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American Morning

Ex-KGB Agent Accused of Poisoning Litvinenko; Lebanese Army Battles Islamic Militants; Immigration Reform: Are Current Laws Enough?

Aired May 22, 2007 - 08:00   ET

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

KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning to you. It is Tuesday, May 22nd.
I'm Kiran Chetry.

JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm John Roberts.

Good morning to you.

Stories "On Our Radar" this morning.

(NEWSBREAK)

CHETRY: Also, we begin today with a developing story, and that's major new news today, actually, in a sensational case, the former Russian spy poisoned last year in London. Well, British officials are now saying they have their man, but they need an arrest warrant to be able to get this guy, ex-KGB agent Andrei Lugovoi. They need to be able to extradite him to charge him with murder.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SIR KEN MACDONALD, HEAD OF CROWN PROSECUTION SERVICE: I've instructed CPS lawyers to take immediate steps to seek the early extradition of Andrei Lugovoi from Russia to the United Kingdom so that he may be charged here with murder and brought swiftly before a court in London to be prosecuted for this extraordinarily grave crime.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHETRY: Well, CNN's Matthew Chance has been following the story from London -- from Moscow, rather. He joins us live.

And Matthew, it doesn't look like this is likely to happen, because Moscow is saying they will not extradite him.

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, they are saying that, Kiran. You're absolutely right. But I think it does also underline just how seriously the British authorities are taking this case.

Knowing that the Russians have made it clear that they do not intend to extradite any Russian citizen to a British court to face trial on these charges, they've still gone ahead and said they're going to ask for that formal extradition, knowing that that's going to place further strain on relations between Britain and Russia. This is a very big and serious issue in Britain.

CHETRY: Yes. And the other question is, Lugovoi right now is denying any involvement in the killing. If they're able to pin him to this -- and they do have a lot of evidence in this case -- what would the motive possibly be?

CHANCE: Well, I mean, I don't know whether we're ever going to be able to find what that motive is, but certainly the British police say there's a lot of forensic evidence connecting Andrei Lugovoi to this crime. They say they've been for several months following a radioactive trail around central London which essentially traces the footsteps of Andrei Lugovoi in various hotel rooms and restaurants, up until the point where Alexander Litvinenko, the other former KGB spy who was poisoned with that radioactive isotope, was actually -- was actually administered the poison.

But, you know, as to who ordered him to do that, as to what the motive for that would be, that is just part of this very complex and fascinating mystery. Fingers have been pointed at the Kremlin. The Kremlin has denied it. But certainly Alexander Litvinenko made a lot of enemies since he defected to Britain in 2000.

CHETRY: Yes, he was a harsh critic of Putin, the Russian government, Vladimir Putin himself. It makes you wonder how deep this really goes.

CHANCE: Absolutely. And that's the big acquisition being made in the British media by Alexander Litvinenko's family, and, indeed, by Alexander Litvinenko himself on his deathbed in London last November.

He said this was Vladimir Putin, the Russian president, that had ordered his poisoning because he was such a vocal critic of that administration, of the Kremlin, particularly of the Kremlin's activities in the breakaway Russian republic of Chechnya. And he believed before he died, and it's still believed by his family now, that this was an attempt, a successful attempt by the Russian authorities to silence their most vocal critic.

CHETRY: Matthew Chance following the latest developments for us from Moscow.

Thank you.

ROBERTS: The Lebanese army is battling Islamic militants today for the third straight day. The government of Lebanon believes that the militants holed up in a Palestinian refugee camp are backed by Syria and pose a grave threat to Lebanon's democracy.

Roula Talj is a former adviser to the Lebanese government. She joins us now live from our Beirut bureau.

Roula, the Siniora government officials, as we said, are portraying this as a battle for the future of democracy in your country. Is it, in fact, that battle?

ROULA TALJ, FMR. ADVISER TO LEBANON: In many ways, yes, it is for the future of freedoms and the safetiness (ph) of minorities, I guess. But it's not the democracy that the Siniora government is talking about I'm afraid of, which leads me to believe -- so what was written in "The New Yorker" by Seymour Hersh the beginning of March -- I don't know if you read this article about the smuggling of arms and fighters, the same ones who went to Iraq that were smuggled into the country through international airport and other borders. And Seymour Hersh believed -- he had a serious source in the government of Siniora who believed that members of the government were helping and smuggling these people in.

