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Freed FARC Hostage Returns to France; President Bush Welcomes new U.S. Citizens at Thomas Jefferson's Home; Big Sur Threatened by Wildfire; Sen. Jesse Helms Dies at 86

Aired July 04, 2008 - 10:00   ET

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

HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: There you go. Happy Fourth of July, everybody.
I'm Heidi Collins.

TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Tony Harris. Stay informed all day in the CNN NEWSROOM. This Independence Day, here's what's on the rundown.

A free French hostage arriving at a military airfield outside of Paris touching down moments ago. Ingrid Betancourt's triumphant homecoming live. Live pictures there.

COLLINS: And we'll go live to Monticello, home of Thomas Jefferson. President Bush welcomes dozens of new U.S. citizens this hour.

HARRIS: And militants slipping across Syria's boarder into Iraq. Our correspondent on patrol with Syrian troops, a CNN exclusive today, Friday, July 4th.

You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

And France is rolling out the red carpet for a freed hostage, Ingrid Betancourt arriving just moments ago. Maybe we can loop in some of those live pictures from just a moment ago, the landing and the plane touching down. Just moments ago after six years in the Colombian jungle.

Jim Bittermann live from Paris. Actually, he's on the phone with us.

And Jim, if you would, share with us some of the details of the welcome that is planned for Ingrid Betancourt and her, let's say it, her beautiful children.

VOICE OF JIM BITTERMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, I'll say, I'll certainly say that. Certainly, well-spoken children and they've been on board the plane with her as she's come from Bogota, Colombia, on a day when a lot of Americans are thinking about freedom. Of course, she's definitely thinking about freedom after having just arrived to her own freedom after six and a half years in the jungles of Colombia.

Just 48 hours ago, she was still a captive and now she's just arrived here at the military airport outside Paris, at Villacoublay, the airport where often times distinguished visitors arrive. Now, we're expecting to see any moment here President Sarkozy come out along with Carla Bruni, who are there at the airport, meant to be there at the airport to greet Ingrid Betancourt on her arrival. And they're going to go with her to a reception that's planned at the presidential palace here in Paris where they're basically going to meet with a lot of leading politicians and some of the show business community and just a lot of notables from around Paris who Ingrid Betancourt knew or might have reason to have known over the years that she was here.

She was here for a number of years. She grew up here. She had French citizenship. She went to Sciences Po, one of the best universities in Paris. And in that time at Sciences Po, she came to get acquainted with Dominique de Villepin, for example, who became prime minister later on and a number of other people who were very influential in government circles. That's at least part of the reason for the close connection that the French have always felt with Ingrid Betancourt and her plight in Colombia. Tony.

HARRIS: Hey, you know what, Jim? Maybe you can elaborate on this just a bit. Interesting to note that the United States government obviously was looped in on the plans for the rescue attempt. It seems the French government was not.

BITTERMAN: Well, there was some dismay in government circles, I think, when they discovered only 15 minutes before it hit the wires that she was freed. They discovered from the Colombians that, in fact, there was a mission on and it was a successful mission. They really didn't know about it at that time even though President Sarkozy said from his first day in office that the freedom for Betancourt was going to be one of his main occupations during his presidency, and he did, in fact, invest a great deal of political capital in exactly that, trying to win her freedom.

He talked to Hugo Chavez of Venezuela, he talked to President Uribe of Colombia a number of times and others in Latin America, trying to put the pressure on so that FARC, that's the revolutionary group in Colombia, would eventually release her.

But in the end, of course, it was a totally Colombian operation, and so much so that basically the president here was in the dark right up until just before it was announced that she was released.

Now, she said, however, on the plane coming over here, she's been quoted as saying -- there was a reporter on the plane with them, and coming across the Atlantic, she said she owes her life and freedom to France, and she says I wanted to communicate this happiness and to share it with the French people and I'm in great shape. I've never felt stronger. That answered the question that some have here about her immediate appearance and transatlantic flight and all after the ordeal she's been through.

