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O.J. Simpson Arrested; Hillary Clinton Unveils Universal Health Care Plan
Aired September 17, 2007 - 15:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: So, is it a crime to reclaim your own stuff? What if you're not exactly polite about it? What if it's not your stuff?
T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: Yes, those and other high-stakes questions will determine whether O.J. Simpson just laughs off his latest legal drama or he goes to prison for quite a long time.
Hello to you, everybody. I'm T.J. Holmes at the CNN Center in Atlanta, Georgia.
NGUYEN: And I'm Betty Nguyen, in for Kyra Phillips today. Don Lemon is also away.
You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.
HOLMES: Once acquitted of murder, now accused of armed robbery. O.J. Simpson facing multiple charges in a violent confrontation at a Las Vegas hotel room, and the incident apparently caught on audiotape.
We want to warn you, before you take a listen here, some of this language, pretty raw.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
O.J. SIMPSON, DEFENDANT: Don't let nobody out this room. (EXPLETIVE DELETED)
Think you can steal my (EXPLETIVE DELETED) and sell it?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No.
SIMPSON: Don't let nobody out of here.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Wow.
Mother (EXPLETIVE DELETED) you think you can steal my (EXPLETIVE DELETED)?
(END AUDIO CLIP)
HOLMES: We told you.
We want to go to Las Vegas and CNN's Ed Lavandera.
Ed, please update us. We know there was a press conference a short time ago. We got more information. Let us know what's happening out there in Vegas.
ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, we were just kind of getting up to speed on what's going to be happening over the next several days now that O.J. Simpson is in custody here and perhaps will remain so, at least for the next couple of days.
It looks like O.J. will not be in court again until Wednesday morning. At that point, there will be issues brought up around his bail. He's being held without bail, so you can imagine that O.J. Simpson and his attorney will be fighting vigorously here in the days ahead to try to get him at least released while these charges continue to play out through the legal system.
But that won't happen until Wednesday morning. And until then O.J., who was arrested here yesterday afternoon, Sunday afternoon, at the Palms Casino Hotel just a short distance away from where we are right now, and now O.J. is awaiting that court date. He's being held in an isolated cell here.
Of course, all this stems back to what happened last Thursday. Apparently, O.J. Simpson and some group that he was with had gone into the Palace Station Casino and Hotel trying to reclaim some of his sports memorabilia from two people that he believed had some of those items.
And that altercation that you heard there on the audiotape, that altercation emerged from what happened from inside that room. One of the men in the room had recorded that audio and given it to TMZ.com.
So, a lot of that will be plain. O.J. says that there were no guns used. However, police have been saying that they believe that guns were used in this altercation and hence why these charges have been so stiff against him, six charges in all, two robbery counts which carry up to 30 years in prison. O.J. Simpson is now 60 years old. It's been 13 years since his murder trial.
And, at this point, those charges, if he is convicted, if it does get that far, O.J. now facing the prospects of the rest of his life in jail -- T.J.
HOLMES: Thirteen years ago. Hard to believe it's been that long now.
Ed Lavandera for us out in Las Vegas -- thanks so much, buddy.
And earlier we asked two legal eagles about the tape from that incident.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: Does the tape leave any doubt in your mind that, sure, the voice is presumed to be his, that sounds like the person in charge on that tape. That can't be good.
DREW FINDLING, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Well, if there's no guns involved and you knock on a door and you come in and you say, I want my stuff back, that's not technically robbery.
If O.J. did not know guns were involved and he is saying, hey, I want my stuff back and he's screaming and yelling, not many people are going to prosecute that, of course, unless you want to become famous for prosecuting it.
HOLMES: OK.
B.J., you hear that part about it technically is not robbery. Break this down for folks. If you take my iPod and leave with it, can I bust up in your room and say, hey, give me that? And is that still considered a robbery, gun or not? Can I still threaten in way in which it's still robbery?
BRENDA JOY BERNSTEIN, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Absolutely not.
HOLMES: Not.
BERNSTEIN: And when you threaten me, I am going to pick up my cell phone and call 911 and call the police. You can call somebody and ask or demand, or you can even yell to get your stuff back.
HOLMES: OK.
