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Earthquake in Turkey; GOP Candidates Court Conservatives

Aired October 23, 2011 - 18:00   ET

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

DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN ANCHOR: You are in the CNN NEWSROOM.

We begin tonight in eastern Turkey. Parts of that country look like a war zone following a major 7.2 magnitude earthquake. Dozens of buildings reportedly collapsed, including a university dormitory. Rescue efforts must compete with the powerful aftershocks.

So far, at least 65 deaths have been confirmed. This part of the world is prone to killer earthquakes. A 7.6 quake hit western Turkey 12 years ago, 17,000 people at that time were killed.

Journalist Andrew Finkel joined us live from Istanbul.

And, Andrew, what is the latest? How are rescue efforts going?

ANDREW FINKEL, JOURNALIST: Yes. Well, of course, it's night time now. The earthquake struck, I suppose, at a relatively good time. It struck on a Sunday afternoon when people weren't in bed, when people weren't at work. But even then, we know the amount of people, still under the rubble, there's a large number, maybe even 400 people still waiting to be rescued. Of course, that rescue now has to go on by headlight and by generator light.

At first, there was a mad scramble by the local people to get at the people who were buried under the debris. Now, it's a little bit more organized. Rescue teams have come throughout the country. Turkey, as you said, is a country that is used to seismic activity. So, there are people who really know how to do this.

But when these things first the happen, it is a mad scramble. The Turkish prime minister was on the scene, Recep Tayyip Erdogan. He has just announced in a rather subdued voice that the official death toll at present is 93 people dead, but I think we may see a rise in the number as news comes in from outlying villages and as people are still trying to be rescued from the rubble, Deb.

FEYERICK: And, Andrew, fill me in a bit -- in terms of where exactly this earthquake took place in relation to Istanbul and did that make it difficult for rescue teams to get to that part of the country?

FINKEL: It's really the diametrically the opposite side of the country from Istanbul. Istanbul is in industrial, densely-populated west of the country. Van and the cities affected by this earthquake, are the poorest parts of Turkey. They are around a major lake called Lake Van. This is, as I said, the least economically developed part of the country, the part of the country least able to look after itself and, of course, expects help from the rest of the country.

Now, that help has been arriving throughout the day, mainly from the capital, Ankara, but also from villages and towns nearby in the vicinity.

So, the help is there. The tents are there. The blankets are there. But, of course, it's really a question of trying to rescue the people who are still trapped under the rubble, Deb.

FEYERICK: OK. As you updated: 93 dead. We are now also hearing that 350 people are reported injured as well. Those numbers, clearly, are likely to go up over the course of the next 24 hours.

Do you, Andrew, how does this quake compare to previous earthquakes?

FINKEL: Well, Turkey has had some extraordinarily large earthquakes. Just over 10 years ago, not far from where I am, there was a large quake. We know at least 17,000 people died in that quake. That was in a very densely-populated part of the country.

But there have been earthquakes in Van itself before. This was an earthquake in 1976 and then the death toll was extraordinarily large. It was close to 4,000 people.

Now, since that time, the actual city has moved away from the lakes. It has moved inland. So, it's slightly safer place to be. But although people know they should build against earthquakes, that Turkey is a seismic country and you have to build a house to withstand an earthquake, of course, that doesn't always happen in the least developed part of the country. And as much as people know to expect earthquakes, I'm afraid buildings still fall down, Deb.

FEYERICK: Of course, of course. Andrew Finkel for us there in Turkey -- thank you so much. We appreciate your update on this.

And, of course, CNN has a lot of resources headed to the quake zone. Next hour, we will have the first report from the scene with the journalist -- with our CNN affiliate CNN Turk.

And thousands of Libyans packed Benghazi's main square today to hear the words that waited months for -- that their nation is now free.

And waving the new flag of Libya, these are some pictures, but waving the new flag of Libya, they did listen as the National Transitional Council members urged them to lay down their arms and embrace peace. One official warned that preserving freedom is harder than obtaining it.

The next step toward democracy will be electing an assembly to write a new constitution and that's expected to happen in this next eight months.

Benghazi was the symbolic choice for celebration. The revolution began there earlier this year.

