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New Fire Warnings and Evacuations in California; What You Need to Know Before Buying a Hybrid; U.S. Aircraft Carrier Moves to Afghanistan; Man Survives With Metal Pin in Brain; Guo Guo the Panda Gives Birth to Twins in China
Aired July 08, 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: Good morning once again, everybody. Top of the hour now, 10:00 Eastern time. I'm Heidi Collins.
TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Tony Harris. Stay informed all day at the CNN NEWSROOM. Here's what's on the rundown - a new wildfire sent thousands of families packing this morning. A developing story out of northern California.
COLLINS: A father accused of killing his own adult daughter. We explore what's known as honor killings with our guests.
ROBERTS: Washers. dryers and the fridge. How to make pig big- ticket appliances last longer. Personal finance editor Gerri Willis shows us today, July 8th. You are in the CNN NEWSROOM.
So a lot of fire news to get to. Bear with me her. New fire warnings and immediate evacuations in California. Those evacuations under way right now in a couple of communities in Butte county. Firefighters called in to rescue residents trapped by a shifting wildfires pushed by what officials are calling substantial winds. Thousands of homes are threatened, As many as 5,000 people may be forced to get out. There are 330 active fires in the state right now. The most destructive are in Big Sur and Goleta.
In Big Sur, crews are beefing up the fire line and cooler temperatures have been helping fire fighting efforts but warmer temperatures could start to turn the tide again. And some homeowners are expected to be allowed to return home later today. That fire is now 18 percent contained, compare that to the gap fire in Santa Barbara county near Goleta. That fire, there is now 35 percent contained. The fire there is burning through brush in the mountains. Some residents are being warned to be ready to go at a moment's notice.
Our Kara Finnstrom is there covering the fire. And we will hear from her a little later in the NEWSROOM.
COLLINS: A 150-mile-an-hour gusts from Hurricane Bertha. It is now a category 3. Bertha is not expected to come close to the east coast. Instead, shifting north. Bermuda could get hit by the storm this weekend, but the National Hurricane Center expects it to start losing strength over the next few days as it moves over those cooler waters. Meanwhile, preparing for the storm, Bertha isn't going to hit the east coast, but that shouldn't stop residents from getting ready right now. CNN's John Zarrella is in Southwest Ranches, Florida this morning. So, John, you've got a whole basket full of goodies there that I can see. How much, on average, do you think it would cost everybody?
JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, what, in our basket here, it's going to cost you $239. And we've got some things that you may already have. You may already have your weather radio, you may already have your flashlights. We've got a couple of flashlights. We've got one case of water. Of course, you're going to need more water than that because you need three days supply of food and water. We've got rope. We've got some extension cords. Of course, you've got to have a tarp in case you have holes in the roof. And certainly you need to have some sort of a first aid kit with you. Now, you know, a lot of times what we see, Heidi, at the last minute are people rushing into the stores to get their plywood to put up on their windows. Well, that's great. You get the plywood, you're ready to protect the windows. But if you don't put the plywood up right, it's not going to help you either. So we went out and have an expert show us how to do it right.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ZARRELLA (voice-over): This impact test shows what happens when a projectile hits a sheet of 1/2-inch thick plywood. A 2 x 4 goes right through it. Bottom line - if you plan using plywood to cover your windows, experts say try to get 5/8 inch thickness. That should work. And to do it right, you need to get started now.
MIKE RIMOLDI, BUILDER: By the time you cut you plywood, you get it sized, you get all your holes marked, you're still looking at an hour per window.
ZARRELLA: To do it right.
RIMOLDI: Right. Exactly.
ZARRELLA: Builder Mike Rimoldi, a consultant for the Federal Alliance for Safe Homes, demonstrate for us the proper way to board up. For this window, Rimoldi drilled studs into the masonry around the window.
RIMOLDI: We need to stay at least two inches in from the exterior side of the wall, and that prevents blowing out the concrete wall or the masonry. And a minimum or maximum I should say of 12-inch intervals.
ZARRELLA: Those are critical points. Again, the anchors need to be two inches off the edge of the frame. And you've got to have enough of them.
RIMOLDI: If you just have ones in the corner like a lot of people do, that's not going to provide you any strength. ZARRELLA: There are anchor kits for wood-frame homes as well. Installation is basically the same. There's one is simple way to lessen the risk something will hit your windows. Bring all loose objects inside, hanging baskets, bird baths, lawn furniture. And if you've got extra time and attic access, you can reinforce your roof.
