Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Sudan on the Verge of Catastrophe, North Korean Continues to Play at Nuclear Brinkmanship, Foley Scandal Continues to Plague Republicans

Aired October 07, 2006 - 18:00   ET

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

CAROL LIN, CNN HOST: She posted many stories critical of the Russian military's campaign in Chechnya.
And you may want to skip the burgers this weekend. Five thousand pounds of ground beef are being recalled. The meat may be contaminated with the same strain of e. coli from the recent spinach scare.

Meanwhile, a third death is being blamed on that bad spinach. An elderly Nebraska woman died late August. But tests only confirmed that there was a spinach link this week.

And a chemical plant fire in North Carolina has finally been put out and thousands that live nearby were allowed to return home. No reports of injuries, although a few people were hospitalized for breathing problems.

And baseball great Buck O'Neil has died in Kansas City last night. The 94-year-old was an outstanding fielder in the Negro Leagues and became the first black coach in the Major Leagues. In his later years he took a lead role in publicizing Negro League baseball.

Well, just a month away from the upcoming election and Republicans are worried. Just how much will the Mark Foley scandal affect congressional races which up until last week were considered locks for the GOP?

We'll take the case of Illinois Representative and House Speaker Dennis Hastert. A new poll was released today by "Newsweek," and it shows more than half of respondents believe Hastert knew of his inappropriate conduct and tried to cover it up and a majority say they want Democrats to wrestle away congressional control from Republicans in the upcoming election. More now on the growing Foley fallout. We're going to go live to CNN's Sumi Das in our Washington bureau -- Sumi.

SUMI DAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Thanks, Carol. Well, Congressman Tom Reynolds is one of several Republicans under fire for having knowledge of Mark Foley's questionable messages to House pages but not doing more to address the problem.

Tom Reynolds is seeking re-election in Upstate New York. With a month to go before elections, a contrite Reynolds is making an unusually impassioned public apology. In a new TV ad Reynolds says although he never saw a single e-mail between Foley and a page after he learned about quote, "odd but not explicit" e-mails he reported what he had been told to the speaker of the House, Dennis Hastert.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. TOM REYNOLDS, (R) NY: Last week we all learned of other e- mails, worse than anything I had heard before, I immediately forced Foley to resign. Nobody's angrier and more disappointed than me that I didn't catch his lies. I trusted that others had investigated. Looking back, more should have been done, and for that I am sorry.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DAS: Though Reynolds says he told Hastert about the non-explicit e-mails, in an interview earlier this week Dennis Hastert told CNN that he didn't recall the conversation. With exactly one month to go before elections Democrats are maintaining if not ratcheting up the pressure on the GOP.

Minnesota congressional candidate Patty Wetterling provided the Democratic response to President Bush's weekly radio address. In a rare move the address was delivered on the radio but cameras were also allowed to tape the remarks. In the address Wetterling said Republicans had turned a blind eye to the quote, "obvious predatory signals sent by Foley."

Stop me there (ph).

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

PATTY WETTERLING, DEMOCRATIC CONGRESSIONAL CANDIDATE: We cannot change the way Washington operates until we change the people we send there. We need to ensure that members of Congress understand the reality of sexual exploitation of children in America. This is not a problem that can be swept under the rug. This is not about "overly friendly" relationships between adults and children. This is about ways children are too often viewed as sexual objects. And this is not about partisan politics, protecting our children is not a Democratic or a Republican issue. It is an American issue that we are all concerned about.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

DAS: Wetterling's mention of overly friendly relationships is a reference to the non-explicit e-mails that Foley sent to the Louisiana teen who was a former page which were characterized as "overly friendly" by some Republicans. Wetterling has a history of advocating for child safety. Seventeen years ago her son was kidnapped and never found -- Carol.

LIN: Yes. She has a lot of credibility on this issue, Sumi. Thank you. Now, Patty Wetterling, Minnesota's Democratic candidate for Congress is going to be our guest tomorrow morning at 9:00 Eastern. So we hope you tune in.

And from dark horse to front running favorite, the Foley fallout has already helped the ex-congressman's former opponent in Florida's 16th Congressional District. CNN's Rusty Dornin is live in West Palm Beach where Democrat Tim Mahoney has a new challenger. So, Rusty, what happened? Because I thought Foley was still going to be on the ballot regardless.

