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Psychiatrist Reported Holmes Behavior; DNC Keynote Speaker is Rising Star; Farmers Helping Farmers During Drought; NSYNC's Lance Bass Shunned After Coming Out.

Aired August 02, 2012 - 11:00   ET

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

KYRA PHILLIPS, ANCHOR, "CNN NEWSROOM": And, hello, everyone. I'm Kyra Phillips. 11:00 on the East Coast, 8:00 on the West.

We begin with breaking news. This just in to CNN. We have learned that Kofi Annan has resigned as the special envoy to Syria, just confirmed from the U.N. Secretary-General, Ban Ki-Moon. We will take you live to Syria, also to the U.N.

Also, what's wrong with this picture? A three-way collision course at Reagan National Airport. The FAA blames miscommunication.

And supporters of traditional marriage eat more chicken, a lot more, and Chick-Fil-A sets a record.

And breakthrough research on breaking class ceilings at work. For now, I'll just say the key is the boss' wife.

But we begin with the government trying to figure out why three planes at Washington's Reagan National Airport came close to crashing right into each other in mid-air. The incident occurred Tuesday when air traffic controllers were making adjustments for landing and departing aircraft because of bad weather.

Athena Jones at Reagan National for us right now. So, how close of a call was this, Athena?

ATHENA JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Kyra. Well, It was a pretty close call. We're talking about seconds here. One of the airplane was about half as far away as it should have been. The other one was a little bit further from that third plane.

This all happened on Tuesday afternoon after about 2:00 p.m. There was a heavy rainstorm and, so, air traffic controllers decided to change the direction that planes were taking off and landing. They had been taking off and landing on Runway One, going from south to north.

They decide to have them take off and land on Runway 19, going from north to south. The thing is, Runway One and Runway 19, that's the same runway. They just have different numbers considering the direction they're going in.

I think we have some sound from the air traffic controllers, a little bit of the recording to hear what was going on then. Let's listen to that.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

PILOT: 180, we were cleared at the river back there. What happened?

TOWER: 3329, stand by, we're trying to figure this out, too. Stand by.

TOWER: Muscle 1 got approved as requested. Route -- you said, route three to zone five.

PILOT: Are we still going to 19 or are we going 1?

PILOT: National tower muscle 1-1, we are landing.

PILOT: OK, we really don't have the fuel.

TOWER: We've got a temporary stop on all departures right now. I'll try to get you out of here as soon as I can.

PILOT: We've got to get on the ground here pretty quick.

TOWER: Everybody stand by. We've got a couple of opposite direction arrivals, so it's going to be a little bit of a delay on your departures.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

JONES: And now the FAA, of course, is investigating this. I'll read a part of their statement. They said, "During the switchover of operations, miscommunication between the Tracon" -- that's a regional approach control facility -- "and DCA tower led to a loss of the required separation between two regional jets departing. The FAA is investigating the incident and will take appropriate action to address the miscommunication."

I should also add the National Transportation Safety Board says they learned of the incident on Wednesday evening and they're gathering information, looking at the recordings at radar to determine whether or not they, too, will launch an investigation, Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Are we hearing anything from the airlines, from passengers?

JONES: Well, we've heard from US Airways, which we believe had planes involved, and they just said that they're investigating. They're cooperating with the FAA. So, nothing further on that.

We're hoping to get more from the FAA, as this goes forward, but I should add that back in March they instituted what they call a full- embrace of non-punitive reporting systems, which means they're encouraging employees, air traffic controllers to talk about the mistakes, to report the mistakes that they have made in the hopes of making the system, overall, safer. So, that's really interesting here. It's very unclear at this point, number one, when these air traffic controllers first made this report and, also, really, whether they'll end up being punished. The idea is to protect these folks from punishment in the hopes that much more information can enter the stream and the FAA can make the changes they need to make to make the system safer. Kyra?

PHILLIPS: Athena, thanks so much. And the incident surely will get the attention of lawmakers in Congress because that's the airport that most of them will be taking as they head home for their summer vacation today.

And breaking news, as we told you at the top of the hour, on the diplomatic front. Former U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan has quit his post as special envoy to Syria. A peace plan that Annan worked out with both sides has been almost totally ignored.

CNN's Elise Labott joining me now from the State Department with more on this. I guess a lot of people there on your grounds, Elise, would probably say they're not too surprised by this.

