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Isaac Hayes Dies; Conflict in Georgia and Russia; Analysis of Oil Crisis
Aired August 10, 2008 - 18:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ISAAC HAYES, DECEASED SONGWRITER: To be a songwriter.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
RICK SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: That deep, one of a kind voice and that laugh both are silenced tonight. Isaac Hayes has died at his home in Memphis, the Oscar winner and Rock and Roll Hall of Famer found dead at his home. Still, the cause of death unknown. Isaac Hayes was 65- years-old.
Hello again, everybody. I'm Rick Sanchez. Much more this evening tonight on the life and the musical legacy of this man who gave us so much of his music and his soul, the life of Isaac Hayes.
But first, the fight over a breakaway territory rages on in parts of the former Soviet Union. Georgian officials say they have withdrawn from South Ossetia's capital and ready now to agree on a cease-fire. But Russia says they won't accept it until they have withdrawn all the way. Days of fighting have left hundreds of civilians dead. The U.S. ally began the offensive to regain control over the province. Russia responded with overwhelming shelling and air attacks. The Security Council held an emergency session today. The U.S. is preparing to draft a resolution, calling for an immediate cease-fire and the condemnation of Russia as well for this action.
CNN reporters on the ground in the breakaway territory. Senior international correspondent Matthew Chance filed this report from South Ossetia just moments ago.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The Georgian military says it's now withdrawn from Tskhinvali, the main town in South Ossetia. Georgian officials saying the reason they've done that is to create the conditions for a cease-fire to take route between the Georgians and the Russians, who have been engaged in fierce fighting of course in that town.
You might be able to hear there is a fierce artillery barrage just a short distance from here. Tskhinvali is just about two kilometers over the field away and the Russians are still bombarding Georgian positions. In the foreground there, you can see an anomaly from the early 1990s, it's a Russian peacekeeping base, which has found itself in the center of all the fighting over the course of the past couple of days.
Russian troops inside that bunker. This is the road down which the Georgians made an apparently hasty retreat from Tskhinvali. You can see, they left some of their military hardware strewn across the road, on the road out of Tskhinvali. Again, artillery barrage is still under way. There's a lot of volatility across the country, not just in South Ossetia but elsewhere as well and there's still no word on any cease-fire being agreed. Matthew Chance, CNN, in South Ossetia.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SANCHEZ: We're going to stay in contact with Matthew, should there be any developments, we'll certainly be bringing him back into this picture. As Georgia pulls back, its president continues to look to the United States for help. Mikheil Saakashvili spoke earlier today with our Wolf Blitzer. I want you to listen to this and keep in mind that Saakashvili is hoping that that international forces, hopefully led, he thinks, by the United States, will somehow come to his country's aid and intervene on his country's behalf. But think about the diplomatic ramifications, if that were to happen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MIKHEIL SAAKASHVILI, PRESIDENT, GEORGIA: Well, one has to say that America is very highly regarded in Georgia. By the way, that's maybe one of the reasons why we're being attacked. You know, one of the bombs -- one of the unexploded bombs found on a shut down Russian plane yesterday, tragicomically said, "this is for Americans, this is for NATO," in Russian. And it didn't explode.
But of course, you know, as much as we love Americans here, nobody is safe right now. And that's -- I deeply regret to say that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: Georgian troops now being air-lifted we understand out as well of Iraq. They are flying back home now to try and help fight in the conflict there. The U.S. is assisting with that at the request of Georgia, of course. Meanwhile George Bush in Beijing for the Olympics is calling for both sides to stand down, but his message is directed really more toward Russia. Let's go to CNN's John Vause with this.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOHN VAUSE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The United States has again called on Russia to end what it calls a disproportionate military response in Georgia. For the senior White House official on Sunday warning that should this violence continue, it will have a significant long-term impact on U.S./Russian relations. U.S. President George Bush, who is in Beijing for the Olympics, had earlier called on both sides to stop the fighting. But according to Georgian officials, the violence has only escalated, accusing the Russians of launching an air strike, not far from the Georgian capital. White House spokesperson Dana Perino speaking to reporters in Beijing, said it was time for the Russians to stand down. DANA PERINO, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: We are 100 percent focused on solving this peacefully. President Bush does think that the Russian response has been disproportionate. We are very concerned about the innocent people, especially inside of Georgia. We respect Georgia's territorial integrity and we expect Russia to do the same.
