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Political Crisis in Zimbabwe as Opposition Leader Fears for Life; Taliban Strike Kandahar Air Base
Aired June 24, 2008 - 13:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: ... calling an election. This is total war, and we cannot be part of that war.
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DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: He out-polled the president when Zimbabweans voted in March, but Morgan Tsvangirai says he can't compete with a campaign of violence and repression. The Mugabe regime says the run-off is on, regardless.
And ceremony gives away to security on an Israeli tarmac. We'll show you why the president and first lady of France cut short their farewells with the president and prime minister of Israel.
Hello, everyone. I'm Don Lemon, live at the CNN world headquarters in Atlanta. My partner, Kyra Phillips, is in New York today. You are live in the CNN NEWSROOM.
And let's begin in Zimbabwe, where the opposition party is confirming its candidate for president, Morgan Tsvangirai, won't be part of Friday's run-off. After months of government-sanctioned violence against Tsvangirai and his supporters, the former opposition leader has taken refuge at the Dutch embassy. That leaves President Robert Mugabe unopposed in the run-off, now being denounced around the world as a sham.
And we have CNN correspondents covering today's developments in Zimbabwe from every angle. Reporting this hour, David McKenzie in Africa and Isha Sesay at our Zimbabwe desk. We'll have latest from them in just a moment.
But first, we want to talk about Palestinian militants fired rockets and mortar rounds into southern Israel today, wounding two people. Islamic Jihad said it fired the rockets in retaliation for an earlier Israeli raid in the West Bank that killed the Palestinian commander.
The attacks are the first series test -- serious test of a ceasefire that went into effect last week.
Israel condemned the rocket strike as a gross violation of the truce but didn't say if it would retaliate. The Palestinian group Hamas says it remains committed to the ceasefire but called the Israeli attack a provocation. In Tel Aviv, what started as a routine departure ceremony didn't end that way for French President Nicolas Sarkozy and his wife. One minute, they were shaking hands with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and other officials. Then the sound of gunfire sent the French first lady scrambling and scampering up the stairs to the plane ahead of her husband. Take a look at the video right there.
Security ground -- security guards, I should say, rushed Olmert and Israeli -- the Israeli president, Shimon Peres, toward their cars. The cause of the panic? Well, officials say an Israeli police officer assigned to secure the airport fatally shot himself.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Danger downriver as another weakened levee gives way. This one's in St. Charles County, Missouri, where the National Guard and volunteers have been sandbagging for days. Officials are most worried about a nearby trailer park, which is home to several hundred people.
As floodwaters recede upstream, home -- homeowners are starting to clean up. Most of them don't even have flood insurance but say FEMA is pitching in.
Some legal help's also on the way for flooded homeowners facing insurance issues. Our guests both lived through Katrina, and they bring their advice to the NEWSROOM in just a few minutes.
Also, so many wildfires and not nearly enough firefighters. Nevada and Oregon send crews to Northern California, where more than 800 fires are burning. All of them were ignited by one lightning storm. Two of the biggest fires are burning in Napa Valley and the Shasta Trinity National Forest. States of emergency have been declared in both areas.
LEMON: Outspoken radio host Don Imus is in hot water again. You'll recall he was fired by CBS Radio last year for making sexist and racially-charged remarks about the Rutgers University woman's basketball team.
Now, he is being criticized for this exchange yesterday with sportscaster Warner Wolf.
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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 nightclub.
DON IMUS, RADIO TALK SHOW HOST: 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. Now we know.
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IMUS: Well, this morning Imus meant he meant not to offend but to defend blacks.
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IMUS: Obviously, I already knew what color he was. The point was in order to make a sarcastic point. What people should be outraged about is that they arrest blacks for no reason. And I mean, no reason to arrest this kid six times.
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LEMON: The Reverend Al Sharpton, who calls the initial comments disturbing, says he hopes Imus meant what he said this morning.
PHILLIPS: Time to check on the CNN political ticker now. And the question: what's Bill Clinton waiting for? Well, the former president hasn't endorsed Barack Obama, even though his wife has.
A Clinton spokesperson told CNN today the former president is, quote, "obviously committed to doing whatever he can and is asked to do to ensure Obama is the next president."
Meanwhile, Senator Clinton back in the Senate chamber today for the first time since she suspended her presidential campaign. She will campaign with her old primary rival Friday in New Hampshire.
And a senior adviser to the McCain campaign has apologized for telling "Fortune" magazine that a terror attack on the U.S. would be a big advantage for the Republican candidate. McCain was forced to do some damage control following a comment by Charlie Black, who later said he deeply regretted the statement.