ELISE LABOTT, CNN FOREIGN AFFAIRS REPORTER: Not too surprised, Kyra. It was just a matter of time before the international community acknowledged that the Kofi Annan plan wasn't going anywhere.

I mean, basically, in the lack of any alternative, they kept saying, we need to stick to the Annan plan, we need to stick to the Annan plan. But between not having a cease-fire on the ground and the opposition and, certainly, the regime not willing to talk to one another, Kofi Annan's mission wasn't going anywhere and those monitors that were put in place as a result of his mission weren't able to do their jobs.

So, Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon says he's very disappointed. He's going to have another envoy, looking for another envoy to work with the parties, but certainly that so-called Annan plan is going nowhere fast.

PHILLIPS: And it's indicative of what we are seeing now in Syria, as well. No end in sight to this war that is taking place and these civilians that are killed daily. So, what -- I mean, this is just, I guess, one more, I guess, negative sign that there's no end in sight at this point.

LABOTT: It's so true. And I think it's basically that the international community doesn't have any options. When they're not willing to intervene militarily, when the regime certainly isn't willing to stop its violence, what do you do?

And, so, the question yesterday on Capitol Hill, there were a lot of foreign policy experts, former ambassadors and Syria experts saying, listen, maybe it's time now to arm the rebels, find out a little bit more information about them and see which groups we can arm.

Because, as you said, this is really not going anywhere. More people are being killed and, basically, the U.S. is saying it doesn't want to further militarize the conflict, but the lack of the U.S. and other countries giving arms to the rebels, there is a chance that insurgents, al Qaeda could perhaps be willing to work with them and if they don't have any better options, who are they going to turn to?

PHILLIPS: And not only do we talk about this war and you mentioned the rebels becoming better armed and this only intensifying, now, there's another battle going on and that is the hunger problem.

LABOTT: It's true. Hundreds of thousands of people, I believe the U.N. said, will need food. You have tens of thousands of refugees teeming across the borders into Lebanon, into Jordan, into Turkey and the international community is really trying to do what it can to help these people.

But certainly, countries like Jordan are overwhelmed and they don't really know what to do. There are certainly hundreds of thousands of people displaced inside the country. In Aleppo people are fleeing their homes, so it's really becoming not just in terms of casualties and death, but certainly humanitarian crisis.

PHILLIPS: Elise, thanks.

And activists tell CNN that government forces have cut off phone and Internet service now in Aleppo. That's Syria's most populous city and that's often a prelude to an all-out attack.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: All right, let's talk more about the Olympic showdown. It doesn't get much better than seeing two rivals go head-to-head for Olympic glory and, today, we've got two of them to watch.

Aly Raisman and Gabby Douglas, the two stand-out stars who helped the U.S. grab gold in the gymnastics team, all-around, now, they're going head-to-head in the individual, all-around final. Then, in the pool, Michael Phelps and Ryan Lochte are preparing to lock horns in the men's 200-meter individual medley.

Zain Verjee, once again, joining us out of London. So, Zain, some folks are calling this the greatest rivalry in American swimming history. We're talking, of course, about Phelps and Lochte.

ZAIN VERJEE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's Phelps and Lochte, part two, and I think it's fair to say that this is the greatest rivalry in American swimming history. This is the last time ever you're going to see those two go head-to-head because Phelps is going to be retiring after this.

So, you know, a lot of people are looking at this and analyzing, really closely, like who is going to get off the fastest? You know, who has the strongest underwater kick? Who's got the best turn? Who's the strongest in which strokes?

Now, Ryan Lochte is actually going to be doing the 200-meter backstroke just a short while before he has to compete against Phelps and Phelps has this huge pressure on him because, the last time they raced each other, Phelps was fourth.

And if he is able to win this race, he would then be the only person to win three consecutive golds in an Olympic in an event like this. So, the pressure is on, Kyra. We're all waiting to see what happens.

PHILLIPS: Oh, yeah. And the pressure also on the women's gymnastics. Let's talk about Aly Raisman and "The Flying Squirrel."

VERJEE: What do we call Aly Raisman? She's got to have a name, too. Should we call her "The Magical Maneuverer?" That's not fair ...

PHILLIPS: Perfect. It sounds great. You just named her.

