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Jena Case Updated; Plane Crash on I-95; University of Delaware Shootings
Aired September 22, 2007 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: From the CNN Center, this is CNN NEWSROOM. It is Saturday, September 22nd, 10 a.m. here in Atlanta, 9 a.m. along the Gulf Coast. Good morning everybody, I'm Betty Nguyen.
ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST: And I'm Rob Marciano in for T.J. Holmes today. Here's what's coming up, straight in the NEWSROOM.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Just 24 hours after a massive, violence-free rally in the Louisiana town of Jena, the FBI is looking into a racist backlash, seemingly menacing acts online and on the streets.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MARCIANO: First the march, now aftermath. A community already on edge feels the backlash.
NGUYEN: Also, how did this pilot survive a nose dive into Florida's I-95? We're going to take a look.
Plus this --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I didn't realize a police officer was behind me. I tried to pull over and hit a tree and the car burst into flames.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MARCIANO: That's right, a dramatic rescue caught on tape. We'll have that story.
NGUYEN: But new this morning, more nooses reportedly found at a school and this time in North Carolina. Students and faculty say four nooses were found hanging from a tree yesterday at Andrews High School in High Point. School officials, mindful of a similar incident in Jena, Louisiana, wasted no time in bringing in police and said such actions will not be tolerated.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SONYA CONWAY, GUILFORD CO. SCHOOLS: We also recognize that the more tension, ideas start bubbling up that maybe weren't there to begin with, so we hope you all work with us and also convey how serious something like this is.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: For now, extra security has been called in and students can get counseling if they need it. Police say they are looking into several reasons as to why those nooses may have been found hanging there.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LT. KEN STEELE, HIGH POINT POLICE: If we can get information that it was a hate motivated crime, we can go that route. Or it could be, when I was going to high school, if you have football rituals, you'd have football rituals where you'd do that if the other team is coming to play on your turf.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: The school says they will press charges against anyone involved.
MARCIANO: In Jena, Louisiana, Jena 6 defendant Mychal Bell remains behind bars today.
The court yesterday refused to release Bell even though his conviction in the beating of a white student was tossed out. It's not known exactly what happened in the courtroom because legal proceedings involving juveniles are generally sealed from the public. Thursday's rally on behalf of the Jena 6 appears to be having some effect though, but not the kind anyone wants. CNN's David Mattingly explains.
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DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The Web site proudly displays a swastika on its home page. Inside, one posting reveals the addresses of the Jena 6 saying, quote, "In case anyone wants to deliver justice." The site is editing by a white supremacist whose own words can be heard in this streaming audio.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I would like to go down there and put a bullet in each one of those little black kids that they have acquitted or they've let off on these convictions for beating this white child.
MATTINGLY: Asked if he brought any harm to the Jena 6 with his postings, the editor told CNN, "I don't know that doing justice can be considered doing harm." Just 24 hours after a massive violence-free rally in the Louisiana town of Jena, the FBI is looking into a racist backlash, seemingly menacing acts online and on the streets.
Forty-five minutes south of Jena, two teens were caught on tape in this exclusive CNN i-Report in Alexandria. They had nooses tied to the back of their pickup and driving past crowds of people who had attended the marches and rallies. Alexandria resident and i-Report contributor Casanova Love couldn't believe his eyes.
(on camera): Do you think the chance was there that somebody could have gotten hurt?
CASANOVA LOVE, I-REPORTER: Possibly. Possibly. You never know. It's 50/50. It's 50/50 chance.
MATTINGLY: It happened right here on Main Street. A large crowd had gathered at this bus station after the rally, people wanting to catch a bus and go home that night. That's when someone in the crowd noticed a pickup truck driving by with the nooses attached. There was a police officer on duty right here. He was alerted. And that truck was stopped in just a matter of blocks.
(voice-over): Another exclusive i-Report shows the police taking one of the two into custody. 18-year-old Jeremiah Munson was booked on misdemeanor charges of inciting a riot, driving while intoxicated and contributing to the delinquency of a minor. He's out on bail. His 16- year-old companion remains in juvenile custody, accused of under age drinking and a probation violation. In the arrest report, the teen tells police he has a KKK tattoo and his parents were active in the Klan. Alexandria police say there is no indication any group was involved.
(on camera): Was it a prank?
CHIEF DAREN COUTEE, ALEXANDRIA POLICE DEPT: Obviously more of a prank than anything else. We think so anyway. But during this kind of atmosphere of course, pranks like that that don't go over very well.
