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Wing-Walking Couple Takes Vows; Edouard Targets Texas; Pakistani Scientist Accused of Trying to Kill Americans in Afghanistan in Court in New York
Aired August 05, 2008 - 11:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: You're informed with CNN. Good morning, everyone.
I'm Tony Harris.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Hi there, everybody. I'm Heidi Collins.
Developments keep coming into the CNN NEWSROOM on Tuesday, August 5th. Here's what's on the rundown now.
The hurricane center out with a new update on Edouard this hour. The tropical storm slamming Texas right now.
HARRIS: He claimed he retired from crime. Now prosecutors plan new charges against Junior Gotti. Live coverage in minutes.
COLLINS: Three months after a big earthquake and three days before the Olympics, central China rocks again. Life in a disaster zone -- in the NEWSROOM.
A dangerous storm dumping a lot of rain in southwestern Texas this morning. Tropical Storm Edouard made landfall on the Gulf Coast a few hours ago, but the storm's hardest punch may be felt far inland. We are seeing flooding right now near Houston, and at least one accident caused by strong winds.
Our Jacqui Jeras is watching Edouard from the severe weather center, and also, Reynolds Wolf live this morning in Galveston.
Let's go ahead and get out to you, Reynolds.
REYNOLDS WOLF, CNN METEOROLOGIST: OK, Heidi.
Right now the rain has really tapered off considerably. We are still getting an occasional gust that's fairly strong, I'd say in excess of 30, maybe 40 miles an hour at times. We've also seen a little bit of sunshine that's beginning to pop up around some of the clouds.
You can see just a little bit of the rays coming through, trying to get through those feeder bands. And the feeder bands not feeding a lot of rain here. A lot of that moving onshore, well onshore, back towards Houston. You mentioned they're going to be dealing with some flooding there. Not only are they going to be dealing with that, but I would imagine anyone who happens to be in a high-profile vehicle, someone in a semi-truck, you're going to have a hard time with some of these winds in some of those flat areas.
The problem is, much of south Texas, flat as a table. You' don't have any mountains, you don't have anything big really to break that wind to really shield you. So it's going to be a windy time through the afternoon.
Conditions here on Galveston really improved. They've really missed -- they've really dodged the bullet, so to speak.
The storm made landfall well to the northeast of us, but still, we did have some fairly heavy rain this morning and the storm could be a big rainmaker the farther it goes into Texas. Both good and bad, as Jacqui will tell you, all morning long.
Good because, you know, Texas desperate for rain. Any drop of rain is going to be beneficial to them there. They're really happy to get that. But the flooding, that's certainly something they could do without, and that is going to be the next big weather story that's going to come from Texas, all compliments of Edouard.
Let's send it back to you in the studio.
COLLINS: OK. Reynolds Wolf, thank you.
HARRIS: And we will send it over to Jacqui Jeras in the extreme weather center.
(WEATHER REPORT)
HARRIS: You know what? Galveston had gotten ready for the worst of the storm, but the city got lucky. We've seen plenty of rain there, but it could have been much worse.
People were prepared. They boarded up and stocked up at the grocery store. Earlier, I talked with Galveston's mayor, Lyda Ann Thomas.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MAYOR LYDA ANN THOMAS, GALVESTON, TEXAS: We always feel very fortunate when we don't get a direct hit. Galveston is used to tropical storms. Fortunately, this did not become a hurricane. However, we are asking our residents and visitors to stay indoors until this rain event and wind have passed over the island, which could be some hours from now.
HARRIS: Yes.
THOMAS; We don't want to become complacent, because these storms can turn right around and go back to the Gulf or hang around for a while. So we're still prepared, and we still have our emergency operations in order. And we're carefully monitoring the weather.
HARRIS: Got you. Very good.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: Well, she also told us residents are being warned to watch out for downed power lines.
Look, if you're in the path of a storm, stay safe, but we'd love to hear from you. Send us your iReport, pictures, your video. Those iReports are terrific ways for us to tell the storm story to everyone watching.
Here's what you do. You just go to ireport.com, or you type "ireport.com" into your cell phone. As always, again, be safe.