VAUSE: White House aides say President Bush is being continually briefed on the crisis in Georgia. On Sunday though, he met with China's President Hu Jintao. But again earlier, President Bush said that regional peace is now under threat, especially as the violence continues to escalate way beyond the original conflict zone. The White House says there will now be a key test for the Russians and Georgian troops starting to withdraw and also a call for a cease-fire from the Georgian government. John Vause, CNN, Beijing.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SANCHEZ: I want to show you a picture now that reflects a strange irony. Despite the battles on the ground, there was a moment of sportsmanship and camaraderie between the enemies at the Olympic Games today. Russia's silver medalist put her arm around Georgia's bronze medal winner, from these warring countries. This is after their 10- meter air pistol final. Then the rivals kissed each other on the cheek. By the way, China took the gold in that event.
And a quick update on the man who attacked an American couple then killed himself outside an Olympics venue on opening day. Chinese officials say that he was recently unemployed and divorced. They also say the attack appears isolated, a random crime, say the Chinese. Meanwhile, Barbara Bachman is still in critical condition. Her husband, Todd Bachman was killed. The Bachmans are relatives of the U.S. Olympic hockey team.
Tough news out of Iraq today. An American soldier and four civilians dead in a suicide bombing. The bombers struck just as U.S. and Iraqi forces responded to a roadside blast in Tarmiya. That's about 30 miles north of Baghdad. Twenty-four people were wounded, including two U.S. soldiers and an Iraqi interpreter as well.
We may soon know the long-term plan for U.S. troops in Iraq. Iraq's foreign minister says there has been some progress in negotiations with U.S. officials. In fact, he says the two sides are very close to a deal on a long-term security plan. One stipulation the Iraqis are demanding is a clear timeline for withdrawal of U.S.-led forces. That would be a huge departure from President Bush's stance since the very start of the war in 2003.
Remembering a music legend, more on the death '70s soul singer Isaac Hayes, just coming to us hours ago. And Hollywood is also mourning the loss of comedian Bernie Mac on this same weekend. Hear from some of those who knew him best.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SANCHEZ: Who could ever forget "Shaft?" He won Grammys, an Academy Award, a spot in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. And let's be honest, Isaac Hayes' music played in the background of many a romantic interlude. News today that Isaac Hayes has died, found in his home in Memphis. Speaking of Memphis, let's go there now. Our affiliate there is WMC and Kontji Anthony is joining us now to bring us up to date on what she knows. Tell us what you know, Kontji. When we found out, how we found out, what the family is saying, et cetera.
KONTJI ANTHONY, WMC CORRESPONDENT: Well about 1:00, what happened is his wife found him on the floor of their home, right near the treadmill. She of course called 911. Responders came, tried to revive him but they couldn't. So paramedics took him to a hospital nearby and they pronounced him dead about an hour later. So at 2:00 this afternoon, he was pronounced dead in a hospital here in Memphis.
SANCHEZ: Was there any kind of condition that we now know he had been suffering from or has that been determined?
ANTHONY: We do know back in 2006 he had a stroke, and it's never been the same for him since then. So at this point, they're not saying exactly what it was that caused his death, but investigators with the sheriff's department are looking into this. They say that they do suspect that it was actually a medical condition, so that's what we know at this point.
SANCHEZ: Is there any comment at this point from anybody in his family or any immediate friends?
ANTHONY: Well, immediate friends are just absolutely emotional at this time. The family is not speaking. They just can't bear the news right now, but we are hearing a lot of concern in the music community, you know. Memphis is music and Isaac Hayes is Memphis so the music community is absolutely devastated today.
SANCHEZ: You know what's funny, how sometimes stories intersect and yesterday, we broke the news on the death of Bernie Mac.
ANTHONY: Right.
SANCHEZ: And today, Isaac Hayes and I understand, and perhaps you can confirm this for us, that they were actually working on a project together. Is that right?
ANTHONY: They sure were. Back in March, Isaac Hayes agreed to join the cast of the film "Soul Men." At this point, I know that it was in production, and they were going to, Samuel L. Jackson was also part of the cast. But at this point, 9 don't know if it was actually complete, the production, or if they were in the middle of it. So yes, he was supposed to be in the film "Soul Men" with Bernie Mac. So very coincidental and heart-breaking.
