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Outrage Over Power Outages in Connecticut; Interview With Maya Angelou About MLK Controversy; Alabama Football Team Returns; 61-year- old Goes Back To School To Play Football; New Study Shows Link To World Trade Center Exposure, Cancer

Aired September 02, 2011 - 14:00   ET

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

RANDI KAYE, CNN ANCHOR: A new hour starts with a name for that slow-motion menace moving through the Gulf of Mexico. Meet Tropical Storm Lee, upgraded just minutes ago from a tropical depression. It is drifting toward the north. And what it lacks in wind and speed, it makes up for in rain. Ten, 15, even 20 inches are expected on land, and tropical storm warnings are posted for the entire Louisiana coastline and parts of the Texas and Mississippi coasts as well.

The Louisiana and Mississippi governors have already declared states of emergency already. I spoke last hour with the mayor of New Orleans, Mitch Landrieu. He told me his people know what to do, and they're doing it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAYOR MITCH LANDRIEU (D), NEW ORLEANS: Of course we've been through this many times. We've learned a lot from Katrina, from Rita, from Ike, from Gustav. And so the first thing is, to get in full operation mode, all of the EEOCs (ph) up and operating.

We have very specific protocols that we follow. Storm gates are being closed, sandbags are being filled. We're making sure that we're in full communication with each other.

Citizens are being advised so that they can again prepare themselves in the event that this turns into something else. You saw with some of the storms in the Northeast, that in some instances it was a water event, some it was a flood event. For some it was an electrical event.

So we have to prepare for all of those, and we're in the process of doing that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAYE: Oil workers are leaving Gulf rigs if they can fly out safely, and shutting down some of their wells. But if it's any consolation, we're pretty sure this fire in a New Orleans marsh will not be burning much longer. Earlier in the week, Mayor Landrieu declared an emergency over that.

(WEATHER REPORT) KAYE: Well, we can't forget Irene. The big storm from last weekend is still causing misery in the Northeast and the Mid-Atlantic coast. But things are looking up on Hatteras Island on North Carolina's Outer Banks. The people who obeyed evacuation orders when Irene approached are being told they can go back home starting Sunday. We're also getting word that Amtrak expects to have its East Coast rail service fully up and running again by Sunday.

President Obama has now signed a federal disaster declaration for Vermont, making grants and aid available for temporary housing and repairs. He's done the same for North Carolina, New Jersey, and New York.

Now get this. Roughly a million homes and businesses that lost electricity five or six days ago still do not have it. The power companies say they are working as hard as they can, but they haven't heard the last of angry customers or lawmakers.

I'll spoke with both in our next segment.

Finally, trees fall in bad storms all the time, but one tree lost to Irene deserves some special attention. This is what's left of the famous Arlington Oak, estimated at 220 years old, on the grounds of what's now Arlington National Cemetery.

In the spring of 1963, President Kennedy so admired the view from this spot, that he was buried nearby. The cemetery's forester calls the tree's demise truly unfortunate.

There are more ominous signs today of a stagnant economy. The U.S. added no new jobs in August, as the unemployment rate held steady at 9.1 percent. And the news sent markets plunging. The Dow has been down about 200 points much of the day.

President Obama is set to unveil a new jobs plan in a speech before Congress next week, but Republicans say the poor jobs report is a further indication of the president's failed economic policies.

Firefighters are gaining ground on a wildfire near a resort in northern Texas, and residents forced to flee the blaze could return home sometime today. The fire in Palo Pinto County has scorched more than 62 acres in the drought-stricken area. Some 40 homes and nine RVs have been destroyed, but authorities now say the fire is 50 percent contained.

Meanwhile, in neighboring Oklahoma, firefighters are still battling hot spots from a massive wildfire. The blaze was one of two large brushfires that covered more than 16 square miles in and around Oklahoma City this week.

