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CNN Live Sunday
New Computer Simulation Helps Marines Train For Iraq; San Francisco Player Dies After Game
Aired August 21, 2005 - 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: This is our top story: football players, coaches and fans are all asking what happened after a San Francisco 49er suddenly dies. Thomas Harrion collapsed overnight after playing a preseason game in Denver. Now, in the footage of him during the game, he seems perfectly fine. CNN sports correspondent Stever Overmyer is here to talk about this. It is such a mystery. And I know you've got some fresh information.
STEVE OVERMYER, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, this is still such a mystery that the NFL is dealing with right now, as to why San Francisco 49ers guard, Thomas Herrion collapsed in the locker room after the game.
Teammates say paramedics and physicians were actually on hand immediately to perform CPR on him with no results. About three hours later, is when he was pronounced dead at the hospital.
An autopsy in Denver today revealed nothing new. No conclusions will be made on the cause of death until the toxicology results come back. The Niners will have a press conference in about an hour. '
Carol, toxicology reports usually take about three to six weeks to come back. So it's going to be a little while before we figure out exactly why this young football player died at the prime of his life.
LIN: And, of course, we don't know if it is congenital heart failure, or maybe drugs, obviously is a question. We don't know yet until that report comes in.
OVERMYER: There are a number of speculations, and we'd be -- we really couldn't throw anything up against the wall right now. But this is the first death in the NFL since Korey Stringer back in 2001 with the Minnesota Vikings, offensive lineman, in preseason died of heat stroke.
Now, the NFL has gone to great lengths since that time to educate the players, the training staff, the coaches on overexhausting, about hydration, about your core body heat. There are plenty of times in practice where they stop their -- mandatory stops for water in practice. So, it would be tough to believe that this might be some sort of a heat-related death.
LIN: No. The game was at night.
OVERMYER: It was a 60 degree weather, 50 percent humidity. It was in the Mile High City, but he played college football at Utah, so he should be very familiar with the thin air up there.
LIN: All right. Well, you take a look at the man, I mean, 23- years-old. Young, tall, what 6'3...
OVERYMYER: 6'3.
LIN: But 310 pounds.
OVERMYER: Interesting.
LIN: And a lot of pressure on lineman now in the NFL to gain the weight, right?
OVERMYER: Well, interestingly enough, he actually lost 30 pounds in this preseason. He came in at about 340. He lost 30 pounds. He is now down to 310. The average weight of an offensive lineman in the NFL 315 pounds, so believe it or not, he was less than average. But again, remember, this is on a 6'3 inch frame.
There is a lot of pressure, I think, for offensive linemen to gain weight, to bulk up. Because remember, we were seeing defensive linemen who weigh as much as 400 pounds, and you have to stop them.
LIN: We're going to be talking more about that from the medical aspect and the pressure on some of these athletes in our 10:00 show. But I'm wondering if you can give us an idea of what happened in that locker room after the game?
OVERMYER: After the game, judging from the reports from some of the players, the team just had a team meeting, post-game, and were actually having prayer at the time when Harrion collapsed. The teammates said he just collapsed right there in front of them. The physicians and the paramedics were on scene immediately to try to revive him with CPR but to no avail.
LIN: So, so sad. Such a young life.
OVERMYER: Yes.
LIN: All right. Thank you very much, Steve. I know we will be hearing from you later. And obviously, we are going to be waiting for that new conference at 7:00 when we are going to be hearing from the team's doctors, the coaches?
OVERMYER: Hopefully the team doctor and maybe Coach Mike Nolan as well.
LIN: All right. Keep our fingers crossed. Thank you very much.
OVERMYER: Sure.
LIN: Former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein wrote a letter that was published in two Jordanian tabloid-style newspapers. It is making news, because he's vowing to give his all to the cause of Palestine and Iraq. In fact, here is a quote. "In our glorious nation, my soul and what I have been born on is to be sacrificed to it." He is also trying to get other Arabs to do the same.
Now, the International Committee of the Red Cross first took the letter to a friend of Hussein's living in Jordan. He did not want to be identified. A Red Cross spokeswoman said the letter was censored by prison officials before it was delivered.
Now, while Saddam Hussein tries to make his presence known, Iraqi politicians are trying to draft their political future. And they may need another extension in order to draft their constitution. They have already had one last week, but they can't get past the same sticking point. For example, the role of women, the role of religion and the role of federalism -- how much power the regions have over the government.
The speaker of Iraq's national assembly spoke exclusively with CNN.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HACHIM AL-HASSANI, IRAQI NATIONAL ASSEMBLY: The worry is there, definitely, because if, for example, the Sunni Arab come against the constitution because of the federalism issue, and you add other voices from the Shi'ite camp, then chance becomes much higher that people, they will have the ability to defeat this constitution.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LIN: Meanwhile, American soldiers keep dying. One was killed today by a roadside bomb near Tikrit. The U.S. military says the victim was assigned to the 20th Engineer Brigade.