SANCHEZ: Hey, thanks so much for bringing us up to date. We'll be in contact with you throughout the day. If you learn anything else let us know, we appreciate it.
ANTHONY: OK, bye, Rick.
SANCHEZ: By the way, tributes are pouring in this weekend as friends and fans remember Bernie Mac, the actor/comedian who died yesterday as afore mentioned from complications of pneumonia. Our Don Lemon looks at Mac's rags to riches story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BERNIE MAC, COMEDIAN: People are (ph) type of (BLEEP) you know.
DON LEMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Bernie Mac had a dirty mouth, but, boy, was he funny.
MAC: I just want to have fun.
LEMON: Funny enough to make him a superstar and a box office hit.
Good friend and fellow comedian Steve Harvey was in town attending a parade when Mac died at a Chicago hospital not far away.
STEVE HARVEY, COMEDIAN: I mean, it really, really knocks you down a bit, you know, but, you know, my heart really goes out to his wife of over 25 years, his kids, you know? Bernie was a great family guy man, great family guy. A great father, you know? My heart goes out to those people.
LEMON: His wife Rhonda tells me they were high school sweethearts and married a few years later. "His sense of humor charmed me," she says. "We did not have a thing. He told me, 'Girl, you'd better get on board this train because I'm going to be rich one day.' I said, 'OK.'"
(on camera): Before Hollywood came calling, there was the South Side of Chicago where Bernie Mac honed his comedic skills in comedy clubs like this one, right in his own neighborhood.
(voice-over): It was a true rags to riches story. His wife tells me Mac not only worked the local comedy chic land (ph) circuit as he called it, but to make ends meet, he'd do stand-up on subway trains and would take odd jobs anywhere he could.
In 1990, his big break, Mac won the Miller Lite comedy classic, a $3,000 prize. "As a family, we jumped for joy when he won," his wife says. "We put most of it in the bank and we had a small party." Mac hit the road hard as opening act, then a feature performer. The movie roles came. So did a hit TV show.
Mac came down with pneumonia brought on by a disease he was diagnosed with in 1984, sarcoidosis.
Dee Dee Davis played Mac's daughter on the show.
DEE DEE DAVIS, BERNIE MAC'S CO-STAR: I remember like we had to do scenes without him because he was sick. I didn't know what he was sick with, but I guess it came back and it got worse.
LEMON (on camera): Was this towards the end of the show or?
DAVIS: This was towards like the end. LEMON (voice-over): He recovered. And the disease went into remission until this summer when he developed pneumonia again. His wife says he went to the hospital three weeks ago on Thursday. He had trouble breathing. He had a fever. His back was hurting.
Doctors induced him into a coma. They expected him to recover. But on Friday, close to midnight, he opened his eyes and Rhonda said, "I know you're tired, but don't leave me." He shrugged his shoulders, closed his eyes and his blood pressure dropped very low. He went into cardiac arrest.
They revived him once for about an hour. They tried reviving him again, and then, she said, "He was gone."
Don Lemon, CNN, Chicago.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SANCHEZ: Comedian Bernie Mac was 50-years-old. He is survived by his wife and daughter and a granddaughter.
As we told you, singer/entertainer and pop culture icon Isaac Hayes has died at the age of 65. We learned this news just a couple hours before going on the air tonight. He is survived by his wife and 12 children.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SANCHEZ: A man who would be president, both on record and in agreement about the widening crisis in the former Soviet Union. But both also did some politicking this weekend. Senator John McCain in Las Vegas, promising better access to health care, as if he is elected. His audience? A receptive one, disabled American veterans.
Senator Barack Obama perhaps on a stage more nerve-racking than a news conference podium, trying to put while the TV cameras role. The Democratic candidate is on vacation in Hawaii. Do we have that putting shot? Well, we'll get it to you later. Maybe he sunk it. No public events scheduled for today.
More politics and smart conversation with CNN's Frank Sesno. That's coming up, including some thought-provoking policy suggestions from who? This lady. Is this a mistake? What could Paris Hilton have to say about America's energy future? Well, you may be surprised. The conversation continues.
And a gambling trip takes a deadly turn. Three people are dead. We're going to tell you what happened in this horrible scene. Stay with us. We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SANCHEZ: There has been another deadly bus accident and this one is in Mississippi. Look at this bus. It was carrying a group that was heading to Harrah's Casino in Tunica when it overturned this morning. Three people were killed, several others were injured. Authorities are saying the passengers were from South Carolina. They say that rainy weather may have contributed to the accident, but it is still under investigation.
