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Oil Prices Soar to New Record High; Firefighters Battle to Save California Town; U.S. Soldiers' Remains Found in Iraq; Marriage in a Down Economy; U.S. Hostages Speak

Aired July 11, 2008 - 11:00   ET

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

TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: And good morning again, everyone. You are informed in the CNN NEWSROOM.
I'm Tony Harris.

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Fredricka Whitfield, in for Heidi Collins.

Developments keep coming into the CNN NEWSROOM this Friday, the 11th of July.

Here's what's on the rundown.

Wildfire overruns homes in the Spokane area. We're also watching the ongoing battles to the south in California.

HARRIS: Presidential politics. Both candidates speak live this hour. John McCain talks economy; Barack Obama energy.

WHITFIELD: And oil shoots up, stocks take another dive. How Iran's war bluster is costing you money today. The issue #1 -- in the NEWSROOM.

Oil prices soar to a new record high, hitting stocks very hard.

Susan Lisovicz is at the New York Stock Exchange with more details on that -- Susan.

SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN FINANCIAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Fred.

Well, the Dow tumbled as much as 200 points in the first hour, not looking much better now. As you mentioned, oil a huge factor, crude briefly topping $147 a barrel for the first time. That's up five bucks yesterday, when oil also surged more than $5.

A variety of factors coming into play. Tensions with Iran escalating as the country tests missiles for two straight days.

Meanwhile, there's the threat of more unrest in Nigeria, which is a major supplier to the U.S. And Brazilian oil workers are planning to strike.

Here on Wall Street, banks brokerages and other financial stocks are just getting hammered. The big worry, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the possibility that they may need a bailout. If those two companies collapse, it could rock the entire financial system, causing even more bank losses. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac shares have been plunging all year. Today alone they've lost more than one-third of their value.

That's rattling the entire financial market and the broader market as well. Right now, the Dow is off its lows, but still down 155 points, or 1.5 percent. The Nasdaq is down 26 points, or 1 percent.

And just to give you an idea of the losses we're seeing today in the financial sector, we are looking at Lehman shares down 18 percent, Wachovia bank shares are down 11 percent, Merrill shares are down 5.5 percent.

So much for the slow summer Fridays on Wall Street -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: Gosh, slow and kind of a downer, too.

HARRIS: Yes.

WHITFIELD: A lot converging at once as pertains to the economy.

All right. Thanks so much, Susan -- Tony.

HARRIS: And firefighters in northern California watching the weather as they scramble to save a town. We're talking about an entire town here.

Our Reynolds Wolf covering their efforts. He joins us from Butte County.

And correct me if I'm wrong here. We're talking about the town of Paradise, is that correct, Reynolds?

REYNOLDS WOLF, CNN METEOROLOGIST: That's right. Today it is the battle to save Paradise. You're absolutely right, Tony.

We're talking about a blaze that is right here along parts of Highway 70. Firefighters have been trying to keep that blaze from crossing over this roadway down the valley, and then over the Feather River, where it could affect the town of Paradise.

Now, this again, as I mentioned, this is Highway 70. You can see way down the road, you see a couple of crews here. You also see in the foreground one of the caterpillars from the big earth-moving machines.

This is closed to all traffic except for the firefighters. You see some crews, some command vehicles that have been coming up. Earlier -- I'm not joking you, Tony -- earlier, there was a fuel truck, a fuel truck, that came racing down here, and they had to wave it down and stop it, loaded with fuel.

It had gone around this corner in a mile or so. There was a chance we could have heard a big boom, because as you know, heat and fuel not a good thing. You want to see what's going on down this road? Take a look at the video that we've got for you, some of the video shot from just yesterday. You can see some of the flames that were roaring right along the area, crews doing all they could.

And if you can come back to me very quickly, forget about the video for a moment, come back to us here live, you'll see some of the crews coming out. One of the things I want you to notice at the very top, you see Petaluma, you see South Valley Voice (ph) right here.

You'll notice that all these crews are coming from very different places. They're not just local.

Rancho Delby (ph) Fire Department. Boom. And off they go.

Some of the bravest and best firefighters you're going to find around the state of California. They've been teamed up with crews not only locally, but across the nation. It's a great thing to see.

They've got a couple of things that are working in their favor today. A couple of things they have is last night, the flames did not spread quite as far as they were expecting. The wind never really materialized.

