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U.S. Targets Iran?; CT Scan Dangers; eBay Luxury Lawsuit; For Indian Man, Racial Issues Motivate Murder in Atlanta

Aired June 30, 2008 - 14:00   ET

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

DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: All right. This is outrageous. Killed because she was black. One victim, two families, all destroyed by racism.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: We're going to look at the shocking crime and dig into its racist roots.

Hello, everyone. I'm Kyra Phillips, live in New York.

LEMON: And I'm Don Lemon, live at the CNN Headquarters in Atlanta.

You are in the CNN NEWSROOM.

All right. Got a couple questions for you.

We are already at war with Iraq. Is the U.S. sizing up Iran for a fight? And was the fight for Iraq bungled from the beginning? We look at new allegations, new reports and new aid for the third nation on the so-called "axis of evil.'

Is the Bush administration planning a military strike in Iran? Well, journalist Seymour Hersh says it is. And one step has involved stepping up special ops missions inside Iran. The reason, Iran's nuclear program.

Hersh talked about it with CNN's Wolf Blitzer yesterday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEYMOUR HERSH, "NEW YORKER": Bush and Cheney do not want to leave Iran in place with a nuclear program. What they believe, a nuclear weapons program.

They simply don't believe the national intelligence estimate that came out late last year that said they haven't done anything in military weapons, nuclear weapons, since '03. They just don't believe it. So they believe that their mission is to make sure that before they get out of office next year, either Iran is attacked or it stops its weapons program.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: So if anyone would know if this is a likely scenario, joining me now, Trita Parsi is president of the nonpartisan National American Iranian Council. He's also the author of a book, a very interesting book called "Treacherous Alliance: The Secret Dealings of Iran, Israel and the United States."

Thank you for joining us. But first off...

TRITA PARSI, PRESIDENT, NATIONAL AMERICAN IRANIAN COUNCIL: Thank you for having me.

LEMON: ... is this a likely scenario that Seymour Hersh lays out in the "New Yorker"?

PARSI: Well, the idea that the United States may be supporting groups that are inside of Iran and through various terrorist activities are trying to destabilize that country, unfortunately cannot be said to be unlikely. It may very well be plausible that this is taking place, mindful of the tremendous tensions that currently exist between the United States and Iraq.

LEMON: And when we talk about these groups, you talk about these groups that are in Iran, you're talking about the Baluchis, the PKK, all of these groups. And getting close to these groups, or at least trying to co-opt them in some way is pretty sketchy and pretty dangerous because these groups are terrorists.

PARSI: Well, it's backfired on the United States on numerous cases in the past. Remember, the United States was supporting the Afghan resistance against the Soviet Union back in the 1980s, and a lot of those people ended up being part of al Qaeda, who, of course, about a decade later committed the terrorist act against the United States.

And beyond that, we're in the middle of a war on terror. To give support to groups that are using terrorism, even if it's against a foe of the United States, is going to make the United States lose a lot of credibility in the eyes of the international community.

LEMON: Well, not only credibility. We were saying, you know, there were people in Washington -- and I talked to you before this -- who may say, well, these are things that are done. Military leaders will say these are things that are done, and it's not surprising. But to the person in the middle of the country, in the Midwest, in America, they don't think it's done. And if this does happen, it has repercussions for them.

Tell us what those are.

PARSI: Absolutely. First of all, we've said that military option is the last option. It's not the first option. Well, then this certainly looks strange if what Sy Hersh is writing is true, because in essence it means there's a dirty war going on between the United States and Iran without us first giving diplomacy a fair chance.

But beyond that, mindful of the war in Iraq, mindful of the tensions that currently exist in the Middle East, increasing those tensions or starting another war would get gas prices to go up much higher than they currently are. We're talking about oil being at $143 today. That means that prices that ordinary people in the United States will pay for gas is probably going to get above $5 a gallon if this situation continues.

LEMON: Yes.

PARSI: And not only the gas prices. Once gas prices go up, the price of almost everything else, including food, goes up as well.

LEMON: Trita Parsi, that's the last word. That's the best way of putting it. Thank you very much.

PARSI: Thank you for having me.

LEMON: All right -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Another thick report on the war in Iraq says that high-level failures led things astray from the very beginning. The study released today by the Rand Corporation cites failures to challenge rosy pre-war assumptions, bureaucratic bungling, and a lack of adequate power to stabilize the country at the end of major combat.