RIMOLDI: We're just going to put a liberal amount here and run it the whole way down.
ZARRELLA: Using constructive adhesive, run a bead along the joint where the thrust meets the decking. Tests have shown this can significantly strengthen your roof but keep this in mind -
RIMOLDI: When the storm is already off the coast of Miami or the coast of Cape Canaveral, it's too late.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ZARRELLA: You know, one of the hottest selling items here at this Lowe's, Heidi, is this, which is a way to secure your garage door. If you have an existing garage door, $149 you can reinforce your garage door with this. it's basically a vertical metal beam. The garage door is the most vulnerable part of your house. That will fail before anything else in your house fails, your roof, your windows. When that fails, then the roof comes off. This is one of the hottest selling items. Along with aluminum shutters.
COLLINS: Don't forget the aluminum because it will make a lot of noise if you forget it. Interesting though. I like what you say about the garage door because I don't think people really think about that. Certainly if it's blowing up and down and it's made of a flimsier material than your home. Certainly.
ZARRELLA: Yes, absolutely.
COLLINS: CNN's John Zarrella. Thank you, John. Some helpful information there.
ZARRELLA: My pleasure.
COLLINS: Meanwhile, Rob Marciano standing by now in the severe weather center. Some great advice there because you know what? A lot of times I bet people are very well intentioned and they want to go out and try to save their homes but they start too late. I mean, it takes a while.
ROB MARCIANO, CNN, METEOROLOGIST: You've got to get ready now or before even hurricane season starts. You know, Miami and Broward County down there in south Florida, they have some of the strictest building codes in the country. In Bermuda, even more so. I mean, Bermuda, that island is built like a fortress because they get a lot of these.
This is Hurricane Bertha, it's a cat 3, it went from 1 to 3 in about five hours yesterday afternoon, winds of 120 miles an hour, gusting to 150. But you can see here, the eye wall, the eye itself is kind of gone now, just in the last few hours, certainly take on some weakening characteristics. I wouldn't be surprised if the 11:00 advisory they downgrade this significantly. The forecast is for it to weaken. It is getting into cooler waters and going a little farther to the north so winds are interacting with it. That's another shot of the track of it. But it looks like now that Bermuda is out of the path of certainty. So that's the good news.
Off to the west we go, high pressure control here. This is going to bake California. They are under a heat warning and watches now. Red flag warnings as well. A good chunk of California. As you know, a lot of the state is burning. L.A., here's a live shot for you. Take a look. Temps there right now 50s, get up into the 70s, even lower 80s. There will be a bit of a sea breeze there near LAX. But it's not going to get inland too much. It's really going to get warmer, especially in northern California. We've got red flag warnings up through southern Oregon as well. We go down to Sacramento where temps today could get to 110, even 115. And that will be as measured in the shade, doesn't include humidity. So firefighters certainly suffering there.
Around the rest of the country, this front going to be driving to the east, could spark some showers and thunderstorms that could become severe from St. Louis to Chicago. And then pressing further off to the east everywhere, east of that front actually just look for storms to bubble up in the kind of heat of the day. Typical July weather for places like D.C. and New York, 90, 89 degrees in New York, 87 degrees in Boston. 111 in Vegas and 112 in Phoenix.
HARRIS: Aren't you heading out that way?
COLLINS: No, I'm waiting for it too cool off. I don't think there's enough time.
MARCIANO: Are you going to Vegas? Again?
COLLINS: Yes.
MARCIANO: Man, what are they paying her, Tony? You know. I mean unless she's real good at gambling.
HARRIS: She gets lucky when she gets out there. That's what it is. The next trip.
COLLINS: Lucky at the table.
HARRIS: Yes.
COLLINS: Yes.
HARRIS: Oh, Heidi!
COLLINS: You said it.
MARCIANO: You are just, you know -
HARRIS: You know - MARCIANO: You're ruining our image of you.
HARRIS: Oh, my.
MARCIANO: Bet 5 bucks on red for me.
COLLINS: 5 bucks on red when you go there.
MARCIANO: Yes.
COLLINS: OK.
HARRIS: Thanks, Rob.
Well, the pulse of the economy from Wall Street to your corner gas station, let's begin at the New York Stock Exchange. Markets were expected to start the day deep in the red. Take a live look at the big board now, plus 17. May have a reason for that in just a moment. Earlier today oil futures dropped to their lowest level in two weeks that's after yesterday's plunge of nearly 4 bucks a barrel.
