Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Newsroom
Florida Family Slain; President Bush Dedicates Air Force Memorial; U.N. Security Council Approves Sancttions Against North Korea,
Aired October 14, 2006 - 17:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: It's been all about diplomacy so far, but is war with North Korea an actual possibility, and what about a preemptive strike from the U.S.? Straight ahead, scenarios for war. And:
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They've been called soccer moms, security moms. Today, we'll call them softball moms.
LIN: Hanging out with the new soccer moms. Will former Congressman Mark Foley's follies affect their votes? And fewer volunteers swinging hammers post-Katrina. Susan Roesgen reports from Louisiana.
This is the CNN NEWSROOM and I'm Carol Lin. Let's first catch you up on the headlines. A swift response to a defiant act. Just a few hours ago, the U.N. Security Council voted unanimously to sanction North Korea. And it comes less than a week after Pyongyang claimed that nuclear weapons were tested. A live report from the White House is two minutes away.
And filling a monumental void in the nation's capital. Today, President Bush helped dedicate a new Air Force memorial in Arlington, Virginia. Now, until today the Air Force was the only military branch without a monument.
And the U.S. death toll in Iraq climbs higher. Officials say a U.S. airman died today on duty with Iraqi police in Baghdad. A U.S. soldier also died in the capital in a roadside bombing.
And a deadly ambush in southern Afghanistan. Insurgents attack NATO troops with rocket-propelled grenades and gunfire. Two Canadian soldiers were killed and three others were wounded.
The Bush administration fighting to save its secret surveillance program. In August a federal judge declared it unconstitutional and struck it down. Well the administration is now appealing. It insists warrantless wiretapping is legal, and helps fight terrorism.
New developments in a horrifying crime in South Florida. A husband, wife and their two young sons killed along an isolated stretch of highway. Police now say the shooter or shooters were riding in the victims' car before the attack. But they don't think the family was carjacked. A live report just minutes away.
And now North Korea. Decisive action by the U.N. Security Council. It slapped the north with a series of sanctions over its claim to have tested a nuclear weapon. Well the vote was unanimous, with China and Russia jumping on board after tense negotiations. The North Korean delegate left the chamber in protest and later accused the council of behaving like gangsters. Well U.S. Ambassador John Bolton said he's satisfied with the deal which rules out military force. Bolton pointed out that things could change if North Korea's defiance continues.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHN BOLTON, U.S. AMBASSADOR TO U.N. It is our understanding that the DPRK's full compliance with this resolution and the successful resumption of the six-party talks would lead to the council acting to lift the measures imposed by the resolution. At the same time, we need to be prepared if North Korea again decides to ignore the Security Council and continue its pursuit of weapons of mass destruction and the means to deliver them. That is why it is important that the United States and other member states have the opportunity at any point in time to strengthen measures against North Korea and return to the council for further action.
PAK GIL YON, NORTH KOREAN AMB. TO U.N.: If the United States increases pressure upon the democratic people's republic of Korea consistently, the DPRK will continue to take future countermeasures, considering it as a declaration of war.
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
LIN: What does that mean? I'm going to be talking to an expert in just a moment, but also about an hour ago, President Bush praised the U.N. sanctions and he expressed satisfaction that the council acted as quickly as it did. Now, standing by for us at the White House, CNN's Kathleen Koch. Kathleen, what more did he say?
KATHLEEN KOCH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Carol, I think it's interesting to point out that from the start of all this, the Bush administration had insisted the action that North Korea took last Sunday, this apparent nuclear test, that it had rallied the international community, that it had fortified its will to hold North Korea finally to account even those nations like Russia, China and South Korea that have long opposed sanctions. So certainly this afternoon's vote can be seen as proof positive of that, even though the United States did have to scale back somewhat the original sanctions that it had proposed. So the president, the very pleased President Bush, did come out to the south lawn this afternoon to make an unscheduled statement.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BUSH: This action by the United Nations, which was swift and tough, says that we are united in our determination to see to it that the Korean peninsula is nuclear weapons free. I have said all along there is a better way forward for North Korea. There's a better way forward for the people of North Korea. The leader of North Korea were to verifiably end his weapons programs, the United States and other nations would be willing to help the nation recover economically. (END OF VIDEO CLIP)
KOCH: Regarding the apparent test that prompted this action there is still no definitive confirmation that it was an actual successful nuclear test, though a statement drafted by the office of the director of national intelligence, John Negroponte, and obtained by CNN, does say that the U.S. has evidence of radioactivity from the site. That it is thought in North Korea that that test was conducted, but that report goes on to say, quote, additional analysis is ongoing and will be completed in a few days.
