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CNN Live Saturday
Pakistan Officials Arrest 5 In Terrorist Sting; Phelps Wins 8 Medals, Ties Record; People Still Without Power In Florida
Aired August 21, 2004 - 18:00 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.
CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: CNN LIVE SATURDAY is just ahead, but, first, a quick look at what's happening now in the news.
The Kerry campaign calls for President Bush to personally ask for a halt to the attack ads about Kerry's Vietnam service. The Kerry campaign says the ads are deliberately misleading. So far the president has been silent on the Kerry campaign's request. We are going to have a live report from Crawford, Texas, in 10 minutes.
In Pakistan, officials say they prevented a major terrorist attack and arrested five people. Police say the suspects were planning seven days of attacks on several targets, including the U.S. embassy and the Pakistani president's house.
And at the Olympics, the underdogs are still in the race to be top dogs. Iraq's soccer team beat Australia 1-0 to reach the semi- finals of the men's tournament. Fans around the world celebrated.
And good afternoon, I'm Carol Lin, and welcome to CNN LIVE SATURDAY.
Rilya Wilson, the missing girl, is the symbol of Florida's foster care system problems. And I've got new developments. Authorities arrested one of the people closest to her. Also, Wieland Homes and charges of racial discrimination. The popular developer is facing lawsuits after damaging tapes surfaced questioning the company's reputation. You are going to hear the tapes and we spell out the investigation.
Right now, Florida is our lead story because a week after Hurricane Charley tore up homes and lives; people are still struggling for food, water and power. The storm is blamed now for 25 people dying. An estimated 241,000 still do not have electricity, but there are some positive developments. Florida governor Jeb Bush promises to bring in portable classrooms so schools can open next Monday in Punta Gorda. And a local hospital reopened on Friday. Now, the town of Punta Gorda, Florida was one of the hardest hit. Sara Dorsey joins us live from the city with more on the cleanup there --Sara.
SARA DORSEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Things in this community are certainly not back to normal and they are not expected to be back to normal for some time, but a local community staple is back in business. The Charlotte Regional Medical Center opened its doors on Friday to a fury of activity. Hurricane Charley and the cleanup had patients lining up. Doctors say the heat is a major, major factor now. Heat exhaustion and dehydration are very common. They are seeing many patients come in with those complaints.
The cleanup is also causing some problems. Doctors say people aren't being maybe as careful as they should. People moving twisted metal. Glass and nails are -- also coming in seeking treatment from the hospital. It is not quite fully functional at this point. The hospital says surgical patients and very critical patients will still need to seek treatment somewhere else for the next few weeks.
Ahead -- things there are not exactly ahead of schedule. But, some people are feeling that that is the case. A lot has went on here. Houses in the area were devastated. And doctors say right now things are just very, very busy in the hospital.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: When we left here Saturday morning, late Saturday morning after evacuating our last patient, many of us were not sure that we'd have a hospital to come back to.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DORSEY: More than 200 patients actually waited out the storm in the hospital. They tell us that they could hear the wind blowing back and forth, hear things hitting the building, glass was breaking. They were actually on the third floor and almost expected it to fall through. They didn't know what was going to happen. One lady recalls what she saw whenever they looked out the window the next morning.
It looks like we don't have that sound for you. What they saw outside of those windows were devastated homes, splintered homes, trees had fallen through them, absolutely destroyed. It took crews, several crews, from all over several different states. They came in. They were working 24 hours a day, seven days a week to get this open. It took them one week to get it open and that has made people here very happy and, actually, very, very surprised that it made it so quickly.
LIN: Amazing, very remarkable. Thanks very much, Sara.
Well, simply put, people lost everything. CNN photo journalist Mike Miller brings a personal story to us now.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It was Friday the 13th, right? Well, it started in the afternoon. I've never seen wind and rain screaming. The roofs all flipped and flopped. This is my kitchen and my dining room. That's all I got is a chandelier. My bedroom is back there, the other bedroom. The tub is perfect. Everything else is destroyed. There's nothing left. I found one hat because I collect hats. I have about 25 hats, too. Well, I did. Two hundred and seventy-five scarves, one set of dentures. This is the only thing left.
And when I opened the door yesterday all my underwear was hanging on the line. But I got my pictures, so I'm glad. There's me and my husband. Federal Aviation Administration, Atlantic City, New Jersey, that's where he worked. There's the picture at the consul. He was great. He was good. He had polio. He did good. I've been alone six years now and that took a lot out of me.
The last couple of weeks I don't know what made me do this, I just thought, I'm going to say this little psalm when I lay down. Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray to walk, my husband, my soul to keep. If I should die before I wake, I hope I meet him at the gate. This is what I've got. It's all I've got. I'm going to go.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LIN: My God. Well, after the firefighters and police officers do their work, the Red Cross and others are the ones who take victims in and help them when they're wet, cold, with nothing but a box or a blanket. They are cooking more than 100,000 meals a day right now. Tiffany Fell works out in the field for the Red Cross and right now she's in Punta Gorda where Tiffany, the need appears to be so tremendously great. I'm wondering if you can just share with me the specific details of the personal stories you're coming across as you're going door to door.
TIFFANY FELL, AMERICAN RED CROSS: The American Red Cross has a massive national relief operation here. And I've been talking to volunteers that are on the ground here in Punta Gorda as well as in Port Charlotte and what they're seeing is just very heart touching. We have volunteers who are getting up at 4:00 in the morning and serving meals until 11:00 at night and trying to get information out to these residents about where they can get assistance, immediate, emergency assistance for food, for clothing, for a place to stay.
LIN: I mean when you're talking about immediate emergency assistance, I mean people like the woman we just saw in the piece right before we came to you, literally, has nothing. I mean she walked away from her collapsed mobile home with a metal box maybe with some valuable papers or pictures. What can you do for her right away?
FELL: We can provide her with her immediate emergency needs. We want to make sure at this point that people have a warm meal to eat, that they have a safe place to spend the night and that they are out of this heat. And we want to make sure, of course, that they have clean and dry clothing. And so, that's why we have shelters set up. We have several feeding -- mobile feeding operations, as well as fixed feeding sites throughout these cities serving hot meals. We also have outreach teams that are getting into these neighborhoods that were so hardly -- that were so hit -- that were hit so hard and they're determining what these people's needs are and what they can -- what type of service they can bring to them because we want to make sure that everybody is safe at this time.
LIN: Right. How long can you help these people because it's going to take months if not years for some of these people to rebuild?
FELL: Absolutely. The -- right now, we are concerned with making sure that their short-term emergency needs are met. And we plan to work very closely with the emergency management operations at the local and the state and the federal levels to determine... LIN: So you have no idea. You have no idea how long the Red Cross is going to be needed, right? I mean this is a huge job.
FELL: Absolutely. And we will -- we have thousands of volunteers, so we will be able to be in these communities for weeks, for months, to come, for however long it takes to make sure these people are taken care of.
LIN: Tiffany, they need you and it's good that you're there. Thank you very much. Tiffany Fell with the Red Cross.
FELL: Thank you.
LIN: Listen, if you'd like to help the Red Cross take care of the Florida hurricane victims, you can call this toll free number. It's 1-800-help-now. That is 1-800-435-7669 or you can just log on to the website, www.redcross.org.
Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry is going to a fund- raiser tonight in East Hampton, New York. Now, the controversy over those Republican attack ads is still making news. The Kerry campaign filed a complaint Friday with the Federal Election Commission accusing the Bush campaign of illegally coordinating with the group behind these ads that you're watching right here.
And as for the president's position on those ads, well, even as some Republican politicians say, the president ought to disavow the ads. The Bush administration has responded by saying that there needs to be an end to soft money ads. CNN's Jill Dougherty is traveling with the president. She's joining us live from Crawford, Texas.
So Jill, does that mean the president is against the ads that he's standing down on them?
JILL DOUGHERTY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, he is not going to talk specifically about that ad. I can tell you that, Carol. He's against all of the ads and that's been the position all along. But I can tell you, you know, this began the mid-week, this week. And today it was more intense than ever with charges, countercharges, statements, counterstatements coming fast and furious.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DOUGHERTY (voice-over): It happened 35 years ago on a river in Vietnam. A military mission led by Lieutenant John Kerry that won him a Silver Star. Now, a newspaper editor who served with Kerry during that mission breaks three decades of silence. William B. Rude of the "Chicago Tribune" in an article taking aim at the group, Swift Vote Veterans for Truth, whose ads charge Kerry lied to win his metals. "Their version of events have splashed doubt on all of us," he writes. "It's gotten hard harder and harder for those of us who were there to listen to accounts we know to be untrue, especially when they come from people who were not there." Poll shows that ad is hurting Senator Kerry, especially among veterans. His campaign is demanding President Bush renounce it. SEN. JOHN EDWARDS, (D), VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The president needs to step to the plate, not through a spokesperson, himself and say, take down these ads.
DOUGHERTY: The Bush campaign won't take the bait. What you're seeing from the Kerry campaign is a series of false and flailing attacks, they charge. The president has been the target of $63 million in attack ads, they claim, and Mr. Bush wants all soft money ads stopped.
The Kerry campaign also launched a new Internet ad accusing Mr. Bush of remaining silent as he did during soft money attack ads on his rival in the 2000 primaries, Senator John McCain.
SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), ARIZONA: Five United States senators, Vietnam veteran heroes, some of them really incredible heroes, wrote George a letter and said, "Apologize. You should be ashamed."
DOUGHERTY: The Bush campaign fired back. "John Kerry's campaign is the only campaign that's questioned anybody's service during the Vietnam War." But all this sniping, political experts say, hurts Senator Kerry more than President Bush.
NORM ORNSTEIN, AMERICAN ENTERPRISE INSTITUTE: The more we focus our attention on attacks or counterattacks about what happened in Vietnam, the less the Kerry campaign and Kerry himself are able to frame the issues in the agenda the way they want to.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
DOUGHERTY: And that agenda, for instance, the economy and Iraq, all but buried this week, Carol, in the crossfire.
LIN: All right, thanks very much, Jill. Jill Doherty reporting live from Crawford.
Now, we are watching a standoff in Najaf right now. It's very uncertain what's going to happen next. A lot of the attention looms over the Imam Ali mosque right now. Some of the fighters loyal to Muqtada al Sadr put down their weapons and picked up brooms to clean the holy shrine. And while this doesn't seem so threatening, no one really knows if the fighters will hand over the mosque to Shiite religious leaders as promised. Al Sadr's people say they cannot turn over the keys because of the fighting outside.
And the world is waiting to see what happens to kidnapped American French journalist Micah Garen. He and his Iraqi translator were taken hostage a week ago in Nasiriyah. An aide to radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al Sadr told CNN he's been assured Garen would be freed by tomorrow.
And in southern Baghdad, an American soldier is killed and two others wounded in a rocket-propelled grenade attack on their military vehicle. The U.S. military says this brings the U.S. death toll to 958 since the war began. Well, a major effort to crack down on terrorism has been launched. Still to come, suspects arrested and details on their targets.
Plus...
MARK MCKAY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Mark McKay at the summer games in Athens. Michael Phelps makes a bid at Olympic swimming history without even getting into the pool. All the details on the way.
LIN: And it's a walk in the past, a movement of faith and a lesson in history. We're going to take a look at what you can expect at the new dedication to the underground railroad.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LIN: Some news from around the world right now.
In Pakistan, a major terror plot is foiled. Officials say they arrested five suspects who were planning a week-long assault in Islamabad. Police say they were also going to go after the U.S. embassy and the house of the Pakistani president.
In Spain, four people were injured in two bombings linked to the Basque separatist group, Eta. It happened in two villages along Spain's north Atlantic coast now full of vacationers. Police say the bombs were planted in trashes can.
And in Bangladesh, grenades rocked an opposition party rally. The former prime minister was the target. She escaped unhurt but 18 people were killed and dozens more wounded.
Well, U.S. teams set a new world record today in the men's swimming relay and American swimmer, Michael Phelps, received his eighth medal at the summer games without even getting wet. Our Mark McKay is keeping track of all the action in Athens, Greece.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MCKAY (voice-over): Athens conjures up images of ancient mythology and Greek heroes, but for the first week of the Olympic Games, Michael Phelps made the world focus on more recent history. The American teenager set out to surpass Mark Spitz's record, seven gold medals at the 1972 Olympics. But the quest to catch one of swimming's gods proved just unreachable.
MICHAEL PHELPS, OLYMPIC GOLD MEDALIST: Well, I swam in the water and trained every single day to prepare for this and you know I prepared as best as I could. And how I swam here was the best way that I could swim.
MCKAY: Phelps got off to a quick start, winning the U.S. team's first gold medal on day one of the games but his quest for Olympic immortality became history on day two when the men's 4x100 meter took a disappointing bronze. PHELPS: I wanted to come in here. I wanted to win one gold medal and I did it the first night. So you know from then on out, I was just -- I was here to have fun and I was here to swim and I was here to represent my country as best as I could. And you know I feel that that I've done that in this past week.
MCKAY: With Phelps just 19 years old, his legend is still in the making. Spitz was 22 when he accomplished the feat. Phelps said he can't imagine his chances in Beijing four years from now, but he also couldn't imagine being this good, this fast, four years ago.
PHELPS: I've been gearing up for this for the past four years and it's good to look back on it and -- excuse me -- right now I'm seven medals ahead of where I was four years ago, so I can't complain.
MCKAY (on camera): Phelps Olympic odyssey will end Saturday but not in the pool. After helping the team qualify for the final, Phelps gave up the butterfly leg of the medley relay to teammate Ian Crocker. While short of Spitz's seven golds, a medal will make Phelps America's most decorated swimmer at a single Olympics.
Mark McKay, CNN, Athens.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LIN: They risked their lives in a run for the north. Still to come, a major dedication on Monday for a center that is no holds bar when it slavery in America. I am talking with executive director of the National Underground Railroad Museum.
Plus, one of the nation's most popular home builders is in hot water after admitting it denied an applicant a job because she's black.
Plus, she was smaller than a can of soda and now the world's smallest baby turns 15. How did she survive without today's newest technology? I'm going to talk to her doctor coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LIN: You know, before the Civil War, Ohio played a major role in the underground railroad. The Ohio River was seen as a symbolic dividing line, slavery to the south, freedom to the north. And now, the Ohio River is home to a new museum dedicated to the memory of the underground railroad and it officially opens to the public on Monday. Spencer Crew is the executive director of the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center and he joins me right now from Cincinnati.
Spencer, good to have you.
SPENCER CREW, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, NATIONAL UNDERGROUND FREEDOM CENTER: Thank you, I'm glad to be here.
LIN: You know when we talk about the underground railroad, I mean this was the heart and soul of freedom for, what, nearly half the slaves who were trying to escape. This is how they escaped to freedom.
CREW: Absolutely. This is where they would try to go to escape the institution, yes.
LIN: Any idea how many?
CREW: Well, I think our best estimate is maybe 100,000 or a couple hundred thousand people were able to escape successfully.
LIN: A couple hundred thousand, that really suggests a massive network of support along the way.
CREW: Well, I think it says that there were people who were really dedicated to helping these individuals gain their freedom. I think what we have to remember though is that they are actually a small drop in the bucket compared to those who were enslaved at the time.
LIN: How do you make this experience real to people, especially in the 21st century?
CREW: I think the way you try and do it is two-fold. One is you make sure that you tell the stories in terms of individuals so that people can make a connection to real people rather than to statistics and abstract ideas. The other part is to look at the connections that us from the past to the present and to understand that those same impulses, those same issues continue to challenge us in the present day.
LIN: Right. And, frankly, you know, what I have seen and what I've read about the exhibit, I haven't been there yet, obviously, but it's very provocative. I mean here you have -- and we're showing some of the pictures here -- but you have a 200-year-old building where chained men, women and children were waiting to go on the auction block. To stand in that space, it's got to be an experience of, frankly, sitting in judgment of the very people who had chained those men, women and children to those walls.
CREW: Well, it is a very powerful, emotional experience for most of our visitors. And I think it reminds us of the human side of the slave trade and how people's lives were so dramatically changed as a consequence of it. So I think it really allows people to make a personal connection and to go back in time and understand better how people were feeling.
LIN: The thing is it wasn't that long ago, you know. So I'm just wondering you have this building where such a dramatic story unfolded. You have the rope that was used to hang the abolitionist John Brown after the Harper's ferry uprising. That is like touching the scene of a crime. That's like being present at a murder scene. In today's day in age, a divisive political election is coming up. The nation has been described by various people as a divided nation. What kind of an experience do you think people walk away from this sort of exhibit?
CREW: Well, I think our focal point is really in looking at the underground railroad, we're looking at a moment when people from different backgrounds came together and really worked for a better end. And I think that what we hope people will take away from their experience at the Freedom Center is the recognition that people from a variety of backgrounds and different backgrounds can find commonality and can find...
LIN: Because there were white people who helped the slaves escape.
CREW: Absolutely. I think that's the interesting thing about the underground railroad. There were whites. There were African- Americans, Latinos, Native Americans, a wide spectrum of people were part of this story. And it really has to focus on those who stepped up and decided to make a difference rather than point a finger at those who could be accused.
LIN: Spencer, we've got a story coming up in our program that focuses on one of the nation's largest home builders, a very prestigious company called John Wieland Homes. We have a tape recording indicating his executive saying that they weren't going to hire a woman because she's African-Americans that African-Americans did not belong in the executive ranks. After working on this project heart and soul for the last 10 years, the fact that racism can exist so blatantly today?
CREW: Well, I think what we understand is that our lives were impacted by that past life of slavery and that institution. But the key for us is that while there were those who supported the institution, there were others stepped forward to make a difference. So my hope is that this individual doesn't represent the norm, but in fact represents a different portion of the population. And we want to touch the lives and souls of those who see people working together and opportunity as available to everyone as an important part of the credo of this country.
LIN: Spencer Crew, a big opening on Monday.
CREW: We're excited.
LIN: Have a great time.
CREW: Thank you very much.
LIN: We're looking forward to it.
Still to come on CNN LIVE SATURDAY, a major home construction company caught on tape denying a person a job because of the color of her skin.
Plus, the rules of how you get paid are changing. We're going to tell you why starting Monday your paycheck may never be the same.
And this woman has never been more excited to hear the phrase, "You've got mail." I'm going to talk to her about her special delivery that arrived, OK, 56 years late.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LIN: Welcome back. Here's a quick look at what's happening now in the news.