And today they're expecting better sky conditions, which means they're not only going to have some crews on the ground, but they're going to get more help from above. And they could certainly use it.

And speaking of the things on the ground, we've been talking to you about many of the fire trucks. But take a look at these great vehicles, these caterpillars.

Tony, my friend, these vehicles not exactly the prettiest things, they're not built for speed. They only move around eight miles per hour.

These are earth movers. And what they do is they cut all kinds of channels inside the fire, or at least in the forest, hoping to break up some of the fuel. So when the fire burns its way downhill, or across, I guess, a wooded valley, or whatever...

HARRIS: Yes. Yes.

WOLF: ... what they're trying to do is just limit, limit that -- the ability, that fuel for it to burn. And once it gets to one of those dead spots, the firefighter pounce on it, they get some help from the air, and they try to kill the frames.

PG&E right here. Got some power companies that are also moving off farther to the side of the road.

HARRIS: Oh boy.

WOLF: You get the idea. It's kind of crazy here for the time being. It's a team effort.

Let's send it back up to you.

HARRIS: I love it. Yes, absolutely love seeing that kind of mutual aid caravan rolling through there. And I guess there are some National Guardsmen in the area, maybe not where you are, but certainly they're all trained up now to aid in the fight against these wildfires.

WOLF: Yes.

HARRIS: Reynolds Wolf for us this morning. Boy, what a picture. A lot of activity there.

Thanks, Reynolds.

WOLF: You bet.

WHITFIELD: Yes, whatever it takes to try...

HARRIS: Yes. Yes.

WHITFIELD: ... and, you know, put out the fuel that...

HARRIS: Fire breaks. You create those fire breaks.

WHITFIELD: ... is a big problem right there.

(WEATHER REPORT)

WHITFIELD: Meantime, finally found. The remains of two American soldiers recovered 14 months after they were kidnapped in Iraq. That confirmation coming from the family of one of the soldiers.

Let's get right to CNN's Frederik Pleitgen in Baghdad with more on that -- Frederik.

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Fredricka.

You're absolutely right. A very sad day for the families of Sergeant Alex Jimenez and Private First Class Byron Fouty. And we do have some reaction from Alex Jimenez' father. And I just want to toss right to that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RAMON JIMENEZ, FATHER OF DEAD SOLDIER (through translator): It's closure that now we know what's happening, but I don't know if it alleviates it for me. We now know what it is, if it's one thing or the other. He decided since he was young to join the Army. I'm very proud of my son.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PLEITGEN: Boy, and, you know, so much grief there in that family, Fredricka, at this point in time.

Now, we do have to say that the U.S. Army, the U.S. military here in Iraq, has not confirmed these reports yet, so a lot of what we are finding out about this operation actually comes from the families and from them telling us what the military has been telling them about how the bodies of their boys were found here in Iraq.

What we're learning, that it was an informant who tipped off the U.S. military as to where the remains were, and that the bodies were found in a village about 40 miles southeast of Baghdad. And I can tell you, I was in that area a couple of times last year, actually, and every time we went down there, the U.S. military would always tell us we have operations going on try and find these two soldiers, we haven't given up yet. There's going to be another operation coming soon.

So, finding these two soldiers has always been very, very high on the priority list of the U.S. military in that area -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: Frederik, heartbreaking, though, for those family members, the anguish they must be feeling after 14 months. You know they were holding out hope all this time, perhaps their boys would be found alive.

Frederik Pleitgen, thanks so much for that update out of Baghdad -- Tony.

HARRIS: The military still has one soldier listed as missing in Iraq. Army Specialist Ahmed Altaie was allegedly kidnapped in October of 200 while on his way to visit family in Baghdad.

The official number of troops killed so far in the war now stands at 4,117.

We now know the name of that female soldier missing from Fort Bragg, in North Carolina. She is Second Lieutenant Holley Wimunc, 24 years old, and assigned to Womack Army Hospital at Fort Bragg.

Right now police are going through her burned-out apartment. They say the fire was deliberately set and the lieutenant's car was found in the parking lot. Police say she is going through a divorce.

Last month, the body of Army Specialist Megan Touma was found in a Fayetteville motel. The pregnant soldier also stationed at Fort Bragg.