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SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R-AZ), 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.
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PHILLIPS: Black also told "Fortune" that Benazir Bhutto's assassination last year benefited McCain, because it gave him a chance to showoff his skills in foreign policy and security issues.
The head of Focus on the Family is no McCain fan, but today James Dobson is focusing on Barack Obama and a speech the Democrat made to a liberal Christian group two years ago. Dobson tells his radio listeners today that Obama distorted the Bible to suit his world view. Dobson also slammed Obama's belief that certain issues, such as abortion, should be debated in terms that speak to all people, not just religious people.
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DR. JAMES DOBSON, FOCUS ON THE FAMILY: What the senator's 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.
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PHILLIPS: Obama's campaign is planning a series of events where people can discuss the candidate and religion.
Straight ahead, those were some obviously quick hits of the stories, but we're going to put them under the Schneider microscope this hour. Our senior political analyst, Bill Schneider, will talk more about Black's comments and Dobson's slam and what, if any, mark they'll leave on the campaign.
LEMON: All right, Kyra. Back now to our top story on the crisis in Zimbabwe. We want to get now to CNN's David McKenzie. He's at our listening post in Johannesburg, South Africa.
David, what are you hearing there?
DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, what we're hearing, Don, is that this crisis sees no sign of abating. There's increasing international pressure on Robert Mugabe, the president since 1980 in Zimbabwe, to buckle down, to get to negotiations with Morgan Tsvangirai. Morgan Tsvangirai, the opposition leader, is stuck in the Dutch embassy. He is saying he fears for his life, not leaving any time soon.
But the situation for the people on the ground here in South Africa is that they are millions of economic refugees here in South Africa. The Zimbabweans have been living in tents now because of xenophobic attacks. I spoke to some of them earlier today, and they fear for their country's future, Don.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE) They struggle for bringing the new Democrats. But in the end, just for this no reason.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Life is difficult in Zimbabwe. It's very difficult. No food, no jobs. Starvation, everything. So people are crying about it. They want to change the democracy. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The situation isn't good. We don't want to live in a foreign country. And we are hopeful that with the elections, which we believe we are robbed, would have changed the scenario, and that could definitely have seen (INAUDIBLE) changed in six months times. We're not going to be chased from South Africa. We're going to go home freely, willingly. And...
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MCKENZIE: Well, Don, the politicians can bicker and the politicians can fight, but it's ultimately the ordinary Zimbabweans, both in that country and outside in the neighboring countries who will suffer through this crisis.
Back to you.
LEMON: David McKenzie at our listening post in Johannesburg, South Africa. We appreciate your reporting.
And we have a lot more to tell you about the crisis in Zimbabwe. We'll get a very personal account of Zimbabwe's descent into chaos from an award-winning journalist who grew up in Zimbabwe. We'll also hear from a former Zimbabwe politician now in exile in South Africa.
And the Reverend Jesse Jackson, who has met with Robert Mugabe in the past and reached out to him just this morning, has he heard back? We'll ask him that question. We will share his impressions of the man at the center of this crisis -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: The soaring cost of jet fuel plus a weakened economy equal 950-pilot layoffs at United Airlines. That's about 50 percent of United's pilots.
The airline industry as a whole is looking for ways to cut costs and stay profitable. And earlier this month, United grounded dozens of gas-guzzling jets and cut hundreds of white-collar jobs.
Workers are disappointed, but they're not surprised.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't think they have a choice. I think the industry is taking a dive. If it happens, it happens. It's unfortunate.
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PHILLIPS: Well, pilots are expected to begin to receiving layoff notices by mid-July.
And it's a small dip, but drivers will take any relief they can get. Gas prices edged lower for the second straight day, dropping .3 of a cent. According to AAA, the national average for regular unleaded is just under $4.07 a gallon. Gas prices are 3.5 percent higher than last month. Higher still in California, Alaska and Connecticut, where drivers are paying a minimum of $4.37 a gallon. And strained budgets mean dark times for many families. "USA Today" reports that utility companies are pulling the plug on a growing number of households that have fallen behind on their bills. Electricity and natural gas shut-offs are up some 50 percent in several states. In others, that number has doubled.
And it's not just the poor. Families earning more than $55,000 a year are having their power turned off, as well.
LEMON: Let's talk now about fear and uncertainty in Zimbabwe. For Peter Godwin, it's more than just another news story from some distant place. For him, the story is very personal. He shares his story with us.