One of the things is that we know that aboard the plane there is the president's doctor, who flew to Colombia and has flown back now from -- with her from Colombia, in the airport here. We are we also are being told that she is going to be taken to the Val-de-Grace Hospital here in Paris, which is the main military hospital in Paris, and she'll be given a thorough medical examination. Now, when that's going to happen is unclear. It could be either later today or tomorrow. But in any case, they are going to make sure that she's in as strong a shape as she says she is. Tony.

HARRIS: Well, Ingrid Betancourt may feel as though she owes her life and freedom to France, but a nod should certainly go to the U.S. government, which we understand provided intelligence to the Colombian government to assist in that rescue of all 15 of the hostages, including three Americans.

Jim Bittermann for us in Paris. And we, of course, will continue to follow this developing story.

Another reminder for you, a programming note. Tomorrow, a CNN special presentation, an HBO documentary looks at Ingrid Betancourt's kidnapping and her family's six-year struggle to free her. HBO's "The Kidnapping of Ingrid Betancourt," see it on CNN Saturday night, 8:00 p.m. Eastern.

COLLINS: Getting used to everyday life again after five years as hostages. That is the next step for three Americans freed from Colombian captivity.

Ed Lavandera has been following the story for us. He is live once again in San Antonio, Texas, this morning.

So Ed, how are things looking this morning?

ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, Heidi, I was going through some notes this morning, I think one of the things I kind of looked over yesterday was that I didn't realize that one of these gentlemen who's now a former hostage, Thomas Howes, is celebrating his 55th birthday today. So, it is quite a celebration for him after having spent the last five birthdays in captivity in the jungles of Colombia. He's here in San Antonio, waking up with family and friends nearby and reuniting with them.

We understand, according to military officials yesterday, that all three men did have reunions scheduled with their immediate family members. That took place in private, undisclosed locations here in San Antonio. So, you know, all of that was done behind the scenes, which is interesting. So different from what Miss Betancourt's homecoming and reunion with her family has been like. Here in the U.S., a very different tone for these reunions and these reintegrations back here into the U.S. have taken place.

But we also wanted to share with you a clip from a documentary that was put together, and it actually showed two of the men in Colombia back in 2003. You really get a sense from watching this clip just how intense their captivity must have been.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I 100 percent miss my family. I have -- just wait for me baby. Joey, Cody, Destiny, I love you guys. And I'm just waiting to come home.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm kind of a hard person. I apologize.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LAVANDERA: And Heidi, we talked a lot yesterday about what kind of physical condition these three men are in. Doctors we spoke with yesterday said they had done a preliminary test --

COLLINS: Ed, pardon me. I got to interrupt you. I'm so sorry.

But the other side of the screen that we're showing here. No we have a full picture of Ingrid Betancourt, who has just now landed in Paris. We saw her come down the stairs of the aircraft there meeting with French President Nicholas Sarkozy and his wife, Carla Bruni. Exchanging words obviously in French, so we don't have that. If we did have it, we probably wouldn't be close enough with a microphone. However, we do have the shot, very interesting shots of her again meeting with the French president and his wife.

Great job. We will continue to show this picture. I just want to let people know what we were looking at there, as she made her way off the aircraft and down the stairs there in Paris.

Go ahead, Ed. Tell us little bit more about the American hostages and what they'll be doing today.

LAVANDERA: Well, I just wanted to follow up here. We talk so much yesterday about their physical conditions and how they were undergoing physical tests and mental evaluations here in San Antonio. That process started yesterday, obviously, and there had been some reports that maybe some of the men are suffering from parasitic diseases or other kind of tropical borne diseases, and doctors told us yesterday that so far they haven't been able to confirm or pinpoint any of those diseases, but they're still waiting for results to come back. That might have changed since we last spoke with doctors yesterday. But as of now the men seemed to be in very good shape, in very good physical health at this point.

And it's also interesting to point out this program, this reintegration program they're going through with the military here, the military insisted that this is optional for them, that they do not have to go through it if they don't want to, that they're free to leave here in San Antonio and go back to their families as quickly as they want or however it is they want to handle that. The military insists this is just something they're offering them to help them get back to everyday life in the U.S. Heidi.

