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Democrats Debate; Michael Vick Investigation; Sodas & Heart Disease
Aired July 24, 2007 - 09:00 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: Hi there, everybody.
I'm Heidi Collins.
Watch events come into the NEWSROOM live on this Tuesday morning. It's July 24th.
Here's what's on the rundown.
History-making debate. The CNN/YouTube forum went where others had not gone before. What are people saying about it today?
HARRIS: Also, court outrage. A judge lets an accused child rapist go free when an interpreter can't be found. Two attorneys speak out.
COLLINS: And training camp off limits. The NFL tells Michael Vick to stay away until it finishes reviewing his indictment.
You are in the CNN NEWSROOM.
You wanted to know. The CNN/YouTube debate, all about questions from the people for the Democratic presidential candidates.
More now from CNN senior political correspondent Candy Crowley. She is part of the best political team on television.
It looks like we don't have it. We are waiting. Waiting. We're going to get it for you in just a few minutes.
HARRIS: OK.
COLLINS: In the meantime -- oh, we have it now.
Let's go ahead and check it out -- Candy Crowley.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CROWLEY (voice over): No open warfare, but the two leading Democratic contenders circled each other time and again. Obama on Clinton's call for a Pentagon plan for withdrawal from Iraq... OBAMA: The time for us to ask how we were going to get out of Iraq was before we went in, and that is something that too many of us failed to do.
CROWLEY: Clinton, after Obama said he would meet with the leaders of countries like Cuba and Iran in the first year of his presidency...
CLINTON: Because I think that it is not that you promise a meeting at that high a level before you know what the intentions are. I don't want to be used for propaganda purposes.
CROWLEY: It was a debate that covered the waterfront with questions from a mother with a son headed for a second tour of Iraq, aide workers in a refugee camp near Darfur, and a same-sex couple looking to get married.
Hoping for a little traction out of his third place position, John Edwards repeatedly returned to populist themes.
EDWARDS: Big insurance companies, big drug companies, big oil companies, they are not going to negotiate. They are not going give away their power. The only way that they're going to give away their power is if we take it away from them.
CROWLEY: Gender, race, taxes, education, even a melting snowman asking about global warming. The debate was often humorous and more often passionate.
REP. DENNIS KUCINICH (D-OH), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Let's get those troops home, and let's take a stand and do it now.
CROWLEY: The questions were fearless and pointed, the answers sometimes blunt.
Does gender matter?
CLINTON: I believe that there isn't much doubt in anyone's mind that I can be taken seriously.
CROWLEY: Is Barack Obama "authentically black enough?"
OBAMA: When I'm catching a cab in Manhattan in the past, I think I've given my credentials.
CROWLEY: There were no obvious stumbles, and more than a couple of strong performances. But in the end, the stars of the night may have been the people with the questions.
Candy Crowley, CNN, Charleston, South Carolina.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: And Candy Crowley joining us now this morning.
Candy, nice to see you. So what do you think? How well did the candidates respond to the questions?
CROWLEY: I thought that they did pretty well. I think there were some questions that I really wanted them to answer.
I thought the question from the gentleman that said, "Do you think that if it had been floods in a rich white neighborhoods with Katrina that the reaction would have been faster?" In other words, was there sort of a racist response to Katrina? That wasn't answered directly.
So I thought there were some answers that were, you know, right on, that really did go directly to the question. I think they were more difficult to ignore than, say, reporters' questions. And I thought they dodged a couple of them.
COLLINS: All right. CNN's Candy Crowley was there for us last night and again this morning.
Candy, we appreciate that.
And Republicans will get their turn to talk to the voters as well. The GOP presidential candidates will gather in St. Petersburg, Florida, for the CNN/YouTube debate. That will happen September 17th.
So start sending in your questions.
HARRIS: Well, the NBA dealing with major mess over a an ex-ref. Tim Donaghy is expected to surrender to authorities in a gambling probe within days. He is suspected of betting on basketball games he officiated. The FBI looking into whether Donaghy affected the outcome or point spreads of games. Donaghy just recently resigned.
Two hours from right now, NBA commissioner David Stern makes his first public comments about the allegations.
Sacked by the NFL. The league telling Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick, stay away from training camp. Today, Vick's bosses speak for the first time since Vick's indictment in a dogfighting case.
CNN's Rusty Dornin joins us live from the team's headquarters in Flowery Branch, Georgia.
Rusty, good to see you.
What is the NFL commissioner, Mr. Goodell, saying to Michael Vick?
RUSTY DORNIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, he wrote him a letter. But first of all, let's take a look at the hometown paper here.
