Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Five Days Before Beijing's Olympic Games; Obama, McCain Give Their Economic Visions for the Future; Ohio Is Important Swing State for Candidates; Tropical Depression Increases in Strength; A Preview of "Buddha's Warriors"

Aired August 03, 2008 - 17:00   ET

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

JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: There is a little bit of what we call wind shear on the northern side of this storm which is why it kind of looks a little bit lopsided here on our satellite picture. Here is what we have the watches and warnings. Tropical storm warnings have been issued from the mouth of the Mississippi River over to Intracoastal City. And then a watch has been issued westward of there, down towards Port O'Connor.
A warning means that tropical storm conditions are expected in 24 hours or less. We're expecting even late tonight that with strong easterly winds, these eastern shores could be seeing some coastal flooding. And we are expecting waves to be about one to two feet above the normal tide. And showers and thundershowers will be likely, especially in lower parts of Louisiana throughout the day tomorrow.

Here is the official forecast then. Winds are staying at 35 miles per hour. It has to be 39 for this to become a tropical storm. We think that will happen. It could happen even later on tonight or tomorrow. It will be named Edward. It will be strengthening to what we will call a strong tropical storm before landfall, most likely on the Texas coastline some time on Tuesday -- Richard.

RICHARD LUI, CNN ANCHOR: All right. Thanks, Jacqui. I know you are watching that -- that tropical depression as well as we've got that killer heat.

She'll be back on just a little bit of that.

JERAS: Yes, we'll talk about that.

LUI: OK, thanks, Jacqui.

All right. Beautiful, remote, tough to climb, and deadly -- that's Pakistan's K2 Mountain. An ice avalanche killed at least 11 climbers on the world's second highest peak this weekend. They had made it to summit without a hitch but the climbdown -- that was a different story.

Well, K2 is almost 800 feet shorter than Mount Everest. It's notoriously more challenging, and often, the site of treacherous storms that can last for days. Last hour I spoke with Jim Wickwire, one of the first Americans to climb K2 about the climbing conditions.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) JIM WICKWIRE, ONE OF FIRST AMERICANSS TO CLIMB K2: Today, when you go up, they put in what are called "fixed ropes" which means they attach the rope to the ice. And this allows a larger number of climbers who move up and down the mountain at roughly the same time.

Now, of course, the accounts thus far are a little bit fragmentary but I think we have to understand that this was an unprecedented event on K2. There's never been anything like this happened in the entire climbing history of the mountain where you had a huge section of this ice cliff collapse while climbers are beneath it. And that's the primary cause of most of these 11 fatalities.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LUI: Our Josh Levs has been looking at what makes K2 so dangerous as well.

Hey, Josh.

JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, hey, there. You know, Richard, I spent a good part of today speaking with people there at K2 and some other experts. And I want everyone to have a good sense of the history of what we're talking about. It's one of our top stories in CNN.com right now.

What I've done is I pull together some major information for you to look at. Let's look at the graphic we have put together here. We're going to start off giving you a little bit of information about this mountain itself. And we go to this full screen.

Let's talk about the height and how important this is to climbers in general. The range (ph) is called K2; it's part of that Karakorum mountain range and it reaches over 28,000 feet. Now, that is more than five miles. Ad there you go. We can take this a little zoom into it.

I'd just want to show you another graphic we have here which looks back on the history of fatalities that are known there. We've had a total of 66 recorded fatalities, there going all the way back to 1939. That's before today. So, clearly, very few.

But also it's very rare to make it to the top of this mountain. We could only find this list since they began recording this, 284 people making it to the very top of this.

Now, there's one more thing I want to show you. This one and you see some beautiful images of it as well. And you know, a lot of people who visit there just go there to look at it. Obviously, it's incredibly rare to actually summit this thing.

But what I've done now, I want to show you some of the key points of what happened today. And this last graphic we have for you. Now, it is true we've got 11 people who died. One of those we are told -- OK, (INAUDIBLE) there -- one of those, we are told, is someone who was involved in the rescue. Now, if you want the latest updates all day long, all you need to do is this -- take a look here. I want to close in on this site, this right here is K2climb.net. We've been keeping a close eye on this all day. This is one of the major sites used by the climbers. What they do is they use their satellite phones, they get in touch with certain people who'd been blogging (INAUDIBLE).

So, you got K2climb.net. And one more called humanedgetech.com. If you look right here, it says, "Emergency update." They've been given emergencies throughout the day. They continue to update it.

