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Missouri River Flooding; Imus in Hot Water Again; McCain Campaign's Retractions; Evangelical Pastor Goes After Obama; Sadr City Bombing
Aired June 24, 2008 - 09:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: The McCain campaign backpedals after a pair of miscue and a frontline Evangelical's choice words for Barack Obama.
TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: The St. Charles, Missouri, under a flood warning this hour. A levee break lets the water loose.
COLLINS: Today's busy moms on the go 24/7 and fueled by caffeine, in the NEWSROOM.
HARRIS: You know, we are following a number of developing stories on this busy morning and watch them unfold right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.
Oil speculators, are they gambling with your money? Experts say their tinkering has driven up the record prices we're all paying. This morning, Congress demands answers.
Another rude awakening for "Imus in the Morning." The radio host ignites a new firestorm. What Don Imus said and what others are saying now.
And Americans under attack. Terrorist strike in Iraq and both U.S. civilians and soldiers are dead. Who targeted this political meeting?
COLLINS: A deadly day for Americans in Iraq. A blast in Baghdad's Sadr City neighborhood kills two soldiers and two embassy workers. A number of Iraqis also killed.
CNN's Morgan Neill is live now with the details on this. And Morgan, what's the latest that you're hearing on the attack?
MORGAN NEILL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Heidi, the U.S. military is blaming this attack on what it calls special groups. These are militia armed and trained by Iran. The explosion went off in a municipal building in Sadr City as a district council meeting was under way. The U.S. military says it believes the attack targeted a high-ranking council member as well as U.S. soldiers.
Now in addition to the four Americans killed in this attack, an Iraqi official says six Iraqis were killed and 10 others were wounded. At this point, the U.S. military says it has three suspects in detention -- Heidi? COLLINS: I know that you were reporting in Sadr City just a few days ago. Tell us what the reality of the security situation is there now.
NEILL: Well, the attack today took place in an area in the southern third of Sadr City. And this is an area that has literally been walled off by the U.S. military in an attempt to both project its power and to stop mortar attacks from coming in from the area and hitting the international zone.
We were with the Iraqi army there. And while the Iraqi army says it has pacified the majority of Sadr City. Officers also admitted to us that there are certain parts of Sadr City that are still simply too dangerous to patrol -- Heidi?
COLLINS: What's behind this latest attack, though? Is there any new information on this? Or is it possibly too early to tell at this point?
NEILL: Well, as we say, the U.S. military's blaming special groups and they particularly seem to think that this is targeting a member of the district council, that this is an attempt to break up some of the momentum -- and this is the U.S. military's view -- towards getting services running, getting Iraqi representatives in the area working on the infrastructure and proving the situation in what is a very difficult area of Baghdad, the 2.5 million strong Sadr City.
COLLINS: All right. CNN's Morgan Neill following this story for us out of Sadr City. We appreciate that. Thanks, Morgan.
HARRIS: Radio host Don Imus under fire again more than a year after racially charged comments cost him his job. Imus now faces a new firestorm and, again, issues of race are fanning the flames.
Here's yesterday's exchange between Imus and sportscaster, Warner Wolf.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WARNER WOLF, SPORTSCASTER: Defensive back Adam "Pacman" Jones, recently signed by the Cowboys. Here's a guy suspended all of 2007 following a shooting in a Vegas night club.
DON IMUS, HOST, "IMUS IN THE MORNING": Well, stuff happens. You're in a night club, for God's sake. What do you think is going to happen in a night club? People are drinking and doing drugs.
WOLF: Yes.
IMUS: There are women there, and people have guns. So, there, go ahead.
WOLF: He's also -- he's been arrested six times since being drafted by Tennessee in 2005.
IMUS: What color is he? WOLF: He's African-American.
IMUS: Well, there you go. Now we know.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: So let's get the latest from New York and CNN's Jason Carroll.
And Jason, how is Imus explaining these remarks?
JASON CARROLL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, it wasn't an apology we heard this morning, Tony. As you may have heard, it was more of a clarification. Imus made it clear that what he was actually trying to do was he was trying to defend Adam "Pacman" Jones when he made that comment.
Listen to how he explained himself this morning.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
IMUS: Warner and I were talking yesterday about "Pacman" Jones being arrested six times, in which I think was just -- you know, obviously, they're picking on him. So I asked Warner what color he was.
Well, obviously, I already knew what color he was. This is -- the point was in order to make a sarcastic point, I asked Warner what color he was, Warner tells me. I say, well, there you go, that's the point.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Exactly.
IMUS: Yes. What people should be outraged about is that they arrest blacks for no reason.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CARROLL: And Tony, remember, Imus's co-host on the show are black. They are supporting him this morning.
