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Bomb Found in South Carolina Car; How Safe are Bridges?; New Version of FISA Law

Aired August 05, 2007 - 19:00   ET

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

RICK SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: A car stopped on a South Carolina highway. A bomb? And parts to make more inside, all this less than 10 miles from a naval weapons facility. This news is still coming in to us, including pictures of the two suspects.
Also, the catastrophe in Minneapolis has a lot of people looking at the wear and the tear of other bridges. And then there's this, the terrorist angle to this story.

Some companies are pulling his stuff off the shelves, but one manufacturer is cranking up the production line, a Vick doll that's being thrown to the dogs.

And later.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: After the first time, just like anything else, you try to get that first sensation back. That's why you have sex.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: What? Oh, and because it's Sunday night, this question, what are the top reasons for having sex. Huh? They actually needed to do a study on this? We're going to share the answers with you right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.

Hello again, everybody. I'm Rick Sanchez here in B control, catching things up for you as news breaks, we're going to bring it to you on many of the monitors that you see behind me. And there's some disturbing new stories, new information on a story that we broke for you right here last night.

Now, remember, it was a story of that car that was pulled over near Charleston, South Carolina, filled with explosive devices according to federal agents and police. Well, now we know that the police also found in that car at least one ready-made bomb and material to make even more, along with fuses and igniters.

Here's a look at the two suspects. Neither is a U.S. citizen. Both of them are said to be of Middle Eastern descent and they were stopped just a few miles from a naval weapons station.

Let's go live to Charleston, South Carolina now. That's where Veldon Blandin who is with affiliate WCIV joining us. Venton was good enough to join us yesterday. In fact Venton, you broke the story last night on our air. How has it developed since?

VENDON BLANDIN, WCIV CORRESPONDENT: Oh Rick, it' been going nonstop. You're right, we broke this story last night and it was just nonstop from there. It was pretty much hurry up and wait.

We were out there for 10 hours with the officers, with the people who live in that neighborhood and it was just stop and go. We waited a few hours, I think I left the scene somewhere around 3:45 this morning. I was back into work again talking with you guys again.

Like you said, this new information, we do know that one bomb was found so we can no longer -- we don't have to say explosives. We can actually say one bomb along with bomb-making materials.

We also learned chemicals were involved, along with those fuses and igniters. And like I said last night, these two people are from Florida. We do know that. And some of the agencies involved are local and federal agencies.

And one is a U.S. CIS, that's an agency that was formerly known as the INS and that's because neither of these two men are from the states. So it's being investigated.

They are expected to face several charges. The charges right now could be all across the board. But the only one we know right now is what I told you last night, and that's the one possession of unlawful firearms.

That's pretty much what we know now. So more charges could come tomorrow and that's what we're waiting on for with the court.

SANCHEZ: Let me ask you questions that I think need to be asked. I'm thinking out loud for people at home who are watching us, have this conversation. And I get a sense what they're probably thinking has something to do with, who are these guys?

I mean, are they of Middle Eastern descent? Is that nailed down? If so, what country? And do they possibly have ties to one of these Muslim extremist groups? What do you know?

BLANDIN: Well, the story is still unfolding, so I don't know a lot of that right now. But as we talked about yesterday, at the scene I was saying there were two men because police didn't really want to get into that, at least they didn't want to tell me that.

But the witness, I believe it was Jeffrey Stevens (ph), he told me that it wasn't a black man, it wasn't a white man, but it was someone. And as you alluded to yesterday, that could be anyone. And today, that's still the big question. I made a couple of calls to the people I met out there last night. We became pretty close out there. They said, do you know how dangerous it was? Who was it? Because unfortunately everyone is thinking, oh, it's those people.

SANCHEZ: But let's be honest about this. And I think sometimes when you look at these stories as a reporter, you've got a lot of experience, so do I, it's really about excluding things. At this point where this story stands, we cannot exclude the possibility, right, that these guys are not only of Middle Eastern descent, but possibly from a country where there are relations with extremist fundamentalists, extreme fundamentalists and possibly even al Qaeda, right?

BLANDIN: Right. We can't exclude anything. It's up to the officers to do that. But it's a process of elimination. You're out there frustrated. We were out there for 10 hours. Can you tell us something, can you tell us this? Why is it two men? We have devices that we hear things in the newsroom just like you guys down there in Atlanta. You know what's going on. They wouldn't tell us.