BERNSTEIN: But, at a certain point, when you make a threat or you bring a weapon or someone you're with brings a weapon, which is what is alleged here, then you have got a problem, and you have got the kind of charges that O.J. Simpson is looking at.
I have had other clients who in the past try that self-help method. It's not the way to go.
HOLMES: Why did he not initially get bail?
BERNSTEIN: I think part of it is that his -- this is where his fame is hurting him. And he's not from this location, although it is a little interesting because the co-defendant was who was arrested on Friday was released on his own recognizance. In other words, he just had to sign something. But that says to me the prosecutors have made a deal with that person to come testify possibly against o.j., leaving O.J. standing there with no bail right now.
HOLMES: What are the chances, though, Drew, if he goes in there with this group of folks, that he didn't know they had guns? Can you really make that argument?
FINDLING: Well, you know, we just don't know yet because all we know is that people are profiteering at his expense right now. I have no doubt that this gentleman sold this tape or somehow anticipating selling this tape.
I have for over 20 years never heard of a case where somebody is part of a robbery and then turns it over to an agency. Law enforcement didn't even look over this. Do you know that witnesses were interviewed by the Goldman's family before O.J. was even arrested? It's just a crazy case. It's a dirty case. It's a weird case.
And prosecutors usually aren't so successful especially when you get to a place that's known as Sin City.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Crazy, dirty and weird in Sin City. Boy, this story will keep going for quite some time, we're sure.
At a news conference this afternoon, Las Vegas officials said Simpson won't be treated any differently from anybody else.
NGUYEN: President Bush says his choice for attorney general is a tough, but fair jurist who will play a lead role in the war on terror. At the White House, President Bush introduced Michael Mukasey, his pick to succeed Alberto Gonzales.
And today's nomination was applauded by a Senate Democrat who pursued Gonzales relentlessly during his controversial tenure.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Judge Mukasey's clear-eyed about the threat our nation faces.
As a judge and a private lawyer, he's written on matters of constitutional law and national security.
MICHAEL MUKASEY, ATTORNEY GENERAL NOMINEE: The department faces challenges vastly different from those it faced when I was an assistant U.S. attorney 35 years ago. But the principles that guide the department remain the same: to pursue justice by enforcing the law with unswerving fidelity to the Constitution.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: And President Bush says he wants the Senate to confirm Mukasey quickly.
HOLMES: Eight Iraqi killed in a gun battle in Baghdad and a U.S. security firm blamed by the Iraqi government.
Iraq's Interior Ministry is banning Blackwater from operating anywhere in that country. Blackwater provides security for American diplomats and others working in Iraq. Iraqi officials blamed Blackwater contractors for the firefight yesterday in a Baghdad neighborhood.
The U.S. State Department is now investigating.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEAN MCCORMACK, STATE DEPARTMENT SPOKESMAN: It was a chief of mission convoy that was going outside the international zone. And as you know, recently, there have been some car bomb explosions outside the international zone. So, again, I urge people to keep that keep that in mind. We are going to make this as open and transparent an investigation and, in as much as we can, share the results, so that people know what we know.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: We are told Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice plans to call Iraq's prime minister to express regret and assure him that the investigation is under way.
NGUYEN: The United States' key ally in the war in Iraq getting briefed on the situation there. Just days after they testified before Congress, General David Petraeus, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, and the U.S. ambassador in Baghdad, Ryan Crocker, are both in London, meetings today with Prime Minister Gordon Brown and members of his government.
Brown is facing growing pressure to pull his country's troops out of Iraq.
Well, the anti-war group MoveOn.org sparked a controversy last week with an ad accusing General David Petraeus of cooking the books on the Iraq war. That ad played off the general's name, asking, General Petraeus or "General Betray Us?"
Well, now, Vice President Dick Cheney is weighing in.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RICHARD B. CHENEY, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Like most Americans, I admire the integrity and the candor that General Petraeus showed in his hearings before Congress. And the attacks on him by MoveOn.org in ad space provided at subsidized rates in "The New York Times" last week were an outrage.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: The vice president making those comments at a fund- raiser in Kansas City for a Republican congressmen.
HOLMES: Tragedy in Thailand. The death toll is climbing in yesterday's devastating plane crash on Phuket island. Eighty-eight people are now known dead, and among them four Americans. The plane's flight data recorders are being sent to the U.S. for analysis, but passengers say bad weather caused that accident.
