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The Death of Isaac Hayes; McCain Being Dogged by Questions About Mitt Romney Over and Over; Illegal Street Racing

Aired August 10, 2008 - 22:00   ET

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

CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (on camera): Muslims, like people everywhere, abhor terrorism. The small minority who resort to violence is symptomatic of something many of us have failed to understand.
God's warriors, the emergence of millions of people around the world who view life through a religious prism and who fear that modern society is trampling their beliefs.

With this report, we have tried to bridge the gap of understanding about the Muslim world.

I'm Christiane Amanpour. Thank you for joining us.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

RICK SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: Tonight, Isaac Hayes has died.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Who is the man that would risk his neck for his brother man?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: From Shaft to Shaft. His impact, universal. As was Bernie Mac's. Killed by something most of us have never heard of.

Heartbreaking pictures of bloody victims, young and old, from Russia's invasion of Georgia. I go to the source.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: Mr. Ambassador, can you make the American people try to understand why it is that you invaded what seems to be a sovereign country?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: John Edwards, the other woman. And the nagging question -- whose baby is it? There is a new statement this weekend.

McCain's Romney effect, Obama's Clinton effect.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. HILLARY CLINTON (D), FORMER PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We're trying to work that out with the Obama campaign.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: Who helps? Who hurts?

And look at this nightmare scene for anyone afraid of bridges. We're on it. The news starts now.

And hello, again, everybody. I'm Rick Sanchez. We're going to begin about with news that may sadden many of you. News about the passing of a musical visionary, an innovator, a pioneer. Isaac Hayes, 65 years old collapsed today at his home in Memphis and died.

Let's go to Memphis now. Let's try and get all the information we can on this still developing story.

WMC TVs Kontji Anthony is joining us.

Fill us in, if you would, when did it happen? How did it happen?

KONTJI ANTHONY, WMC CORRESPONDENT: Well, Rick, it happened about noon Central Time. And new details are coming in. What we've learned now is that Isaac Hayes wife's cousin actually discovered him in his master bedroom next to a running treadmill.

He was on the floor and he was having trouble. At that point, she called 911 and a deputy arrived and did CPR. He did not farewell. So they took him to the hospital, they rushed him to the hospital and that's where he later died.

SANCHEZ: Do we know what he died of specifically or are they still investigating that?

ANTHONY: Well, the new information that's coming in is that he was suffering from a condition. They have not disclosed what it was, but we do know that back in 2006, he suffered a stroke.

SANCHEZ: His family, have they had any reaction at this point? Have they spoken to anyone?

ANTHONY: His family is not speaking right now. They're very, very emotional right now. But friends are pouring their sentiments and they say that this is just a great loss for Memphis and the world.

It's very -- a unique situation because it is Elvis Week this week in Memphis because this is the same week that Elvis passed away. And so you have these two music pillars who passed away the same week. So, it did a very unique situation.

SANCHEZ: Well, here's another unique part about this story. The fact that Bernie Mac died yesterday. Bernie Mac was Isaac Hayes' friend. In fact, he was asked to comment on it yesterday. And I understand they need to shed some light on this that they were working on a project together, a movie, right?

ANTHONY: They sure were. The movie is called "Soul Men." And they were suppose to do that movie with Samuel L. Jackson. I know that in March, Hayes agreed to become part of the cast. He was going to play himself. It was going to be a comedic film. And I'm not sure right now whether or not the production was complete. But I believe they were just beginning production or about to, so yes.

SANCHEZ: Kontji Anthony, thanks so much. Great information. Thanks for catching us up on this story that's really affected a whole lot of people. He had so many fans.

In fact, you know, we've got a photo now I want to show you. This is really about the classic intersection of two stories. You just heard Kontji mentioning this. Hayes was in fact in a project with Bernie Mac, that's the irony of it. There's the picture. It was taken in March, we understand.

Bernie Mac, Isaac Hayes and Samuel L. Jackson, they're on the set of this movie. It's called "Soul Men." It is set for release later this year. Both of them dying this weekend. Isaac Hayes is in the film. He plays himself. No word yet on -- if these two deaths will impact in any way the movie's release. But we'll be checking on that.

Speaking of Bernie Mac, a public memorial is set for next weekend on Chicago's south side. It will be at a church called The House of Hope on Saturday. Bernie Mac died early Saturday from complications due to pneumonia. He was 50 years old.