Also this morning, the Reverend Al Sharpton is speaking out. You remember him. He was the one who was instrumental in getting Imus fired when he made those controversial comments about the Rutgers women's basketball team.
Reverend Sharpton spoke out this morning, basically saying, giving Imus's history, it's not unreasonable for people to question when he says something about race.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REV. AL SHARPTON, NATIONAL ACTION NETWORK: I thought that given Imus's background and his track record, it was disturbing. Clearly, he did not clarify what he meant. He left it out there. He said, is he African-American? He brought up race. And this is something that is -- given who it is talking, that is very disturbing to groups like National Action Network, our group and others that have been monitoring him and others since the remarks he made last year.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CARROLL: So a lot of reaction coming in this morning. Also reaction coming in from comedian Dick Gregory, who says that he accepts Imus's explanation. Sharpton now saying that what he is going to do, he is going to put himself in a wait-and-see mode. He is going to speak to some of his constituents and wait and see if they decide to take further action -- Tony?
HARRIS: All right. Jason Carroll for us in New York. Jason, thank you.
COLLINS: A tale of two parts of a river. One section of the Mississippi where floodwaters are receding and downriver where there is still danger.
New video this morning shows a weakened levee give way in St. Charles, Missouri. The National Guard and local volunteers have been sandbagging along this levee for days now. The "St. Charles Journal" reports at least 600 residents are at risk of being flooded. There is relief in sight for the region, though. Forecasters expect the last stretch of the Mississippi to crest later this week.
One lightning storm leads to more than 800 wildfires in California. Thousands of firefighters are battling the fires. Almost all of them in the northern part of the state. A California fire official is calling the lightning storm unprecedented.
Up to 6,000 lightning strikes hit during a Friday thunderstorm, setting off the fires. The largest of the fires is threatening about 1,200 homes. California's neighbors are helping out. Crews from Nevada and Oregon are part of the fight against those flames.
HARRIS: And part of the weather story today, as we get to Jacqui Jeras in the Weather Center is storms heading in to the flood-impacted areas. We don't need that bit of -- well, that's troubling news.
JACQUI JERAS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: We don't. Most of it's going to stay to the west of there, though, I think. I have certainly -- you know, even a drop of rain, you just don't even wan to see it, for no other reason, than just for the well being of these people's mentality. You don't even want to see a drop out there.
Get a little bit of additional information I want to tell you about the levee break there in St. Charles and that area. Some evacuations are taking place at this time. The pictures have just been incredible. Look at that rush of water. Pretty easy to pick out where that break went and how everything's just funneling on through there.
Well, this happened near the Fountain Lakes and Huster road area just north of Highway 370. This is the Elm Point levee. There are actually two places where it has broken and water has already made its way past the Cave Springs road area. So about 600 mobile homes are at risk of flooding and this is going to inundate about 900 acres of farmland and an industrial area as well.
Google Earth will show you now where this location is. There you can see the state of Missouri. This is just north of St. Louis. It's almost suburbanish. Here's the town of St. Charles, there you can see the Mississippi River. So this whole area going to get flooded on in, unfortunately, once again.
(WEATHER REPORT)
HARRIS: Yes, yes, yes.
COLLINS: Wow.
HARRIS: OK. Rapid heating and cooling...
COLLINS: Yes.
HARRIS: ... of air causes thunder.
JERAS: The thunder. The sound that you hear.
HARRIS: We'll take that graphic, take it home and test my kids.
COLLINS: You should.
JERAS: Thank you, Tony, (INAUDIBLE) today. A lot of vacation, they got to do something...
(CROSSTALK)
HARRIS: Isn't that the truth?
COLLINS: Love those meteorological facts.
HARRIS: Yes. Put the doggone PlayStation down for a second.
All right, Jacqui. See you in a little it.
Condemning the violence. The United Nations steps up with harsh criticism for the African nation of Zimbabwe, a country some are now calling lawless. A live report straight ahead for you right here in the NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: The politics of fear. One of John McCain's top advisers says a terror attack would give McCain's campaign a boost. We'll hear from the candidate.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: Condemnation aimed at Zimbabwe's government. The United Nations weighed in for the first time on the violence that has crippled the country in the run up to Friday's runoff election.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ZALMAY KHALILZAD, U.S. AMBASSADOR TO U.N.: The Security Council further condemns that the action of the government of Zimbabwe that have denied its political opponents the right to campaign freely and calls upon the government of Zimbabwe to stop the violence.