MATTINGLY (voice-over): The crowd applauded as police took them away. Officers found an unloaded rifle and brass knuckles in the car. But investigators do not believe the two suspects intended to use them. Police and the mayor say felony charges are being explored, as well as charges of hate crimes.
David Mattingly, CNN, Alexandria, Louisiana.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MARCIANO: Coming up in 30 minutes, we'll talk to two people who took part in the Jena march. Jeremy Cormier and Reginald McKinley are college students who will share their Jena experience with us.
NGUYEN: And we do want to know what you think this morning. Should hanging or displaying a noose be considered a prank or a hate crime? E-mail us your thoughts at this address: weekends@CNN.com.
MARCIANO: And tonight on CNN, a special encore presentation of "Judgment in Jena." Kyra Phillips gets to the heart of the crisis gripping a small southern town, justice in black and white. "Judgment in Jena," that's tonight at 7:00 Eastern.
NGUYEN: On the lookout for severe weather this morning, but for people on the Gulf Coast, it may not be coming. An expected tropical storm failed to develop, giving everyone there a chance to breathe a sigh of relief.
Now the news is not so good in southern Georgia. A storm there turned over a trailer and uprooted some trees. Luckily though, there were no injuries.
And there is similar clean-up needed in Lake County, Florida this morning. A tornado damaged at least 50 homes. The National Weather Service says winds reached 105 miles-per-hour. Some storm.
MARCIANO: Uh-huh. But as that storm moved into the Gulf, the Gulf Coast dodging a bit of a bullet this morning. A weather bullet, of course. There's still a chance they can test out their disaster plan, certainly if not now, later in the hurricane season. CNN's Kara Finnstrom joins us live from New Orleans. Certainly they were on edge, Kara, at this storm rolled their way.
KARA FINNSTROM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, a huge relief for this city which is still recovering from the devastation of Katrina. As you mentioned, local forecasters here saying they have really dodged a bullet with this system, really just expecting maybe an inch of rain later this afternoon.
We can see some of the storm clouds starting to roll in, but it hasn't rained here yet. Had this developed into Tropical Storm Jerry as was first anticipated, this would have been the first serious tropical weather event for this city since Katrina, which left about 80 percent of this city under water for weeks.
So officials here very much working on the side of being cautious. They brought in sandbags, did all kinds of things to make sure they were prepared for this. And we spoke with some New Orleans resident whose also say they took the storm a little more seriously than they would have before Katrina.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Unfortunately because of the past, we are better prepared. And people now take something that we didn't take as serious very serious now, I think we'll save a lot of lives in the future and we'll all be a lot happier.
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FINNSTROM: And Rob, emergency officials here say the good thing out of all of this was a great exercise in preparedness.
MARCIANO: Well let's hope they don't have to go through the real thing later this year. Kara Finnstrom, live for us in New Orleans - thanks, Kara.
NGUYEN: Let's get the latest on the weather outside this morning. And for that, I could turn to both of you guys, but you know what, we're going to let Reynolds Wolf take it from here. Hey, Reynolds.
(WEATHER REPORT)
NGUYEN: Well Blackwater is back in the headlines this morning. Federal prosecutors in North Carolina are looking into allegations that employees of the private security firm have been smuggling weapons into Iraq. Blackwater is based in North Carolina and the State Department hired the company to protect U.S. staffers in Iraq. Well Blackwater was sidelined a little bit earlier this week as you recall over allegation guards killed Iraqi civilians. CNN's Alessio Vinci joins us now live from Iraq. Bring us up to speed on the situation with Blackwater there?
ALESSIO VINCI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, first of all, regarding those allegations, a source within the Blackwater is telling CNN at this time that indeed two of its employees were caught in the year 2005 illegally selling weapons here in Iraq using company assets without the company knowledge.
Therefore back then, the company first of all, fired these two employees and reported them to the U.S. federal authorities, to the ATF and therefore was cooperating with that investigation.
So reports earlier today that Blackwater, the alleged Blackwater was involved in the federal weapons probe are in the words of Blackwater, baseless. That it is cooperating with authorities to investigate those two employees that were fired and were caught illegally smuggling or selling weapons into Iraq.
As to the operations here in Baghdad, they basically have resumed at full speed here today on Saturday. Already yesterday they were already being going out with protecting U.S. embassy staff on a case by case basis.
But the operations here is now under -- is under way, they are escorting U.S. embassy staffers throughout Baghdad no longer only within the international zone, the highly-protected international zone.