Reporter Andrew Stevens has been speaking to survivors.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANDREW STEVENS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This was the scene just minutes after the One-Two-Go jet crashed, fire tracks spraying the flaming wreckage, dazed and injured passengers, survivors of one of the worst airline crashes in Thailand's history.
This 30-second film taken on a mobile phone by 23-year-old artist Parinyawit Choosaeng on his way home from Bangkok , now recovering in hospital.
"I thought I was going to die," he said. I felt the plane skidding, and then there was a huge bang. And after just a few seconds, I could see people on fire. They were trapped in their seats. I couldn't do anything. I just got out."
Parinyawit got out through a tear in the fuselage, miraculously, only slightly injured. He says he was saved by the medallion of Buddha he wears around his neck.
Erik Nihlen and Christopher Martin (ph) from Sweden were sitting next to the emergency exit when the plane hit.
ERIK NIHLEN, CRASH SURVIVOR: We just put our heads between our knees and just -- like, I just had one thought that, you know, I refuse to die. That was the only thing I thought of. And then we just came to a stop, and then you could hear -- you don't hear much. You just -- I just told my friend, like, let's get out, out, out, out, out.
You could see people coming out and you kind of help them halfway, you know, some people, because we were fairly shocked, you know, because we were out so fast. So -- but people coming out, but you know, just these burns, like the skin was -- there's no skin left. It was burning. And people were walking with broken ankles.
STEVENS: Stories of two survivors, but dozens of others among the 130 on board didn't make it, most of them foreign tourists from Europe, the U.S., the Middle East and Australia coming to enjoy a tropical break at Thailand's top tourist destination.
Authorities are still trying to identify the last of the victims. But already the wreckage of the 23-year-old MD-82 jet has been cleared. The black boxes holding vital information on the final few minutes of the flight have been found.
(on camera): There's no official word on what happened yet, but eyewitness reports suggest that the plane came down during extreme weather conditions at the end of the runway, bounced, came back down, and then skidded off the runway to the right, and ending up here. This is about halfway down the runway.
Now, you can't see much left there, but it hit that embankment, broke in two, and burst into flames.
(voice-over): Most survivors spoke of the severe weather.
NIHLEN: The weather condition was really tough. You know, the wind -- the rain felt like hail hitting you from the side. It was that windy.
STEVENS: There are reports that, because of the weather, the plane circled the airport for some time before trying to land. But it will be at least several weeks before the cause of the crash of flight OG-269 is known.
Andrew Stevens, CNN, Phuket, Thailand.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: Well, the crash was just terrible, but what allegedly happened afterward may have hurt even worse.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ARTHUR SMITH, FOUND SON'S BODY: I was down there, looking at my son's lifeless body, just looking at him.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: A father says he had to look for his son's body because police wouldn't. It is a stunning story, and it's ahead here in the CNN NEWSROOM.
HOLMES: Also, the military had its turn. Now lawmakers report on what they found in Iraq -- coming up here in the NEWSROOM, a bipartisan briefing from Senators Olympia Snowe and Ken Salazar.
NGUYEN: Get ready, open wide and say ah, America, because Senator Hillary Clinton unveils her plan to provide health care for all Americans.
That's ahead in the CNN NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: It is 3:15 Eastern. Here are three of the stories that we're working on right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.
We heard last hour from court officials in Las Vegas where a judge is reviewing O.J. Simpson's criminal case and whether there is probable cause to hold him. Well, Simpson is accused in connection with an alleged armed robbery in a Vegas hotel room, but he denies guns were involved and says there was no robbery.
We are also expecting more kidnapping and sexual assault charges to be filed in a horrific case in West Virginia. Six people are accused of torturing a 20-year-old woman for more than a week at a rundown trailer.
And New Jersey Governor Jon Corzine now in stable condition after a two--and-a-half-hour surgery. The procedure removed excess bone growth in the leg he broke in a car crash last spring.
HOLMES: It's hard to understand how this could even happen. Police and EMTs arrive near the scene of a car crash, take two victims to the hospital. And they apparently disregard the teens' pleas to find and rescue their two other friends from that wreckage. Those two other boys died.