Now, there is one more thing. We want to hear from you. Have you ever tried to summit a major mountain? Have you ever been to K2, have you ever seen it? We would love for you to send us your photos, your videos, or just your stories to iReport.com. We're going to be sharing some of them on the air. We're going to share a lot of them here at CNN.com.

Send us your photos, your videos, your stories, whatever you have about K2 and about this experience, and obviously, your thoughts about the real tragedy being faced right now by so many of these mountaineers.

There you go, Richard.

LUI: Yes, Josh, I know, when you and I were talking earlier today at around 2:00 o'clock, you're saying you're monitoring all the blogs. Not a lot of consistent information across. So, I guess, they sort of come together now.

LEVS: That's right. Yes, and we did speak with people right there to make sure that our readers and our viewers are getting the best, most up-to-date information. But it is true, it keeps changing, and we're going to keep following it here.

LUI: All right. Thanks, Josh. Good stuff.

LEVS: Yes, thanks.

LUI: One hundred forty-five people have been killed in a stampede at a Hindu shrine at the Himalayan foothills. It happened in the northern Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. Police now say rumors of a landslide panicked thousands of pilgrims into fleeing. People began running down the narrow path leading to the temple and collided with devotees coming up. Many were crushed there. At then one point, a guard rail broke and dozens of people fell to their deaths.

Now to the campaign trail for you. Neither candidate has any public event scheduled for today. But there is some chatter on the veepstakes front. Virginia Congress Eric Cantor has surfaced on John McCain's short list. A GOP source tells CNN, Cantor is getting a thorough vetting. Cantor represents a heavily Republican district in Richmond, Virginia.

Barack Obama, meanwhile, is back at home in Chicago today. His campaign has sent a letter to the Commission on Presidential Debates accepting the framework for three presidential debates plus one vice presidential debate. The letter says the short political season makes it unlikely that Obama will accept John McCain's challenge for a series of joint town hall style debates.

Want to know more about the leading vice presidential contenders? Guess where you need to go? That's right, our Web site, CNN's political unit and CNNpolitics.com have assembled a look at each of the potential picks. And if you're curious where our Web site readers ranked the possible candidates -- check out the Political Market. It's all at CNNPolitics.com.

A sociopathic, homicidal killer. That's how one person describes the government's chief suspect in the deadly 2001 anthrax attacks. Bruce Ivins' therapist was in court last month trying to get a restraining order for her own safety.

CNN's Brianna Keilar has the story from Washington.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): CNN has learned there is DNA evidence linking the anthrax used in the 2001 mailings to a flask used in Bruce Ivins' Army laboratory, according to a source familiar with the investigation. As federal prosecutors grew closer to charging Bruce Ivins in connection with the anthrax attacks, his therapist Jean Duley told a Maryland judge in late July that she was "scared to death" of Ivins and sought a temporary retraining order against him.

In court tapes obtained by "The New York Times," Duley described a murder plot the troubled scientist laid out during a group therapy session.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

JEAN DULEY, IVINS' THERAPIST: He proceeded to describe to the group a very long and detailed homicidal plan and intention to -- that he had bought a bullet proof vest, had obtained a gun a very detailed plan to kill his coworkers. To that because he was about to be indicted on capital murder charges, he was going to go out in a blaze of glory.

That he was going to take everybody out with him. That he had been roaming the streets of Frederick trying to pick a fight with somebody so that he could stab them.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

KEILAR: After that therapy session, Duley started the process to have Ivins involuntarily committed to a high security mental health facility. She told the court she had been subpoenaed to testify against Ivins before a federal grand jury. As she made her case for a restraining order, Duley also said, Ivins had been "forensically diagnosed by several top psychiatrists as a sociopathic, homicidal killer" -- though CNN has not been able to confirm the diagnoses.

Just days after this testimony, Ivins killed himself in Frederick, Maryland.

Prosecutors were so sure they had their man they have scheduled a meeting to discuss a possible plea bargain with Ivins' attorney last Tuesday, the day Ivins died. Officials planned to reveal some of their evidence at that meeting. But many people are skeptical the FBI has got it right this time, especially after repeated mistakes throughout the seven-year investigation.

Jeffrey Adamovicz, a former bacteriology chief who worked with Ivins for 12 years at Fort Detrick's biodefense lab says it would have been nearly impossible for Ivins to pull off the attacks.

JEFF ADAMOVICZ, FORMER COLLEAGUE OF IVINS: The labs were not equipped, for instance, with a lot of the equipment that would have been required to supposedly dry this material down and create the highly refined state that it was in.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KEILAR: Sources familiar with the investigation say authorities may publicly release their evidence against Ivins as soon as this week and then go ahead and close the case. And according to those sources, that would happen after a federal judge unseals the grand jury evidence and officials brief the families of those who are killed and injured in the 2001 attacks, Richard.

