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Two Medical Helicopters Collided in Midair; A Respected Military Leader Dissing John McCain's Military Record; Barack Obama Too Conservative? Two Medical Helicopters Collided in Midair; Condi Rice Left South Korea but the Riots Still There; North Pole Reportedly Melting; Fueling Station for Hydrogen Cars
Aired June 29, 2008 - 22:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
RICK SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Rick Sanchez. Let's start with some breaking news that we have to tell you. Something right off the bat. The newscast that we thought we'd be bringing you tonight is nothing like the newscast that we've got because there's a lot changing right now. There's a lot of breaking news going on as we speak.
First, I want to take you to what is going on right now in Flagstaff, Arizona. Two medical helicopters flying near a hospital. They collided in flight, they crashed, and at least seven people, we understand, are dead. Among the dead, at least one pilot. At least, one patient. Two first responders.
Apparently, now have been wounded by what is being described to us as a secondary blast. And you have to understand what happened is the two helicopters apparently left the hospital, Flagstaff Medical Center, collided in midair. As they crashed and as much of this mangled metal came crashing to the ground, an entire ten-acre area was set ablaze.
First responders, we understand, have gone to that area to see what they can do. And as they were there, there was yet another explosion. A secondary explosion on the ground. As a result, two first responders have been affected by that, have been hurt, and they have now been taken to the hospital.
So this thing seems to be growing. As we get this new information, there is no video to show you yet. At any moment now, we expect that we'll be getting pictures from the actual scene where this fire is burning as we speak. That's the medical center there -- Flagstaff Medical Center -- from where the helicopters had taken off.
That's what a shot of what one of the helicopters looks like. It's described to us as a Bell 407. A Bell 407. Don't know what the second helicopter was. But that's what the first one looks like. Yes, there were patients on board.
Let's go to one of our guest now who is standing by, who is going to be able to help us with this information. Maybe he'll be able to put some of this information in perspective for us. Someone, in fact, who has done some flying himself. He's joining us from Oklahoma City. Mason Dunn.
Mason, are you there? MASON DUNN, KWTV: Yes, Rick. I'm here.
SANCHEZ: Thanks. Listen, we're scrambling to get this information on. We're hoping to be able to turn some of these pictures around in just a little bit. Given from what you've heard, just from the information I've provided thus far, what can you tell us about this type of incident and as a caveat for our audience, I should mention that there have been a bevy of these in the last six months, have there not?
DUNN: Unfortunately, yes, there has. And first of all, you know, we want to think about the families involved here. There's going to be quite a few families without their loved ones tonight. So we want to think about them. But we don't know what happened here.
SANCHEZ: Let me just --
DUNN: It's a tragedy.
SANCHEZ: Let me just stop you there and ask you, because I think viewers at home would probably have, you know, the following question. How can something like this happen? Two helicopters, there is two pilots on each of those helicopters who I imagine are supposed to know what is going on around them, right?
DUNN: That's true. The helicopter pilot is in control of the helicopter and -- but, you know, these things happen. We do all we can to try to prevent these things from happening. But you have to be real aware of what is going on. And things around the hospital, you know, you're going to have several helicopters in the area, and they don't have controllers at the hospitals either.
SANCHEZ: Mason, I'm just going to stop you for just a moment. I certainly don't mean to interrupt and I do want to listen to what you had to say, but I'm being told now, the very first pictures are just now coming in.
Our viewers are going to be seeing these pictures as we see them for the very first time. We're just going to turn this stuff around and mostly in an unedited fashion, and those are probably going to be reporters there at Flagstaff getting to the scene just now of where these two helicopters have collided.
Mason, back to you, on how something like this can happen and what some of the dangers are in this type of flying.
DUNN: Well, you know, we do all we can for safety reasons. Of course, I fly a news helicopter here in Oklahoma City. But I do know that the medical helicopters here, we have a frequency that we monitor. And any time they lift off or land at the hospital, we can hear it. That's one thing we do. The other thing we do is we all have -- I know I have on my helicopter a collision avoidance device, which is called the PCAD. That's a traffic collision avoidance device.
That helps me tremendously. It will alert me if any aircraft had been five miles, and then gives me an auto alert, you know, if any helicopters are within a mile.
SANCHEZ: Well, you can see there how big the scene is. Again, these are some of the very first pictures from the scene itself. Roge, get rid of that stuff at the bottom real quick so we can see more of that?
We were just seeing some interesting shots there as we watched them bringing some of the people now -- remember, as the scene is being described to us, it's an area just adjacent to the airport. We're going to try and be as cautious as we can as we watch these pictures.
But this is unedited video of some of the victims who first responders are just now getting to. They're bringing them out and they're going to be taking them over to fire and rescue, and some of the ambulance is there to hopefully get them over to the hospital.
