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Barack Obama Taking a Detour From U.S. Campaigning; John McCain Talking With General Motors' Employees in Warren, Michigan; A Rare Glimpse Inside of Myanmar; Positive Vibes From Iran; South Africa's Nelson Mandela Turns 90; New Survey Reveals the Fattest States in the Nation
Aired July 18, 2008 - 09:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
HARRIS: This hour, a mother of two murdered. Police searching for answers. We expect an update any minute now from authorities in North Carolina about the Nancy Cooper case.
Cooper was reported missing Saturday afternoon. Her husband told police she went jogging and never came back. A man walking his dog found her body Monday night at a construction site less than three miles from her home.
Again, we expect an update from police. And, of course, we will bring it to you live when it happens.
KEILAR: John McCain campaigning in Michigan this hour. He's holding a town hall meeting in a General Motors technical center in Warren. This is a suburb of Detroit and this is where GM is designing its first plug-in electric car.
McCain is shifting back to the economy and the energy crisis and we will bring you portions of his Q&A session live in the NEWSROOM. Also our Dana Bash with more on McCain's appearance just a few minutes ahead.
HARRIS: Have to show you these dramatic pictures. We're talking about raging flood waters and landslides swamping towns in Taiwan. Look at this. Incredible video.
All this the aftermath of a brutal tropical storm that hit the country yesterday. Some areas got -- can you believe this? -- 44 inches of rain in just 24 hours. At least seven people have been killed, six more are missing.
This man right here was one of the lucky survivors. As you can see they're plucked from the water by a rescue team.
Man.
KEILAR: And let's head now to the Weather Center, and Rob Marciano, we're talking heat today, Rob...
ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes.
KEILAR: ... from Philly to Phoenix, everywhere.
(WEATHER REPORT)
HARRIS: Is this a new wave? A new disturbance? I know you were watching one earlier in the week.
MARCIANO: Yes, same one.
HARRIS: Same one.
MARCIANO: Same one, just kind of petered out, kind of hit South America a little bit, now it's...
HARRIS: OK.
MARCIANO: ... getting its act together, it seems.
HARRIS: All right. Ron, appreciate it. Thank you, sir.
KEILAR: Thanks, Rob.
HARRIS: I want to take you to Cary, North Carolina now. The news conference is underway as we get additional information on the investigation into the murder of Nancy Cooper.
CHIEF PAT BAZEMORE, CARY, NORTH CAROLINA POLICE: ... Nancy and Brad's children. They're going to also talk with you about how the family is proceeding with funeral arrangements. And as the case was yesterday, they do not want to talk with you about Brad. They do not want to talk with you about the investigation. They don't want to talk with you about Nancy and Brad's relationship or any of the -- the details of the custody issues.
What they would like to talk with you about are Bella and Katie. But to start with, Jim Lister is going to make a statement on behalf of the family.
JIM LISTER, HUSBAND OF NANCY COOPER'S SISTER KHRISTA: Thanks.
Khrista -- my wife Khrista is not here today because she's home staying with the two little girls this morning looking after them, which is, of course, everybody's primary interest right now.
The family has worked the last couple of days in conjunction with Nancy's very good friends, primarily Jessica and Hannah, and has organized, in addition to the candle light vigil, a couple of services -- memorial services. And the primary one here in Cary for all of the friends and family and all, of course, you here locally that would like to attend.
It's going to be Saturday at 2:30 in the afternoon at the local Koka Booth Amphitheater at Regency here in Cary, and 2:30 to 4:30, that'll be. So please anybody who would like to extend their -- you know, their condolences or come and join in our celebration of Nancy's wonderful life, please feel free to come and attend.
In addition, there will be a service in Edmonton to celebrate back at home with Nancy's family and friends there. And that'll be next Wednesday at 1:00 p.m. at the Grace Lutheran Church in Edmonton.
And that's, of course, for all the folks in Edmonton and we're looking forward to seeing all of you that we miss dearly.
So in addition, you know, Nancy's other sister Jill, who's at home and unfortunately hasn't been able to be here, has been working pretty hard to put that together in addition to Jeff's wife Shannon, and, of course, Jill's husband, Chad. So they're feeling a little bit left out and, obviously, working pretty hard on our behalf back home. And, you know, we miss them, as well.
