Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Olympic Preparations; Offshore Drilling Support; Saddam's Yacht; Iran's Non-Response

Aired August 02, 2008 - 16:00   ET

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

RICHARD LUI, CNN ANCHOR: Offshore oil drilling may not be the problem it once was. We'll explain that for you.
Think you could get by on one tank of gas all summer? This woman says she can.

And there's no way this yacht could get by on one tank certainly. We'll take a look inside Saddam Hussein's yacht. It was never used. It's a CNN exclusive.

And first off for you this hour, a deafening silence out of Tehran. Today is the unofficial deadline for Iran's response to the U.N.'s latest nuclear freeze offer. CNN's Reza Sayah is live in Tehran with the latest there for you. Hey, Reza.

REZA SAYAH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Richard. This was the informal deadline set by the U.S. and its allies, the five world powers, but it's past midnight right now, so don't expect anything to happen. We should note that the European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana has said that he was will willing to give Iran a few more days, but this informal deadline set a couple of weeks ago this Saturday has come and gone. Of course, it was a couple of weeks ago where there was some hope during the nuclear talks in Geneva.

That's when for the first time in three decades you had a senior U.S. diplomat sit face-to-face with Iran's to nuclear negotiator, Saeed Jalili and that's when the U.S. and the five world powers made Iran a so-called freeze for freeze proposal. The world powers offering Iran a six-week delay in a fourth round of sanctions if Iran would agree not to expand its uranium enrichment program. They had given Iran two weeks to respond, but this week on Wednesday, Iran's foreign minister Manouchehr Mottaki dismissed the deadline and Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Khamenei told the Iranian public in a televised speech that Iran is going full speed ahead with its nuclear program. So that's where we stand on this Saturday.

The U.S. Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice, had threatened a fourth round of sanctions. Perhaps the swiftest threat of sanctions yet if Iran was not to respond to this package. But again the European Union foreign policy chief giving Iran a few more days. Richard.

LIU: Reza, when we talk about response, we said the silence is deafening, right, at the top of this piece that you and I were talking about, on this issue. On Wednesday, the foreign minister, foreign minister Mottaki of Iran did say they had already responded. What is he talking about there? SAYAH: Yes, and that's where things get a little bit confusing and there are indications that these two sides are not on the same page. The U.S. and the five world powers saying that they give the proposal to Iran, the peace for peace package on July 19th and they're waiting for a response. But the foreign minister of Iran saying they gave a response that same day in a two-page letter saying, yes, we have your proposal and our response is that we want more talks.

In fact, seven rounds of talks. Some say that's going to take months, maybe a year. But Iran's position is they've already given a response. So, confusing set of situations. These demands that these two sides sit together and work things out. It really indicates how confusing these talks can be sometimes, Richard.

LIU: Great stuff. Reza Sayah, thank you so much for that report in Tehran.

Barack Obama performs a u-turn on expanded offshore drilling. With U.S. voters struggling with the cost of gasoline and with John McCain bringing up some points on the issue, Obama now says he's open to some compromise. With the story from New York, CNN's Jim Acosta. Hey, Jim.

JIM ACOSTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Richard. Emphasizing bipartisanship, Barack Obama says he doesn't want to get in the way of congressional efforts to lower high gas prices. So he's putting it in reverse on offshore oil drilling.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Right here in Robert County.

ACOSTA (voice-over): In Florida, Barack Obama was offering change, but this time it was on his opposition to offshore oil drilling.

OBAMA: We can't allow, you know, partisan bickering or the desire to score political points to get in the way of providing some genuine relief to people who are struggling.

ACOSTA: Obama confirmed he's ready to back a new bipartisan compromise working its way through the Senate that would raise taxes on oil companies and allow new oil drilling off the east coast.

OBAMA: This wasn't really a new position.

ACOSTA: The Illinois senator insisted it wasn't a departure from the line in the sand he had drawn on drilling earlier this summer.

OBAMA: Believe me, if I thought there was any evidence at all that drilling could save people money who are struggling to fill up their gas tanks by this summer or this year or even the next few years, I would consider it. But it won't. And John McCain knows that.

ACOSTA: For weeks, John McCain has pounded Obama on the issue of high gas prices. Painting his rival as a Dr. No on energy solutions in ads in and in his latest radio address.

VOICE OF SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: He believes every domestic energy source has a problem. I believe every energy source needs to be part of the solution.

ACOSTA: If it's a flip-flop, it's one already tried on by McCain who abandoned his opposition to offshore drilling earlier this summer.

