mississippi, the great state of mississippi, has health trouble. heart disease is the number one cause of death in the united states. well, the highest rate of health disease death in the country is in mississippi. diabetes also a massive american health problem. alabama and mississippi, it turns out, are neck and neck on being the worst for diabetes. the most recent nationwide stats put alabama at 50 out of 50 states, and mississippi at 49th. the really astonishing number, though, in mississippi, is infant mortality. for every thousand kids born in the united states, how many of those kids do not live to their first birthday? overall, this is the rate in the country for infant mortality. here's what it is in mississippi. hmm. mississippi has the worst infant death rate in the country. not only is mississippi the worst in the country, if mississippi were a country, it would rank below sri lanka and below botswana. it would be 83rd in the world in terms of infant mortality. and if you look internally at what's going on in mississippi, what explains

he was going to be the new editor of a new liberal paper in jackson, mississippi, the state times. so i graduated. i wanted to do an apprenticeship. and i thought if you were going to do an apprenticeship, why not do it in the south and why not in mississippi, which was the most contested, most recalcitrant state? and i got down there, and he was not the editor of the new liberal state times. he was the assistant to the editor, to the famously racist fred sullens, editor of the famously, viciously racist jackson daily news. so i had come 1,100, 1,200 miles and had no job and did not want to tuck my tail between my legs, having told everybody in cambridge that i was going to be a star reporter in mississippi. they found a job on the smallest daily in the state, which was in west point. and i went over there and, in a way, had a magnificent year. i learned so much. a small town, a completely different experience having to learn how to deal with ordinary people and seeing the complexity of ordinary people and working in alien circumstances, something that served anybody who covered ci

then in mississippi i realized why. because in movie houses there were mezzanines in just about every movie house and that's where the african-americans were required to sit. they could not sit in the lower floor with the rest of the white people. they all had to sit up there and it was called -- heaven. >> this term went to hawaii even though it wasn't practiced in hawaii, this segregation. >> somehow it got to us, but at that time we had no idea why it was called -- heaven. we thought it was called that because it was very dark up there. >> at shelby, this is where the hawaiian contingent met a lot of the americans, the japanese ancestry from the mainland. tell me how that went, what the relationship was between the mainlanders and the hawaiians. >> well, the original encounter was not positive, was not friendly. both sides, especially the hawaiian side, looked upon the others with some, i would say, well, distrust. for one thing, it was easily known that the mainland japanese spoke a better brand of english. we for t

breaking news in the deadly highway shootings in mississippi.-year-old james willy has been charged. this is a mug shot of him. police linked his gun to the two separate shootings that left a man and a woman dead and terrified people driving in that state. willy was caught tuesday after allegedly raping a woman. that's where people were able to find the gun, test it and link it to the murders. >>> john edwards' fate is in the hands of a jury. they'll debate whether he's guilty of six counts of campaign fraud. lawy his lawyers are urging them to separate sin from criminal behavior. >>> i'll have another, going for the second leg of the triple crown at the 137th breakness, bodemeister the favorite, even though i'll have another ran him down and beat him 500 yards at the kentucky derby two weeks ago. watch us any time on your desktop or mobile phone, just go to cnn.com/tv. >> i don't get the horse names. you like them. >> i love them. that's how i pick my horses. i'll have another. >> i keep listening to you guys say this, what are you talking abou

next state out will be mississippi. following mississippi in january of 1861 you get florida, alabama, georgia and louisiana. and y'all if you ever get confused you're trying to remember all of this, just go to the mapping section on your test. find south carolina, work your way down the coast line until you get to texas. those are your first seven states of the confederacy. find south carolina and weave your way down. i will never ask you, all right, did texas go in january or february? all right. i'm far more interested in why texas goes than exact month texas goes. you know this. south carolina is the first out in december of 1860. then you're going to get mississippi is going to be next. and kind of that heart moving down from south carolina, the deep south where you get georgia, florida, alabama, louisiana, and then in february you're going to get texas. so what you'll have -- let me jump to this map maybe. maybe not. what you'll end up seeing with the deep south -- now it's going. picture the map. south carolina o

in mississippi we had more good times... in louisiana we had more fun on the water.season we broke all kinds of records down here on the gulf. more people more good times. this year we're out to do even better... and now's a great time to start. the sun's out and the beaches are even more relaxing. you can go deep sea fishing or enjoy our world-class restaurants... our hotels and rentals have special deals for the whole family. go golfing, kite boarding, or build the worlds biggest sand sculpture... with the world's best sand. so come on down to mississippi... get yourself down to louisiana... we'll see you in florida... you know you want to come to alabama. the gulf is america's get-a-way... and we're 100 percent ready to see you. come on down and help make 2012 an even better year for the gulf. brought to you by bp and all of us who call the gulf home. they claim to be complete. only centrum goes beyond. providing more than just the essential nutrients, so i'm at my best. centrum. always your most complete. >> announcer: "nightline" continues from new york city wit