PHILLIPS: And caught in an epic flood with no flood insurance. Some people in the soaked Midwest are wondering what to do next.
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PHILLIPS: Award-winning foreign correspondent and author Peter Godwin has a unique perspective on Zimbabwe's 30-year descent into chaos and violence. He actually grew up in Zimbabwe, where he and his family suffered from growing repression against whites.
As a journalist he told the world about President Robert Mugabe and kept going back, despite the threats of arrest or death.
Now, in recent days he's been talking with diplomats and activists inside Zimbabwe. As a matter of fact, he just got back from spending two months there. He joins us here live in New York.
Great to see you.
PETER GODWIN, JOURNALIST: Good to be here.
PHILLIPS: Just to give a little background to our viewers, I mean, you weren't just there covering typical stories. I mean, you broke the story about the massacre of thousands of people under Robert Mugabe's regime.
GODWIN: Right, but that was a long time ago. That was in the early '80s. And what was interesting was that nobody really paid much attention there. So what's interesting to me as a Zimbabwean going back time and time again is to see a certain consistency in the way that he's behaved.
Basically, every time he comes up against the real opposition, he resorts to violence. That's sort of in his political DNA NOW. So it comes to no surprise to see him doing it again.
PHILLIPS: Stay with us for two seconds. We've got some developing news. I believe it's out of Afghanistan with our Nic Robertson -- Don.
LEMON: Absolutely, Kyra. Thank you very much for that. We want to get to Nic Robertson, who was in an airport there, in the Kandahar Airport. And we were told there was an explosion as he was about to get on the plane.
Nic, if you're on the phone now, tell us what happened. And we believe, at least according to what we've heard, that it is the Taliban.
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Don, that's correct. I'm at the NATO Kandahar Air Base. We're with a Marine unit, the 24 MU at the moment, just about to embed with them. And while we were waiting with the 24 MU, we heard an explosion. Then a burst of a big ball of smoke rose up, which very quickly burst into flame. There were some big flames coming up that are still burning now, almost an hour later.
I'll tell you what's happened since that single rocket strike which appears to have been a Taliban rocket. People ran for cover. We've talked to officials here. As far as we know, there are no casualties.
This has been symptomatic of the Taliban over the last few weeks. They've been firing single rockets into the base. Most of them have been wildly inaccurate. Very little damage. No serious casualties.
Tonight, however, we're seeing an intense fire burning, still burning. Not clear what that is.
But there is what appears there has been, perhaps, a retaliation strike already against the Taliban. We heard three very loud explosions, heavy machine gunfire coming from the area where it sounded earlier on as if the rocket took off. There was around a round of -- the rounds going into the hillside, we can hear that. Not clear what was being fired upon.
But this rocket attack on the base that's been seen here over the past few weeks, but this one causing a large fire. As far as we know at the moment, there are no casualties. We're still waiting word from officials, Don.
LEMON: Yes. And talk to me a little bit more about that, Nic, because you were there, I would imagine, covering a story about routing out the Taliban after there had been an upsurge, it seemed, in Taliban presence in Afghanistan. So you were there doing that.
Again, this all part -- correct me if I'm wrong -- of this same upsurge in violence?
ROBERTSON: All part of the same upsurge in violence, Don, what there's been over the past few weeks. The massive jailbreak from Kandahar jail, where 400 -- reportedly, 400 Taliban and hundreds of other prisoners were freed.
There have been a number of attacks against the coalition forces in this particular area. We know today a British soldier killed in Helmand province. Another soldier -- his nationality is not known at this time -- killed in the eastern province of Nangarhar (ph).
The police in Kandahar fighting a battle in Kandahar district with the Taliban today, killing reportedly 11, at least. An army, Afghan army, also fighting a battle in the border town of Spin Boldak (ph) close to Pakistan, fighting a battle with the Taliban there. As many as 15 Taliban killed in that particular situation.
So there is an upsurge in fighting at the moment. The Taliban generally increase their level of fighting in the summer. This summer more intense than previous summers, Don.
LEMON: Nic Robertson, reporting from Kandahar. An explosion there, our breaking news in the CNN NEWSROOM. Nic, we thank you may be getting back to you a little bit later.
Now back to our other developing news. We're talking about Zimbabwe. And Kyra Phillips in New York -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: That's right, not just a battle in Afghanistan, but the battle in Zimbabwe, as we don't even know if we'll ever see free elections at this point, with the opposition leader fearing for his life, Robert Mugabe still in control of that country.
You've covered this country. You lived there. Your family lived there. We were talking about the story that you broke of the massacre by Robert Mugabe back in the 80s. Not much has changed.
