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American Morning
Fay Threatens Florida Again; Obama's VP Pick Revelation to Come Any Time Now; Gymnast Shawn Johnson Wins Gold; Obama Reveals What He's Looking for in a Running Mate; The U.S. Missile Defense Program in Poland; New Calls to Lower the Drinking Age to 18
Aired August 20, 2008 - 06:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: The storm that won't go away.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I felt like I was in a twisted movie, a horror movie.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: Tropical Storm Fay gets more dangerous over land, threatening Florida again.
And 18 to drink. More than 100 college presidents say 21's not working. A move to end binge drinking.
And moms who say it will lead to more drunk driving on this AMERICAN MORNING.
Good morning. Thanks very much for being with us. It's a Wednesday. It's the 20th of August, and all kinds of news being made this morning.
KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR: Yes. I'm wondering if we're just political nerds or if everyone is sitting around their tables this morning saying who is Barack Obama going to pick as his vice presidential nominee?
ROBERTS: And more importantly, when is it going to happen.
CHETRY: Exactly.
Well, we have breaking developments as Barack Obama prepares to reveal his vice presidential choice and it literally could come at any moment. Sources within and close to the campaign revealing that Delaware Senator Joe Biden is a leading candidate.
The "Associated Press" is now reporting whoever gets the pick will appear with Obama at an event in his home state of Illinois this Saturday at the Old State Capitol in Springfield. That's where he launched his presidential campaign.
Meanwhile, hurricane watches are in effect right now for parts of northern Florida and Georgia as Tropical Storm Fay lingers off the eastern Florida coast. This storm just won't go away across Florida, leaving flooding in its wake, spawning tornadoes southeast of Orlando. More than 50 homes were damaged. Two injuries reported there, and Fay could strengthen before making a third Florida landfall tomorrow.
We're going to have much more on that in just a moment.
And President Bush focusing his attention on the conflicts in Iraq and Georgia. Later today he'll speak at a convention for Veterans of Foreign Wars. A White House spokesman says that Mr. Bush will reflect on the significant moments in the U.S.-led war on terror. The president is also expected to criticize Russia for failing to withdraw forces from Georgian territory.
ROBERTS: Well, turning back to politics and our top story. One week from today Barack Obama's running mate will address the Democratic National Convention. Now the senator could make known his selection at any moment.
Yesterday, one possible contender, Joe Biden, raised a few eyebrows when he said, hey, guys, it's not me. I'm not your guy. But he later reemerged to say this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JOE BIDEN (D), DELAWARE: I promise you, I don't know anything. I have no idea. I haven't spoken to no one.
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Have you spoken with (INAUDIBLE) at all. He said it's not me.
BIDEN: I have not spoken with anyone. I have not spoken with anyone.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You're not ruling out that you're still being considered, then?
BIDEN: I have no idea.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: Well, a slight little walk back from what he said earlier. Joining us now, CNN's Suzanne Malveaux. She has got all of the latest developments. I mean, obviously Biden is going to talk to somebody if he's in consideration for this.
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: You know, it's fun to watch because Biden really isn't known for someone who's being quiet. You know, he always has something to say and see him kind of dodge this question.
Obviously, you know, he's playing coy a little bit here. People I've talked to who are close to the process say that it's very possible that they haven't told these guys yet where they stand, and it's better to kind of throw reporters off to send a little bit not to necessarily publicly lobby for the job. As for the timing, you know, there's a lot of speculation about this. I've been told that today would be a little too early, but certainly the target is for Saturday. That's when Obama's going to be in Springfield, Illinois, likely one of those two will appear together.
ROBERTS: Yes. I remember talking to John Edwards in his driveway back in 2000 when he'd just come from a meeting with I think it was Warren Christopher, and he said, oh, don't know what you're talking about. Vice president, no, no, no, no, no.
As far as the tea leaves go, everybody's trying to read these things figure out where this whole thing is going. Who else is in consideration besides Joe Biden?
MALVEAUX: Sure. Sure. Well, we know Indiana Senator Evan Bayh. Obviously a former huge Hillary Clinton supporter would be very advantageous so that's probably that they're talking about, necessarily attack dog, but certainly someone who would bring over some of those white women, the blue collar voters that he needs.
Also, Kathleen Sebelius of Kansas. That is somebody who's being considered. But some people worry that perhaps she would alienate, not attract some female voters. Those who wanted Hillary Clinton that...
ROBERTS: Yes.
MALVEAUX: ... that might actually backfire.
ROBERTS: What would female voters say if he chose a woman, but it wasn't Hillary Clinton?
MALVEAUX: There are a lot of Hillary Clinton supporters who would say, you know, why not Hillary if in fact it is a women. Finally, Tim Kaine of Virginia. That's where Barack Obama is going to be campaigning today. Not necessarily together. Could be a chance for Virginia to capture, you know, a Democrat in more than four decades.
ROBERTS: Yes. Some people are wondering if that could be the first domino to drop in the campaign for the Democrats to retake the South after so many decades.