WHITFIELD: And happening right now, the presidential candidates courting votes in two battleground states. Republican John McCain holding a town hall meeting right now. Live pictures out of Hudson, Wisconsin, set to begin any moment now. You can hear a female voice, so John McCain not quite at the microphone as of yet.

He will be focusing on the economy, and women voters as well. We'll be dipping in, checking his comments.

Meantime, Barack Obama campaigning in Dayton, Ohio, later on this hour. He'll discuss his plan for what he calls a secure energy future. We'll also take you live to Obama's town hall meeting as it happens -- Tony. HARRIS: You know, for better or worse, tough economic times can really tax the best of marriages. Learn how to protect yours.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right. Layoffs, pay cuts and rising prices could leave your marriage on the rocks. Here to help protect it from an economic storm is family therapist Diane Sollee.

Good to see you, Diane.

Already, the number one reason why marriages get into problems, finances, it's usually at the root. So now you've got all of this taking place -- foreclosures, layoffs. How much is this putting a strain on marriages today?

DIANE SOLLEE, FAMILY THERAPIST: Well, it's definitely a strain, but money is always an issue in marriage. I mean, whether you've got a lot or a little, it doesn't matter. It's one of the issues on the table that couples have to manage.

WHITFIELD: So what are you hearing from couples right now? Gas prices are up and, you know, there are lots of stresses right now.

SOLLEE: You know, there's anxiety. People don't know what's on the horizon, the short-term or long-term horizon. They don't know how long this is going to last. And couples are having to make all kinds of adjustments.

Some are having to sell their house, some are having to, you know, close the businesses, some are having to take another job. They're making adjustments, but they need to think of this, you know, as a challenge for their team. It's a marital team, and they need to, you know, do the fist bump every morning, the kiss and the fist bump, and renew their attachment.

WHITFIELD: And that's exactly where I was going with you. I wanted to ask you, I mean, certainly there are challenges, but really this can bring you together, even better perhaps, bring your union or make it even stronger because you're dealing with this together.

So what do you tell people?

SOLLEE: Right. Exactly.

I mean, it would help if couples would think of this as kind of like the great race, and their chance to show their metal and show their stuff. And, you know, we're all in this. We're all facing this recession, and so some teams, some marital teams, are going to make it and some aren't.

WHITFIELD: So as a couple you need to have a plan, perhaps.

SOLLEE: Well, yes, a plan, and you need to not just have one plan. You have to be able to revisit the plan frequently. That's what the research shows, is that couples that have good communication skills and understand that you're not going to manage something in one conversation or one plan, you have to keep coming back to it, see how it's working.

WHITFIELD: And for example, what would be a plan that you would advise these couples to have as it pertains, perhaps, to the job front?

SOLLEE: Well, it's important that they have a plan to sit down and talk about things. I mean, maybe the plan is that every Friday, you know, night we're going to sit down and we're going to set aside time to look at our budget and how we're doing and see if we need to revise things. But the most important plan is that they keep their attachment strong, that they keep their bond, and that they don't use the behaviors that predict divorce and failure.

WHITFIELD: And so is it as simple as, OK, we're going to come together and talk about, you know, yes, expenses are much greater than they were last year, so this is where we're going to trim, and at the same time, you know, let's not talk about trimming time with one another? Because you hear, you know, from a lot of couples who will say, all right, we've got to make all of these concessions but we're running out of time for one another.

SOLLEE: Right. And time is free. I mean, the time that they get to spend together. Making love doesn't cost anything. Sitting on the couch, holding hands and talking doesn't cost anything. And so they really feed to focus on keeping that bond and really keeping each other's anxiety in check.

WHITFIELD: All right. We've asked folks to send in their e- mails or questions or thoughts. And we've gotten a lot. We need to pare it down.

So, this from Tampa, Florida. She calls herself "Panicked in Orlando." She says, "My husband works in Tampa, Florida, and I work on the east side of Orlando. We live in the middle of the 2. If oil prices increase much more, we will be forced to each move closer to our jobs, which means of course that we would not be living together."

"I fear the distance between us will drive us apart. Never in my life did I think that the price of something like oil could be a factor in the breakup of a marriage."-

Is this unusual?

SOLLEE: No. And she's focused on exactly the right issue, and that is on their staying attached and connected.

You know, every marriage has a deployment at some time or another. That's why we say for better or for worse when we take our vows. And this is their deployment period.