COLLINS: A new earthquake rattles china's Sichuan Province. That's the same area devastated by a powerful quake in May that killed almost 70,000 people.
Today's quake, a magnitude 6.0. Officials say one person was killed, five others seriously injured. The quake happened a few hours after the Olympic torch relay reached the province. It's the last leg of the relay before the flame officially opens the Beijing games on Friday.
HARRIS: An FBI news conference happening right now. A big name in organized crime now on a criminal docket in Tampa, Florida.
Police there have arrested John "Junior" Gotti, son of the late boss of the Gambino crime family. Two sources with knowledge of the investigation tell CNN the 44-year-old Gotti faces murder conspiracy charges. More details are expected out of this news conference.
The older Gotti was nicknamed "The Teflon Don" for his history of avoiding conviction. He died in prison six years ago.
COLLINS: A Pakistani scientist accused of trying to kill Americans in Afghanistan. She is due in court in New York this morning.
CNN's Mary Snow reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MARY SNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Thirty-six-year-old Aafia Siddiqui was brought here to New York to face charges of attempted murder and assault of U.S. officers and FBI agents in Afghanistan. Her story is one shrouded in mystery.
She is Pakistani, but she was educated here in the United States as a neuroscientist, and she disappeared in Pakistan in 2003 with her three children. She then became the fist woman to be the subject of an FBI alert in connection with al Qaeda.
Her whereabouts in that timeframe are unknown, but prosecutors say she was arrested last month in Afghanistan and she was found to have bomb-making instructions with documents about U.S. landmarks, including some here in New York City. But her sister tells a very different story, and held a press conference in Pakistan today saying her sister is innocent and she believes she's been held in U.S. custody for these past five years.
Siddiqui's lawyer here in the U.S. says the U.S. government's story does not add up. The U.S. military says Siddiqui was not being held in U.S. custody.
Mary Snow, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: Your money, your concerns, issue #1 here at CNN.
Interest rates likely to hold steady today. The economy's top policymakers, the Federal Reserve Board, meeting today. They are not expected to change the rates.
Relief at the pump this morning. We've seen gas prices drop a full penny. Today's national average, $3.87 a gallon. That's about 24 cents less than a month ago, but energy prices are still near record highs, and they're fueling a GOP protest on Capitol Hill.
About two dozen Republican members of the House are refusing to take their summer break. They're demanding a vote on an energy package. The new policies would include more offshore oil drilling.
COLLINS: Yet there are some signs of compromise on energy issues.
CNN's Kate Bolduan explains.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KATE BOLDUAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Republicans back on the House floor demanding a vote on drilling. But on the campaign trail, as harshly as they've battled over energy policy, Barack Obama and John McCain may be finding some common ground in a proposed Congressional compromise.
SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D-IL), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: It does include a limited amount of new offshore drilling. And while I still don't believe that's a particularly meaningful short-term or long-term solution, what I said is I'm willing to consider it if it's necessary to actually pass a comprehensive plan.
SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R-AZ) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Republican and Democrat joining together -- and a very vital part of that is nuclear power and offshore drilling.
BOLDUAN: The proposal, designed to break a Congressional deadlock, comes from five Democratic and five Republican senators calling themselves The Gang of 10.
SEN. SAXBY CHAMBLISS (R), GEORGIA: The Senate does work in a bipartisan fashion when it comes to addressing crisis matters.
BOLDUAN: Some key compromises include expanded drilling opportunities off the East Coast and Gulf of Mexico, which pleases Republicans, but no drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska, a concession to the Democrats. The proposal would also repeal a tax break for oil companies that Democrats have long called for, as well as put billions toward producing more alternative fuel vehicles, in part paid for by the oil and gas industry.
SEN. KENT CONRAD (D), NORTH DAKOTA: We believe that it is critically important that any plans be balanced.
BOLDUAN: But political analysts say for the candidates, supporting a compromise carries a risk.
JOHN MERCURIO, POLITICAL ANALYST, "THE HOTLINE": I think for Obama, as you say, the problem is, is drilling. And it's alienating environmental activists. For McCain, the problem is alienating anti- tax advocates, who are already sort of frustrated with him on some levels.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: And Kate Bolduan is joining us now live from Capitol Hill.