Well, we have two new clues to the mystery of how Moammar Gadhafi died. As Dan Rivers explains, both seem to go against the official story of how the dictator met his end. We must warn you: the images that you're about to see may be a little bit disturbing to some of our viewers.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAN RIVERS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Deb, there is this new video that's emerged, purportedly showing the ambulance which brought Colonel Gadhafi's body to Misrata. It also has jubilant scenes as a young man is fated as the person that apparently pulled this trigger to execute Colonel Gadhafi. We have no way of independently confirming the veracity of this video.

There's another man on this video, he claims to have witnessed the execution. Again, we have no way just to show whether that's right or wrong. But this all adds to evidence that undermines the new government's claims that Colonel Gadhafi was killed in the crossfire as they tried to take him toll the hospital.

Other video that emerged over the weekend of a gun being brandished near a still alive Colonel Gadhafi. It paints a picture of a mob out of control certainly and is raising more questions about the last minutes of Colonel Gadhafi's life.

We also feel his body has now been carried out. We have no detail on that, other than they say he was killed by a gunshot wound to the head but no details of how close the gun was when it was fired or whether he was shot at point-blank range, or as they suggest caught in the crossfire as they tried to take him away -- Deb.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FEYERICK: Dan Rivers, thank you so much, reporting there from Misrata in Libya.

Well, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton wants to send a clear message to Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad -- steer clear of Iraq. She says just because U.S. forces are leaving, it doesn't mean there will not be a strong U.S. presence there.

Our Athena Jones joins us in Washington.

And, Athena, Secretary Clinton made the rounds on Sunday talk shows. But some people aren't happy about how the Iraq pullout is being handled, correct?

ATHENA JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's true. Secretary of state wanted to send a message, as you mentioned, that just because the U.S. is pulling out doesn't mean we are turning our back on the country of Iraq where we spent so many years, so much blood and treasure. There'll still be a fairly large diplomatic presence at the embassy in Baghdad, at consulate in Erbil and Basra. You're going to have 1,700 or so diplomats, agriculture professionals, people who will help train in terms of -- business development experts.

And so, she addressed them with concerns people have raised about Iraq's security and also about Iran's influence which some people believe could grow. Let's listen to what she told CNN's Candy Crowley this morning on "STATE OF THE UNION."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CLINTON: No one, particularly Iran, should miscalculate about our continuing commitment to and with the Iraqis going forward. Iran would be badly miscalculating if they did not look at the entire region and all of our presence in many countries in the region, both in bases, in training, with NATO allies, like Turkey.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JONES: And now, the secretary of state was responding, of course, to a lot of criticism we've seen from the Republican side, not just members of Congress but also Republican presidential candidates.

Let's listen to what South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham had to say on one of the morning shows this morning.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM (R), SOUTH CAROLINA: Not being able to close the deal in Iraq is a very serious mistake. Celebrating leaving with no troops behind is a serious mistake. And Iraq poorly fumbled the ball inside of the tent, I'm hope I'm wrong about what happens in Iraq, but they are dancing in the streets in Tehran.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JONES: So, that's just one of the examples of some of the kind of criticism we've seen. What people on the Republican side are saying and not just Republicans to be fair, is that there's concern that the U.S. didn't leave behind -- isn't leaving behind a few thousand troops to help to train Iraqi security personnel and the idea that once we pulled out completely, will Iran's influence grow? It's just a neighbor there and so, by us being gone, it could create a vacuum, Deb.

FEYERICK: But, Athena, at the same time, Iraq basically said the U.S. was not entitled to leave any troops there. So, they are being pulled out because there really isn't another option.

The presidential candidates -- they must be on the attack about this whole issue as well.

JONES: Well, certainly. I mean, that's something -- I was just touching on the idea that they have been talking about this for some time. These security agreements that set this December 31st, 2011 end date were agreements that were negotiated during the Bush administration and signed back in 2008.

And so, what President Obama is doing is just fulfilling that commitment, and as he says, keeping his campaign promise to bring this war to a responsible end.

But you have people who say that you needed to leave these troops behind. The problem is that Iraq did not want to give U.S. soldiers immunity from Iraqi prosecution, which is something that is necessary -- the U.S. thought was necessary to leave the soldiers behind.