So the next step right now is Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice heads to the region for a six-day visit. She'll be meeting with the leaders of China, South Korea and Japan to talk about how to go about implementing these sanctions. Carol?
LIN: All right Kathleen, thank you very much.
Now the question of course is, will the sanctions bring North Korea back to the negotiating table or will they escalate the standoff? So joining us now from Washington is Gary Samore an expert on nuclear proliferation as well as this specific region. Gary good to have you.
GARY SAMORE, COUNCIL ON FOREIGN RELATIONS: Thank you.
LIN: As specific as you can be, what impact do you think these sanctions will have on North Korea?
SAMORE: Well the sanctions resolution targets very comprehensive and strong sanctions against North Korea's nuclear and ballistic missile programs, in terms of people, finances and materials. But I doubt it's going to fundamentally change North Korea's behavior. Because the sanctions don't really deal with the fundamental forms of foreign assistance that North Korea needs to survive, including food and cash and fertilizer and so forth. Most of which comes from China and South Korea.
LIN: So China is going to be a big player in terms of whether this resolution has any teeth. What is China going to do? What do you expect it will do and what's at stake for China?
SAMORE: Well I would expect that China would comply with the terms of the resolution, which means that China will cooperate with other countries to target sanctions against North Korea's nuclear and ballistic missile programs. And that's fine, but is it strong enough to change North Korea's behavior, compel North Korea to abandon its nuclear weapons program and return to the six-party talks? I doubt it.
LIN: Yeah, because North Korea, I mean, flat in the U.N.'s face, last weekend, flat in the face of China's warning, do not test, do not conduct a nuclear test, North Korea did it anyway. So when North Korea actually says or shall I say threatens physical countermeasures, if it senses any sort of aggression by the United States, what did they mean by that? SAMORE: Well, the North Koreans have certainly hinted that they may test again, and there have been questions about whether or not this most recent test was fully successful. So there may be some technical and political reasons for the North to conduct another test in order to demonstrate that they can do it successfully. On the other hand the North Koreans may be a bit more cautious. This is a strong resolution, Secretary Rice is going out into the region to speak to all the other important countries that are North Korea's neighbors, so they may wait a bit and sort of see how things shake out before they take another action.
LIN: All right, but you -- it sounds like you expect them to test again, though.
SAMORE: Well, I think they'll test again if they feel they can get away with it.
LIN: How can they do that? I mean they know they can't.
SAMORE: I wouldn't say that. I think that so far they -- the tests that they've done earlier this week hasn't resulted in the kind of punishment, the kind of economic sanctions that would be -- that would jeopardize the survival of the state. And that's what North Korea's counting on. They are counting on China and South Korea's interest in preserving stability to limit the kind of economic sanctions that are imposed. And so as a consequence, the North Koreans may not see this resolution as very threatening.
LIN: So can North Korea be dealt with? Can it -- can it be negotiated with, or is this beyond the pale?
SAMORE: I don't think it's possible to disarm North Korea, through any means, diplomatic, economic pressure or military. I think basically we're stuck trying to contain a nuclear-armed North Korea, at least as long as this current regime survives.
LIN: A frightening scenario. Gary Samore, thank you.
SAMORE: Thank you.
LIN: Now you can learn a lot more about North Korea and its nuclear program on our website, cnn.com.
In the meantime, right here on television, a live report from Florida on the murders of a mother, father, and two children found along the state's turnpike.
And also, a soaring tribute. Remembering the service of some important Americans.
And later a live report from the United Nations after that dramatic North Korean vote. You're watching CNN, the most trusted name in news.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) LIN: Some of today's most popular stories on cnn.com. Arizona Congressman Jim Kolbe under investigation. There are allegations he was overly friendly, you might say, during a 1996 camping trip. Two former male pages went on the trip. Kolbe's office says there is no truth to the accusations.