Another person died from Friday's deadly charter bus crash in Texas. A total of 17 people lost their lives when the unlicensed bus carrying members of a Catholic group smashed into a guardrail and skidded off the highway. The investigators say the front tire blew out and that's what caused it. They say it had been re-treaded which violates safety standards, by the way. The group was heading from Houston to Missouri for an annual religious festival, at the time of the crash.
And look at this one, this is the one I was just twittering about on my face page, incredible pictures that are coming out of Maryland. This is everyone's worst nightmare who is afraid of bridges. You're looking there at a tractor trailer that plunged off of the Bay Bridge in Annapolis, landing in shallow water. The truck's driver was killed. Two others were seriously injured in this three-vehicle accident. There you see what's left of the truck in the water. Some of it floating, the other one still touching the bottom there where it's not that deep. At this point, police say they still don't know what actually caused the crash. Wow.
The new oil bearers, men who went from hauling trash to swimming in cash.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SANCHEZ: Georgian villages tonight are hollowed shells of what they were this time last week and we're hearing the battles in the Black Sea region continue, despite Georgia's call for a cease-fire, and troop withdrawals from South Ossetia. From Russia's viewpoint, those actions are nothing more than a ruse, a way for Georgia to buy some time and somehow regroup. This fighting has now spread to different parts of Georgia's breakaway region and despite all the calls for both sides to stand down, we are hearing that Russia is mounting new air attacks against some Georgian cities.
The conclusion is, it doesn't seem to be going away, this problem. America doesn't like what Russia is doing but what are diplomats doing about it? That question boiled over into a stinging exchange today during a meeting at the U.N. Security Council. I'm told the back and forth felt like a flashback to the days of the old Cold War. With us for more on the story is CNN's Richard Roth. What happened, Richard?
RICHARD ROTH, CNN S.R. U.N. CORRESPONDENT: Well, the secretary- general of the United Nations turned up the heat, wanting to showcase the building for climate change for the month of August, usually a vacation month. He hasn't been seen since the crisis erupted. Maybe that extra heat inside the building contributed to the tensions boiling over.
The biggest showdown yet in recent memory between the United States and Russia. We talk about the heat in the building, it felt like the Cold War here, as the United States inside the Security Council, as you see video of protesters outside on the side of Georgia appealing for United Nations help, inside the Security Council, the U.S. ambassador directly told his Russian counterpart about a phone call.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ZALMAY KHALILZAD, U.S. AMBASSADOR TO THE U.N.: Foreign Minister Lavrov told U.S. Secretary of State Rice that a democratically-elected president of Georgia, and I quote, "must go." I quote again, "Saakashvili must go." This is completely unacceptable and crosses a line. I want to ask Ambassador Churkin, is your government's objective regime change in Georgia, the overthrow of the democratically-elected government of Georgia?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
RORTH: Later, the U.S. ambassador directly put the question to the Russian ambassador, who waived it away but outside the chamber, the Russian envoy telling journalists that some leaders, whether they are democratically or semi-democratically elected just are not suited to govern anymore.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VITALY CHURKIN, RUSSIAN AMBASSADOR TO THE U.N.: Regime change is purely an American invention. We were never, applied this terminology in our political thinking and certainly we are all for democracy in Georgia. And it's interesting that our American colleagues chose to bring up publicly this idea of President Saakashvili stepping down. It must mean that they think there is something in it, and they want others to reflect on that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROTH: Both Georgia and Russia accused each of other of war crimes. What's happening now in the pursuit of diplomacy? Well, the U.S., Britain and France are working on a Security Council resolution that would demand an immediate cease-fire. But Rick, Russia has veto power. It's not likely right now that Russia would accept such a resolution.
SANCHEZ: Hey, Richard, let me ask you about the elephant in the room in this case. I'm wondering if this kind of conversation has taken place. Has Russia tried to deflect criticism by saying the United States, how can you talk about us, given your record in Iraq?
ROTH: Oh, yes, the Russian ambassador has talked about Iraq, Afghanistan and what happened in Serbia during the Balkan Wars. U.S. aggression hinted at by the Russian envoy. What you saw in this meeting was the boiling over of Russian grievances and tensions and a flexing of political muscle that's been there, and is now widely on display, taking advantage perhaps of the weakened U.S. president in his final months and assuming raw power in the U.N. Security Council that we've seen decades earlier.
