Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Live Sunday
U.S. Military To Pull Back From Korean Demilitarized Zone; U.S. Could See Shortage Of Air Traffic Controllers Soon; Lance Armstrong Win Record 6th Tour de France
Aired July 25, 2004 - 16:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, ANCHOR, CNN SUNDAY: John Kerry spends the day in the battleground states of Ohio and Florida on this the eve of the Democratic convention.
Lance Armstrong makes it official: the tour is his. The particulars of the last leg of the race coming up.
And a shortage of air traffic controllers may be on its way. Will U.S. skies be as safe?
Hello and welcome to CNN SUNDAY. I'm Fredericka Whitfield. All that and more after a look at the top headlines.
In Utah, the search for a missing pregnant woman continues today even as new details about seized evidence are surfacing. A Utah newspaper citing unnamed sources is reporting that a bloody knife with strands of hair was taken from the Hackings' home.
An Israeli helicopter targets a house in Gaza for the second time in one day. The attack came just hours after Palestinian militants fired mortars at a seaside Jewish settlement wounding at least five children. The Gaza house was empty when Israeli helicopters fired two missiles in a second attack. Three bystanders were wounded in the earlier strike.
Despite the violence, tens of thousands of Israeli protesters formed a human chain from Gaza to Jerusalem today. They're demonstrating against Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's planned withdrawal of Israeli settlements from Gaza. We'll have more later on this story coming up later on in the hour.
Another train crash in Turkey, this time in the western part of that country. At least 14 people were killed, five others injured. Turkish officials say the driver of a mini bus apparently ignored warning signals and tried to cross the tracks ahead of an oncoming passenger train. The train slammed into the vehicle. Keeping you informed, CNN, the most trusted name in news.
We begin in Boston. The first national political convention since the September 11th attacks gets under way in just a matter of hours and the tight security is getting even tighter. Fleet Center, the site of the gathering in Boston, has been turned into a fortress. CNN national correspondent Bob Franken joins us with the latest look. Hi, Bob. BOB FRANKEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello and it's a fortress that is guarded by thousands of guards. Outside, police, there are military police, Secret Service, FBI, U.S. marshals, local police, state police from several states, a variety of agencies, all providing a massive security presence, one that is slowing down the ability to move from here to there.
One can expect now, if you're anywhere near the perimeter of the Fleet Center, that you're going to be stopped moment by moment sometimes within a few feet of each other. Bags are searched as cordially as possible, but patience can wear thin. It will be interesting to see how people feel about this by the end of the week. Of course, if that's their only concern, say security officials, then the security officials will feel like they've done their jobs.
There was a teeny little test of security today. The demonstrators made their march through the streets of Boston, a march that it took a Federal judge to allow several hundred demonstrators protesting against the war in Iraq. It went relatively incident free. But had there been any trouble, Lord knows there are enough people to try and stop it. All of this, the prelude to the Democratic convention which officially begins tomorrow. Delegates are coming into the city, getting ready to go inside the Fleet Center, which has been transformed from a sports arena to an arena for the sport of politics.
The Democrats, of course going to nominate their ticket of John Kerry and John Edwards. First order of business tomorrow speeches by former President Bill Clinton, along with former Vice President Al Gore, their speeches on Monday, far enough away from John Kerry that nobody has to worry too much about Clinton overshadowing Kerry as Kerry now takes over the leadership of his party. And the Democrats hoping that this will be the springboard that catapults them right into the thick of a race against the formidable opponent, the Republicans. Fredericka?
WHITFIELD: Bob, back to some talk about the protesters. I understand that an unprecedented number of Republican opponents are expected to be outside the Fleet Center. In addition to them and other protesters planning to make a presence there during the convention week, what are going to be the restrictions for them?
FRANKEN: Well, there are severe restrictions on where the protesters can gather. There is a holding pen, we call it, the protesters call it an internment camp. It is a small area across the street from the Fleet Center, under a bridge, out of sight. The protesters have gone to court saying that it is unconstitutional to restrict their free speech that way. They've been turned down thus far by a Federal judge, but they're going to test it in the appeals court tomorrow.
WHITFIELD: All right. Bob Franken from Boston. Thanks very much.
Well, the man everyone's waiting for at the Democratic convention is heading to Florida right now. John Kerry is taking the long way to Boston with a series of cross-country campaign stops. He's been in Columbus, Ohio for much of the day. Here's our Frank Buckley now.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FRANK BUCKLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: John Kerry here in Ohio, a key battleground state in Franklin County, a key swing county in Ohio that could go either Republican or Democrat in this coming election. We saw an indication of that when Senator Kerry arrived here in this neighborhood for a cul-de-sac event.
A vocal group of Bush-Cheney supporters confronted the senator. The senator then used that small demonstration to make a point.
JOHN KERRY, (D) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: When I see people on the other side of the fence saying "four more years," I sometimes say to myself four more years what? Four more years of -- four more years of jobs being lost, four more years of the deficit growing bigger and bigger, four more years of losing our allies around the world?
BUCKLEY: Senator Kerry's focus here, on job losses in Ohio, the campaign saying that 231,000 jobs have been lost in Ohio since the Bush administration moved into the White House. A spokesman for the Bush-Cheney campaign saying, however, that Senator Kerry's focus on job losses ignores recent indicators that suggest that jobs are coming back. The spokesman saying that 17,000 new jobs have been created in Ohio this year.
This intense battle for Ohio will continue right up to election day. Ohio went for George W. Bush in 2000. Senator Kerry believes that he can get voters here to vote for him in 2004. President Bush just as determined to keep it in his column, especially given the historic importance of Ohio, two Republicans, no GOP president has won the White House without Ohio. Frank Buckley, CNN, Columbus, Ohio.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: Meanwhile, Democratic vice presidential hopeful John Edwards is in Texas today. He's in San Antonio where he attended a fund-raiser and is now hosting a youth roundtable discussion. His next stop -- Raleigh, North Carolina.
Well, the convention won't be just a big political bash. It's a chance for the Democrats to show off John Kerry, especially to the undecided voters. So what can we expect to see and hear this week in Boston? CNN's senior political analyst Bill Schneider joins us now with some conventional wisdom. Good to see you, Bill.
WILLIAM SCHNEIDER, SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Good to see you, Fredericka.
WHITFIELD: All right. Well, it's been said this is going to be an opportunity for John Kerry to reintroduce himself to the public. For some reason, many people of the past six to seven months still feel like they haven't gotten to know him. I understand he may be spending a bit of time on his Vietnam war record as well as his record in the Senate Foreign Relations committee as well as, perhaps, as a prosecutor back in the day. What have you learned? SCHNEIDER: That's right. That's right. This is his opportunity to introduce himself and really, the remarkable thing is, since he won the primaries back in March and became the, in fact, nominee, he's receded from public attention and fewer Americans are saying these days, they know anything much about him.
Now, what's interesting is, Bush's ratings have gone down. Americans seem to be in the market for change. They're interested in taking a look at John Kerry. And this week will be the opportunity for Kerry to close the sale. There's a market for change but he's got to close the sale. Republicans are out there saying the Kerry you're going to see at the convention next week is not the real John Kerry and they're going to be coming out with propaganda all week long saying that's what Kerry's saying at the convention but we have other evidence of things he's said in the past to try to portray him as a man who's trying to change his image.
WHITFIELD: Aren't there some real contradictory messages that while there may be a market for change, at the same time, there's been some expressed reticence about change in the middle of two wars?
SCHNEIDER: That's right. The Republican message is going to be, this is no time for change. Change is bad which is exactly why there's no chance they're going to give up Dick Cheney on the ticket. A lot of people have been gossiping about that because the Republican message is, times are difficult. The American people face a threat. We can't afford to make any serious changes right now. But the Democrats being the out party, the party out of the White House, has to sell change, or they can't win.
WHITFIELD: So because of that expressed criticism or anticipated criticism from the Republicans, does this mean that John Kerry is likely to make a few statements or two about Iraq and Afghanistan?
SCHNEIDER: I think he will talk about Iraq because the first thing he's got to do is reassure the American people that he can keep the country safe. If they don't believe that Kerry is capable of protecting the country, that he's strong and resolute, they're not going to listen to anything else he has to say. That is a threshold requirement. Then he can talk about the economy. Then he can talk about education and health care. But first, Americans want to know, are you going to keep us safe? And he's got to make the argument that the war in Afghanistan, that was necessary, it was important, and it has made the world and the United States safer. The war in Iraq, there's a very serious question about whether the way it's turned out now, whether the United States is, in fact, safer. He's going to raise that question.
WHITFIELD: And now fast forward, the expected bounce factor. Is it a given?
SCHNEIDER: No. The only thing we know is that on the average, a convention gives its ticket about a seven-point bounce. The Republicans are saying that they expect -- key word -- expect the Democrats to come out of this convention 15 points ahead. They're spinning expectations because they say if he's 15 points ahead, don't panic, fellow Republicans. That's what we expected. And if it's less than that, they say, well, he didn't do as well as we expect. And Democrats from the Kerry campaign have been calling me and saying, we're not expecting any bounce at all, because the country is so rallied behind John Kerry, at least Democrats are, that there's very little more that he's likely to gain from this convention. It's spin on both sides.
WHITFIELD: And as former Massachusetts Governor Michael Dukakis, he did get a 17-point bounce factor, but we see what happened there.
SCHNEIDER: He blew it.
WHITFIELD: And it could happen again, potentially, huh? All right. Bill Schneider, thanks very much from Boston, appreciate it.