We have not heard from Iraqi officials here as to their reaction regarding the resumption of these operations. As you do know, Iraqi officials have demanded that Blackwater immediately stop its operations because it allegedly killed as many as 20 civilians in an incident last Sunday involving Blackwater security guards.
Iraqi officials have even urged U.S. State Department officials to actually drop Blackwater altogether, send them back home and hire a different company.
Meantime, both Iraqi and the American governments have established a joint commission and this commission will have to look at the entire security situation here and how the private security firms operate in this country especially under whose authority. Betty?
NGUYEN: Alessio Vinci joining us live from Baghdad this morning. Thank you, Alessio.
MARCIANO: And Iraq is in focus today at the United Nations. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is scheduled to meet there with Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki and U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki- moon. NGUYEN: Well on the road to recovery. CNN was there when little Youssif was wheeled in for his first surgery. We're going to update you on how he's doing.
KATHLEEN KOCH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Kathleen Koch in Dover, Delaware where the search continues for a gunman who shot two students and put a campus in lockdown. A live report straight ahead and this.
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DANA HAMILTON, FRIEND: I do believe she's in distress of some sort because she's just not the kind of person who would just leave without a trace.
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MARCIANO: A young Chicago woman missing since Tuesday. The family and friends are worried. The latest on the search, straight ahead in the CNN NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MARCIANO: Well, Chicago police want your help. They're searching for 28-year-old Nalah Franklin. Franklin, a pharmaceutical rep, was last heard from on Tuesday. That's when she was reportedly sent a text message to her boyfriend in Milwaukee. Since then there's been no word from her and she didn't show up at her job. Family and friends are definitely worried.
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HAMILTON: I do believe she's in distress of some sort because she's just not the kind of person who would just leave without a trace.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It defies explanation. I know -- I mean that sounds dramatic, she's not the type of person who would be like oh I'm just going to get away.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MARCIANO: Police say Franklin had recently filed a report about telephone threats she received, but she hadn't asked for protection. Authorities say if you know anything about this missing woman, please contact the police.
In another search going on this morning, this one for a suspect in the shooting at Delaware State University. Two students were wounded in Friday's campus attack. CNN's Kathleen Koch is in Dover, Delaware. She joins us live with the latest. Good morning, Kathleen.
KOCH: Good morning, Rob. And yes, the latest is that authorities here at Delaware State University have questioned and released two persons of interest.
But from what we're told, the gunman responsible for these shootings is still at large. The officials here on campus are really downplaying the circumstances of the shooting that occurred early Friday morning. They say it was just before 1:00 a.m. when a group of eight to 10 students was leaving a campus dining hall. They made their way to a pedestrian mall area nearby which point a gun was produced.
Four to six shots were fired, striking two 17-year-old students from the Washington, D.C. area. Now the "Washington Post" this morning is identifying them as Shalita Middleton and Nathaniel Pugh. Now Middleton was shot twice in the abdomen. She's in serious condition. Pugh shot once in the ankle and he is in stable condition.
University officials are saying, they're very clear, this is not a case, they say, of terrorism, not a crazed gunman loose on campus, but a case of, quote, "our own students making incredibly poor choices."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ALLEN L. SESSOMS, PRESIDENT, DSU: We have indications and Chief Overton will talk about this is what we have seen is students against students. This is an internal problem for this university. There are no externalities in this one. These are just kids who did very, very stupid things. I don't think we can characterize it in any way, just stupid things and we've got to deal with that. We're going to try return to normalcy.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KOCH: Now returning to normal does mean classes resuming though officials say they're looking at that. They haven't made a decision yet. Obviously they're hoping to begin to resume classes Monday morning. The campus is partially open today, but for students only, Rob. They're only letting them come on campus for sporting events. Back to you.
MARCIANO: Kathleen Koch, live for us in Dover, Delaware. Thanks, Kathleen.
NGUYEN: Well the legal fate of Warren Jeffs is now up to a Utah jury. The polygamist sect leader is accused as an accomplice to a first degree rape. This case involves a young woman who was allegedly coerced into marrying an older cousin when she was just 14-years-old.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: His church, his religious beliefs, his religion is what's on trial here, being dressed up as a crime called rape.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If anyone told a 14-year-old girl that she must get married and that she must -- and when she asked how he said no, he would be here, too.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: Deliberations resume on Monday. If he is convict of the charge, Jeffs could spend the rest of his life in prison.
MARCIANO: A survival story you're going to have to see to believe.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The guy in the airplane looked like he was dead. Then he started moving.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MARCIANO: We're going to show you how this Florida pilot cheated death.
