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Death Threats at School; Dangerous Drywall; MLK Family Divided; Follow Up, Mentally Disabled Forced to Fight in Corpus Christi Schools: State Senator Assures End to Violent Practice; Beyond Mississippi Burning: Philadelphia, Mississippi Elects First Black Mayor

Aired May 22, 2009 - 14:05   ET

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

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Well, we've been talking about a death threat against African-American students at a Wisconsin high school. You actually just heard from the family that's involved.

You heard from Toby Minett, the father. Also Banki and Dami Minett, the two boys that have now decided, along with their cousin and the other two African-American students, that have stepped out of finishing off school there in Wisconsin in Whitewater, Wisconsin. There seemed to have been a misunderstanding about the timeline of how all this happened. Apparently, a picture was taken of this horribly -- horrible racial slur in a restroom, something you refer to as a hit list, naming these black students by name and saying that they were going to be killed.

We want to push this forward now with Vance Dalzin. He is the principal of Whitewater High School. He joins me now live from Milwaukee as well.

Mr. Dalzin, we appreciate you joining us.

I just want to make sure, because you're right there in the same studio -- we were trying to make a smooth transition there -- you were able to hear Mr. Minett and his sons, correct?

VANCE DALZIN, PRINCIPAL, WHITEWATER HIGH SCHOOL: Yes.

PHILLIPS: OK. So I want to go ahead and let them know -- you're actually live right now, and I hear somebody talking there in the studio, but I think we've got control of it now and I think we can hear your mike.

Let me hear you speak once again.

DALZIN: Hello.

PHILLIPS: There we go. Terrific. Thank you very much. I appreciate it. This is what happens when we try to move quickly here.

First of all, the timeline. It sounds like the father is pretty upset about the fact that things moved so slowly with this situation.

So you found out about this so-called hit list in the restroom, naming the six black students, all being referred to by the N-word and saying that they were going to be killed.

Could you tell me why there wasn't -- well, do you think you moved quick enough, I guess I should ask you, with regard to contacting the students and then reaching out to the parents?

DALZIN: First of all -- and I've done this before -- I want to apologize to the parents. I take full responsibility. The parents should have been notified right away that day.

I will tell you that at 2:30 on Thursday, we discovered that there was graffiti on the bathroom wall, the administrative team. And we went in there, looked at the graffiti, took a picture of it right away, and called the students down right away.

By 2:45, we were talking to all six of the students and explained the situation, asking if they had any particular conflict with any students, if there were students that they knew that had certain racial tendencies. So we did act quickly on it.

I will apologize though. The parents should have been notified right away, and that's inexcusable.

PHILLIPS: OK. Well, we appreciate you actually bringing that to light and taking responsibility for that.

So, let me move forward and not to go a he said/she said situation and ask you, do you know what student or students wrote this hit list up in the restroom?

DALZIN: Immediately on Thursday we started investigating. On Friday, we spent the whole day investigating with the police department.

The police department were notified on Thursday, right after -- shortly after we met with the students. On Friday, we investigated.

There's been about 30 different students who have been interviewed and investigated since this incident happened. And there are some leads, quite honestly, on who the potential students might be. But we're taking it very, very seriously.

PHILLIPS: All right. So you think you might know the students that did this?

DALZIN: We have some leads on some students, yes, we do.

PHILLIPS: OK.

So, Toby is very concerned about his kids, that these students that made up this hit list could show up at school with guns, or even outside the school, kill the boys, kill the family, and that they are -- you know, that this could become a drastic situation.

Are you concerned, knowing what you know, that this could be a possibility, that this could happen? DALZIN: Well, I don't want to bury my head in the sand and pretend that something like this could never happen. I will tell you that we've increased our security. We have more police presence. We've been looking at handwriting of different students.

These six kids are great kids. They're great students, they're great athletes. Two of them were at track practice last night. So we want to do everything we can to make these kids feel supported, safe, and comfortable in our building.

PHILLIPS: Once you figure out the student or students that are responsible for that list, what are you going to do to them? How are they going to be held accountable?