COLLINS: I hope they take the opportunity because, boy, you can only imagine how hard it would be to get back to everyday life after being gone and living in those conditions for so long. CNN's Ed Lavandera for us, San Antonio, Texas, right near Brooke Army Medical Center.

Thank you, Ed. HARRIS: And Heidi, quickly, let's send everyone to Charlottesville, Virginia. The President taking part in Monticello's annual naturalization ceremony, welcoming 76 new American citizens.

(JOINED IN PROGRESS)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: And they believe the nation dedicated to liberty could never survive a world ruled by kings. Today, we know history had other plans. After many years of war, the United States won its independence. The principles that Thomas Jefferson enshrined in the declaration became the guiding principles of the new nation. And every generation, Americans have rededicated themselves to the belief that all men are created equal, the God-given rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

(APPLAUSE)

Thomas Jefferson understood these right do not belong to Americans alone. They belong to all mankind. And he looked to the day when all people could secure them. In the 50th anniversary of America's independence, Thomas Jefferson passed away. But before leaving this world, he explained had the principles of the "Declaration of Independence" were universal.

In one of the final letters of his life, he wrote, "may it be to the world what I believe it will be to some parts sooner, to others later but finally to all. The signal of arousing men to burst the chains and to assume the blessings and security of self-government."

We honor Jefferson's legacy by aiding the rise of liberty in lands that do not know the blessings of freedom. And on this Fourth of July, we pay tribute to the brave men and women who wear the uniform of the United States of America.

(APPLAUSE)

We also honor Jefferson's legacy by welcoming newcomers to our land, and that is what we're here to celebrate here today. Throughout our history, the words of the declaration have inspired immigrants around the world to set sail to our shores. These immigrants have helped transform 13 small colonies into a great and growing nation of more than 300 people. They've made America a melting pot of cultures from all across the world. They've made diversity one of the great strengths of our democracy. And all of us here today are here to honor and pay tribute to that great notion of America.

Those of you who have taken the oath of citizenship at this ceremony hail from 30 different nations. You represent many different ethnicities and races and religions. But you all have one thing in common, and that is a shared love of freedom. This love of liberty is what binds our nation together, and this is the love that makes us all Americans.

One man with special appreciation for liberty is Mayo So from Burma. As a member of the Shan (ph) ethnic group, Maya faced discrimination and oppression at the hands of Burma's military. When he tried to reach local villagers -- when he tried to teach local villagers how to read and write, the Shan language, the regime interrogated him and harassed him.

In 2000 he left a life of fear for a life of freedom. He now works as a painter in the Charlottesville community. Today, we welcome this brave immigrant as a citizen to be of the United States of America. I'm sure there are other stories like Maya's among you, but we must remember that the desire for freedom burns inside every man and woman and child.

More than two centuries ago, this desire of freedom has inspired the subjects of a mighty empire to declare themselves free and independent citizens of a new nation. Today, this same desire for freedom has inspired 72 immigrants from around the world to become citizens of the greatest nation on earth, the United States of America.

(APPLAUSE)

I congratulate you. I welcome you. I wish you all a Happy Fourth of July. Thanks for inviting me. May God bless you, and may God continue to bless the United States of America.

HARRIS: All right. That was nice.

President Bush in Charlottesville, Virginia. The home of the man who virtually wrote the "Declaration of Independence," Thomas Jefferson, you wonder if these events, Heidi, actually mean a bit more to the President these days a he closes out the last few months of his presidency. The president taking part in the naturalization ceremony of welcoming 76 new American citizens from over 30 countries. President Bush in Charlottesville, Virginia.

CHETRY: I understand three of them are from Iraq, too. So very interesting day as those live pictures are coming in once again from Virginia.

You know what? I think we're going to listen in for just a moment.

Is that right, guys? Let's go ahead and do that.

(JOINED IN PROGRESS)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: God save these United States and this honorable court. Please be seated and come to order. Thank you, Mr. President.

COLLINS: Looks like we'll have a few more speeches there, so we're going to try and bring you some more live pictures as people are actually being sworn in, because what a great day for them. Seventy- six people becoming Americans today. We'll go back to that momentarily.