The Rand report was done for the Army, which released an internal review over the weekend. Now, among the errors the Army lists, a lack of necessary troop strength, dissolution of Iraq's armed forces, and a change in the chain of command that blindsided the military leadership and hampered combat efforts during the rise of Iraq's insurgency.

And at the White House today, President Bush signed legislation providing $162 billion for the wars in both Iraq and Afghanistan. Congress finished voting on the bill on Friday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We owe these brave Americans our gratitude. We owe them our unflinching support. And the best way to demonstrate that support is to give them the resources they need to do their jobs and to prevail.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: The funding bill that the president signed puts the official total for the war in Iraq at more than $650 billion.

LEMON: All right. So why don't we take a look now at where the presidential candidates stand on Iraq.

Democratic Barack Obama opposed the use of military force in Iraq. He voted for a war spending bill that would have withdrawn most U.S. troops by March this year. Now, he supports a phased redeployment of U.S. combat troops at a pace of one or two brigades a month. He also opposed President Bush's plan to send additional troops to Iraq.

Republican John McCain voted for the use of military force in Iraq and was an early proponent of sending additional American troops to Iraq. He also supported President Bush's veto of a war spending bill that would have withdrawn most U.S. troops by March of this year. The Iraq war looms as perhaps the most important foreign policy issue in the 2008 election. And we want to hear from you, from those of you directly affected by the war.

Tell us the most important thing the next president needs to know about the war. And if you have the chance, what would you show the next president about the war? Share your stories and your photos at ireports.com/iraq.

PHILLIPS: A published report details a daring secret plan to capture or kill Osama bin Laden and his top lieutenant. "The New York Times" reports that last year special operations were on the verge of moving into the mountains of Pakistan to respond to a buildup of al Qaeda training camps. Six months later, The Times says the special ops teams are still waiting for the green light. The Times also says that al Qaeda has a new band of terrorists camps where they can plan and train attacks on western targets.

Tons of U.S. food is now inside North Korea. It's the first shipment of 500,000 tons in aid promised by the Bush administration. It comes just days after the North delivered a long-delayed nuclear declaration and blew up the cooling tower at its main reactor site. However, the U.S. says the food was not directly related to the ongoing nuclear talks.

LEMON: Part of a disturbing national trend, that's how federal investigators describe this deadly helicopter collision over Flagstaff, Arizona. Two medical choppers carrying patients to the same hospital hit each other yesterday. At least six people are dead and one critically injured. Today, the National Transportation Safety Board has officially taken over the investigation.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARK ROSENKER, NTSB CHAIRMAN: This has been a serious issue. As a matter of fact, just this year, only six months into the calendar year, there have been eight such accidents. Not necessarily mid-airs. Mid-airs are rare, extremely rare, but eight EMS aircraft have had accidents, and we're very concerned about that. That's why we're going to work very, very hard to make sure we understand exactly what happened here, determine the probable cause, and make recommendations to prevent it from happening again.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Well, listen to this. Three of the first rescuers at the scene of this crash, well, they were injured in a second explosion. They were all in good condition. Plus, 10-to-15-acre wildfire the crash set off has been contained.

PHILLIPS: Barring any more rain, the worst of the great flood of '08 might be over for Missouri. The Mississippi River is finally cresting at St. Louis about nine feet above flood stage. The river won't crest for another day or two down river in Cape Girardeau.

And firefighters are gaining ground slowly against more than 1,000 wildfires burning across northern California. Crews have managed to build a fire line between one of the biggest in the town of Big Sur.

Now, in Arizona, firefighters are scrambling to keep these flames from the town of Crown King. The winds are picking up. And everyone there is being evacuated from their homes.

Fireworks are banned in a lot of places, but it doesn't keep people from buying them, or in one case, firefighters from selling them. Volunteer firefighters in Breckinridge, Oklahoma, say it started as a joke six years ago. Now they depend on the extra money to help cover expenses that the state won't.

LEMON: Well, they can zap your body with mega-doses of radiation. New worries about the side-effects of CT scans. Are they raising your risk for cancer?

PHILLIPS: And in a country where so much is taboo, why Iraqi women are learning to pat down each other.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: All right. So they can expose you to hundreds of times more radiation than standard x-rays. Now new research is sounding the alarm about increased cancer risks linked to multiple CT scans.

And our medical correspondent, Elizabeth Cohen, has been looking into these findings.

And I said to you when you got up here, I thought CT scans were good.