Now, Iraq isn't the only dangerous place for American troops, four U.S. soldiers were killed today in a massive bomb blast in Afghanistan. The military says three U.S. troops were wounded in the attack while trying to pull others to safety. Their unit is part of a major offensive against militants vowing to disrupt Afghanistan's legislative elections next month.
And elsewhere in Afghanistan, a road side bomb exploded near a convoy of U.S. embassy officials, two of them were lightly wounded. It happened just outside the capital of Kabul. A local police officer blamed the Taliban for the attack, saying it was part of an intimidation campaign.
And now to Israel's pull-out from Gaza. The Israeli Army says it has evacuated 20 of the 21 Jewish settlements there, but not everyone went quietly today. This was the scene in Katif, where troops encountered large bonfires. But the family who launched the protest agreed to leave after prayers.
The Jewish settlement in Gaza will be evacuated tomorrow. Residents there say they will leave without a struggle.
Now about 95 percent of Gaza settlers have left since the mandatory evacuations began last week. And it's an exit that has been much faster and smoother than many expected. But now the attention is turning to the Palestinians and what happens next. CNN's Ben Wedeman has that story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BEN WEDEMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Street politics, Gaza style: Round up all your buddies with guns, rocket propelled grenades, a few fake rockets, crank up the battle tunes, strut through the streets, let rip a few rounds and head towards parliament. Shake the gates until they let you.
These are gunmen from the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigade. In theory, loyal to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. They say they helped drive out the Israelis and now want to be rewarded with jobs.
We want to have our say, even if we weren't elected and don't drive around in fancy cars, says one of their leaders, Zaid Awojenda (ph). Palestinian police could do little but watch.
(on camera): After the Israeli pullout, the biggest challenge to the Palestinian authority is going to be to bring under control men and boys like these, who in the past five years, have become a law unto themselves.
(voice-over): Mahmoud, armed with a submachine gun, says he's 17-years-old and isn't quite sure why he's here.
Another gunman didn't have time for Abu Mazen, the nickname for president Mahmoud Abbas.
While fighters run amok in Gaza, troops with the 1st Brigade of Palestinian Security stand guard around the Jewish settlement of Netzarim, soon to be evacuated. Their job, to prevent anything that might impede the Israeli withdrawal.
This area is under complete control, and there have been no violations, says Field Commander Bassam.
Palestinian security officials say with all eyes on the pull-out cracking down on Gaza's militias is not a priority.
GEN. SHAABAN ABU ASAR, PALESTINIAN SECURITY: This is a critical time. We are not concerned to make the clashup. We have to contend with issues that much more is coming.
WEDEMAN: Controlling the Israeli pullout from Gaza may prove far easier than controlling what comes afterwards.
Ben Wedeman, CNN, Gaza.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LIN: Hunting for explosives in Iraq, get ready for a fiery and unforgettable moment for U.S. forces.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) ALEX QUADE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): They decided to push it off the convoy route with an uparmored humvee when it happens.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (EXPLETIVE DELETE) Get out! Get out.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LIN: The danger of being on patrol, the fear on the faces of U.S. troops. We go on the front lines in the quest for a safer Iraq.
But first, it may be one of the most famous missing persons' cases in history, now, after 75 years, it may be solved.
And losing the cellulite without undergoing surgery. See the results and judge for yourself in our "Fountain of Youth."
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LIN: Well, it's one of the most famous missing person's cases of the 20th Century. A New York State Supreme Court justice who disappeared during a political scandal 75 years ago. And now a note left by a dead woman could unravel the mystery. Our Mary Snow has the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MARY SNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The year, 1930, the country entering the great depression. And in New York City politics, Tammany Hall was rife with corruption. That same year, Judge Joseph Crater was rising in prominence.
Then Governor Franklin Roosevelt appointed Judge Crater a seat on the state supreme court. Outside the courthouse, his affection for dancing earned him the nickname "Good Time Joe." On the night of August 6th he vanished. Dick Tofel tried unravel the mystery in his book, "Vanishing Point."
DICK TOFEL, AUTHOR, "VANISHING POINT": I think the Judge Crater story is probably the most significant missing persons case, certainly in New York and in many ways in the country and remains one of great unresolved mysteries in American history.
SNOW: To this day, no one knows exactly what happened and there's been no shortage of obsession to find out. On the night he disappeared, Crater was last seen in Times Square. Tales say he told his assistant he was going to Westchester for a swim. Crater was allegedly seen having dinner that night and buying a ticket for a Broadway show. He was reportedly spotted at one point with his showgirl mistress. The next day he was supposed to meet his wife at their main home. He never showed up.