So, Kate, this proposal, as we heard, it was unveiled on Friday. Wondering where things stand now with the bill and if we can expect swift action. I think I know answer to that one.
BOLDUAN: Heidi, you're oh too smart. Now, right now, what was unveiled, they unveiled, this bipartisan group, a proposal, a proposal, a plan of how they want to move forward. Legislative staff of these senators are now getting together during this recess and working on making this proposal into a bill, or a draft of a bill. And now they hope in September, when they come back, they'll have some -- a good starting point, a centerpiece, really, to hit the ground running.
They do say they're hoping to push it through, but as we know, there's only about a few weeks left in the entire session when they come back. And that is a lot of work to put forward.
COLLINS: Yes. But, I mean, we are going to wait until September? I mean, no one is going to be coming back early, as was proposed by some?
BOLDUAN: Right, exactly. And when they do come back, while this group is very optimistic that they've gotten this biparitsan proposal together, Democrats and Republicans do remain skeptical, as they often do up here, of how serious the other side is about actually coming together and making a deal. And that's what we'll be hearing a lot about when they come back in September.
COLLINS: All right. We'll be watching and waiting.
Kate Bolduan, thank you.
BOLDUAN: Thanks, Heidi.
HARRIS: Well, the McCain campaign, you have to admit they've got ad-itude.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OBAMA: ... when the rise of the oceans began to slow and our planet began to heal!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Behold his mighty hand!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: Going negative, will it haunt Republicans by Halloween?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: John McCain and Barack Obama both trumpeting energy plans for another day. Obama is holding town hall meetings in Ohio. He says the U.S. needs to stop relying on foreign oil.
Next hour, John McCain heads to a nuclear power plant in Michigan. He says the U.S. should be getting more of its energy from nuclear sources.
We'll be hearing more from both candidates later this hour.
HARRIS: Getting nasty. A new Obama ad accuses John McCain of taking millions from the oil industry. It follows negative ads by the McCain campaign.
CNN's Ed Henry takes a look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ED HENRY, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): To the relief of some Republicans, John McCain is finally driving a consistent message by getting tough with Barack Obama.
NARRATOR: He's the biggest celebrity in the world.
AUDIENCE: Obama! Obama!
NARRATOR: But is he ready to lead?
HENRY: But other political heavyweights are slamming the new strategy, with McCain's former strategist, Mike Murphy, on NBC calling the Britney Spears ad dumb and clumsy, at a time when the political climate is awful for Republicans.
MIKE MURPHY, REPUBLICAN MEDIA STRATEGIST: Luckily for the party, McCain is a different kind of Republican. So, everything in the campaign ought to build toward that case. And when you get off into the small juvenile stuff about Britney Spears, you're distracting. HENRY: As for a second ad claiming Obama has anointed himself...
OBAMA: This was the moment when the rise of the oceans began to slow and our planet began to heal.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Behold his mighty hand!
AUDIENCE: Obama! Obama! Obama!
(MUSIC)
NARRATOR: Barack Obama may be the one, but is he ready to lead?
HENRY: "AC 360" contributor David Gergen charged on ABC, the ad is using code words to suggest Obama is out of the mainstream.
DAVID GERGEN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: There are certain kind of signals. As a native of the South, I can tell you, when you see this Charlton Heston ad, "the one," that -- that's code for, he's uppity. He ought to stay in his place.
HENRY (on camera): The McCain camp vehemently denies that the ads are sending any signals other than this: They believe Obama is not ready to run the country.
(voice-over): And with CNN's latest national poll of polls showing Obama with just a three-point lead over McCain, Republican strategists think the negative ads are working.
JOHN FEEHERY, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: The new strategy is definitely having an impact of taking it to Barack Obama, knocking him off his stride.
HENRY: But McCain advisers privately say they realize there's a danger in the candidate coming off as too negative. That's why one of McCain's next moves is to try to pivot back to talking about a positive agenda.
FEEHERY: You have had a sense where he's been good cop. Now he's been bad cop. And he's going to go back to good cop.