But first -
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
AARON JACKSON, CNN HERO: People get their water sometimes from puddles, streams. I've seen kids playing in sewage and also drinking from the same water.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: But something is being done about that. We're going to show you a mission to bring clean water to the children of Haiti, how this CNN Hero is doing it. That's straight ahead in the CNN NEWSROOM.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARCIANO: Aaron Jackson grew up in Florida, living a comfortable life. He says his travels around the world made him want to help other people. Now his mission is to save poor children, starting with Haiti. This week, Aaron Jackson is our CNN Hero.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JACKSON: Haiti is the most water poor country in the world. It's probably the most environmentally destroyed country in the world. In Haiti, people get their water sometimes from puddles, streams. I've seen kids playing in sewage and also drinking from the same water.
Haiti not having proper sanitation, a lot of people are infected with intestinal parasites.
When you see a child with an extended belly, that's intestinal worms. The average worms eats up to about 20 percent of a child's nutritional intake a day.
This is the difference between life and death in a lot of situations.
My name is Aaron Jackson and it's my goal to de-worm the entire world.
I grew up in Destin, Florida, playing golf every day of my life. I decided to travel and when I traveled, it really opened my eyes to what the world was really like.
In Haiti, we have four orphanages, an intestinal parasite program and also medical clinics.
When we show up to a community to de-worm, we educate the people on ways to prevent to get worms again -- washing the vegetables, cooking the meat a little longer, wearing shoes when you go outside are ways to help prevent catching the worms.
When we first go into an orphanage and we de-worm them, the children look very zombie like, no livelihood in their face.
And that's the scary thing, because you have to tell kids that tonight, the worms will be leaving your body in some shape or form. And then after we de-worm, they come back to life. Literally within weeks you can see that they're playing again and smiling.
For a pack of cigarettes, you can de-worm 250 children -- a whole school.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Aaron is a great person and I'm so blessed to know him and work together with him. Investing in children is investing in a country and that really makes things different in the future.
JACKSON: Well, me and the children, we've become like family, you know?
They call me Papa Jackson. These kids are my kids.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MARCIANO: You can go to CNN.com/Heroes to check out Aaron Jackson, Papa Jackson in the streets of Haiti visiting one of his orphanage. And while you're there, you can also nominate your own hero. The address is CNN.com/Heroes. Betty?
NGUYEN: So, Rob, how did a school fight become a national movement? We're going to take a closer look at the story that sparked the protest.
VERONICA DE LA CRUZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Veronica de la Cruz at the dot.com desk. We're going to tell you what you had to say about the reports of nooses being hung in different parts of the country. Should this old symbol of the segregated south be considered a prank or a hate crime? Your e-mails straight ahead in the NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MARCIANO: So-called Jena 6 defendant Mychal Bell remains behind bars this morning. A Louisiana judge refused to release Bell yesterday, even though his conviction in the beating of a white student was overturned. Friday's hearing came a day after thousands demonstrated in Jena demanding Bell's release. Some background now from CNN's Susan Roesgen.
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SUSAN ROESGEN, CNN GULF COAST CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): At Jena High School, a small patch of dirt has become part of modern civil rights history. This is the spot where the trouble began.
Last year, a tree stood on this spot, a tree that had traditionally been a gathering place for white students. But when black students challenged that, three white students hung nooses from the branches and were suspended. The incident divided the town.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I was very offended, because that's a racial slur against us.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think a couple boys made a mistake, you know. But I think it's all being blown out of proportion.
ROESGEN: Racial tension escalated and last December a white student named Justin Barker was knocked unconscious and kicked as he lay on the floor. These are photographs of Barker's injuries taken by the police.
KELLI BARKER, MOTHER OF JUSTIN BARKER: Several lacerations on both sides. Both ears was kind of really damaged, and both eyes. His right eye was the worst. It had blood clots in it.
ROESGEN: Barker was taken to the hospital, but was released the same day and attended a school ceremony that night. Six black classmates were eventually arrested and initially charged with attempted murder.
In the last few weeks, the charges have been reduced to aggravated battery, but that's still a felony that carries a prison term of more than 20 years. One of the Jena 6, as they're called, told CNN he didn't even see what happened.
ROBERT BAILEY, ACCUSED: You know, like, when a fight break out, all the kids just run to see the fight. That's just how it was. And everybody was in one part. You really couldn't see nothing. So when I'm running to see what's going on, I got down there and the fight was over with.