Crater's disappearance became fodder for suspicions. Was the hiding? His wife thought he was murdered. A $5,000 reward was offered. Then, theories of mob involvement.
In the years that followed, thousands of Crater sightings were reported across the country, even as far away as Cuba. Psychics from around the world weighed in. The question now, does Coney Island, once a bustling seaside board walk hold the answer?
The NYPD's cold case unit is looking into a possible clue. A woman who recently died left behind a note claiming to identify Crater's killers. According to published reports, the woman claims her husband, a city police officer and his brother, a cabbie, killed the judge and buried his body at what's now an aquarium in Coney Islands. The police confirmed there are examining remains of buried bones but wouldn't elaborate. Some historians are skeptical.
Author Dick Tofel says whatever the real answer, Crater's disappearance has a lasting legacy.
TOFEL: Not only did Judge Crater disappear, but he triggered a series of events in which New York's Tammany Hall, the Democratic machine that controlled New York politics ended up disappearing.
SNOW: Mary Snow, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LIN: Well, the Crater mystery has intrigued generations. Several books have been written about it, including one entitiled "Vanishing Point: The Disappearance of Judge Crater and the New York He Left Behind." Autho Richard Tofel is my guest from New York. He's joining me to talk about the new developments in the case. And perhaps, Richard, you might be one of those skeptics.
RICAHRD TOFEL, AUTHOR: Yes. Carol, first of all, thanks very much for having me.
I am somewhat skeptical about this latest story. I don't really have any doubt that the lady who left the note believed it was true. I think there is no reason to doubt that. But there are some reasons to doubt the account itself.
LIN: Why?
TOFEL: Well, in particular, it is the story about the cab. For years, it has been a common feature of the story of Judge Crater that he was last seen getting into a cab. But, in fact, my research pointed out that there is actually no evidence of that. The two people with whom he had dinner, a theater laywer and a show girl, both testified before the grand jury in 1930 that they got into a cab, drove away to Coney Island and looked back and saw the judge walking down the street.
So, while it is possible he did get into a taxi, there's actually no evidence for that. And a story that picks up on his getting into a cab seems to be more likely to be drawing on the myth than on the reality.
LIN: Really? But this is a woman who says that she was married to the killer. TOFEL: Yes. But she also was 16-years-old at the actual time of the actual events. So, this was a story that was presumably told to her quite a bit after the fact by someone whom she didn't know at that time. And I think it's, there have been a lot of stories over the years.
LIN: But it doesn't clear -- I mean, I understand your premise. But it doesn't clear the fact that it could have been a New York City police officer who killed the judge.
TOFEL: Oh, it certainly could have been. There was extensive corruption in the New York City Police Department at this time. In just a couple of years after this, almost the entire vice squad had to be cleaned out, and almost everyone in it, fired. So, the idea that there was a New ork City police officer involved, that's not shocking, unfortunately.
LIN: And Richard, they found bones. I mean, bones are being examined that were dug up from the aquarium site.
TOFEL: I actually understand from my contacts with the police, which I admit are indirect, that that may not be true. That there -- it's not not at all clear taht there were bones found at the aquarium site.
And frankly, that's actually one of the other things that makes me a little skeptical, because had they found bones of an unidentified body in New York in 1951, any police officer at that time's immediate suspicion would have been, this could be Judge Crater and we need to check.
LIN: So Richard, what happened to the man?
TOFEL: Well, my own hypothesis, Carol, based on my research, is that he -- after dinner, indeed went to the theater, picked up the ticket, it is long been a mystery who picked up his ticket, I think he probably did. Maybe went to a night club, and ultimately ended up in a brothel run by a woman named Polly Adler who was the best known madam in New York at the time and whose memoirs supposedly in their first draft indicated that he expired in her establishment and that she had his body removed. .
LIN: You mean of natural causes.
TOFEL: Yes, of natural causes.
LIN: OK. All right. I guess we are the measure of the company we keep. Richard Tofel, thank you very much. The author of "Vanishing Point."
Well, stem-cell research, gay marriage: what will be the hot button topic on 2006? It may not be either of those. In fact, it's an issue that may actually put money in your pocket. Carlos Watson is going to give us a sneak at what may just be the next big issue in U.S. politics.
And Homeland security, it is not just for the rich. What is being done to educate and aid the less fortunate?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LIN: Every week we like to bring you the more personal stories from the front lines. And today, we bring you the story of the Dragon Platoon in Iraq. These marines go on the riskiest of missions to seek out hidden bombs targeting American soldiers and Iraqis. CNN's Alex Quade was embedded with the platoon and takes us along to see the dangers they face daily.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ALEX QUADE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Gunnery Sergeant Jeff Von Dagenhart and his marines have hit 22 IEDs, improvised explosives devices, in two weeks.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I took shrapnel in the leg, and thank God for gear took apiece here in my holster. And then I got shrapnel across my leg, it is healing up now. It's all good. You can see the helmet and my eyes here.