Just 10 days before the anniversary of 9/11, the U.S. State Department is issuing a worldwide travel alert. In a statement today, the State Department said, "While we have not identified any specific threats from al Qaeda affiliates and allies to attack the United States, or our interests on the 9/11 anniversary, U.S. citizens should be aware that al Qaeda affiliates and allies have demonstrated the intent and capability to carry out attacks against the United States and our interests around the world."

Hundreds of thousands of people without power for nearly a week, how one town is dealing with the building outrage over the power outage. That story is next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: It has been nearly a week since Irene tore through the East Coast, but hundreds of thousands of people still have no power in the region. That is six days in the dark.

We're being told power could be restored this weekend, next week, or in some areas, in a couple of weeks. That has many desperate residents demanding answers about the delays.

This is the scene in Ridgefield, Connecticut. These pictures were sent to us by Joyce Jaffe, a resident who we will speak with in just a moment.

Forty-four percent of the town still without power. In fact, the situation has angered so many residents in the state, a local lawmaker is calling for an investigation into the Connecticut Light and Power's response.

Residents are being told it could take until next Wednesday, if not longer, before power is fully restored. And it's much worse even in other towns.

Joyce Jaffe is one of those frustrated residents. She joins us now, along with a couple of her kids there, as well as the town selectman, Rudy Marconi, from Ridgefield, Connecticut.

Joyce, let me start with you. You're only able to Skype with us just because you got power restored early this morning. Congratulations.

Tell us what the past few days have been like.

JOYCE JAFFE, RIDGEFIELD, CONNECTICUT, RESIDENT: Thank you.

Really hard. We've had to bring buckets of water up from the pond to flush the toilet, to do dishes, to do laundry, go into town for showers. Thank goodness the shelters are there. And we really appreciate all the volunteers that have helped out.

They've allowed snacks. Some businesses allowed us to get water and fill our jugs from them, and charge cell phones.

But it's really hard work. It takes up a lot of time and certainly drains energy.

And, of course, the kids were a bit bored and had to make do. It was a different kind of life. That's for sure.

KAYE: Yes. As we look at these pictures that you sent us, I guess it was a real family bonding experience. From what I understand, you sort of lived outside on your deck for about a week.

JAFFE: As much as we could. The house is very, very dark, and we wanted to take advantage of the better weather and the daylight as long as possible, because we were living primarily with candles. And they're kind of dangerous between the pets and the kids. So we kind of stayed out and went inside when it was time to go to bed.

KAYE: Let me bring in Rudy Marconi.

Rudy, tell me, why did it take so long to get the power back on there?

RUDY MARCONI, RIDGEFIELD, CONNECTICUT, RESIDENT: That's the question, and one reason why State Representative John Frey has called for an investigation.

We went dark on Sunday evening and a 100 percent power loss. And here we are on the fifth day, and just now today we have 32 crews in town.

It has taken five days for the power company here to ramp up to get enough crews to Connecticut, to our particular town. And I think one of the reasons for this is the severity of the storm and the large geographical area that was covered.

We need to keep in mind that the storm hit land in North Carolina, came entirely up the East Coast, wreaking damage throughout its path. And as it left each individual area, those towns, those states began calling in outside resources.

So by the time it left Connecticut, most of our normal outside resources were already gone. And now we had cast a much larger net out into the West, even as far away as British Columbia.

KAYE: Do you think, though, that this wait is OK? I mean, is this understandable and expected? I mean, you had crews from Denver coming in to help.

MARCONI: Denver, right. We had trucks that arrived just yesterday afternoon from Denver, Colorado.

KAYE: So is that OK?

MARCONI: Absolutely not. You know, interestingly enough, there was a press release today that said that the power company that we have here, Connecticut Light and Power, was thinking of asking for a rate increase to cover for the damages caused by the storm to their infrastructure.

This is at a time when people haven't even had power restored. That is really not right. And it fully infuriates everyone.

You know, to the rest of the country, it may look as though the damage here is minimal. OK, we lost our power, poor Connecticut.

KAYE: Right. MARCONI: You know, no one has lost their life. And believe me, we're very, very thankful for that.