ROESGEN: A state appeals court last week overturned the conviction of one of the six black teenagers, Mychal Bell. But Bell is still in jail, and the local district attorney, Reed Walters, says he should stay there.
REED WALTERS, DISTRICT ATTORNEY: He was the instigator of this attack. And given his previous criminal history, I felt like that was the appropriate thing to do.
ROESGEN: The future for all of the Jena 6 is still very much uncertain, with the teenagers still facing the possibility of years behind bars. And even one white family in Jena says that's wrong.
KRISTY BOYETTE, RESIDENT: Because of the racist stuff that's going on here, we're not going to keep our children in the public schools here. So we have bought a house, and we're moving.
ROESGEN: But others are determined to stay in a small town being torn apart.
Susan Roesgen, CNN, Jena, Louisiana.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: Well, it is a day thousands of people who took part in the Jena 6 rally will never forget.
But what kind of impact did they make in Jena, Louisiana?
Defendant Mychal Bell remains jailed for now. And just hours after the march showing support for the Jena 6, racial tension flared again in an incident involving nooses.
Jeremy Cormier and Reginald McKinley are both students at Atlanta's Morehouse College and they're joining me now with their story, because they took part in the protest there in Jena.
And let me start with you, Reginald, because I want you to bring us up to date with what has recently happened with the nooses in the truck there in Alexandria, Louisiana; also the nooses at the high school there in North Carolina.
Are you seeing this as a copy cat syndrome or do you see this as officials may be calling it just a prank or is it something more sinister than that?
REGINALD MCKINLEY, MOREHOUSE COLLEGE STUDENT: I think it's something deeper. And we have a responsibility, a civic responsibility, to look into each incident as if it is truly something that did occur on a higher level.
NGUYEN: Was it a hate crime?
MCKINLEY: It is a hate crime, because it has the intent to intimidate, which -- behind the racial motivation of it. And so that is, per se, the definition, in most states, of a hate crime. And so we need to be very resolute in prosecuting these individuals that are doing these pranks, because I think from the Jena situation, we understand how far a prank can go. And we need to be adult enough to head off anything that does occur that is not typical of the American way.
NGUYEN: Now, Jeremy, you are from Louisiana. You took part in the protests on Thursday.
How important was that to you to be there?
JEREMY CORMIER, MOREHOUSE COLLEGE STUDENT: It was very important for me because I've always said that that could happen to me in that jail cell. Being from Lafayette, Louisiana, a young African-American male. I would be truly missing out on the education at Morehouse College or any other institution that I would have applied to. So it was very important for me because it's not only, you know, something that could happen to myself, it could happen to anyone. And just for humankind, it's not correct.
NGUYEN: Reginald, you were there, as well.
Why do you think this story, this issue, the Jena 6, has struck a chord with so many people?
MCKINLEY: I think because -- I think it has struck a chord because we understand that this not a white or a black issue, this a human issue. This hits at the core of who we are as Americans, as civilians, as a person -- man and woman. Because injustice anywhere is injustice everywhere. And so this not a white, black or yellow issue, this is more or less if it could happen to you, it could happen to me.
Is there justice here?
Is there justice there?
And where do we stand with our judicial system?
Where do we stand with our educational system?
Where do we stand with -- in reference to careers and aspirations and motivations and self-esteem? And this struck so many different chords within the American youth, the American mass populous and within the world.
NGUYEN: I think you hit a key there, the American youth. Jeremy, this has really kind of, you know, created a new social consciousness, would you say, with the young people today?
CORMIER: Definitely. I would definitely say that it created a new social consciousness. Going down there and having an overwhelming response of young adults standing up for young adults and we're truly not going to let questions go unanswered anymore, because we could have been put in situations like that. And we need to make sure that it doesn't happen to anyone, no matter what race you are.
NGUYEN: So you want it to be more than just one day in history.
And, Reginald, you say that there's no finish line when it comes to equality.
So how do you keep up the momentum?
MCKINLEY: The civil rights movement is not something that will ever be finished because there's always farther that you can go. And the common understanding of Americans -- I often describe Americans as having ADD, because if -- what happened in Jena, Louisiana happens again, but the next day "American Idol" comes on, all of a sudden our focus switches there.
And so I think we have to be able to maintain, number one, a social consciousness. Number two, maintain our sense of civic responsibility. And, number three, we have to stay at a point where we keep the shock value and the awe inspiring aspects to this movement, because without that, those three aspects, I believe this could be just another day. And that's what we don't want to occur to the mass populous.