It might be six months, it might be 18 months. But there is so many ways to stay connected now. I mean, we've got -- you know, it's not just cell phones, but Internet.

They can stay connected and get through this. She's focused on the right issue.

WHITFIELD: Yes. Communication is the key throughout all of this, isn't it?

All right. Diane Sollee, thanks so much. Appreciate your time.

SOLLEE: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: Hopefully to keep all of those marriages together.

HARRIS: Fred, look, we've got to get you back to the New York Stock Exchange right now. This is turning into a really tough day here. And it's still the opening, what, couple of hours of the session, the morning session, to be sure.

(STOCK MARKET REPORT)

HARRIS: Today's CNN Hero is Maria Ruiz. She cooks thousands of meals daily to feed hungry and needy children, and the families of Mexico. And for the past three years, she has regularly crossed the border into Mexico to deliver food.

Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MARIA RUIZ, CHAMPIONING CHILDREN: I was born and raised in El Paso. El Paso and Jaurez, Mexico, they are known as the twin cities. But you cross over the border into Juarez, you notice the difference.

In 1996, I came to the outskirts of Jaurez. When I saw the poverty level that they were living in, with no water, no electricity, my world changed completely.

I'm Maria Ruiz and I cross the border to help people in Jaurez. I decided to start the food program. I cooked and I cooked every day. And then I brought it over here. I fed approximately 1,200 kids on a daily basis for three and a half years.

Now we collect the donations, we take furniture, food, toys, almost about anything.

We're ready to go.

Crossing the border involves a lot of work and time.

Do you have any food items?

I have crossed, oh, thousands of times. We give out whatever we have.

Buenos Diaz.

It's like a distribution center.

Gracias. Gracias. All of the work we do is part of the Families Ministry. It's a team effort, but regardless of whether they are Christian, it's equal for everybody. The kids are the ones that keep me going, but I don't consider myself a hero. I know I can do much more.

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR (voice over): July is the last month to nominate someone you know as a CNN Hero for 2008. Go to CNN.com/heroes.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: And just to add to that, your nominated hero could be seen right here on CNN. And honestly, we are making plans, enormous plans, to honor your heroes at an all-star tribute Thanksgiving night.

WHITFIELD: New firefight for the National Guard, deployed on the front lines, this time in their own country.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right. Welcome back to the NEWSROOM.

I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

HARRIS: And I'm Tony Harris. Good Friday to you.

Want to show you some pictures we just received a short time ago here in the NEWSROOM. Well, this is pretty classic: train versus tractor trailer. And you can see the result here.

This train just slamming into that tractor trailer, injuring, we understand, one person and closing, we understand, a major highway. This is in north Charlotte, North Carolina.

A pastor of a nearby church said he heard an explosion, went outside and saw a huge ball of smoke and fire rising from that wreckage right there. And paramedics have transported one person to Carolina's Medical Center University, but we don't know the extent of the injuries. But a real mess there.

Ramps connecting Interstate 485 and US 49 currently blocked right now, and it will be this way, as you can see here, for some time. We will keep an eye on the situation.

WHITFIELD: And this CNN exclusive. Those three Americans held hostage in the Colombian jungle, well, they talked to CNN.

Rebel guerrillas held the government contractors for more than five years. They were rescued just last week in a daring operation by Colombia's military. And now they're in Texas and they're talking exclusively to CNN Headline News anchor Robin Meade about how they survived.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ROBIN MEADE, ANCHOR, "MORNING EXPRESS": The new bit of information that we have about the three former American hostages rescued from the jungles of Colombia is that they're going to be going home to their families tomorrow. Now, they've gone through what's called a reintegration process, where they try to wrap their minds around living in a free society again after living in barbaric conditions in the jungles of Colombia for five years at the hands of the rebel group FARC.

Let's talk about -- a little bit more about -- some of the remaining hostages families say that they're afraid that the joy and the interest over your story because you've been released will overshadow the plight of their loved ones, the hundreds of people still there.

What would you like to say to those families or those hostages?

KEITH STANSELL, FMR. HOSTAGE: Marc, you were talking about that right when we started.

MARC GONSALVES, FMR. HOSTAGE: One thing that I know is, in my heart -- is that I won't ever forget those guys. They're like brothers to us.

I have no power. The only thing I can do is talk and try to remind people that they are there. And I feel for them.