VERJEE: "The Magical Maneuverer" and "The Flying Squirrel" will be competing in the individual, all-around today, and, yes, you know, Kyra, they do have a really good shot.

The U.S. women's individuals for the all-around have won the last two golds in the last Olympics, so, we'll keep our fingers crossed because they're looking in amazing shape.

PHILLIPS: Well, now, leave it to you to find the most, one of the most interesting individuals. You're always able to charm the older folks, shall we say? So, this involves two things that you love ...

VERJEE: The lot older ones.

PHILLIPS: Tell us about this 71-year-old Olympian.

VERJEE: Yes. The 71-year-old Olympian, he's from Japan. His name is Hiroshi Hoketsu and he's competing in the equestrian contest here and he has this horse -- and, Kyra, this is true. The horse is called Whisper and I know you're going to roll your eyes when I say he's the horse whisperer, but you know I can't help myself.

But he is competing and the very first Olympics he appeared in was back in 1964 in Tokyo. And, so, he's been to so many ever since then. He is 71-years old and he was asked, what's your biggest motivation you keep coming? And he says it's because I want to improve each time. Isn't that great?

PHILLIPS: Wow. Well, he looks very dapper. Zain, thank you so much.

VERJEE: He does, doesn't he?

PHILLIPS: Yes, he does.

All right, well, did you know that when Olympians win medals that they get a cash prize and actually pay taxes on it. Here's their take. A gold medal, $25,000, silver, $15,000, and bronze, $10,000.

So, what do you think about our Olympians paying taxes on their medals? Well, some members of Congress have now introduced legislation that would ax the tax on those Olympic prizes.

Rene Marsh joining me out of Washington. So, Renee, paying tax on the prize money and their medals, too?

RENE MARSH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I know, gee. Yeah, Kyra, you know, Uncle Sam gets a cut of everything, including the raw value of the medal, as well as the cash prize.

Let's tell you that the commodity price's value gold right now at about $675. That's about how much the gold medal would be worth. And silver medal about $382 and the bronze medal, a whopping 5 bucks.

So, Kyra, you have to add it all up together and, at the end of the day, it's the bottom line, the overall income is what these folks are going to be taxed on. So, whether you're a high school student like Missy Franklin or you're a big-time mega-millionaire athlete like Kobe Bryant or Michael Phelps, you're going to have to pay the IRS a piece of whatever you get.

So, according to American Taxpayers for Reform, a gold medal winner could pay nearly $9,000 in taxes. The silver, nearly $5,400 and the bronze medals, $3,500 in taxes.

Now, to be clear, these numbers are based on the tax rate for an athlete that makes nearly $400,000 in income. We know that most of these athletes don't make that much money, Kyra. So, that's how it's breaking down. Uncle Sam gets a piece of the pie. Kyra?

PHILLIPS: Always does, right? No matter what. Even for our hard-working Olympians.

Now, let me ask you this. I mean, this has, obviously, been the case for years, right? So, now, why all of a sudden this talk about a tax break?

MARSH: Well, Kyra, dear, we say it is an election year. All eyes are on the Olympics. We keep that in mind, but with that being said, I did put a call in to Senator Marco Rubio's office. He is one of several lawmakers who introduced this bill and asked that very question. Why now?

Why now is this an issue that you're paying attention to and the press officer telling me that, you know, Senator Rubio was just made aware of this issue that Olympians face taxes when they return home based on the research from that group and we're talking about American Taxpayers for Reform. So, he wasn't aware of this until now and that is why they say they're pressing for it now. Kyra?

PHILLIPS: All right, and Congress is on vacation for, what, the next five weeks or so? So, will the athletes this time around get a break?

MARSH: Well, if I were to bet, I would say it is highly unlikely. But, again, speaking to Senator Rubio's office, he says that by this afternoon they hope to put this bill through Senate. They're hoping that's what happens, that it will sail right through without any objections.

And they hope that the same would happen in the House some time this afternoon, but I'll tell you at least in the House, at the very least, we think that is highly unlikely. They have some business to finish up. It doesn't look like they plan on taking up this bill and, of course, they will be leaving for recess.

So, if things don't get tied up this afternoon, if they choose to, they will have to look at when they return. Kyra?

PHILLIPS: Renee, thanks so much.