The last piece is Garry -- Garry yesterday was working on putting together memorial/trust fund for the girls. And we haven't got all the details of that yet. But we really feel strongly that that is something that we'd like to put in place quickly and we'll get the details to you. And we would really appreciate if anybody would like to offer any sort of contribution.
HARRIS: We are going to just monitor this news conference for any additional information on the investigation into the murder of Nancy Cooper.
Let's give you a bit of a background now. Police not revealing much, by the way, of their investigation. But Nancy Cooper's family has suspicions.
CNN's David Mattingly reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KHRISTA LISTER, NANCY COOPER'S SISTER: She's my best friends and my soul mate.
DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Overcome with grief, Khrista Lister speaks of her identical twin sister Nancy Cooper, wife, mother of two young girls, and now the victim of a horrific crime.
K. LISTER: She's my sister and she's my everything. She will always be half of me. And I promise to live my life in a way that makes her proud.
MATTINGLY: While Nancy's family mourns, police in Cary, North Carolina search for the killer.
According to Nancy's husband, Bradley Cooper, his wife went for a jog last Saturday morning but never returned home. Pictures of Nancy were posted as volunteers fanned out looking for the 34-year-old. And Bradley had this message for them.
BRADLEY COOPER, NANCY COOPER'S HUSBAND: Just wanted to thank all of the hundreds of volunteers that came out and are continuing to come out and if anyone knows anything, I just want them to contact the police with any information they may have.
And, again, thank you to everyone that continues to come out and help out.
MATTINGLY: On Monday, however, everyone's worst fears came true. A man walking his dog discovered the body of a woman at a construction site just outside the town. It was Nancy. Police said she was murdered, but would not reveal how.
BAZEMORE: We are appalled and outraged by this terrible tragedy. And as the chief of this department, I promise each one of you that nothing will stand in our way of doing our very best to ensure a swift and certain closure to this case.
MATTINGLY: Investigators say they have no suspects, but speculation is swirling around Nancy's husband.
Bradley admits he and his wife were having marital problems, but Nancy's sisters and father go one step further, accusing him of having an affair.
Authorities seized evidence from the couple's home and they also responded to reports that Bradley may have purchased bleach the day Nancy vanished.
BAZEMORE: We cannot confirm or deny whether he was at a store and whether he did purchase bleach or any kind of cleaning products the morning of her disappearance.
MATTINGLY: And now another development, citing Bradley was unstable and posed a threat to his children, a judge awarded temporary custody of the two children to Nancy's family.
Police, again, insist Bradley is not a person of interest.
As the investigation moves forward, Khrista Lister shares the grief of losing her twin sister.
K. LISTER: I have a bond with Nancy that no one in the world has. All I have to remember her is just to look in the mirror.
MATTINGLY: David Mattingly, CNN, Atlanta.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: And once again let's take you back to Cary, North Carolina. Just long enough to tell you that we will continue to monitor this news conference for new information on the investigation into the murder of Nancy Cooper.
If you'd like to see this and watch this live as it happens, just go to our Web site, CNN.com.
KEILAR: The nation's economy peaks, valleys, and more volatility. We are looking ahead to Wall Street's open, that's in a half hour. We're wondering, of course, if the Dow can continue its rally into a third straight day.
And we're also keeping a close eye on the price of oil. Production cuts in Nigeria are halting what had been three straight days of decline. Oil dropped nearly $16 a barrel between Tuesday and Thursday. And that the corner gas station, the savings are modest, at least so far.
AAA reporting gas prices down about a penny a gallon nationwide this morning.
HARRIS: And happening this hour in presidential politics, John McCain campaigning at a General Motors design center in Warren, Michigan. A live view of the hall right now. McCain is shifting gears from foreign policy and national security back to the economy and the energy crisis.
Dana Bash joining us live.
Dana, good to see you this morning. You know Michigan is one of the hardest hit states economically. I'm wondering what John McCain's message is today.
DANA BASH, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: He's going to be talking about exactly that. You're right, Tony. I mean Michigan is about as hard hit as any state, in fact, probably more. Their unemployment rate has been higher than the national average for a long time. And he's visiting -- you see he's about to start -- a General Motors plant.