Today, their families' grief is mingled by fury and compounded with fury.
This report now from Antwan Lewis of our affiliate WGN.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ARTHUR SMITH, FATHER OF CRASH VICTIM: I was down there looking at my son's lifeless body, just looking at him.
ANTWAN LEWIS, WGN REPORTER (voice-over): Arthur Smith says words cannot describe his anger with the Gary Police Department. It was he who found the body of his 18-year-old son, Brandon, roughly seven hours after authorities left the scene of the crash.
(on camera): Darius Moore, the driver of the car, climbed out of the vehicle, across the brush, up the side embankment, all the while injured. He came here to the highway and tried to wave down cars for assistance. He eventually found a Gary police officer.
(voice-over): When emergency responders arrived, they only transported the driver and another teen. Both boys reportedly told the police their friends were still out there.
A. SMITH: From the time that the emergency people got there, only thing they was saying is, hey, our buddies is down there. Our buddies is down there. That's all they said, all the way to the hospital.
LEWIS: Smith says the boys' statements were brushed off by rescue workers, so he went back on his own around 8:00 a.m. Within minutes and near a ditch, he dropped to his knees.
A. SMITH: I took me every bit of five minutes to find my son and his best friend.
LEWIS: The Smiths would like to ask why a thorough search of the scene wasn't done. But no one from the Gary Police Department has spoken to them.
A. SMITH: I haven't heard from anybody. But if that's the case, just say, hey, Mr. Smith, we messed up. We should have looked a little further. We should have tried it this way. We should have had trucks out here. We should have had this.
Tell me that.
LEWIS: And now Samantha Smith is left wondering, if rescue workers had found her middle son, would he and his friend be alive today?
SAMANTHA SMITH, MOTHER OF CRASH VICTIM: Those boys would have had a fighting chance at least, at least, at least a fighting chance. They might have still passed away. Then I would have said, that was God's will. OK? That was God's will. But they didn't even have a fighting chance.
LEWIS: In Gary, Indiana, Antwan Lewis, WGN News.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: Well, CNN has been trying to get more information from the Gary, Indiana, Police Department. So far no response to us. But they did give this on-camera comment to our affiliate WLS.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SAM ROBERTS, GARY, INDIANA, POLICE DEPARTMENT: So, the officers searched the area. They even had the car lifted and looked underneath the vehicle to see if the bodies had been there. And finding none, the accident report at that time was completed, and the area was cleared and the vehicle towed.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: And, again, that was from our affiliate WLS. Grief counselors now on hand at the victims' high school today.
NGUYEN: Well, the military's had its turn. Now lawmakers' report on what they found in Iraq. And coming up in the NEWSROOM, a bipartisan briefing from Senators Olympia Snowe and Ken Salazar.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: Hillary Clinton announced today that if Americans elect her president, she will mandate universal health care. Unveiling her plan in Iowa, Senator Clinton said she learned from the health care effort that bombed when she was first lady. So, her new plan is not an overhaul as such, but a pledge of federal subsidies within the current system. Now, the goal? No more uninsured. There are 47 million today.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON (D-NY), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I believe everyone, every man, woman and child, should have quality, affordable health care in America. We should do it...
(APPLAUSE)
CLINTON: We should do it because in this new economy, when people move jobs more than ever before, their health insurance should move with them.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: Republican Mitt Romney gave his reaction before Senator Clinton even spoke. And he derided the Clinton plan as Hillary-care and called it bad medicine inspired by European bureaucracies. Here's what he had to say today in New York.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MITT ROMNEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Her plan is crafted by Washington. Mine is crafted by individual states. Her plan has government insurance. Mine has private insurance. Her plan raises taxes. Mine does not raise taxes. As a matter of fact, because all medical expenses are tax deductible under my plan, mine actually lowers the cost of taxes for our -- for our people. So, it's as different as night and day.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: Romney calls his plan conservative, but, like Clinton, he would mandate health insurance.
Well, we're also getting in the act today. Presidential hopeful John Edwards is doing that. And like all major Democrats running, Edwards favors universal coverage. Today, he is proposing that, if it hasn't happened by 2009, the president, Congress, and all political appointees lose their health benefits as well -- T.J.
