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Top Commander Says November, Not September, Better Date to Assess Troop Buildup in Iraq; Teen Sex Case; America's New Allies; The Crude Facts
Aired July 20, 2007 - 08:59 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: And good morning, everyone. You are in the CNN NEWSROOM.
I'm Tony Harris.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Heidi Collins. Hi, everybody.
Watch events come into the NEWSROOM live on Friday. It is July 20th.
Here's what's on the rundown this morning.
The president's troop buildup in Iraq -- we've been hearing wait until September before judging. But could it be even longer?
HARRIS: A question of justice. A young man sent to prison for teen sex gets a hearing before the Georgia Supreme Court next hour.
COLLINS: They're wild about Harry. Young Mr. Potter's final adventure hits bookstores in just hours.
Spellbound in the NEWSROOM.
Unfolding this hour, pressure for progress in Iraq. Now a top commander says November, not September, would be a better date to assess the troop buildup.
Let's go straight to our Jamie McIntyre. He is at the Pentagon this morning.
Jamie, are we hearing the general correctly on this?
JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN SR. PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, this all comes out of a briefing that happened yesterday with General Raymond Odierno. He's the number two in charge in Iraq, and something he said has made people wonder whether November is the new September.
He was trying to clarify a question in which he was asked whether he needed more time passed September to really judge how the so-called surge is working. And he said during that that in order to do a good assessment, he needs at least until November, and then went on to talk about the fact that he needed the 45 days between now and September 1st. To a lot of us in the briefing, it appeared that he had simply misspoken and said November accidentally. But this morning, some of his people have issued a statement -- actually, he's issued a statement through his spokesperson saying that he had no intention to push the reporting requirement beyond September. He said, "Nothing I said yesterday should be interpreted to suggest otherwise. My reference to November was simply suggesting that as we go forward beyond September, we will gain more understanding in the trends."
And one thing that's really clear, though, Heidi, is that the generals in Iraq -- and this is from the top general on down to the commanders who are conducting operations in the various sectors -- they all believe that the surge needs more time, that there's been some significant progress, but that September will be too early to say -- to pull the plug on the surge and start to begin withdrawal. That's a message we're hearing pretty much universally without any confusion.
The question is, did the general mean to say that the real timeframe is November? He says, no, he didn't.
COLLINS: All right. Understood now. Thanks so much for that.
Jamie McIntyre from the Pentagon this morning.
Thanks, Jamie.
HARRIS: An earthquake hits northern California this morning. It struck just a few hours ago at magnitude 4.2. The people who measure earthquakes label it as a light one. That typically means only minimal damage, broken dishes and windows and such. And that appears to be what happened in the San Francisco Bay area.
No injuries reported. Still, the shaking lasted almost a minute. The quake centered two miles east-northeast of Oakland and about three and a half miles deep.
(WEATHER REPORT)
HARRIS: Georgia's teen sex case -- next hour, the state's Supreme Court weighs in. Two teens, consensual sex, and a 10-year prison sentence. Should Genarlow Wilson be set free?
CNN's Rusty Dornin with us now to lay out the arguments.
Rusty, good morning.
RUSTY DORNIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Tony, he won't be set free today. We will only hear arguments. But this case has been unusual, of course, from the beginning. They were supposed to hear these arguments in October, and they speeded up the case to hear them this morning.
Now, the two things we're going to hear about today are that Genarlow Wilson was resentenced and recharged as a misdemeanor, given a one-year sentence instead of that 10-year sentence, by a lower court judge. Now, apparently, the attorney general of Georgia says that judge did not have the legal right to do that, so that's what they're going to be arguing about this morning in one of the arguments.
The other argument has to do with bond. Should he be granted bond while all these legal proceedings are going on?
So, his case really has become a cause celeb not only nationwide, particularly here in Atlanta. We have seen rallies, marches for the past few weeks. Even last night, there was an overnight vigil led by civil rights activist Reverend Joseph Lowery for Genarlow Wilson, hoping to convince this court to set him free.
Now, each side will be getting a half hour for both of their arguments before the justices, and then we have no idea when any kind of a decision will come down -- Tony.
HARRIS: Happy to have you following it for us.
Rusty Dornin for us this morning.