SANCHEZ: Sounds the only thing missing was the banging of a shoe. Richard Roth, thanks so much for that report.
The number one issue for the candidates these days, of course, say it with me, the economy, the economy, the economy. I'll leave out the reference to stupid. Specifically the price of oil and gas. And when it comes to whether offshore drilling is the solution, it seems like everybody's got an opinion.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PARIS HILTON, CELEBRITY: Why don't we do a hybrid of both candidates' ideas? We can do limited offshore drilling with strict environmental oversight, while creating tax incentives to get Detroit making electric and hybrid cars. That way, the offshore drilling carries us until the new technologies kick in, which will then crate new jobs and energy independence.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: We know you've probably seen that about 100 times already, but we thought we'd make it 101. I want to show you something now. This is the latest CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll - 69 percent say they're in favor of drilling for oil in the U.S. coastal waters. That's to be expected. They're almost evenly split though on whether offshore drilling would actually bring gas prices down any time soon - 51 percent say yes, 49 percent say no, it would not.
So let's try and peel the top off of this story now if we possibly can. Republicans debating the Dems these days to reconvene and settle the issue of offshore oil drilling, once and for all. That's the picture at least as it looked on Capitol Hill. The Dems are saying look, you're being disingenuous because 13 times we presented energy bills and each time, you Republicans, voted them down. So it's a he said/she said kind of situation. Then there's the Obama/McCain political turf war, on drilling or getting away from oil all together as a nation.
What is a voter to believe with all of these arguments? CNN special correspondent Frank Sesno joins us now to help us figure this one out. Frank, how would you grade McCain and Obama's, let me borrow a phrase here, truthiness on this?
FRANK SESNO, CNN SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, I'd first call Paris Hilton for advice, I think. I'd give them both an incomplete, because the facts of the matter speak for themselves, and both are leaving some important facts out.
Yes, John McCain is right, that down the line the offshore waters could yield more oil, maybe a lot more oil than natural gas but it's not like they're out there waiting to be explored. The oil companies and the exploration companies don't have the rigs out there. The regulations and the permits and the engineering and the geology and all of that would take up to 10 years, and we said it here on CNN many, many times, the government, the Energy Department it says, that even if that oil is flowing, it would take years to happen and it would only affect the price by a few cents.
Barack Obama meanwhile wants you to think the offshore oil wouldn't have any impact at all. That's not true. In this world of global demand, frankly, we need all of the oil even now that we can get and it does take years to bring these very complicated - I mean, that drill that you're seeing there cold be going down five, six miles into the ocean's floor, and many of these places yield nothing after the drilling is done. So they're both leaving out important facts.
SANCHEZ: How about the congressional debate? We've been hearing the Dems saying look, you want to bring down the price of gas? Then control those index speculators who really are setting the price way too high. Republicans say you want to bring down the price of gas? All you have to do is start drilling. Who is right or is it somewhere in the middle?
SESNO: It's somewhere in the middle. The speculation does drive the price. The problem with the speculation is that we have speculation taking place on commodities markets globally and so you really need all countries. There's a market in London, there's one in New York, there's one in Dubai. You need to get all of the countries and all the markets to agree. That's just not going to happen. So if you clamp down in one place, it moves someplace else. That's just the way global markets work, unless the Chinese and the Indians and everybody else agree to whatever rules you're trying to put in place, it's not going to happen.
So yes, speculation drives price. So does psychology in a market economy and that's why these prices, in many cases, we've been seeing have been gyrating up and down.
SANCHEZ: Let me ask you this. Nuclear power plants, I hear France derives something like 80 percent of its country from it.
SESNO: Yep.
SANCHEZ: Is McCain right when he says look, we need to start building nuclear power plants in this country again?
SESNO: The sentiment toward nuclear power plants, Rick, has really changed a lot, and I think I believe from the people I've spoken to and some of the politics that are moving and the utility companies, and regulatory agencies are doing, that we're on the verge of a next generation of nuclear power in this country.
But it's going to happen slowly. Building 45 plants is a gigantic undertaking and getting the politics, the nimby politics, "not in my back yard" politics. You want a nuclear reactor in your back yard? Well, the lights will glow, but you may hear a little bit of humming too. That's what people will say and there will be opposition from some, even as others open their arms.
