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Rick's List
Dr. Laura's N-Word Barrage; Bottle With Family's Message to Dead Son Found in Gulf of Mexico; Members of New Orleans Police Force Under Indictment for Shootings During Katrina Aftermath; Study Finds Fat Unhealthy; Some Illegal Somalis Immigrants May Have Terrorist Ties
Aired August 13, 2010 - 14:59 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DON LEMON, CNN GUEST HOST: Thank you very much for that, Ali.
At the top of our list today, radio personality, Dr. Laura Schlessinger, and what some would her gratuitous use of the N-word. We're going to use that conversation with her with the caller to have a national conversation on race.
We will play her comments and then we will go back and break it down for you with some really smart guests, some really smart guests, and they'll answer my questions and yours. So, make sure you send them to either Rick or my Twitter address, and we'll get them to our guests here.
But, first, for those of you who haven't heard this story yet, let me start from the beginning. On Schlessinger's radio show, the host took a call from a black woman married to a white man. The caller was asking her for advice on how to deal with her friends and her in-laws, just wanted advice on how to deal with racial questions that made her uncomfortable.
This simple call for advice led to a controversial conversation -- a conversation that prompted Schlessinger to release an official apology. But, first, let's listen to some of it.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
DR. LAURA SCHLESSINGER, RADIO HOST: Yes, I think you have too much sensitivity --
CALLER: So, it's OK to say (EXPLETIVE DELETED)?
SCHLESSINGER: -- and not enough sense of humor.
CALLER: It's OK to say that word?
SCHLESSINGER: Well, it depends how it's said.
CALLER: Is it OK to say that word? Is it ever OK to say that word?
SCHLESSINGER: It's -- it depends how it is said. Black guys talking to each other seem to think it's OK. CALLER: But you're not black. They're not black. My husband is white.
SCHLESSINGER: Oh, see. So, a word is restricted to race. Got it. Can't do much about that.
CALLER: I can't believe someone like you is on the radio spewing out the (EXPLETIVE DELETED) word and I hope everybody heard it.
SCHLESSINGER: I did not spew out the (EXPLETIVE DELETED) word.
CALLER: You said, (EXPLETIVE DELETED).
SCHLESSINGER: Right, I said that's what you hear.
CALLER: Everybody heard it.
SCHLESSINGER: Yes, they did.
CALLER: I hope everybody heard it.
SCHLESSINGER: They did, and I'll say it again.
CALLER: So what makes it OK for you to say the word?
SCHLESSINGER: (EXPLETIVE DELETED) is what you hear on HB -- why don't you let me finish a sentence?
CALLER: OK.
SCHLESSINGER: Don't take things out of context. Don't double NAACP me. Leave them in context.
CALLER: I know what it means and I know it came from a white person and I know the white person made that.
SCHLESSINGER: All right. Thank you very much. Thank you very much. I can't have this argument. You know what, if you are that hypersensitive about color and don't have a sense of humor, don't marry out of your race.
(END AUDIOTAPE)
LEMON: OK, that's just the very beginning of all of this. So, after that, that heat caused this conversation. She released an apology and I want to play the apology for you. Then we're going to talk about it. This is our national conversation. Take a listen.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
SCHLESSINGER: I talk everyday about doing the right thing. And yesterday, I did the wrong thing. I didn't intend to hurt people, but I did. And that makes it the wrong thing to have done. I was attempting to make a philosophical point, and I articulated the N-word all of the way out, more than one time. And that was wrong. I'll say it again, that was wrong.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
LEMON: We reached out to Dr. Laura today and she is not doing any additional interviews.
Now, as I promised here, some really smart guests. I want to introduce you to them right now. I'm joined now by Al Vivian, who is a diversity consultant based out of Atlanta. And we have diversity and inclusion expert here, his name is Buck Davis.
Buck and Al, thank you both for coming in today.
AL VIVIAN, DIVERSITY CONSULTANT: My pleasure.
LEMON: You've heard the entire transcript.
VIVIAN: Yes.
LEMON: You've heard the entire conversation. You've listened to it. Let's talk about the N-word here.
VIVIAN: OK.
LEMON: Because that's really what gets everyone's attention.
Al, I'll start with you. Even though, I know that you said, that wasn't the biggest thing that really upset you about this. But let's stick with the N-word right now.
VIVIAN: OK.
LEMON: Should someone like Dr. Laura know better than to use the N-word on a show where she has millions of listeners to a black caller? Is it appropriate?
VIVIAN: I'd say it's definitely inappropriate. In fact, I think what we should pay attention to is just what you're saying, the appropriate standard, not the double standard. People say, well, if the comedians can say it, that we can say it also.
Well, I expect more from a doctor than I do from a comedian. So, that was inappropriate -- in particular, the caller was calling in because they needed help. She said that, "My husband's actions hurt me," and Dr. Laura beat her up.
LEMON: What about -- OK. So, the use of the N-word -- and let's just be frank here. It's used in music. We had this conversation today when we were talking about doing this story. We hear it. One f our writers said, you know, my teenage daughter listens to it on an iPod. She hears that word over and over and over again.