And we should point out that many of the athletes in London are amateurs who get only grassroots help in paying for training and transportation to the games.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Well, long lines at Chick-Fil-As across the country. It's all centered around this controversial stance against gay marriage, that it's actually helped Chick-Fil-A to setting records with regard to sales.

George Howell joining me now. You were out there yesterday. I was telling you. I drove by two Chick-Fil-As on my way home and the lines were around the block. What was it like where you were?

GEORGE HOWELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: So, we were in Smyrna, Georgia, at a Chick-Fil-a right around lunchtime and, yeah, it was busy, busier than usual.

I asked the business owner just next to that Chick-Fil-A, have you ever seen anything like this? No, he'd never seen that Chick-Fil- A as busy as he saw yesterday. The lines were packed. The parking lot, you couldn't find a spot.

PHILLIPS: Now, Chick-Fil-A, what's Chick-Fil-A say? It doesn't want to release how much money they made, right? I mean, how do they feel about all this?

HOWELL: They did give us a statement. There was some buzz that started on Twitter about this day and they gave us a statement, saying -- and I'll read this to you -- "We are very grateful and humbled by the incredible turnout of loyal Chick-Fil-A customers on August 1st at Chick-Fil-A restaurants around the country."

They go on to say, "While we don't release exact numbers" -- Kyra, remember, this is a private company -- "while we don't release exact numbers, sales numbers, we can confirm that it was a record- setting day."

A record-setting day and you find that at Chick-Fil-As all over the country.

PHILLIPS: And we're not just talking about the Bible belt.

HOWELL: Yeah, right.

PHILLIPS: We're talking about Chick-Fil-As in California, in Texas, right, Chicago. I mean ...

HOWELL: Well, and we even saw video. We saw these pictures in Houston, Texas, even in Dallas, Texas, but these lines outside the door. People waiting trying to get into this Chick-Fil-A. We saw some of that in Smyrna.

PHILLIPS: So, let's talk about this. What did you find when you were talking with folks? Was it more about gay marriage? Was it, hey, here we are in a political season, right, and people want to make this into a big political issue? Was it about free speech? What was your sense?

HOWELL: You know, sort of a mix of those things, Kyra. It was interesting, though, to talk to customers. No one wanted to talk specifically about gay marriage. People, instead, wanted to talk about supporting Chick-Fil-A and supporting this company that has taken a stance on traditional marriage.

So, no one talked specifically about same-sex marriage. There was no disparaging words to that regard. People were rather focused on the company and the stance that it took.

PHILLIPS: But what's interesting is that's what started this whole situation, was when ...

HOWELL: The remarks, yeah, by the leadership.

PHILLIPS: Right. So -- but, yet, you couldn't find anybody that wanted to talk about that in-depth.

HOWELL: No one would go there. No one would talk about it. In fact, we saw this church. There was a church across the street from the Chick-Fil-A. They had a big sign up, saying that we support Chick-Fil-A and right around noon, during the lunch hour, we saw people from that church, a big group, go over and take a picture on Chick-Fil-A Appreciation Day.

PHILLIPS: OK, so, now, tomorrow, this will be interesting to watch, right? This is what everyone is kind of paying attention to now. There's supposed to be a big kiss-in.

HOWELL: Yeah.

PHILLIPS: So, what are you hearing? What do you think we should expect?

HOWELL: So, it was sparked by the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, GLAAD. And the plan is ...

PHILLIPS: A very powerful lobby.

HOWELL: Indeed. And they started their own Facebook group, Facebook page. asking people to get together I know around 8:00 Eastern time to go into Chick-Fil-As and to kiss, just to show that they are in opposition to what this company stands for.

PHILLIPS: Interesting. I wonder if, what sales will be like tomorrow. And, also, too, they're saying they want to go inside the facility.

HOWELL: Inside, yeah.

PHILLIPS: Is there a concern about security? Has Chick-Fil-A mentioned anything about what they're going to do if they get flooded with all these folks coming inside the restaurants?

HOWELL: You know, it's interesting there also because Chick-Fil- A, since the first remarks came out, they've not really gotten into these issues. They did not endorse yesterday's event. They are not endorsing tomorrow's event.

So, they're not getting into the specifics of what is or what will not be accepted, but this is planned for tomorrow.