. >> they stem from a shooting deaths of two people on a remote road in mississippi. the hunt is now on for the killer. >>> an abc news exclusive. the medical condition of george zimmerman after the shooting of trayvon martin. new questions on how all of this may affect the trial. >>> and could today be the most dramatic day of testimony yet in the trial of john edwards? several star witnesses may be waiting in the wings. >>> and "dancing with the stars" is down to three. next week's big finale is all set. but who still has a shot at the coveted mirrorball trophy? >>> and good morning, everyone. i'm rob nelson. >> and i'm diana perez, in for paula faris. we begin with the deadly highway attacks that have mississippi drivers thinking twice before getting behind the wheel. >> two people have been murdered. and the killer play be driving what looks like an unmarked police car. abc's tahman bradley has the latest. >> reporter: police are urging drivers in mississippi state to be on alert. as police look for a shooter that may be posing as a police officer. this morning, l

♪ ♪ everybody knows about mississippi god damn ♪ >> okay. anger that she's expressing and the anger that someone like malcolm x is expressing. these performers in expressing anger are holding out the hope of change and reconciliation. someone like malcolm x before he left the nation of islam, mind you, is not holding out that kind of hope, so this is -- this is a very personal statement that needs to be viewed on its own terms and not necessarily -- i mean, there are connections between what nina simone was saying and what james baldwin was saying and what dr. king was saying, but i think we make a mistake if we lump expressions of anger into a monolithic category, and i think that point will be clear later on. the sncc freedom singers were part of this tradition of civil rights freedom songs, we shall overcome, a well-known version, but this one is a little more topical and reflects a man sent to the united states by the state department to show odinga that racial progress was being made, so sncc kind of takes him under their wing and in so

from mississippi. mr. thompson: i rise in support of h.r. 1299 the secure border act of 2011 and yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. thompson: thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker would require the secretary of homeland security to submit to congress a comprehensive strategy for imagining operational control of our borders within the next five years. this bill defines operational control as the prevention of all unlawful entry into the united states, including entry by terrorists, other unlawful narcotics and contraband. it is extraordinary ambitious and doesn't offer additional resources to achieve this goal. i'm pleased that the will would require the secretary to submit a model for customs and border protection staffing requirements for all land, air and seaports of entry. this is important information that our committee has repeatedly requested on a bipartisan basis, but has not yet received. with that, mr. speaker, i reserve. the speake

he went to mississippi and he stopped in alabama because the federalists had mississippi. these trip high school a military purpose. he visited with armies and commanders, but he met with civilian authorities and public. he made countless public appearances and delivered numerous speeches from former presentations to legislatures to impromptu remarks at railroad stops. he didn't hide in richmond. he tried to make himself seen and heard by his pel fellow confederates. on the whole davis succeeded, although a multitude of political adversaries slashed at him, from 1863 on. no single politician rose to challenge seriously his leadership. his opponents howled and accomplished very little. they were strongest in georgia where his own vice president alexander stevens and joseph brown led the assault, still jornl georgia remained for the president. vice president stevens and governor boune could not turn the state legislature against davis. until the bitter end davis remained the dominant political force in the confederacy. finally let's turn to davis as specific military command

the two young girls he abducted are safe as police in mississippi acted on a tip and closed in on the suspect, he took his own life. nbc's kirk gregory has the story. >> reporter: a day after adam mayes was added to the fbi's ten most wanted list, the man accused of kidnapping four members of a tennessee family and murdering two, is dead. >> preliminary reports indicate he shot himself in the head later pronounced dead at an area hospital. >> reporter: the two girls police feared he was holding captive, 12-year-old alexandria bain and her 8-year-old sister kyliyah are safe. >> the girls were found alive and appear unharm. >> reporter: has been two weeks since their mother and older sister disappeared from their home in whitesville, tennessee. since then, police have found the bodies of jo ann and adrienne bain buried in the backyard of mayes home in al pine, mississippi. on wednesday, mayes ex-wife was charged with two counts of first degree murder after she told police she knew mayes killed bain and her eldest daughter and helped him transport the bodies back to mississippi. an end t

