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Louisiana Justice?; Inside a Palestinian Militant Group

Aired August 14, 2008 - 15:00   ET

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

DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: The next hour of the CNN NEWSROOM starts right now.
Boy, oh, boy, reporting live in a war zone. You just saw a correspondent shot on the air near a Georgian city occupied by Russian troops. She is OK. And we have got the latest on the war for you.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN ANCHOR: Peace in the kingdom, a Democratic source says that's the goal of a roll call for Hillary Clinton at this month's convention. Our Bill Schneider checks in from the CNN Election Express.

LEMON: And check out the difference between peace and truce. During a truce in Gaza, Palestinian militants are still preparing for all-out war. An eye-opening report this one.

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.

(WEATHER UPDATE)

KEILAR: Breaking news regarding the situation in Georgia.

There are reports coming from the Georgian Embassy to the United States saying that they have just been informed by the government of Georgia -- this actually now being confirmed by the Ministry of the Interior of Georgia -- that 105 Russian tanks and armored personnel carriers started out from the city of Senaki -- this is in western Georgia -- toward the city of Kutaisi. This is Kutaisi, the second largest city of Georgia, Kutaisi an hour away from Senaki and it's about three hours away from Tbilisi.

The significance here is that if the Russian troops are moving from Senaki to Kutaisi, it actually means they are moving further into Georgian territory. As you may recall, there is a French-brokered cease-fire between Russian and Georgian that stated Russian and Georgian troops need to go back to their -- that Russian and Georgian troops need to go back to where they were before last week.

And, obviously, Russians troops moving deeper into Georgia goes against that cease-fire, if this is the case.

Let's bring in CNN's Frederik Pleitgen, us from Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia. Frederick, can you shed any light on these new developments?

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN BERLIN BUREAU CHIEF: Yes. We have been talking to the Georgian government about this, to the interior ministry, specifically. And they do confirm to us. They have say that Russian tanks and armored vehicles have left a military base near or in that town of Senaki, which is very close to the Black Sea coast.

And they say that those military vehicles are on the road that leads to that town of Kutaisi. The Georgian officials are telling us that they are not sure that those vehicles are actually on the way to Kutaisi or whether they will at some point turn off that road or indeed turn around.

Now, remember, we had a similar situation only yesterday, when there was a column of Russian tanks, armored vehicles rolling towards the city of Tbilisi coming from a different town. And it looked for a very long time as though they were coming straight into Tbilisi. And then at some point, those vehicles went off that road, stopped, and eventually turned around and went the other direction as well.

Now, I can tell you that the Georgian officials that we have been talking to, who did confirm this to us, they didn't seem too worried about the move that the Russians were making. They did confirm it to us. They didn't confirm the number of vehicles that the Russians were actually traveling with. They said they couldn't name us any numbers. But they didn't seem too worried about it, though they say did they did feel that this is a breach of that cease-fire agreement that of course both sides are supposed to be adhering to.

KEILAR: Frederik, yesterday we heard from Russian officials. They said, yes, we were on this road outside of Gori, but we weren't violating the cease-fire. We were trying to demilitarize the area in Georgia around the conflict zone of South Ossetia, but obviously the Russians not seeing eye to eye with the Americans and the Georgians on exactly what that cease-fire means, right?

PLEITGEN: Well, absolutely. And there is some ambiguity as to the terms of that cease-fire agreement and what the Russian forces can and cannot do.

Apparently there is a provision in that cease-fire agreement that allows for Russian forces to move around on Georgian territory in certain circumstances. But of course the U.S. and also the Georgian side saying that does not mean that you can take a tank column and roll towards the capital of Tbilisi.

And the Georgians were quite frankly saying that the Russians were destroying Georgian military hardware in the process. They say that in Gori, the Russians were destroying Georgian military hardware as well. And they said of course even if the Russians are allowed to move around on our territory, of course it does not mean they can destroy our military bases and our military hardware.

So certainly there is a big difference between the way the Russians see all of this and the way that the U.S. and especially the Georgians see all of this. The Georgians of course have been using some strong language towards the Russian side, accused them of breaking that cease-fire agreement that both sides are supposed to be adhering to that was dealt out by the French government.

And that now appears to be very shaky, although of course still both sides are not firing at each other. Still, these troop movements do always cause a lot of tension here in Georgia and they cause a lot of tension within the international community.