DALZIN: Well, there will be a disciplinary hearing with the board of education that could result in an expulsion. And I'm sure the police department will be having serious consequences as well. You'd have to talk to the police department about that.

We've been working with the police department during the investigation, and we've taken it very serious. There are things at the start of an incident like this happens when you don't mention everything because you're trying to -- there is a window of opportunity during an investigation. You're trying to find out as much as you can before it is public to everybody.

PHILLIPS: So let me ask you this. We were reading the police chief and you thought that this was a prank at the beginning. At what point did you realize that this was not necessarily a prank and you needed to take it more seriously?

DALZIN: Well, I've never used the word "prank" ever. And I treat it -- and when I met with the six students, I met with them a few minutes afterwards, after it happened, after we discovered it.

So, I think we've taken it serious from the start. As we started to question students, you find out that, you know, there are some racist tendency students that you may have never known, that may have not been brought to the attention of the administration before. So, it has certainly increased our level of concern. And as a community, as a staff, as a student body, we are going to do some things to change that in our school.

PHILLIPS: So, in other words, bottom line, you'll be doing more about having discussions about race relations at your high school?

DALZIN: Absolutely.

PHILLIPS: Vance Dalzin, principal there of Whitewater High School.

Appreciate your candid nature and coming on with us today. No doubt it's a difficult time for you. We just appreciate you being with us.

DALZIN: Thank you. PHILLIPS: We'll take a quick break. More from the NEWSROOM straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: So, how much do you really know about your drywall? Most of us know it covers the studs and hides the wiring in homes, and that's about it. But a growing number of families in Florida, Alabama, Louisiana and several other states know more than they ever wanted to know. They know that their drywall was made in China, and they think it's making them sick. It's also putting out fumes, rotting their pipes and appliances, and making their homes virtually worthless.

It's a nightmare scenario. You can't live in your own house and you can't give it away.

Our John Zarrella is on the story in Coral Springs, Florida.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Homeowners, frustrated, angry, and desperate, packed a hearing in Coral Springs, Florida.

AMY MASSACHI, HOMEOWNER: Somebody has to step up and help everybody. It's unfair.

(APPLAUSE)

ZARRELLA: Amy Massachi and the others here live in homes built using drywall made in China -- drywall, they believe, is making them sick.

MASSACHI: I can't breathe. Every morning, I wake up sinus, allergy, my voice is hoarse.

ZARRELLA: Thousands of homeowners in more a dozen states are complaining of upper respiratory illnesses, a rotten egg smell in their homes, and electrical outlets and air conditioning coils corroded and covered in black.

MASSACHI: All of this is brand new. And I'm only in this house a year and a half. This is causing...

ZARRELLA: State and federal studies have found sulfur and other compounds in the Chinese product which are not found in U.S.-made drywall. Sulfur can cause corrosion. But officials say, not enough testing has been done yet to say for sure the elements are causing illness and home damage.

But at a Senate hearing in Washington on Thursday, health officials said it was certainly possible.

DR. MICHAEL MCGEEHIN, CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL & PREVENTION: Based on the information I've looked that came out of Louisiana and Florida, that there's no doubt that that corrosive material is causing health problems.

ZARRELLA: Some homes are already being gutted right down to the studs and rebuilt. Dozens of lawsuits have been filed against Chinese manufacturers. Knauf, a German company with affiliates in China, is being sued. They insist there's nothing wrong with their product.

KEN HALDIN, KNAUF PLASTERBOARD TIANJIN: Our independent tests, including toxicologists, say that there is not an acute health concern or something that carries a risk with it.

ZARRELLA: The drywall was imported mostly in 2006. There wasn't enough U.S. product to satisfy demand following a bad hurricane season. A few builders and mortgage companies are working with homeowners, but most are not.

Amy Massachi is now looking for a new place to live. It's tough on her family. Their dream house, 18 months ago, now only brings tears.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: John joins me now live.

So John, what's the next step?

ZARRELLA: Well, Kyra, the next step, as far as the government is concerned, is that next week, the EPA and the CDC are going to go into two Florida homes that have the problem and set up protocols. In other words, they're going to try to come up with a test to determine what constitutes and if you've got Chinese drywall.