QUADE: Good thing you had these on?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yeah, oh, yeah.
QUADE: Some of his platoon bought extra protection on the road.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He is not playing around. Sappy here, sappy here.
QUADE: Everything helps since the daily mission is hunting for bombs.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You get used to -- as we first got here it was paranoid, where is the holes. And now it's like if it's going to happen, it's going to happen.
QUADE: It does on the important main supply route between Fallujah and Baghdad.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We got some (EXPLETIVE DELETED here. Abandoned vehicle, I don't know how one missed this. Pull the hoopa- loopa on this (EXPLETIVE DELETED. No license plate.
QUADE: Dagenport (ph) marines secure the area.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We are looking for trunks that are ajar. Windows that may have been shot. Doors welded shut. Keyholes that are taken out, ignition wires that are ripped apart. Wiring coming out of the vehicle.
QUADE: They don't see anything.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You want to go check it? I don't know, boom! I don't know.
QUADE: They decide to push it off the convoy route with an up armored Humvee when it happens.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (EXPLETIVE DELETED get out! Get out! Get out! Get your ass back!
QUADE: This is what the military calls a vehicle board IED, translation, and car bomb. Someone watching and waiting the right moment, marines say, detonated it remotely.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Son of a -- welcome to frickin' Iraq.
QUADE: Amazingly no one was seriously hurt.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Leave it there! Hey! That's .50 cal ammo and everything is going to start cooking.
QUADE: Ammunition could blow causing causalities. Or be salvaged by insurgents.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ammo! Ammo!
QUADE: Dagenport (ph) worries there may be a second bomb trying to target recovery.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're going to have a secondary if we don't get the (EXPLETIVE DELETED out of here.
QUADE: Humvee driver Lance Corporal Jason Hunt tells me he thought he was going to die. Then walks by me to pull security while his platoon deals with the situation. Gunnery Dagenport (ph) says it is just another day hunting for bombs and bomb builders.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're going to eventually kill them. This is a little piece of the pie. I don't know how we're going to get them but we're going to get them. I'd rather have a vehicle blown up than a marine.
QUADE: Alex Quade, CNN, near Abu Ghraib Prison, Iraq.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LIN: Well, before U.S. forces head to Iraq, they undergo intense training at home. And among the lessons this, one: It looks like a video game, maybe a flight simulator, but this lesson isn't for pilots, it's for the men and women who face danger on the road.
Also, danger at the racetrack: injuries and deaths after a car winds up in the stands.
And it has been one the driest summers on record in parts of the country. That makes it tough for those whose life is the land. Weathering the weather when CNN LIVE SUNDAY returns.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LIN: Welcome back. I am Carol Lin. And here's a quick look at what's happening right now in the news. The anniversary of 9/11 is just around the corner, and the White House plans to use that occassion to bolster public support for the Iraq war. Senior aids say President Bush will refocus public appearances to explain how Iraq is part of the ongoing war on terror after 9/11.
And in about 30 minutes, we are going to learn more about the death of San Francisco 49ers lineman Thomas Herrion. He collapsed in the locker room last night following an exhibition game against the Denver Broncos. Harrion was pronounced dead about three hours later. 49ners coach Mike Nolan will hold a news conference at the top of the hour.
And convicted bomber Eric Rudolph will receive a life sentence tomorrow for three bombings in Atlanta, including the 1996 Olympic Park blast that killed a woman. Rudolph is already serving a life sentence for a bombing -- bombing the Birmingham Women's Clinic in 1998, which killed an off-duty police officer.
In our "Security Watch" today, preparing for the unthinkable: a terrorist strike against a nuclear or chemical plant in the U.S. It is a frightening scenario, particularly for the people who live near those potential terror targets. And while they are living in high risk communities, they are perhaps the least prepared to survive an attack. CNN's Ed Henry explains why.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ED HENRY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Leslie Horner, mother of five, lives in fear. Her apartment sits right across from a potential terror target.
LESLIE HORNER, FREDERICK, MARYLAND RESIDENT: A bomb hitting and chemicals getting in the air and not having enough time to get anywhere, basically just dropping like a fly as soon as you go out door.
HENRY: The Horners are among 500 low-income families who live near Ft. Detrick, the U.S. Army's Center for Biodefense Research in Fredrick, Maryland. Poor families across the U.S. are particularly vulnerable to attacks, since they often live near hot spots like train or bus stations or chemical and nuclear plants.