Of course, Tony, you have seen it. Let's show the viewers. It is, of course, front page news here.
And the players are scheduled to arrive in two days, on Thursday. That's when the training camp starts.
Now, Michael Vick was not expected to show up. Of course, he's being arraigned in Virginia on those charges. But last night, the NFL commissioner, Roger Goodell, wrote him a very stern letter. Let's show you that part of the letter.
He says, "While it is for the criminal justice system to determine your guilt or innocence, it is my responsibility as commissioner of the NFL to determine whether your conduct, even if not criminal, nonetheless violates league policies, including personal conduct policy." Now, apparently, Commissioner Goodell is noted for being a disciplinarian.
Things have been heating up all week, of course, and even late last week. They had a lot of animal rights activists protesting not only here at the training camp in Atlanta, but also outside of the NFL headquarters in New York.
It has been talked about on the floor of Congress, one of the senators. So there was a lot of pressure for the NFL to do something.
Now, they are also, of course, saying to the Falcons, don't you do anything. Don't you take any disciplinary action until we have reviewed this case.
So, this afternoon, it looks like they are going to have some kind of press conference, but we don't know what is going to be coming out of that -- Tony.
HARRIS: Hey, Rusty, has Roger Goodell, the NFL commissioner, interviewed Michael Vick about the allegations here in this indictment?
DORNIN: Yes, he has, Tony. And that took place in April. And that might be part of what is going on here as well, because apparently, in April, he had a personal meeting with Vick, where reportedly Vick denied all the charges, said nothing was going on. This is, of course, when the charges first surfaced.
But looking at this indictment, the allegation says that during the month of April, that Michael Vick was involved in putting to death at least eight dogs. So, certainly, Goodell is upset after hearing that. And from what we understand, also, they are going to be maybe talking to federal investigators to see exactly how strong that case is before they make a further decision.
HARRIS: Got you. OK.
CNN's Rusty Dornin for us.
Rusty, thank you.
COLLINS: A nightmare for any family. Connecticut police say a mother and her two daughters died after a home invasion. Police aren't sure how, but they say all were found dead in their burning house yesterday. The father survived. Two suspects were arrested and are due in court today. And according to police, one of the suspects took a woman hostage and forced her to withdraw money from a local bank. A bank employee got suspicious and tipped off police that there may be trouble at the home.
HARRIS: Another routine day turns deadly in Iraq. Shoppers and people on their way to work killed by a suicide car bomber. It happened near a children's hospital in Hilla. That's about 60 miles south of Baghdad.
Iraqi police say a car bomber detonated explosives in the center of a busy shopping area. Nearly two dozen people killed. Some 60 others wounded. One witness says he saw people struggling to get out of their burning cars.
A hospital worker says most of those killed suffered serious burns.
COLLINS: More than a million people stranded by flooding across England this morning. The historic flooding also threatened to spark a public health disaster. Nearly 350,000 people have no clean drinking water. The precious commodity under army and police guard now. Some distribution centers have been set up, but not everyone can get there.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GAIL SUTTON, GLOUCESTERSHIRE RESIDENT: ... without running water, and obviously no drinking water either, which, I mean, on the radio they keep saying, oh, they're giving out bottled water, but we can't get the bottled water. I went out this morning to fill buckets and bottles up from the (INAUDIBLE) at the top, but you can't drink that. They are telling you can't drink it, and to be honesty, you're carrying it in buckets back through here. And there's not very nice things floating about here at the moment.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: A massive Red Cross effort also under way. Workers bringing supplies to thousands of stranded residents. The situation could get even worse. More rain is expected across southern England tonight.
(WEATHER REPORT)
HARRIS: Well, a gap in airport security. Federal screeners given the night off. A possible back-door opportunity for terrorists.
COLLINS: Case dismissed for lack of an interpreter. A man accused of raping a child goes free, but what happens now?
HARRIS: Identifying illegal immigrants and helping to become part of the community. One city offering I.D. cards?
COLLINS: Put down that soda can. A new study says people who have too many soft drinks may be harming their heart.
HARRIS: Oh boy.
COLLINS: We'll tell you more about it after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: Have you heard about this one? Case dismissed.
A Liberian immigrant was accused of raping and molesting a 7- year-old girl in Maryland three years ago. The problem, delays in finding an interpreter. The judge ruling the man's right to a speedy trial had been violated. Prosecutors say they will appeal.
Was justice served?
Civil rights attorney Avery Friedman and former prosecutor Pamela Hayes join us at 10:15 a.m. Eastern Time to talk about this case.
