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Russia-Georgia Conflict; Olympic Highlights; Evangelical Voters; Traveling Green; Wal-Mart Faces FEC Inquiry Over Political Intimidation

Aired August 16, 2008 - 12:00   ET

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

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN NEWS ANCHOR: All right, with both sides agreeing to a cease-fire, there are new hopes today for an end to the military conflict between Russia and Georgia. Here's what we know right now.
Russian Dmitry Medvedev has signed a cease-fire plan designed to end the fighting one day after Georgia's president reluctantly agreed to it. On the ground, the fighting appears to have stopped, but Russian troops remain in parts of Georgia and Georgian officials now accuse them of blowing up a key railway bridge in the Kaspi district in east central Georgia.

Meantime, President Bush standing firm with Georgia in its conflict with Russia. The president was briefed just this morning at his Texas ranch by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who is just from Georgia's capital. CNN's Kathleen Koch joins us now from Crawford with the very latest -- Kathleen.

KATHLEEN KOCH, CNN NEWS CORRESPONDENT: Fredericka, a very busy morning for the president here at his ranch near Crawford, Texas. He made calls, this morning, to the president of Latvia, the prime minister of Canada, about the situation in Georgia. As you mentioned, he got a briefing from Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on her trips to France and to Georgia and then participated in a secure videoconference with the rest of his national security team, Defense Secretary Robert Gates, National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley.

And the focus of course was this new cease-fire accord in Georgia. The president called it, "an important development and a hopeful step" that Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has signed on to that accord. He said that now Russia needs to "honor the agreement, withdraw its forces and end military operations."

And the president took issue with what he called Russia's contention that the separatist regions of south Ossetia and Abkhazia might not be a part of Georgia's future.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Georgia's borders should command the same respect as every other nation's. There's no room for debate on this matter. The United Nations Security Council has adopted numerous resolutions concerning Georgia, these resolutions are based on the premise that South Ossetia and Abkhazia remain within the borders of Georgia and that their underlying conflicts be resolved with international negotiations.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KOCH: Secretary of State Rice did take questions afterwards from reporters off camera. And obviously, mup of that was focused on the fact that apparently the Russians have not begun to withdraw despite the cease-fire. And she explained that when she was in France meeting with French President Nicolas Sarkozy, that he did tell her that Russian President Medvedev assured him that once Georgia signed the cease-fire accord that Russian troops would begin pulling out immediately. And she said, "the Russians perhaps are already not honoring their word."

So, the U.S. Quite concerned about that. And Rice said she is going to be going to Brussels next week meeting with European Union officials, NATO foreign ministers, to take a look at adherence to this cease-fire and consider more ways that they can support Georgia -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right, so what about repercussions? Is the president saying anything about whether there would be any?

KOCH: Still, no firm commitment to any repercussions. Obviously, we've all heard the talk about expelling Russia perhaps from the group of eight industrialized nations, ceasing any negotiations about it someday becoming a member of the World Trade Organization, even pulling the Olympics from it in 2014, they're supposed to be held in the city of Sochi. But right now, it seems like mostly talk and when we ask that question to Secretary Rice, she said the Russians will care about this talk, it is not just talk. It's about Russia's standing in the international community. But right now, Fredericka, clearly the entire world casting about for ways to make Russia adhere to this cease-fire and abide by its word.

WHITFIELD: All right, Kathleen Koch in Crawford. Thanks so much.

Well, the breakaway region of South Ossetia in the bull's eye in this conflict between Georgia and its giant neighbor to the north. CNN's Matthew Chance shows us the damage from the fighting in the region's capital.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The twisted wreckage of battle is strewn across the rebel capital. Tskhinvali was center of the fight for South Ossetia. Georgian troops briefly occupied these streets, reclaiming the breakaway territory as their own, before being driven out by an overwhelming Russian force.

(on camera): After hearing so many reports from Georgia about what's happening inside Tskhinvali, it's incredible to actually be here ourselves to see what the situation is firsthand. You can see, it's a scene of utter devastation. Look at all this crumpled military hardware, here. These are Georgian tanks that were destroyed by the Russians as they pushed the Georgians out of the city. As well, almost every building in this city has been pot-marked by shrapnel or by machine gun fire, if not totally destroyed by the barrage of artillery and rocket shelling that witnesses say rained down on this place.

(voice-over): Russian troops who fought into Tskhinvali describe fierce battles with Georgian soldiers, who had dug in.