Don't know at this point if there were people on the helicopters or people on the ground. I want to bring in Karen McGuiness.
Mason Dunn, by the way, stand by real quick. Mason Dunn for us from KWTV. Karen McGinnis is our meteorologist here.
Karen, I'm wondering as we look at these pictures what the conditions were there and if that may have been a factor in this crash.
KAREN MAGINNIS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: I checked the weather conditions as soon as we heard about this situation. And in Flagstaff, throughout the entire day, we've seen fair skies, fair weather conditions, clear skies. Now, it may have been a little bit hazy there. The humidity was right around 12 percent. That's not really going to produce much in the way of clouds. And we saw winds variable but they are picking up now.
SANCHEZ: I was just going to stop you for a minute, Karen, and I'm sorry. But I'm sure our viewers notice this as well. Those pictures we were just looking at there, one of the firefighters, one of the first responders was doing chest compressions on one of the victims. You know, obviously, this is what they have to do as they get to the scene, try and provide first aid.
But, you know, it obviously is a dire situation for them trying to deal with that. All right, I'm being told, Karen -- hold on just a minute -- I'm being told now we're being joined by an official with the FAA, Ian Gregor. Do we have still? We just lost him. All right, we're going to get to him right away once again.
Karen, let me go back to you then.
MAGINNIS: OK.
SANCHEZ: You were saying it didn't look like there was anything obvious that may have caused this?
MAGINNIS: Yes. Rick, you can take a look at the pictures. It looks like -- do we want to listen to this audio?
SANCHEZ: Yes. Let's see if we can dip into this. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Explosion throughout 365 or so.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Yes. What went through your mind when you heard that?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, I thought, well (INAUDIBLE).
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE) an interview by anybody?
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't know. And then, I just heard emergency people go by and I thought there was a problem.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: What's you name?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I can't go on.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: You can't go on camera?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't think I can with my job.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: (INAUDIBLE). What did you hear and what did you see?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My name is Kenneth Mitchell (ph). I just heard -- saw the smoke and came over to try and offer any assistance I could.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: And when you came over here, what did you see?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I saw smoke in the woods and it looked like a possible helicopter in the woods.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Do you know what helicopters they are?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't know.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: All right, let's get back in this. Obviously, a lot of this is raw material. What you're watching is here is what we often call a raw feed. It's information before it gets back to the editing station there at the different news stations before they have a chance to look at it.
The raw interviews that are done right there on the scene with people describing what they have seen so far. There's another victim being taken now to one of those fire rescue trucks. And as we mentioned before, chest compression is being done on one of them. So obviously, it's a life-saving operation. We do now have Ian McGuiness. Pardon me, I misspoke. Ian Gregor is joining us now. He is with the Federal Aviation Administration.
Ian, thanks so much for joining us. We appreciate it. IAN GREGOR, FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION: You're very welcome.
SANCHEZ: What can you tell us about the situation?
GREGOR: Well, please keep in mind that everything I'm going to tell you is preliminary and that information changes very rapidly during information such as this. But what I have right now is that at least seven people were killed and three critically injured when two medical helicopters collided in midair, this afternoon, close to a hospital in Flagstaff.
Three of these were board a helicopter operated by company called Air Methods. At least, one of the people was the patient. The other aircraft was operated by company called Classic Helicopter Services out of Utah. And I don't yet know if all of the other fatalities and injuries were aboard the second helicopter or some of those people on the ground.
SANCHEZ: And these are helicopters that are used to transport patients to the hospital or from one hospital to another, right?
GREGOR: That is correct.
SANCHEZ: You say seven people were killed. Do we know if all of those seven were aboard the helicopters or were there people on the ground?
GREGOR: No, I don't yet know if all of the fatalities and injuries were aboard the helicopters or if some of those people on the ground.
SANCHEZ: We've got some more sound that's coming into us now. Ian, maybe we could listen to this together and help put some of the information on. Go ahead. Roger, let's go ahead and turn that around if we have it now. Do you have that?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, I was down here when it exploded. And you can feel the blast come over you. You see the debris flying over here. I'm just all shaken up about it because --
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Yes. What was the blast like? What did it feel like to you?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It sounded like you are pushing over, you know. You just move back. And you just feel the wind and you see the debris coming at you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: Ian, do you have any sense of what would be most likely to cause something like this? And I ask that once again to you with the same caveat that I was sharing with another one of our guests moments ago, that there have really been a bevy of these in the last six months. GREGOR: Well, I certainly, wouldn't want to speculate on the cause here. It's way too early. And we're sending FAA inspectors from the Phoenix area are headed to the scene right now and we're sending another team of FAA safety inspectors from Washington, D.C., out to the scene tomorrow. But I certainly wouldn't want to speculate on what could have caused this.