However, the amount of money that's been lost with business interruption, the economics, you know right now we're in a recession, or some people think we're out of it. This is as tough as it is. And when people lose three, four -- a week's worth of work, that's not good. Not in this economy.

KAYE: Rudy, let me --

MARCONI: Go ahead.

KAYE: Let me just stop you there.

I want to get Joyce's reaction just to the delay of the power company trying to get that power back on.

JAFFE: Yes. I agree with Rudy.

I think we really saw a big surge just yesterday, maybe a little bit on Wednesday. You know, it's hard.

I want to be certainly appreciative. There have been so many members of our community that have come together, done the best they could. But specific to restoring power, it did seem as though where were the trucks, what's kind of going on? And it did seem like quite the delay.

KAYE: Yes. All right.

MARCONI: People started --

KAYE: We're going to have to leave it there. I'm sorry. Because I want to just share with our viewers, we did get a statement from Connecticut Light and Power, and they did tell us that, "The storm damage was unprecedented. Irene affected everyone of the 149 towns and cities in Connecticut that we serve."

"We continue to move additional resources into the Ridgefield area, the eastern part of the state and along the shoreline -- the three hardest hit areas of the state. There's still plenty of work to be done, and we know many of our customers are frustrated, but we are committed to getting everything completed as quickly and safely as possible."

That's from Connecticut Power and Light.

And we want to thank Joyce Jaffe and Rudy Marconi for their time as well.

Thank you both. And good luck.

Dr. Maya Angelou isn't happy with the new MLK Monument. She'll join us live, next, to explain exactly why.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KAYE: The Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial in Washington, D.C., all started with a dream and a mission to honor the civil rights leader and to inspire a nation to continue his mission. Now, 27 years after the idea formed, a massive 30-foot granite statue stands tall, towering over the National Mall.

It took more than 15 years and about $120 million to make this dream a reality.

Former poet laureate Dr. Maya Angelou, a friend of the Kings, was consulted during the construction. And as much as she is happy the statue of MLK is in place, she is disappointed about one specific aspect of the memorial, and that is the inscription.

It reads, "I was a drum major for justice, peace and righteousness." But Dr. Angelou says it was taken out of context.

Here is the actual statement Martin Luther King, Jr. made on February 4, 1968, two months before he was assassinated. "If you want to say that I was a drum major, say that I was a drum major for justice, say that I was a drum major for peace. I was a drum major for righteousness and all of the other shallow things will not matter."

Dr. Maya Angelou joins us now to talk about the inscription.

Dr. Angelou, thank you so much for joining us today.

I want to make sure that you have the chance to explain what bothers you most about the quote on the monument.

DR. MAYA ANGELOU, FMR. POET LAUREATE: Thank you, Ms. Kaye.

First, I don't want to be a whipping boy for the architect and the sculptor who have done wonderful work. I just think, however, as a mentee of Dr. King, and a friend, that his statement, when taken out of context, loses the intrinsic nature of the man.

You see, a man's speech is the mirror of his soul. And what Dr. King said was, "If you want to say this." He would never himself put himself up by saying, "I was a drum major for justice." He was much more humble a man than that.

He was much more -- he had no modesty (INAUDIBLE). Modesty is a learned affectation. It's like decals stuck on.

Dr. King was truly humble. He was a man of God. He stood in God's hands and said the best he could say about the human being.

And so I think that when a people have been denigrated and historically made less than human by the powers that obtained, it is important for them to have a hero who is not tarnished by egotism or self-aggrandizement.

KAYE: From what I understand --

(CROSSTALK)

ANGELOU: He really was who he said he was, which was a man of God and a man of peace. Everything he said, every speech, every action, whether it was going to jail, whether it was being bombed -- having his home firebombed -- everything he said had to do with making peace and having peace not just for blacks, but for whites and Asians and Spanish-speaking. It is important that we know the man.

