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Arkansas Democratic Party Chairman Wounded in Attack; Shaky Cease-Fire Between Russia and Georgia; Web of Deception: Where's Caylee Anthony?; Window Washers Need Rescuing After Platform Collapses in Ft. Lauderdale
Aired August 13, 2008 - 14:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: OK. What is wrong with this picture? Everything, say government leaders in Georgia. These are Russian forces in a Georgian court on the Black Sea. Not exactly fighting, but not exactly leaving either.
BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN ANCHOR: The flight attendant versus the minister's wife. And not just any minister's wife. Victoria Osteen accused of an unholy tirade in 2005. We'll get a chapter and verse on a big-ticket lawsuit.
LEMON: And this story has captivated the nation. Does this woman know more than she's telling about her missing 3-year-old daughter? The child could be anywhere. The mom is going nowhere, at least for now. Our Randi Kaye updates us on heart-wrenching story.
Hello, everyone. I'm Don Lemon, live here at the CNN world headquarters in Atlanta.
KEILAR: And I'm Brianna Keilar, in for Kyra Phillips.
You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.
Breaking news into the CNN NEWSROOM out of Little Rock. According to The Associated Press, the chairman of the Arkansas Democratic Party, Bill Gwatney, has been hospitalized after a shooting at the headquarters there. This is a report from reporter Charlie Crowson of our affiliate KTHV. This was filed just moments ago from downtown Little Rock.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHARLIE CROWSON, KTHV REPORTER: Stephanie (ph), we just completed the debriefing with Little Rock Police Lieutenant Terry Hastings about what happened.
At approximately 10 minutes until noon, just more than an hour ago, a gentleman, a white gentleman, walked into the Democratic headquarters here at the corner of Pulaski (ph) and 1300 Capitol and opened fire. Now, The Associated Press is reporting his victim's target was chairman Bill Gwatney. Little Rock Police have not confirmed that name, but we are learning from The Associated Press that it was, in fact, Chairman Gwatney.
We can tell you that the suspect fled in a pickup truck. And then after a lengthy chase into Grant County, into the town of Sheridan, police, along with the Arkansas State Police, did shoot the suspect.
They're not releasing the condition of the suspect nor are they releasing his name right now. They are saying they're still waiting to get all of their facts straight and everything lined out before any name is released regarding the suspect.
But we can tell you, according to the Little Rock Police, the suspect was chased into Sheridan after a lengthy car chase. And he was in a pickup truck.
He was shot by authorities there in Sheridan. His condition is not known at this time.
No indication of any motive right now. All witnesses involved with this case, they are at the Little Rock Police Department being interviewed right now by investigators. Don't know a number -- we don't know how many people were in the State Democratic Party. Don't know how many people were there, but we are told they are all now at Little Rock P.D. under investigation.
We did speak to Sara Lee (ph). She works at Frances (ph) Flowers, which is just next door to the Democratic Party headquarters.
She says that Mr. Gwatney's assistant -- she did not give her name, but her assistant -- or excuse me, Mr. Gwatney's assistant ran into her shop shortly after the shots were fired, frantic, asking to please call 911 because the chairman had -- "he had been shot." Now, that is one account of what happened in there.
But once again, no idea of any motive. No idea of anything. Police are still investigating -- Stephanie (ph).
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KEILAR: And again, that is Charlie Crowson from our affiliate KTHV in Little Rock.
Again, Little Rock Police are not confirming that the victim of the shooting is indeed Bill Gwatney, chairman of the Arkansas Democratic Party, but that's what The Associated Press is reporting. Little Rock Police are telling us the victim is in critical condition.
LEMON: Actually, that's just one of our affiliates in the area. We also have another affiliate there, KATV. Just moments ago, their anchor, who is Anne Pressley, did an interview with a woman who was on the scene, and we're going to listen into that.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANNE PRESSLEY, KATV ANCHOR: And we interrupt programming once again to bring you an update on a developing story we brought you over the last hour or so, a shooting inside the Democratic Party headquarters in downtown Little Rock. We have confirmed at this hour that it was Democratic Party Chairman Bill Gwatney who was shot. He's said to have been shot three times. Authorities say a gunman entered the Arkansas Democratic Party headquarters around noon. They asked for the chairman. The next thing they know, three shots were heard fired. Gwatney is said to be hospitalized and in critical condition at this hour.
No word on the identity of the suspect. The suspect led authorities on a high-speed chase through South Little Rock, all the way into Grant County.
There were initially some reports that the suspect had been shot and was dead. But now we are told that the suspect is being revived by medical technicians on the scene.
Our Pamela Smith is live in Sheridan, where the suspect was apprehended.
Pam, can you tell us anything about the status of the suspect at this hour?
PAMELA SMITH, KATV REPORTER: Well, Anne, what we know from our vantage point, which we are being kept at quite a distance by police, obviously, because the investigation is ongoing, but the suspect, as you mentioned already, was loaded into an ambulance. And there were several attempts to resuscitate him.
We don't know his exact status, but I did overhear police commenting that they were going to attempt to med-flight him. But this is a very woody area, so they're trying to get some things worked out logistically to be able to accomplish that, to get the suspect airlifted to one of the local hospitals.
