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Round-The-Clock Search for Missing Soldiers; Slavery in America?; Ammo to Lebanon
Aired May 24, 2007 - 14:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, everyone. I'm Don Lemon, live at the CNN world headquarters in Atlanta.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Fredricka Whitfield, in today for Kyra Phillips.
Ready for some unconventional wisdom on gas prices? One expert predicts a downhill slide through the summer.
We'll gauge the prospects in the NEWSROOM.
LEMON: We're also on the story of a modern-day alleged slave driver's revolting allegations of depravity and cruelty on Long Island.
You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.
President Bush insists that both Iraq and the world are better off without Saddam Hussein. And despite fierce opposition from Democrats, he's expected to score a legislative victory today when the House votes on the latest war-spending bill. Like the war itself, the debate has been difficult. The president vetoed the first version in a showdown with war critics. But this morning, in the Rose Garden, he endorsed the latest version of that bill.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: My administration and members of Congress from both parties have had many meetings to work out our differences on this legislation. As a result, we removed the arbitrary timetables for withdrawal and the restrictions on our military commanders that some in Congress have supported.
We were also successful in removing billions in unrelated domestic spending that many of the Democrats were insisting on. I wanted to remove even more, but still, by voting for this bill, members of both parties can show our troops and the Iraqis and the enemy that our country will support our servicemen and women in harm's way.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: The president says both parties worked out their differences, though they didn't change their fundamental positions on whether timetables and deadlines even belong in the bill. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. JAMES MCGOVERN (D), MASSACHUSETTS: We can debate why and when our Iraq policy turned into the disaster that plays out every day in Baghdad and Diyala, but that debate really doesn't matter anymore, because the president's policy is a failure. And no amount of funding, with or without conditions, can fix it.
The only thing that matters now is when and how we end this disaster, and when we bring our uniformed men and women safely home to their families and communities.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. DAN LUNGREN (R), CALIFORNIA: I've heard it said that we need a new policy. We have a new policy. I've heard it said we need a new military commander. We have a new military commander. I've heard it said we need new tactics. We have new tactics.
The problem is, as the president's presented this, as we put this into effect, all we hear is no, no, no and no. That's not a policy. That's a denial. That does not support the troops.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: The House is set to vote on the bill in the coming hours. The Senate, shortly afterwards.
Full coverage right here on CNN.
LEMON: Now we know a body found yesterday in the Euphrates River south of Baghdad is that of a U.S. soldier missing for almost two weeks, Army Private First Class Joseph Anzack. His family in Torrance, California, got the news first. This is how Anzack's friends and classmates are remembering him today, with a very personal memorial to the 20-year-old graduate of South High School in Torrance.
Anzack was one of three U.S. troops unaccounted for since a deadly ambush on their unit. It happened back on May 12th.
Well, yesterday's discovery changes the object of all -- the all- out search, but not the intensity. Not the urgency.
CNN's Arwa Damon reports on that.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ARWA DAMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The U.S. military is now officially confirming what many of the soldiers here at Camp Yusufiya already knew, that the body that was recovered from the Euphrates River yesterday was that of Private Joseph Anzack, just 20 years old. The news was greeted with a mixture of both relief and sorrow. Relief because it would mean closure, at least for one of the families of the three kidnapped soldiers, and sorrow because many people here were actually hoping that they would be able to find all three of their missing men alive.
The mission to find the remaining two kidnapped soldiers and the individuals that carried out this attack does continue with all of its intensity. In overnight raids, the U.S. military says they detained a number two al Qaeda operative in this area and are hoping that information obtained from him will lead them to their two remaining missing soldiers.
Speaking with the troops here, they say that they are just as determined as ever to keep going with this mission. The battalion commanders saying that they are not looking for revenge. They are not looking to carry out acts of hatred, but that, rather, this would be a reckoning and that the individuals that have carried out this attack, this ambush on U.S. troops, would regret what they had done.
Arwa Damon, CNN, Yusufiya, Iraq.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: The traditional summer driving season is just getting started, and you don't need to tell us that you are dealing with ridiculously high gas prices. We all know it and are feeling it, but the situation may not be as bad as it appears.