GODWIN: No, I mean, what's happened now in the last few months we've seen -- we've seen an increase in the wave of violence. It really has just grown and grown to the point where -- where elections are really a sham. They're an impossibility under the current conditions. It's quite clear to me that that's the case.
PHILLIPS: And as we've been talking about that violence, we've been wanting to personalize this more, so folks here in the states understand the human rights abuses that are taking place. You lived there. You had threats against your family.
Let's start with your mom. I mean, she was a nurse there, and she treated the Zimbabwe people that were being abused by Mugabe and his troops, right?
GODWIN: My mother was a doctor there for many, many years. And she worked mostly in the rural areas. And really in the -- just in the last few years things have been getting a lot worse.
I mean, I was in hospitals these last few weeks. And some of these hospitals now, most of the patients in them -- they were running out of beds --were torture victims. And a lot of them have this awful phrase that the doctors use. They call them defense injuries. And what they are is injuries where people are basically putting their hands up like that to try and ward off ax or machete blows.
And so they have terribly bad fractures with shards of bones all sticking up. And very often all four of their limbs would be in plaster casts and then have terrible wounds on their buttocks from being beaten with iron bars and things.
And these are the fortunate ones. These were the ones who managed to get into hospitals. Because after they've been beaten, they were all warned of dire consequences if they went anywhere near a hospital. So they then had to go and flee into the bush. They lived wild with no food for nights and nights. Often their wounds were getting septic.
And eventually, they'd walk, sometimes you know, hundreds of miles to get into a hospital.
PHILLIPS: So, Peter, we talk about Saddam Hussein and torture and what he did to the Kurds and what he did to his own people. The U.S. goes to war in Iraq. Why have we ignored Zimbabwe for decades?
GODWIN: Because Zimbabwe lacks two essential exports, which would encourage you to intervene, and those two exports are oil and terrorism. If they exported either of those two things, then I think the west would have been in there much quicker.
PHILLIPS: But couldn't this turn into a hot-bed for terrorism? If you look at Somalia and other countries, when you have these types of leaders, dictators?
GODWIN: Right. Zimbabwe doesn't -- Zimbabwe has -- has a very, very small Islamic population. So up until now that hasn't really been the case. There have been persistent rumors of various people hiding out there, various wanted people.
But at the moment, that's not what -- Zimbabwe hasn't been exporting terrorism in any significant degree. But so it's more people more looking at it as a sort of possible Rwanda-type situation, where you intervene on humanitarian ground.
PHILLIPS: We'll talk about that in a minute. But I want to get to your book, "When a Crocodile Eats the Sun." And you write about this experience where you just happened to take a wrong turn, you, your mom, your dad.
You say, "As we round the bend, we see that the soldiers have been reinforced by a dozen more. These new ones carrying machine guns and the brass bullets in their bandoliers shimmer with menace as they catch the sun. At least ten weapons are now pointed directly at us. 'Oh, God!' mutters Mom. "We're all going to be shot. I told you we should have gotten a new atlas, Dad."
Why did you guys stay?
GODWIN: Well, my parents -- for years I tried to get my parents to leave. And to some extent, fear is a function of distance. Things always look worse from a distance. And I was sitting here in New York. I'd been here for nearly 10 years now and going back all the time to see my parents as they -- as they got older. And to some extent my father became infirm. And trying to persuade them to leave.
But they wouldn't. And they've become African. They immigrated there as young adults. They'd been there for more than 50 years. And they were African, and that was their home. And they refused to leave. And after a while I realized that that was just -- that was who they were. And I stopped trying to -- trying to dissuade them.
There was this other syndrome that happens which they call the boiled frog syndrome, where things get worse in these fine calibrations. It's like a pan. If you put a boiled frog in a sauce pan that heats up, it doesn't -- it doesn't realize it is heating up until eventually it boils. And that if you're in a situation, things -- things get slowly worse.
But in Zimbabwe recently that's no longer the case. Inflation is now probably closer to 2 million than 1 million percent. And when I left Zimbabwe just a few weeks ago, one U.S. dollar was worth $400 million Zimbabwe dollars. Today one U.S. dollar is worth $10 billion Zimbabwe.
So that gives you -- so it's really become, quite apart from all of -- whether Mugabe tries to cheat this election. The underlying economic situation is utterly untenable.
PHILLIPS: Well, it's unbelievable what you, your mom, and your father did, staying there for so long. And even you trying to help starving people, you know, while covering stories. It's amazing. Your book is very powerful, and I appreciate your time today. Thanks so much, Peter -- Don.