And so, the idea is that is not as though we are leaving, turning our backs completely. There's going to -- we're going to be able to do what Iraqis ask as long as we can agree on both sides. And so, if you ask government officials here, they'll say that we are giving the Iraqis what we wanted.

And even President Obama said sometime ago that the idea is not to leave Iraq with completely perfect. They are going to have to step up. We can't patrol the streets there forever.

FEYERICK: Sure.

JONES: Now, Republican candidates, of course, they'll say that this is political. You have Mitt Romney saying this is an astonishing failure. His failure to reach an agreement.

FEYERICK: Of course.

JONES: Michele Bachmann saying it's a political decision, not a military one.

And so, this is not at all surprising, of course. We expect to hear more of that going forward.

FEYERICK: All right. Well, Athena Jones, thank you so much. And it will be interesting to see what kind of security diplomats and also contractors and the like have a as this all plays out after December 31st. Athena Jones in Washington for us -- thank you so much.

JONES: Thanks.

FEYERICK: Well, straight ahead, what is it going to take to get along in Washington? It's partnership at its worst, where neither side can do anything to make the other happy. We are asking when and if that will ever change. Coming up in two minutes.

And later, archaeologist dig up a burial site they believe was around when William the Conqueror walked the earth. Hear where they found this Viking warlord.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FEYERICK: Well, the facts are simple enough. Moammar Gadhafi is dead. Osama bin Laden is dead, too. And democracy has taken root in some of the most unlikely places in the Middle East.

Some say President Obama's speech in Cairo was the spark that ignited the Arab spring. Yet for many Republicans, hardly any credit is being given to the president. So, let's bring in CNN contributor Will Cain and L.Z. Granderson who I think is joining us on the phone, a CNN.com contributor and senior writer at ESPN.

And I want to talk to you about this -- jobs aside -- and we're going to definitely going get to the issue of jobs. But President Obama can't seem to get a break. Is it that the Republicans see nothing positive in what he is doing? Will?

WILL CAIN, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: You know, Deborah, there is a narrative out there right now that the Republicans won't give Obama any credit, especially in the wake of Moammar Gadhafi's death. To me, it reminds a little bit of that scene in "Gladiator" when Russell Crowe annihilates and slaughters his opponent and then looks up at the silent crowd and says, "Are you not entertained?"

We went in to Libya under the guise of stopping the humanitarian crisis. We stayed and we stayed until Moammar Gadhafi has now been killed. And this is the moment of celebration.

I'm just confused and it's just me. You're not going to hear just confusion from me or perhaps deferring to this just from Republicans -- Syria -- I mean, China and Russia are now saying they won't give the United States clearance to do any actions from the U.N. level in Syria because we went in to Libya under different pretenses than which we stayed.

FEYERICK: OK. OK.

CAIN: I'm just under the impression that our foreign policy is confusing, Deborah. That's it. I just don't know. I can't give credit because I don't know what our purposes are.

FEYERICK: Well -- and that is a very good point.

But, L.Z., how do you see it? Do you think the president hasn't been specific enough about citing what America's goals are? Or do you think it's one of the citizens where things are happening so fast he's trying to make the best possible decision at any given moment of his presidency -- L.Z.?

L.Z. GRANDERSON, CNN.COM CONTRIBUTOR (via telephone): You know, I love my friend Will because he is completely inflicted with selective memory. This is the only time in which there's been any type of non- giving of credit to President Obama. Or acknowledging the good things he's done.

The fact is, is that this is the rhetoric of politics and right now, the primary focus is President Obama because the Republicans want the White House and they cannot acknowledge anything good that he is proposing or anything that he may have done because that would derail their efforts to overtake the White House.

This isn't just about Libya. I mean, remember how quickly the conversation turned when Osama bin Laden was killed and how he went from President Obama had very little if anything to do with that, and even if you look at just from the good thing that he's done in terms of the stimulus package. The rhetoric is, is that the stimulus package was a complete failure and did absolutely nothing that was good. Despite the fact, there are many, many, many economists who look back and say if this wasn't created, if this wasn't done the United States would be in worse shape than it is.