BONIFACE CHIDYAUSIKU, ZIMBABWE AMBASSADOR TO U.N.: Violence in the country is not widespread. It's only affecting about 10 percent of the country.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: Zimbabwe's U.N. ambassador also says his country plans to go ahead with Friday's vote.
CNN's David McKenzie is live in a refugee camp in Johannesburg, South Africa this morning. And David, so while the diplomats haggle, the politicians struggle for power, people are actually, by virtue of your location this morning, leaving their country?
DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Tony. I'm here at a refugee camp in South Africa. What you hear in the air there, that's a luxury helicopter country that flies in and out past this refugee camp.
But as you see behind me, you know, 1,600 people live here. Many of them are Zimbabweans. They've fled the economic collapse and the political violence in their country. They walked here after a situation where their country is on the knife edge.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MCKENZIE (voice over): The burden of politics falls on ordinary Zimbabweans. They have suffered through weeks of beatings, intimidation and arrests. The opposition quitting the race. The MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai took refugee in the Dutch embassy in Harare, fearing for his safety.
Tsvangirai says he also fears for the safety of his supporters, which is why, he told CNN, he pulled out of the contest.
MORGAN TSVANGIRAI, ZIMBABWEAN OPPOSITION LEADER: Well, Morgan Tsvangirai will not go to his state house over dead bodies, over maimed children and women, over thousands of people who have been displaced. I will not have a conscience for it.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Comrade Robert Mugabe took his campaign rally...
MCKENZIE: The state (INAUDIBLE) as if nothing has happened, they're pushing the president, who's now the sole candidate. There has been an international outcry.
GORDON BROWN, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: I think the whole world now sees the regime for what it is. I think there is a consensus in this house. The consensus in this house is that what has happened is intolerable. We want an immediate end to violence because the loss of life is unacceptable, but we also need a way forward for the people of Zimbabwe.
MCKENZIE: In a phone interview with CNN, President Mugabe's spokesman disputed the claims of violence by the ruling party and said the government is going ahead with the runoff.
GEORGE CHARAMBA, SPOKESMAN FOR ROBERT MUGABE: There's nothing on this good earth that would stop the elections on the 27th, even if Tsvangirai were to withdraw formal, which he hasn't done, the elections will still proceed.
MCKENZIE: By pulling out of the election, the Movement for Democratic Change hand Robert Mugabe a sure victory. The opposition is putting its faith in verbal pressure and African leadership on the Zimbabwe issue.
ROY BENNETT, MOVEMENT FOR DEMOCRATIC CHANGE: This hallow victory that Robert Mugabe has given himself through unprecedented violence, we need every God-fearing nation to stand up and stand up for the people of Zimbabwe by de-legitimizing this regime and giving it no recognition whatsoever.
MCKENZIE: Some exiled Zimbabweans, though, on the streets of Johannesburg had hoped for more from the MDC.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: To quit is not the answer. It's better to fight (INAUDIBLE) do we win.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What I have my faith to MDC to hang on, you know, the day will come when Mugabe will try to escape and there will be nowhere for him to run. He doesn't know (INAUDIBLE) -- one day it's going to be judgment day for you, Mugabe.
MCKENZIE: But with President Mugabe determined to stay in power, some experts in the region see a disturbing end game for Zimbabwe.
ROSS HERBERT, SAIIA: Real risk of civil war, a regional instability, and it's not business as usual, the sign of fear, it's not reform, they've essentially embraced the philosophy that says they are right to beat and fumble anybody who opposes them and they're going to beat the nation into submission.
MCKENZIE: A nation's whose future may now depend on pressure from the world and African leaders who, many say, have not always recognized their plight.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MCKENZIE: Tony, we have just had some breaking news here to CNN. The MDC telling CNN that they have formally pulled out of that race. They've submitted in writing to the election commission in Zimbabwe that Tsvangirai will not be in that race. The government had said that if Tsvangirai had said he's pulling out but not formally doing it, they could run the race anyway. So that's a significant development.
HARRIS: Yes, it is.
MCKENZIE: But the people here in this camp, though, are disappointed that the MDC has pulled out.
HARRIS: I think I can understand that as well. Boy, this is difficult, to say the least.
David McKenzie for us in Johannesburg, South Africa -- David, thank you.
COLLINS: John McCain distancing himself from one of his top advisers this morning. Charlie Black is quoted in "Fortune" magazine as saying another terrorist attack on U.S. soil would be a big advantage for McCain's presidential bid. Black is also quoted as saying the assassination of former Pakistani leader Benazir Bhutto last year helped McCain's campaign.
The Republican presidential candidate had this reaction.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I cannot imagine why he would say it. It's not true. It's -- I've worked tirelessly since 9/11 to prevent another attack on the United States of America. My record is very clear.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: As for Black, he says the comments were inappropriate and he regrets them.