So, that makes me wonder what was the reason for such actions, indeed.

ROBERTS: Right.

TALJ: And this question should be asked to the government of Siniora. They need to be accountable for what they did, I guess.

ROBERTS: Roula, this group that they're battling, Fatah al- Islam, it's a big problem. Growing elements of Islamic radicalism breeding in these refugee camps. Could this in the future -- they are Sunni versus Shiite, which is what Hezbollah is, but could they be a problem for the future of the government in Lebanon if this battle goes badly?

TALJ: I don't think there would be any -- it's not the government. What I'm afraid of, I'm afraid of a rerun of the 1975 civil war. It's exactly how it started.

You know, the PLO back then was perceived in the Islamic world as resistance, as a holy resistance against Israel. And they were led through stupid actions into a civil war in Lebanon, battling the Christians first, and then, you know, many coalitions formed. And I'm afraid that these people were smuggled into the camps because the Sunnis of Lebanon are not fighters, they don't like to fight.

So, I'm afraid they were -- they were led into the country in order to start a civil war against the Shia, which eventually, in the minds of some, might lead to the disarming of Hezbollah, which is a very dangerous and grave adventure, I guess. And I'm pretty concerned about -- about the outcome of all this. The army is weakened at this point.

ROBERTS: All right. Well, another potential...

TALJ: Go ahead.

ROBERTS: ... with a twist of intrigue related to that battle at the refugee camp outside of Tripoli.

Roula Talj, good to see you again. And thanks very much for joining us. Appreciate it.

TALJ: Thank you. Thank you.

(NEWSBREAK) (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHETRY: Well, when it comes to getting around on prom night, usually you think of stretch limos, right? Either that, or your parents dropped you off.

No way. No way. That would be the end of your high school career.

Well, not for some in Franklin County, in Virginia. They decided they're going to ride tractors to the prom. Fancy dresses, tuxedos -- there's ma taking a couple of pictures on the digital camera.

The couple said, you know what? We wanted to do something different.

I think they accomplished that. There you go, in the nice pink...

ROBERTS: And why did they take the tractor?

CHETRY: Why?

ROBERTS: Because the combine wasn't available.

Fourteen minutes after the hour, Chad Myers is here with a look at the weather across the country.

(WEATHER REPORT)

ROBERTS: The Senate is now debating the controversial immigration bill, but our next guest says the U.S. doesn't need an immigration bill. He says all we have to do is enforce the current laws.

Joining me now from Washington, Republican presidential candidate, Colorado Congressman Tom Tancredo.

Congressman, thanks for being with us. Good to see you.

REP. TOM TANCREDO (R-CO), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Thank you very much. It's a pleasure to join you.

ROBERTS: Immigration is a big issue for you, it's the centerpiece of your campaign. You say we don't need an immigration bill, but one is making its way through the Senate.

What would it take for that bill to be acceptable to you?

TANCREDO: I think they could strike about three of the four or five different sections of it, different articles, and just deal with the issue of enforcement. Even that, quite frankly, is so limited that it's almost a joke.

Really, this is the case. We've got about a 400-page bill that's winding its way now through the Senate very few senators have read or understand entirely. It's very complicated in certain areas, except it does one thing for sure. It gives -- the day after it passes and the president signs it, it gives 12 to 20 million people, however many are actually here illegally, the ability to obtain a card that lets them stay.

That's amnesty. That's all there is to it.

ROBERTS: All right. Now...

TANCREDO: I mean, if you just want to concentrate on one thing, that's it.

If, on the other hand, you want to concentrate on what we should do and could do -- and we don't need a single bill to do it -- it is enforce the law. That is, on the border, secure your border. And interior, go after employers who are the magnet that actually creates the poll. Those two things will do it.

ROBERTS: Yes, but, Congressman, people say, what do you do with the 12 to 20 million people who already in the country? And you're getting pushback on this idea of amnesty from members of your own party. Take a quick look at what Arlen Specter said about that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. ARLEN SPECTER (R-PA), RANKING MEMBER, JUDICIARY COMMITTEE: It's not amnesty. Right now we have anarchy. Anarchy. Those 12 million undocumented immigrants are going to be in this country one way or another.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERTS: So, they're going to be here one way or another.

What do you do about that?

TANCREDO: No, they're not. I will not accept that. That is an absolutely preposterous thing to say for a U.S. senator, even Arlen Specter. The idea...

