger tea, and ginger tea with honey if your child is over the age of 1. And also Vitamin C.

And vapor rubs, the kind that you rub on their chest on their clothing, they say is also a good idea. But they say don't use vapor rub if your child is under 1 month old.

Now, all of these are in addition to the standard advice that any pediatrician would give, and that is saline drops in the nose to moisten everything up. And if your child is too young to be able to blow his nose by himself, also use one of the bulbs that sucks out all that stuff that's stuffing them up.

So that's some advice from the "Empowered Patient" column about what to do if you're child has a cough or cold.

Back to you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: And for more on what you can do, check out Elizabeth Cohen's "Empowered Patient" column at CNN.com/health.

COLLINS: Nooses back in the news. Is it a comeback for a racist symbol of hatred? We'll talk to author and professor Michael Eric Dyson about race in Americas.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(WEATHER REPORT)

COLLINS: Following the word of the Lord and L. Ron Hubbard. A church looking to Scientology to solve inner-city problems.

CNN's Gary Tuchman reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GARY TUCHMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): At this church in Tampa, Florida, a Pentecostal congregation is celebrating the Lord in a lively style. But the pastor here does something out of the ordinary for church.

Have other preachers criticized you.

REVEREND CHARLES KENNEDY, GLORIOUS CHURCH OF GOD IN JESUS CHRIST: Much, much, much, much, much. Much, much, much.

TUCHMAN (on camera): I guess you're saying much.

KENNEDY: Much, much, much, much, much, much, much.

TUCHMAN (voice-over): Reverend Charles Kennedy sometimes uses a book that is not the Good Book.

KENNEDY: It will fit anybody if they would just take the time to read it.

TUCHMAN: The book is called "The Way to Happiness." It's written by L. Ron Hubbard, the founder of the Church of Scientology.

(on camera): Do you think what he says contradicts the religion of Jesus Christ?

KENNEDY: Sometimes, yes, sometimes, no.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The happiness or unhappiness of others you could name is important to you. Without too much trouble, using this book, you can help them survive and lead happier lives.

TUCHMAN: Reverend Kennedy says the book and many Scientology programs help solve real life problems for people at inner city churches like his.

KENNEDY: One thing I took out of Scientology was an excellent spirit.

TUCHMAN: Reverend Kennedy's Glorious Church of God in Christ even operates an after school program for children using educational ideas derived from Scientology. The pastor's daughter is an instructor.

JIMIRRA KENNEDY, REVEREND KENNEDY'S DAUGHTER: We say this all the time, and I don't know if my father said it, Pentecostal Scientologists. That is what we are.

TUCHMAN: Pentecostal Scientologists? That's not a term you'll hear every day. Scientologists provide free materials to Reverend Kennedy's church and others across the country.

(on camera): The international spiritual headquarters of the Church of Scientology are in this old hotel in nearby Clearwater, Florida. We wanted to ask the church top brass if they hope to recruit new members with these types of relationships. But church officials are often quite skittish about going on camera and this story is no exception.

(voice-over): So the church won't comment. But Rick Ross, who carefully tracks what he calls the cult of Scientology, did.

RICK ROSS, SCIENTOLOGY EXPERT: Their hope, that is the Scientologists', is that through these programs people will become more interested in L. Ron Hubbard and what else Mr. Hubbard had to offer and this will lead them eventually to Scientology. TUCHMAN: Scientology draws extra attention because of its celebrity members and its unusual precepts. Believers recognize a supreme being, do not worship God, very difference from Christianity. The handful of churches that we found using Scientology techniques say they don't sacrifice their own religious ideas.

REV. JAMES MCLAUGHLIN, WAYMAN CHAPEL AME CHURCH: Getting people off drugs, I would say, a 70 to 80 percent success rate.

TUCHMAN: Reverend Jerry McLaughlin preaches at the Wayman Chapel AME Church in Houston. He uses one of L. Ron Hubbard's programs to help drug addicts.

MCLAUGHLIN: I am looking for the solutions. And the people that I help, they don't ask me who L. Ron Hubbard is. Do you know what they ask me? Do you know what they say? Thank God.

ROSS: L. Ron Hubbard was a science fiction writer. Some of these programs seem like fiction science to me.

TUCHMAN: These churches stress the Lord keeps top billing. But L. Ron Hubbard now gets an honorable mention.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: Tiny Texas town for sale. A bit of a fixer-upper though.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It needs a little restoration, but a person who is really creative, he could come out here and have that dance hall just kicking.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: OK. Make your bids in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: On Wall Street, yesterday's Fed-inspired rally has faded and fast. Stocks are actually tumbling today. Susan Lisovicz is at the New York Stock Exchange with details on all of the market action.

Tell us why, why, Susan?

(BUSINESS HEADLINES)

HARRIS: A symbol of racial hatred surfaces again. A noose hanging around the neck of a black mannequin found outside a Long Island, New York, home. Beneath the noose on the mannequin, a note with the "N" word written on it. Nassau County police say it happened in a residential middle class area. So far, no reports of any leads.