On today's "AMERICAN MORNING," one industry economist said consumer demand is driving the price hikes. But there are reasons for optimism.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LYNN WESTFALL, CHIEF ECONOMIST, TESORO CORP.: We have to bid up the price of gasoline on the world scale to give the incentive to these very inefficient refineries to make something that they weren't built to make. And we also have to pay the price to ship the product over here.
So, yes, when U.S. refineries are running at absolutely 100 percent capacity, and demand keeps growing, we do have to go overseas to very inefficient refineries to fill our supply-demand gaps.
JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: So you're...
WESTFALL: And that becomes a fairly expensive -- that becomes a very expensive proposition.
ROBERTS: ... saying, Mr. Westfall, that...
WESTFALL: With all of the other things being equal, meaning there's no disruptions in the Middle East, there are no refinery operating incidents, what we're seeing now is for the past three weeks, gasoline inventories have finally started to build because refineries are coming back from being shut down to do routine maintenance. So I would say that prices are probably going to peak in the next week or two, and you'll start seeing some relief through the summer.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: All right. Easy ride from there. We like to hear that.
So gas prices remain at a record high. AAA reports the nationwide average has been above $3 for three weeks now.
LEMON: Well, this next story is simply unbelievable. Shocking allegations of slavery and torture right here in America. A wealthy couple is under arrest for allegedly holding and brutally abusing two immigrants in a luxury home on Long Island.
The story from Jim Dolan of CNN affiliate WABC.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JIM DOLAN, REPORTER, WABC (voice over): They are charged, this well-to-do couple from Muttontown, with one of the most sadistic and evil crimes in recent memory. For five years, prosecutors say, the couple held two women prisoner in this home, beating and torturing them, starving them, and forcing them to live in a space much smaller than any prison cell.
ADRIAN MOHAMMED, FOUND VICTIM: I said, "Did he hurt you?" She then rolled up her sleeve, and I saw multiple, multiple pinches. As she did herself, she said like this -- she rotated and pinched and said, "Master -- master do that."
DOLAN: The women's nightmare ended when one managed to wander away from the home and to this Dunkin' Donuts in Ciosit (ph), wearing only pants and a towel. The worker called 911.
MOHAMMED: When I asked her, where did she live? She pointed to the passport and she said, "Home. I want to go home."
DOLAN: The women are from Indonesia and came here as domestic workers, but when they arrived the couple allegedly confiscated their passports and the torture began.
One was cut behind both ears with a pocket knife. Both were burned and beaten on the arms and back and feet with a variety of objects the couple kept in a drawer in the kitchen. The women were so starved, they hid food in a dropped ceiling and then retrieved it when the couple was not at home.
CHARLES A. ROSS, ATTORNEY: It's a complicated situation. It's not as cut and dry as the prosecutors want everybody to believe.
DOLAN: The husband and wife have both pleaded not guilty.
Jim Dolan, Channel 7, Eyewitness News.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: Wow. All right. Well, the Pentagon is responding to an urgent request now from Lebanon. It is rushing ammunition to government troops fighting Islamic rebels. This hour, word that fighting has resumed in the refugee camp near Tripoli.
CNN's Paula Newton joins us live from Beirut.
How soon is the help on the way?
PAULA NEWTON, CNN INTERNATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Help should be on the way within the next two days.
What we have been hearing from the government all along was that they certainly felt that they were supplied well enough up north for now. But they worried about their supplies draining, and the reason is they just have no idea how long the standoff is going to continue.
I can tell you what's happened in the last half an hour is, from what we understand, there was some type of a clash. We saw certainly heavy assault rifles being used, certainly perhaps some guns that were attached to APCs.
It seems to have simmered down right now. And it was surprising that this clash broke out.
Normally, you'd expect them to start certainly with some kind of daylight, just because the Lebanese army, in terms of their night vision capability, is not what it should be. And so you would expect them to really start this more at dawn, when they have some light of day. Don't know what they are responding to or if it's going to pick up again.
Again, to rephrase this for everyone, the government says they will finish off these Islamic extremists that are holed up in a Palestinian refugee camp. About half of the civilians in that Palestinian refugee camp have evacuated, but, Fredricka, there are several thousand civilians still in that camp, really under fire, as you can hear right now.