LUI: Brianna, as you've been looking into this, even having many discussions, what did Ivins' former coworker say to you when you asked him about the therapist's scary description of Ivins?

KEILAR: Well, Jeff Adamovicz, the man you heard from at the end of piece, said that said Ivins had been very depressed lately and that it appeared according to what Ivins had told him that the FBI was isolating him from his friends and family. Adamovicz thought maybe that contributed to Ivins' sense of persecution and, perhaps, that was an explanation for that bizarre murder plot that you heard the therapist described.

But more than anything, Adamovicz, the consummate (ph) scientist, says he wants to see the evidence against his former coworker for himself and evaluate that for himself. Without that, he says, he really has a hard time believing that it was Bruce Ivins.

LUI: The very latest from Brianna Keilar in Washington -- thanks, Brianna.

Dangerous heat is bringing absolute misery to parts of the U.S. Heat warnings posted from Texas to Mississippi right now. In Texas, the high temperatures have proven fatal with at least three heat- related deaths in the Dallas area this summer.

Today, the mercury could hit a record 107 degrees there. Not shocking for the state, unfortunately. Temperatures have hit triple digits for nine straight days. Jacqui Jeras is at the weather center.

You are watching that and a lot more. A heat wave, needless to say, right, Jacqui?

JERAS: Yes, a really brutal one, too, Richard. You know, people have died in this heat wave already and unfortunately, that possibility is going to stick with us for the next couple of days if you are not careful.

So, stay inside if you can in the air conditioning. If you are outdoors, wear light-weight loose-fitting clothing and just drink a lot of water. You know, carry around that water bottle with you all day long and make sure it's empty maybe twice before the end of the day.

Check out the combined factor from the heat and the humidity. That's what your head indexes and that's the temperature that your body is actually feeling. So, even though it's 103 in Dallas right now, it feels like 109; 105 in Oklahoma City; 105 in Tulsa as well. Check out Memphis at 109, and New Orleans is at 109 as well.

The heat is really gripping the nation's midsection and it's going to start to spread a little farther to the east tomorrow. Places like Milwaukee, Chicago, Indianapolis, Grand Rapids, down towards Memphis, will see that heat start to build. There you can see the worst of it where temperatures are going to be about 15 degrees above normal, in Kansas City over towards St. Louis where you have excessive heat warnings in effect for you.

We are looking at some relief down the line. And that's some good news but it's only going to be, maybe five to eight degrees. That's going to come into play on Tuesday and Wednesday for most of you, especially on the western edge of our map here.

And one little note, Richard, by the way, about our new tropical depression number five, that's going to bring in a little bit of cloud cover and some thunderstorms here across Louisiana and Texas. And that will help keep the temperatures down just a little bit, as well.

LUI: Every little bit counts, right, Jacqui?

JERAS: It sure does.

LUI: OK, thanks. Chad (ph), talk to you a little bit -- Jacqui rather.

A little girl is lucky to be alive after her really big fall. What probably saved her life in the 180-foot plunge?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LUI: And checking news across America for you.

A house party turns tragic in Colorado. Three people were killed after the home burst into flames overnight. One survivor has burns over 70 percent of his body. Officials don't know what started this fire. The crew had to wait six hours for the rubble to cool before they could start searching. Drunk driving charges are expected against a man who crashed into a parade crowd in Wisconsin. Four people were hurt in this accident. The crash ended a high-speed drama (INAUDIBLE), the deputies chase the suspect from the highway into downtown Sheboygan. Bystanders have the driver pinned on the ground when officers arrived there.

So, the FBI is investigating two fire bombings in Santa Cruz, California, yesterday. The targets? Scientists at the University of California who experiment on animals. One bomb hit a biologist's home. The second destroyed a researcher's car. The attacks come days after threatening pamphlets were found at a local coffee shop with the names and home addresses of UC Santa Cruz scientists.

And, an amazing survivor story for you in New York City. A 12- year-old girl fell down the chimney of her 13-story apartment building. She landed in the furnace on a two-foot high layer of ash and soot alive. She did hurt her hip and back and remains hospitalized.

One week-long child abduction drama has ended in arrest and a joyful reunion. Along the way, there were rumored sightings in other countries and reports of desperate disguises. This update from Jim Morelli of our affiliate WCVB.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE, WCVB)

JIM MORELLI, WCVB REPORTER (voice-over): One week after it began, the Clark Rockefeller run is over. Saturday, FBI agents acting on a tip from a concerned anonymous citizen arrested Rockefeller outside an apartment in Baltimore, Maryland.