Nooses found at schools, homes, even police stations, is it a comeback for a symbol of hatred? Author Michael Eric Dyson writes about race in America, and Professor Dyson is with us. That is his latest book right there. "Is Bill Cosby Right?"

Now Michael, great to see you, good to talk to you.

PROF. MICHAEL ERIC DYSON, GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY: Good to talk to you, too, Tony.

HARRIS: Hey, let me ask you something, do you have any doubts that noose incidents are on the rise across the country? I mean, because there seems to be a strain of thought out there that we need some real empirical data to make the case that noose incidents are on the rise. Any question, are you convinced?

DYSON: Well, I'm not convinced in the sense that if you would talk about empirical data, that means -- empirical means that what that can be falsified or verified through your senses. You can look around and see it. Anecdotally, we can say yes, there have been a few noose incidents.

But I think, the fact is that the noose is a symbol of racial terror. It certainly represents -- and of course, when inscribed with the "N" word, that's a double whammy because real lynching hurt black people and brown people to be sure as well, men and women. And the "N" word often accompanied that. So, I think that the more people are psyched up and goosed up about the noose incidents, then it gets ratcheted up and people begin to leave more nooses around, but I think that, the real problem ...

HARRIS: So that copycat, that would speak to kind of a copycat ...

DYSON: It is a copycat, it is a copycat phenomena. I think that -- you know, the question is does it hold much threat in terms of actual lynching, perhaps not.

HARRIS: Yes, what do you make of it? I mean, honestly speaking, straight forward -- well, what am I asking, that's the way you bring it.

DYSON: Yes, oh, of course.

HARRIS: So, what do you make of this?

DYSON: Well, I think that -- you know, for kooks out there and racial bigots who want to stir up things, they certainly will appropriate this, but for the most part, I don't think this is something -- the density of its reproduction, that is to say, a whole bunch of other people are going to end up doing this. If you figure out that this riles up black people and disturbs us and threatens us, then a bunch of copycat people will be out there.

But as for its real threat, I don't think that's the problem. it's just like trying to bear the "N" word or the noose now. The things as they're much more structural problems, economic and social and political problems that need to be addressed. The noose is a symbol of racial terror, the racial terror has to be addressed itself.

HARRIS: And let's get to that whole idea of racial terror in a moment. But, let me ask you something. Is this a leading indicator? We start with nooses. The next thing we're talking about more in your face kind of activity ...

DYSON: Oh, sure.

HARRIS: ...maybe more blatant violence?

DYSON: Oh, there's no question if left unaddressed. I think the people -- the point is to be vigilant.

HARRIS: Yes.

DYSON: The point is to be conscientious and responsible. The thing is not to just fluff it off or play it off like oh, it's just something we don't need to pay attention to. The thing is ...

HARRIS: Yes.

DYSON: ...that if we pay attention to it now, and look, it's not just about black people. We need concerned white citizens and other non-black people standing up, saying this is reprehensible and unacceptable. And people out of the community in which these nooses appear must step up and step to the plate. There's no longer the white level of silence or how horrible it is. Step up and be visible. Be vocal, and be articulate about it, and all of us can join together and put this thing to bed.

HARRIS: You know, Heidi, a couple of hours ago, spoke with Mark Potok, he is the director of the Intelligence Project for the Southern Poverty Law Center.

DYSON: Right.

HARRIS: And I want to play a bite, a clip from him in just a moment, but he says what these noose incidents really reflect is a wider white backlash and anger to the events in Jena. And then he went on to say this, and then we'll talk.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARK POTOK, SOUTHERN POVERTY LAW CENTER: At the end of the day, whatever you may know about the Klan or race relations in America, the noose means one thing. It means death by hanging.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: OK, let me broaden that a little bit. Can you -- have you been able to get a fix on the kind of white anger and backlash that he is referring to? What is it ...

DYSON: Well ...

HARRIS: ...what's going on in that respect? DYSON: Yes, you can take the temperature of America. Of course there's a backlash. I mean, any sense of black progress for those who are threatened by it and even people who are not explicitly themselves considered bigots, or don't consider themselves bigots.

But when there's a kind of racial resentment that says, look, the Jena Six thing, why are they getting the kind of privileges here, it's always pointing the finger at the black people who seem to be progressing. But when you look around and look at -- you talk about empirical data.

HARRIS: Yes.

DYSON: Those people who are outraged, especially white brothers and sisters who are bigots or unconsciously biased, look around and see, you know, there ain't a bunch of CEOs here. They're not -- black people running America in terms of being presidents. There is one senator in the United States Senate.

So, when you look at the actual data that suggests black progress or the lack thereof, there is not a whole lot of indices that we can point to to suggest that black people are taking over. So yes, there is a kind of racial resentment and resistance, and that's why I think it's important not only for African-American and other minority leaders and people to step up, but I think we need white Americans to step up to the plate ...

HARRIS: Yes.

DYSON: ...and say, look, we don't agree with that, and we have to resist that, and you are wrong, and you don't speak for us.