WHITFIELD: And I was just getting ready to ask you a little bit more about what you believe is taking place behind you with the kind of sounds that we're hearing.
NEWTON: Certainly from what you can hear, as I said, it is assault rifles and probably some guns attached to APCs. This does not seem to be the start of some type of massive assault by the Lebanese army that we've all been expecting. It seems that they still want at least a few more hours, if not a few more days, to evacuate more of the civilians, and certainly before they start their assault, get some of that American equipment and ammunition back on the ground here -- Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: All right. Paula Newton, thanks so much.
LEMON: They're already risking their lives, but some are also risking their financial future, all thanks to the U.S. military. WHITFIELD: And wherever you go, this team knows exactly where you are.
You're watching CNN, the most trusted name in news.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Oh, it's 13 past the hour. Here are a few of the stories we're working on for you right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.
President Bush says he supports the latest version of a bill funding military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. The bill, which includes benchmarks but no timetable, faces a House vote this evening.
Senate Democrats say they'll go ahead with plans for a no- confidence vote on Attorney General Alberto Gonzales. Gonzales is under attack for his role in firing eight U.S. prosecutors.
WHITFIELD: Flooded roads, flooded homes, even flooded towns. As much as seven inches of rain has left parts of Kansas under water for the second time this month.
No one's been hurt, but the downpour has caught many people by surprise. Quite a few had to be rescued from flooded cars and their homes.
So who is in the line of the storms today?
(WEATHER REPORT)
LEMON: Soldiers and slots, well, it's a dangerous mix.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The military has this culture of taking care of their own, but it seems like when it comes to this, they just -- you know, they profited from his addiction and then threw him away.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Gambling in the military. One soldier's story straight ahead in the CNN NEWSROOM.
WHITFIELD: And here's a warm-up for our visit from the Geography Bee winner. Middle-schoolers competing in the bee new the answer to this question. Do you?
Until the late 1800s, people on a present-day island country practiced cannibalism. Name this country whose largest island is Viti Levu.
LEMON: I can't even say it.
WHITFIELD: Well, think about the answer, because we're going to give it to you. Or maybe you have the answer. We'll share with you the answer when we come right back. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BUSINESS REPORT)
LEMON: We want to get you in the Chicago area. And this is some breaking news happening right now in the CNN NEWSROOM.
This is actually Harvey, Indiana. Look at that go. Live pictures now, and I believe they are from our affiliate WLS in Chicago.
Here's what's happening here. This fire is so big. It's a warehouse fire. But they have sent -- several neighboring communities have sent fire crews to help with this blaze, and their efforts there are being hampered, as you can see, by the strong winds there.
But they are telling us that a flames spread from a vacant Harvey, Indiana, warehouse to a neighboring building. And firefighters are trying to keep the blaze under control but really having a tough go of it.
Hot ashes are falling out of the sky, said one witness there on the scene. Several streets have been closed to traffic.
So far, no injuries have been reported, but if you know anything about fires, this has been upgraded to a five-alarm fire. The specific location, if you're in that area, in the Harvey, Indiana, area, which is very close to Chicago, it's at 156th and Lathrop (ph), which is south of Chicago.
And again, no injuries are reported. But this is a huge warehouse fire. Live pictures now coming from our affiliate, WLS, in Chicago. That fire in Harvey, Indiana.
We're going to keep on top of this and bring you the very latest right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.
WHITFIELD: And later on, a CNN investigation. Of all the things to consider recreation, why slot machines? And why on military bases?
Our Drew Griffin explores.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Hello, everyone. I'm Don Lemon, live at the CNN world headquarters in Atlanta.
WHITFIELD: And I'm Fredricka Whitfield.
Is it recreation or enabling addiction? The U.S. military equips its overseas bases with slot machines.
LEMON: Critics say the Pentagon is playing a dangerous game with its own soldiers.
Our Drew Griffin joins us with an eye-opening report. You have to see this one.
You're live in the CNN NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: The Pentagon spends a lot of money counting the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, more than a half a trillion dollars. A half a trillion dollars every year. But it also has a reliable, if relatively tiny source of income. More than $100 million, may be a lot more, year in and year out from soldiers, sailors and airmen who take risks and lose. If you don't know the Department of Defense was in the casino business, that's okay with the Department of Defense.