SANCHEZ: All right. We're going to certainly be all over this thing. We thank you so much, Venton, for staying on top of this story for us. We'll keep checking back with you.

By the way, the other big story we're following today in Minneapolis, loved ones, friends, even strangers are remembering the five victims and the eight people still missing.

Now, let me try to bring you up to date on everything we know as of the last 24 hours. A lot of new information to share with you. Hundreds of people are expected to attend an interfaith prayer service. This is going to be at the local cathedral there in Minneapolis, a big, beautiful cathedral.

It gets under way in about an hour. All money raised is going to go to the victims' families. Also, investigators are now using computer models, another high-tech equipment to try and figure out why the 35W bridge failed. And they've also started talking to construction workers who were making repairs to the roadway.

An FBI dive team is joining the recovery operation. The navy may send a navy team as well. The river search has been slow because of some of the debris, also the murky waters and the turbidity in the water. Earlier today though, members of the National Transportation Safety Board gave an update. And they also provided a caution.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARK ROSENKER, NTSB CHAIRMAN: During our time on scene, we have taken a look at a lot of -- a lot of debris. And unfortunately, we have not come up with an answer. We're not going to come up with an answer overnight. I told you this is going to be a very long and thorough process. That is the only way we can guarantee that we find out exactly what happened and make any type of recommendation to prevent it from happening again.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: Among the first people on the scene there, the first to take the chaos to -- actually to take in the chaos before them were firefighters that were stationed just blocks away from the 35W bridge. CNN's Ed Lavendera has spoken to some of them. He is joining us now live to share, really, their perspective on much of this. Eddie, how you doing? ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Rick. Well you know, the firefighters of Engine 11 and Rescue 9, as you mentioned, just a few blocks away from the I-35 bridge when it collapsed.

That's where their station house was. A quiet Wednesday evening when they got the call out that there had been a bridge collapse. As they were driving there, they told us earlier today that the whole magnitude of what they were about to encounter never really sunk in until they hit the ground. It was a day they'll never forget.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RAUL RAMOS, FIREFIGHTER, STATION 11: I looked down and all we seen was shattered concrete, mangled metal, and bodies and cars crushed, and half the bridge in the water.

JACKSON MILLIKAN, FIREFIGHTER, STATION 11: At one point my left leg just stops. Just as about I'm about to turn in and walk under all this stuff. My left leg just stops. And it was fear. I didn't want to go in there. I didn't want to die. And I had to will myself at that point that I had to do this.

ROBERT SAYER, FIREFIGHTER, STATION 11: And we had no idea of the enormity of it, the size of the devastation, not even once we arrived on scene.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LAVANDERA: You know, the firefighters that were on duty Wednesday night, today was actually the first day that they were all back together as the same unit there on Wednesday night. Some of them had days off.

So they were telling me earlier today that they were spending an incredible amount of time talking about this, trying to piece everything back together. You know, they only know the little segment of that night that they lived. They're hearing the stories from their comrades and buddies who were also at the scene, trying to piece together everything that happened.

Tonight at 10, we will get much deeper into all of this, in their own words you can continue to hear more from these firefighters, and what they experienced.

I thought it was incredibly candid and refreshing the way they spoke with us today, and incredibly gracious on their part to relive what they've gone through in the last four days. Rick?

SANCHEZ: Well, they also heard the stories, right, of the people that were coming out of the water at the time, and even, unfortunately, some of the people who didn't make it out of the water. What do they say about that, in a thumbnail, if you would, Ed?

LAVANDERA: These firefighters came across everything. They were able to rescue some people, pull some people to safety. Some of them died before their eyes as well. That has left an incredibly emotional -- left an emotional toll on them as well.

Really, one of the things that one of the firefighters told us today that I thought was incredibly interesting is that normally when they go out on a scene, perhaps it's not -- everything they go out on is not covered in the news media.

They've gone home and they're watching all of these stories and they're actually seeing the interviews with the people that they've helped. It's a very unique situation for them and it has made it a little more difficult for them to deal with emotionally.

But I think in many ways, at the same time, they welcome that. They like, I think, seeing how their work has been handled. As you get further and further away, the magnitude and reality of what they survived and what they worked through is starting to sink in.

SANCHEZ: Ed Lavandera, we thank you so much for bringing us up to date on this story. We'll be checking back with you.