ROBERTS: Are you saying you could deport them all?

TANCREDO: Well, number one, could you? Yes. It's not easy.

ROBERTS: How?

TANCREDO: It would be enormously difficult, but you don't have to. You do not have to begin that, go down that road.

All you have to do is not provide the thing for which these people came. That is, a job.

If they cannot get a job or the benefits that go along with it, and various other social service benefits, they go home. It happens. It has happened before. It is actually happening in Colorado, where the state passed a bill that goes after employers. And the paper not too long ago, the Denver paper, was interviewing some of the illegal aliens up in the Vail valley, and they said, yes, we're out of here, we're going home. It does happen.

ROBERTS: Congressman, these provisions...

TANCREDO: And so it's called -- it's called -- it's called attrition through enforcement. People will go home. They don't have to be rounded up.

ROBERTS: These provisions in this bill for Z visas, fines, touchback before you can come back in the country to apply for citizenship, do you think anybody is going to do that?

TANCREDO: No. Well, and even if they don't do that, what are we going to do with them? Does anybody suggest in here that if any of these people don't go through the process of getting their Z visa, you know, getting their "24-hour background check" -- and, by the way, if it's not done in 24 hours, you get the Z visa anyway.

If anybody doesn't do that, what are we going to do? Deport them? Oh my god. They're here. Well, heavens, we can't just deport them.

I mean, this is the whole problem. There is no -- for now it's been years.

Truly, the one thing that Arlen Specter said that was accurate is that the system is a mess. That's for sure. And he can take some credit for that. And the way we can fix it is by starting to enforce the law.

But the reality is, we have not -- we don't have the will to enforce the law. That's what we're afraid of.

We're afraid of the corporate pushback. We're afraid of the pressure groups who support illegal immigration. We're afraid of their pushback. We're afraid of the possibility that we're going to offend certain minority groups in this country.

Well, you know what? Just as many people I think are concerned. I don't care if they're black, brown or white.

They're concerned about the security of the nation -- that is, securing those borders -- the integrity of American jobs, the ability for people to actually start having their wages increase, not remain static or decrease because of the massive numbers of low-skill, low- wage workers in the country. There are plenty of them in this country that want this bill -- that want a true reform bill. And I wish we would actually pay attention to them.

ROBERTS: Yes, or no, do you think this bill stands a chance of becoming law?

TANCREDO: A 50-50 -- it's a 50-50 chance. It really is. I can't give you a pure yes or no.

ROBERTS: OK. All right.

TANCREDO: It's -- I'm hoping, of course, that we never see it pass. And we'll see. We'll see.

ROBERTS: Fair enough.

TANCREDO: The place is a fluid place around here.

ROBERTS: Really? Never noticed.

TANCREDO: Yes.

ROBERTS: Congressman Tom Tancredo, also a Republican presidential candidate.

Thanks for being with us.

TANCREDO: You bet.

(NEWSBREAK)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHETRY: Well, there could be a new ticket for weary travelers who suffer from jet lag. It comes in the form of a little blue pill.

Researchers in Argentina found that Viagra helped male hamsters recover from jet lag up to 50 percent faster. The study suggests that Viagra could help humans recover from jet lag, too.

ROBERTS: Why do hamsters have jet lag?

CHETRY: I have no idea. I thought they just go around in a little wheel all day.

ALI VELSHI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The wheel, yes. It's exhausting, but I don't know if it's jet lag, though.

ROBERTS: Apparently, they're going to start human trials of that soon.

CHETRY: Yes. And what is the fate for all the female hamsters? It's still up in the air.

ROBERTS: They can sleep in.

Twenty-five minutes after the hour.

You have got a computer that you want to get rid of.

(CROSSTALK)

ROBERTS: No, I don't want to talk about Viagra anymore.

VELSHI: All right.

ROBERTS: You've got a computer you want to get rid of, you don't know what to do with it? Well, somebody has got the answer.

VELSHI: Yes. Staples is expanding a program that they've got. So you can -- you can take your computer or -- you know, your laptop or your desktop or your monitor to Staples, any store, during any store hours in the United States, and for 10 bucks they'll take your computer and dispose of it.

Now, my producer, whose response to this initially in an effort to reduce his carbon footprint, was, "Why do I have to pay them to take my computer?"