SCHNEIDER: Sure.
WHITFIELD: Well, Boston, then and now. The thousands of visitors arriving for the convention are thinking ahead to the future. But with the city full of American landmarks, they can't help but brush up against the past. CNN's Bruce Morton takes a close look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BRUCE MORTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The streets of Boston are full of delegates, full of people, but they are also filled with history, with the ghosts of the men who created the place.
MARTIN NOLAN, "THE BOSTON GLOBE" (1961-2001): This used to be John Hancock's pasture because this was not a prominent part of town.
MORTON: Martin Nolan knows the streets, where the ghosts walked, what they did. He is talking about John Hancock's pasture where the new statehouse stands.
NOLAN: People still refer to this as the new statehouse completed in 1798.
MORTON: Charles Bullfinch (ph) designed it, but friends helped with the dome.
NOLAN: The dome up there in 1802, he had it coated in copper by his good pal, the silversmith, Paul Revere. And later, when Massachusetts was really rich, in the 1870s, they put in a gold roof.
MORTON: A defeated or a retiring governor walks down these steps and hands his successor some history.
NOLAN: The keys that Revere made for Hancock to the building, turns them over, then the retiring governor walks down alone, alone, down onto the Boston Common to return to the common people whence he came.
MORTON: Lots of statues, John Kennedy, whose grandfather lost a Senate race to a Lodge, but who himself won his Senate seat from a Lodge and who has president-elect made a speech quoting pilgrim John Winthrop quoting the Old Testament.
NOLAN: We must consider that we shall be as a city upon a hill, with eyes of all people are upon us.
MORTON: But maybe the voice you hear most belongs to John Adams. The revolution really started here with the Boston massacre. This picture, like the others we're showing you, belong to the Massachusetts Historical Society. Adams defended the red coats.
NOLAN: We named the courthouse after John Adams because he was an important lawyer because he defended the British soldiers who were accused of the Boston massacre and that took some courage.
MORTON: Lots of history. What would they think of what's happening here this week? Well, they weren't political party animals.
NOLAN: Here's one thing that the founding fathers shared. Washington warned against the spirit of party. Jefferson said, "if I could not go to heaven, but with a party, I would not go." Adams considered political parties a pestilence. Madison warned against them. Monroe thought they were terrible.
MORTON: Maybe if they watched today's parties, they'd change their minds? Maybe not. Bruce Morton, CNN, Boston.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: Our prime-time coverage of the convention begins tonight at 7:00 eastern with "People in the News" profiling Senator John Edwards and Teresa Heinz Kerry. At 8:00 eastern, CNN presents John Kerry, "Born to Run." At 9:00, a special "LARRY KING LIVE" from the Fleet Center and then at 10:00 Eastern, Wolf Blitzer has a preview of the convention with an American votes 2004 special.
In-house sports guru Steve Overmyer joins us next to talk about the Tour de Lance, doing something that's never been done before.
And he's young, he's talented, and he's got the moves. So what's moving Ricky Williams to say he's finally free?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Lance mania in Paris. American cyclist Lance Armstrong pedaled his way across the finish line and into the history books today. A sip of champagne in celebration, he won his sixth consecutive Tour de France title. The race drew to a close in the French capital three weeks after it got under way in Belgium. And joining me now to talk a whole lot of Lance right now is our sports guru, Steve Overmyer from CNN sports. What an incredible race.
STEVE OVERMYER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes and what an incredible feat it is for this man who just eight years ago overcame cancer and is now, you know, arguably one of the greatest athletes in history. Nobody has ever won six Tour de Frances let alone six straight. Now we have Lance Armstrong. His sheer dominance this past week cemented his place in history as the greatest cyclist and perhaps the greatest athlete ever.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
OVERMYER: When Lance Armstrong captured his fifth straight Tour de France victory last year, many thought his days of winning cycling's most prestigious event could be over. After all, his 61 second margin of victory was the slimmest since he started his winning streak in 1999. Injury and illness had taken its toll. As Armstrong headed into this year's race, his competitors sensed he was vulnerable. So much for that. When Armstrong crossed the finish line Sunday for a record-breaking sixth consecutive time, he not only proved his naysayers wrong, but reasserted his dominance.
LANCE ARMSTRONG, TOUR DE FRANCE WINNER: Special to stand on arguably one of the most famous boulevards in the world and have your own national anthem played and to have it done six times is incredible.
OVERMYER: Armstrong's Tour de France record should rank as one of the greatest feats in sports. But because cycling isn't very popular in the U.S., many don't understand the magnitude of what he's accomplished.
DAN SHIELDS, CYCLING EXPERT: Americans, they need to embrace this sport. They need to get some idea of what's really going on here because it is the most extraordinary sport, the amount of grit and determination. It's really a high-speed chess match on wheels. And, you know, hopefully Americans are going to see that because they're going to look back upon this as one of the greatest accomplishments of their era.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
OVERMYER: Well, although a seventh consecutive tour victory would add to Armstrong's legend, he says he's not completely sure what he's going to do next summer though he suspects he will be racing. Fredericka, if he's racing, you know he's going to be racing out there to win.
WHITFIELD: No kidding. He doesn't want to just do it for the experience.
OERMYER: Not at this point. Exactly.
WHITFIELD: If and when he does, he's got a new sponsor. We're not going to see the Postal Service.
OVERMYER: Right, this was the last year for the United States Postal Service. Just a couple of months ago he signed on with the Discovery Channel. There have been a lot of questions about whether or not he's going to be coming back for next year. I would imagine, you know, if the Discovery Channel is going to sign him, they want some guarantees.
WHITFIELD: He's up to something.
OVERMYER: He's going to be riding in the Tour de France next year.
WHITFIELD: He's going to produce. He has earned the rights now of being a one-name sports legend. He's a Michael. He's an Ali. He's Pele. He's Lance.
OVERMYER: He's a tiger. He's all of the above. He's one of the few athletes that can transcend a sport. Cycling is not a sport that is popular in America, strange enough. But Lance Armstrong has turned this into something that's been interesting to watch. I think it's really turned a lot of people on to the intricacies of this sport and really, it's like a chess match on wheels out there with the teamwork. Before Lance, few Americans really understood the kind of team work that it takes to win some of these events.
WHITFIELD: That's remarkable. It's not all him.
OVERMYER: It's definitely not all him. He needs to be pulled by his team. He needs his team to go out and chase guys down. Again it's a chess match, determining exactly when to ride hard and when to lay back.
WHITFIELD: Wow!
OVERMYER: It's certainly fun to watch.
WHITFIELD: So are those team members that we saw surrounding him as he was taking those final laps around the Champs Elysees, they are committed to protect him. It's like a cage, to make sure that nobody knocks him over.
OVERMYER: No doubt. Sometimes it happens, though. You saw how close that the crowd is to him. You saw in that video, a few minutes ago, how he got his handlebar snagged on some lady's handbag last year and he went down pretty hard. So as close as the crowd is, you know, his teammates can't protect him at all times.
WHITFIELD: Wow! All right. Well, someone who's vying for no more protection in terms of team work, what in the world would this Miami Dolphins player who has now decided I don't want to play anymore?
OVERMYER: At the age of 27 now, Ricky Williams has decided that he's going to call his NFL career short. He's decided that he's hanging it up in the prime of his career. I guess it's a surprise, but it's not really much of a surprise for this eccentric Ricky Williams who --
WHITFIELD: No?
OVERMYER: You know what? He drops your jaws with incredible runs. And then with what he says, what he does, you know, he's just an eccentric man. And this was really, I guess, really not much of a surprise for a man who has apparently talked about it for about a year now. He reported in "The Miami Herald" that this was something he'd been thinking about for quite some time. He's been talking with some players. But on a recent trip overseas with Lenny Kravitz, he decided -- Lenny Kravitz, yes. That's the guy you want to get some advice from and that's when he decided that he just wanted to be free of the NFL. I think there's going to be a lot of people that will applaud him for this.
WHITFIELD: Is that right?
OVERMYER: There are a lot of people that are really going to question why you leave $3.5 million on the table. But he's not a guy who really liked the idea of the regimented scheming of the NFL and certainly didn't abide by the laws. In 2002, he failed a drug policy test and he also admitted in "The Herald" that he had taken some special liquids. He had smoked marijuana many times and he had passed those tests by taking some special liquids. So now he's just going to walk the earth like me.
WHITFIELD: Interesting. It really is kind of confusing and baffling, although I did see a quote from him where he says, "no one could possibly understand my situation."
OVERMYER: You're right. Nobody can understand his situation. And, you know, nobody -- I think it's very difficult to get inside the head of a guy like Ricky Williams who just recently turned down $750,000 from Gillette. He shaved his head. He had the dreads. You saw in the video he's got the dreads. He turned down $750,000 from Gillette who wanted to videotape him shaving his head clean. So apparently it's not...
WHITFIELD: I'm really perplexed now.
OVERMYER: It's not about the money for him. But you really wonder what exactly is going to drive this man. Apparently, he said in this article that he was in Jamaica, and he just loved the fact that everybody lived a free life down there. Well, hats off to you, Ricky. You've got yourself a free life. I wonder if he's ever going to get a chance to step back into the NFL.
WHITFIELD: Interesting, Steve Overmyer, lots of fun. Thanks a lot . Big day in sports on many levels.