And also in Arizona federal authorities arrest a suspected serial rapist on the Ft. Apache Indian Reservation. They say he posed as a police officer handcuffing girls and raping them.
And a federal arbitrator says the super max facility in Colorado is understaffed. It houses the nation's most notorious criminals, including Unabomber Ted Kaczynski.
The "Associated Press" is reporting on a family of five found shot to death in eastern Iowa. It happened in Van Buren County, in the town of Bonaparte. Now the local sheriff's office says three children and their parents were found shot around 4:00 a.m. local time. No suspect or motive yet in that case.
And Florida investigators are releasing more details in the execution-style slayings of a family. Four people found dead on a remote stretch of the Florida Turnpike yesterday. CNN's Susan Candiotti has more, she's live in Ft. Pierce with the very latest. Susan, some of these victims were so young.
SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: They were indeed, Carol. At this hour, police are asking for the public's help in finding this family's missing car. It's a Jeep Cherokee, 1998, black, four-door. Police say the victim -- the killer or killers apparently used it as a getaway car. And more than 24 hours after the bodies were discovered, police are now releasing the victims' names. They are a husband and wife, the husband Jose Luis Escobedo and his wife, Yessica. Had he lives, this would have been Mr. Escobedo's 29th birthday. The children, like their parents were also shot multiple times. They are 3-year-old Damian and 4-year-old Julian. The family are newcomers to the state of Florida.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SHERIFF KEN MASCARA, ST. LUCIE COUNTY, FLORIDA: This victim family moved recently to the Greenacres area of West Palm Beach on June 15th. They moved here from the Brownsville, Texas area. Notification of kin occurred last night in two cities, one in Brownsville and the other one in Springhill, Texas. Also last night, a search warrant was executed at their residence. The correct residence is 1244 Olympic Circle in Greenacres, Florida.
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
CANDIOTTI: Without explanation authorities are eliminating carjacking as a possible motive, but for now if they know what the motive is, they are not saying. They are trying to find out who so viciously killed this family. Back to you, Carol.
LIN: All right, Susan Candiotti, thank you. Now Vermont police have a 36-year-old construction worker in custody. He is suspected of killing a college coed. Police found Michelle Gardner Quinn's body yesterday nearly a week after she went missing from the University of Vermont campus. Investigators say surveillance tape shows the suspect, Brian Rooney, meeting Gardner Quinn as she was walking home to her dorm early Saturday morning.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHIEF THOMAS TREMBLAY, BURLINGTON, VT POLICE: A short time ago, Mr. Rooney was arrested and is currently in police custody on charges unrelated to the disappearance of Michelle. Those charges include sexual assault and lewd and lascivious conduct with a child. Each of these charges stems from events that occurred well before Michelle's disappearance and that were uncovered during the course of our investigation.
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
LIN: Rooney is being held without bond on those unrelated charges.
Now just ahead, the story behind a long-awaited memorial, soaring above the Washington, D.C. skyline.
And from Iraq, a U.S. soldier's act of compassion touches many through CNN's iReport.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Welcome to the John C. Campbell Folk School in Brass Town, North Carolina. A place where more than just traditional Appalachian arts and crafts are taught.
JOHN DAVIDSON, DIR., JOHN C. CAMPBELL FOLK SCHOOL: I think people come here looking for maybe a part of themselves that sometimes gets pushed into the background. We are in such a hurry and we're so competitive, that we don't get much encouragement to find that other part of ourselves.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: More than 800 classes are offered year around from blacksmithing and wood turning to basketry and pottery. The classes are all hands on.
DAVIDSON: A lot of people come here to add something to their life and some people come to maybe reconnect with their -- things they wished they'd done as children.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: In fact, according to the Travel Industry Association of America, in the past three years, over 30 million adults in the U.S. have taken some form of an educational trip. And many of these learning vacations are all about finding and developing that creative spirit within.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You think you know nothing and by the end of the week, you've done something that you never thought you'd be able to do.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And I'll take this home, and it may not be to anybody's quality, but it's all mine.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And for many, it's not just about the end product.
DAVIDSON: Somebody told me one time, last year I got a tan, this year I got a whole new attitude.