RUSTY DORNIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, he is going to be on the ballot but Florida state representative Joe Negron thought he was finished with running for public office this year. He had already bowed out of the state attorney general's race and was not going to run for re-election but in a flash Mark Foley was gone.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DORNIN (voice-over): Last week Joe Negron had no idea he'd be running for Congress. Then Mark Foley resigned.

JOE NEGRON, (R) CONGRESSIONAL CANDIDATE: I found out about this the same time the country found out, and obviously all of us were shocked and outraged at what happened, but this election is no longer a referendum about Mark Foley.

Thank you for coming back again. Hey, how are you?

DORNIN: It is about catapulting a candidate into a congressional campaign in five weeks. That means no Web sites and no ads yet.

(on camera): There are no Joe Negron signs here in the Republican headquarters. Is that going to be a problem in your campaign? They're not up yet.

NEGRON: I don't think so. They're ordered and we expect to get them over the weekend. We had hundreds of volunteers that want to get them put up.

DORNIN (voice-over): Voters will still find Mark Foley's name on ballot. It was too late to change it. Republicans plan to put up signs in the polling places letting voters know a vote for Foley is a vote for Negron. Democrats have protested.

The only poll conducted so far just after Foley resigned showed Democrat Tim Mahoney ahead of a then unnamed candidate by 3 percentage points. That doesn't seem to worry the new candidate.

NEGRON: This district has been Republican for more than 25 years. I don't see Republicans and conservative Democrats crawling into a fetal position and saying, oh, throwing up our hands. What are we going to do? Mark Foley resigned from Congress. Now we have to go vote for a Democrat.

DORNIN: Negron has been a Florida state representative for six years but launching a campaign takes money. He already had a war chest of $600,000 left from his campaign to run for Florida attorney general earlier this year.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

DORNIN (on camera): Like many Republican candidates, Negron could suffer if the scandal widens but right now he thinks that voters are smart enough to figure out he's no Mark Foley -- Carol.

LIN: Rusty Dornin, thank you very much.

Now, that "Newsweek" poll we showed you includes an assessment of President Bush and not a good one either. With that part of the story, CNN's Elaine Quijano at the White House. Elaine?

ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good evening to you, Carol.

That's right. Lately we have seen President Bush out on the road campaigning for congressional GOP candidates and he's really a big draw still at those events despite the fact his approval numbers are in the 30s and that "Newsweek" poll, just the latest poll, showing him at 33 percent, that's on the low end actually when you look at the average the poll of polls, the average of "Newsweek," "Time", AP/Ipsos, NBC/"Wall Street Journal" and CNN, his approval number there is at about 37 percent.

Now, those numbers have not stopped President Bush from trying to shape the agenda this campaign season. Earlier this week he was on a West Coast campaign swing focusing on taxes and national security. The president tried to hit hard against Democrats trying to paint them as being weak in the war on terror but at a time when the president had hoped to be drawing sharp distinctions between Republicans and Democrats on that very issue, instead the president is finding himself -- found himself earlier this week having to weigh in on the Foley matter, making clear that he supports House speaker Dennis Hastert.

And with the midterm elections right around the corner, Carol, look for the White House to try the change the subject in the coming weeks even as officials here at the White House brace for any future potential political fallout from the Foley scandal -- Carol.

LIN: Yes. Elaine, you talked a little bit about that in the last hour. Tell us more about what they would plan to change the focus to.

QUIJANO: Yes, well, national security, of course, taxes, we've heard the president talk about that this week but also interesting to note that coming up on Tuesday there is going to be a school safety conference. It's going to be attorney general Alberto Gonzales, education secretary Margaret Spelling and they are basically going to be meeting, it's a result really in response to that spate of school shootings in Pennsylvania, Colorado and Wisconsin.

But what it's also going to do, give the president a chance to push back some of these Democrats' charges that Republicans aren't doing enough to protect America's children. The fact is really we are in the home stretch now of this campaign. The president is trying to do whatever he can to ensure that Republicans retain control of Congress, so ultimately he'll be able to get his agenda through in his remaining years in office.

LIN: All right. Elaine Quijano live at the White House, thank you. So just how much do you all know about instant messaging? Enough to protect your child? Well, we're going to tell you what you need to know a little later in the program.