HENRY: The easiest way for McCain to do that will be to pick a bad cop in the form of a running mate who is an attack dog. But Obama will soon be bringing in a vice presidential nominee of his own. And he's already going on the attack himself.
OBAMA: So, when Senator McCain talks about the failure of politicians in Washington to do anything about our energy crisis, it's important to remember that he's been part of that failure.
HENRY: Obama is determined to show that, unlike John Kerry in 2004, he's ready to punch back.
Ed Henry, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE) COLLINS: Paying for health care in tough times -- many Americans are doing without.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: Sick and uninsured. A new study finds many people without health coverage are chronically ill, and they're skipping care they desperately need.
CNN Medical Correspondent Elizabeth Cohen is here now with a closer look at this.
We do talk about the uninsured an awful lot. What's new here?
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: What's new here is that sometimes you hear people saying, well, if people don't have insurance, it's because maybe they're young, they're out of college and they don't really need it, and it's a choice. But what this study does for the first time really is detail exactly the kinds of illnesses that people without insurance have.
Nearly one out of three adults without insurance has at least one chronic condition. And we're not talking elderly people. These are all people under the age of 65. One out of three has a chronic condition.
Also, 11.4 million Americans with chronic conditions are uninsured. Specifically, the conditions they have: 16.1 cardiovascular disease, 15.5 percent have hypertension, and 16.6 percent have diabetes.
Now, one of the really important things here that this study also showed is that when people with chronic illnesses become sick, they often don't go to the doctors because, well, of course they don't have insurance. They go to the emergency room. That drives up costs for everybody.
COLLINS: Yes, which is incredibly expensive.
COHEN: Right.
COLLINS: So obviously this is a campaign issue. We talk about the economy an awful lot, but health care clearly an issue for the presidential candidates.
What can they do to help this situation?
COHEN: Well, they're two very big questions. It's huge.
COLLINS: Yes.
COHEN: It's huge, and policymakers have been tackling this for decades now. Two very different proposals coming from the two candidates.
Barack Obama wants to expand Medicaid for the poor, he wants to mandate insurance for the children, and he wants to mandate that most companies offer insurance. However, McCain takes a much more private sector approach. He wants to give tax breaks to people who don't have insurance so that they would presumably have more money to go buy insurance on their own.
COLLINS: Right. OK. Well, we're going to hear a lot more about it.
COHEN: That's right.
COLLINS: The election is -- when is it again, November, right?
COHEN: Somewhere around there, right.
COLLINS: Yes, November.
All right, Elizabeth. Thanks so much. Appreciate it.
COHEN: Thanks.
COLLINS: And to get your "Daily Dose" of health news online, log on to our Web site. You'll find the lightest medical news, a health library and information on diet and fitness. That address: CNN.com/health.
HARRIS: Flooding fears in Texas. Tropical Storm Edouard dropping a lot of rain. We're already seeing the dangerous effects.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: Welcome back, everybody. I'm Heidi Collins.
HARRIS: And I'm Tony Harris. You're back in the CNN NEWSROOM.
A significant flood event seems to be what we're talking about here. A live picture from Galveston looking out on the shoreline there.
Wow. Even the rain has let up considerably. Emergency officials in Texas are saying that's what we have here, a significant rain event with Tropical Storm Edouard. The storm came ashore just a couple of hours ago.
COLLINS: That's right. Our Jacqui Jeras is standing by in the severe weather center now with more on this.
So Jacqui, we have been saying all morning long that it could have been a whole lot worse.
JACQUI JERAS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes it really could, absolutely.
That flood threat that you're talking about, I think the worst of it really is going to be what we would call urban flooding -- places that have concrete and pavement down where everything is just going to kind of run off and a lot of drains can get clogged up and that type of thing. That's most of the kind of quick flooding that we're going to get. This isn't going to being long term and certainly nothing compared to what Dolly did. So we're thankful for that as the storm is moving fast enough that it's going to ripping on through here.
It is starting to weaken already. Winds down to 60 miles per hour, but it's still strong enough to certainly cause quite a few problems, and we're still getting confirmation of really strong wind gusts, around 49 miles per hour just recorded in Lake Charles, Louisiana and then Cameron, just off to the southwest of there, reported a gust at 51 miles per hour. This is all at the top of the hour. That is plenty enough to cause damage, bring down some significant tree limbs and cause power outages. We're getting reports of power being out in places around Port Arthur, so that is something else you'll want to watch out for.