LEMON: All right, Kyra. Caught in the epic flood with no flood insurance. Some people in the soaked Midwest wonder what to do.
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LEMON: All right. Well, it seems like the price of almost everything is going up with one big exception, and even that is not good news. Susan Lisovicz is on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, and she joins us now to explain to us.
By the way, you look very nice.
SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Thank you, Don.
But the information I have for you...
LEMON: Yes. Not nice.
LISOVICZ: ... not so nice. Because it's the housing market, of course.
A closely-watched survey showed that home prices fell 15 percent year-over-year. And for the first time in the Case-Shiller report, every metro surveyed, 20 of them, showed declines year-over-year.
The biggest hit in cities where there was so much building during the housing bubble: Las Vegas, Miami, Phoenix, Los Angeles. And the overall price index shows 21 straight months of declines.
Obviously, plummeting home prices don't mean good things when it comes to foreclosures. And it means more and more people owe more on their homes than what they're worth, Don. LEMON: Well, Susan, the Federal Reserve -- Reserve has been trying to help out the housing market -- you have been reporting on that -- by lowering interest rates. But now it may be more worried about inflation, right?
LISOVICZ: That's right. And the Federal Reserve within the hour begins a two-day meeting to decide what it's going to do on interest rates. The decision tomorrow afternoon -- within the hour tomorrow afternoon. We'll bring that to you live.
Wall Street widely expects the Fed to hold steady. Why is that? Well, it is worried about inflation but doesn't want to raise rates at a time when the economy is so fragile.
Remember, the central bank has lowered interest rates seven times since last summer, aggressively, including one emergency cut in January.
The latest example, by the way of inflation, Dow Chemical. This is the company -- first of all, it's the largest U.S. chemical company. It makes everything from Styrofoam to pesticides and plastics. It's raising prices 25 percent.
Good news is, we're seeing a little bit of inflation in stocks. The Dow Industrials, after touching the closing lows of the year, up 25 points right now. The NASDAQ's up 3. Oil is down 33 cents. We'll take it.
And later on in the program, we're going to be talking, Don Lemon, about a softer, gentler, IRS. Imagine that.
LEMON: A lot of people would like to hear that, like to see that happen. OK, thank you, Susan.
LISOVICZ: See you later.
LEMON: Kyra.
PHILLIPS: 1:30 Eastern Time. Now here's some of the stories we're working on in the CNN NEWSROOM.
Escalating tensions in the Middle East after an Israeli raid and a rocket firing by Palestinian militants into Southern Israel. A lot of people worried about those attacks could derail a fragile ceasefire that went into effect last week.
And more water worries in the Midwest as a weakened levee gives way. St. Charles County residents are on alert for the possibility of dangerous flash-flooding.
And a ribbon of flames out West means more work for weary fire crews. So many wildfires are burning there the firefighters are calling in reinforcements from other states.
LEMON: Well, thousands of people in the flooded Midwest towns thought they did not need flood insurance. They thought they didn't. Look at this. These people thought they didn't need it, too. Well, could you get caught in that same trap? Tips from legal experts who lived through Katrina. That's straight ahead right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.
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PHILLIPS: Live pictures of Barack Obama right now speaking live in Las Vegas, Nevada. "Change That Works For You" is the title of this forum here. He's talking about energy, environment, green jobs. You know, John McCain, the Republican nominee for president talked about this yesterday. Now, Obama on the energy front.
If you want to see it live right now as it's happening, go to CNN.com/live, otherwise we're going to monitor it for you and bring you the highlights -- Don.
LEMON: All right, Kyra, you know, our International Desk is fired up today because they are very busy, we know what's going on in Zimbabwe. We're keeping an eye on Zimbabwe where today, Morgan Tsvangirai, the opposition leader formally withdrew from that election leaving Robert Mugabe as the only possible choice there. And of course, Tsvangirai is now seeking refuge in the Dutch Embassy.
And joined now by Isha Sesay from our international unit here at the Desk to tell us about some really fast-moving developments in this story.
ISHA SESAY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely, Don. Let's bring our viewers up to speed because there's a lot happening.
As Don was just saying, Morgan Tsvangirai formally withdrawing from the race today, Tuesday. A letter was hand-delivered to the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission which explains his reasons for doing so. Even though he has pulled out of the race, it appears that the violence against his supporters and members of his party continues.
This is what we're hearing from the "Associated Press." It is quoting from opposition party officials saying that on Tuesday, the chairwoman of one of its provincial organizations was seriously injured by alleged Mugabe loyalists.