Also, a pumped up debate tonight in California. What does each man need to do?

Plus, is the meat in your fridge safe? We're going to tell you about another e. coli recall.

And take a look at this, disturbing video of a student attacked on a school bus. Find out what happened next? You're in the NEWSROOM. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LIN: It's been five years since President Bush ordered first strike in "Operation Enduring Freedom," the military mission to drive the Taliban from Afghanistan and destroy the al Qaeda terrorist network.

Well, despite a recent surge in violence, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld is giving an upbeat assessment of the war in Afghanistan. In an opinion piece in today's "Washington Post," Rumsfeld cites progress in a number of areas including the economy, healthcare and troop strength. Now, Rumsfeld says five years after the fall of the Taliban, and I'm quoting here "The trajectory is a hopeful and promising one."

Well, not everyone agrees. Critics point to daily attacks and they say that makes Afghanistan look more and more like Iraq.

Well, tomorrow we are going to focus on that war. We asked CNN's military analysts to lay out the challenges in Iraq and what they would do differently if they were in charge. That starting at 7:00 a.m. Eastern with analysis throughout the day right here on CNN.

Now to North Korea. Some startling new developments about the communist country's threat to test a nuclear weapon. South Korea says its troops fired warning shots today after five North Koreans crossed a boundary in the Demilitarized Zone separating the two countries.

Friday the UN Security Council issued a warning to North Korea. Don't test a nuclear weapon or else but the warning didn't say what the consequences would be and Japan is sending strong hints that North Korea could face harsh sanctions if it doesn't scrap the weapons test.

Well, that test could come at any time. CNN Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr looks at what it could mean for the balance of power.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): North Korea's leader, Kim Jong-il, happily waved to his military commanders as world pressure mounts for him to cancel plans to conduct his country's first nuclear test.

Pyongyang's announcement has thrown diplomatic efforts at the United Nations into a frenzy. If there is a nuclear detention, the world changes.

JOSEPH CIRINCIONE, CENTER FOR AMERICAN PROGRESS: This immediately affects the calculations of South Korea, Taiwan, Japan, all of whom might decide that they need to have their own independent nuclear arsenals, as well. If North Korea gets away with this, Iran would be encouraged to go forward.

STARR: Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill sounded ominous this week, saying: "North Korea can have a future or it can have these weapons. It cannot have both."

But the Bush administration is avoiding talk of a preemptive strike or a military response afterward.

DONALD RUMSFELD, SECRETARY OF DEFENSE: That's -- it's a decision for the country. It's a decision for presidents.

STARR: There is plenty of U.S. firepower in the region -- 28,000 troops in South Korea and some 20 warships based out of Japan. Half a dozen B-52 bombers are in Guam.

But what is the target?

U.S. intelligence shows North Korea is preparing several sites for a potential test. But one intelligence analyst told CNN it's a game of nuclear Three Card Monte -- trying to force the CIA to guess which hole in the ground is the right one.

The first signs of a nuclear detonation will come from more than 100 underground monitoring stations around the world. Spy planes such as this nuclear sniffer are already flying overhead and satellites are trained on the region 24-7.

(on camera): But will the intelligence community be able to quickly tell what North Korea has done after a missile test? Intelligence analysts tell CNN that little useful information was ever collected after North Korea's July missile test.

Barbara Starr, CNN, the Pentagon.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LIN: Isn't this a pretty picture. The hot air was in Albuquerque so guess what else was? It's got something to do with politics, and so of course does this man. His ship has definitely come in. That straight ahead in the NEWSROOM.

Plus, take a look at this, two students attacking a classmate on the bus on the way to school. You don't want to miss this one.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) LIN: With congressional elections just weeks away, it is campaign crunch time, and candidates are shifting into high gear for stumping for your vote, so coming up, we're going to check in with the CNN Express Yourself bus tour and hear from some independent-minded voters.

But first a dramatic race in California, and a surprising political endorsement in New Orleans. For example, Mayor Ray Nagin says he's enthusiastically supporting the re-election of Congressman William Jefferson. Jefferson, a Democrat from Louisiana, is the target of a federal bribery probe. Well, the congressman denies the allegations and has not been charged. Nagin says Jefferson supported him during his tough re-election campaign last spring.