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: They are a good thing. As a matter of fact, CT scans have saved lives.

LEMON: OK.

COHEN: But, as you said, they expose you to a heck of a lot of radiation.

Let's take a look. There was a study that doctors did of a randomly selected group of people who turned up in the ER. What they found was that these patients on average had been exposed to 40 mSvs. That's just a unit of measurement -- 40 mSvs of radiation.

Now, when you consider that a chest x-ray is .02 mSvs, 40 is quite a bit. The difference between 40 and .02, that's a big difference.

So, the bottom line is, if you need a CT scan, you should definitely get one. They're extremely useful in many situations. But if you can avoid having them, you certainly want to avoid them if you can.

LEMON: I've got to ask you this question straight off, and I don't want to put you on the spot, but do they cause cancer? COHEN: Well, I'm going to tell you what the experts have told me.

LEMON: All right.

COHEN: They say each time you have a CT scan, it increases your risk of getting cancer by a small amount. Now, some experts would say very small amount. Some would say teeny, tiny, tiny amount. It really depends on who you ask. But among most experts, it's pretty clear, radiation is not good.

LEMON: Right.

COHEN: It increase your risk of cancer by a very small amount.

LEMON: All right. So when you go into the doctor, the doctor will recommend certain things, and a doctor may say, OK, you have to have a CT scan. Does that mean you have to have one because he said it or...

COHEN: No. It means you have to ask some good questions.

LEMON: OK.

COHEN: That's what that means.

LEMON: All right.

COHEN: Maybe you do have to have one, but maybe you don't.

For example, what you would want to ask your doctor is, is there an alternative? For example, would an ultrasound work just as well? Ultrasounds don't have radiation.

Also ask, have I had this CT scan already? Especially if you've got a chronic problem, maybe you saw another doctor across the street who gave you the same CT scan, and now your second doctor doesn't want to go through the pain -- and it is a pain -- to get that first CT scan. So, see if you've already had it.

Thirdly, and this is really crucial, make sure your child is getting a pediatric dose of radiation. There are some places that give kids adult doses, and that's terrible because they're much more susceptible to radiation than adults are.

LEMON: How the heck does that happen? That's crazy.

COHEN: Well, it shouldn't happen, and it happens less and less. But really what it comes down to is advocating for yourself and advocating for your family.

We talk a lot about that on this show. And you can go to CNN.com/empoweredpatient and learn more...

LEMON: There you go.

COHEN: ... about how to ask your doctor the right questions.

LEMON: Ask questions, ask questions, ask questions.

COHEN: Just don't stop, right.

LEMON: Yes, absolutely.

Thank you, Elizabeth.

COHEN: Thanks.

PHILLIPS: Leading our Political Ticker, controversy on the campaign trail as America's birthday week gets under way.

Retired General Wesley Clark is drawing fire for some comments about John McCain's military experience. On one of the Sunday talk shows, Clark, who supports Barack Obama, called McCain a hero but said he's untested.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEN. WESLEY Clark (RET.), U.S. ARMY: That large squadron in the Navy that he commanded wasn't a wartime squadron. He hasn't been there and ordered the bombs to fall. I don't think riding in a fighter plane and getting shot down is a qualification to be president.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Well, a short time ago during a meeting with reporters in Pennsylvania, McCain was asked whether Obama should address Clark's comments.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R-AZ), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I know we've heard this many times and other comments that have been made, but no, that's certainly up to Senator Obama.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Well, during a stop in Harry Truman's home town, Independence, Missouri, Obama did not directly respond to Wesley Clark's comments about McCain, but he said no one should ever devalue his Republican opponent's military service. Obama also focused on patriotism during his speech.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D-IL), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I will never question the patriotism of others in this campaign.

(APPLAUSE)

OBAMA: And I will not stand idly by when I hear others question mine. (END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Senator Joe Lieberman is suggesting the United States will likely face another terrorist attack next year. Lieberman, a Democrat-turned-Independent, supports Republican John McCain. His comments follow remarks last week by top McCain adviser Charlie Black that a terrorist attack leading up to the general election would probably help McCain's White House hopes.

And check out our Political Ticker for all the latest campaign news. Just log on to CNNPolitics.com, your source for all things political.

LEMON: All right. Well, this story will stop you in your tracks. A young couple filled with hope, promise and love found out how racism shattered their dreams and their lives.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Well, online auction site eBay getting hit with a luxury fine as a French court cracks down on counterfeit goods.