Now, the MDC is claiming some staggering figures that we want to bring to you. They're saying 86 of its members have been murdered, 200,000 people internally displaced, 20,000 houses destroyed, and 10,000 people injured.
Now, the ruling ZANU-PF party painting quite a different picture. They are pointing the finger of blame firmly at the MDC party and saying in fact that Tsvangirai, his move into the Dutch Embassy was just to provoke criticism of Zimbabwe and it's a deliberate misrepresentation of the facts there on the ground.
With that in mind, well, the ruling party officials say that this run of vote will go on. They had two rallies scheduled for outside of Harari on Tuesday. And they say with or without Morgan Tsvangirai, there will be an election on Friday. LEMON: And you know what, before I let you go and you end your report, I've got to ask you. Many people are saying the only way that this can be corrected is if worldwide presidents or you know, NATO steps in or what have you. What's some reaction worldwide from this, Isha?
SESAY: Very strong reaction from around the world, Don. I mean, we're getting a sense of people looking to Africa. They feel this is an African problem and that Africa should take the lead in this, particularly South Africa.
We want to share with our viewers what was said in the "Mail & Guardian," which is a South African newspaper. They say, "African civil society must make a clear stand. Our voice must be clear, precise and loud enough to be heard by our brothers and sisters in Zimbabwe."
Listen to this, Don. They say, "Imagine if Barack Obama was arrested and detained repeatedly on his way to address some rallies. No doubt the scale of the outrage among the American people and worldwide would have claimed the careers of many people in the administration."
I mean, when you look at it that way, when you actually flip it over, and imagine if it was happening here in the United States.
LEMON: Yes, we were talking about that all day, you know. Amongst out group, we were saying what if this happened here? It would be outrageous. People can't even imagine that happening, Isha.
SESAY: No, no, they can't.
LEMON: I should stay on top of it for my international unit. We'll have much, much more throughout the day. And Kyra has more now -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Well, now that Morgan Tsvangirai has pulled out of the Zimbabwe election, the U.S. says that Zimbabwe's government can't be considered legitimate. Beyond that, U.S. officials say it's up to the U.N. and the leaders in the region to act.
Here's CNN State Department correspondent Zain Verjee.
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ZAIN VERJEE, CNN STATE DEPARTMENT CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Imagine this November, you vote for the man you want to be president of the U.S. and get beaten or killed for it. That's what's happening in Zimbabwe and the U.S. can't do much.
TOM CASEY, STATE DEPARTMENT SPOKESMAN: There's no secret that we, the United States, have limited ability to influence Mugabe and his regime.
VERJEE: Anarchy in the streets as pro-Mugabe gangs chase down opposition supporters. Just weeks ago, their leader was running for president. Now, Morgan Tsvangirai is running for his life, hiding out at the Dutch Embassy after pulling out of the election to save his supporters from more bloodshed.
VOICE OF MORGAN TSVANGIRAI, OPPOSITION LEADER: Mugabe said that he will not leave even if he loses. He has said that only God will remove him. So, it doesn't matter whether I am in or not. The outcome is already pre-determined.
VERJEE: The world is outraged.
DAVID MILBAND, BRITISH FOREIGN SECRETARY: Robert Mugabe and his thugs made an election impossible.
VERJEE: Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice says without a fair election, the government cannot be considered legitimate. Washington wants the United Nation's Security Council to turn up the heat and wants African leaders, especially South African President Thabo Mbeki to get tough on Mugabe. So far, they haven't delivered.
CONDOLEEZA RICE, SECRETARY OF STATE: I don't see anything that President Mugabe has done that has been helpful for the Zimbabwean people. So, maybe it's time for international pressure.
VERJEE: Zimbabwe's crops used to feed much of Africa, but under Mugabe, it's descended into chaos. Most are starving, with inflation so high, few can afford food. Now, the government's been using food aid as a weapon, seizing food from opposition supporters and giving it to Mugabe's cronies.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VERJEE: The U.S. ambassador to Zimbabwe Jim McGee spoke to reporters a short while ago. And he said that the violence and the intimidation is still continuing in both the rural and the urban areas. And Kyra, he said the situation was still really bad.
PHILLIPS: So, what can the U.S. do? What's the commitment here? I was talking with Peter Godwin, a journalist who investigated a number of stories there. And he said, look, it doesn't have anything to do with oil or terror, so the U.S. probably won't do anything.