Now, in California, high drama and politics rolled all into one as California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger takes on an underdog opponent face to face. The two candidates hold their first and only debate a few hours from now and CNN's Chris Lawrence joins us now live from Sacramento. Chris, what are you expecting tonight?

CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Carol, the basic fact is there just aren't a whole lot of undecided voters out there and Governor Schwarzenegger has been reaching agreements with Democratic lawmakers and really broadening his appeal around the state but the format of tonight's debate means that each candidate will have the opportunity to challenge the other one's responses, which could give Phil Angelides a shot at trying to put a dent in some of the numbers.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LAWRENCE (voice-over): Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and challenger Phil Angelides face off for the first and only time Saturday night. And there's no debating the stakes are different for both men.

ARNOLD STEINBERG, REPUBLICAN POLITICAL STRATEGIST: Angelides needs a home run. All Schwarzenegger has to do is just kind of coast.

LAWRENCE: Recent polls have the governor leading his Democratic opponent by anywhere from 10 to 17 points.

(on camera): But even some Republican strategists say Schwarzenegger himself could reduce that lead during the debate.

STEINBERG: The governor has an uncanny ability to actually create his own crisis by saying something utterly preposterous so we can never underestimate the possibility he'll make an issue of himself in that debate.

LAWRENCE (voice-over): Democrats criticized the governor Friday for declaring that some immigrants have trouble assimilating into California.

GOV. ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER, (R) CA: Especially I think for Mexicans because they are so close to their country here so they try to stay Mexican but try to be in America so there is this kind of back and forth and what I'm saying to the Mexicans is you got to go and immerse yourself and assimilate.

LAWRENCE: The Democratic Party called Schwarzenegger out of touch. Some Latino rights activists criticized his comment. And the latest "L.A. Times" poll shows Angelides is overwhelmingly favored by Latino voters.

Angelides has been the state treasurer since 1998 but in the last year Schwarzenegger has co-opted some of his traditional Democratic base, rebuffing accusations he can't work with the other party.

In fact, Schwarzenegger has been photographed with actor George Clooney, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and union officials but would not meet with George Bush when the president came to California.

ART TORRES, CALIFORNIA DEMOCRATIC PARTY CHAIRMAN: I think the people see through that.

LAWRENCE: Democratic Party chairman Art Torres is spending millions on TV ads trying to tie the governor and president together in voters' minds but California voters say their top two issues are illegal immigration and education. And the "L.A. Times" poll shows more than half the voters now approve of Schwarzenegger's job performance.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LAWRENCE (on camera): Schwarzenegger's campaign staff defended the governor's remarks about Mexican immigrants saying they're consistent with the governor's own beliefs and experiences as an immigrant himself from Austria, it's a good example of how closely each word is being watched as we get closer to the election -- Carol.

LIN: So, Chris, if there's a surprise, what do you think it might be? Where is the greatest potential?

LAWRENCE: If there is a surprise? Did you say ...

LIN: Yes.

LAWRENCE: It could be if one candidate perhaps becomes flustered under the questioning of another candidate or if someone says something unexpected but you have to believe with only one debate and the governor in a very -- what seems to be a very comfortable lead, that there won't be very much opportunity for any surprises and another thing we should point out this debate is happening on a Saturday night, there's big college football games going on, the Los Angeles Dodgers are playing. You've got to weigh all that because there may be not be as many people watching this as a challenger like Phil Angelides would like.

LIN: All right. But they're watching us, Chris, right? We're going to get the results later on tonight.

LAWRENCE: Yes.

LIN: All right. Thanks very much, Chris Lawrence reporting from the debate location.

Now, by the way, they are full of hot air in Albuquerque, New Mexico, but, nope, I'm not talking about the politicians. The city's 35th Annual International Balloon Fiesta is under way and runs through next weekend. Seven hundred hot air balloons are expected to fill the sky.

Also in Albuquerque, the CNN Election Express Yourself Tour, it is stopping in several cities giving you a forum to voice your opinions. Here's what some self-described independent thinkers had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: For me independence equals the ability to think for yourself. That's what made this country great, free thinkers that thought outside the box.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm an independent thinker because I don't think in terms of a party or any particular issue, but just how I feel about something and what my experience brings to that.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm an independent thinker because, you know, I'm a regular voter also and I met Gavin Newsom, the mayor of San Francisco, I met Gary Hart, former presidential candidate so I think I have very independent thinking and my decisions are my own, also, too.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANNOUNCER: To find out where the tour is headed next go to cnn.com/election.