NGUYEN: Well, we appreciate you both for coming on and sharing your experience and what you hope to do in order to keep this movement going and to find the equality that everyone is seeking for.
We appreciate your time today.
Thank you both.
MCKINLEY: Thank you.
CORMIER: Thank you so much.
NGUYEN: Rob.
MARCIANO: Well, Betty, our e-mail question this morning, is a noose a prank or a hate crime, has provoked a lot of response.
VERONICA DE LA CRUZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes.
MARCIANO: Veronica de la Cruz from the Dot-Com Desk going through that.
DE LA CRUZ: As you can imagine, Rob, our in boxes have been jam packed full of your comments. Most of you out there do display the noose as a heinous act. But I do want to share a couple of these with you. Let's go ahead and start with this first e-mail.
Someone who does wish to remain anonymous views this as a crime and says there is only one use for that rope and we all know what it is. From Leon Guerrero in Oakland, California, who says: "The truth is these people who hang nooses are promoting terrorism. For the KKK is the biggest terrorist organization spawned by this country's shame and insecurity."
Linda in Horaceheads, New York writes: "While I agree that hanging nooses is disgusting and cruel, I do not believe it should be considered a hate crime. When you live in a country that has free speech, you unfortunately have to protect all speech, even the kind that is hurtful."
M. Radford in Georgia says: "Nooses were a very crass and ignorant prank, but not a crime. It should have been handled with the school authorities and parents of the offenders."
And check this out, Rob. Skip Abare has a pretty interesting take. He says: "I think that what we have here is a hate prank. Teenagers who would put nooses in trees and on trucks have been told some hateful things by their parents. I think they should have to do community service with their parents to pay for their ignorance."
And you, too, can weigh in with your thoughts by e-mailing us at weekend@CNN.com. Rob, those e-mails continue to pour in, so we're going to get back to some of them in the next hour.
MARCIANO: And very well thought out responses.
DE LA CRUZ: Yes.
MARCIANO: It's safe to say, it's, you know, generally speaking, it's not cool, what's been going on.
DE LA CRUZ: Right. Exactly.
MARCIANO: Thanks, Veronica.
Well, you can see an encore presentation of CNN's special investigative report, "Judgment in Jena". That is tonight at 7:00 p.m. Eastern only on CNN.
NGUYEN: And coming up, a vicious attack leaves a 5-year-old horribly burned. Now, though, a new beginning for this Iraqi boy and his family. Little Youssif has his first surgery and CNN was in the operating room. We're going to give you an update.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(WEATHER REPORT)
ERIK TORKELLS, EDITOR, "BUDGET TRAVEL": Bad weather can make flying a nightmare. With airlines so financially stretched, they're even less likely to be accommodating when bad weather strikes. So it's up to us to plan around it.
To avoid delays and cancellations, try to get on the earliest flight possible. Many flights are delayed because the plane was late arriving from its previous location. Your odds are better in the morning.
Fly on an airline that has more than one flight to the destination per day. If yours is canceled, at least you'll have a backup.
In the days before your departure, if you have reason to think that the weather may turn bad, call the airline and see if it will change your itinerary. Program the airline's phone number in your cell phone, along with your frequent flier number. As soon as you hear the flight is delayed, call as you dash to the nearest agent. You may also find better luck at the gate for the next flight to your destination or at one of the airline's self-service kiosks.
Because it's not in anyone's control, airlines don't have to give you anything if your flight is delayed. But it never hurts to ask for meal vouchers, hotel recommendations and discounts, anything.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) NGUYEN: Pulled from a burning car, literally.
Can you believe this?
A police patrolman saves the day.
That is straight ahead in the CNN NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MARCIANO: Well, Youssif's medical odyssey begins. The little boy who was cruelly attacked and disfigured in Iraq will need many operations to help repair his face. But going in for this first surgery was a huge hurdle for everyone involved.
CNN's Arwa Damon was there.
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
ARWA DAMON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): . A father's last touch. A mother's final hug. And little Youssif is taken away, his cries piercing his parents' hearts. The petrified 5-year- old's wails echoed down the hospital hallway.
"Mommy, mommy," he shrieked, fighting the doctors.
Finally, he went to sleep.
DR. PETER GROSSMAN, GROSSMAN BURN CENTER: . And right now, we've got great exposure. So I'm really happy.
DAMON: . And Dr. Peter Grossman and his team went to work. This is the first and main operation to try and restore what a vicious attack in Baghdad took from an innocent child. The doctors injected steroids into his swollen scars to flatten and soften them.
GROSSMAN: . We want to go slow -- controlling the bleeding.