COMMISSIONER ED DAVIS, BOSTON POLICE: Investigators determined that Clark Rockefeller and Reigh were staying in an apartment in Floyd Street, in close proximity to a facility known as the Anchorage Marina where Clark was docking his 26-foot unnamed catamaran.

MORELLI: Authorities tricked Rockefeller into coming out of the apartment by telling him the catamaran was taking on water. Four minutes later, at 3:29, they found his daughter, seven-year-old Reigh, safe and sound.

NOREEN GLEASON, FBI ASST. SPECIAL AGENT: Her first words were that she was very happy to see very nice people.

MORELLI: Back in Boston, Reigh's mother and Rockefeller's ex- wife, didn't speak when she heard the news. She nearly passed out.

SUPT. TOM LEE, BOSTON POLICE: One of the best moments in my police career was getting to personally tell Sandra Boss that we recovered her daughter and she absolutely collapsed in my arms. I caught her before she hit the ground.

MORELLI: The story began last Sunday. Authorities say that during a supervised visit with Reigh, Rockefeller pushed a social worker out of the way in Marlboro Street and fled with the girl. The pair first go into New York. One of the rumors this week, that he had changed his girl's appearance to elude authorities, not true.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Her appearance has not been altered. Reigh appears to be unharmed.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LUI: Clark Rockefeller faces several charges, including custodial kidnapping and assault with a dangerous weapon. He'll be arraigned tomorrow on that.

Well, you may not know it's in your car, truck or SUV, but thieves sure do and they want it bad. For them your ride is a gold mine.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LUI: Every penny adds up, right? Or down in this case. AAA says today's average price of one gallon is down slightly from yesterday to $3.88. That's 22 cents less than last month and the 17th straight day of decline. Tough economic times mean some people are finding creative ways to make a buck. Not all of them legal.

CNN's Allan Chernoff reports on the booming market for the precious metals in your vehicle.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALLAN CHERNOFF, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): There's precious metal in this auto part, a catalytic converter that's becoming appealing to thieves since precious metal prices have soared. Long Island Cares, a food bank charity that sells donated cars got hit recently. Catalytic converters were stolen from 32 vehicles.

VERN RASMUSSEN, LONG ISLAND CARES VEHICLE DONATIONS: They tore the heart out of all of us. There's nothing else that we could have done but to put our heads down and try not to cry about it.

CHERNOFF: Such robberies have been happening around the country -- at commuter parking lots, even auto dealerships. Catalytic converters contain just a few grams of precious metal, platinum, palladium, rhodium, that help filter emissions. Thieves can get up to $150 for a converter and they typically steal many at a time.

RASMUSSEN: The individuals that robbed us that night, they probably walked out of here with about $10,000 worth of those materials.

CHERNOFF (on camera): Thieves will typically just slide under the vehicle and chop the catalytic converter here and here. And if you've got an SUV that's high off the ground, that's much easier for them.

(voice-over): Suffolk County, New York, is seeing a dramatic increase in the catalytic converter thefts as the economy has stumbled. CHIEF BOB MOORE, SUFFOLK COUNTY, N.Y. POLICE: A larger number of people become more desperate. People who are risk-takers become more willing to take greater risks.

CHERNOFF: Repairing the damage can cost well over $1,000. So, Suffolk County has just approved a law requiring scrap metal dealers to keep detailed records on sellers of catalytic converters.

STEVE LEVY, SUFFOLK COUNTY, N.Y. EXECUTIVE: If we believe there is probable cause that it was stolen, we can put a hold on that being sold off again by the scrap metal dealer, and we can track it back from whence it came.

CHERNOFF: Two dozen states have passed similar laws this year, hoping to crackdown on what's becoming an all-too common crime.

Allan Chernoff, CNN, Medford, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LUI: Cutting costs by staying home a day. Beginning tomorrow, state employees in Utah will work four 10-hour days per week. Most state offices will be closed on Fridays. Now, Utah hopes trimming the workweek will help trim energy use 20 percent by 2015.

Let's talk gas prices. They are falling, but not very fast. There are some -- well, there are some, actually, ways you can maximize your car's fuel efficiency and maybe squeeze a few more miles out of the gallon of gas.

Our T.J. Holmes explains in today's "On the Go" segment.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

T.J. HOLMES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Gas prices don't seem to be slowing down any, why should you? There are ways to keep you rolling this summer for less. Here's what the experts say.