MALVEAUX: Absolutely. And just reading the tea leaves, it was interesting. Barack Obama made a little bit of -- maybe it was a slip. I'm not sure when he referred to the VP as a he and not a he/she.
ROBERTS: Yes.
MALVEAUX: But we're just reading tea leaves right now so we could be surprised.
ROBERTS: All right. Suzanne, thanks very much. You've got a special coming up, by the way, tonight that we should mention. A programming note here.
It's called "Obama Revealed" 9:30 Eastern time tonight with Suzanne Malveaux. That would be preceded by "McCain Revealed" with our John King at 8:00 p.m. Eastern -- Kiran.
CHETRY: All right. Thanks, guys.
Well, back to Tropical Storm Fay. And right now, hurricane watches are in effect for northern Florida and Georgia. Fay at this hour is just off the shore of Melbourne, about 15 miles south of Cape Canaveral.
The storm still dumping torrents of rain on the state. It caused widespread flooding and power outages, spawning tornadoes that left homes damaged, dozens of them, in fact.
So for more on Fay's wrath, we turn to AMERICAN MORNING's Rob Marciano live at the CNN weather center in Atlanta.
You were out in it. Now, you're back. There could be a third landfall of Fay just in Florida alone.
ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes. And what's amazing about the storm is how well it held together while it was over land. Fifty mile an hour winds is where it is right now. And as you mentioned, just offshore and likely to hug the coastline. Still well put together, especially the eastern part of the storm. Winds gusting along the beaches and certainly some waves battering that.
But what was most impressive with this storm is that after landfall, I mean, Fay proved to be far from done.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MARCIANO (voice-over): Tropical Storm Fay surprised a lot of folks as it ripped through south Florida.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We thought it was going to be just a light storm. Now it turns out to be this.
MARCIANO: Damage along the west coast of the state was just the beginning as the storm intensified over land.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is a unique situation. We normally see tropical storms and hurricanes decrease in intensity once they make landfall.
MARCIANO: Some residents were petrified.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I felt like I was in a twisted movie, a horror movie.
MARCIANO: But this movie is real. So far, no one has been killed as Fay blows through Florida, but there's been plenty of darkness. Power knocked out for nearly 100,000 homes and businesses.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Everything was shaking. The halls, the light. The window was shaking. Everything.
MARCIANO: So far the worst damage? Caused by a tornado southeast of Orlando, hitting 50 homes.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This loud, loud noise came and all of a sudden the roof just came off. And flying -- and flying glass and everything just started flying around. Everything just -- it just went.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What were you thinking at the time?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My life flashed before my eyes.
MARCIANO: And it's not over yet?
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MARCIANO: Far from over. The center part of the state seemingly getting the worst of the action with winds over Lake Okeechobee to hurricane force, 74 mile an hour winds there.
Here's the forecast track. OK. The good news today is that it looks like now it's going to hug the coastline as opposed to going off it by more than 50 or 100 miles, and that would probably limit its strength. So right now, the official forecast from the National Hurricane Center is to keep it below hurricane status as it moves up the coastline and then makes another dive to the left sometime during the day, tomorrow as a strong tropical storm, possibly minimal hurricane.
But the closer that thing hugs the coastline, Kiran, the more likely it is to remain a tropical storm and then certainly would be the good news. There are still some questions as what it does after that. Does it go back in the Gulf of Mexico or does it go farther north in the places that need the rainfall? This thing has been a headache for forecasters from the beginning. So we'll have to take it hour by hour and hopefully day by day. Back to you.
CHETRY: Wow. Fay trying to wring out every drop of moisture it can possibly give us before finally fading way. Fascinating.
MARCIANO: Yes.
CHETRY: Rob, thanks.
MARCIANO: OK.
ROBERTS: Seven minutes after the hour. President Bush heads to New Orleans today for a speech about Hurricane Katrina recovery efforts. In an advance copy of the speech, the president says the city is still struggling to recover from the devastating storm but he does see hopeful signs of progress. This will be the president's 11th trip to New Orleans since Katrina nearly three years ago now.
The federal government now collecting information on people who enter the U.S. by land. The Department of Homeland Security says the information will be stored for 15 years and is part of a broader effort to guard against terrorist threats. Similar information is already collected from international air passengers. Critics say new safeguards need to be in place to ensure the personal information to foreign travelers is not abused.
An 85-year-old woman. No easy mark for a would-be burglar. Leda Smith says she heard someone break into her home over the weekend. That's when she grabbed her gun, ordered the suspect to dial 911 and held him at gunpoint until troopers arrived.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LEDA SMITH, HELD SUSPECT AT GUNPOINT: What are you doing in my house?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is the -- you pointed the gun at him?
SMITH: I had the gun on him then, yes. I had it on before he turned around. I stood there behind the couch with the gun on him, I said, move.
I said, lay down on the floor. Turn your face away from me. Get your arms out. Spread your legs.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: And he did. Charges have now been filed against a 17- year-old suspect and an alleged accomplice.