Horner says the London bombings were a wake-up call to her.
HORNER: And now, it's just like, I have to constantly worry, what I going to do for me and my children if something was to happen? I don't have a plan. And I need a plan.
HENRY: In homes where computers are a luxury, they don't have the resources to get ready.
CLARENCE JEWELL, FREDERICK COUNTY FIRE & RESCUE: They're not necessarily online all the time, they're not necessarily watching the news all the time. We need to make the extra effort so they can be prepared. HENRY: Frederick is one of ten U.S. cities selected by the Department of Homeland Security for federal money to combat the problem.
JEWELL: Can you survive and sustain yourself for 72 hours, for three days? Do you have water? Do you have bottled water? Do you have food? Do you have a flashlight? Do you have a battery powered radio.
HENRY: The program is tested from Maine to Texas, and the early response in Maryland has been positive.
NATHAN PHILLIPS, FREDERICK, MARYLAND RESIDENT: I'm glad you're looking at the fact poor people are people, too. They can die too.
HENRY: A sentiment shared by Leslie Horner.
HORNER: Some people don't have the resources for as far as food, shelter, things in that nature. I know I didn't. And I really -- I still don't have it now, but hopefully getting this training, I will have it.
HENRY (on camera): September is National Preparedness Month so the House plans hearings to educate the public, rich and poor alike about getting ready for a terror attack.
Ed Henry, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LIN: And be prepared to stay tuned to CNN day and night for the most reliable news about your security.
Also be prepared for big changes when it comes to getting money back from the government. Our political analyst Carlos Watson has a "Fresh Take on politicians putting more money in your pocket books. In fact, it is so explosive, Carlos wants me to start the segment off with a bang.
All right. Probably with some tax money went into building that stadium, Carlos. A special sound effect just for you. What's up?
CARLOS WATSON, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Carol Lin, what if I told you I was going to give you a sneak peek into the biggest issue of 2006, but I am not going to make you wait until next year. I'm going to tell you right now.
LIN: That sounds good.
WATSON: Right here, you see the words on the screen, it is called TABOR, Taxpayer Bill of Rights.
Now, you remember in the last several years, we have had issues like gay marriage, issues like illegal immigration and stem cell research, others be the ones that captivate us and ultimately guide part of the elections, but in 2006, the big issue, and the issue that people are working now, conservatives, are something called taxpayer bill of rights, which essentially means that states will have to cap their spending and any surplus money will go back to you and me and others in the form of a check, maybe for $400, or $500.
LIN: Well, sounds pretty good.
WATSON: It does, although what Democrats will tell you, and many Democrats oppose this, is they'll say, while you and I may get a check in $400, or $500 hundred dollars in certain of these states if it ends up on the ballot, the reality is that what will end up getting lost will be improvements to your roads, improvements to schools -- remember teachers have been cut back during the recession, fewer cops on the streets. And they say there is a real trade-off that gets hidden. It sounds like free money, but Democrats would argue that for every nickel you are getting back, your going to end up paying a dime.
LIN: Well, so, when is this going to go to the ballot? And where are we going to see it?
WATSON: Well, already you are beginning to see it in at least one place -- Colorado. And that is where it started in 1992 as a constitutional amendment. But you may see it on as many as 20 different either state ballots or it may get taken up in the legislator. And maybe we even have a map, Carol, that we can show people. Literally, everywhere from Alaska to Maine they are looking at taking on this issue next year.
Now, about eight of these states are actually looking at making it a constitutional amendment, a major change, that really would kind of lock in these kind of rigorous spending caps.
But we will hear a lot. And we'll see tens of millions, maybe even hundreds of millions of dollars spent on this conservative effort.
LIN: And as soon as -- you mentioned also earlier, in the state of Ohio, it might be on the ballot, but maybe not for a while. Why would the governor stall something like this?.
WATSON: Well, what was so interesting about this -- when remember, Republicans have very shrewdly over the last 30 years, used major ballot initiates to spur increased turn-out on election day. So, not only to change policy on issues like affirmative action or taxes, but fundamentally to increase turn-out, maybe two to five percent in some states.
And so in Ohio, the secretary of state, Ken Blackwell, who is hoping to be the next governor there in 2006, had enough signatures to put this issue on the ballot in 2005, but for a number of reasons, including his own political interests, said, you know what, I'm going to hold on to this one until 2006, because if I'm lucky enough to be the nominee, I would love to have this on the ballot. It might bring out more conservatives. It might put me over the top in what is a very close state, as we all know.
LIN: Wow. Wow, that is a hot issue, I mean, to wait for something like this, because he thinks it might tip him over the top.