It's almost like a bittersweet feeling that I have because I'm free right now talking to you, but, on the other half, my friends are still there and they're suffering right now. And they're in an abusive environment because the guerrillas know they're losing. And the only people they can take it out on is the hostages, and only God knows what they're going -- what they're suffering through right now.

STANSELL: I'll tell you what they're suffering.

GONSALVES: More security, more chains, bigger chains, bigger locks.

MEADE: Tom, you said...

STANSELL: I'll show you what they're suffering right here. Feel how heavy that is.

MEADE: What is that?

STANSELL: Imagine having that. That's a lock that was put around my neck every night.

This lock, with five meters of chain, thick, one-inch rinks, went to his neck. So this was locked around my neck like this. The other was locked around Marc's next. We slept like that.

Tom had the exact same thing. He slept with a Colombian captain the same way.

You're sleeping with 10 pounds of chain and this lock around your neck. Now, imagine, you go to bed, somebody comes up to you, they take your shoes so you can't move. And they say...

MEADE: They take your shoes so you can't run?

STANSELL: Can't run. You're not going to -- and they say, excuse me, Robin, you know, the government, they're real bad people, but we're going to chain you up. And it's not our fault. It's the government is forcing us to do this.

So I'm going to chain you around the neck every night like a dog. And if I don't have somebody there or I think you're in a bad mood, I'm going to chain you to a tree. And I'm going to leave you like that.

And then after I've left you in chains for three or four months continuously, 24 hours a day, I'm going to come in one day and say, hey, I think you guys are behaving good, so I'll let you out during the day because we're good people. We're good people.

And then you sit on the radio and you hear people comparing these guys to some, as Marc said the other day, a revolutionary group? No.

They don't recognize humanity. They don't recognize human rights. They're animals. They're terrorists.

Anything that you could use to describe along those lines is true, and we always thought about this when we came out. We don't want to exaggerate what happened. We just want to tell the truth. And we wondered if people would talk about it.

These chains right now, this very minute, because of my rescue and because of my luck, victims, not alone just friends, but victims are marching this day. Now, imagine this -- you're marching through the jungle. The FARC are now panicked. And I'm sure they're breaking what prisoners are left into even smaller groups.

You've got bay backpack on, or a rucksack. You've got a chain around your neck.

There's a guy -- the chain -- there's about 10 pounds of chain, 15 feet long. It's wrapped around your neck, it looks like this. OK?

And then about three feet behind you, you've got a guy holding your chain with a dog leash. And then he's got rifle pointed at your back. And then they're waiting for the order or for a noise to say, hey, here comes a rescue. And then it's over.

MEADE: Those men said, too, that when they were in captivity, they would fantasize and just kind of latch onto any detail they could to try to keep their mind sharp. And they would talk about how, when they were free, they were going to take a big motorcycle ride across the country.

Well, now, my friends, they are going to do it. They're calling it the Freedom Ride. They already have an idea about what they want their T-shirts to look like, just to live out that fantasy they had during all those years of captivity in the jungle. But they're also concerned about the people who are still being held, who are still kidnapping victims under the FARC rule, basically, in Colombia. So they're setting up a fund. They don't have information yet where people can give, but they're setting up a fund to help those families of the people who are still lost.

Back to you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: Boy, what a story. Man.

(STOCK MARKET REPORT)

WHITFIELD: Meantime, other big worries out West. Right now, out-of-control wildfires closing in on homes in two states.

In California, firefighters are battling to save the town of Paradise. Not Paradise today. Shifting winds forecast for today are similar to those that pushed the fire to destroy dozens of homes this week.

And then flames on a ridge line lit up suburban Spokane Valley, Washington, overnight. Winds gusting up to 50 miles an hour stoked the wildfire, and at least eight homes destroyed, but no one has been hurt, thankfully.

HARRIS: We talked about this story with Reynolds earlier this hour. From the front lines to the fire lines, Iraq war veterans are now fighting a very different battle in California.

CNN's Kara Finnstrom has that story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KARA FINNSTROM, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): The fire-ravaged woods of northern California.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Let's get those tools sharp for tomorrow.

FINNSTROM: National Guardsmen Mike Valdivia (ph) and Robert Rosbia are now deployed near the front lines.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Keep your...

FINNSTROM: They're half a world away and on a far different assignment from their dangerous duty in Iraq.