And whether you laughed with him on South Park, or you grew with him back in the 70s, this you could say. Isaac Hayes made a splash across several generations. Think about that. And stay with us tonight, because we're right now putting together a comprehensive report on the death of Isaac Hayes. That's going to be coming up, well, as soon at its done, but most likely in about a half hour.

Now to a situation halfway around the world that has so many of us wondering tonight about the ramifications of it here at home. Despite Georgia's offer of a ceasefire, despite supported troop withdrawals from South Ossetia, Russia appears hell-bent tonight on continuing this invasion. Here's what the result of this violence looks like.

And you know, I should tell you this is graphic. Those are going to be soldiers you're looking at right there from the Republic of Georgia, or what's left of them. More attack, more lost lives. And now the conflict has reached the capital. There is more.

Here's CNN's Frederik Pleitgen. He's in Tbilisi.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): What began as a battle for Southern Ossetia has reached Georgia's capital. A Russian warplane dropped a bomb on this air field in Tbilisi while we were only a few hundred yards away.

(on camera): We're about to shoot the aftermath of an apparent bombing here when a fighter dropped a bomb somewhere right close to us. You can see the smoke right over there.

(voice-over): The Georgian capital is also beginning to see an influx of people who have fled South Ossetia. Several dozen people from the battle zone are staying in this dilapidated school building.

One-year-old Marie (INAUDIBLE) is staying here with her grandfather because her dad is at war.

Many people are missing, her grandfather says. Many of our relatives are missing. We don't know if they've been wounded or even killed.

Killed or wounded as Russian forces continue to pound Georgian positions with civilians often caught in the middle. Scores more of the displaced have no shelter at all. Many tell us they have been camping out in front of Georgia's parliament building for days -- waiting, weeping.

The Red Cross says it now has little access to the region and little idea how many have been forced from their homes.

MAIA KARDAVA, ICRC SPOKESWOMAN: Us from Bali Base (ph) team, they had to flee the area early this morning. Before that, they spent some 48 hours in the basement like other civilians did. So, for the moment, (INAUDIBLE) is not present in the conflict zone.

PLEITGEN: Georgians who have found shelter are making do with what they can get. Nida (INAUDIBLE) house in Southern Ossetia was bombed. Now she sleeps on this cot in the old school building. Her purse, she says, is all she has left.

Many people from our village were killed or wounded, Nida (ph) says. They were just left there. And those who could came here.

Nida said someday she wants to go back to her village though she doesn't know what she'll be returning to.

Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Tbilisi, Georgia.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANCHEZ: When we come back, I'm going to try to cut right to the chase for you with the Russian ambassador. I'm going to ask him point blank why have you invaded a sovereign country. His response, that's going to be coming up next.

Also, I want you to take a look at this unbelievable video. This is sudden and unbelievable explosion in Toronto.

And the John Edwards sex scandal and the lingering baby question. Will it ever be answered? Should it be asked?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: Look at these pictures coming up the deadly game of illegal street racing. Deadly indeed, say police. A special report, that's ahead by the way a little bit later.

Right now, a stalemate at the United Nations, not one that's gone quietly. For the fourth time in as many days, diplomats gathered to draft the consensus statement on the fighting between Russia and Georgia. The dialogue get -- well, it got heated when the U.S. ambassador question Russia's true motives in this conflict. You don't hear blunt language like this very often.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ZALMAY KHALILZAD, U.S. AMBASSADOR TO THE U.N.: 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)

SANCHEZ: We talked to our U.N. correspondent today. He said it was reminiscent of times of the 1960s during the cold war arguments that would break out at the U.N. As for Russia, it's pretty clear it wants Georgia's president out. I spoke with the Russian U.N. ambassador this weekend. And during that conversation, I came out and asked him flat-out if his aim is, quote, "to try and keep the peace." And if this really is a peacekeeping mission, then why the military aggression.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: Can you make the American people try to understand why it is that you invaded what seems to be a sovereign country?

VITALY CHURKIN, RUSSIAN AMB. TO THE UNITED NATIONS: Well, the Georgians in the past few days have watched the military assault on South Ossetia. A small republic with a small South Ossetian population of about 100. In the past 36 hours, they killed by shelling, by heavy artillery. 2,000 civilians in the capital city of Tskhinvali. And completely raise to the ground 10 villages in the borderline between South Ossetia and Georgia.

SANCHEZ: So, to be clear, what I'm hearing you say is that you have gone into a sovereign country to defend the South Ossetians against the Georgians.