MCCAIN: It's safe enough these days that not even Hurricanes Katrina and Rita could cause spillage from the battered rigs off the coast of New Orleans and Houston.

ACOSTA: McCain did not point out that the government found more than 100 rigs were damaged in those storms. As for Obama, his reversal on the issue may further alienate his most left-leaning supporters who felt betrayed earlier this year by the senator's shift on domestic wiretapping.

JOHN MERCURIO, "THE HOTLINE": they need those voters, those young voters, those liberal left of center voters to turn out on election day. And if there's any degree to which they are discouraged, disenchanted, dissatisfied with Barack Obama's campaign, I think he's in big trouble.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ACOSTA: Polls show Americans support more offshore oil drilling but are divided on whether it will lower gas prices. It's a sign consumers are weary and perhaps the politicians are, too, and ready to try anything at this point, Richard.

LIU: Hey, Jim, can you tell us more about this gang of ten proposal that Barack Obama is feeling more comfortable with and who's supporting it right now as well?

ACOSTA: And that's right. For those of the viewers out there who aren't familiar with what the gang of ten is, it's nothing - nothing to fear. It's nothing criminal we should be worried about. But it is group of bipartisan senators. They are from republican and democratic stripes. And they both are trying to work out a compromise on this issue, as they have on other moderate proposals. And they're saying that in addition to having offshore oil drilling, perhaps we should also be raising taxes on these oil companies which are ringing up these record profits.

In addition to that and Barack Obama mentioned this today, there are $7 billion for the car companies, American car companies, to come up with some more energy-efficient vehicles, which is something Americans pretty much whole-heartedly support at this point. So there is something to be said here, and Barack Obama is trying to tap into this. That bipartisanship might lead the way out of this crisis if the Congress can get its act together essentially and find some kind of solution here. They didn't do it by the time August recess came around at the end of this past week, but they're still trying to work on it. And then Obama said today he doesn't want to get in the way of that effort. Richard. LIU: Great background to a context. Jim Acosta in New York with that. Thank you so much, Jim.

ACOSTA: You bet.

LIU: Lincoln Douglas revisited? Probably not. The Obama campaign agreed today that three standard presidential debates plus one for the running mates. In a letter to the Presidential Debates Commission, the campaign signaled there will not be time for town hall encounters along the Abraham Lincoln-Steven Douglas model proposed by John McCain. No response yet from the McCain campaign.

A little later for you, more on the drilling debate straight from the source. We'll hear from McCain and Obama as they outline their positions today.

Everything a dictator could want, evidently. An opulent yacht once owned by Saddam Hussein, it is now back in the hands of the Iraqi government. CNN's Jim Bittermann went onboard for this report you'll see only on CNN.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JIM BITTERMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Amid the luxury of the French Riviera, it might have gone unnoticed. But when the Iraqi flag was hoisted from the stern of a 90-meet, 270-foot yacht, the Iraqi ambassador to France said it marked the end of an odyssey for the ship and the Iraqi people. Saddam Hussein constructed the lavish yacht, which has come to be known as the "Basra Breeze" back in 1981, laying out vast salons and dining rooms, equipping it with eight state rooms for guests with golden bathroom fixtures and jacuzzis. A deck that could land a helicopter, and a master bedroom suitable for a dictator. But he never set foot aboard when the war with Iran began, Saddam sent the ship was sent to the King of Saudi Arabia, who then gave to the king of Jordan. But the crew, sometimes numbering as many as 32, no one other than they ever came aboard. Never sat down in the ship's barber chair. Or needed to use the fully-equipped medical bay. Still, for nearly three decades, the crew always kept the "Basra Breeze" party-ready.

MOWFAK ABBOUD, IRAQI AMBASSADOR TO FRANCE: I was really surprised. I didn't expect the ship to be in such luxurious standard. I mean, the decoration, the equipment shows how much money was spent for - for having such luxurious things.

BITTERMAN: Contrary to public reports, the yacht does not have bullet-proof windows, surface to air missiles, or a submarine dock. But it's luxurious appointments, ship broker say would cost 100 million euros. That's $155 million to re-create today. So last year when the yacht turned up in a port near Nice, France, lawyers for the Iraqi government decided to press its case for ownership in French courts.