Rusty, thank you.
COLLINS: Saddened and distressed, the first reaction this morning from Atlanta Falcons' owner Arthur Blank to the indictment of quarterback Michael Vick. In a statement related to the dogfighting allegations against Vick, Blank says, "This is an emotionally charged and complicated matter. There are a wide range of interests and legal issues that need to be carefully considered as we move ahead, including our need to respect the due process that Michael is entitled to."
The allegations against Vick drew a strong response on Capitol Hill from West Virginia Senator Robert Byrd.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. ROBERT BYRD (D), WEST VIRGINIA: Barbaric! Let that word resound from hill to hill and from mountain to mountain, from valley to valley across this broad land. Barbaric.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: In another development, Nike has suspended the release of its latest product line named after Vick.
HARRIS: New terror-related arrests in Britain. Authorities charge two men after finding what's described as a suspicious substance at an apartment in Bristol. The arrest follow last month's fatal car bombings in central London and at Scotland's Glasgow airport. Four people have been charged in that investigation.
COLLINS: Waiting and watching on Wall Street. The big question: What will the Dow do after Thursday's -- yes, that would be yesterday's -- record-breaking performance? The Dow Jones Industrial Average finished the day just barely above 14,000. The highest close ever. Investors encouraged by several positive earnings reports, but will enthusiasm last? The market opens in less than 30 minutes.
Guess who will be watching it?
HARRIS: Yes.
COLLINS: Live reports from the floor of the New York Stock Exchange coming up.
HARRIS: And still to come in the NEWSROOM this morning, America's allies in Iraq. Sunni militias turn on al Qaeda and help the U.S. Now questions about excessive force, abuse and executions.
COLLINS: She may be tiny, weighing just 65 pounds, but Tammy Faye Messner is fighting big time. She talks candidly with our Larry King about her cancer and her faith.
HARRIS: Barry Bonds' homerun chase.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I hate him.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Barry is just a phony.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I challenge any member of the press to take steroids and hit a ball out of the park.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I certainly want to see Barry break the record.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: Love him or hate him, he is two homers closer to history.
COLLINS: A pair of thieves help themselves to the goods in a jewelry store, but this shop owner will have none of it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Get back. Get back. Get back. Get back.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You get out of here right now young man. You leave!
I'm not that big of a person.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: Now, that they call chutzpah. This lady has got it, all right.
We'll show you how it all played out coming up in just a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: U.S. forces in Iraq get a new ally against al Qaeda, but some tactics used by these new friends are questionable.
A caution here. This report concludes violent scenes.
Here's CNN's Michael Ware.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MICHAEL WARE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is one of America's new allies, the enemy of our enemy, beating a suspected al Qaeda member, threatening to kill him. He is part of America's success against al Qaeda in Iraq, a member of a Sunni militia group supported by the U.S. to target al Qaeda.
In this operation north of Baghdad, his group, no uniforms, their faces covered, are working hand-in-hand with local police and army units and drawn from insurgent groups and local tribes. These are fighters who have been killing Americans and now use some American- supplied ammunition and U.S. military support to turn on al Qaeda, enemies of the U.S., now supported by the U.S.
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: In Anbar province, Sunni tribes that were once fighting alongside al Qaeda against our coalition are now fighting alongside our coalition against al Qaeda. We're working to replicate the success in Anbar in other parts of the country.
WARE: And this is Anbar.
Grainy video, posted two weeks ago, on an Islamist Web site shows U.S.-aligned militia unloading another al Qaeda prisoner from a police pickup. The man in charge asks his prisoner if he killed someone called Khalid (ph), and then, taunting, tells him, to say hi to Khalid for me.
Cursing their prisoner, the makeshift firing squad leads him to a spot near an embankment. And he's executed.
(GUNFIRE)
WARE: Why would these insurgents and tribesmen turn on al Qaeda to work with the Americans? The answer, power, money, contracts and control over their neighborhoods.
And while few mourn the deaths of al Qaeda fighters anywhere, summary executions and excessive force by militias, sponsored by the U.S., is not something American commanders say they condone nor seek.
Brigadier General Mark McDonald.