CHURKIN: Well, we have certain responsibility there as a peacekeeper under agreement signed between Georgian and South Ossetia back in 1992. So we perform our duty as a peacekeeper and are now involved in a peacemaking operation in order to make sure the genocide of South Ossetians does not happen.

SANCHEZ: Why did you not try the negotiation method first? Did you reach out to *? Did you reach out to the Georgian president and tell him, stop this, we've got to figure this out?

CHURKIN: Oh yes. We've been trying to urge them for the past few years that first of all he needs to sign a non-use of force agreement between South Ossetians. And we're telling him that it will be crazy to launch a military operation. In fact, he has been swearing at every corner that he had no such intention, but in fact this is exactly what he did apparently hoping that a small victorious war would be good for his political image.

SANCHEZ: You know, there's so many different ways and words do matter in a case like this. I've been reading the reports from you and others on the Russian side saying look, this is nothing more than a peacekeeping mission. And yet many who follow this are saying, really, this is an all-out military aggression. Which is it, sir?

CHURKIN: No. It has turned out into a peacemaking operation. And unfortunately, the Georgians are still present and fighting on the South Ossetian territory. In order for this tragedy to end, they must pull out of the territories they have occupied in the past few days out of South Ossetia.

SANCHEZ: So, are you essentially here on the air on CNN saying that unless they pull out of South Ossetia, your troops will remain there?

CHURKIN: Exactly.

SANCHEZ: We thank you, sir, for taking us time to take us through your version of events. We appreciate it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: Peacemaking operation, he says. Well, one more base to cover on this one. And it's a response from President Bush. He's calling for both sides to now stand down but he says that Russia has used disproportionate force, his word, in this fight.

The vice president also weighing in tonight, Dick Cheney. He said Russia's aggression must not go unanswered and that its continuation would have serious consequences for its relation with the United States. Dick Cheney speaking just a few hours ago.

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. Both from these warring countries. This is after their 10 meter air pistol final. And then the rivals kissed each other on the cheek. We have that picture as well. There it is. By the way, China was the one that took the gold ironically enough in that event.

Coming up, I'm going to give you a word. Ready? It's gephydrophobia. Gephydrophobia. You know what it means? OK, now, take a look at this picture. This is a deadly accident with some of the vehicles that ended up in real bad shape.

All right, that's the wrong picture. We meant to show you a picture of a vehicle that actually falling off a bridge and ended up in the water. That's why gephydrophobia means fear of being on bridges. Wait till you see the video we meant to show you. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: We've got some interesting tape that I'm going to be sharing with you in just a little bit. It's John McCain on the stump and he's being asked to name a vice president quite adamantly, by the way. They're telling him not only to name one, but one name keeps coming up over and over and over again. You're going to see this for yourself and you'll see just who that person is.

First this, though, a weekend of incredible disasters on the roadway. The government is shutting down two companies tied to Friday's deadly bus crash in Texas. The reason, the vehicles were not properly and regularly inspected, repaired or maintained. A total of 17 people lost their lives when the driver of that bus that you're looking at right there, of that unlicensed bus, I should say, lost control, smashed into a guardrail and then just skidded off a highway.

Investigators are saying that it happened because the front tire blew. That tire was a retread. That is a direct violation. Listen to one of the calls made by a witness when they first made the call to police.

(BEGIN AUDIOTAPE)

911 OPERATOR: Sherman 911.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You've got a overturned vehicle in the creek at Lazy L RV Park on 75 just south of park lane northbound, ma'am.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There are, there is kids everywhere out here. I don't know what kind of bus this is, but there are literally kids just everywhere. Laid out on the ground.

911 OPERATOR: So it's a bus?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It was a bus.

911 OPERATOR: OK.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's like a bus or an RV type thing, but there are literally, they're bloody. There's people just laid out everywhere.

(END AUDIOTAPE)

SANCHEZ: Bloody and people laid out everywhere. Imagine that scene. Passengers were part of a Catholic Church group. They were headed from Houston to Missouri for an annual religious festival at the time of this crash.

Here's another one. Tomorrow's commute is going to be a mess for drivers near Annapolis, Maryland. Look at these unbelievable pictures of what happened there earlier today. You're looking now -- see it on the right? That's a tractor-trailer that plunged off Chesapeake Bay Bridge near Annapolis.

These are those pictures I was showing you just moments ago, and referring to those of you like my wife who may be afraid of bridges, and always get a little nervous when they go over them.

The truck's driver was killed, by the way. Two others were seriously injured in the three-vehicle accident. Tonight, one lane has finally been reopened on the bridge.