And just about an hour ago, crude down another $3.50 per barrel. So, encouraging news on the oil front, with the prices there. Yet worries still deepening over the health of the U.S. mortgage. Lenders Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac may have to raise different cash to weather the housing crisis. A new CNN research opinion poll shows three out of four Americans believe we are now in a recession and gas holds steady at yesterday's record high. Here's a pretty startling number. Each day Americans pay $1 billion more for gas than they did just five years ago.
COLLINS: The soaring cost of fuel forcing a couple of airlines to trim cost and pay rolls. Air Tran Airways says it will cut 180 pilots and 300 flight attendants. The layoffs are expected to save about $16 million a year. Other Air Tran employees face pay cuts of about 10 percent. Frontier Airlines eliminating more than 450 jobs. It too blaming high fuel costs. The airline filed for bankruptcy protection back in April.
ROBERTS: The FAA now disputing claims of a near-miss over JFK Airport in New York. The incident happened Saturday. Controllers say two planes came within 100 feet of each other. A Cayman Airlines plane was landing but instead pulled away coming close to another plane taking off. The FAA says there was no danger, that the planes were 300 feet apart. The usual safe altitude separation is 1,000 feet.
COLLINS: When family tradition and modern ideas collide, some parents kill their children in the name of honor. A look at the culture clash in the NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: Evacuation orders lifted for some in southern California, but that doesn't mean that the danger is over. CNN's Kara Finnstrom is live in Goleta, California, for us this morning. Kara, if you would, just give us a bit of an update on where things stand right now in Goleta.
KARA FINNSTROM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Sure. Good morning, Tony. Well, the fear of firefighters right now is there is hot weather on the way, hot, dry weather. While they've had a significant break over the last couple of day where they really feel they've made some good progress, but they're concerned about that. They're trying to gain as much control over this fire as they can. Right now, you can see that we're at the incident command post. This is where a lot of the organizing, in the air attacks and on the ground attacks takes place. And they're going to be very busy today trying to make the most of this time.
Joining us live here right now I want to bring in Art Morrison. He is with the Incident Command Post. Talk to us a little bit about the progress that has been made over the past few days and what you're anticipating today.
ART MORRISON, FIRE INFORMATION OFFICER: Well, I came off the line last night at about 9:30 and we had three hot shot crews doing burnout operations up in the very northwestern part of the fire. It was very successful so one of the crews didn't get back until about 1:00 and we'll be able to hopefully do some more burnout a little more this morning, cleanups and stuff and then wait for the down slope winds this evening and do more burnout.
FINNSTROM: You've been very, very busy. We want to show you some videotape. We actually followed a crew into the area he's speaking about yesterday. They're going miles into rugged terrain. Our cameras were able to capture a flare-up in that area and then the crushing drop from a DC-10 that followed. And this gives you an idea of the fight that's underway up in those hills to try and get out, you know, the flames that are out there and get as much control as they can. But they stress, well they feel very confident right now about the progress they've made, but we're king of watching and waiting. They don't want to underestimate this one. Tony.
HARRIS: Hey, Kara, we still at about 35 percent or so containment for that fire there near Goleta?
FINNSTROM: About 35 percent was the last number we got here from Art this morning. They continue to update it and we don't have the latest PIO around. If you have a more recent number than we do, the latest we have is 35 percent.
HARRIS: That's what we have.
FINNSTROM: OK.
HARRIS: That's terrific. All right, Kara, good to see you. Thank you.
COLLINS: Georgia police say he strangled his daughter to protect his family's honor. A father now charged with murder. Manuel Bojorquez has the story. He's with affiliate WSB.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) MANUEL BOJORQUEZ, REPORTER, WSB: It was just after 3:00 a.m. when officers arrive at the home on Utah Drive in Jonesboro and soon discovered a 25-year-old Sandeela Kanwai had been killed. They arrested her father, Chaudhry Rashid, for the murder.
TIM OWENS, CLAYTON COUNTY OFFICER: Apparently she and the father had argued over the marriage and the fact that it had been arranged. And at some point during the altercation, he did end up killing his daughter.
BOJORQUEZ: Police say the family is from Pakistan. Her husband is in Chicago.
VERONICA LUCKETT, NEIGHBOR: They've always been relatively quiet.
BOJORQUEZ: Word of the tragedy quickly spread through the neighborhood.
LUCKETT: There's two females that you would generally see there. And my heart goes out to whomever, whichever one that it was because they seem to be decent, lovely people.
BOJORQUEZ: And although the concept of arranged marriage seems foreign to many here, it's not to one neighbor.