ARDAVAN AMIR-ASLAMI, LAWYER FOR IRAQI GOVERNMENT: This boat is symbolic in the sense that it personifies the plunder and looting that Iraq was a subject of under the reign of Saddam Hussein. The massacre you stated during the time that this boat was being built, millions of millions of dollars of cost, Iraqi soldiers were falling on the Iranian front. And people were suffering from every kind of possible thing that you can imagine under the dictatorship.

BITTERMAN: While the Iraqi government hasn't decided yet what to do with the ship, the ambassador says his preference will be to turn it into a floating museum so that Iraqi citizens could see how their ex- president squandered their wealth while they suffered. The yacht is not the first or the last of Saddam Hussein's overseas assets. Not so long ago, just down the coast here, lawyers were able to establish Iraqi control over a villa that belonged to Saddam Hussein and his family. And the lawyers and investigators say that they know of other assets and secret bank accounts that they estimate could be worth billions of dollars. Jim Bittermann, CNN, along the French coast.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LIU: It's compelling, even shocking vide video, but what is the real tale of the tape here? In yet another case, New York Police deal with allegations of excessive force in this videotaped incident.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LIU: Caught on tape. Yet another video some say shows the N.Y.P.D. using excessive force. Josh Levs is here. He is following the story for us. What's going on with this?

JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, well, you know, this is a rough video to watch. As you were saying before the break, it introduces a lot of questions. That's something we need to keep in mind when you take a look at this. That obviously, you know, when you see this thing, you're going to be thinking about it a lot. Let's keep in mind we're only seeing one angle. And you will have a lot of questions.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LEVS (voice-over): The event was captured on home video. The man is not yet handcuffed here. The video does not show what led to his arrest, and we can't know for certain whether he's resisting or how much. New York City Police say that Michael Cephus had swung an umbrella at a police officer and hit him with his fist causing the officer to suffer substantial pain. Police say during the arrest, Cephus kept grabbing the officer's baton. Police have charged him with assault on an officer and resisting arrest. Cephus says he did nothing wrong. He says officers approached him because they thought he was drunk and carrying alcohol. He says he wasn't.

MICHAEL CEPHUS, ARREST WAS VIDEOTAPED: Like I said, when they came at me without telling me to put my hands behind my back, they just came at me with force and swinging, swinging. And that's when the umbrella hit the floor. I never swung no umbrella.

LEVS: Cephus' attorney provided the video to the media. We don't know who shot it. The N.Y.P.D. says an officer has been put on modified assignment during the investigation. The patrolman's benevolent association says the video shows "the use of force was necessary and appropriate. And the officer involved should have never have been placed on modified assignment."

It's the latest example of third-party videos raising questions about police action. Just days ago, this video showed a New York City Police officer slamming a bicyclist to the ground. An investigation is under way.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LIU: Josh, we got two pieces of video there to take a look at. It is very arresting for some, no doubt. But these pieces of video on the internet, and that's the difference here compared to cases made 20 years ago. How is this playing into the investigation?

LEVS: They're using it. They actually study these things. And we're seeing more and more police saying they actually collect these videos and take a look at them for their investigations, which is significant. That they actually do piece through these and it helps in a way that they catch fire. These videos are empowering to people who say that these videos show wrongdoing but we do have to know that these video only show a slice of the story. And the truth is sometimes what looks really violent, you know, Richard, could in some cases just be that the police are there doing their jobs. We weren't there. We don't know.

LIU: All right. Josh Levs digging into it for us. Thank you so much, sir.

LEVS: Thanks a lot.

LIU: In other news across the United States, we're hearing reports that a Tennessee woman convicted of killing her preacher husband has gained physical custody of their three children. According to CNN affiliate WMC, Mary Winkler picked up her daughters yesterday from her in-laws house yesterday. The girls have been living there since 2006 when Winkler was charged with murdering her husband, Matthew. She was convicted of manslaughter after telling jurors her husband emotionally and physically abused her.

All right. A California woman is mauled by a bear and she lives to tell about her terrifying ordeal. 56-year-old Alleynea Hanson, you see her there, just 100 pounds, came face-to-face with a 150-pound black bear as she walked her dogs.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ALLEYNEA HANSON, ATTACK BY A BEAR: My first sensation was that a little tiny bear, but what a bully. Then I found myself down on the ground. I heard chomp, chomp, chomp. I felt it go through my skull. I felt it bite through this eye. I heard, you know, kind of a squishy, crunchy pop. I went, there goes my eye. Then it got a hold of my face and started shaking it. You know, worrying it. I could feel it tearing off. I could feel the blood, you know, the wetness. I could see it dripping. I could hear it whooshing. And I think the one thing - watching, I say is most vivid to me was watching that little bugger spit my teeth out.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LIU: Spit her teeth out. Well, Hanson's two dogs jumped on the bear and helped her escape. They got away without any serious injuries.