General Motors has historically been one of the largest employers in the state of Michigan. And it has been experiencing layoffs. In fact, there are plans, apparently, reports of more layoffs to come later this summer.
So that is going to be a big part of John McCain's message there that he has been trying to give across the country on the stump talking a lot about the economy and about the fact that he understands that people are hurting.
But what he is going to do at this particular event is try to shine a light on some new technology that he says that he hopes will be the wave of the future and perhaps a jobs gainer in the future.
He's going to be touring this plant where they are hoping to and they're trying to devise the first plug-in electric car. It's called the Chevy Volt. So you're going to hear some of -- an I-feel-your- pain message from John McCain, but also try to focus on some of the new technologies that he is going to say he hopes can be developed in the future.
HARRIS: Hey, Dana, you know, we've heard John McCain criticize Barack Obama's upcoming overseas trip. Are we likely to hear more of that today?
BASH: We are, in fact, I just spoke to a couple of McCain's advisors who said that they absolutely plan for him to talk about Barack Obama's upcoming trip. In fact, we expect that he is very likely, almost certain, to talk about it at this event, at the GM plant, and with reporters right afterwards. What they say is that they feel that they have a message that they are trying to get out there ahead of and perhaps even during Barack Obama's trip abroad that they think that -- in the words of one advisor, that it is extraordinarily arrogant for him to be explaining his policies, his war policies, on Afghanistan and on Iraq, which he did this week before even going.
You heard John McCain say yesterday that, from his experience, he's traveled abroad extensively. He waits until he comes home from a fact finding mission to announce his policies.
So there, they feel like they have a little bit of an edge on something that they know, Tony, they know full well that this trip is going to get extensive, extensive coverage.
HARRIS: Yes.
BASH: So they're trying to influence is as much as they can.
HARRIS: And remind us, this is a trip that John McCain suggested...
BASH: Exactly.
HARRIS: ... that Obama should take, correct?
BASH: He pretty much goaded him into it.
HARRIS: Yes.
BASH: In fact, Tony, he talked about it over and over, counting the days...
HARRIS: That's right.
BASH: ... that Obama had not been in Iraq and, of course, he's never been to Afghanistan.
HARRIS: All right, Dana Bash for us this morning.
Dana, thank you.
KEILAR: Answering the call for alternative energy. One Missouri town becomes the first of its kind.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Betty Nguyen.
Coming up, find out what we face reporting from a country where foreign journalists are not allowed. We take you inside Myanmar.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANNOUNCER: You're watching CNN NEWSROOM on CNN, the most trusted name in news. HARRIS: Al Gore and a challenge he compares to the moon landing almost 40 years ago.
The former vice president is calling for a massive undertaking. Switch all of the nation's electricity production to wind, solar, and other carbon-free sources within 10 years. He said that would reduce pollution and global warming, and he says it would break a dangerous reliance on foreign oil.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
AL GORE, FORMER VICE PRESIDENT: When we send money to foreign countries to buy nearly 70 percent of the oil we use every day, they build new skyscrapers and we lose jobs.
When we spend that money building solar rays and windmills here, we build competitive industries and gain jobs here at home.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: Well, Gore delivered his speech a block from the White House, but says the energy crisis extends beyond party lines.
KEILAR: Winds of change seem to be blowing in the nation's number one oil state, Texas, maybe on the verge of making the nation's largest investment in wind energy.
Utility officials there have given preliminary approval to the building a billions of dollars worth of transmission lines. They would carry wind-generated electricity from gusty west Texas to urban areas like Dallas.
Electric customers in Texas would foot the bill about $3 or $4 a month. Supporter say that cost will be offset by lower energy prices.
And ahead of the curb, one Missouri town becoming energy independent thanks to a lot of windy days.
CNN's Ed Lavandera has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ED LAVANDERA CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Follow Steve Stammon(ph) down this gravel road and you'll notice spinning shadows over his corn field, then you'll see the blades that make Rock Port, Missouri run.
(On camera): Did you ever think that Rock Port would be kind of on the cutting edge of energy technology like this?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No. No. Rock Port's just a good old farming community.
LAVANDERA (voice over): Rock Port, population, 1,400, is the first city in the United States that can be fully powered by wind. But wind turns on only traffic light, the bank's clock, computers, and the tools of a hair salon.