BRIGADIER GENERAL MARK MCDONALD, MULTI-NATIONAL CORPS - IRAQ: We do not allow that and we do not encourage that. We will stop that if we see it. WARE: That said, the general also says he's not seen reports of abuses himself. But another senior U.S. official does say the militia's methods are an ugly side of the war here in Iraq, ugly, but effective.
In the militia-controlled areas, al Qaeda has not been defeated, but it's certainly been blunted, the capital of Anbar reclaimed from its grip and attacks across the province spectacularly reduced, with similar signs emerging in other areas.
The successes of the Sunni militias, however, come at a price. The Shia-dominated government in Baghdad is not happy, wary of U.S. support for armed Sunni groups.
"This support scares us," says Hadi al-Amri. Commanding a powerful Shia militia, he is Iraq's equivalent to the chairman of the Armed Services Committee in the U.S.
"Working with these people is very dangerous," he says. "We told the Americans we won't accept under any circumstances their being open to armed Sunni militia, like the Islamic Army of Iraq or the Brigades of the 1920 Revolution" -- two of the very groups the U.S. has been courting and supporting.
And this former national security minister, now heading a parliamentary oversight body, claims the U.S. is overstepping its authority.
"That these tribes are armed beyond the government's control might lead to conflict," he says, suggesting they may be an American counterbalance to a government accused of links to an Iranian-backed militia from the Shia community.
ABDUL KARIM AL-ENZI, FORMER IRAQI MINISTER OF STATE FOR NATIONAL SECURITY: There is nothing that the Multi-National force, the Corps, is doing with, by name, by numbers, by place, by location, by intent, that we don't share with the government of Iraq.
WARE: With few signs of progress from the central government, America's former insurgent enemies seem to have given U.S. commanders something the Iraqi government rarely has, a success story.
Michael Ware, CNN, Baghdad.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: President Bush meeting this morning with military support groups. Next hour, he makes a statement from the Rose Garden. We could hear more about Iraq and the pressure from progress.
We're going to be having live coverage of the president's remarks at 10:50 Eastern, right here in the NEWSROOM.
HARRIS: Still to come this morning, new poll figures from South Carolina. Which presidential hopefuls are leading the pack? We will take a look. COLLINS: Also, squeezed at the pump. How other nations deal with the energy crunch.
The crude facts right here in the NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: Making its mark this week, the Dow Jones Industrial Average. It hit the 14,000 mark for the first time ever on Tuesday. Retreated a bit, but then -- and here's the news -- closed above that benchmark on Thursday.
What's in store when the opening bell rings just a few minutes from now and for the rest of the day? What's going to happen with those numbers?
Well, we are live from the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, and going to keep our eye on it.
HARRIS: Oh, look at this, the Dow, 14,000. Oh, happy, happy, joy, joy. And yet, crude oil prices are close to an all-time high today. That could mean higher gas prices for you and me.
So how do other countries handle the crunch?
Here's CNN's Miles O'Brien.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN CHIEF TECHNOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): The crude facts are this: we are a nation of oil gluttons. With only 5 percent of the world's population, we use 25 percent of all the oil it burns. That's 876 million gallons a day, nearly three gallons for every American man, woman and child.
In one-gallon cans, the oil we use daily would circle the equator more than six and a half times. We know this is bad for the environment and the climate.
And more than three-quarters of what we use comes from other countries. Some of them places where we are increasingly unpopular. Even an old oil man admitted we need to change our ways.
BUSH: America is addicted to oil.
O'BRIEN (on camera): So how do we kick the habit? Maybe a 12- step program is in order.
Hi. My name is America and I'm an oilaholic.
Actually, maybe group therapy with some other nations might be a good idea. After all, they're doing a better job kicking the oil addiction.
Ah, thank you, Chip.
Cheers.
(voice over): Along with good wine and strong cheese, the French have great amor for nuclear power. Seventy-eight percent of their electricity comes from splitting atoms. As for us, it's a measley 20 percent.
If the idea of nuclear energy gives some Americans a meltdown, what about more benign energy sources that don't raise the global thermostat and might give us a little independence from oil-rich countries?
In Denmark, almost 20 percent of the energy comes from wind power. The amount we get from all renewables -- dams, solar, geothermal and windmills -- is only about six percent.