But does that give Dr. Laura license to use that word in the way she did?
BUCK DAVIS, DIVERSITY & INCLUSION EXPERT: No, absolutely not. It's a volatile word. And for the white people of America, you need to know, we don't use it, don't sing it, don't say it, don't write it, don't quote it. Don't do any of that because it carries different meaning when you're outside the group.
LEMON: OK, Buck. There are people sitting at home saying, Buck, what do you mean? White people don't use it, it has a different meaning. What do you mean by that? Why can't I use it because -- why can't -- why can't a white person use this word?
Everybody -- it's used in songs. I heard someone in the restaurant the other night using it and I turned around and looked at him and he used it again. I turned around and looked at him, he didn't get the point.
But why shouldn't white people use it?
DAVIS: Because it is a word steeped in hate. It comes from a place of demoralizing an entire group of people. It carries no value. It's a divisive word.
And for anybody to use it -- I think everybody should nix it and take it out of our vocabulary. However, we know that people do use it. It carries different meanings depending on the context in which it's said. But to make -- to keep us safe, we need to not use it ever because it's trouble for us, especially white people.
LEMON: Yes.
DAVIS: It's a nasty word anyway. But it's trouble. It's trouble for us white people. Let it go.
(LAUGHTER)
LEMON: All right. So, you know I've talked to people like the Reverend Al Sharpton and others that have tried to ban the use of this word. They don't to use it. Rappers use it, though. People make money off of it.
DAVIS: They do. Yes.
VIVIAN: It's still wrong.
DAVIS: Yes.
VIVIAN: It's still wrong. As Buck said, it's wrong for anybody to use it. But in addition, you add to it -- it is a little more offensive when someone outside the group uses it.
I put to you this way. We all have more freedom inside the group than we have outside of a group. Let's -- example, if you have brothers and sisters and you all talk about your mother, you can get away with that. But if I walk up and talk about your momma, I'm going to get a class-A beatdown and I should because I'm not in that group. I don't have that freedom that's within that group. So, if you're outside the group, you don't have the freedom. LEMON: But it's also about context, don't you think? Because I was watching an incredible journalist who I really respect and I said, she's a bad you know what, right? And he said, that means good. That's like -- that means good, right? So, it's the context.
DAVIS: It is. Context means everything.
When I was on the way to studio today, I asked five people on the way in, "Is it ever OK to use the N word?" All five said, absolutely not, let it go. And yet, people do use it in rap videos, in music and songs. It doesn't make it right, though.
For us trying to build better relationships with different types of people, it doesn't do anything for us as a human race. It only widens the gap.
LEMON: OK. All right. So, you've spoken to white people. You said white people give it up. That was your quote.
DAVIS: Yes, give it up. It's getting us in trouble.
LEMON: You speak to black people who use it. What do you say?
VIVIAN: I speak to blacks and whites, and everybody else.
LEMON: What do you say to black people who use that word?
VIVIAN: Don't use it. Don't use it. It's inappropriate.
How can we ask whites not to use a word if we use the word? It sends a confusing message. That's the one thing that Dr. Laura said that I really agreed with. She says, she mentioned in her big spiel that it's confusing.
And it is confusing. If I say it, he feels he can say it. And the closer we are, the more he'll feel he can say it. And I think it's inappropriate, period.
LEMON: It's weird how that word and I'm sure there are others that really stings when you hear them public.
VIVIAN: Yes.
LEMON: Even when I hear it in music, which is -- when I hear it in music, I'm like, oh, my gosh, I don't need to hear that. And I get a lot of flak from that. I'd really honest with you. I just don't think it's needed.
But when I hear it, especially in public place, it's almost like someone's using it like, man, or I told that guy or I told that -- and it's like N-word this and N-word that. And it's like, don't you know like what that word means to people whose shoulder you stand on, Al?
VIVIAN: Yes. There's nothing to say other than ditto, you're absolutely right. It's an offensive word. It has a history of hatred to it. So, you shouldn't use it, period. LEMON: OK. Does that make -- because we always talk about, you know, what is racist, what's not? We kind of throw that word around. Does that make Dr. Laura racist or did she just do something -- was it just a mistake on her part to do it? Not necessarily makes her a racist?
VIVIAN: I don't think it necessarily makes her a racist. Here's what I do believe, though: I do believe that she should have known better, one. Two, she jumped quickly to -- add it to all the other things she said. As Buck says context is everything. You add to that, she talked about don't NAACP me.
(CROSSTALK)
LEMON: We're going into that. But go ahead of me. I'll let you finish this one. But we're going to talk about that.
VIVIAN: She spoke from the entire time of a stance of superiority as if, I know and you don't.
LEMON: Yes.
VIVIAN: Even to the point where she says, you know, you have to know that that's why blacks voted for Obama. You have to know. Don't you know that?
LEMON: Yes.