There's been an E. coli outbreak at a popular boy scout camp in Virginia. Dozens of scouts there and staff got sick after staying at the camp in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Nine have been hospitalized. Health officials are trying to track the source of the outbreak.

And a dog owner in South Florida had no time to waste. A pit bull's jaws were clamped down on his own dog, and the pit was not letting go here. Part of the drama was caught on surveillance video. Reporter Derek Hayward of CNN affiliate, WSVN reports, and a quick heads-up. Some of this video is a bit graphic.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANTHONY DIPPOLITO, DOG OWNER: This is me coming around with my gun. Boom. I shot him right there.

DEREK HAYWARD, REPORTER, WSVN: Anthony Dippolito says he had no choice but to retrieve his .45-caliber pistol and shoot this red- nosed pit bull that was attacking his own dog.

DIPPOLITO: Good girl. Good girl.

HAYWARD: This is his own dog, Crystal.

DIPPOLITIO: You see her bottom foot there, her claws are ripped off. Do you see her eye there, too.

HAYWARD: Surveillance video shows the pit bull jumped from a neighbor's black SUV. Another camera shows it paused before lunging at Crystal inside her own fence.

DIPPOLITO: The dog ran in, grabbed my dog and was trying to pull her through.

See that? Boom, boom, boom.

HAYWARD: Surveillance shows the pit bull's owner was trying in vain to beat his animal into releasing its grip. Then Dippolito tries with a metal satellite dish.

DIPPOLITO: That was a circle at one time.

HAYWARD: And you hit the dog with it?

DIPPOLITO: About 20 times with it. That's the shape that it ended up. I was going to force the thing over the dog's head and it wouldn't let go. That's when I went and got my gun because after beating it with this thing. Now remember this looks like that. OK, it's round. OK, this was beat. I beat the dog over the head with this thing, and it didn't work.

HAYWARD: That's when Dippolito said he runs for his gun. DIPPOLITO: I ran out the front door, came around here and shot the dog right here with my .45 and it didn't even drop.

HAYWARD: In your mind, you had no choice here

DIPPOLITO: No. It's either that or watch my dog get shredded. I mean, unquestioned that the dog was not going to release or until he killed my dog.

HAYWARD: The bloody paw prints leave a trail to the pit bull owner's house. He says his pit, Nikita, died at a vet clinic.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE; He was a family pet. I have three pets. I have two other pets in the house. He was a family pet.

HAYWARD: Do you feel any animosity toward the guy who shot him?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No animosity whatsoever. I just feel like he jumped the gun. He should have waited. Could have maybe sprayed him with a water hose or something.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LIU: All right. Well, police say the man who shot the pit bull will not be cited. The pit bull's owner could be in trouble because his dog was loose.

You know, it's a medical miracle of sorts. A father lost both arms several years ago, and now he's got arms again. Thanks to a donor and a tireless team of surgeons. How did they do it?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LIU: Straight to Oshkosh, Wisconsin today where some stunts not for the faint of heart or your stomach. Small planes twisting and turning through the sky at the annual Air Adventure show. Look at that. The convention has drawn hundreds of thousands of aviation enthusiasts including actors John Travolta and Harrison Ford. Great shots.

OK. Now, straight to what is a flying pan of the United States. Jacqui Jeras, I guess if people want to grill out, they can just throw it on the sidewalk right about now in certain parts of the country, huh?

JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: You might be able to cook an egg. It's a possibility. There is a lot of heat. And we do have storms and speaking of aviation, if you've never been to that Oshkosh show, that's one of the coolest things you'll do in your life. I'm telling you. It's a great show.

If you're traveling to the other airports today, we got a lot of problems because of those storms. A ground stop now in effect at Boston Logan until the top of the hour. Nobody is taking off to get there. At La Guardia, looking at pushing two hours for your delays. And JFK, about 3 1/2 hours now. We also have a few additional delays over an hour now in Newark and D.C., that's Reagan National, 30-minute delays. Those delays are on the increase.