ANAND MEHTA, NEIGHBOR: No morals or ethics is important over life.
BOJORQUEZ: Anand Mehta is in a marriage that was arranged and has worked out. He says although it's a tradition a tradition in some cultures this is not how it's supposed to end.
MEHTA: Something that my ethnic background. I'm from India. So, I know the values of the family, about arranged marriage and not having divorce and this and that. But value over life is not as important.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: The practice is known as honor killing. Joining me now to explain it a little bit further is Ajay Nair. He is associate dean of multi-cultural affairs at Columbia University. Thanks for being with us, Professor. You know, I wonder what your immediate reaction was when you first heard this story.
AJAY NAIR, COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY: My immediate reaction really was is this is an anomaly in the southeast Asian-American community. Most families enjoy wonderful relationships within their families.
COLLINS: How could it have gone this far if this is something that's completely out of the ordinary?
NAIR: You know, there really is no simple explanation for this. I thought about his quite a bit. You know, if you think about this in terms of cultural or religious terms, it's really a - halfway approach to this. If you think about it in terms of intergenerational strife, it's an oversimplification, really I think this becomes a kind of human rights issue to think about the kind of subjugation that women faced in all communities, not just south Asian communities.
COLLINS: Yes. I know that you had worked a little bit on the other case that happened, it was regarding an Indian family. And you talked a little bit about how it had something to do with the British. I mean, that that was a little bit more understandable in that type of culture?
NAIR: I'm not sure if it's understandable any time there's a murder or a killing.
COLLINS: Of course not. At least culturally it is something that is more, if you will, acceptable.
NAIR: Yes. I mean, I don't think the vast majority of people within the south Asian community wouldn't find this acceptable at all and wouldn't tolerate it. I think, again, most enjoy very nice relationships.
COLLINS: So you're saying this is complete extremism.
NAIR: This really is a kind of extremism. And I think, you know, there's ways that we can rationalize it and make sense of it, and particularly in thinking about new immigrant communities in the U.S. and thinking about some of the struggles that they face and the generation gap and the cultural differences that children do face. I think there are some issues there, but by and large this isn't a rampant problem within south Asian Communities. What is a problem I think is domestic violence. And that cuts across all communities.
COLLINS: Yes. Now you're talking a little bit more about something that we can begin to understand anyway. In fact, it seems most of the cases that we do hear about even in this sort of bizarre context do talk about men killing women.
NAIR: Yes.
COLLINS: Do we see that all the time? I mean, is it unusual for the man to be a victim in something like this?
NAIR: I mean, overwhelmingly women are the target in these cases. And I think the reason for that, unfortunately and it's unjustified is that women are oftentimes the carriers of the culture, oftentimes the folks that people look to that carry on the culture from generation to generation. It's a way for men in these cases to reaffirm and assert their masculinity.
COLLINS: What's the best way do you think for the American legal system now to end honor killings especially or to deal with just this one alone? If you're saying it's an anomaly, how do they deal with Chaudhry Rashid?
NAIR: I really think there needs to be a significant human rights campaign. I mean, there is a campaign but I think more people need to recognize this as a global issue. And I think it's not just a U.S. issue. I think it happens across the world and I think people need to recognize domestic violence and any kind of violence related to women as a serious, serious issue.
COLLINS: Professor Ajay Nair, coming to us from Colombia University. We sure do appreciate your time. Thank you.
NAIR: Thank you.
HARRIS: Buying time and saving money, make your household appliances last longer. Gerri Willis has tips.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: Let's go ahead and get another check of the big board. Whoa, hang on to your hats, people, we are up a point. Dow Jones industrial average down a little bit. Anyway, you could drive yourself crazy watching these numbers. And many of you may have actually already done that. Another number to kind of keep your eye on, obviously everyone very worried about gas prices, and therefore the cost of oil, down now more than $5. Again, this is crude by the barrel down to $137.85.
HARRIS: It's actually lower than that. I'm sorry.
COLLINS: You didn't do the math.
HARRIS: Right.
COLLINS: I think it's $136.30 is my latest.
HARRIS: OK.
COLLINS: Anyway, everybody just wants to know what they're going to pay to put it in their cars. We will be following all of these numbers for you throughout the day right here on CNN NEWSROOM.
HARRIS: One of these days I'll figure out the math. OK. Time is money especially if you can squeeze another year or so out of household appliances and electronics. Man, isn't that the truth. CNN personal finance editor, Gerri Willis is here with what you need to know. Good morning, Gerri.