SANCHEZ: We understand that there were several first responders who have been injured now as they approach the scene there in that wooded area that we're looking at. There was apparently a second area explosion of some type. Can you help us try and figure out what that may have been?
GREGOR: No. And, again, I certainly wouldn't want to speculate on what might have caused that. It's just that, you know, it's a horrible tragedy any way you look at it.
SANCHEZ: Let me just ask you this then -- how much fuel would be on one of these helicopters?
GREGOR: That I just don't know.
SANCHEZ: I can tell you it's a Bell 407. Does that help?
GREGOR: I know it's a Bell 407 but I'm not intimately familiar with that kind of helicopter so I couldn't tell you how much fuel is aboard.
SANCHEZ: I'm just wondering the secondary explosion that we're talking about would most likely be a cause of some kind of fuel spill on the chopper, right? I mean, after it crashes?
GREGOR: Again, without knowing where it crashed and what was around, I just can't speculate.
SANCHEZ: All right. I'm not going to press you anymore on that. Listen, I appreciate it. Ian Gregor with the FAA. Thanks so much for joining us. Is there anything else that you know that you think our viewers may want to know about this story as it develops?
GREGOR: Not as of now. As I said, everything is preliminary and information changes very rapidly during situations such as this.
SANCHEZ: All right, thanks so much.
GREGOR: You're very welcome.
SANCHEZ: Ian Gregor with the FAA. We certainly appreciate you reaching out to us like this just as we're starting to get some of this information now to our viewers. And by the way, as we get more information on this, there's another tragedy now that we're following for you. This one still developing right now.
Blamed on the weather in Huntsville, Alabama. Watch this. It's an air show. A fun family afternoon. Suddenly, a wild thunderstorm forms and rips up a row of tents. A young boy dies when reportedly a generator topples onto him during this storm. 12 other people, we understand, were hurt. We're going to be getting more information on that. As a matter of fact -- Karen Maginnis, are you there still?
MAGINNIS: I am here.
SANCHEZ: Listen, why suddenly would a wind gust form in the middle of nowhere and caused something like this, especially when you consider that a 6-year-old is killed. 12 to 13 people are taken to the hospital. And from all indications, it wasn't a tornado, was it?
MAGINNIS: No and it was sub-severe levels. Meaning, it didn't meet severe criteria on what they would issue a severe thunderstorm warning for. However, earlier in the evening, the highest wind gusts I saw was 25 miles an hour.
In fact, the decoded information suggests there was a 47-mile-per-hour wind gust in this area and these pop-up thunderstorms occur with the afternoon heating. We saw the temperature was in the 80s. And Rick, I tell you, I saw at 1:53 local time, the temperature was 86 degrees.
And 20 minutes later, when the thunderstorm went through, the temperature was 70. And the wind started shifting around and then they stayed fairly breezy through the afternoon. So there was a pretty severe wind event that took place with this pop-up thunderstorm. But it did not meet the severe criteria.
SANCHEZ: Well, that's amazing. All it can take is one big, severe gust to do the type of damage that we saw there. People watching an air show in Alabama and suddenly it turns tragic. A 6-year-old killed, 13 people taken to the hospital. Karen Maginnis, thanks so much. We'll be checking back with you throughout the night.
We're going to bring you anything that we get on this helicopter crash that we've been following in Flagstaff. We've got our crew making phone calls now and trying to get to some of the folks there in Flagstaff. So hopefully we'll be able to let you hear from somebody on the scene.
Also, did Wesley Clark pull a swift boat on John McCain today? I want to tell you exactly what he said. It's a lot of talk that it's causing. We're back in 90 seconds.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SANCHEZ: All right. There's a new story that's coming in to us tonight that's no doubt going to reverberate for days, if not weeks. Here it is. A respected military leader dissing, some might say, swift-boating John McCain's military record.
Retired General Wesley Clark is a Barack Obama supporter we should note, and has even been mentioned by some as a possible VP. He held firm on CBS this morning that McCain's military service does not qualify the senator to be president. Here's what happened when Clark was questioned about that comment that he's made.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) GEN. WESLEY CLARK (RET.), OBAMA SUPPORTER: I'll have to say Barack Obama has not had any of those experiences either nor has he ridden in a fighter plane and gotten shot down.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, I don't think riding in a fighter plane and getting shot down is a qualification to be president.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: Republican strategist Renee Amore is joining us. Democrat and radio talk show host E. Steven Collins have become fixers for us here. How about it, guys? Was he right to make a comment like that?
RENEE AMOORE, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: Absolutely not, as far as I'm concerned, Rick. I mean, it didn't make sense to me at all. What has Obama really done?
SANCHEZ: But the question is, regardless of what Obama has done -- Steven, I'll take it to you. Was it disparaging in and of itself?