VIVIAN: As if to say she's the expert on blackness, I know.
LEMON: OK. Before we take the break, I'm going to talk about -- we're going to talk after the break and onward in this national conversation that we're having today about race and about the N-word and about all of this.
When -- she brings up something that many African-Americans deal with, and that is: how do you feel as a black person? Shouldn't you answer -- do you feel like you're the African-American authority many times? And I know you have a very interesting concept about that.
DAVIS: I do. With us asking black people --
LEMON: Yes.
DAVIS: -- a black person to speak on behalf of the entire African-American population?
LEMON: Yes.
DAVIS: I think it's ridiculous. I think it's absolutely ridiculous. We can ask a black person, "Give me the perspective of an African-American," give me your take on it, Don Lemon, as a black person, how do you feel about this?
But when I go to ask you to speak on behalf of an entire population, that's when we cross the line because what the notion underneath that, I believe, is there are fundamental beliefs that you people are all alike. That's what it sounds like, just the use of the word "you people" --
LEMON: That was sort of what you said behind the Obama comment.
DAVIS: Yes.
LEMON: And I'm going to ask you, hold that -- do you ever get asked that as a white person? Hang on, don't answer that. Do you ever ask what you think as a white person? Thank you very much.
We're going to be back with more of this conversation with our guests after the break.
Plus this, a man accused of serial stabbings makes his first court appearance in Atlanta. You'll see how it played out. That's ahead -- right here on THE LIST.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: We're continuing our national conversation here about race and about radio personality, Dr. Laura Schlessinger, and her repeated use of the N-word during her radio show on the air earlier this week.
My guests here are Buck Davis and Al Vivian. Both working at diversity field, and they're experts on this and they've been very open -- we're going to be very open.
I think you need to -- in order to really have a conversation, you heard the president -- I'm getting the transcripts here from her -- from her radio show the other day. You heard the president said, we need to have a national conversation about race but we don't need to do it on cable television. Well, I think this is a good place to start because this is where we hear a lot of news and this is where a lot of it with Shirley Sherrod and all of that.
OK. So, when is it appropriate -- I think you said Dr. -- I think Dr. Laura made a point when she said, why can't we talk about it without there being -isms. Is it in the approach, is it in the process? Is it in the way you do it, when is it -- and when and how is it appropriate to talk about these issues?
VIVIAN: All of the above should be thought about.
LEMON: You know, let me ask you this.
VIVIAN: Yes?
LEMON: This happens a lot.
VIVIAN: OK.
LEMON: OK. So, I'm at a neighbor's house, I go to a function or whatever in the neighborhood, which is, you know, there's a mixed neighborhood and I'm one of the only African-Americans. VIVIAN: Got it.
LEMON: And there will be a discussion about race or something about the president or something that will come up and I will be the one who will be asked.
VIVIAN: Right.
LEMON: And I'm sure that's the experience of a lot of African- Americans or Hispanics or whatever.
VIVIAN: Yes.
LEMON: Should I allow my white friends, neighbors, colleagues, associates, that leeway to ask me those questions and answer them? Or should they know that in some sense it may make me uncomfortable or a little bit inappropriate to feel like I'm speaking for the entire black population?
VIVIAN: I think it's not either or it's all of the above, it's in both. It depends on how close that relationship is. It depends on what kind of person you are. In other words, are you open to have that conversation or not? And if they're close friends, they know that.
Now, I'm a believer that -- I'm that guy that's always believed, I'll answer your question. I'll tell you anything you want to hear. But if I give you my opinion, value my opinion because you're not asking me when you say what's your opinion, you're not saying, do you have the poll on what every black person in the country feels, but I can give you my opinion on what I think that is. And if I give you my opinion, take my opinion and value my opinion, you know?
And I don't mind the honest debate back and forth. But when the intent is to just get me to rubberstamp what they want to hear, then I have a problem with that. And so, I will then always say exactly what I know, I'm just lucky that I know the statistics and everything.
LEMON: It's just I've been asked that question so many times -- just about any a number of different issues over the course of my life that I know, you know, my stock answer used to be in the '80s was I'm not the African-American authority. In the '90s, it was, do you have any other African-American friends that you can ask? Of course, I'm not trying to answer that.
And then now I'm not sure exactly how to respond to that.
Go ahead, Buck Davis, what do you think? When this and should we -- and we should be talking about this. We should not castigate people. If they make one mistake, we shouldn't paint them as racist.
DAVIS: Right. I don't think that Dr. Laura is racist. I think she's just very naive in the comment. It sounds very racist. I think it's very normal for a lot of people to want to know the African- American perspective. However, when we ask one person to speak on behalf of the entire group, that's when it becomes problematic. Because underneath that, at the fundamental core, it's, you folks are all alike. And it's mainly steeped in, I really don't know a lot of you folks and so I'm going to make the assumption that being different, you must all be alike, eat the same types of food, listen to the same type of music.