Are you done next door?
DAMON: . Tissue expanders, balloon-like modules, were placed in his neck and right cheek.
GROSSMAN: . Right underneath where I am over here, as you get into the side of the neck, that's where you can get into trouble if you go too deep. That's where your carotid vessels are.
DAMON: . But everything went smoothly. The expanders will be fully inflated over the next three months to create good skin that will then be stretched over the scar tissue. The doctors also removed the scars running along his nose, covering them with temporary cadaver skin. Three-and-a-half hours later, Youssif's ordeal was over.
Dr. Grossman had warned the family that Youssif would be looking worse before he started to look better. But nothing could have prepared his young parents for this. Youssif starts to stir.
"My darling, my darling, I am here. Sleep, rest," Zaineb whispers, fighting back tears.
"I am next to you, Youssif. I am with you. No one will hurt you," Youssif's father says, struggling to keep his voice from cracking.
Trying to stay strong, holding on to the dream that one day, their child's agony will end.
Arwa Damon, CNN, Los Angeles.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MARCIANO: And as you saw, CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta and Arwa Damon were there in the operating room. And they will continue to follow the story of Youssif's surgeries.
And thousands of people, including you, the viewer, have responded to Youssif's story through CNN's Impact Your World initiative. And if you're looking for a way to make a difference for Youssif, you can just log on to CNN.com/impact and click on Iraq burn victim.
NGUYEN: In other news, Fidel Castro -- rumors and a reality check now. Cuban state TV airs a new interview with the Cuban leader. And on the tape, Castro responded to rumors he might be dead saying, "Well, here I am."
The journalist who did the interview said it was taped on Friday. Castro talked about current events like the price of oil and the release of former Fed Chairman's Alan Greenspan's new book. It is the first time that video of the ailing 81-year-old leader has been released since June.
MARCIANO: There he is in the track suit.
NGUYEN: The track suit.
MARCIANO: Straight ahead, two amazing survival stories.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It just kind of did a nose dive into the ground there.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MARCIANO: You won't believe how this guy survived this devastating plane crash.
NGUYEN: Also, he says he was just doing his job -- a police officer risked his life, in fact, to pull a driver from the fiery wreckage of this car.
You want to keep it right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: So Rob, people driving in Miami got a huge shock when a small plane slammed into the highway there.
MARCIANO: And the plane is destroyed, but somehow the pilot survived.
NGUYEN: Look at that.
MARCIANO: And then he's, you know, while he's stunned, he's looking at these onlookers just checking them out. He was still strapped into his seat.
We get more from Kerry Cod (ph) of our affiliate WFOR in Fort Lauderdale.
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
KERRY COD, WFOR CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): How did he survive?
Just minutes after impact, pilot Bob Robertson sat straight up, bloodied, broken as his plane rested in pieces all around him. Robertson's plane experienced trouble right after takeoff. He was unable to gain altitude and went down along the southbound lanes of I- 95 near Commercial Boulevard.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He just kind of did a nose dive right into the ground there.
COD: Stunned drivers watched it happen. Some rushed to help.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Then the guy in the airplane looked like he was dead and then he started moving.
COD: Amazingly, paramedics say Robertson was alert and conscious as they sent him to the hospital. Robertson underwent surgery and a friend tells CBS-4 he suffered a broken nose, broken leg and a head injury. He's expected to be OK.
Robertson was headed to the Bahamas, carrying cargo like clothes, shoes and car parts. He flies for Monarch Air Group.
LT. FRANK SOUSA, FORT LAUDERDALE POLICE DEPARTMENT: We're also very fortunate that no one else was injured in this.
COD: When you look at the damage, it is nearly impossible to believe anyone could survive this. Robertson's plane even struck a building nearby, shearing off a part of a wing. And it amazed everyone that Robertson missed hitting anyone on the ground.
By nightfall, cleanup crews worked to remove the wreckage and clean up spilled gas. Traffic remained slow and backed up, as people wondered about the pilot who survived a brush with death.
(END VIDEO TAPE)
NGUYEN: Oh my goodness. I don't think I've ever seen anything like that.
MARCIANO: That's pretty (INAUDIBLE).
NGUYEN: The pilot -- yes, can you believe this -- in critical condition this morning. But he is expected to recover.
MARCIANO: Not only all that, but he landed down on I-95, not just some (INAUDIBLE).
NGUYEN: Of all places, right?
Just looking shocked and stunned. Well, we want you to take a look at this dramatic (INAUDIBLE) video. The man in that car lucky to be alive, as well.
