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Michael Vick Pleads Guilty to Dog Fighting Charges; Alberto Gonzales Resigns; Fires Tear Across Greece

Aired August 27, 2007 - 13:00   ET

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

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAEL VICK, PLEADED GUILTY TO DOG FIGHTING CHARGES: Dog fighting is a terrible thing, and I did reject it. I will redeem myself. I have to.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KYRA PHILLIPS, HOST: Coming clean and stepping down. Michael Vick tells a judge he's guilty, then tells everybody else he's sorry. Alberto Gonzales tells the president, then the nation he's out as attorney general. The football star and the nation's top lawman trying to put their scandals and controversies behind them.

Hello, everyone. I'm Kyra Phillips at the CNN world headquarters in Atlanta. Don Lemon is off. And you're live in the CNN NEWSROOM.

Well, he once eluded tacklers with shocking ease, but Michael Vick went down today in the crushing grip of the law, suspended Friday by the NFL. Vick pleaded guilty in Richmond, Virginia, to a federal dog fighting conspiracy charge. Sentencing set for December 10.

His image shattered, his fortune threatened, his career possibly over, Vick said later it's all his fault.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VICK: I totally ask for forgiveness and understanding as I move forward to better the Michael Vick, the person, not the football player.

I take full responsibility for my actions. For one second will I sit right here -- not for one second will I sit right here and point the finger and try to blame anybody else for my actions or for what I've done. I'm totally responsible for those things. This thing had to happen.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Rusty Dornin live for us now with more on the story from Richmond.

Hi, Rusty.

RUSTY DORNIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kyra, it's been a long day so far for Michael Vick. Of course, standing up in front of Judge Henry Hudson here in federal court in Richmond, Virginia.

Didn't really say a whole lot during the court appearances, about 20 minutes long. The judge asked him if he understood what was going on, the rights he was giving up. And the only thing Michael Vick really said at that point was "No, sir," "yes, sir." Although the judge did ask him, "Do you -- Mr. Vick, do you know what the maximum penalty for this charge is?"

And Michael Vick answered, "Yes, I do know. It's five years."

The judge then went on to say, "Look, you know, you're taking your chances here that I may not abide by the decisions by the prosecutors to give you perhaps 12 to 18 months. I may make my own decision. I could go up to that maximum of five years."

Well, right after that, Michael Vick exited the courtroom to cheers and jeers outside, supporters and protesters. He went straight to a hotel about two blocks from the courthouse, where he told reporters again and again that he was sorry.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VICK: Dog fighting is a terrible thing, and I did reject it. I upset myself and, you know, through this situation I found Jesus. And I asked him for forgiveness, and I turned my life over to God. I think that's the right thing do as of right now.

Like I said, for this -- for this entire situation, I never pointed the finger at anybody else. I accept the responsibility for my actions and what I did. And now I have to pay the consequences for it. But in a sense, I think it will help, you know, me as a person. I've got a lot to think about.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DORNIN: Of course, the next big question for the Falcons is are they going to be able to recoup any of this $22 million in the signing bonus. Apparently, they sent a letter to Vick on Monday, asking him to return the money. A little while ago, they had a press conference where Arthur Blank and the other managers talked about what Vick's future was with the team.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ARTHUR BLANK, ATLANTA FALCONS OWNER: So we cannot tell you today that Michael is cut from the team. Cutting him may feel better today emotionally for us and many of our fans. But it's not in the long term best interest of our franchise.

Decisions relating to Michael's status with the team are tied to legal, financial and contractual and personnel issues that still must be sorted out. What I can tell you is that we have to move on with our football team.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DORNIN: Of course, moving on means they're going to have a home exhibition game against the Cincinnati Bengals.

Meantime, Vick will be sentenced December 10. And the judge is going to be reviewing a lot of this evidence. Vick is going to be talking to prosecutors, telling him what he knows.

The judge is going to be weighing all those factors and also weighing the fact that Michael Vick stood up and said he was sorry. He took full responsibility and admitted that he lied to not only to his team but to the public and apologized for everything he did. So that could also account for the judge's decision on what to sentence him -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right. Rusty Dornin, thanks so much.

And later this hour, we're going to talk with a former player who knows Michael Vick. Bob Whitfield played several years with Vick as an offensive lineman with the Atlanta Falcons. Bob Whitfield at the bottom of the hour.