GERRI WILLIS, CNN PERSONAL FINANCE EDITOR: Good morning, Tony. Good to see you.
HARRIS: Good to see. We're talking about these big-ticket items. Let's start with the A/C, particularly now, we're coming up on the dog days of summer here.
WILLIS: Absolutely. You can extend the life of your A/C but also make it work more efficiently so it uses less energy. You can cut your cost and decrease the energy your A/C uses by cleaning your filter at least once a month. Dirty, clogged filters, guess what, it reduces air flow, can lead to operational problems and then makes your system work harder. Rinse the filter, let it dry completely, reinstall it. It is easy. If dirt and debris have bypassed the filter, you will need to remove the front panel and vacuum dust and debris from the coils. Now, a lot of folks out, Tony and you're probably one of them, they have central air conditioning. You've got to call your service contractor so they can come in and make sure there are no leaks and there's enough refrigerant so it's operating efficiently and working the best it can to keep it cool.
HARRIS: That's great. At the very least, change the filter once a month? I didn't know it was that often.
WILLIS: Well, if you've got the wall units, the window units.
HARRIS: Yes. Makes sense. How can we - the Dryer, how can we make sure that the dryer is in tip-top shape, Gerri?
WILLIS: Well, you've got to clean the lint filter. It's that simply, after every load. It improves air circulation. And you should periodically inspect the dryer vents to make sure it's not blocked. It know this sounds really simple but the truth is --
HARRIS: No. Heidi is giving me a hard time. He doesn't do laundry, Gerri. Come on!
WILLIS: You know, I know that. That's a given.
HARRIS: I actually know where the lint filter.
WILLIS: You do.
HARRIS: I kind of know where it is.
WILLIS: Calling Mrs. Tony.
HARRIS: Yes. Very good.
WILLIS: OK. Let me finish this off. There are important things here we want to share with folks. Look, if you're buying a new clothes dryer, look for this option, a moisture sensor. It automatically shuts off the machine when your clothes are dry.
HARRIS: That's good stuff. What do we know about the refrigerator now? You want to talk about big ticket items that refrigerator.
WILLIS: It's big-ticket and it also uses a ton, a ton, of energy. So regularly defrost, manual defrost refrigerators and freezers. You know, frost buildup decreases the energy deficiency of any unit. And don't allow frost to build up more than quarter of an inch, that's according to the Department of Energy. Make sure your fridge door seals are airtight. And it's easy enough to do that, just stick a piece of paper in the door, close it. If you can pull it out easily, that means it's not working so well and you need to have a little fix.
HARRIS: Good tip. How do we make these electronics last longer? I guess I'm thinking about the laptop, the computers in the house.
WILLIS: Turn off the machines when you're not using them. I mean, it's that simple. If you have a laptop, you can maximize your savings and prolong the life of your machine by putting the A/C adaptor on a power strip that can be turned off. Hello, we're saving energy today. Forget the screen savers. They are a waste of energy and do your computing on a hard, flat surface rather than sitting on the bed. Bad news. You're hurting your laptop if you block air flow. It leads to overheating. And to prevent phantom loads, you know what I'm talking about here, Tony. That's when the where appliances are sifting the power even when they are resting or you think they're off, they're actually still using energy.
HARRIS: Yes.
WILLIS: Make sure that the batteries are fully charged or the chargers are not in use. Turn those things off completely. If you have any questions, send them to us at toptips@cnn.com. We love to answer your questions. And we do them right here every Friday.
HARRIS: I have to ask again, are these tips online so folks can access these?
WILLIS: These are great. We put this online, cnnmoney, cnnmoney.com. You'll find them there.
HARRIS: "ISSUE #1" coming up, noon Eastern, what's in store?
WILLIS: We'll take you to a place where the ground is literally soaked with oil, no kidding, and the mortgage meltdown, when is your town set for rebound -- Tony.
HARRIS: Great to see you, Gerri. See you at noon.
WILLIS: Thank you.
COLLINS: Attacking by air. Fire crews reaching hard to access areas, dropping the hammer on wildfires, the very latest next in the NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: Well, just past the half hour. Welcome back, everyone to the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Tony Harris.
COLLINS: Hi there everybody, I'm Heidi Collins.