KEILAR: Frederik Pleitgen for us in the Georgian capital of Tbilisi.

Again, just want to make sure that we're. This is being attributed to Georgian officials who say that Russian troop carriers, as well as Russian tanks, 105 of them, have been moving from the city of Senaki, as you see there, on the western side of Georgia and moving deeper into Georgian territory, causing some tension, obviously, when it comes to this cease-fire between Russia and Georgia at this point.

We're going to continue to monitor this for any developments. We're also trying to get confirmation from Russian officials about Russian troop movements.

LEMON: All right. And sure to further complicate U.S./Russian relations, news that Poland will sign a preliminary deal with the Bush administration to host part of a missile defense system. Now, the plan has been fiercely opposed by Moscow from the onset. The U.S. has also agreed to help Poland modernize its military -- Brianna.

KEILAR: A hostage situation in Des Moines, Iowa, has ended with the rescue of three young kids.

After a two-hour standoff with a man believed to be the kids' father, officers stormed the house with battering rams and flash bang grenades. Good news, the children are fine. The man, though, is hospitalized. This drama started after the bodies of two women were found near the suspect's house. Police still trying to piece together exactly what happened.

The arrests of dozens of workers are raising concerns today about security at a major airport. Immigration and Customs Enforcement apprehended the workers yesterday, 42 of them in all, at Dulles International Airport, outside of the nation's capital. Now, the suspected illegal immigrants were on a construction detail. An airport spokesman says they did not have access to high-security areas.

LEMON: A developing story south of Baghdad -- simultaneous suicide bombings have killed at least 18 people. Iraqi police say the attackers were a man and woman, their target, Shiite pilgrims on their way to a major religious festival in Karbala. Several dozen people are wounded in that.

Another developing story to tell you about: The U.S. Navy is formally charging six sailors with abusing Iraqi detainees. It allegedly happened here at Camp Bucca in Iraq. The accused could face possible court-martialing and proceedings could begin inside of a month.

KEILAR: Detroit mayor, alleged felon, and Democratic superdelegate. Kwame Kilpatrick won the right today to attend his party's convention. This all happened at his arraignment on charges of perjury, misconduct, obstruction, and conspiracy, to which not guilty were entered on his behalf.

Without being asked, the judge agreed to let Kilpatrick travel to the Democratic Convention in Denver and without an electronic tether. Prosecutors are appealing.

In the meantime, a major voice in Detroit now Kilpatrick to quit. "The Michigan Chronicle" reversed its former support after the mayor's recent jailing on a bond violation. And here's what others are saying.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It gives more and more emphasis on the fact that the community at large really wants the mayor to resign.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The mayor, as an individual, should look at the issues that relate to his problems. And he should focus on those issues and deal with that.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There's so much coming out. And I think he should resign for a lot of things. I think he should, just for his sanity.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: Also calling for the mayor's resignation, longtime Democratic Congressman John Dingell of Dearborn.

LEMON: The road to the White House takes John McCain to Colorado. The Republican candidate was in the town of Edwards earlier today for a fund-raiser. He's headed now to Aspen for remarks to the Aspen Institute think tank.

For Democrat Barack Obama, another day in paradise. Obama is still in his native state of Hawaii, where he and his family are vacationing.

In a move that could anger conservative Republicans, John McCain is floating the idea of picking a running mate who supports abortion rights. McCain opposes abortion, but he tells "The Weekly Standard" the party shouldn't require all its candidates to feel the same way.

McCain campaigned earlier this week with former Pennsylvania Governor Tom Ridge, who supports abortion rights. Ridge is seen as a potential running mate for McCain.

Looking ahead to the Democratic Convention, we have learned today that Hillary Clinton's name will be placed in nomination this month in Denver. A party source tells CNN the Clinton and Obama camps agreed it's the best way to soothe the wounds from a bitter primary season. Last month, Clinton, who finished just behind Obama in delegates, suggested that placing her name in nomination would be a catharsis for her supporters. Clinton is campaigning for Obama. And CNN political analyst Bill Schneider will have more on this at the bottom of the hour right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.

We have a quick reminder for you. 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.

Also, a Louisiana officer is indicted in a racially charged Taser death, the victim, a cousin of one of the so-called Jena Six. We will tell you how the case unfolded.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: You're in the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Don Lemon.