The Rock Port wind farm was Eric Chamberlain's idea. He manages it out of his family's funeral home. The idea came to him after seeing a wind farm while driving in a funeral procession through Iowa. Now he's known as the wind czar.
ERIC CHAMBERLAIN, WIND CAPITAL GROUP: I was born and raised here and began to think it's windy a lot of the time.
LAVANDERA: Rock Port flipped the switch to wind energy in April, but when the wind isn't blowing, the town must buy traditional energy. So the city hasn't totally done away with the old power system.
CHAMBERLAIN: This is the total city load currently...
LAVANDERA: But since the turbines were turned on three months ago, they've produced 7 percent more energy than the town needs, the excess is sold off to other communities.
CHAMBERLAIN: Those turbines produce electricity without any emissions, without any other fuel source other than the wind. And they produce a lot of power.
LAVANDERA: Back in the fields, farmers here like to say they don't stare at the corn anymore.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's a way to go with electricity as far as I can see.
LAVANDERA: They're mesmerized by the spinning blades.
(On camera): Rock Port residents haven't seen any relief in their electrical bills, at least not yet, but the hope is wind power will help keep energy prices from skyrocketing in the years ahead.
Ed Lavandera, CNN, Rock Port, Missouri.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: OK. It's Friday and time to look back at the week's big news maker.
This week's choice we're making, they mark the economy and the many issues that shape it. The week has seen white knuckled rides on Wall Street and a much needed drop in oil prices. We've also seen government reports and sometimes grim numbers next week expecting more twists, turns, and we will, of course, be here to walk you through every step of it.
KEILAR: Violence in your DNA. Delinquency in the gene. Dr. Sanjay Gupta on a new study tracking genetics and criminal behavior.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KEILAR: It is now safe to have tomatoes in your salad or on your burger. You want some homemade salsa go ahead and make it. HARRIS: OK.
KEILAR: Because the FDA says that all fresh tomatoes are safe to eat, not the source of a salmonella scare.
Nearly 1,200 people in 42 states and the District of Columbia were sickened by this and there's still a warning in place for jalapeno and Serrano peppers.
HARRIS: A violent crime out of control. Chicago's police superintendent says it's not so, but Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich says it is and adds state troopers or the National Guard could be brought in to help the city.
Chicago's murder rate is up nearly 13 percent already this year. 229 people killed in the first six months of this year. In one weekend alone, nine people were killed in 36 shootings. Public school officials say more than two dozen students have been killed by gun fires since last September. Robberies are up 8 percent.
So is violence rooted in your DNA? That's a pretty provocative question. New studies suggest that the genetic link.
Our chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta is on the case. He's in Los Angeles.
Sanjay, good to see you, as always.
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning.
HARRIS: So how do researchers, Sanjay, determine which genes are involved? And how do you know if you have them?
GUPTA: Well, it's fascinating. And I really (INAUDIBLE) area of research, as you mentioned, Tony, this idea, first of all, that genes could control something like this is interesting.
You know you think of genes controlling your height, maybe your eye color, maybe even your likelihood of getting heart disease or diabetes. But now there's new emerging research showing that genes might control your behavior, the psychology of it.
The way that they did it, to your question, researchers at UNC and Chapel Hill actually followed 20,000 young men between the grades of seven and the grades of 12. And they -- you know, they interviewed them from time to time. They got blood test and what they found -- what seemed to emerge is that not only was there one bad behavior gene, there's, in fact, three bad behavior genes.
They have long names -- I won't bore you with that. But they found that these genes exist and there are certain things that trigger them to express themselves -- stress, family problems, low popularity, failing in school.
What was most interesting, Tony, as we looked at the study, was that they estimate about 1 percent of people all across the country, all across the world probably have these violence genes.
Now the key is not to just identify the gene, but to somehow figure out how to intervene. Is there a medication that could somehow turn off these violence genes? We're not there yet, but it's just absolutely fascinating stuff.
HARRIS: Well, that brings you the next question. Can the genetics somehow be counteractive?