The problem is that right now, there is no test to determine if you've got the problem unless you actually break into your walls and you see that it's Chinese drywall. And the other part of that equation, Kyra, is they're already seeing cases of fraud where people or companies are coming out saying, hey, you've got Chinese drywall, you've got a problem, we can fix it.

Word to consumers: Don't believe them, because there is no test, and the only way to really cure it is to tear your house apart right now.

PHILLIPS: Really? So what do you do then if you think you may have Chinese drywall? Who do you contact before -- if you already know, you just said what to do.

ZARRELLA: Right.

PHILLIPS: All right. Now, what if you think you have it? What do you?

ZARRELLA: You call your health department, and that's what you're being advised to do, and you will be put on a list. And the bottom line is that whenever a test is developed to determine it, and some remediation is devised for this, then you'll be able to move on with your process, which is really tough to swallow because you're sitting in limbo for God knows how much longer. And the bottom line is these people are being told, move out of your house. You know, that's the only option that they have if they can't stand the smell, or are continually running into these upper respiratory problems, until something is devised to fix this problem.

PHILLIPS: John Zarrella, we'll stay on the story. Appreciate it.

Well, a trade group estimates that enough Chinese drywall was sold in the U.S. from 2005 to 2007 to build 30,000 homes. Other estimates are quite a bit higher.

This much we do know -- the Consumer Products Safety Commission is tracking complaints from 13 states so far from Florida to Washington State, and you can bet we'll stay on the story.

He stressed unity above all else. Now the children of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. find themselves in the midst of a great divide.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: One of Hollywood's most prominent directors wants to make a movie about Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. You'd think his family would be on board, right? Well, think again.

CNN's A.J. Hammer shows us why the King family is once again at odds.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

A.J. HAMMER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Martin Luther King's legacy has been well documented, but plans to turn his life into a movie have uncovered a family divided over how to protect that legacy.

Bernice and Martin Luther King III were already fighting their brother Dexter in court over their father's estate, and now they say since they weren't included in negotiating the film rights, they're not ready to sign off on a movie deal.

BERNICE KING, MARTIN LUTHER KING'S DAUGHTER: I think Mr. Spielberg is a great producer, and we look forward to hearing from him about the scope of this disagreement. We know nothing about the agreement.

We have no details about the agreement to say whether or not this particular one is a good idea. In general, yes, it's wonderful to do a film about Dr. King.

HAMMER: Dexter King is the chief executive of the King estate, and he green-lighted the DreamWorks proposal. He told us that despite the current legal issues, he wants to work with his siblings and that, "I sincerely believe that the film project we've been working on with DreamWorks, a company with unrivaled resources for making epic films of the highest quality, offers an unprecedented opportunity for educating the largest possible audience about our father's legacy as the leader of America's greatest nonviolent movement."

But DreamWorks wants no part of the family argument, telling us, "The purpose of making a movie about the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is to tell a great story which could bridge distances and bring people together. We remain committed to pursuing a film chronicling Martin Luther King's life, provided that there is unity in the family so we can make a film about unity in our nation."

(on camera): Friends of the family have told CNN the three children may need a mediator to find the kind of unity their father called for.

A.J. Hammer, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: So, will gas prices keep you home this Memorial Day Weekend? If you said, heck no, well, you're not alone. We're going to tell you how many people plan to hit the road.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(WEATHER REPORT)

PHILLIPS: Well, it's a big day in Annapolis. Commencement day at the U.S. Naval Academy, with the commander in chief himself saluting the grads. Make that ensigns.

But last thing first. Let's go to the hats.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK H. OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Hip hip...

AUDIENCE: Hooray!

OBAMA: Hip hip...

AUDIENCE: Hooray!

OBAMA: Hip hip...

AUDIENCE: Hooray!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Well, President Obama promised the grads that he'd send them into harm's way only when absolutely necessary, and only with the strategy, goals, equipment, and support that they'll need.

And then he shook hands with each one, including John Sidney McCain IV. That's the son of John Sidney McCain III, who came in second in last year's presidential race, and who also graduated from Annapolis, as did his father and his father before him.