No I.D. yet, so no mug shot. But cops do have this video of the robber and his disturbing features, we should say. Do you know this gut?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: All right, there is an impressive drop in highway fatalities. That's according to Transportation Secretary Mary Peters. Traffic deaths in 2007 were the lowest since 1994, just above 41,000. Now, Peters credits safer vehicles and tougher law enforcement. Motorcycle deaths went up, though, last year by more than 6 percent and now account for almost 13 percent of all highway fatalities.

KEILAR: Another disturbing legal case in central Louisiana. Just a few dozen miles from Jena, a black suspect died last winter in police custody. It took six months, but it's now been ruled a homicide.

Our Special Investigations Unit is looking into the case. Here's Drew Griffin.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DREW GRIFFIN, CNN INVESTIGATIVE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The charges carry a possible 40 years in prison for former officer Scott Nugent. The local district attorney said in a statement, the officer's Taser use caused an unnecessary death and violated Louisiana law.

And district attorney R. Chris Nevils writes, "In a civilized society, abuse by those who are given great authority cannot be tolerated." Six months ago, a 21-year-old black man named Baron Pikes, a cousin of one of the Jena Six, Mychal Bell, died in police custody at Winnfield Police Department.

Coroner Ralph Williams says a white officer, armed with a Taser, violated every Winnfield police procedure on Taser use, ultimately killing a black man in handcuffs.

RALPH WILLIAMS, CORONER: Well, it's a homicide.

GRIFFIN: For months, police have said Pikes may have been on drugs, may have fought with police, may have somehow caused his own death. The coroner says none of it is true.

(on camera): He wasn't on PCP.

WILLIAMS: No, he was not.

GRIFFIN: Had no crack in his system?

WILLIAMS: No, he did not.

GRIFFIN: He was a healthy man?

WILLIAMS: Yes.

GRIFFIN: He weighed 247 pounds. And according to the coroner, he was having trouble following police orders to get up so officers Scott Nugent pulled out his Taser, like this one, and fired.

WILLIAMS: The first shot was fired at 1:37 p.m. And you have six shots fired by 1:40. So, in three minutes or less than three minutes, actually.

GRIFFIN: That was only the beginning. He was loaded into a patrol car and taken to police headquarters.

(on camera): According to the coroner, when they got here to the police station, Baron Pikes now in the back seat, handcuffed, already Tasered six times wouldn't or couldn't get out of the back seat fast enough for Officer Nugent. So, Nugent Tasered him again. Shot number seven is what they call a dry stunt.

The Taser placed directly onto Baron Pikes right interior chest and fired. And still it wasn't over.

WILLIAMS: After he got the dry stun to the chest, he was thrown out of the car on to the concrete and then electroshocked two more times. GRIFFIN: His attorney tells CNN, the officer followed procedure.

PHILLIP TERRELL, SCOTT NUGENT'S ATTORNEY: He tried to entangle his arm after he was handcuffed, tried to pull him to the ground, repeatedly fell to the ground. The only thing he could have done other than to say, "OK, we're going to let you go" is to beat him or Tase him. He did the right thing.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KEILAR: And CNN's Drew Griffin joining us right now.

Yesterday, this is another case we're talking about. Seven members of the New Orleans Police Department actually had murder and attempted murder charges against them thrown out. What happened with that?

GRIFFIN: Yes, this was a snafu in the prosecutor's case. This was post-Katrina, Brianna, four days after Katrina, on Sunday. A mentally handicapped man and his brother were crossing a bridge.

And all evidence shows that these police officers literally chased this mentally handicapped person down, shot him seven times in the back. It went to a grand jury. The grand jury indicted them yesterday. A judge decided that the procedure in the grand jury was flawed and threw the case out against all these officers. Six of the officers still on the police force could go from desk jobs back to the street now.

KEILAR: Now, is that it? These are thrown out? There's no other recourse that can be taken?

GRIFFIN: Well, New Orleans is still in such a shambles. And this district attorney is just emblematic of that. The original district attorney left the office in disgrace. The interim district attorney left yesterday.