Never argue with a granny with a gun.
CHETRY: Go for it. Good for you.
Well, stocks slide for a second day in a row. High inflation and down housing numbers. Weighing down the markets. So what does it mean for your money? We'll take a look just ahead.
Also, one final event and one last chance for American gymnast Shawn Johnson to pick up a gold medal. We'll tell you how she did when the "Most News in the Morning" returns.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: It's 11 1/2 minutes after the hour. Ali Velshi is off this week enjoying a little bit of vacation. Gerri Willis filling in this morning. And not great numbers in the economy yesterday.
GERRI WILLIS, PERSONAL FINANCE EDITOR: No, no, no. Not great numbers on the economy, not great numbers on the stock market. Let's take a look at what happened to the Dow yesterday.
Market down 130 points after falling 180 points the day before. We'll see if it's going to be a three-peat today. Not good numbers there. You'll see the Nasdaq and the S&P 500 also down.
Oil prices rising again. I know you don't like to see this. Light sweet crude closing higher, $114.53 a barrel. Not good news there. But I have to say, guess what, gas prices down one cent at $3.71.
ROBERTS: A fire sale.
WILLIS: 34th consecutive day of declines. I love to see that. I think everybody else does, too. We had some bad economic information come out yesterday. Wholesale inflation up and up dramatically.
So 10 percent, that's the biggest jump in 27 years. Housing construction down and the biggest loss there in 17 years. We had some earnings out yesterday that were interesting. Consumer, everybody wants to know what the consumers are doing with their money. Home Depot profits down 26 percent, but in the wacky world of the stock market people thought maybe that was good and better than expectations. You know how that works?
CHETRY: Right.
WILLIS: But we're looking at what the market is going to do today. Will it be a three-peat? Right now, futures look higher. So we'll see what happens and we'll let you know.
ROBERTS: All right. Gerri, thanks so much.
WILLIS: My pleasure.
CHETRY: Well, just minutes ago, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice signed a missile defense deal with Poland. But could that act provoke a furious Moscow and what could be in store for Russian relations? We're going to talk about that.
And new insight this morning on Barack Obama's vice presidential search. We're going to hear in his own words what he's looking for in a running mate.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: The guessing game over Barack Obama's running mate has really reached a fever pitch. There's rampant speculation over who it will be and when this introduction will be made. Yesterday, though, a clue, as Obama referred to his ideal running mate as a he. Let's listen.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Let me tell you first what I won't do. I won't hand over my energy policy to my vice president without knowing necessarily what he's doing. I won't have my vice president engineering my foreign policy for me. The buck will stop with me because I'll be the president.
My vice president also, by the way, my vice president will be a member of the executive branch. He won't be one of these fourth branches of government where he thinks he's above the law. But here's what I do want from my vice president. I want somebody who has integrity, who's in politics for the right reasons. I want somebody who is -- is independent. Somebody who is able to say to me, you know what, Mr. President, I think you're wrong on this and here's why. And will give me -- who will help me think through major issues and consult with me, will be a key adviser.
I want somebody who is capable of being president and who I would trust to be president. That's the first criteria for vice president.
And the final thing is, I want a president who shares with me a passion to make the lives of the American people better than they are right now. I want somebody who's not in it just because they want to have their name up in lights or end up being president. I want somebody who is mad right now that people are losing their jobs and is mad right now that people have seen their incomes decline and want to rebuild the middle class in this country.
That's the kind of person that I want. Somebody who in their gut knows where they came from and believes that we have to grow this country from the bottom up.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHETRY: That's Barack Obama in his own words. Coming up at 6:40, we're going to hear John McCain's views on how to make America energy independent.
We also have a programming reminder for you. Live coverage of the Democratic National Convention in Denver begins next Monday right here on the "Most News in the Morning."
ROBERTS: Well, big doings in Beijing. The ladies wrap up their gymnastic events giving American Shawn Johnson her last shot at the gold medal. How the 16-year-old from Iowa finished.
CHETRY: Party school.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It alarms me personally as well.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: A new push to lower the drinking age on campuses, and not from the people you'd expect.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: If they're allowed to drink in, say, a bar or an open area, they'll be more controlled.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: You're watching the "Most News in the Morning."
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: 21 minutes after the hour. Welcome back to the "Most News in the Morning."
A dream come true for U.S. gymnast Shawn Johnson. After three silvers she finally won gold taking the top stop in the balance beam by edging out her friend and teammate Nastia Liukin. The medal count at this hour, the U.S. leads with 79 to China's 77. Russia in third with 44 overall. China still leads though in the gold medal count. They've got 44.
The lady's precious medal was just the beginning of a successful day for American athletes. Our Larry Smith is live in Beijing this morning with a wrap up of the day's haul.
Larry, what a great night for Shawn Johnson. Great to see her win the gold.