When we tell you to stay inside it is because water can be over the roadways, those power lines could be down but they can still be live. So that's something to watch out for here as well.
There you can see some of the heavy stuff moving south of I-10 and really mostly east of I-45. That's where the worst of the heavy rain is coming down, about an inch to an inch-and-a-half an hour. We'll watch this gradual weakening trend now, over night tonight, and throughout the day tomorrow. But this is going to stick around with us through the middle to latter part of the week. It is also going to help to bring down those temperatures just a little bit.
The storms that have been ripping through the Midwest and the Ohio Valley -- really this is almost worse than what Edouard has been doing. We've seen heavy downpours, we've seen damage -- a tornado touched down in Chicago last night. Indianapolis has been seeing some flash flooding as a result of these storms pulling on through. Another wave coming in just off to your west.
Heat advisories, guys. This is pretty much the last hurrah of the real heat. By tomorrow, most of these places are going to be seeing temperatures a good five to 10 degrees cooler than you have been. So the big heat wave coming to an end, but still take it easy today as all these areas are still looking at 100 degrees plus from Memphis up towards Kansas City down to Oklahoma City.
And one last pitch, guys -- i-Reports. Send us your i-Reports. I want to see them, from the heat to the tropical storms to the storms in the Midwest, ireport.com.
COLLINS: Yes, no question. Yes we would appreciate those very much for anybody watching or in the middle of it all.
Jacqui, thank you.
The Gulf Coast, as we've been saying, really dodging a bullet this morning. But whenever we see one of these things forming in the Gulf, we do think back to Katrina. We also think about some of the vulnerable areas on the coast and the impact another strong storm could have on all of us.
CNN's Sean Callebs has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SEAN CALLEBS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Port Fourchon is perhaps the most vital yet vulnerable link in our nation's energy supply that you have never heard of. A bustling hub far down on Louisiana's coast that supports the offshore oil industry. Nearly 20 percent of all the oil used in the United States, one-fifth of our gasoline supply, depends on this port being up and running.
TED FALGOUT, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, PORT FOURCHON: Whether it be the farmer in Idaho or the cattleman in Montana, they certainly require energy. And this facility is key to a huge amount of this country's energy supply.
CALLEBS: In 2005, Hurricanes Katrina and Rita hammered this port. Widespread flooding led to a massive shutdown and an instant spike in fuel prices, and so critically important to the economy that National Guard troops were summoned to protect the area.
DAVIE BREAUX, GREATER LAFOURCHE PORT COMMISSION: And the hardest thing was clearing the debris off of the roadway because the road gets taken over by water and debris builds up on the roadways.
CALLEBS: Now that we're in hurricane season once again, it's time for the port authority to hold its breath. You think you're paying a lot for gas now.
FALGOUT: If this port is rendered inoperable, we will see a huge inefficiency in our ability to bring in oil and gas.
CALLEBS: Another Katrina or Rita could instantly raise prices at the pump 10 to 15 percent, according to Fourchon officials.
The weakest link along the coast, the 17-mile stretch of highway that cuts through marshlands to the port -- 1,200 trucks a day rumble through here, carting supplies to the 15,000 offshore workers in the Gulf.
(on camera): Are there nights that it keeps you awake worrying -- if this happens, boy, people don't realize how punishing it is going to be to the economy?
FALGOUT: Well what I think what scares me the most is the ounce of prevention and the pound of cure thing.
CALLEBS (voice-over): Fourchon is now getting a new elevated highway, but it won't be complete until 2011. But even that will only cover a portion of the 17-mile stretch. Port Fourchon is begging the federal government to step in and help. Everyone here remembers what happened a couple of hours to the north.
FALGOUT: We profess that the levees in New Orleans and other areas need to be done and we did nothing until the catastrophe hits. Then we pay 10 times more to get it fixed. I see this happening here.
CALLEBS: And when you're below sea level, it's amazing how shallow the words "I told you so" can sound.