As a white person, and white people, my experience has been, people, we know that we're also very different. We don't make the same assumption about our own race. But when we have a smaller group of people, we go, oh, yes, you know, they're different than me, they must be alike in some way. Underneath that, I think the context in which a lot of people get these questions is: I want to know more about you. Help me learn more about you to understand you and your group.
LEMON: So, there's an honest place that it comes from?
DAVIS: Oh, yes, I do believe.
VIVIAN: That makes all the difference in the world.
LEMON: Yes, but it also makes a difference, awareness, being aware of why you're asking the question. Just ask the question and not know where it comes from is a sign really of ignorance, right?
VIVIAN: Right.
DAVIS: Well, ignorance or just being naive.
LEMON: Naive. Maybe that's a better way putting it. Go ahead.
VIVIAN: Quite asking -- quite often, I'll ask, why do you ask me?
LEMON: Yes.
VIVIAN: So that will let me know where they're coming from to let me know what direction I need to take as well.
LEMON: Oh, thank you. That's going to be my new approach when that happens.
(LAUGHTER)
LEMON: Do you -- are you ever asked, I asked you before the break -- but do you ever asked your opinion as a white person, what do you think as a white person?
DAVIS: No, no. No one ever asks me --
LEMON: I don't want to be disingenuous.
DAVIS: No, no, no.
LEMON: I don't want to be disingenuous and I'll say this to the audience. I'm asking you that question but we have you here for a reason, for diversity, right?
DAVIS: Yes.
LEMON: And to offer that perspective. But I don't think that you speak for all white people, and I don't remember any time in the -- you know, besides asking a question as a journalist in my personal life where I asked someone, how do you feel about that as a white person?
DAVIS: Or how do white people feel about that. I don't ever get that question.
LEMON: Yes.
DAVIS: Because if it's a white person doing the questioning, they know, white people are different. They think different. They like different -- they have different interests, they have a different opinion.
LEMON: Yes. This conversation that we're having, what's happened over the summer, Dr. Laura, all of this -- this is, for me, this is a great argument for diversity because I hear conversations like this on television all the time. And sometimes, the panel will be all one race, talking about an issue -- and you're like, wait a minute, don't you need that -- had -- maybe if Dr. Laura -- and I don't know her staff is like. Maybe someone could have said, hey, listen, Dr. Laura, (INAUDIBLE) on the headset (ph) and talked about it -- or the same thing in your personal life. That's why my mom always says, you're like the United Nations since I've been a kid.
So, I don't have to ask those questions, what do you think as an Asian person? What do you think as an Iranian person or whatever? Do the research, hang out with people, get to know about them and you don't have to ask those questions because it becomes innate.
OK. Go ahead.
DAVIS: I think she blew it when she didn't ask more questions.
VIVIAN: Thank you.
(CROSSTALK)
DAVIS: That's where she totally blew it.
LEMON: It was a legitimate concern from this woman, right?
DAVIS: Yes.
VIVIAN: Yes.
LEMON: And it could have been a conversation where you actually got something accomplished but she accused the woman of being hypersensitive and -- was she hypersensitive? Was Dr. Laura hypersensitive? The way she handled it? Yes, no? There's someone talking in your ear. (LAUGHTER)
DAVIS: I don't think she was sensitive enough to the pain that the woman was in. The woman obviously had some pain in her life and she was seeking a trusted adviser to give her some help, which sounded like a lot of hate to me.
LEMON: OK. All right. People talk in our ear all the time so you when we go. Now, you got it like (INAUDIBLE) -- I'm going to read this. They're saying you have a full screen.
If you're that hypersensitive about color and don't have a sense of humor, don't marry out of your race, that is what she said. Don't marry out of your race.
Roll up a little bit on this. "When somebody says, 'What do blacks think?' say, this is what I think -- answer the question and discuss the issue. I really thought that once we had a black president, the attempts to demonize whites hating blacks would stop. But it seems to have grown and I don't get it."
OK. So, why you shouldn't marry interracially? So, that's when it really went off the --
DAVIS: She has dug a deeper hole for herself. That's all that she did. It just got uglier and uglier and uglier when she just should have put the brakes on it and asked more questions.
LEMON: Where does that come from, though? I don't even -- I don't even know where someone's brain -- again, I don't know. Dr. Laura has apologized. I'm not beating up on her.
But I don't know where someone's thought patterns even go to that from that conversation.
DAVIS: I think Dr. Laura spoke to what a lot of people still -- I think she spoke to how a lot of people still think.
LEMON: OK.
DAVIS: She just said it. I think a lot of people think, oh, we've got an African-American president, why are you complaining about racism? I think she says, "Don't pull this whole NAACP number on me."
LEMON: Yes.
DAVIS: Underneath that, I think she's saying, don't pull that race card on me, that you can't use your race to justify your pain.
LEMON: OK.
DAVIS: That's what I think is underneath that, Don.
LEMON: All right. Thank you very much. That's going to have to be the last word. And we're talk more about it throughout this hour. Al Vivian, Buck Davis, appreciate it. Appreciate your honesty. We appreciate you giving us leeway here to talk about this sensitive and touchy issue. This is a hot button and we want to discuss.