E. STEVEN COLLINS, DEMOCRAT/RADIO TALK SHOW HOST: He shouldn't have said it. I mean, I was at the National Constitution Center when the senator was here. And one of the biggest rounds of applause he got was when a person there stood up and said to him that they saluted him for his service to this country.
We all know how incredible his service has been and I think Barack Obama will distance it. I don't know why he actually said it. He is a respected retired general. And I think the real point he was making was, does the whole notion that because the senator has this war experience, somehow earn him special points to being an expert in foreign affairs and qualify him to be commander-in- chief.
I think that's the central issue countering this discussion that Barack Obama doesn't have the same kind of experience.
SANCHEZ: How about it, Renee?
AMOORE: No. I just think he wanted to downplay what the senator has done. And I think it's important for people to know what the senator has done. If people are aware of what he has done. You even said it as a big time Democrat.
You know, that he is to be respected when he was here in Philadelphia. People really applauded that particular piece for us. His war service and what he's done and how he's done it. So I definitely think he wanted to make it like it was not important.
COLLINS: But it still doesn't make him an expert in foreign policy.
AMOORE: But he's not saying he's an expert.
(CROSSTALK)
AMOORE: He understands it more. He understands it more than Barack Obama. I mean, he has not been in any situation. COLLINS: I don't agree.
AMOORE: He has not told, you know, people when to bomb or not bomb, or when to go or not go. And that's what he used. That's what Wesley used.
SANCHEZ: Quick question, yes or no, before we go. Does this make Wesley Clark less likely to be a VP for Barack Obama?
AMOORE: He won't be a VP for Barack Obama.
COLLINS: I think Wesley Clark is not the issue. The issue is -- is Barack Obama able to create the kind of honesty forward -- foreign policy that's necessary and had all tough issues. What we can really look at is the continued support by Senator McCain for a very unnecessary and unpopular war that's costing us millions of dollars.
SANCHEZ: We are going to leave it there because now you're getting into your talking point.
AMOORE: He sure is.
SANCHEZ: I won't let you do that here.
AMOORE: Thank you.
SANCHEZ: Steven, thanks so much.
John McCain meets with the Reverend Billy Graham. Imagine how important that endorsement would be. Does he get it? It happened today. Barack Obama, too conservative. This is a real concern. You don't believe me. Go on the Internet. Listen to some of the leftie bloggers or radio talkers saying Barack Obama is too conservative. What a surprising number of them are saying. That's one minute away.
But here's something for you to do while we're gone. Bill Clinton is set to meet with Barack Obama for the very first time. Go to our political ticker and read the details. We've got them. It's cnn.com/ticker.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SANCHEZ: And once again, I want to show you some of the pictures that we've got and coming in. I mean, they're literally came in to us about 15 minutes ago. It's from a wooded area adjacent to a hospital.
Two medical helicopters have crashed apparently at midair. Seven people are dead. First responders injured as they went in there because of secondary explosion. You see some of the victims being taken out of the scene. We're going to be staying on top. There you see some smoke. This is a new picture. From probably the area of the wreckage.
As we get more information, we're going to be sharing it with you. We expect to hear from some of the folks there on the scene. Again, it's at Flagstaff, Arizona. First, though, the candidate and the evangelist spending quality time together today in the North Carolina Mountain. Senator John McCain, who's made no secret about his need for religious voters support, met with Billy Graham and his son, Franklin Graham.
It was private. No TV cameras. Graham told McCain about meeting his dad during the Vietnam War. He told him that they prayed together. McCain said he did not ask for Billy Graham's vote. And by the way, it wasn't offered.
Here's a statement coming from the Reverend Graham. "While as a Christian minister, I am not endorsing a candidate for president. I do endorse the responsibility of men and women of faith everywhere to vote and to be involved in the political process."
Here's what John McCain had to say afterwards.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), PRESUMPTIVE PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: They have known my family and they have known me for many years. They are great leaders in this nation. I appreciate the opportunity to visit with him and I am very grateful for the time they spent with me.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: By the way, Senator McCain went out of his way to go to Asheville, North Carolina, to meet with the reverend. The meeting, we understand, lasted something like 45 minutes.
Tonight, there are questions being raised from the left, from the left about Barack Obama being too conservative. Too conservative. It was all over the Sunday morning talk shows.
Is the guy who ran to the left of Hillary Clinton now moving to the right against John McCain? He's seen as a moving center right on such issues as telecom immunity, gun control this week, especially in light of the Supreme Court decision that led to the D.C. gun ban, and also on the death penalty.
So, how about it? Let's go now to Steven Collins once again and Renee Amoore. They are both back.