Meantime, an Evangelical leader accuses Barack Obama of distorting the bible. James Dobson on his radio program this morning taking aim at a speech Obama gave to a Christian group in 2006. Dobson points to Obama citing biblical passages suggesting slavery is OK, but eating shellfish is an abomination.
Dobson says that wrongly equates Old Testament text and New Testament teachings. Dobson accuses Obama of distorting the constitution when he asked which biblical passages should guide public policy.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JAMES DOBSON, CHRISTIAN EVANGELICAL: What the senator is saying there, in essence, is that I can't seek to pass legislation, for example, that bans partial birth abortion because there are people in the culture who don't see that as a moral issue.
And if I can't get everyone to agree with me, it is undemocratic to try to pass legislation that I find offensive to the scripture. Now that is a fruitcake interpretation of the Constitution.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: An Obama spokesman says a full reading of the speech shows Obama is committed to reaching out to people of faith.
HARRIS: It is back to work today for Senator Hillary Clinton. She's returning to Capitol Hill. Aides say she'll be there in time to vote on a Housing bill to help homeowners avoid foreclosure.
Former rivals unite. Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton campaign together Friday in Unity, New Hampshire. It is their first joint appearance since the hard-fought primary battle.
More now from Jean Mackin of our affiliate, WMUR.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEAN MACKIN, WMUR REPORTER (voice over): Some townspeople in Unity say it's the biggest thing to happen in this small community -- well, as long as they can recall. It was all the buzz at the town hall meeting.
UNIDENTIFIED RESIDENT: We're first in the nation. I think that's exciting.
UNIDENTIFIED RESIDENT: I'm really excited. I'm definitely going to try and be there.
MACKIN (on camera): What do you think of the whole world's eyes being focused on Unity, Friday?
UNIDENTIFIED RESIDENT: Aren't they lucky?
MACKIN (voice over): Selectman Willard Hathaway received the confirmation.
Senators Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton will hold their first joint general election appearance in Unity. The Unite for Change rally makes sense to Unity residents. They say it's not just the town name, not just the political landscape here where each candidate received exactly 107 votes in January's presidential primary.
They give credit to the whole state, too.
UNIDENTIFIED RESIDENT: It's logical. New Hampshire is the first place, the first leader in the country for voting.
UNIDENTIFIED RESIDENT: I figured that that's why they picked us out of the entire country to come to Unity, because New Hampshire's important.
MACKIN: Unity boasts about 1,600 residents. One store, the library, fire department, town hall, and the school.
UNIDENTIFIED RESIDENT: Well, I just wondered how they found Unity.
MACKIN: Town historian Roberta Callelm who helped write the history book says Unity was founded in 1764 as a place for people to unite.
UNIDENTIFIED RESIDENT: To all appearances, this new land was unifying there people who had no land of their own elsewhere.
MACKIN (on camera): Do you think history is being made here on Friday?
UNIDENTIFIED RESIDENT: Probably for Unity, it is.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: And check out our political ticker for all of the latest political news. Just log on to CNNpolitics.com, your source for all things political.
COLLINS: Busy moms on the run and on caffeine. Dr. Sanjay Gupta looks at the trend.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: Let's get you some health news now. A new research suggests low levels of vitamin D can be dangerous. The study found that patients with the lowest blood levels of the vitamin were about two times more likely to die from any cause than those with the highest levels.
And researchers say the link between low vitamin D levels and heart-related deaths were especially strong. But experts warn against people popping pills or getting their vitamin D from hours in the sun, citing health risks. And the ultimate irony department, the CDC expert on West Nile virus revealing he once had West Nile virus.
Lyle Peterson says he was bitten by mosquitoes when he went out to get his mail in Colorado five years ago. He began recognizing the symptoms within hours. Peterson spent a couple of months sick with the disease.
COLLINS: Moms, listen up. In trying to do it all, are you doing something to hurt yourself? A study shows caffeine consumption is on the rise, especially with busy mothers -- I can barely say it with a straight face -- a subject near and dear to my heart, obviously.
CNN's chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta is here now with more on that. And...
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: How much caffeine did you already have this morning?
COLLINS: Just one cup. Really, I try to do just one cup, it is large, before we go on the air.
GUPTA: Right. COLLINS: And then I try to have that be it for the day.
GUPTA: Yes.
COLLINS: But it's not always the case.
GUPTA: You're busy. And morning anchors are sort of immune a little bit to this, because you have such early hours, but the overall sales of caffeine have really gone up quite a bit, which, I think, surprises some people, really mainly fueled by energy drinks.