TROY GREEN, AAA: If your vehicle was in need of an oil change, certainly do that. Have the braking, cooling, and transmission systems checked; and fluid levels set to the proper setting. Making sure those tires are properly inflated. It will (ph) add to your fuel economy. Just an ounce of preparation will go a long way.

HOLMES: When planning your road trip, you may want to try AAA's online tool.

GREEN: You can go online at www.aaa.maps.com for point-to-point driving directions. Also, if you want to go to www.aaa.com/fuelcostcalculator, input your vehicle's make and model, type in the destination, where you're leaving from, where you're going to.

HOLMES: And presto, you have an estimate on what your trip's fuel will cost. A little planning tip to help you know what's down the road. (END VIDEOTAPE)

LUI: Beijing is getting ready for its close-up, just a few more days until opening ceremonies for the Olympic Games. The whole world is watching. Will the city be ready?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LUI: News that's happening now -- a dangerous heat wave across much of the U.S., officials confirmed at least three heat-related deaths in the Dallas area this summer. Today, the mercury could hit a record 107 degrees there. These extreme temperatures are expected to spread to the southeast and west over these next few days.

Some disturbing revelations from a therapist who treated Dr. Bruce Ivins. He's a government scientist who killed himself as prosecutors prepared to indict him for the deadly anthrax attacks of 2001. In court tapes obtained by "The New York Times," therapist Jean Duley says Ivins claimed he was planning to kill his coworkers.

And, an unbelievable story of survival in New York. A 12-year- old girl falls down an apartment building chimney, plummeting 180 feet, and she lives. She suffered hip and back injuries. Authorities say a two-foot pile of soot and dust cushioned her fall.

Just five days until the Olympic Games kick off in Beijing, China. These are pictures of the 91,000-seat Birds Nest National Stadium you see on the right hand side where opening ceremonies will be held on Friday.

CNN's John Vause is in Beijing watching all this for us and the lead-up and joins us live with the latest there.

Hey, John.

JOHN VAUSE, CNN NEWS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Hey, Richard. Well, there's actually four days now from our point of view because we're actually Monday morning here. So this is the final stretch.

There's been a lot of issues in this city about the lead-up about the city and pollution, media censorship. Is this city ready? How will they deal with the games? Will there be protests?

Let's just deal with pollution straight up. It's early morning here, just about 5:30 Monday morning here. A little bit of haze, but really the pollution that was here has been trending down wards over the last couple of weeks ever since the authority put in that emergency plan taking almost two million cars off the road, closing a bunch of factories and stopping construction around the city. So looks like pollution should be under control. If there is not, there is an emergency-emergency plan to close down more factories. Looks like they don't have to worry about that certainly at this stage. This is early morning haze.

Into that censorship, we'll go over that one. There was a big controversy last week when journalists tried to access web sites from the main press center of the Olympic Village. Sites like Amnesty International were blocked and "Free Tibet." And the Chinese government pretty much backed down from that one after pressure from the IOC, the International Olympic Committee. That was a big concession by the communist authorities. They are not used to this pressure. They are used to total control. So they backed down on that.

The unknown fact is still to play out in all this as far as the controversies around the games. Will there be protests? With there be demonstrations to free Tibet? What about the Save Darfur people? What will they do?

There's another unknown factor. Will any of the athletes make any kind of political statement during the games? So there' still a few unknowns as we head toward the opening ceremony Friday night -- Richard?

LUI: John, billions invested here, no doubt, as the P.R. efforts made by the country of China, a lot riding on this event. Has China lived up to its promise so far?

VAUSE: There are two arguments here. If you look at the actual promises which they made, they voluntarily made these promises to win the Olympics back in 2001 when they won the bid. They promised. No one forced them to make these guarantees. Those guarantees were complete and totally media freedom, there would be improvement on human rights and these would be the green games.

If you look at the letter and every word which they put out there, no, they haven't missed those commitments, but the argument that the Chinese make is, hey, OK, we've done a lot for the environment. There's more subway lines, cleaner buses on the roads, cleaner taxis. Greenpeace says there will be an environmental legacy.

Journalists have more freedom in this country than they've ever had before. As I said just before, they've unblocked some of those web sites at the main press center. There's been significant progress on that.

Human rights is a touchy subject. Amnesty International released a report last week saying basically the situation in the lead-up to the games has gotten worse, on the one hand. But on issues like the implementation of the death penalty, it's improved. So a little bit of a mixed report. The Chinese say they've done a lot. The protest groups and critics say you haven't done what you promised.

LUI: One good indicator here is ticket sales. I don't know if you've got insight on that, how are ticket sales going? Are people able to get access to events they want to right now? That is always a good indicator.

