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American Morning
New Threat Facing Soldiers in Iraq; Barack Obama Getting More Heat From His Own Supporters on FISA Bill; Crude Prices Shoot Back Up and Hit An All-Time High
Aired July 11, 2008 - 08:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: And breaking news this morning. The remains of two American soldiers kidnapped last year in Iraq have reportedly been found. No confirmation yet from the Pentagon, but relatives of Army Sergeant Alex Jimenez and Private Byron Fouty say that they have been notified.
And there was a new threat facing our soldiers in Iraq. Insurgents are using so-called IRAMS or Improvised Rocket Assisted Munitions. The weapon is a mortar shell or a tank round attached to the front of a rocket allowing the shell to be launched over walls and buildings.
CNN Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr is taking a closer look at these homemade rockets.
Are these -- I guess, you could call them flying IEDS, Barbara?
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, John, that is, in fact, what some people are calling them. And while a lot of folks talk about how things are getting better in Iraq, there is now this new threat.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
STARR (voice-over): A massive explosion here in Baghdad's (INAUDIBLE) neighborhood left 18 civilians dead and 29 wounded. But this time, it wasn't an improvised explosive device, it was a new potentially more deadly version Improvised Rocket Assisted Mortars.
MAJ. GEN. MICHAEL OATES, U.S. ARMY: This is an improvise ammunition, locally fabricated, not done by a person without skill and it's largely confined to the Baghdad area. It does concern us.
STARR: Called IRAMS, they have the potential for killing large numbers of American troops and Iraqis. The U.S. believes insurgents backed by Iran are lining the backs of trucks with launch tubes, then Iranian-made rocket charges propel explosives like mortar and tank shells, sometimes over walls more than 20 feet high. The type surrounding U.S. bases.
OATES: It is a homemade multiple launch rocket system and it is very dangerous. And we attempt to -- we'll attempt to eliminate this threat.
STARR: This type of technology has been used before. A similar weapon may have been used by the IRA in a 1991 attack on No.10 Downing Street.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
STARR: So who is behind all of this? Well, U.S. officials say they believe it's those so-called special groups in Iraq. The militants backed by Iran. Already three U.S. troops have been killed by these weapons, John. But it is once again Iraqi civilians largely unprotected on the streets who appear to be suffering from these the most.
John?
ROBERTS: So Barbara, just to be clear on how this is new. Insurgents have had plenty of access to mortar shells and tank shells or artillery shells before, but they tend to wire them together and put them in a vehicle or bury them at the side of the road because they didn't have launch capabilities. Now this gives them those capabilities?
STARR: That appears to be what's going on. The keyword once again is improvise, just like the improvised explosive devices. Officials tell us in many of the cases what they find is they're using propane gas as a propellant to launch it over to those 20-feet walls. And it's, again, insurgents using their skills to try and come up with new ideas to go after U.S. troops and Iraqi civilians.
ROBERTS: Wow. No shortage of innovation to what use to kill people over there. Barbara Starr for us at the Pentagon. Barbara, thanks.
STARR: Sure.
KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR: New York Congressman Charles Rangel facing some tough questions about a reported sweetheart deal on four luxury apartments in New York City.
According to the "New York Times," Rangel is paying less than $4,000 a month for the rent-stabilized apartment's total. And that's less than half their market value. The congressman declined to comment when called by the "New York Times" saying his housing is a private matter and does not affect his representation of his constituents.
Well, presumptive Democratic nominee Barack Obama getting more heat from his own supporters for dropping his opposition to the new surveillance bill. Some of his backers are taking out their frustrations on Barack Obama's own Web site. Deborah Feyerick is here with a sample of what they're saying.
You know, we are looking at it a little bit. It's the My Barack blog.
DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Exactly, barackobama.com.
CHETRY: That's right. And you certainly wouldn't think this was a pro-Web site or just Web sites supporting him. Some -- a lot of anger.
FEYERICK: Absolutely. And a lot of people saying will Obama showing leadership by doing this. But, really, you'll remember during the primaries, Barack Obama harnessed the power of the Internet, organizing an unprecedented grassroots movement, bringing in millions in campaign donations.
But now, that same tool is being used against him by some of his same supporters who feel that he's really moving away from his liberal positions.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FEYERICK (voice-over): On Barack Obama's own networking Web site, here under this section, supporters staged an uprising, rebelling against Obama and his vote this week protecting telecom companies used by the United States to snoop on Americans.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The motion is agreed to.
FEYERICK: This title "Upset and Disillusion Here Beyond Disappointment."
There's also "You Lied." "My Support is Wavering." And one man even asked for his donation back. Unprecedented dialogues as NYU professor Charleton McIlwain.