So why are we so far behind? Well, for one thing, in those other countries, oil has always been much more expensive and heavily taxed. So people use less.
Here in the U.S., cheap and plentiful oil has fueled an amazing century-long economic party. But no party lasts forever. And the presidential candidates recognize that.
SEN. HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON (D-NY), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The clean energy agenda is a jobs agenda.
SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D-IL), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We have been talking about climate change in Washington for years. And as usual, America is way ahead of Washington.
GOV. BILL RICHARDSON (D-NM), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I will push fuel economy standards to 50 miles per gallon -- 50 miles per gallon by 2020.
O'BRIEN: Whether it's raising taxes on gas, or forcing Detroit to build more efficient cars, there are no easy choices. And as time goes on, they won't get any easier.
Miles O'Brien, CNN, Atlanta.
(NEWSBREAK)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: Oh, coming up on the half hour.
Good Friday morning to you, everyone.
Welcome back to the CNN NEWSROOM.
I'm Tony Harris.
COLLINS: And I'm Heidi Collins.
Hi, everybody.
(NEWSBREAK)
COLLINS: The opening bell about to ring on Wall Street. The Dow industrials closed above 14,000 for the first time.
But cue the bell. I thought that was going to work.
But will those gains hold?
Let's get an early check now from Susan Lisovicz at the New York Stock Exchange.
Hi there, Susan. It's about to open. There we go.
(STOCK MARKET REPORT)
HARRIS: What do you say we get another check of weather now. Chad Myers in the sever weather center. And I guess, oh, as we take a look at the map here, we've got some showers. Yes, there he is.
Chad, good morning to you.
(WEATHER REPORT)
HARRIS: Well, voters in South Carolina sizing up the presidential candidates. A new CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll shows the early favorites. Our senior political analyst Bill Schneider sorting out the numbers.
Bill, good morning to you.
WILLIAM SCHNEIDER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Tony.
HARRIS: Hey, Bill, let's start with the Democrats. The overall feel. What is this latest poll indicating in terms of what folks are thinking in South Carolina?
SCHNEIDER: Well, among Democrats in South Carolina, there's really a three-way race -- Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama and John Edwards. Clinton on top right now with 39 percent of the vote. Among Democrats, Obama, running second, at 25. John Edwards at 15.
What's important there is John Edwards was born in South Carolina and he won the South Carolina primary when he ran for president in 2004. But looks like he's running behind there right now. Hillary Clinton ahead in South Carolina. Race has a great deal to do with South Carolina voting, however. And the racial patterns, the racial differences, are very interesting.
HARRIS: Hey, did we break it out along racial lines in our polling?
SCHNEIDER: Yes, we did. We have the vote for African-Americans, as well as for White Democrats. The state's Democrats are about 50/50 between the two races.
As you can see, among a white -- I think that's backwards. Whites should be on the right. Among white Democrats, Hillary Clinton is getting 30 percent, Edwards, 27, which is to say they're running neck and neck with Obama in third. The black Democrats are on the left. There you see Hillary Clinton does better among blacks and so does Barack Obama.
There is a real contest for the black vote in South Carolina. The whole reason why the Democrats allowed South Carolina to move its primary earlier, of course, was to give African-Americans a voice. And it looks like there's a real competition for the votes.
HARRIS: And what is the poll indicating to us about how the Republican race is faring in South Carolina?
SCHNEIDER: South Carolina is supposed to be the conservative fire wall. Now look at this. Who's ahead? The former mayor of New York City is carrying Republicans in South Carolina. Wrap your mind around that concept.
How is that happening? Because the conservatives don't have a favorite right now. John McCain is still holding up at 20 percent, running second. Fred Thompson isn't in the race yet and he's running a strong third at 17 percent.
The answer is that if conservatives don't have a favorite, someone like Rudy Giuliani, a New Yorker, who's liberal on the social issues, can sneak in there and maybe even win a victory in South Carolina. That would be a sensation.
HARRIS: Wouldn't that be something.
New, fresh, hot polling from CNN this morning and our senior political analyst Bill Schneider breaking it down for us.
Bill, appreciate it. Thank you.
SCHNEIDER: Sure.