WATSON: Incredibly potent. And Carol, here is the real irony. though. While Colorado kicked things off in 1992 with this constitutional amendment, and over its first seven or eight years of it, returned some $3.25 billion back to taxpayers in the form of checks, over the last couple of years, they haven't been able to that in the midst of a recession.
And in fcat, Governor Bill Owens, who was once a huge champion of this, over the last year has now actually switched sides, in part, or at least according to some, and now makes the argument that there should be a moratorium on these kind of taxpayer refunds and the spending caps for at least five years, and that the money should be used, in the case of Colorado, to fix the roads and to pay for more higher education.
LIN: This sounds like a big battle brewing, Carlos.
WATSON: You're going to hear a lot about this one. As much as we've heard about gay marriage and illegal immigration a few years ago and filibuster this year, mark my words Carol, you're going to hear the word TABO, Taxpayer Bill of Rights, you're going to hear it a lot next year. And you heard it here first, I hope.
LIN: You bet.
Also heard here first, let's do a "Fresh Take" follow-up, Carlos, a couple of months ago, you talked about the biggest show in politics was going to take place in California when Arnold Schwarzenegger was going to go toe to toe with special interest groups over a series of special election ballot measures. But now you're saying that's having a ripple effect.
WATSON: Having a ripple effect, Carol. Two big things to note.
Remember, a couple of months ago, we told people, watch this California story, because there was going to be an extraordinary amount of money spent, a quarter of a billion dollars. The FEC just announced in the last week that members of Congress can help more soft money, meaning that instead of $250 million dollars, Carol, let me show you what we are talking about, we might see close to $300 million spent on this election.
And the reason we are seeing so much spent, is that big issues are at attack, everything from teen-aged abortion, to how we chose our teachers to even how you elect members of Congress, meaning they want to change the rules in terms of redistricting in the state of California.
LIN: Wow. And the power of that soft money for each individual member of Congress who has got an agenda to push across the board, right.
WATSON: No two ways ways about it. And Carol, you know the other big thing that's happening. We talked about this a couple of months ago. We said, watch out, you might see more special elections. And indeed, the state of Ohio just announced that in 2005, they are going to do the same thing, put three big initiates on the ballot.
LIN: Ahead of the curve. Thanks very much.
WATSON: Good to see you.
LIN: Great "Fresh Take."
Well, in other news across America, an emotional protest in San Francisco, hundreds of people demonstrated yesterday against a court ruling that struck down the admissions policy of a school in Hawaii. That policy favored native Hawaiiian students. A federal court ruled it violates antidiscrimination laws. But the school says it preserves Hawaiian heritage.
Air travelers are keeping a close eye on operations at Northwest Airlines to see if there will be any major delays this week. The airline's mechanics went on strike Friday night, protesting proposed job reductions and pay cuts. Airline management and contractors are working in their place. Over the weekend, there were no major schedule disruptions, but the weekdays will be much busier.
And a race car crashed into the stands at a track in Illinois, killing two spectators. Six people were hurt, including the driver. Police are not sure what caused the crash. The driver was doing a qualification run, and his car was the only vehicle on the track at the time.
Now, if you live in the midwest, you may have kept your eyes on the skies looking for much needed rain. A severe drought has parched trees and threatens to devestate crops. The Northern Illinois county La Salle has been especially hard hit. And as CNN's JJ Ramberg reports, relief may be a while in coming.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JJ RAMBERG, CNN CORRESPODNENT (voice-over): Another rainless day in La Salle County, Illinois. By now, it's become the norm. To Wally Mundy, it means another day in his fight against mother nature.
WALLY MUNDY, MUNDY LANDSCAPING: This tree should instead of just barely sustaining itself, should actuall have limbs on it that are new growth that's probably about a foot long. And again, now, it is just barely able to stay alive.
This tree might have a tough time over winter.
RAMBERG: As the owner of a tree farm and landscaping company, he knows without rain, he can't grow his trees. And with neighborhood water bans, people aren't buying them.
MUNDY: The houses keep selling. The drought doesn't stop the sales of the homes, but the drought stops the landscaping portion, or the finish portion of that work being done and it keeps backlogging.
RAMBERG: La salle County, is experiencing its the driest summer since 1936, with about half the amoung of rainfall it normally gets. MUNDY: I've been doing this for 35 -- 38 years. And this is the worst.
This year, it has been dry the whole year. We just haven't had the moisture all season long. So, yeah, it has been tough. It has been a tough year.
RAMGER: Under normal conditions, Mynday employees 20 to 30 seasonal workers. But with demand significantly down this year, he needs no where near that many.
MUNDY: In the construction division, however, it is just -- it's a little bit different thing here. We have had to cut back, we cut back pretty hard here when we realized that the drought had really set hold. We cut back to a skeleton crew of people.