They've gone up about 40 percent over the last year alone. A question for a lot of people is, what is it doing for your health? Both in the short-term and long-term, we take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GUPTA (voice over): How much caffeine is too much?
AILINA LARANANG, CNN IREPORTER: I have about four energy drinks a day. So I'm drinking coffee every waking hour.
GUPTA: These moms who are also CNN iReporters are fairly typical caffeine consumers. A National Sleep Foundation found more than 65 percent of mothers drink caffeinated beverages to get through their day.
STACY DEBROFF, CEO, MOMCENTRAL.COM: We are facing the busiest generation of moms ever. We dash from place to place. We find ourselves always on the go and usually with a cup of coffee in hand.
GUPTA: But here's the thing. Research shows caffeine can trigger migraines, heartburn, and put women at increased risk for miscarriage.
DR. ALLEN DOLLAR, CARDIOLOGIST, EMORY UNIVERSITY: The jitteriness, the nervousness, a feeling that the heart may be racing a little bit or even skipping a heart beat every now and again. You know those are very common short-term side effects of caffeine intake. And again, the good news is there are no serious health consequences to that, either in the short or the long-term.
GUPTA: So there are no serious long-term health affects, but relying on caffeine for energy drains the body because it never gets a chance to properly recharge.
DEBROFF: Take advantage of small breaks in the action. Sometimes you only have 10 minutes as a mom and you have to think of, what can I do to restore my energy so that I can then get ready to go forth on the next mom mission that awaits me?
GUPTA: The key, of course, is moderation. Experts agree 200 milligrams of caffeine a day is safe. That's between one and four drinks depending on how you choose to caffeinate.
(END VIDEOTAPE) GUPTA: Let me give you a little bit more perspective over on this 200 milligrams, because I think this is important. 200 milligrams a day, probably the sweet spot.
But overall, take a look at some of the amounts of caffeine in various drinks. Some of these energy drinks, up to 375 milligrams. So one energy drink, and you're getting double the caffeine you should be getting.
If you're drinking coffee, depending on the type, you know, a cup or two is probably OK. Sodas, you know, three or four cans, OK. So not all bad news here, Heidi, but you've got to watch, you got to read those labels as well as far as your caffeine.
COLLINS: Yes, boy, I don't know. That doesn't look like enough for me, to be honest. I'm sure there are people out there -- I can't say I'm one of them -- but they want to know how to boost their energy naturally.
GUPTA: Right. You know, so -- none of this works -- and here's an important -- none of this works unless you're probably getting enough sleep in the first place. Caffeine may give you short little gains here and there, but you need to get seven or eight hours of sleep. That's probably the sweet spot.
COLLINS: Right, because you crash afterwards. Right?
GUPTA: You're going to have that crash, which a lot of people experience. Also keep this in mind, it takes you about five hours to get rid of your caffeine. So let's say you go to bed at 11:00, you really shouldn't be having any caffeine after 6:00 p.m. That's another thing to keep in mind.
And finally taking 10 minutes a day just to relax, if you can do that in some ways, think about nothing, think about -- don't think about NEWSROOM, don't think about anything else, but yourself, pretending...
COLLINS: That's really hard.
GUPTA: I know. It's hard.
COLLINS: That sounds ridiculous because it's just 10 minutes. I was prescribed this once by, like, a doctor...
GUPTA: Right.
COLLINS: ... and I did it one time. It was wonderful, but I wasn't very good at it.
GUPTA: Try substituting that for the coffee tomorrow and get back to me. See how it works.
COLLINS: Yes, you'll really like me. Thank you, Sanjay.
GUPTA: All right, guys. Thanks. COLLINS: As for more information on how caffeine affects your health and for tips to boost your energy, go to CNN.com/health.
HARRIS: River runs over land and Grafton, Illinois. Basketball game flooded out while Water Street lives up to its name.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: Opening bell just a couple of moments ago as we look ahead to the start of the business day. The Dow starts today at 11,842 after a pretty flat day yesterday. The NASDAQ down 20 points. Nothing really to get the markets going. And if you're looking for something that might motivate the markets today, what are we talking about? The Federal Reserve? A meeting today? On interest rates?
The last guidance was the Federal Reserve was going to hold the line on interest rates. So nothing to get the markets going out of the gates. Futures in negative territory. And here we go. The Dow down 47 points. We will do market checks throughout the morning here with Felicia Taylor in the NEWSROOM.
COLLINS: A political meeting in Baghdad bombed. Ten people dead. Two U.S. troops and two American embassy workers among them. It happened in the Shiite militia stronghold of Sadr City. Six Iraqis also were killed. A number of people wounded.