(BUSINESS REPORT)
HOLMES: Well, will that interest rate drop? What will the Fed do? You can join us for special live coverage of the Fed's decision tomorrow afternoon right here in the CNN NEWSROOM. Susan Lisovicz will be at the New York Stock Exchange. And Ali Velshi joins us from the Chicago Board of Trade. Again, that's at 2:15 p.m. Eastern tomorrow.
NGUYEN: No bail for now and facing charges that could jail him for decades to come. Clearly, O.J. Simpson is not leaving Las Vegas anytime soon. We have the latest. That's ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Hello, everybody, we're live at the CNN world headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia.
I'm T.J. Holmes sitting in today for Don Lemon.
NGUYEN: And I'm Betty Nguyen in for Kyra Phillips today.
Well, his book is called "If I Did It". But right now, Las Vegas police want to know if he did something else.
HOLMES: Yes, what happened in Las Vegas could keep O.J. Simpson in Las Vegas -- in prison for years.
You're live in the CNN NEWSROOM.
NGUYEN: In jail, no bail -- it looks like that will be the case for O.J. Simpson for a while yet. He heard last hour -- at least we did -- from court officials in Las Vegas, where a judge is reviewing an armed robbery case that got Simpson arrested.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JUDGE NANCY OESTERLE, CLARK COUNTY COURT: She will review the 48 hour paperwork to determine whether or not there's proper cause to detain him. She would not see him in person to do that. Then, within 72 hours, then she must physically see O.J. Simpson in her courtroom or on the video court. I believe she does it in person. So that would be this Wednesday morning at 8:00 in Judge Zimmerman's courtroom. He should make an appearance.
At that point, that the D.A.'s office would decide what charges, if any, to file.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: Police say Simpson and some other men burst into a Vegas hotel room, taking sports memorabilia that Simpson says was stolen from him. Now, Simpson denies there were guns involved and denies there was a robbery. This is the most trouble he's been in since being accused of killing his ex-wife and her friend.
CNN's Susan Candiotti takes a look back.
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Friends say O.J. Simpson would play golf every day if he could. It's one of his favorite pastimes in Florida. He has no steady job, two kids away at college, a lot of time on his hands.
DAVID PEREL, "NATIONAL ENQUIRER": He leads quite an enjoyable life, much to the dismay of the relatives of his victims.
CANDIOTTI: The families of murder victims Nicole Simpson and Ronald Goldman cannot touch the Miami home that O.J. bought for $575,000. Florida law protects that asset from helping to pay off the $33 million wrongful death judgment against Simpson in California.
Golfing pal Delvon Campbell has known Simpson for more than a decade.
(on camera): Does O.J. like living in Florida?
DELVON CAMPBELL, FRIEND: Yes, he does.
CANDIOTTI: What does he like about it?
CAMPBELL: Well, it's more laid back than Los Angeles and, you know, nobody hassle him as much as they used to.
CANDIOTTI (voice-over): But O.J. has had plenty of legal hassles. In 2000, the police were called after a fight with his girlfriend, Christine Prody. She allegedly kicked and slapped him. No charges were filed.
Later that year, he was charged in a road rage case -- accused of grabbing a motorist's eyeglasses. Abbe Rivkin prosecuted Simpson. In 2001, a jury found him not guilty of assault.
(on camera): What is the one thing that troubles you the most about the incident?
ABBE RIVKIN, PROSECUTOR: What bothered me the most, and what still mothers me to this day, is that this occurred while his children were in the car. What stopped this entire attack was one of the children screaming, "No, daddy, no."
CANDIOTTI: That same year the DEA searched Simpson's home for drugs and a stolen satellite TV hookup. No charges were ever filed, but Simpson was slapped with a $25,000 civil fine by DirecTV. He appealed.
In public, Simpson is mostly all smiles, gladly signing autographs and posing for pictures.
CAMPBELL: Appearances in like clubs or maybe to host a birthday party.
You know, how much money can you make from that?
CANDIOTTI: (on camera): Really?
(voice-over): In August, Simpson lost a bankruptcy court battle in Miami and was forced to turn over book rights to "If I Did It" to Fred Goldman.
FRED GOLDMAN: I have nothing to say to that piece of garbage.