"There was a lot of shelling and gunfire," this colonel told me. "Twelve of my men were killed. We only felt safe when our reinforcements arrived."

They're still clearing dead Georgian soldiers from the battlefield. But, it's the extent of civilian casualties that have caused so much international concern.

(on camera): Well, we have come to this makeshift field hospital in Tskhinvali, where the people who have been injured in this conflict are being treated.

We have got Lena Obear (ph), her husband, Eurep (ph). They're the lucky ones, though, because, according to the Russians, as many as 2,000 people in this conflict have been killed as a result of the fighting and the Georgians hotly dispute that. But, we have come here, we're going to speak to a doctor to try and get some clarity on it.

(voice-over): "At first, there were many wounded, maybe 80 a day," this doctor told me. "Most had trauma injuries from bullets or shrapnel."

I asked him about the Russian claim of 2,000 dead civilians. "I can't confirm it," he told me. But, we can verify the hardships civilians who survived the fighting endured. Many, like 60-year-old Valentina (ph), hid in cellars, as the fighting raged above.

(on camera): Can you ever imagine Tskhinvali, South Ossetia being part of Georgia in the future?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Of course not, no, of course not.

CHANCE (voice over): It seems this confront has only hardened South Ossetia's separatist demands. And Georgia may have lost more than just the war. Hopes of reuniting this tiny nation may also be gone.

Matthew Chance, CNN, Tskhinvali, in South Ossetia.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Well, the growing rift between Russia and another one of its neighbors just may deepen. Ukraine now says it is interested in joining European and other nations in a joint missile defense system. That word from the former Soviet Republic's foreign ministry. A spokesperson wouldn't say if the partnership would include the United States. The U.S. recently signed agreements with the Czech Republic and Poland, the move has drawn sharp objections, however, from Moscow.

Let's check in with our Reynolds Wolf in the Weather Center because something that should be of big concern to a lot of us here in the United States is Fay.

REYNOLDS WOLF, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Absolutely. Fay, a storm that may potentially affect millions of people, already affecting people across parts of the northern Caribbean. This is the last we have of the storm. The latest information we have from this storm. You'll notice it's actually moving its way off towards the west.

I believe I have a microphone malfunction. Hold on a second. Folks, this is live TV, this does happen occasionally. Here we go. Let's put it back on. Here we go, let's rock 'n' roll with the rest of this.

You will notice this storm looks like it's losing a little bit of its convection, a little bit of its intensity is moving offshore. However, fluctuations are not unusual with storms like this. What we have in terms of the winds, currently 45, some gusts have been up to the 60, movement is still the same, though, moving to the west around 15 miles-per-hour. And the latest path from National Hurricane Center brings the storm to the north of Jamaica, at least the center of this storm. And by early tomorrow morning around 8:00 a.m. winds expected be around 60 miles-per-hour, then crossing parts of Cuba, central Cuba, just to the east of Havana as we get to early Monday morning.

Then on Tuesday, if you follow just the middle of that path, it should be just the south of Tampa possibly coming onshore and south Florida, maybe a spot like Punta Gorda, same location where Charlie had made landfall back in 2004, maybe even as far south as Naples. Then the path brings it through Tampa as a tropical storm on Wednesday, then Thursday into south central Georgia.

Now, that is a long way away. Trust me. In terms of weather from now to Tuesday is an eternity. There's very, very -- there's a whole lot of stuff that can happen. There's every reason to believe this storm could veer a little bit more to the east, perhaps more to the west. A lot of changes are going to take place. This storm is going to be moving over land at times away from its primary power source, that being that warm water.

There's a chance the storm could actually veer deeper into the Gulf of Mexico. And if that happens we're going to see rapid intensification because there's very warm water in this area. At the same time, minimal sheer, so there's the potential the storm could really increase in strength. However, if it stays over parts of central Cuba, slows down, and just moves right into the Keys, then into Florida, there's a chance it may stay just as a tropical storm and really die out quickly.

Bottom line, there's a lot that can happen. So, we're going to watch this very carefully and keep you up to speed. However, if you happen to be in Florida or live anywhere on the Gulf Coast, even over in places like Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, you need to go ahead and get prepared for this storm. It can turn on a dime. It certainly is that time of the year, from now to November it's going to be hurricane season and we really need to keep a sharp eye on the tropics. No question Fay is going to be a tremendous concern. Let's send it back to you, Fred.