Staying with this story, I want you to take a look at a statistic. Let's see if we can put this up.

This is according to the American Society of Civil Engineers. One in three urban bridges is now classified as structurally deficient in the United States. That means it needs fixing.

When you hear experts talking about this bridge situation, the one word that they often use is fatigue, metal fatigue. What is metal fatigue? I want to give you an example of it. I'm going to walk up here, I'm going to show you this right here in my hand so you can see it. See it? That's a paper clip, right?

This is a bit of metal fatigue. I'm going to start to bend it, right? Back and forth and back and forth and you'll see what happens as I'm sure you've done this yourself. I just snap this thing.

That is the essentially purist form explanation of what happens when you get metal fatigue. It essentially starts to heat up and then eventually it breaks.

Now, a look at this when it comes to bridges all over the United States on a much larger scale. Here's my report.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SANCHEZ (voice-over): It's hard to fathom, but experts believe this bridge disaster likely began years ago as nothing more than a crack. One so tiny, you would have needed a magnifying glass to see it. Professor Larry Kahn knows bridges. It starts as a tiny, little crack?

LAWRENCE KAHN, PROF., GEORGIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY: Oh, extremely small, very tough to see.

SANCHEZ: Let's suppose a train was going over right now. Would it be a better time to be looking for those? KAHN: No, they are so small, that you would hardly see any motion occurring at all. If you see a fatigue crack moving, you run.

SANCHEZ: It's important to note that every single time something goes over this bridge, the bridge has a little bit of movement. Not much. Very little. But now imagine that movement occurring millions and millions of times. That is what causes fatigue.

And in 1952, when Eisenhower started the highway system, nobody could have figured that this many cars would be riding on these interstates, right?

KAHN: They didn't figure that, but they also figured in 25 years we know we have potential for fatiguing, we'll come back and replace the bridge.

SANCHEZ: Built to last only 25 years, many of our nation's bridges are now two to three times that old. Are they keeping up with the work?

KAHN: No.

SANCHEZ: He's right. According to the American Society of Engineers, more than 70,000 bridges in the U.S. are structurally deficient. Are there short term fixes? Sure.

KAHN: And many times, bridges can last years and years with small fatigue cracks in them. And there's some ways to repair cracks. I don't know if they did or not, but if you just take a crack and drill a hole at the tip of it, you have a hole at the tip of this fatigue crack, that will arrest the crack and it won't go any further.

SANCHEZ: But then there are other cracks. And salt used to de-ice the road, which causes rust. And corrosion can make a small crack even bigger and can in a worst case scenario cause a bridge to come crumbling down.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANCHEZ: So wear and tear is certainly one concern about safety in bridges. Terrorism, though, is quite another. In fact, federal authorities have already warned that a terror attack on a bridge could have a huge impact and is a possibility.

So CNN's Josh Levs joins us now with Josh's Corner to talk about that a little bit. Kind of a sobering subject, isn't it?

JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It is. But it is a possibility. And you know, when this happened this week, a lot of people started to think back to that, some of the threats that there have been in the past.

You know what happened was after 9/11, all sorts of federal agencies were asked to look into the potential that terror threats could have, potential impact of a terrorist attack. Transportation officials were among them. So what they did was they created something called a blue ribbon panel of experts. It's put out a report in 2003. I want to show you some parts of that right now because this report specifically noted that an al Qaeda terrorist training manual captured in England contained goals that included missions for gathering information about the enemy and blasting and destroying bridges leading into and out of cities.

So already they knew the possibility that al Qaeda could consider attacks on bridges. Let's look at the next one here. The highway infrastructure, this is a quote that shows how significant this is. It said the infrastructure has vulnerabilities which must be addressed and that this is important enough to be a matter of national security policy. They said improvements in homeland security must address improvements to critical bridges and tunnels.

So Rick, they weren't talking about all the bridges in America, but they were saying that there are some bridges out there that could be significant terrorist targets. They knew this years ago.

SANCHEZ: Have they gone through and decided which are the bridges of most import?

LEVS: Yes, they have. They've not put out a list that says, hey, here would be the worst bridges to attack America on. What they did do is give the overall number.

They say of the 600,000 bridges in America, there are 1,000, they believe, that if they were attacked could have serious implications in terms of casualties and economically, that they could have a dramatic impact not only on the city affected, but even on the entire region.