We've been talking to folks who was stuck in this all day. Authorities don't expect the other part of the bridge to open until sometime tomorrow afternoon, they say. At this point, police say they don't know what actually caused the crash. We're going to try and see if we can hook up with one of the witnesses who was there as this happen. If we do, we'll bring them to you as it happens.

Meanwhile, explosions rocking Toronto, Canada, today. Blowing out windows and shaking people's homes. The blast came from a propane gas facility sending enormous fireballs into the air that can be seen for miles. Thousands were forced to evacuate and authorities had to shut down Canada's busiest highway and part of the subway system as well. A veteran firefighter died trying to extinguish the flames. And the plant worker was still unaccounted for. No word at this point to what actually caused these explosions.

Coming up, I want you to take a look at this. This is hail in Philly. It's hail in Philly. Really. And listen to this --

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CLINTON: Well, you know, we're trying to work that out with the Obama campaign and with the DNC.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: The question was, don't you want to be vice president? And you heard the answer. Are they in talks? Is that what she's saying? Calling "Preston on Politics," that's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: Coming up, who is the baby's daddy? More on the John Edwards sex scandal that everybody seems to be talking about.

But first is it was a good day to stay indoors if you lived in the Philadelphia area. Look at these pictures shot today shot in Radnor, Pennsylvania. One of those wicked summer storms that just seem to come out of nowhere, boiled up and it tore trees apart, knocked out power to homes. And still, some are recovering from a storm that's beating three days ago.

Let's do this now. Let's find out what the weather is going to be like tomorrow because you know on Monday that's when everybody flies or go or gets up and needs to be somewhere other than wherever it is they are.

Jacqui Jeras, good at doing stuff like this for us. So, let's go over and check out what's going to happen tomorrow, Jacqui.

(WEATHER REPORT) SANCHEZ: You know what gephydrophobia is?

JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: I don't. I didn't look it up. I should have Google it. I heard you say that.

SANCHEZ: I'm putting it in -- In fact, I'm twittering right now. Fear --

JERAS: Did you know before you wrote this story?

SANCHEZ: No, I looked it up. You ready? Fear of being on bridges.

JERAS: What your wife has and many other Americans as well.

SANCHEZ: Exactly. Here's my twitter.

JERAS: Gephydrophobia?

SANCHEZ: Gephydrophobia.

JERAS: Gephydrophobia.

SANCHEZ: Now, you know.

JERAS: OK. Thanks.

SANCHEZ: Thanks, Jacqui. We appreciate you joining us here every weekend by the way. And as you just saw we're trying to communicate to you in other ways, because we know that so many of you on the Internet as we watch this newscast.

So, for a minute-to-minute glimpse into our world as we cover the news, you can sign up for our notices on twitter. Sigh up for my updates on twitter.com/ricksanchezcnn. You'll see how we put the news together and some of the questions that we ask ourselves. You can also find out what we've got cooking for the show by becoming my friend online.

My MySpace link is myspace.com/ricksanchezcnn. By the way, you could also befriend me on Facebook. Unfortunately, they don't make those Web links really easy to understand or explain so just go there. All right, I hope to find you there.

Coming up, the name Mitt Romney pops up all along the McCain campaign trail. Is that a good thing or is it a troubling thing? We're going to ask our political analyst Mark Preston with "Preston on Politics."

And it's still one of the hottest topics on the Internet. The John Edwards sex scandal and the lingering questions that remain there as well. We'll ask.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: Welcome back to the world headquarters of CNN. I'm Rick Sanchez. John Edwards and his affair have become the social connector -- you know, the center of conversations for many wives and husbands and politicos this weekend. Probably more so than just about any other story for the past three or four days.

By opening the door, this former presidential candidate has also left open or unanswered a slew of questions about his mistress' baby and about his bizarre behavior at that hotel. All this from one interview Friday.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SANCHEZ (voice-over): Like transgression admitting politicians before him, John Edwards didn't say the other woman's name. And he didn't use the "A" word as in affair. His word, mistake.

JOHN EDWARDS, FORMER PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: In 2006, I told Elizabeth about the mistake. I asked her for her forgiveness. I asked God for his forgiveness.

SANCHEZ: It was his confirmation of what the tabloids had been not whispering about, but outright shouting about. And what Edwards himself had shrug off as recently as 16 days ago.

QUESTION: When you were running for president, you flat out denied having a relationship with Rielle Hunter. Did you give me a truthful answer? Were you telling the truth then?