Nine days later, Florida is still struggling to clean up and recover from Hurricane Charley. More than 240,000 residents remain without power and the death toll has been raised to 25.
In Najaf, will the fighters turn over the Imam Ali mosque? Fighters loyal to radical cleric Muqtada al Sadr are cleaning the holy shrine while others continue their battle with coalition and Iraqi forces. Then you have al Sadr's representatives saying they cannot leave the shrine until the fighting calms down.
And in Pakistan, officials say they arrested five people and prevented a series of terror attacks on Islamabad. Police say the suspects were planning a week-long siege on targets like the U.S. embassy and the Pakistani's president's house.
And California police say they still have no clues or motives in the shooting deaths of a young couple. Their bodies were discovered on a remote beach Wednesday. They were set to be married next month.
We know racism exists. It's still shocking when you hear the awful words and on tape, which you're about to hear. The John Wieland Company tells people it was named the National Homebuilder of The Year and Developer of The Decade on its website and now it's named in a lawsuit. The story now from CNN's Denise Belgrave in Atlanta.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DENISE BELGRAVE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Amanda Eskridge wanted to be a sales agent for one of the south's premier developers, John Wieland Homes. She didn't get the job and until these tapes surfaced, she didn't know why.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So, why aren't we going forward with Amanda if you like her?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I chose Cheryl over Amanda for my position that we had available at Meadowbrook Glen.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Really, but we have South Hampton open.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That's not the profile that we're looking for, per John, David, Terry at South Hampton.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What profile are we looking for?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A non-African-American person.
BELGRAVE: A bombshell for John Wieland, one of the top 50 home builders in the country. What isn't apparent in the tape is that Eskridge and the other candidate, Cheryl, are black. The tape indicates they were both considered for a position in what's considered a predominantly black subdivision called Meadowbrook. However, the other open position, South Hampton, is in what's considered a high end, predominantly white neighborhood. Eskridge says the company's rejection was a painful and humiliating shock.
AMANDA ESKRIDGE, PLAINTIFF: John Wieland is such respected influential, prominent company in the Atlanta area that it carried a level of prestige with it. I just didn't understand because I know that I met the qualifications. I knew that. I was being told that as I went through the process.
BELGRAVE: What Eskridge didn't know is that attorney Roderick Edmond had been contacted months before by a Wieland human resources employee who was white. She secretly taped internal meetings about hiring practices at Wieland.
RODERICK EDMOND, PLAINTIFF'S ATTORNEY: She believes that because the senior management there at John Wieland felt so comfortable with her, they believed that she was part of the crew and that she ascribed to the same racist notions that they were implementing.
BELGRAVE: The tapes showed that more than one executive was involved in the Eskridge decision.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What about South Hampton?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You kind of have to be sensitive to demographics, as far as the sales process.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What do you mean?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You just have to know the demographics of who you're selling to and be able to not hurt sales by who you put into a certain neighborhood.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Ok, now, Kathryn said something about because she's African-American and we're looking for Caucasians.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, that's what I'm saying too.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK.
AVERY FREDMAN, CIVIL RIGHTS ATTORNEY: The most important piece of evidence in this case is not the person who did the tape recording but the tapes themselves. What's important is what the owners and managers of this company said on the tape.
BELGRAVE (on camera): CNN contacted the John Wieland Company several times. The company declined to be interviewed on camera, but did issue a press statement.
(voice-over): In the statement, company president, John Wieland -- quote -- "categorically denies that the company he has built would ever condone the type of conduct alleged in the complaint."
He also added -- "After several months, we cancelled the job requisition due to lack of business and the position was never filled." Denise Belgrave, CNN, Atlanta.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LIN: Overhauling overtime pay, new rules redefining the guidelines for overtime pay go into effect on Monday. Democratic vice presidential candidate John Edwards is blasting the White House over the new regulations. He says the changes mean millions of Americans will take a pay cut, but the Labor Department says the new rules will actually increase the number of workers who are eligible for overtime.
And in other news across America right now, Ohio officials want to know what made 500 people sick. Most got sick after visiting a popular weekend getaway island. Nausea, chills and fever are just a few of the reported symptoms.
A big drug bust in Tampa, Florida, police say they arrested 52 people, including the ringleader. He's accused of delivering half a million dollars worth of crack cocaine every month. Police say cruise ships were used to move the drugs into the U.S.
And is it the bottom of the ninth for Chicago's Wrigley Field? The city has ordered an inspection of the 90-year-old ballpark. The move came after concrete fell from upper decks and calls of shotty repair work at the stadium.
Well, we've tracked a sad story of a missing girl in Florida because she went missing right under the eyes of Florida Child Services. Rilya Wilson was missing for 15 months before the state discovered she disappeared. The girl's caregiver is behind bars and investigators may be closer to finding out what happened if only they could find the girl dead or alive.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LIN (voice-over): If Rilya Wilson is still alive; she's almost 8 years old. But that's a big if, just one of many questions concerning the Florida foster girl who disappeared more than three years ago. This past week, her caregiver was charged with kidnapping and aggravated child abuse. Police say Geralyn Grant (ph) punished Rilya by locking her in a cage and tying her to a bed in the months before she disappeared. That woman is already in prison for fraud after accepting welfare payments for Rilya long after the girl disappeared. She could get a life sentence if convicted of the new charges. Her roommate, Pamela Graham, is charged with a lesser count of child abuse and could receive 10 years in prison if found guilty. In announcing the charges, police were not optimistic about the girl's fate.
ROBERT PARKER, MIAMI-DADE POLICE DIRECTOR: We would hope that Rilya Wilson is alive. That is our greatest hope, but in actuality, we fear that maybe she's not alive.
LIN: Rilya's case became a symbol of Florida's flawed child welfare system. The Department of Children and Family Services didn't realize she was missing for 15 months because no one checked on her. Geralyn (ph) and Pamela Graham say a case worker took Rilya from their home in January 2001, a claim the state agency denies and police don't believe.
The state's botched handling of Rilya's case led to an investigation. The head of the agency resigned and there was a management shake-up after it was revealed that hundreds of children could not be accounted for. But those charges came too late for Rilya, a little girl born to a homeless, crack-addicted mother taken by the state for her own protection and then lost in the system.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LIN: Now, there are doctors who work to save children's lives. One of the most extreme cases was Madeline. Her mother was terribly ill and had to deliver her 13 weeks before her due date. Madeline, who weighed less than a can of soda, 9.9 ounces. This was 15 years ago and there you see her now. Jonathan Muraskas, director of neonatology at Loyola University was Madeline's doctor.
Doctor, it was wonderful to see Madeline walking around the hospital again. You had a little birthday party for her for her 15th birthday.
DR. JONATHAN MURASKAS, DIRECTOR, NEONATOLOGY: Yes, we did, Carol.
LIN: And she looks great. How's she doing?
MURASKAS: She's doing great. Like I say, her development is miraculous, much more than her survival.
LIN: And why do you say that?
MURASKAS: Well, I think an important aspect -- when we published it in the "New England Journal," a lot of hospitals can use this as some great miracle baby. You have to be very careful. The earliest a baby normally can be born to have any chance is maybe 23 weeks gestation or 17 weeks early. These babies have a five, 10 percent chance of survival. Out of survivors, outcomes are terrible. At 27 weeks, since the early '90s up until now, we have about a 90 percent survival rate and that translates to about a two pound baby. So a baby born two pounds, 13 weeks early, 27 weeks, has a 90 percent chance of surviving and about a 10 percent chance of having a significant, devastating handicap.
LIN: Like being blind or mentally retarded.
MURASKAS: Oh, exactly, Carol. And Madeline, her weight is more impressive and that's one of the things at Loyola, we didn't want to -- that's why we went to "The New England Journal," not to make this sound like this is some great -- it is. I mean back in '89 when they handed her to me and I had to put a little tube in her, well, I kind of looked and said I expected...
LIN: Yes, how are you going to get it down?
MURASKAS: I expected her to be a pound not 9.9 ounces, but wonderful parents, wonderful nursing and everything at Loyola. It just -- it's a good story, but, again, the other thing, too. There's probably many parents watching the show tonight that will say, well, my baby was two pounds and you know went to heaven or my baby has severe mental retardation and this baby was nine-and-a-half ounces and survived. I think people have to say gestation at 27 weeks and on things do get well and gestation and girls. Boys, I said this in a news thing earlier, boys are wimps at prematurity. Girls are the stronger sex.
LIN: Yes, that's what you said. That's interesting.
MURASKAS: Oh, it's amazing.
LIN: But Doctor, let me -- let's be really clear about what you're trying to say. I mean she -- Madeline was born prematurely because her mother came down with pre-eclampsia, high blood pressure. It was threatening her life. She had to be delivered. Madeline was conceived through in vitro fertilization. Some of these risks exist and people know that they do, that you could have these kinds of complications. So, what are you saying in terms of not looking at this as a standard for a miracle child and raising expectations of parents?
MURASKAS: Well, as I said, Carol, I think we have to realize Madeline was almost 27 weeks gestation or 13 weeks early. A baby since the early '90s and a normal baby that grows well inside mom is about two pounds at 27 weeks.
LIN: Are you warning that just not be cavalier in these decisions, that gestation is everything, try to keep the baby as long as you can inside the mother's body?