WHITFIELD: Yeah, I'd say this is like the real big sound alarm to go off this hurricane season so far, at least for the folks in south Florida.

WOLF: Absolutely.

WHITFIELD: We're not even at the peak point, though, of this season. Isn't that usually September?

WOLF: We've got a long way to go, absolutely.

WHITFIELD: Yeah, we sure do. All right, thanks so much, Reynolds, appreciate it.

WOLF: Anytime.

WHITFIELD: All right, let's talk presidential politics now and religion, how they intersect tonight. And you'll see it live on CNN -- Barack Obama and John McCain discussing faith at a forum in southern California. Evangelical preacher and author, Rick Warren, he is the author of "Purpose Driven Life," he'll be asking the questions in the sanctuary of his mega church. Obama will try to sway conservative Christians. McCain already shares many of their views, but at times appears uncomfortable talking about his own faith. Warren outlined his plans right here on CNN.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REV RICK WARREN, EVANGELICAL PASTOR AND AUTHOR: We're going to look at four different segments. One is a segment on leadership, what goes the personal character, competence, experience of each of these guys. One section will be on what I call stewardship, which is on the role and responsibility of the presidency, what they believe about the constitution, about the role of America. We're going to look at a section on world view, which is all of those minefield questions that no matter how you answer them, somebody's not going to like it. And then we're going to look at America's role internationally, how we've been a blessed nation and how should we bless others.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: All right, and you can watch that forum live tonight, right here on CNN, John McCain and Barack Obama together on stage for the first time at 8:00 Eastern.

All right, Michael Phelps, well, he makes waves with another gold medal. But a key track and field athlete runs out of gas.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: This is very sad, stabbing victim Barbara Bachman is back in Minnesota. She and her husband were attacked at a tourist site while attending the Beijing Olympic games. Her husband was killed. Air ambulance brought her to the Mayo Clinic for more treatment. She had eight hours of surgery in Beijing and doctors say she is alert and talking. The Bachman's son-in-law is back at the helm of the U.S. men's Olympic volleyball team. He coached the men to victory over China.

And it is a photo finish for Michael Phelps. He wins the 100 meter butterfly by a fingernail to capture his seventh gold medal in the Beijing games. Phelps is tied with Mark Spitz for the most gold medals in a single Olympics.

Well, he is in the spotlight in Beijing and around the world. Now CNN.com will be actually talking to him. Multiple gold medal winner, Michael Phelps joins CNN.com live this Tuesday. And if you are a big Phelps fan -- who isn't these days -- go to i-Report.com right now and submit your video question for Michael Phelps. Don't miss Michael Phelps live Tuesday morning 8:30 a.m. Eastern, only on CNN.com/live.

Well, a huge disappointment for this man here and the U.S. track and field team, today. Sprinter, Tyson Gay failed to make the finals of the 100 meter dash. The defending world champion finished fifth in the semifinals, his only chance at an Olympic medal now is in the relays.

Well, the international Olympic committee calls it bad sportsmanship. Swedish wrestle Ara Abrahamian was irate over a penalty that resulted in his semifinal loss to the eventual gold medal winner. In protest he dropped his bronze medal to the floor as you see right there in that still photograph. The IOC in turn stripped Abrahamian of his medal and booted him from the games altogether.

And then later on this hour, the story of a generation of Olympians whose sacrifices remain unmatched. I take you on this journey with my dad, five-time medalists and many other Olympians of his day.

And Obama, McCain and religion, we look ahead to tonight's faith forum and check in live with the CNN "Election Express."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Faith, religion and politics. Barack Obama hoping to make inroads among Evangelical voters who overwhelmingly favor Republicans. Take a look, a CNN Opinion Research Corporation poll shows white, born again or Evangelical voters favor John McCain over Obama 67 to 24 percent. In 2004, 78 percent of Evangelicals supported President Bush.

Well, senators Obama and McCain mix politics and religion tonight in Washington taking questions from Pastor Rick Warren before a crowd of Evangelical Christians. Senior political analyst, Bill Schneider is on the road with his CNN "Election Express" near Kansas City, Missouri, looking, oh, so comfortable, there. He's joining us with a take on what could or could not happen this evening and other things.