Susan Lisovicz at the New York Stock Exchange with the details on this lawsuit.

Hey, Susan.

All right. We're having a little technical difficulty with Susan right now. Why don't we head to the Big Board and I'll show you the numbers right now.

Dow Industrials up 32 points. We will try to get connected with Susan and bring her to you live in just a few minutes -- Don.

LEMON: All right. We'll get back with that, but at least the market is up, Kyra. Let's move on.

Let's say you had the chance to have a one-on-one with John McCain and Barack Obama. What would you say about the war in Iraq?

We're asking those affected by the war to sound off and make their case to the next commander in chief.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Hello, everyone. I'm Don Lemon, live at the CNN World Headquarters in Atlanta.

PHILLIPS: And I'm Kyra Phillips, live in New York.

You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

Online auction site eBay getting hit with a luxury fine as a French court cracks down on counterfeit goods.

Susan Lisovicz live at the New York Stock Exchange with the details of this lawsuit.

Susan, what's going on?

SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN FINANCIAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, a French court, Kyra, has ordered eBay to pay more than $60 million to Louis Vuitton and Christian Dior. Why? Damages for fake goods sold on its Web site.

The judge also found eBay guilty of unauthorized sales of Kenzo, Guerlain, Dior, Givenchy. That's all my French for the day.

Louis Vuitton said the verdict brings an important contribution to the protection of creative works. Earlier this month, a separate ruling forced eBay to pay Hermes for selling counterfeit goods -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: That's pretty good French there, my friend.

Well, how can eBay be fined when it's individuals that actually list those items?

LISOVICZ: Yes, that's, you know, certainly a good argument in eBay's camp, that's for sure. The auctioneer is responsible, though, for what's on its site.

EBay says it takes down counterfeits if they appear and spends $20 million each year to do just that. EBay says, "The ruling represents a loss for us and for consumers and small businesses selling online." EBay is appealing. The ruling obviously could have big implications for online commerce.

(STOCK MARKET REPORT)

LISOVICZ: Coming up next hour, want to know where you get more bang for your buck? I'll have a list of best places to live if you want to get rich. I think we're all interested in that, right Kyra?

PHILLIPS: Oh, come on. We're already rich at heart. We don't need that material stuff, right?

LISOVICZ: That's true. That's true.

PHILLIPS: All right, Susan. See you again in a little bit.

LISOVICZ: You got it.

LEMON: Is the U.S. preparing for the battlefield in Iran? And was the fight for Iraq botched from the very beginning? We look at new allegations, new reports and a new shipment of aid for the third member of the so-called "axis of evil."

In Iraq, there's no single cause for the recent security gains. It's apparently a little of this and a little of that.

And CNN's Jill Dougherty shows us how U.S. troops are getting help from some Iraqi women. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JILL DOUGHERTY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): At a checkpoint in Yusufiya, Iraq, southwest of Baghdad, a woman dressed in the traditional long, black abaya approaches security. Iraqi cultural norms forbid a man to pat down a woman, so a U.S. female soldier carries out the check. Is she a peaceful, local woman, or could she be hiding a bomb?

In mid-May, an Iraqi army officer was killed in this town by a female suicide bomber.

CAPT. MICHAEL STARZ, U.S. ARMY: When he came out to meet her to help her with a problem that she was having, she detonated the vest and killed him and injured some of his soldiers.

DOUGHERTY: Now, in a U.S.-sponsored pilot program, Iraqi women are being hired and trained to carry out security checks on females. It's called Daughters of Iraq, a spinoff from the Sons of Iraq program which hires local men to run checkpoints. Each woman is fingerprinted and has biometric data registered.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I just did a square knot.

DOUGHERTY: Their training includes first aid. An Iraqi colonel explains what the job entails. They'll work two to three days a month and will be paid $200 to $300 a month. Here in Yusufiya where families struggle to survive, that's good money.

(on camera): These are farm women from local towns, many of them are widows with numerous children and almost no income.

(voice-over): Fawzia has six children. Her husband was shot to death when his car broke down. "I am ready to work as long as it helps me financially," she says. "I have five children in school. My daughter is at home. She's sick. She's very weak, and her medication is so expensive."

Having women work in this tradition-bound society is a social revolution, Fatima, a volunteer leader woman tells me. "Many women would like to do it," she says, "but their parents would not agree because it's a rural society and it's shameful for girls to go outside the home."