This is the issue. Reducing your carbon footprint does cost some money. You see, a lot of people that give back their computers think, it's still a good computer. It's not good for me, but it's good for somebody. Why should I have to pay anybody? Because someone's going to make money off of this.

In truth, most of these companies that take your stuff and recycle them send them to other places that then recycle them. Somebody makes money on this somewhere along the line, but it's really dangerous to throw your computer in the garbage.

CHETRY: You can donate it, too, to various organizations.

VELSHI: You can. There are some places that will take it, yes.

But the thing to remember when getting rid of a computer is, if it's bad for the environment, don't throw it into the garbage.

ROBERTS: What is it that's in it that's bad for the environment?

VELSHI: It's various chemicals that make up the components in a computer. Really, they don't biodegrade. They're really not good.

They can be actually -- they can be toxic. So, computers, monitors, things like that, you don't want to throw away.

And number two, erase the hard drive properly. You can actually buy software for this, and you should, because, you know, while the chain of things, if you give it to Staples, and they give it to somebody else, it's probably safe, you fundamentally don't get rid of hard drives without really destroying them.

ROBERTS: I've heard the best way is to take an electric drill, drill...

VELSHI: Yes. I mean, really, if you think someone might use that computer again or you want someone to use it, you can get some software. It's not particularly expensive. And it erases most things on a hard drive.

If you don't think anybody is going to use it, then take some time and destroy the hard drive, because, you know, with all the information that gets stolen these days -- by the way, any Staples in Canada or the U.S., you can take cell phones, pagers, digital cameras, mice and speakers and keyboards, and they'll get rid of that for free.

CHETRY: And we're not talking live animals.

VELSHI: Not gerbils. These are not...

CHETRY: Hamsters.

VELSHI: Not hamsters. These are mice.

ROBERTS: Not hamsters.

VELSHI: Yes.

CHETRY: Ali, cool. Thanks.

VELSHI: OK.

CHETRY: Well, coming up, a car dealer wants to fly the American flag in front of his dealership. So why is the city saying no? It's a pretty big flag flap.

We'll be telling you all about it coming up on AMERICAN MORNING.

The most news in the morning here on CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHETRY: (INAUDIBLE) this morning at 8:30 Eastern time in Liberty Island and the beautiful Statue of Liberty there out on New York Harbor today.

Welcome back. It is Tuesday, May 22nd. I'm Kiran Chetry. Thanks for being with us.

ROBERTS: And I'm John Roberts. A lot developing right now. We begin with a developing story this morning. A potential international incident. British officials announce murder charges this morning against ex-spy Andrei Lugovoy in the poisoning death of another former spy, Alexander Litvinenko. Litvinenko was an outspoken critic of the Kremlin. He died last year in London after being poisoned with polonium-210. However, Moscow is saying today that they will not honor Britain's extradition request.

In just the last few minutes, a cease-fire was announced in Lebanon. Islamic militants holed up in Palestinian refugee camp near Tripoli say they put a hold on fighting with Lebanese troops as of one hour ago. The government suspects the group Fatah al-Islam is backed by Syria. At least two cease-fires have been broken during three days of fighting.

With U.S.-Iranian talks just a week away, Iran is now charging an Iranian-American with plotting to overthrow the government. Haleh Esfandiari is a director of the Middle East Studies Program at the Woodrow Wilson Center in Washington. She has been detained in Iran since visiting her mother in December and imprisoned there at a notorious prison for the last two weeks.

To Iraq now where U.S. and Iraqi troops involved in the search for three missing soldiers are following up on more than 200 intelligence reports. Troops raided suspected safe houses yesterday south of Baghdad and a military spokesman says U.S. pressure is forcing the kidnappers to move the soldiers around.

CHETRY: Well, a centerpiece of the proposed immigration bill would give the estimated 12 million illegal immigrants a so-called path to citizenship. So what is that and how hard would it be to actually follow? AMERICAN MORNING's Alina Cho joins us now with more on the story.

Tell us about the financial impact as well. It seems if this does in fact go through and make it into law, confusing as to how you figure out what it is going to cost your household.

ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It is confusing. And the short answer is very hard to follow, Kiran. I mean, this is a draft for the bill itself.

CHETRY: We're guessing five pounds.