SANCHEZ: Did they talk about -- OK, let's suppose worst-case scenario again. We live in a time when we actually have to consider these things. If something like this were to happen, have they been able to parse the cost?

LEVS: Yeah. And I'll tell you why they do that, it's important. Yes, they have to think that way, but also it's significant because, remember, it costs a lot to strengthen a bridge. So one thing these panels do is say, wait a second, imagine how more expensive it would be if something were to happen.

So here are the numbers. They said first of all in terms of lives, you can never know. It could be hundreds, it could be thousands. Obviously that's the most serious part.

Here's the money, though. In terms of money, the report said here, loss of a critical bridge or tunnel could exceed, this is one, folks, could exceed $10 billion.

SANCHEZ: $10 billion.

LEVS: Rick, it went on to say that if terrorists, god forbid, were to go on and get two attacks -- attack two different bridges, it wouldn't be $20 billion, it doesn't multiply like that. It would be much, much more because the impact of losing in two different places would affect a region so tremendously, that it becomes exponential.

SANCHEZ: All right, so they get all this information, sounds like they're smart about it now, which is a good thing. That's why we pay them. What are they doing about it?

LEVS: A lot of people are saying, not enough. There have been steps taken, if you look at what the panel called for, there were some specific things. They said get a secure perimeter around a lot of bridges, increase the amount of surveillance in the amount of security. Some places have done that.

On the flip side, you can look at what's happened in Minneapolis this week, and what state officials all over the country are saying, they're using the word "vulnerable." I'll tell you, if these bridges are vulnerable to things that can happen from nature, wear and tear, the fact is, they're all saying, it also could be vulnerable to terrorism.

SANCHEZ: Good stuff.

LEVS: Sad stuff, but good to learn.

SANCHEZ: You did your homework.

LEVS: I did my best.

SANCHEZ: Thanks, Josh, appreciate that.

Congress was up all night about this one. It's a new version of the country's eavesdropping law. Who will they be listening to? And why? What does the president say? What about civil libertarians? We'll bring you both.

Also, the only thing hotter than the barbecue in Memphis is the temperature outside. But the city isn't the only place that's baking in the summer swelter.

And then later, the man behind the icon. His kiss captured the joy and relief of a war-weary nation back in 1945. Now we might know who he is. You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: This information just in to us right now. It appears federal agents are now clearing up the story that we've been telling you about, the two men of quote, "Middle Eastern descent" who were found to be suspicious last night by police in the area of Charleston, South Carolina.

All right. This is the new information. It came in just a little while ago. This is from FBI spokesperson Richard Kolko. He says there is no terrorism link that we have identified at this point.

No terrorism link that we've identified up to this point. He says they got pulled over and had just enough suspicious things to warrant an investigation. We don't think that there's much to it. They had good -- some good -- pardon me, let me start that again.

They had some materials to make some pretty good sized homemade fireworks, but not -- here's the key word -- but not bomb stuff.

So again, that's the information coming in now from the FBI. That these two men originally described as men of Middle Eastern descent did not in fact have anything to make a bomb, according to Richard Kolko. And he's being quoted by Reuters. There you have it.

Meanwhile, discussing terrorism and the future of Afghanistan. President Bush is playing host to President Hamid Karzai today. The Afghan leader is attending a two-day summit at Camp David. Mr. Karzai is a leader in trouble, hounded by allegations of government corruption and a seeming inability to rid Afghanistan of the Taliban.

President Bush put his signature on a new version of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. But critics say it's not good for Americans' civil liberties. Suzanne Malveaux takes a look at this story.

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, after a lot of pressure from the White House, the Democratic-led Congress ended up giving President Bush ultimately what he wanted. That was legislation which would govern eavesdropping on foreigners. The vote came late last night, 227-183, as lawmakers scrambled to pass a bill that the president would sign, and that the director of national intelligence would find acceptable.

The law temporarily revises the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act known as FISA. A secret court ruled earlier this year that under the current FISA law, the government could not eavesdrop on overseas calls without a warrant, if that call went through a U.S. switching center, or had some kind of connection to the United States.

But intelligence officials say millions of overseas calls go through American switching centers, so making intelligence officials get a warrant before intercepting them is crippling the U.S.'s ability to act quickly against potential terrorist plots.