Sean Callebs, CNN, Port Fourchon, Louisiana.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: And now bringing you more of what the candidates are saying in their own words, part of our commitment to helping you make an informed choice on Election Day. Here's Barack Obama talking to supporters in Youngstown, Ohio, this morning about his new energy plan.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OBAMA: So if I'm president, I'm immediately going to direct the full resources of the federal government and the full energy of the private sector to a single overarching goal: in 10 years time, we are going to eliminate the need for oil from the entire Middle East and Venezuela. We're just going to eliminate it in 10 years time.
(APPLAUSE)
And to do this, we'll invest $150 billion over the next decade, leverage billions more in private capital, to harness American energy and create 5 million new American jobs, jobs that pay well and won't be outsourced, good union jobs that lift families out of want and out of need and revitalize our economy.
(APPLAUSE)
Three major steps that we need to take to achieve this goal -- first, we're going to commit ourselves to 1 million 150-miles-per- gallon plug-in hybrids on the road within six years, 1 million new energy-efficient cars. And they're not going to be made in Japan, they're not going to be made in China. They're going to be made right here in Ohio, right here in the United States of America.
(APPLAUSE)
We've got the technology. We've got the technology. The problem is, the car companies need to retool and they need a partner in the federal government. George Bush -- took him six years before he would meet with the big three automakers. We can't have that. The minute I take office, we're going to sit down with those car companies and we are going to say to them, what do you need to retool to meet our energy-efficient future? And we will give them the help that they need as long as they are making the changes that are going to make a difference in terms of bringing jobs back to Ohio and Michigan.
(APPLAUSE)
We'll do it by investing in research and development, providing $4 billion in loans and tax credits to auto companies so they can retool, and by giving consumers a $7,000 tax credit to buy these new fuel-efficient cars. That's how we're going to make sure that American workers and American companies thrive in the 21st century economy. Second, we're going to double the amount of energy that comes from renewable sources by the end of my fist term. That means investing in clean technology research and development that's occurring in facilities all across the country, it means investing in tax incentives to encourage the production of renewables like wind and solar, power -- and developing the next generation of biofuels, it means finding safer ways to use nuclear power and store nuclear waste and to use more coal, one of America's most abundant resources, it means working to modernize our National Utility Grid so it can accommodate these new power sources without being overrun by blackouts.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: John McCain talked about energy yesterday in Pennsylvania. We will be hearing from him right after the break.
But take a look at this. Amazing pictures -- incredible pictures. An amazing discovery in the Congo. Gorillas, and a lot of them.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: A major discovery in the Congo -- 125,000 endangered gorillas living in a swamp in the northern part of the Republic. Now, check out these pictures. They're western lowland gorillas. Researchers had previously estimated the population to be less than 100,000 -- those numbers during the 1980s when the last census was carried out on the species. Boy, this new find doubles that number. Survey teams from the Wildlife Conservation Society made the discovery based on tips from hunters. They estimated the number of gorillas based on the number of nests where the animals sleep found at a specific site.
COLLINS: As part of CNN's ongoing effort to help you make an informed choice in the election, we're giving more time to what the candidates are saying in their own words on the campaign trail.
Here's John McCain talking energy in Lafayette Hill, Pennsylvania.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MCCAIN: We're going to solve the energy crisis that's affecting businesses like National Label Company and we need an all of the above approach. We need to aggressively develop alternative energies like wind, solar, tide, biofuels, and geothermal, but we also need to expand our use of existing energy resources here at home. That means we need more nuclear power. It means we need clean coal technology, and that means we need to offshore drill for oil and natural gas. We need to drill here, and we need to drill now. And anybody who says that we can achieve energy independence without using and increasing these existing energy resources either doesn't have the experience to understand the challenge we face, or isn't giving the American people some straight talk. Unfortunately, Senator Obama continues to oppose offshore drilling. He continues to oppose the use of nuclear power. These misguided policies would result in higher energy costs to American families and businesses and increased dependence on foreign oil. We're not going to achieve energy independence by inflating our tires.