COLLINS: If you plan to have a soda for lunch today, you may want to think twice about it.
Our medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen is here now to tell us why.
I almost know no one who doesn't drink soda, at least one point during their day.
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Oh, absolutely. So many people drink soda. And we all know it is not exactly a health food.
COLLINS: No.
COHEN: But on the other hand, this level of information may come as a surprise to many people.
Researchers looked at people who drank soda, and really not all that much soda, and found that they were at a higher risk for having high blood pressure and problems with insulin and problems with cholesterol.
Well, how much were they drinking? They were drinking just one soda a day, and they were 50 percent more likely to have these health issues.
And now here's something really interesting. It didn't matter if they were drinking diet soda or regular soda.
COLLINS: Really?
COHEN: Really. That's pretty incredible.
COLLINS: I just gave up diet soda, so...
COHEN: Well, there you go. COLLINS: It's been very hard.
COHEN: And the beverage industry says this just defies common sense. They say if it doesn't matter which one you drink, it defies common sense.
COLLINS: Right.
OK. Well, why in the world would diet cause these type of problems?
COHEN: Right. If it were lots of calories, you might understand.
COLLINS: Sure.
COHEN: But why would diet cause these problems? Well, no one is sure why. Even the people who did the study aren't sure why.
COLLINS: It's the Aspartame.
COHEN: No, not going to say that.
The folks who did the study, what they think is possibly -- just, you get used to drinking something very sweet. You are getting -- your brain gets used to sweet, you want more sweet. Also possible that something in that caramel coloring that's in dark sodas, that that messes with your insulin levels. That's been shown in lab animals.
They're really not sure. All they know is what they found.
COLLINS: Are there -- is there any correlation to be made that possibly people who drink a lot of soda, you know, they just lay around -- I think it's ridiculous -- but lay around on the couch all day, they don't get the exercise they should be getting, because they might have a poor diet overall? If they're choosing to drink soda, maybe it's perhaps instead of juice or water otherwise?
COHEN: Right. That was one of the first questions the researchers asked themselves. And what they did was they could actually control for that.
They went in and they saw that possibly soda drinkers did have a less healthy lifestyle. But they said that they can statistically control for that, and they said that's not the issue.
They think it is something about the soda that's making blood pressure go up and causing insulin problems and causing cholesterol problems. They can't explain why. They just know the phenomenon appears to be there.
COLLINS: All right. Well, I'm going to keep trying.
COHEN: Water. Nothing wrong with water.
COLLINS: There's no taste. That's the problem.
Elizabeth Cohen, thanks so much.
COHEN: Thanks.
HARRIS: Terrorists getting easy access to airports, that is the concern this morning after a report showing a major security failures at one airport.
CNN's Kathleen Koch has the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KATHLEEN KOCH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Security procedures at Phoenix's Sky Harbor Airport are under review after CNN's affiliate KNXV found contract guards, not TSA screeners, took overnight security there once passenger flights ended. The guards checked airport workers' IDs, but never screened them or their bags.
A flight attendant with three suitcases goes through with no screening. So does a cart load of newspapers.
As a result, the Transportation Security Administration says it's put the airport federal security director on administrative leave. And it is now requiring TSA screeners at their post, night and day.
KIP HAWLEY, TSA ADMINISTRATOR: You can't tell from looking at that time tape whether there was a violation or not. And that's something that we will figure out. But it raises the question, and we wanted to answer the question right away and say, look, we are going to now screen 24/7 and we will sort out what exactly you saw.
KOCH: Hawley says nearly 20 U.S. airports use contract guards in the overnight hours, and that it's an acceptable practice.
And despite the crackdown in Phoenix, the government does not require the screening of all airport employees or their bags. They do have to show IDs and undergo fingerprinting and an FBI background check.
Still, some lawmakers have concerns about the practice.
REP. NITA LOWEY (D), NEW YORK: Meticulously screening passengers but giving workers open access doesn't make any sense to me. It's like a security system in a home and leaving the back door open.
KOCH: The TSA does conduct random screenings of airport workers. It stepped them up in March after an Orlando airport worker was charged with using his ID to smuggle weapons and marijuana into the airport and on to a plane. The TSA, though, says trying to screen all 800,000 airport workers around the country would grind air travel to a halt.
(on camera): Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport says it has not violated any security regulations. Still, it is cooperating with the TSA's request for federal screeners around the clock. And the city is increasing police presence at all airport checkpoints.
Kathleen Koch, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: And be sure to stay tuned to CNN day and night for the most reliable news about your security.