Here's those storms I was talking about. You can see the watches lined up. We got a new one here filling in for you across parts of Virginia. This one dropping down for New York City and down towards Philadelphia. You can see that pocket of storms kind of missing that area now. Really heavy rain pushing through Boston. A lot of lightning associated with this as well. That's why nobody is getting in to that airport at this time. We've also been watching a severe thunderstorm with a possible tornado on it. This is in Hartford County in Maryland. This is just north of the Baltimore area but you can see it's heading towards the bay. This is Doppler radar indicated.

Here is the heat. It's on across the nation's midsection. Just gripping. And we're talking temperatures between five and 15 degrees above normal. This is hot even by August standards. We could possibly see a few records. And the other thing to keep in mind too is that the humidity, so very high. So temperatures are going to be feeling a lot warmer than what they're saying on your thermometer. We've got advisories in effect, really from Dallas towards Memphis, all the way up into Oklahoma and even on into Iowa. So a lot of heat out there. Take it easy this weekend. No big jogs. Richard.

LIU: That's right. To use a weather technical term, you've got the double-whammy out there, huh?

JERAS: Sure.

LIU: Yes. Thanks, Jacqui.

You know, a German farmer has a new shot at normal life thanks to a donor and a transplant team in Munich. During the world's first double-arm transplant, surgeons fitted the double amputee with new arms. The farmer lost his original pair in an accident six years ago. Doctors say the farmer's body needs to establish good blood flow to the muscles in his new arms for them to be healthy. It could take years before they're fully functional. The donor died shortly before last weekend's surgery.

Heart disease is the number one - there you are. Heart disease is what we're talking about is the number one killer of women in the U.S. If you've been neglecting your cardiovascular health, take heart in today's "Health for her," Judy Fortin tells us why it's never too late.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JUDY FORTIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Can you hear it? It's the most important muscle in your body. And it's trying to tell you something. But it seems many women aren't listening. Even as heart disease continues to claim more women than all cancers combined. Or to put it another way, one in three American women will die each year from heart disease.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hi, Lisa. How you doing today? FORTIN: That's a sobering statistic for Lisa Kuzman, whose dad died of a heart attack when he was 47. Then her 45-year-old brother died of a heart attack, too. Kuzman was not only traumatized, she was terrified for her own heart.

LISA KUZMAN, FAMILY HISTORY OF HEART ATTACKS: How many times is this going to happen in my family? I was very concerned with my own health.

FORTIN: And she should be. Family history puts her at greater risk. And it's something she can't control. Other factors women can't control, age. Your risk increases as you get older. And race. African-American women are 35 percent more likely to die of heart disease than white women. The good news is there are things you can do to reduce your risk. Adopting a healthy diet is one. Getting regular exercise is another. And if you smoke, stop. For Lisa, it was a doctor's question that prompted her to take action.

KUZMAN: Do you want to be here for your children? So it's like - almost like put a picture of your children in front of you every day. That will be your motivation to get yourself on the right track. And it was a good motivation.

FORTIN: Judy Fortin, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LIU: A doping scandal, Olympic gold gone. A U.S. team is stripped of its medals and Olympic history has to be rewritten.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LUI: Here's a mystery out of Iraq for you. Why is a major defense contractor collecting its workers' cell phones? Houston-based KBR says it told employees to give up their phones for security reasons. The company refused to offer any more details. This order also applies to KBR employees in Afghanistan and Kuwait. One employee told CNN his personal cell phone is crucial to his security and he will not give it up.

Pakistan vows to investigate allegations that its intelligence agency teamed up with the Taliban to bomb the Indian embassy in Afghanistan. Dozens of people died in last month's attack.

More now from CNN senior international correspondent Nic Robertson.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Two days after the deadly suicide bombing outside the Indian embassy, Afghan officials said they had proof Pakistan was involved. Now, almost a month later, U.S. officials tell CNN they have indications, elements within Pakistan's powerful spy agency, the ISI, helped the Taliban plan the attack.

More than 54 people were killed, including India's defense attache. The allegations have drawn criticism from Pakistan.

HUSAIN HAQQANI, PAKISTANI AMBASSADOR TO THE U.S.: The United States has not shared any evidence with the Pakistani government about these allegations. The Pakistani government is always willing to look at allegations about anyone. However, we believe that our intelligence services act responsibly.

ROBERTSON: But U.S. officials say that's exactly what they have done. Before the attack, sending a top CIA representative to Pakistan's capital, Islamabad, to present the evidence to senior Pakistani officials, evidence that shows collusion extends beyond the July 7th attack.