FEYERICK: Sure, absolutely.

(CROSSTALK)

CAIN: Let me say this --

FEYERICK: Hold on a second, Will.

Some people say that President Obama helped avoid a second Great Depression. You know, I grew up and I was told if you can't say anything nice about somebody, don't say anything at all. It goes to the root of civility. Now, finding the good in people -- the fact that people are trying to do the right thing by the American people, may be.

So, Will, would -- is it simply that it just doesn't mean anything anymore?

CAIN: Well, let me make two points.

First to respond L.Z., you know, I can't deny there might be some people making a political calculation in their criticism of President Obama. But L.Z. cannot deny there are also very substantive questions that have not been answered about what we are doing in various parts of the world, from Uganda to Afghanistan. To be fair, we should both recognize those questions exist.

On the just can't we just get along, Deborah, can we give credit where credit is due? Look, stylistically, L.Z. and I couldn't disagree more, but we get along very well. From politicians to pundits to people watching at home, I think we shouldn't have the emotional continence of a three-and-a-half-year-old toddler. We should understand that because we disagree doesn't mean we need to hate each other.

That being said, we have very substantive disagreements and it's at the core of our view of what government's role is. I don't think government's role is to solve all of the problems that are presented to society. L.Z. and liberals often do. We go our separate ways there.

FEYERICK: All right. That's -- absolutely. And that is a fundamental difference.

But let me ask this question, that is -- so, for example, Will, you mentioned Afghanistan, but this question is directed to L.Z. But a president is not just elected and arrives at the White House with a blank slate. They arrive inheriting everything else that has gone ahead of them, not just from the previous president but two and three presidents previously. So, L.Z., how do you se that as being a factor in all of this? Or is that just too much, is that an overstatement?

GRANDERSON: Well, I think that, you know, both parties are guilty of pretending whatever party was in control beforehand did nothing right. And I think what that does is it can put us in a position of starting at zero. And I think that's a problem with President Obama's facing now. The same thing that W. faced before him, is that when the opposing party is saying every decision they made is absolutely wrong and nothing they did is right, the American people aren't able to build on what is good.

You know, again, I keep saying, this isn't just about foreign policy. I mean, there were things in health care reform such as not kicking you off in the event that you become ill that I think is very good. But when you say that everything about Obamacare is wrong, it doesn't allow us to decipher what is good. And I think that is what's really crippling us as a nation. We aren't civil with each and so, we can't find real solutions.

FEYERICK: Sure. Well, maybe next position that we should think about electing is a maybe a mediator-in-chief or somebody who can weigh the goods from both sides so that each party doesn't have to start all over again, presenting ideas. And we maybe build and possibly get somewhere on compromise.

Will Cain, L.Z. Granderson -- sorry, we couldn't get you up there on the Skype machine. We're going to do better there next time.

CAIN: Missed his pretty face.

(CROSSTALK)

GRANDERSON: -- this outfit I'm wearing, too.

FEYERICK: Well, appreciate you being here with us. Thanks so much, gentlemen.

Well, America's game goes global. The Bears and buccaneers kick it off in London. The action from across the pond and why the NFL is hot for Europe. Coming up in two minutes.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FEYERICK: The NFL's Chicago Bears and Tampa Bay Buccaneers squared of today in London.

Now, this is not the first time that the league has played a game across the pond. So, what's the reasoning behind it? Are the Brits really craving some live American football action?

Patrick Snell from CNN Sports joins me with a recap of today's action.

First of all, Patrick, who won? Bring us up to speed?

PATRICK SNELL, CNN SPORTS: Well, it was an occasion there at Wembley Stadium in London, which traditionally hosts the big soccer matches there, the national stadium in England. But in the end, it will be a victory for Chicago Bears against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

And I think -- this was an exciting game. They had about 75,000 inside of it. It was good for the public to see. It was 24-18 in the end. The Bears led 21-5 basically going to the fourth quarter, and they had but touchdowns by Matt Forte, Roy Williams, Marion Barber.