A new interim district attorney was sworn in. And then they're going to vote for a new district attorney in three months. So, the district attorney's office is in chaos. But they can appeal this decision. That decision hasn't been made yet. But there were other flaws in the original prosecutor's investigation pointed out yesterday in court, and it really doesn't look good for the prosecution to bring these charges back.

KEILAR: Drew Griffin, great report. Thanks.

LEMON: The cease-fire between Israel and the Palestinians in Gaza, it's lasted a couple of months, but against the wishes of some militant groups there. We will have a special report that takes you inside an armed resistance movement whose members say they're ready to fight and to kill.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: We are just getting this in to the CNN NEWSROOM. It involves President Bush and his meeting today with the CIA director, Michael Hayden, making some comments on the conflict that is happening in Russia.

During this meeting, the president apparently called for the territorial integrity of Georgia. He was meeting with the CIA today. There the video is of him walking out with Mr. Hayden.

This comes as the Russian (sic) government has been saying that troops are mother further into their territory and in some ways ignoring the cease-fire that was drawn up by both sides. And, again, the president was meeting today, also meeting with workers there. He also thanked the workers for their securing of the homeland. He said that Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice will brief him on Saturday at his ranch in Crawford, Texas.

Let's listen in to the president.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: ... thank the director, Michael Hayden, (INAUDIBLE) for hosting me out here at the CIA.

I had a chance to thank a lot of the folks who work out here for their service to the country. It's really important for the people who work here to understand the significant -- the significance of the contributions they're making to secure the homeland.

People here work long and hard hours. They're smart, capable, and they deserve the nation's thanks.

We also had a couple of briefings, one on the war on terror and the other on the situation in Georgia. Got a lot of folks, smart folks, analyzing the situation on the ground, and, of course, briefing us on different possibilities that could develop in the area and the region.

I have sent Condi Rice, Secretary of State Rice over there. She'll be coming back to brief me Saturday. I'm looking forward to hearing firsthand what she has seen, what she has heard.

And my call, of course, is for the territorial integrity of Georgia to be respected and for the cease-fire agreement to be honored. And we will be working this issue throughout the coming weeks. And people out here at the agency have been incredibly helpful.

I want to thank you very much for your hospitality. Thank you, Michael. Appreciate it.

QUESTION: Do you think Russia will honor the cease-fire, Mr. President? Are they honoring the cease-fire?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: OK, the president asked, being asked a question there, are they honoring the cease-fire? Choosing not to answer that question.

But, again, the president meeting with the CIA director today and speaking to him. And it's important to point out that Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice making the trip over to Russia and to the area to try to negotiate what's going on there and be a mediator, and then report back to the president as to the progress or the situation on the ground. The president again saying during that press conference that Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice will update him on his ranch this coming weekend. We will follow it.

KEILAR: It's an uneasy cease-fire. And more than a year after Hamas took control of Gaza, Palestinian fighters have fired more than 5,000 rockets into Israel. Israel recently entered into a truce with Hamas, the controlling force in Gaza. and while the cease-fire is largely holding, at least one militant group, the Popular Resistance Committees, is building and developing rockets.

CNN's Paula Hancocks gives us a rare look inside this group and what's at stake.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The call to prayer in Gaza, in tandem with the training of a militia. The armed wing of the Palestinian militant group the Popular Resistance Committees, shows us its new recruits. Masks hide their identity.

Considered freedom fighters by many here, terrorists by much of the West. The training is tough. There's little room for error or fear. Each night, these men do marching drills, target practice and learn to overcome any obstacles, and the tactics feared by Israel, hostage-taking.

The PRC was one of the groups involved in the kidnapping of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit two years ago.

(on camera): This kind of training can only take place at night, so the Israeli forces can't see it. And they burn tires all around the training area, so there is thick smoke, making them invisible from the air.

(voice-over): Only one man shows his face on camera. Ibrahim Dahman is already wanted by Israel. He tells me they're preparing for an Israeli incursion, saying: "We have been under siege for the last two years. The only thing left is for them to invade and kill us."

The next morning, a 20-minute warning and a meeting point. We are blindfolded and driven in the back of a van to the group's rocket factory. Our phones and the phones of the other camera crews are taken.

The factory is, in fact, a small room. The tools are basic. Only a gas leak from the canister convinces the rocket makers to move to a more ventilated area.