KAYE: So from what I understand, this is because it was originally supposed to be on the other side of the monument, where they had more room, and then they wanted to move the inscription so they shortened it in order to fit it.

Do you think that it should be re-carved or possibly moved, or do you think it's too late?

ANGELOU: If it could be, that would be wonderful. I know, however, that the work of trying to find civil rights, human rights for everybody, that that is a work in process. And so it's not -- it wouldn't -- I don't expect that the artist will go back and go to work with machinery and recast the statement.

It would be wonderful if they could, because the true man would be seen. But if they can't, I can say what I have to say about what I miss in the statement and the work. And the artists have their rights, too. So I don't want to make this a tempest in a teapot. It was much more important to have the work there than to have everything exactly as we would like it to be.

KAYE: Do you think then that the monument truly honors him?

ANGELOU: It certainly does honor him. It certainly does. Not to the degree that he should be honored.

We should have the statement so that young men and women who come in this week and next week and in 20 years, and see the monument, and read the statement and say, ah, that's who he was, we don't do that exactly, not with the statement as it now obtains (ph).

KAYE: Well, we will continue to follow it and see if any changes are made.

Dr. Maya Angelou, we certainly thank you for your time on the telephone with us today.

ANGELOU: Thank you.

KAYE: We appreciate that.

Tomorrow, the University of Alabama football team plays its first game since that devastating tornado hit the city of Tuscaloosa. Can the new season help the community heal?

We'll go live to the University of Alabama campus, next. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: When tornadoes ripped through Alabama in April, the University of Alabama campus was mostly spared, but much of the community surrounding the university was devastated. Since the storm, university students and athletes have helped with recovery efforts, but many believe that when the Alabama football team gets back on to the field on Saturday, it will go a long way in helping people get back to normal.

To help take the pulse of the city, Reynolds Wolf joining us now from Tuscaloosa on the Alabama campus.

Reynolds, you covered this story for CNN back in the spring. How much progress do you think has been made in the recovery effort?

REYNOLDS WOLF, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Oh, a lot. Quite a bit.

I mean, certainly, you've had a lot of people in the community, in the surrounding area, in the region, around the country that have all come together to try to help put the city back together. And the thing is, although the campus was really spared from much of the damage from this tornado that went through on April 27th, there is no doubt a giant footprint.

Part of that path of that tornado, the twister, pushed right through Tuscaloosa and other parts of the state. It's still left there. So you have certainly an emptiness in the community, and certainly there's been an emptiness in terms of the spirits of some of the people and certainly the students and the players here at the University of Alabama.

But this is something that is much needed. I mean, you have to have salt with pepper. You have to have peanut butter with jelly. Well, in Alabama, you have to have football with your university. And plain and simple, a lot of people, and certainly the students, can't wait for everyone to tee it up.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARK FORTUNE, SENIOR, UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA: It's very important. It means a lot to everybody on campus. It just shows that everything -- we're all coming back together. You know, everybody will be in one place, just rooting on our team. I mean, it's important to everybody here.

LANCE LEDBETTER, JUNIOR, UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA: I think that it means a return to just normal and -- because this whole community has been so upset over this tornado. You're kind of getting back to just plain old -- to let's get back to normal. You know, let's take our mind off rebuilding for a second and let's just get back to rooting on Alabama football.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WOLF: And to be completely honest with you about this contest, well, Randi, it's probably not going to be much of a contest at all. I mean, Alabama is heavily favored. They are the Crimson Tide of Alabama. They're playing Kent State.

Kent State, not really known as a major powerhouse, but it should be a decent game all the same. But one thing that's amazing about this contest is that although Kent State is definitely working very hard to play the game, it seems as though the coaches, the players are also working hard at being good people, good Americans.

They've been out actually helping in the community, helping the Crimson Tide, helping some of the people here in Tuscaloosa help rebuild parts of the community. So, although they're going to be teeing it up against each other in the stadium behind me tomorrow, they're certainly reaching out hand in hand to try to help everyone in the community.

KAYE: All right.

Reynolds Wolf there in Alabama.