RAMBERG: Forecasters predict the drought may ease this fall. Until then, Mundy hopes most of his trees will survive.
MUNDY: Out of the dark cloud, we have a silver ling here. Nature hurts you, but by the same token, she loves us and takes care of all of us.
RAMBERG: JJ Ramberg, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LIN: Call it driver's ed for marines. How a video game is helping make our troops safer in Iraq.
And Pope Benedict takes the stage in front of Catholic youth from around the world. What is their take on the new pontiff?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LIN: Some U.S. troops are getting ready to head to Iraq. They will be doing one of the most dangerous jobs around: transporting supplies across the country, often under the threat of bomb and sniper attacks. And it's no question that training is critical. And it is getting very high tech as CNN's Dan Simon found out when he headed to a California military base.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DAN SIMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Fighting the enemy in Iraq: it all begins with training. And the military has added some high tech training to its arsenal.
It is no game.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Spot report from gun fighter, over.
SIMON: These troops at the 29 Palms Marine Corps Base in Southern California are getting ready for their deployment to Iraq.
(on camera): To the lay person, this just looks like a simple video game.
STAFF SGT. CHRIS COBB, U.S. MARINE CORPS: And that is where the difference, is it's not just a video game to us, this is life and death. This is real.
SIMON: Staff Sergeant Chris Cobb should know, he spend seven months on the front lines.
COBB: Communication is going to keep you alive.
SIMON: Now he's a teacher to these fresh, young faces.
COBB: It is very important to me to come out and share what I know, what I have done with other marines to prepare them.
The driver should not leave that vehicle unless self preservation only.
SIMON: The Pentagon knew it had a big problem on its hands when it discovered that a high percentage of American deaths and casualties occurred on the convoys. The solution to create the most realistic training scenario possible. Now, thanks to millions of dollar in technology, they got it.
(voice-over): Nearly 10 million to be exact. It is called the Virtual Combat Convoy Trainer. The bolted down Humvee has a driver and gunners to take out insurgents, plus sounds to recreate the chaotic environment in which real Iraqi towns and streets have been graphically replicated.
COBB: It is an awesome piece of gear. What this electronic simulator does, is it enhances and allows the marines to make mistakes, learn from their mistakes, apply them, so that when they do go in country, they have got that mind set already going, hey, this is what we need to do, this is how we are supposed to do it.
SIMON: The marines also rehearse their moves on computer screens in this high energy classroom.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's an insurgent, man. That's an insurgent.
SIMON (on camera): Even though it is a simulation, does your adrenaline start flowing?
LANCE CPL. TONY CHAVEZ, U.S. MARINE CORPS: It really does. It does, because you always got to be -- as a marine, we train, we have to be alert at all times.
CPL. AARON COTA, U.S. MARINE CORPS: If we don't have it, we're going to go over there and run around like chickens with our heads cut off.
SIMON: Still, no computer in the world can replicate live combat and its aftermath. COBB: In the I last conflict, I lost one of the marines that I had known for several years. As a matter of fact, this bracelet (INAUDIBLE) bracelet his father gave to me. His name is Lance Corporal Lewis Quales (ph).
SIMON: This sergeant calls it his daily reminder of America's sacrifice.
COBB: It motivates me. It keeps me doing what I'm doing.
SIMON (on camera): You keep it on all the time?
COBB: I haven't taken it off since I got home.
SIMON (voice-over): Now, along with these marines, he's headed back. Back, he says, with a little more preparation thanks to some 21st century technology.
Dan simon for CNN, 29 Palms, California.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LIN: This in our "World Wrap" tonight. Special fire fighting aircraft from several European nations are arriving in Portugal. Fire crews there are struggling with wild fires that have alread charred hundreds of thousands of acres and turning homes into embers. One resident in Northern Portugal says it looked like a scene from hell.
And Quantas Airlines suspects a falty sensor caused one of its flights to make an emergency landing in Osaka, Japan earlier today. Nine of the 178 passengers were injured evacuating the plane. A sensor indicated smoke in the cargon hold, but no signs of fire or smoke were found.
And a chummy showing in Havana today, Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez visited his Cuban couterpart, Fidel Castro. The occasion: the Venezuelan military building homes for Cuban residents affected by the recent hurricanes. Washington is nervous about the apparent unity by the two men. U.S. officials accuse them of fomenting instability in Latin America.
Pope Benedict XVI is back in Rome. He capped off his four day visit to the World Youth Day Festival in Germany today with an open air mass. Benedict urged Catholics to make wise use of the freedom of choice God has given them. Many see this pope as a more subdued pope than his predecessor. Our Alessio Vinci reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ALESSIO VINCI, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Pope Benedict mentioned just about John Paul II in just about every speech during his four day trip to Cologne. The Vatican, in fact, dubbed this World Youth Day, the gathering of two popes.