But CNN's Drew Griffin got the story anyway. Check it out.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DREW GRIFFIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): She never saw it coming. Carrie Walsh's husband was an apache helicopter pilot for the army. But years ago, Aaron Walsh started playing the slot machines on military posts. He became a gambling addict. At 34, with his life in a tailspin, Aaron Walsh, walked into the Maine woods, put a gun to his head, and killed himself.
CARRIE WALSH, SOLDIER'S WIDOW: The military has this culture of taking care of their own. But it seems like when it comes to this, they just -- you know, they profited from his addiction and then threw him away.
GRIFFIN: The military has operated slot machines at overseas posts since the 1980s. The army alone has 3,000 of them, and they bring $130 million in revenue every year. CNN could not get updated figures from the Air Force or Navy, which run their own gaming operations. The Department of Defense would not allow CNN to take any pictures of them, but this photo appeared in "Stars and Stripes," just last year.
After years of study, University of Illinois Business Professor John Kindt says the profits on these machines are huge.
PROF. JOHN KINDT, UNIV. OF ILLINOIS: It's all about the buck. And -- and in our military, it should be about service to our country. It shouldn't be about exploiting our service personnel and putting their families and their children at risk.
GRIFFIN: The Pentagon's response to those charges have been by email and phone calls. No interviews. But we were told the Department of Defense needs the revenue from gambling operations to finance its overseas morale, welfare and recreation programs. The slot machine money goes to things like bowling alleys and concerts. Even to attract businesses like Starbucks to overseas posts. Things that make living overseas more enjoyable for members of the military. Undersecretary of Defense Leslie Arch, in a statement to CNN, said gambling on bases and posts provides "a controlled alternative to unmonitored, post-station gambling venues and offers a higher payment percentage, making it more entertainment oriented than that found at typical casinos."
Kindt says the military's gambling operations were reviewed by Congress seven years ago. What Congress got, he said, was this.
KINDT: A 13-page report. A real whitewash by the military. Now, why would they be doing that? It's because there's something they don't want the public to know. There's something they don't want Congress to know.
GRIFFIN: The report dismissed the notion that the slot machines fed gambling addictions among the troops. The military did run an addictive gamblers' treatment program at Camp Pendleton and for a time Aaron Walsh was sent there. But he went AWOL. "The New York Times" profiled Aaron Walsh in the fall of 2005. He was alive, addicted to gambling and homeless in Las Vegas. A few months after being forced to leave the military because of his addiction problems, Walsh turned up in Maine.
WALSH: Yes, he was really, really sad. He knew that he'd lost everything. And that, you know, he'd messed up and he believed that he was going to get better.
GRIFFIN: And you thought he was going to get better?
WALSH: Yes.
GRIFFIN (on camera): But even rural Maine couldn't protect Aaron Walsh from his own addiction. Just an hour north, here in Bangor, Maine was opening its first casino, the Hollywood Slots. And it's here, Carrie Walsh says, her husband would place his last bet, the one on his life.
WALSH: I think he had been doing really well staying away from it and then I think that he went and had like a gambling binge. And then realized what he had done and decided he wasn't ever going to get better.
GRIFFIN: Earlier this year the Pentagon shut down its program at Camp Pendleton. The only in-patient facility for gambling addiction. Leaving soldiers like Aaron Walsh to fend for themselves.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: Drew Griffin joins us now. And obviously there are many people who are paying the price for this addiction. Do we have any numbers on how many of them?
GRIFFIN: You know, Don, we really don't. The military has been very quiet on this. We couldn't find any information or statistics on how many people are addicted. We're getting a lot of emails from soldiers who have had problems and have had troubles. But you wouldn't even know this program exists unless you really dug down, like we had to do, to get into some of these records.
LEMON: OK, so now from the military what about Congress? What is Congress saying about this? GRIFFIN: You know, it -- Congress has been pretty silent. Back in 2001 when they got that 13-page report, it was Congressman Roscoe Bartlett out of Maryland who was really criticizing this program. But right about that same time when the report came back was 9/11 and everything kind of got lost in the fray.