Even as a fragile truce with Israel holds, the production of rockets does not slow down, a fear voiced by many Israeli officials. Hamas says it is the responsibility of each of the 16 factions that agreed to a truce with Israel to respect it. That includes the PRC.

The PRC supports Hamas, but one spokesman said last week, if nothing improves within three weeks, such as the opening of border crossings, it would return to the cycle of violence.

Thousands of rockets have been fired into Israel from Gaza over the past year, killing four civilians, injuring many more. Materials used in the rockets are kept secret. The rocket heads have been prepared beforehand. We're not told where.

(on camera): Now, these men want this to be filmed. They want the world to see it. They specifically want Israel to see them still building rockets, but they don't want to give away their location. (voice-over): PRC spokesman Mohammad Abdel Al looks on as a new rocket, Nasser 4, is unveiled. He says, "Nasser 4 has double the range of Nasser 3, from 12 kilometers to almost 25 kilometers."

If true, this would put larger Israeli cities, like Ashkelon and Ashdod, under greater theft from attack. Without doubt, this is a demonstration choreographed for the camera, but also a rare glimpse into what happens behind the scenes of a truce.

Paula Hancocks, CNN, Gaza.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KEILAR: Breaking news into the CNN NEWSROOM. All right, we have some breaking news but we're going to hold off on that for just a moment. Just want to finish up that last story we did. We did give the Israeli government a chance to respond to Paula's report and a spokesman said, "It underscores what Israeli leaders fear and what Israeli people fear that militants are biding their time. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARK REGEV, ISRAELI GOVERNMENT SPOKESMAN: We are concerned that Hamas is using this period of quiet to rebuild. To have more rockets, rockets with a longer range that can go deeper into Israel. Rockets with a more powerful warhead, more deadly, that can kill more innocent civilians. The current cease fire is something we, Israel, wants to continue. It's good for the people in Israel south who suffered under the barrages of the rocket. It's good for the Palestinians in Gaza. Everyone would want this cease fire to continue except for these extremist elements who run the Gaza strip who want to continue with their violent jihad. It's a problem for Israel and for the Palestinians.

(END OF VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: Israel says Hamas would be held accountable if anything happened to break the truce.

DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: We have this just in to the CNN NEWSROOM. It involves the wife of a very famous mega preacher. It is Joel Osteen's wife, Victoria Osteen. A jury, according to our affiliate in Houston, KTRK, has reached a verdict. That verdict says that the wife of the renowned pastor did not assault the flight attendant who had claimed she was abused in an angry tirade. That jury unanimously agreeing that Victoria Osteen did not assault the stewardess. The civil jury, which is what it was, reached that unanimous verdict after brief deliberations. They just started deliberating today. I'll give you some background. Back in 2005, a Continental flight attendant had claimed that Victoria Osteen became so upset when a spill on her arm rest in first class wasn't cleaned up immediately that she attacked the stewardess, elbowed her and then the stewardess said that caused all kinds of other problems for her, trauma, among other things. This jury is saying that none of it happened. That she made up the story, concocted it to win money in court. Again, Victoria Osteen, wife of Joel Osteen, the renowned pastor, does not have to pay this huge $405,000 damage that this flight attendant had accused her of attacking her on a first class cabin. More to come on this.

KEILAR: Don, another developing story, this one coming to us out of Detroit. According to the "Associated Press," a second judge has decided that Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick cannot take off his electronic tracking device and cannot travel here in the coming days to the Democratic Convention in Denver. We told you earlier that Kilpatrick, who of course is facing charges of perjury, misconduct, obstruction and conspiracy that a judge without being asked, agreed that he could take off his electronic tracking device and could go to Denver for the convention. We also told you prosecutors were appealing that. And now the associated press reporting that a second judge in Detroit has decided not so fast, Kilpatrick cannot take off his electronic tracking device and cannot travel to the democratic convention. We should mention he is a democratic superdelegate. It appears he will not be going.

LEMON: Will the drama ever end around this case? We should have a Kilpatrick watch just to see what's going on.

Hillary Clinton supporters get their wish. The senator's name will be placed into nomination at the Democratic National Convention. What that could mean for the party's first push here for unity I should say.