Urgent evacuations this morning in northern California. Shifting winds pushing one fire to the edge of several communities in Butte County near the towns of Concow and Paradise. Firefighters went in to rescue people trapped by the fires. As many as five thousand people could be evacuated. The fire near Concow and Paradise, California is only one of the hot spots. The most destructive fires are in Big Sur and Goleta. Cooler temperatures have been helping firefighters' efforts, but warmer weather could now turn the tide once again. HARRIS: Hey Rob, you ever follow one of those hot shot crews? Maybe not because the work at the do is so dangerous. But man, I just am looking at the work of one guy, a crew member who's got a bit of a page up here. And this is some high-risk stuff that they do.
ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes. You've got hot shot crews.
HARRIS: Yes.
MARCIANO: They're right on the fire lines. You've got the smoke jumpers. I mean...
HARRIS: Man!
MARCIANO: They're actually jumping out of airplanes with all of their gear to get to the most remote terrain challenged areas. Yes, those guys. I couldn't do what they do certainly on a full-time basis, that's for sure.
(WEATHER REPORT)
COLLINS: Want to get back to those fires that you were talking about.
Because we're just now getting some of the first video out of there. Obviously, from what we can see here, incredibly smoky, hazy conditions. Rob's been talking all morning long about the heat that they are going to be experiencing there today. Could get as bad as -- who really knows exactly -- but 112, 115 degrees out there. Which clearly is not only going to make things tougher on the firefighters but going to make the overall conditions really tough today as well.
We are talking about the Butte fire now and the possible evacuation of about 5,000 people. That's an awful lot. 2,000 structures in this area that are in jeopardy. So, obviously we want to make sure we stay on top of this one. But once again, some new pictures coming in to us of the Butte fire area there. Our affiliate KCRA out of California.
HARRIS: The G8 nations making a long-term commitment on climate change, one that critics say fall short. CNN's Elaine Kihano was covering the leader's summit in Hokkaido, Japan.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ELAINE KIHANO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The leaders of the world's eight largest economies agreed to back a long-term goal of cutting greenhouse gas emissions in half by the year 2050. But there's a big caveat. The G8 said in order to move forward, all major economies must sign onto that goal, reflecting President Bush's well- known view.
GEORGE W. BUSH (R), PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: ...That if China and India don't share that same aspiration then we're not going to solve the problem. KIHANO: Environmentalists say they're disappointed. They argue a long-term target won't do enough to head off the worst effects of climate change.
KIM CARSTENSEN, WORLD WILDLIFE FUND: Setting a goal for 2050 is somehow too far off. But, what we are really missing is a goal that also binds us much closer to home. That binds us already for the period up until 2020. And that mid-term goal I think, is crucially important.
KIHANO: G8 leaders did agree to quote, "implement ambitious economy-wide middle-term goals."
CARSTENSEN: But what does that mean? Have you ever heard a government leader come out and say, I've got a plan that's not ambitious? No. Everybody would say what they come up with is ambitious.
KIHANO (on camera): The Bush administration maintains its approach is realistic. Because now, two of the world's leading emitters, India and China, must buy into the goal. The leaders of those countries will sit down with talks with the G8 on Wednesday. And on the sidelines of the summit, President Bush is set to meet separately with those leaders as well.
Elaine Kihano, CNN, Hokkaido, Japan.
COLLINS: Iran, now. President Bush once called it part of the Axis of Evil. It's also become a valued customer of U.S. goods. In fact, U.S. exports to Iran grew more than tenfold during President Bush's years in office. And according to the Associated Press, the main export during the Bush administration's $158 million worth of cigarettes. Other products include brasseries, cosmetics and bull semen. According to the AP, exports including parts for an aircraft carrier even though Iran isn't believed to own one.
HARRIS: Don't look now, but oil prices are down. Way down. Down more than $8 yesterday and today. Time to cancel plans to buy a hybrid?
CNNmoney.com's Poppy Harlow has our Energy Fix from New York.
Poppy, good morning. Now, look. Now, we're happy with the trend over the last day and a half or so, but put this in a bit of context for us.
POPPY HARLOW, CNNMONEY.COM: Yes, we have to put this in some perspective, Tony. It's great news right now. Oil is down nearly $5 just today. The price being though, is still above $136 a barrel.
Over the last two days a stronger U.S. dollar has helped ease prices along with fewer concerns about worldwide demand for oil. But unfortunately, a lot of analysts say, listen, this is really just a blip on the radar. Gas prices holding steady today. But still, at $4.11 a gallon, we were unchanged from yesterday. At those prices though, demand for hybrids, it is expected to remain very, very strong.