SGT. ROBERT ROSBIA, NATIONAL GUARD IRAQ VETERAN: In Iraq, you know, we're getting shot at and people are losing their lives.

FINNSTROM: Rosbia operated a .50-caliber machine gun in Iraq. He served there for 15 months.

ROSBIA: Here we're protecting lives, but this time I'm doing it with a McCloud (ph) instead of a .50-caliber machine gun. A semi- rake/scraping tool.

FINNSTROM: Rosbia, a truck driver, is also a husband and a father. And his wife couldn't be happier to have him serving near home. He's one of the first California guard troops to fight on the fire lines in more than three decades.

ROSBIA: She knows that there isn't somebody shooting at me and getting ready to cause me bodily harm, possibly take my life from me.

FINNSTROM: California needs help desperately. More than 1,700 fires have torched the state this month, exhausting firefighters.

These fresh guard troops have learned to hack through brush and create open spaces where fully-trained firefighters can make a stand.

Sergeant Valdivia (ph) is a natural when it comes to cutting fire lines. The married father of three just happens to be a tree trimmer. He's also a veteran of enduring brutal heat.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The heat is actually kind of similar to the body. It starts kicking up a lot of heat underneath the collar. So, overseas we had temperatures of 117-plus.

FINNSTROM: But no complaints from these sergeants. They say this very different mission back home in California just feels good.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We've been driving back and forth. So we get a lot of weights (ph). We also get just people on the side we don't even know just honking.

FINNSTROM: Kara Finnstrom for CNN, Los Angeles.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Pretty sobering, isn't it?

HARRIS: Yes, it is. Yes.

WHITFIELD: Yes.

Let's check in with Bonnie Schneider.

(WEATHER REPORT)

WHITFIELD: Happening this hour as well, the presidential candidates courting votes in two battleground states. Just take a look at the live pictures right now.

On the left-hand side of your screen, Republican John McCain holding a town hall meeting in Hudson, Wisconsin. We'll try to listen in and find out all that he is talking about. We understand the plan is he'll be focusing on the economy and women voters.

And the on the right-hand side of your screen, you're seeing live pictures of Barack Obama entering there, campaigning. He'll be discussing his plan for what he calls a secure energy future. All that taking place today, right now.

HARRIS: U.S. Airlines sending out an urgent SOS to passengers: Help.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right. Wall Street takes a hit as oil prices soar to a new record high and concerns about the mortgage market continue to grow.

(STOCK MARKET REPORT)

HARRIS: Well, the airlines under pressure from soaring fuel costs. Now airline labor unions are lobbying Congress to crack down on oil speculators. All this as airlines ask their passengers, you and me, to help.

CNN's Carol Costello explains.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's getting harder and more expensive to fly, but the airlines say don't blame us, blame the oil speculators. CEOs from 12 airlines signed an open letter to their customers asking them to pull together to reform the oil markets, then urging fliers to go to a Web site to lobby Congress on the airlines' behalf to regulate market speculation.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It just seems inappropriate.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: To blame the oil speculators is ridiculous, as well. The price of oil is going up. It's not because of oil speculators. It's because more people around the world are demanding and using oil.

COSTELLO: The airlines' plea to pull together may be the toughest part for many airline passengers, who have been trapped on runways for hours with little explanation, forced to pay 15 bucks for checked bags, charged $25 for a fuel surcharge, et cetera, et cetera. And if you read the whole open letter, there is no guarantee things will improve for consumers, even if fuel prices do go down.

TYSON SLOCUM, PUBLIC CITIZEN: Maybe these airlines should have thought a little harder about this e-mail that they sent out to make some pledges of improved service on their own before asking consumers to act on their behalf to call Congress to reign in these speculators.

COSTELLO: Still, Slocum says the airlines are not insincere about what fuel costs and about what they believe speculators are doing to their industry.

SLOCUM: There is a legitimate case to be made that the airlines are not necessarily the culprit of recent fare increases, but rather sustained high oil prices. COSTELLO: And Slocum, who heads a consumer group, is slated to testify before Congress himself, to say oil speculators are driving up oil prices. And he says while the airlines' open letter isn't perfect, he does agree whole-heartedly with this line: "The nation needs to pull together to reform the oil markets and solve this problem."

