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American Morning
Who Scored, Who Stumbled in Democratic Debate?; Security Breach at Phoenix Airport; CNN & YouTube: The New Era of Debates
Aired July 24, 2007 - 07:59 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR: Eight for '08 in a new style debate. The Democrats for president take questions straight from you.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (SINGING): Taxes...
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Iraq...
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Health care...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How are you going to be any different?
CHETRY: This morning, who scored, who stumbled?
GOV. BILL RICHARDSON (D-NM), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I think I did well.
SEN. JOSEPH BIDEN (D), DELAWARE: We got a lot of dancing, but, you know, that's part of the deal.
CHETRY: Instant analysis from voters and an overnight sound-off from our viewers.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I keep asking myself, who is really going to wind up being the next president of the United States?
CHETRY: The YouTube debate and how it could reshape the race for president on this AMERICAN MORNING.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHETRY: And welcome. It's Tuesday, July 24th.
I'm Kiran Chetry in New York.
JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: And good morning to you.
I'm John Roberts, in Charleston, South Carolina.
This morning, we are taking the pulse of the YouTube debate. Ordinary people challenged the Democratic presidential candidates last night with some very tough questions.
So, who scored, who stumbled?
Candy Crowley, part of the best political team on television, joins me now with the answer to those questions.
Good morning, Candy.
CANDY CROWLEY, CNN SR. POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, sort of the answer. You know, I mean, I think in the end, everybody kind of came out where they were. There were no huge fumbles.
There were some strong performances. You mentioned before Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, John Edwards all did really well in getting their points across.
I thought one of the most interesting almost exchanges was on the question of whether the candidates, as president, would go and talk to the leaders of Cuba and North Korea...
ROBERTS: Yes.
CROWLEY: ... the rogue nations that we see. And Barack Obama began by saying, well, yes, I would see them in my first year.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D-IL), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The notion that somehow not talking to countries is punishment to them, which has been the guiding diplomatic principle of this administration, is ridiculous.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON (D-NY), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: 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.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CROWLEY: So, sort of inside the beltway. And certainly among the Clinton people, this was seen as a really good moment for her, because they feel that by her giving the nuance of, listen, you just don't go talk to these people. You have got to have -- you have to know if there is an agenda, not to be used, that she made him look naive.
There is another whole school of thought that says, you know, people out there are hungry for some diplomatic relations, and particularly in a time when it's seen that are standing around the world has been severely diluted. So, you know, it will be interesting to see how this plays out over time, and two very different views of who actually won that exchange.
ROBERTS: She did seem to be saying to him, look, this is where your lack of experience really shows, because that's not the way you do things. I'd like to talk to the fellow who asked the question to see whose response he liked better. CROWLEY: Absolutely. Absolutely, yes.
ROBERTS: And Obama also kind of took a swing at her as well when he said that the time to be thinking about getting out of Iraq was before anyone cast a vote to go in.
CROWLEY: Right. Absolutely. And I thought they both had really good moments when the question was about whether because she was a woman she couldn't deal with Arab countries where women are second- class citizens.
ROBERTS: Right.
CROWLEY: She sort of looked in the camera and said, I don't think anybody has a problem taking me seriously.
And when he was asked, do you think you're an authentic black, he being the son of a White woman and black man, and he said, you know, when I hail a cab in Manhattan, I pretty much got my credentials.
So I thought they both sort of brought those home pretty well.
ROBERTS: Yes. Well, it was pretty interesting last night watching them respond. They were definitely prepared, I think, all of those candidates.
CROWLEY: Yes.
ROBERTS: Candy, good to see you. Thanks very much.
And remember, the Republican YouTube debate is set for September the 17th. So you've got a couple of months now. You can record a question right now. Just head to youtube.com and post it -- Kiran.
CHETRY: John, thanks.
Well, the U.S. and Iran holding ambassador-level talks right now in Baghdad. Envoys discussing the deteriorating security situation in Iraq.
These are some of the new pictures in to CNN of the high-level talks taking place in the heavily-fortified Green Zone.
An Iraqi official who was in the room was telling The Associated Press this morning that there was a heated exchange as the U.S. accused Iran of supplying weapons to militants and stirring sectarian violence. Iran denying that and blaming the U.S. for the invasion.
President Bush heads to Charleston Air Force Base in South Carolina today, where he'll be talking about his Iraq war strategy. The White House says the president will tell American service members that the troop buildup is making progress but that it needs more time. He is also expected to talk about the link between al Qaeda and Al Qaeda in Iraq. President Bush has been criticized for calling Iraq the central front in the war on terror. And a chilling threat from the leader of terror group Hezbollah. Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah says that Hezbollah has rockets that will hit every corner of Israel, including Tel Aviv. He made the claim during an interview on Arab television.