CHARLETON MCILWAIN, MEDIA & CULTURE, NEW YORK UNIVERSITY: And so as some of Obama's message is changing, I'm being altered a bit to fit the political circumstances, I think they are a bit disappointed and saying -- hey, what is this? And who is this person all of a sudden?
FEYERICK: Some 20,000 people protested online. Activist Jon Pincus was one of them.
JON PINCUS, POLITICAL ACTIVIST: If we can't disagree amongst ourselves, then it's mindless following. And really the whole message, a lot of the message of the Obama campaign is that we can do things differently.
FEYERICK: But the online outcry from shock and disappointment to outright betrayal sparked Senator Obama to respond to them directly. Quote, "I think it is worth pointing out that our agreement on the vast majority of issues that matter outweighs the differences we may have," he said.
The Republican team quickly jumped on the fan descent, invoking the 2004 flip-flop slogan that helped scuttle the Democrats last time around.
SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Not the first change in position.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How are you, sir?
FEYERICK: Obama denies he's moving to the middle. Political insiders say between his latest switch and his switch turning down public financing, it could damage the image Obama is trying to create.
JOHN MERCURIOO, EDITOR, THE HOTLINE: And that is exactly the sort of criticism that his campaign waged against Hillary Clinton during the primary. So I think it's sort of lifts the veil off of a lot of Obama's rhetoric about creating this new politics, creating this new era.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FEYERICK: But even as the online uprising continues, political insiders say it's unlikely that Obama supporters, even those who are most angry at him will actually change their votes.
CHETRY: You know, getting out their anger on the blogs, but they're still going to vote for him.
FEYERICK: Exactly.
CHETRY: Deb, thanks so much. You know, we're going to talk about this a little bit more on AMERICAN MORNING, coming up at 24 past the hour. We're going to be speaking with New Mexico governor and Obama supporter, Bill Richardson. We're going to get his take on the supporters' anger, as well as some other issues.
John?
ROBERTS: Breaking news. Crude prices shoot back up and hit an all-time high. Political tensions in another all-important oil producing region are pushing oil prices up here at home. We'll take you to the hot spot that's hitting you right in the middle of your pocketbook.
Also ahead, research chimpanzees who spent their whole lives in cages finally set free. The retirement home that gives them a new lease on life.
From fighting in Iraq to battle in California's wildfires, hundreds of National Guard troops going from the front lines into the fire.
And he has danced his way through seven continents and 49 countries, saving the best for last. The dancing fool right here in our studios.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: Ten minutes after the hour or so. We thought we had some good news earlier in the week when the price of oil went down.
CHETRY: Yes. We thought that might have been a trend.
ROBERTS: Not so much, anymore. No, no, hardly a trend. The trend, unfortunately, the other way. And Ali Velshi over at the massive wall there to tell us why.
ALI VELSHI, CNN SENIOR BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: You know, I had people talking to me saying what a big deal oil had dropped almost $9 on last Thursday, it hit a record. Friday, didn't trade. And then, it dropped in the beginning of the week. Well, back up today. And we had another record this morning --$145.98. That's the most we've ever paid.
That screen that you were looking at, that was where it settled yesterday, $141.65. That was up $5.60 which is the second biggest jump we've ever had in oil. The biggest one was about a month ago. Well, now, we're up even further than that. Why? Take a look.
Iran, we talked about that yesterday. Now, we're going to talk about Nigeria. These are the two things troubling oil right now. If you look at Nigeria, get a little closer -- you take a look at the southern coast of Nigeria and down here, you'll see that river that goes down right through the R. That's the Niger River.
The Niger Delta at the southern part of Nigeria is the oil-rich area. There are many international oil companies with installations there. And Nigeria used to be -- used to put out about 2-1/2 million barrels of oil a day. It is the fourth biggest supplier of oil to the United States. But there have been attacks in the Niger Delta and those attacks have cut production by about 25 percent.
The reason oil is up today in part is because those attacks are expected to resume any time after the next few hours. The rebels who have had a cease fire have said that they will start to attack again or they are going to be -- consider themselves free to attack again starting at midnight on Saturday, their time, which is just a few hours away.
And the impact of this is that we are seeing oil prices go up because there are concerns about supply. There are concerns that we may just not have enough oil. At 2-1/2 million barrels of oil a day, that's an important source of supply for the world.
ROBERTS: So hang on. Nothing has happened yet?
VELSHI: Nothing has happened.
ROBERTS: But?
VELSHI: But the rebels have said that as of midnight tonight, that cease fire is over. And when the cease fire is over, they are particularly effective those rebels. They're able to take on a pipeline.
ROBERTS: So oil traders, though, are just making sure they get the price up there before anything --
(CROSSTALK)
CHETRY: Speculation.
VELSHI: But these are real speculators, because these are people speculating who need the supply. So they're buying it up because they say we need to get it. There are other people who are speculating because the price of oil goes up. So this is the problem. It's one little piece of the equation.