(on camera): I called on four of the airlines to ask if the price of a ticket would go down if oil prices dropped. I really didn't get an answer to that question, but those fuel surcharges that some airlines charge, they will probably go away if oil prices go down.

Carol Costello, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: All right. The "Daughters of Legacy," their fathers helped define a movement. And now the daughters are telling their stories.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right. For many months now, our Don Lemon has been involved in a project with five very amazing women. You know their names. At least you know their last names.

HARRIS: Yes. "Daughters of Legacy" is a revealing and really a remarkable hour-long conversation.

Here's a preview.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: To be able to sit and just chat about our fathers, I've never had an opportunity like this.

BERNICE KING, MARTIN LUTHER KING'S DAUGHTER: I mean, you're right. You're right. Because even though he was just my daddy, you know...

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do you call your dad "daddy" too? Do you say "daddy?"

Do you say "daddy?"

KING: Mm-hmm.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Me too.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He would literally sit you down and speak to you to a point that you would want to say, "Please give me a spanking."

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Many people don't know that I watched my father's funeral from her parents' master bedroom. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's all about family.

DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: What was life like as a child in the King home? Do you think it was like a normal typical American family?

KING: My mother, even after my father died, she wanted to make sure we had a fairly normal life. We hung out in the neighborhood with the neighborhood kids. You know, we didn't have -- people who meet me now, they're like, "You don't have bodyguards?" No, I never had bodyguards.

LEMON: And you?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: When I was in high school, my father, a lot of people didn't know him nationally, but he was still very well known in Los Angeles, because if you ever got into trouble, you would see Johnnie Cochran.

LEMON: Did you ever wish that you were just Bob Jones' daughter?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Honestly, I hid my identity a lot because, growing up, people already knew who I was because my dad would come into our elementary school, and then it would be a big ordeal. And I knew at a young age that being Mohammed's daughter, and people knowing that, you'll never know the truth.

LEMON: So I'm looking at both of you, right, and you're sitting here chatting, really close, the both of you.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.

LEMON: What is it -- is it a connection that's like sisters? Or is it beyond that? What is it?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: For me it's beyond that, because there's more dimensions to what it is. It's kind of an unconditional existence that has a forever after to it. There's no explanation. We're different, but yet it's all in Congress. Never debate in over 40 years, we've been in each other's lives.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Wow, what an extraordinary look into relationships. "Daughters of Legacy" airs 6:00 p.m. Eastern Saturday and Sunday, only on CNN.

HARRIS: That's good. That's good.

All right. The king of talk is now king of the block. The word on the street about CNN's own Larry King.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: He is the king of talk, A number one, top of the heat. Now he is also the king of the block. CNN's own Larry King gets a street renamed in his honor. The intersection of Sunset and Kuwenga (ph) boulevards in Los Angeles is now Larry King Square.

How about that? The street was named after King.

WHITFIELD: Well deserved.

HARRIS: How about to honor his 50 years in broadcasting?

WHITFIELD: He's amazing.

HARRIS: It is actually adjacent, Fred, to the CNN Los Angeles bureau where "LARRY KING LIVE" is based.

WHITFIELD: Perfect.

HARRIS: Yes.

WHITFIELD: So you do the tour, you check out the real estate. And then you check out Larry King Square. That's dynamite.

HARRIS: Yes.

WHITFIELD: All right. They are off. Right now people all across the country are snatching up Apple's new and improved iPhone. They went on sale this morning.

Tony, I hear that you have now since put in dibs for one.

Thousands camped out outside stars around the world to be the first iPhone owners. Well, this is Tokyo. You know they always like to do it big.

HARRIS: Yes. Whoa. Hang on.

WHITFIELD: This morning, a countdown -- watch it, hold on to your hats, people. Pretty smoky rollout there.

The new iPhone has faster Internet service than the first version, a global positioning system.

HARRIS: Yes.

WHITFIELD: And it supports Microsoft Outlook e-mail. It's also cheaper than the original iPhone, with a starting price of $199.

The folks who had to be first last time...

HARRIS: Yes.

WHITFIELD: ... they paid like $400-something.

HARRIS: Oh!

WHITFIELD: That's OK. People are happy. I've only heard great reviews on the old one.

(LAUGHTER) WHITFIELD: All right. The CNN NEWSROOM continues one hour from now.

HARRIS: And "ISSUE #1" starts right now.