CHO: Somewhere in the neighborhood of five pounds, close to 400 pages, so, you can imagine, it is so hard to follow. A lot of senators haven't even read it yet, you know, but one thing is for sure. Some illegal immigrants know this, that if this bill passes, some people who are here illegally will have to "touchback" or return to their home countries in order to come back with legal status.

Those we spoke to say that will tear families apart and they are vowing not to comply.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHO (voice-over): Juan is in the U.S. illegally, but like many immigrants, he has an American dream. He rides his bike to work every day. He's a cashier at a wine store in New York City.

JUAN, ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT: Thank you very much.

CHO: And makes $400 a week, barely enough to take care of his long-time partner, Rena (ph), and their two children. If Congress passes comprehensive immigration reform, Juan would eventually have to return to Mexico and leave his family behind without knowing when he could return.

JUAN: It breaks my heart. If I've got to go back to Mexico, who is going to take care of my family?

CHO: If passed, the bill would give millions of illegal immigrants a path to citizenship. Step one, illegal immigrants already here would have to apply for a Z visa. That would allow people like Juan to travel, work and pay taxes.

Step two, sometime within eight years, heads of households would have to go back to their home country, something called the "touchback" provision. They are guaranteed the right to return, but it's unclear how long it would take.

Step three, each illegal immigrant would have to pay a $5,000 fine.

Finally, step four, immigrants could then and only then apply for citizenship. But they automatically start the process behind those who started it legally.

CHUNG-WHA HONG, NEW YORK IMMIGRATION COALITION: What's the point of making it so complicated if we all agree that we need to do it? Let's make it real, let's make it efficient, and workable so that people actually sign up for it.

CHO: Juan calls the bill a trick and says he won't go back to Mexico because he's worried the U.S. government won't let him back in. His goal is to open a Tae Kwon Do studio and fight for a better life for his family in the place he calls home, the United States.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHO: Now, Juan's partner Rena says if Juan is forced to go back to Mexico, she and her two children will go with him. After all, she doesn't work and has no way of paying the bills. Now as for that $5,000 fine we talked about, which is actually $10,000 for this family, $5,000 each for Juan and Rena, both say if they have trouble paying the rent, how are they going to pay the fine?

Rena says she would rather save the money and go back to Mexico and stay there. Not a perfect solution, Kiran, but clearly something that this family would do. Remember, I mean, there is a long fight ahead in Congress. President Bush wants this signed by the end of the summer, it would be a huge victory for him in the second term and a centerpiece, as you well know, of his compassionate conservative agenda.

CHETRY: And it's interesting though because it's an option. I mean, and when you talk about that, it means there is really no way for the federal government to enforce it. So people -- they're not going to be forced to do this touchback anyway.

CHO: That's right, I mean, remember, an estimated 12 million illegal immigrants already living in the so-called shadows, right? What are you going to do? Round them all up? I mean, that's a big part of what the critics say. You can't enforce it no matter what they pass. They are hailing it as historic. We shall see what happens if it passes and whether they are actually able to enforce it.

CHETRY: Yes, and the senators and congresspeople have a lot of reading to do.

CHO: They most certainly do, almost 400 pages.

CHETRY: Alina, thanks.

CHO: My pleasure.

ROBERTS: Researchers in California are going to try again today to get that mama humpback whale and her calf moving back toward the ocean. Crews are banging on pipes under the water, trying to drive them down the river, away from a sound that they think is annoying to them.

They were able to get a tracking device on the mother whale. As of last night, the whales were still circling in a shipping canal about 50 miles from the Golden Gate Bridge and the Pacific Ocean.

"ANDERSON COOPER 360" airs weeknights at 10:00 Eastern. Here's Anderson with a look at what's on tonight -- Anderson.

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: Hey, John, tonight, hospitals accused of doing harm, dumping patients on city streets, the practice hiding in plain sight until it was caught on camera. What's behind it and why is it tolerated? It's a "60 Minutes" investigation on "360" tonight 10:00 p.m. Eastern -- John.

ROBERTS: Anderson, thanks. We will see you then. Still to come, getting points or miles for using a credit card is nothing new, but could using this credit card be good for your soul? That story coming right up.

And a flag flap over a flapping flag. We'll tell you what has people in Las Vegas so upset about this particular American flag. Size might have something to do with it. You're watching AMERICAN MORNING, the most news in the morning is on CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROBERTS: Forty minutes now after the hour. Don't leave Rome without it? Could that be the new slogan for Catholics? A new credit card automatically gives a donation to the Vatican every time you use it. A Catholic credit card. Delia Gallagher is AMERICAN MORNING's faith and values correspondent. And she is here with this latest twist on plastic.