All right, let's talk about tonight. We're talking about the two kind of -- well, they're together, but not really face to face. Explain. BILL SCHNEIDER, CNN SR POLITICAL ANALYST: That's right. Well, what they're doing is they're going to this presidential forum at the invitation of Rick Warren, the best selling author who wrote "A Purpose Driven Life," pastor of an (INAUDIBLE) Evangelical church in California. But they're not going to be interviewed together. It's going to be, I think first -- I don't know who's first, but it's McCain, then Obama or Obama, then McCain. They're going to be interviewed separately an hour each by Rick Warren. So they're not going to be on the stage or the pulpit together at any time.

WHITFIELD: OK, but I understand there may be like a handoff, a moment, maybe they'll be shaking hand, whatever, people will be watching the body language. And aside from that let's talk about how spirituality or faith and politics will be either merging or colliding this evening. What are the expectations?

SCHNEIDER: Well, as we saw in the poll, Evangelical -- white Evangelical voters are strongly, in fact, overwhelmingly for John McCain, as they have been in presidential elections really for almost the past 30 years since 1980 when Ronald Reagan brought them into the Republican coalition.

They're still voting strong Republican, but the situation this year is not as polarized, not as divided as it has been in recent elections. What we're finding is a lot of Evangelical voters don't really trust McCain, even though he's with them on the important issues like abortion, where he has always had a pro-life, that is anti-abortion voting record. He's said things and made indications that he's not completely in line with their agenda.

For instance, he indicated just last week that he might be willing to consider an abortion rights supporter as his running mate. So, they don't really trust him. Obama has made it clear that religion is important to him, that he can speak the language of religious values even though he doesn't really agree with them on most of their major moral issues. He's going to try to reassure the voters that he's not a threat, that he's not someone they can see as dangerous. So, each candidate has a task to perform as they address this Evangelical community, tonight.

WHITFIELD: And how about finally narrowing the list of running mates? Perhaps the forum is not going to be the right forum in which either one of these candidates will reveal who their selections are on running mates.

SCHNEIDER: I doubt it.

WHITFIELD: But, certainly the conventions, the Democratic convention coming up, first.

SCHNEIDER: Yes. The -- Barack Obama is expected to name his running mate before the convention. He doesn't have to. He can do it at the convention, and that has been done from time to time, not recently, though. But he's expected to run -- name his running mate sometime this week. And of course there are spies and rumors everywhere, all over the country. Everyone is looking for where is the secrcret service agency setting up camp? Do they think Obama is going to show up or name his running mate, what's going on? People watching every one of the likely -- expecting that decision sometime very, very soon.

WHITFIELD: OK. Meantime, still talking about the convention, the Democratic convention in particular. Let's talk about those Clintons, they will be making an appearance. Hillary will have her moment as will Bill, but very different moments.

SCHNEIDER: That's right. Hillary Clinton will speak on the second night, Tuesday night of the convention, the week after next, Bill Clinton on Wednesday night. Interestingly, Mark Warner, the key note speaker, has long been associated with Obama, he endorsed Obama. He will be speaking the same night as Hillary Clinton, so she won't have the night to herself. And the vice presidential nominee will be speaking the same night as Bill Clinton.

So, clearly, the Obama campaign is trying to placate the Clintons. They described it as peace in the kingdom was the objective in trying to reach out to the Clintons, to make sure that some of the die-hard Clinton supporters, who have suggested they might be willing to make trouble at the convention -- they want her name placed in nomination, Obama has agreed to that. So she will have her moment at the convention, but the Obama campaign is still in full control.

WHITFIELD: Yeah, so maybe placating the Clintons, but also perhaps placating a lot of the supporters particularly of Hillary Clinton, who are still kind of undecided, really not that crazy about throwing their support to Barack Obama.

SCHNEIDER: And even if she has endorsed Obama, she's been a good soldier, her husband shas endorsed Obama, some of her supporters aren't taking direction from her. They're angry and they want to be heard. They want to have speeches, their own speeches at the convention. They want to be able to vote for her because of the historic moment of a woman winning all those primaries.

WHITFIELD: All right, Bill Schneider on the move there on the "Election Express," making your way towards Kansas city, Missouri. Enjoy the ride. You look so comfortable. I love the way that bus is set up -- very cushy.

SCHNEIDER: It's terrific. And we're going to Kansas City, going to have some ribs.

WHITFIELD: Oh, of course. You cannot not have ribs while in Kansas City. All right, thanks so much. Enjoy and bon appetit.