LARRY SMITH, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: It really was. She was one coming here looking for gold and she saw her teammate and best friend Nastia Liukin win five medals in these games. Shawn Johnson gets four, as you mentioned, that elusive gold. Here's what else has been going on here in Beijing.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SMITH (voice-over): The U.S. women's gymnastics team wrapped a solid Olympic performance with Shawn Johnson winning gold on the balance beam, her fourth medal of these games. Teammate Nastia Liukin won her fifth medal in Beijing by taking the silver.
For the men, Jon Horton took silver on the high bar. The U.S. men's beach volleyball tandem of Phil Dalhausser and Todd Rogers will play for a gold medal after defeating Georgia in the semis.
On the track, 100 meter hurdles favorite Lolo Jones seemed on her way to gold until she clips the second to last hurdle, dropping her to seventh place, but clearing the way for fellow American Dawn Harper to capture gold, the U.S. track team's third gold medal of the games.
Sanya Richards settled on the bronze after leading for most of the women's 400 meters. And on the courts, the U.S. women's basketball team proved too strong for South Korea, winning by 44 points and now just two victories away from their fourth straight gold medal.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SMITH: One other note, by the way, USA ladies softball a little bit of drama. They had to score four runs in the top of the ninth to beat Japan to advance to the gold medal games. They'll try to defend their title in that matchup. Let's go back to you.
ROBERTS: All right. Larry Smith for us this morning in Beijing. Larry, thanks so much for that. CHETRY: Barack Obama keeping everyone guessing this morning about his vice presidential pick. An announcement could come any day. We're going to hear the latest buzz from those that are inside, have an inside look at the trail.
Also, Tropical Storm Fay getting ready to take a third swipe at Florida with wind, rain, spawning even tornadoes. Tracking the storm that won't go away.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: Welcome back to the "Most Politics in the Morning." Speculation mounting this hour at when Barack Obama's going to make his choice for a running mate public and who he's going to pick. Word could come any day.
Joe Biden, the senator out of Delaware, seems to be the name on everyone's lips today. And while the McCain camp selection is not expected until next week, insiders are weighing in fast and furious on the GOP potential pick as well.
Joining me to talk about this, Mark Halperin, a senior political analyst for "Time" magazine, editor of "The Page" on time.com. Thanks for being with us this morning.
MARK HALPERIN, SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST, "TIME": Sure.
CHETRY: So Joe Biden, he said as recently as June that he's not interested. Then he said I would say yes if asked. Why is there so much buzz right now about this long-time senator?
HALPERIN: Well, this is a complicated reporting job for us. It's not really anything more than a game. Eventually we'll know. But there is a great interest in trying to break the story and trying to figure it out.
And it's unique this year because the conventions are so close together. Normally you have one veepstakes then a little bit of a break as the conventions a month away. Now, we've got them both going on at once.
I think Biden makes sense to a lot of people. I think some of the other prospects feel their own chances have declined. No one is saying that about Biden's chances. I think that's why at least today he seems like the hottest pick.
CHETRY: And what does he bring to the ticket, potentially?
HALPERIN: Well, he brings a lot of experience. He brings passion. He brings not just experience in Washington, if they win to help govern, but on the campaign trail.
He's run for president a couple of times. I think they could be confident if they pick Joe Biden. He could give a great speech at the convention. He could go into the vice presidential debate very strong, and he could make an aggressive case against John McCain. CHETRY: Very interesting. What about if it's not Biden? Who are some of the other people? Because I can't -- I can't search VP pick Obama and not see Hillary Clinton's name still pop up. There's still some who believe that this dark horse, this could happen.
HALPERIN: This would be about the biggest surprise I've ever covered if it happens in part because she hasn't been looked at closely by Obama's campaign staff. At this point I think her mind, although at a time I think she was open to it, I think her mind is in a totally different place. If it's going to happen, I think Barack Obama's going to pull it out of his hat as a big surprise and offer it to her. She's not expecting it, and I wouldn't expect it to happen.
CHETRY: Right. Let's talk about John McCain. What about some potential running mates for John McCain because there's been a lot of talk all over talk radio. A lot of people are saying if he tries to go with somebody who's pro-choice like a Lieberman, that would be it for the base. A big deflation for the convention.
HALPERIN: Look, so many of the people who go to the convention in St. Paul are going to be pro-life and very strongly pro-life. I think it would be a disaster for him to pick someone who was not in agreement with the party platform on abortion. I don't think he will in the end. In fact, I think a lot of this may well be.
Some of my sources say just a feint in order to set up the pick for someone like a Mitt Romney who is pro-life but is not bad along history of being pro-life. And that this focus on, perhaps, Joe Lieberman, perhaps someone else's pro-choice is a way to make people who are pro-life happy with the eventual choice and to send a message that he's considering people from all parts of the party.
CHETRY: Is picking the vice president more of not messing up as opposed to doing something that's going to be fabulous for your chances of getting elected?
HALPERIN: I think 100 percent. For all the talk of what people brings to the ticket, the most important thing, and John McCain and Barack Obama get this, is someone who's perceived to be ready to be president from day one.
And I think you see the ostensible final list. And remember, one or both of these guys could still do a surprise. But the people who are most talked about, I think almost all of them clear that bar and that's the most important thing.