their primary mission was to repossess the mississippi valley. that's the whole purpose. and command had now been organized under a central leader in the west, henry w. halleck who commanded from st. louis. and he had four field armies maneuvering against the western confederate forces under the supreme western commander in the west for the confederacy, albert sydney johnston. so johnston not only had this federal force encamped, now disembarked at pittsburgh landing in close proximity to his railroad and the corinth junction, but he had three additional union armies pressuring his defenses. he had one in arkansas. he had pope on the river, had just taken new madrid. grant's force here, and don carlos buell of the army of the ohio, which had entered nashville and was maneuvering through middle tennessee. halleck had ordered a concentration of grants force with buell. the plan would be once the two armies were within supporting distance, then halleck would come into the field from st. louis, take command of the whole, and they would carry out the mission of cutting the vit

in mississippi we had more good times... in louisiana we had more fun on the water.oke all kinds of records down here on the gulf. more people more good times. this year we're out to do even better... and now's a great time to start. the sun's out and the beaches are even more relaxing. you can go deep sea fishing or enjoy our world-class restaurants... our hotels and rentals have special deals for the whole family. go golfing, kite boarding, or build the worlds biggest sand sculpture... with the world's best sand. so come on down to mississippi... get yourself down to louisiana... we'll see you in florida... you know you want to come to alabama. the gulf is america's get-a-way... and we're 100 percent ready to see you. come on down and help make 2012 an even better year for the gulf. brought to you by bp and all of us who call the gulf home. you wouldn't want your doctor doing your job. so why are you doing hers? only your doctor can determine if your persistent heartburn is actually something more serious... like acid reflux disease. over time, stomach acid can dam

roberts down in mississippi. i hope she's watching tonight but in the event she misses it, tell your mama i love her and there ain't nothing she can do about it. >> oh, she's watching, tavis. she's watching. loving every second of it. sgl love you, too. -- tavis: love you, too. good to have you on. >> thank you. tavis: next grammy award winner , singer-songwriter jason mraz next. stay with us. jason mraz is a grammy winning singer, songwriter who's who's out with a followup to his popular 2008 c.d., his latest is called "love is a four -letter word" and announced a tour that will take him to asia and across north america. not bad for a guy who used to perform at a coffee shop in san diego called java joe's and here's some from the single "i won't give up." stars e the they fall to earth we have a lot to learn god knows we're worth it no, i won't give up i don't want to be someone who walks away so easily i'm here to stay and make a difference that i can make ♪ tavis: good to see you, man. >> thank you very much.

. [ applause ] >> the only abortion clinic in the state of mississippi. you would perform an abortion in the state of mississippi you must be a certified ob/gyn and have admitting privileges to a hospital. it's going to be a challenge. we stopped abortion in the state of mississippi legally without having roe versus wade. we done that. the other side is like, well, the poor pitiful women will go out of state. you have to have more values. you have to start somewhere. that's what we decided to do. >> you have to have moral values. you have to start somewhere. there was bubba carpenter. a republican bragging about what he considers to be the successful republican effort in mississippi to effectively ban legal abortion in that state. technically abortion is still legal. that's guaranteed by the u.s. constitution but the republican plan in mississippi is you will soon not be able to get a legal abortion anywhere in the state of mississippi and if that leads to women killing themselves with coat hangers, you have to start somewhere. you have to have moral valu

we want to get right to this big break in mississippi. police have now arrested a suspect in the killing of two motorists both alongside desolate stretches of highway. authorities warned shooter could be posing as a cop. ed lavandera is in dallas. ed, what was the key break in the investigation and who is the suspect? >> reporter: well, according to mississippi authorities, tuesday authorities in the northwest corner of mississippi south of memphis, tennessee, get a call of a disturbance in an apartment. when they get there, they find a woman who is alleging she's been raped by a 28-year-old man by the name of james willie. as investigators are handling that scene and that situation, they come across what they say is his .9 millimeter handgun and they do ballistic testing on that handgun and it connects that gun to two deadly shootings along highways in that northwest corner of mississippi we've been talking about for several days that happened last week. authorities say that handgun has been connected to that. they have arrested james wi

valley, but even into mississippi itself. northern florida 0 get showers going and northern maine, northern vermont, a few patchy showers. once you get down towards boston, gloucester, d.c. and raleigh, very quiet conditions. at least nice to see the system well off the coastline. aside from at least maritime interests, no worries for the rest of us closer to the coast itself. this actually just expiredth. the severe thunderstorm watch box. little rock, memphis, down towards jackson, mississippi, the better chances for thunderstorms during the daytime. a few pushing towards shreveport. potentially gusty winds to south of the area. and a few thunderstorms moving into the chicago, milwaukee areas, but at this point the light side of things. >>> coming up, your fears make for a downer day on wall street. facebook fallout hits its founder and the ultimate souvenir for t"the hunger games fanatic in your life. >>> dramatic finish to game one of the stanley cup final. the celtics rush on rondo scores 44 points in a thriller against