I got to tell you. What I heard critical of Barack Obama in the last couple of days has come from liberal talk show hosts and liberal bloggers. What is going on?
Steven?
COLLINS: Well, on my show this morning -- and I don't necessarily think I'm liberal or conservative. I think I'm kind of moderate. Most of our callers were talking about the fact that Barack Obama in the "Philadelphia Tribune," the local African-American newspaper, was talking about affirmative action from the point of view that there are some in America who perceive his ascension to this party's nomination as a major step for black America. And it is. There's no question about it.
SANCHEZ: Yes. But the question is -- is he moving to the right to fit in?
COLLINS: I don't think so. I don't think he's stating and clarifying his position. Excuse me.
AMOORE: Rick, no. No. Absolutely. Absolutely.
SANCHEZ: You think he is.
AMOORE: He's definitely moving to the right. He doesn't have a choice. He needs those Reagan Democrats to really help him with his vote. That's the bottom line.
SANCHEZ: So he's just being -- listen to what Ralph Nader said about him. Here it is.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RALPH NADER: I haven't heard him had a strong crackdown on economic exploitation (INAUDIBLE), pay day loans, predatory lending, asbestos, lead. What's keeping him from doing that? Is it because he wants to talk white?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: Oh, that is so, so ridiculous.
AMOORE: That is ridiculous.
COLLINS: I mean, Ralph Nader. Come on, how much credibility is that? The reality, Rick, on this comment from Nader is that if you look at Barack Obama's Web site and look at exactly what he is saying on such issues as urban crimes, gun violence and so fort, the issues that really matter to working people here in this part of the country and in many cities across the country.
He said clearly, by the way, he supported the Washington D.C. efforts to restrict gun sales and yet, understood the value of the Supreme Court ruling as he said the other day when the fact that this amendment is an important part of our constitution.
SANCHEZ: Renee, finish this out. We're down to 15 seconds.
AMOORE: The bottom line is that he is moving to the right. He doesn't have a choice. He needs those Reagan Democrats. He has to go into the center to do something and the faith-based. So that makes a statement. That's what he needs to do, Rick, and he's doing it.
(CROSSTALK)
SANCHEZ: He's a politician and he is --
AMOORE: That's right.
SANCHEZ: To use the word used during the Clinton administration triangulating.
AMOORE: He's taken a page of the Clinton's book.
SANCHEZ: Thanks, guys.
AMOORE: Thanks.
SANCHEZ: Appreciate you being with us.
COLLINS: Good to see you.
AMOORE: Good to see you. Thanks.
SANCHEZ: Renee, likewise.
By the way, we have just gotten exclusive access to a brand-new ad that you're going to be hearing for yourself. It ties Republicans and George Bush to high gas prices. This is brand new. Nobody has seen it yet. We've gotten our hands on it.
Fair enough, this is a must see. Mark Preston with Preston on politics is going to be coming up. There he is, as a matter of fact. Thanks a lot, Mark. We'll look forward to seeing you.
You see this young bride, by the way? She is dead. You know why? Her father-in-law had her killed. Do you know why he did it? He was ashamed that his son had married a black woman.
Also before we go, I should let you know moments ago I read you the statement that came from the Graham Family. I should clarify that that came from Franklin Graham. The no endorsement statement of John McCain.
One other thing. Barack Obama and Bill Clinton not speaking. Not yet anyway. There is news on that front. It's about to happen. Next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
RICK SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: Let me try and catch you up on what's going on here right now. This is the very latest video that we've been getting out of parts of Flagstaff, Arizona. It's where seven people are dead after two helicopters collided in mid-air.
As we continue to follow the story and get information from folks there on the ground. We are going to be bringing it to you. In fact, I'm being told now by my producer that we got some sound coming in. This is from police officials as they arrived there on the scene of this crash in Flagstaff. Here it is. Let's play it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SGT. TOM BOUGHNER, FLAGSTAFF POLICE: There's the 911 call of the helicopter crash directly behind us on the hill. Found the two units collided that went down there and touched off the ground fire at that point. We are trying very hard to keep the names of the carriers, the helicopter companies, as well as anybody that might have been on those flight plans close until we talk with the families, until we get more information on them and their condition.
We have several agencies involved here already today. The Sheriffs Department for Coconino County, the Flagstaff Police Department, Flagstaff Fire Department guarding ground units, DPSS support that you see over the top of us, United States Forest Service and some at Fire, thanks to them, because their covering calls for the Fire Department in the city.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: As you could see, news crews are scrambling to get to the scene there and follow that story. We'll continue to dip in as we see relevant information being shared and we'll be bringing it to you.
Now this, a tragic and bizarre case. This is a young woman, African- American, slain by a hit man in Georgia. Now, the question is, "Who paid that hit man?" The victim's father-in-law, originally from India. He could not accept that his son was married to a black woman.