Alberto Gonzales for months now, you haven't heard that name without the word "embattled" in front of it. Now the battle is over. The attorney general has resigned.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ALBERTO GONZALES, ATTORNEY GENERAL: I have lived the American dream. Even my worst days as attorney general have been better than my father's best days.

Public service is honorable and noble. And I am profoundly grateful to President Bush for his friendship and for the many opportunities he has given me to serve the American people.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Gonzales has been bombarded with questions for months, but he refused to answer any today, and so did his boss. Let's get straight to the White House and CNN's Suzanne Malveaux -- Suzanne.

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Kyra, this really is an extraordinarily reversal by President Bush. It was just three weeks ago he was asked about Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, saying of course, he had confidence in him and he continues to have confidence in him.

But at the same time here, Kyra, he could have rejected this resignation letter. He could have said, "No, I want you to stay." That has been the position up until this time. But it was Friday when Gonzales made that phone call, issued his resignation. The president accepted and ultimately, in doing that, made the political calculus here that it wasn't worth it to keep him.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: After months of unfair treatment, that has created harmful and harmful distraction at the Justice Department, Judge Gonzales decided to resign his position, and I accept his decision.

It's sad that, when we live in a time when a talented and honorable person like Alberto Gonzales is impeded from doing important work because his good name was dragged through the mud for political reasons.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: And Kyra, obviously, the president as well as the administration are looking at the next 17 months to see what it is that they can accomplish on the domestic side. They have to deal with Iraq. They also have a Justice Department that clearly has just been demoralized by this whole experience here. So they are definitely looking in some ways to make things better here.

Now, there's been a lot of talk and speculation about who's on the short list to replace him. We do know that there was talk of the secretary of homeland security, Michael Chertoff, as being a possibility. Some senior aides saying that he is a very strong candidate.

On the other side there's some senior administrative officials who say, "Hold on, not so fast here. He had a key role when it came to Hurricane Katrina in the Department of Homeland Security. It may not be a good selection here"

All of this, as you know, part of the Washington parlor games that they play. We do know that, however, the president has not made a decision and he's not made an offer -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Can we talk more about the temporary replacement and who exactly could replace him permanently?

MALVEAUX: Well, Michael Chertoff is a possibility. We've heard of Ted Olson, as well. We've heard of Paul Clement. He is the solicitor general, as the one who is actually going to be acting attorney general. Those are some names that have come up.

But once again, there's a vetting process, and they're trying to keep a little bit tight-lipped about it -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right. Suzanne Malveaux at the White House. Thank you so much.

I'm being told we just got reaction from Senator Patrick Leahy in Vermont. Let's take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. PATRICK LEAHY (D), VERMONT: I've been there with six presidents. I cannot think of a single one where there's been this kind of a wholesale absence of people in charge. It's hard to tell who's in charge there anymore.

Under this attorney general and this president, the Department of Justice suffered a severe crisis of leadership that allowed our justice system to be corrupted by political influence. It is a shame.

And it is the Justice Department, the American people, the dedicated professionals of our law enforcement community who have suffered the most from it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: He was fired. Now he's firing back. Former U.S. attorney David Iglesias joins me live to talk about his former boss, Alberto Gonzales. That's at 3 Eastern right here in the CNN newsroom.

Clear skies, trashed ground. Receding floods from last week's storms reveal a soggy mess in the Midwest. This was Des Plaines, Illinois, rather, near Chicago Saturday. And today people are breaking down the sandbag barriers, putting flood-damaged carpet and furniture on the curbs and trying to dry out.

About 7,000 people in Illinois still don't have power.

And scenes like this in Wisconsin earned disaster declarations from Washington, leftover moisture as people worried about the mold. And Ohio's governor expects a federal disaster declaration today for parts of the Buckeye State. That will free up federal money for recovery.

Chad Myers will have the complete forecast later in the hour.

Well, it's not often that you hear the governor tell tourists to stay away. But that's what Idaho's governor is saying because of a wildfire.

Lightning provided the first spark more than a week ago near Idaho's ski resorts. Sun Valley is actually using its snow machine to help fend off the flames.

The fires covered more than 50-square miles, forced about a thousand families to leave their homes and closed some schools.