And then in the end, the Buccaneers couldn't quite -- you know, couldn't quite hold it off. Chicago winning 24 to 18. It's been really an exciting time for these players. It's a real eye opener going to these major European capitals.

The NFL, remember, this is a regular post-season game as well, Deb.

FEYERICK: So, is it -- are we -- this isn't part of a swap like we're not going to get rugby teams coming here and we send there football and they us rugby. Is there really a huge interest? And was the stadium sold out?

SNELL: Well, you know, I grew up in the U.K. and I can tell you football, or as you put it, soccer -- football as we call it in the United Kingdom, very much rules the roost there. I think this is a one-off. I think the NFL would be best served keeping it, you know, the last five years it has been one game a season.

There has been talk of maybe down the line doing sort of two in the same season. But I think it maybe too much of a good thing. It's very much football, soccer all the way -- and this is a nation obsessed with the sport of soccer.

FEYERICK: Absolutely. Don't they call this in the U.K., they call it American football?

SNELL: They -- or should I say we -- call it American football, yes.

FEYERICK: Exactly. All right. Patrick Snell, thank you so much. We really appreciate it. Thanks so much. Maybe we will see rugby going over there.

And, by the way, travel, jet lag any issues there between --

SNELL: I think, you know, some of the players, you know, they talk about going shopping and acclimatizing is a little bit difficult. That's why I think it's important just to keep it at one, because I think, two, you'd be permanently back and forth across the pond, as we say, across that transatlantic flight. I think it would take its toll. These are finely honed professionals, of course, and their body clock, their sleep -- all those things -- their diet, are absolutely vital.

FEYERICK: All right. Patrick, thanks so much. Appreciate that.

Well, we first told you yesterday about that German satellite plunging to earth. But scientists had no idea where it would land. So, where is it now? We'll update you. And just ahead, a young woman's powerful and painful story, and the comments by Rush Limbaugh that made her take a stand.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FEYERICK: Conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh is known for disagreeing with President Obama. But a former child slave says his recent criticism was so skewed that she had to set the record straight.

The controversy involves the president's decision to send 100 U.S. troops to Uganda and elsewhere in Central Africa to help bring down this man, Joseph Kony, and his military group the Lord's Resistance Army.

Listen to Limbaugh as he defends the LRA.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

EVELYN APOKO, FORMER CHILD SLAVE: I have witnessed the spirit of Joseph Kony and it is not from God. Abducting young people from their home and forcing them to become something that is not meant to be. I don't want anymore children to go through what I went through.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

RUSH LIMBAUGH, RADIO TALK SHOW HOST: Lord's Resistance Army are Christians. They are fighting the Muslims in Sudan. And Obama has sent troops, United States troops, to remove them from the battlefield, which means kill them. So, that's a new war -- 100 troops to wipe out Christians in Sudan, Uganda.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN ANCHOR: Well, I spoke to Evelyn Apoko. She told me that she hopes Rush Limbaugh will respond.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

EVELYN APOKO, FORMER SLAVE OF THE LRA: It made me upset me a lot. I get very angry and I don't want to talk about it. But I embrace myself. I say I cannot keep quiet on what he had said because it's not right. So I decided to do something about it, take action out of it so to let the world know that sometimes what we hear without getting the background of it, sometimes is not true.

FEYERICK: So the Lord's Resistance Army, what did they do to you, specifically? Because it was a horrifying thing.

APOKO: The Lord's Resistance Army, they abducted me as a child from my parents, from the home where I grew up, and they talk me in the bush with a lot of hundred thousand of kids also were there with me.

FEYERICK: What is it that you want Rush Limbaugh to say? Because right now, he is not changing his statements since he made them two Fridays ago. What do you want to hear from Rush Limbaugh?

APOKO: I want him to understand that what he has said is not right.

FEYERICK: I see you are I wearing a dog tag around your neck. Tell me about that. What's the significance?

APOKO: This dog tag represents a thousand kids who have been abducted from their parents. Some of them are still missing and some of them made it back home and some which I'm not sure where they are.

FEYERICK: What do you think of President Obama's move to help Uganda fight the LRA, the Lord's Resistance Army?