(END OF VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LIN: America's newest military monument dedicated today in Arlington, Virginia. President Bush and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld led ceremonies at the new U.S. Air Force memorial. Now, Mr. Bush praised current and past members of the air force for their bravery.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BUSH: Aviators by their nature are optimistic people. It takes an optimist to climb into a steel tube, race to the sky at 1,500 miles an hour, heading toward danger and expect to return home safely. Yet, this is precisely what the men and women of the air force do for our country every day. America's grateful for your service. And I'm proud to be the commander in chief of such fine men and women.
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
LIN: The memorial is made up of three stainless steel spires that soar nearly 300 feet into the sky. Pentagon correspondent Jamie McIntyre has more on the memorial and what inspired it.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It looks like it's almost done.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: One more piece to put on, and we are done.
JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: For retired major general Ed Grillo watching the air force memorial's completion has been as exhilarating as the aerobatics it evokes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You know when I look at this, I can't help but think of that maneuver that the thunderbirds do. What's that called?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's called a bomb burst maneuver and it's literally when four airplanes come together and they go reach into the heavens, they're surging straight up into the sky and that was part of the inspiration that the architect used for this memorial.
MCINTYRE: Designed by the late James Freed, the memorial took two years to build at a cost of $30 million in mostly private funds. It now takes the place as a prominent landmark on the Washington skyline, next to Arlington National Cemetery and up a hill from the Pentagon.
(on camera): You know from here it almost looks like this towers over the Washington Monument, but I guess that's just perspective.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It is just perspective. The Washington Monument is actually 550 feet tall.
MCINTYRE: And how tall is this?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The tallest spire is 270, we do sit on a 130- foot plateau, but even when adding those two elements together, the Washington Monument is still higher, as it should be.
MCINTYRE: Wind tunnel tests of the unique design revealed a problem, the spires acted like wings and vibrated, prompting a unique solution.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The engineering element that corrected that was to put these large 1,600 pound steel balls in cages inside the memorial, such that as the memorial begins to sway in one direction, the ball will move in the other and dampen the oscillation.
MCINTYRE: With the dedication this weekend, the air force, the youngest of the military services will no longer be the only service without a major memorial in Washington. Jamie McIntyre, CNN, Arlington, Virginia.
(END OF VIDEOTAPE)
LIN: And now, a tough but heartwarming story and picture. It was sent to CNN i-Report by Brian Beecher. And it shows air force medical chief John Gephardt cradling an Iraqi child. Now, this little girl's entire family was executed. The killers shot her too, in the head. But she lived. And nurses at a U.S. hospital in Iraq say Gephardt is the only person the child seems to calm down with. So, he spent several nights holding her, just like that, while they both slept in that chair. The baby is said to be healing from her gunshot wound.
Now, here's another picture of Gephardt holding another Iraqi child. CNN is trying to get in touch with him to learn more about his time in Iraq.
Well, it was a remarkable day at the United Nations, where they pulled off a unanimous vote on North Korea. Our Richard Roth gives us some perspective in a live report.
And is the Foley scandal having any political impact on the voters formerly known as the soccer moms? It's all straight ahead right here in THE NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) LIN: Less than a week after North Korea's suspected nuclear test blast, the U.N. Security Council unanimously slaps Pyongyang with sanctions. The latest in a live report straight ahead.
And just after the Security Council vote, President Bush praised the swift and tough message to North Korea. Mr. Bush says the U.N. actions shows the world is united against a nuclearized Korean peninsula.
And two more American troops have died in Iraq this weekend. An airman was killed today taking part in an operation with Iraqi police. And a soldier was killed yesterday by a roadside bomb. Forty-two American service members have been killed so far this month.
The FBI is investigating allegations of influence pedaling against a Pennsylvania congressman. They are trying to find out whether 10-term Republican Curt Weldon used his influence to get lobbying and consulting work for his daughter. Weldon denies any wrongdoing.
Police in Florida say whomever murdered a family of four along the Florida turnpike yesterday morning may be driving the family's Jeep. They don't have any motive for the execution-style slayings.
And sad news from Corpus Christi, Texas, country music legend Freddy Fender died about four hours ago. The Mexican-American crooner had a number of health problems, including lung cancer. Freddy Fender dead, at the age of 69.