EDWARDS: Yes.

SANCHEZ: No. No, he wasn't. John Edwards, a former senator who at the time looked like he had a real shot at the Democratic nomination for president, he had cheated with a woman who worked behind the campaign scenes, not a news flash to readers of certain celebrity-obsessed newspapers. Nor to the people who write for them.

ALEXANDER HITCHEN, "NATIONAL ENQUIRER": I said Mr. Edwards, Alexander Hitchen from the "National Enquirer." Would you like to comment on why you were at this hotel tonight with your mistress, Rielle Hunter and your love child?

And at that point he refused to speak with me. He got to the top of the stairs, he saw that there was a colleague of mine at the top of the stairs, turned and went straight into a restroom that was dealing with the restaurant.

SANCHEZ: The "National Enquirer" began publishing Edwards' then alleged dalliances last October. Edwards made it official in an interview televised Friday night, the same night that much of the TV viewing universe had both eyes glued on another firestorm, the one exploding festively over Beijing.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANCHEZ: Coming up, a still developing story that we're going to have for you in a few minutes. It's the death of Isaac Hayes. It has us looking into just how incredibly prolific this entertainer really was.

We know him, our parents know him, our kids know him. How is that? We're going to have that for you as we continue to develop this information.

And then, the other political story that we're following tonight, McCain being dogged by questions about Mitt Romney over and over. You'll see it for yourself. We'll take that up on "Preston on Politics." We'll be back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: Welcome back to the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Rick Sanchez. John McCain's preparing for a two-day campaign swing. He's traveling with former Pennsylvania Governor Tom Ridge, a man who's sometimes mentioned as a potential running mate.

But there is somebody else McCain keeps getting asked about, the newest darling, it would seem, of the political right or many who call themselves members of the political right. Here now is CNN's Ed Henry.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ED HENRY, CNN NEWS CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Hard core Republicans in a key battleground state, fired up to see John McCain.

SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), PRESUMPTIVE PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: And we can win in November, if we can carry Ohio.

HENRY: But these voters are on edge.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When are you going to announce who your running mate is?

(INAUDIBLE)

HENRY: Republicans told us they're fretting that with the race this close, McCain may have trouble getting conservatives to the polls. So, the VP choice may be crucial.

You want to talk about McCain's VP?

ROBERTA LEACH, LIMA, OHIO: I want it to be Mitt Romney because we need a conservative. McCain is not conservative enough.

HENRY: Support for the former Massachusetts governor was overwhelming.

SUE KAYSER, LIMA, OHIO: Oh, Mitt Romney.

HENRY: They were just talking about him.

KAYSER: Oh, Mitt Romney.

HENRY: Why Mitt Romney? KAYSER: Because I think -- look at his business acumen. McCain's no businessman.

HENRY: Other people agree?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Absolutely.

HENRY: So, you're all Romney fans?

SHERRY KEY, URBANA, OHIO: Well, I think he's a good economics and that's what John McCain needs, the only thing he's lacking and Mitt Romney would be the best bet so yes, absolutely.

CHRIS MCNAMARA, ELIDA, OHIO: And he's a little more conservative on family values.

HENRY: What about the governor of Minnesota? His support in this crowd can be boiled down to a gesture.

What about Tim Pawlenty?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Don't know him.

HENRY: What about Tim Pawlenty, he kind of talks about being a reformer.

CATHY RECKER, CONTINENTAL, OHIO: I don't know anything about him.

HENRY: Some Republicans said they'd be open to Pawlenty if McCain unveiled him with a strong sales pitch, but others are hoping for a wild card.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: For vice president?

HENRY: For vice president, yes.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She's a woman, she's an African-American and she's smart. She's very intelligent.

HENRY: Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She already said no, but if he gently twists her arm, she will say yes.

HENRY (on camera): Several other voters told me they want to see Rice cut into Obama's support among African-Americans and women. They also like her national security credentials. The problem is that experience comes with an unpopular president, and besides, in the last few days, Rice said again, she does not want the job.

Ed Henry, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANCHEZ: Love the music. Time now for "Preston on Politics." CNN political editor Mark Preston is joining us.

You know, Mark, after watching Ed Henry's report, you do get the sense that Romney has some kind of almost rock star status that McCain admittedly lacks, at least among some in the hard right. Is that reason enough to call up this hard-throwing righty from the bull pen?