Dozens of wildfires are leaving modern ruins and claiming lives as they tear across Greece. Rescuers are trying to get -- get to people in harm's way now. And for some of them, there was just no escape.

CNN's Frederik Pleitgen joins me now from southern Greece with the latest -- Fred.

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Kyra. It's good to see you.

You're absolutely right. Greek authorities here are still battling dozens of wildfires all over this country. One official told me that basically half of this country is burning right now.

Now, one of the things that's really very difficult for the firefighters here is that the winds that have actually died down these past couple of days, those winds were really picking up again today. And that was causing all sorts of problems for the firefighters here.

Of course, those very hot and very strong winds, they just fuelled the fires. One firefighter told me it's basically like putting a fire on steroids. It just makes it so much faster and so much stronger.

And as you said, several people, over 60 people, have already been killed by these fires. And many of them died trying to escape these fires. They're just so fast that many people just couldn't get away -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Frederik Pleitgen, thanks so much. We'll continue to follow up with you from southern Greece.

Meanwhile, here in the United States, a fire that claimed the lives of two New York firefighters may claim some officers' careers. New York Fire Commissioner Nicholas Scoppetta relieved two commanders and one captain from duty, at least for now.

An investigation is underway into the August 18 fire at the former Deutsche Bank building near Ground Zero. The abandoned building was slowly being dismantled.

The commissioner also wants a review of how buildings being built or demolished are inspected.

Well, he's taking responsibility, but should Michael Vick take a permanent fall from the NFL for his actions? I'll ask former Atlanta Falcon Bob Whitfield.

Plus, it sweetens more foods and drinks than you realize. It's also causing a spike in diabetes. The controversy over high fructose corn syrup.

And a pageant hopeful doesn't get the crown but earns a prominent spot on YouTube, thanks to an off-the-cuff answer that was off the chain.

You're watching CNN, the most trusted name in news.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: One fourteen Eastern Time, here are some of the stories that we're working on in the CNN NEWSROOM.

Alberto Gonzales soon out of a job. Michael Vick benched. Let's start with the attorney general, who has announced his resignation after months of criticism over his leadership.

President Bush is still defending Gonzales, saying his good name was dragged through the mud for political reasons.

Now to Michael Vick. Shortly after pleading guilty to a federal dog fighting conspiracy charge, the Atlanta Falcons quarterback apologized for his actions. But the team's owner says the Falcons have not yet decided to cut Vick and his multimillion dollar contract. But he remains indefinitely suspended.

Three higher-ups in the New York City Fire Department now relieved of their commands. And it's all because of this August 18 fire at the Deutsche Bank building near Ground Zero. Two firefighters were killed in that blaze, which sparked questions over why they were sent into the vacant building in the first place.

Back to one of our top stories today: the nation's top prosecutor benched. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales has resigned after months of criticism from Republicans and Democrats, much of it centered around the controversial firings of several U.S. attorneys, one of them Bud Cummins. Here's what he told the NEWSROOM earlier today.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BUD CUMMINS, FORMER U.S. ATTORNEY: The people at the Department of Justice are extremely talented. They know what their mission is. And all they ask is that the management there, however political -- and there are political, necessary politics in the department -- every department of government -- that they have to know that they're going to be insulated from outside political pressure when it comes to them doing their actual work.

And I think new leadership will send them a message that they're going to do that, and everything will be fine.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN CORRESPONDENT/ANCHOR: So tell us a little bit about your experience, because it's not exactly the same as some of the other U.S. attorneys who were dismissed.

CUMMINS: Yes. And for that reason, mine was a little different because it was really just about them wanting to allow this other individual to be U.S. attorney. They'd never handled these jobs that way before. And they handled the change and in my case very poorly.

But it wasn't nearly as important as the cases in New Mexico and Washington and Southern California and San Diego, for instance, where they were letting outside political pressure actually help make the decision to remove a U.S. attorney. That's the exact pressure that prosecutors should be insulated against.

And that's where the attorney general actually failed us. He should have stopped that. He should have insulated those prosecutors from that pressure, and he didn't do it.

KEILAR: One of the issues for you, I know that you said earlier was that it was made out as if it was a performance issue in these firings, when really it wasn't.