The bomb exploded at a municipal building right before meeting to elect a local council chairman. The U.S. military blames Shiite extremists and says three people have now been detained.
A warning for Zimbabwe, the world is watching. New criticisms from the United Nations Security Council.
CNN's senior U.N. correspondent Richard Roth reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RICHARD ROTH, CNN SENIOR U.N. CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The U.N. Security Council ended years of silence on Zimbabwe with a sharply worded condemnation of the Mugabe government. The 15 nations on the council cited a campaign of violence in Zimbabwe, in which scores of opposition activists have been killed and thousands of others beaten.
ZALMAY KHALILZAD, U.S. AMBASSADOR TO U.N.: The Security Council further condemns the actions of the government of Zimbabwe that have denied its political opponents the right to campaign freely and calls upon the government of Zimbabwe to stop the violence.
ROTH: The Security Council said the campaign of violence had made it impossible to hold a free and fair second round of a presidential election scheduled for this Friday. Zimbabwe's U.N. ambassador said the elections would still go ahead, even though the opposition leader withdrew because of the violence.
BONIFACE CHIDYAUSIKU, ZIMBABWE AMBASSADOR TO U.N.: Violence in the country is not widespread. It's only affecting about 10 percent of the country.
ROTH: The council's tough statement was by far the most significant action to date by the Security Council against Zimbabwe. There had been months of diplomatic deadlock as some council members including South Africa and China insisted Zimbabwe's troubles were an internal affair and not a threat to others' peace and security. That all changed in a fast-moving day by standard U.N. timetables.
JOHN SAWERS, BRITISH AMBASSADOR TO U.N.: I think these are important warnings that leadership in Zimbabwe needs to heed.
ROTH (on camera): The Security Council warned the government of Robert Mugabe it's going to monitor the situation closely. Zimbabwe seems ready for a fight.
Richard Roth, CNN, United Nations.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: Radio host Don Imus on the air and under fire again. Just one year after racially charged remarks killed his nationally syndicated show, Imus has ignited new outrage and, again, issues of race are fanning the flames. Here's yesterday's exchange between Imus and sportscaster Warner Wolf.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WARNER WOLF, SPORTSCASTER: Defensive back Adam "Pacman" Jones recently signed by the Cowboys. Here's a guy suspended all of 2007 following a shooting at a Vegas nightclub.
DON IMUS, HOST, "IMUS IN THE MORNING": Well, stuff happens. You know, you're in a nightclub for God's sake. What do you think is going to happen in a nightclub? People are drinking and doing drugs. There are women there and people have guns. So there, go ahead.
WOLF: He's also -- he's been arrested six times since being drafted by Tennessee in 2005.
IMUS: What color is he?
WOLF: He's African-American.
IMUS: Well, there you go. OK. Now I know.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: Well, this morning, Imus scrambled to diffuse the criticism. He says he was merely being sarcastic.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
IMUS: Warner and I were talking yesterday about Pacman Jones being arrested six times in which I think was just -- you know, was obviously they're picking on him. So I asked Warner what color he was. Obviously, I already knew what color he was. The point was, in order to make a sarcastic point, I asked Warner what color he was. Warner told me. I said, well, there you go. That's the point.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Exactly.
IMUS: Yes. What people should be outraged about is that they arrest blacks for no reason.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: That explanation greeted with skepticism by Imus' many critics, including civil rights activist Al Sharpton.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REV. AL SHARPTON, PRESIDENT, NATIONAL ACTION NETWORK: I thought that given Imus' background and his track record, it was disturbing. Clearly, he did not clarify what he meant. He left it out there. He said, is he African-American? He brought up race.
And this is something that is, given who it is talking, that is very disturbing to groups like National Action Network, our group, and others that have been monitoring him and others since the remarks he made last year.
His statements this morning clarifying it was in no way would he clarified yesterday. So we're looking into this. We'll be talking later today.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: Sharpton helped lead the charge to get Imus fired last year. Imus' current employers say they don't expect any action will need to be taken.
Store owners unstocking their shelves. A couple's livelihood in danger as floodwaters rise. CNN's Gary Tuchman reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GARY TUCHMAN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: A tractor-trailer is parked next to Jimbo's General Store in Grafton, Illinois.
JIM TOLLEY, STORE OWNER: We've got to get everything out of here.
TUCHMAN: Jim Tolley and his wife, Linda, are packing up the inventory. Getting ready to load all the groceries and hardware on the truck and drive it away if the floodwaters keep rising.
J. TOLLEY: Get more box, we'll put together.
TUCHMAN: Which they don't want to do until the last minute because of the overwhelming nature of the task, but they know they might have to.