The country needs more power. We're going to grow toward 400 million people in this country. Conservation, additional power, additional oil, all of that is going to be on the table. What you're seeing play out in Washington on the campaign trail is the politics behind the energy.
SANCHEZ: Then there's that Jane Fonda/China syndrome thing.
SESNO: There are a lot -- you're right. A lot of legitimate issues, safety, storage, all of the issues about nuclear power.
SANCHEZ: Frank Sesno, you're the best. Thanks for joining us. Good information.
SESNO: Thanks, Rick, good to see you.
SANCHEZ: One place where you will find oil drilling, the quiet corner of North Dakota. Huh? The land is said to contain more than three times the high quality crude that is found in Texas. Huh? And all of that oil is making some locals very wealthy. Here's CNN's Thelma Gutierrez.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
THELMA GUTIERREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): For Herb Geving, it is a sight to behold. His newest oil well, roaring with the promise of good fortune. We met Herb at his sprawling ranch in Parshall, North Dakota.
(on camera): You have quite a view up here.
(voice-over): He took us to a room with sweeping views and pointed out that the phenomena that's changed his town almost overnight.
HERB GEVING, OIL WELL OWNER: You see wells being drilled.
GUTIERREZ: Brand new wells dot the landscape.
GEVING: There's two of them right there.
GUTIERREZ: On your property?
GEVING: Three.
GUTIERREZ: How have they done by you?
GEVING: Well, we had a garbage business and we sold it the next day.
GUTIERREZ: Herb used to haul garbage. It's how he built this 11,000- square-foot home. But he says he never imagined what was underneath until last year, when an oil man told him he might be sitting on black gold, on land that is part of a Bakken Formation, a 200,000 square- mile area, rich with more than 3 billion barrels of oil. They drilled the first well, hit it big, then the second and a third.
GEVING: They dig the oil and work on it three to four months, before we get a check. So your first check is maybe around thousands.
GUTIERREZ: Like $2,000? $10,000?
GEVING: Well, you can keep going up and up and up.
GUTIERREZ: Each month, the royalty checks come.
GEVING: It's amazing. You don't have to work at all. You just walk to the mailbox and there it is. GUTIERREZ: Herb grew up during the Depression.
GEVING: Times were tough.
GUTIERREZ: His grandparents homesteaded the ranch 100 years ago. His parents raised cattle and four children.
GEVING: Just the three of us guys. There's Ron who died and myself and my sister and my mother. She was a cutie.
GUTIERREZ: He says his newfound wealth is bittersweet. It came late in his life and much too late for his beloved younger brother to enjoy.
GEVING: Some people don't believe it, but I have no eye craving for money or wealth.
GUTIERREZ: Instead, herb who lives alone has willed it all the way to 70 family members.
GEVING: What would I have done with it? The smallest ones, they have years to draw on it, and --
GUTIERREZ: Go to school?
GEVING: Yeah, go to school, buy a hot rod.
GUTIERREZ: Herb says at 74, the best thing money can buy is knowing your family will be OK.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SANCHEZ: The story about oil wealth and priorities, huh? The mayor of Stanley, North Dakota, says if you need a job, head to his hometown. The town is in desperate need of doctors and nurses, as well as plumbers and electricians, because of his newfound wealth.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SANCHEZ: Very scary moments overnight for people living in a Toronto neighborhood. Look at that fireball. This is a series of explosions that lit up the sky, a propane gas facility. A plant worker is still unaccounted for in this. Firefighters are still trying to extinguish all the burning tanker trucks. Thousands had to be evacuated as a result. Some residents had minor injuries. No word yet on what caused the explosions.
John Edwards says he is willing to take a paternity test but now his ex-mistress says that won't be necessary. The other woman, Rielle Hunter, says that she has no intention of having tests done to determine if Edwards is the father of her child. Why? Here is the direct quote from her lawyer, released this weekend. "She wishes to maintain her privacy and her daughter's privacy. Furthermore, Rielle will not participate in DNA testing or any other invasion of her or her daughter's privacy now or in the future."
Standing ovation from the nation's commander in chief. America's Olympic swimmers get a visit from two of their biggest fans.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SANCHEZ: Twittering as I speak as a matter of fact, join me.