Our top story though this hour, the U.N. sanctions against North Korea. Today's action by the U.N. Security Council, a swift response to the underground explosion that may have been a test of a nuclear weapon. Standing by with the story is CNN's Richard Roth live at the United Nations headquarters in New York. Richard, you know, I don't know where you start, because it was such a tense and exciting moment when that vote came down.
RICHARD ROTH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, the test was underground, the fireworks were above ground here at the United Nations Security Council. It was a 15 to nothing vote. It was unanimous, after the U.S. and Britain overcame some last-minute disagreements with China and Russia. This resolution imposes punitive sanctions, a variety of fronts against Pyongyang, North Korea. North Korea didn't listen three months ago when another resolution was passed, we'll see what happens this time. Some of the key aspects of this resolution, nuclear and missile ban, a financial freeze of assets related to weapons. A travel ban on officials in the North Korean government connected to the weapons program, and a luxury goods embargo. It didn't take long for North Korea to respond to this resolution, with a swift rejection by its ambassador to the U.N.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PAK GIL YON, NORTH KOREAN AMB. TO U.N.: It is gangster like for the Security Council to have adopted today a coercive resolution while neglecting a nuclear threat and moves for sanctions and pressure of the United States against the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea. This clearly typifies that the Security Council has completely lost its impartiality and it still persists in applying double standard in its work.
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
ROTH: The North Korean diplomat said his country is ready for dialogue and confrontation. He also said the resolution is a declaration of war. Then he walked out of the Security Council room declining to hear the South Korean ambassador. So taking the mic once again was U.S. Ambassador Bolton.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHN BOLTON, U.S. AMBASSADOR TO U.N.: I'm not going to waste any of our time responding to what the representative of the DPRK has said, but I want to call your attention to that empty chair. That is the second time in three months that the representative of the DPRK, having asked to participate in our meetings, has rejected a unanimous resolution of the Security Council and walked out of this chamber. It is the contemporary equivalent of Nikita Cruscef(ph) pounding his shoe on the desk of the general assembly.
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
ROTH: Now, also regarding the resolution, everybody is on board 15 to nothing but one of the key aspects that caused a lot of disagreement at the end regarding the cargo inspections, goods going in and out of North Korea, to and from. China publicly said that his country was not really interested in applying this measure in inspecting as necessary any goods that could be using materials, technology that could be used for a nuclear weapon.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WANG GUANGYA, CHINESE AMBASSADOR TO U.N.: For China, our political position is we're not in favor of inspections, because for a number of years, as a general principle, we feel that it will lead to negative consequences. So I do hope that with the watered-down language in the resolution itself that this has to be exercised with great care.
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
ROTH: U.S. Ambassador Bolton said China is included in that Security Council vote and should follow through on this. The Security Council will set up a committee now on sanctions, Carol, to set up the mechanism, but North Korea looks like it doesn't want to go along and is refusing to return to those so-called six-party talks. If they did, the sanctions would be lifted. Carol?
LIN: Richard, I was just talking with Gary Samore from the Council on Foreign Relations. He predicts that there's going to be another nuclear test by North Korea. North Korea not really caring much what the world thinks. What would happen next? ROTH: Well Bolton says there are repercussions here with this council resolution. I'm sure there would be another emergency meeting and they would produce even tougher sanctions against the regime involving what kind of materials, goods, they can receive, and some were speculating there might be a test related to this vote. I can tell you put January 1st down if you want to because that's the day South Korea's foreign minister officially becomes the next secretary- general and every aspect of his schedule of events. He was officially announced as the secretary-general and if they tested, that would probably be the day. John Bolton was asked about that question you just raised and said it's hypothetical situation, he didn't want to comment on it.
LIN: All right, thanks very much. Richard Roth.
And when it comes to North Korea, President Bush says the focus is still on diplomacy. Still, some are wondering, could it come to war? CNN's Brian Todd takes a closer look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): On a peninsula that's been heavily militarized and preparing for confrontation for more than 50 years, scenarios for war are detailed and frightening. We discussed them with a former senior U.S. army intelligence officer assigned to Korea. A former delta force commander who also has a CIA background. And a former strategic planner at the National War College, who developed a war game on Korea. They all make clear, war is a very remote possibility. So is the prospect of a U.S. preemptive strike.
MAJ. JEFFREY BEATTY, FORMER DELTA FORCE CMDR.: If you're going to do a preemptive strike, you have to make sure you get everything, because if you don't, they are going to launch what they have left, and they're going to probably launch a full-scale attack against the south.