CANDIOTTI: After celebrating his legal victory, Goldman published the book and changed the title to "If I Did It: Confessions of the Killer."
Susan Candiotti, CNN, Miami.
(END VIDEO TAPE)
HOLMES: Eight Iraqi civilians killed in a gun battle in Baghdad. A U.S. security firm blamed by the Iraqi government. Yes, Iraq's interior ministry is banning Blackwater from operating anywhere in that country. Blackwater provides security for American diplomats and others working in Iraq. Iraqi officials blame Blackwater contractors for the firefight yesterday in a Baghdad neighborhood. The U.S. State Department now investigating.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEAN MCCORMACK, STATE DEPARTMENT SPOKESMAN: It was a chief of mission convoy that was going outside the International Zone. And as you know, recently, there have been some car bomb explosions outside the International Zone. So, again, I urge people to keep that -- you know, to keep that in mind. We are going to make this as open and transparent an investigation and inasmuch as we can, share the results so that people know what we know.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: And we are just getting word that Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has expressed regret for the incident in a call to Iraq's prime minister. Word of Rice's comments from the Iraqi leader's office.
Now, the dangers of private security scenes in Iraq. These scenes here from one of our I-Reporters, who worked there out of fear of his -- of retribution by his employer, he asked that we only to identify him as "D." This video from late 2005 while "D" was in a convoy hit by gunfire and a roadside bomb.
(VIDEO CLIP FROM IRAQ)
HOLMES: The I-Reporter and the other person in the Humvee survived that attack.
Well, back from Iraq -- Senators Olympia Snowe and Ken Salazar home from a fact-finding mission to Baghdad. Their trip, arranged by the U.S. military, came just days after General David Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan Crocker briefed Congress.
And the senators, Olympia Snowe and Ken Salazar join us now from Capitol Hill.
Thank you both for being with us.
SEN. OLYMPIA SNOWE (R), MAINE: Thank you.
HOLMES: You went on this fact-finding mission.
Senator Snowe, did you come back more encouraged or discouraged than before?
And I know you met with Prime Minister Maliki.
Were you encouraged or discouraged by the meeting with him?
SNOWE: Well, certainly not yet encouraged about the prospects for national reconciliation. In fact, he indicated that, you know, the presence of troops not likely to make a difference in spurring on national reconciliation. And we also met with other top leadership -- with the president of Iraq, as well as the vice president of Iraq and the president of Kurdistan. And there was further indications that, you know, the reconciliation is going to be difficult to achieve and accomplish. Not that it can't, but as one official told us, if there's goodwill, it could happen overnight and...
HOLMES: Well, Senator Salazar, what are we to do?
If Maliki is saying the presence of troops is not going to help move their government along, then what in the world will?
SEN. KEN SALAZAR (D), COLORADO: There has to be decisive action here in the United States, hopefully by the United States Senate, to send the message loud and clear to the Iraqis that they have to get their act together, that time is running out. We've been there for a while long time and they've made their sacrifices on the backs of our men and women in uniform. And they need to take the mantle of responsibility in Iraq. And that was part of the message that we drove home in this bipartisan delegation -- it's an Iraqi problem to get the security together.
HOLMES: Well, Senator Salazar, how discouraging -- how disappointing is that?
We shouldn't have to make them want it. If we're in a position where we need to make them want it, shouldn't they want it for themselves?
Are we just -- we're kind of stuck here, aren't we?
SALAZAR: Well, the reality here is that we're looking at 1,000 years plus of fighting and hate and revenge among sectarian tribes. And, you know, my own personal point of view is that we ought not to have our American troops policing that kind of a civil war. And we can provide support and hopefully get us some level of stability in Iraq.
But in terms of the reconciliation, that needs that take place, I think Democrats and Republicans both agree that the Iraqis have to do it and they have to do it soon.
HOLMES: Senator Snowe, we hear so many times that patience is running thin, that they're running out of time. The American people certainly want to know, OK, patience is running thin, it's running thinner, it's running even more thin.
When does it run out?
At what point does our patience run out, do you say?
It seems like the president has bought some more time, at least until next summer, when the surge troops will be brought out.
When does patience, not just run thin anymore, but run out?