MARK PRESTON, CNN POLITICAL EDITOR: You know, I think Mitt Romney could do a lot for John McCain. And the fact that -- you know, we just saw that in that piece that he is a former governor, he's a very successful businessman. And as one of those voters said, look, that's what John McCain needs right now.

John McCain has all the foreign policy creds that he needs. He needs a little something on the economic side. Mitt Romney can give him that. But look, there is a drawback. There are a lot of social conservatives, Rick, that still look at Mitt Romney skeptically. They don't like the fact that he's a Mormon. And those are two big marks against him.

SANCHEZ: I've got -- there's the other side of this. Because, you know, sometimes we talk about the Romney effect on McCain and then there's the Hillary Clinton effect on Barack Obama. There's a tape that got out this week. I want you to look at it and then I want to get your take on the tape. Here it is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. HILLARY CLINTON (D), NEW YORK: What will happen at the convention in respect to, you know, my putting my name in nomination, a roll call vote, and the usual kind of process that occurs at conventions.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Vice president.

CLINTON: Well, you know, we're trying to work that out with the Obama campaign and with the DNC. I know from just what I'm hearing that there's this incredible pent-up desire. And I think that, you know, people want to feel like, OK, it's a catharsis. We're here. We did it. And then everybody get behind Senator Obama.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: Catharsis. Pent-up desire. We're working things out with the Obama -- what is she talking about?

PRESTON: You know, I mean, clearly her supporters have a lot of pent-up frustration and anger that she didn't win and I think that Hillary Clinton probably has some of that herself, Rick.

But the fact is, just today, the Obama campaign announced that she would have a primetime speaking role on Tuesday evening. That all but rules her out from being, you know, the vice presidential nominee, his running mate, because guess what?

It basically takes her out of the mix, unless they're throwing us a curveball. But I'll tell you what, you know, Hillary Clinton still has a lot to offer Barack Obama. She campaigned for him just recently, last couple of days in Nevada. She'll be out in Florida for him soon. I think the Obama campaign is just trying to walk a very fine line and make her happy.

SANCHEZ: Just quickly. Did it seem like she was angling for something there or trying to put pressure on the Obama camp?

PRESTON: Well, look, when someone yelled out "vice president," she said, look, we're trying to work something out...

SANCHEZ: Yes.

PRESTON: ...with the Obama campaign. I will tell you, same question was thrown at her in an online chat this past week that she held on her Web site. She said, look, I will do whatever Barack Obama asks me to do. If she was asked to be vice president, she would jump the chance.

SANCHEZ: My producers are telling me I got to wrap. But I do have to ask you about John Edwards before we let this go. I know it's difficult and I get a little embarrassed talking about it as well.

But his bizarre behavior at the hotel and questions about the baby, are these going to dog him or can he kind of wish it away or wait it away?

PRESTON: No, they're absolutely going to dog him. The "National Enquirer," you know, has already said that they're going to keep on pursuing this story. But, look, the biggest question that we need answers, I think from a political sense, is why did John Edwards and Elizabeth Edwards, two brilliant, gifted lawyers, decide to continue running for president even after they knew that this affair had happened and had been exposed, you know, at least internally?

I mean, they had to know that it was going to be exposed to everybody, you know.

SANCHEZ: It's what people are talking about. "Preston on Politics." Thanks so much, my friend, for joining us again. See you next weekend.

Coming up, I've been on the road talking to first-time voters once again. This time, I have been talking to African-American, Asian and young Hispanic journalists or journalist would-be's.

Also, from "shaft" to "chef." The amazing talents of the great Isaac Hayes. We're putting this story together for you as promised and we'll have it for you soon.

Also, it could be the most watched basketball game ever -- China versus the United States. We got the highlights.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: Welcome back. Now, who gets treated better generally, Barack Obama or John McCain? In many ways, the answer depends on your perspective of the candidates, right? But what if you're a journalist who's Hispanic or Asian or African-American?

Tonight, in my "League of First Time Voters," I traveled to the Unity Conference in Chicago, Illinois, where journalists of color get together once every five years to talk trends, and of course, to talk politics.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SANCHEZ (on camera): Members of the media are caught up in the Barack Obama mania, true or false?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: True.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Definitely true.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's a hot story.

SANCHEZ: Why is it so hard to not let yourself get caught up in it?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: People do. And we -- I mean, we feel it as well. You know, we're ready for change. We're ready to embark, you know, with this country on a new -- at a totally new level.