APOKO: Joseph Kerry (ph) continues to abduct young people in Congo right now. And some of them are still dying. I think if the troops went to Africa, I don't think the kids would be fear or live with fear or even (INAUDIBLE) themselves. They would be happy.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FEYERICK: Evelyn Apoko's face is disfigured by an explosion she experienced while she was being held captive by the Lord's Resistance Army. We tried to reach Rush Limbaugh for comment. We were unable to reach him. You can read a lot more about Evelyn's story by going to CNN.com. It is featured in the middle of the page. It is very powerful.

Checking some of tonight's headlines. At least 138 people now confirmed dead in eastern Turkey following a major earthquake. The 7.2 quake struck midday near the city of Van, which sits next to a large lake. Powerful aftershocks have been frequent including a separate 6.0 an hour ago. The Red Crescent put out an urgent call for rescue workers, heavy equipment and drinking water.

New video shows Libyan fighters congratulating the man they say killed Moammar Gadhafi. If true, this video contradicts the government's story that the former dictator was killed in a cross fire of a battle with his own loyalists. An autopsy revealed that Gadhafi was killed by a gunshot wound to the head. Through a lawyer, his son, Saadi, said he was outraged by the vicious brutality of the murder of his father.

And the IndyCar racing community, including Dan Wheldon's teammates, remembered the racer today as a devoted family man and a practical joker. They gathered for a memorial for him at Conseco Field House in Indianapolis. Wheldon was a two-time winner of the Indianapolis 500. His wife and two young sons were also at the memorial. Jon Wertheim, senior writer for "Sports Illustrated," will join us with a lot more on Wheldon's legacy, coming up ahead.

And the American killed by a shark off the coast of Western Australia has been identified as George Thomas Wainwright of Texas. Police say teeth marks show it was a great white shark that attacked the 32-year-old Wainwright, who had been working in Australia. They say Wainwright was diving alone when his friends, who were not in the water, noticed a lot of air bubbles flowing from a plume of blood. His mother lives in Panama City, Florida. She said his body is to be returned within the week.

Scientists say a decommissioned German satellite entered the earth's atmosphere late Saturday. They're not saying whether any pieces survived reentry. Up to 30 pieces of space debris could hit land or water, depending on where it broke. And Europe, Africa and Australia appear to be safe.

And it did enter the atmosphere and we are going to see Alexandra Steel, who has been following this.

And you were -- last night, you cleared us and said it's not coming towards Europe, not the United States, but it did reenter. Tell us about it.

ALEXANDRA STEELE, AMS METEOROLOGIST: It did. It entered at 10:00 last night, right while we were on the air. It was pretty exciting -- in Southeast Asia, there's no word yet on any debris found. Most likely, it is in the Indian Ocean or in China. There were two big cities along the flight path but, of course, if there was a very populated area and debris, we would know about it. As of yet, nothing has been spotted. But certainly quite interesting.

(WEATHER REPORT)

FEYERICK: What is fascinating is it has been so beautiful here in Atlanta. Not humid, very cool and clear. It's almost like New York weather.

STEELE: And a beautiful week ahead, too in the southeast.

FEYERICK: Exactly.

(CROSSTALK)

FEYERICK: And I'm a small town girl from Manhattan so when I come down here --

STEELE: There you go, big city slicker.

FEYERICK: -- the weather's all nice.

(LAUGHTER)

Works for me.

Thank you so much, Alexandra.

Coming up, Mississippi's ugly past is suddenly present. Reaction to a shocking video showing a black man being beaten and run over. Not from the '60s but from earlier this year. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FEYERICK: The assistant police chief in Brandon, Mississippi, called the brutal killing of an African-American man an isolated incident, but was it, in fact, a mission of hate? A gang of white teens is accused of beating James Anderson and then running him over with a truck. Drew Griffin asks the question, almost a half century after the height of the civil rights struggle, is Mississippi still burning?

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DREW GRIFFIN, CNN INVESTIGATIVE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The death of James Craig Anderson was like the dark Mississippi past come back to life. Prosecutor Robert Smith had only heard the tales of racial hatred from his grandfather, who helped and even housed civil rights leaders like Martin Luther King Jr. It was before Smith was born, back in the '60s. Both men were shot down in a terrible wave of racial violence.