COLLINS: We have information into the CNN NEWSROOM we want to share with you now.
Lindsay Lohan was apparently arrested for drunk driving again. This is with the Santa Monica Police Department confirming to CNN Radio's Jim Roope.
So we have learned that that happened at about, oh, 2:15 a.m. in L.A. And again, as you may know, this is the second time that she has been busted for drunk driving in less than a year.
So, once again, CNN has confirmed with the Santa Monica Police Department that Lindsay Lohan was arrested for driving under the influence.
We will continue to watch this one for you.
HARRIS: And still ahead in the NEWSROOM this morning, Britain under water. Historic floods pushing people to the limit. Hundreds of thousands left in the dark not knowing what's coming next.
ALI VELSHI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Ali Velshi in New York.
If you are prepared to drop a few bucks on one or two of these every day, you probably don't care all that much that there's been a price increase. But if you want to know about it, stay with us. I'll be back with that in the NEWSROOM when we come back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: Millions of workers get a raise when they clock in today. The minimum wage is being raised for the first time in 10 years. The increase will bump yesterday's minimum wage of $5.15 an hour to $5.85. Two more increases are planned over the next two years. And that will push the minimum wage to $7.25 an hour by the year 2009.
HARRIS: Hasbro cashes in on the success of the live action movie "Transformers".
Have you seen it? Have you seen it?
The number two toy maker announced higher profits on sales of movie-related toys and merchandise. But a recently announced recall can actually hurt.
There he is, Ali Velshi.
VELSHI: Take me to your leader.
HARRIS: He is Optimus Prime this morning.
VELSHI: I'm Optimus Prime.
Hello, Tony.
HARRIS: Wow, that is -- that's it.
VELSHI: That's quite a lid, huh?
HARRIS: Yes, that and the voice. It works.
VELSHI: It's excellent. I've got to tell you, this is -- I'm going to be playing with this for the rest of the day.
HARRIS: Heidi said you've never looked better.
VELSHI: Yes, thank you. I think she might be right. That's the problem.
This is Optimus Prime -- let me turn that little speaker off.
HARRIS: OK.
VELSHI: This is, you know, one of the key characters from the -- from "The Transformers". And the success of that movie, which was out about three weeks ago, has so bolstered Hasbro's sales. They have done so well out of is, they didn't get a piece of the action on the movie.
They didn't -- it was a DreamWorks movie. They didn't pay for it.
HARRIS: Oh, OK.
VELSHI: But they are thinking that they might -- you know, they might be involved in financing the next one, because the offshoots on these -- this merchandising is so excellent for them. So, Hasbro is depending on that. You know, they did well off of "Spider-Man 3" and all sorts of other things.
But, you know, as you mentioned, Hasbro has had a few problems.
HARRIS: Yes.
VELSHI: The second time this year they've had to recall those Easy-Bake Ovens.
HARRIS: That's right.
VELSHI: Kids are getting their fingers stuck in them.
HARRIS: Yes.
Hey, but you know what? If the movie makers were really being hit with the times, it would be Optimus Subprime, wouldn't it?
VELSHI: Optimus -- there you go.
HARRIS: It really would.
VELSHI: That's the business version. Oh, man.
HARRIS: It would just be with the moment.
VELSHI: I'm very sad that I didn't think of that one.
HARRIS: Starbucks, yes, tell us about this.
VELSHI: Are you one of these -- I don't -- I don't do this stuff. I can't -- I can't afford to blow this kind of money on my coffee.
HARRIS: Well, exactly. On occasion. But my margins are tight. And they're just getting tighter if I'm going to buy a cup of that.
VELSHI: Yes. Well, Starbucks is saying they are now going to raise prices depending on where you are on the country and what you buy on brewed or what they call handcrafted beverages, whatever that is, by an average of about nine cents for one of these things.
They are citing higher energy costs and higher milk costs. And I'll give them this, milk costs are higher. So if you are getting one of those -- you know, what's going up? Coffee, lattes, frozen frappuccinos, some of the tea drinks.
So that's what they are saying.
Now, they raised prices last October by about five cents, also citing labor costs and energy costs. That's twice this year, averaging about 14 cents now.
HARRIS: All right. I've got to think about it. I mean, I'm paying over $3 a gallon for gas and now Starbucks. Look, I've got to make some choices in my life.
VELSHI: Drink the free stuff in the cafeteria.
HARRIS: Yes, but there are risks.
All right, Ali. Good to see you.
Thanks, Ali.
VELSHI: Take it easy.