LEMON: OK.
GRIFFIN: So they dropped it.
LEMON: So the Department of Defense budget, it's huge. It seems they could afford things without having to pay for it -- without having to do the gambling thing.
GRIFFIN: You know, and that's the one question I wanted to sit down with somebody at the Defense Department and say, hey, you guys got a $419 billion budget. Why do you need to raise this money to pay for recreation programs? Of course, we want recreation programs for these soldiers and these service personnel. But why are we making those service personnel pay for it?
LEMON: Pay for that.
GRIFFIN: With gambling revenue. It just seems silly. It seems silly to me.
LEMON: Yes, and you're getting emails. Are you doing anything else online, with this? Are you answering them or blogging?
GRIFFIN: We're not answering them online. We're going to do a little follow-up coming up and I can't tell you exactly when. But we're chasing this story and trying to drill down and really get the answer to why the Department of Defense seems to think that it can't get any other money for recreation programs other than out of the pockets of our military.
LEMON: We look forward to that. Drew Griffin, thank you.
WHITFIELD: More now on that raging fire in Harvey, Illinois, just south of Chicago. Take a look at the live pictures right now. It is still going. It is a warehouse fire, which we believe to be vacant. That's good news. But it still takes many teams of firefighters on the ground to contain it, because, as you can see, there are a number of other properties around this warehouse. They want to keep it from those flames from potentially jumping because you can see the winds there are pretty aggressive and we saw from an earlier shot that some of those flames did appear to leave that vacant warehouse building to some nearby grassy property. So we're going to continue to watch the developments there out of Harvey, Illinois, just south of Chicago at that warehouse fire. No reports of any sorts of injuries as of yet. But we'll keep a watch on developments there.
Well, she's got the whole world in her head. I started to sing, but I remembered, Don, you don't like to hear me sing.
LEMON: No, it's fine. WHITFIELD: You kind of cut on me once before when you heard me sing.
LEMON: Go for it if you want.
WHITFIELD: No, I'm not going to do it, forget it! Well, this young lady right here, has got the world in her head. She's the National Geographic Bee, and we're going to be joined by her, coming up. And we've got a little quiz that we're going to keep everybody engaged in. Because you know, a lot of us think we know a lot about our geography. But come to find out we don't.
LEMON: Alright, so what's the -- we have a question, right? The question is -- name the item that does not belong and say why, right?
WHITFIELD: Yes.
LEMON: The Davis Strait, of Gibraltar. Luzon Strait, Cook Strait, Bering Strait?
WHITFIELD: Think about it.
LEMON: Alright.
WHITFIELD: And it's not just answering it. But you got to explain why. And ...
LEMON: And no --
WHITFIELD: That's the hit.
LEMON: No googling or CNN.com searches, OK? See you on the other side of the break with the answer.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Alright, we gave you a moment to think about it. Here was the question to see how much you know about your geography. The question was -- name the item that does not belong and say why. The Davis Strait, the Strait of Gibraltar, the Luzon Strait, the Cook Strait, and the Bering Strait? What do you think?
LEMON: I think it's the -- if you roll the prompter, I could tell you.
WHITFIELD: The answer is in the prompter. I kind of thought it was the Cook Strait only because -- here's my answer. It just didn't sound right to be along with the Bering and the Strait of Gibraltar and the Davis Strait. But you've got to explain why, and it's because -- give you the information from the prompter.
LEMON: It's in the southern hemisphere?
No, I don't -- here's the thing. Geography for me, geography and math, that's it, my only two weaknesses.
WHITFIELD: You don't do those?
LEMON: I mean, I'm okay with geography but math I'm even worse with that.
WHITFIELD: Alright, our next guest is a whiz with geography. She is the new champion. There she is. Caitlin Snare, you're awesome.
CAITLIN SNARE, GEO BEE WINNER: Oh, thank you.
LEMON: She is awesome. I got a question for you. What did we want to ask her? Name an island -- we wanted to do something what is that city in Vietnam. Let's toss it to -- isn't there a question? Is this her? Let's listen to the question that made her a winner to see if we know the answer. We're getting it all wrong, but Caitlin. Before we go to you, we want to see the question that made you the winner.