Now, the president insisted that during this heightened state of alert over the summer, the FISA law needed to be amended right away. Last night just before 11:00, Mr. Bush issued a statement saying "The director of national intelligence, Mike McConnell, has assured me that this bill gives him what he needs to continue to protect the country."

Now, Democrats objecting to the revised bill said they are invested in protecting the country against terrorists, but they're also invested in protecting civil liberties. They express deep reservations, and Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, who would have the authority, along with McConnell to approve the wiretaps, with little court oversight.

The ACLU weighed in as well saying here, and I'm quoting, "We are deeply disappointed that the president's tactics of fear-mongering have once again forced Congress into submission; that a Democratically-controlled Senate would be strong-armed by the Bush administration is astonishing."

Now, this revised FISA bill is temporary. It would expire in about six months. It gives lawmakers and the White House some breathing space to try to figure out how to modernize this controversial program. Suzanne Malveaux, CNN, Washington.

SANCHEZ: Thank you, Suzanne.

She is a legend in the press room, no question -- the feisty and famous White House reporter, Helen Thomas. She has some -- she was hard on former presidents. Now she's coming down on us journalists as well.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP0

HELEN THOMAS, HEARST NEWS SERVICE: I think that the reporters know in the aftermath of 9/11 were afraid to challenge the government, were afraid to be seen as un-American, unpatriotic. And as a consequence, they really let the country down.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: In fact, she's covered every president since John F. Kennedy. Who was her favorite? Well, who was her least favorite? What are journalists lacking today? She answers some of those questions in our Sunday spotlight, that's tonight at 10:00 Eastern, Helen Thomas.

Jacqui is following the weather for us now. Hot, hot, hot might be a way to explain it. Not just great lyrics for a song, but descriptions from the meteorologists today, right?

JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Not just today either, Rick -- days to come. This is a long-lasting heat wave gripping much of the nation, affecting millions of people. We'll have the latest on that. Plus a tornado warning in effect for southwestern suburbs of Chicago. Details on that coming up.

SANCHEZ: Hey thanks, Jacqui.

Also from hot weather to hot politics, Obama is still taking heat for his nuke comments. Mitt Romney gets a little hot under the collar during a radio interview. All of that. You're in the NEWSROOM with these guys joining us next to talk about it. We'll be back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Pack up, get out, it's time. We're serious this time. We've pulled the ground crews off at this moment. You need to evacuate and everybody in Montana stay a prayer.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: What you're listening to there, and now watching pictures of, is an urgent and emotional call from the governor of Montana, wildfires ravaging his state. And residents are at risk. The governor declared a state of emergency today. FEMA approved federal money to help fight the blazes. The fires have scorched tens of thousands of acres and forced hundreds of residents from their homes.

Also, I want you to take a look at some of these shots. This is out of Santa Barbara, California. This is a huge wildfire there. See it? It has been spreading since we've been following this thing, about 650 people have been evacuated as a result. But officials say that they're hopeful the flames will soon move away from the homes.

(WEATHER REPORT)

SANCHEZ: Presidential candidate Mitt Romney takes off the gloves when it comes to his religion. We're going to let you hear how he seemingly blasted a radio reporter. And it's not clear whether he thought he was being recorded when he said what he said. We're going to let you hear it for yourself.

And you remember this famous photo? Not Mitt Romney, well, not really that one either. But it's the one that he's holding right there. It's the picture of a guy who kisses a nurse right after WWII. For decades people have been trying to find out who that guy was. There has been a forensic study on it. And I think they found the guy. We'll share it with you.

And then from kisses to sex? There's a new study that lists the top reasons why people jump between the sheets. They had to actually to do a study on this? We're counting it down for you, starting with number five: "To express my love for the person." Huh?

You're watching CNN LIVE SUNDAY.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: I want to bring you a quick update now on what's going on in the news. We have pictures of two suspects that were picked up last night near Charleston, South Carolina. Police are saying that they found a bomb and bomb-making materials in their car. However, Reuters is now reporting that the FBI has shot down any connection to terrorism, claiming the guys had materials for making fireworks, not weapons. We'll keep you posted on this one.

In Minneapolis, a prayer service is about to get under way for victims' families and the first responders tied to Wednesday's tragic bridge collapse over the Mississippi River. Sources are trying to recover at least eight people believed missing still. The death toll, by the way -- the official death toll remains at five. And those are live pictures that you're seeing there from the cathedral in the Minneapolis-St. Paul, where they're planning to hold this memorial -- this event tonight.