SNOWE: Well, you know, it may well have, in many respects. And I think that's why we have a responsibility to address that. And, of course, we will have that opportunity this week.
And I know, you know, it's difficult for the United States Senate to achieve 60 votes in any particular alternative. But I think we have to reflect, I think, the concerns -- the deep concerns the American people have. After all, they've given so much in terms of sacrifice.
And we witnessed that -- Ken and I and Ben Nelson and Senator Max Baucus were on this trip -- the enormous bravery and professionalism of our men and women in the field. They have done a remarkable, phenomenal job and we are very grateful to them.
HOLMES: And, Senators, both of you tell me here, of course, last week you all heard from -- and the American people heard from General David Petraeus; Ryan Crocker, as well; and also the president.
Does what we all heard last week from those three mesh with what you all saw on the ground in Iraq?
SNOWE: Yes, it certainly did. And General Petraeus, indicated, you know, that they had made measurable improvements in security. We did see that. We went to joint security stations in mixed sectarian provinces. You know, we had the opportunity to work with the military and showing us districts where they have improved the security.
And so they have made certain -- certainly, progress in that respect, and that was underscored. Both what was underscored -- the military achievements and gains. And by the reports of GAO and General Jones, that political reconciliation has not been accomplished and it's going to be difficult to do so unless the Iraqis have the will.
SALAZAR: I would echo that and just say very simply that on the security front there is more security in Iraq today than there was. But there's a long ways to go. And on the political reconciliation front, there's still a long, long ways to go and lots of problems there.
HOLMES: Lots of problems, a long way to go. Nobody is going to disagree with that.
Senator Olympia Snowe, Senator Ken Salazar.
Appreciate you both. A bipartisan trip that you all took. Glad to see you back. Glad you made it back safely. Thank you for taking some time out with us.
SNOWE: Thank you.
SALAZAR: Thank you.
NGUYEN: All right, now we want to talk about snow in September. No, were we're not talking about the senator. We are talking about the white stuff. Yes, it is true, snow in September.
Chad Myers has the forecast straight ahead in the CNN NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: Fire crews in the Big Bear Resort area of Southern California are getting a boost from the weather. The winds have shifted. Temperatures have dropped. Still, though, the fire in the San Bernardino National Forest is far from contained. It's charred more than 15,000 acres, shut down portions of two highways and forced hundreds of people to evacuate their homes. Six schools are closed today as a precaution.
And it was a scary sight in Southwest Florida. This videotape shows a funnel cloud in Cape Coral, where a touchdown that became a tornado. Look at this. The town's fire chief says about 40 homes and buildings were damaged. One person was slightly hurt. Folks still are cleaning up today. That twister tossed cars around, knocked down trees, even power lines. Some 3,500 homes lost power, but most of that has since been restored.
Meteorologist Chad Myers is keeping up with your national forecast.
So, we are hearing that there is snow in -- I see about -- say it isn't so, really?
Where?
(WEATHER REPORT)
NGUYEN: Hey, a little Iraqi boy is actually remembering how to laugh and his parents are just overcome with joy.
Arwa Damon has more on Youssif's first step toward emotional healing.
That is ahead in the CNN NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Well, a little Iraqi boy burned by masked men. Now he's getting to do a lot of other things that little boys like to do. He's going to the beach. He's playing. He's laughing.
CNN's Arwa Damon reports on Youssif's American adventure. (BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
ARWA DAMON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Even Youssif's favorite superhero thinks he's the real hero -- a 5-year-old boy fighting to ward off his demons -- emotional and physical.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (THROUGH TRANSLATOR): I'm so happy for him. He's been deprived and now he's seeing things for real.
DAMON: And there is plenty for Youssif to see at Universal Studios, Hollywood.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Can you stick your tongue out?
DAMON: A special audience with Archie the Orangutan, who took a special liking to Youssif. And though not part of the show, Youssif made sure his sister was part of the act. Here the little boy, once doused with gasoline and set on fire by masked men in Baghdad, isn't afraid of anything. "I'm not scared," Youssif pipes up. "I'm not even scared of fire."
But he is a little scared of water at first. It's the first time he's seen the ocean. His parents say it's the first time they've seen him laugh like this since the attack.