Our affiliate, WEAR, reports that when police tried to pull Scott Sansom over in this incident from February, he kept driving, leading them on a chase until he blew out his tire.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SCOTT SANSOM, RESCUED BY OFFICER: I didn't realize a police officer was behind me. And I guess I tried to pull over and hit a tree. And the car burst into flames. Well, I was knocked out at that point.
OFFICER OZZIE TEETERS, PENSACOLA, FLORIDA POLICE: I got into the door -- to the driver's side door. It was locked. And I was trying to check on the condition of him. And there was no response or nothing. Then I seen that the fire was starting to come through the dashboard, coming up onto the floor in there.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MARCIANO: So that officer busted in the car's back window, unlocked the car and pulled Sansom to safety. Seconds later, the car became a ball of fire. Sansom says he can't thank the officer, obviously, enough. I'd be pretty thankful, too.
NGUYEN: Exactly.
Well, George Clooney making the news today.
MARCIANO: Yes. He got into a little accident. Ladies, listen up. The actor broke a rib in a motorcycle accident in Northern New Jersey. But don't worry, his face was not messed up.
NGUYEN: Oh, thank goodness.
Police say Clooney was passing a car with its left turn signal on when the car instead turned right. His new girlfriend, Sarah Lawson, was on back of the bike. Now, she did suffer a broken foot.
MARCIANO: It just makes him tougher. I'm sure you like that.
NGUYEN: You knew.
MARCIANO: Yes. His girlfriend probably doesn't.
NGUYEN: No.
MARCIANO: Plus, she played a witch in "Bewitched"...
NGUYEN: You remember that show?
Did you watch it?
MARCIANO: I do. She wiggled her nose.
NGUYEN: The twinkle thing, yes.
MARCIANO: And played a stitch in "Designing Women".
NGUYEN: "Designing Women." Yes, probably not one of your favorites. But you'll recognize her face and voice even if you don't remember her name. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ALICE GHOSTLEY, ACTRESS: I don't want to upset you, dear, but the sales lady said there were perspiration stains on them.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: Actress Alice Ghostley's career includes screen and stage. But television brought her the most acclaimed. She earned an Emmy nomination in 1992 for her role as Bernice on "Designing Women".
Alice Ghostley died Friday in California after a series of strokes and a battle with colon cancer. She was 81.
MARCIANO: And she's a striking blonde who turned heads as O.J.'s trip to Las Vegas. There she is. Next hour, we're going to take a closer look at the woman in O.J. Simpson's life.
NGUYEN: And, sure, they look and taste pretty good. Yes, those Twinkies. Boy, they can be addictive.
But do you know what's really inside a Twinkie?
It might make you think twice before you dig in.
CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta deconstructs the Twinkie at 12:00 Eastern, only on CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KIRAN CHETRY, CNN, "AMERICAN MORNING" CO-ANCHOR: Monday on "AMERICAN MORNING," Greg Hunter is looking out for you. If you've considered making an appointment to have laser hair removal or get laser treatment to take care of a fading tattoo, well, you'll want to see what he found.
Here's a quick look.
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
GREG HUNTER, CONSUMER REPORTER (voice-over): Medical spas which offer laser treatments have grown 160 percent in the past three years. Some doctors worry the increased demand is outpacing the number of people trained to use it.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If you use them inappropriately, you can damage tissue severely.
HUNTER: This woman says shed disfigured by laser treatments to remove sun spots. The clinic employee who did the work was under supervision of a doctor not on site.
(END VIDEO TAPE)
CHETRY: A lot of spas offer this treatment, but not all of them require medical supervision and the mistakes, as we saw there can, be devastating.
Greg is going to show us what we need to look out for, Monday on "AMERICAN MORNING". It all begins 6:00 a.m. Eastern.
NGUYEN: Hello, everybody.
It is Saturday, September 22nd and you are in the CNN NEWSROOM.
I'm Betty Nguyen.
MARCIANO: And I'm Rob Marciano in for T.J. Holmes.
Lots happening this hour.
Here's what's going on straight ahead.
NGUYEN: Blackwater backlash -- the biggest private security firm in Iraq is facing new accusations this morning.
MARCIANO: Also, George Clooney's crash -- the Hollywood heartthrob ends up in the hospital. We'll tell you how he's doing.
NGUYEN: Plus, delays, lost luggage, even being stuck on the tarmac -- are you tired of hassles when it comes to airline travel?
Well, I'm going to talk live with the woman behind a passenger's bill of rights.
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