Meanwhile, the spirit of July 4th every day in Iraq.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, every day's Independence Day feeling when you're here, you know, getting to do what I get to do. It's that feeling of being able to practice what we get to celebrate every Fourth of July.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: Working holiday. As the 345th combat support hospital.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: Combat casualties are down. The dedication of American troops in Iraq remains high. U.S. soldiers on duty at a medical unit in Iraq. Our Frederick Pleitgen now from Camp Spiker near Tikrit.

Good evening to you there, Frederick.

FREDERICK PLEITGEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Heidi. You're absolutely right.

I am inside the emergency room of the combat support hospital here at Camp Spiker here in Iraq where, of course, many lives have been saved. The work that the men and women do here at the camp is so important. They don't only treat American soldiers, they also treat Iraqi soldiers and they even treat insurgents if they're brought in here.

And let me tell you, just as we are speaking right now, there are Fourth of July celebrations that are actually starting here at the camp and there will be a barbecue here tonight. I want to bring in Captain Alex McDonald, because she's actually not going to be able to attend those celebrations because she's on duty here, right?

CAPT. ALEX MCDONALD, M.D., 345TH COMBAT SUPPORT HOSPITAL: That's right. We have a whole crew of soldiers who will be working and we'll not be able to go to the barbecue. But we work as a team here at the hospital, and we'll have some other soldiers bring us some hamburgers and hot dogs so we can at least partake in that matter.

PLEITGEN: How is it not being a part of the celebration?

MCDONALD: Well, you know, it's not so fun not being able to be part of the celebration, but we're having our own fun here too.

PLEITGEN: Of course, this is such an important holiday to any American, really, and you're here in Iraq, so many people away from their families. What's that like to be in a foreign country on a day like this?

MCDONALD: It's hard on everybody. I must admit, being away from families, especially on the Fourth of July. But we try to be together as a team. We try to support each other and try to be our own family here and try to get through it on a day to day. And of course everybody's proud to be here. I mean, this is what we're here to do, to serve and to protect and honor our country. PLEITGEN: All right, Heidi. So, serving proudly here in Iraq on the Fourth of July. A lot of men and women here in uniform are doing their jobs. Really, there is no time to stand down here in the conflict zone, even on a day like this, Heidi.

COLLINS: Well, you tell them, Frederick, we appreciate their service, especially on this day. Thanks so much for your live shots as well. Via broad band, we have Frederick Pleitgen today.

Thanks so much, Frederick.

HARRIS: Let's take you back to the military airport in Paris now. Ingrid Betancourt is speaking and taking some questions.

Let's listen in.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

INGRID BETANCOURT, FREED FARC HOSTAGE: Not one shot was fired in this operation. So, I think we managed what seemed to be impossible, so all the problems that -- so that all the problems that we had in trying to release us were all dealt with and resolved without any death. That is why I'm so happy that I'm here today, and that is why I'm, in fact, here today, to say thank you, to say how much I love you, to say how much you are part of my life, to say how much I owe you. I cried a lot during all this time of pain when I was a hostage and all the things that were done to me. Now I cry out of joy. These are tears of joy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: There you have it. Former hostage, former Colombian presidential candidate Ingrid Betancourt in France today meeting with the French president and the first lady of France. A busy day for Ingrid Betancourt. There will be a formal meeting at the president's official residence and then a trip to nearby hotel where there is a picture of her hanging. And a wonderful moment. She will actually take the picture down. Ingrid Betancourt and her family in Paris, her second home.

A reminder here, this programming note, tomorrow a CNN special presentation, a wonderful HBO documentary, looks at Ingrid Betancourt's kidnapping and her family's six-year struggle to free her. HBO's "The Kidnapping of Ingrid Betancourt." See it on CNN tomorrow night 8:00 p.m. Eastern time.

All right. Big crowds will be at the National Mall for independence day events. But the best known -- the place sort of best known as America's front yard really needs some help. Our Jeanne Meserve is there.

Jeanne, good to see you this morning. Is the National Mall in need of a bit of a makeover?