GONZALES: Right. I mean, I'm completely convinced now that there were reasons other than performance for every decision in this story. And the fact that they were willing to try to cover this up and to avoid talking about some unattractive things that they've done or allowing that political pressure into the process was really kind of unforgivable.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: President Bush also brought up politics. He stuck by Gonzales to the last, saying the attorney general's good name was dragged through the mud for political reasons.

Straight ahead, she didn't win the pageant, but she's a star on YouTube. Miss South Carolina's random questions fired a very random answer. You'll see it next in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Beauty pageants aren't known for tough questions. But one contestant at the Miss Teen USA pageant Friday night was apparently stumped by hers. Eighteen-year-old Lauren Caitlin, Miss Teen South Carolina, was asked what the host called a thought- provoking final question.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

AIMEE TEEGARDEN, ACTRESS: Recent polls have shown a fifth of Americans can't locate the U.S. on a world map. Why do you think this is?

LAUREN CAITLIN UPTON, MISS TEEN SOUTH CAROLINA: I personally believe that U.S. Americans are unable to do so because some people out there in our nation don't have that and that I believe that our education, such as in South Africa and Iraq, everywhere like such as, and I believe that they should -- our education over here in the U.S. should help the U.S. or should help South Africa and should help the Asian countries so we will be able to build up our future.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you very much. South Carolina.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Ouch. Upton still didn't do too badly. She was third runner-up. Miss Teen Colorado Hilary Carol Cruz was the winner.

Stephanie Elam -- how do I get from that to business? I'm sorry. I really wanted to make a smooth transition there, but I just can't let it go.

STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: There's no way to make a smooth transition. Such as...

PHILLIPS: Such as...

ELAM: For us U.S. Americans.

PHILLIPS: In South Africa.

ELAM: Yes, who...

PHILLIPS: And Asia. ELAM: One thing I will say to her, she is young, and the nerves must be going crazy at that time.

PHILLIPS: That is true. That is true. She -- well, she probably learned a very valuable lesson. She's beautiful, and now she's going to work on all the other things.

ELAM: Such as geography.

PHILLIPS: Why don't you teach us a few things business such as, something I'm not very good at?

ELAM: Such as, let's see, the markets. All right. Let's talk about -- "such as" is my favorite part of that whole thing.

For nearly six years -- or since six years ago when the attacks of September 11 switched terrorism concerns to the forefront, but now things have kind of changed. At least, this is according to an influential economic research group.

Loan default and excessive debt are the gravest risks to the economy, they're saying. That's a big deal, to say that it's no longer so much about terrorism here.

More than 30 percent of those surveyed had this view, compared to only 20 percent who cited terrorism as the biggest economic risk. I see a huge change here.

And it shows just how worried some economists are about how the credit crisis could impact the wider economy, Kyra. So obviously, that's a big deal when you say terrorism is no longer the biggest fear.

PHILLIPS: Well, are there any new reasons to be concerned today, do you believe?

ELAM: Well, there are a few. Banks have already started to rein in their lending, and the latest to feel the pinch, well, that would be Home Depot. And that's a really big company, so for them to feel this pain, obviously, we're going to pay attention.

Back in June, Home Depot thought it had a deal to sell its supply business. But since then banks have clamped down. The "Wall Street Journal" says Home Depot agreed to accept an $8.5 billion buyout for its supply unit. That's nearly 20 percent of a discount from the original selling price, about $2 billion less than it was supposed to be. So that's obviously a big drop there.

Now, early in the session, we got the latest report on existing home sales which split, but a bit less than expected. The larger problem, the biggest glut of homes on the market in 16 years, a more than 9 1/2 months supply. Most believe that, until the economy works through that tremendous inventory, we won't see a big recovery in the housing market.

Prices have fallen for 12 straight months. And I know a lot of people across the country are not surprised to hear about that.

(STOCK REPORT)

ELAM: Now, like its customers, Wal-Mart appears ready to become a bargain shopper. I'll tell you about it in the next hour of NEWSROOM, such as wonderful thing that Kyra may talk about.

PHILLIPS: We'll see you in a little bit.

ELAM: Sounds good.

PHILLIPS: Three years in the making, beyond risky in the doing. Nic Robertson goes one-on-one with the Hamas leader at the top of Israel's arrest list. That's straight ahead in the CNN NEWSROOM.

And getting a fair shake or unjustly targeted? A former Atlanta Falcon will weigh in on disgraced teammate Michael Vick. Bob Whitfield joins us live.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Hello, everyone. I'm Kyra Phillips, live at the CNN world headquarters in Atlanta.