All right, well, tonight, faith and the candidates, once again, a little reminder, how religion shapes their lives, their views and their candidacy. Plus a preview of tonight's Evangelical forum with Rick Warren. Join John King for the next president campaign kickoff, that's at 7:00 Eastern Time, right here on CNN.

Well, prices may be low, but is politics running high throttle at Wal- Mart, of all places? I'm talking with our CNN legal team coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Well, just because you are traveling, doesn't mean you can't be environmentally friendly. Melissa Long takes a look at how you can be green and be on the go.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MELISSA LONG, CNN NEWS CORRESPONDENT (voice over): You don't have to give up every comfort to be an eco-friendly traveler.

AMY ZIFF, TRAVELOCITY.COM: You can have every last amenity if you want to stay in an eco resort, but of course you can do something like camping and make sure that you have no impact on the environment, whatsoever.

LONG: If camping is not your thing, a few small changes can go a long way.

ZIFF: Things like taking mass transit from the airport rather than hailing a cab, turning off the lights before you leave a hotel room.

LONG: But, when choosing green places, don't be fooled by marketing.

ZIFF: Greenwashing is when a hotel or some travel provider markets themselves as being green friendly, but indeed their practices don't actually mirror that intent.

LONG: To avoid them, Amy Farley of "Travel & Leisure" magazine suggests doing your homework.

AMY FARLEY, TRAVEL & LEISURE: There's no single green hotel or accreditation system in the U.S. or even the world, right now, so it's confusing. There's Green Globe and Greenleaf, both of those are great. And also look for hotels that have energy star ratings from the U.S., that means that they're doing a lot to reduce their energy use.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Bottom of the hour, 30 minutes after the hour. Happening right now in THE NEWSROOM, President Bush this morning calling Russia's agreement to a cease-fire a hopeful step. He insists the breakaway regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia must remain part of Georgia. Russian troops now pulling back, but not out of the former Soviet republic.

Evangelicals are rallying right now in Washington. And tonight, right there, Barack Obama and John McCain face off on the issues of faith and values. You can watch them live 8:00 p.m. Eastern right here on CNN.

Let's go now to the Washington mall where thousands of evangelical Christians are answering the call. CNN's Kate Bolduan is there in the throes of it all. Kate?

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi there, Fredricka. We're definitely in the middle of it all, as you can see. This event probably, I think, has been going on four hours now. It's going to continue throughout the day and into the evening. The organizers here, they say they expect thousands to come out. And from what I can see and from what you can probably see, I think that's a pretty safe bet at this point. Organizers -- we did hear from former Republican Presidential candidate Mike Huckabee a little earlier, but the organizers and the people we speak to say this event is more about spirituality and evangelical core issues than it is about politics.

But as often happens with evangelical issues, it does spill into politics and we have heard that today. Listen here.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think the candidates are so driven by polls and just political rhetoric. I think I'm very discouraged with our political system, only in the sense that I think I would like a man to just stand up and say, this is what I believe in and this is what I believe will help, and this is what I'm willing to fight for. Wouldn't you like to see that? I mean, wouldn't you like to see these guys say, look, this is who I am and this is what I think will make a difference, and this is what I'll fight for, because I believe in it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: You heard it here and we continue to hear it as we have been walking around here; the group of evangelicals here, they really say that the issues they care about, the core evangelical issues, abortion and same-sex marriage -- they simply say they haven't heard enough about those issues from the campaign trail, and say that's part of what today is about, getting together and really pushing to try to refocus political discussion. These issues in the recent past have taken a back seat to other issues on the campaign trail, like the environment, like the economy or jobs. They say this is part of what today is about, trying to refocus the political discussion. Fredricka?

WHITFIELD: All right, Kate Bolduan there at the Washington mall. Thanks so much, as the lead up continues to the forum this evening involving Barack Obama, as well as John McCain, in a spiritual based forum hosted by author Rick Warren.

Meantime, let's check back with our own Reynolds Wolf in the weather center, where Fay is making her mark, whether she is a tropical storm or a hurricane already.

(WEATHER REPORT)

WHITFIELD: Fair enough warning. Thanks so much, Reynolds.

We're hearing that one of America's most powerful and most popular retailers, Wal-Mart, is urging its employees to vote Republican. Wal- Mart calls it educating their employees. Others are calling it intimidation. CNN's Randi Kaye reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) RANDI KAYE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The featured special at retail giant Wal-Mart these days is not for its customers, but instead for its employees. And to some of the company's 1.5 million workers, the special message sound like vote Republican, stop Obama. The theory goes, if Wal-Mart can help keep Obama out of the White House, that could also keep labor unions out of Wal-Mart. After all, Obama has supported a pro-labor measure called the Employee Free Choice Act, and said he'd sign it if elected.