There are a million questions in this case. But one really big one is, "Where did this man's racial hatred come from to do something like this to his own daughter-in-law?"
CNN's Don Lemon reports. He may have brought it from home.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DON LEMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): From Bollywood to Bengal (ph), beautiful brown-skinned Indian people. Sounds like a compliment, right? Not necessarily. Just look beneath the skin and you'll find a culture much of which is obsessed with fair skin.
Add to that, a history of arranged marriages, many with a bent towards light skin. Classifieds from top Indian newspapers and Web sites read, "looking for fair complexion" and "seeks fair, slim, beautiful girl."
Violence over race and place in India still erupts daily but until recently was never exported to America.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We, the jury, find the defendant, Chiman L. Rai, guilty.
LEMON: Last week in Atlanta, 68-year-old Chiman Rai, a native of India, was sentenced to life in prison for paying a hit man $10,000 to kill his African-American daughter-in-law, who had just had his granddaughter. Her husband, Rai's son, testified in court that his father believed the relationship cast shame on his family.
RICKY RAI, MURDER VICTIM'S HUSBAND: We were brought up that, you know, we should marry, you know, Indian, same race.
LEMON: Professor Ajay Nair blames India's complicated centuries-old caste system, much of it he says is fostered by decades of British rule. Perpetuated now in America by Indian immigrants struggling between two nation's ideas of fitting in. PROF. AJAY NAIR, COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY: I think there is a racial hierarchy in the U.S. and I think the Indian perception of that racial hierarchy is that whites are on top and blacks are at the bottom. And the closer you can get to whiteness, the better it is.
LEMON: The black family, all too familiar with racism, who accepted their Indian son-in-law with open arms, whose daughter ended up on the tragic end of this conundrum, hopes Indians and Americans can learn to move beyond skin tone.
BENNET REID, DAUGHTER MURDERED OVER RACE: We can sit down and talk to each other as individuals. To hide behind things and saying, "I hate you just because of -- you know, I don't know you." I'd try to believe we've gone beyond that.
NAIR: We tend to forget the kind of solidarity that historically we've had with other African-Americans and other people of color. Many of the privileges that we've been afforded have come on acts of black people who have struggled in this country through not just the civil rights movement, throughout the history of this country.
LEMON (on camera): But Reid say even before the father was charged, the Rais never reached out to them, never told them they were sorry for the loss of their daughter, never inquired about the granddaughter.
Today, they and the granddaughter have no contact with the man who fathered her. Ricky Rai is now married to an Indian woman.
Don Lemon, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SANCHEZ: Take a look at this. Condi Rice has left South Korea but the riots are still there. In fact, they seem to be getting worse. We're on it.
Imagine a North Pole with no ice. Now, imagine it happening by the end of this summer. A sign of things to come? It's a scientific report. I'll read it to you, show it to you. Ahead.
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SANCHEZ: Welcome back to the world headquarters of CNN here at Atlanta. I'm Rick Sanchez. Bill Clinton and Barack Obama are not talking. But we do understand that may be about to change. Conversation perhaps imminent. Time for Mark Preston now with "Preston on Politics."
Mark, what do you know about this potential conversation, should I call it?
MARK PRESTON, CNN POLITICAL EDITOR: Yes. Well, tell you what, Rick, we learned this morning from Terry McAuliffe, who is one of the Clinton's closest friends and was Hillary Clinton's campaign manager, told Candy Crowley this morning that he expects the conversation between Barack Obama and former President Clinton to happen within the next 24 to 48 hours.
There's been a lot of speculation that President Clinton is so bitter over what happened during the campaign, not only his wife's but also the fact that he was portrayed to be a racist. So, this is again might be the final piece of the whole unity picture we've been talking about.
SANCHEZ: But it's not something maybe he wants to do but certainly something he most likely has to do, isn't it?
PRESTON: Yes, no question. For two reasons. One is his own legacy. Certainly, President Clinton doesn't want to go down in history books as being someone who didn't campaign vigorously on behalf of the first African-American potential president. You know, certainly, along those lines.
At the same time, you know, a Democratic strategist told me late tonight, Rick, that he has do it in order to keep his senior status within the party for people still to look up to him and still to seek out advice.
SANCHEZ: There is something out there tonight that's brand new. As a matter of fact, you could -- I want you to do the set up for this because it's an ad that you know an awful lot about, don't you, Mark?
PRESTON: Yes, absolutely. Look, the House Democrats, who are really trying to extend their majority in the House of Representatives in 2008, are putting out a radio ad, Rick. They plan on targeting 13 House Republicans. This is the first time this ad will be heard anywhere.
The ad will start running tomorrow. They're spending about $100,000, maybe a little more than $100,000, on this ad and they have a very interesting character who will play an important role.