Word on his football future incomplete. But a former Falcon has a few things to say about Michael Vick and where his story goes from here. Bob Whitfield joins me live.

You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

Quickly now, I want to take you live to the president's aircraft landing in Albuquerque, New Mexico. He is going to visit Los Ranchos de Albuquerque for a fundraiser for the Republican senator there in Albuquerque.

But as you know, this also -- this comes amid the resignation of Attorney General Alberto Gonzales. We're going to follow his trip, see if he makes any statements live. He's also expected to talk about Iraq, so we're following that for you.

Meanwhile, Michael Vick is seeking mercy from the law and a disappointed public. The fallen star of the NFL pleaded guilty in Richmond, Virginia, to a federal dog fighting charge. He'll be sentenced, probably to prison, December 10.

Speaking later, without a script, Vick expressed shame and remorse and vowed to redeem himself.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VICK: For this entire situation I never pointed the finger at anybody else. I accept the responsible for my actions and what I did. And now I have to pay the consequences for it.

(END VIDEO CLIP) PHILLIPS: Joining us now live from New York, former pro bowl lineman Bob Whitfield. Whitfield played on Michael Vick's offensive line as a longtime Atlanta Falcon.

Bob, good to see you. You've just heard Vick for the first time come forward publicly. Do you believe him?

BOB WHITFIELD, FORMER ATLANTA FALCON: I definitely believe him. I think that the most powerful thing he said was the apology for the children. All those little number seven fans that wore the jersey and just looked at him as their idol and the next best thing to sliced bread, they are the ones that deserve the most apology.

PHILLIPS: Let's talk about your friendship, your background with Vick. You were his left tackle on the field. Your job is to protect him. Are you feeling a need to protect him now because of what you have been through professionally?

WHITFIELD: I definitely believe he does deserve a second chance to come back to the league. Pay his time in prison, whatever the judge demands. And, you know, that will alone give him a lot of time to think about what he has done and just let him come back to a league that he can flourish again and be a star football player again.

PHILLIPS: Now Bob, you know, you have played with him, you're an athlete, you played in the NFL. Why would somebody with this talent, this money, the success, even get involved in something like this?

WHITFIELD: You know what? Its crazy the amount of things that football players, basketball players, just do in our spare time. It is no right answer to that. It is just that you make a decision in life and sometimes it's the wrong decision and this time he made a very wrong and bad decision and he's going to have to repent for that for a number of years. The shame that's on him, the embarrassment is going to last for a lifetime.

PHILLIPS: There has been a lot of talk, too, since this was all revealed about dogfighting, very pervasive activity in the NFL. Do you agree with that? Do you see a lot of this type of activity?

WHITFIELD: No. You know, you see the guys with the big dogs, with the Rottweilers, the pit bulls. But this is the first I heard of actually dogfighting them and I think this is not going to, you know, stop guys from having the dogs. But they will act more responsible with their pets.

PHILLIPS: So, let me ask you then, in sort of a different way, this whole dogfighting scenario, is it cultural? Is it ignorance? Is it just plain stupidity?

WHITFIELD: You know what, I think in Mike's case, it is probably stupidity. I don't think that everybody just comes from a background of, you know, fighting dogs, fighting chickens or anything. It is something that you just grow up you know -- not everybody grows up doing that stuff. So, for him, maybe it started out as just a kennel club for raising and selling pit bulls that turned into something else that was beyond his control. But for him to take responsibility for all the actions he was involved in, I think was paramount.

PHILLIPS: We heard a little bit from Vick as we introduced you into this live segment. Let's take a listen to another part of that news conference, I want to get you to respond.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAEL VICK, ATLANTA FALCONS QUARTERBACK: What I did was very immature, so that means I need to grow up. I totally ask for forgiveness and understanding as I move forward to bettering Michael Vick the person, not the football player. I take full responsibility for my actions. Not for one second will I sit right here and point the finger and try to blame anybody else for my actions or what I have done. I'm totally responsible and those things just didn't have to happen.

(END OF VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Bob, why does it take something like this, getting caught, to finally say look, I have to work on my character?