Senior military officials in Israel say Hezbollah is not capable of striking all parts of Israel. They do say that Hezbollah though has been able to rebuild a lot of its arsenal since last year's month- long war.
And there are some other important stories we're following for you this morning with our AMERICAN MORNING team of correspondents. We have an update on a story that we first brought you right here on AMERICAN MORNING.
Fallout today after a major security breach was exposed at Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport.
Our Alina Cho is watching this one, live in our New York City newsroom.
It seems that because of this reporting, there have been some changes made at that airport, Alina.
ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Kiran. It certainly didn't take long. The TSA is taking action, and the most significant change, at least for now, is that effective immediately, the TSA will begin screening all employees of Phoenix's Sky Harbor Airport 24/7.
Now, this follows that startling report by CNN affiliate KNXV. We told you about it yesterday.
A hidden camera investigation found during the overnight hours, between midnight and 4:30 a.m., a security checkpoint at the airport was staffed by private security guards, not the TSA. And this is happening at about 20 airports across the country.
Now, in Phoenix, dozens of airport workers were seen in that hidden camera video simply showing their I.D. They were waved through, bags unchecked.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KIP HAWLEY, TSA: You can't tell from looking at the tape whether there was a violation or not. And that's something that we'll figure out. But it raises the question, and we wanted to answer the question right away and say, look, we're going to now screen 24/7 and we'll sort out what exactly you saw.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHO: The TSA responded yesterday by saying the workers never have to go through security no matter what time it is. That's because the workers have already been thoroughly vetted by the FBI with background checks. They've been fingerprinted as well. But this report has certainly called into question this policy. Some have called it a security loophole. And now in Phoenix, the TSA is reviewing all security procedures. And, Kiran, the federal security director at that airport in Phoenix is now on administrative leave.
CHETRY: Wow. It's interesting.
So, which one is it? Is it that they're going to have to go through security 24 hours a day now, or that they don't ever have to go through security, that they may ever do it during the day either?
CHO: They will have to go through security 24/7, those workers in Phoenix. And those posts will be manned now 24/7 by the TSA, instead of private security guards -- Kiran.
CHETRY: Wow. Very interesting. Good job, Alina. Thanks so much.
Well, now to Rob Marciano. He has been watching the extreme heat out West.
(WEATHER REPORT)
CHETRY: Now there is another look at a famous study that took a look at the benefits of group therapy for breast cancer patients.
Elizabeth Cohen is live in Atlanta looking into this one for us.
Hi, Elizabeth.
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Kiran.
Kiran, anyone who has ever had a devastating illness has probably thought, should I join a support group? Well, the answer, according to this study, is don't join it if you think it's going to help you live longer. That was the findings of this study. They looked at women with advanced breast cancer.
So does that mean the support groups are useless? Well, of course not. Support groups definitely can help you live with the pain of having a devastating disease. It can help you emotionally.
This study just said that other studies had shown that joining a support group will help you live longer. This study says that doesn't appear to be true -- Kiran.
CHETRY: All right.
Elizabeth Cohen, thanks so much -- John.
ROBERTS: Kiran, some amazing new video of that World War II-era plane landing on a highway in Wisconsin. It was caught on the dashboard camera of a state trooper.
You can see it come in just over the top of his car there. Oh my goodness. The pilot has to swerve out of the way of some traffic. Amazingly, he didn't hit any cars. He did clip a couple of road signs.
Engine failure being blamed here. It was a father and son who were on board the plane. They were headed to an air show when suddenly they had to make a little bit of a detour.
Here's a really strange moment, though. As the trooper pulls up beside the plane, he runs out not checking the plane. He runs after the guy in the car apparently for not stopping when the trooper told him to.
Everybody was OK, but traffic was a mess for a little while.
Kiran, you would think that he would be concerned about the guys in the plane, not the person in the car.
CHETRY: Yes, that was so strange. He is running after the car after it was already well past the plane. So, well, you know, I mean, maybe it's just not every day you see a humongous plane, a World War II-era plane landing, and you didn't -- you lost your head maybe.
All right. Well, meantime, we're going to bring you some other "Quick Hits" right now.
And one is a major fire in South Carolina. Burning at a former textile mill in Spartanburg. Part of Highway 29 blocked off while firefighters try to tackle those flames.
And a runaway train forcing an evacuation in upstate New York. The military train coasted for eight miles before partially derailing in Watertown, causing a propane fire. But amazingly, no one was hurt.
Well, they are the brains behind the Web site, putting a new spin on presidential politics. There they are.
Coming up, a rare interview with the founders of YouTube.
That's ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: Scandal in the New York governor's office topping your "Quick Hits" now.