MURASKAS: Well, everyday -- again, to go from 23 to 27 weeks, your survival improves by 90 percent. But survival is one thing, Carol, and the main thing is outcomes. We really have to look at what we're doing below that at 23, 24 weeks and seeing, you know, I think we have to say...
LIN: Right.
MURASKAS: ... my colleagues and I have to say that just we're basically needing a lot of new studies and it's very hard to get long- term follow-up.
LIN: So it's good to see Madeline and that she's doing well and an honor student. But nevertheless, a lot of needed research out there for others.
MURASKAS: There's a lot of research and it's a cautionary note, but I appreciate being on.
LIN: And we appreciate having you.
MURASKAS: I think -- you know on that story, you know, Carol, if Wrigley Field is -- they don't allow the Cubs to play, I think the Braves would have a good chance.
LIN: Get a little baseball note in there, speaking of good news. All right. Thanks very much, Dr. Muraskas.
MURASKAS: Good evening. Bye-bye.
LIN: Well, it was stamped for delivery more than 50 years ago...
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I have a feeling it was sitting there behind something, under something, in a container, you know, and someone unearthed it and decided to send it on.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LIN: That little brown box, that's been M.I.A. for decades. Where's it been? And who does it belong to? Coming up next, the answers for the box of questions.
And they've got money and some New York businesses are hoping they spend it with them. Later a closer look at how five-star companies are preparing for the R&C Convention.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LIN: The burial flag of a World War II soldier has finally made its way home. It was a journey that started nearly 60 years ago. What happened to it in the last five decades is a mystery, a mystery that may never fully be known. Frank Mathe with CNN affiliate, WLS, brings us the details.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FRANK MATHE, WLS REPORTER (voice-over): The people at the Lancing, Illinois, post office had never seen anything like it. Last Monday, clerk, Carol Schultz was given an old beat up box for delivery, but this was no ordinary package. It was postmarked December 17, 1948 and was sent from a military cemetery in (UNINTELLIGIBLE), Belgium. Carol had a mystery on her hands.
CAROL SCHULTZ, U.S. POSTAL SERVICE: My clues on the package were the World War II veteran, Floyd Dust, who obviously had passed and the contents are one U.S. flag. And it was common in that day that they would bury them overseas and send home the burial flags to the family.
MATHE: Floyd Dust was only 25 years old when he died in 1945, just days before Germany surrendered. He is honored in Lancing's war memorial for those who died in action. But finding living relatives has not been easy and why was the flag postmarked three years after he died? And why has it been in (UNINTELLIGIBLE), Belgium for 56 years?
SCHULTZ: I have a feeling this was sitting there behind something, under something, in a container, you know, someone unearthed it and decided to send it on.
MATHE (on camera): The package was supposed to be delivered to Floyd's family, who lived here in this house in Lancing, Illinois in 1948, but it never got here. And people in the neighborhood now don't remember the Dust family. So that's when Carol Schultz went to work making phone call after phone call after phone call. Finally, she found Floyd's sister, Alice, 82 years old, still alive in Russelville, Alabama.
SCHULTZ: She's very excited. She's going to have a flag pole put up. She's like to fly the flag every day. This is such an honor and such cherished memories for her.
MATHE (voice-over): Floyd Dust's flag was express mailed. His sister, Alice, should receive it within a day or two.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LIN: Actually, Floyd Dust's sister has already received the flag and the woman who did all that digging to make sure the burial flag found its way home is joining me from Houston, Texas. Carol Schultz is the Lancing post postal service who found Dust's sister.
Good to have you.
SCHULTZ: Thanks for having me here.
LIN: And Alice Thompson, we have you on the telephone, as well. Alice Thompson is the older sister to Floyd Dust. And Alice is coming to us from Russellville.
Alice, stay right there on the telephone.
I want to ask Carol, when you first opened the contents, what did it look like to you? What was going through your mind?
SCHULTZ: We never opened the contents at the Lancing post office.
LIN: OK.
SCHULTZ: We were not allowed by postal regulation to open the box. But the label on the box clearly stated that it was one burial flag regarding Floyd Dust and it had his dog tag number on it.
LIN: And when you found out that it could be sent on to a relative, what was going through your mind?
SCHULTZ: Oh, I was overwhelmed with just the joy of taking the journey with Floyd's burial flag and being able to return him home to his family. I was certainly hoping I could find someone because no one was local to the area in Chicago. And when Alice and I spoke on the phone, we just cried and cried and cried together last Saturday.
LIN: Alice Thompson...
ALICE THOMPSON, SISTER: Yes?
LIN: It's so good you're the surviving member of this family. You actually got a call one day to say that you had a package on the way. Tell us about that day. What happened? THOMPSON: Well, the postman came first to find out if I was the real Alice and I was most excited. And then they told me that this package is going to come to my home and that they all would like to be there when it arrived. And there is no way to express how I felt. It brought back so many wonderful memories and, yet, it was very sad, and, yet, very happy that I was going to get his flag.
LIN: Yes, Alice, we're looking at pictures of you right now as you're unfurling the flag there. When you first opened the box, the contents, they looked like they were in pretty good condition.
THOMPSON: They were. The flag is in excellent condition.
LIN: And what were some of the other things in there? There were some of the -- some personal belongings of your brother.
THOMPSON: No. We thought there might be and I was told there might be, but there was nothing more than just the flag.
LIN: Just the flag, all right. Carol, what happened? I mean where did it get lost?
SCHULTZ: There's no way to know where that package has been. From the postmarks on it from -- it was postmarked from an APO three- and-a-half years after Floyd had passed away. He passed away May 1, 1945. The postmark was December 17, 1948. When I talked to the Veterans Administration, they thought possibly it may have been sitting in the U.S. military cemetery in Belgium and that with all the conflicts going on now that they're using more containers that they haven't used in many years and possibly it was just sitting in one and we got lucky and it ended up coming home.
LIN: Alice, what do you think Floyd would think of this whole tale and how long it took for you to receive the flag?
THOMPSON: Well, I was talking to a friend this evening as we were coming out to eat, and I said, "You know, I wish my brother were here. He would -- just couldn't believe that this had happened." But he would be very happy that I have received it.
LIN: Yes. What was he like?
THOMPSON: I beg your pardon.
LIN: What was your brother like?
THOMPSON: Well, he was just an average boy and he wasn't athletic. He was just -- I married first and went off and he was working then and I didn't hear any more about him until I was in Atlanta when he died and I was very ill in a hospital. So, I wasn't allowed to even go to the memorial.
LIN: Well, Alice, you now have a special place in your family history and a story to tell all of your descendants. Thank you very much for joining us, Alice Thompson, Carol Schultz.
SCHULTZ: Thank you.
LIN: Through rain, sleet or snow and through time, packages will be delivered.
Thanks, Carol. Carol Schultz.
SCHULTZ: Thank you, Carol.
LIN: Facials delivered, groceries, Broadway show tickets and all the posh life of a New Yorker and some visitors are no exceptions to the rule. Still to come, our New York concierge desk prepares to host the big wigs of the Republican camp. We're going to take a look at the posh potential.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LIN: New York City is rolling out the red carpet for the 50,000 delegates, family and media personnel expected to attend the upcoming Republican National Convention. They've recruited an Army of volunteers, including concierges from the city's top hotels to make sure everyone receives star treatment. CNN's Alina Cho has that story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Bye-bye.
ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Frederick Bigler is no stranger to five star services. It's his business.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Certainly. They're at 58th Street.
CHO: Bigler is the top concierge at the Ritz Carlton's Central Park. He's been drafted by the New York City Host Committee to train volunteers at the Republican Convention. Volunteers, who will in some cases, help not only the delegates, but also the 15,000 media personnel.
FREDRICK BIGLER, CONCIERGE, RITZ CARLTON: Somebody may come up to say and say, "Oh, my gosh, my badge is missing. I have to get into Madison Square Garden." We'll know who to call to get the badge replaced.
CHO: To make life easy, Bigler and his team will set up shop at the Press Center, across the street from convention headquarters, Madison Square Garden.
KEVIN SHLEKEY, NYC HOST COMMITTEE PRESIDENT: There are two ways New York is selling itself. One is it's selling through delegates who will go back home and tell their friends and family what it was like, but the way you really sell this to the nation and the world is through the media.
CHO: Also at the press center...
TAYLOR PIEDRA, CONCIERGE, BARNEY'S NEW YORK: Hair cuts, hot towels, shoe shine, waxing, facials.
CHO: Taylor Pierdra is head of concierge services at Barney's New York.
PIEDRA: Good morning, this is Taylor. How may I be of assistance?
CHO: The luxury retailer is building a spa in the press center and will provide a pool table for reporters who are willing to pay the price to relax. The ironic twist, the New Yorkers who are used to spa services are heading out of town for the week.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You know it's quiet, but not this quiet.
CHO: For those who stay, plenty of politics and pampering.
Alina Cho, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LIN: And that's all the time for we have for this hour. I'll be back at 10:00 eastern for sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll. A celebrity photographer shares what really happened behind the scenes with some rock stars from the '70s. But right now, Mark Shields has a look at tonight's "CAPITAL GANG."
MARK SHIELDS, CO-HOST, "THE CAPITAL GANG": Thank you. Former White House chief of staff, John Podesta, joins us to look at the debate over President Bush's troop withdrawal, the attack and the defense of John Kerry's war record and political turmoil in New Jersey. All this and much more right here next on CNN.