America's Olympic swimmers getting a standing "O" from the president and the First Lady Laura Bush. They watched swimmer Michael Phelps capture gold in the 400-meter individual medley. Phelps also beat his own world record in the Olympic event. His teammate is Ryan Lochte, he grabbed the bronze. After the race, the president told Phelps it was a thrill to watch him swim. Phelps gave Mr. Bush an Olympic swimming jacket and a close-up look at his gold medal.
Jacqui Jeras standing by now. Boy, you've been watching the Olympics. You're into it.
JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEORLOGIST: I love the Olympics. If I told Michael Phelps that I enjoy watching him swim, do you think he'd send me a jacket, too?
SANCHEZ: Maybe he'd Twitter.
JERAS: I love it, Michael. Yes, having a lot of fun with that.
(WEATHER REPORT)
SANCHEZ: Reliving the dream, former Olympians taking a trip back in time.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SANCHEZ: When you are a reporter on a story in a town where your family's history starts, it's a great chance to try and trace your roots. My next guest is a CNN radio correspondent who headed to Havana, Cuba, to check out the reforms there. But he also had some touching personal moments. Steve Kastenbaum is joining me now from New York with his stories and his photos. We share a past, you and I. I was born in Cuba. I have gone there myself and felt hard to report from there without getting a little misty-eyed. I understand that you are not just a Cuban, but I guess what we amicably refer to in Miami as a Jew-ban, right?
STEVE KASTENBAUM, CNN RADIO CORRESPONDENT: I'm a member of the Jew- ban community, yes indeed.
SANCHEZ: When most people think of Jew-bans living in Cuba, most don't know that there was a huge community there in the past but it really has really for the most part shrunk, hasn't it?
KASTENBAUM: It really has. At its high point, the Cuban Jewish community in Havana was somewhere around 15,000 people. Now it's about 1,500. It's one-tenth the size of what it once was. Most of those Jews left before the revolution, they came to the United States as the doors opened to them as immigrants. From Eastern Europe, they really had a hard time getting into the U.S. So they came to or went to Cuba, because they had heard that Cuba was friendly to Jews there, that it was a place where they were fully accepted into society. And now you're looking at some photos of where the old Cuban Jewish community resided in old Havana right now and today it is still the center for an Orthodox Jewish community.
That photograph you're looking at now is El Patronado. That is the largest synagogue in operation of Havana. That's in sort of the newer part of Havana. And it's really incredible to be down there and see how religion has survived over the years through communism rule and in the mid '90s, Castro lifted some of the bans, the restrictions on religion and people started to rediscover their past. You're looking there at the only remaining Cuban Jewish kosher butcher there, was the shot before this one.
SANCHEZ: Let me ask you your experience, was it emotional? Was it difficult?
KASTENBAUM: Oh, it was really, I wasn't expecting to be as emotional as I was when I walked into El Patronado. I happened to be there on a day when their summer program was in session for the children, and I couldn't help but see myself in those kids, when I saw them enjoying a lunch in that program and thinking that I could have been one of those kids, had things been different.
And then it really got emotional for me when I went to Adath Israel, which is an Orthodox synagogue in Old Havana, Havana Viejo and it's -- on the doorstep was an 86-year-old man who introduced himself to me as the oldest living Jew in Cuba. And it was quite funny to speak to him. And then I started showing him old photographs of my family and lo and behold, that's the man right there, he remembered members of my family. When I told him my great grandfather's last name, he heard Soloman Sheer (ph) and he said, "they were tailors," they yelled out.
SANCHEZ: That sounds like a heck of a title. By the way, go to CNN.com and you can see and hear the full story from our correspondent, Steve Kastenbaum. Sounds like a great tale, my friend. Thanks so much for sharing part of it with us.
KASTENBAUM: My pleasure, any time.
SANCHEZ: That's great. Moving on now, let's tell you about some of the other things that are going on. Wall Street got drunk and now it's got a hangover. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson agrees with President Bush. We'll tell you what else he has to say about our economy.
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SANCHEZ: You can follow the Summer Olympics right on our Web site, by the way. CNN has teamed up with Sports Illustrated for the Fan Zone. Follow the latest results and some compelling stories from Beijing. The address, CNN.com/fanzone.
Gas prices keep heading down for 24 days in a row now they have been dropping. Tonight, AAA is reporting the national average for a gallon of unleaded is $3.82. Meanwhile, the Lundberg Survey puts the national average at about $3.85. That amounts a drop to a drop of about 15 cents in the last two weeks. Not bad, huh? And more on these as we continue.