OBAMA: I think that we should pass the Employee Free Choice Act. That will make it easier for unions to organize, make it harder for companies to block unionization.

KAYE: And that could drive up Wal-Mart's costs. Wal-Mart employees, like the one who sent us this e-mail, say they were summoned to meetings in recent weeks. The e-mailer, a former department manager from Missouri, asked not to be identified for fear of retaliation. He told us he attended a meeting led by his human resources director; "he verbally, and with a power point presentation, informed us that a Democratic government would be bad for Wal-Mart. We were basically told that we should vote Republican, because they were against this bill and it would be better for Wal-Mart. Several people were offended because we felt like we were being told how to vote."

The company says the meetings were only to educate managers and hourly supervisors about the Employee Free Choice Act, and to explain why Wal-Mart is opposed to it. Some pro-labor groups say, yes, the company is violating election law, and are demanding the Federal Election Commission investigate. Today, the groups filed a federal complaint against Wal-Mart. Josh Goldstein with Americans Rights at Work say he's heard complaints from dozens of Wal-Mart employees.

JOSH GOLDSTEIN, AMERICANS RIGHTS AT WORK: Barack Obama's name was mentioned in the meeting, saying that he was a co-sponsor of this legislation, if he becomes president, that the Employee Free Choice Act would pass.

KAYE: Goldstein says the act would help workers bargain for higher wages and better working conditions. CNN obtained this memo from Wal- Mart's chief operating officer to the management team. It reads, "if anyone representing our company gave the impression we were telling associates how to vote, they were wrong and acting without approval. No matter what you personal political preferences might be, as a company, we will not take sides."

(on camera): Did Wal-Mart break the law? Federal election rules do allow companies to advocate for a candidate, but only to stockholders, salaried managers and executives, not to hourly employees.

(voice-over): This law professor says Wal-Mart walked right up to the line but didn't cross it. Discussing consequences of an election, he says, is not illegal.

NATHANIEL PERSILY, COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY: They have to have crossed an objective threshold into expressly advocating for the election or defeat of a candidate. If they're just talking about legislation, if they're talking about the pros and cons of different candidates' positions, then there's nothing wrong with that.

KAYE: Wal-mart says, "we believe that if the FEC looks into this, they will find what we've known all along, that we did nothing wrong."

Randi Kaye, CNN, Orlando.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: So was it education or intimidation? Let's have our legal guys delve into this one. Avery Friedman is a civil rights attorney and law professor. Good to see you.

AVERY FRIEDMAN, CIVIL RIGHT ATTORNEY: Hi, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: And Richard Herman is a New York criminal defense attorney and law professor. Good to see you as well.

RICHARD HERMAN, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY. Hi, Fred.

WHITFIELD: OK, so I'm going to steal the line that Randi had in her piece there. Did Wal-Mart walk up to the line or did it cross the line, Avery?

FRIEDMAN: Poor Wal-Mart, they're so misunderstood, aren't they, Fredricka?

WHITFIELD: That's what they're saying.

FRIEDMAN: That's exactly what they did. They walked up to the line. The fact is that companies under federal law may certainly take positions with respect to legislation. And they may also talk to their stockholders and their senior management. The issue is whether or not hourly workers were brought into the mix. If they were, they're going to have a legal problem. But the bottom line is this: probably what happened --

WHITFIELD: It depends on what kind of an employee you are?

FRIEDMAN: Well, right. The point here, though, is that if they do not try to influence hourly workers into voting for a particular candidate or voting against one, it does not violate federal election law.

WHITFIELD: Richard, I can hear you grumbling over there. What?

HERMAN: Well, the professor from Columbia was right on. Here's the situation: Wal-Mart has every right to educate their employees. These were employees. They have a right to educate them.

FRIEDMAN: Managers.

HERMAN: They have a right to educate the managers. They have a right to educate anybody --

FRIEDMAN: No. HERMAN: Yes, they have a right to educate as to the consequences of a proposal that would bring a union into that premises. They have every right to educate them.

FRIEDMAN: If they brought the greeter in, Richard, they'd be having big troubles right now with the Federal Election Commission.