GUPTA: Yes. So with one of the genes, in particular, a dopamine transfer gene, they figured out something really interesting, and that is that these young men, if they had regular family dinners, for example, if they sat down and had dinner with their family on a regular basis, they took the risk of that gene expressing itself to almost zero.
HARRIS: Wow.
GUPTA: You think of your genes as your potential to develop something, you think of gene expression as really developing it.
HARRIS: Right.
GUPTA: If you have some behavioral interventions, you can take the risk down to near zero, which is great.
HARRIS: That is fascinating. How did they measure violent tendencies, Sanjay?
GUPTA: Yes, and so they had specific -- I asked that same question. There's a lot of different ways to measure that. One was that they steal and if they did, was there any violence involved in the stealing process?
HARRIS: Yes.
GUPTA: If they got in a fight or something like that, did they injure the person enough where the person needed medical attention? They have all sorts of different parameters by which to measure this.
And to your point about Chicago, you know, they have -- you know, some of them are actually criminal in terms of actually end up -- needing to go to jail or needing...
HARRIS: That's right.
GUPTA: ... some sort of rehabilitation.
HARRIS: There he is, our chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta in Los Angeles.
Sanjay, great to see you. Have a great weekend.
GUPTA: Have a nice weekend. You, too, take care.
HARRIS: Thank you, sir. KEILAR: Candidates overseas trip. What will Barack Obama bring back besides pictures?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: I'm Betty Nguyen.
Coming up, find out what we face reporting from a country where foreign journalists are not allowed. We take you inside Myanmar.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: So what do you say, Brianna, we get everyone to the New York Stock Exchange?
You know that podium is usually filled with people.
KEILAR: Only two today.
HARRIS: Yes, what's going on here?
KEILAR: Not really a party, is it?
HARRIS: Hey, you know, they're -- I guess the folks from that hit show on cable, "Army Wives"?
KEILAR: I know but...
HARRIS: (INAUDIBLE) that show?
KEILAR: ... I'm surprised they don't have some fans up there or -- yes. Very popular show.
HARRIS: Yes, you would think they would be able to drum up a little more of -- all right, we'll just clap away.
So we're about to get the business day started here. The Dow beginning -- there we go.
Boy, what a strong rally the last couple of days for the Dow. Will the rally continue? That is the real question of the morning.
You know our friends at CNNmoney.com are indicating no. Well, that's not altogether true. Kind of a flat to down start, but perhaps we'll get a rally going throughout the day. We're going to keep an eye on the markets with Susan Lisovicz right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: OK. Welcome back, everyone, to the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Tony Harris.
BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Brianna Keilar in for Heidi Collins. We're keeping an eye right now on John McCain. He is going to be holding a town hall meeting at General Motors. We are expecting him. Is he walking out now? Yes, he is.
HARRIS: Yes.
KEILAR: Doing the meet and greet ahead of his town hall meeting. We're going to continue to monitor this.
HARRIS: Warren, Michigan, just outside of --
KEILAR: Detroit.
HARRIS: Yes, absolutely.
KEILAR: So, we'll be checking in with this. Obviously, they go through some introduction, and then we're going to get to the meat of it. We'll bring that to you.
HARRIS: Let's get a check of weather now. Where's the man? There he is. Rob Marciano in the severe weather center.
Rob, good Friday to you.
(WEATHER REPORT)
HARRIS: More than photo ops? Barack Obama taking a detour from U.S. campaigning to go to the Middle East and Europe. CNN's Candy Crowley looks at what he could gain or lose.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CANDY CROWLEY, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST (voice-over): Barack Obama's European trip is the campaign trail via satellite, pictures for the rhetoric back home.
SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D), PRESUMPTIVE PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: We will restore our moral standing in the world.
CROWLEY: From Jordan to Israel, to Germany, France, and England, it is a postcard journey, images for the hesitant to show that this 46-year-old politician, a virtual unknown overseas, is up to a lead role on the international stage. The questions, is he tough enough to stand up for America and graceful enough to improve her image?
SEN. EVAN BAYH (D), INDIANA: Well, the message to voters back home is that he is focused on being a strong, effective commander in chief. He's going to rehabilitate our image across the world.
CROWLEY: Or, as the McCain camp calls it, a political photo-op.
SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), PRESUMPTIVE PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: Because, if you have political rallies, then it's a political event.