TODD: Our experts say if America struck first, the best-case scenario is casualties in the tens of thousands on both sides. If North Korea attacked first, they say, thousands of its special operations commandos would likely swarm into the south from the air and sea, linking up with sleeper agents who have already infiltrated through tunnels, then --
BRIG. GEN. JAMES MARKS (RET.), CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Step two would be they have to secure the demilitarized zone that separates north from south and they would do that with light infantry, simply to hold the shoulders of the penetration. Not go very deep, but to hold the door open, if you will.
TODD: Holding the door for North Korea's heavily armored million man army to push towards Seoul and points south, at the same time the North Koreans would launch missiles.
MARKS: They would be conventionally tipped. We have to assume they would be chemically tipped. TODD: Prompting U.S. forces to launch air strikes on North Korean artillery positions, many of which can be hidden in deep underground bunkers. And inevitably, experts say, U.S. and North Korean ground forces would engage, likely on very difficult terrain.
(on camera): Terrain in what has turned into a very urbanized region over the past 50 years. That means possibly hundreds of thousands of casualties, military and civilian, and that leaves out North Korea's nuclear capability, which our experts say is too crude to be used effectively for the moment. Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.
(END OF VIDEOTAPE)
LIN: Well with the Mark Foley scandal still swirling the Justice Department has launched a separate probe into the story involving a page and another member of congress. Republican Jim Kolbe took a 1996 rafting trip with two male pages, and a group of adults. A person on the trip tells CNN he felt Kolbe was overly friendly with one of the pages, who was at the time 17. No direct comment from Kolbe, who is openly gay and is about to retire. His sister was also on that trip, by the way, and she says the allegation is hogwash. She also says, this is getting ridiculous.
And much is made of the fact that the Foley scandal comes during a crucial election campaign. And polls hint of possible problems for Foley's party, the Republicans. CNN's Jonathan Freed talked about the scandal to a key voting group, moms.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JONATHAN FREED, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): They've been called soccer moms, security moms, today, we'll call them softball moms.
MONIQUE GREGG, INDEPENDENT VOTER: I am neither a republican or a democrat. I tried to vote on the best candidate for each election.
FREED: Monique Gregg coaches her daughter's ball team here in upstate Indiana, in the second congressional district. The race is a tight one. And Gregg, who calls herself an independent, says she's tired of the Mark Foley story. She thinks Democrats across the country are making too much of the former lawmaker's reported sexual overtures to teenage former congressional pages.
GREGG: I think that they see the Republicans and they -- here's this person who is an anomaly to what they are preaching, per se, and they are just taking advantage of that situation. The Democrats are.
FREED: However she votes, she says Foley won't have an impact. The so-called married women with children demographic has been an important element of GOP support in recent years. But opinion polls suggest those moms are no longer holding Republicans dearest. Their support, now evenly split with Democrats. How does the Foley factor play into your vote this time?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't think it really does. FREED: Beth O'Connor is another independent voter.
BETH O'CONNOR, INDEPENDENT VOTER: I think it's an issue that's easy for to us get our hands around. We have some knowledge of how this should work, of decision making, so why wasn't anybody minding the store? So it's got a lot of play, I think, because we understand it. But it's relatively low on my decision-making tree.
FREED: She says issues like abortion, education, and immigration reform come first. And the GOP incumbent is trying to keep his campaign focused that way.
REP. CHRIS CHOCOLA, (R) INDIANA: But I think that we need to make sure we don't make this a political issue, we make this an issue of right and wrong to determine what happened and make sure it never happens again.
FREED: Are you feeling a lift in your support since this story broke?
JOE DONNELY, (D) INDIANA HOUSE CANDIDATE: I don't know if there's a lift, and you know, what we've tried to do is just focus on the fact that this is about children.
FREED: Back at the ball game, this Democrat believes the Foley fallout might help her candidate, but -- you think it will be as big a factor as some people think it will?
JANET GILROY, DEMOCRAT: No. I think the factor in this part of Indiana is going to be where do you align yourself with the governor?
FREED: Now try a Republican. When I say former Representative Mark Foley to you, what do you think?