LIN: And we're going to have more from the road next weekend at CNN's Election Express Yourself tour heads to Las Vegas.

Just in time for your holiday weekend barbecue, a recall on tainted beef. The story next in the NEWSROOM.

Plus, it's hard to watch. A student attacked on a school bus. You're going to have to stick around for this one.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LIN: Now in the news, more fallout from the Mark Foley page scandal. A child safety advocate is running for Congress in Minnesota, and she slammed congressional leaders over their response to the scandal. Patty Wetterling gave this week's Democratic radio address.

Is it a throwback to the bad old days? A prominent Russian journalist was found to shot to death in her apartment building's elevator. Prosecutors suspect the killing was linked to her work. She published many stories critical of the Russian military's campaign in Chechnya.

And you may want to skip the burgers this weekend. Five thousand pounds of ground beef are being recalled. The meat may be contaminated with the same strain of e. coli from the recent spinach scare.

Meanwhile, a third death is being blamed on that bad spinach. An elderly Nebraska woman died late August but tests only confirmed that the spinach link was actually there.

Now, the chemical plant fire in North Carolina has finally been extinguished and thousands who live nearby were allowed to return home. No reports of injuries, although a few people were hospitalized for respiratory problems.

And now to the latest development in the Mark Foley e-mail scandal. A former page who allegedly received suggestive e-mails from the ex-Congressman says he'll cooperate with federal investigators. Meanwhile, New York Republican Congressman Tom Reynolds takes to the airwaves today. He says he apologizes to voters for not catching Foley's lies.

Also, a month away to election day and the scandal is hurting the GOP. A new poll shows more than half of Americans believe House Speaker Dennis Hastert tried to cover up Foley's trail of salacious e- mails.

Instant messages. A new study says 75 percent of American teens use them, but are your kids opening themselves up to instant abuse? Well, the editor of a leading computer magazine tells you what you need to do to keep your children safe.

Here's Fredricka Whitfield.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You've got mail.

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD:, CNN ANCHOR: This once popular e-mail notification is quickly being replaced with the sound of instant messaging. Sixteen million teens are using instant messaging, up from close to 13 million who I.M.'d in 2000, according to the most recent study conducted by Pew Internet. The study shows teen Internet users have chosen instant messaging as their preferred form of communication over e-mail.

LANCE ULANOFF, EDITOR, "PC MAGAZINE": Instant messaging is officially a rite of passage for any teenager. You come of age, you turn 13 and you are in your parents' face, and, actually, if you're younger than that, you are in your parents' face, about going online and doing instant messaging.

WHITFIELD: The Pew Internet study also revealed 65 percent of all parents and 64 percent of all teens say they think that teens do things online they wouldn't want their parents to know about. So how can parents become part of their teens' instant messaging world? Lance Ulanoff is an editor at "PC Magazine". His advice, learn about it.

ULANOFF: What is instant messaging? Understand what it really is, how it works, and what's possible.

WHITFIELD: Keep computers in a common area.

ULANOFF: Move the computer from the bedroom or the basement to a family room or the kitchen.

WHITFIELD:: Don't talk to strangers.

ULANOFF: Do not talk to anyone that you don't know on instant messaging.

WHITFIELD:: Keep information private.

ULANOFF: Do not give out any personal information that you wouldn't normally give to any other stranger.

WHITFIELD: Monitor your child's computer.

ULANOFF: Put controls on your P.C. Apply some level of parental control. This is "Google Desktop Search".

WHITFIELD: Programs like "Google Desktop" or "Safe Eyes" can be downloaded to search and retrieve files such as chat logs and e-mail communications.

ULANOFF: You could search your child's member name, their user name, and what you'll get are all the discussions they've been having during the time that the computer was indexed.

WHITFIELD: But experts say taking time to discuss your child's computer habits with them when their computer is off is the best way to understand what they're doing when it's on.