CHETRY: Hand it over.
VELSHI: What? The iPhone?
CHETRY: The iPhone?
VELSHI: My producer has got it.
CHETRY: You don't have it. Sorry. All right, well --
VELSHI: It's in the house, though.
CHETRY: All right, because the other big news, today, in the business world. Can you even get your hands on one, by the way, the new iPhone?
VELSHI: They have them available. They may run out in the next few days, that's what we're hearing.
CHETRY: Yes. They have the new one out and it's brand new. It's cheaper than it was before. Lower price. It's actually between $199 and $299. It hits stores today. And it's supposedly faster than the original, as well, when it comes to surfing the Web and sending out e-mails. But as Ali said, they are expected to sell out quickly.
You're going to get one, John?
ROBERTS: No. I don't need one. I have two phones already. I do not need a third.
CHETRY: That will come in a nice shiny case, though.
Well, a busy week for Barack Obama. First Jesse Jackson's open mike mishap. And now, Obama is hearing from angry supporters after voting for the FISA bill electronic surveillance.
Coming up, we're going to get Bill Richardson. The former governor's take on the controversies and what he thinks about Obama's energy in Iraq plans. We're going to talk with Bill Richardson just ahead.
ROBERTS: And Hurricane Bertha weaker now, but still posing a threat to people in Bermuda. For those of you watching this morning in Bermuda, stay with us, because Rob Marciano is tracking the extreme weather for us. He joins us in just a second.
CHETRY: Coming up on AMERICAN MORNING -- the private paradise that's giving new life to chimps who spend their lives locked up.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We don't rehabilitate chimps, we open the doors.
(END VIDEO CLIP) CHETRY: John Zarrella takes us to their island's playground. You're watching the "Most News in the Morning."
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: Hurricane Bertha still heading toward Bermuda, but thankfully losing strength. Bertha is back to a category one storm with winds of 85 miles an hour. Now, some 350 miles from Bermuda.
CHETRY: You know, we've been telling them just watch the track. And that's what our Rob Marciano is doing for us. He's tracking extreme weather today.
Hi, there, Rob. So it dropped back down to a category one, but they still need to be on the lookout.
(WEATHER REPORT)
ROBERTS: For decades, chimpanzees once used by NASA and for other research were left to live out their lives in cramp cages in a place known as the Dungeon. But now, thanks to one facility, these chimps are free and living life on an island.
Here's CNN's John Zarrella.
JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: John, Kiran, meet some of the chimps. For 40 years they were poked and prodded and tested. Now, they are getting a taste of freedom.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ZARRELLA (voice-over): When the cage door opened Gabriela and her son, Gab, just sat for a moment. Mom not quite sure what to make of all this. For the first time in her life, Gabriella will no longer be living in a box.
CAROLE NOON, SAVE THE CHIMPS FOUNDER: I mean, cement boxes, monkey chow twice a day of the same diet day after day. Excruciating boredom.
ZARRELLA: Thanks to Carole Noon.
NOON: Welcome to Florida.
ZARRELLA: Nearly 300 chimpanzees who spent decades in cages are spending the rest of their lives literally enjoying island living -- chilling in a hammock, playing kid games, chatting with friends. Noon is founder and director of the Save The Chimps facility near Fort Pierce, Florida. The 200 acres with 12 private islands are run solely on donations.
NOON: We don't do anything particularly magical here. We don't rescue chimps. We don't rehabilitate chimps. We open the doors.
ZARRELLA: A handful of the chimps are descendants of NASA's space chimps. But most were used in HIV and Hepatitis research in this lab in Alamogordo, New Mexico. Some for as long as 40 years. Six years ago the lab facing bankruptcy was sold to Noon, one of the world's experts on primates.
NOON: These are the bottom of the barrel chimps. This was the worst lab left in the country. 54 living alone in a building we called the Dungeon because it rolled off your tongue because that's what it was.
ZARRELLA: Today, ten chimps arrive.
NOON: One, we're going to open the door now.
ZARRELLA: There 145 here now. A few come at a time.
NOON: It's your turn! You guys are next.
ZARRELLA: Before making the trip from New Mexico, weeks are spent putting the group together. Making sure they all get along after living in five by five by seven cages.
NOON: Imagine how the dynamic changes when all of a sudden they aren't living in a small, one bedroom apartment.
ZARRELLA: When they first arrive they stay in a transition building getting used to new faces. From now on, human contact is minimal. Soon they will begin coming and going as they please. Why all this for the chimps? It's simple, Noon says -- because they deserve it.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ZARRELLA: It will take about a month for some of the new arrivals to get acclimated to their surroundings. And then like these guys back here, they'll be allowed to roam free on the islands that they all call home.