All right. Let's do politics now -- blogging politics. Want to ask Mitt Romney about abortion and his faith? You better expect a fight. This is a hot one on the blogs tonight. Let's toss to Jane Hamsher now. She is from firedoglake.com. That's firedoglake.com, in case you want to go there, have a conversation with her. And then Jim Geraghty from The National Review.

Thanks to have both of you back here. You know, if there's one guy in this political arena -- thanks, appreciate that. If there's one guy in this political arena who is, I would say, extremely scripted -- or always appears to be scripted and follows form, it's Mitt Romney. But I'm going to let you look at something here where Mitt Romney looks totally unrehearsed, totally unscripted, and reacting in a very personal way. This is in a radio station in Iowa. They start talking about abortion, and about him being a Mormon, and he seems like he has just had enough.

Here it is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MITT ROMNEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I'm not here to discuss a religion or discuss the principles of it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK. Here's the reason I...

ROMNEY: I'm here to discuss...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I understand, and I'm not trying to...

(CROSSTALK)

ROMNEY: You know what, I get just as much opportunity to speak as you do. So let me finish my sentence, if you will.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK.

ROMNEY: And that is, I'm pro-life. As governor of Massachusetts, I faced issues that came to my desk that related to life and death, and I came down on the side of life. I wrote an op-ed piece in The Boston Globe as to why I was life. Every decision I took as governor was in favor of life.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: And that's not even the one I wanted to show you. There was another clip where he's -- it's during a commercial and he doesn't know that they're still recording. And he just really goes off. So let me start and see what you guys think.

Jane, Romney got problems, or is he finally looking like the candidate a lot of people want him to be?

JANE HAMSHER, FIREDOGLAKE.COM: I think he has got problems. I think he's very thin-skinned. I think he's really suffering from the fact that he has a history of being very pro-choice. He told NARAL that they needed a guy like him in Washington, D.C. And he's having to backpedal from that in order to run to the Republican base in Iowa. And that's a very difficult thing to do in the YouTube generation.

SANCHEZ: Are you saying he may be a flip-flopper?

HAMSHER: He's a little bit of a flip-flopper, I think, on this, and other issues. Gay rights...

SANCHEZ: Oh, didn't they say that about John Kerry, though?

HAMSHER: I think they may have.

SANCHEZ: All right. Let's go to the other side. Jim, you know what's interesting about this, here is a guy who is standing up for his religion, for his background, and for what he believes in. And a lot of people, I think, are going to look at this videotape and say, hey, way to go, Mitt, good for you. You know, you're not scripted. You're real.

JIM GERAGHTY, THE NATIONAL REVIEW: Yes. I was going to say, Rick, that has got to be the calmest tantrum I've ever seen in my life. You know, I was afraid it was going to deploy the word "golly" at some point or something like that.

(LAUGHTER)

SANCHEZ: Well, that's a Mormon tantrum.

GERAGHTY: That's Mormon for a word I can't say on CNN. Religion is a very personal issue to a lot of folks. He has addressed it at various times during his career. But I think to a certain extent a lot of us just kind of have to, you know, take him at his word. His faith is his faith. And I'm not sure it's really all that much of our business.

SANCHEZ: Yes, but here's the point that Jane is making. And, Jane, I don't want to speak for you, but I think the point that she's making is that he may be a bit of an opportunist and he is going to have to shake that.

When he's running for the governorship of a liberal state, he's pro-choice. When he is suddenly running for the Republican ticket, looking for conservative voters, he's pro-life. Which is it, people would ask, right?

Jane, first of all, is that what I hear you saying?

HAMSHER: That is what you're hearing me say...

(CROSSTALK)

SANCHEZ: And, Jim, to add to that, you say what?

HAMSHER: I think all of the Republican candidates have a real problem because they're running toward the Republican base right now. And the Republican embraces positions that are very out of step with the American people. They're very pro-war, they're very pro-George Bush, they're anti-choice. And that's just not where the country is at. So all of these candidates are stuck in the unenviable position of having to embrace George Bush, a very unpopular president, and a lot of other positions that they're going to have to kind of try and shake off when they run in the general election. And the Democrats don't have that problem.