PHILLIPS: Stay tuned. I know you're going to be there. We'll be talking tomorrow. George, thanks.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Well, the psychiatrist who treated the man accused in the Colorado theater massacre says that she knew something was off. Twenty-four-year-old James Holmes was charged with murder Monday in the July 20th rampage that killed 12 people.

Now, affiliate KMGH is reporting that psychiatrist Lynne Fenton was so concerned about Holmes' behavior in the weeks before the attack that she notified a threat team that deals with potential problems on campus.

But because Holmes began the process of dropping out of school around the same time, sources say that an assessment never happened and it was never reported to police

KMGH investigative reporter John Ferrugia spoke to CNN's Anderson Cooper last night.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN FERRUGIA, KMGH INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER: The team thought they had no jurisdiction. They had no control over him. So, there was nothing that they could do vis-a-vis this concern that she had.

Again, we don't know what the concern was. What we do know is, is that no one, through our sources and through our reporting, we have been told no one contacted the Aurora police department with any of these concerns.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Let's bring in our CNN legal analyst, Paul Callan. So, Paul, let's start with, hat do you think about the fact that this assessment was never done and that Fenton actually helped create this threat team that apparently need to be notified about this?

PAUL CALLAN, CNN LEGAL CONTRIBUTOR: Very interesting question and it's hard to know the specifics. You know psychiatrists have a legal obligation, if there is a specific threat articulated in a therapy session against either a group or an individual, to turn that person into law enforcement and warn the potential victim.

Now, this suggests to me that Fenton, who is a director of student services at the university, was very worried about Holmes and -- but it must have been a borderline case because she wanted to consult with her colleagues on it. You know, if it was a clear-cut thing, she would have had to pick up the phone and call the police right away. I'm betting this was sort of a borderline thing. He had said something odd in the therapy session and she wanted to talk to the team and get some help, but, apparently, they didn't show up for the meeting or the meeting wasn't held. We'll have to hear more details about that.

PHILLIPS: Could this threat team be held accountable in any way?

CALLAN: Well, there is that possibility. If Fenton communicated to them a clear need for a meeting so that something could be decided about Holmes and they didn't actively participate in this, yes, they could be held libel. The defense that he already dropped out of the university, so the university threat team had no legal obligation to report it. Fenton, however, might still have had a continuing obligation to report it to the police, depending on how specific the threat was.

PHILLIPS: So, let me ask about Lynne Fenton, again, looking at when she was reprimanded. You know, more details are coming out with regards to her prescribing drugs to her husband and to fellow employees. And, apparently, Colorado's medical board in 2005 reprimanded her for this. How could this play out with regard to her credibility and what she says going forward in all of this?

CALLAN: Well, you know, to be fair to the doctor, I read the document pertaining to the case that was brought against her, and she got herself into a bind that a lot of physicians get themselves into. A family member sometimes is suffering from a condition and they just say, could you prescribe for me? Chronic headaches, allergies, an employee, a friend and sometimes the doctors do that. They don't have proper medical records and they're not supposed to. Her case was not even as bad as that because she was suffering from anxiety herself because of her mother dying, and she took three Xanax pills, something supplied to her office. That is what she was charged with. A friend was flying or an employee was flying to Europe and had anxiety about flying and she gave three pills to the employee, and she gave a couple pills to her husband, who was suffering from -- I can't remember if it was headaches, but some sort of minor condition, and she was sanctioned by medical authorities by that. It doesn't look like a big deal. We would never know about it except for her involvement in the Holmes' case. I don't think that will hurt her very much.

The one other thing I wanted to mention is that psychiatrists get caught in a tough spot in these cases because someone comes in, in therapy, and says, you know, my husband is driving me crazy and sometimes I feel like I want to kill the guy. Well, they don't really mean that and the psychiatrist has to sit there and say, am I supposed to turn her into the police because she said that? Is that a real threat? The psychiatrist can be sued by the patient if they're wrong for breaching medical confidentiality. They're caught in a tough spot when they're giving therapy to disturbed people like Holmes and others.

PHILLIPS: Point well made.

Paul Callan, thanks. We'll talk more about this in the weeks to come. Thanks, Paul.