Increasingly, Iraqi insurgent groups are using women as suicide bombers and to smuggle weapons because they know women are rarely checked. The U.S. and Iraqi military hope the Daughters of Iraq will help solve this critical security gap.

Jill Dougherty, CNN, Yusufiya, Iraq.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: We're asking for I-Reports from CNN viewers directly affected by the war in Iraq. Josh Levs is here to tell us all about it. Hey, Josh,

JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, hey there, Kyra. It's good to see you up there. And you were in Iraq not long ago. You sent us some of your own photos over there.

Now what we're doing is reaching out to people for something brand new. I just want to remind you that Iraq is one of the most popular topics on ireport.com. Let's just bang through a few examples that we get in general.

This is an I-Report of a small protest that went on recently -- Dennis (ph) in college.

This is a political cartoon someone sent us. Very strong opinions about Iraq.

This is a soldier who was visiting his family. His family sent us some photos.

But now what we're inaugurating is something brand new -- this right here, ireport.com/Iraq. We're encouraging people, starting today, if you are -- and I'm going to go into close text here. Look at this, I made it super big so you can see it on TV. If you or a loved one have previously served or are currently serving in the military in Iraq, please share your story. Tell us what you think the most important thing that the next president should know about Iraq is. What is that?

You can send us, in terms of photos or videos, what's most important for the next president to know about Iraq if you or a loved one is serving.

And let's take a look at an example, Kyra, that we've already gotten here. Really interesting one, this one is from Wendy Raymond. Her husband is Scott (ph). Let's go to it there -- there you go. You're looking at it here.

That's her husband, Scott, who is serving in Iraq. She talks about how difficult it is to be away from each other for so long and the kind of toll that it takes.

Let's show you some of her quotes she writes us. She says, "I don't know what I would say if my husband had died or if something happened to him. We have done great things for the people in Iraq. But is it worth so many lives?"

Then she goes on to say, this is her question for the candidates, "What will you do about 15-month deployments? Soldiers come home to find no marriage left, and the person that left is not the person that comes back." "Families," she says, "are splitting apart."

These are the kinds of things that we want to hear, whether it's positive or negative. Whatever you believe the most important thing is to tell the next president about Iraq and to hear from that person -- that that person's now going to become commander in chief of the military -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: You're right. We've got to keep personalizing this war because people have become some desensitized to it in so many ways, Josh.

LEVS: It is. And I'll tell you, I-Report is a great opportunity for lots and lots of people to weigh in. But we wanted to do right now -- July 4th is coming up, and the presidential election is really taking off right now. This is a really good time for us to stop and say, hey, for those of you most directly affected, you're losing loved ones or your loved ones are in danger every day, what do you want this next president to know? What do you want this president to see?

And thanks to I-Report, you can send us photos, videos, just text whatever you want. It's all explained at ireport.com.

PHILLIPS: All right. I'll send you photos tomorrow. How does that sound?

LEVS: I love your photos. Yes, those always make me happy.

PHILLIPS: All right. I got a few for you.

Thanks, Josh.

LEVS: Thanks.

LEMON: We turn now to a shocking crime. An African-American woman brutally killed because of her race. She married into the wrong family, an Indian family, where cultural stereotypes and prejudices are more than skin deep.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON (voice-over): Chiman Rai didn't even flinch at his fate.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I here by sentence you to life imprisonment without parole for the murder of Sparkle Rai.

LEMON: Not surprising considering the cold blooded nature of his crime, hiring a hit man for $10,000 to kill his daughter-in-law, the mother of his granddaughter. Because she was black, the 68-year-old native of India believed it cast shame on his family. Ricky Rai hired Sparkle Reid as a clerk at his family's hotel. They fell in love, had a baby, and married in March of 2000.

Sparkle's family welcomed Ricky with open arms, but knowing his family wouldn't accept Sparkle as his wife, Ricky tried to keep the marriage secret, even telling his new wife that his parents were dead. But his family found out, and Chiman Rai harassed the couple to the point they had to move from Louisville to Atlanta.

RICKY RAI, VICTIM'S HUSBAND: We were brought up that -- we should marry -- Indian, same race.

LEMON: One month after they married, 22-year-old Sparkle, at home alone with her 7-month-old daughter, when the hitman, using a young girl as a decoy, knocked on the couple's frontdoor.

Sparkle's dad and stepmom say she never stood a chance.