HARRIS: And still to come in the NEWSROOM this morning, Pakistan's wild frontier.
COLLINS: We are going to give them a little bit more information.
HARRIS: OK.
COLLINS: Because I know that you have been wondering about this, Tony.
We are going to get back to this story that we have been telling you about this morning with Lindsay Lohan, in fact. Some people not thinking it's funny at all being it is now a second offense for her.
But according to the Santa Monica Police Department, Lindsay Lohan was stopped driving a car that didn't belong to her. The officers smelled alcohol. They conducted a field sobriety test, she failed.
They are telling us that she was ultimately brought to jail, blew into the machine that they have there, of course. Over the legal limit. And she also had in her pockets some sort of controlled substance.
That substance, white powder. It did test positive for opiate.
Lohan is now charged with five counts, including DUI, driving on a suspended license, and possession of a controlled substance.
I believe it was May, was it not, when she was first arrested for driving under the influence? So again, a second offense now.
So, we will continue to follow this one for and you bring you more information as soon as we get it.
HARRIS: And still to come in the NEWSROOM this morning, Pakistan's wild frontier. It is believed to be the hiding place for Osama bin Laden. So why don't U.S. forces just go and get him?
ALPHONSO VAN MARSH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And the flooding may be receding here, but British officials say the problems are far from over.
That's coming up next in the NEWSROOM.
ED HENRY, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: I'm Ed Henry at the White House.
You can probably hear Marine One starting to get fired up behind me. That's because the president is about to take off for Charleston, South Carolina. He will speak to U.S. troops and try to bolster his case that al Qaeda is the number one threat in Iraq.
That coming up in the NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: The bottom of the hour.
Welcome back, everyone, to the CNN NEWSROOM.
I'm Tony Harris. HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Hi there, everybody.
I'm Heidi Collins.
Connecting the dots on terrorism -- President Bush heads to Charleston this morning. He says he will reveal new information that links al Qaeda to Al Qaeda in Iraq.
Our White House correspondent, Ed Henry, is live at the White House for us this morning now with more on this -- so, Ed, what's the point of releasing this information today?
ED HENRY, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, good morning, Heidi.
The point is the president wants to try and bolster his case that Iraq is the central front in the war on terror, even though the administration's own assessment last week suggested that perhaps Pakistan is now the central front, because it's become a safe harbor for Al Qaeda.
Now, to make his case, the president will use a familiar and a controversial tactic.
As you noted, he's going to selectively declassify some intelligence that he will contend shows deep ties between Al Qaeda on the ground in Iraq and the broader Al Qaeda run by Osama bin Laden.
Mr. Bush used the method, you'll remember, back in the spring, when he revealed intelligence showing bin Laden trying to expand his influence in Iraq. And as he faces increasing pressure to show progress on the ground in Baghdad, the president has really been trying to shift the focus to Al Qaeda's clout in Iraq, even going so far to charging that the same killers from 9/11 are now causing the violence on the ground in Iraq.
As you know, critics have raised questions about whether that's true. So Mr. Bush today will try to reveal some previously classified intelligence that White House officials say will back the president up.
But you'll remember, the last time the president did this in the spring, at the Coast Guard Academy, it was intelligence showing bin Laden trying to expand the influence in Iraq after the war started, not beforehand. And you'll also remember the CIA warned the president before the war in Iraq that an attack on Baghdad could actually expand Al Qaeda's influence, become a recruiting tool for Al Qaeda.
Obviously, last week's assessment by the administration itself suggests that, that, in fact, has panned out -- Heidi.
COLLINS: Well, we also know that President Bush is going to be hosting Jordan's King Abdullah later today.
Any idea what's on their agenda? HENRY: Absolutely. The president really trying to push and get a broader Mideast peace talks going again, getting them reignited. This, of course, coming on the same day that the U.S. ambassador in Baghdad, Ryan Crocker, is meeting with his Iranian counterpart, a diplomatic channel that late last year the White House did not want to use.
The point here is that all these various moves by the president all aimed at trying to bring more stability to the Mideast, broadly speaking, because of the situation in Iraq -- Heidi.
COLLINS: All right, well, Ed Henry watching it all for us today from the lawn of the White House.
Thanks so much there, Ed.
HENRY: Thank you.
COLLINS: And President Bush's Charleston speech on Iraq and terror does begin at noon Eastern. You can catch it live right here on CNN.
HARRIS: Happening now on Capitol Hill, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales due to appear before the Senate Judiciary Committee. The panel still looking into the controversial firing of eight U.S. attorneys.