VAUSE: Pretty much everything here in Beijing is sold out. You can't get a ticket here. That's an indication for the enthusiasm for the games. There are still tickets available in other cities, like Chengdu (ph), where the sailing is, some events in Shanghai. I think all the tickets in Hong Kong -- for your question, that's 14,000 tickets, I think, they have been snapped up or will go very, very quickly indeed.

One point about tickets, if you are lucky enough to have a ticket to the opening ceremony, which kicks off eight minutes past eight on August 8th, you've got to get to the venue five hours before the curtain goes up on the opening ceremony. The actual ceremony itself goes for three and a half hours. Really, if you are lucky to get to the opening ceremony, it's an eight and a half hour-long odyssey to take part in that.

LUI: Sounds like a presidential debate, my friend, five hours ahead of time.

John Vause in Beijing with the latest. Appreciate it. Have a good ne.

You can follow the summer Olympics on our web site. CNN teamed with "Sports Illustrated" to create the Fan Zone, all the latest results, all the compelling angles. The address there cnn.com/fanzone.

And this just in to us at CNN. We are learning Aleksander Solzhenitsyn has passed away, has died. We are learning that the Russian dissident, the novelists and historian has passed away. We're just learning that. He is famous here, as you might know, for his works, "The Rule of Archipelago (ph)." He also won the Nobel Prize in 1970 for literature for "the First Circle." So just learning just now here at CNN that Aleksander Solzhenitsyn has died. We'll get you more information when we do get it right here.

We'll play more of what the candidates are saying in their own words. We want to give you the tools to make an informed choice in the presidential election.

Here are Senators Barack Obama and John McCain right now on the campaign trail talking about their economic visions for the future.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SEN. BARACK OBAMA, (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: When 42 of our metro areas now rank among the world's largest economy, the problem of our cities aren't just urban problems anymore. They are America's problem and have to be solved with resolve and effort by all of America.

When rising foreclosures, vacant homes, abandoned streets and rising crime that spills over city limits, that's a suburban problem and exurban problem, too. When tens of billions in our cities are uninsured and our urban emergency rooms are overflowing that is a suburban and exurban problem, too. When urban roads, bridges, transit systems are crumbling, when urban schools aren't giving young people the skills to compete so companies decide to take their business and jobs elsewhere, that is a suburban, urban and exurban problem.

President Kennedy once said we neglect our cities to our peril. When we neglect them, we neglect a nation. So we've got a decision to make. We can continue President Bush's economic policies, policies that got us here in the first place. That's the course my opponent would have us follow in this race. He said we made great progress economically under President Bush. His economic advisor said we are going through a mental recession.

I disagree. We face serious issues in this election and we have real differences. I am not going to spend time assaulting my opponent's character. I'm not going to talk about Paris or Britney.

I will, however, compare our two economic visions for the future. My opponent wants to keep giving tax breaks to companies that ship jobs overseas. I want to end them and give incentives for companies that create jobs here in the United States of America. I don't think 463,000 lost jobs this year is economic progress. My opponent wants to give $300 billion worth of tax breaks to big corporations and the wealthiest Americans. Under his plan more than 100 million middle class families wouldn't see a penny of direct tax relief.

I want to put a tax cut of up to $1,000 in the pockets of 95 percent of working Americans to offset the struggles that people are having paying gas and food and health care bills. If you are a family making less than $250,000 a year, my plan will not raise your taxes one penny, not your income tax, not your payroll tax, not your capital gains tax, not any of your taxes.

My opponent is opposed to regular increases in the minimum wage. I want index it so that it rises with rising costs.

SEN. JOHN MCCAIN, (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Senator Obama and I have fundamental differences on economic policy and many of them concern tax rates. He supports proposals to raise top marginal rates paid by small businesses and families, to raise tax rates on those with taxable incomes of more than $32,000. Raise capital gains taxes, raise taxes on dividends, raise payroll taxes and raise estate taxes -- that's a whole lot of raising. And for millions of families, individuals and small businesses it will mean a lot less money to spend, save and invest as they see fit.

For my part, I believe, in a troubled economy when folks are struggling to afford the necessities of life, higher taxes are the last thing we need. The economy isn't hurting because -- my friends, the economy isn't hurting because workers and businesses are under taxed. Raising taxes eliminates jobs, hurts small businesses and delays economic recovery.

Under my plan, we will preserve the current low rates as they are, so businesses, large and small, can hire more people. We'll double the personal exemption from $3,500 to $7,000 for every dependent in every family in America. We'll offer every individual and family a large tax credit to buy their health care so employers can spend more on wages and workers don't lose their coverage when they change jobs. We'll lower the business tax rate so American companies open new plants and create more jobs in this country, not going overseas.