CROWLEY: But McCain, with his credentials at the core of his campaign, has saved his sharpest salvos for Obama's expected trip through Afghanistan and Iraq. He pounds Obama as a neophyte, criticizing him for suggesting that Iraq has distracted the U.S. from Afghanistan.
MCCAIN: To somehow disconnect it from Afghanistan shows again incredible naivete.
CROWLEY: And now an eight-minute video full of what the campaign sees as flip-flops from Obama, his current call to withdraw from Iraq in 16 months up against this from 2004.
OBAMA: We have got to make sure that we secure and execute the rebuilding and reconstruction process effectively and properly. And I don't think we should have an artificial deadline when to do that.
CROWLEY: Domestic politics aside, there are other reasons Obama takes this journey. Unlike McCain, well-known and well-traveled overseas, Obama is a question mark, still a curiosity.
His trip is not just about impressions he sends home, but the ones he leaves behind.
ROBIN OAKLEY, EUROPEAN POLITICAL EDITOR: I mean, people have been saying to me, look, this guy's only been in national politics for three years, let alone international politics. We don't really know quite exactly what he's going to do.
CROWLEY: It is not a trip without political risk. It comes amidst mortgage melt downs and gas price explosions at home. He could look out of touch. And the Europe card has to be played carefully for a domestic audience. He could look too cozy. And he could fuel, rather than douse, the commander-in-chief questions. He could make a mistake.
But they bank on picture-perfect. His campaign would be over the moon if Obama returns with this kind of buzz.
OAKLEY: I was talking to a former British foreign secretary this week, and he said, it's like JFK and Camelot. He said, it may not be justified. It may not be sensible, but that feeling is there.
CROWLEY: And that may be the biggest risk of this trip, all those great expectations.
Candy Crowley, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: Let's mention it again. John McCain campaigning in Michigan this hour. He is in Warren, Michigan, where he is holding a town hall meeting at a General Motors Technical Center. Warren is a Detroit suburb. McCain, using the opportunity to talk about his thoughts on incentives for next generation vehicles like the Chevy Volt.
Yes, that is a plug-in electric car that is being designed at that technical center. GM plans to have the volt on the market by 2010. What we're going to do is we're going to monitor the speech. And then, we will bring you a nice chunk of the Q&A that follows the speech right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.
And check out our "Political Ticker" for all the latest political news. Just log on to cnnpolitics.com. Your source for all things political.
KEILAR: It's a rare glimpse inside of Myanmar, showing you what life is like now two months after that deadly cyclone that devastated the delta there. All week, our Betty Nguyen has been bringing us startling and sometimes disturbing images and survivors' stories.
This is the story of her dangerous journey into the secretive country of Myanmar.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): Just getting into the country was half the battle. Little did I know the rest would be near impossible. We had to devise a plan to bypass multiple military check points and get down to the cyclone devastation.
So the only way out of Yangon is through this check point?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes. Yes.
NGUYEN: That's a problem because if we're caught, our team face deportation, even prison time.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's a difficult jump to do. It's one of the harder places to shoot a story because you live in fear of yourself being kicked out, but even more fear of the people that work for you being arrested and put away for 20 years.
NGUYEN: That was my photographer. I can't show you his face because he still works in the region. So, after days of pouring over maps and scouting out routes, we were finally on the move.
(on camera): To get down to the Irrawaddy Delta, we have to leave under the cover of darkness. The last thing we need right now is to be stopped.
(voice-over): We hopped from different modes of transportation. All the while feeling like fugitives on the run.
(on camera): It's really the only way to get down there and bypass the check point. It's going to be a long ride.
(voice-over): And a rough one. We slept in stifling conditions and lived off of little more than bottled water and power bars. Once daylight broke through, it was clear this journey was far from over.
(on camera): We're waiting right now for a second boat. A smaller one that we're told will be able to make it through the canals a lot easier.
(voice-over): After 21 hours, we finally made it, though it normally takes only four hours to get here. And judging from the devastation, it doesn't look like much has changed in the two months since the cyclone struck. Debris still littered villages. We had to work quickly capturing what we could never knowing when we'd get caught.