Jim and Linda, you live up the street?
LINDA TOLLEY, STORE OWNER: Yes, we do.
J. TOLLEY: Across the street.
TUCHMAN: You have your store here and you are surrounded by water.
J. TOLLEY: Yes.
L. TOLLEY: We are.
TUCHMAN: The floodwaters are lapping at the back of the store to the south. They are also rising less than 20 feet away from the store on the east and the west. The only escape route, a small hilly road to the north just past their house. Their home and their livelihood now in jeopardy.
Is there a tense waiting to see what happens?
J. TOLLEY: Oh, real tense.
L. TOLLEY: Yes, especially when they're predicting rain north of us.
TUCHMAN: Keeping an eye on the flood forecast is now Jim Tolley's main job.
J. TOLLEY: First thing I do when I get up is turn the computer on. Check out the water level. And that's the last thing I'm looking at before I go to bed.
TUCHMAN: 15 years ago, the store was deluged with 6-1/2 feet of floodwater. The owner then eventually sold it to Jim Tolley. Like almost every other business along the river in Grafton, the Tolley's store is out of business for now. The water is very high. Basketball backboards are submerged. Water Street is a street with 10 feet of water.
(on camera): There is certainly a feeling of Deja vu in Grafton. During the floods of 1993, about 150 homes were destroyed from floodwaters. There are about 30 percent fewer residents here today than then.
(voice-over): Even if Jimbo's isn't devastated by floodwater, the store has been closed for a week and will likely be shut for a minimum of two weeks more in its busiest season.
J. TOLLEY: It's pretty much a disaster, as far as the financial part of it. Money is still going out, but none is coming in.
TUCHMAN: Homes on hilltops are doing fine, but anything in Grafton at the river's level either is or could soon be underwater. The river is bringing trouble, but it's also an indelible part of these people's lives.
L. TOLLEY: I've lived here all my life, so, you know, I know it can happen.
TUCHMAN: So you're not cursing the river?
L. TOLLEY: No, I'm not. No. I like the river. Not this high. I like it in its banks.
TUCHMAN: But in Grafton, at least for now, the river and many of the streets are one.
Gary Tuchman, CNN, Grafton, Illinois.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: Boy, just tough to keep the river within those banks. Jacqui Jeras again in our severe weather center.
Jacqui, good morning.
(WEATHER REPORT)
COLLINS: When weather becomes the news, remember to send us your I-reports. Go to cnn.com and click on I-report or type I-report at cnn.com into your cell phone, but please stay safe if you choose to do so.
HARRIS: Stuck in the Alps with no support. A Colorado woman gets some attention with the help of her sports bra.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When she was out, some bad weather rolled in and I think it got cloudy and I think she became disoriented and she couldn't find the trail that she had left on.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: The ingenious rescue coming up in the NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: She kept her wits and gave up her bra. A stranded hiker finds an unconventional way to call for help.
Reporter Matt Garcia of affiliate KWGN has the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ELANA BRUINSMA, HIKER'S SISTER: I guess it was mine and I had left it here. And she was late and I was just like, Jessica, you know, I'm not going to get that one back.
MATT GARCIA, KWGN REPORTER (voice-over): Elana Bruinsma referring to the sports bra like this one she lent her 24-year-old sister that ultimately saved Jessica's life. While it's funny now, there were no laughs last week.
E. BRUINSMA: I just went off the deep end. I was just crying.
GARCIA: The emotional roller coaster started last Wednesday when Elana and Jack got the call that their older sister was missing for 48 hours. Jessica went to Germany to work in a hostel in the Bavarian Alps that houses experienced hikers. She had been skiing with a friend, but instead of taking one final run, she took a walk.
JACK BRUINSMA, HIKER'S BROTHER: When she was out, some bad weather rolled in. And I think it got cloudy and I think she became disoriented and she couldn't find the trail that she had left on us.
GARCIA: The walk let down a steep rocky side of the mountain. Her brother and sister say she fell 20 feet and landed on a ledge.
E. BRUINSMA: She has a pretty badly hurt leg. She has a dislocated shoulder, and then four broken ribs, and a pretty big gash on her forehead from what we've heard. And I think she's just bruised from head to toe.
GARCIA: It was Jessica's hiking experience and training as an EMT that kept her alive. This is a picture of her hiking a few years ago in Costa Rica. The family says that Jessica would sleep in a cave at night and in the day think of what next to do.
Her break came Thursday afternoon when a cable line to send supplies up the mountain started moving.
E. BRUINSMA: As soon as it started moving, she got over there and connected her sports bra to the line and it brought it up and a workman saw it a little while later and he knew someone was missing.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't know how I'd react in that situation. I was just deeply impressed that she was smart enough to stay calm.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: Bruinsma is expected to stay in a German hospital for up to three weeks before returning home to Colorado.