Reynolds, thank you very much.

He was shot in class, allegedly for being openly gay. Now a jury tries to sort through the shocking murder case. Details, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: It's time to catch up on some of the news that you may have missed. Look at the Dow there. It's down about 255 points. It's been down real 200 all day mainly in reaction to the August jobs report. Turns out the economy did not add a single new job, not a single new job created in August.

Tropical Storm Lee could bring anywhere from 10 to 20 inches of rain to parts of the Gulf Coast. Tropical storm warnings in effect from Pascagoula, Mississippi to Texas. And because Lee is moving so quickly, so slowly, actually and the waters in the Gulf are so warm, it could become a hurricane by the time it hits land.

America's employers added no new jobs in August as we said. And the unemployment rate remains at 9.1 percent. The news sent stocks markets plunging in New York Europe. President Obama is set to unveil a new jobs plan in a speech before congress next week. But Republicans say the poor report is further indication of failed economic policies.

Grammy winning rapper, T.I., real name Clifford Harris, was released from federal prison in Arkansas on Wednesday. He was expected to spend last weeks of his remaining 11-month sentence at a halfway house in Atlanta. But just is one day after being released, prison officials removed the rapper from the facility apparently over his choice of transportation.

T.I. agreed to provide his own transportation to the halfway house, but decided to use his personal tour bus to get there. Officials are viewing if riding in the tour bus violated his furlough agreement.

As of now, Harris is back in prison and officials are probing the transportation issue.

A California judge declares a mistrial Thursday after jurors were deadlocked in the murder trial of a teenager accused of gunning down a gay classmate. Lawrence King, 15, was shot in the back of his head in English class back in 2008. Friends said King was proud of being openly gay and liked wearing jewelry and makeup to school. His classmate, Brandon McInerny, now 17, but was 14 at the time of the shooting, allegedly shot King twice while both were typing papers in a computer lab.

McInerny was tried as an adult. KTLA reported that King taunted and flirted with McInerny ultimately sparking that fatal confrontation.

Now, take a Look at this in Sarasota, Florida. An alter indication on a high school football field and then a fully padded student charges the referee, knocks him to the ground there and then you see the coaches join in and actually start attacking the referee. You see it here. They're kicking the man while he's down.

Onlookers, rushed in to help the ref, but it continues like this for several minutes. The ref was eventually able to run off the field. The sheriff's office is investigating. Charges, no doubt, are expected.

Famine in Somalia. Ahead, CNN correspondent David McKenzie will join me here in studio. He's covering the crisis in Somalia and the ongoing threat from al Qaeda affiliate al Shabaab. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: The head of the UN agency for refugees has a dire prediction about Somalia. He says the famine will only get worse. The UN has already declared famine in five zones in southern Somalia where the al Qaeda affiliate al Shabaab militants will not be allowed to deliver aid there.

CNN's David McKenzie traveled to Mogadishu, Somalia. And we went outside the wire where he found the crisis is in full swing amid the threat of this al Shabaab. He joins us now.

So they're not letting the aid, right, this al Shabaab group is not letting the aid get delivered?

DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, in a large part, they aren't, Randi. Basically what's happening there is this sort of zone around the famine areas where aid agencies are going in, trying to assist people, getting food, getting kind of shelter, just the basic stuff to survive.

But inside some of these al Shabaab controlled areas in the countryside, not they're not allowing in big assistance, including the World Food Program. There's a lot of American food aid sitting in Mogadishu waiting to try and get out into those zones. Al Shabaab is not letting them. And we went to this area and into Mogadishu, which is free from al Shabaab. And really we saw that this crisis is not at all over.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MCKENZIE: Moving outside the wire in the safety of the peacekeeping base to battle scarred Mogadishu. African Union soldiers pushed al Qaeda linked militant group al Shabaab out of the capital.

MAJ. GEN. FRED MUGISHA, AMISOM FORCE COMMANDER: That now is broken. But alongside that, we have hard guerrilla tactics time and again and also terrorism. Because these are civilians dressed like you are, and the most challenging aspect is when human beings decide to turn themselves into bombs.