CALLAN: Nice being with you, Kyra.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: He's young, an ivy league grad, and not really known on a national level, but that will soon change.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JULIAN CASTRO, (D), MAYOR OF SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS & DNC KEYNOTE SPEAKER: Being the keynote speaker at the convention this year is an honor I don't take lightly. I have some big shoes to fill. Two conventions ago, the keynote speaker was Barack Obama. I remember watching his speech in 2004 and being inspired.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: That is Julian Castro. And Democrats have chosen him to give the keynote at their convention. And when you hear his back story, it will remind you of that virtual unknown that Castro just mentioned who became our president.

Rafael Romo is here to tell us more about this rising star.

What do we know about this young mayor of San Antonio?

RAFAEL ROMO, CNN SENIOR LATIN AMERICAN AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: He has got one of those only-in-America kind of stories. He's only 37 years old and he already served in the city council in San Antonio for five years. He's an Ivy League grad and he went to Stanford and then he went on to Harvard Law School. And he has been very successful as mayor. His city was recognized as the top local economy last year by the Milkin Institute. And, by all accounts, he's saying the right things, he has the right charisma and media savvy. And he's not shy in front of the cameras and he has a right tone according to most analysts.

PHILLIPS: And the first Hispanic to be a keynote speaker, right?

ROMO: That's significant because, as you mentioned before, in 2004, Barack Obama, then a virtually unknown Senator from Illinois, did the same thing. And what many people are wondering are, is this the beginning of a national career for Julian Castro. PHILLIPS: Could he be the country's first Hispanic president? If you look at what happened to Barack Obama, they have very similar back stories.

ROMO: That's right. Probably too early to tell. He's only been the mayor and Barack Obama was a Senator. Maybe if he were to run for governor of Texas, and more political experience, that's a possibility. But it is definitely right. I mean, he's definitely seen as a rising star in the Democratic Party --

(CROSSTALK)

PHILLIPS: The Dems want this Latino vote. That's obvious.

ROMO: And he was invited by the president to sit by the first lady during this year's State of the Union address. So, that's got to tell you something. And he's also a co-chairman of the Obama political campaign for this, for the re-election campaign for this year.

PHILLIPS: We have to throw in the other interesting part. Of course, I found this fascinating because I am the mother of twins.

(LAUGHTER)

He has a twin brother, Juaquin, and very hard for me to tell them apart, and he's in politics, as well.

ROMO: That's right. And the story of the Castro family is quite significant. His grandmother came from Mexico at age 6, which she became an orphan. She only had a third-grade education and was able to raise by herself, Castro's mother, Rosie, who went on to run for politics for city council in San Antonio, and was not successful because Hispanics back then were not allowed to enter politics. The city made it very difficult. And now, two generations later, he is going to give -- deliver the keynote address for the DNC.

PHILLIPS: We should also point out, because a lot of people have asked about this, absolutely no relation to the Castros of Cuba. We better point that out.

(LAUGHTER)

ROMO: None whatsoever.

PHILLIPS: All right. Rafael, thank you so much.

ROMO: Thank you.

PHILLIPS: To find out more about Julian Castro, all you have to do is go to sanantonio.gov/mayor.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Drought-stricken ranchers who could really use federal help to get by are out of luck this year because Congress hasn't passed a farm bill. The Senate has passed a bill and the House is expected to pass a bill today, but don't expect them to agree on a bill before they all leave town for a five-week recess.

In the meantime, our viewers in Wisconsin are doing what good neighbors do when tough times call, they're helping one another.

That story now from reporter Bill Miston of affiliate, WLUK, in Green Bay.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GREG PAPLHAM, DAIRY FARMER: If I had extra, do what I could to help out.

BILL MISTON, REPORTER, WLUK (voice-over): Dairy farmer, Greg Paplham, said he will do whatever he can to help out his fellow farmers wherever they are.

PAPLHAM: Wheat just seemed to be a good crop so we have an abundancy of straw.

MISTON: Paplham is selling about 70 tons of wheat straw which he says can be used as bedding or feed filler to stretch feed supplies. He's selling it online on the online Farmer-to-Farmer network. Operated by the University of Wisconsin Extension, the network connects farmers who might have extra forages like hay, corn and straw, with others who need it.

PAPLHAM: Certain parts of the state and the country are suffering a little bit more than we have with this drought. So to help out fellow dairymen and cattlemen, if I have extra, do what I can to help.