HARRIS: OK, and I don't know how to do this quickly, but Bill Cosby's new book, "Come on People" ...

DYSON: Yes.

HARRIS: ...I know your -- he was on "Meet the Press" and he was on "LARRY KING LIVE" and he's taking on these issues again, crisis in the black community in terms of education, crime, and broken families. In the past, you have been critical of him because I take it you felt that he didn't properly weight the impact of institutional racism on black aspirations.

DYSON: Right.

HARRIS: In this new book, does he strike a better balance for you?

DYSON: Yes, Mr. Poussaint's presence, Dr. Poussaint's presence, of course, adds an institutional infrastructure and an acknowledgement that there are social factors that impact people's individual choices.

I've never been against Mr. Cosby speaking about personal responsibility. I just want to spread it around for everybody. Why are we only talking about the poor black being responsible? What about the black elite with their baby mama drama, what about the black elite with their homophobic, what about the black elite with the divide between the rich and the poor.

So, if we're going to put everybody's dirty laundry out there, let's put everybody's dirty laundry out there. You have more opportunity to mess up in your family if you have wealth and the ability to mask your own sins. And I'm saying, listen, if we're going to be honest about it, let's put it out there. But I'm not against anybody taking personal responsibility ...

HARRIS: Yes.

DYSON: The crisis in black America is real. Thank God that we're addressing it. All hands should be on deck, everybody should participate.

HARRIS: Michael Eric Dyson, good to see you again.

DYSON: Always good to see you, brother Harris.

HARRIS: Yes, man. We'll talk again soon.

DYSON: All right.

HARRIS: "The Noose, an American Nightmare." It is a CNN Special Investigation, and you can catch it tonight, 8:00 Eastern, only here on CNN.

And to read more about recent noose incidents across the country or watch online videos on racial issues, check out a Special Report, "The Noose." You can find it at CNN.com/noose.

COLLINS: A church slapped with a hefty judgment for its anti-gay message at the funeral of a fallen Marine. "YOUR WORLD TODAY" is coming up at the top of the hour.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: Today in our CNN Heroes, sharing the spotlight series. Award-winning actress Ashley Judd tells us how one woman is taking a new approach to the fight against HIV and AIDS.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ASHLEY JUDD, ACTRESS: For me, a real hero definitely has some sort of spiritual charge. I'm Ashley Judd. And Kate Roberts is my hero because she has a very clear vision, which is a world-free of HIV.

KATE ROBERTS, YOUTH AIDS: In the '90s, I was working for a leading advertising agent in Eastern Europe. I became a sort of expert youth marketer.

JUDD: By her own description, her job was to sell soda pop, bubble gum and cigarettes to 12-year-olds. ROBERTS: I decided to take a vacation. I went to South Africa. I saw a funeral on every corner and I was told that one in four 14- year-old school girls were infected with HIV. I remember the hairs going up on the back of my head. I just knew that I had to do something.

The idea of Youth AIDS was really to use Hollywood and the music industry and corporate America to reach the world's youth with a lifesaving message.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Protect yourself, protect your friends, protect everyone's future.

JUDD: Kate devotes her energy into making positive lifestyle choices hip, slick and cool.

ROBERTS: We have a lot of products that we are marketing and selling around the world to raise money for our programs.

This is the famous campaign. See no evil. We have two types of tags, military style.

And then there is the actual work in the field to get people to protect themselves.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm not going to have sex. I'm too young.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Me, too. I'm going to chill.

ROBERTS: What I'm doing now is selling life. It's no different than marketing a can of soda.

If you really want to make something happen, you can make it happen. If you've just have the drive and the passion, it really is as simple as that.

JUDD: To see what Kate has done and it's been very inspiring to me. She's relentless.

ROBERTS: Our larger mission is to change behavior worldwide, really put AIDS on the map, and make it cool to care.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: Go to CNN.com/heroes to see some of the different ways youth AIDS reaches young people around the world. And while you're there, you can also vote for the CNN hero who has most inspired you. This week's category is championing children. The viewer's choice will be honored during a live global broadcast hosted by Anderson Cooper.

HARRIS: OK, you ready for this? The prankster wore a mask and carried a light, and you won't believe what he did inside this wine store. Well, you've got a good idea.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) HARRIS: All right, cleanup aisle six. And by the way, bring a fire extinguisher. Police in northern England -- I don't know what to make of this stunt. A man wearing a Halloween mask walks into the wine store there and sets off a powder keg of fireworks, some 200 rockets just firing off there. So there you see the shopkeeper hop into action here, kick the explosives out the door. Not so cool. Not any of it actually. But the clerk's 15-month-old son had to be treated for smoke inhalation. Man.

COLLINS: Well, CNN NEWSROOM does continue just one hour from now.

HARRIS: "YOUR WORLD TODAY" is next with news happening across the globe and here at home. I'm Tony Harris.

COLLINS: I'm Heidi Collins. Have a great Thursday? Yes. Have a great Thursday. See you tomorrow.

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