In fact, battery supply problems are actually making it pretty difficult to get hybrids like the Toyota Prius. We actually called a Toyota dealership in New Jersey to find out just how hard it is. Now, if you plunk down $500 in terms of a deposit today, it's still going to take nine months to a year to get your new car. And dealers only guarantee Tony, you're get one of your top three color choices. So you can't be picky. I guess you're lucky to get one.
HARRIS: You know, this sounds like a pretty difficult energy fix to get.
HARLOW: Yes.
HARRIS: So what should we do?
HARLOW: You know what? Not everyone should consider a hybrid vehicle because it may not make sense for them economically. Edmunds.com, that web site is setting the true costs of owning a vehicle. The gas you have to buy, the maintenance you'll need. All the other costs associated with a car or the SUV. It found that hybrids were not really even in the top ten cheapest cars to own. And only one, the Honda Civic hybrid, would crack that Top 10 list if gas hit $5 a gallon.
HARRIS: Wow.
HARLOW: That's exactly right. These cars are in demand and they're pretty expensive relatively speaking. Now, the top three cars at the current prices are the Chevy Avoe, the Hyundai Accent and the Honda Fit. Of course, if your concern is greenhouse gas emissions, it's not just the price you're thinking about. The equation will change for you. And Tony, for people out there that absolutely need a larger vehicle. A minivan may be the best alternative for them rather than a SUV because you get a lot more space for the gas mileage.
So, hopefully that helps some people.
HARRIS: Wow, that's terrific. Yes.
HARLOW: They should think before they buy or get on a waiting list for a hybrid.
HARRIS: And do a numbers -- a real numbers crunch on this, as well. Poppy Harlow, for us, New York. At the Energy Fix desk. Poppy, good to see you, thanks.
HARLOW: You, too.
COLLINS: He had a bad headache and now he knows why.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The blunt part of the pan actually hit me first and it hit me right next to nose and it came back and traveled all the way to the back of my head. And it ended up back here. It stopped by hitting the back of my skull.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: Metal migraine. You think? In the NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BUSINESS HEADLINES)
HARRIS: So a guy takes a metal spike to the head but doesn't realize it. Nicole Vandeputte -- is that her name?
COLLINS: Yes.
HARRIS: It is? OK -- has the incredible story. She is with affiliate KOAA.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NICOLE VANDEPUTTE, KOAA REPORTER (voice-over): Chris Clear's unbelievable story starts in April.
DAWN CLEAR, SON HAD METAL PIN IN BRAIN: It's changed his life because of what happened to him.
VANDEPUTTE: As a volunteer firefighter in Penrose, his free time was spent saving lives, until the accident. He was helping a friend move a rotor tiller when something snapped.
CHRIS CLEAR, HAD METAL PIN IN BRAIN: At first it just felt like a rock hit me in the face. It didn't feel like anything actually went into my head. It just -- like a rock hit me.
D. CLEAR: He said, do you think that you know, that it's bad? And I said, yes, it looks bad. I said, I think your nose is broke.
VANDEPUTTE: Chris went to St. Thomas Moore Hospital in Canyon City. He says he had unbearable pain in his neck so that's where the first X-ray focused.
D. CLEAR: They just sent him home, said it was a cervical sprain.
VANDEPUTTE: But the pain got worse.
C. CLEAR: It hurt bad to turn my head either direction or leaning back or leaning forward. If I like, looked down it hurt real bad. Or if I leaned back real far, it made the pain worse.
D. CLEAR: If he went forward then the pin would come forward. If he lay down, then the pin would sink back down.
VANDEPUTTE: That's right. A large metal spike from the roto tiller was lodged in his brain. It was that, not a rock, that hit him. C. CLEAR: The blunt part of the pin actually hit me first. And it hit me right next to the nose and it came back and traveled all the way to the back of my head. And it ended up back here. It stopped by hitting the back of my skull.
VANDEPUTTE: 24 hours after the spike pierced his brain, another X-ray and a second trip to the hospital finally found it.
D. CLEAR: He said, you need to sit down. And he said, Chris has a metal pin in his brain. My knees buckled and I just hit the floor.
VANDEPUTTE: An ambulance rushed Chris and his mom Dawn, to a Denver hospital.
D. CLEAR: Death was the number one, which that we knew going into it. That he would not come out of the surgery. And then of course, the ones after that, paralysis, mobility, speech.
VANDEPUTTE: Luckily, that pin just missed several major arteries. And after nine hours of surgery --
D. CLEAR: It was like we were in a movie. That double door opened up and there the doctor was holding this pin, you know, like this.