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SANCHEZ: A daughter's love for her dad, a colleague of mine her at CNN, has made me smile so many times, talking about her father. You see, Fredricka Whitfield's father also happens to be an Olympic champion. Next week, the two of them embark on what she calls a trip of a lifetime. They're traveling to Beijing, along with other champions from that same era.
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FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Hello. Hello. Well, let me reintroduce you to my dad, Mal Whitfield, 1948, '52, Olympic medalist, gold, silver, bronze. I first introduced you to "Marvelous Mal" a few years when London became the host of the 2012 games.
Were you euphoric?
MAL WHITFIELD, OLYMPIC GOLD MEDALIST: Oh yes, I was quite pleased that the committee chose London.
F. WHITFIELD: Well, now, it's you and me off to Beijing. Are you ready?
M. WHITFIELD: Oh, have I been ready. I haven't had a good night's sleep. I'll sleep on the plane.
F. WHITFIELD (voice over): Clearly we're both over the top thrilled as we pack our bags for China. One reason?
M. WHITFIELD: What happens in the Olympic games, it becomes a family of people, people meeting people from all over the world.
F. WHITFIELD: Together to celebrate and witness greatness. The other big reason for our excitement? You're looking at him.
M. WHITFIELD: For me going to Beijing will be the most exciting experience I've ever had in my life. Why? Because, personally I'm almost 84-years-old. The limited time I've spent in sport since I was 8-years-old, so I wanted to be an Olympian.
F. WHITFIELD: And after so many years seeing other Olympians of his day. He doesn't know for sure who will be there, but hopes on Olympians like bronze long jumper Herb Douglas, Harrison Dillard the only man to win gold as a 100-meter sprinter and hurdler, gold medal diver, Dr. Sammy Lee, still both are cut up and pin-up despite recent back surgery.
SAMUEL LEE, 1948 OLYMPIAN: Mal and I, both being from Los Angeles, it's funny.
F. WHITFIELD: And still vividly reflective at age 88.
LEE: So-called experts who say that you're the wrong color, the wrong size, it inspires you to be tougher and you're more dedicated. F. WHITFIELD: Despite discrimination, segregation, the depression and military draft during World War II and the Korean War, they stayed on course to make Olympic history. Dr. Lee, winning two golds in the 10- meter platform in 1948 and '52, and a bronze on springboard. He, in the same back-to-back games, dad collectively winning three golds, a silver and a bronze.
M. WHITFIELD: I ran three events: 800 meters, the 400 meters, and the 400-meter relays. I just over did it, but it was all worth it.
F. WHITFIELD: Dad's weakened knees keeps this retired American diplomat in a wheelchair these days. It may not be easy, but we hope to traverse China with the same vigor and pace it our recent center of Washington's World War II Memorial.
M. WHITFIELD: I feel very comfortable. I feel at home.
F. WHITFIELD: Being here, conjured dad's memories of hard, inventive, dark of night training, as an Olympic hopeful in between his flight missions as a U.S. Air Force sergeant based in Japan.
M. WHITFIELD: Don't deviate, there's no deviation in training.
F. WHITFIELD: A fighter then, and a fighter now, who says the constant shooting fame in his joints is already feeling healing powers from this surprised-filled journey to Beijing. His only fear? Old friends don't recognize him.
M. WHITFIELD: As ugly as I am, they will remember the face and my laugh.
F. WHITFIELD: Weeks after his spinal surgery...
LEE: I'm recuperating and the goal of going to Beijing is stimulating me to get healed fast.
F. WHITFIELD: And the prospect of these octogenarian Olympics meeting at the 20th Olympiad inspires me. Let the games and our adventure begin. Fredricka Whitfield, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
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SANCHEZ: Before we go tonight, I want to tell you about something new we're doing here. You can keep up with what I'm doing day to day, minute to minute, moment to moment, second to second as my staff and I prepare our shows together each week. That's right. I'm now on Twitter. Sign up for my updates as I do them right here, right now, as I'm anchoring, putting one together. It's www.twitter.com. So it's twitter.com/RickSanchezCNN. Twitter.com/SanchezRickCNN (sic). We'll see you later on tonight at 10:00. Lou Dobbs, next.