SANCHEZ: Let's give Jim a chance to respond here. Jim, what she's saying is...

GERAGHTY: Where did George Bush come in this conversation?

SANCHEZ: ... they're wearing clothing that doesn't really fit.

GERAGHTY: I don't think there is anything to that. If you ask Mitt Romney, he would say he had this personal epiphany while he was studying the issue of stem cells and the idea of cloning embryos. And it raised moral objections in his mind that, you know, moved him on this issue.

I don't think there's any doubt that he knows the constituency he's playing for. It's one of those things where he is pitching himself to Iowa voters. You know, he can point to Reagan, he can point to George H.W. Bush, he can point to all kinds of people who were pro-choice at one point in their careers, including Al Gore at one point -- who was pro-life at one point, and then changed their minds later in their careers. So he's in good company.

SANCHEZ: And people have a right to change their minds. Man, I want him to be able to talk about Barack Obama and the situation that he's going through. But there's never enough time with us. I mean, because the three of us are passionate about politics and we get going. You guys are great. Jane Hamsher from firedoglake.com, Jim Geraghty from The National Review. Good reading. Thanks, guys. I appreciate it.

HAMSHER: Thanks, Rick.

GERAGHTY: Anytime, Rick.

SANCHEZ: It's a 62-year-old question, who's the sailor in the famous picture that swept the nation off of its feet? Modern day forensics might bring us the answer now. Now, it's not him, it's what he's holding. No, there it is, there's the picture. That's one of the most famous pictures ever taken. But who's really the man? No one has ever known. There's a new study that tells that.

And also, a new study that lists the top reasons why people have sex. Coming up, number four, "to show affection." To show affection. Like you needed to know that. Stay in the CNN NEWSROOM as we continue to count down. Stay with us, we'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: News "Across America" now. Secret Service agents nabbed a 22-year-old Florida man who allegedly jumped the north fence of the White House this morning. Witnesses say that Justin Manuel Arrieta did it sans clothing, as in, without. That's him with the white jumpsuit on right there. He's jailed now on one count of unlawful entry.

The Food and Drug Administration says stay away from certain brands of French-cut green beans. The reason, the beans could be tainted with a toxin that causes botulism. Lakeside Foods of Manitowoc, Wisconsin, puts them out and sells them in 14.5-ounce cans.

New legislation has been introduced in Congress that expands the budget, and authority of the Consumer Product Safety Commission. That's the government agency which issues products recalls. It has been hamstrung by budget cuts for more than 20 years. At the same time, foreign imports, especially imports from China, we understand, have sold.

If you -- soared, i should say. Pardon me. If you like biting irony, you're going to love this. For eight bucks, plus postage and handling, you can order a toy likeness of pro football's Michael Vick for Fido to chew on. Vick, of course, is front and center in the federal dogfighting case. He has pleaded not guilty. A portion of the toy proceeds is going to reportedly go to a Florida animal shelter. You can find it at www.vickdogchewtoy.com. First orders supposedly go out Tuesday.

We are almost there, ladies and gentlemen. A study was actually conducted on reasons why people have sex. So we took a closer look at it. Coming up, number three, a classic no-brainer you might say: "because it feels good." A closer look at the study and reasons number one and two when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: Back to B Control for you. This is crunch time for families in an adoption program called Summer Miracles. Here's the agonizing bottom line. Do they keep the children who have been living in their homes this summer, or send them away?

CNN's Gary Nurenberg reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GARY NURENBERG, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Nien Wei's (ph) fifth birthday party is his first in America where he is one of seven Taiwanese orphans taking part in the Summer Miracles program run by the group Kidsave.

TERRY BAUGH, PRESIDENT, KIDSAVE: Kidsave finds families for children the world has forgotten.

NURENBERG: The idea is to let the kids have new experiences. And this clearly is one, while the adults get to know them. The orphans are between 5 and 15, typically harder to place.

NANCY SPENCE, TAIWAN SUMMER MIRACLES COORDINATOR: We feel pretty confident that most of these kids, if not all of them, will ultimately find an adoptive family. NURENBERG: Nien Wei is staying with Angela and Zach Smoot and their adopted son Sean (ph) in Warrenton, Virginia. He is a handful.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hi.

ANGELA SMOOT, SUMMER MIRACLES HOST MOM: He's adventurous. He's willing -- say (INAUDIBLE), say peek-a-boo.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Peek-a-boo.