John?
Kiran?
CHETRY: Wow. Well, they came home from fighting in Iraq to face another enemy at home head on. It's the new battle that hundreds of National Guard troops are now dealing with.
ROBERTS: Plus, the CNN exclusive. The emotional first interview of the three Americans held hostage by Colombian rebels in the jungle.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This lock with five meters of chain, thick, one inch links, went to his neck. So this was locked around my neck like this. The other was lock around Mark's neck. We slept like that. Tom had exact same thing. He slept with a Colombian captain the same way.
(END VIDEO CLIP) ROBERTS: We're going to hear much more of their emotional interview, just ahead.
CHETRY: Plus, Obama backlash. Some supporters lashing out at him on his own Web site.
ROBERTS: Coming up, Caribbean connection. The growing drum beat. How the islands are rising up in support of Barack Obama. You're watching the "Most News in the Morning."
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JAY LENO, HOST, "THE TONIGHT SHOW WITH JAY LENO": With gas price approaching $5 a gallon here in California, a lot of people start using bicycles (INAUDIBLE). Have you noticed that? Have you noticed more people on bicycles?
AUDIENCE: Yes.
LENO: In fact, coming in today and I saw Jesse Jackson back pedalling all the way in.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: Well, that was "The Tonight Show With Jay Leno" with his take on the Obama-Jackson controversy.
And just days after hearing Jackson's comment and apology, Barack Obama is now hearing anger from many, many supporters on his very own Web site. Is this the new politics in action? Or the start of a grassroots revolt?
I'm joined now by Obama supporter and New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson live for us in Santa Fe this morning.
Governor, great to see you.
GOV. BILL RICHARDSON, BARACK OBAMA SUPPORTER: Thank you. Thanks for having me.
CHETRY: You know, when you're looking at the blog that's on his very own Web site, there is a lot of anger over the fact that Senator Obama voted yes to the new FISA bill, specifically allowing immunity for the telecom companies that wiretapped people's phone conversations without getting a court order for that. Is this going to hurt him?
RICHARDSON: No, it's not going to hurt him. But, you know, there's going to be controversy right now. Both candidates with their own bases, because what you have here is Senator Obama making a realistic decision.
The bill that came in on the FISA issue, not perfect. But it did have sufficient judicial oversight. The big controversy is do the telecoms get immunity? You know, I personally think they shouldn't have. But you have to look at the overall bill.
The president doesn't have the powers to eavesdrop on his own citizens. There's judicial oversight. There's Justice Department oversight. So on the whole -- you know, many times I've been in Congress, you have to cast these votes. And sometimes they don't indicate to perfection that supporters want.
CHETRY: Right. This was a big issue, though, for those on the left. There was a lot of anger over this situation. And it's something that Barack Obama previously had said he would filibuster. So, what changed?
RICHARDSON: Well, what changed was that the bill got better. More acceptable to Senator Obama. The judicial oversight. The fact that the president can't unilaterally say that he's going to eavesdrop on citizens. There are a lot of safeguards in the bill that weren't there before.
Now, again, the telecoms, I personally think they shouldn't have immunity. But, you know, Senator Obama had to make that decision. We do have to protect ourselves against terrorists. But I understand there's some in the base that are concerned. And, you know, I shared their view but --
CHETRY: Right. You, yourself, were against this back in October when you were asked about it. You called the FISA bill an unprecedented assault on American laws and values, cloaked falsely and irresponsibly in the guides of national security. You also said this bill must not pass.
So you believe that there was enough that changed in it now for Barack Obama to...
RICHARDSON: Yes, I --
CHETRY: ...To give it the OK?
RICHARDSON: Yes, I believe there was enough. What still bothers me is the telecom ability to not be -- not be held responsible. That bothers me. But, again, I think a majority of Democrats supported it. There are enough safeguards in the bill and Senator Obama said he'll review the bill again. See how it's working when he's president.
So these are some of the political realities you face when you're running for president, when you're also in the Senate, you have to make a judgment on a bill.
CHETRY: All right. You know, you guys were talking energy today, as well. Senator Barack Obama will be in Ohio. A crucial swing state. Now earlier, there was a campaign ad that was attacking McCain about his energy plan. Let's listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: On gas prices, John McCain's part of the problem. McCain and Bush supported drilling plan that won't produce a drop of oil for seven years.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: One of the things you guys were hitting him about was that there weren't short-term solutions. When we look at Barack Obama's Web site, many of his solutions also some of these would not take place until the earliest 2025, 2050. Does he have short-term solutions and what are they?
RICHARDSON: Well, look, Senator Obama has said we need long-term solutions. You can't have an instant gratification. What he has said is immediate help for middle class, a middle class tax cut of 1000 bucks for every family. Tax rebates on energy prices.