WHITFIELD: Well, that's usually when it happens to you. When you get busted on something is when you have to, you know, look in the mirror and face your demons and I think it took Michael probably some years --

PHILLIPS: Bob, I apologize. We have to break away to the president of the United States landing in Albuquerque, let's listen in.

BUSH: This morning I spoke to Iraq's elected leaders. These leaders represent all of the Iraqi communities. These leaders, Prime Minister Maliki, President Talabani, Vice President Hashimi, Vice President (INAUDIBLE), President Barzani(ph), recognize the true and meaningful reconciliation that needs to take place. They recognize this is a process. Yesterday's agreement reflects their commitment to work together for the benefit of all Iraqis, to further the process. The agreement begins to establish new power sharing agreements and commits to supporting bottom-up security and political initiatives and advances agreement among Iraq's leadership on several key legislative benchmarks. While yesterday's agreement is an important step, I reminded them and they understand much more needs to be done. The Iraqi parliament will convene again in early September and it will need to act to codify this political progress.

It is in our interest that we help the Iraqi people succeed. Success in Iraq will be a major blow to the extremists and radicals who would like to attack America again. And that's why the United States will continue to support Iraq's leaders and all the Iraqi people and their efforts to overcome the forces of terror that seek to overthrow a (INAUDIBLE) democracy. In this regard I welcome and accept the express desire of the Iraqi leadership to develop a long- term relationship with the United States based on common interests. The United States is committed to developing this relationship and to strengthening diplomatic, economic and security ties with the Iraqi government and its people. Thank you. PHILLIPS: The president of the United States landing in Albuquerque, New Mexico, obviously making comments about Iraq. He's slated actually to visit the Los Ranchos de Albuquerque, there in the city for a fundraiser for the Republican senator. We are hoping maybe he might say something about the resignation of his attorney general Alberto Gonzales. We will follow his trip and see if he does hold any other live events.

Well it's not an easy job to find the man who leads Hamas. The United States, Israel and a host of other countries consider Khaled Meshaal one of the world's worst terrorists. After three years of efforts our Nic Robertson secured an interview with him. Nic joins us now from Damascus where the secret meeting took place. Nic, how did you score the interview?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well Kyra I should say there were three years of efforts by our producer and Baghdad bureau Chief Cal Perry that really landed this interview. He had a lot of meetings with sort of back room Hamas people. He had meetings in Lebanon, meetings in other countries as well. But he was able to convince them that CNN were the people to talk to right now and that they would meet with us, they have concerns because Khaled Meshaal has been a target of Israeli assassinations before. He was almost killed 10 years ago in one assassination attempt. But we did meet with him in a safe house here in Syria, in Damascus, the capital. We went there in a car. We were driven around the streets. We had to hand over our cell phones before we were taken on this journey. What I wanted to find out was his position, was Hamas' position softening because of the increasing isolation that they're facing. The bottom line on that was that no, but he did also tell us when I asked him about the Israeli army corporal that Hamas kidnapped last summer.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ROBERTSON: Last summer when Gilad Shaleed(ph) was kidnapped, various Israeli ministers --

KHALED MESHAAL, HAMAS LEADER: Not kidnapped, captured. Captured, because he's a soldier.

ROBERTSON: And you authorized his capturing?

MESHAAL: Ok, this is a question?

ROBERTSON: Yes.

MESHAAL: Ok. There is a military wing and it knows its duties very well. It carries out its responsibilities within a policy movement, but we do not interfere with the details nor do we talk about the aberrations and their details. They know their duties and their responsibilities. And, of course, we support anything the resistance does, as long as they confront the Zionist occupation which occupies our land and assaults our people.

ROBERTSON: And Hamas right now has Gilad Shaleed(ph)? MESHAAL: Because Olmert is still detaining thousands of our people. Until now there are 11,300 prisoners according to the latest official statistics. And, therefore, I said many times to all those who come as mediators that the one who is responsible for continued detention of Gilad Shaleed(ph) is Olmert and not Hamas.

ROBERTSON: And since last summer no one has seen Gilad Shaleed(ph), is he alive?

MESHAAL: We did not blackmail Israel and we gave free information to Gilad Shaleed's father and to his family that Gilad Shaleed(ph) is still alive. When he asked us to bring him medical glasses for his sight, we did our humanitarian duty. We treat Gilad Shaleed(ph) in a humanitarian way that is in line by the Palestinian morality. Meanwhile, has America and other countries asked Israel what they are doing to 11,000 prisoners from torturing that violate the international law?