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 August 21, 2004 - 18:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: CNN LIVE SATURDAY is just ahead, but, first, a quick look at what's happening now in the news.
The Kerry campaign calls for President Bush to personally ask for a halt to the attack ads about Kerry's Vietnam service. The Kerry campaign says the ads are deliberately misleading. So far the president has been silent on the Kerry campaign's request. We are going to have a live report from Crawford, Texas, in 10 minutes.
In Pakistan, officials say they prevented a major terrorist attack and arrested five people. Police say the suspects were planning seven days of attacks on several targets, including the U.S. embassy and the Pakistani president's house.
And at the Olympics, the underdogs are still in the race to be top dogs. Iraq's soccer team beat Australia 1-0 to reach the semi- finals of the men's tournament. Fans around the world celebrated.
And good afternoon, I'm Carol Lin, and welcome to CNN LIVE SATURDAY.
Rilya Wilson, the missing girl, is the symbol of Florida's foster care system problems. And I've got new developments. Authorities arrested one of the people closest to her. Also, Wieland Homes and charges of racial discrimination. The popular developer is facing lawsuits after damaging tapes surfaced questioning the company's reputation. You are going to hear the tapes and we spell out the investigation.
Right now, Florida is our lead story because a week after Hurricane Charley tore up homes and lives; people are still struggling for food, water and power. The storm is blamed now for 25 people dying. An estimated 241,000 still do not have electricity, but there are some positive developments. Florida governor Jeb Bush promises to bring in portable classrooms so schools can open next Monday in Punta Gorda. And a local hospital reopened on Friday. Now, the town of Punta Gorda, Florida was one of the hardest hit. Sara Dorsey joins us live from the city with more on the cleanup there --Sara.
SARA DORSEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Things in this community are certainly not back to normal and they are not expected to be back to normal for some time, but a local community staple is back in business. The Charlotte Regional Medical Center opened its doors on Friday to a fury of activity. Hurricane Charley and the cleanup had patients lining up. Doctors say the heat is a major, major factor now. Heat exhaustion and dehydration are very common. They are seeing many patients come in with those complaints.
The cleanup is also causing some problems. Doctors say people aren't being maybe as careful as they should. People moving twisted metal. Glass and nails are -- also coming in seeking treatment from the hospital. It is not quite fully functional at this point. The hospital says surgical patients and very critical patients will still need to seek treatment somewhere else for the next few weeks.
Ahead -- things there are not exactly ahead of schedule. But, some people are feeling that that is the case. A lot has went on here. Houses in the area were devastated. And doctors say right now things are just very, very busy in the hospital.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: When we left here Saturday morning, late Saturday morning after evacuating our last patient, many of us were not sure that we'd have a hospital to come back to.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DORSEY: More than 200 patients actually waited out the storm in the hospital. They tell us that they could hear the wind blowing back and forth, hear things hitting the building, glass was breaking. They were actually on the third floor and almost expected it to fall through. They didn't know what was going to happen. One lady recalls what she saw whenever they looked out the window the next morning.
It looks like we don't have that sound for you. What they saw outside of those windows were devastated homes, splintered homes, trees had fallen through them, absolutely destroyed. It took crews, several crews, from all over several different states. They came in. They were working 24 hours a day, seven days a week to get this open. It took them one week to get it open and that has made people here very happy and, actually, very, very surprised that it made it so quickly.
LIN: Amazing, very remarkable. Thanks very much, Sara.
Well, simply put, people lost everything. CNN photo journalist Mike Miller brings a personal story to us now.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It was Friday the 13th, right? Well, it started in the afternoon. I've never seen wind and rain screaming. The roofs all flipped and flopped. This is my kitchen and my dining room. That's all I got is a chandelier. My bedroom is back there, the other bedroom. The tub is perfect. Everything else is destroyed. There's nothing left. I found one hat because I collect hats. I have about 25 hats, too. Well, I did. Two hundred and seventy-five scarves, one set of dentures. This is the only thing left.
And when I opened the door yesterday all my underwear was hanging on the line. But I got my pictures, so I'm glad. There's me and my husband. Federal Aviation Administration, Atlantic City, New Jersey, that's where he worked. There's the picture at the consul. He was great. He was good. He had polio. He did good. I've been alone six years now and that took a lot out of me.
The last couple of weeks I don't know what made me do this, I just thought, I'm going to say this little psalm when I lay down. Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray to walk, my husband, my soul to keep. If I should die before I wake, I hope I meet him at the gate. This is what I've got. It's all I've got. I'm going to go.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LIN: My God. Well, after the firefighters and police officers do their work, the Red Cross and others are the ones who take victims in and help them when they're wet, cold, with nothing but a box or a blanket. They are cooking more than 100,000 meals a day right now. Tiffany Fell works out in the field for the Red Cross and right now she's in Punta Gorda where Tiffany, the need appears to be so tremendously great. I'm wondering if you can just share with me the specific details of the personal stories you're coming across as you're going door to door.
TIFFANY FELL, AMERICAN RED CROSS: The American Red Cross has a massive national relief operation here. And I've been talking to volunteers that are on the ground here in Punta Gorda as well as in Port Charlotte and what they're seeing is just very heart touching. We have volunteers who are getting up at 4:00 in the morning and serving meals until 11:00 at night and trying to get information out to these residents about where they can get assistance, immediate, emergency assistance for food, for clothing, for a place to stay.
LIN: I mean when you're talking about immediate emergency assistance, I mean people like the woman we just saw in the piece right before we came to you, literally, has nothing. I mean she walked away from her collapsed mobile home with a metal box maybe with some valuable papers or pictures. What can you do for her right away?
FELL: We can provide her with her immediate emergency needs. We want to make sure at this point that people have a warm meal to eat, that they have a safe place to spend the night and that they are out of this heat. And we want to make sure, of course, that they have clean and dry clothing. And so, that's why we have shelters set up. We have several feeding -- mobile feeding operations, as well as fixed feeding sites throughout these cities serving hot meals. We also have outreach teams that are getting into these neighborhoods that were so hardly -- that were so hit -- that were hit so hard and they're determining what these people's needs are and what they can -- what type of service they can bring to them because we want to make sure that everybody is safe at this time.
LIN: Right. How long can you help these people because it's going to take months if not years for some of these people to rebuild?
FELL: Absolutely. The -- right now, we are concerned with making sure that their short-term emergency needs are met. And we plan to work very closely with the emergency management operations at the local and the state and the federal levels to determine... LIN: So you have no idea. You have no idea how long the Red Cross is going to be needed, right? I mean this is a huge job.
FELL: Absolutely. And we will -- we have thousands of volunteers, so we will be able to be in these communities for weeks, for months, to come, for however long it takes to make sure these people are taken care of.
LIN: Tiffany, they need you and it's good that you're there. Thank you very much. Tiffany Fell with the Red Cross.
FELL: Thank you.
LIN: Listen, if you'd like to help the Red Cross take care of the Florida hurricane victims, you can call this toll free number. It's 1-800-help-now. That is 1-800-435-7669 or you can just log on to the website, www.redcross.org.
Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry is going to a fund- raiser tonight in East Hampton, New York. Now, the controversy over those Republican attack ads is still making news. The Kerry campaign filed a complaint Friday with the Federal Election Commission accusing the Bush campaign of illegally coordinating with the group behind these ads that you're watching right here.
And as for the president's position on those ads, well, even as some Republican politicians say, the president ought to disavow the ads. The Bush administration has responded by saying that there needs to be an end to soft money ads. CNN's Jill Dougherty is traveling with the president. She's joining us live from Crawford, Texas.
So Jill, does that mean the president is against the ads that he's standing down on them?
JILL DOUGHERTY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, he is not going to talk specifically about that ad. I can tell you that, Carol. He's against all of the ads and that's been the position all along. But I can tell you, you know, this began the mid-week, this week. And today it was more intense than ever with charges, countercharges, statements, counterstatements coming fast and furious.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DOUGHERTY (voice-over): It happened 35 years ago on a river in Vietnam. A military mission led by Lieutenant John Kerry that won him a Silver Star. Now, a newspaper editor who served with Kerry during that mission breaks three decades of silence. William B. Rude of the "Chicago Tribune" in an article taking aim at the group, Swift Vote Veterans for Truth, whose ads charge Kerry lied to win his metals. "Their version of events have splashed doubt on all of us," he writes. "It's gotten hard harder and harder for those of us who were there to listen to accounts we know to be untrue, especially when they come from people who were not there." Poll shows that ad is hurting Senator Kerry, especially among veterans. His campaign is demanding President Bush renounce it. SEN. JOHN EDWARDS, (D), VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The president needs to step to the plate, not through a spokesperson, himself and say, take down these ads.
DOUGHERTY: The Bush campaign won't take the bait. What you're seeing from the Kerry campaign is a series of false and flailing attacks, they charge. The president has been the target of $63 million in attack ads, they claim, and Mr. Bush wants all soft money ads stopped.
The Kerry campaign also launched a new Internet ad accusing Mr. Bush of remaining silent as he did during soft money attack ads on his rival in the 2000 primaries, Senator John McCain.
SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), ARIZONA: Five United States senators, Vietnam veteran heroes, some of them really incredible heroes, wrote George a letter and said, "Apologize. You should be ashamed."