But he says we have to face the problem long range. We can't drill ourselves out of the problem. There has to be more drilling, but it has to be done responsibly. There has to be more conservation. There has to be more fuel efficiency in vehicles. You know, John McCain has not supported fuel efficiency for vehicles.
(CROSSTALK)
CHETRY: When you say there has to be more drilling now -- what. The ad says it wouldn't produce a drop of oil for seven years, criticizing McCain for not having a short-term solution. But you're saying that some drilling should happen?
RICHARDSON: Well, yes. Absolutely. There is ability the oil companies to have responsible drilling. There's new technology. Do it in the continental United States.
Have America's oil companies drill more in America, more refineries, more investments in renewable energy instead of investing overseas and drilling overseas. But do it in the continental United States, not in pristine areas like Anwar and Alaska where their ecosystems not offshore in California and Florida. Do it in the gulf of Mexico. Do it in the continental United States.
The oil companies have a lot of acres where they're not drilling. Why is that? They should do that. But do it responsibly. But our addiction is to fossil fuel. So let's move to fuel efficiency to solar, wind, and biomass and biofuels and biodiesel and plug-in hybrid vehicles and mass transit. That's what we need to do. And Obama is saying we need a long range comprehensive strategy. And I totally agree with him as a former energy secretary.
CHETRY: Governor Bill Richardson, always great to talk to you. Thanks for being with us this morning.
RICHARDSON: Thank you.
ROBERTS: Breaking news, the price of oil going where it's never gone before. But at least the direction is familiar. $145.98 a barrel now, gaining $9 in just the past two days. The markets are reacting to growing tensions with Iran and news that a cease fire in Nigeria is expected to end at midnight local time between rebels and Nigeria's government.
South Korea is investigating the death of a woman shot dead by a North Korean soldier in a popular mountain resort in the communist nation. Officials say they believe the woman went walking and crossed into a restricted area. Right now tourists in North Korea have been suspended.
And the United Nations agreeing to create an international commission to investigate the killing of former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto. According to the United Nations, so far, five people have been arrested in connection with her murder but no one has been convicted.
A wildfire in Washington state forcing more than 200 people to evacuate a suburb of Spokane. The fire has burned some 1,200 acres in the heavily-wooded area. At least six homes have been destroyed and dozens of others are threatened. The state's governor say they're doing everything they can to protect people and property.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. CHRISTINE GREGOIRE (D), WASHINGTON: The mayor and the county have both said verbally to me that we need an emergency declaration. I've done a verbal emergency declaration so that we can have all resources ready if necessary. I have fire trained the National Guard this spring, which is pretty unique in the country. But I did fire train our National Guard so if necessary they can be dispatched.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: No injuries have been reported so far and speaking of National Guard, from the front lines in Iraq to the fire lines in California, many of the National Guard troops being deployed to fight the wildfires are veterans of war. And CNN's Kara Finnstrom has their story for us.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KARA FINNSTROM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The fire ravaged woods of northern California.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Let's get those tools sharper tomorrow.
FINNSTROM: National Guards men Mike Baldivia and Robert Rosbia are now deployed near the front line.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Keep your dye in -
FINNSTROM: They're half a world away and on a far different assignment from their dangerous duty in Iraq.
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.
Here we're protecting lives and this time I'm doing it with a cloud instead of 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 train firefighters can make a stand.
Sergeant Baldivia 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.
SGT. MIKE BALDIVIA, NATIONAL GUARD: The heat is actually kind of similar to the body. It start 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.
BALDIVIA: We've been driving back and forth. We get a lot of waves. We also get just people on the side we don't even know just honking.
FINNSTROM: Kara Finnstrom for CNN, Los Angeles.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHETRY: Meanwhile, Alina Cho joins us now with some other stories new this morning. And you have some new video just in.
ALINA CHO, CNN, CORRESPONDENT: Yes, some breaking news of a fire rescue. Guys. good morning. Good morning, everybody. That new video just in to CNN. Take a look at these dramatic pictures as the family is rescued from a fast-moving apartment fire. That fire broke out about two hours ago at a multiple apartment complex in Pennsylvania just outside Pittsburgh. Firefighters battled the blaze for more than 30 minutes. Emergency crews were seen carrying hoses over their backs, up a steep hill to get up to the building. We are watching that story very closely.
Other stories were watching this morning, three American hostages freed from their rebel captors. They're talking exclusively to CNN about their 5 1/2 year ordeal in Colombia. There they are - Thomas Howes, Keith Stansell, and Marc Gonsalves. They sat down with "Headline News" anchor Robin Lee. Gonsalves showed here make shift game board that he says helped him survive.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MARC GONSALVES, FREED HOSTAGE: This is the chess board and here are the pieces that -
ROBIN MEADE, ANCHOR, "HEADLINE NEWS": How did you make the pieces?