SANCHEZ: Let's take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VOICE OF UNIDENTIFIED MALE: "W" here. Wanted to thank you for your support of the big oil energy agenda. Appreciate you voting to giving billions in tax breaks to the big oil companies. Sure, gasoline is over 4 bucks a gallon and the oil companies are making record profits, but what's good for big oil is good for America, right? I guess that's why they call us the Grand Oil Party. Heh, heh, heh.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: Down to just a couple of seconds, but that's interesting, using an impersonator to do the president's voice, but no doubt trying to pin this whole high gas price situation on the President and vis-a- vis the Republican Party, right?
PRESTON: Absolutely. Especially going into the Fourth of July holidays. We're all going to be on the road. I'll tell you, a Republican official told me tonight from the RNC that they find this ad to be outrageous and I would expect, you know, in the next 24 hours, expect to be made about this ad.
SANCHEZ: Yes, expect, we will. Wonder if it will be pulled, though. Thanks so much. Mark Preston, as usual, with good stuff for us with "Preston on Politics."
Well, he's not just with us on Sunday nights. Do you know what is -- do you know what's really happening with campaign 2008? Then you want to know what Mark Preston is going to be working on. To find out, log on to cnnpolitics.com and the CNN political ticker. Huh, I got through that. Thanks so much. Next week. Thanks, Mark.
You want to stop buying gas? Get a hydrogen fuel cell car. Where do you do the fill-up for something like that? Well, at a hydrogen station in California. The first one of its kind. They're out there. I'll show it to you.
Also, the North Pole is melting. In fact, it may be melted by this summer. Did you know? Santa is going to have to move quick when he sees this report.
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SANCHEZ: All right. We want to bring you up to date on what's going on out there in Flagstaff, Arizona as we follow this newscast tonight. We've been breaking in from time to time to let you know that just before we went on the air, in Flagstaff, two medical helicopters crashed into each other after leaving the Flagstaff Medical Center.
As a result, there was an explosion there in a wooded area. Seven people are dead. Three others apparently have been injured and taken to the hospital. We've been watching this video of people literally being removed from this wooded area. Some of them receiving CPR as they get out on these gurneys and they've been rushing them to the hospital. Any information on this story, we will certainly bring it to you right away.
Meanwhile, the North Pole reportedly melting and I'm not talking over a period of years as many have conjectured. This could happen by the end of this summer, by the fall. I want to you take a look at an animation that we've prepared for you. Here it is.
This is from scientists with the National Snow and Ice Data Center. They say that the ocean's ice covers have been getting thinner as the weather has warmed. Now, you see -- it's the purple stuff right there. It's going away. The blue reveals the water without the ice on top of it.
By September, it could be ice-free. September this year, like three months from now, if the current weather patterns continue. As a matter of fact, we've got this here. Do we have a chance to look at this now?
I've got this telestrator and I'm going to show you -- if we can show the picture of the ice after it melts. All right. There's all the ice. There's the purple that we're talking about. This ice starts to melt. This, by the way, over here is Sweden and Norway. This is Greenland; this is us, part of the United States and Canada.
Let me remove those and show you what happens. Suddenly, you have passed shipping lanes that didn't exist before, like the one I just drew right there. Imagine being able to go from Sweden over to Alaska without having to do that route, which used to take you through the Panama Canal. It's certainly interesting information.
We know your money is melting as well as gas prices keep rising. We thought with that story, we should also let you know this, that in search for alternative fuels, some were saying that hydrogen cars could deliver high mileage with zero emissions.
Hydrogen cars. So you wouldn't have to gas up anymore. Sounds good, right? Trouble is, it's still something that's in the works. But in California, for the very first time, there is, in fact, a fueling station for hydrogen cars. Here's CNN's Chris Lawrence.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The bright blue sign sticks out and promises an alternative to buying gas.
DR. GRAEME SWEENEY, SHELL FUTURE FUELS: And it creates that sense that this is an ordinary thing to do.
LAWRENCE: California's first retail hydrogen fuel station is only the second in the nation, but it's vital for automakers that one day want the general public to drive these cars.
DAVE BARTHMUSS, GENERAL MOTORS: No one's going to buy a vehicle like this until they have the confidence that they need that they can get to a pump and refuel and not get stuck.
LAWRENCE: So far, only a few hundred are on the road. Most are loaned out to companies and government agencies to build acceptance. But this summer, Honda will actually lease one for $600 a month, with the automaker subsidizing most of the cost.
JAMIE LEE CURTIS, ACTRESS: No thank you.
LAWRENCE: Jamie Lee Curtis will be one of the first to get the Honda Clarity, and actress Joely Fisher is already driving a hydrogen-fueled BMW.