MISTON: State agriculture officials say you don't have to travel very far in central Wisconsin to see the need the dairy and livestock farmers have for feed and the Farmer-to-Farmer Network could help farmers work together, instead of alone.

DAVE HIDEMAN, FARMER: I mean, it's a pretty nice ear. It's pollinated pretty well.

MISTON: Farmer Dave Hideman is also on the network. He has about 100 acres of standing corn ready to sell, as well as thousands of bushels.

Wisconsin Department of Agricultural Secretary Ben Baransel (ph) says farmers that are suffering from the drought need to pursue all options of maintaining their herds.

BEN BARANSEL (ph), WISCONSIN DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE: We don't want them to start selling cows unless they feel they absolutely have to.

MISTON: While Paplham he may not be hurting now, it is best to help out because he knows others will do the same for him.

PHILLIPS: Well, if you're a Wisconsin farmer in need or you want to help one, check out Farmer-to-Farmer web site at usuniversityofwisconsinextension.edu.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: If you're a working woman and you're still waiting for that big promotion, a new study finds, if you really want to get ahead, you'll have to find a boss whose wife has a career.

(LAUGHTER)

Alison Kosik joining us from New York.

We should know that, right, behind every strong man is a stronger woman. It makes perfect sense.

(LAUGHTER)

ALISON KOSIK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Does it? I don't know.

(CROSSTALK)

KOSIK: This whole thing kind of makes me a little uncomfy, but here you go. Let's give a crack at it here. The idea behind this study is that men with wives who work outside the home, that these men are more likely to promote women. Now, the study, by the way, was commissioned by a management professor who teaches at UNC and Harvard. She talked to 1,200 men over six years, and what the study found is that men whose wives don't work outside the home, these men looked unfavorably at the presence of women at work. Meaning, they're more likely to deny qualified ladies a promotion and have less respect for companies that are led by women.

Why is this? The study says our home environment shapes the way we behave at work. It's tough to completely set aside that mindset when they're in the office -- Kyra?

PHILLIPS: It's so true. Does this mean at every time we go for a job interview now and we're interviewing with men we have to say, we have to meet with your wife first and find out more about her?

KOSIK: I don't know if that will really get you the job, but, you know, the interesting thing is, you look at this study, it says that these men don't really realize they're doing this. It seems to be mostly subconscious that the study says many of these men, they weren't trying to deliberately hold back women at all. The study says these are nice guys, not jerks. Some men said they knew some male managers were bias but they didn't consider themselves among them. Many also said they considered women their equals.

What do we do? Is that what we do at job they knew there was a male bias, but many consider themselves equal, so what should we do, make sure that they have a strong woman by their side, Kyra? I don't know how to change their mind.

PHILLIPS: I am glad I have female bosses.

Thank you. Alison.

KOSIK: I won't say anything. I'm speechless.

(LAUGHTER)

PHILLIPS: Thank you so much.

Well, how is this for a transition? Bears, Moose, crystal-clear waters. Alaska's national parks are rich with wildlife and history. And that's where CNN photojournalist, Farra Dollar (ph), went for today's "Travel Insider."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FARRA DOLLAR (ph), CNN PHOTOJOURNALIST: It is twice the size of Texas and fewer than one million human residents and one area code, but Alaska has great national parks and we visited two the of them.

Getting there, planes, trains, no automobiles. The Alaskan railroad will take you to the doorstep of Denali National Park. It is not just another train ride, but a front row seat to Alaska's frontier. From Denali, it shuttles you to get to the visitor center and a handful of lodges and campsites and trailheads to hit the back country. And a delightful ride with national park and outdoor enthusiasts lets you sit back and enjoy the six million acres. It is hard to take a bad picture here.

Denali is Alaska's third-largest national park and three times as large as Yellowstone. The centerpiece is Mount McKinley, towering the highest peak in the United States. Denali means "The Great One," named by the natives of Alaska, an apt description for this majestic park.

If you want to feel like a national wildlife photographer, go to the park, which is only accessed by chartered flight or boat. This is by guides who provide you safe assess to areas like you only see in the wildlife documentaries. Camps, reliant on solar and wind power, provide comfort and home-cooked meals. Heavily populated by brown bears, fox, moose and a few scenic volcanoes, this park is a dream vacation destination for photographers and outdoor enthusiasts.