COLLINS: What would you ask the presidential candidates if you could? Well, you can and you have. CNN is teaming up with YouTube for the upcoming presidential debates. We've been collecting your questions for the candidates. Here's a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JEREMIAH PASTERNACK (ph): Hello, candidates. My name is Jeremiah Pasternack. Recently there's been a lot of discussion and coverage about how much each of you have raised for your respective campaigns. And some of the numbers are pretty astronomical, $30 million, $40 million. So my question for all of you is this. Rather than waste this money on commercials and private planes, don't you think it would be more honorable and beneficial to distribute this money to people and causes that really need it?
AMANDA (ph): My name is Amanda. I live in Auburn, Alabama. And this question is for all the candidates. I've been waiting since I was in high school for any politician to actually have an idea that is practical enough to fix Social Security. Do you have a plan to fix Social Security that goes beyond talking? And, if so, what would that be?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: Join John Roberts and Kiran Chetry with more of your video questions. There's a countdown to the debate. That's tonight at 8:00 p.m. Eastern.
HARRIS: Barry Bonds' home run chase.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I hate him.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Barry is just a phony.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I challenge any member of the press to take steroids and hit a ball out of the park.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I certainly want to see Barry break the record.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: Love him or hate him, he is two homers closer to history.
COLLINS: A pair of thieves help themselves to the goods in a jewelry store. But look at this. Shop owner's not going to have any of it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Get back. Get back. Get back. Get back.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You get out of here right now, young man. You leave.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: Hutzpa at least and this lady has it all right. We'll show you how it all played out.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: We are pod casting later today. We appreciate the fact that you are tuning in, in huge numbers. Right, Heidi, huge numbers?
COLLINS: Yes.
HARRIS: 9:00 until noon.
COLLINS: They really are.
HARRIS: Every day week days here in the CNN NEWSROOM. COLLINS: (INAUDIBLE) are going to download it right now.
HARRIS: Where are they going?
COLLINS: Look at them run.
HARRIS: OK. To help us with the pod cast, I hope. And also your downloading the pod cast in big numbers. Appreciate that as well. So we're working on it today for you and it's available to you 24/7. Download it. Just go to cnn.com and download the CNN NEWSROOM daily pod cast 24/7 right there on your iPod.
COLLINS: Genarlow Wilson today, Georgia's Supreme Court could decide whether he will walk free. Wilson is serving a 10-year sentence for having consensual sex with another teen. At the time he was 17, she was 15. Her age led to his conviction on child molestation. The case has drawn the national spotlight and the attention of at least one presidential candidate.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. BARACK OBAMA, (D) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: He has now been in prison for two years and they have not been wanting to commute his sentence. This gives you some perspective on our justice system at the moment.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: A state judge has ordered Wilson be set free. The supreme court will decide whether that order should stand.
HARRIS: This next story is -- look, it's not about baseball. It is about history. Barry Bonds within two homers of tying Hank Aaron's home run record. The most cherished record in all of sports. But not everyone is cheering him on. Here's CNN's Richard Roth.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RICHARD ROTH, CNN CORRESPONDENT, (voice over): His name is Barry Bonds and he has a lot to smile about. He's about to own a precious piece of Americana.
CHRIS HALT, MLB.COM: He's a special focus because he's going for the home run record, which is one of the most revered record in all of American sports, maybe the most revered record.
ROTH: But much of the country is not cheering Bonds' blast into history.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I hate him.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Barry is just a phony.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Here's the pitch. Bonds hits one into center. ROTH: As the San Francisco sensation edges closer to the record, many fans think there is something to the suspicions that Bonds used steroids to enhance his home run hitting prowess.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He's not a hero.
ROTH: Why?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Because he cheats.
ROTH: And Bonds' attitude doesn't help. The star's hitting offense is not accompanied by a charmed offensive.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do you think about your place in history right now?
BARRY BONDS: No.
ROTH: If bonds was on steroids, which he denies knowingly using, it's possibly he had company on the field, perhaps hundreds of other players before a league testing policy began.
BRUCE BECK, SPORTSCASTER: You know, I think this record is tainted, but I also think that he is the poster child of an era, the so-called steroids era.