GONSALVES: I was able to carve with a broken piece of a machete.
MEADE: You carved chess pieces with a broken piece of a machete?
KEITH STANSELL, FREED HOSTAGE: He just woke up one day and did it. He said, guys I'm going to make a chess set. He just started. He said I'm making a chess set. I'm tired of this.
MEADE: And your captors allowed you to do it? Or did you hide it?
GONSALVES: No, they allowed me to do some of the lower ranking guards actually took interest to see if I was going to be able to finish it.
MEADE: They wanted you to carve?
GONSALVES: And later they wanted me to carve some for them.
MEADE: So how often did this keep your mind sharp and pass the day?
GONSALVES: That's the point that I wanted to make was that this chess set here must have gotten, would you say, hundreds of hours of use between all the hostages, it was a way for us to stop thinking about the cruel situation we were in and to think about something else and exercise our minds.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHO: Fellow hostage Keith Stansell talked about being locked away in the jungle. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KEITH STANSELL, RESCUED AMERICAN HOSTAGE: One thing about Tiger Woods, a blip at the Masters, a guard came over with the radio and he's got a short wave on and he tuned it to English. I don't know if it was just to play with us or if it was just out of curiosity. And I just caught Tiger Woods at the Masters and I looked at Marc and they saw I keyed up on it and he turned away. And we were like what about Tiger Woods. So we talked about Tiger Woods for about two or three days. But you were immersed in information here on a daily basis as Americans, there we're stuck in a box. As Tom called early on, he said guys, we just may be in a black hole. We didn't realize at that point how big of a hole because you can't conceptualize it in your mind what's about to go on. So, we disappeared. I mean, it is tough.
(END VIDEO CLIP) CHO: Incredible stories and incredibly, doctors say the three men appear to be in good health. Those are the stories making headlines at this hour. Back to you guys.
ROBERTS: Alina, thanks so much. What an incredible story.
CHETRY: Thanks.
ROBERTS: The dancing sensation. What made this guy danced his way all across the globe? He's been in 46 countries. And now he's right here in our studios.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHETRY (voice-over): Coming up on AMERICAN MORNING.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I met him on the block. I feel like I'm their age.
CHETRY: She's beating kids half her age while raising one of her own. How does she do it?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It doesn't really matter how old you are.
CHETRY: Dr. Sanjay Gupta shows us how Olympic champion swimmer Dara Torres stays fit. You're watching the most news in the morning.
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CHETRY: The Olympic torch is in northeast China this morning, wrapping up the latest leg of its trip. Some of the 208 torch bearers performed dances and did tai chi exercises. The country's top figure skating pair also carried the flame as thousands cheered and waved flags. The torch heads back to Beijing August 6th, two days before the opening ceremonies.
And taking part in this year's Olympics, a 41-year-old mom who beat kids half her age to make it to the game. Last weekend, swimmer Dara Torres won her races. She also set a new American record. Adding to the three that she's already set. As part of our weekly "Fit Nation" series, Dr. Sanjay Gupta takes a closer look at how she does it.
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DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Nine-time Olympic medalist, world record holder, mother of a two-year- old. And perhaps most astonishing of all, Dara Torres is set to become the oldest female Olympic swimmer ever.
JOEL STAGER, INDIANA UNIVERSITY: She's a 41-year-old female that's right now the best in the United States.
DARA TORRES, OLYMPIAN: It doesn't really matter how old you are. If I'm the fastest, and I'm faster than the younger kids, then I should go. GUPTA: In a sport where the average age of national championship competitors is just 20 years old, Torres is shattering the odds.
TORRES: I kind of forget that sometimes I'm so much older than them. But the minute I'm on the blocks, I feel like I'm their age.
GUPTA: And she's taking regular blood and urine tests to answer any suspicions of doping. So far, she's clean. Her Olympic career began 24 years ago. Over the years she's battled bulimia, knee surgeries and bone spurs. So, how is she still dominating? Her height, long arms, big hands, exercise physiologist says she has the perfect swimmers genes.
STAGER: Genetics does play a role. We're talking about one percent or less of the population that has that genotype.
GUPTA: But good genetics aren't enough. Her training regimen is custom tailored for her age.
TORRES: My body is a 41-year-old body. And I just can't get in the pool nine times a week. The biggest obstacle I have is recovery. It's about allowing my body to recover so I can come back the next day and perform at a high level.
GUPTA: She swims five times a week, often with her daughter looking on. Her team includes coaches, a chiropractor, masseurs, stretchers who use their feet and hands to knead her limbs. She calls resistance stretching her secret weapon. Muscles are contracted and stretched at the same time to increase flexibility and power.