But there is quite a seen here, as you imagine, down Little Creek cutoff, where the high-speed chase came to an end. Authorities from multiple law enforcement agencies are still on the scene as we speak. In fact, many of these law enforcement officials followed the suspect out of Little Rock, as we've already mentioned, into Grant County, going through several counties, at speeds that often reached 100 miles per hour.
Quite a few neighbors here in the area were shocked and surprised, as you might imagine. One gentleman told me he was asleep inside his home when he heard all of the commotion outside.
But again, don't know much about the suspect. All we know is that he is a white male. He was shot during some sort of exchange.
We have not been able to confirm whether or not police and the suspect actually exchanged gunfire, but we do know the suspect was wounded. He was driving a blue Dodge, which pealed out just off Little Creek Road and is wrecked against a tree. Authorities are still there combing the area, searching for any evidence that might help them try to figure out exactly what led to this very bizarre set of circumstances here today.
I'm Pamela Smith, reporting live from Sheridan. We of course will have the latest for you as it becomes available to us.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: And that was our local coverage. Our local affiliate KATV covering that story that happened just a short time ago.
And just to sum up, everything that you've heard there, of course the station might be confirming some of the information, but CNN has only confirmed that one person has been taken into custody, and then one person also was shot in all of this. Not naming that person.
The Associated Press is reporting, Brianna, that it is the Party chair there, Bill Gwatney, who has been shot and who has been taken to the hospital. They're also reporting that he is in critical condition.
So CNN is following that.
You're looking at now the Web site for the Democratic Party there in Little Rock, Arkansas.
We're working with our national desk here to try to get as much information as possible. But you've been listening to local coverage, and we're going to continue to follow this developing story throughout the afternoon, as it develops here in the CNN NEWSROOM.
Meantime, we have other developing news. This time it is overseas.
Our eyes and ears are on Georgia right now, the former Soviet republic where the shooting and bombing and rocket fire have stopped, but all is not well. Russian troops who agreed to cease-firing did, but they're still deep inside Georgia and far from the mandated peacekeeping zone they breached last week.
Some images here of Georgians living in the aftermath of Russian attacks.
The president of Georgia accuses Russia of "carpet bombing" the capital of South Ossetia and setting up internment camps for people who live there.
So, what about that cease-fire? Is it holding?
Straight to Tbilisi now, the Georgian capital, and CNN's Frederik Pleitgen.
Is it holding, Frederik?
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, right now, Don, the cease-fire appears to be holding. Certainly the two sides, at least, aren't shooting at each other at this point.
Nevertheless, the Georgian government is accusing the Russians of breaching that cease-fire agreement that has been in effect between these two sides since the late evening hours of yesterday evening. And the reason they say that is because earlier today, a column of Russian armored vehicles and armored personnel carriers made its way across, towards the Georgian capital of Tbilisi from a position it had further back towards that breakaway republic of Southern Ossetia.
It was making its way here towards the capital. Then that convoy stopped, veered off in a different location, and took up a location somewhere else.
Now, the Georgian government says those tanks moving in the direction of the capital is a direct breach of that cease-fire agreement because that cease-fire agreement calls for both sides to remain in their position at this point in time. And you were saying exactly right, the rhetoric between these two nations still very much ramped up.
Both sides accusing each other of propagating campaigns of ethnic cleansing. The Georgians slinging that at the Russians. The Russian government saying the same thing about Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili, saying that he is the one who started this conflict by sending his troops into southern Ossetia almost a week ago -- Don.
LEMON: All right.
Frederik Pleitgen, we appreciate your reporting. Thank you.
KEILAR: And President Bush is eager to see an end to the conflict. He's sending Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice first to France, then to Tbilisi. She actually leaves Washington here in just a few hours.
The president saying today that Russia is gambling with its post- Soviet progress.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Russia has sought to integrate into the diplomatic, political, economic and security structures of the 21st century. The United States has supported those efforts.
Now Russia is putting its aspirations at risk by taking actions in Georgia that are inconsistent with the principles of those institutions. To begin to repair the damage to its relations with the United States, Europe and other nations, and to begin restoring its place in the world, Russia must keep its word and act to end this crisis.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KEILAR: So what will Condoleezza Rice bring to her diplomatic mission? Well, you'll be finding out when we do. She's actually scheduled to speak to reporters at 3:00 p.m. Eastern Time from the State Department, so here in under an hour. And we are going to be bringing her news conference to you live.
LEMON: Absolutely, Brianna. And not even an hour after President Bush announced the U.S. relief mission to the Georgian people, an Air Force cargo plane arrived there. Food, medicine for the estimated 100,000 Georgians displaced by days of fighting. The International Red Cross and World Food Program are on the ground in Georgia distributing food and also supplies.
KEILAR: And let's follow up again on that breaking news story we have coming into the CNN NEWSROOM.
The Associated Press reporting that the chairman of the Arkansas Democratic Party has been shot. Let's bring in Cecillea Pond-Mayo.
I hope I'm pronouncing your name correctly.
CECILLEA POND-MAYO, KARK REPORTER: You are.
KEILAR: You're a reporter with our affiliate KARK.
What do you know so far, Cecillea?
POND-MAYO: Well, what we know is, around noon, that a man entered the party headquarters. This is here on West Capitol. It's just a short distance from our state capitol.