After decades of patrolling the demilitarized zone in Korea, U.S. troops get ready to pull out. How do they feel about the withdrawal? Mike Chinoy was there recently and we'll bring you his report.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: An Arabic television network reports militants holding several hostages in Iraq have appointed a tribal chief to mediate their release. This comes as insurgents renew their attacks against Iraqi forces. But Iraqi National Guard soldiers with the help of U.S. troops struck back. For the latest on the violence and the negotiations, our Matthew Chance is in Baghdad.
MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: In the latest violence, at least 13 Iraqi insurgents have been confirmed as dead, killed by Iraqi security forces as they battled those insurgents near the town of Buhriz to the north of the Iraqi capital of Baghdad. The Iraqi security forces, Iraqi National Guard and police forces were in the area providing security support to the U.S. 1st Armored division that was carrying out raids against suspected hideouts of a group associated with the Jordanian born militant, Abu Musah Zarqawi (ph).
When they came under attack from these Iraqi insurgent forces, they returned fire. The U.S. provided air support and artillery support. As I say, 13 insurgents killed in ensuing gun and artillery battle. All this as efforts continue to secure the release of the many different hostages being held by Iraqi militant groups across the country, particularly the Egyptian diplomat, the prominent most of the hostages being held. The militants say that he was abducted in response to Egypt offering security guarantees and security assistance to the interim Iraqi government.
Also, it's been confirmed that two Pakistani nationals have gone missing. They're assumed at this stage to be hostages. There are efforts under way to try and make contact with the hostage takers and negotiations continuing for release of the seven truck drivers, three from India, three from Kenya, another Egyptian, negotiations very intensive to try and secure their release. They're not being talked to - they're not talking directly to the hostage takers themselves. But they are going through, we're told, a third party to try and secure an earlier release for them, although at this stage no positive sign of that early release is forthcoming. Matthew Chance, CNN, Baghdad
WHITFIELD: U.S. troops in another sensitive region of the world are being relocated. Redeployment orders will affect some 8,000 American soldiers now serving on the front lines of the DMZ on the Korean peninsula. Our senior Asia correspondent, Mike Chinoy, has details.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MIKE CHINOY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In an always dangerous battle of nerves, a joint U.S.-south Korean force has helped keep the peace on the dividing line between north and South Korea for decades. But in a few months, security along this volatile front line will be entirely in the hands of the South Koreans.
After more than half a century, the U.S. military is pulling back from the demilitarized zone. This is just one step in the most sweeping change to the American military posture in Asia since the end of the cold war. A third of the 37,000 U.S. troops in South Korea are being withdrawn altogether. Those that remain will be rebased well away from the DMZ.
COL. DENNIS WIER, U.S. MILITARY PLANNER: This is part of the transformation from a middle 20th century to a 21st century force. That means you don't necessarily have to have as many troops standing on the line, because you do things with new technology.
CHINOY (voice over): As Captain Ryan Roberts and his men prepare to leave the DMZ, he's not worried.
CAPT. RYAN ROBERTS, U. S. ARMY: Where the army's going, our units of action that can deploy from anywhere. So really, there's not a big necessity to keep soldiers here. It's more of a symbolic gesture.
CHINOY: But with North Korea's million strong army with an easy striking distance and the crisis over the north's nuclear program still unresolved it's precisely that symbolism that has many South Koreans concerned.
PARK JIN, SOUTH KOREAN LEGISLATOR: When any radical reduction of U.S. forces or withdrawal might send a wrong message to North Korea that finally the U.S. forces are leaving, and the security vacuum is occurring.
CHINOY: Enhancing deterrents or risking trouble? The U.S. pullback, a new test for the fragile peace on the Korean Peninsula.
Mike Chinoy, CNN, on the Korean Demilitarized Zone.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: Now a check of what's happening now in the news. President Bush is on a working vacation at his ranch in Crawford, Texas. A source tells CNN he's trying to figure out how to use an executive order to immediately implement recommendations of the 9/11 commission.
With the start of the Democratic National Convention just hours away, security in Boston is extra tight. Military police, bomb- sniffing dogs and metal barricades are in place to ensure safety during the four-day event held at the Fleet Center.
Well it is good-bye Columbus and off to Florida. Democratic presidential hopeful John Kerry is due to arrive there in about two hours. His visit comes as new poll numbers show he and President Bush are in a statistical dead heat in the battleground state of Florida.
Kerry will then make his way up the East Coast en-route to Boston and the Democratic National Convention. Coming up, we'll take a look at the convention preparations and the week ahead.
Plus, trying to find replacements for thousands of retiring air traffic controllers.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: And before heading to the Fleet Center, Democratic Vice Presidential Candidate John Edwards is on President Bush's turf today. He's campaigning in Texas as he makes his way to Boston for the Democratic National Convention. CNN's Elaine Quijano reports.
ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Senator John Edwards is here in San Antonio, Texas raising money ahead of his trip to Boston next week. At the same time, his campaign has announced in response to a "Newsweek" article it has returned $44,000 to a contributor who is under scrutiny for using straw donors in the L.A. mayoral race. Now, the Edwards campaign insisted it has done everything possible to comply with campaign finance laws including requiring donors to sign pledge cards stating that the money being contributed is, in fact, theirs. Now, aides also say that the decision to return the money goes above and beyond what is required and say the decision was made in large part to keep the campaign focused on its work and focused on its message.
As part of that, Senator Edwards today told a group of Texas business and civic leaders a Kerry-Edwards administration would make a priority, creating and broadening opportunities for all Americans.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JOHN EDWARDS, (D) VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The core of this campaign is making sure the kinds of opportunities that I have had are available to everybody. No matter where you live, what the color of your skin, who your family is. That's what this is about for us restoring that kind of chance and hope and opportunity to everybody.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
QUIJANO: Senator Edwards now heads back to his home state of North Carolina where he'll have a couple of appearances before moving on to Boston where he is set to give that highly anticipated speech before the Democratic National Convention on Wednesday.
Elaine Quijano, CNN, San Antonio, Texas.
WHITFIELD: And they are bracing themselves in Boston on the eve of the Democratic convention. The city is dealing with tight security and the arrival of thousands of visitors. Here's CNN's Dan Lothian.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DAN LOTHIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Boston's moment in the sun. Celebrations, a circuit of parties, and a civics lesson for the homeless.
THOMAS MORRIS, HOMELESS REGISTERED VOTER: They tell me that if I want to be part of the solution, then I have to be part of the change. Part of the change is coming out and taking the time to vote.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You can do that by starting with the simple process of registering to vote.
LOTHIAN: Focusing attention on voting and the political process, which in the past few days has been overshadowed by issues of security, protests and union contracts.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We feel betrayed.
LOTHIAN: After more than two years battling the city, the powerful police officers union got a contract from an arbitrator. But members unhappy with the terms had vowed to protest delegation parties. They backed down after the city reached a late agreement today with the firefighters union.
MAYOR THOMAS MENINO, (D) BOSTON MASSACHUSETTS: I would think the union should give up whatever they plan to do. It doesn't make sense.
LOTHIAN: Controversy too over this protest area set aside near the Fleet Center. Civil rights groups that had been challenging in quote detention camp like conditions failed in their legal attempt to get closer acts as to convention delegates.
Security continues to be top priority. Helicopters, boats, law enforcement agents at every turn. Amid reports that the news media may be targeted by domestic terrorists. Security concerns and worries about gridlock have prompted some Bostonians to leave town. Rachel Weinstein is on her way to the Dominican Republic for the week.
RACHEL WEINSTEIN, BOSTON RESIDENT: We heard on the radio that there's going to be, like, 12-mile backups and closings, and they were going to be searching bags, so we just wanted to get out.
LOTHIAN: Mark Pasquale closed his pizza shop across from the Fleet Center and is on a vacation in Canada.
MARK PASQUALE, BUSINESS OWNER: With out restrictions, it would have been great. But this is a big inconvenience for a lot of people.
LOTHIAN: The city, working to overcome challenges, as more of the focus now turns to center stage.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think we're going to have a great time in the city of Boston.
LOTHIAN: Dan Lothian, CNN, Boston.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: An Israeli human chain tops our news from around the world now. Tens of thousands of Israelis were holding hands from Gaza to Jerusalem to protest the government's proposed withdrawal from Gaza. Violence continued, though. Six Palestinians were killed while six Israeli children and three Palestinians were wounded all in separate incidents.
Sudan bound, an aide flight loaded with about 30 tons of supplies have left Mason Airport in Kent, England. European union ministers meet in Brussels tomorrow to try to improve access for relief groups. They are also pushing for a resumption of peace talks between the Sudanese government and rebel groups.
In Iran a court acquits the agent accused of murdering an Iranian/Canadian journalist. Zahra Kazemi died last year from a brain hemorrhage after being struck over the head during interrogation. She was in custody for taking pictures outside an Iranian prison. Iranian human rights activists are threatening to take the case to international courts.
Ever since 9/11, one religious group in particular that has nothing to do with the Middle East or Islam has been facing increased bias and violence for the turbans they wear. CNN's Jason Carroll reports on the growing intolerance against Sikhs.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Rajinder Singh Khalsa can't read the Sikhs' holy book when he prays. His eyes still too damaged from a brutal beating he suffered two weeks ago.
RAJINDER SINGH KHALSA, BIAS ATTACK VICTIM: My eye was closed, and I have fractured around here. And fractures in the nose. I could not open the eyes the first day.
CARROLL: A group of men attacked Khalsa on a street near his home in New York after associating his turban with Osama Bin Laden. They called it a dirty curtain.
KHALSA: I was explaining to them about the turban and our religion that we trust in one God.