Fredricka Whitfield, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LIN: In New Mexico, a disturbing school bus beating caught on tape. Two junior high school students, both girls. Both girls are videotaped beating another girl on the way to school. It happened last Tuesday in Bloomfield, New Mexico.

Jesse Carona (ph) of CNN affiliate KOAT has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The two assailants are sisters, they'd had an ongoing dispute with the victim.

JESSE CARONA, KOAT CORRESPONDENT: Bloomfield police say a school bus camera is their best evidence in Tuesday's assault. You can see the two teenage attackers, one 13, the other 14, take a seat in the back of the bus. Once they spot their victim, they change seats until they're directly behind the other girl, then they strike.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It didn't appear that the victim, from the information we have, provoked this attack in any way. This was simply something that appears to have occurred on the part of the sisters' choosing to assault this victim.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hey. We won't have no slugging on the bus.

CARONA: The bus driver stops the bus and shouts at the girls to stop fighting, but eventually other children have to pull the two girls away.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: One of her teeth did pierce her upper lip and it did require medical attention.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It shocked the distribute.

CARONA: The Bloomfield School District says they have zero tolerance for this kind of behavior. They've suspended the two girls that started the fight for ten days, after which they could face expulsion at a disciplinary hearing.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is the first time I've seen something like that, and this is like my 35th year. You know, I've seen fights on buses before, but this seemed rather intense.

CARONA: The girls two will also face criminal charges for the assault. Since they're minors, the charges will be forwarded to the Juvenile Probation Department.

In Bloomfield, Jesse Corona, KOAT, "ACTION SEVEN NEWS".

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What's going on?

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LIN: In other news across America, a tribute to a former Navy pilot in Virginia. You might have heard of him. The Navy's newest aircraft carrier, the George H.W. Bush was christened today. And the former president was on hand for the event, joined by members of his family, including the current president.

New stories across America as well. A slight bump on the road to damage recovery for the Indiana Pacers. The police say the team's guard, Stephen Jackson, fired shots in the air in apparent self- defense after he was hit by a car outside a strip club. Now, the Pacers are still trying to improve their image after a fight between Pacers and Pistons fans two seasons ago.

And this unexpected five pound, six ounce package arrived express delivery at an Arizona airport. The mother, who is an airline employee, flew the short distance from Phoenix to Tucson and was trying to get to the hospital when her water broke. Airport firefighters helped deliver the baby girl. They nicknamed her Jet.

He won fame as a baseball player in the Negro Leagues and helped break the color line in the Major Leagues. Buck O'Neil died last night, and today he's remembered for introducing many people to a part of the game they never knew. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARK S. BRYANT, PRES., NEGRO LEAGUES BASEBALL MUSEUM: Buck was a one of a kind legend, and we will miss him with all of our hearts. It's a great comfort to know that his selfless spirit and his tremendous legacy to baseball will live on.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LIN: Fredricka Whitfield has more on O'Neil's life.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BUCK O'NEIL, FORMER BASEBALL PLAYER: I have been to a lot of places, I've done a lot of things that I really like doing. I hit the home run. I hit the grand slam home run. I hit for the Cyclone. I've had a hole in one in golf. I've done a lot of things I like doing. I shook hands with President Truman.

WHITFIELD: Baseball was John Buck O'Neil's life blood. Born in rural Florida in 1991, O'Neil began his professional baseball career in 1937 with the Memphis Red Sox of the Negro American League. He moved to the Kansas City Monarchs a year later as a player, and eventually took over as coach.

Despite the indignities imposed on this black American, O'Neil never lost his love for life.

O'NEIL: They always said to me, Buck, I know you hate people for what they did to you or what they did to your folks. I said, no, man, I never learned to hate.

WHITFIELD: While most know that Jackie Robinson broke the baseball color barrier for players, few know it was O'Neil who became the first black coach in Major League Baseball, with the Cubs in 1962. It was his role as a narrator for Ken Burns' documentary on baseball that made him famous again.

O'Neil became an unofficial spokesman, talking about the Negro Leagues and the men who played there. Long heralded as an excellent manager and player, he fell one vote shy of being inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame this past year. But once again, the 94 year-old put the disappointment into perspective.