On June 26th, that ugly past was suddenly present.

(on camera): When you first saw the surveillance video, what was your reaction?

ROBERT SMITH, DISTRICT ATTORNEY, HINDS COUNTY, MISSISSIPPI: Certainly breathtaking, unbelievable. I thought about the fact that that could have been anyone, including myself.

GRIFFIN (voice-over): The district attorney has charged Darryl Denmon, the teen driving the truck that killed Anderson, with capital murder. A second teen, John Rice, has been charged with simple assault. Five other white teens who were there have not been charged.

Anderson's family has kept their grief and frustration mostly private. But after a court hearing, Anderson's sister could not contain her emotions.

BARBARA ANDERSON YOUNG, SISTER OF JAMES ANDERSON: Go to Brandon, Mississippi. Go to Brandon, Mississippi, and get those other five murders, who committed such a horrendous, violent act against my beloved brother, James Craig Anderson.

GRIFFIN: You have to drive east to get to Brandon, across the Pearl River, the invisible line that seems to separate black Mississippi from white.

While in Jackson, Anderson's killing prompted marches and a call for healing, in Brandon, the reaction has been mostly silent.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FEYERICK: Keep it here. Soledad O'Brien and Dr. Sanjay Gupta will team up tonight at 8:00 p.m. eastern for a special edition of "CNN Presents." They will have more of "Mississippi Still Burning." Then "Forgotten Heroes," a backstage, all-access pass to rock out with KISS in "KISS, Incorporated."

After a quick break, it's not just this country mourning the loss of a top speed racer. Another devastating crash today. This one overseas.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FEYERICK: It's been one week since the racing world lost one of its favorite sons, Dan Wheldon. Now another race track tragedy hits, this time, in Malaysia.

CNN international editor, Azadeh Ansari, joins me with this story.

This motor bike racer, it's so hard to watch this video. These young guys out for the thrill.

AZADEH ANSARI, CNN INTERNATIONAL DESK EDITOR: Absolutely, Deb. If you look at the video, it is traumatic to see what happened. You have a 24-year-old Italian motorcyclist, Marco Simoncelli, at the height of his career. He crosses the lanes -- and I want to see the video -- we will get to it in a second -- but you can actually see the collision that took place. Simoncelli, he loses control of his bike, swerves in front of two other riders, and in the process of doing that, the impact of the collision, he loses his helmet and he's lying unconscious on the floor. You can see here, impact and then he loses his helmet. You can see him lying there on the tracks itself. They red-flagged the race. Medics rushed to the scene but they weren't able to do anything because of the nature of the accident, what happened to him?

(CROSSTALK)

FEYERICK: It was so immediate.

(CROSSTALK)

FEYERICK: It was so immediate. When you see him being taken out there, is it clear -- was he leaning too much? Was he trying to cross the track?

ANSARI: Not at this point, it is not, but these motorcycles can go up to speeds of like 200 miles an hour. Regardless, once that impact is made, it is hard to regain control and try to gain your track and go forward.

FEYERICK: Plus, you were so exposed. They did show, up here before us, there was a man who was holding his head, that was his father, his father being told the news.

Let's move to politics. This election is today in Tunisia. That is the country that the world considers the inspiration for the Arab Spring, this year's string of revolutions in the Middle East and North Africa. The elections there today. What's going on?

ANSARI: An unprecedented number of voters turned out. Estimates say about 70 percent of the voters came out to cast ballots. It is historic on many fronts. Not just their first democratic elections but also, whoever they appoint to the constitutional assembly will be responsible for drafting a new constitution for the country. So you have 95 candidates, 60 political parties, thousand of independents for 218 seats and the polls closed actually just recently.

FEYERICK: What fascinating, it is almost like seeing the Declaration of Independence written but in these various countries.

Finally, I understand that Scotland, archaeologist found a burial site of a Viking who died about 1,000 years ago?

ANSARI: This is a big discovery in the world of archeology. They found it in the Scotland Highlands. You can see the boat, the burial boat that they found him in, was about 16-feet long. In this burial boat, this warrior, which is considered to be a high-ranking official, based on what they found in the burial boat. He had a sword, a bronze ring pen. And you can see archaeologist excavating the site. But when they found it, it was intact.