Aides to Governor Eliot Spitzer are accused of improperly using state police to dig up political dirt on the powerful state senate majority leader. Spitzer ran for office last year saying he would bring a new ethical climate to state politics.
Antiwar activist Cindy Sheehan gets arrested at the Capitol. Sheehan and her supporters refused to leave the office of House Judiciary chairman John Conyers after demanding the impeachment of President Bush. Sheehan says she will challenge House Speaker Pelosi in the next election because of her "failure to impeach." And a man caught up in some controversy for selling anti-Bush buttons that say "Impeach Him". Allan McConnell (ph) arrested this weekend while selling his buttons at a farmers market in Maryland. He was charged with trespassing.
Town officials say he is too pushy and he's selling without a permit. They say it doesn't have anything to do with politics -- John.
ROBERTS: Well, during the last presidential election, Kiran, YouTube didn't even exist. Now, not only is it a household name, it's become a key part of the upcoming presidential election. And those of you who watched the CNN/YouTube debate last night saw that firsthand.
Joining me this morning are the cofounders of YouTube, Chad Hurley and Steve Chen. They're just down the street in Charleston, South Carolina.
So, Gentlemen, what did you think of the debate last night? Did it meet, exceed or not meet your expectations?
CHAD HURLEY, YOUTUBE CO-FOUNDER: I had a great time last night. I think that the fact that users from around the world had a chance to ask the candidates a question directly, I think, was a great way for them to address the issues last night.
STEVE CHEN, YOUTUBE CO-FOUNDER: Yes, exactly. I mean, I think seeing the backdrop...
ROBERTS: Yes, go ahead, Steve.
CHEN: I think seeing the backdrop and the environment of the users expressing the issues that actually face them really brought a sort of personalized view and perspective into the issues.
ROBERTS: Chad, as we pointed out, YouTube wasn't even around in 2004 when Howard Dean was out there using the Internet. You know, you started by posting pictures of your cat online.
Are you surprised with how quickly this whole venture has grown?
HURLEY: Oh, definitely. Yes, every day, you know, we wake up, we can't believe that we're here.
I mean, to be part of this political process -- I mean, today -- but everything that we've been able to do, we've always just concentrated on trying to make the product better for our users and to make it easier for them to upload video, view videos. And luckily, a lot of people have found our product useful.
ROBERTS: Steve, what we saw last night, was it just an interesting quirky little episode in the presidential election, or is this going to be a sea change in the landscape of political communication and voter participation?
CHEN: Well, you know, I mean, I think it's -- we're still sort of waiting to hear some of the feedback. But being personally there and being a witness to the events live last night, I really think that it changed the entire environment in which the political debates are actually conducted.
And I really think that beyond this point, beyond this day, that I think future debates, not just in the U.S., but I think globally speaking, that, you know, this event is going to be referenced, especially when it sort of integrates the user -- user-generated content and user-generated questions into the atmosphere.
ROBERTS: Chad, does YouTube have to evolve to continue as successful as it is? I mean, you built your business on people uploading basically frat videos, but is there a point where people will get tired of those and are going to want to see more substantive content, and this really plays into that?
HURLEY: Yes. Well, our site is about everything. Everyone has a chance to participate.
And we have people uploading how-to videos. How to cook, how to do fashion or beauty. And it's really a combination of people sharing their interests and experiences from around the world and getting in front of an audience that they didn't have access to before.
ROBERTS: And Steve, real quick, if I could ask you, have you figured out a way to make money with this venture without alienating all of those people that have been there for so long?
CHEN: No. I think you nailed it. I think the reason why we've been experimenting, we just haven't rushed out a sort of monitization (ph) or advertising model, is really that we don't want to -- at the end of the day, the users are the foundation of YouTube. And we just want to make sure that whatever we roll out, whatever strategy we roll out, is compatible and is actually sort of beneficial to the end users that are watching these videos and that have helped form the YouTube community.
ROBERTS: Well, you've got some deep pockets backing you. I assume you've got a little bit more time to do that.
Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, thanks for being with us. Appreciate it.
CHEN: Thank you.
HURLEY: Thank you very much.
CHETRY: And CNN's Jacki Schechner has been going through all of our I-Reports, and she's here to tell us what you thought of last night's YouTube debate.
So, Jacki, it's interesting to hear from the founders. And when you think about it, I mean, this is really the first of its kind. In 2004, YouTube didn't even exist when it came to politics.
JACKI SCHECHNER, CNN INTERNET REPORTER: That's right. It's interesting.
That's actually some of the sentiment that we're hearing this morning, is people are really just surprised that this happened at all.