JOE ROMM, CLIMATEPROGRESS.ORG: Celebrities, like my 16-month-old daughter, are attracted to shiny new objects, I guess.
LAWRENCE: Joe Romm is a former Energy Department official. He says hydrogen cars have about half the range of a hybrid and it costs several hundred thousand dollars to build one. So, why are so many automakers getting into the fuel cell business?
ROMM: I think perhaps the biggest reason is that the Bush administration is still spending about $300 million a year promoting hydrogen. And companies want to get a piece of that money, and they like the good publicity they get. LAWRENCE: Critics say emissions are produced during the creation of the fuel, but these cars generate no tailpipe emissions other than water vapor. Right now, the price of fuel is a wash. Hydrogen costs twice the price of gas, but it's also twice as efficient.
LAWRENCE (on camera): Ultimately, everyone believes that's it's going to take multiple automakers and fuel companies like Mobil and Chevron working at the same time to really make this a viable alternative.
Chris Lawrence, CNN, Los Angeles.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SANCHEZ: One of CNN's best, CNN special correspondent, Frank Sesno. He actually got a tour of one of these hydrogen car plants.
And Frank, you know what people at home watching you right now want to know -- When do I get one? How can I avoid paying for gas? How much is it going to cost me? And, is this thing going to work?
FRANK SESNO, CNN SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT: OK. When can you get one, no time soon. How can you avoid paying for gas? You can't. And, is it going to work any time soon? No, probably not.
What I had an opportunity to look at when I was working on the energy documentary "We Were Warned, Out of Gas," which was aired recently here on CNN. It will be airing again. I went up to Detroit, went to General Motors. General Motors has placed -- spent north of a billion dollars, Rick, to try to develop this hydrogen fuel cell technology.
Now climbed over the Sequel, that's the name of the car that they were working on, to get a look at what they were mostly trying to do was miniaturize the fuel -- the gas tank, if you can call that the hydrogen tank. It's under huge pressure so it's got to be safe and they were trying to get the car a range of about 300 miles.
So, it's competitive with the gas car. But as you just heard in the report there, it costs you 600,000 to $1 million if you're going to pay market price --
SANCHEZ: Yes, but you know what? But you know what, cell phones used to cost $2,000 and today they're free. So --
SESNO: And that's what hydrogen advocates say, fair enough, put the money into it, get the hydrogen out there. But, you know, there are about 180,000 gas stations in the country. Maybe 80 of them have hydrogen right now. So, you have a huge infrastructure problem -- a huge problem to actually make the hydrogen.
That takes energy, too, some of it which contributes to greenhouse gases. A lot of people say, Rick, put your money on the plug-in hybrid; that's got more energy punch and it's far more viable, maybe two or three years away. And that's what you should be betting on.
SANCHEZ: And it's here now. By the way, the free cell phone comes with a contract. I should mention that. SESNO: It's getting smaller, too.
SANCHEZ: Yes, they certainly have.
You've got to sign that contract maybe for three years or else you won't get the free cell phone. Frank Sesno, thanks so much. Good stuff. Appreciate it your enlightening us on this.
SESNO: You bet.
SANCHEZ: Well, it happens way too often in this country. Family farms go under. But there's at least one person out there who's coming to the rescue. He's tonight's CNN hero and you're about to meet him.
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SANCHEZ: You're not going to believe this, but it's happening in the United States. About 200,000 farms go out of business each and every year. Farms in this country. But the lucky ones will get to meet -- CNN's hero.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My dad bought this land in 1947. I've been here all my life. It's home. It's where we belong.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's our roots.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: People don't realize how tough it is until you lose everything. Anything on the path of that tornado, you name it, it was gone. We didn't have no insurance.
BILL GROSS, COMMUNITY CRUSADER: The family farmer is in danger. And so when a major injury, illness or a natural disaster occurs, it's devastating to them.
I'm Bill Gross and I help family farmers in crisis. Farm Rescue is operated all by volunteers. And we're very proud of that. The volunteers are eager to come in. And by the time we leave, we have their crop planted or harvested.
I was raised on a family farm in North Dakota and now an airline pilot for U.P.S. However, my heart never left the farming community. I firmly believe that if you're going to help people, you should do something that you know how to do. And so, I started Farm Rescue to help the farmers.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In a situation like we're in, there's no way we'd be able to survive on our own.
GROSS: They seeded 200 acres of wheat and about 530 acres of soybean.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We got a place we can call home again. It's a new beginning.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Sure is.
GROSS: If Farm Rescue didn't come in and plant these farms, then they would not be able to maintain their livelihood. And the families are very, very thankful and we've become life-long friends.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
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SANCHEZ: The latest on that situation in Flagstaff on AMERICAN MORNING. Thanks for being with us. I'm Rick Sanchez.