Now there are honest differences as well about the growth of government, but surely we can find common ground in the principle that government cannot go on forever spending recklessly and incurring debt. Government has grown by 60 percent in the last eight years because the Congress and the administration have failed to meet their responsibilities and Americans are angry about it. And they should be.

And next year, total federal expenditures are predicted to reach over $3 trillion. That's an awful lot for us to be spending when this nation is already more than $9 trillion in debt or more than $30,000 in debt for every citizen of this country. That's a debt our government plans to leave for your children and mine to bear. That's not only a failure of financial oversight, it's a moral obligation.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LUI: And remember, for the latest on the presidential race, log on to our website that's cnnpolitics.com, 24/7, the most politics on the web.

You know, it is a Sunday. We want to give you a heads up on the week ahead in politics. Both presidential candidates will be campaigning this week in Ohio and for good reason. The polls are getting tight there in a state which is one of the king prizes in the group of swing states that could determine the next president. Obama holds a slim lead in Ohio now in the polls.

Joining us by phone is Mark Naymik. He is the political reporter for the "Cleveland Plain Dealer".

Mark, before we get into this, I do want to show our viewers here these latest numbers from Quinnipiac. Quinnipiac showing that Obama is ahead by 46 percent to 44 percent. That is a two-point difference. It was six points just last month.

Is this trend consistent with what you are seeing there in the state?

MARK NAYMIK, POLITICAL REPORTER, "CLEVELAND PLAIN DEALER": It is. It is consistent with, I think, the conservative nature of the state of Ohio. I think polls were showing potential for John Kerry four years ago to pull it out in the end. Then things didn't go that way, as we know. I think it is a reflection where things are in Ohio. You've got to remember Obama lost to Hillary Clinton by a good nine and a half to 10 points. That is clearly going to be the same problem he's going to have heading into the election, particularly in areas like the rural Ohio, which is about one-third of the state where he was 100 percent shutout, didn't win any of the counties in Ohio in any of those areas.

LUI: Let's talk about in the local key battleground areas in the state of Ohio, will they be the big cities they have been in the past? Are we going to look at the mid-size cities and small cities being turned over here?

NAYMIK: You are going to see this battle go to what they call the micro metropolitan. That is a term the Obama campaign uses, the small cities of 50,000 or less -- Mansfield, Ohio, Lorraine, Ohio. Those are areas have a working class history but have gone Republican in the past. That's the difference for a Democrat like Obama. He needs to get them. He'll pile up the votes in the three "Cs," Cincinnati, Columbia and Cleveland. But as John Kerry learned, that's not enough. In the 2004 election, Kerry had a record turnout in those areas and still lost because he didn't get the exurbia and rural areas of the state.

LUI: Mark, who is doing better on the micro metro strategy here?

NAYMIK: I am seeing a little presence from Obama, but part of that is here has the money, he's opening offices. The Republican strategy in Ohio and presidential campaigns have traditionally run through those county parties. You don't see the glitz around a new office opening here and there. Obama seems to have a little bit more of an edge maybe just right now in terms of making a ground presence.

LUI: We started by saying that certainly Ohio is one of the king prizes when it comes to swing states. The question might be here when we look at this is what are the key issues that are most important to Ohio, people in Ohio, that is unique from the rest of the country?

NAYMIK: We are not going to be that different this time around -- obviously the economy as an industrial Midwest town that lost a lot of jobs over the last one and a half decades, cars the same story, that's always made it almost more of an issue than anywhere else. Gas prices seem to be driving up there, unlike '04, where I think the social issues, banning gay marriage was on the ballot here. And remember, we have part of the Bible Belt down in our southern parts of Ohio and the Appalachian area. We are not seeing that take hold so it is just the economy, which is why Obama is coming back to some working class and Reagan Democrats area. He's coming to Youngstown and a place just outside of Cleveland Tuesday.

LUI: Mark Naymik, our political reporter, "Cleveland Plain Dealer." Appreciate the time as well as your insights.

NAYMIK: Thank you.

LUI: Now we are going straight to Jacqui Jeras. She's watching that tropical depression.

Number five, Jacqui. How's it look right now.

JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Well, if you look at the satellite picture, Richard, it doesn't look that terribly impressive. It's got a little ways to go in terms of getting itself organized. What I don't like about it, it's covering a good chunk of the Gulf of Mexico already. So the size of this thing is already large. We think it is going to be strengthening over the next 24 to 48 hours. There is not much to slow it down. We've got wind shear on the north side of it to help cut it down a little bit. The water temperatures in the mid 80s here. Overall, winds are relatively light. We expect strengthening and will likely become Edouard. It only has to move out four miles per hour to get that to happen.