DOUGHERTY: The Bush campaign fired back. "John Kerry's campaign is the only campaign that's questioned anybody's service during the Vietnam War." But all this sniping, political experts say, hurts Senator Kerry more than President Bush.
NORM ORNSTEIN, AMERICAN ENTERPRISE INSTITUTE: The more we focus our attention on attacks or counterattacks about what happened in Vietnam, the less the Kerry campaign and Kerry himself are able to frame the issues in the agenda the way they want to.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
DOUGHERTY: And that agenda, for instance, the economy and Iraq, all but buried this week, Carol, in the crossfire.
LIN: All right, thanks very much, Jill. Jill Doherty reporting live from Crawford.
Now, we are watching a standoff in Najaf right now. It's very uncertain what's going to happen next. A lot of the attention looms over the Imam Ali mosque right now. Some of the fighters loyal to Muqtada al Sadr put down their weapons and picked up brooms to clean the holy shrine. And while this doesn't seem so threatening, no one really knows if the fighters will hand over the mosque to Shiite religious leaders as promised. Al Sadr's people say they cannot turn over the keys because of the fighting outside.
And the world is waiting to see what happens to kidnapped American French journalist Micah Garen. He and his Iraqi translator were taken hostage a week ago in Nasiriyah. An aide to radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al Sadr told CNN he's been assured Garen would be freed by tomorrow.
And in southern Baghdad, an American soldier is killed and two others wounded in a rocket-propelled grenade attack on their military vehicle. The U.S. military says this brings the U.S. death toll to 958 since the war began. Well, a major effort to crack down on terrorism has been launched. Still to come, suspects arrested and details on their targets.
Plus...
MARK MCKAY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Mark McKay at the summer games in Athens. Michael Phelps makes a bid at Olympic swimming history without even getting into the pool. All the details on the way.
LIN: And it's a walk in the past, a movement of faith and a lesson in history. We're going to take a look at what you can expect at the new dedication to the underground railroad.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LIN: Some news from around the world right now.
In Pakistan, a major terror plot is foiled. Officials say they arrested five suspects who were planning a week-long assault in Islamabad. Police say they were also going to go after the U.S. embassy and the house of the Pakistani president.
In Spain, four people were injured in two bombings linked to the Basque separatist group, Eta. It happened in two villages along Spain's north Atlantic coast now full of vacationers. Police say the bombs were planted in trashes can.
And in Bangladesh, grenades rocked an opposition party rally. The former prime minister was the target. She escaped unhurt but 18 people were killed and dozens more wounded.
Well, U.S. teams set a new world record today in the men's swimming relay and American swimmer, Michael Phelps, received his eighth medal at the summer games without even getting wet. Our Mark McKay is keeping track of all the action in Athens, Greece.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MCKAY (voice-over): Athens conjures up images of ancient mythology and Greek heroes, but for the first week of the Olympic Games, Michael Phelps made the world focus on more recent history. The American teenager set out to surpass Mark Spitz's record, seven gold medals at the 1972 Olympics. But the quest to catch one of swimming's gods proved just unreachable.
MICHAEL PHELPS, OLYMPIC GOLD MEDALIST: Well, I swam in the water and trained every single day to prepare for this and you know I prepared as best as I could. And how I swam here was the best way that I could swim.
MCKAY: Phelps got off to a quick start, winning the U.S. team's first gold medal on day one of the games but his quest for Olympic immortality became history on day two when the men's 4x100 meter took a disappointing bronze. PHELPS: I wanted to come in here. I wanted to win one gold medal and I did it the first night. So you know from then on out, I was just -- I was here to have fun and I was here to swim and I was here to represent my country as best as I could. And you know I feel that that I've done that in this past week.
MCKAY: With Phelps just 19 years old, his legend is still in the making. Spitz was 22 when he accomplished the feat. Phelps said he can't imagine his chances in Beijing four years from now, but he also couldn't imagine being this good, this fast, four years ago.
PHELPS: I've been gearing up for this for the past four years and it's good to look back on it and -- excuse me -- right now I'm seven medals ahead of where I was four years ago, so I can't complain.
MCKAY (on camera): Phelps Olympic odyssey will end Saturday but not in the pool. After helping the team qualify for the final, Phelps gave up the butterfly leg of the medley relay to teammate Ian Crocker. While short of Spitz's seven golds, a medal will make Phelps America's most decorated swimmer at a single Olympics.
Mark McKay, CNN, Athens.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LIN: They risked their lives in a run for the north. Still to come, a major dedication on Monday for a center that is no holds bar when it slavery in America. I am talking with executive director of the National Underground Railroad Museum.
Plus, one of the nation's most popular home builders is in hot water after admitting it denied an applicant a job because she's black.
Plus, she was smaller than a can of soda and now the world's smallest baby turns 15. How did she survive without today's newest technology? I'm going to talk to her doctor coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LIN: You know, before the Civil War, Ohio played a major role in the underground railroad. The Ohio River was seen as a symbolic dividing line, slavery to the south, freedom to the north. And now, the Ohio River is home to a new museum dedicated to the memory of the underground railroad and it officially opens to the public on Monday. Spencer Crew is the executive director of the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center and he joins me right now from Cincinnati.
Spencer, good to have you.
SPENCER CREW, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, NATIONAL UNDERGROUND FREEDOM CENTER: Thank you, I'm glad to be here.
LIN: You know when we talk about the underground railroad, I mean this was the heart and soul of freedom for, what, nearly half the slaves who were trying to escape. This is how they escaped to freedom.
CREW: Absolutely. This is where they would try to go to escape the institution, yes.
LIN: Any idea how many?
CREW: Well, I think our best estimate is maybe 100,000 or a couple hundred thousand people were able to escape successfully.
LIN: A couple hundred thousand, that really suggests a massive network of support along the way.
CREW: Well, I think it says that there were people who were really dedicated to helping these individuals gain their freedom. I think what we have to remember though is that they are actually a small drop in the bucket compared to those who were enslaved at the time.
LIN: How do you make this experience real to people, especially in the 21st century?
CREW: I think the way you try and do it is two-fold. One is you make sure that you tell the stories in terms of individuals so that people can make a connection to real people rather than to statistics and abstract ideas. The other part is to look at the connections that us from the past to the present and to understand that those same impulses, those same issues continue to challenge us in the present day.
LIN: Right. And, frankly, you know, what I have seen and what I've read about the exhibit, I haven't been there yet, obviously, but it's very provocative. I mean here you have -- and we're showing some of the pictures here -- but you have a 200-year-old building where chained men, women and children were waiting to go on the auction block. To stand in that space, it's got to be an experience of, frankly, sitting in judgment of the very people who had chained those men, women and children to those walls.
CREW: Well, it is a very powerful, emotional experience for most of our visitors. And I think it reminds us of the human side of the slave trade and how people's lives were so dramatically changed as a consequence of it. So I think it really allows people to make a personal connection and to go back in time and understand better how people were feeling.
LIN: The thing is it wasn't that long ago, you know. So I'm just wondering you have this building where such a dramatic story unfolded. You have the rope that was used to hang the abolitionist John Brown after the Harper's ferry uprising. That is like touching the scene of a crime. That's like being present at a murder scene. In today's day in age, a divisive political election is coming up. The nation has been described by various people as a divided nation. What kind of an experience do you think people walk away from this sort of exhibit?
CREW: Well, I think our focal point is really in looking at the underground railroad, we're looking at a moment when people from different backgrounds came together and really worked for a better end. And I think that what we hope people will take away from their experience at the Freedom Center is the recognition that people from a variety of backgrounds and different backgrounds can find commonality and can find...
LIN: Because there were white people who helped the slaves escape.
CREW: Absolutely. I think that's the interesting thing about the underground railroad. There were whites. There were African- Americans, Latinos, Native Americans, a wide spectrum of people were part of this story. And it really has to focus on those who stepped up and decided to make a difference rather than point a finger at those who could be accused.
LIN: Spencer, we've got a story coming up in our program that focuses on one of the nation's largest home builders, a very prestigious company called John Wieland Homes. We have a tape recording indicating his executive saying that they weren't going to hire a woman because she's African-Americans that African-Americans did not belong in the executive ranks. After working on this project heart and soul for the last 10 years, the fact that racism can exist so blatantly today?
CREW: Well, I think what we understand is that our lives were impacted by that past life of slavery and that institution. But the key for us is that while there were those who supported the institution, there were others stepped forward to make a difference. So my hope is that this individual doesn't represent the norm, but in fact represents a different portion of the population. And we want to touch the lives and souls of those who see people working together and opportunity as available to everyone as an important part of the credo of this country.
LIN: Spencer Crew, a big opening on Monday.
CREW: We're excited.
LIN: Have a great time.
CREW: Thank you very much.
LIN: We're looking forward to it.
Still to come on CNN LIVE SATURDAY, a major home construction company caught on tape denying a person a job because of the color of her skin.
Plus, the rules of how you get paid are changing. We're going to tell you why starting Monday your paycheck may never be the same.
And this woman has never been more excited to hear the phrase, "You've got mail." I'm going to talk to her about her special delivery that arrived, OK, 56 years late.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LIN: Welcome back. Here's a quick look at what's happening now in the news.
Nine days later, Florida is still struggling to clean up and recover from Hurricane Charley. More than 240,000 residents remain without power and the death toll has been raised to 25.