DELIA GALLAGHER, CNN FAITH & VALUES CORRESPONDENT: Good morning.

ROBERTS: So it is an intriguing idea.

GALLAGHER: It is the first of its kind. I'm predicting it is going to be a big hit and everybody is going to follow suit because we've been calling all week, calling different banks, calling different religions, anybody done this before? No.

And the difference with this one is it is an independent group working with Washington Mutual Bank, a group called Soliere Capital (ph), they work with the Catholic Church. And 1 percent of the proceeds from any of your purchases goes to the Vatican Missionary Office.

So it goes to those missions around the world that help with schools, hospitals and the like. So, it's, you know, spending without guilt. I mean, it's a no-fail kind of proposition.

ROBERTS: Or spending to alleviate guilt...

(CROSSTALK)

GALLAGHER: Yes, right. Because the more you spend, the more you're going to donate to these missions. So I think it is going to take off.

ROBERTS: So you said that you called around to check to see if other religions are doing this. You said you came up with a no. But is there anybody who is resisting the idea?

GALLAGHER: It is very interesting, actually. Because the Mormons told us that they don't encourage Mormons to use credit or to have credit cards. I mean, they can have them, but they say their religion tries to encourage them to stay out of debt and not spend so much.

So, the Catholics don't do that, I suppose. So, they're allowed to have the Catholic credit card. But the first of its kind, you don't have to be Catholic to get it, by the way. And the company does tell us that they have interests from other groups, Jewish groups, for example, that are interested in helping out the missions around the world. So, it has only been out for two weeks, it's a new initiative.

ROBERTS: Any idea what the response has been thus far?

GALLAGHER: They say -- the company says it has been big. But you know, that is -- they are privately-held.

ROBERTS: Do they have any numbers?

GALLAGHER: They're a privately-held company, they don't have the numbers yet but they say they've had a good response on it and they're looking for more. So, you know, that's their -- that's their...

ROBERTS: So what about other companies? As you said, there is one organization, World Missions, any other companies like banks or any other credit card companies thinking about getting into this?

GALLAGHER: Well, interestingly, when we called the banks they said, you know, gee, we've never heard of such a thing. I mean, you have heard of these affinity cards, you know, they are cards that try to target certain groups.

But the difference with this is, anybody can have it but the donation is going to somebody else, is going to a specific group. So this is not a Catholic credit card for Catholics only, this is Catholic credit card which is helping Catholic services around the world.

ROBERTS: So what a way to feel better about buying that new pair of shoes.

GALLAGHER: That's right. I think it is going to be big. ROBERTS: All right. Delia Gallagher, thanks very much. CNN "NEWSROOM" is just minutes away now, Tony Harris at the CNN Center with a look at what lies ahead.

Hey, Tony.

TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Ah, hey, John, good morning to you. On the "NEWSROOM" rundown this morning for you, gas even higher, gas inching to a new record today. AAA says it's averaging $3.20 a gallon. We ask our guests what's going on here.

Trading fire for a third day. Now late word of a possible truce. The Lebanese army tries to flush fighters from a refugee camp, some 30,000 refugees trapped in the middle.

A mom's dilemma, two children both graduating at the same time from different high schools. We will tell you how she manages to be in two places at one time. Heidi is with me in the "NEWSROOM," we get started at the top of the hour right here on CNN. John, back to you.

ROBERTS: All right. Tony, we'll see you then.

Intense drought in the West and a fire-scorched Southeast. Not good news, but it's what climate scientists are predicting for the summer. And let's go over to Kiran who is with our severe weather expert, Chad Myers.

CHETRY: Here he is.

Chad, what is going on?

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: You only have to look at the camera out of Atlanta. I mean, we even see in this camera all day...

CHETRY: It's actually registering as precipitation on the radar because of the smoke?

MYERS: Look at this, you can hardly see the downtown buildings here. This is from WSB, one of our affiliates in Atlanta. Looking downtown, this is the smoke that came out of the fires from Ware Country near Valdosta near Lake City in Florida. The winds have been out of the south and east all night long and then all of a sudden this smoke that was over Augusta, thanks goodness they're not playing golf there, was now floating over Atlanta in unhealthy amounts.