WHITFIELD: Caitlin's going to straighten this out.
LEMON: And then we'll go to you.
SNARE: OK.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ALEX TREBEK, HOST: A city that is divided by a river of the same name was the imperial capital of Vietnam for more than a century. Name this city which is still an important cultural center.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Alright. Fourteen-year-old Caitlin Snaring, then, what is that city in Vietnam?
SNARE: Kua.
LEMON: That's what made you the winner, right?
WHITFIELD: Hooray!
SNARE: Yes.
WHITFIELD: You got it right.
LEMON: It takes a lot of preparation, I would imagine. How much studying did you have to do in order to participate in this?
SNARE: On average, about six hours a day, maybe eight hours on the weekends.
WHITFIELD: That is amazing. Here you are home schooled, and you're learning about everything else at the same time, you were disciplined enough to say six hours, eight hours a day I'm going to really focus on geography. Is it because you really love geography? SNARE: Oh, I love geography. It's the most fascinating subject to me. It's the world to me. I mean, the world and all that is, is so interesting. And knowing all the mountains, lakes and rivers, really how it affected societies and empires and where they live and geography is just so much.
WHITFIELD: Wow.
SNARE: You know, where everything is in the news, what's happening in Iraq. You know what city got bombed or where the peace agreements are taking place.
WHITFIELD: Oh, incredible.
SNARE: Yes.
WHITFIELD: So, Caitlin, sometimes to be a champion, you have to know what it is to have a taste of defeat. And you have experienced both, given that you have been in this geographic bee before, you didn't win it, but that was the impetus, that was really what inspired you to study the way you did over the last year to win it, right?
SNARE: Last year I won state, which was just amazing. It was a great experience. It was such a blessing. And then when I went to nationals in the preliminary rounds where they get the top ten contestants, I got eight out of the nine right. And that wasn't enough to cut it. Ten people got the nine questions right. So, then, they advanced and I was pretty devastated. But I knew next year I would come back and I would win it. And this year, I got all my questions right. I didn't miss one. And I become --
WHITFIELD: Wow.
SNARE: -- only the second girl to win the National Geographic Bee.
LEMON: OK.
WHITFIELD: Go, girl!
LEMON: Good for you.
SNARE: Thank you.
LEMON: I've got some questions. I've got questions for you.
SNARE: OK.
LEMON: Let's see if you know this one. The second-largest oil producer in sub-Saharan Africa is the richest Portuguese-speaking country in Africa. Name the country.
SNARE: It's Angola. And Angola recently joined OPEC in 2007.
WHITFIELD: So there, Don!
I'm going to go to the restroom. You guys continue.
WHITFIELD: Oh, it's so great! Now so what about, you know, your friends and family? How did they quiz you along the way to help you in the last year to prepare for this bee?
SNARE: Well, everyone was really supportive of me. They helped me. They quizzed me, like, when I was walking through the hallways and stuff. And I really was motivated this year. Everyone was so supportive and it was nice having my friends congratulating me and everyone calling me after the bee, oh, they're like we're so glad you won, good job Caitlin.
WHITFIELD: That's so cool.
SNARE: OK.
WHITFIELD: We have another question for you and we know you know the answer. I was all excited when I actually got this answer right, too. So, here it goes. Alright, which of the following states is not crossed by the Colorado River? Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico?
SNARE: It's New Mexico.
WHITFIELD: Ding, ding, ding, ding! Alright. That was an easy one for you, wasn't it?
SNARE: Yes, they don't ask many United States questions in nationals, but they do focus on that a lot at state, too.
WHITFIELD: OK. Good.
LEMON: Alright. I hope I can get this right if I can pronounce a national park. Mayan Ruins are located in Tikal National Park in which central American country?
SNARE: Guatemala.
LEMON: Did I say that right, Tikal?
SNARE: Yes. Tikal. I really want to go there. It looks fascinating, the ruins.
WHITFIELD: Wow. Well, you've got a $25,000 scholarship.
SNARE: Yes.
WHITFIELD: Which will clearly go towards your education, but perhaps even after that you will get an opportunity or two to head on down to Guatemala.