O'NEIL: Shed no tears for me, man. No, no. This is old Buck. God has been good to me. You can see that, don't you? I couldn't attend Sarasota High School, that hurt. Yes, I couldn't attend the University of Florida, that hurt. Yes. But not going into Hall of Fame, that didn't hurt me that much, no.

WHITFIELD: Love of life, love of baseball, love of mankind. Those are the things that defined Buck O'Neil, and it was never more apparent than when he led a packed audience in song at this year's Hall of Fame induction ceremony.

O'NEIL (singing): The greatest thing in all my life is loving you. Thank you, folks. Thank you, folks. Thank you, folks. Thank you, folks. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LIN: Buck O'Neil died last night at a hospital in Kansas City. He was 94.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LIN: It is long overdue, but finally the world is starting to take notice of the humanitarian crisis in Darfur. For three years Sudan's government has been accused of using Arab militias to wipe out Darfur's black African residents.

Well last week, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice put Sudan's leadership on notice. Her warning: let U.N. peacekeepers in or face serious consequences. Meantime, humanitarian aid is getting in, but in many cases it's not reaching the thousands of refugees who need it most.

CNN's Jeff Koinange has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SIMON KRIDELL (ph), RELIEF WORKER: Yes, this is one of the trucks that was taken. It was stalked by an armed group last month.

JEFF KOINANGE, CNN AFRICAN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Simon Kridell is one angry and frustrated relief worker. Last month his organization wasn't able to deliver food to more than 100,000 starving refugees in north Darfur because his trucks have become the latest target of the Arab militia roaming and terrorizing this lawless land.

KRIDELL: When we got it back, the entire thing was painted gray. They actually smashed out these wind screens so that they can use it, you know, to fire guns straight out of it.

KOINANGE: In a land where every morsel of food is desperately needed, these food trucks may as well have been carrying gold bars.

KRIDELL: This truck was carrying 15 tons worth of grain. That's a lot of money to those armed groups sitting out there. You know, they can take that, they feed their soldiers, then they can use this vehicle as a tactical. They can carry troops, they can carry fuel. That's what they need. So we're sitting ducks, absolutely.

KOINANGE: Abubakar Badikt feels like a sitting duck every time he makes deliveries along Darfur's dangerous highways. He says he's been hijacked more than a dozen times and knows who the bandits are.

ABUBAKAR BADIKT, TRUCK DRIVER: (speaking in a foreign language)

KOINANGE: "The Janjaweed, of course," he says. "They've made our lives miserable. I've been shot at so many times I lost count. The only thing I know how to do is drive. And all I can hope is that Allah guides me every time I'm on the road." At a nearby WFB warehouse it's food, food everywhere. Sorghum, vegetable oil, and corn-soy blend from the United States and dried beans from the European Union. Hundreds of millions of in aid just sitting here.

(on camera): Now, it's not that there's a food deficiency in Darfur. There's plenty of grain in these warehouses and plenty more being loaded onto awaiting trucks for the onward journey. The only problem is getting it to those who need it most.

KRIDELL: Insecurity is the biggest problem that we face. In July, half a million people went without food because it was too dangerous for those truck convoys to get through.

KOINANGE (voice-over): So Kridell has decided he needs to go directly to the Janjaweed to try to work out a way to get food to starving people here. Along the way, he points out to us evidence of what's considered the Janjaweed's calling card, burned out village after village across this huge swathe of land.

And this is what they use for air support, helicopter gunships courtesy, according to international groups, of the Sudanese government. We take it to Khartoum, where Janjaweed attacks on rebel groups controlling the town stopped only after these African Union peacekeepers arrived. But the peacekeepers don't have enough troops or firepower to protect the aid convoys.

KRIDELL: The month of September, we could not reach 155,000 people. The thing is, those people haven't had food for four months.

KOINANGE: We continue our journey toward the rebel stronghold of Keb Kabila (ph) deep in north Darfur. We soon found out we would not get past the makeshift airport.

(on camera): Now, Keb Kabila is the capital of the Janjaweed Arab militia. They must have known we were coming, because as soon as we landed they seized our paperwork, told us to get back in the helicopter and head back to where we came from.

(voice-over): Kridell, too, was denied access to the Janjaweed stronghold.

We are forced to head back to El Fasher, passing out more burned out villages dotting the landscape. Kridell has little optimism left for Darfur's 2.5 million displaced people.