FEYERICK: That's fascinating.

ANSARI: That's one of the marking points of this whole --

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FEYERICK: Absolutely. Usually, you see it with the pharaohs, less with the Vikings.

Azadeh, I'm sorry. Thank you so much.

ANSARI: You're very welcome, Deb.

FEYERICK: Really interesting.

When can it be a good thing to have a NFL trade voided before it can happen? How about when it may have saved a player's life. We will talk about that twist of fate with Jon Wertheim from "Sports Illustrated," coming up three minutes away.

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FEYERICK: Well, Albert Pujols joined some exclusive company last night as the St. Louis Cardinals took a two-games-to-one World Series lead over Texas.

Joining us now to talk about it is Jon Wertheim of "Sports Illustrated."

Jon, thanks so much.

And here's this week's cover, focusing on the series and the Rangers' Nelson Cruz.

Jon, first of all, tell us about Pujols' amazing night last night. He did something that most people have never done. JON WERTHEIM, SR. INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER, SPORTS ILLUSTRATED: Only two players have ever done it. Albert Pujols hit three home runs in a World Series game. He had been sort of a go to game two. He made a bad in the ninth inning. Comes back last night, game three. This was the offensive equivalent of a no hitter. Three home runs, five hits, six RBIs, probably the single best offensive game in World Series history. And he showed why he's been the best baseball player over the past decade or so. Just a tremendous offensive game.

FEYERICK: That's remarkable. Now, he is a free agent at the end of the series. He's asking for a lot of money. Do you think the Cardinals are going to balk? Do you think they're going to be able to keep him?

WERTHEIM: You know, it's really one of the interesting things of this series, really this whole season, where you've got this great player who has this contract coming up. He's going to be 32 in January, so do you bestow that kind of money of a player of that age. But last night, he showed what he's capable of. Especially if St. Louis can win this World Series, I suspect he'll stay in St. Louis for a lot of money.

FEYERICK: That's good. We don't want another Lebron James thing going on where he leaves and -- anyway.

(LAUGHTER)

Turning to the tragic death of IndyCar driver, Dan Wheldon, a memorial service was held today in Indianapolis. And a meeting is scheduled tomorrow to discuss the accident. Can we expect safety changes? Is that a possibility?

WERTHEIM: Yes, I think we'll have some safety changes. We'll probably move more of these IndyCar races to road tracks and not the banked ovals. But we've had about a week to grieve, and now the discussion will be, what can we do to make this sport safer. But at some level, these are cars going in excess of 200 miles per hour. There's only so much that can be done. After Dale Earnhardt died about a decade ago, NASCAR made some very meaningful changes. Hopefully, IndyCar will do the same. But the nature of the sport is such, it's never going to be golf.

(LAUGHTER)

Speed is what it's predicated on. It can only be so safe.

FEYERICK: And one article I was reading says, people who watch race car driving, they love that thrill and that excitement. They love that on the edge of the oval.

Let's switch to this. An NFL trade this week may have actually saved a player's life. Tell us what happened.

WERTHEIM: Yes, Jerome Harrison, a player for Detroit, was traded to Philadelphia. He went through this physical, which is routine, it's standard after every trade. And he complained about headaches. And I think that really speaks well of him. A lot of players probably wouldn't have complained, given the context. He said, look, I've been getting these headaches and the doctors checked him out and they found he had a brain tumor. The trade was voided. He underwent surgery and had it removed. But you talk about blessings in disguises. This is a player that a week ago was on his Philadelphia, and now he's lucky to be where he is.

FEYERICK: And prognosis? Is he going to return to the NFL ultimately?

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WERTHEIM: You know, he's not playing anymore this season. Yes, they haven't ruled out playing in the future. He won't play anymore this season, but they haven't ruled out returning to football.

FEYERICK: All right. Jon Wertheim of "Sports Illustrated," and author of the book, "Scorecasting." Thanks so much for joining us today.

We're three minutes away from a live report out of Turkey. The search for survivors underway right now after a powerful earthquake flattens dozens of buildings.

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