Before she whipped up her first souffle for the cameras, television chef Julia Child was apparently cooking up some international intrigue. Secret spy files revealed ahead in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Breaking news from the week-long conflict in the former Soviet Union. Earlier reports that Russian forces were going to leave some Georgian cities are now being called into question. Our source in the Georgian embassy to the United States, that's what they're telling us. Being told more than 100 Russian tanks are now moving deeper into the interior of Georgia instead of across the border and back into Russia. We're trying to confirm this report. We will update you just as soon as we can on that.

Meantime, an unbelievable and frightening piece of video to show you. A TV reporter from the Georgian state television is shot by a real bullet live on camera. Take a look. The reporter was nicked in the arm. She was bleeding, in pain of course, but the camera kept rolling and she kept reporting. No word on her condition but her wound doesn't look life threatening. She says the bullet that hit her came from a Russian-controlled area. But to be clear, the video was provided by Georgian State Television. We have zero information from the Russian military. Tonight on "Larry King Live," Mikhail Gorbachev on the crisis between Russian and Georgia. The man who helped end the cold war weighs in on this latest threat to the world stability and America's involvement. "Larry King Live," CNN tonight, 9:00 p.m. eastern.

KEILAR: Hillary Clinton supporters are no doubt celebrating despite her second place finish to Barack Obama in the democratic race. Clinton's name will be placed in nomination at the party's convention. And our senior political analyst Bill Schneider is joining us now from aboard the CNN Election Express. Bill, where in the world are you this time?

WILLIAM SCHNEIDER, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: We are in Iowa. Remember Iowa back in January? It's a little warmer now but this is a battleground state for the November election. Not just a caucus state. This state barely went to Al Gore in 2000. It barely went for George W. Bush in 2004. And it's being hotly contested this year.

KEILAR: What do you think of the party putting Clinton's name in the nomination?

SCHNEIDER: I couldn't hear the question but I think it has something to do with Clinton's name being placed into nomination? This was really a deal that was made between Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton and her supporters and the Democratic National Committee. Because they wanted to make sure that Hillary Clinton's supporters felt she was being treated fairly. A party (INAUDIBLE) needs to be heard at the convention to be able to cast votes for their candidate because in the historic nature candidacy, the first woman candidate for the democratic nomination to win primaries. They want that recorded for posterity. The risk, of course, is that they could become raucous and unseemly. But the fact is it's very likely that Hillary Clinton will urge her supporters (INAUDIBLE) to make the nomination of Barack Obama unanimous. In the end, they will all support Barack Obama. But they do want that recorded and Barack Obama thinks it's a good idea. His people said, because he wants peace in the kingdom. He doesn't want grievances and resentment on the part of any delegates.

KEILAR: Bill, let me ask you now about one of the superdelegates at the democratic convention. Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick. One judge said it was going to be ok that he could take off his electronic tether and go to the convention. We just heard from the associated press, another judge has said no, you can't take off your electronic bracelet. You cannot travel to the democratic convention in Denver. Is this a superdelegate that the Democratic Party is really going to miss?

SCHNEIDER: Well, the superdelegates -- he is a superdelegate. But the superdelegates are there to make sure that everything at the convention turns out the way it is supposed to, meaning that Obama gets the nomination. He was probably -- I'm not certain of this -- but probably an Obama pledged superdelegate. That's the whole point of having superdelegates. I'm sure that the Obama campaign is not disappointed by the judge's decision because if Mayor Kilpatrick was at the convention, he'd be a story. A convention these days is an infomercial, trying to spend four days advertising the candidate to the American voters. While they don't want any distractions from that if Kilpatrick had showed up, you'd have 10,000 reporters there. They would all be going after that story. They'd be asking all the delegates, what is your view of Mayor Kilpatrick? Should he leave office, do you think he should go to jail? Everyone would be asked their opinion and he'd be part of the story. That's not part of the story that Barack Obama wants to have covered. KEILAR: Our senior political analyst, Bill Schneider, there on the CNN election express, traveling through Iowa as it makes its way to Denver. Thanks Bill.