This man apparently talked to the receptionist and said he wanted to see the chairman. This is the reports that we're getting from witnesses.
Some kind of conversation took place, but we do know that ultimately, the man made it into the chairman's office and that three shots were fired. And as you reported, we are hearing, witnesses are telling us, that that man was in fact the chairman of the Democratic Party here in Arkansas, Bill Gwatney.
He was the only person who was shot. We are hearing that he is in very serious condition, taken to a local hospital.
Witnesses are also telling us just about five minutes after this occurred, there was another incident at our state Baptist headquarters, our Baptist Church headquarters here in Little Rock -- that is about four or five blocks from where I'm standing on West Capitol -- and that a person very -- matching this description came in with a gun, said that he had lost his job.
He had a conversation with a few of the employees there. That man ultimately ran out of the back door in a blue pickup truck. Police got there within seconds, and a chase ensued.
And I think as you reported earlier, that chase did ultimately end in Grant County, with the suspect being shot. We're not certain on his condition right now.
Police are not saying for sure if the Baptist incident is connected to the Democratic Party headquarters, but it was within minutes of each other. And the descriptions, from what we're hearing, are very similar.
KEILAR: Yes, Cecillea. No doubt they're checking to see if there is that out.
Cecillea Pond-Mayo with CNN affiliate KARK.
Thanks.
LEMON: Her daughter is missing, and she's spun a web of lies. The mother of Caylee Anthony says she knows who has her daughter. So why isn't she saying?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Digging for answers in the search for a 3-year-old little girl. Police in Florida say their hunt for Caylee Anthony has been hampered by the child's own mother. Casey Anthony continues to sit in jail after an appeals court refused to lower her $500,000 bail. She's charged with child neglect and lying to police.
Here's our Randi Kaye's report.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RANDI KAYE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Why did Caylee Anthony's disappearance ignite a web of lies from her mother? Police say not only did Casey Anthony wait a month to report her daughter missing, but she sent investigators on a wild goose chase.
(on camera): Do you think you would be farther along today in the investigation if Casey had been truthful from day one?
CAPTAIN ANGELO NIEVES, ORANGE COUNTY SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT: Definitely. And when you have accurate, valid information at the beginning of any case, especially one with a missing person, you have a child, the importance of immediately deploying resources to the right areas, the right locations, when you have a missing child within the first 24 hours, the first 48 hours is crucial.
KAYE (voice-over): Captain Angelo Nieves says Casey showed intent to deceive, which immediately sent up red flags. She's in jail, charged with child neglect, making false statements, and obstructing a criminal investigation.
(on camera): According to police, Casey Anthony told them she had dropped her daughter off here at this apartment building with a woman named Zenaida Gonzalez, whom she had used as a babysitter for more than a year.
But when police checked with the office here, they were told nobody by that name lived here. In fact, the apartment Casey had said Zenaida lived in had been vacant for more than a year.
(voice-over): In an interview with an Orlando TV station, a woman with the name Zenaida Gonzalez denied ever meeting Caylee or Casey. ZENAIDA GONZALEZ (PH), DENIES MEETING CASEY ANTHONY: Why me? Why would you choose my name? Of all of the people in Florida, why my name? I don't know you, never met you. Why would you choose my name?
KAYE: Investigators say Casey attempted to show them the last few locations she says Zenaida lived. One, they say, was a facility for senior citizens. Casey's attorney says he's seen no proof Casey made any of these statements to police.
JOSE BAEZ, CASEY ANTHONY'S ATTORNEY: I think when all the facts are revealed and everything comes out, that people will have a clear understanding of the compelling reasons behind Casey's actions.
KAYE (on camera): Casey also took investigators here to Universal Studios. According to the affidavit, she told them she worked here as an event coordinator and had told two co-workers that her daughter had gone missing. Police say one of those co-workers had been fired before Caylee disappeared. The other there was no record of.
Casey even began to lead investigators to her office when they say she abruptly turned around and told them she hadn't been telling the truth, that she wasn't currently employed here. Police say she had been fired from Universal April 24.
(voice-over): And there's more. The affidavit shows Casey told police she received a phone call July 15 around noon during which she spoke to her daughter, a month after Caylee had disappeared. Investigators say there's no such call on her cell phone records.
NIEVES: She is the last person to have seen Caylee that we can rely on to give us valid information. She hasn't done that to this point.
KAYE: Is Casey Anthony lying to protect herself? Or her daughter? Investigators wish they knew.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: Our Randi Kaye joining us now live.
Randi, thanks for joining us. Excellent piece of reporting. I was watching it all last night on "360."
OK. So, if she apparently knows where her daughter is but she's afraid to discuss the information in these recorded jailhouse visits with family, then why not a private meeting with police or something that is unrecorded?
KAYE: Well, that's what police, Don, say that they're trying to do. They say that they have actually reached out to Casey's attorney, Jose Baez, and that they're not getting any response back.
They want a meeting between the police, Casey and her attorney in private. No recordings whatsoever. So they say that hasn't happened. We asked Jose Baez about that. He said that he has been working with the police on this, but they just can't seem to get it together. And you would think that would be top priority, of course, because you have a little girl who has now been missing almost two months.
LEMON: Right.