JEANNE MESERVE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes it is. There are just a few people here right now, but by the time the day is over, about half a million people are expected to gather for the nation's big birthday party. And some may be shocked at what they see.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MESERVE: How about this for a souvenir snapshot of the national mall? Or this? Or this?

JUDY SCOTT FELDMAN, NAT'L COALITION TO SAVE OUR MALL: We are looking at an old, rundown, worn-out mall that looks like it was abandoned 30 years ago.

MESERVE: Part of the problem -- people. The National Mall has more visitors each year than the Yosemite, Yellowstone, and the Grand Canyon combined.

BILL LINE, NATIONAL PARK SERVICE; You have 25 million people coming through your front yard, it might not look so nice either.

MESERVE: The mall has an annual budget of about $31 million. But it's backlogged maintenance needs are estimated at eight times that, $258 million. Among the most expensive projects, reinforcing the sinking sea wall around the Jefferson Memorial, rehabilitating the now-shabby World War I Memorial. But there are other more pressing issues.

JOHN "CHIP" AKRIDGE, TRUST FOR THE NATIONAL MALL: The beauty here and Johnny has to go potty, you're in trouble. There's no place to go.

MESERVE: Restrooms, parking, transportation all desperately needed along with places to eat. Chip Akridge jokingly calls that tent Washington's Tavern on the Green.

AKRIDGE: This is America's front yard. You wouldn't have that in your front yard. We don't want it in this front yard. No American wants that in his front yard.

MESERVE: Akridge heads up the trust for the National Mall, which is raising private money to fix up the Mall. Some argue it's problems won't all be solved with big sums of money.

FELDMAN: But picking the trash, mowing the grass, watering the grass, putting in some flowers, those are daily maintenance issues. They shouldn't require $250 million extra.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MESERVE: Now, the park service thinks it does a pretty good job. It says on average three to four tons of trash are generated here on the Mall. But today, when we're expecting half a million people, there may be as much as 18 tons of trash generated. They promise they will all be gone tomorrow. Tony, back to you.

HARRIS: Jeanne, just very quickly, any thoughts of, you know, sort of shutting it down for a little bit and do the weeds, the seeds, and replant, maybe fix the sea wall? Any thoughts on that?

MESERVE: Oh yes, there are definitely thoughts of it. The park service is engaged in a planning process right now.

HARRIS: Oh, good.

MESERVE: That would deal with some of these issues. The problem is it will take money, it will take time, and it's going to be a ways down the road. So, for now, very heavy usage here and a lot of wear and tear and it shows.

HARRIS: And it shows. All right. Jeanne Meserve for us.

Good to see you, Jeanne. Thanks.

MESERVE: You bet.

HARRIS: General Motors on the skids. We will toss around a few ideas to save the auto giant with an industry insider. Back in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: It is one of California's most scenic areas, Big Sur, and this morning, all that natural beauty is threatened by a wildfire. CNN's Dan Simon is there watching the flames for us.

And it seems like, Dan, we've been talking for days and days now that it's just getting worse.

DAN SIMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Heidi, when you're dealing with a fire of this magnitude, you're going to have times where is it's very dangerous here. You're also going to have times when it's a bit quiet. Right now, we're actually in one of those quiet modes, but you can still see some active fire behind me.

We are just off the major highway here, Highway 1. And you can see the canyon, you can see some fire up there, it's coming down. Obviously, there is a lot of dry brush, a lot of trees, and that is what is keeping this fire going. What fire crews are trying to do, they're trying to prevent that fire from crossing the highway and getting into some of the populated areas.

But fortunately, the winds are really light right now, so they think that fire is going to stay up there in the wilderness. This fire, Heidi, has been raging now for two weeks, and firefighters, 1,500 of them out here, they are very fatigued. I just spoke with one of them. He told me they just can't sleep because it's so loud and there really is no comfortable place for them to sleep at night.

So, today, recognizing that there's a bit of a problem there, they're going to take a much-needed time-out to talk about safety, talk about how they might be able to get some sleep. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RUDY EVENSON, FIREFIGHTER: I'm sure we'll all be thinking about what our families are up to back home. For us, we'll be doing a safety stand down at some point during the day, which means they'll go up on the radio, they'll let us know it's time to do the safety stand down.