ZAINEB (THROUGH TRANSLATOR): We try and talk to him. He wouldn't talk to us. He was upset all the time -- 24 hours a day. He would say it himself, "I'm upset."
Now, he's happy.
Happy.
DAMON: He's put the past aside, at least for now. The little boy who was once silent can't stop chatting -- so comfortable, he's even ordering us around. Back in Baghdad, he had trouble interacting with other kids. "The other kids would tell me to stop when I wanted to play with them," he says. But today, even the wildlife was coming to play. People can't seem to get enough, either. A church group spots Youssif and asks if they can pray for him.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And take care of Youssif and his mom and dad and everybody.
DAMON: The spontaneous act by the Rocky Peak church group was too much for his mother.
ZAINEB (THROUGH TRANSLATOR): I was overcome with emotion. Here in America, people are more moved by him than in Iraq.
DAMON: And Youssif's parents can use all the support they can get as they see their son through multiple surgeries in the coming months, all in an effort to try and restore what was taken from him.
Arwa Damon, CNN, Los Angeles.
(END VIDEO TAPE)
HOLMES: Well, thousands of people, including you, the viewers, have responded to Youssif's story through CNN's Impact Your World initiative. Your donations helped to make his treatment possible. If you're looking for a way to make a difference for Youssif, you certainly still can. Just log on to CNN CNN.com/impact, click on "Iraq burn victim". Learn how you can become part of the solution. Impacting your world just a click away from CNN.com/impact.
NGUYEN: Well, the closing bell and a wrap of all the action on Wall Street is straight ahead.
Don't go anywhere.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: A South Carolina man is very, very lucky today. While snorkeling in a lake where alligators are known to lurk, he was attacked, OK?
So where does his luck come in?
Well, he's alive thanks to a party of nurses picnicking nearby.
We get the story now from Nicole Johnson of CNN affiliate WCSC. (BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
NICOLE JOHNSON, WCSC CORRESPONDENT (voice-over):
People picnicking at Short Stay (ph) say they saw the man snorkeling in Lake Moultrie before the alligator attacked.
JEROME BIEN, WITNESS: We saw that we had a commotion and we found -- we saw a guy right here. He's bleeding profusely. And we thought he was just kidding.
JOHNSON: But what happened to Bill Hedden was no joke. A 12-foot- long, 600-pound gator bit his left arm off, ripping it from the shoulder socket. CAPT. BILL SALISBURY, BERKELEY COUNTY RESCUE: He was able to come to bank and ran up to a picnic area where a lot of people were picnicking. And they saw what was happening and they called 911.
JOHNSON: Luckily, at least five registered nurses were part of the group nearby. They knew exactly what to do to stop the bleeding.
JO MASAUDING, NURSE: One of the members kept on encouraging him to breathe and -- because he was turning blue.
JOHNSON: The nurses took care of Hedden until EMS arrived and MediVaced him to the hospital.
MASAUDING: He was very conscious and he was just asking for his wife -- call his wife and -- to make sure that she knew what happened to him.
JOHNSON: DNR agents killed the gator and they say they removed the arm from the animal's stomach. The arm was placed in the ice cooler and taken to the hospital, where doctors will determine whether it could be reattached.
(END VIDEO TAPE)
NGUYEN: And we're still waiting to hear whether Bill Hedden will keep his arm or not. His family, though, has asked the hospital not to release information about his condition, at least for now.
So the closing bell -- that is about to ring on Wall Street.
HOLMES: And Susan Lisovicz standing by with the final look at this trading day -- hello there, Susan.
SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello there, T.J and Betty.
Well, we didn't get to this story, but news -- big news for candy lovers coming out of Chicago at the All Candy Expo in Chicago. The maker of M&Ms says it won't mess up your hands because it's not messing with its chocolate formula. Mars says it is going to stick to using 100 percent coco butter instead of the industry trend of using cheaper vegetable oils. Mars has been in business making chocolate for nearly 100 years. It also makes Milky Way, Snickers, Three Musketeers and Twix. And I'm sure there are chocolate lovers who agree with that.
(STOCK MARKET REPORT)
HOLMES: Well, now it's time for us to head to THE SITUATION ROOM.
NGUYEN: And Wolf Blitzer.
Hi there -- Wolf.
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