CARROLL: Khalsa does not share Osama's Muslim faith nor is he Arab. He is Sikh an Indian religion, a half million Sikhs live in the United States. Their turban, a symbol of saintliness, also a symbol that's received unwanted attention since September 11th.
AMARDEEP SINGH, SIKH COALITION: Our organization has logged over 300 different incidents of bias against Sikhs since 9/11 and they have occurred in urban centers where Sikhs have a substantial presence, and they've occurred in rural areas where nobody's seen a Sikh before.
CARROLL: Some Sikhs are facing resistance on the job. For 20 years, Kevin Harrington didn't have a problem with his turbine. While being a subway operator in New York. Now he says his bosses won't let him wear it while he's working with passengers. They offered to transfer him to a rail yard job if he insists on wearing it. Harrington says that violates his civil rights.
KEVIN HARRINGTON, NY SUBWAY OPERATOR: Because I'm not going to accept the transit's version of apartheid. They have one set of rules for non-Sikhs and another set of rules for Sikhs and that Sikhs can only work where they can't be seen.
CARROLL: The transit authority set up a committee to review Harrington's case. In another case, the City's Human Rights Commission ordered that New York City Police Department to reinstate a Sikh traffic officer who refused to remove his turban. The NYPD may appeal. Khalsa says this country is the last place he expected intolerance.
KHALSA: What happened to me should not happen to any other. This is America.
CARROLL (on camera): Khalsa and other Sikhs we spoke to say overcoming ignorance has been a slow process in this post-9/11 world. Even as we conducted one of the interviews for our story, a group of boys on bikes rode by shouting "Osama!"
Jason Carroll, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: Well, thousands of air traffic controllers are about to retire and critics say the FAA may not be ready for that.
Still to come, what's being done to ensure there won't be fewer eyes on the skies.
Plus P. Diddy is stumping for votes. That's right. P. Diddy. His strategy coming up.
And then on "Next@CNN" a seven-seat bicycle and what it takes to get is it rolling.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: The nation's aviation system and the flying public may soon feel the impact of one of President Reagan's actions. In 1982, he fired thousands of striking air traffic controllers. Kathleen Koch reports a shortage is looming as their replacements hit retirement age.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Talk with 3278.
KATHLEEN KOCH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): In hundreds of towers and radar centers around the country, the clock is ticking toward retirement. Nearly half of the nation's air traffic controllers, some 7,000, are expected to leave over the next nine years. Most hired in 1982 to replace the striking controllers, fired by President Ronald Reagan.
CHRIS STEPHENSON, AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLER: We picked up the ball and ran with it and I think we did pretty well. We're starting to turn to hand it off to somebody. We don't see anybody there.
KOCH: A new study by the Transportation Department Inspector General finds that FAA hasn't yet determined precisely how many new controllers it will need, where or when. The FAA insists it has the situation under control.
MARION BLAKEY, FAA ADMINISTRATOR: The FAA has been very accurate in predicting the numbers over time. So we believe we've got a pretty good feel for it. It's hardly a crisis at this point.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Rocket 11 (INAUDIBLE) approach from right.
KOCH: The FAA says not all controllers who become eligible will want to retire. It suggests a crisis could also be delayed by giving waivers to work past the mandatory retirement age of 56. Two controllers who helped guide Air Force One at Andrews Air Force Base have such waivers.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think I'm the best controller here. DICK MUMFORD, SUPERVISOR & CONTROLLER: I've seen everything that can happen, happen at least once before, and I know how to react to it.
KOCH: But the controllers union warns of dire consequences if the government doesn't start training and hiring new controllers now.
RUTH MARLIN, AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLER ASSN: We won't have certified controllers. We won't be able to operate the airspace. And when there is a severe shortage, you only have two choices, and that is to curtail services or to reduce the margin of safety.
KOCH: If the FAA underestimates the retirement bubble, there's no quick fix. Training a controller takes at least three years.
Kathleen Koch, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: So do you need to worry? That the nation's airport- controlled towers are going to start emptying out? John Carr is president of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association. He's joining us from our Washington bureau. Good to see you John.
JOHN CARR, PRESIDENT, NATIONAL AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLERS ASSOCIATION: Good afternoon.
WHITFIELD: Well, just for the record, we invited the FAA to appear on this program live. It declined saying that the taped comments you just saw in Kathleen Koch's report will have to suffice. So John, half of the aircraft controllers will retire within ten years, retirement age, as we saw in that piece, age 56. You feel convinced that the FAA is not prepared for this?
CARR: Oh, absolutely. As a matter of fact, the FAA administrator is on record testifying that she suspects a tsunami wave of controller retirements. So I have guess you have to ask yourself, if you know there's going to be a tsunami in five years, are you going to do anything to prepare for it, or are you going to postpone taking action on that until later on in the day? And right now --
WHITFIELD: Well except that you just saw in that report that she said it is hardly a crisis, and certainly it is under control.
CARR: Unfortunately, the FAA, the GAO, and the inspector general all have predicted that half of all air traffic controllers will retire. So if you know that it's going to take three to five years to train them and you know that half are leaving, you have to start hiring them at some point.
And to date, this year, the FAA has hired a single air traffic controller. That's one air traffic controller to address this coming shortage. And it breaks down to the safety of the skies. Fewer eyes on the skies.
WHITFIELD: And the FAA is saying that it does have a budget plan in place. It will be introduced to Congress in December. And really their hands are tied until they get any kind of approval on allocations of funding.
CARR: I suppose from my perspective I'm from Missouri on that one. You're going to have to show me the plan. They continue to tell people they have a plan, they just haven't made that plan public yet. So far, all we've seen in the field is a reduction in the staffing numbers.
For instance, at Chicago where their authorized staffing number is 100, they've just been told that their authorized staffing number has magically changed to 94. So rather than adding staff to take care of the coming wave of controller retirements, they've just magically reduced the number of people they think it takes to do the job. And that, quite frankly, is not a solution set that we're at all happy with.
It's going to reduce the margin of safety. Chicago is already officially -- artificially constrained. United and American Airlines have both had their schedules cut by the federal government because we don't have enough air traffic controllers to move the traffic.
WHITFIELD: Well, in the FAA's statement to CNN, they made it very clear that your union should have been aware of the prospects and if there was any grave concern there would be a shortage, the association should have tried to make that strong appeal to the FAA and that it didn't happen.
CARR: I beg to differ. Actually, we've been making this very strong appeal for several years. And we do have a plan to address the coming wave of controller retirements. It's for the FAA to hire 1,000 controllers a year for the next five years. Again, the FAA tells you they have a plan, but they refuse to release it.
WHITFIELD: Well are you getting a sense that 1,000 hires a year won't happen even if that budget proposal that will eventually go to Congress?
CARR: The budget proposal that is currently before the Congress, which we've actively lobbied for, will only add 300 controllers this year. That's a start, but it's woefully inadequate to address what everyone acknowledges is a coming safety problem in our system.
WHITFIELD: And how long does it take to adequately train air traffic controllers so that those that do go through the proper training will eventually be able to be on board and be good replacements for those who are retiring?
CARR: That's a great question. Interestingly, it takes from three to five years to train an air traffic controller from beginning to end. But even those that are currently in the system that move around the system require retraining. If you're a controller in Chicago with the tower, and you move to Chicago's radar room, it's going to take you about two years to get up to speed on the procedures.
WHITFIELD: Is there a way in which the training can be condensed to get more people on board faster?
CARR: While the FAA believes that condensing the training might be one of their solutions, I have yet to see a training regime that makes it possible for us to speed up the amount of time it takes to train someone, to work live traffic. We are talking about occupations that are incredibly stressful where there is no margin for error. And I can't see reducing the training as a sort of an expeditious band-aid fix to what has been a decades long problem.
WHITFIELD: OK, indeed one of the most stressful jobs around that is indeed why the retirement age is at 56. John Carr of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association. Thanks so much for joining us from Washington.
CARR: Thank you very much.
WHITFIELD: Well entertainer P. Diddy is showing his political side these days. His plan to get you to the polls. Straight ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Well, the late-night fun any men have been at it again, proving there are plenty of laughs to be found in the world of politics. Here's a sample.
(BEGIN VIDEOCLIP)
DAVID LETTERMAN, "LATE SHOW WITH DAVID LETTERMAN:" OK. Top ten ways I. P. Diddy, getting people to vote. Number ten --
I. P. DIDDY, ENTERTAINER: To make voting hip, we're putting velvet ropes and bouncers outside the voting booths.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Things are good. Trying to do the lord's work in the city of Satan. Yes, indeed.
JAY LENO, "TONIGHT SHOW WITH JAY LENO:" Well it is an election year, isn't it?
LETTERMAN: Number four.
DIDDY: Anyone who doesn't register to vote will receive nude photos of Ralph Nader.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I have to hand it to John Kerry. Because he has the confidence to pick someone that's far more attractive and personable and smarter. And then I turned him down, and he went to John Edwards.
LENO: Right, right.
LETTERMAN: And the number one way I, P. Diddy, am getting people to vote --
DIDDY: On the ballots, the candidates be listed as P. Kerry and George "Diddy" Bush. LETTERMAN: Yes.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: And that's going to do it for us. "Next@CNN" is coming up. They'll take a look at why an unusually dry spring has forecasters worried about a major hurricane.
Plus something new at the Boston convention. Here's Dan Sieberg.
DANIEL SIEBERG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Among stories ahead on "Next@CNN," a new type of journalist hitting the floor in this year's political conventions and a reunion of the Apollo 11 astronauts. Hope you can join us.