Crews are all going to pause and huddle up and do a little tailgate safety briefing focusing on fatigue. This is the 14th day of the fire, and a lot of the crews are getting tired so it's time for us all to take stock and make sure we're not getting too worn out and pay attention to what's going on around us and stay safe.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SIMON: Heidi, normally this weekend, it would be very busy here in Big Sur, this Fourth of July weekend. This is prime time tourist season, but this town is obviously empty. This area under a mandatory evacuation order, so no people here, and no people living here and obviously no tourists. Everybody's evacuated their homes.

COLLINS: Yes. Wow. And, Dan, I wonder, in the airline business when you're a pilot, they call it crew rest. You can only fly so many hours and then you have to get some rest. I imagine with the hot shot crews or just the regular firefighters that are there and that have been working so hard over these past few weeks, they have a certain amount of time, as well, that they can be on the fire lines?

SIMON: Well, they work in shifts. They work in 12-hour shifts and then they get a bit of a break. Just spoke to some guys who were just getting off their night shift. But, you know, they tell me that, you know, there's really no place for them to go where they can actually get some good rest. They'll go back to the fire camp and they'll try to sleep for an hour or two in a tent and then before they know it, they're back on the shift. So if you're working round the clock, 14 days straight, it's obviously tough.

COLLINS: Twelve hours at a pop. Boy, I hadn't thought of that. All right, Dan Simon, appreciate it, thank you.

And Rob Marciano joining us now to talk a little bit more about this. Yes, boy, there's no rest for the weary, huh?

(WEATHER REPORT)

COLLINS: All right Rob, thank you.

Got a bit of breaking news for you here in the CNN NEWSROOM. North Carolina Senator Jesse Helms, we're learning, has passed away. Senator Helms, outspoken U.S. senator, a bit of a firebrand would be one of the words used to describe him, to be sure, a conservative voice for years and years from North Carolina. A man who's views, it must be said, from time to time, polarized not only some of his fellow North Carolinians, but people around the country.

He has passed away. He was 86-years-old. The cause of death not released. He served five terms in the United States Senate, retiring in 2003 because of his failing health. And during his 30 years on Capitol Hill, the North Carolina Republican became really a powerful voice for a conservative movement in this country, growing majorities in Congress, conservative Republican majorities in Congress over the years. Again, news just in to the CNN NEWSROOM, Senator Jesse Helms of North Carolina has passed away. More on the life of Jesse Helms in just a couple of moments.

You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: And once again, we learned just moments ago that Senator Jesse Helms of North Carolina has died. He was 86-years-old. The cause of death not released. He served the people of North Carolina as a senator for, boy, 30 years on Capitol Hill before retiring in 2003 because of his faltering health. And boy, really led a conservative movement in this country and was certainly instrumental in working towards the so-called conservative revolution in the '90s.

And he was certainly a part of that, known just as well for some of his more divisive views, certainly, his views on race relations in this country, well-known, well established. He opposed a national holiday honoring Martin Luther King Jr. There was the time he led a filibuster against the extension of the Voting Rights Act.

And, oh, we have more on the life of Jesse Helms now, our Bob Franken.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BOB FRANKEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In life, he was the scourge of the Democrats. For that matter, anyone whose politics or social agenda conflicted with his staunchly conservative view, and he minced few words.

SEN. JESSE HELMS (R), NORTH CAROLINA: I do not yield to ideological extortion.

FRANKEN: Even though Helms reveled in his continuing role as "Senator No," he was also the man who struck up a warm relationship with the Clintons' secretary of state, Madeleine Albright, and who worked a deal to pay the U.S. debt to the United Nations. But he will mostly be remembered as the champion of the hard right ever since he came to the Senate in 1972.

HELMS: Homosexuals, lesbians, disgusting people marching in our streets demanding all sorts of things.

FRANKEN: The American Conservative Union consistently gave Helms a 100 percent rating. The American Civil Liberties Union, zero. And no wonder. He routinely taunted those whether he ridiculed as pointy- headed liberals, whether the question was AIDS, abortion, school prayer or funding for the arts.