In prepared remarks, Gonzales says there is no place for politics in the hiring of Justice Department employees. He says he plans to fix the problems. Democrats want him to resign. Gonzales says he is not leaving.
COLLINS: Eight Democrats vying for the White House, sharing the spotlight with everyday voters. Their questions submitted to the Web site, YouTube, and served up on CNN, in a first of its kind debate. Some questions a little silly, others serious and many deeply personal.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARY: Hi.
My name is Mary.
JEN: And my name is Jen.
MARY: And we're from Brooklyn, New York.
If you were elected president of the United States, would you allow us to be married to each other?
COOPER: Congressman Kucinich?
KUCINICH: Mary and Jen, the answer to your question is yes. And let me tell you why.
(APPLAUSE) KUCINICH: Because if our Constitution really means what it says, that all are created equal, if it really means what it says, that there should be equality of opportunity before the law, then our brothers and sisters who happen to be gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgendered should have the same rights accorded to them as anyone else, and that includes the ability to have a civil marriage ceremony.
Yes, I support you. And welcome to a better and a new America under a President Kucinich administration.
(APPLAUSE)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: Analysts say there were no knock out punches, but some think the format may break down a few traditional barriers.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM CNN's "AMERICAN MORNING")
JAMES KOTECKI, POLITICAL BLOGGER:
I think we're going to see more and more candidates engaging on YouTube, talking directly to people, and hopefully they learn from this experience that YouTube is a very powerful political force and they should just engage directly with people who want answers on that medium.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: Republicans will have their turn. In just a few weeks, the GOP candidates will gather in St. Petersburg, Florida for the CNN/YouTube debate. That will happen September 17th.
HARRIS: So the voters asked the questions.
Now the biggest questions are posed to the voters -- who won points in the debate?
Who lost ground?
CNN's Randi Kaye tracks the audience response.
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
RANDI KAYE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This line here, this represents the reaction. A mark above 50 is favorable; below 50, unfavorable; and 50 means no opinion whatsoever.
The group rating the debate was made up of undecided Democrats and nonpartisan Independents.
Now, let's turn to some of the raw highlights and what we like to call the raw lowlights. One of the peaks in audience reaction came in response to Senator Barack Obama on the issue of diplomacy and Iraq.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D), ILLINOIS: Ronald Reagan and Democratic presidents like JFK constantly spoke to Soviet Union at a time when Ronald Reagan called them an evil empire. And the reason is because...
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: All right. Now during that answer, the audience meters cruised up to, oh, I don't know, about 80 or so. The viewers apparently liked his idea of talking with Syria and Iran to solve problems in Iraq.
Obama also scored high on the question of race and how his would play in this election.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OBAMA: If children feel as if the fact that they have a different surname or they've got a different skin color is not going to impede their dreams, then I am absolutely confident that we're going to be able to move forward on the challenges that we face as a country.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: On that one, the Obama meter hit above 70 here. You can see that line right there. Now, see what happens, though, next when Senator Hillary Clinton responds to how her gender will play.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON (D), NEW YORK: I am excited that I may...
(APPLAUSE)
... You know, may be able, finally, to break that hardest of all glass ceilings.
But, obviously, I'm not running because I'm a woman. I'm running because I think I'm the most qualified and experienced person to hit the ground running in January 2009.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: Well, tat was a low point for the Clinton camp. The meter took a dive to around 50, actually, before it started to climb again.
The biggest spike of the night went to John Edwards. He may be trailing Clinton and Obama, but on health care, one of his key issues, the meter movers thought he was tops.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHN EDWARDS, PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We have got to stand up to the insurance companies and the drug companies...
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: Senator... EDWARDS: ...that Barack just spoke about. It is the only way we're ever going to bring about real change. We should be outraged by these stories.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: Take a look at that.
Did you see that?
The meter hit 90, all the way up to 90. That was the most favorable reading of the night. Now, because of this first of its kind format tonight, we asked our raw reaction reviewers to rate questions as well as answers, like this question about reparations.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WILL: Is African-Americans ever going to get reparations for slavery?
I know you all are going to run around this question, dipping and dodging, so let's see how far you all can get.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: Yes, well, the only thing that dipped there, actually, was the meter -- all the way down to 30, the low point of the entire night.
And when the debate ended, the same group moving meters actually rated each candidates' overall performance. And here's how they stacked up. Take a look -- Obama, Biden, Edwards, and, on the bottom, Clinton.
HARRIS: Desperation across much of Southern England today. Hundreds of thousands of people now trapped by historic flooding, in the dark and running out of drinking water.