WHITFIELD: All right and thanks for joining us. Back with the headlines right after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired July 25, 2004 - 16:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, ANCHOR, CNN SUNDAY: John Kerry spends the day in the battleground states of Ohio and Florida on this the eve of the Democratic convention.
Lance Armstrong makes it official: the tour is his. The particulars of the last leg of the race coming up.
And a shortage of air traffic controllers may be on its way. Will U.S. skies be as safe?
Hello and welcome to CNN SUNDAY. I'm Fredericka Whitfield. All that and more after a look at the top headlines.
In Utah, the search for a missing pregnant woman continues today even as new details about seized evidence are surfacing. A Utah newspaper citing unnamed sources is reporting that a bloody knife with strands of hair was taken from the Hackings' home.
An Israeli helicopter targets a house in Gaza for the second time in one day. The attack came just hours after Palestinian militants fired mortars at a seaside Jewish settlement wounding at least five children. The Gaza house was empty when Israeli helicopters fired two missiles in a second attack. Three bystanders were wounded in the earlier strike.
Despite the violence, tens of thousands of Israeli protesters formed a human chain from Gaza to Jerusalem today. They're demonstrating against Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's planned withdrawal of Israeli settlements from Gaza. We'll have more later on this story coming up later on in the hour.
Another train crash in Turkey, this time in the western part of that country. At least 14 people were killed, five others injured. Turkish officials say the driver of a mini bus apparently ignored warning signals and tried to cross the tracks ahead of an oncoming passenger train. The train slammed into the vehicle. Keeping you informed, CNN, the most trusted name in news.
We begin in Boston. The first national political convention since the September 11th attacks gets under way in just a matter of hours and the tight security is getting even tighter. Fleet Center, the site of the gathering in Boston, has been turned into a fortress. CNN national correspondent Bob Franken joins us with the latest look. Hi, Bob. BOB FRANKEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello and it's a fortress that is guarded by thousands of guards. Outside, police, there are military police, Secret Service, FBI, U.S. marshals, local police, state police from several states, a variety of agencies, all providing a massive security presence, one that is slowing down the ability to move from here to there.
One can expect now, if you're anywhere near the perimeter of the Fleet Center, that you're going to be stopped moment by moment sometimes within a few feet of each other. Bags are searched as cordially as possible, but patience can wear thin. It will be interesting to see how people feel about this by the end of the week. Of course, if that's their only concern, say security officials, then the security officials will feel like they've done their jobs.
There was a teeny little test of security today. The demonstrators made their march through the streets of Boston, a march that it took a Federal judge to allow several hundred demonstrators protesting against the war in Iraq. It went relatively incident free. But had there been any trouble, Lord knows there are enough people to try and stop it. All of this, the prelude to the Democratic convention which officially begins tomorrow. Delegates are coming into the city, getting ready to go inside the Fleet Center, which has been transformed from a sports arena to an arena for the sport of politics.
The Democrats, of course going to nominate their ticket of John Kerry and John Edwards. First order of business tomorrow speeches by former President Bill Clinton, along with former Vice President Al Gore, their speeches on Monday, far enough away from John Kerry that nobody has to worry too much about Clinton overshadowing Kerry as Kerry now takes over the leadership of his party. And the Democrats hoping that this will be the springboard that catapults them right into the thick of a race against the formidable opponent, the Republicans. Fredericka?
WHITFIELD: Bob, back to some talk about the protesters. I understand that an unprecedented number of Republican opponents are expected to be outside the Fleet Center. In addition to them and other protesters planning to make a presence there during the convention week, what are going to be the restrictions for them?
FRANKEN: Well, there are severe restrictions on where the protesters can gather. There is a holding pen, we call it, the protesters call it an internment camp. It is a small area across the street from the Fleet Center, under a bridge, out of sight. The protesters have gone to court saying that it is unconstitutional to restrict their free speech that way. They've been turned down thus far by a Federal judge, but they're going to test it in the appeals court tomorrow.
WHITFIELD: All right. Bob Franken from Boston. Thanks very much.
Well, the man everyone's waiting for at the Democratic convention is heading to Florida right now. John Kerry is taking the long way to Boston with a series of cross-country campaign stops. He's been in Columbus, Ohio for much of the day. Here's our Frank Buckley now.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FRANK BUCKLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: John Kerry here in Ohio, a key battleground state in Franklin County, a key swing county in Ohio that could go either Republican or Democrat in this coming election. We saw an indication of that when Senator Kerry arrived here in this neighborhood for a cul-de-sac event.
A vocal group of Bush-Cheney supporters confronted the senator. The senator then used that small demonstration to make a point.
JOHN KERRY, (D) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: When I see people on the other side of the fence saying "four more years," I sometimes say to myself four more years what? Four more years of -- four more years of jobs being lost, four more years of the deficit growing bigger and bigger, four more years of losing our allies around the world?
BUCKLEY: Senator Kerry's focus here, on job losses in Ohio, the campaign saying that 231,000 jobs have been lost in Ohio since the Bush administration moved into the White House. A spokesman for the Bush-Cheney campaign saying, however, that Senator Kerry's focus on job losses ignores recent indicators that suggest that jobs are coming back. The spokesman saying that 17,000 new jobs have been created in Ohio this year.
This intense battle for Ohio will continue right up to election day. Ohio went for George W. Bush in 2000. Senator Kerry believes that he can get voters here to vote for him in 2004. President Bush just as determined to keep it in his column, especially given the historic importance of Ohio, two Republicans, no GOP president has won the White House without Ohio. Frank Buckley, CNN, Columbus, Ohio.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: Meanwhile, Democratic vice presidential hopeful John Edwards is in Texas today. He's in San Antonio where he attended a fund-raiser and is now hosting a youth roundtable discussion. His next stop -- Raleigh, North Carolina.
Well, the convention won't be just a big political bash. It's a chance for the Democrats to show off John Kerry, especially to the undecided voters. So what can we expect to see and hear this week in Boston? CNN's senior political analyst Bill Schneider joins us now with some conventional wisdom. Good to see you, Bill.
WILLIAM SCHNEIDER, SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Good to see you, Fredericka.
WHITFIELD: All right. Well, it's been said this is going to be an opportunity for John Kerry to reintroduce himself to the public. For some reason, many people of the past six to seven months still feel like they haven't gotten to know him. I understand he may be spending a bit of time on his Vietnam war record as well as his record in the Senate Foreign Relations committee as well as, perhaps, as a prosecutor back in the day. What have you learned? SCHNEIDER: That's right. That's right. This is his opportunity to introduce himself and really, the remarkable thing is, since he won the primaries back in March and became the, in fact, nominee, he's receded from public attention and fewer Americans are saying these days, they know anything much about him.
Now, what's interesting is, Bush's ratings have gone down. Americans seem to be in the market for change. They're interested in taking a look at John Kerry. And this week will be the opportunity for Kerry to close the sale. There's a market for change but he's got to close the sale. Republicans are out there saying the Kerry you're going to see at the convention next week is not the real John Kerry and they're going to be coming out with propaganda all week long saying that's what Kerry's saying at the convention but we have other evidence of things he's said in the past to try to portray him as a man who's trying to change his image.
WHITFIELD: Aren't there some real contradictory messages that while there may be a market for change, at the same time, there's been some expressed reticence about change in the middle of two wars?
SCHNEIDER: That's right. The Republican message is going to be, this is no time for change. Change is bad which is exactly why there's no chance they're going to give up Dick Cheney on the ticket. A lot of people have been gossiping about that because the Republican message is, times are difficult. The American people face a threat. We can't afford to make any serious changes right now. But the Democrats being the out party, the party out of the White House, has to sell change, or they can't win.
WHITFIELD: So because of that expressed criticism or anticipated criticism from the Republicans, does this mean that John Kerry is likely to make a few statements or two about Iraq and Afghanistan?
SCHNEIDER: I think he will talk about Iraq because the first thing he's got to do is reassure the American people that he can keep the country safe. If they don't believe that Kerry is capable of protecting the country, that he's strong and resolute, they're not going to listen to anything else he has to say. That is a threshold requirement. Then he can talk about the economy. Then he can talk about education and health care. But first, Americans want to know, are you going to keep us safe? And he's got to make the argument that the war in Afghanistan, that was necessary, it was important, and it has made the world and the United States safer. The war in Iraq, there's a very serious question about whether the way it's turned out now, whether the United States is, in fact, safer. He's going to raise that question.
WHITFIELD: And now fast forward, the expected bounce factor. Is it a given?
SCHNEIDER: No. The only thing we know is that on the average, a convention gives its ticket about a seven-point bounce. The Republicans are saying that they expect -- key word -- expect the Democrats to come out of this convention 15 points ahead. They're spinning expectations because they say if he's 15 points ahead, don't panic, fellow Republicans. That's what we expected. And if it's less than that, they say, well, he didn't do as well as we expect. And Democrats from the Kerry campaign have been calling me and saying, we're not expecting any bounce at all, because the country is so rallied behind John Kerry, at least Democrats are, that there's very little more that he's likely to gain from this convention. It's spin on both sides.
WHITFIELD: And as former Massachusetts Governor Michael Dukakis, he did get a 17-point bounce factor, but we see what happened there.
SCHNEIDER: He blew it.
WHITFIELD: And it could happen again, potentially, huh? All right. Bill Schneider, thanks very much from Boston, appreciate it.
SCHNEIDER: Sure.