Here is the smoke here. This is our Google map. There even is a critical fire danger area across Florida today. Some gusty winds, as well. Those winds will fan the flames, fan the smoke, as well. And if you're in Atlanta, Georgia, you see the smoke outside, you may just want to stay inside today.

There is some relief, though, on the map for this drought. Here's what the drought looks like for the summer. National Weather Service, NOAA, they put out this long-range forecast. Who is going to get better and who's not? Well, the green areas are going to see some improvement. And that is where the fires are right now. Now, we did have and still do have fires in Payson, also into California where the drought continues. But there may be some improvement all the way from about Flagstaff on up to Payson and right down through Prescott and down into Tucson. There are a couple of showers who are moving in

The only really good news I can say here is that we'd love to see a few tropical storms -- not hurricanes, guys. Just tropical storms move on land in the Southeast into Florida, put down two, three, four inches of rain, 30-, 40-mile-per-hour winds, and that would alleviate a big-time drought in Florida, as well, which is going on right now.

CHETRY: All right. So if you had your Mother Nature wish list, that is what it would be.

MYERS: I would have tropical storms develop 100 miles from shore and move right on land and die, not 500 miles from shore, become a Category 4, move on shore and die.

CHETRY: Gotcha.

MYERS: Right? See that point.

CHETRY: Agree.

MYERS: Just a little nuance.

CHETRY: Thanks. Well, listen, it was a really big flag and it has caused a really big problem for one Las Vegas car dealership. We're going to have that story coming up. There's a shot that makes a pretty picture this morning, but there is some controversy, some say it's just an advertising ploy, commercialism only. But the owner is insisting it's patriotism that has it flying.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHETRY: It's a super sized American flag and it is certainly whipping up some controversy today. You probably have one like this in your town. A gigantic flag flapping over a car dealership. You can see it as you drive by. Some neighbors though in Las Vegas are complaining. They say the flag is too noisy, we probably won't be able to hear it, I think we might be too far away with that shot.

And the city council and mayor upset, they say the flag should not be exploited to sell cars. The council in fact unanimously voted to have that flag taken down. But Dan Towbin, who raised that 60-by- 30-foot flag above his Hummer dealership last year, says it is patriotism and that's why he wants to keep it up.

Dan, good morning.

DAN TOWBIN, WANTS TO DISPLAY FLAG: Good morning, Kiran.

CHETRY: Well, there we see it, we see your flag right there. Hundred feet in the air and now the city council says you have to take it down. What was your reaction?

TOWBIN: I was just shocked, actually. I just -- I couldn't imagine that the American flag would become controversial.

CHETRY: Well, there are some in the area who are saying it's too loud. Is it loud?

TOWBIN: It's certainly no louder than the traffic that is going by. This is a major highway that the dealership is on and there are cars and trucks going by all day and night, about 70,000 vehicles a day. And certainly the flag is not any louder than that and I would argue that it's much quieter than that, in fact.

CHETRY: What about the critics who say that it's just -- it's using or abusing the American flag to drum up some more business?

TOWBIN: Well, if I was going to do that, I would have a flag of a Hummer or the name of the company, Towbin Hummer, something else to market the company. I've always wanted to have a big flag in front of my establishments and this year I built this new dealership, very proud of it. And it was my opportunity to show my patriotism -- my personal patriotism and I'm very proud of it and so is our staff.

CHETRY: And this isn't your first problem with the Las Vegas City Council about this, apparently in 2004 you had a similar situation with smaller flags.

TOWBIN: That's right. And that's the irony here because we have another dealership on the other side of town and we -- over Memorial Day weekend in 2004, we were flying very small flags on the cars, and to show our patriotism, again.

And the city sent us a notice that if we didn't have them down within so many hours that they were going to cite us and fine us for a lot of money. Yes, that was the case.

CHETRY: Yes, and you point out the irony of this because you say that Las Vegas City Council approves things like tawdry billboards, advertising adult entertainment and on and on. But they're offended by the flag being up.

TOWBIN: It just doesn't make sense because, you know, if you drive around Las Vegas, this is an adult-themed community and there are all kinds of things that are advertised, being the kind of community that it is. And yet, American flag, a time where we really need that as a country to show our patriotism, we're being, you know, frowned upon for raising this great flag. I've had so much support from around the country, it's very heartwarming, actually.