CNN's Alphonso Van Marsh joins us live from Tewkesbury, England -- Alphonso, what is the latest there?
ALPHONSO VAN MARSH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right. Within the last couple of hours, Tony, we've been hearing from the chief constable or the main police officer for this county, reminding people that this emergency is not over. As you can actually see behind me, there are still vehicles submerged. A little bit further down you see the remnants of a dinghy, one of these rafts. These emergency workers trying to help those who need it.
The officials here today are actually commending -- commending superhuman efforts, according to their words, in what can be described as a struggle for power -- getting recruits from the air force, getting recruits from the navy, the army and the fire brigade. They have all been fighting overnight to keep these waters from seeping and flooding into an electrical power station in this region, a power station that is providing electricity for some half a million homes. Over the hours of the night, we understand from officials, that they were able to keep the water within two inches of going over sandbags surrounding that electrical area, to keep that power on today. But they do remind us that there are some 140,000 people who still do not have access to fresh water and they will not get access to fresh water for about a week.
One last thing to mention. Public health officials are saying that this water is dangerous -- it could be very dangerous -- encouraging people not to get in because it is a diluted mix of human sewage and industrial waste -- Tony.
HARRIS: Hey, Alphonso, just quickly, are there still people who need to be rescued at this point?
VAN MARSH: Yes, very much so. Within the last half hour, along this very pathway, we did see emergency rescue folks coming in a dinghy with a man, a woman and a small child. We've seen this scene over and over in this part of the country -- people who are, perhaps, weak or elderly, senior citizens, people that are trapped in their homes call the emergency number here, 999, and hopefully help gets to them soon.
Again, we've seen a lot of people look very, very relieved when those bright orange jackets...
HARRIS: Yes.
VAN MARSH: ...those rescue workers do come knocking on that door -- Tony.
HARRIS: Yes, I can imagine.
CNN's Alphonso Van Marsh for us this morning.
Alphonso, thanks.
COLLINS: Boy, a nasty situation there without a doubt.
HARRIS: Yes.
COLLINS: Rob Marciano, though, is watching more of the weather situation here in our country and it looks like not a great situation for the folks in Florida either.
(WEATHER REPORT)
HARRIS: Identifying illegal immigrants and helping them become part of the community. Get this -- one city offering I.D. cards.
(STOCK MARKET REPORT)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: So we are pod casting later today. And the team is putting -- do we have a shot of the team working on the pod cast -- there you go, working on the pod cast right now.
Hey, you know to catch us weekday mornings, 9:00 until 12:00 Eastern right here in the CNN NEWSROOM. And we so appreciate that.
But, look, the deal is you can take us with you anywhere on your iPod. What you do is you go to CNN.com and you download the CNN NEWSROOM pod cast.
Here's the other thing. It is available to you 24-7 right there -- good morning, Joe Sterling -- right there on your iPod.
COLLINS: Reaching out to illegal immigrants -- one city offering I.D. cards, a first of its kind program.
CNN's Alina Cho has the story.
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
FATIMA, NEW HAVEN RESIDENT: It's a horrible feeling when you don't have any document that you can prove that you are who you're saying that you are.
ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Fatima, a Mexican, has been living and working in New Haven, Connecticut for the past three years. She plans on heading to city hall today to pick up an unusual offering -- an identification card.
The new cards will provide the necessary I.D. for Fatima to open a checking account and use New Haven's libraries, beaches and parks.
FATIMA: With this card, I'm going to be part of this society.
CHO: White other cities are cracking down on illegal immigrants, New Haven is the first in the nation to validate its estimated 15,000 undocumented people.
MAYOR JOHN DESTEFANO, JR. NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT: New Haven didn't want to and couldn't afford to wait until the federal government acted.
CHO: But many in the community, as well as the country, are upset about New Haven's new measure.
DUSTIN GOLD, SOUTHERN CONNECTICUT IMMIGRATION REFORM: I mean the federal government does have a policy. They don't enforce the policy, which does not give a municipal politician the right to bend and work the rules.
CHO: Last month, federal immigration agents arrested 32 immigrants in the New Haven area. The mayor says the raid was retaliation for the new I.D. program.
DESTEFANO: Too much coincidence for me.
CHO: CNN contacted Immigration & Customs Enforcement. They told us: "We won't discuss specifics of investigation activity. Actions are planned carefully off of law enforcement leads and intelligence."
Fatima was not deterred from applying for the card.
FATIMA: It was a struggle of many years and then we saw that it was possible. Si se puede. It's our reality. Si se puede. Yes, we can.