DONNA LOWRY REID, VICTIM'S STEPMOTHER: She was tortured. The testimony came out, it was very difficult to hear, that he wrapped a vacuum cleaner cord around her neck and put his foot on her head and pulled and thought she was dead. And when she came back to life and reached toward her child, he got a knife out of the kitchen and stabbed her 13 times.

LEMON: For four years, Sparkle's murder went unsolved until the girl the killer brought with him, now all grown up, was arrested for another crime and confessed to witnessing the murder.

BENNET REID, VICTIM'S FATHER: The hardest thing about it now is, as I speak to her daughter, and trying to relay things that I hope that Sparkle would have said, not having Sparkle here to say it herself.

LEMON: Eight years after their daughter's murder, the truth in its tangled details all rolled out in an Atlanta courtroom. The years of wondering suddenly turned into the ultimate lesson in racism.

B. REID: I think as individuals we should be able to talk to each other and let's work things out. Don't let it get to the point where it makes anger and hatred.

D. REID: I guess we just didn't realize the extent of the racism within this other culture, and it has been shocking to us. That anybody would go to such lengths to get rid of somebody who is considered an embarrassment to their family. It's just mind boggling to imagine that.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: Battling racism is never easy. In India's caste conscious society, decades of discrimination make it even more complicated. We'll look at some of the reasons so many Indians are obsessed with fair skin.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: 2:38 Eastern time. Here are some of the stories we're working on in the CNN NEWSROOM.

Eight years after the terrorist attack on the USS Cole, the case is moving forward in the U.S. The military now says it is seeking the death penalty against the first person charged in the U.S. in that attack, which killed 17 sailors in Yemen.

Federal investigators are now on the scene of this deadly helicopter crash in Flagstaff, Arizona. They say it could be more than a year before they know what caused it. Two medical choppers collided while taking patients to a hospital, leaving at least six people dead. And the Mississippi River has reached its high water mark in St. Louis today, and more cresting could happen downriver. Forecasters hope they've seen the worst of the recent flooding.

LEMON: Social status, earning potential, centuries of hate. There are many reasons why Indians view black skin unfavorably. Well, some Indians who come to America are ready for a modern life but are unable to leave their caste conscious culture behind.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: From Bollywood to Bangalore. 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.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What a face.

LEMON: Add to that a history of arranged marriages, many with a bend 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 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 hitman $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.

R. RAI: We were brought up that -- we should marry -- 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 nations' ideas of fitting in.

AJAY NAIR, ASSOC. DEAN, 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 on the bottom. And the closer you can get to whiteness, the better it is.

D. REID: This is that recipe I have used before.

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 color. B. REID: We can sit down and talk to each other as individuals. Hiding behind things and saying I hate you just because of -- I don't know you -- I'd like to believe we've gone beyond that.

NAIR: We tend to forget the kind of solidarity that historically we've had with African-Americans and other people of color. Many of the privileges that we've been afforded have come on the backs of black people who have struggled in this country through, not just the civil rights movement, but throughout the history of this country.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: Well, the Reids say the Rai family never reached out to them, even before the father was charged in their daughter's death. The Reids adopted their granddaughter. She doesn't remember her biological dad, Ricky Rai, who is now remarried to an Indian woman.

PHILLIPS: Army investigators are now joining police to probe the mysterious death of this soldier in North Carolina. Specialist Megan Touma was seven months pregnant. The decomposing body was found in a hotel in Ft. Bragg more than a week ago. Investigators are treating the case as a homicide, but they're not saying how Touma was killed. The military is planning a second, more advanced autopsy, and investigators say another Ft. Bragg soldier is a so-called person of interest in this case.

Beauty and grace on the outside, demons on the inside. The death of 20-year-old supermodel Ruslana Korshunova has been ruled a suicide. She plunged nine stories from her Manhattan apartment building on Saturday. The Kazakhstan native graced the covers of top fashion magazines and walked the runways for major designers.

And we're learning new and brutal details about Eve Carson's last moments earlier this year. An autopsy report released today says the University of North Carolina student body president was shot at least five times, including a shotgun blast that tore through her hand and struck her in the head. Also, new court documents say that two Durham men kidnapped Carson from her home and took her to an ATM before they killed her. Those two face first degree murder charges.

LEMON: A missing 12-year-old girl has triggered Vermont's first ever Amber Alert. Brooke Bennett was last seen on Wednesday, and police are now planning to search her 42-year-old uncle's property. Michael Jacques was one of the last people to see Brooke. He appears in court this afternoon on an unrelated sex charge involving another minor. Jacques is shown on this surveillance video dropping Brooke off at a convenience store on Wednesday.