Let me give you an I-Report that came in overnight from William Toyer (ph) from Anchorage, Alaska.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: ... is providing new avenues for presentations that materially (ph) could be done in no other manner of media.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCHECHNER: He is really expounding on the idea that this really has never happened before, and it's pretty amazing that it actually happened at all.
Another person who put a couple of videos online but didn't get chosen last night, but this is Amani Channel (ph), and he wants to way in a little bit on what he thought about last night and the future.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: More engaged citizenry, citizenry that is more interested in the political process. Hopefully more young people will be interested and willing to participate and vote in the upcoming election.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCHECHNER: That might actually be a good byproduct of what happened last night, Kiran, is that we may have brought a new generation into the political process. It was a little less of the same old, same old, and maybe a little bit more of the new and upcoming generational involvement.
CHETRY: Right. You know, it's also interesting, because there has been some debate between the blogs and the mainstream media about the success of the debate.
What are you hearing?
SCHECHNER: Well, that's really interesting. You know, the blog community has been really excited about this debate, and they have really embraced it, that it far exceeded expectations, that perhaps it did live up to the hype, that it was a really cool new step in the way that we engage the political process.
The mainstream media this morning has been a little more critical, that perhaps the format was interesting but the candidates fell back on the same old talking points that they usually do. There is others who are a little critical of our actual physical format, that perhaps you couldn't see the videos in the clearest way possible. But Kiran, I just want to add, the cool thing about an Internet debate is that everything eventually ends up online. So if you missed anything, you can go online and check it out today -- Kiran.
CHETRY: I bet you a lot of people will actually do that.
Jacki Schechner, thanks so much -- John.
ROBERTS: A heroic comeback for a baseball player battling cancer. That tops your "Quick Hits" now.
Boston Red Sox pitcher Jon Lester put away the Cleveland Indians last night 6-2. It was his first game in 11 months after being diagnosed with anaplastic large cell lymphoma, a highly treatable form of cancer.
Drew Carey, come on down! The comedian has been tapped to replace Bob Barker as host of "The Price is Right". So much for Rosie O'Donnell. Carey confirmed the deal last night on David Letterman's show.
Barker retired last month after 35 years as host of "The Price is Right".
It's a huge year for video games, one in particular. Ali Velshi is not playing around. He's "Minding Your Business" coming up next on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: Well, it's 23 minutes past the hour. Ali Velshi is "Minding Your Business," but he's also playing games this morning.
Because you're talking about the big video game wars.
ALI VELSHI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's unbelievable. The numbers are out for the first half of the year. There's a group called NPD Group that tracks all this stuff.
Nintendo is crushing everyone.
CHETRY: What was their new system...
VELSHI: Wii.
CHETRY: ... that everyone was waiting in line for?
VELSHI: I liked it. I really enjoyed the Wii.
It's a whole lot cheaper than the other consoles. Take a look at this.
In video game sales at the beginning of this year -- this is the Wii. Really fun.
The console sales are $6.1 billion this year, and games are $2.9 billion. This is just the first half of the year.
In the consoles, Nintendo is way ahead of Sony and Microsoft. In fact, they've sold double as many -- they've sold as many as the other two combined.
So these Nintendo things are really, really doing well. In the consoles, you've got the Wii, you've got Sony's PlayStation, and you've got Microsoft's Xbox. And in the hand-helds, you've got the Nintendo DS and the Sony PSP. The DS is also doing really, really well.
But...
CHETRY: I'm starting to feel very old. Go on.
VELSHI: ... TiVo, you know TiVo?
CHETRY: Yes.
VELSHI: TiVo is the -- they started the whole digital video recorder business. Most people don't have TiVos. They've got the cable company ones.
But TiVo is coming out with a new one, you can buy it on their Web site starting today, $300. I'm testing this unit at my house, actually, as we speak. And I'll get the results of that soon.
CHETRY: All right.
VELSHI: But this is -- just so you know, by the end of this year, Forrester Research predicts that there will be 33 million Americans using digital video recorders in their homes. Only about five of them will use TiVos. But TiVos are actually -- I mean they're fantastic.
CHETRY: What is the new thing on the TiVo this time around?
VELSHI: It's HD. It's $300, a lot lower cost. And it's -- but it's just -- when you navigate your way around the TiVo, if you haven't had one -- nobody ever knows what I'm talking about.
CHETRY: Right. Because whenever I try to rewind I miss it, and then I fast forward again, just like the old VCRs.
VELSHI: Yes, TiVos are great. TiVos are very sophisticated, very easy to get around.
CHETRY: OK. Ali checking it out for us. He's our gadget guy, as well as our business guy.
Thank you.
VELSHI: OK.
CHETRY: Well, also "On Our Radar" this morning, there are a lot of people talking about this case out in Oregon. They are asking whether or not it's a case of political correctness gone awry.