HARRIS: Drivers make a run for the border to save on gas.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The savings, it's great. It's great.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's about $1.50 cheaper.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: Good for your pocketbook, but good for your car?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: And now to yo-yoing gas prices, down a fraction of a penny for the second day in a row. The national average, $4.069 for a gallon of regular according to AAA. That's 3/10ths of a cent lower than yesterday.
Now for a little perspective here, a month ago, you were paying $3.93 on average. Diesel prices may end 2/10ths of a cent lower today at $4.77. Cheaper gas prices, cheaper gas.
Some U.S. motorists head south of the border to save money, but could they wind up paying more in repairs?
Here's CNN's Thelma Gutierrez.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
THELMA GUTIERREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT, (voice-over): The U.S./Mexico border in Tijuana, where Americans spill over for cheap gas.
RICARDO FERNANDEZ, SAN ISIDRO, CALIFORNIA: The savings, it's great. It's great.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's about $1.50 cheaper.
GUTIERREZ: About $3.10 a gallon in Tijuana, as compared to $4.63 on the U.S. side. The total savings to fill a 20-gal tank, about $30. And that makes financial sense to commuter Ricardo Fernandez, who lives a few miles away in San Isidro, California.
He makes the international run once a week during off hours and doesn't mind waiting in line to drive into Mexico and back into the United States.
FERNANDEZ: Right now the traffic is not bad to go back. It takes me about an hour. An hour and a half.
GUTIERREZ: Sounds like a big hassle, but Fernandez says he just makes a shopping day out of it.
FERNANDEZ: I can come shopping, you know, get some groceries and stuff like that and then I will go back. It's like saving double.
GUTIERREZ: A similar story for Pedro Hernandez, who lives in Santa Ana, California, about 100 miles north. He doesn't make a special trip to gas up, but he won't pass up a deal.
PEDRO HERNANDEZ, SANTA ANA, CALIFORNIA: We come down to visit relatives and shop around. While we're here, might as well fill up the gas.
GUTIERREZ: His savings today? $40.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: On this truck, maybe about $70.
GUTIERREZ: Savings perhaps, but Steven Mazor, with the AAA Automotive Research Center, says Mexican gas is made with a different formula, which contains more sulfur that over time could actually hurt your car.
STEVEN MAZOR, AUTOMOBILE CLUB OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA: The emission controlled equipment, the catalytic converters, the fuel injection systems, and the sensors on your newer car, or any car really, and make it a polluter and make you even fail a smog inspection and then have to spend a lot of money to repair your car because of the effects of that gas.
GUTIERREZ: But Ricardo Fernandez says his truck is running fine for now. And making ends meet right now is really all he can afford to worry about.
Thelma Gutierrez, CNN, Tijuana, Mexico.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: National slim down. Japanese workers told to lose inches off their waistline before the company loses money from its bottom line.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: Miso soup over McDonalds. More Japanese are watching what they eat as companies watch workers' waistlines.
Here's CNN's Kyung Lah.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LAH (voice-over): One by one, belly by belly --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you.
LAH: The guts came out and got measured. Now Okiwada (ph) is not looking forward to this. At 36.6 inches, he's overweight according to the Japanese government. And that just won't do under new national guidelines. And if he doesn't lose weight, his company faces massive fines and increased government health premiums.
This goal is really tough says NEC's human relations manager. It's a challenge. Companies and local governments must now measure the waistlines of all employees and family members over the age of 40. Men over 33-1/2 inches and women over 35-1/2 inches are considered overweight.
Now if you're thinking that's not fat -- well, this is a nation that's not so big, but one that is getting bigger.
(on camera): This is what the traditional Japanese meal looks like. Some vegetables, miso soup, and some fish -- total calorie count, about 600. But along came American fast food. This is a Big Mac, large fries, and coke -- total calorie count 1,300. More than twice the Japanese meal.
(voice-over): You won't find American food in this cafeteria. NEC facing $19 million in penalty if its employees don't slim down is encouraging a low-calorie, healthy diet.
Physical test.
It's why he's chosen today's healthy meal. Hopeful, but not expecting it will help tomorrow.
So, are you scared?
Yes, a little bit, he says.
Hoping to get employees moving, the company pumps out exercise music over the loud speaker twice a day. It's encouraging employees to take the stairs and exercise at every other floor.
Can you imagine the U.S. government telling people, we want you to go down to a waist size 33?
JOSEPH JASPER, NEC EMPLOYEE: It's difficult to imagine.