And that's why it's so difficult. You can see a lot of attractive possibilities, but it's very difficult to get to a point without ever having been president or vice president where the press and the public look and say, yes, that person's ready. I think that's partly why Joe Biden is getting so much attention because he does have a lot of experience that would prepare, I mean, he has run before.
CHETRY: Very interesting. One final thing before I let you go. The way in which this information is going to come out there, there's a lot of talk it's going to be a text message, right? Perhaps in the early hours of the night...
HALPERIN: From Barack Obama.
CHETRY: ... from Barack Obama.
HALPERIN: Both these guys have also wanted to have the process be secret. There's been very little leaking, very little disclosure.
CHETRY: Right.
HALPERIN: I think it's important for Barack Obama for his announcement to come through this text message, and I suspect that's the way it will work. That's why I'm holding this thing.
CHETRY: So is John.
HALPERIN: I don't want miss anything.
CHETRY: You guys don't want to miss it. All right.
HALPERIN: Yes.
CHETRY: Good to see you. Mark Halperin as always, thanks.
HALPERIN: Great to see you.
ROBERTS: There you go. The cat's out of the bag now. They're going to take us off the list. They're going to root us out and boot us off.
CHETRY: No, they won't.
ROBERTS: Thanks, Mark.
29 minutes after the hour. A look at our top stories now.
Tropical Storm Fay continues to hover off the coast of Florida prompting new hurricane watches for the northeastern part of the state and parts of Georgia. The storm right now just off the coast of Melbourne about 15 miles south of Cape Canaveral. The latest on her track in just a moment.
He gave up his ghost to heaven. And we will miss him always. That's how Dave Matthews is honoring Leroi Moore, the founding member of the Dave Matthews' Band. He died yesterday of complications stemming from an ATV accident back in June. The saxophonist had returned to his home in Los Angeles to begin an intensive physical rehabilitation program. Moore was 46.
A startling survey shows an overwhelming majority of Americans can cut their risk of cancer, but choose not to, and it's killings them. According to the American Cancer Society, 83 percent of Americans could reduce their odds of developing cancer by losing weight, eating right and exercising. It's estimated that a third of cancer deaths are linked to obesity, poor nutrition and a lack of exercise. Our Dr. Sanjay Gupta is going to be along later on this morning with more on that.
Breaking this morning, the United States officially has a new ally in its missile defense program. Just about an hour ago in Warsaw, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice signed a deal with Poland to install several interceptor missiles close to the Russian border. It's a deal that has Russia fuming.
CNN's State Department correspondent Zain Verjee is live this morning in Warsaw.
So, how is Russia reacting to this missile defense deal, Zain?
ZAIN VERJEE, CNN STATE DEPARTMENT CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, John. The Russians are really furious and frustrated that Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is signing this agreement with Poland. They are frustrated that this is happening, and they feel that this is the situation that is provoking them.
Secretary Rice said just a short while ago she's been insisting all along that this missile defense plan is not targeted against Russia. They think it is. But it's really to deter any missile threats coming from (INAUDIBLE) like Iraq and North Korea. Here's what she had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CONDOLEEZZA RICE, SECRETARY OF STATE: Missile defense, of course, is aimed at no one. It is in our defense that we do this. But I am very pleased that we have been able to achieve this accomplishment.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VERJEE: John, this deal has been in the works for a very long time. And also for a few months because of the demands the Polish government was making in order to make this deal happen, but they managed to work through any of the difficulties very quickly, John, after the Russians invaded Georgia -- John.
ROBERTS: Zain, what did Poland get from the United States for signing on to this deal?
VERJEE: Well, on one hand, they got what they wanted, which was more sense of security in the region, because they're a NATO ally. And if there's any attack against Poland (INAUDIBLE), that NATO will come to its help, which obliges the U.S. to protect Poland. Also, Poland gets (INAUDIBLE) here, and Poland significantly -- and this is separate from the missile defense deal, also gets air patriot missile defenses that it can use against Russia if it has to.
ROBERTS: Zain Verjee for us this morning, reporting live from Poland. Our apologies, by the way, for the poor audio. We'll try to get that fixed for the next time that's Zain is with us -- Kiran.
KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR: Well, new this morning, some mixed signals from Moscow. While Russian forces appear to be pulling back from the Georgian town of Gori, Russian troops were also seen parading 20 Georgian troops at a key port along the Black Sea. Witnesses say they were blindfolded, handcuffed and held at gun point.
Also extreme weather, power outages reported in Dallas County, Texas, after more overnight storms. Further south in Star County, 1,400 homes flooded after more than a foot of rain fell in that area. And rescuers near Wichita Falls used boats and military trucks to rescue people stranded in their homes.
Also in Oklahoma, more than a dozen roads blocked by floods. No wide scale evacuations, though, underway there. And further east, we're talking Florida again preparing for yet another round from Tropical Storm Fay. The cleanup begins today after tornadoes slammed into the homes. This is southeast of Orlando where you're looking at the trees uprooted. More than 50 houses damaged, two people hurt. And Fay's wrath also knocked out power to nearly 100,000 customers. And the strange thing is it's really far from over.