ROBERTSON: Would you swap Gilad Shaleed(ph) for some of your prisoners?

MESHAAL: As I said, we agreed with the Egyptian mediations and we responded to the Egyptian proposals. And three months ago we reached a principle deal and we started the application of the deal. And we had been asked to submit a list of 350 names. We submitted the list to the Egyptians and they submitted it to Olmert. But Olmert rejected the list and he stopped the negotiations. .

ROBERTSON: The issue is the number of prisoners?

MESHAAL: The problem is not with the numbers. We almost agreed on the numbers of prisoners but Olmert wants to release prisoners designated by him and not what the Palestinian people want.

ROBERTSON: Is (INAUDIBLE) one of the prisoners you want released?

MESHAAL: Yes, we put his name on the top of the list that we submitted to the Israeli side. And, of course, Israel refuses to release this type of the Palestinian leaders. And other prominent figures as well.

(END OF VIDEOTAPE)

ROBERTSON: Now Gilad Shaleed's(ph) father says no Hamas has not been in touch with the family. They reject that. But Hamas' clear message at the moment is, they want to do business, they want to talk, they want the international community to come to them, the United States and Israel. And they are going to stay in their current position and not going to change their stance on any issue because they feel strong, they feel supported by their people. But the very fact that they gave an interview is like them saying hey, we're out here, ultimately you're going to have to come and do business with us. Kyra?

PHILLIPS: All right, Nic Robertson, we look forward to seeing the full interview. Thanks so much.

Straight ahead, a popular sweetener in many products with a possible link to diabetes. We'll have the details straight ahead in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Fructose corn syrup is a common sweetener in soft drinks and snacks. But a new study sees an unhealthy link with diabetes. CNN medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen takes a look at the debate.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (on camera): Now no one ever sets out to have a meal with high fructose corn syrup. No one ever says gee, honey, let's have high fructose corn syrup for dinner tonight. But there is an excellent chance that by the end of the day, you will have many products with high fructose corn syrup. It's in so many different things. It's in sodas. You would expect it to be in there. It's also in cookies. It's in protein bars. You might not expect to find it there and it's in ketchup. That was a surprise to me. It's used to sweeten ketchup, it's used to sweeten barbecue sauce. Now the reason why food manufacturers like it is because it's very sweet and it's very inexpensive. But a new study out from Rutgers University casts some shadow a bit on high fructose corn syrup. The study found that it contains some reactive compounds that could cause problems that could cause tissue damage that's linked to diabetes. And this is not the first study that's found problems with high fructose corn syrup. But to be fair, there are many, many scientists out there that say high fructose corn syrup, sugar, it's all pretty much the same. Your body doesn't really recognize one from the other. That if you eat too much of either of them, you can get fat and you could get diabetes. Now as I said, it's very, very hard to not eat products with high fructose corn syrup, but these days, more and more alternatives are coming out there. You have to be very careful and read the labels.

(END OF VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Dunkin Donuts trying to shape up. Well the donut chain is trimming trans fat in its donuts and other menu items. And the company says it's developed an alternative cooking oil. A new blend of palm soybean and cotton seed. It says its menu will have less than one-half gram of trans fat per serving by October 15th. It's ice cream chain Baskin Robbins plans to reach that goal by January 1st.

Severe thunderstorms crossed the Midwest this weekend. Chad Meyers keeping an eye on the sky. Hi Chad.

CHAD MEYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Hello, another day of severe weather today. But Minneapolis, you are under the gun. We'll show you some pictures of what happened around Grand Forks, North Dakota last night. All that coming up after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Shortly after entering a guilty plea and apologizing for his actions, Michael Vick, the star player for the Atlanta Falcons, did hold a news conference and we heard from him the very first time today. A lot of people showing up to show their disdain, also their support. We just got tape in from baseball great Hank Aaron who was there and was responding to Vick's speech.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HANK AARON: I feel bad. I feel bad because I know Arthur (INAUDIBLE) -- I felt bad because of the fans, the fan base, the way the fans were treated. I feel bad because he is a kid that I think -- I have never seen, I'm a football fan, I've never seen anybody who have so much ability and has fallen so far. I really don't know what's going to happen to him, not what's going to happen as far as his football career, but as far as him as a man, as a human being. Would he be able to get his life back.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Did he take that first step today?