VANDEPUTTE: Two months later, Chris is working again as a volunteer and training to be an EMT.
D. CLEAR: That's the second miracle.
VANDEPUTTE: He says he feels fine. There's not even a scar. Just the pin.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: So Chris Clear says, when you touch the spot where the spike went in, his two front teeth go numb. And he says he's also lost his craving for sweets.
COLLINS: Cubs of the quake. A mother bear brings hope to China, giving birth to squirming bundles of joy.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: Barbara Starr is at the Pentagon with news of what looks like at least more and more these days, a necessary move, Barbara, of a U.S. aircraft carrier closer at least, to Afghanistan
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely. Tony. A quick update for everyone. The aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln, you may remember it as the "mission accomplished" carrier that President Bush stood on the deck of, commemorating the success in Iraq, that he talked about. That carrier now on the move.
U.S. officials confirming the Lincoln yesterday, moved into the North Arabian Sea out of the Persian Gulf. And why? It's for Afghanistan. By taking -- look at the map. By taking it into the North Arabian Sea, that is now going to allow the air wing of F-18s on board the Lincoln to conduct patrols and air strikes over Afghanistan. It puts the carrier right into position for that and with the rising violence in Afghanistan and the uptick in combat operations there, that's what U.S. military officials have been looking for. This now gives them that capability. The Lincoln has moved and is expected to stay in place for some weeks to come -- Tony.
HARRIS: Can we also assume that you need more -- the Lincoln more in Afghanistan than you do in Iraq right now?
STARR: These days, that is the case. Absolutely.
The U.S. is looking for more air power to use in Afghanistan. Combat operations certainly growing there and of course, it was just a few days ago that we learned the Pentagon had approved a plan to keep about 3,000 Marines in southern Afghanistan, 30 days longer than they expected. And of course, the plan in place now, Tony, is for even more U.S. troops to go to Afghanistan after the first of the year. So we're beginning to see the pieces put into place to keep that pace of operations going in Afghanistan for some time to come.
HARRIS: Very, very interesting. Barbara Starr at the Pentagon for us. Barbara, good to see you, thanks.
STARR: Sure.
COLLINS: So we have a very cute rescue to show you. How did this seal wander so far off course? We'll show you the happy ending up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: You know, it wasn't a rescue at sea but it was pretty close. A sea lion wanders a little off-course and ends up at a waterway several miles from San Francisco. Cute, cute, cute. Workers say he either swam or walked on all fours to get there. Man, they tried a couple of times to rescue the animal. Finally yesterday, they got a hold of him. All -- whoa, hang on. All six feet and 200 pounds. He's now headed to a better hangout. The Marine Mammal Center in Santa Cruz.
COLLINS: I can top that. A welcome sight in China. A pregnant panda carried to safety after the quake, gives birth to twins.
ITN's John Ray, has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOHN RAY, ITN CHINA CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Watch carefully. This doesn't happen very often. The first baby panda of 2008, the born survivor. Precious as any panda but this one is extra special. Blind, hairless and helpless, he and a twin are cubs of the quake and therefore, cause for celebration.
Their mother, Guo Guo, then pregnant, escaped from the ruins of the Wolong Panda Sanctuary. Where baby pandas were carried to safety as landslides threatened to engulf their enclosures. Since we visited last month, most of the pandas we saw had been evacuated. There's a shortage of bamboo and the surrounding mountains are still judged too hazardous for them to stay. The earthquake claimed the life of one captive adult and an unknown number in the wild, where fewer than 1,600 survived. 12-year-old Guo Guo, was soon recaptured as scientists weren't sure her pregnancy would progress. But, she has now given the nation a happy ending. In time for the Olympics, just one month away.
John Ray, news at 10, China.
HARRIS: I think you did top it.
COLLINS: Yes.
HARRIS: Yes, good morning. That is a one.
Good morning again, everyone. You're informed with CNN. I'm Tony Harris.
COLLINS: Hi, everybody, I'm Heidi Collins.
Developments keep coming in to the CNN NEWSROOM. On Tuesday the 8th of July, here's what's on the rundown.
New video, triple digit heat fueling a smoky wildfire today. Thousands more Californians may be forced out of their homes.
HARRIS: Iraq's leader calling for a timetable for U.S. troops to leave his country. Live to Baghdad.
COLLINS: They're 11 and 12 years old and say sex is a normal part of their relationship. A jaw-dropping survey parents must see, in the NEWSROOM.