ROTH: Others believe Bonds is being made a scapegoat.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm against, you know, booing him. I just think that nothing's been proven yet.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I challenge any member of the press to take steroids and hit a ball out of the park.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I certainly want to see Barry break the record.
ROTH: The home run is part of baseball legend. The New York Yankees' Babe Ruth turned baseball into the national past time starting in the roaring '20s. Ruth clobbered 714 home runs. Forty years later, Hank Aaron endured racial abuse when he break Ruth's record. Now with scandal in the air, Aaron does not plan to be at the game when Bonds breaking his record, saying recently, "I don't even know how to spell his name."
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do you have any comments on Hank Aaron not wanting to be there when you break the record.
ROTH: I don't have any comments on that either.
DANIEL ORTMEIER, BARRY BONDS' TEAMMATE: Everybody asks, you know, do you know Barry Bonds and do you play with Barry Bonds, you know, and it's -- what a blessing and honor to be able to say, yes.
BOB NIGHTINGALE, "USA TODAY": I think his legacy will be greater 15, 20 years after he retires. Because you're still talking about the greatest player of this generation, if not in baseball history.
ROTH: Baseball is in contortions, having to accept Bonds as the home run king.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Like if he hits one today, then it's cool to say, I saw him hit one of them. But then I don't want him to break the record.
ROTH: Richard Roth, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: So as Barry Bonds gets closer to the record, we want to hear from you. Going to any of the games? If you are, send us your pictures and your perspective. Just go to cnn.com, click on iReport or type iReport at cnn.com into your cell phone.
COLLINS: She may be tiny, weighing just 65 pounds, but Tammy Faye Messner is fighting big. She talks candidly with our Larry King about her cancer and her faith.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: Former televangelist Tammy Faye Messner in a fight of her life. She's battling cancer and right now weighs just 65 pounds. She talked about it with CNN's Larry King.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TAMMY FAYE MESSNER, FORMER TELEVANGELIST: All I eat is chicken soup and rice pudding. But I'm looking forward to the day when I can bite into that hamburger and those fries. I've gained five pounds. Yeah.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: Hmm. Messner also talks about her faith and has a message for the public.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MESSNER: I'd like to say that I genuinely love you. And I genuinely care. And I genuinely want to see you in heaven some day. I want you to find peace. I want you to find joy.
LARRY KING, "LARRY KING LIVE": And you firmly believe that you're going to heaven?
MESSNER: I know for sure, for positive.
KING: And having that belief reduces fear, makes -- should eliminate fear.
MESSNER: It does, Larry, to a certain extent. I would say 99 and 100 percent.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: Messner says she spends a great deal of time praying for people.
HARRIS: Fed up in Phoenix. A jewelry store owner facing two armed robbers. Instead of raising her hands, she puts up her fists. Details from Ben Lemoni (ph) of affiliate KTVK.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BEN LEMONI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It began like any other purchase at Gaston's Jewelers, but it took a turn at the check-out counter.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Everybody on the ground. Get on the ground. Get back. Get back. Get back. Get back.
CAROL, JEWELRY STORE OWNER: You get out of here right now, young man. You leave.
LEMONI: Like a schoolteacher scolding a student, Carol, the 5'2" store owner, kept questioning the robbers while they cleaning out her cases and ordered customers to lie on the floor.
CAROL: What are you guys doing?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What you mean, we rob you.
LEMONI: The two men took everything they could and fled. Carol chasing out the door after them.
CAROL: I'm not that big of a person, but whenever I see something like that, I don't think about my life. I was just livid that they would do this to me.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I was right by that case when he shot it. So when he blow the hole in it about that big, he got my attention.
LEMONI: In examining that hole, Carol admits attacking the gunmen was probably not the best choice. And while the surveillance cameras caught it all on tape, next time she may be better prepared.
CAROL: The way these guys were, if I would have pulled a gun on them, somebody probably would have been dead. And I don't really want to kill anybody, but whenever my life's at stake or my employees or my customers' lives are at stake, you bet I would fire.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: Boy. The robbers made off with about $100,000 worth of jewels and they are still, we understand, on the loose.