A couple of seventh grade boys were sent to the principal's office for running down the hallway and slapping their classmates' behinds on the way. All right. So they got sent to the principal's office. Understandable.
But then they left in handcuffs after hours of police questioning, spent five days in jail, and are now facing up to 10 years behind bars for felony sex abuse, and could be labeled sex offenders for the rest of their lives -- John.
ROBERTS: So the question is, is that excessive punishment? I mean, should they have just been taken to the principal's office, their parents called, given a lecture, since you don't spank kids anymore?
We're going to be talking about that all ahead when AMERICAN MORNING continues.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(NEWSBREAK)
ROBERTS: Here in South Carolina, Kiran, lots of people giving high marks to last night's YouTube debate, all across the country as a matter of fact. It put ordinary people in the driver's seat and allowed them to ask the Democratic presidential candidates some difficult questions. So how did it work from the moderator's point of view?
I caught up with CNN's Anderson Cooper after everything wrapped up last night to find out.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ROBERTS: What did you think of the whole thing tonight?
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: It's hard to tell when you're actually on the stage. It's hard to get a sense of the flow. You have candidates kind of staring at you with daggers in their eyes, wanting you to call on them, so it's an odd feeling, being on a stage.
But I think it went pretty well. To me, the stars tonight were the YouTube watchers and questioners. There was sort of a personal dimension to it that I had never seen before in a debate.
ROBERTS: Three-thousand questions you had to go through to get to the 35 or so that were asked tonight. What did you think overall of the quality of the questions, particularly the ones that made it into the debate?
COOPER: I think people are clearly living these questions. It's not just some moderator asking a question. And I think it's really going to be hard for, I think, a debate to move backwards and not have some sort of user-generated content in it, on some level, from here on out, because I think it really does add another dimension. ROBERTS: How do you think this is going to change the game going forward?
COOPER: I don't know the answer to that. I do think it worked overall. And I think it was an interesting experience, an interesting viewing experience. So we'll see. We'll see how it changes the game. But I can't imagine that debates from here on out won't have something, some sort of interactive capabilities.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROBERTS: And just a personal note: Hats off to Anderson last night. I think he did a terrific job of putting that thing together and keeping it moving in a format that had never been tried before. Well done.
And, remember, the Republican YouTube debate is set of September 17th. You can go online and record a question right now. Just head to YouTube.com. All of the instructions are there. It's actually youtube.com/debate -- Kiran.
CHETRY: All right, John, thanks.
And beginning this Monday, New Haven, Connecticut will be the first city in America to officially reach out to illegal immigrants by offering them I.D. cards. It's a controversial idea. It also comes at a time when many U.S. cities and towns are taking it upon themselves to crackdown on illegals, going even further than federal law.
AMERICAN MORNING's Alina Cho is here now with more details on what New Haven is doing. A pretty radical idea.
ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, it certainly is, Kiran. Good morning.
You know, at a time when Congress can't seem to agree on comprehensive immigration reform, New Haven is taking its own action. Illegal immigrants we spoke to said these new I.D. cards will give them legitimacy. Reaction to the program has been strong, which is part of the reason why one woman we spoke to did not want to be identified.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FATIMA, ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT: It's a horrible feeling when you don't have any document that it can prove that you are who you are saying that you are.
CHO (voice-over): Fatima, a Mexican, has 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: When this card I'm going to be part of the society.
CHO: While other cities are cracking down on illegal immigrants, New Haven is the first in the nation to validate its estimated 15,000 undocumented people.
MYR. JOHN DESTEFANO JR., NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT: New Haven didn't want to and couldn't afford to wait in 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, S. CONNECTICUT IMMIGRATION REFORM: 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 and 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 gears, and then we saw that it was possible. It's a reality. Yes, we can.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHO: Now New Haven could set a precedent. Other cities are watching this closely to see what happens. New York and Portland, Oregon are considering similar measures right now. And some are opposed to it. For illegal immigrants this is a very big deal, Kiran. One man we spoke to said this new I.D. card will allow him to go to the library and check out a book and learn English as he waits to become a U.S. citizen.
CHETRY: It will be interesting to see if more people move there for that reason, to be able to get some legitimacy. What did the mayor say about all of these considerations, and why he ultimately supported this?
CHO: Well, it is, as you mentioned, the critics would say it's a radical, controversial idea, but the mayor says, listen, I'm doing it in the name of public safety. He says illegal immigrants, now with this I.D. card, will no longer be carrying wads of cash on the street, because they will be able to open a checking account. And he also says, or he hopes, that these people will not be afraid to report criminal activity, because now with these I.D. cards they won't have the fear of being deported -- Kiran. CHETRY: Very interesting. It certainly will become a case study, in how this works.