And we want your comments. If you agree or disagree with anything we said? Reach out to us and we will certainly take your comments under consideration. We may get them on the air. We'll talk a little bit more.
Thanks again to our guests and thanks again for listening and for watching.
First, though, it was Charlie Rangel. Now, it is Maxine Waters' turn. The congresswoman takes her case public against an ethics investigation. You'll hear for yourself straight ahead on THE LIST.
And the suspect in the serial stabbing deaths agrees to be sent back to Michigan to face charges. A report next, right here on THE LIST.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Time right now for our follow-up list. On the follow-up list, we got our first good look today at the Israeli man suspected in serial stabbings across three states, stabbing spree.
Elias Abuelazam appeared in an Atlanta courtroom just a few hours ago. The states of Michigan, Ohio and Virginia all have claims on this guy. In his brief court appearance, Abuelazam agreed to be sent back to Michigan to face murder charges. His attorney, who was not at the hearing, appeared at a second hearing and asked the judge to waive extradition.
CNN's Susan Candiotti picks up the story from there.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Here in Flint, Michigan, there's a sense of relief among victims' families that a suspected killer has been caught. But mainly they want to know: why? Why did something like this happen? Why did someone go on a stabbing spree in three states, attacking or killing 18 people in Michigan, Ohio and Virginia?
Of course, police don't have to prove a motive but they say they're certainly going to try to find out why.
In the meantime, CNN resources on the ground in Israel have been trying to learn more about the suspect in this case, Elias Abuelazam. He grew up as a boy there. His father died when he was very young. Friends describe him as a quiet child who moved to the United States in the 1990s.
He lived in Michigan for a time, had some minor scrapes with the law, moved to Virginia and was married there for three years before divorcing in 2007. His ex-father-in-law says he was verbally abusive to his wife. He also worked at some behavioral treatment centers in Virginia and left that employment, that job, in 2008, and then moved back to Michigan in May of this year. That is when police say the stabbing spree began.
At this point, we're still waiting to find out when this suspect will be returned to the state of Michigan to begin to face some charges.
Susan Candiotti, CNN, Flint, Michigan.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: All right. Susan, thanks very much.
We also have new information about the plane that crashed in Alaska killing former U.S. Senator Ted Stevens. That is straight ahead on THE LIST.
And new trouble for Alvin Greene. He is the guy representing Democrats in the U.S. Senate race in South Carolina. Well, he just got slapped with an indictment. Find out why next on THE LIST.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Welcome back to THE LIST, everyone.
California Representative Maxine Waters is making a case for innocence before cameras today. She insisted that she did nothing wrong, refuting all allegations about violating House rules. And she says she won't cut any deals with congressional investigators. The charges stem from her actions assisting minority banks, including one with ties to her own husband.
Listen to what she said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. MAXINE WATERS (D), CALIFORNIA: No government agency or their representatives have ever said that I requested any special assistance or compensation for anyone or any institution or that I influenced the TARP process in any way. There has also been a question about whether or not I instructed my staff not to get involved with One United Bank and their interest in assessing TARP funds. My staff had only been involved in understanding the impact of the financial crisis on small and minority banks broadly and assisting in setting up the meetings with the Treasury Department for, again -- again -- the National Bankers Association.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Congresswoman Waters thanked her supporters for their loyalty.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) WATERS: My constituents and supporters have seen the many inaccurate accusatory portrayals of my work and they know me better than that, and they have encouraged me to fight. I admit, there are some who do not believe in my philosophy or my methods. But no one should question my devotion to public service.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Congresswoman Maxine Waters.
OK. Listen to this: one man may have helped hundreds of Somali immigrants enter this country illegally, and now, many of them are missing. Could they have ties to terror? That is ahead on THE LIST.
And some people really know the meaning of "team." But in this case, they're using that knowledge to carry out a life of crime. Wait until you hear their game plan.
That's next in "Fotos."
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: So most times fans, they want to catch a foul ball, right? They go to the ballpark and they catch it. Some will push and shove, bump and bruise their way right through the crowd. You know you've done it. Grown men will even knock a cute kid right out of the way.
But for some people, beer is really more important. Let's do "Fotos."
Marlins-Nationals game. That is a date here. A line drive goes foul and, yes, saved by the brew -- brewski. Woman gets a Miller Lite shower she but appears to be fine. No word on whether she was rewarded with a free beer. Ouch.
And tag team, tag team back again. Police are looking for a couple accused of joining forces to rob several drugstores in Kentucky. The woman distracts the pharmacist, and as you can see, the man hops right over the counter and helps himself to the goods. They're suspected in at least three different heists.
And how about this catch of the day? Look at that. Several guys wrestled a whopper of a catfish on the Missouri side of the Mississippi River. That thing is huge. This whiskered fish took them for a wild ride, and weighing in at 115 pounds, they're hoping it also gives them a spot in the record books. I can't get over looking at that thing.