SNARE: I really want to travel. I might want to be an international diplomat like Condoleezza Rice and I so admire her and traveling to all those countries meeting all the fascinating leaders. And seeing a little bit of their culture instead of just focusing on our own and trying to develop peace agreements and help third world countries. I think that would just be so much. And I would like to learn their language, also, so I can communicate better with people around the world.
WHITFIELD: I love it.
LEMON: So is -- Condoleezza Rice is someone you look up to. A mentor of yours, why?
SNARE: I do.
LEMON: Why is that?
SHARE: She's such a great person. I mean, she tries to set up peace with other countries so there is not so much war in this world and she's just a great person. And I admire all the hard work that she puts into helping the United States become a better nation.
WHITFIELD: And one of the most powerful women in the world.
SNARE: Yes.
WHITFIELD: Caitlin Snaring I see you certainly on the road to that, at least that.
LEMON: Yes.
WHITFIELD: Powerful young lady at 14.
SNARE: Thank you so much.
LEMON: And we spent -- yes, we are excited for you. We spent more time than we had planned to spend with you, but you know what, you are such a special young lady, you deserve every moment we spent.
SNARE: Well, this summer I'm planning on writing a book.
WHITFIELD: Alright.
SNARE: It's probably going to be called how to win the National Geographic Bee and I hope to publish it by next fall so other contestants can study up. And really get the organization of how to study and win.
LEMON: Good.
As long as you give us the exclusive ...
WHITFIELD: I see you coming back. Talk a little bit about that.
LEMON: ... we're happy with that. Caitlin, have a great summer.
SNARE: Thank you so much. It was really nice talking to you.
WHITFIELD: Congrats again.
SNARE: Thank you.
LEMON: When we come back, we'll talk about daytime soap operas. You know -- daytime soap TV's or TV tempers, is should say, flare.
WHITFIELD: The story.
LEMON: Yes, it's not a soap opera but it's playing out like one. Differing views on the Iraq war. Certainly prompting passion.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROSIE O'DONNEL, TV HOST: That is nothing.
ELIZABETH HASSELBECK: No, no, no. Do not call me a coward, because, number one, I sit here every single day.
O'DONNEL: So do I.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: The view from the sidelines ...
WHITFIELD: Ouch, babe.
LEMON: ... in the CNN NEWSROOM. Don't go away. That's coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Why can't we all just be friends? Is Rosie O'Donnell done with "The View"? The rumor mill is rumbling. I didn't say that very well, did I? Rumor mill is a-rumbling and so are the blog.
O'Donell was already planning to take today off before she got into this little spat with co-host Elisabeth Hasselbeck. Well, the tension has been building between the two for quite some time now, and yesterday the gloves simply came off when O'Donnell accused Hasselbeck of not taking her side against conservative critics.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ELISABETH HASSELBECK, "THE VIEW" CO-HOST: People were criticizing you for saying that because it suggested something, OK? So I said, look, take your opportunity now. You have a show right now, tell the world what you really think.
ROSIE O'DONNELL, "THE VIEW" CO-HOST: I didn't want to take my opportunity to tell the world. I wanted to know what people like you, but you are my friend, since September. Do you believe that I think our troops are terrorists, and you would not even look me in the face, Elisabeth and say ...
HASSELBECK: What are you talking about?
O'DONNELL: ...no, Rosie, I can understand how people might have thought that. Why don't you take this opportunity like I'm six.
HASSELBECK: Because you are an adult and I am certainly not going to ... O'DONNELL: So are you.
HASSELBECK: ...be the person for you to explain your thoughts. They are your thoughts! Defend your own insinuations!
O'DONNELL: I defend my thoughts.
HASSELBECK: Defend your own thoughts!
O'DONNELL: Right, but every time I defend them, Elisabeth, it's poor little Elisabeth that I'm picking on.
HASSELBECK: You know what, poor little Elisabeth is not poor little Elisabeth, OK?
O'DONNELL: That's right, that's why I'm not going to fight with you anymore because it's absurd. So, for three weeks you can say all the Republican crap you want. I'm not going to do it.
HASSELBECK: It's much easier to fight someone like Donald Trump, isn't it, because he's obnoxious.