CHO: It certainly will, and could set a precedent.
CHETRY: Alina, thanks so much.
CHO: Sure, my pleasure.
(NEWSBREAK)
ROBERTS: A spanking case stirring outrage across the country. Two middle school students in hot water for slapping girls on the behinds. Are they unruly school boys or sex offenders? We'll speak with one of the students and his mother, next on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: Welcome back to AMERICAN MORNING.
Rowdy seventh-grade boys run down the hall slapping girls on the rear-end. They end up in the principal's office, no surprise there probably, except the boys end up leaving in handcuffs, and now they face up to 10 years behind bars for felony sex abuse.
Cory Mashburn joins me from Portland, Oregon this morning with his mom, Tracie. One of the two boys facing this type of trouble after that incident. Thanks to both of you for being with us.
CORY MASHBURN, CHARGED WITH FELONY SEX ABUSE: Thank you.
CHETRY: Corey, can you explain for me, first of all, how the whole thing started? What did you guys do?
MASHBURN: Well, we -- it was after lunch. We went down the hall and we swatted like three to four girls in the bottom, and the student aide grabbed us by the arm and took us to the office, and we thought we were just getting referrals, and we left in handcuffs.
CHETRY: Tracie, what happened after that point? When were you contacted and told what had gone on?
TRACIE MASHBURN, CORY'S MOTHER: This all started around lunchtime, and we were contacted probably around 3:00, a little after 3:00. They asked us if we could be down to the school as soon as possible, that Cory has gotten into some trouble, and we said -- my husband said he was in Newberg, which is about 20 minutes away at that time, and I was the same. So they told us that we didn't have time to get there before they were going to take Cory away to the juvenile- detention facility.
CHETRY: OK, so they ended up taking him to juvie hall and he sat there for five days. Why?
T. MASHBURN: We really don't know why. They -- at first, we thought it was an example to the other students in the school, but then on Monday, before he was released on Tuesday, the D.A. did not want to release him still.
CHETRY: So the D.A. in this case wants to push forward with these type of sexual charges against these boys, sexual harassment, as well as other charges?
T. MASHBURN: Yes.
CHETRY: Despite knowing what had happened?
T. MASHBURN: Yes.
CHETRY: Why?
T. MASHBURN: We really don't know why. I do think that they're angry that we've gotten the media involved. But as far as we're concerned, the media is our only jury, because juveniles do not have a jury. And so I think they feel like they have to stand face now and fight. to show people that maybe they could do this. I don't know.
CHETRY: Let me just get -- read you a couple of things. One of the, I guess, mothers of a girl who -- whose bottom was swatted says, "Slapping somebody on the butt is sexual harassment. My daughter was offended. It is a crime, and it's not OK."
Is it because some of the statements from the parents of the girls that have made authorities pursue this as vigorously as they are?
T. MASHBURN: I think it's the D.A. who has made the parents think that this has been a crime, trying to make them all believe that their children have been sexually victimized. That one, where the parent had said that her daughter was, that is an intimate part of her body, she has also swatted him on the bottom.
CHETRY: Yes, Cory, what has this been like for you this entire situation?
C. MASHBURN: It's just been super scary, not knowing I could be locked up.
CHETRY: Tracie, there seems to be the chance that this case could be dropped, right? This is going back again to the courts?
T. MASHBURN: Yes. On August 10th, there will be a motion hearing for dismissal. We're hoping and praying it will be. We don't know. We just know the D.A. is very angry now, and they might try to pursue this even harder.
CHETRY: That seems very, very odd in given the set of situations that you're talking about and exactly what had happened. You even have psychologist coming forward and saying that these children do not fit the bill for being any type of sexual predator.
So let us know how the hearing goes. As you said, August 10th; there is a chance that a judge will dismiss this.
T. MASHBURN: The judge could dismiss it, yes.
CHETRY: All right, Tracie and Cory, thanks for giving us your side of the story today -- John.
T. MASHBURN: Thank you.
C. MASHBURN: Thank you.
ROBERTS: Thanks, Kiran. After last night's CNN YouTube debate I got a chance to speak with Elizabeth Edwards, to hear how she thought that her husband did. I also spoke with a fighter pilot, Tally Parham, who flew F-16s in Iraq. She accompanied Mrs. Edwards to the debate, about whether she thinks this is the future of political discourse.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ROBERTS: What did you think of the debate tonight? What did you think of the format? What did you think of the questions? I mean, I know that you're very much involved in your husband's campaign and the responses. What did you think of the whole thing?