Check out all of our "Fotos" on CNN.com/RickSanchez.
President Barack Obama signs a $600 million bill for border security. This on the heels of an illegal immigrant accused of killing a teenager in Houston. What impact will the new funds have on border security? We'll have that conversation ahead on "The List."
And new pictures of the Alaska plane wreckage that killed former U.S. senator Ted Stevens and four other people, straight ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: A breath of fresh air. We have it for you right here.
BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Ah.
LEMON: Brooke Baldwin.
BALDWIN: Thank you, Don Lemon.
LEMON: Let's talk about what's trending. You're trending, though. You're trendy.
BALDWIN: I'm trendy with two trending topics.
The first one, very serious, we're talking about that plane crash in Alaska. Some new details are coming out leading up to Monday night's crash that killed, as you know, former Alaska senator Ted Stevens. Specifically what we're drilling down on is who was flying that plane.
The pilot, as we discovered, has quite a pedigree -- 62-year-old Terry Smith. Here's a picture we were able to find. He hails from Eagle River, Alaska. Smith is a 28-year veteran, by the way, of Alaska Airlines. And apparently flying was in his blood, both his mother, father for Alaskan bush pilots, his son, a pilot as well.
So a number of friends paint him as a very esteemed pilot. Yet if you read "The Wall Street Journal" article this morning, some friends in the picture called him a flamboyant former airline pilot who reveled in seat-of-the-pants flying.
Also, they point out that as a pilot with Alaska Airlines he lost his license to fly between the years of 2006 and 2008 after suffering a mild stroke. According to the newspaper reporting, the Federal Aviation Administration restored it later.
What really happened? Do we know yet what caused that crash Monday night? Unfortunately we don't because one piece of the pie is there was ant black box in that tiny plane. You know they're looking. Was it the structure of the plane? Could it have been the engine, could it have been pilot error? We just don't know yet.
At least some good news -- the four survivor, three of the four are either in fair or good condition, that fourth, Sean O'Keefe, the former NASA chief, at least he is upgraded from critical to serious.
LEMON: We've all been there when there's a bump on the airplane or something out of the ordinary. You're in turbulence. Just can you imagine the final moments for four people?
BALDWIN: Tough situation.
Tough situation also for a family out of the U.K. This story has a -- I don't know how to describe it. What kind of an ending? LEMON: It kind of melts your heart.
BALDWIN: It does. Perfect, that's perfect.
So with that, this is the message in the bottle story. It's this amazing story out of the Gulf Coast. We've had a little bit of an oil spill, right? And this supervisor of this clean-up effort in Horn Island off the coast of Mississippi was amazed to find these four letters -- imagine -- four letters floating in this bottle amidst the oily muck last month.
The letters, it turns out, came from family members -- they wrote to their son, their brother, Private James Prosser who's 21 years of age. He was Welsh. He was a soldier who was killed in Afghanistan just last year.
Well, the family wrote these, as we learned here at CNN, as a way of simply coping with the loss, as a way to honor him. They never thought they would be found. They dropped -- they were on vacation on Barbados, 1,300 miles from the Mississippi coast. And then the supervisor found the bottle, read the letters. I think it melted his heart.
And so he was able to contact this family over the Internet , and the mother just couldn't believe it. Never actually thought the bottle would wind up in someone's hands.
And I want to share with you as she shared with us, part of the letter to her son, James, "I'm so proud of you, James, your gorgeous smile will stay with me always." Just one of those -- it's a tragic story but it does melt your heart.
LEMON: This morning, it stopped -- Kyra was on and talked to the mom. And I was driving in listening to it on satellite. And I just pulled over and listened. It's an unbelievable -- what are the odds?
BALDWIN: What a coincident. Just makes you think about coincidence. But I wanted to share it.
BALDWIN: It's a nice way to end. We appreciate all our men and women in uniform fighting in Afghanistan --
BALDWIN: I was at Walter Reed yesterday. Hello.
LEMON: Message in a bottle for everyone, right?
BALDWIN: Thank you.
LEMON: You have more trending.
BALDWIN: Next hour.
LEMON: I know. We're going to try to bring some smiles. We want to make some folks happy.
BALDWIN: I'll find something. LEMON: Thank you, Brooke. Talk to you in a bit.
One man is accused of smuggling hundreds of Somali immigrants into this country illegally, and there are urgent fears that some of them could have ties to terror. That's straight ahead.
And the tweets are coming in. I'll read some of your messages. I'm seeing them. Wow.
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LEMON: All right, looking at your comments, I like it when you guys get fired up. I don't take it personally. You can either like what we do, don't like it, agree, disagree. That's how we all learnt.
Let's keep doing it. Let's look at Twitter right now. Here are your comments. This is from Marlon Wayans. He said "Dr. Laura uses the N-word eight times on her radio show. Let's get her back. All black people say Dr. Laura nine times right now. Feel better?" Thank you, Marlon.