O'DONNELL: I never fought him. He fought me. I told a fact about him, he didn't like the conversation.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I was in the middle of this conversation.
HASSELBECK: I gave you an opportunity to clarify ...
O'DONNELL: You don't give me anything. You don't have to give me. I asked you a question!
HASSELBECK: I asked you a question!
O'DONNELL: And you wouldn't even answer it!
HASSELBECK: You wouldn't even answer your own question!
O'DONNELL: Oh, Elisabeth, I don't want -- you know what ...
HASSELBECK: You didn't answer your own question.
O'DONNELL: You really don't understand what I'm saying?
HASSELBECK: I understand what you're saying. I think it's sad because I don't understand how there can be such hurt feelings when all I did was say, look, why don't you tell everybody what you said. I did that as a friend.
O'DONNELL: What you did was not defend me. I asked you if you believed that I thought that ...
HASSELBECK: You couldn't even answer your own question. I don't believe that your suggestion was right.
O'DONNELL: Every day since September, I have told you I support the troops.
HASSELBECK: Yes? I have done the same for you.
O'DONNELL: I asked you if you believed what the Republican pundits were saying.
HASSELBECK: Did I say yes?
O'DONNELL: You said nothing and that's cowardly -- nothing.
HASSELBECK: No, no, no. Do not, do not call me a coward, because number one, I sit here every single day.
O'DONNELL: So do I.
HASSELBECK: And open my heart and tell people exactly what I believe.
O'DONNELL: So do I, Elisabeth.
HASSELBECK: Do not call me a coward, Rosie. I do not hide. It was not cowardly. It was honest. What is cowardly?
O'DONNELL: It was.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Is there no commercial in this show?
HASSELBECK: Ask me. Ask me, I will tell you what's cowardly.
O'DONNELL: No, no.
HASSELBECK: No, no, no. Asking a rhetorical question that you never answer yourself. Who is cowardly?
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: Ow!
LEMON: Oh.
WHITFIELD: Oh, my goodness. OK, well, O'Donnell is set to leave the show next month. Everybody knows that. Is that what's kind of heightening tensions around there? I don't know.
LEMON: I think people may be -- nothing.
WHITFIELD: Well, there are lots of folks who are talking on the blogs as well, suggesting that perhaps she is going to be leaving sooner. As for Hasselbeck?
LEMON: I think -- yes, people may have a little bit more -- maybe they feel freer that they can say what they want to now that she's leaving.
WHITFIELD: Yes?
LEMON: As we said, whether you agree with Rosie O'Donnell or not, and lots of people don't, it's good TV.
WHITFIELD: Right. Well, a lot of folks are also trying to figure out whether indeed Hasselbeck is also on her way out. And whether this kind of sets the stage for a whole new view on things over at ABC.
LEMON: Yes, all right. Well, take a look at this next video. You're not going to believe this. This is incredible. Parents everywhere will see this video and they will certainly cringe. Wait until you hear how the creators of this delicate art responded to a tap dancing toddler just traipsing through the work. Oh my gosh. The news keeps coming, we'll keep bringing it to you.
WHITFIELD: Wait until you see the art.
LEMON: Yes, you're in the CNN NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Every parent knows a child can hide almost anywhere. Oh no, this is something else. That's another thing, yes.
WHITFIELD: No, you're getting ahead of yourself.
But that beautiful piece of art on the floor that you saw a moment ago. It took two days for some Tibetan monks to pour sand and meticulously come up with a gorgeous design and this toddler just within minutes kind of destroyed as he walked beyond some police -- or I guess ropes, velvet ropes.
LEMON: How long had they been working on it? For days?
WHITFIELD: Two days.
LEMON: They spent two days ...
WHITFIELD: Look at that beautiful ...
LEMON: ...cross-legged on the floor, meticulously ...
WHITFIELD: Oh boy.
LEMON: ...pouring the sand into an intricate design and expression of their Buddhist faith. And they're doing all this to raise money for their monastery which is in ...
WHITFIELD: And here comes mom scurrying in, oh, my god, junior, get out of here. That is one of my biggest fears, because I have a two-year-old, and oh my gosh, I could see him doing that.
LEMON: Oh, my gosh. Well, they said they're going to ...
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