PHILLIPS: There's talk that the global economy is hitting a tipping point. It could mean lower prices but higher unemployment too. Cold hard facts in today's "Energy Fix."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: All right. So listen up, travelers. If you used to cram all your stuff into a carry-on bag instead of checking luggage -- I should be listening to this -- better stow some extra cash on you. The airlines are cracking down on travelers who overflow those overhead bins. Several carriers are now charging for checked bags, will have employees out policing the size of carry-ons. If you're stopped at the gate with a bulky bag, American is going to charge you -- that's American Airlines, I should say -- is going to charge you $15 right there to check it, right on the spot.

United Airlines hasn't decided whether to charge. And for now, anyway, U.S. Airways won't charge you for checking the bag at the gate. There you go.

All right. I just told you hold on to your wallet there. Well hold on to your wallet again. Oil and gas prices hit new records earlier today. One possible solution to the crisis, may be a very painful one at that.

CNNMoney.com's Poppy Harlow has our "Energy Fix" from New York.

Hi, Poppy. All right, so fix us.

POPPY HARLOW, CNNMONEY.COM: All right. Hi there, Don.

I wish I could fix it out there for everyone. Let's start with the hard numbers here to show you just how rough it's gotten. Oil prices climbing above $142 a barrel earlier today to a new record high before retreating just slightly. Many of the same culprits we talk about almost every day: the weak U.S. dollar, upward pressure on oil prices there, tension in Iran, fear surrounding surging worldwide demand. And today's leap in price means oil has risen nearly 50 percent since just the beginning of 2008. And since we all use oil one way or another, it's a big burden on all of us.

Gas prices still rising, up about 38 percent from a year ago. The national average today, another record high, about $4.09 nationwide, Don. So pretty rough out there for everyone.

LEMON: OK. As I said in the beginning of this, and I'll say it again, we need an energy fix, Poppy. Can you help us?

HARLOW: We should have taken that question out of there for you. Sorry.

We keep on pressing the point -- there are no easy energy fixes. But here's what we're talking about. One scenario that would likely drive prices down, maybe in a big way, and that is a huge global slowdown. There's an organization in Switzerland, it's basically like the supreme central bank. What it does is it oversees our Federal Reserve and similar banks around the world. It says now that we may be nearing what they're calling a tipping point, where the rising prices could be so extreme that it would cause a global economic slowdown.

Of course that would mean falling consumption not only in the U.S., but in places like India and China. That would drive prices down. But this is not a great fix because such a rough economic environment would be painful in other ways, including possibly rising unemployment. So it's not a great, great fix. It might happen. We'll have to see.

But right now it looks like people have to focus on conservation. A lot of ideas on how to do that -- we have a whole new piece on our Web site today all about that, right there on CNNMoney.com, Don.

Sorry for leaving the question in there for you. There's your fix for the day.

LEMON: I've got to ask you. I'm going to embarrass you, do you mind?

HARLOW: No -- please go ahead.

LEMON: So Poppy -- people always ask me -- Lemon, is that a real name? Is that a TV name? Is that a real name?

HARLOW: It is not a TV name. I was given it at birth by my mother. My legal name was Katherine (ph), but she decided on Poppy when I was born, and that's what it is.

LEMON: Very cute.

HARLOW: There you go.

LEMON: See, everyone wants to know. And we've just answered that question.

HARLOW: No, I did not make it up for TV.

LEMON: Stop e-mailing me all you guys. All you guys, stop e- mailing me. Poppy is her real name. Katherine, right?

HARLOW: Katherine, yes.

LEMON: With a K?

HARLOW: With a K.

LEMON: That's my mom's name.

HARLOW: Is it? it's a good name. But don't call me Katherine, OK?

LEMON: All right. Thank you, Poppy K.

HARLOW: You're welcome. See you.

PHILLIPS: You forgot to ask if she's single.

LEMON: That's right. I get that too.

PHILLIPS: All the guys are e-mailing about her.

HARLOW: We're not going there.

LEMON: Are you single, Poppy K? HARLOW: There's a privacy line. Poppy K's not going there.

LEMON: Well, Kyra brought it up. So you can blame her.

PHILLIPS: Well we were all talking about her in the makeup room today saying how beautiful she is. So there you go.