HERMAN: They do not go into the voting booth. These people have their free choice. Because Target (sic) chose to educate their employees, they have now become a target by national --

WHITFIELD: Wal-Mart doesn't like that, as a competition. OK, well that is interesting. Richard, you mentioned, the employer is not actually in the voting booth, behind the curtain with the voter. But what if that voter or that employee feels like, you know what, my employer is telling me this is what I've got to in order do to keep my job and there's going to be some spy around here who's going to know how I'm voting, so they feel forced?

HERMAN: Fred, that's the ultimate issue. Did Wal-Mart tell them you must vote Republican? If they did that, I agree, that's a direct violation. But if they just educated them and said, these are perhaps consequences which may arise as a result of this employee act being implemented and Wal-Mart becoming unionized, then you have a right to vote anyway you want. If you have feel intimidated, that's your own personal feeling, but that's a fact. If Wal-Mart gets unionized, things are going to change.

FRIEDMAN: Don't you honestly think this is a tempest in a teapot? When you close that curtain in the voting booth, how in the heck is Wal-Mart or anybody else going to know what you do?

WHITFIELD: Yes, you should be able to do whatever it is you want to do. Meantime, it's still interesting enough for the FEC to look into, as well as the AFL-CIO, also claiming that they're investigating. All right, let's move on to another topic, this one involving folks in Georgia, particularly if you fly in and out of Atlanta's Hartsfield Jackson airport. People with firearms licenses still cannot take guns into non-secure areas in the airport. That was the latest ruling in the court. But, of course, there are people saying, why not, if I'm allowed to take it everywhere else, including restaurants and state parks, why shouldn't I be able to take it to the airport? Avery?

FRIEDMAN: Well, US District Judge Marvin Shupe (ph) is one of the senior federal judges there in Atlanta, actually bumped into sanity in this whole thing. You have 90 million people coming in and out of the airport. Basically what the judge said, in his words were, you're actually inviting a potential catastrophe if you let people bring in arms. I mean, I guess, if you're going to meet grandma at the airport with a 21-gun salute, you might have to go another direction. It's an absolutely sensible, smart ruling. For the gun extremists, that isn't what the Supreme Court said in the Heller decision.

WHITFIELD: OK, Richard? I was going to say, if allowed in one place -- we're talking about the same state and we're talking about the same statue, why is it OK in one area and not in others? HERMAN: Because certain areas have been deemed gun-free zones. The public interest for safety overrides this particular legislation.

WHITFIELD: Like a state park and a restaurant shouldn't be gun free?

HERMAN: Apparently they're not now. But the airport is, and that's the point. After 9/11, the Transportation Security Administration has been charged with providing safety at the airports federally. There's going to be federal legislation on this so that each state doesn't have these types of litigations going on every day. The Transportation Security Administration will implement procedures. They're going to refuse to have guns at airports. It's the right move, the right decision.

FRIEDMAN: Federal trumps state in this case.

HERMAN: Absolutely, Fred. Avery is 100 percent right.

WHITFIELD: Did I hear you say that, Richard?

HERMAN: I don't know --

FRIEDMAN: I'm surprised to hear that.

WHITFIELD: Do we need to re-rack this that tape? He said he was 100 percent right.

FRIEDMAN: I'm going to savor the moment, I guess.

HERMAN: It's the wild west down there in Georgia. Get out.

WHITFIELD: I was going to say, we like to keep it interesting.

HERMAN: The OK Corral there in the airport.

WHITFIELD: Thanks so much, Richard and Avery. Good to see you guys.

HERMAN: Good to see you, take care.

WHITFIELD: Thank you.

Olympians from the past reuniting in Beijing. And I'll be along for this special trip down memory lane.

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WHITFIELD: We are entering the second and final full week of the Olympic games, and boarding planes this weekend, Beijing-bound Olympians who medaled 60 years ago, in 1948. Among them, my dad, Mal Whitfield, five-time medalist. Before he and I take off for China day after tomorrow, he stopped by to answer Don Lemon's questions.

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DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Sixty years. You excited? MAL WHITFIELD, 1948/1952 OLYMPIAN: Yes. I didn't think I was going to make it this long. I've lived an unusual life in athletics and of course in the military.

LEMON: You won all of these medals while you were in the military. Tell us how you did that. How did you do it?