ANNE-MARIE KANKEL, REPUBLICAN: That I am not going to sway from voting how I normally vote. I'm going to stick to the real issues that are at hand.
FREED: Less than a month to go, and moms like these could prove to be a key swing vote in the battle to determine if the GOP keeps control of Congress. Jonathan Freed, CNN, South Bend, Indiana.
(END OF VIDEOTAPE)
LIN: Now, we know you all have opinions out there, so if you have something to say, the "CNN Election Express Yourself Tour" is in Las Vegas, Nevada, today, and people there are sure speaking their minds.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The single most important issue to me in this election is having people in the United States trust in the integrity of the decision-making process of the United States Congress and the White House. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Women to have their own say and not religious right step in and tell us what the whole world is supposed to do.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Other nations don't like us is because we're all telling them no, you can't have the nukes and stuff like that, when we're the ones, the first ones that tested it, you know?
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
LIN: To find out where the tour is headed next, go to cnn.com/elections.
Actually, we can also tell you right now, Kansas City, Missouri, is the next stop on the "CNN Election Express Yourself Tour." So, please, be sure to stop by and give us a shout.
And for all your election coverage, stay with CNN, the best political team on television.
Well, a call goes out again. The gulf coast needs your help. Find out what you can do to make a difference. Where they are still in a lot of pain.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(WEATHER REPORT)
LIN: The scars of hurricane Katrina visible all over New Orleans, damaged homes waiting to be worked on, but not enough workers to get the job done. Reporting from St. Bernard Parish, CNN gulf coast correspondent, Susan Roesgen.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SUSAN ROESGEN, CNN GULF COAST CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Eric Bruckbauer decided to leave his home in Seattle for a week to gut houses for Habitat for Humanity in St. Bernard Parish, near New Orleans. Once he got here, he signed up for a second week, because he realized the work is no where near finished.
ERIC BRUCKBAUER, VOLUNTEER: You'd be amazed how much damage there still is after a year. It looks like this happened about a month ago, and people have forgotten about it. But there's -- there's still a lot to be done.
ROESGEN: In St. Bernard Parish alone there are hundreds of flooded houses just like this one that still need to be cleaned out. Neither the government nor private insurance companies cover this work, and there are far fewer volunteers these days to swing hammers.
(on camera): Habitat for Humanity has fewer than 40 volunteers here in the St. Bernard Parish this week. A few months ago there were more than 2,000.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: See we set up cots in the room, and as you can see, we desperately need more people, these rooms are barely filled.
ROESGEN: Six months ago Habitat for Humanity took over an abandoned elementary school, and made room for hundreds of volunteers. Now almost all the cots are empty, and other groups have seen their volunteer numbers drop off dramatically too. St. Bernard Parish Councilman Craig Taffaro says without volunteers, the parish would never have gotten back on its feet.
CRAIG TAFFARO, ST. BERNARD PARRISH COUNCILMAN: If we can impress upon the nation and people who are -- who are sitting, thinking, I wish I would have volunteered, but now that it's over I don't need to, to reconsider that, because it's not over for us.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This stands for St. Bernard recovery.
ROESGEN: Kelly Donahue has been so inspired by her work for Habitat that she got this tattoo, a reminder of Katrina's damage and all the work that still needs to be done. Susan Roesgen, CNN, St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana.
(END OF VIDEOTAPE)
LIN: After Katrina last year, police in New Orleans were the last line of defense against complete chaos, but after losing so much themselves, did some cops take, shoot-to-kill orders too far? Well, in this preview of tonight's "CNN PRESENTS," Drew Griffin uncovers the truth.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LT. SANDRA SIMPSON, NEW ORLEANS POLICE: We could hear gunshots all around us, basically. Most of the firing was coming from the project area, which would be to the north of our station.
DREW GRIFFIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The first district station under fire was now calling itself Ft. Apache.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Law-abiding citizens are leaving, and now you get kind of like the mad max syndrome, I guess. They are arming themselves, and they want to do what they want to do, and we can't allow them to get the station.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If anything happens, get low.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We actually had defensive positions on our station.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They challenge them, you-all should be on target.
CAPTAIN JAMES SCOTT, NEW ORLEANS POLICE: In a civilized society, that's pretty bizarre, that you have defensive positions on a police station.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's going to make 9/11 look like nothing. I think just the number of people dead, it's going to be worse, and we're not going to (INAUDIBLE).