And, you know, it can get really difficult, I think, for some journalists to not -- even though you try really hard to not give that -- that vibe off. But, you know, it just -- it ultimately does.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We cannot just follow him alone. We need to follow both candidates. We need to be able to tell the people and educate the people that are going for McCain, you know, what's really the story there. They need to make the decisions themselves. We can't just continue to idolize Barack Obama.

SANCHEZ: Are we doing our part as journalists -- I see the broadcast journalists, print journalists all over the country -- to tell people enough about what the issues are and what's important out there?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're doing the best we can, I believe. But oftentimes, I think the networks and journalists, they get caught up.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We're human. We all have emotions. And, you know, we're all connected one way or another. And we still have to be responsible. But you can't help but to be like -- oh, you know.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We shouldn't be leading any sort of political coverage or a political campaign but we do have the responsibility there to furnish both sides. I think ultimately our responsibility is to do the best we can to educate the voters and let them decide come November which person they think is the better candidate.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We need to strive for balance because, you know, essentially, we're writing history. We need to tell -- not everyone wants Barack Obama. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: But I think that viewers, I think readers, they also have a responsibility to pick and choose and decide what they feel...

SANCHEZ: That's a great point.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: ...they feel is accurate.

SANCHEZ: What do you see as the most important story that's driving the conversation right now in the United States and -- here's a caveat to that -- are we covering it correctly or enough?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The economy.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I agree.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hands down, the economy.

SANCHEZ: Really?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, absolutely. You can have a story about gas prices, how you can save on groceries, selling your house, how to buy a house at a cheaper rate or how to do better with your mortgage. That's going to grab the attention of your viewers.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: But I think what we're not covering is how we got in this situation. I don't think I've seen a story yet, nationally or locally, as to why gas prices are so high.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes. I mean, I'm asking the same question. You know, why? Why are we in this situation and what can be done about it?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The economy is something that actually hits home. I think a lot of problems that people see in the media don't necessarily hit home.

SANCHEZ: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And it's not until you feel it or, you know, you see it firsthand that you kind of realize, oh, wow, this is important.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: People want to know how to save money until we've come out of -- I don't want to say this, slump. But right now, people are like, what can I do right now to help me get by.

SANCHEZ: Is she right?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think she is right. She is right on that. But if we can provide some background and, as you said, kind of look back and get some information on how we got here, that's great, too. But as far as what's going to grab their attention right now, tell me how I can save money. That's what everybody wants to know.

(END VIDEOTAPE) SANCHEZ: They're all reporters either for newspapers or television stations around the country gathering for that conversation.

By the way, hey, you want to join the "League"? Log on to cnn.com/league. I love saying that, slash league. There you will find all of the election basics and you can express yourself and also meet other leaguers as well.

All the latest campaign news is at your fingertips. Just go to cnnpolitics.com. We also have analysis from the best political team on television. As you've come to know, it's all there at cnnpolitics.com.

President Bush cheered. Henry Kissinger took a nap. All in a day's work. Representing the American government at the China Olympics.

And with the greatest swimmer in the world, here's the President with Michael Phelps. Phelps had just won Olympic gold in the 400- meter individual medley when this picture was taken.

And, man, did Team U.S.A. put on a show today in Beijing. A domination. Master class to match the importance of the biggest basketball game in China's history. Kobe Bryant, big there, by the way, with back-to-back slams that added to the 31-point victory over China.

But the score was secondary to the spectacle. It's estimated that a billion people tuned in to watch the game. That's one billion television viewers -- easily. A record TV audience to watch a rout. A rout.

Coming up, the illegal street racing. If you go, it can kill you. It's just that simple. But there are safer ways to race and safer places to watch.

Also, shaft was his introduction, part of his legacy. That's just the beginning of what we know about the great Isaac Hayes who died tonight.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: From Ferraris and Porsches to the vintage VW bus. Check out the wheels taking part in this year's Gumball 3000 Rally. Cars took off from San Francisco yesterday heading to Las Vegas. From there, drivers go airborne on three huge cargo planes for the Asia leg. Before crossing the finish line in Beijing, racers will do one- night detours into North Korea.

Well, that event is technically a rally; it's not a race. But a few months ago in Maryland, an illegal street race killed eight people when the cars that were racing just slammed right into the crowd. Now, two men have been indicted as a result of that accident and one survivor is still dealing with his pain.

Here's a special report we put together for you by CNN's Kate Bolduan.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Joe Lofty and his son Joseph were here in Accokeek, Maryland in February when an illegal street race took a deadly turn.