Veterans living on the streets, it's a big problem here in America. We're going to meet a CNN Hero, a vet who used to be homeless, and now he's on the front lines helping other vets in need.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Well, there is so much fine print and so many risks, it's no wonder a lot of us are confused about our credit cards. But have no fear. Here comes Gerri Willis and "The Help Desk."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GERRI WILLIS, CNN PERSONAL FINANCE EDITOR: We want to get you answers to your financial questions. Let's get straight to the Help Desk.

Donna Rosato is a senior writer at "Money" magazine, and Dwight Raiford is a senior financial planner at MetLife.

OK, guys. Let's get right down to the work here.

Giovanny in Florida, asks, "I went to buy my first home. I have no debt, but my credit score is only 555. My cousin has great credit and has offered to put me on her two oldest credit cards either as an authorized user or by co-joining the account. Which is better?" - Donna.

DONNA ROSATO, SENIOR WRITER, "MONEY": Well, first of all, it's really nice that your cousin is going to help you out, Giovanny, and it could be a good thing. The key difference between being an authorized user and a joint cardholder is that the joint cardholder is on the hook for the payment for that debt if it's not paid.

So, if you think your cousin is going to -- if your cousin and yourself will jointly hold the account and you're both going to be responsible, that can be a fine way to go. If you're an authorized user, their credit history will show up in your credit report, too.

But here's another way you might want to go about it so you don't have to worry about the relationship with your cousin. If you're trying to build up your credit history and you do have a good credit score, but not a lot of debt, why don't you get a secured credit card? It works just like a regular card, but you put down a couple hundred dollars and you pay it off regularly. Fast way to build up your score and you don't have to worry about your cousin.

WILLIS: All right, let's get onto Alex's question, "I'm trying to keep my strong credit score. Is it a good idea to call your credit card company and tell them to block automatic credit line increases or is it better to cancel the card with no activity yourself or just wait and let the company close it after a long period of inactivity?"

Dwight, what do you make of this one?

DWIGHT RAIFORD, SENIOR FINANCIAL PLANNER, METLIFE: Here's the deal. Credit scores are impacted by two things, the amount of credit that you have versus how much you've used. So if you can control your use of the card, you want to keep those credit lines available. So don't block them. Let them increase it. The problem for you is, don't use them.

WILLIS: Right. It's about reining in your own spending habits.

RAIFORD: Exactly. Exactly.

And as far as canceling cards, the other thing that impacts your credit score is how long has your credit cards been out there? The longer they have the higher your score. So canceling them, not a good idea.

WILLIS: All right, great advice.

And of course we're always talking to people about their credit cards. We do it every week. And there's some good news coming out this week for folks on credit cards with big changes there.

"The Help Desk" is all about getting you answers. Send me an e- mail to gerri@cnn.com or log on to CNN.com/helpdesk to see more of our financial solutions.

And "The Help Desk" is everywhere. Make sure to check out the latest issue of "Money" magazine on newsstands now.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: From Texas a story that shocked the nation, mentally disabled people being forced to fight. Well, now there's some good news to tell you about this story. We're going to get the latest in a live interview with a Texas state senator.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Well, we first told you about this heartbreaking story months ago. Mentally disabled people at a state school in Corpus Christi, Texas, forced by employees to fight each other. Well, we didn't want to let the story go. Then came the shocking cell phone video that outraged everybody.

Just listen to George Brazil.

(CELL PHONE VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: He is being forced to fight and is saying he doesn't want to do it. And we had a chance, yesterday, to speak with him exclusively. George Brazil, the victim in that video, and by his side his sister and guardian, Michelle, holding his hand.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: What do you remember?

GEORGE BRAZIL, RESIDENT, CORPUS CHRISTI STATE SCHOOL: I remember it was real scary. I get real scared because I had dreams about it at night time.

PHILLIPS: I can just imagine it was scary. What do you remember about what those workers told you? Did they tell you what would happen to you if you told on them?

BRAZIL: I'd get stitches.

PHILLIPS: You'd get stitches?

BRAZIL: Yes.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: That's right. They said, if you snitch, you'll get stitches.