OFFICER PAT MANGUS, NEW ORLEANS POLICE: The guy said NOPD die, that's when we realized that there was like some people out there that maybe didn't want to be rescued and were just out there looking at maybe taking us out.
SIMPSON: Dealing with all of this, the aftermath in the city with the flooding, with the looting, with the killing, with the raping. Some of the things that happened I just can't comprehend.
(END OF VIDEOTAPE)
LIN: Watch "CNN PRESENTS, SHOOT TO KILL" tonight and tomorrow at 8:00 p.m. and 11:00 p.m. eastern.
And U.S. schools are supposed to be paying more attention to nutrition and wellness these days. But what are schools really doing to turn us into a fit nation? You're watching CNN, the most trusted name in news. We're going to tell you.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LIN: Well, Congress is requiring school districts to add wellness policies for students. It's supposed to help kids by making school meals healthier. But as Dr. Sanjay Gupta reports, different schools make different commitments.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We're going to be having nachos, refried beans and applesauce.
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN SR. MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Wellness is being added to the program at schools across the country this year.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Cereal, they can have regular toast, cinnamon toast and cinnamon to go with their cereal.
GUPTA: Well, at least in theory anyway. Congress didn't give schools any extra money for new wellness programs. It left decisions about how to improve nutrition and exercise up to states and local leaders. Success depends on how hard schools want to work. In Atlanta, the district held a wellness plan kickoff day, but most of the specifics were left up to individual schools. District wide menus did change. Kids got one percent milk instead of two percent. Their pizza crusts went from white to wheat. Other wellness plans? North Allegheny, Pennsylvania killed their regular doughnuts with dad day. And in Pinellas County, Florida, middle schoolers get fries just three times a week now. Down from last year's daily allotment. Alice Stokes-Dahlberg randomly surveyed wellness policies this past August and found that they vary widely. The federal mandate is a good idea in theory, she says, but it may not have enough teeth.
ALICE STOKES-DAHLBERG, HEALTH EXPERT: What's the carrot, what's the stick? And unfortunately there's not a lot of funds available for helping schools to implement these policies, and on the other side too, there's really not a lot of restrictions or consequences if you -- if you don't.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Pineapple or cherry, pears.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, ok, so a nice good array of fruits today for the kids, good.
GUPTA: Denver's school system which is millions of dollars in debt, says it made wellness a priority throughout the entire district. There are no more school stores or vending machines selling junk food and competing with the healthy cafeteria options.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So now the wellness policy, everybody has to follow the same rules that we have to live with.
GUPTA: School kitchens also go out of their way to market the healthy items and package them in a way that's more kid friendly. Applesauce, dyed bright colors, colored milk in small plastic bottles instead of hard-to-open cartons. And every child, regardless of income, gets a healthy free breakfast delivered to their class, if their school wants it. (INAUDIBLE) says wellness plans can help schools beat the obesity epidemic, but only if schools commit to making them work.
(END OF VIDEOTAPE)
LIN: Well, wellness policies are supposed to provide nutrition, education and make physical activity more accessible.
Well, there's still much more ahead right here on CNN. Straight ahead at 6:00 eastern, a woman who lived through the nightmare of Hiroshima talks about the threat posed by North Korea.
And heroism and survival is nothing new after Katrina. Well I'm going to be talking to a New Orleans firefighter who did both and who was part of the New Orleans Film Festival this weekend.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LIN: Welcome to the NEWSROOM. Your link to the world, the web and what's happening right now. I'm Carol Lin. Straight ahead in this hour, North Korea labeled a threat to international peace. And now it gets slapped with the strongest set of sanctions ever passed against the country. And they've already announced they are not going to follow the rules.
Plus, an entire family killed and dumped on the Florida Turnpike. Today more information about the family and the urgent investigation to find the killers.
In the meantime, more slayings today in Iraq. Across the country at least 15 people were killed in attacks. Four of them were killed by gunmen in Baquba, north of Baghdad. And NATO says two Canadian soldiers have been killed in an ambush in southern Afghanistan. Three other troops were wounded in that attack. And it's the newest edition to the nation's capital skyline. This 270 foot tall memorial to the United States Air Force was dedicated today.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