Farra Dollar (ph) for "Travel Insider."

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Just a quick note for those of you heading tout door. You can continue to watch CNN from the mobile phone or if you are heading to work, you can watch CNN live from the desktop. Go to CNN.com/TV.

From Mississippi's golden boy to the target of death threats, singer and former NSYNC singer, Lance Bass, was heralded from his home state until 2006 when he revealed he was gay.

our correspondent, Kareen Wynter, talked to Bass about how his world changed when he came out, and what he's doing now to help kids struggling back home.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KAREEN WYNTER, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): When Mississippi native, Lance Bass, rocketed to fame with the group, NSYNC, he made his state proud in Mississippi.

(CHEERING)

WYNTER: He was inducted into the Mississippi Musician's Hall of Fame, a small boy, made good.

LANCE BASS, FORMER NSYNC SINGER: Every time I came home, I was welcome and my family was treated so great.

WYNTER: But Bass says that was changed to scorn in 2006 after he revealed a long-held secret, he was gay.

BASS: The state rejected me by that issue. All of that taken away.

WYNTER: Bass told "Showbiz Tonight" he got death threats. And the family back in Mississippi was heaped with abuse.

BASS: Everyday of people making comments to them, saying that they want to kill me. You know, patting them on the back and saying, I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry, like I had died.

WYNTER: In the documentary "Mississippi, I Am" Bass recalls the pain at that time.

BASS: Everyone attacked me and I was even wiped out of ad campaigns. Everyone just wanted to forget I existed.

WYNTER: Bass executive produced the film, but he is not the main subject. It is about gay teens in Mississippi who share their own struggle of coming out in a conservative state.

UNIDENTIFIED BOY: If you are different in any way, they kind of turn their back on you.

WYNTER: The documentary includes interviews with anti-gay Mississippians and audio from Tupelo radio station.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (voice-over): Our God and savior would not make someone a homosexual. It is a dangerous behavior that is killing children.

BASS: We all forget that it is so easy to be in New York and L.A. And Chicago and Miami and places where it is easy to be yourself and be gay and everyone accepts you. We forget about the Small Town, USA. WYNTER: I met up with Bass at the Redbury Hotel in Los Angeles and seemingly a world away from his hometown. He remembered the feeling of desperation as a child when he became aware of his sexuality.

BASS: I knew I was gay at 5 years old and I knew I was gay. I knew what it was.

WYNTER (on camera): That young?

BASS: Yes, I knew it at 5 years old. You tell me it is a choice. But I knew I had to hide it from everyone.

WYNTER: Out of fear or shame?

BASS: Both, shame and fear. Yes, I just knew it was not right. I knew it was wrong and something was wrong with me. So every single day, I prayed to God that he would change me to be straight. Every single night, I would cry and say, please, let me wake up tomorrow and be straight. And I hear that from so many kids.

WYNTER (voice-over): Kids like Jesse and Audrey, who appear in the documentary, they are among a growing number of gay young people in Mississippi who embrace their sexuality. Audrey is part of the Mississippi Safe Schools Coalition, a group formed by gay kids and their allies, which puts on an alternative prom.

(SINGING)

WYNTER: Bass returned to Mississippi in 2010 to support the event.

BASS: About 400 kids came from all over the state, and such -- and I get chill bumps thinking about it.

WYNTER: What have they taught you?

BASS: I learned so much from these kids. I gave up on my state, but I would go back home to visit my family, but I thought nothing would change. Everybody was so hard-headed, like myself, and you would not change people's minds. But these kids taught me that, at any age, you can change people's minds.

WYNTER: The documentary "Mississippi, I Am" may change minds, Bass says, even among his closest relatives.

BASS: My family is very right wing and conservative and religious. They are the people that we want to see this film and for their reaction to be like this, is one of the most beautiful things that we have seen. They learned a lot of things. That is the reaction that I definitely wanted.

WYNTER: Kareen Wynter, CNN, Hollywood.

(END VIDEOTAPE) PHILLIPS: "Mississippi, I Am" has picked up awards on the festival circuit. And the film's director says that she hopes it is seen as far and wide as it possibly can.

Thank you for watching, everyone. You can continue the conversation on Twitter, @KyraCNN, or on Facebook.

CNN INTERNATIONAL starts right now.