In Najaf, will the fighters turn over the Imam Ali mosque? Fighters loyal to radical cleric Muqtada al Sadr are cleaning the holy shrine while others continue their battle with coalition and Iraqi forces. Then you have al Sadr's representatives saying they cannot leave the shrine until the fighting calms down.
And in Pakistan, officials say they arrested five people and prevented a series of terror attacks on Islamabad. Police say the suspects were planning a week-long siege on targets like the U.S. embassy and the Pakistani's president's house.
And California police say they still have no clues or motives in the shooting deaths of a young couple. Their bodies were discovered on a remote beach Wednesday. They were set to be married next month.
We know racism exists. It's still shocking when you hear the awful words and on tape, which you're about to hear. The John Wieland Company tells people it was named the National Homebuilder of The Year and Developer of The Decade on its website and now it's named in a lawsuit. The story now from CNN's Denise Belgrave in Atlanta.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DENISE BELGRAVE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Amanda Eskridge wanted to be a sales agent for one of the south's premier developers, John Wieland Homes. She didn't get the job and until these tapes surfaced, she didn't know why.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So, why aren't we going forward with Amanda if you like her?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I chose Cheryl over Amanda for my position that we had available at Meadowbrook Glen.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Really, but we have South Hampton open.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That's not the profile that we're looking for, per John, David, Terry at South Hampton.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What profile are we looking for?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A non-African-American person.
BELGRAVE: A bombshell for John Wieland, one of the top 50 home builders in the country. What isn't apparent in the tape is that Eskridge and the other candidate, Cheryl, are black. The tape indicates they were both considered for a position in what's considered a predominantly black subdivision called Meadowbrook. However, the other open position, South Hampton, is in what's considered a high end, predominantly white neighborhood. Eskridge says the company's rejection was a painful and humiliating shock.
AMANDA ESKRIDGE, PLAINTIFF: John Wieland is such respected influential, prominent company in the Atlanta area that it carried a level of prestige with it. I just didn't understand because I know that I met the qualifications. I knew that. I was being told that as I went through the process.
BELGRAVE: What Eskridge didn't know is that attorney Roderick Edmond had been contacted months before by a Wieland human resources employee who was white. She secretly taped internal meetings about hiring practices at Wieland.
RODERICK EDMOND, PLAINTIFF'S ATTORNEY: She believes that because the senior management there at John Wieland felt so comfortable with her, they believed that she was part of the crew and that she ascribed to the same racist notions that they were implementing.
BELGRAVE: The tapes showed that more than one executive was involved in the Eskridge decision.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What about South Hampton?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You kind of have to be sensitive to demographics, as far as the sales process.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What do you mean?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You just have to know the demographics of who you're selling to and be able to not hurt sales by who you put into a certain neighborhood.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Ok, now, Kathryn said something about because she's African-American and we're looking for Caucasians.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, that's what I'm saying too.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK.
AVERY FREDMAN, CIVIL RIGHTS ATTORNEY: The most important piece of evidence in this case is not the person who did the tape recording but the tapes themselves. What's important is what the owners and managers of this company said on the tape.
BELGRAVE (on camera): CNN contacted the John Wieland Company several times. The company declined to be interviewed on camera, but did issue a press statement.
(voice-over): In the statement, company president, John Wieland -- quote -- "categorically denies that the company he has built would ever condone the type of conduct alleged in the complaint."
He also added -- "After several months, we cancelled the job requisition due to lack of business and the position was never filled." Denise Belgrave, CNN, Atlanta.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LIN: Overhauling overtime pay, new rules redefining the guidelines for overtime pay go into effect on Monday. Democratic vice presidential candidate John Edwards is blasting the White House over the new regulations. He says the changes mean millions of Americans will take a pay cut, but the Labor Department says the new rules will actually increase the number of workers who are eligible for overtime.
And in other news across America right now, Ohio officials want to know what made 500 people sick. Most got sick after visiting a popular weekend getaway island. Nausea, chills and fever are just a few of the reported symptoms.
A big drug bust in Tampa, Florida, police say they arrested 52 people, including the ringleader. He's accused of delivering half a million dollars worth of crack cocaine every month. Police say cruise ships were used to move the drugs into the U.S.
And is it the bottom of the ninth for Chicago's Wrigley Field? The city has ordered an inspection of the 90-year-old ballpark. The move came after concrete fell from upper decks and calls of shotty repair work at the stadium.
Well, we've tracked a sad story of a missing girl in Florida because she went missing right under the eyes of Florida Child Services. Rilya Wilson was missing for 15 months before the state discovered she disappeared. The girl's caregiver is behind bars and investigators may be closer to finding out what happened if only they could find the girl dead or alive.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LIN (voice-over): If Rilya Wilson is still alive; she's almost 8 years old. But that's a big if, just one of many questions concerning the Florida foster girl who disappeared more than three years ago. This past week, her caregiver was charged with kidnapping and aggravated child abuse. Police say Geralyn Grant (ph) punished Rilya by locking her in a cage and tying her to a bed in the months before she disappeared. That woman is already in prison for fraud after accepting welfare payments for Rilya long after the girl disappeared. She could get a life sentence if convicted of the new charges. Her roommate, Pamela Graham, is charged with a lesser count of child abuse and could receive 10 years in prison if found guilty. In announcing the charges, police were not optimistic about the girl's fate.
ROBERT PARKER, MIAMI-DADE POLICE DIRECTOR: We would hope that Rilya Wilson is alive. That is our greatest hope, but in actuality, we fear that maybe she's not alive.
LIN: Rilya's case became a symbol of Florida's flawed child welfare system. The Department of Children and Family Services didn't realize she was missing for 15 months because no one checked on her. Geralyn (ph) and Pamela Graham say a case worker took Rilya from their home in January 2001, a claim the state agency denies and police don't believe.
The state's botched handling of Rilya's case led to an investigation. The head of the agency resigned and there was a management shake-up after it was revealed that hundreds of children could not be accounted for. But those charges came too late for Rilya, a little girl born to a homeless, crack-addicted mother taken by the state for her own protection and then lost in the system.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LIN: Now, there are doctors who work to save children's lives. One of the most extreme cases was Madeline. Her mother was terribly ill and had to deliver her 13 weeks before her due date. Madeline, who weighed less than a can of soda, 9.9 ounces. This was 15 years ago and there you see her now. Jonathan Muraskas, director of neonatology at Loyola University was Madeline's doctor.
Doctor, it was wonderful to see Madeline walking around the hospital again. You had a little birthday party for her for her 15th birthday.
DR. JONATHAN MURASKAS, DIRECTOR, NEONATOLOGY: Yes, we did, Carol.
LIN: And she looks great. How's she doing?
MURASKAS: She's doing great. Like I say, her development is miraculous, much more than her survival.
LIN: And why do you say that?
MURASKAS: Well, I think an important aspect -- when we published it in the "New England Journal," a lot of hospitals can use this as some great miracle baby. You have to be very careful. The earliest a baby normally can be born to have any chance is maybe 23 weeks gestation or 17 weeks early. These babies have a five, 10 percent chance of survival. Out of survivors, outcomes are terrible. At 27 weeks, since the early '90s up until now, we have about a 90 percent survival rate and that translates to about a two pound baby. So a baby born two pounds, 13 weeks early, 27 weeks, has a 90 percent chance of surviving and about a 10 percent chance of having a significant, devastating handicap.
LIN: Like being blind or mentally retarded.
MURASKAS: Oh, exactly, Carol. And Madeline, her weight is more impressive and that's one of the things at Loyola, we didn't want to -- that's why we went to "The New England Journal," not to make this sound like this is some great -- it is. I mean back in '89 when they handed her to me and I had to put a little tube in her, well, I kind of looked and said I expected...
LIN: Yes, how are you going to get it down?
MURASKAS: I expected her to be a pound not 9.9 ounces, but wonderful parents, wonderful nursing and everything at Loyola. It just -- it's a good story, but, again, the other thing, too. There's probably many parents watching the show tonight that will say, well, my baby was two pounds and you know went to heaven or my baby has severe mental retardation and this baby was nine-and-a-half ounces and survived. I think people have to say gestation at 27 weeks and on things do get well and gestation and girls. Boys, I said this in a news thing earlier, boys are wimps at prematurity. Girls are the stronger sex.
LIN: Yes, that's what you said. That's interesting.
MURASKAS: Oh, it's amazing.
LIN: But Doctor, let me -- let's be really clear about what you're trying to say. I mean she -- Madeline was born prematurely because her mother came down with pre-eclampsia, high blood pressure. It was threatening her life. She had to be delivered. Madeline was conceived through in vitro fertilization. Some of these risks exist and people know that they do, that you could have these kinds of complications. So, what are you saying in terms of not looking at this as a standard for a miracle child and raising expectations of parents?
MURASKAS: Well, as I said, Carol, I think we have to realize Madeline was almost 27 weeks gestation or 13 weeks early. A baby since the early '90s and a normal baby that grows well inside mom is about two pounds at 27 weeks.
LIN: Are you warning that just not be cavalier in these decisions, that gestation is everything, try to keep the baby as long as you can inside the mother's body?