KAYE: And you would think that this would be a top priority, to try and get this meeting, get these facts that supposedly Casey has.
LEMON: All right. So she's in jail. They lowered her -- I think -- bail -- they refused to lower her bail, $500,000 bail.
How is she doing in jail? Have you heard that?
KAYE: Yes. We talked to her attorney about that. She's doing OK.
She is with the other inmates. She gets about an hour of recreation a day, although it's so hot down here in Florida, that she hasn't really been using that time. She watches a little bit of television, and he told us that he gave her some law books to read so she can see how this process works.
LEMON: OK. All right.
And I want to get to this, because just again, this is just what's happening in the community. And I know that you've heard about that. There was some question about a swimming pool and about a ladder on that pool, and whether or not little Caylee may have drowned and someone tried to cover it up or something like that?
KAYE: Right. I mean, let me just say first off, there is no evidence that that has happened. But there are a lot of theories floating around here.
And one of them is that the Anthonys have this above-ground pool in the back yard, and they remove this ladder when the pool isn't in use to make sure that Caylee can't get into the pool. And in the days after her disappearance, apparently that ladder was back at the pool.
So there was some question and some concern that maybe Caylee put the ladder up, or maybe she got into the pool somehow, and maybe Casey was asleep in the house and she panicked. And there was this flurry of phone calls that day to her parents, the grandparents of Caylee. And maybe that is what happened.
But again, no evidence. But it is something police are looking at.
LEMON: It certainly is bizarre.
OK. Randi Kaye.
Randi, you're reporting on this again tonight? Do you know yet? KAYE: Yes. I will be. We'll be taking a look at the evident right now in the case and also some unanswered questions for tonight on "360."
LEMON: "360," 10:00 p.m. Eastern.
That's our Randi Kaye, live for us in Orlando, doing an outstanding piece of reporting.
Thank you, Randi.
KAYE: Thanks.
KEILAR: How would you feel about going to a four-day workweek? Sound good? I think it does. But you know, not everyone agrees.
We're going to take a look at that.
And the case involving hemorrhoids, airline attendants and one of America's favorite preachers. The accusations being leveled at the wife of Joel Osteen.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: All right. Let's talk the "Political Ticker" today, the coveted role of keynote speaker at the Democratic National Convention.
This year, the honor goes to former Virginia governor and current U.S. Senate candidate Mark Warner. He'll speak on the convention's second night. That's Tuesday, August 26th. That is the same night Hillary Clinton gives her speech.
Four years ago, the Dems' keynote speaker was a rising star from Illinois, none other than Barack Obama.
KEILAR: Former Republican congressman Jim Leach is backing Obama and weighing in on the search for a running mate. Leach says Senator Chuck Hagel from Nebraska, also a Republican, should be on the Democratic ticket. Hagel has been a strong critic of the Bush administration's handling of the Iraq war, but a spokesman for Hagel, a longtime friend of John McCain, says he doesn't even plan to endorse Obama, or McCain, for that matter.
LEMON: The McCain campaign is using Russia's invasion of Georgia to raise questions about Obama's experience. The Arizona senator's foreign policy adviser says there is no comparison between the two candidates. He says McCain has a depth of knowledge about the two countries and has spoken daily with Georgia's president. McCain and Obama both have condemned the Russian invasion.
KEILAR: And you can check all of this out on our Political Ticker. For all of the latest campaign news and more, just log on to CNNPolitics.com, your source for all things political.
LEMON: And then this as well, Brianna. Don't forget on CNN, Saturday night, John McCain and Barack Obama on the same stage for the first time, back-to-back in a live forum moderated by Pastor Rick Warren.
Be sure to catch it live on CNN, Saturday night, 8:00 p.m. Eastern.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: All right. Well, CNN's John Zarrella has been looking at the pluses and the minuses of a four-day workweek. More and more places are trying it. They're trying it to save money.
Last hour, we learned about a school in Florida that gives it an A plus, now that Utah, where the state government is experimenting with a four-day workweek.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Phalaropes. At least 100,000 of them have gathered here, their stopping off point on their migration from Canada to Argentina. This is the Farmington Bay waterfowl area of Utah's Salt Lake.
RICH HANSEN, STATE WILDLIFE EMPLOYEE: Here they come. Look. Look at that. It's right on cue.
ZARRELLA: State wildlife employee Rich Hansen manages this vast migratory bird habitat. Already on a four-day workweek, he swears by it. More efficient, cuts fuel cost.
HANSEN: And if we got a longer workday, we can accomplish what we need to do in that one day and not have to worry about going back the next day.
ZARRELLA: Hansen predicts other state employees will love it, too. We'll see.
Last week, most state government offices began closing on Fridays. Shutting 1,000 state buildings is expected to save Utah $3 million a year in energy costs. Seventeen thousand employees are now on a four-day workweek.
FRANCINE GIANI, UTAH DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE: What do you want? A rock star? All right. Awesome.
ZARRELLA: Francine Giani runs the Department of Commerce. Today she's serving cold drinks to employees, a pick-me-up to get them through the 10-hour day.
GIANI: I didn't bring the mini bar. Someone asked for that several times on my trip yesterday.
ZARRELLA: Giani and other department heads have been instructed to help workers through the most difficult issues -- child care and transportation. Be flexible with schedules.