Trekking through muddy fields, over makeshift bridges, and right into rice patties. We came across an eerie discovery, bodies still rotting in the delta. I knew we would find them. I just didn't know how haunting it would be.
Yet, just a few feet away, the living press one. It's a place where slivers of hope can be found in the eyes of the young. So happy and full of life. And for a brief moment, you almost forget they've seen more pain than most people can imagine.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KEILAR: And Betty is joining us now live from Bangkok, Thailand to tell us about this journey into Myanmar.
Betty, what is the biggest challenge that you faced on this story? I imagine there were many.
NGUYEN: Yes, I don't think I can put it into just one. We faced many challenges, one mentally. Just trying to figure a way out to the delta. Getting down there and bypassing those check points. And most importantly, not getting caught because the locals helping us did face severe punishment including prison time.
I think physically it was challenging. We slept, like I said, stifling conditions to the extent that we were sweating so profusely that the insect repellent was running off of us. And the mosquitoes were pretty much eating us, alive. We didn't shower for days. And we didn't even know if we were able, once we finally got there to get the story.
I mean, it's one thing to try to get down there. It's another thing to get people to talk to you. But what I found just so heart -- it really heartfelt was the fact that people wanted to talk to us. There wasn't a single person who refused our interview. They wanted to share their stories. They wanted the world to know what was going on. And they wanted to share their grief.
And to me, that was difficult because it was emotional. A mother was sitting in the doorway of a grass hut crying her eyes out about the only child that she lost in the cyclone. That brought me to tears because these are people who have nothing. And when you lose all that you have when you have so little, there's little you can say to them to make them feel any better.
KEILAR: Yes. It's certainly not easy to watch some of your reporting, Betty. But it's very important work. Good work. Thanks.
HARRIS: A poacher's holiday. Taking advantage of a drop in tourism and brutally attacking unprotected animals.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) HARRIS: Interesting here. Positive vibes from Iran. The country's foreign minister says he expects progress in tomorrow's nuclear talks with U.S. participation. Under Secretary of State William Burns will sit in on a meeting in Geneva with a European Union delegation and Iran's chief nuclear negotiator.
Washington says Burns will not negotiate with Iran. But his presence there signals a big shift from President Bush's policy of isolating Tehran to a diplomatic approach.
KEILAR: South Africa's Nelson Mandela turns 90. The run off to today's big birthday has been marked by several events over the past few weeks. From anti-hunger campaigns at home to a big aides charity concert in London. But today, the political icon is spending his birthday surrounded by family. And he did something that he'd said he would not do again. Grant an interview.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NELSON MANDELA, FMR. SOUTH AFRICAN PRESIDENT: I am very happy that I live until now. And I hope many South Africans and other people in the world will live like this so that they could be the object of admiration.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KEILAR: And Mandela said that his birthday wish is that the rich would share with the poor.
Well, parts of the U.S. living a little too large. A new survey reveals the fattest states in the nation.
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KEILAR: It is a big title that no one wants -- The Fattest State in the Nation. And for a fourth year in a row, it's Mississippi. An annual survey by the Centers for Disease Control finds more than 30 percent of adults in Mississippi are obese. Other southern states at the top of the list, Alabama, and Tennessee. CDC officials say the region's traditional diet of high fat foods is partly to blame. So, which state is the slimmest? It's Colorado. With an obesity rate of just 19 percent, which still seems kind of high.
HARRIS: Seems a bit high, doesn't it?
KEILAR: Yes, 19.
HARRIS: All right. Well, I've got to tell you something, Texas, on the list? Yes, number ten on the list of obese states. But this morning, Dr. Sanjay Gupta introduces us to a man in Dallas who says just making small changes helped him shed 40 pounds.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Sujit Bhattacharya was always thin. But a busy job in eating unhealthy on the run eventually caught up with him.
SUJIT BHATTACHARYA, LOST 40 POUNDS: I was living happily and blissfully ignorant about the fact that I was getting overweight and unhealthy.
GUPTA: Sujit feared he wouldn't be around to watch his daughters grow up. So, he decided to make a change. He began counting calories. And it paid off.
BHATTACHARYA: I have a budget for how many calories I have and I know how to spend it. I can spend it on Hershey bars. I'm working about few Hershey bars and eat an intelligent lunch. I was able to lose a pound every three days. It's like gradually eating smart and then the weight would just come right off.