STAGER: Dara is definitely working smarter. A sprinter has to be smart.
GUPTA: Which is why the 50-meter free style, a race that can be as quick as 25 seconds may be best suited for somebody in their 40s. Longer races may be tougher with age as endurance tends to decrease.
TORRES: I'm proving that you can be 41 and you can follow your dreams and that age is just a number.
GUPTA: Dr. Sanjay Gupta. CNN, New York.
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CHETRY: Good for her. We'll be rooting for her for sure. Well, for more "Fit Nation" reports, tune into Dr. Sanjay Gupta on "House Call," Saturdays and Sundays, 8:30 a.m. Eastern.
ROBERTS: She was saying a couple of Olympics ago when somebody came up to her, a reporter came up to her after she won a medal and said, you think you'll be doing this when you're 40 years old and she laughed and walked away and said that's the stupidest question I've ever heard and here she is.
CHETRY: And here she is. ROBERTS: 45 minutes after the hour. The hairless prophet of doom is sitting beside us, which is got to mean that oil has hit yet another record -
ALI VELSHI, CNN, SENIOR BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Because I shouldn't be here at this hour. That's what it is, oil is nearly $147 now. $146.90. We're now up over $10 in two days, for a barrel of oil. There are two major concerns and they both actually have something to do with supply. One is tensions with Iran, which we've been reporting on for the last couple of days, testing conventional missiles that could reach Israel. Iran has said that if anybody reacts to them, they'll close off the Strait of Hormuz.
The other problem is Nigeria. We're tracking that one right now. That's where the immediate concern is. Nigeria is the fourth largest supplier of oil to the United States, supplying typically 2 1/2 million barrels of oil a day, but much of that has been cut off because of rebel activity that have attacked oil facilities. There is word now that at midnight local time in Nigeria, which should be about 7:00 p.m. Eastern time, those attacks could start again as a cease fire ends.
We're tracking the price of oil, $146.90. Hoping not to see you again before the end of this show.
ROBERTS: You are like that little black cloud on the horizon, on a beautifully sunny day.
VELSHI: Right. If that one would just move away, everything would be OK. Trust me, I'd like to see this move away too. I'm hoping to leave this set and not see you for a while.
CHETRY: You won't see us until Monday. That's pretty much guaranteed.
VELSHI: Let's hope. We have 15 minutes left in the show. Let's hope I don't come back.
ROBERTS: Ali, thanks very much for that.
Well, some good news for you here. Uplifting news - one man, one dance, and millions of people are watching. It is a huge hit on the web globe trotting all the while dancing this goofy dance in front of the camera. So, what is Matt Harding up to now? We're going to talk with him live.
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MARIA RUIZ, CHAMPIONING CHILDREN; I was born asked raised in El Paso. El Paso, near Mexico, they are known as the twin cities but you cross over the border, you notice a difference. In 1996, I came to the outskirts of Juarez, 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 crossed the border to help people in Juarez. 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 3 1/2 years.
Now, we collect the donations, take furniture, food, toys, almost about anything. Crossing the border involves a lot of work and time. I've crossed, oh, 1,000 times. We give out whatever we have. It's like a distribution center. All of the work we do is part of a family's ministry. It's a team effort but regardless of whether they're 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 can I do much more.
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN HOST: July's the last month to nominate someone you know as a CNN Hero for 2008. Go to CNN.com/heroes.
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ROBERTS: 51 minutes after the hour, his bio describes him as a 31-year-old dead beat from Connecticut with life goal of making and playing video games.
But in the last couple of years, Matt Harding has become an internet sensation for dancing, literally, around the world. Not ballet, jazz, or even break dancing, but some quirky little move that somehow seemed to inspire people to join in. And so far this viral video has 10 million hits on YouTube and climbing fast. Matt Harding, the man behind the phenomenon joins me now.
You know, I saw this on the internet. The link was sent to me. And I thought, oh, OK, here's a goofy guy that's doing this little dance in a lot of places. And it keeps going, the Netherlands, you know, Tonga, United States, Kuwait City, places like that and I'm thinking this is weirdly inspirational. And you've done three trips. How did you get this idea?
MARK HARDING, VIRAL VIDEO STAR: You know, it was just a goof. I was traveling around the world with a friend. And he said, why don't you stand over there and do your dance? He switched to the video mode. And it was funny and so I just kept doing it.
ROBERTS: And the first time you went out on your own dime, right?
HARDING: Yes, I've saved up for a few years in my job, and then I quit my job, did this six month trip, put that up on the internet at the end. Just to show friends and family. I didn't know it would be inspiring to people or anything.
ROBERTS: And then a gum company, Stride Gum, came in and say hey we really like this, we want to sponsor you to go around the world yet again and then you just did another trip that you got back from what, about a month ago?