GIANI: If I've got an employee that wants to work and do their best, and that's what their past performance has been, I'm going to work with them.
ZARRELLA: Officials believe the extended office hours will give people with state business more options. No more 9:00 to 5:00.
For employees, fuel savings and more time with family.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It provides us a three-day weekend to go camping or fishing.
ZARRELLA: For now, the traditional work-week here in Utah is -- well -- for the birds.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: That was CNN's John Zarrella.
Did you see all those energy drinks in there? No wonder they're working so hard, they are filled with energy drinks.
KEILAR: Seriously.
LEMON: Caffeine.
All right, we want to tell you -- coming up next hour, John Zarrella will look at how a four-day workweek impacts working mothers. That's coming up in the 3:00 p.m. Eastern hour of the CNN NEWSROOM.
KEILAR: So much for relief. After falling $35 in the last month, oil prices climbing again. Susan Lisovicz is at the New York Stock Exchange with the reason for the reversal of fortune.
What's going on here, Susan?
SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well it's the basic supply and demand, Brianna.
Declining demand is a big reason why oil prices have retreated and remain in a bear market. But today, oil is up nearly three bucks. This in response to a government report this morning showing crude and gasoline supplies fell much more than expected last week. Some analysts say gas stock piles declined, not because of rising demand, but because some refineries temporarily shut down ahead of Tropical Storm Edouard.
Oil surge and economic concerns are hitting stocks.
(STOCK MARKET REPORT)
KEILAR: So Susan, this drop in gas demand proves that we're changing our lifestyle even during in the peak driving season?
LISOVICZ: No question about it, Brianna.
The government says Americans drove fewer miles in June. That is the eighth consecutive months. Over that eight month period, Americans drove 53 billion fewer miles than the year before. That's a bigger cutback than what we saw from 1971 to 1980, a time marked by oil embargoes and gas lines. Recent pull back has helped to drive gas prices down for 27 straight days. AAA says the national average is down just below $3.80 a gallon. It's a sign of the times that this is considered cheap -- Brianna.
KEILAR: It is cheap.
I was just watching that video that we had up. I thought, that looks mighty familiar. And then I realized it was maybe part of the commute in Washington. I think that's the 395 right there.
All right, Susan, a lot of the cars on the 395 for sure. Thanks for that. We'll check back with you soon.
LISOVICZ: You're welcome.
LEMON: We didn't see you in there, right?
KEILAR: No, no.
LEMON: You take the train anyway.
KEILAR: I do a lot.
LEMON: A lot.
KEILAR: Some.
LEMON: OK. Here's a question: did she or didn't she? Was it an elbow? Was it all made up? Accusation and denial in the case against the wife of Pastor Joel Osteen.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KEILAR: You've seen and heard CNN correspondents describe what is going on in the Republic of Georgia. Well now hear from the people who are actually living through this nightmare. Our Josh Levs has been sorting through the online blogs.
What are you seeing there, Josh?
JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, it's powerful stuff. And amid all the focus on the big picture, it is good to stop and take a look at the individual stories that we are getting. And some of them are coming from blogs.
Let's close in on this screen for a moment. Obviously we got a lot of photos up CNN.com that remind you of the power of these stories.
I want to bring you to this globalvoicesonline.org -- there you go -- which is translating blogs from all sorts of different languages, lots of people inside Georgia, who speak different languages. And we're going to bring you some quotes from them right now. In fact I have one over my shoulder. We're going to start right here with this one quote. This comes from Sunday and this is a blogger, Aster Btas (ph): "At 4:30 a.m., we were woken up by the bombs falling on Tbilisi. The three of us ran to the terrace and into the night. Nadine told us not to worry, 'it's not in the in the city center, they're only trying to create fear.'" "But with wars," he goes on to say, "you know how they start but not how they end. A definite cease-fire is urgent."
I only have one more from Olik Pantiloff (ph): "Today was the day of emotions. First, an incredibly huge rally in the center of Tbilsi and people crying during Saakashvili's address. Second, a day of waiting, while the politicians were talking. Yet another military adventure has turned into nothing."
And Brianna, as we start to take a look at these, there aren't that many -- and there aren't that many that have been translated into English. But we're looking at them more and more, and we're finding that we usually get them one or two days after they were originally posted somewhere. A lot of people in the region didn't have immediate access to the Internet, but wrote them and when they get out or get them to a friend who then gets it out, they start to show up.
We're going to bring you more and we're going to encourage you to go to globalvoicesonline.org, see those inside stories and feel the emotions that they are feeling as they go through this nightmare -- Brianna.
KEILAR: Josh Levs at CNN's international desk.
Great reports today, Josh, thanks.
LEVS: Thanks
LEMON: OK. This is a very interesting, interesting case -- now for the case of the preacher's wife and the flight attendant. We're talking now about Victoria Osteeen, wife of megachurch evangelical superstar Joel Osteen. You've seen him, very popular TV show Saturdays and best-selling books, at least two of them.
She's accused of assaulting a flight attendant on a Continental Airlines flight from Houston to Vail, Colorado. That happened three years ago. Sharon Brown is a flight attendant. She is suing for 10 percent of Victoria Osteen's net worth. Osteen denies hitting Brown. And John Kelly knows a lot about high profile cases. He is a former prosecutor himself and he represented Nicole Brown Simpson's family in that civil suit against O.J. Simpson.