This is from Mikey. "Why all this hang-up about this so-called N-word? Who says it means hate? Dr. Laura owes no apologies." "Don Lemon, the use of the N-word has no privilege. Has a negative history. In context of Dr. Laura's use, it sounded racist and arrogant to me."
Thank you. I learned a lot from that conversation. Keep talking like that. Some people were upset. But the only way you learn is if you discuss and talk about it. So we're going to continue to do it. Appreciate your comments.
In Iran, if you commit adultery, it could mean death. Our intriguing person of the day is now facing that punishment. That is next on the LIST.
But before we go to break, that's medical news that I want you to know about here. A new study indicates an increased waist size also increases the likelihood of dying. Here's our chief medical correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: According to a new study of about 100,000 people aged 50 to 75, a tape measure can be a very good indicator of just what's going on inside your body. Even more so than that, when they found someone's waist size actually increased by four inches, men and women alike, it increased their likelihood of dying from some sort of problem like heart disease or stroke and dying sooner than people who did not have the additional eight inches along the waistline, 18 percent in men, 25 percent in women.
You think about fat, you think about the subcutaneous fat that I think everyone has to some degree around their midsection. That is not really what is important here. It's not so much what's on the outside but what's on the inside.
Here's a good way to visualize this. You have someone who doesn't have a lot of body fat over here. Over here, not just body fat on the outside but what's called visceral fat, fat that's on the inside of your body that's literally strangling your internal organs. That's the real problem here, as well.
One people think about, I want to reduce this body fat, so let me do lots of crunches or sit-ups. That's probably not really going to help. You have to think about a whole body workout, aerobic exercise with anaerobic exercise to try to increase your metabolic rate.
If you do strength training and resistance training, you're going to create more muscle and the muscle will help burn calories even at rest.
And finally, not to say you can't have any fat. You just want to think about healthier fats.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
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LEMON: Time now to check the list of the most intriguing people in the news.
This one's a 43-year-old woman, fights for her life in Iran. The Iranian government accuses her of adultery and a murder plot. She admits that her husband's cousin told her he would kill her husband, but she thought he was joking. Then he allegedly did it and she realized he wasn't joking.
Now on Iranian TV, she allegedly confessed to the plot and denounced her lawyer, saying they've never met. Her lawyer and human rights activist say she was coerced into doing to it to save her life. Her death sentence was commuted for the murder, but they still want to stone her to death for the murder, which has led to an international outcry.
So one of today's most intriguing persons is Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani. Ashtiani's son is asking the United Nations to investigate his mother's case because he fears that anything she says is tainted by her treatment during incarceration. Her court case makes her the most intriguing person of the day.
Down to New Orleans, hurricane Katrina didn't just devastate the city, it exposed a justice system in a crime-ridden city that simply wasn't working. And only now is that clean-up under way. Sixty New Orleans police officers are either under indictment or have pleaded guilty in post-Katrina-related shootings.
Here's our investigative reporter Drew Griffin.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DREW GRIFFIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: On this summer evening not yet three months in office as New Orleans' new mayor, Mitch Landrieus is getting to know the city's poor neighborhoods.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He tackled me.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He almost tackled the mayor.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You think you're funny, don't you?
GRIFFIN: Landrieu and his new police chief Ronald Service are leading a walk in a show of police presence and support on this crime- riddled street. This woman appeals for help to stop gunfire in a nearby park so children can play in safety.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They go, boom, boom, boom. My granddaughter, she is five years old.
GRIFFIN: On this street, guard dogs are no protection against gunshots in the middle of the night.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Saturday night between 11:00 and 11:30, my mother's house got shot up. There are the bullet holes right there, a drive-by. It went to the third room of my mother's house. Come on in. Bullet went through here.
GRIFFIN: The new mayor concedes people are reluctant to trust police with 16 officers now under indictment or pleading guilty in shooting deaths in the week after hurricane Katrina, two of the victims, killed on this bridge.
(on camera): When you read the revelations in the Danzigger bridge case, not just the crime itself, but the cover-up, can people in this city right now have faith in their police department?
MAYOR MITCH LANDRIEU (D), NEW ORLEANS: No, I don't think so. The department is supposed to protect and serve and right now it's not doing either of those things well. My top priority as mayor is to keep the city safe. It can't be safe without a police department that people trust.
GRIFFIN: Civil rights attorney Mary Howell says police failures have not only fed mistrust, but have encouraged crime.
MARY HOWELL, CIVIL RIGHTS ATTORNEY: At the same time that we're having these terrible problems with corruption and brutality in the department, we also lead the nation in crime and in homicides and in violent crime.
GRIFFIN: In this first year in office for Landrieu, New Orleans has been averaging a murder every other day. Landrieu asked the justice department to come in and help reform his police force.
LANDRIEU: As a kid that grew up in the city of New Orleans you get very, very frustrated that things have been allowed to get this bad. But you have to acknowledge that and then you have to right the ship and turn it around and force it into the right direction, and that's what we intend on doing.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: And Drew Griffin will have more on the actions of the New Orleans police department in the aftermath of hurricane Katrina on CNN this weekend. Make sure you tune in to "Shoot to Kill" this Saturday and Sunday 8:00 p.m. eastern only here on CNN.