Finally, some great news to tell you about this heartbreaking story, though. The State of Texas has reached an agreement with the Justice Department to spend $112 million to improve conditions at schools for the mentally disabled, so what George Brazil went through will never happen again.

Joining us now from Austin, the State Senator Jane Nelson, who is pushing for those improvements.

I tell you what, Jane, you just -- look at that cell phone video and you hear George, you see George and then you interview him. You know, it makes you want to cry, scream, and then just sock somebody, truly.

JANE NELSON, TEXAS STATE SENATE: Yes, yes.

PHILLIPS: I mean, what was your reaction when you saw all of this and it was brought to your attention? And I don't think -- did you realize it was even this bad?

NELSON: Well, of course we didn't realize this. And I was horrified. It is just unimaginable to me that that kind of thing can take place.

PHILLIPS: So, I mean, there were standards in place before. I mean, these facilities have standards. They're supposed to screen the people that work there and they are supposed to care for these people in a very special way.

NELSON: Right.

PHILLIPS: So what happened? Where did that go?

NELSON: Well, first of all, we have, way before this incident took place, known that we needed to improve in many ways. And we have had legislation moving through the process before this took place that has not yet passed, but is very close, that will address this. And that legislation is separate from the settlement agreement that you referred to earlier.

We're going to put video cameras in all of these facilities. We're going to do criminal background checks on every person that works directly with an individual in our state schools. We're going to beef up training for our employees. We're going to do a number of things and that investment is above and beyond what you talked about that we're going to do with the settlement agreement with the Department of Justice.

PHILLIPS: OK, so we've got - actually, I didn't realize that, two efforts going on here. OK. You mentioned specifically the one that will go into training and the cameras. OK, then tell me about this $112 million that's now been allocated, your state coming to an agreement with the DOJ over the next five years.

NELSON: Right.

PHILLIPS: What exactly -- where will that money go? What will that money do?

NELSON: Well, there were -- our state schools in Texas, two of them were under Department of Justice investigation, and this week there was an agreement made on the specific abuse and the investigations that have been taking place. We are given corrective action and we have agreed to enact that corrective action, that's what the settlement agreement is, and the $112 million will go to that.

And that will involve things like additional monitoring. We will bring in better trained medical, dental, psychological individuals who will be working with these patients. We will not allow for the use of restraints in many ways. We will need to get approval for the use of psychotropic medications. Just a whole number of things.

Probably most important, we're going to have monitors that will be in the state schools monitoring them, reporting on a regular basis whether the schools are making improvement and we'll be under oversight for five years and we've agreed to that.

PHILLIPS: We'll be following up no doubt.

Senator Jane Nelson, really appreciate your time and thanks for your effort, Senator.

NELSON: You bet.

PHILLIPS: On Memorial Day weekend, CNN will be bringing you inspiring stories of veterans making a difference. And today's CNN hero isn't just helping vets, he's fighting a statistic.

One in three homeless adults in the U.S. is a veteran. Roy foster used to be one of them. Today, he's tackling that problem right there on the front lines. CNN's Casey Wian has his story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANNOUNCER: This is "CNN Heroes."

ROY FOSTER, COMMUNITY CRUSADER: I actually joined the Army right out of high school. I became introduced to alcohol once I was out. It was just simply drinking and drugging, and I would then stay in the streets.

I was looking for a safe haven. The places that I were introduced to were no better than on the street. It was humiliating.

That's when the commitment in my heart that was born.

How can I turn my back and walk away and leave you right here?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You can't.

FOSTER: I can't.

Nationwide veterans are neglected, homeless - unacceptable.

What branch of service?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Army.

FOSTER: Army. So was I. We are still brothers-in-arms, so no man left behind.

My name is Roy Foster and my mission is to help and empower homeless veterans.

If you're going to work for sobriety, you got to change. Stand Down House provides services for veterans only. A safe, clean place to live, all the meals and to help services. The camaraderie, it is that internal glue.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When I got back from Iraq, it was difficult for me, until I met Mr. Foster who helped me.