Thank you, sir. Does Ms. Brown stand a chance?
JOHN KELLY, FORMER PROSECUTOR: She could very well be proving that Ms. Osteen had assaulted her in some way but not come up with a penny. Damages is a far cry from liability. She may show that some sort of interference occurred on the plane or that she was touched in some way, but whether she deserves 10 percent of Ms. Osteen's worth is something else to see. LEMON: And it's a very interesting and a strange case. Victoria Osteen and her husband agreed to pay an FAA fine of $3,000. But -- and I remember this case, I was actually flying the same day it happened, and it was spreading throughout the airport, hey -- this happened. Word travels fast.
OK. So apparently she paid the $3,000 fine and said they just wanted it to go away. They paid that to the FAA. But does that necessarily mean that Victoria Osteen is guilty just because she paid the fine?
KELLY: Well, no. She paid a fine -- an administrative fine for interfering with a crew member, which you can do by not putting your safety belt on, by yelling, by standing in the aisle. It doesn't necessarily mean that you assaulted someone. That's what has to be proven here. So by paying the fine and hoping it goes away is not an administration of guilt in terms of the specific charges here.
LEMON: OK. So we're hearing, and this is all according to the lawsuit, that Mrs. Brown has anxiety now, that -- we mention hemorrhoids in a certain part of our tease, and that she had a crisis of faith after that. So now she thinks she deserves 10 percent of the net worth of the Osteens. Again, have you heard anything like this ever before?
KELLY: Well -- plaintiffs, when they're seeking damages, they'll raise everything with the hopes that they hook onto something and get some sort of award. In this particular case, Ms. Brown first has to show that she was assaulted or unlawfully touched in some way by Ms. Osteen. And then even if she does demonstrate that, she has to show that that assault was the proximate cause of her hemorrhoids or her depression or her loss of faith. And that would require expert testimony and a real leap of faith by the jury.
LEMON: John, how do you come up with that number though? These are very wealthy people we're talking about.
KELLY: Sure.
LEMON: How do you come up with 10 percent?
KELLY: Well because she's looking for punitive damage, meaning that it was an intentional tort. And when you intentionally assault someone, you're liable for punitive damages and the courts have upheld that a percentage of your net worth is the measuring yard. So if you're worth $100 million, $10 million might be the appropriate punitive damages. If you're worth $100, then $10 might be the appropriate punitive damages. It's all relative to ultimate worth of the defendant that has been hit with the judgment.
LEMON: And so if she does win, she stands to win a whole lot of money, right?
KELLY: Big if, Don.
LEMON: All right. John Kelly, we appreciate it. Thank you. KELLY: Sure, thanks.
KEILAR: Big if.
LEMON: Yes, big if.
KEILAR: Well put.
Health care is a big deal on the campaign trail, but we're going to examine an aspect of that issue that you may not have thought about. We look at health care and the Hispanic community.
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LEMON: A lot of people from politicians to farmers are looking at alternatives to gasoline, but that can create still another problem.
CNN's Reynolds Wolf looks into the glut of glycerin.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
REYNOLDS WOLF, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): High gas prices have sent production of alternative fuels, like biodiesel, soaring. Also soaring is the waste left over from the biodiesel production. For every 10 pounds of biodiesel produced, so is a pound of glycerin. Yes, the same stuff found in cosmetics and pharmaceuticals. And now there is a glut of the stuff.
But researchers at Rice University in Houston have found a way to turn glycerin into another biofuel, ethanol. They can also turn it into an even more valuable chemical like succinate, used in everything from road de-icers to dietary supplements.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is basically the first part of the process.
WOLF: The process ferments the glycerin using a strain of E. coli that doesn't cause disease. And as a side benefit, the process also helps trap the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide.
RAMON GONZALEZ, RICE UNIVERSITY: It actually grabs CO2 from the atmosphere in the process of converting the glycerin into the chemical product. And definitely that way, we are actually decreasing pollution.
WOLF: The researchers also say this is a more ecofriendly way to make succinate, which is traditionally produced using, you guessed it, oil. Plus, succinate is a multi-billion dollar market.
GONZALEZ: If the biodiesel industry were (INAUDIBLE) the technology that we have developed, it will completely change the economics of biodiesel production making them economically viable.
WOLF: Mass production could take a while yet, but the process has been licensed to a start-up company, which could have a demonstration plant running within a year.
Reynolds Wolf, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
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KEILAR: Hispanics are the fastest-growing segment of the U.S. population so naturally they are the focus of a number of studies. And that includes one on health care. Our medical correspondent, Elizabeth Cohen, here with some really surprising results.
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, this was an interesting study that was done by the Pew Foundation on Hispanics and health care. Some people thought that what they would find was that many Hispanics do not have a regular doctor because of language barriers, because of a lack of insurance. But what they found is that three out of four did indeed have a regular health care provider. Some people were surprised by that.
That of course also means that one out of four didn't, so that's not a good thing.
KEILAR: Why not have a regular doctor? Why didn't they?
COHEN: It was very interesting. Again, a surprise. Some experts thought, well, if they don't have a regular health care provider, maybe it's because they don't have insurance. And sure that was an issue, but for as many people the issue was that they took care of themselves at home or they sought out folk medicine or spiritual healers, choosing them over a regular medical doctor.