ELIZABETH EDWARDS, JOHN EDWARD'S WIFE: I thought that this was a great way to do a debate. I loved seeing the questions coming from the American people, no offense to you, John, but as opposed to coming from journalists. I thought that made it deeply personal, as this election is for most people.
ROBERTS: Were you surprised the Iraq war was as far down in the pecking order as it was? This really reflects the questions that we got submitted into YouTube, was that the Iraq War, I think, was the fourth highest, education being the highest.
MAJ. TALLY PARHAM, SOUTH CAROLINA NATL. GUARD: Well, I'm actually glad to hear that voters are interested in other issues than the Iraq war. I think we're very clear on where Democrats stand on the Iraq War, and it is time to talk about some of the other issues as well. Though it's still important, and I don't think it was ignored by any means.
ROBERTS: Were you impressed at the quality of the questions?
EDWARDS: I was. I mean, honestly, if you've been out there talking to the American people in town halls and house parties, as John and I have been, you hear a lot of these same questions, often couched the way they were, in very, very personal terms. So a question that comes from the heart, you've got the best quality question you're going to get.
ROBERTS: Here in South Carolina, Mrs. Edwards, your husband is running No. 3. He's still No. 1 in Iowa. He's, in some polls, slipped to No. 4 in New Hampshire. You know, can you put it together?
EDWARDS: Oh, no, I'm completely confident. In 2004 John won South Carolina with, I think, 45 percent of the vote. And I think he's actually doing better this time. I think when the people of South Carolina widely turn to the election, as opposed to just following whatever the mainstream media thinks is important at the moment, when they really turn to, I think, about the issues, I'm completely confident that John understands the values of South Carolina, as he does really a lot of the country, and has policies that address their need. So I come into this election, I'm not doing it for the fun of it, I promise; I'm doing it because believe he can be president and will be president.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROBERTS: Elizabeth Edwards and Tally Parham, a former F-16 pilot, flew those in Iraq. Pretty incredible.
CNN NEWSROOM just minutes away. Tony Harris at the CNN Center now with a look at what's ahead.
Have you ever flown an f-16, Tony?
TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Never. Never. Would like to be a passenger. The extent of the experience, that's all I need.
Thanks, John. Good morning to you.
We have got these stories on the NEWSROOM rundown for you this morning: Debate for the Internet age. YouTubers put Democratic presidential candidates on the spot. Who came out looking best?
More water woes for parts of England. Flooding cuts off fresh water supplies to hundreds of thousands of people.
And stay out of camp -- the NFL wants to finish its review of Michael Vick's indictment before he takes another snap.
Join Heidi and me in the NEWSROOM. We get started just minutes from now, 13 minutes or so, at the top of the hour right here on CNN.
John, back to you.
ROBERTS: Tony, thanks. We'll see you then.
CHETRY: Coming up, it's a shadow hanging over all of the Democrats running for president. It's, will Al Gore get into the race? Well, two guys put that question to the candidates last night and quite a unique way. There they are this morning. We're going to get reaction. We're going to talk to the questioners, see what they taught of last night's debate, coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: We've got some very interesting questions from last night's debate, and that does not count the ones that we couldn't show you. But here is a look at one that made the cut, and got a few laughs as well.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hey, my name is Jacki.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And I'm Dunlap.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And we're from Red State Update.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Murfreesboro, Tennessee.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This here's question for all you candidates.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mainstream media seems awfully interested in old Al Gore these days.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Is he losing his weight. What's he says in his book. Is he still worried about all eyes (ph)?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They interpret all these as signs that he may or may not run. They really want to know if Al Gore is going to run again.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. What we want to know is, does that hurt y'all's feelings?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: Well, now we're joined by Jacki and Dunlap. Together they are known as Red State Update, originally from Tennessee, but joining us from this morning from Los Angeles. Kiran is also joining us from New York.
What made you fellows want to get involved in this debate, in the political process?
"JACKI," RED STATE UPDATE: Well, I didn't particularly want to get involved. He talked me into it, so I JUST did what he told me to, talk in front of the camera. He put it on me.
"DUNLAP," RED UPDATE: I go down to Jacki's store all the time and drink the beer and talk the politics. We thought, we ought to do this on the Internet and make some money at it.
JACKI: Aw, hell, there ain't no money in this.
DUNLAP: Little did we know.
ROBERTS: And he took off his shirt, and you couldn't resist, right?
JACKI: Yes. Yes.
DUNLAP: Yes. Yes.
Speaking of shirts coming off, hey, Kiran. How are you?
CHETRY: Hi. I'm sorry we're long distance.
JACKI: Be careful. Now watch that. (CROSSTALK)
CHETRY: I'm sorry you can't be here next to me.
But let me ask you about what you think, because the candidates did respond to your questions so let's listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
COOPER: Anybody have their feelings hurt here?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, no.