A. SMOOT: Yes, that was nice. Peek-a-boo.

NURENBERG: He was showered at his birthday party with toys.

A. SMOOT: A fire truck.

NURENBERG: And because Nien Wei likes fire trucks, the Smoots made arrangements for him to play with one. They have introduced Nien Wei to other families interested in adopting, and with the summer coming to an end, have to decide whether they will adopt him themselves.

ZACH SMOOT, SUMMER MIRACLES HOST DAD: He is a very, very special boy. I mean, it does worry me. Like when he goes back to Taiwan, is...

A. SMOOT: All of our work...

Z. SMOOT: Yes.

(LAUGHTER)

A. SMOOT: ... going to be undone? And I'm scared, will he think we left him? I mean, I'm getting anxious and worried about this.

NURENBERG: Either way, new experiences for the summer or a new life begun for these orphans, the Kidsave Summer Miracles program has been living up to its name.

Gary Nurenberg, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANCHEZ: OK. Here we go. There's a new study and it reveals the top reasons that people say they have sex. Coming in at number two: "to experience the physical pleasure." So what's the number one reason people have sex? Stay in the CNN NEWSROOM, we'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(MUSIC PLAYING)

SANCHEZ: What did he say? You guys are going to think it was one of the folks working inside here in B Control said that. But that's actually a song, a specially chosen song just for this segment that we're running. The photograph that captured the jubilation of a nation. A sailor kissing a nurse in Times Square at the end of World War II. Who can't remember that picture? It's one of the most famous pictures ever taken. And for decades, nobody has known who that guy was, until now when Stephanie Guadian with CNN affiliate of KTRK shared the details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

STEPHANIE GUADIAN, KTRK REPORTER (voice-over): Houston's Glenn McDuffie was in Times Square when he found out World War II had come to an end. Reason enough for the sailor to celebrate.

LOIS GIBSON, HOUSTON POLICE DEPT.: He lost it. He was jumping around, whooping and hollering. And this girl just put her arms out like this, wide open. And she had great big full lips. And he just came over to her and kissed her.

GUADIAN: For years, people have wondered about the mysterious sailor. Who is he and where is he now? Questions Lois Gibson says she has answered. As a forensic artist for the Houston Police Department, Gibson is a pro at identification.

GIBSON: Your bones, one you reach maturity, they stay the same. The skin just goes south. So the bones and skull are the same.

GUADIAN: After numerous measurements, including his wrists, knuckles, forehead, and ears, Gibson is certain Houston resident Glenn McDuffie is the mysterious sailor in the famous Life magazine photograph, a claim he has made for years.

GIBSON: The hairline -- he lost hair, he's older, give him a break. Of course he did, the ears, the eyebrows, the little wrinkles that are starting here are here too.

GUADIAN: There were other clues as well.

GIBSON: When he talked to me, he's the only one that knows the names -- full names of these other two sailors.

GUADIAN: Gibson says she had always wondered why the sailor's arms seemed hooked in an odd manner. McDuffie had the answer. He saw a photographer heading his way and moved his hand so the nurse's face would show.

GIBSON: Glenn McDuffie kissed the nurse. Glenn McDuffie is the swabbie that kissed the nurse and celebrated that the war was over.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANCHEZ: That's unbelievable, they nailed it, huh?

Well, here's the question for you. Why have sex? This is actually a study that was released this week that people have been talking about, so we decided to share some of the info with you. Researchers asked students at the University of Texas, and believe it or not, they uncovered over 200 different answers. So we wanted to know if you knew the number one reason that people have sex.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Did you say sexual intercourse?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The number one why we have sex is we were created with a sexual desire to have it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It feels good.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: After the first time, just like anything else, you try to get that first sensation back.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's a natural thing, it's a God-given activity.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Love.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (INAUDIBLE), Doctor.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Did you say sexual intercourse?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Help the condom industry?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: To create babies.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The first moment I saw you, oh, the sexual...

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think it's just a nice stress reliever.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANCHEZ: And we want to thank some those CNN viewers for helping us out with that. So what is the number one reason? According to the study, because I "was attracted to the person." Well, that's as good as any reason, I guess.

I'm Rick Sanchez, we're going to see you back here at 10:00 Eastern for our "Sunday Spotlight," Helen Thomas. Now "CNN SIU."

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