MCKENZIE: Attacks like IED explosions are on the rise. So peacekeepers are trying to plug the security holes and protect civilians who have fled to the city by the thousands.

MCKENZIE: Two weeks ago, there was absolutely nothing on the sand dune. Now it's crowded with hundreds of people. They were escaping the drought and fighting and the conditions are terrible.

What they left was worse. For years, these men put up with al Shabaab's strict Sharia law.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (inaudible) they give them the right.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Despite the mad rules (ph) or the extreme the conditions under al Shabaab, at least they had livelihood.

MCKENZIE: But when the drought hit, Shabaab started taking livestock and food to survive. Now all they can hope for is handouts.

Private tragedies happen here every day.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): I walked for 15 days to escape drought and fighting, says Sara.

MCKENZIE: She was nine months pregnant with twins that escaped bandits as they walked. The twins were born last night, she says. One died before dawn. The other died just before we met her. She doesn't have the money to bury her.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAYE: Those are such awful conditions there. What, if anything, can the UN or the U.S. or anybody do to try and get the aid to those people?

MCKENZIE: Well, they can bring aid to Mogadishu which is free from al Shabaab. The problem is you don't want people to be leaving their kind of homes in the countryside fleeing somewhere just so they can get aid. The best situation will be kind of a wholesale access to these areas controlled by al Shabaab and many security analysts, because this is also a security issue, that Americans particularly and Europeans need to worry about, because al Shabaab is linked al Qaeda. This could be their next kind of wave of terror coming out of Somalia.

The other thing that needs to happen, Randi, is that, you know, they need to make gains outside of the capital and the AU forces, the African forces there really say they need a lot more troops and a lot more money and assistance so they solidify their gains that they've made in the past months.

KAYE: How hot was it there? I mean, I look at the number of people in that camp. And those conditions are just horrific.

MCKENZIE: And when you see that place where everyone's living, they're next to each other, it's like just this crowd of humanity right next to each other. That's not even natural for Somalis culturally. They often -- the places I've been to many times in Somalia where people are displaced, you know they might have a place and then 10 meters, or you know 15 feet down the road, have another place where someone is living.

They're doing that for safety. It's hard -- its' a terrible situation for them. They crowded together like that so they can be safe. That's the only reason they're liked crammed together in these sort of little huts that are about as big as where you and I are sitting.

KAYE: Right. And they have no idea when this is going to end, when they're going to get food or aid, yet they still have some hope?

MCKENZIE: They do have some hope. There is a sense for many Somalis that the days of al Shabaab have ended. Of course, over time, a while back, some people did support al Shabaab because they brought some security to their areas. It's interesting the shift in people that I've met and spoken to have said. You know, now that this drought has hit and they seen they're being targeted for their livelihoods, the cows, the cattle, the things they depend on by al Shabaab, they're just kind of fed up with this group.

And they say, you know, what they need is sort of long-term solutions, not just a handout when there's a drought.

KAYE: David McKenzie, we don't often get to have you here in studio. So it's nice to see you. Thank you.

Unfortunate disasters like Irene occur all over the world. And this week's CNN hero is standing by to help victims. 77-year-old Wilma Melville and her search dog organization have helped save lives at every major disaster for the past 15 years. Take a look at her amazing work.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WILMA MELVILLE: When the Oklahoma City bombing happened, I saw the size of that building on television. I had a hobby of learning to train a disaster search dog. I was deployed to Oklahoma City. I did wonder, can we really do this? Can we really find live people?

When I got home, I said, what is this nation doing with approximately 15 FEMA certified dogs? This one building alone requires far more than 15.

My name is Wilma, Melville. Our organization trains rescue dogs and firefighter handlers to save lives after a disaster.

Right turn.

We like to use shelter dogs. It's a humane thing to do. There is nothing better than a dog's nose to find a live human.