COOPER: No? You're all right about that?
SEN. JOE BIDEN (D), DELAWARE: Anderson, I think the people of Tennessee just had their feelings hurt.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: I think that was a zinger by Senator Joe Biden. What do you guys think about that?
DUNLAP: Joe Biden better watch his back. What's he saying, that we make Tennessee look bad and we hurt Tennessee's feelings? I say, Joe Biden, you hurt hair plug feelings. That is a sign of somebody who can't confront a problem. They try to cover it up. You going to put hair plugs on Iraq? People can tell. They can tell, Jacki.
JACKI: I think old Joe Biden lost every vote he was going to get out of Tennessee, yes, sir.
DUNLAP: He ain't got no votes in Tennessee. He might carry the Hair Club for Men, that's about it.
ROBERTS: So, Jacki, Dunlap, if you had to vote for a candidate tomorrow, which one of those people up on stage would it be?
JACKI: Democrat?
(CROSSTALK)
JACKI: I liked old Mike Gravel. I liked him.
DUNLAP: Mike Gravel? All he did was yell and holler.
JACKI: Well, yes, he yelled and holler. They wouldn't call on him...
DUNLAP: Nobody going to call on you if you keep yelling and hollering.
JACKI: I reckon so. But I liked him. John Edwards, he was the prettiest all right.
DUNLAP: Yes, he did do the prettiest. CHETRY: Hey, you guys, we've got two predictions from our floor crew. One, you're going to submit another one for the GOP debate September 17th. And No. 2, you're going to get your own show out of this?
JACKI: Oh, hell!
DUNLAP: Listen, what we're trying to do, I'm running Jacki for president.
JACKI: Oh, don't start that now. No, I ain't running for president.
DUNLAP: We're going to get him in the Republican debates. He wants to get Fred Thompson's autograph.
JACKI: Well, I want to get his autograph, yes, sir. But he ain't even throw his hat in the ring. If he's going to be there, I'll show up.
ROBERTS: You gentlemen certainly added an extra little dimension to the debate last night. Jacki and Dunlap, Red State Update, thanks very much for joining us. Thanks for your submissions, by the way. There were a number of them. We enjoyed them all.
And we're back in a moment here on AMERICAN MORNING.
DUNLAP: Thank you, Kiran.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: Welcome back to AMERICAN MORNING. It's time now for another CNN Hero. These are people making a difference in their own communities. And today we introduce you to a 14-year-old girl who is singlehandedly trying to save Americans billions of dollars gallons of gasoline. Savannah Walters is today's CNN Hero.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Go ahead when you're ready.
SAVANNAH WALTERS: Yes, I'm worried about the future, because I don't want to live in a yucky world where there';s no clean water to drink and no clean air to breathe. If we drill in the Arctic Refuge, we're going to hurt lots of animals and people, and it's just not fair. I'm Savannah Walters, and I'm teaching people to pump up their tires to save the Arctic Refuge.
This one's good.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I was on a photo assignment in the arctic national wildlife refuge. Ever since then, I've been involved in environmental activism. One evening the phone rang and this little girl says I'm Savannah Rose Walters, and I'm 9 years old, and my mom said I could call you. WALTERS: He is the one who told that Americans waste millions of gas a day by driving on uninflated drivers. And I said, well, why don't they just pump them up?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I said, well, why don't you ask them to, and so she did.
WALTERS: I got permission to put tire gauges, flyers and balloons on everybody's local cars in the train station, explaining to people how they can pump up and check their tires.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My first reaction why, didn't I think of that? I think that was only the beginning of her education to me.
Do you know how to check your tires? What you do is you want to look for the PSI, and that is pound per square inch, and if you pump up your tires your tires are going to last a lot longer.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, good to know.
WALTERS: OK.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thirty-three?
WALTERS: That's about right.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, hot doggies.
WALTERS: OK, you can keep the tire gauge.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do I need to check this once a week?
WALTERS: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK. Thank you very much.
WALTERS: Thank you very much.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, thank you.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Savannah rose is doing what she is doing because she wants to do it, and she understands that she needs to do it for things to get better.
WALTERS: It's just about protecting the planet and wanting to live in a clean world.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
And if you'd like more information, visit our Web site CNN.com/heroes. Stay with us. AMERICAN MORNING is back in just a minute.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: And that's going to do it for us on American morning. So glad you joined us. hope you join us tomorrow when John is back here in NYC.
ROBERTS: All right, yes, I'm going to grab a flight in a couple of hours, and I'll you see you there tomorrow morning, Kiran. Thanks very much for watching. CNN NEWSROOM with Tony Harris and Heidi Collins begins right now.
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