WHITFIELD: Well, Boston, then and now. The thousands of visitors arriving for the convention are thinking ahead to the future. But with the city full of American landmarks, they can't help but brush up against the past. CNN's Bruce Morton takes a close look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BRUCE MORTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The streets of Boston are full of delegates, full of people, but they are also filled with history, with the ghosts of the men who created the place.
MARTIN NOLAN, "THE BOSTON GLOBE" (1961-2001): This used to be John Hancock's pasture because this was not a prominent part of town.
MORTON: Martin Nolan knows the streets, where the ghosts walked, what they did. He is talking about John Hancock's pasture where the new statehouse stands.
NOLAN: People still refer to this as the new statehouse completed in 1798.
MORTON: Charles Bullfinch (ph) designed it, but friends helped with the dome.
NOLAN: The dome up there in 1802, he had it coated in copper by his good pal, the silversmith, Paul Revere. And later, when Massachusetts was really rich, in the 1870s, they put in a gold roof.
MORTON: A defeated or a retiring governor walks down these steps and hands his successor some history.
NOLAN: The keys that Revere made for Hancock to the building, turns them over, then the retiring governor walks down alone, alone, down onto the Boston Common to return to the common people whence he came.
MORTON: Lots of statues, John Kennedy, whose grandfather lost a Senate race to a Lodge, but who himself won his Senate seat from a Lodge and who has president-elect made a speech quoting pilgrim John Winthrop quoting the Old Testament.
NOLAN: We must consider that we shall be as a city upon a hill, with eyes of all people are upon us.
MORTON: But maybe the voice you hear most belongs to John Adams. The revolution really started here with the Boston massacre. This picture, like the others we're showing you, belong to the Massachusetts Historical Society. Adams defended the red coats.
NOLAN: We named the courthouse after John Adams because he was an important lawyer because he defended the British soldiers who were accused of the Boston massacre and that took some courage.
MORTON: Lots of history. What would they think of what's happening here this week? Well, they weren't political party animals.
NOLAN: Here's one thing that the founding fathers shared. Washington warned against the spirit of party. Jefferson said, "if I could not go to heaven, but with a party, I would not go." Adams considered political parties a pestilence. Madison warned against them. Monroe thought they were terrible.
MORTON: Maybe if they watched today's parties, they'd change their minds? Maybe not. Bruce Morton, CNN, Boston.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: Our prime-time coverage of the convention begins tonight at 7:00 eastern with "People in the News" profiling Senator John Edwards and Teresa Heinz Kerry. At 8:00 eastern, CNN presents John Kerry, "Born to Run." At 9:00, a special "LARRY KING LIVE" from the Fleet Center and then at 10:00 Eastern, Wolf Blitzer has a preview of the convention with an American votes 2004 special.
In-house sports guru Steve Overmyer joins us next to talk about the Tour de Lance, doing something that's never been done before.
And he's young, he's talented, and he's got the moves. So what's moving Ricky Williams to say he's finally free?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Lance mania in Paris. American cyclist Lance Armstrong pedaled his way across the finish line and into the history books today. A sip of champagne in celebration, he won his sixth consecutive Tour de France title. The race drew to a close in the French capital three weeks after it got under way in Belgium. And joining me now to talk a whole lot of Lance right now is our sports guru, Steve Overmyer from CNN sports. What an incredible race.
STEVE OVERMYER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes and what an incredible feat it is for this man who just eight years ago overcame cancer and is now, you know, arguably one of the greatest athletes in history. Nobody has ever won six Tour de Frances let alone six straight. Now we have Lance Armstrong. His sheer dominance this past week cemented his place in history as the greatest cyclist and perhaps the greatest athlete ever.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
OVERMYER: When Lance Armstrong captured his fifth straight Tour de France victory last year, many thought his days of winning cycling's most prestigious event could be over. After all, his 61 second margin of victory was the slimmest since he started his winning streak in 1999. Injury and illness had taken its toll. As Armstrong headed into this year's race, his competitors sensed he was vulnerable. So much for that. When Armstrong crossed the finish line Sunday for a record-breaking sixth consecutive time, he not only proved his naysayers wrong, but reasserted his dominance.
LANCE ARMSTRONG, TOUR DE FRANCE WINNER: Special to stand on arguably one of the most famous boulevards in the world and have your own national anthem played and to have it done six times is incredible.
OVERMYER: Armstrong's Tour de France record should rank as one of the greatest feats in sports. But because cycling isn't very popular in the U.S., many don't understand the magnitude of what he's accomplished.
DAN SHIELDS, CYCLING EXPERT: Americans, they need to embrace this sport. They need to get some idea of what's really going on here because it is the most extraordinary sport, the amount of grit and determination. It's really a high-speed chess match on wheels. And, you know, hopefully Americans are going to see that because they're going to look back upon this as one of the greatest accomplishments of their era.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
OVERMYER: Well, although a seventh consecutive tour victory would add to Armstrong's legend, he says he's not completely sure what he's going to do next summer though he suspects he will be racing. Fredericka, if he's racing, you know he's going to be racing out there to win.
WHITFIELD: No kidding. He doesn't want to just do it for the experience.
OERMYER: Not at this point. Exactly.
WHITFIELD: If and when he does, he's got a new sponsor. We're not going to see the Postal Service.
OVERMYER: Right, this was the last year for the United States Postal Service. Just a couple of months ago he signed on with the Discovery Channel. There have been a lot of questions about whether or not he's going to be coming back for next year. I would imagine, you know, if the Discovery Channel is going to sign him, they want some guarantees.
WHITFIELD: He's up to something.
OVERMYER: He's going to be riding in the Tour de France next year.
WHITFIELD: He's going to produce. He has earned the rights now of being a one-name sports legend. He's a Michael. He's an Ali. He's Pele. He's Lance.
OVERMYER: He's a tiger. He's all of the above. He's one of the few athletes that can transcend a sport. Cycling is not a sport that is popular in America, strange enough. But Lance Armstrong has turned this into something that's been interesting to watch. I think it's really turned a lot of people on to the intricacies of this sport and really, it's like a chess match on wheels out there with the teamwork. Before Lance, few Americans really understood the kind of team work that it takes to win some of these events.
WHITFIELD: That's remarkable. It's not all him.
OVERMYER: It's definitely not all him. He needs to be pulled by his team. He needs his team to go out and chase guys down. Again it's a chess match, determining exactly when to ride hard and when to lay back.
WHITFIELD: Wow!
OVERMYER: It's certainly fun to watch.
WHITFIELD: So are those team members that we saw surrounding him as he was taking those final laps around the Champs Elysees, they are committed to protect him. It's like a cage, to make sure that nobody knocks him over.
OVERMYER: No doubt. Sometimes it happens, though. You saw how close that the crowd is to him. You saw in that video, a few minutes ago, how he got his handlebar snagged on some lady's handbag last year and he went down pretty hard. So as close as the crowd is, you know, his teammates can't protect him at all times.
WHITFIELD: Wow! All right. Well, someone who's vying for no more protection in terms of team work, what in the world would this Miami Dolphins player who has now decided I don't want to play anymore?
OVERMYER: At the age of 27 now, Ricky Williams has decided that he's going to call his NFL career short. He's decided that he's hanging it up in the prime of his career. I guess it's a surprise, but it's not really much of a surprise for this eccentric Ricky Williams who --
WHITFIELD: No?
OVERMYER: You know what? He drops your jaws with incredible runs. And then with what he says, what he does, you know, he's just an eccentric man. And this was really, I guess, really not much of a surprise for a man who has apparently talked about it for about a year now. He reported in "The Miami Herald" that this was something he'd been thinking about for quite some time. He's been talking with some players. But on a recent trip overseas with Lenny Kravitz, he decided -- Lenny Kravitz, yes. That's the guy you want to get some advice from and that's when he decided that he just wanted to be free of the NFL. I think there's going to be a lot of people that will applaud him for this.
WHITFIELD: Is that right?
OVERMYER: There are a lot of people that are really going to question why you leave $3.5 million on the table. But he's not a guy who really liked the idea of the regimented scheming of the NFL and certainly didn't abide by the laws. In 2002, he failed a drug policy test and he also admitted in "The Herald" that he had taken some special liquids. He had smoked marijuana many times and he had passed those tests by taking some special liquids. So now he's just going to walk the earth like me.
WHITFIELD: Interesting. It really is kind of confusing and baffling, although I did see a quote from him where he says, "no one could possibly understand my situation."
OVERMYER: You're right. Nobody can understand his situation. And, you know, nobody -- I think it's very difficult to get inside the head of a guy like Ricky Williams who just recently turned down $750,000 from Gillette. He shaved his head. He had the dreads. You saw in the video he's got the dreads. He turned down $750,000 from Gillette who wanted to videotape him shaving his head clean. So apparently it's not...
WHITFIELD: I'm really perplexed now.
OVERMYER: It's not about the money for him. But you really wonder what exactly is going to drive this man. Apparently, he said in this article that he was in Jamaica, and he just loved the fact that everybody lived a free life down there. Well, hats off to you, Ricky. You've got yourself a free life. I wonder if he's ever going to get a chance to step back into the NFL.
WHITFIELD: Interesting, Steve Overmyer, lots of fun. Thanks a lot . Big day in sports on many levels.
After decades of patrolling the demilitarized zone in Korea, U.S. troops get ready to pull out. How do they feel about the withdrawal? Mike Chinoy was there recently and we'll bring you his report.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: An Arabic television network reports militants holding several hostages in Iraq have appointed a tribal chief to mediate their release. This comes as insurgents renew their attacks against Iraqi forces. But Iraqi National Guard soldiers with the help of U.S. troops struck back. For the latest on the violence and the negotiations, our Matthew Chance is in Baghdad.
MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: In the latest violence, at least 13 Iraqi insurgents have been confirmed as dead, killed by Iraqi security forces as they battled those insurgents near the town of Buhriz to the north of the Iraqi capital of Baghdad. The Iraqi security forces, Iraqi National Guard and police forces were in the area providing security support to the U.S. 1st Armored division that was carrying out raids against suspected hideouts of a group associated with the Jordanian born militant, Abu Musah Zarqawi (ph).
When they came under attack from these Iraqi insurgent forces, they returned fire. The U.S. provided air support and artillery support. As I say, 13 insurgents killed in ensuing gun and artillery battle. All this as efforts continue to secure the release of the many different hostages being held by Iraqi militant groups across the country, particularly the Egyptian diplomat, the prominent most of the hostages being held. The militants say that he was abducted in response to Egypt offering security guarantees and security assistance to the interim Iraqi government.
Also, it's been confirmed that two Pakistani nationals have gone missing. They're assumed at this stage to be hostages. There are efforts under way to try and make contact with the hostage takers and negotiations continuing for release of the seven truck drivers, three from India, three from Kenya, another Egyptian, negotiations very intensive to try and secure their release. They're not being talked to - they're not talking directly to the hostage takers themselves. But they are going through, we're told, a third party to try and secure an earlier release for them, although at this stage no positive sign of that early release is forthcoming. Matthew Chance, CNN, Baghdad
WHITFIELD: U.S. troops in another sensitive region of the world are being relocated. Redeployment orders will affect some 8,000 American soldiers now serving on the front lines of the DMZ on the Korean peninsula. Our senior Asia correspondent, Mike Chinoy, has details.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MIKE CHINOY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In an always dangerous battle of nerves, a joint U.S.-south Korean force has helped keep the peace on the dividing line between north and South Korea for decades. But in a few months, security along this volatile front line will be entirely in the hands of the South Koreans.
After more than half a century, the U.S. military is pulling back from the demilitarized zone. This is just one step in the most sweeping change to the American military posture in Asia since the end of the cold war. A third of the 37,000 U.S. troops in South Korea are being withdrawn altogether. Those that remain will be rebased well away from the DMZ.
COL. DENNIS WIER, U.S. MILITARY PLANNER: This is part of the transformation from a middle 20th century to a 21st century force. That means you don't necessarily have to have as many troops standing on the line, because you do things with new technology.
CHINOY (voice over): As Captain Ryan Roberts and his men prepare to leave the DMZ, he's not worried.
CAPT. RYAN ROBERTS, U. S. ARMY: Where the army's going, our units of action that can deploy from anywhere. So really, there's not a big necessity to keep soldiers here. It's more of a symbolic gesture.
CHINOY: But with North Korea's million strong army with an easy striking distance and the crisis over the north's nuclear program still unresolved it's precisely that symbolism that has many South Koreans concerned.
PARK JIN, SOUTH KOREAN LEGISLATOR: When any radical reduction of U.S. forces or withdrawal might send a wrong message to North Korea that finally the U.S. forces are leaving, and the security vacuum is occurring.
CHINOY: Enhancing deterrents or risking trouble? The U.S. pullback, a new test for the fragile peace on the Korean Peninsula.
Mike Chinoy, CNN, on the Korean Demilitarized Zone.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: Now a check of what's happening now in the news. President Bush is on a working vacation at his ranch in Crawford, Texas. A source tells CNN he's trying to figure out how to use an executive order to immediately implement recommendations of the 9/11 commission.
With the start of the Democratic National Convention just hours away, security in Boston is extra tight. Military police, bomb- sniffing dogs and metal barricades are in place to ensure safety during the four-day event held at the Fleet Center.
Well it is good-bye Columbus and off to Florida. Democratic presidential hopeful John Kerry is due to arrive there in about two hours. His visit comes as new poll numbers show he and President Bush are in a statistical dead heat in the battleground state of Florida.
Kerry will then make his way up the East Coast en-route to Boston and the Democratic National Convention. Coming up, we'll take a look at the convention preparations and the week ahead.
Plus, trying to find replacements for thousands of retiring air traffic controllers.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: And before heading to the Fleet Center, Democratic Vice Presidential Candidate John Edwards is on President Bush's turf today. He's campaigning in Texas as he makes his way to Boston for the Democratic National Convention. CNN's Elaine Quijano reports.
ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Senator John Edwards is here in San Antonio, Texas raising money ahead of his trip to Boston next week. At the same time, his campaign has announced in response to a "Newsweek" article it has returned $44,000 to a contributor who is under scrutiny for using straw donors in the L.A. mayoral race. Now, the Edwards campaign insisted it has done everything possible to comply with campaign finance laws including requiring donors to sign pledge cards stating that the money being contributed is, in fact, theirs. Now, aides also say that the decision to return the money goes above and beyond what is required and say the decision was made in large part to keep the campaign focused on its work and focused on its message.
As part of that, Senator Edwards today told a group of Texas business and civic leaders a Kerry-Edwards administration would make a priority, creating and broadening opportunities for all Americans.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JOHN EDWARDS, (D) VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The core of this campaign is making sure the kinds of opportunities that I have had are available to everybody. No matter where you live, what the color of your skin, who your family is. That's what this is about for us restoring that kind of chance and hope and opportunity to everybody.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
QUIJANO: Senator Edwards now heads back to his home state of North Carolina where he'll have a couple of appearances before moving on to Boston where he is set to give that highly anticipated speech before the Democratic National Convention on Wednesday.
Elaine Quijano, CNN, San Antonio, Texas.
WHITFIELD: And they are bracing themselves in Boston on the eve of the Democratic convention. The city is dealing with tight security and the arrival of thousands of visitors. Here's CNN's Dan Lothian.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DAN LOTHIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Boston's moment in the sun. Celebrations, a circuit of parties, and a civics lesson for the homeless.
THOMAS MORRIS, HOMELESS REGISTERED VOTER: They tell me that if I want to be part of the solution, then I have to be part of the change. Part of the change is coming out and taking the time to vote.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You can do that by starting with the simple process of registering to vote.
LOTHIAN: Focusing attention on voting and the political process, which in the past few days has been overshadowed by issues of security, protests and union contracts.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We feel betrayed.
LOTHIAN: After more than two years battling the city, the powerful police officers union got a contract from an arbitrator. But members unhappy with the terms had vowed to protest delegation parties. They backed down after the city reached a late agreement today with the firefighters union.
MAYOR THOMAS MENINO, (D) BOSTON MASSACHUSETTS: I would think the union should give up whatever they plan to do. It doesn't make sense.
LOTHIAN: Controversy too over this protest area set aside near the Fleet Center. Civil rights groups that had been challenging in quote detention camp like conditions failed in their legal attempt to get closer acts as to convention delegates.
Security continues to be top priority. Helicopters, boats, law enforcement agents at every turn. Amid reports that the news media may be targeted by domestic terrorists. Security concerns and worries about gridlock have prompted some Bostonians to leave town. Rachel Weinstein is on her way to the Dominican Republic for the week.
RACHEL WEINSTEIN, BOSTON RESIDENT: We heard on the radio that there's going to be, like, 12-mile backups and closings, and they were going to be searching bags, so we just wanted to get out.
LOTHIAN: Mark Pasquale closed his pizza shop across from the Fleet Center and is on a vacation in Canada.
MARK PASQUALE, BUSINESS OWNER: With out restrictions, it would have been great. But this is a big inconvenience for a lot of people.
LOTHIAN: The city, working to overcome challenges, as more of the focus now turns to center stage.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think we're going to have a great time in the city of Boston.
LOTHIAN: Dan Lothian, CNN, Boston.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: An Israeli human chain tops our news from around the world now. Tens of thousands of Israelis were holding hands from Gaza to Jerusalem to protest the government's proposed withdrawal from Gaza. Violence continued, though. Six Palestinians were killed while six Israeli children and three Palestinians were wounded all in separate incidents.
Sudan bound, an aide flight loaded with about 30 tons of supplies have left Mason Airport in Kent, England. European union ministers meet in Brussels tomorrow to try to improve access for relief groups. They are also pushing for a resumption of peace talks between the Sudanese government and rebel groups.
In Iran a court acquits the agent accused of murdering an Iranian/Canadian journalist. Zahra Kazemi died last year from a brain hemorrhage after being struck over the head during interrogation. She was in custody for taking pictures outside an Iranian prison. Iranian human rights activists are threatening to take the case to international courts.
Ever since 9/11, one religious group in particular that has nothing to do with the Middle East or Islam has been facing increased bias and violence for the turbans they wear. CNN's Jason Carroll reports on the growing intolerance against Sikhs.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Rajinder Singh Khalsa can't read the Sikhs' holy book when he prays. His eyes still too damaged from a brutal beating he suffered two weeks ago.
RAJINDER SINGH KHALSA, BIAS ATTACK VICTIM: My eye was closed, and I have fractured around here. And fractures in the nose. I could not open the eyes the first day.
CARROLL: A group of men attacked Khalsa on a street near his home in New York after associating his turban with Osama Bin Laden. They called it a dirty curtain.
KHALSA: I was explaining to them about the turban and our religion that we trust in one God.
CARROLL: Khalsa does not share Osama's Muslim faith nor is he Arab. He is Sikh an Indian religion, a half million Sikhs live in the United States. Their turban, a symbol of saintliness, also a symbol that's received unwanted attention since September 11th.