right there in mississippi. >> stayed close to the house.>>> and then prosecutors have wrapped up their case against former presidential candidate john edwards. he was forced to listen to his own lies in court yesterday, but edwards' attorneys start their fight back today. >> at this point, they have an uphill climb. he took some hits, edwards. now it will be interesting to see how they go about salvaging the case. >> no question about it. in the court of public opinion, he's just really dirtied and muddied by a lot of that evidence that came in. whether or not it was illegal -- >> that's the issue. >> -- is still, i think, going to be difficult. >>> also some medical news. what's best for women when it comes to osteoporosis drugs? and when is taking those drugs too much of a good thing? our dr. richard besser has the answers coming right up. >>> and then the prince of wales, the man who will be king, britain's prince charles, just wait until you see what he's been up to. plenty of his subjects got a look at a whole new prince charles. >> ve

it is worse in mississippi with a poverty rate of 22%.duces us to a man helping young people build a brighter future for themselves. >> let me ask you this -- >> reporter: at this high school in marks, mississippi, the heat is out again. nearly half of these students live in poverty. but they do have 62-year-old carl palmer. he was four years into retirement when the district asked him to take over the school. this is his first year as a principal. >> i want to see them come out of poverty. i want to see the students excel. >> reporter: what's the hardest part of your job? >> the hardest part of my job sometimes is telling students no on some things i would like to tell them yes. sometimes we just don't have the resources. >> reporter: the last manufacturing jobs left marks when this soybean plant shuddered four years ago. half the people here, unemployed. four out of ten never finished high school. palmer says only 15% of these students will go on to college. compare that to the 40% of palmer's classmates who did go on to college in 1967

a mississippi grand jury has charged this man, harry bostick, who was pardoned by mississippi governor haley barbour in january for a fatal accident last october. negligently caused the death of charity smith when she crossed paths with bostick. his truck crashed into her car when she pulled out on a highway. bostick, who was a former irs investigator, has charged with driving under the influence. it wasn't the first time. he'd already been arrested three times for drunk driving. this dash cam video shows one of those arrests. by the time bostick crashed into charity smith, he racked up three dui convictions, all of them a matter of public record. that did not stop former mississippi governor haley barbour from pardoning bostick nearly three months after smith's funeral. barbour says they don't know about he last dui conviction. he defended his decision on john king usa. >> the power of pardon in the state is to give people a second chance who have repented, been rehabilitated, and redeemed themselves. >> repented, rehabilitated, and redeemed themselves. harry bostick was sitting in ja

she said, roger, we were down in a very poor place, a poor black place in mississippi. the black people were so poor, and the kids were dirty and they were -- they just kind of were gooey. and he came in there, and he walked around and he picked up those children and he patted their heads and he gave them water and he held them to his chest. she said, i wouldn't do that. she said, and that's why i'm for him. and when marion said that, that's a good thing.

mississippi. very good. mississippi. mississippi which today i think is the poorest state, or you know, maybe arkansas is the poorest and mississippi is the second poorest. well, you know, in this period mississippi is the wealthiest state. it's a state that's full of farms and plantations and slaves. and of course, the crop that most of these slaves are raising and the slave owners are profiting from, is what? cotton. right. this is the cotton era. cotton is being raised all over the region and it is in fact the largest export for the whole united states. it's one of the cheap engines of the whole economy. and that cotton goes to principally to one country, that country is -- great britain, right. the textile mill owners in england want american cotton. it has a reputation for being very fine cotton, high quality cotton. so, there's a lot of money at stake here. there is a lot of wealth at stake. and even though the 19th century is called the century of emancipation because that's when so many societies finally turn awa

they learned the mississippi judge was a terrible mistake. the president looked to him for civil rights. he looked to his brother robert. he liked very much dealing with the uncle of roger will kins. when i went to see the uncle. head of the naacp. roy willkins to support kennedy, don't let it take you all the way to lbj. he said if i'm honest, i will tell you that the one person that i think who has fire in his belly to end it is linden johnson. he said don't worry, my wife is not only a row nman catholic, b in love with john kennedy and wouldn't sleep with me if i didn't support john kennedy. robert kennedy, marshal is the third key person for civil rights. one of the wisest people i ever knew. very concerned with making federalism work. and getting mr. greyhound to carry the buzz to the next stage and doing everything they could to get the police and local government. >> why was the freedom rider that violent? >> it was the sit in, the four little girls in birmingham being killed, having an enormous impact. all of that changed them. to gre