The ISI has a history supporting mujahedeen forces in Afghanistan. In the 1980s, with CIA funding, helping overthrow the Soviet occupation; in the 1990s, backing the Taliban's takeover. The new Pakistani government admits it has inherited a problem.

HAQQANI: There are many people in Pakistan and some of them are retired military officers, intelligence officers, who continue to have ideological sympathy for that cause.

ROBERTSON: When President Bush met Thursday with Pakistan's prime minister, there were smiles. But behind the scenes, there is intense frustration with the country that is supposed to be a key ally in the fight against terrorism.

Taliban is growing stronger in Pakistan's lawless border region, and killing more U.S. troops inside Afghanistan. And America is almost powerless to stop them because troops are not allowed into Pakistan.

(on camera): On a recent trip to Kabul, U.S. officials told me they are deeply concerned about the Taliban threat and want Pakistani help to defeat the Taliban. What was clear, I was told, is that the status quo, the Taliban digging in and striking with impunity from inside Pakistan, cannot be tolerated.

Nic Robertson, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LUI: Well, to help you make an informed choice in the presidential election from now until November, we're going to play more of what the candidates are saying in their own words. Here are senators John McCain and Barack Obama on the campaign trial today talking about energy.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D-IL), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: This wasn't really a new position. What I'm saying is that we can't drill our way out of the problem. That every energy expert that I've spoken with, every scientist, every engineer will tell you that with 3 percent of the world's oil reserves and 25 percent of the world's oil utilization, we can deep on drilling all we want, but the long-term trend is for flat or decreasing oil supply and increased consumption. And so what that means is that if we want to have true oil independence, if we want to have true energy independence, then we're going to have to become much more efficient in terms of how we use energy. What I said was that the gang of 10 bill, what I've seen so far -- and we haven't seen final legislation, has some of the very aggressive elements that I've outlined in my plan to move us in the direction of genuine energy independence.

A good example is their goal that in 20 years, 85 percent of the cars on the road are not -- are no longer petroleum-based. That, I think, is the kind of bold step that we need. The fact that they're willing to put in $7 billion to help the auto industry retool so that those new energy-efficient cars are made in America, I think, is a positive step.

So there are a whole bunch of good things that have been proposed by this bipartisan group. I remain skeptical of some of the drilling provisions. But I will give them credit that the way they crafted the drilling provisions are about as careful and responsible as you might expect for a drilling agenda.

And what I don't want to do is for the -- the best to be the enemy of the good here. And if we can come up with a genuine bipartisan compromise in which I have to accept some things I don't like or the Democrats have to accept some things that they don't like in exchange for actually moving us in the direction of energy independence, then that's something I'm open to.

Obviously this is very preliminary. These are early details. But I wanted to, you know, send a strong signal that we can't allow, you know, partisan bickering or the desire to score political points to get in the way of providing some genuine relief to people who are struggling.

SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R-AZ), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Senator Obama says that he wants energy independence, but he's opposed to new drilling at home. He's opposed to nuclear power. He's opposed to an innovation prize for electric cars. My friends, we must begin immediately in drilling offshore so we can get some of the oil that's off our own coast.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

MCCAIN: We have to begin that drilling, and Senator Obama opposes it.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

MCCAIN: He said that the high cost of gasoline doesn't bother him, only that it rose too quickly. Yesterday he suggested we put air in our tires to save on gas. My friends, let's do that. But do you think that's enough to break our dependence on Middle Eastern oil? I don't think so.

So I believe -- I believe that every energy source needs to be part of the solution. We need to develop new alternative energies like wind, solar, tide, biofuels, but we also need to develop more existing energies like nuclear power and clean coal.

(APPLAUSE)

MCCAIN: Nuclear power is safe. Clean coal technology is vital.

My friends, nuclear power is safe. There are some veterans here in this room who served -- who served on ships that had nuclear power plants. We sailed them around the world for more than 60 years and we've never had an accident. And I can tell you that the French -- we always want to imitate the French, right?

(LAUGHTER)

MCCAIN: Eighty percent of their electricity is generated by nuclear power. And in case you missed it, we now have a pro-American president of France, which shows if you live long enough, anything can happen.

(APPLAUSE)

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LUI: OK. You'll hear more of what the candidates are saying next hour. And remember, for the latest on the presidential race, all you have to do is go to our Web site, cnnpolitics.com. That's available for you 24/7. It's the most politics on the Web.