Our Rob Marciano was watching where Fay could hit again for a third landfall in Florida alone.
Hey, Rob.
MARCIANO: Yes. Hey, Kiran. It's like a saga. This thing won't end at all. And the odd thing, it's not pretty much everything we thought it wouldn't do, and one thing that was scary yesterday, it actually intensified once it made landfall. That just makes your head want to -- makes you want to scratch your head for sure.
Winds gusting now at 65 miles an hour. 50 miles an hour sustained. So, finally, it has weakened. It dumped a serious amount of rain across parts of Florida. A lot of this on the east side of the state. Vero Beach got over six inches. Melbourne, 5.91 and still raining in that area. Right now, actually, the center is quite pretty much over the Melbourne radar.
As far as wind gusts are concerned, again most of this on the east side of the state over Lake Okeechobee. Don't be out there. Hurricane gusts there 74 mile an hour gusts. And again, another indication of how much it intensified once it got over land. It was much more -- much better structured. Here it is. There's the center. There's the circulation. Obviously, the east side of the storm seeing most of the action right now. We do have winds anywhere from 20 to 35 miles an hour. And the center, again, right over pretty much the Melbourne radar about 15 miles south of Cape Canaveral.
All right, here's the forecast track. Right now if it goes any farther offshore, which they thought it would do yesterday, that would give it some time to strengthen. But right now the forecast track is for it to hug the coastline. And that's key, because it probably won't have enough time to strengthen into a hurricane. And we'll keep it at tropical storm status, and then shove it back into the northern part of Florida.
Of course, if it jogs a little farther to the east by 50 miles, then you know all bets are off. And there's no reason, Kiran, for us to think that it should do what we think it should do because it hasn't done that for the whole time. We'll see what happens. We'll keep you posted.
Kiran, back up to you.
CHETRY: Yes, what happened to your spaghetti models?
MARCIANO: Yes, spaghetti model, just like, you know, throwing spaghetti up against the wall to see what sticks. One of them stuck.
CHETRY: Well, Fay's sticking, that's for sure. That's the problem.
MARCIANO: Yes, she sure is sticking around.
CHETRY: All right, Rob, thanks.
MARCIANO: See you.
ROBERTS: Coming up on 36 minutes after the hour now, new calls to lower the drinking age to 18 from college presidents. We look at why educators want to give their students the right to drink alcohol.
CHETRY: Meet the Robinsons.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They've got these two lists that aren't talking to each other.
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CHETRY: Three people, including a third grader and a pilot, all on the terror watch list.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm carrying a weapon flying a multimillion dollar jet with passengers, but I'm still screened on the terrorist watch list.
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CHETRY: What's worse, they figured out how to get around it. You're watching the "Most News in the Morning."
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ROBERTS: Welcome back to the "Most News in the Morning." Should the national drinking age be lowered from 21 to 18? Lately, it's been more than just young people making that push. Some top educators now say it is time for a change.
And as CNN's Carol Costello shows us now, the issue is quickly turning into a national debate. CAROL COSTELLO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: John and Kiran, look. You can get a hunting license when you're 12. You can get a driver's license at 16. You can join the military at 18. But you can't buy a beer until you're 21. You know, there's been a quiet push online to change this. But suddenly the voices have become louder.
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COSTELLO (voice-over): The quiet move to lower the drinking age just got a lot louder. More than 100 university presidents, including those at Duke, Johns Hopkins and Ohio State have signed the Amethyst Initiative, urging 21 is not working because it fosters a culture of dangerous, clandestine binge drinking conducted off campus.
DENNIS O'SHEA, JOHNS HOPKINS: The conclusion of these presidents is that it's important to find a way to take the underground drinking that is forced by the 21-year-old drinking age, find a way to bring that back above ground, to confront it and to talk to our students about drinking responsibly.
COSTELLO: Johns Hopkins says that's difficult to do when you're acting as the enforcer, something Hopkins hasn't shied away from. 350 of its 4,000 students faced disciplinary charges last year for underage drinking. But mothers against drunk driving says the Amethyst Initiative is irresponsible. One-third of accidents involving teenagers are alcohol-related. MADD adds these college presidents are looking for an easy way out of an inconvenient problem.
LAURA DEAN-MOONEY, MOTHERS AGAINST DRUNK DRIVING: As the mother of a high school senior, it alarms me personally as well because I would not want my daughter to even contemplate going to a college where a university president has signed on to this initiative.
COSTELLO: The university presidents say they're not looking for an easy way out but taking on a difficult fight against a culture that celebrates secretive underage drinking.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is insane.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, man. This is college.
COSTELLO: "College," a new movie out next week, features high school students delighting in the anticipated debauchery of their prospective college.
Pictures of underage drunken students partying away from the prying eyes of adults litter Facebook. It begs the question -- what's better, drinking legally on campus at 18 or off campus illegally?