LEMON: A population shift. White Americans soon will be in the minority. A look at the changing face of America. You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: This is fascinating stuff. Spy stuff we're talking about here. What do a famous TV chef, a Supreme Court justice and Chicago White Sox catcher have in common? All of them were spies. The government file of Julia Child was among thousands released today for the first time. She worked for OSS, the precursor to the CIA, apparently before she was cooking up French souffles Childs helped cook up a repellant to keep sharks from setting off explosions meant for German U-boats during World War II. Isn't that fascinating? Supreme Court Justice Arthur Goldberg was also one of about 24,000 spies who worked with the OSS. As was, I find this one even more interesting that Julia Childs, Chicago White Sox catcher Moe Berg, probably on the same level. Berg's batting average, not really that great, .243. But his Japanese and German language skills were much better. One of his missions involved a potential assassination plot against a Nazi scientist who was thought to be developing an atomic bomb.

This guy, not me, the guy you're looking at right now, was among the spies. Dan Pinck, served behind enemy lines. That's his dad I should say. Now his son, Charles, that's the person you should be looking at right now, is the president of the OSS society. Charles Pinck joins me now live from Washington to talk about this fascinating spy group. Real quick, I have this other questions to ask you about. How do they come up with these people? Did they approach them, did they volunteer? How did they come up with these people?

CHARLES PINCK, PRESIDENT, OSS SOCIETY: Some volunteered, some are recruited. The founder of OSS, Major General William Donovan was an incredible leader and it was because of his leadership that he was able to recruit such a dizzying array of talent to serve in OSS. He called them his glorious amateurs. Don you mentioned Moe Berg's .286 batting average, he was nothing short of a genius. It said he spoke as many as 12 languages but yet he couldn't hit a curve ball in any of them.

LEMON: Who would have thought (INAUDIBLE) and we mentioned Julia Child as well, and your dad, we saw the picture of your dad and your dad fought behind enemy lines. Why on earth would Julia Child be a spy?

PINCK: Julia Child volunteered for the OSS, like many patriotic Americans and undertook a very dangerous mission overseas helping the American cause. The release of these records is very important because I think it will give Americans an opportunity to fully appreciate the contributions that heroic Americans made in the office of strategic services during World War II. Many OSS veterans, including my father, never spoke about their service and still to this day don't. The most common request that we get from descendants of OSS veterans, what did my father, what did my mother do in the war? Or grandfather or grandmother.

LEMON: And you don't really know, do you?

PINCK: And you don't really know. But the release of these files I think is going to help fill out that family history.

LEMON: My next question was going to be, did your dad talk about it growing up?

PINCK: He didn't talk a whole lot about it. I had mementos of his that I would look through and that kind of filled in the pictures a bit. He did write a novel many years ago that was finally published that told his story. I wanted to point out to you Don, a few minutes ago you showed a clip of President Bush, General Hayden and Stephen Kappes of the CIA. Well in the background, is the OSS memorial at CIA, which honors General Donovan and the heroic men and women of OSS who sacrificed their lives in the defense of the nation? I'm not sure many Americans are really aware just how remarkable an organization this was and what it was able to accomplish in such a short time frame and how it laid the foundation for today's intelligence and special forces communities.

LEMON: We also have a picture of Virginia Hall who was a female OSS agent and some other various photos that you have sent in. Parachute jumps. This is Virginia Hall.

PINCK: That's Virginia Hall, she's the only American civilian woman to receive the Distinguished Service Cross in World War II. I would also like if I might point out the important role that women played in OSS. Probably more so than in any other organization during World War II. They were an incredibly important component to the war and that was just one aspect to General Donovan's visionary leadership. OSS was a very diverse organization. It encompassed the Ivy League and literally prisoners.

At one point, General Donovan arranged for the release of two forgers who worked for the OSS.

LEMON: Before I let you go, let's talk about these names. Marlena Dietrich, Teddy Roosevelt's son, Ernest Hemingway. Marlena Dietrich though wasn't part of OSS.

PINCK: She was not but like many other people she had strong anti-Nazi feelings and contributed to the war effort by recording songs that were then played to German soldiers in an attempt to demoralize them.

LEMON: I mentioned those two other names, but their sons were involved. Real quickly, because we have about 10, 15 seconds left. Why uncover this now? Why open this up?

PINCK: I think it's a question of time. OSS veterans have kept quiet about their service, heroically for many years since World War II. I think sufficient time has passed now that Americans can begin to learn what they did. If I might add one other point about Earnest Hemmingway's son. He was a fly fisherman. He parachuted in behind enemy lines in Europe and he carried with him a fly rod. When he was preparing for his jump, one of the security officers asked him what it was. He told him them it was a special antenna for communications.