M. WHITFIELD: Well, it was a childhood dream in the very beginning. Eight years old I saw the Los Angeles Coliseum Olympic games. That was my first, didn't know what I was doing, along with my other friends from the local field of share croppers down in Watts, California.

LEMON: Wow.

M. WHITFIELD: Then four years later, I was energized by this great man called Jesse Owens, this guy I had a pin on my shirt here.

LEMON: He's one of your heroes?

M. WHITFIELD: Oh, yes.

LEMON: Now you guys are heroes now and you're going to go back. And we understand you're going to see at least one of your comrades, so to speak. You were worried that they wouldn't recognize you.

M. WHITFIELD: Well, I really -- so much has gone in between tables. Living in one society and me in another, trying to make things happen, and enjoying a good life that god gave me this opportunity.

LEMON: I'm going to ask Fred some questions and then we're going to get back to you, Marvelous Mal. We've talked about this a lot. Growing up, you said you didn't really appreciate or maybe didn't know the importance of it, but now you get it.

WHITFIELD: Well, I appreciate it at a much greater volume now. I think that just comes with maturing. As a kid, this is my dad. That's how I knew Mal Whitfield. Of course, I knew he was an Olympian and once an Olympian, always an Olympian. I got that part. But it's only as an adult, seeing and understanding the sacrifices that my parents, both of them, made to be who they are and the sacrifices they made to pave the way for everyone else who would come up behind them, whether it was their kids or anyone else, understanding that my dad was drafted in 1943 during World War III -- or World War II, the start of, and still maintained that hope to be an Olympian, which he was inspired in 1932, as he was saying, at the L.A. Coliseum, and to stay focused.

And our generation and so many generations after us, we think, you know, tough times. We think we know what tough times are.

LEMON: I've got too much on my schedule and my plate.

WHITFIELD: So to hear about his generation and all that they did, the sacrifices, the hurdles, and they cleared them all and still became Olympians. And then to medal at that, just too extraordinary. Inspires me all the time.

LEMON: Inspiration, absolutely. So tell us a little bit, as much as you can, about your journey, because I know there are some surprises along the way.

WHITFIELD: Yes. Well, you know, I have always wanted to go to the Beijing games. And I've been trying to plan this for the last year. But it really was within only the past month that I decided to bring my dad in on the scheme because, A, I just wanted him to be surprised and I wanted to make sure we had everything in check. I reached out to a number of folks who were going to be there, and some of whom he knows will be there and some who he doesn't know. We know, dad, that every Olympic games that you go to since your Olympic games, it's like one big reunion, seeing old friends, people you trained with or folks that you met along the way. So that's what it will be like.

LEMON: It's going to be very interesting. You guys leave on Monday.

WHITFIELD: Yes, I can't wait.

LEMON: I'm going to see you tonight. We're having a barbecue at the place. I'm going to see you again tonight. I have my camera all ready. I brought it out here on the set. We've been taking pictures.

WHITFIELD: Dad, how excited to are you to go?

LEMON: Are you excited? How excited are you? Are you ready for this?

M. WHITFIELD: I've been excited, even more so, since she -- seeing her every day and the few days in between, and her organizing this to see how she has grown.

LEMON: Marvelous Mal Whitfield and Fredricka Whitfield --

WHITFIELD: Can I just say when I see these pictures of my dad in his day and I remember him telling me what Wembley (ph) Stadium was like -- it was a dirt track, nothing like what it is today. Nothing of the sort of Olympians, the tools that they have. So, dad what's it like when you see these pictures of yourself up there? Any thoughts that come to mind?

M. WHITFIELD: A reflection going back to the early days of it. It was the style, the fad, the wannabe and gonna-be and it took all the gonna-be businesses together to magnify still something bigger than what you can imagine. And I hadn't been there before. But I was encouraged by so many great athletes.

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WHITFIELD: Don't you want to meet some of the other Olympians of dad's generation? They are all so remarkable and extraordinary. I'm going to introduce you to some of them. I want you to get to know some of them in the 3:00 p.m. Eastern hour, right here in THE NEWSROOM. Much more when we come right back.

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WHITFIELD: All right. Talk about inspiration, Madonna, happy birthday. The Material Girl turning 50, not looking it at all. As an artist, Madonna not only endures, she triumphs. According to Guinness World Records, Madonna is the most successful female solo artist ever. She's sold around 120 million albums and 40 million singles, a combined total more than any other female. And all that before her 50th birthday today.

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