The magic of John Paul was that by his sheer presence, even without speaking, he could command the attention of all those attending World Youth Day. Pope Benedict is clearly no clone of his predecessor, nor does he want to be. And many in the crowd appeared to appreciate that.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's just two different people. That's how it is. Not all people can be alike. We don't want everybody to be like John Paul because that would make John Paul not as special as he was.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I love the charismatic side of the church, but at the same time, I like there to be the orthodox side as well where it is a little bit quieter and more subdued. For me, that can be more enticing towards prayer.
VINCI: The sheer number of pilgrims in Cologne suggested the new pope didn't have a problem with assembling the flock. But did he find the right words to connect with them?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE; He seems like a really neat guy. He seems like he can kind of start to interact with people. If he does start to interact with people a little better, it will be easier. But I mean, it will definitely be great. He's a great guy.
VINCI (on camera): Are you disappointed John Paul is not here? After all, you prepared your trip thinking that he was going to be celebrating this vigil tonight.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE; Well, of course, you know, like we're all saddened by it. Like, there's just that initial -- we kind of wanted John Paul to be there, because he is the one who kind of pumped us all up for it and got the youth really involved in religious affairs. But I think it's just fabulous that we got to experience this with the new pope.
VINCI (voice-over): Young kids here clearly didn't come to engage in doctrinal debate. Some may have come for the fun of it. But, for most, it was a way to confirm their faith and, by most accounts, Benedict did that.
(on camera): The new pope didn't even try to be like John Paul II. It was clear from the beginning when he didn't kiss the ground like his predecessor used to do upon arriving so theatrically. Vatican officials say this pontificate will be of one of concepts and words. And so those expecting dramatic gestures may be disappointed. Few of those attending here, however, felt that way.
Alessio Vinci, CNN, with the pope in Cologne.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LIN: And a completely different matter, in health news is there any treatment out there to get rid of cellulite? Elizabeth Cohen takes a look at a trendy approach to combat the skin problem.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LIN: In our "Fountain of Youth" segment tonight, cellulite, no one likes it, but some will go to any length to get rid of it. And that includes getting a series of shots called Miso therapy. It sounds like miso soup. But not all doctors approve of the treatment. CNN medical corresponent Elizabeth Cohen exlains why.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Women hate it, that ugly, bumpy, dimply cottage cheese fat under the skin, usually on the hips and thighs, known as cellulite. Some women opt for plastic surgery and liposuction. But other women, who don't want to go under the knife and deal with all that downtime, are now trying to combat cellulite with another option called mesotherapy.
DR. MARCIA V. BYRD, ANTI-AGING PHYSICIAN: OK. Are you ready? If it hurts, you let me know, OK?
COHEN: This procedure, developed in Paris in the 1950s, is the injection of a cellulite cocktail into the target area.
BYRD: Mesotherapy involves the injection of medications under the skin to affect some changes, such as cellulite removal, reduction of fat, toning and tightening the skin. It requires weekly treatments. And for the cellulite, it's going to take 10 to 15 treatments. So they have to be willing to come in quite often.
COHEN: Even with thousands of dollars in potential expense and weekly injections, some women do swear by this relatively non-invasive procedure.
Dale Rossington, a backup singer for the rock group Lynrd Skynrd, is happy with her mesotherapy results.
DALE ROSSINGTON, MESOTHERAPY PATIENT: Suddenly, you do start to see that definition that you thought you weren't going to find again. And you start to see, again, that last little bit that you just really thought wasn't going to go away, that you'd kind of given up on. And you talk to yourself about growing old gracefully, but you know, you didn't really want to. And after those six or seven, then you start to see it just subtly. It's a subtle difference, so you have to be a little more patient.
COHEN: The cocktail is a blend of drugs, including some used to treat heart ailments and asthma. Each drug is approved by the FDA, using them in combination is not. And there's no standardized formula for the cocktail. Physicians mix their own. And there have been reported cases of skin irritations and infections.
Plastic Surgeon Vincent Zubowicz refuses to recommend mesotherapy to his patients.
DR. VINCENT ZUBOWICZ, PLASTIC SURGEON: So you have a technique where there has been no objective evidence of it being effective, yet a good deal of objective evidence showing that there's potential complications, and some of them quite severe. So if it were an effective alternative, I'd open a mesotherapy booth in my office and go to work. But I'm convinced that it doesn't work, and I'm not going to risk my patients' health with something that's unproven.
COHEN: And there is a bottom line to any fat reduction program.
BYRD: Well, you know, I think, whether you're doing liposuction or the mesotherapy, it's very important to eat right and exercise to make it work and to keep it off long term.
COHEN: Elizabeth Cohen, CNN, Atlanta.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
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