TEXT: In 2008, 93 percent of eligible veterans in Roy's program found work. More than 84 percent of graduates found independent housing.

FOSTER: Tell him one of his brothers-in-arms came out looking for him and let him know, yes, we will be back.

They are the best and they deserve the best. What I do, I love. I love it.

ANNOUNCER: Tell us about your hero at CNN.com/heroes.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Well, if you want to learn more about Roy Foster or if you know someone doing something so extraordinary they deserve to be a CNN hero, go to our website and tell us about them. All of our CNN heroes are chosen from people that you nominate at CNN.com/heroes.

Lucky he was aboard and lucky he knew what he was seeing. A passenger clues in his pilot about a pretty important problem.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Well, would you hire a pilot off a street corner? These guys sure hope so. They're corporate pilots who were grounded when their companies downsized. Now they're pounding the pavement in Seattle offering to fly for food.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHRIS CAMPBELL, UNEMPLOYED PILOT: It's a small world, if you think about it. It's a really small world, you don't know who knows someone or who knows someone who knows someone. So why not get out here, get some waves and maybe someone will swing by.

STEFFAN SCHMIDT, UNEMPLOYED PILOT: This isn't a joke. I have a family, an 18-month-old at home and they need to be taken care of.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Chris Campbell and Steffan Schmidt, we need you to contact us. We want you for a 30-second pitch. You guys have been out of work for four months. Campbell, I guess you've been out three weeks, but I know you say that today may be your day. Contact us. I'm telling you, we want you for our "30-Second Pitch."

All right, when you're settling in for a long international flight, any flight really, it is not what you want to see. Stuff that keeps the plane in the air leaking out and leaking out pretty fast.

CNN's Brian Todd reports on how it turned around.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRAIN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): You're looking at a serious problem at 30,000 feet -- jet fuel spraying out the wing of a huge passenger jet. Not a standard fuel dump, this is a big leak.

It happened on a flight from Chicago to Tokyo last month, more than 300 people on board. A concerned passenger named Bartek Bachleda took this video and took action, first trying to alert a flight attendant.

BARTEK BACHLEDA, PASSENGER: When I initially hit the call button, she thought maybe I wanted something and she said, sir, we're handing out drinks, I'll be right back with you.

TODD: He waited, realized this wasn't going to stop on its own and got her attention again. This time, he says...

BACHLEDA: She took me very seriously. She listened to what I had to say. She took the camera and she proceeded to go up front. And within minutes, I believe -- I think the first officer or the captain came down.

TODD: After the pilot surveyed the leak, he made a left turn somewhere over either the north central U.S. or Canada and headed for San Francisco, where the plane landed safely.

Bachleda calculated they were losing about 6,000 pounds of fuel an hour.

BACHLEDA: I decided to, like, you know, hey, if the captain does not notice before we go oceanic, meaning once we fly over the ocean, they will -- leaking and losing that amount of fuel, this is going to be a bad day.

TODD: How did he know all this? Bartek Bachleda happens to be an Air Force staff sergeant stationed at Kadena Air Base in Japan. He also happens to be a refueling specialist.

Bachleda was reluctant to name the airline in question, but we were able to independently verify that it was a United Airlines flight. Contacted by CNN, a United spokesman issued a statement saying, "Our captain was aware of the situation."

Could this plane have run out of fuel? Looking at the flight path, from Chicago to Tokyo, it's over 6,000 miles. United tells us, this plane was a 747-400, which holds about 372,000 pounds of fuel. If it leaked 6,000 pounds of fuel an hour, as Bachleda says it did, it would have lost only about 20 percent of its fuel over the entire nearly 13-hour flight.

(on camera): A former NTSB official tells us that plane still would have had to divert, because they have to have enough extra fuel to be able to divert anywhere in the Pacific or to circle at their destination. But United says this isn't an issue because the pilot was aware they were losing fuel and there's no way this plane would have continued over the Pacific.