LEMON: Charles Pinck, we appreciate your time.

PINCK: We appreciate it.

KEILAR: A high-tech solution to finding the smallest cracks and potholes on airport runways. CNN's Rob Marciano takes a look at a tricked out van that may just be the next big thing.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST (voice-over): A good pothole can ruin anyone's day. But imagine landing a 500,000-pound jet on one.

QUINTIN WATKINS, HARTSFIELD-JACKSON INTL. AIRPORT: It can end up damaging the tires, or the engines. And you do not want that at the airport.

MARCIANO: Especially not at the world's busiest airports. That's why Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson is the first airport to test this high tech solution. A van's special gear to spot even the smallest potholes and cracks, speeding down a runway at up to 70 miles an hour.

WATKINS: I went to the University of Arkansas, and I saw the technology there developing, I decided to bring it to the airport to try it out.

MARCIANO: Equipped with an 8 processor computer and five cameras, including two infrared laser cameras, they scanned the road or runways in one-millimeter strips and detect cracks before they turn into potholes.

KELVIN WANG, WAYLINK SYSTEMS CORP.: The image quality is the same during the night or daytime, with or without sun. As long as the pavement is dry.

MARCIANO: Considering the pounding these runways take and the slowdowns that occur when runways are closed for human inspection, Wang says this high-tech van even with a $1 million price tag is worth it.

WANG: Yes. Yes. Because we can do the complete survey very quickly.

MARCIANO: In the future, Wang predicts airports instead of buying will just rent the service one or two times a year to detect trouble spots before planes land on them. Rob Marciano, CNN.

(END OF VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KEILAR: 40 years from now, everyone in America will belong to a minority. Some groups will be bigger than others, but none will be a majority. Our Josh Levs has been poring of the just-released projections from the census bureau. Very interesting Josh?

JOSH LEVS: Some of these numbers are pretty staggering. Yeah, they're amazing. We had obviously heard that eventually it will happen in America but even sooner than we thought. Let me first tell you the basic idea here is that we're going to have a huge population boom in general for the country, except for white people. They're saying today it's about 200 million white people in America, and that will stay the same all the way up to 2050, while the other groups are going to rise. I want to show you first how the census is defining minorities so you can understand what these statistics are about. Here it is from the census bureau. The minority population, everyone except for non-Hispanic, single-race whites. While we've processed that, let me show you what they're saying. We'll put this into speakers over here in this screen, and here are the latest ones that we've just gotten. First of all, minorities will be a majority in the country by 2042. There will be 54 percent of the country by 2050. And check this one out at the bottom, Brianna, most U.S. children will be minorities by 2023. That's just 15 years from now. It's coming fast.

Now we're going to break it down. First the Latino population. It's about 47 million Latinos in America now. That is going to triple to 133 million by 2050. Let's go to the next one now. The black population, which includes African-American and Caribbean. 41 million now, up to 66 million by 2050. So not as big a rise but still, it's a rise. And finally let's go to the Asian population here. They're saying that's going to go up from 16 million to 41 million in America. You can see the percentages down there. Obviously each group here is going to have a pretty big rise. There's more information on that at census.gov. I looked back in time Brianna. They do have a pretty good track record of predicting what's going to happen so if these trends continue, that's what we'll be seeing. No majority in America. Whites will become (INAUDIBLE). Like you said, still a minority.

KEILAR: All right, Josh Levs, thanks.

LEMON: An R-rated crime caught on tape. Police really want to see this guy in cuffs. And also a belt.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Oh, yeah, it was all caught on tape. Gun, check. Disguise, check. Belt? Nope. Oklahoma City Police are hoping somebody out there recognizes this beltless bandit who robbed a convenience store last month. They just released this video of how it went down. The crook getting 80 bucks and some cigarettes but almost lost his pants in the process.

KEILAR: Well, someone who wears a belt, Susan Lisovicz standing by with a final look at the trading day.

SUSAN LISOVICZ: A fully clad Susan Lisovicz. Oil down, stocks are up. I'm on vacation until September 2nd. See you guys.

LEMON: Enjoy it, Susan.

Now it's time to turn it over to THE SITUATION ROOM. Is it Suzanne today? Suzanne Malveaux. Hi Suzanne.