Tropical storm warnings have been issued from the mouth of the Mississippi to intercoastal cities and a watch all the way toward Fort O'Connor. That means conditions are possible in a watch and expected in 24 hours under the warnings.

Most showers and thunder showers offshore, but we think the impact will move in by tonight, Richard. We'll get some stronger easterly winds moving in and maybe some coastal flooding up across lower parts of Louisiana. That will be your most immediate concern. Showers and thunder showers will be more likely by tomorrow along the Louisiana coast and making its way towards Texas.

This is the official forecast from the National Hurricane Center, strengthening to a strong tropical storm. But some of the models are saying it could get a little bit stronger than that. This is a storm we'll have to take very seriously. Landfall would be likely on Tuesday.

LUI: Jacqui will follow that for us throughout this evening. As you said, only four miles per hour keeping it from becoming a storm or tropical storm.

Thanks a lot, Jacqui.

A new generation of Tibetans increasingly at odds with the positions of the Dalai Lama. The spiritual leader talks to CNN's Christiane Amanpour about it.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LUI: Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama supports autonomy within China rather than full independence for the region. But more and more, his stance is being challenged by a new generation of Tibetans.

Chief international correspondent, Christiane Amanpour, met the Dalai Lama and some of his unruly flock for her documentary -- "Buddha's Warriors." Here's a preview.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN NEWS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is Tibet's tradition merging with today's politics. In exile in India, the Dalai Lama's official state oracle is going into a trance. He speaks a language only a few monks can understand. But officials tell us he delivers an important political message, advising the Dalai Lama to continue his conciliatory approach to China.

But there are a growing number of young monks here who are no longer satisfied with the Dalai Lama's so-called middle way.

(on camera): There are a lot of young Tibetans here who feel that you have been taken advantage of, and they are so eager to get an autonomous or free Tibet and they want direct action.

DALAI LAMA, EXILED TIBETAN SPIRITUAL LEADER: Their stance is complete independence, not only youth but even in older people now. (Inaudible). Yes, I understand. But then our issue is you cannot solve like that. Difficult. We have to exit reality, how much we can do.

AMANPOUR (voice-over): Lonsal Serring (ph) is a mentor to many young Tibetan exiles who are frustrated with the Dalai Lama's approach.

LONSAL SERRING (ph), MENTOR TO YOUNG TIBETANS: Tibet was not, and will not be, a part of China!

This middle-way policy's unrealistic and unacceptable. The Chinese came to Tibet to stay for their interest. So until and unless we can throw them out, they're not going to walk away.

AMANPOUR: But how, asks the Dalai Lama?

DALAI LAMA: What is method to get independence? No clear answer, even using some force or some violent method. So I argue how to get weapons. No answer. No clear answer.

AMANPOUR: To his critics the Dalai Lama is equally unrealistic.

(on camera): You've had these dialogues with the Chinese. They're insulting you. They say you want to bring back futalism to China. What's your way bringing for the Tibetan people?

DALAI LAMA: There are a lot of new buildings. These are a lot of roads and (inaudible). These are positive. Tibet's bed-work country. No Tibetan is to want this backwardness. We want a more modernized Tibet.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LUI: The government of China declined CNN's request for an interview.

This programming reminder for you -- tonight you can see the Christiane Amanpour's full report on "Buddha's Warriors" and their fight for freedom and democracy at 8:00 eastern on CNN.

Coming up, we've got a lot going on. Giving a new twist two an old toy. You won't believe some of the tricks people can do with yo- yos.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

JERAS: I'm CNN Meteorologist Jacqui Jeras in your hurricane headquarters. Our tropical depression number five is now officially Edouard. Hurricane hunters have been flying in the storm and have found maximum sustained winds now up to 45 miles per hour with gusts up to 60. Tropical storm Edouard has developed in the Gulf of Mexico. We'll have complete coverage coming up at 6:00 eastern time.

Richard?

LUI: Thank you, Jacqui. Lots of changes just within the last hour.

Bouncing back in Florida.

That's right, music and yo-yos, shoot the moon and around the world are child's play to these expert yo-yoers. They battled it out this weekend at the world yo-yo contest in Orlando, Florida. Twenty- two countries were represented. Categories included a sports string trick division and a counterweight contest -- whatever those things are. It does look difficult, doesn't it?

I'm Richard Lui, in for Fredricka Whitfield. She'll be back next weekend for you. Susan Roesgen is up next with more of the day's headlines.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)