I'm going to lead our nation to energy independence, and I'm going to do it with a realistic and comprehensive all of the above approach that uses every resource available to finally solve this crisis. As a lot of Americans know, the Congress, doing nothing, decided to go on a five-week recess without addressing the energy challenge that's affecting Americans every single day in their ability to go to work, in their ability to do their jobs, in their ability to keep inflation down as they're trying to do here at the National Label Company. And they need a Congress that will act.
Congress should come back into session. Congress should come back into session -- and I'm willing to come off the campaign trail. I call on Senator Obama to call on Congress to come back into town and come back to work, come off their recess, come off their vacation, and address this energy challenge to America and don't leave until we do -- Republican and Democrat joining together. And a very vital part of that is nuclear power and another vital part of that is offshore drilling.
We have to drill here and drill now, not wait and see whether there's areas to explore, not wait and see whether there is a package that needs to be put together, but drill here and drill now. Let's start working for the American people and not for ourselves. So, I hope that Senator Obama will call on Congress and the leaders, Harry Reid and Speaker Pelosi, call Congress back into session. Let's get this energy crisis solved as Americans have been able to solve every challenge that's faced us and move forward and work for America and put America first.
Thank you very much.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: As we mentioned, McCain visits a nuclear power plant in Michigan this afternoon, and we will be there for that.
We are constantly talking about airline cutbacks these days. This time, a new service is being added. What? Susan Lisovicz is at the New York Stock Exchange now with details on it all.
Hi there, Susan.
SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Heidi. Yes, it is bucking the trend. It's Delta Airlines, based in your town of Atlanta, planning to offer wireless Internet access on all of its domestic flights, the first major U.S. carrier to do so.
The system will allow customers traveling with laptops, smart phones, PDAs, whatever, to surf the web while in the air. There is a catch, though -- $9.95 for a flight lasting three hours or less, $12.95 for more than three hours. The technology will be installed on some planes this year, on all planes by next summer -- Heidi.
COLLINS: I knew it would cost money. But in the time of cutbacks, why are they spending money to add wireless Internet?
LISOVICZ: Because airlines are trying to find new ways to make money.
COLLINS: No!
LISOVICZ: Because a lot of us are grumbling about paying for checked baggage or extra legroom. These, of course, are services that used to be offered for free. A fee for Internet access might be more readily accepted by the public -- it's new -- especially for business customers. The downside is that flying has become one of our last escapes from the workplace.
Delta shares are soaring, up 3.5 percent, so is the airline sector. And overall, the marketplace, as oil continues its huge decline, down more than two-and-a-half bucks right now, under $119 a barrel. That ain't cheap, but it's going in the right direction.
The Dow Industrials up 208 points. The NASDAQ Composite is up 38 points. Each above 1.5 percent. And this, in a day when -- usually trading is kind of cautious ahead of a Federal Reserve decision on interest rates. But not so in the morning session.
COLLINS: Yes, not so. Boy, we like the looks of that.
And you heard our story earlier, didn't you, about some of the airlines charging for the blankets and the pillow?
LISOVICZ: Oh, yes.
COLLINS: Good stuff, right?
Thank you, Susan.
LISOVICZ: You're welcome.
HARRIS: Lighting the way. The Olympic flame burning bright in China's quake zone.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: A major discovery in the Congo. We told you about it just moments ago -- 125,000 endangered gorillas living in a swamp in the northern part of the Republic of the Congo. Check out these new pictures. They are western lowland gorillas. Researchers had previously estimated the population to be less than 100,000. But this new find doubles that. Survey teams from the Wildlife Conservation Society made the discovery. They estimated the number of gorillas based on the number of nests where the animals sleep, found at a specific site.
Claire Richardson, President and CEO of the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International, joining me now on the phone. Claire, thanks for your time. Tell us just how significant a discovery is this?
VOICE OF CLAIRE RICHARDSON, PRES., CEO, DIAN FOSSEY GORILLA FUND INTL.: It's a pretty significant discovery. Gorillas are not easy to survey, but we do need this empirical data.
We know, for instance, that in a very turbulent area of the Democratic Republic of Congo, rather than the Republic of Congo, there are isolated pockets of gorillas that no one has been able yet to survey. So to do this with the Wildlife Conservation Society is really quite an achievement. But it points out that we know how to do it, but we need the resources and the people in the field to be able to do more of it so that we can establish plans for their protection because -- one of the other things, Tony, is people think that these gorillas are in protected areas. Well, they're not. A lot of them are not in national parks.