HARLOW: Back to the beautiful anchor.

PHILLIPS: Beautiful name, beautiful anchor.

LEMON: All right, see you guys.

See you, Poppy K, and K -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Now that we've all kissed each other's -- yes.

Well, the lure of free gas. Some companies look to cash in on your pain at the pump. And CNN's Allan Chernoff has taken a closer look at it.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALLAN CHERNOFF, CNN SR. CORRESPONDENT, (voice-over): In a lousy economy, you've got to motivate consumers. And the motivator of the year is free gas. The promise of free fuel is how businesses are selling everything, from candy bars to cars.

VINCENT TEPEDINO, BAY RIDGE CHRYSLER: It brought a lot of customers in that may not otherwise have bought our product.

FRED AUSTIN, CHRYSLER CUSTOMER: This is a good bargain. This is a good deal. And, you know, we as Americans, we're all looking for a deal.

CHERNOFF: There are deals at the ballpark. $25 of gas if you buy four tickets to the San Francisco Giants. Free gas for less wholesome entertainment in Nevada. The women of the Shady Lady Ranch, a legal brothel, offer $150 gas cards for those who indulge in three hours of pleasure.

(on camera): Free gas promotions are in the supermarket, too. The Shop Rite chain is offering $25 gas cards to shoppers who buy $75 worth of major brand name products. So you can fight gingivitis and get free gas at the same time.

(voice-over): For these pharmacists, gas is also a lure to take business from competitors. Transfer prescriptions to Rite Aid and the pharmacy will enter you into a weekly drawing for a year's worth of fuel.

MIKE POIRIER, RITE AID PHARMACIST: The more prescriptions they transfer with that coupon, the more chances they have to win.

CHERNOFF: And free gas is motivating good deeds. Connecticut's Red Cross enters blood donors in free gas raffles. PAUL SULLIVAN, CEO, CT. BLOOD SERVICES, AMERICAN RED CROSS: The gas cards these days are highly valued. So we're finding it to be a successful promotion.

CHERNOFF: The more you spend, the more gas you get. Mike Holloway's (ph) best driver, get it, and you'll have a full tank to get to the golf course.

CHARLES RHEE, NEW YORK GOLF CENTER: This is the FTI, which is their square driver. Also a composite head. And this one is $500 and gets a $100 gas card rebate.

CHERNOFF: Or, if you can afford it in this economy, rent a yacht for $20,000 and get $500 of gas. Let's not even think of how much gas that yacht is burning.

Allan Chernoff, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: Attacking Iran before President Bush leaves office next year? That's the question. A journalist says it's in the cards.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: All right. Now some videos, clicking with all of you CNN.comers today.

Out of Florida, a sad and cautionary tale for pet owners. Look at that snake. A woman looking for her cat instead finds a nine-foot boa constrictor in her yard. The snake had eaten the cat unfortunately. There has been a real problem in Florida with owners releasing non-native snakes that have gotten way too big.

Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr takes a look at a new generation of homeless veterans. Thousands of troops who served in Iraq or Afghanistan now stateside and, well, sadly living on the street.

And suitable for a school's library but not its classroom. An update on an Indiana teacher suspended for using a book she'd been told not to use.

Check out all of these stories and more at CNN.com.

PHILLIPS: You could say the competition is flush with excitement. The first ever outhouse races -- yes, the outhouse races -- were held in Georgetown, Minnesota, this past weekend. Eight teams of three people each wanted to show off that they had the fastest toilet in town. Some rolling thrones fared better than others.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN DAVID LEE, "THE LONGHORNS" TEAM: We had a bad turn out of the starting line there. Things just went south. We hit the only pothole in the town. (END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: That's what happens when you get really bored in really bad weather there in the Midwest. This year's winner, the Intrepid Flying Buttresses. They were No. 1 with the crowd and in the powder puff event.

The next hour of CNN NEWSROOM starts right now.

LEMON: A shooting that sparked racial protests. Now a grand jury weighs in on a Texas homeowner who gunned down two men.

PHILLIPS: Plus too few troops, too much red tape. Was the war in Iraq botched from the beginning.

LEMON: And he's getting some flack from a fellow military man. We'll hear from John McCain, live this hour.

Hello, everyone. I'm Don Lemon live here at the CNN World Headquarters in Atlanta.

PHILLIPS: And I'm Kyra Phillips in New York.

You're live in the CNN NEWSROOM.