AARON: I think he did. I sincerely believe that he did by admitting to everybody on national television that he was sincerely sorry about what had happened.

(END OF VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Baseball great Hank Aaron responding there to Michael Vick who spoke within the last hour to the press after pleading guilty to the dogfighting charge. It was kind of hard to hear Hank Aaron, but basically what he was saying is that the baseball great feels sorry for Vick fans. He feels sorry that such a talented player is having to go down like this. He's not quite sure what's going to happen to his career but he thought that Vick stepping up to the mike and apologizing and admitting that he made a mistake was a good first step. Baseball great Hank Aaron responding to that news conference from Michael Vick, spoke about an hour ago. Now one-two punch for Ohio, while parts of the state start to clean up from severe flooding, other parts are surveying damage from heavy thunderstorms. High winds blew down trees and powerlines in Central and southeastern Ohio. So far though, no word of any major damage or serious injuries.

(WEATHER REPORT)

PHILLIPS: The teenage son of wrestler Hulk Hogan is out of the hospital after a serious car crash last night in Florida. Police say that Nick Bollea's was speeding when his car hit a median, flipped and then slammed into a palm tree. Nick's passenger is in critical condition right now and police say they don't think alcohol was a factor. 17-year-old Bollea is best known as Nick Hogan on the reality show "Hogan Knows Best."

Falling from a fireball in the sky. A woman makes a terrifying leap from a burning hot air balloon.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The balloon skyrocketed straight up. And I thought ok, its do or die. So I got my legs over the balloon and as I was leaving the balloon, I put my arms around the woman next to me and I took her with me.

(END OF VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Wow, we're going to hear more from that survivor straight ahead in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: It was supposed to be a general ride over western Canada, but a sudden fire turned a balloon and its basket into a deathtrap. The balloon caught fire right before it was supposed to launch and broke loose. A woman and her adult daughter couldn't make it out in time and burned to death. 11 other passengers were hurt. Some had to jump for their lives with their clothes on fire. One survivor talked with Heidi Collins on CNN's "AMERICAN MORNING."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DIANA RUTLEDGE, BALLOON FIRE SURVIVOR: I had never been in a balloon before. I knew that there was going to be a certain amount of heat. But all of a sudden, fire came -- a shot of fire came right past my face. And I thought well this doesn't seem right. And then another shot of fire came from behind my head, past my face. And the girl I was with, my friend, started screaming, Diana, we're on fire, we're on fire.

HEIDI COLLINS: Diana, where was the pilot at this point?

RUTLEDGE: He was right -- he was in the center of the basket and we were off to one side of the basket. The basket is very tight. It's worse than a sardine can.

COLLINS: I have never been in a balloon where there's 12 people. It sounds like a lot.

RUTLEDGE: It is really a lot. The pilot was right in the center. He ended up jumping off.

COLLINS: Was he telling you to jump how did you actually make that decision? You looked down below you, which I understand you're about three or four stories high in the air. How did you finally decide that yeah, I have to jump? I have to get out.

RUTLEDGE: Well at the beginning I saw that the balloon was about 20 feet off the ground. I kept saying Leanne, come on, let's get off of this balloon and I was trying to grab my friend Leanne to get her off the balloon. But she was behind me. It was very tight and I couldn't get her. And she was saying jump, Diana. So then I looked and because some people had jumped off the balloon, the balloon shot straight up in the air because of the lack of weight. We were at 60, 50 feet. And I looked down and I thought its do or die, you'd better get off this balloon or you're going to die. (END OF VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: The pilot reported to be in stable condition. The balloon set three trailers and several vehicles on fire when it crashed. No one on the ground is reported hurt. The next hour of CNN NEWSROOM starts right now.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VICK: Dogfighting is a terrible thing and I didn't reject it. I will redeem myself, I have to.

(END OF VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Coming clean and stepping down. Michael Vick told a judge he's guilty, then told everybody else he's sorry. Alberto Gonzales told the president then the nation, he's out as attorney general. The football star and the nation's top lawman, trying to put their scandals and controversies behind them. Hello everyone, I'm Kyra Phillips at the CNN world headquarters in Atlanta. Don Lemon is off and you're live in the CNN NEWSROOM.

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