ERIN WAGNER, 19-YEAR-OLD COLLEGE STUDENT: I think it would be a good idea. I think it's better that young people if they're allowed to drink in, say, a bar or an open area, they'll be more controlled.
OREN MARGOLIS, 20-YEAR-OLD COLLEGE STUDENT: I think a lot of students wouldn't be or actually drink as much if the drinking age was lower. COSTELLO: Others clearly don't agree. And that's fine with those who've signed the Amethyst Initiative. If you've got a better idea, they say, they'd like to hear it.
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COSTELLO: And, you know, that is the issue. University presidents want to debate the issue so they can solve the problem. And they welcome any input, including input from MADD -- John, Kiran.
ROBERTS: Carol Costello for us this morning. Let's take a closer look now at the drinking age in an "A.M. Extra." Congress passed the National Minimum Drinking Age Act back in 1984, requires states to ban anyone under the age of 21 from buying or publicly possessing alcohol. States that do not enforce it lose highway funding. South Dakota tried to challenge the law but in 1987 the Supreme Court ruled that the Act does not violate the 21st amendment -- Kiran.
CHETRY: John McCain going to new lengths to show his support for offshore drilling and energy independence. We're going to hear what he's saying in his own words.
ROBERTS: Sitting ducks.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It was not safe then to work there.
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ROBERTS: The guard who survived two tours in Iraq, but couldn't survive a federal prison.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The population is just too unpredictable. And you never know if they're going to turn on you.
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ROBERTS: You're watching the "Most News in the Morning."
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ROBERTS: You see, the song is U2's "New York." So the theme must be -- the topic must be, New York. And it may soon claim the title of windy city. Under a bold plan to harness alternative energy, Mayor Mike Bloomberg is proposing that wind turbines be built on top of the city's buildings and bridges. And that's not all. In an energy summit last night, the mayor also threw out the idea of building an ocean wind farm to help generate power.
I can just see it. The historic Brooklyn Bridge with a wind farm on it. How beautiful would that be?
CHETRY: Yes, that world famous skyline would definitely change with those windmills, yes.
ROBERTS: Just a little bit.
CHETRY: We'll see how that proposal flies.
Meanwhile, John McCain shifting his focus from foreign policy back to rising energy prices. The presumptive Republican nominee toured an oil rig off Louisiana yesterday to drive home his call for new drilling. So here's John McCain in his own words.
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SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R-AZ), PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: We need to start drilling offshore at advanced oil rigs like this one. This rig survived a hurricane. They have been here for nine years. And they have produced a whole lot of oil and natural gas. As we speak, they are producing 10,000 barrels of oil a day and 15 million cubic feet of natural gas.
Senator Obama opposes new drilling. He said it won't solve our problem, and that it's, quote, "not real." He's wrong, and the American people know it. And I hope he'll seize the opportunity to come out and pay a visit like this one, and I think it would probably change his mind.
We all want to conserve. But we all know that conservation will not put us -- will not be sufficient to put us on the road to energy independence. The nation is sending $700 billion every year overseas to countries that don't like us very much. And when I'm president, that's going to stop.
We're going to achieve energy independence, and we're going to do it by using every resource at our disposal to get the job done, including new offshore drilling. New drilling has got to be part of our energy solution. It won't solve this problem alone. Alternative energy will not solve this problem alone. And conservation alone will not.
It will require aggressive development of alternative energies like wind, solar, tide, biofuels, natural gas. And it also requires expanding traditional sources of energy like clean coal, nuclear power and offshore drilling like that done on this rig.
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CHETRY: That's John McCain in his own words. Also a programming reminder, live coverage of the Republican National Convention in Minneapolis kicks off here on AMERICAN MORNING September 1st.
ROBERTS: A new debate over corporal punishment in class. Is it ever OK for a child to be slapped in school? See what both sides are saying now.
CHETRY: Face off.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think this guy's a bit cheesy with the mustache.
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CHETRY: Jeanne Moos hits the streets for the dream match-up. Michael Phelps versus Mark Spitz.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He's the guy. He's the man. I don't like all that hair.
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CHETRY: You're watching the "Most News in the Morning."
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CHETRY: A look at our control room this morning where everything goes down. That's why they tell us what to do. Right now they're saying, move on, read. Well, it's one of the most popular and iconic photos in all of sports.
ROBERTS: So it seemed only fitting that "Sport Illustrated" redo the shot with Michael Phelps in a nod to the man whose record he broke. Jeanne has got the "Most News in the Morning" for us.
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JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's the battle of the pinups.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He's the guy. He's the man. I don't like all that hair.
MOOS: Forget the backstroke. This is plain old stroking.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Phelps' muscles are just amazing. I mean, whoa. And even from a lesbian like myself, that is saying a lot.
MOOS: Everybody was saying a lot.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is the "oh my." Of course, with Mark Spitz.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The picture.
ROBERTS: A bonus swimsuit edition of sports illustrated.