COLLINS: FEMA officials in the hot seat over toxic trailers in New Orleans.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) REP. HENRY WAXMAN, OVERSIGHT & REFORM COMMITTEE: Your staff a year and a half ago said you should be testing the occupied trailers. The testing didn't take place.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: And now Congress wants the know why.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: We're getting in this new video now coming to us from San Francisco, California, where there was an earthquake at about quarter to 8:00 Eastern Time this morning. That was about a 4.2 quake and two miles east/northeast of Oakland. You're looking at some obvious broken bottles of the red wine.
HARRIS: Huh, oh. Oh, boy.
COLLINS: We have not reported any injuries yet, so we can kind of have a little bit of fun with this. Yes, that's a bummer. Isn't it? Really sad to see all the broken bottles.
But that being said, we have learned some other information about this, too. San Francisco International Airport, Oakland Airport, again, no major issues that would cause traveler delay this morning. So that is good. But we're hearing from Pacific Gas and Light in San Francisco, about 2,000 customers are without power this morning. So that's kind of a complication. And we'll continue to stay on top of that for you.
HARRIS: Also ahead this morning, a talent in trouble. Two big names in sports face controversy. CNN contributor Roland Martin has his perspective.
And more time. A top general says it will take longer to know the outcome of the Iraq troop build-up. How much longer? We're live from the Pentagon.
COLLINS: He helped put thousands of student on the path to becoming doctors. Now he's tracking the ponies. CNN's Ali Velshi has more on a former medical school administrator's life after work.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ALI VELSHI, CNN CORRESPONDENT, (voice over): Choosing favorites has been a lifelong role for Ray Brienza.
RAY BRIENZA, RACING COLUMNIST: My main job is to handicap each race. That means trying to let the readers of "The Star Ledger" sports section have an idea of what I think will be the winner of a race and second and third.
VELSHI: Brienza has been writing a weekly column on harness racing for a Newark, New Jersey, newspaper for over 31 years. But he didn't get to focus on his hobby full-time until he retired from handicapping favorites in another field. BRIENZA: At Topec (ph), at the medical school, we were reviewing 5,000 applications for 160 places in the medical schools.
VELSHI: Brienza spent 27 years working as assistant dean of administration at New York University's medical school before retiring in 2004. But he knew in retirement the odds were he'd be spending more time at the track.
BRIENZA: The most enjoyable aspect of what I do really is meeting the people that I meet. I mean, these are really interesting, hard working people with different backgrounds and it's just fun to hear them talk about what makes them want to train or drive or to own horses.
VELSHI: What's ironic is that Brienza can't get too close to the horses he spent most of his life watching.
BRIENZA: I'm allergic to a lot of things. And besides cats, I'm also allergic to ponies.
VELSHI: So Brienza keeps a safe distance to make the picks for his column.
BRIENZA: But if you're coming to the track and you don't know much about what to bet, you look at the Brienza's analysis and hopefully, if I'm right, we will have given you a couple of winners that night.
VELSHI: Ali Velshi, CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: Good morning, everybody. I'm Heidi Collins.
HARRIS: And I'm Tony Harris. Stay informed all day in the CNN NEWSROOM. Here's what's on the rundown.
Where to now Dow? Record breaking stocks a day after topping 14,000.
COLLINS: Assessing the troop build-up in Iraq. September or November? A top general clarifies.
HARRIS: Michael Vick. Nike steps back after criminal charges against a NFL star.
Barry Bonds. Oh, so close to the home run record. Will there be an asterisk. Talk show host Roland Martin live this Friday, July 20th. You are in the CNN NEWSROOM.
And at the top of this hour, the pressure for progress in Iraq and the time table for gaging it. This morning, a top general clarifies when the assessment of the troop buildup will come. Sorting it all our for us, senior Pentagon correspondent Jamie McIntyre.
Jamie, if you would, help us here. JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, this all came from a briefing yesterday with General Ray Odierno. He's the three star general who's second in command in Iraq. And he's been talking about needing the time to make a real assessment of what he sees as positive trends in Iraq up to this point. And he'd been talking about the December time line -- rather the September time line when he threw in November. Now let's listen to what he said yesterday about how long it will take him to do a good assessment.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LT. GEN. RAY ODIERNO, DEPT. U.S. COMMANDER IN IRAQ: In order to do a good assessment, I need at least ...
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