KEILAR: Well how old were the people who were not seeing a doctor regularly?
COHEN: This actually gets us to another reason why they weren't seeing a doctor regularly. Hispanics, in general, on average tend to be younger than other Americans on the whole. The median age of Hispanics in the United States is age 28-years-old. The rest of the population, the median age is 37. So that probably is another reason -- when you're young, you're healthy, you think you don't really need a doctor.
KEILAR: Any concerns in this report?
COHEN: Yes, the concern is that that one out of four who don't have a regular doctor, maybe they are young and healthy now, but they're also not getting the preventative care they need. And so the concern is that maybe now this isn't such a huge problem, but that in the years to come it could be.
KEILAR: Yes, but they're not stopping problems before they start I guess is the point?
COHEN: Right, exactly.
KEILAR: All right. Elizabeth Cohen, thank you so much.
COHEN: Thanks.
LEMON: Hydrogen may be the first element but it is the first and best solution in our Energy Fix. OK. Cars powered by hydrogen release clean emissions and need no fossil fuels. Still -- they still have their critics. CNNMoney.com's Poppy Harlow takes one for a spin, and she does it in Jersey.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
POPPY HARLOW, CNNMONEY.COM: Hey, there Brianna and Don. The question on a lot of people's minds: is hydrogen the fuel of the future for America? Is it our energy fix?
It's the most abundant element in our universe. You get it from coal, from natural gas, from algae, from water. This is a hydrogen- fueled cell hybrid Mercedes. It looks just like a typical Mercedes engine for an A-Class like this. But when you close the hood and take it for a drive, it's a little bit different.
Underneath this car we have a hydrogen fuel cell battery and a hydrogen tank that combines the gas hydrogen that you put in this vehicle with the oxygen from the air outside to create electricity to run this car.
You start it up here. You take one turn to start it up, then a second one and it goes through a number of safety checks. So right now we're at 30 percent power, soon we'll be at 60 and then 100 percent power. These are prototypes. They are only being leased by Honda, Mercedes, GM -- just a few companies in California right now. They are not expected to be on the market for the next four to 10 years.
In terms of the cost right now -- it costs about two times more to make this engine than a typical engine. But when you drive it, it's silent. You really don't heard the start up like you do in a typical gas powered car. But when you drive it, it feels just like you're driving a typical car right now.
The question is -- is it safe? Is the cost going to be competitive for the hydrogen to fill it up with gasoline once these hit the market? So not everyone is a fan of this hydrogen technology. But it is definitely an option. It's being backed in part by the government, right now funding part of this.
Tomorrow in our Energy Fix, we're going to get into the different issues, the pros and cons, of all this. But it's important to note that there are no C02 emissions coming out of these cars. It's really just water vapor.
Don, Brianna back to you..
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KEILAR: Poppy Harlow for us there in New Jersey. And you know politics -- it is a dirty business. But, are you taking things too far when you start praying for it to rain on your opponent?
Our own Jeanne Moos will take a look.
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LEMON: Just look at this. We want to bring this to you. This is live from Fort Lauderdale. Brianna and I have been following these pictures in the break. Two window washers here, hanging. I guess they were doing some work there and had some trouble. This guy is at the bottom, Brianna, but we saw another guy at the top.
KEILAR: Yes. The first picture that we got to see, which hopefully -- OK, you see here up top. You can see what appears to be -- we thought it was sideways -- scaffolding, then we realized it was the window washing platform that appears to have -- I don't know what happened here. If one of the cords that was keeping it suspended it in the air broke or whatnot.
But, it obviously broke on one side, swung down against these balconies. One of the window washers up here where that scaffolding is. The other one down here that you're seeing now, hanging from what appears to be those restraints that window washers do wear -- safety restraints.
LEMON: Yes. And I would imagine that has to do with some weights and balances here and trying to get this equipment as they unstrap the safety harness off of this, the one who is on the bottom here, of this harness..
And the person at the top had a rescuer with him as well. And these are a courtesy of our affiliates WPLG and also WSVN. And of course, we do not have control of these shots because they're coming in our affiliates. But we want to watch this because both of these men -- and we can see they're both men -- hanging in precarious conditions from what appears to be the window washing -- what do you call it, ledge or platform?
KEILAR: Platform.
LEMON: Probably a better word. As folks watch on this balcony to the left of your screen. Can we take to the other shot, Scotty?
You see the guy who is -- there we go -- the guy who's much higher, the guy on the left. And there below him under -- there we go -- that's the guy who is much higher, they're trying to bring him down. I guess I would imagine they're going to bring him either around to this balcony or down to where they have brought the other guy. Around to the balcony it looks like is where they're going. And luckily he is wearing a harness as they are doing this, reaching for the hand of that firefighter.
KEILAR: This is on Ocean Boulevard there in Fort Lauderdale. this is the Ocean Mist Hotel. So I mean, you can just imagine, this is a window washer's worst nightmare. Probably something that doesn't happen in your career as a window washer. But this platform appearing to have collapsed on one side. So presumably, you know, it's a pretty nice day there and they're just washing the windows, going about their jobs when all of a sudden --
LEMON: That happens.