MOOS: "Sport Illustrated" photographer Simon Bruty had only ten minutes to get the shot to recreate the pose from the famous 1972 poster of Mark Spitz with his seven gold medals. The trick was to capture the eighth dangling from Phelps' neck.
SIMON BRUTY, SPORTS ILLUSTRATED PHOTOGRAPHER: Angle of the dangle. Yes, that was definitely the problem we had. Basically, we used Gaffer tape to stick them together.
MOOS: Treasure chest the magazine called it. Though some complained, why is he wearing a halter top? Joke someone on the Web site, Gawker. Less medals, more flesh. Isn't that hitting below the belly button.
BRUTY: Trust me, he's wearing a suit.
MOOS: So was Spitz.
He's got nice little Speedo, though.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I ain't looking at no Speedo. I'm looking at the medals, girl.
MOOS: Not since Mr. T. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Victory!
MOOS: Not since Flavor Flav with his clocks. Have we seen such chest adornment? And almost everyone preferred the Phelps photo.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He's fresher looking. I think this guy is a bit cheesy with a mustache.
MOOS: Spitz had a few supporters. Which pinup do you prefer?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mark.
MOOS: Talk about raising eyebrows. Imagine you're at the Beijing games and you happen to look like Michael Phelps.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Everybody thinks that I'm Michael Phelps. My name is Steve from -- and I'm from England. From Great Britain. No Michael Phelps. I've never experience anything like this in my life.
MOOS: Meet Steve.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I keep telling my name is Steve Perry (ph) from Great Britain.
MOOS: He's a former Olympic medalist and now BBC pundit.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I never felt like a bigger fraud in all my life. No, no, no. I'm not Phelps. I'm not Michael Phelps.
MOOS: At least he's not being mistaken for mark Spitz whose 1972 picture was itself mistaken.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Obviously, I mistook him for a porn star so that's something, right?
MOOS: By the way, the new "Sports Illustrated" does include an actual pinup of Phelps. But there's no mention of Steve Perry.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, no, no. I'm not Phelps. I'm not Michael Phelps. MOOS: Jeanne Moos, CNN
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm not Phelps.
MOOS: New York.
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ROBERTS: Breaking news. Both candidates move closer to making their VP picks. When we'll see Barack Obama with his.
Plus, watching the watch list. A U.S. attorney, an airline pilot, and a third grader.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Are you a terrorist?
UNIDENTIFIED BOY: I don't know.
(END VIDEO CLIP) ROBERTS: All named James Robinson. All potential terrorists? You're watching the "Most News in the Morning."
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CHETRY: Should teachers or school administrators be allowed to physically discipline your children? Well, the fight over corporal punishment is picking up steam in Texas. Our Ed Lavandera takes a look.
ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: John and Kiran, another school year is set to begin and the debate over corporal punishment continues. And the family here in the West Texas town of Alpine wants to see the practice abolished.
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LAVANDERA (voice-over): In a sixth grade math class, Joe Cancellare says he was flicking rubber bands at a classmate when the teacher sent him to the principal's office. Cancellare says he then got two swats. That's what kids at his school call getting paddled, the most common form of corporal punishment.
JOE CANCELLARE, STUDENT: Of course I felt like really strange, like having this guy, like, hit me, you know. I felt really uncomfortable, of course.
LAVANDERA: That angered Joe's mother, Andrea, who said she had earlier written a letter to the school expressing her vehement opposition to corporal punishment and demanding that her son be exempted from the practice.
ANDREA CANCELLARE, STUDENT'S MOTHER: It's like the quick and dirty way of dealing with discipline problems. I agree. I think it's the lazy way of dealing with kids who might be under challenged and bored in class.
LAVANDERA: But supporters say corporal punishment should be one of several disciplinary actions available to school administrators. Alpine's superintendent Jose Cervantes argues it's like a coach who makes an athlete run laps for being late.
JOSE CERVANTES, ALPINE, TEXAS SCHOOL SUPERINTENDENT: It works on some and it doesn't work on others. And if you're one of the individuals that it does work on, yes, it will become a deterrent.
LAVANDERA: Joe Cancellare's story is part of a corporal punishment report by the human rights watch. They're fighting to ban the punishment. The group says about 220,000 public school students receive corporal punishment in the United States each year.
ALICE FARMER, HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH: This dries out the interest in learning. It makes students reluctant to go back to school. It makes them trust their teachers and principals much less.
LAVANDERA: The report says African-American students are disproportionately targeted. Making up 35 percent of all students paddled in the year surveyed. By contrast, blacks make up 17 percent of the overall student population.
The study also found that many student see minor bruising from the paddling. Joe Cancellare wasn't bruised by the swats he got, but he says it stung for nearly an hour.
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LAVANDERA: According to the group, human rights watch 21 states in the U.S. still allow for corporal punishment. A practice that has also been done away with in more than 100 countries worldwide.
John and Kiran, back to you.
CHETRY: Ed Lavandera for us, thanks. You can find out if your state bans corporal punishment on the web site www.nospank.net.