We've been to the World Trade Center, Japan, Joplin, Missouri and Haiti.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In Haiti, on our fourth day there, we made contact with a ten-year-old girl. We would ask her to acknowledge us with a tap. And around the sixth or seventh hour she stopped tapping.

MELVILLE: Finding live people is our goal. But providing hope for the onlooker and a place to begin work for the firefighter, those are meaningful, meaningful objectives.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAYE: By partnering shelter dogs with firefighters, Wilma and her organization have trained 131 rescue teams for free. You can learn much more about the Search Dog Foundation or maybe even make a donation at cnnheroes.com and be sure to join the conversation on the CNN Heroes Facebook and Twitter pages as well.

Firefighters who got cancer after working at Ground Zero have been struggling to prove there is a link so they can get insurance coverage. Now, a new study gives them more scientific evidence.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: Some of the firefighters who rushed to Ground Zero to help on September 11th got cancer after 9/11. They've been fight to go prove their cancer was no coincidence ever since.

Now as CNN medical correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta reports, those first responders have no ammunition for their fight.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: this is on the real issue here is the connection between this dust and cancer. It's been an unresolved issue for some time. Other medical problems such as respiratory problems have been more well-studied, but people have been back and forth on the cancer issue.

Dr. David Prezant is the one who came -- was the lead-off on the study said there was a 19 percent increase, likelihood of cancer if someone was a first responder and a member of the Fire Department of New York. I talked to him in advance of this embargo being lifted. Take a listen.

DR. DAVID PREZANT, CHIEF MEDICAL OFFICER, FDNY: As we start seeing cancers, we want to answer their question. Is cancer increased? And I will have to tell you that my initial bias was that for the next 10 or 15 years we would not see an increase. That's another reason why I think our findings are so strong because I actually thought we would find the opposite.

GUPTA: You were surprised?

PREZANT: Very much so. Whether we can say that cancer has increased in other responders or area residents, we have no idea. This is a study about firefighters. Their exposure is so unique. 85 percent of the exposed were present in the first 48 hours of the collapse when the exposure was massive. That is a very unique exposure.

GUPTA: For firefighters watching, they have the lingering question why did I get this cancer? And was it related to the dust? And you would say what?

PREZANT: For most instances it was World Trade Center related.

GUPTA: So Suzanne, very powerful there when you listen to him saying that most of the cancers in these patients was World Trade Center related.

Couple of caveats quickly. Ten years is still a short time in the world of science, you know, it can take a while for cancers to develop. They would like to see 15, 20, even 30-year studies.

And as Dr. Prezant mentioned, this study was only of fire department workers who were also first responders. So you can't generalize to other people living in Lower Manhattan or even other first responders.

The theory is the dust can get into the system, it can cause respiratory problems, which is well-studied, but can also cause inflammation which could potentially be the genesis of many of these different types of cancer which Dr. Prezant saw.

Look, it's a controversial issue. It's still unsettled obviously. Just in July of this year, the mantra was that there was no connection between cancer and dust. This study may change that debate so stay tuned to see what happens.

Suzanne, back to you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAYE: And you can see Dr. Gupta's full investigation of the health fallout from 9/11. And also rare never before seen footage in his documentary Terror in the Dust. It airs this Wednesday at 11:00 pm Eastern.

Up next, a Vietnam vet who plans to be the oldest college football player ever. He is 61. You have to stick around to meet him.

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KAYE: My next guest is inspiring us all by kick-starting an entirely new career. Alan Moore has made his way to college and is a place-kicker on his school's football team. So what's the amazing part? Well, he's a Vietnam vet who hasn't been to college since 1968. And did I mention, he's 61 years old? That's right. He is the place-kicker for the Fighting Eagles of Faulkner University, a small Christian university in Alabama.

Well, some 61-year-olds minds might turn to retiring and collecting benefits, he is suiting up with the big boys and becoming the oldest college football player ever. His first game is next Saturday.