HARRIS: Well Claire, if I could, because I don't want to lose you before -- maybe I got one or maybe two more questions here. You mentioned that you know how to do it.
Is it your belief that there are more gorillas that have yet to be discovered?
RICHARDSON: We do. We think -- we believe that in the Democratic Republic of Congo there are two scenarios. A very difficult one in the west, where bush meet (ph) and illegal hunting and habitat destruction is an issue.
And in the east, we know there are gorillas outside the national park areas because we have already found one or two pockets, small pockets. And these are eastern lowland gorillas.
HARRIS: Well, Claire, this is terrific.
Claire Richardson is the President of the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International.
Claire, thanks for your time this morning.
RICHARDSON: Thank you.
COLLINS: The Olympic torch relay wrapping up. It was lit in Greece more than four months ago, and now it's Beijing-bound. But first, a final stop in a place in need of inspiration, an area shaken today by a new earthquake.
Here's CNN's Emily Chang.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
EMILY CHANG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Friday night, Beijing will see one of the biggest celebrations it's ever seen with all of the pop pageantry and fireworks of the opening of the Olympic Games. But over the past few days a different scene, as many stop to remember those killed in the natural disaster that rattled this country just three months ago.
On Monday and Tuesday, the Olympic torch made its way through parts of Sichuan Province, where some 70,000 people were killed in the May 12th earthquake. In the provincial capital of Chengdu, an elaborate ceremony and a minute of silence to honor the quake victims.
For many it was bittersweet. This man has been living in a tent city and is clearly worried about his future.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): It is an honor for the country to hold the Olympics and we understand that. But what can we support the Olympics with now? We should try to save us by ourselves, but our ability to do it is really weak.
CHANG: Torchbearers then carried the Olympic flame along an 8- mile route. But this last leg of the torch relay did see some last- minute changes. Officials altered the route, they say due to safety concerns. And the police presence was heavy.
(on camera): The next and last stop for this lengthy torch relay, Beijing ahead of Friday's opening ceremonies.
Emily Chang, CNN, Beijing.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: The wonderful actor Morgan Freeman in good spirits despite his serious condition. Freeman remains hospitalized with broken bones after a terrible car wreck Sunday night. hit happened near his home in Mississippi.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS (voice-over): Rescuers had to use the jaws of life to remove the 71-year-old star and the passenger from the smashed up wreck. The passenger was identified Monday night as the Demaris Meyer, a friend of the actor.
Former police officer, Bill Rogers, witnessed the accident.
BILL ROGERS, EYEWITNESS: It slid right through here as I looked out the window from next door. I could see, as the front end of the car hit here, it got airborne and it flipped, end over end.
Freeman's publicist says that the "Dark Knight" star suffered multiple fractures, but is in good spirits.
Police say there's no indication either alcohol or drugs were involved.
BILL LUCKETT, MORGAN FREEMAN'S ATTORNEY: Either something mechanical happened to the car or he went off the road. He just doesn't recall exactly.
(END VIDEOTAPE) HARRIS: You know, it turns out the car Freeman was driving belongs to the passenger, Demaris Meyer. Witnesses say she offered him a ride home, but since he knew the area, he drove. No word yet on Meyers' condition.
COLLINS: 911 operators, life and death calls and some weird ones too, like where is the mayo? A sandwich shop emergency.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: Well it has happened to all of us. You're ready to eat, and wouldn't you know it, the restaurant got the order wrong? Not hard to get ticked off. Some people complained to the manager, but when this guy's Subway sandwich didn't have the right fixings, Reginald Peterson (ph) of Jacksonville called 911.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TAMMY MORRIS, SUBWAY MANAGER: Well evidently he tasted the sandwich and it didn't have mayonnaise or mustard on it, so he became upset.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: Peterson allegedly called back because police didn't respond quickly enough. He was then arrested for making false 911 calls.
There you have it.
CNN NEWSROOM continues one hour from now.
"ISSUE #1" with Christine Romans starts right now.