CHETRY: And, Dan, you say there are other businesses also that have big flags flying, how come they're targeting you?

TOWBIN: I think it is just maybe that we're a car dealer. You drive up the road, there's gas stations on many corners in Las Vegas, known as the "terrible herps (ph)" and they have 80- to 100-foot flags in front of every one of them. I really don't know what the issue is, but I think it was a very sad day for city council, Tarkanian, and our mayor, Oscar Goodman, when they proposed to have this flag removed.

CHETRY: All right. Well, they're saying they're giving you 60 days. You have hired a lawyer to fight it. Keep us posted on what goes on.

TOWBIN: I will do that, Kiran. Thank you very much.

CHETRY: All right. Sure. Dan Towbin, thanks for talking with us today.

ROBERTS: Here's a quick look at what CNN "NEWSROOM" is working on for the top of the hour.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS (voice-over): See these stories in the CNN "NEWSROOM." The poisoning of former Russian spy Alexander Litvinenko. Britain bringing a murder charge against a one-time KGB agent.

Baghdad car bomb, more than two dozen killed at an outdoor market.

AAA putting gas at yet another record high today, $3.20 a gallon on average.

And the kitten that's a Major League fan, only question, Mets or Yankees?

NEWSROOM, top of the hour on CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROBERTS: Fifty-five minutes now after the hour and time to meet another CNN hero. A doctor who finds his patients on the streets of southern Arizona, but doesn't charge them a dime. Dr. Randy Christensen is today's CNN hero.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: When I was 10 years old I decided (INAUDIBLE) run away from home.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I have been on the streets from 12 to 20.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's scary to live on the streets. So many drugs and there's violence.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I sleep in an abandoned house.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I was taken away from my parents when I was like 10 years old.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My dad dropped me off at a dumpster and he told me don't even think about going back home. DR. RANDY CHRISTENSEN, "MEDICAL MARVEL": There are as many as 5,000 to 10,000 kids on the streets of Arizona.

We turn our heads. We don't look at them in their eyes. Many of the kids are truly forgotten.

I'm Dr. Randy Christensen. I'm the medical director the "Cruising Health" mobile.

We take care of kids on the street through a medical mobile van. Everything that would be in a regular doctor's office is on the van. All of the kids that are seen by us are seen free of charge.

Did you need anything? Did you need a new backpack?

I have never really been about the money. I went it medical school thinking that I was going to be a surgeon, but everything that made me stop and think had to do with children and adolescents. I chose to come out on the streets.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Dr. Christensen, he makes it to where people actually want to come back and actually want to get help.

CHRISTENSEN: We pull up to the van and within five to 10 minutes there's 20 or 30 kids coming out of every different alley or different street.

You get out there and you see some of these kids and you talk to them and you give them a little bit of dignity and respect and all of a sudden they open up. It's like a light bulb goes on and they want to talk and they want to tell you their story.

Here, let me listen to you. They think you might have pneumonia. Take a deep breath.

They still have that gleam of hope in their eyes. It's that hope that gives you hope.

High five.

And at the very end they give you a big hug and they say thank you and that means the most to me.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHETRY: Some quick hits now. Two screen gems -- not us, it's Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt on the red carpet. There they were, the first lady and first gentleman of the red carpet in Cannes, I guess you could say. They were at the premier of "A Mighty Heart" where Jolie plays the part of Marianne Pearl, the widow of Daniel Pearl. He was The Wall Street Journal reporter killed in Pakistan by Islamic militants. Pitt is the co-producer of that film.

ROBERTS: Looking very young with that slicked by 'do there. And when was the last time we checked in on our good friend "Knut," or "Knut" depending on your pronunciation. The polar bear, new pictures taken today, judge for yourself, is Knut still cute? Is that bear enjoying his swim?

CHETRY: He is adorable.

ROBERTS: With the weather in Berlin near 80 degrees, Knut went for a dip with his keeper, but it kind of looks like his keeper is having a lot more fun than Knut is.

CHETRY: So cute.

ROBERTS: Getting up there, that bear is well into adolescence right now.

CHETRY: Yes, he sure is. And that's going to do it for us here on AMERICAN MORNING. Good to see you.

ROBERTS: Good to see you as well. We'll see you tomorrow, hope that you'll join us tomorrow as well. CNN "NEWSROOM" with Tony Harris and Heidi Collins begins right now.

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