GUPTA: And he no longer uses a busy lifestyle as an excuse.
BHATTACHARYA: We all get busy in our day to day lives and we forget simple things about eating right and exercising. But I'm still just as busy now as I was back before I was heavy.
GUPTA: Sujit says it's all about making small changes.
BHATTACHARYA: I went from two percent glass of milk to one percent of milk. And if you look at the calories difference, that's 20 calories. But if you do that once a day over a year, that's 7,000 calories. That's two pounds you lost in a year by doing almost nothing to your lifestyle.
My name Sujit Bhattacharya and I lost 40 pounds.
GUPTA: Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN, Dallas, Texas.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KEILAR: Let's take you now to Warren, Michigan where John McCain is taking questions from a crowd at General Motors. Let's listen in.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), PRESUMPTIVE PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: A federalist that believes that the states should make decisions as to what happens within their states. Offshore drilling is an example. I think we ought to do offshore drilling. State of California may decide not to. The State of Florida, it appears their governor and the majority of their citizens, want to.
But it also is complicated because every state doesn't manufacture automobiles and they don't stay within their states. I want to see -- I want to see, Rick, and the other leaders of the big three sit down with the governors and say -- OK, what is it that you actually need and here's what we can do. That's my ideal solution.
But it's hard for me to tell states that they can't impose in their own states whatever standards that would apply within their state. So, I have to say -- I guess, at the end of the day, I support the states being able to do that, but I also think there's no reason why we shouldn't be able to sit down and work this out.
And at the same time, we, in Congress feel it is within our authority to set a mission standard, as you well know -- excuse me. Mileage standards. So, at the end of the day, I think the state should make the decisions but I don't see why we have this clash that goes on. And I hope we can work this thing out. And I think that part of this vote may make that discussion academic.
Yes, sir?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's a lot of questions in regards to the energy crisis and the automotive industry. My question is a little bit different. As a Catholic male, I'm adamantly pro-life. Not sure whether you're aware, but we've had a series of events take place. A number of unborn fetuses were found in a dumpster at a local abortion clinic, illegally dumped there.
Between Rovie Wade (ph) and the lesser known core case of that day, the irreversible embryonic stem -- the unproven science of embryonic stem research, the moral implications of human cloning -- come November, I'm hoping to pull the lever for somebody that will fight for the rights of the unborn. Can I count on you to fight for the rights of the unborn?
MCCAIN: Yes, you can. I believe the noblest words ever written are that all of us are created equal and endowed by our creator with certain unalienable rights. Among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. And I think that that applies to the unborn as well as the born.
I have a long and consistent record of support for the unborn and the right to life. And I'm proud of that record. And I would point out that Senator Obama, when he was a member of the Illinois State Legislature in their judiciary committee, there was a vote on a ban of partial birth abortion. One of the most gruesome procedures ever, partial birth abortion, and he voted against a ban on partial birth abortion.
So, there's a clear choice between myself and Senator Obama. I have a long record of advocacy for and voting for the rights of the unborn, and I'm proud of that. And I'm proud to be called right to life. Thank you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KEILAR: John McCain talking there with General Motors' employees in Warren, Michigan, talking about a myriad of topics, but he's really there to talk about the economy. This is a key state when it comes to the economy. The jobless rate in Michigan about three percent higher than the national average. They're certainly struggling there. So, he's in Michigan trying to highlight his economic plan.
We are, of course, keeping our eye on the weather. I know it's summer. It's hot. But temperatures feeling like 100 and some tropical weather brewing. We'll tell you where you need to watch out.
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KEILAR: Good morning, everybody. I'm Brianna Keilar. Heidi Collins has the day off.
HARRIS: And I'm Tony Harris. Stay informed all day in the CNN NEWSROOM. Here's what's on the rundown.
Tropical trouble for the southeastern coast? A storm may be brewing. We are keeping an eye on it for you.
KEILAR: Well, this tropical storm unleashing a torrent in Taiwan. Wait until you see the street.
HARRIS: And banking's wild week winds down. Still, have some money questions? Our Gerri Willis has answers today. It is Friday, July 18th and you are in the CNN NEWSROOM.