CHO: Alina Cho, CNN, New Haven, Connecticut.
(END VIDEO TAPE)
HARRIS: Terror in a Connecticut neighborhood -- a family found dead in their burning house after a home invasion.
COLLINS: Vowing not to quit and to fix problems in the Justice Department, Attorney General Gonzales appearing before a Senate committee again this morning. We'll show you those pictures in just a moment here in the CNN NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: Reports of heated exchanges as U.S. and Iranian ambassadors hold talks in Baghdad. They're talking about one major issue -- Iraq's grim security situation and nonstop violence.
According to the Associated Press, an unidentified Iraqi official says U.S. Ambassador Ryan Crocker accused Iran of supporting Shiite militias that are killing U.S. troops. The Iranian ambassador reportedly dismissed the allegations, saying the Americans have no proof.
The two sides have met twice in the past two months.
HARRIS: A deadly day in Afghanistan. Six NATO troops killed Monday in various attacks. The fighting another side of the difficulty of finding Osama bin Laden.
CNN's Jamie McIntyre explains.
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN SENIOR PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The latest NATO deaths came when a U.S. convoy hit a roadside bomb in eastern Afghanistan. The past two days have been marked by heavy fighting in the south. NATO claims dozens of Taliban have been killed. Among the dead from one clash, six Pakistanis.
It's more evidence that Pakistan is unable to seal its northwestern border and stop the tribal area of Waziristan from providing a safe haven for Taliban and al Qaeda fighters. It's the same area of Pakistan where Osama bin Laden is believed to be holed up, protected by a large network of sympathizers. As frustrating as that is, the U.S. insists it has no plans to launch cross-border attacks.
TONY SNOW, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: I think there has been this notion afoot, or at least an attempt or an inclination, somehow we're going to invade Pakistan. We always maintain the option of striking actionable targets, but we also realize that Pakistan is a sovereign government.
MCINTYRE: Pakistan is launching its own offensive into the largely ungoverned region in response to escalating violence and the complete failure of a peace agreement brokered last year.
But while the U.S. has offered military assistance, including firepower and intelligence sharing, it doesn't have the one thing Pakistan says it really needs -- any good fix on exactly where bin Laden is.
KHURSHID KASURI, PAKISTANI FOREIGN MINISTER: Let the United States provide us with actionable intelligence and you will find that Pakistan will never be lacking.
MCINTYRE: The U.S. realizes violating Pakistan's sovereignty would undercut President Pervez Musharraf's already shaky grip on power, and he's one of the best allies the U.S. has in the region. But that said, if bin Laden were in the crosshairs, President Bush told CNN's Wolf Blitzer last year he wouldn't hesitate to pull the trigger.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM "THE SITUATION ROOM,"
SEPTEMBER 26, 2006)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Absolutely.
WOLF BLITZER, HOST: Even though the Pakistanis say...
BUSH: Absolutely.
BLITZER: ...that's their sovereign territory?
BUSH: We would -- we would take the action necessary to bring him to justice.
MCINTYRE (on camera): The reason neither the U.S. nor Pakistan can get that actionable intelligence on bin Laden is that he is surrounded by people who protect him, and he is smart enough not to show himself.
But this new Pakistani offensive could force him to move, and that might present a new opportunities to get fresh leads on his whereabouts.
Jamie McIntyre, CNN, the Pentagon.
(END VIDEO TAPE)
COLLINS: An unconventional format with important questions.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
QUESTION: Hello, Democratic candidates. I've been growing concerned that global warming, the single most important issue to the snowmen of this country, is being neglected.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: Oh, that's creative, at least.
Democrats face off against each other over the questions you want answered.
HARRIS: And a child raped and molested, the case dismissed. The court not find an interpreter.
Justice served?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: So we told you about this story yesterday. Here's the video, amazing video of a World War II era plane landing on a Wisconsin highway. It was caught on the dashboard camera of a state trooper's car.
You can see it coming -- look at this. And it swerves out of the way of traffic. No vehicles hit, a few road signs dinged. Engine failure is blamed. The father and son on board were headed to an air show. Everyone is OK. Traffic was a mess -- a real mess -- for a while.
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.
You asked, they responded. The CNN- YouTube debate broke ground.
What's the buzz today?
COLLINS: A home invasion turns into a house fire. Three family members are dead. Now authorities look for answers from two suspects.
HARRIS: And a language barrier gets an accused rapist out of jail. Attorneys weigh in on the legal outrage.
It is Tuesday, July 24th, and you are in the CNN NEWSROOM.
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