And Alan joins us now via Skype from Montgomery. Alan, thank you so much for joining us.

So tell us how you got where you are today. You started college more than 40 years ago, before heading to Vietnam for an 11-month tour. And look at you now.

ALAN MOORE, FAULKNER COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYER: I played down at Charles Junior College in 1968 and won the National Championship. And I went to Vietnam, came back, Got married. Raised a family and fast forward it to 2009, was talking to some people I knew at a ball game and I kind of suggested that I could go back to play. I (inaudible) in 2010.

So it just developed from there and wound up at Holmes Community College in 2010 and Faulkner University in 2011.

KAYE: So you're 61 years old. You're going back to college to play football. How does this feel?

MOORE: Well, it feels good. It's exciting. It's very humbling when you get around to all these 18, 19-year-old kids, though.

KAYE: Can you keep up with them?

MOORE: Of course I can keep up with them.

KAYE: Tell me about your training with them.

MOORE: Well, they're pretty lenient on me. I don't have to do all the sprints and all the weightlifting and things that they have to do. And that's the real good thing. But they accept that.

KAYE: And why did you want to go back to football and college?

MOORE: The only reason I can figure out why I wanted to do it is because I could do it. And it wasn't like an easy thing to get here. But there was a lot of roads we had to cross and it was okay.

I mean, it was because I could kick. I wanted to come back and kick, see if I could do it here.

KAYE: Tell me how your family feels about this. Are they helping you train and get ready?

MOORE: It's not a whole lot of training to do. I mean, it's not -- it's like stretching exercises. Everything at 61 is pretty much stretch to the limit.

KAYE: I understand your daughter is helping you?

MOORE: Oh, yeah. Yeah, they do.

I have three daughters. They've all been very, very supportive of it. And the grandkids been very supportive. You know, they're all really proud of it.

KAYE: Did your daughter set up a goalpost to help you practice? Do I have that right?

MOORE: Well, she didn't really set it up. She just allowed me to put it in her yard. She gave me permission to put it in her yard.

But this was out -- go ahead.

KAYE: I was just curious what your major is going to be.

MOORE: Liberal arts.

KAYE: Should I ask you what you want to do when you get out of college?

MOORE: I want -- I'd like to play with my grandkids, you know, hang around with them, do things like that. I really don't want to work anymore.

KAYE: I'm sure. Do you find that you're an inspiration to those who look at you and say, hey, he's 61, he's going back to college following his dream, I can do the same thing?

MOORE: You know, everybody asks me about my education and things. And I've never considered this to be an Alan Moore thing. I've always said it's not a me thing, it's a we thing. And when people express the educational part on my behalf, it seems like it's putting too much focus on me because even if I get a degree at 62 or 63 or 64 or whatever it is, that degree is not going to help me that much.

I think the most important thing is that that -- if I can tell these kids and convince the kids that are here on Faulkner University that they not give up on their education today, that would be the most important thing to mentor them and make sure that they get their education now and not give up on it. Because I think that they're the generation that are going to be running our country.

KAYE: Sure.

MOORE: IN the next few years. All my grandkids are growing up.

So I think their education and them not giving up on the education is much more important than Alan Moore.

KAYE: Alan Moore, well said. 61-year-old kicker now for Montgomery, Alabama. That's where you're joining us from. Thank you so much.

All right. We'll take a break here. And we'll be right back.

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KAYE: I'm glad you're able to join us this afternoon. That will do it for me. But Newsroom will continues right now with Brooke Baldwin.

Brooke, how impressed were you with that 61-year-old kicker?

BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: So he's kicking? I just got the tale. He's kicking at his college at 61?

KAYE: He's 61 years old. He's the kicker now for his college. He's going back to school. Vietnam veteran.

BALDWIN: I love how you were like, can I ask what you're going to do when you grow up?

KAYE: He's a liberal arts major. I mean, he's going to take a major ion everything.

BALDWIN: Good for him.

Never too old.

Randi Kaye, have a wonderful weekend. Thank you very much.