JOE LOFTY, FATHER OF INJURED SPECTATOR: It was like popcorn popping in a popcorn machine -- in a microwave. And when I turned and seen people just getting barreled down like bowling balls and people just falling on the ground, I didn't understand it.

BOLDUAN: Eight people died. And just two weeks ago, Prince George's County indicted these two men, Tevon Taylor and Darren Bullock, in connection with the horrific crash.

LOFTY: What would I do differently? I wouldn't have showed up. I wouldn't came.

BOLDUAN: Thirteen-year-old Joseph is still haunted by the painful memories as he continues his physical recovery. He was struck by an airborne body. He broke his leg, shoulder and suffered head trauma.

LOFTY: I've been a street racer for -- since 1980. This is the worst accident, incident, I've ever seen in my life and I'm here to tell everybody, stop the street racing.

BOLDUAN: There is a safer legal option out there for amateur drag racers. Like the Maryland International Speedway. Organizers say it offers the same thrill, the same rush, without endangering the drivers or the spectators.

ROYCE MILLER, PRES., MARYLAND INTL. SPEEDWAY: We have guard walls, concrete walls, that separate the cars from our spectators. We have ambulance on site with emergency medical technicians here on the track. So, there's a lot of difference between going down the racetrack and going down the highway.

BOLDUAN: A very different road and a lesson both Joe and Joseph Lofty say they unfortunately learned too late.

(on camera): The two men charged in connection with the Maryland street racing accident are each indicted on eight counts of vehicular manslaughter. Taylor's attorney told us his client is not guilty. We've been unable to reach Bullock's lawyer. But outside Tevon's hearing, he told the "Washington Post" the same.

Kate Bolduan, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANCHEZ: He was the very first African-American to win an Oscar for a movie score, and don't forget the Grammy, the movies and, of course, Chef on "South Park." It is about the incredible career of Isaac Hayes. We've put it all together for you and it's next. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: Welcome back to the CNN NEWSROOM. Many say black Moses died today. That's what Isaac Hayes called himself when he was riding high on his Oscar-winning "Shaft" success back in the 1970s.

The nickname kind of stuck and so did 30-plus years of transcendental funk and pure soul. Isaac Hayes' relatives found him today inside his home where he collapsed where later he died.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

VOICE OF ISAAC HAYES AS "CHEF" IN "SOUTH PARK": Hello there, children.

CHILDREN: Hi, Dad.

SANCHEZ (voice-over): My kid's generation loves this Isaac Hayes.

VOICE OF HAYES (SINGING): I just can't wait to jingle your bell then...

SANCHEZ: My generation grew up to the soundtrack of this Isaac Hayes.

That voice, that cool, that hot-buttered soul. Disco? Isaac Hayes was pre-disco. He helped invent it. Urban contemporary, R&B, hip-hop, every artist in those categories owes their sound and any success to the groundwork laid in the early and mid-70's by Isaac Hayes, who was rapping before anyone even thought to call it that.

And, oh, then there was this little number.

SONG PLAYING: Shaft.

HAYES: Damn right.

SANCHEZ: Do you know that song? This international super smash spent two weeks on top of Billboard's charts and won Isaac Hayes an Oscar.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You're a new blood. Have you ever killed a man before?

SANCHEZ: His fame, name recognition and charisma led quickly to movie roles, most of which proved he didn't take himself that seriously. "The Blues Brothers," "I'm Gonna Git You Sucka" and "Robin Hood: Men in Tights".

HAYES: Goodbye my friend. Farewell. Great journey.

SANCHEZ: Then super stardom once again in the late 90's. Thanks to that voice

(SONG BY ISAAC HAYES) SANCHEZ: The wise ladies man -- Chef, always good for a word of advice to the kids of "South Park." Isaac Hayes, dead today, in Memphis. He was 65.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: All right. Let's top things off with this. A little ketchup. What do you say? It's a burger-fest. It's Wisconsin. So, you know there's always going to be plenty of cheese, right?

Twenty years the folks in Seymour have held this hamburger festival including the ketchup slide competition that you see right there. 235-foot track. It's coated with ketchup so it's nice and slick for the sliding. When it's all said and done, lunch is served. You guess it. 120-pound hamburger. So, there's plenty to go around with that big guy right there.

Thanks so much for being with us tonight. I'm Rick Sanchez. We'll be looking for you again.

"SIU: God's Christian Warriors" begins right now. Cool picture, huh? From behind.