KRIDELL: We're staring at a catastrophe. We're staring at a human disaster. Darfur right now is one of the biggest problems this world faces. And this food is the only thing that stands between them and disaster. We have to get it to them. If we can't, I don't even want to think what that means.

KOINANGE: Even with the airplanes, relief workers have trouble easing what the United Nations calls the world's worst humanitarian crisis. And in their convoys, they are easy targets, still unable to reach the people who so badly need their help. Jeff Koinange, CNN, El Fasher in north Darfur.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LIN: Meantime, the United Nations is pushing to send a peacekeeping force of about 20,000 into Darfur to replace the African Union troops. Sudan rejects that plan, saying the U.N. can only offer logistical support to the African Union troops already there.

Now, no doubt the biggest story of the week has been the Mark Foley scandal. What's that? Well, up next in the NEWSROOM, believe it or not, Jeanne Moos finds some humor in what has been a disturbing story to tell.

BONNIE SCHNEIDER, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Plus, we are watching some flooding still happening right now in the mid-Atlantic. That, hot and dry weather conditions across the northern plains. Big changes are ahead for this holiday weekend forecast. I'll have a complete look at weather coming up next on the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LIN: There's some waterlogged pictures coming out of the state of Virginia this weekend. They've had torrential downpours and all of that has caused major flooding there, so we'll get more on the weekend forecast with meteorologist Bonnie Schneider. She's working this story from the CNN Weather Center.

(WEATHER REPORT)

LIN: Well, no surprise comedians and political jokesters are having a field day with the Mark Foley scandal despite its seriousness. CNN's Jeanne Moos takes a look.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Ah, for the days when a page was something you turned, not something that turned someone on.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (singing): Foley. Everything unholy.

MOOS: But the scandal has given political jokesters lots of material.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (singing): A 16 year-old boy, he be your sexual toy.

MOOS: There are songs. There are puns about it being time for the GOP to exfoliate. And there are games, like "Help Hastert Hide the Perv", where you move the House Speaker around in an effort to hide Mark Foley's interactions with congressional pages.

We're accustomed to police tip lines but now we have:

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A page tip line. There's a hot line set up for anyone with leads concerning Mark Foley. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you for calling the tip line for the United States House of Representatives. If you have information regarding former Congressman Mark Foley...

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They must be getting tons of crank calls, you know, can you help me, I lost my page?

MOOS: The anti-Bush forces are having a field day even as the president delivers another speech on...

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: The No Child Left Behind...

MOOS: There's a tee shirt for sale, "Please, leave the children behind". It's one of a few dozen on the web. One features Foley's most famous alleged instant message quote -- move over Austin Powers.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

MIKE MYERS, ACTOR: Do I make you horny?

(END AUDIO CLIP)

MOOS: For more on the page scandal, you can look on the editorial cartoon page.

Never accept candy or a ride from a strange Republican Congressman. The "New York Post" showed gay former Governor Jim McGreavey saying, look on the bright side, Foley, you'll have a best- selling book.

Note the picture of the village people on the wall. The village people make for popular parody. This one topped the charts on the "Huffington Post".

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (singing): Young man, are you listening to me, I said young man, what do you want to be.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

MOOS: Gone are the innocent days when if you wanted a congressional page...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Page?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Anything else you want, just snap for a page.

MOOS: Just snap instead of sending a lurid e-mail.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (singing): It is fun to stay at the YMCA.

(END AUDIO CLIP) MOOS: Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LIN: My goodness.

There's lots more ahead on CNN tonight. Up next, at 7:00 Eastern, "THIS WEEK AT WAR". CNN correspondents discuss Bob Woodward's scathing new book, the war of words over national security, and Africa's humanitarian crisis. John Roberts hosts. That's only on CNN.

And then at 8:00, "CNN PRESENTS: KILLING FIELDS, AFRICA'S MISERY, THE WORLD'S SHAME". Emmy Award-winning reporters Anderson Cooper and Dr. Sanjay Gupta and Jeff Koinange return to Africa to investigate the killing fields.

And I'll be back at 10:00 Eastern. And I'm going to talk to the wife of a mafia hit man. She was married for 25 years and says she never knew she was married to a killer.

A check of the hour's headlines next, and then "THIS WEEK AT WAR"

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com