MURASKAS: Well, everyday -- again, to go from 23 to 27 weeks, your survival improves by 90 percent. But survival is one thing, Carol, and the main thing is outcomes. We really have to look at what we're doing below that at 23, 24 weeks and seeing, you know, I think we have to say...
LIN: Right.
MURASKAS: ... my colleagues and I have to say that just we're basically needing a lot of new studies and it's very hard to get long- term follow-up.
LIN: So it's good to see Madeline and that she's doing well and an honor student. But nevertheless, a lot of needed research out there for others.
MURASKAS: There's a lot of research and it's a cautionary note, but I appreciate being on.
LIN: And we appreciate having you.
MURASKAS: I think -- you know on that story, you know, Carol, if Wrigley Field is -- they don't allow the Cubs to play, I think the Braves would have a good chance.
LIN: Get a little baseball note in there, speaking of good news. All right. Thanks very much, Dr. Muraskas.
MURASKAS: Good evening. Bye-bye.
LIN: Well, it was stamped for delivery more than 50 years ago...
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I have a feeling it was sitting there behind something, under something, in a container, you know, and someone unearthed it and decided to send it on.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LIN: That little brown box, that's been M.I.A. for decades. Where's it been? And who does it belong to? Coming up next, the answers for the box of questions.
And they've got money and some New York businesses are hoping they spend it with them. Later a closer look at how five-star companies are preparing for the R&C Convention.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LIN: The burial flag of a World War II soldier has finally made its way home. It was a journey that started nearly 60 years ago. What happened to it in the last five decades is a mystery, a mystery that may never fully be known. Frank Mathe with CNN affiliate, WLS, brings us the details.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FRANK MATHE, WLS REPORTER (voice-over): The people at the Lancing, Illinois, post office had never seen anything like it. Last Monday, clerk, Carol Schultz was given an old beat up box for delivery, but this was no ordinary package. It was postmarked December 17, 1948 and was sent from a military cemetery in (UNINTELLIGIBLE), Belgium. Carol had a mystery on her hands.
CAROL SCHULTZ, U.S. POSTAL SERVICE: My clues on the package were the World War II veteran, Floyd Dust, who obviously had passed and the contents are one U.S. flag. And it was common in that day that they would bury them overseas and send home the burial flags to the family.
MATHE: Floyd Dust was only 25 years old when he died in 1945, just days before Germany surrendered. He is honored in Lancing's war memorial for those who died in action. But finding living relatives has not been easy and why was the flag postmarked three years after he died? And why has it been in (UNINTELLIGIBLE), Belgium for 56 years?
SCHULTZ: I have a feeling this was sitting there behind something, under something, in a container, you know, someone unearthed it and decided to send it on.
MATHE (on camera): The package was supposed to be delivered to Floyd's family, who lived here in this house in Lancing, Illinois in 1948, but it never got here. And people in the neighborhood now don't remember the Dust family. So that's when Carol Schultz went to work making phone call after phone call after phone call. Finally, she found Floyd's sister, Alice, 82 years old, still alive in Russelville, Alabama.
SCHULTZ: She's very excited. She's going to have a flag pole put up. She's like to fly the flag every day. This is such an honor and such cherished memories for her.
MATHE (voice-over): Floyd Dust's flag was express mailed. His sister, Alice, should receive it within a day or two.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LIN: Actually, Floyd Dust's sister has already received the flag and the woman who did all that digging to make sure the burial flag found its way home is joining me from Houston, Texas. Carol Schultz is the Lancing post postal service who found Dust's sister.
Good to have you.
SCHULTZ: Thanks for having me here.
LIN: And Alice Thompson, we have you on the telephone, as well. Alice Thompson is the older sister to Floyd Dust. And Alice is coming to us from Russellville.
Alice, stay right there on the telephone.
I want to ask Carol, when you first opened the contents, what did it look like to you? What was going through your mind?
SCHULTZ: We never opened the contents at the Lancing post office.
LIN: OK.
SCHULTZ: We were not allowed by postal regulation to open the box. But the label on the box clearly stated that it was one burial flag regarding Floyd Dust and it had his dog tag number on it.
LIN: And when you found out that it could be sent on to a relative, what was going through your mind?
SCHULTZ: Oh, I was overwhelmed with just the joy of taking the journey with Floyd's burial flag and being able to return him home to his family. I was certainly hoping I could find someone because no one was local to the area in Chicago. And when Alice and I spoke on the phone, we just cried and cried and cried together last Saturday.
LIN: Alice Thompson...
ALICE THOMPSON, SISTER: Yes?
LIN: It's so good you're the surviving member of this family. You actually got a call one day to say that you had a package on the way. Tell us about that day. What happened? THOMPSON: Well, the postman came first to find out if I was the real Alice and I was most excited. And then they told me that this package is going to come to my home and that they all would like to be there when it arrived. And there is no way to express how I felt. It brought back so many wonderful memories and, yet, it was very sad, and, yet, very happy that I was going to get his flag.
LIN: Yes, Alice, we're looking at pictures of you right now as you're unfurling the flag there. When you first opened the box, the contents, they looked like they were in pretty good condition.
THOMPSON: They were. The flag is in excellent condition.
LIN: And what were some of the other things in there? There were some of the -- some personal belongings of your brother.
THOMPSON: No. We thought there might be and I was told there might be, but there was nothing more than just the flag.
LIN: Just the flag, all right. Carol, what happened? I mean where did it get lost?
SCHULTZ: There's no way to know where that package has been. From the postmarks on it from -- it was postmarked from an APO three- and-a-half years after Floyd had passed away. He passed away May 1, 1945. The postmark was December 17, 1948. When I talked to the Veterans Administration, they thought possibly it may have been sitting in the U.S. military cemetery in Belgium and that with all the conflicts going on now that they're using more containers that they haven't used in many years and possibly it was just sitting in one and we got lucky and it ended up coming home.
LIN: Alice, what do you think Floyd would think of this whole tale and how long it took for you to receive the flag?
THOMPSON: Well, I was talking to a friend this evening as we were coming out to eat, and I said, "You know, I wish my brother were here. He would -- just couldn't believe that this had happened." But he would be very happy that I have received it.
LIN: Yes. What was he like?
THOMPSON: I beg your pardon.
LIN: What was your brother like?
THOMPSON: Well, he was just an average boy and he wasn't athletic. He was just -- I married first and went off and he was working then and I didn't hear any more about him until I was in Atlanta when he died and I was very ill in a hospital. So, I wasn't allowed to even go to the memorial.
LIN: Well, Alice, you now have a special place in your family history and a story to tell all of your descendants. Thank you very much for joining us, Alice Thompson, Carol Schultz.
SCHULTZ: Thank you.
LIN: Through rain, sleet or snow and through time, packages will be delivered.
Thanks, Carol. Carol Schultz.
SCHULTZ: Thank you, Carol.
LIN: Facials delivered, groceries, Broadway show tickets and all the posh life of a New Yorker and some visitors are no exceptions to the rule. Still to come, our New York concierge desk prepares to host the big wigs of the Republican camp. We're going to take a look at the posh potential.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LIN: New York City is rolling out the red carpet for the 50,000 delegates, family and media personnel expected to attend the upcoming Republican National Convention. They've recruited an Army of volunteers, including concierges from the city's top hotels to make sure everyone receives star treatment. CNN's Alina Cho has that story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Bye-bye.
ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Frederick Bigler is no stranger to five star services. It's his business.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Certainly. They're at 58th Street.
CHO: Bigler is the top concierge at the Ritz Carlton's Central Park. He's been drafted by the New York City Host Committee to train volunteers at the Republican Convention. Volunteers, who will in some cases, help not only the delegates, but also the 15,000 media personnel.
FREDRICK BIGLER, CONCIERGE, RITZ CARLTON: Somebody may come up to say and say, "Oh, my gosh, my badge is missing. I have to get into Madison Square Garden." We'll know who to call to get the badge replaced.
CHO: To make life easy, Bigler and his team will set up shop at the Press Center, across the street from convention headquarters, Madison Square Garden.
KEVIN SHLEKEY, NYC HOST COMMITTEE PRESIDENT: There are two ways New York is selling itself. One is it's selling through delegates who will go back home and tell their friends and family what it was like, but the way you really sell this to the nation and the world is through the media.
CHO: Also at the press center...
TAYLOR PIEDRA, CONCIERGE, BARNEY'S NEW YORK: Hair cuts, hot towels, shoe shine, waxing, facials.
CHO: Taylor Pierdra is head of concierge services at Barney's New York.
PIEDRA: Good morning, this is Taylor. How may I be of assistance?
CHO: The luxury retailer is building a spa in the press center and will provide a pool table for reporters who are willing to pay the price to relax. The ironic twist, the New Yorkers who are used to spa services are heading out of town for the week.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You know it's quiet, but not this quiet.
CHO: For those who stay, plenty of politics and pampering.
Alina Cho, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LIN: And that's all the time for we have for this hour. I'll be back at 10:00 eastern for sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll. A celebrity photographer shares what really happened behind the scenes with some rock stars from the '70s. But right now, Mark Shields has a look at tonight's "CAPITAL GANG."
MARK SHIELDS, CO-HOST, "THE CAPITAL GANG": Thank you. Former White House chief of staff, John Podesta, joins us to look at the debate over President Bush's troop withdrawal, the attack and the defense of John Kerry's war record and political turmoil in New Jersey. All this and much more right here next on CNN.
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