AMARDEEP SINGH, SIKH COALITION: Our organization has logged over 300 different incidents of bias against Sikhs since 9/11 and they have occurred in urban centers where Sikhs have a substantial presence, and they've occurred in rural areas where nobody's seen a Sikh before.
CARROLL: Some Sikhs are facing resistance on the job. For 20 years, Kevin Harrington didn't have a problem with his turbine. While being a subway operator in New York. Now he says his bosses won't let him wear it while he's working with passengers. They offered to transfer him to a rail yard job if he insists on wearing it. Harrington says that violates his civil rights.
KEVIN HARRINGTON, NY SUBWAY OPERATOR: Because I'm not going to accept the transit's version of apartheid. They have one set of rules for non-Sikhs and another set of rules for Sikhs and that Sikhs can only work where they can't be seen.
CARROLL: The transit authority set up a committee to review Harrington's case. In another case, the City's Human Rights Commission ordered that New York City Police Department to reinstate a Sikh traffic officer who refused to remove his turban. The NYPD may appeal. Khalsa says this country is the last place he expected intolerance.
KHALSA: What happened to me should not happen to any other. This is America.
CARROLL (on camera): Khalsa and other Sikhs we spoke to say overcoming ignorance has been a slow process in this post-9/11 world. Even as we conducted one of the interviews for our story, a group of boys on bikes rode by shouting "Osama!"
Jason Carroll, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: Well, thousands of air traffic controllers are about to retire and critics say the FAA may not be ready for that.
Still to come, what's being done to ensure there won't be fewer eyes on the skies.
Plus P. Diddy is stumping for votes. That's right. P. Diddy. His strategy coming up.
And then on "Next@CNN" a seven-seat bicycle and what it takes to get is it rolling.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: The nation's aviation system and the flying public may soon feel the impact of one of President Reagan's actions. In 1982, he fired thousands of striking air traffic controllers. Kathleen Koch reports a shortage is looming as their replacements hit retirement age.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Talk with 3278.
KATHLEEN KOCH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): In hundreds of towers and radar centers around the country, the clock is ticking toward retirement. Nearly half of the nation's air traffic controllers, some 7,000, are expected to leave over the next nine years. Most hired in 1982 to replace the striking controllers, fired by President Ronald Reagan.
CHRIS STEPHENSON, AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLER: We picked up the ball and ran with it and I think we did pretty well. We're starting to turn to hand it off to somebody. We don't see anybody there.
KOCH: A new study by the Transportation Department Inspector General finds that FAA hasn't yet determined precisely how many new controllers it will need, where or when. The FAA insists it has the situation under control.
MARION BLAKEY, FAA ADMINISTRATOR: The FAA has been very accurate in predicting the numbers over time. So we believe we've got a pretty good feel for it. It's hardly a crisis at this point.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Rocket 11 (INAUDIBLE) approach from right.
KOCH: The FAA says not all controllers who become eligible will want to retire. It suggests a crisis could also be delayed by giving waivers to work past the mandatory retirement age of 56. Two controllers who helped guide Air Force One at Andrews Air Force Base have such waivers.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think I'm the best controller here. DICK MUMFORD, SUPERVISOR & CONTROLLER: I've seen everything that can happen, happen at least once before, and I know how to react to it.
KOCH: But the controllers union warns of dire consequences if the government doesn't start training and hiring new controllers now.
RUTH MARLIN, AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLER ASSN: We won't have certified controllers. We won't be able to operate the airspace. And when there is a severe shortage, you only have two choices, and that is to curtail services or to reduce the margin of safety.
KOCH: If the FAA underestimates the retirement bubble, there's no quick fix. Training a controller takes at least three years.
Kathleen Koch, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: So do you need to worry? That the nation's airport- controlled towers are going to start emptying out? John Carr is president of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association. He's joining us from our Washington bureau. Good to see you John.
JOHN CARR, PRESIDENT, NATIONAL AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLERS ASSOCIATION: Good afternoon.
WHITFIELD: Well, just for the record, we invited the FAA to appear on this program live. It declined saying that the taped comments you just saw in Kathleen Koch's report will have to suffice. So John, half of the aircraft controllers will retire within ten years, retirement age, as we saw in that piece, age 56. You feel convinced that the FAA is not prepared for this?
CARR: Oh, absolutely. As a matter of fact, the FAA administrator is on record testifying that she suspects a tsunami wave of controller retirements. So I have guess you have to ask yourself, if you know there's going to be a tsunami in five years, are you going to do anything to prepare for it, or are you going to postpone taking action on that until later on in the day? And right now --
WHITFIELD: Well except that you just saw in that report that she said it is hardly a crisis, and certainly it is under control.
CARR: Unfortunately, the FAA, the GAO, and the inspector general all have predicted that half of all air traffic controllers will retire. So if you know that it's going to take three to five years to train them and you know that half are leaving, you have to start hiring them at some point.
And to date, this year, the FAA has hired a single air traffic controller. That's one air traffic controller to address this coming shortage. And it breaks down to the safety of the skies. Fewer eyes on the skies.
WHITFIELD: And the FAA is saying that it does have a budget plan in place. It will be introduced to Congress in December. And really their hands are tied until they get any kind of approval on allocations of funding.
CARR: I suppose from my perspective I'm from Missouri on that one. You're going to have to show me the plan. They continue to tell people they have a plan, they just haven't made that plan public yet. So far, all we've seen in the field is a reduction in the staffing numbers.
For instance, at Chicago where their authorized staffing number is 100, they've just been told that their authorized staffing number has magically changed to 94. So rather than adding staff to take care of the coming wave of controller retirements, they've just magically reduced the number of people they think it takes to do the job. And that, quite frankly, is not a solution set that we're at all happy with.
It's going to reduce the margin of safety. Chicago is already officially -- artificially constrained. United and American Airlines have both had their schedules cut by the federal government because we don't have enough air traffic controllers to move the traffic.
WHITFIELD: Well, in the FAA's statement to CNN, they made it very clear that your union should have been aware of the prospects and if there was any grave concern there would be a shortage, the association should have tried to make that strong appeal to the FAA and that it didn't happen.
CARR: I beg to differ. Actually, we've been making this very strong appeal for several years. And we do have a plan to address the coming wave of controller retirements. It's for the FAA to hire 1,000 controllers a year for the next five years. Again, the FAA tells you they have a plan, but they refuse to release it.
WHITFIELD: Well are you getting a sense that 1,000 hires a year won't happen even if that budget proposal that will eventually go to Congress?
CARR: The budget proposal that is currently before the Congress, which we've actively lobbied for, will only add 300 controllers this year. That's a start, but it's woefully inadequate to address what everyone acknowledges is a coming safety problem in our system.
WHITFIELD: And how long does it take to adequately train air traffic controllers so that those that do go through the proper training will eventually be able to be on board and be good replacements for those who are retiring?
CARR: That's a great question. Interestingly, it takes from three to five years to train an air traffic controller from beginning to end. But even those that are currently in the system that move around the system require retraining. If you're a controller in Chicago with the tower, and you move to Chicago's radar room, it's going to take you about two years to get up to speed on the procedures.
WHITFIELD: Is there a way in which the training can be condensed to get more people on board faster?
CARR: While the FAA believes that condensing the training might be one of their solutions, I have yet to see a training regime that makes it possible for us to speed up the amount of time it takes to train someone, to work live traffic. We are talking about occupations that are incredibly stressful where there is no margin for error. And I can't see reducing the training as a sort of an expeditious band-aid fix to what has been a decades long problem.
WHITFIELD: OK, indeed one of the most stressful jobs around that is indeed why the retirement age is at 56. John Carr of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association. Thanks so much for joining us from Washington.
CARR: Thank you very much.
WHITFIELD: Well entertainer P. Diddy is showing his political side these days. His plan to get you to the polls. Straight ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Well, the late-night fun any men have been at it again, proving there are plenty of laughs to be found in the world of politics. Here's a sample.
(BEGIN VIDEOCLIP)
DAVID LETTERMAN, "LATE SHOW WITH DAVID LETTERMAN:" OK. Top ten ways I. P. Diddy, getting people to vote. Number ten --
I. P. DIDDY, ENTERTAINER: To make voting hip, we're putting velvet ropes and bouncers outside the voting booths.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Things are good. Trying to do the lord's work in the city of Satan. Yes, indeed.
JAY LENO, "TONIGHT SHOW WITH JAY LENO:" Well it is an election year, isn't it?
LETTERMAN: Number four.
DIDDY: Anyone who doesn't register to vote will receive nude photos of Ralph Nader.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I have to hand it to John Kerry. Because he has the confidence to pick someone that's far more attractive and personable and smarter. And then I turned him down, and he went to John Edwards.
LENO: Right, right.
LETTERMAN: And the number one way I, P. Diddy, am getting people to vote --
DIDDY: On the ballots, the candidates be listed as P. Kerry and George "Diddy" Bush. LETTERMAN: Yes.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: And that's going to do it for us. "Next@CNN" is coming up. They'll take a look at why an unusually dry spring has forecasters worried about a major hurricane.
Plus something new at the Boston convention. Here's Dan Sieberg.
DANIEL SIEBERG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Among stories ahead on "Next@CNN," a new type of journalist hitting the floor in this year's political conventions and a reunion of the Apollo 11 astronauts. Hope you can join us.
WHITFIELD: All right and thanks for joining us. Back with the headlines right after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