HARDING: Yes, Stride Gum found the video and they said how'd you like to keep on doing it? That was three years ago.
ROBERTS: Some people are wondering is this viral marketing? Are you actually doing a commercial for Stride Gum here?
HARDING: You know, I suppose it's open to interpretation. But they, as far as I'm concerned, my relationship, they just said, you know, we'd like to sponsor you to do this. And at the end of the video I said, thanks, Stride for sending me on this trip. As simple as that.
ROBERTS: You didn't do it to try to sell gum or anything like that?
HARDING: For me, it was an opportunity to travel around the world. You know.
ROBERTS: So how many months was it? And how many countries?
HARDING: This last video, the 2007-2008 video was 14 months and I went to 46 countries.
ROBERTS: Unbelievable. Let me - I just want to roll a little bit more of this video. Because you're coming to this area here where we're fast cutting video. And it shows all of the places you've been. Let's take a quick look.
So, there you are, you started off in Cape town, you're also among the lemurs in Madagascar, California, Taiwan. What was it like traveling to all of these places? What was your favorite?
HARDING: Oh, boy, there were some really interesting places. I like going to the exotic places, the sort of remote ends of the earth. Bhutan was one, that I knew very little about. It's this small country tucked away in the Himalayas. And such a fascinating place that sort of come up with its own way of existing outside of what we know and expect from -
ROBERTS: Yes. There's a photo of you there. And the way you got everybody to come into the video and dance. Did they just sort of show up or did you have to arrange that?
HARDING: It was the power of the internet. We used e-mail. I got tens of thousands from people who saw the last view and they say, hey, you've got to come to Poland, you got to come to South Korea. So my girlfriend, Melissa, she helped me organize this. She'd e-mail all the people in each place and I'd say I'm going to be at this place at this time, and they'd show up to dance.
ROBERTS: It's amazing. You know, there's certainly more things we'd love to talk about. There's a picture of you dancing, it's in one of the monitors here of a rock a thousand feet up in Norway.
HARDING: Yes.
ROBERTS: Some of the great stuff that you did. Matt Harding, it's really an interesting, interesting video and it shows a whole new side of what the internet is capable of. Thanks for being with us this morning. Good to see you.
HARDING: Thanks so much, John.
ROBERTS: Kiran.
CHETRY: Barack Obama's island appeal Calypso and reggae musicians singing about the democratic nominee in waiting. We're going to hear why Obama has struck a cord with them.
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CHETRY: Meanwhile, Barack Obama making a connection with island musicians in the Caribbean.
ROBERTS: CNN's Kareen Wynter looks at the power of Calypso and reggae in the presidential campaign.
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KAREEN WYNTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, John and Kiran. Some political observers say Barack Obama has become quite the international phenomenon, whose political appeal has broken through borders.
WYNTER (voice-over): From celebrities to virtual unknowns.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I've got a crush on Obama.
WYNTER: The supporters of Barack Obama are using music to push their presidential hopeful. But Obama has also struck a cord with another audience. Caribbean crooners. Some artists in places like Jamaica and Trinidad are using island-inspired music as a political statement. Jamaican musician Cocoa Tea sings about painting the White House black in his song entitled "Barack Obama".
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Keep your eye on the prize, Obama.
WYNTER: Cocoa Tea who is currently performing in Europe and about to begin a "Reggae for Obama" world tour, told us by phone his political motivation.
COCOA TEA, MUSICIAN: And people really are crying out. They need to see a change in Washington. Whatever happens in Washington have an impact on the whole wide world.
WYNTER: Another artist named Mighty Sparrow, a Calypso legend photographed here with Obama sings about the war, congressional scandals, and Obama's vision.
Politico.com reporter Daniel Reilly says these island artists have a powerful influence way beyond their own borders.
DANIEL REILLY, WRITER, POLITICO.COM: The Mighty Sparrow, you know, he's sort of an Elvis-like figure down in Trinidad. He's widely popular. And for him to make a song about Barack Obama, it really shows that he's on the minds of a lot of people.
WYNTER: With songs like these generating heavy traffic on YouTube, political observers say they can only help increase interests and excitement among a new generation of voters.
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WYNTER: Another Obama theme song is in the works. This one is from a Calypso artist from Florida who's lyrics could help grab the attention of voters in the Caribbean rich, swing states -- John, Kiran.
ROBERTS: All sorts of music is dancing this morning. Our thanks to Matt Harding for being with us today. Thanks very much for joining us. We'll see you again on Monday.
CHETRY: Matt's danced everywhere around the world and now he can say that he's danced here on AMERICAN MORNING, as well.
You have rhythm you know? Much more in person, than I thought. We're not even going to go there, are we?
Thanks so much for being with us. "NEWSROOM" starts now with Tony Harris and Fredricka Whitfield.