Give up the gold. That's the message from the International Olympic Committee to the 2000 U.S. men's 1,600-meter relay team. The IOC announced today that they're stripping the team of its medals. It comes two months after an admission by one of the team's runners, Antonio Pettigrew. He admitted using a steroid and a human growth hormone at the time. Pettigrew returned his medal in June.

A split in the Free Tibet movement. Traditional leaders now being challenged by "Buddha's warriors." A look at who they are and what they want.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LUI: All right. This just in to us here at CNN. We're learning that Clark Rockefeller has turned himself in. We're hearing according to Special Agent Richard Wolf in Baltimore that officials are saying that Clark Rockefeller turned himself in to the FBI there. Authorities have the daughter, Reigh, as well. Boston FBI, they are planning a 5:30 p.m. news briefing. We will be monitoring that at 5:30 p.m. and get you the latest on that.

Again, what we're hearing just into us at CNN, that Clark Rockefeller has turned himself in, in relationship to the daughter, Reigh, being missing. We'll have more for you coming up.

They are at a crossroads, torn between their desire for a nonviolent life and a burning need to fight oppression. That's the issue at the heart of a "CNN SPECIAL INVESTIGATIONS UNIT" report, "Buddha's Warriors," which premiers tonight. Chief international correspondent Christiane Amanpour gives a sneak peek.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: "Buddha's Warriors" is about the intersection between faith and politics, much like our series, "God's Warriors" last year. In this case, we investigate a real phenomenon within the Buddhist movement right now, and that is, monks and others on the front lines of the struggle for democracy and freedom against autocratic regimes.

And what's happening is, they're having to struggle, not just for freedom, but within their own religion, to figure out how to maintain their principles of nonviolence and the peaceful path while at the same time trying to fight for democracy against these powerful regimes.

And that's what we're investigating. We went to Dharamsala, India, where we interviewed the Dalai Lama, and even within his ranks, within the Tibetan movement, there's a split now because some of the younger generation of Tibetan exiles really are not satisfied with the Dalai Lama's way, which is a conciliatory approach to China, abandoning the dream of independence for Tibet and trying -- he wants to get autonomy, religious and cultural autonomy.

Well, the younger generation of Tibetan exiles is saying, well, where has it got us? Your peaceful way has got us absolutely nothing from China. So maybe it's time to try something new. So this is a dilemma for the Dalai Lama. And again, we explore this.

In Burma, Myanmar, and Thailand, we interviewed, clandestinely, some of the monks who are on the front lines of the people's movement over there. You remember the Cyclone Nargis struck Myanmar a few months ago and caused so many -- tens of thousands of deaths. Well, that country is in the middle of this struggle for democracy. The military regime, the junta, has crushed it. The monks vow to continue the fight, again, nonviolently, but it's going to come to a head at some time, experts say.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LUI: All right. You can watch Christiane Amanpour's full report on "Buddha's Warriors" tonight at 8:00 Eastern right here on CNN.

We have a lot coming up in the next hour for you at 5:00. Susan Roesgen is in with us at this moment.

Susan, what have you got for us?

SUSAN ROESGEN, CNN ANCHOR: Well, you know, at 5:00, Richard, there's this new study that has come out that says one of every four bridges in this country -- that's one out of every four across the country, needs repair. And of course, this comes on the one-year anniversary of the Minneapolis bridge collapse. Is there anything we can do about it? What you need to know before you drive across a major bridge tomorrow.

And then at 10:00, what is killing all the children in one of the nation's biggest cities, Chicago? Why are so many teenagers killing each other? Is there anything that can be done not only in Chicago, but in other big cities with a lot of crime? That's coming up at 10:00 -- Richard.

LUI: Susan, lots of stuff. OK. Thank you so much.

You know, according to the Black AIDS Institute, blacks in our country are eight times more likely to become infected with HIV than whites. In today's "Impact Your World" segment, CNN's Abbie Boudreau introduces us to an African-American woman who has been living with the disease for more than 20 years.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ABBIE BOUDREAU, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Up, dressed and heading out, Linda Felix is driving to yet another meeting. It's a hectic schedule. But for a woman who never thought she'd be alive today, every day is, well, one more day she never expected.

LINDA FELIX, HIV POSITIVE: I was first diagnosed in 1986. So I believe that I probably was infected several years before that.

BOUDREAU: Linda is HIV positive, one of the many faces in an epidemic that is plaguing the black community.

PHIL WILSON, CEO, BLACK AIDS INSTITUTE: Sadly, AIDS in America today is a black disease.

BOUDREAU: Phil Wilson is the CEO of the Blacks AIDS Institute.