VERJEE: Well, the U.S. really doesn't have a whole lot of leverage in Zimbabwe, that's the problem. There can be a lot of pandering, a lot of condemnation, but they really can't do anything that effective on the ground. So what the strategy is or has been is to rely on the international community, especially African leaders and in particular Thabo Mbeki of South Africa.
The part of the whole problem is is that in Africa and many of the neighboring countries around Zimbabwe, it's kind of like an old boy's club. Part of the problem has always been through time is that they protect one another. There have been some African leaders that have come out and criticized Mugabe and his party that's called ZANU- PF. But the U.S. is hoping that the African leaders will pressure Mugabe and make him sit down with the opposition and negotiate.
PHILLIPS: Meanwhile, what does Tsvangirai do now? Does he remain hiding out at the Dutch Embassy and fear for his life?
VERJEE: Well, he's still at the Dutch Embassy. The ambassadors of Zimbabwe said that he was there and that the government of Zimbabwe has said we're not going to raid the Dutch Embassy, Morgan Tsvangirai has nothing to fear for his life. We're not going to do anything with him.
But basically what was said, the ambassador told us that he doesn't really trust the government of Zimbabwe and that Morgan Tsvangirai should do anything he can to make sure that if he leaves the Embassy that he's protected by security that surrounds him for his every move.
PHILLIPS: State Department correspondent Zain Verjee. Zain, thanks so much.
Well, danger down river as another weakened levee gives way. This one's in St. Charles County, Missouri where the National Guard and volunteers have been sandbagging for days. They're worried most about a trailer park that's home to several hundred people.
Now, as flood waters drop upstream, homeowners start cleaning up. Most don't even have flood insurance, but say FEMA is pitching in. So, what's happening to all the people whose towns are underwater? In the river town of Gulfport, Illinois, only 28 of the 2,000 residents had federal flood insurance.
CNN's David Mattingly asked whether anybody was warned that they might be in a floodplain.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Did anyone ever suggest to you that you were taking a risk? Your bank, any city officials, any federal officials?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No.
MATTINGLY: Did FEMA ever approach you, saying maybe you ought to have flood insurance?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Families and businesses without coverage are going to need a lot of legal help. And that's where two New Orleans lawyers come in. Jim Garner and Lee Sher are leaving for Iowa this week. They join me live from New Orleans.
Jim, let's start with you. This federal judge has asked you to come to Iowa, why?
JAMES GARNER, SHER GARNER LAW FIRM: Well, as you know, Kyra, we lived a lot of this. And while the scope may be different, the pain and the damages to the individuals up there are the same. We've been doing this for three years. As you know, we're representing Xavier University and others against travelers (ph) and their insurance companies. So, we think we can share and provide some information to people in a time of need.
PHILLIPS: And Lee, you learned a lot dealing with Katrina victims from fraud to not being prepared and you had to deal with so many victims of the floodwaters there. What surprised you? What are you going to be able to take to Iowa that you learned from Katrina to help these people?
LEE SHER, SHER GARNER LAW FIRM: One of the things that we're going to share with our brethren up in Iowa is that here we are three years later. And our hearts and our prayers are with them because we know what it's like to go through what they're going through. But it's optimistic and positive because here we are almost three years later with a message to them that although it's tough to go through it, you can get through it, you will get through it, and you'll probably be better for it when you're completely through it.
PHILLIPS: All right, let's talk about some of the things that came forward that these folks are going to need to learn that you're going to bring into Iowa.
Jim, buy flood insurance no matter where you live. You say even buy in Denver. There was flooding in New Hampshire this year, people don't realize even in Sacramento, California, that there are risky levees. Explain why no matter what you should buy flood insurance.
GARNER: Well, as you know, we've litigated the issue for Xavier and others. You've -- homeowners, commercial liability policies we think cover it, but the insurance introduced taking the position that negligently built levees by the Corps of Engineers are not covered. The only relief then is flood insurance from the National Federal Flood Insurance Program.
I'd buy -- where I was -- I say buy it in Denver, Sacramento is the second greatest risk from bad levees to New Orleans. So, wherever you are, my advice, buy flood insurance, $300 a year, mostly for businesses a little bit more. Even then, flood insurance isn't enough, but it's a place to start.
PHILLIPS: Now Lee, this was an eye opener, check your policy for something called civil authority coverage. What is civil authority coverage? And why should I or anybody else check my policy for that?
SHER: Civil authority coverage provides you coverage under your insurance policy for that period of time that you cannot return to your home or to your office.