HELMS: If orators want to go into a men's room and write dirty words on the wall, let them furnish their own crayons. Let them furnish their own wall, but don't ask the taxpayers to support it.

FRANKEN: His portly southern demeanor camouflaged the reality that Helms was a brutally effective political fighter. In one campaign, he had a tough battle against a black Democrat. Helms' victory was partially credited to a last-minute commercial that many critics called blatantly racist.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Because of a racial quote. Does that mean it's fair?

HELMS: What we have heard here today has been a political spectacle.

FRANKEN: Helms, say his critics and supporters alike, say he approached everything from an ideological view and will likely go down in history as a hard right flashpoint in so many of the bitterest debates of modern times.

Bob Franken, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: Once again, the news into CNN just a short time ago, Jesse Helms, the senator from North Carolina, dead at the age of 86.

COLLINS: And quickly, want to bring in Bill Schneider for us, someone who has followed the career very closely of Jesse Helms.

Bill, if you can, give us a little built more flair here on Jesse Helms and what his life, his service to this country, if you will, was all about. We know he was -- at least some people would consider him a conservative icon.

WILLIAM SCHNEIDER, CNN SR. POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, he was among many conservatives, but he's also a symbol really of a conservative path that a lot of conservatives would like to move on, to move beyond. And he was elected in 1972 in North Carolina.

I think he was the first Republican elected in North Carolina since reconstruction. He was intensely controversial, very divisive figure, conservatives really held him in high esteem, liberals despised him. They tried repeatedly to defeat him.

You saw in Bob Franken's speech that Harvey Gantt was an African- American Democrat who opposed him when he won in a very controversial campaign. Just about everything Jesse Helms did or said was controversial. And he symbolized in many ways the mixing southern strategy of reaching out to the South and making it the base of the Republican Party with which what many considered to be overtly racist appeals. Certainly Jesse Helms' campaign against Harvey Gantt was open to that charge.

COLLINS: Yes. I've been looking at some information here, I've got a little bit of a chuckle when back in I believe it was 2002 he acknowledged his polarizing character by saying famed ventriloquist dummy, you remember those comments, Bill? Mortimer Snerd could run as the Democratic candidate for Senate against him and garner 45 percent of the vote. SCHNEIDER: That's right. Any Democrat -- I always used to say, I think he won five times. Any Democrat who defeated Jesse Helms would instantly become a national celebrity, possibly a contender for a place on a national ticket.

I remember thinking when Harvey Gantt ran against him, if he defeats Jesse Helms in North Carolina, he will become -- Harvey Gantt will become an icon to the Democratic Party. Well, no one ever did it. He retired in early 2003 after five terms. Democrats had always tried to defeat him, never quite did it. In the end, he was overcome by illness and retired about six years ago.

COLLINS: All right. Well, Bill Schneider, we appreciate that, some perspective there on Jesse Helms. And once again, we have just learned he is now dead. He was 86-years-old.

HARRIS: Stemming the flow of insurgents into Iraq. Ahead, CNN's exclusive from the Syrian/Iraqi border.

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COLLINS: Syria, a desert nation northwest of Iraq. The 300-mile border between the two nations is wide open. Long considered an easy entry point for foreign insurgents.

CNN's Cal Perry visited that border with the Syrian Army. He's joining us now from Damascus with his exclusive report.

So Cal, how porous is the border really and what is Syria doing to secure it?

CAL PERRY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, they say they're doing absolutely everything that they can and they're working within their means. One of the things that they kept saying to us throughout the day was that the U.S. embargo -- that the U.S. is stopping them from getting simple military equipment like night-vision goggles, for example. They say they cannot patrol the border at night without this equipment.

The U.S., for their part of course, says they're not going to give this equipment to Syria because they say it will fall into the wrong hands. The Syrians obviously deny that.

The other thing that I found very surprising, Heidi, were that commanders on the ground say that the U.S. military is violating Syrian air space and they're doing that consistently, five to six times a month.