WILSON: No matter how you look at the epidemic, from the lens of gender or sexual orientation or age or socio-economic class or education, or region of the country, where you live, black people bear the brunt of the AIDS epidemic.

BOUDREAU: But this is especially true for black women. AIDS is the number one killer of young black women between the ages of 25 and 34. And blacks account for more than 60 percent of all new HIV cases among women in this country.

Essence magazine has covered this extensively, Angela Burt-Murray is editor-in-chief.

ANGELA BURT-MURRAY, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, ESSENCE MAGAZINE: I think that one of the biggest concerns that keeps attributing to the increased rate of infection for black women is the idea that the African- American community has not embraced the idea of really teaching about safe sex. And black women in particular have not taken on the role of responsibility in their relationships in demanding that their partners wear condoms, that that be a non-negotiable issue.

FELIX: We have got to have people certified to do the Orasure/OraQuick testing. BOUDREAU: But it's not all doom and gloom. Today, Linda Felix is a long-term survivor, and she helps others struggling with HIV/AIDS.

FELIX: What I say to them is that this is not a death sentence. You can live and you can learn to thrive with this disease. But you have to take control of your life.

BOUDREAU: Advocates like Phil Wilson are also encouraged.

WILSON: People are changing their behavior. We see couples that are now going in to get tested together. We're starting to see young people talk about HIV and AIDS more.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome, that means that your entire immune system is destroyed.

BOUDREAU: Despite its devastating impact on the black community, experts say things are getting better when it comes to HIV and AIDS.

Abbie Boudreau, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LUI: Well, one hopeful sign is improved access to information about HIV prevention. And one place to start is your "Impact Your World" page. You see right here on my laptop. You'll find more about the Black AIDS Institute report there, and ways you can get involved with groups raising awareness about this disease. That's at cnn.com/impact.

Could you get by on one tank of gas all summer long? One tank? Well, one woman says she can do that, even though she drives each and every day.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LUI: And finally for you on this Saturday, if it seems like your gas guzzler is an insatiable money pit, take heart. Nick Winkler of CNN affiliate KATU in Portland, Oregon, introduces us to one woman who plans to fill up just once this summer.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NICK WINKLER, KATU REPORTER: Getting by on just one tank of gas all summer may sound like an impossible chore, but with some comfortable shoes, some good friends and some patience, one young woman says she can show you how to do it, too.

(voice-over): By closing the door on one way of life...

DANI BRANCACCIO, DRIVER & BLOGGER: I think I just hope people will try to change their habits.

WINKLER: ... Dani Brancaccio hopes to open another, less independent on oil.

BRANCACCIO: It actually is more fuel-efficient.

WINKLER: To use cruise control and drive slow, she says, you see, Dani filled her tank at the start of summer.

BRANCACCIO: Come down here, it's about 1.5 miles to the park and ride.

WINKLER: And to make it last, she figures she can drive only about three miles a day. So she parks quickly at Clark County's 134th Street park and ride and hoofs it toward the bus stop.

BRANCACCIO: I started out going to work in heels and I decided that with more walking on my schedule that I should switch over to flats.

WINKLER: To meet her one-tank goal, Dani admits she hitches rides with friends, uses mom's car.

BRANCACCIO: Oh, there are a lot of tricks I still have up my sleeve that I haven't started using yet.

WINKLER: Word of Dani's goal has spread.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Are you making it?

BRANCACCIO: Yes, so far, I am.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Good girl.

WINKLER: She blogs about it on the Columbia newspaper's Web site. At first this idea was just a way to save money, but now it's more.

BRANCACCIO: I'm not super green, but I respect the fact that we need to, you know, be wary of what we do.

WINKLER: The bus gets her to work an hour early, so inside she gets comfy and patient.

BRANCACCIO: Yes, I've read a lot this summer. I've read about 10 books.

WINKLER: And even though her car reads close to "E," one tank or not, she says everyone wins.

BRANCACCIO: I'll be really proud of myself and I think it will change my life forever.

WINKLER (on camera): Brancaccio has only 36 days of summer to go and only a quarter tank of gas before she's on empty. You can see if she makes her goal on the Web at columbian.com.

Nick Winkler, KATU News.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LUI: Go, Dani, go. Now for those of us who have to fill up more than once this summer, is it cheaper to drive or fly to your vacation destination? Well, CNN's Don Lemon and Kyra Phillips put it to the test. The results may surprise you and your wallet.