Brain Todd, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Well, a mayor says adios to the duties of his office out of his obligation to his lover, who by the way, isn't legally American.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Well, he could have kept it a secret and kept his job, but for the mayor of San Angelos, Texas that wasn't going to work. This week, just before he was to be sworn in for a fourth term, J.W. Lown announced he was stepping down instead. The mayor, you see, had fallen unexpectedly in love with a man who is an illegal immigrant. And in the end, he says, he didn't want to take the oath knowing he was helping somebody break the law.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

J.W. LOWN, RESIGNED AS MAYOR: All this unfolded for him. I know the timing is less than desirable, but this spectacular thing happened in my life and I don't think you can plan for that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Well, Lown and his partner are now in Mexico trying to secure a legal visa.

Well, it's the first African-American mayor in Philadelphia, Mississippi celebrating his victory. We're going to take a trip to this town once known for deadly racism. We're going to find out how much it's changed since the Civil rights era. Think you'll be inspired.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: James Young of Philadelphia, Mississippi is soaking it all in. The attention that he is getting as an African-American winning the mayor's race in a town once known for its racism is pretty huge attention. Young talked live with me yesterday telling me how honored and humbled he is to win.

Our Ed Lavandera took a trip to Philadelphia to meet the mayor elect face-to-face.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MAYOR-ELECT JAMES YOUNG, PHILADELPHIA, MISSISSIPPI: Just average Joe Citizens as we say here.

ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): James Young is on a victory lap. He is the newly elected mayor of Philadelphia, Mississippi.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Congratulations!

YOUNG: Thank you, man.

We did it!

LAVANDERA: They call him "Mayor," but Young doesn't quite believe it.

YOUNG: Who would have thought? That a little country boy like me going to be mayor of Philadelphia, Mississippi in '09? I couldn't even have wrote that in a fairy tale.

LAVANDERA: As you'll see, the emotion of this moment will soon sink in.

James Young is the first black mayor of a town tormented by a legacy of racism.

JIM PRINCE, PUBLISHER, "NESHOBA DEMOCRAT": Philadelphia, I am resolved, will always be connected to what happened here in 1964.

LAVANDERA: That year, three Civil rights workers were murdered driving down a country road. The savage attacks were a defining moment of the Civil rights era and immortalized in the movie "Mississippi Burning."

Newspaper publisher Jim Prince says the scab from that wound is finally falling off.

PRINCE: This city is 55 percent white. So the fact that Philadelphia, Mississippi, with its notorious past, could elect a black man as a mayor, it might be time to quit picking on Philadelphia, Mississippi.

YOUNG: Hey, how you doing, man?

LAVANDERA: Young says he won by shaking hands and knocking on doors, but he only beat the white incumbent candidate by 46 votes. Young knows that for every hug he gets, some still look the other way.

YOUNG: We have some, very small pocket, that will never change. That's what we've got to deal with.

LAVANDERA (on camera): Some of James Young's earliest memories of growing up in this house here on Ivy Street are of fearful nights listening to the Ku Klux Klan roam through these neighborhood streets in the middle of the night, his father sleeping on the sofa in the living room with a gun on his lap.

But the new mayor of Philadelphia hasn't left that very far behind. He lives now just across the street.

(voice-over): Young was nine years old when the civil rights workers were killed. He was one the first black students to integrate white schools here. He worked as a hospital housekeeper until a white boss recommended he become a paramedic. Young worked his way up to become the city's EMT director. That catapulted him to his first elected job. Now, he's mayor.

YOUNG: It's just beginning to sink in.

The places that we were locked out, I'm going to have the key. The places that we couldn't go, I've got the key.

LAVANDERA (on camera): Why do you think you're so emotional?

YOUNG: When you've been treated the way we've been treated - excuse me.

I guess maybe that's what's been boiling up and it finally come to the surface.

How y'all doing?

LAVANDERA (voice-over): James Young believes it now. He can call himself "mayor."

Ed Lavandera, CNN, Philadelphia, Mississippi.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: My writer Tony Smith is from Philadelphia. He was born and raised there. He's sitting right over there wiping his tears, because he pitched that story. We got such a great piece from Ed Lavandera, and the mayor even called Tony yesterday to thank him for telling all of us about this terrific story.

So, perfect way to wrap up the week. We'll see you next week. Rick Sanchez takes it from here.