And as early as last week, there was a violation of the air space. The commanders on the ground expressed frustration saying they don't have a direct line of communication open to the U.S. military. They have nobody they can coordinate with on the ground from the Syrian side of the border. And this is, of course, a very vital border, not just for the future of Iraq but for the future relationship between Syria and the United States, Heidi. COLLINS: OK, I'm confused. It sounds to me like the Syrians are saying they want help from the U.S., but yet they're complaining that they're in their air space.

PERRY: Exactly. They're doing exactly that. They're a bit frustrated, I think, that the Americans criticize them so much over this border. We heard a warning of comments from the U.S. military about this border. They say that the Syrians are doing a better job.

Now, the Syrians have said exclusively to us that they are doing everything they can to control this border. They have outposts a kilometer apart from each other. They do foot patrols and they do patrols via vehicles, but again, what they've said is they do not have all the equipment they need because the U.S. military will not let them have that equipment.

To give you an example of what I'm talking about, we flew out to the border yesterday. We wanted to return to Damascus last night. The pilot simply said it's not safe. We do not have night vision goggles. We're talking about pilots that fly the old school way, with a map, a ruler and a compass. This is how the pilots here fly because they do not have the kind of computer navigational equipment that the Americans do. And again, they are very frustrated with the Americans that they continue to violate Syrian air space, Heidi.

COLLINS: Wow, a complicated story, that's for sure. We certainly appreciate it. Cal Perry, exclusive for us this morning regarding Syria and the border between Syria and Iraq. Of course, Cal, thank you.

HARRIS: A hurricane giveaway to tell you about. A state sends supplies to everyone but the victims.

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COLLINS: Outrage in Mississippi. Tens of millions of dollars of stockpiled hurricane supplies meant for storm victims never made it to the needy. And instead, were given to states and federal agencies. Special investigations unit correspondent, Abbie Boudreau, just got back from the Mississippi Coast and is joining us now with our exclusive report.

It's an amazing story that you've been following for quite some time.

ABBIE BOUDREAU, CNN SPECIAL INVESTIGATIONS UNIT CORRESPONDENT: Yes Heidi, it's actually unbelievable to go to the Mississippi Coast and see that people are still in such desperate need of juts the basic supplies.

Last month, we reported what happened in Louisiana, how FEMA scored $58 million worth of household supplies. But instead of getting those items to the people in need, it gave them away to different agencies like federal prisons. Well, the story in Mississippi gets even more complicated because the state actually took the supplies, but then never gave them to the people who so need them. We sat down with a group of local nonprofit leaders in Mississippi who are astounded by all of this.

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GLENDA PERRYMAN, UNITED HEARTS COMMUNITY ACTION AGENCY: We work so hard to help people in our community when the government is holding stuff back that we can use to give to people that don't have. And we have to give people used stuff just to survive. What's wrong with this picture?

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BOUDREAU: Tonight on "THE SITUATION ROOM," we'll have the whole story and we'll explain how this could have happened and what's being done about it.

COLLINS: Well, that's the big question. What is being done about it? I'm sure you've talked to FEMA. What do they say?

BOUDREAU: Well, we've talked to FEMA so many times. And FEMA continues to say -- at this point, they're saying now we're starting to launch an internal investigation into what happened so that this problem does not happen again. We'll have a lot more about that on "THE SITUATION ROOM" tonight.

COLLINS: So is all the stuff gone? It's all been farmed out to these other agencies, or there are still things left?

BOUDREAU: Well, FEMA did tell us just yesterday that they're actually trying to figure out -- they're trying to catalog to find out if there are any more of these supplies, extra supplies, that they can hand out.

But at this point, from what we've been told from the General Services Administration, they actually say that all of those items have been distributed to different federal and state agencies. And whether or not they've distributed those items out to who they say they're going to, like the federal prisons, the Department of Wildlife, the Border Patrol, the U.S. Postal Service, is still questionable.

So we're following it. We're not letting this one go.

COLLINS: OK, very good. We appreciate it. Let us know what you find out.

Thanks, Abbie.

HARRIS: Coastal communities stared down fires in both northern and southern California. And the weekend weather doesn't look helpful. Crews are tired and really need a break. All day coverage in the NEWSROOM.

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