A lot of people were hired to help clean up the Gulf oil spill, right? As well they should. They need a lot of folks. But it appears background checks weren't done or weren't a priority, at least in one case. Now one of the workers, a supervisor, is accused of rape. That's ahead.
An American is accused of smuggling hundreds of Somalis into this country, and now some of them are missing. The disturbing details, next on "The List."
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LEMON: All right, so this next story lands on our immigration list. Think of a worst case scenario of illegal immigration, worst case scenario. We're not talking about the work for less variety of illegal immigrant. We're talking radicalized Somalis trained in terror tactics being smuggled into this country by an American.
CNN's Deborah Feyerick has an exclusive interview with the man U.S. investigators say is behind a Somali smuggling ring.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Driving about two hours west from Washington, D.C. to a small town in Virginia, I find Anthony Tracy, an international businessman. His business just happened to be getting Somalis to Cuba, and from there, according to court documents, he encouraged them to enter the United States illegally.
Three months ago Tracy took a plea deal admitting just that, thereby not only violating immigration law but potentially exposing the U.S. to a terror attack. Why? Because the Somalis, anywhere between 100 and 300 of them say prosecutors, are still missing.
The case is shrouded in mystery, so sensitive that much of his trial was behind closed doors. And yet Anthony Tracy is a free man.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A lot of people are saying I'm a terrorist and a home grown jihadi and I helped smuggle all these terrorists here, you know. But this is false. These individuals are not terrorists.
FEYERICK: But the U.S. government is not sure who the Somalis were. So where are they now and just who is Anthony Joseph Tracy? Born in Pennsylvania, Tracy spent more than a dozen years in prison on drug charges. He converted to Islam while inside, changed his name to Yusef and married a Somali.
Somewhere along the line Tracy became a paid government agent working for Immigrations and Customs Enforcement. When and for how long is unclear. ICE is prohibited from confirming or denying who he uses as informants.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I reformed my life.
FEYERICK: In an exclusive interview with CNN, Tracy said he is a patriot not a traitor.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: For the last eight years I've been doing a lot of positive things and a lot of I say great things.
FEYERICK: Last year Tracy moved to Kenya to a part of Nairobi known as "Little Mogadishu" for its large Somali community. He was still on the government's payroll, but in what capacity the government won't say. While there, Tracy set up more services and began obtaining Cuban visas for people.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We would help the individual prepare their documents, take them to the embassy, we'd talk on their behalf.
FEYERICK: But some of those documents were falsified. Tracy admits bribing Cuban embassy officials in exchange for tourist visas. He arranged flights for his clients who traveled from Kenya to Dubai or Moscow, ultimately arriving in Havana. From there the Somalis would travel to Belize or Mexico with the possibility of entering the U.S.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I suspected and I heard rumors that they were traveling on, but did I actually think they would make it into the U.S.? No, I did not.
FEYERICK: Hundreds cross our borders illegally every day, so why the fuss about a few hundred Somalis? Because of the terror group Shabab, an affiliate of Al Qaeda. It was Shabab that set off bombs in Uganda last month and has pledged global jihad, the United States its sworn enemy.
Tracy says he refused to help at least two men he believed had links to Shabab.
FEYERICK (on camera): You said in an e-mail that the government allegedly took from one of your computers, quote, "I helped a lot of Somalis and most are good, but there are some who are bad. I leave them to Allah."
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What I meant by "bad,: I meant in character, in conduct, not as far as being terrorists or part of terrorism in that context.
FEYERICK (voice-over): But sources tell CNN federal agents are working around the clock to find the missing Somalis. Texas congressman Michael McCall serves on the Homeland Security Committee and has been tracking the case.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They are moving more to one to two man operations, small scale operations, so even one to two Somalis getting in from al Shabab, that is a serious concern. FEYERICK (on camera): This is the Virginia courthouse where Anthony Tracy pleaded guilty to encouraging people to enter the U.S. illegally. But if he did help as many as 270 people as court documents suggest, why did he get just four months time served?
FEYERICK (voice-over): That remains a mystery. Conspiring to bring people illegally into this country carries a maximum sentence of ten years. Immigration officials won't talk. Tracy insists agents were aware of his every move.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: From May, '09 until the close of my business there was correspondence through e-mails, telephone calls, and I was never at one time directed to stop.
FEYERICK: The prosecutor says when agents became aware of his activities, he was told to stop and return home immediately. Whatever Tracy did or did not do, the case has disturbing implications.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How many other Tracys are out there manufacturing fraudulent visas with corrupt embassies and governments to get terrorists or potential terrorists into the United States? That's a great unknown.
FEYERICK (on camera): No terrorism charges have been filed against Tracy. He says he is cooperating with an ongoing investigation and that there is much more to be told.
Deborah Feyerick, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