One rescued so far. The guy at the top. The second guy still hanging there. And most -- probably, they're trying to get this harness off of him, Brianna, and make sure all of this equipment, this platform doesn't fall on top of him.
So, great. We've got both shots now. So the screen left was the guy on the top, now it's gone to the guy at the bottom. But he has been rescued. He was hanging and they rescued him by pulling him over to the balcony.
And then the other guy who is below him, they're trying to pull him into a window of this building. And as Brianna said, this is happening on North Ocean Boulevard at the Ocean Mist Hotel. And the only thing we have here from our affiliate, WSVN, is that it is a rescue in progress. And we can certainly see that.
KEILAR: So obviously, this started just two guys out for their day doing their normal job as window washers. And you can see up -- if we can see, actually we're focused on the second rescue here, the man suspended by a safety restraint.
But, above him was the window washing platform where presumably both of these guys were just going about you know, their daily job when this happened. You can see now that window washing platform that is supposed to be horizontal, hanging there vertically, floors above where this guy here is now suspended.
It appears he is standing on something. Maybe it is this fire department ladder. Is that what it looks like, Don?
Fort Lauderdale Fire Department making sure of course, that he is in a stable condition before they try to bring him inside. But he certainly does look a little more stable, even then he was, if you can imagine, just a few minutes ago when he was pretty much suspended just by safety restraint.
LEMON: Well, he looks to be OK, though.
Because you can see him in these pictures. He is talking to rescuers. And can you imagine, a very scary situation in all of this. And as I watch these pictures, I'm watching them, as well on other routers that we have here in the CNN NEWSROOM.
But, as you watch them and you see just how high this building is, right, Brianna, and how far they were from the ground -- the 14th floor, you can imagine just how frightening it was for both of them. And the guy at the top -- there's back up on the roof there. How they are lowering these people from the roof to get down. You can imagine sort of the sigh of relief obviously, from the guy at the top who has already been rescued.
KEILAR: But apparently, this gentleman at the bottom here is stuck in the safety restraint. Obviously it did its job. It caught him when I imagine, this window washing platform collapsed.
But now he is stuck in that restraint. And they're trying to figure out a way to get him out of it. So, they've stabilized him at this point on top of a ladder. But then we can see other members of presumably the fire department, fire rescue on top of the roof.
They seem to be working with some of the cords up there, perhaps that are suspending either the safety restraint or the window washing platform. But at this point, they appear to be in a holding pattern until they can figure out maybe how to loosen this restraint on this guy here on the 14th floor.
LEMON: You can imagine they've been there for a while. Because it takes a while to get a fire truck there and to get these teams there to lower the stuff from the roof and also, to get a ladder up this high, up to the 12th, 13th, 14th floor. It takes a while to do that.
So these guys were just sort of suspended there for a while, waiting for the fire department and waiting for someone to come and rescue them. The gentleman up at the top as we have been telling you, has been rescued. But he was dangling there on what thought in the beginning when we were looking at these pictures, was scaffolding. But as it turns out, it was the window washing platform.
And then this was where they had strapped that platform to the roof, as is done daily all over the world. But something obviously went wrong here. But again, as Brianna said, the safety harness, everything appeared to work in this case because we don't have any reports of any other people on that platform being injured except for these two men that we see now. And we don't know if they've been injured or the extent of anything, if there are any injuries at all.
KEILAR: You can see the other line that's being brought down here to the right of this man. The blue line obviously, his safety harness. The right line, I don't know if that is some sort of rope that has been tossed down by the crews that we see working on top of this hotel.
But, they've stabilized him on top of this fire department ladder. But obviously, he's still in a very precarious position. So, they're trying to obviously get him freed from his harness.
But again, this is happening on North Ocean Boulevard in Fort Lauderdale. Fort Lauderdale fire and rescue trying to rescue -- they rescued one window washer, they're trying to rescue another after this window washing platform collapsed.
And this is at a hotel. So these two men just there, doing their job on a day in Fort Lauderdale, when really, a situation that's not supposed to happen, happen. This window washing platform collapses.
LEMON: And you can imagine, this guy is probably saying, you know what? I'm happy that they're here rescuing me, but, boy, I wish this harness would just somehow be off of me now, so that I can get inside of that window and get back to life as normal.
And anyone who has been in any sort of situation where you have been in an accident, you know the adrenaline is pumping and flowing. And you don't know how you feel really until you're out of that situation. And they're going to check both of these guys out and see exactly what injuries they might have sustained after this, because the scaffolding was up a couple of floors. What do you say, Brianna, four or five floors above where this guy is? The scaffolding was pretty high.
So, he had quite a drop there when he fell from that scaffolding which gave way.
KEILAR: It looks like it was maybe up five or six floors. Then when the scaffolding fell from horizontal to vertical, one of the -- the second window-washer caught actually on the scaffolding or on the platform. He was able to hold on to that. So he probably fell maybe a floor or two.
But, yes, this, the gentleman there on the bottom, this is the crew working on the roof. And actually it kind of looks like they're getting -- what are they doing here?
(CROSSTALK)
LEMON: I don't know if they're going to cut. He's stuck up here. And they may be trying to get some slack to that so they can actually get him down on that ladder, because it appears to be that he's stuck in that position.