For example, when we were here in New Orleans, New Orleans was really shut down for more than a month. During that time period, you have to live, you have expenses of living, you have food, you have -- you have to seek shelter. You have to buy clothes, you have to continue your life and coverage under your policy may include that. That's why you want to look for it, to make sure you have coverage for that period of time where you just can't go home or can't go back to your business.
PHILLIPS: OK, and Jim, all insurance policies, you should have them on a PDF, on a memory stick, some sort of hard drive. You also say that you should definitely make a phone call to your insurance company with your policy number because if you don't, they actually are not very helpful?
GARNER: Well, there were people who called. And when they didn't have a policy number, these are after the fact stories from Katrina, they got no help. All companies are not the same, thank God. But have your policies with you, know what you're entitled to up front. We learned it kind of the hard way with Katrina. The joke around here is nobody knew what their policy said until after the storm.
So, if you call them up front, as Lee talked about civil authority coverage, please send me a $10,000 advance. One of our lawyers, Tim Francis (ph) was going north with Ashley (ph) to have a baby. Tim had to deal with that and keep in touch with me. So, getting that money upfront helps people when you have no access to your bank accounts.
PHILLIPS: Jim, what else? I mean, what am I missing here? I mean, those are a couple of things that stood out to me. But for these hundreds and hundreds of people in Iowa, just kind of sitting there looking at their house under water, obviously it's a little too late in some cases. But is there something that we should mention that they can do now? Or is it more important to say to those that may encounter this at another point, make sure you do this?
GARNER: I would do both.
PHILLIPS: OK.
GARNER: For those who haven't sustained a disaster, God bless them, but you never know when it's going to happen. Look at your insurance policies, put them on a disk. For those in Iowa and those people we're going to go up and talk to later this week, I would say put on notice any insurance carrier you have because if you don't pursue the claim, you're certainly going to recover nothing. And there are insurance companies out there who will make an effort to try to help those people that pay premiums.
PHILLIPS: Jim Garner, Lee Sher, appreciate the tips. Good luck in Iowa. Let us know how it goes, will you?
SHER: We'll do so. Thanks for having us.
GARNER: Thanks, Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Thanks, guys -- Don?
LEMON: Very good advice, very good advice.
Now, from coffee to colas to energy drinks. Moms are drinking up to keep up with their very busy schedules. But is all the caffeine taking a toll? We have important health news for moms and anyone who has one.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: All right, well, today's busy moms certainly do juggle a lot. And many turn to caffeine for that extra boost of energy to help them keep up with all that's going on. But, researchers are saying hold off on that extra cup of joe.
And so is our chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): How much caffeine is too much?
VOICE OF SARAH KRIPAL, IREPORTER: I have about four energy drinks a day.
VOICE OF AILINA LARANANG, IREPORTER: So, I'm drinking coffee every waking hour.
GUPTA: These moms, who are also CNN i-Reporters 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.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The jitteriness, the nervousness, the feeling that the heart may be racing a little bit or even skipping a heartbeat every now and again. Now, 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 effects. 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.
Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN, reporting.
(END VIDEOTAPE) LEMON: Want to tell you now about some new research that suggests low levels of Vitamin D can be dangerous. The study found patients with the lowest blood levels of the vitamin were about twice as likely to die from any cause over the next eight years than those with the highest levels. Researchers say the link between low Vitamin D levels and heart-related deaths was especially strong. But they warn against people popping pills or getting Vitamin D from hours in the sun, citing health risks.
PHILLIPS: A teenager on an early morning swim ends up in the battle for his life with an 11-foot alligator. He shares a story with us coming up in the CNN NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: A Florida teen is lucky to be alive after tangling with an 11-foot alligator. Eighteen-year-old Kasey Edwards went on for a swim early Sunday near Lake Okeechobee, that's right near Melbourne, Florida. Well, an alligator bit into his arm, eventually severing it. Knowing that gators like to pull their prey under water, Edwards actually grabbed a line of buoys and then did this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KASEY EDWARDS, ATTACKED BY ALLIGATOR: I was just like holding on with everything I could from this gator trying to pull me under. And I'd surface, get a gasp of air, and he'd just shake again and then pull me under and he did it about five times.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Wow. Edwards said that he tried gouging out the gator's eyes and it moved away. Then, he headed to shore without realizing that his arm was even gone.
LEMON: Wow, OK. Well, saved by a sports bra. How about this one? A stranded hiker sends an unusual signal to rescuers.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: The runoff is still on. But only one candidate for president of Zimbabwe is still running. His would-be opponent ran for his life from a government campaign, that he calls total war.
LEMON: Well, we're following the crisis up close and far away.
