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Fay Soaks Central Florida; Hillary Clinton Holdouts; Rice in Baghdad
Aired August 21, 2008 - 14:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Record-breaking flooding. Tropical Storm Fay won't go away.
A surprise visit to Baghdad by Condoleezza Rice. Could American troops be closer to a withdrawal date?
And fighting back. An armed robber finds out he's no match for this small but determined woman manning the register.
Hello, everyone. I'm Kyra Phillips, live at the CNN Headquarters in Atlanta.
And you're live in the CNN NEWSROOM.
Stubborn rainmaker that's setting a high watermark for misery. Tropical Storm Fay is buffeting the northeast coast of Florida with high surf and torrential rains this hour. It's edging inland for what would be its third landfall in the state this week.
More than 26 inches already have drenched places like Melbourne, where airboats are being used right now to rescue residents. And get this -- people are being warned to watch out for alligators. Not in the creeks, but in the streets. Governor
Charlie Crist says the flooding is nothing short of catastrophic.
(WEATHER REPORT)
PHILLIPS: Well, before Fay finally gets done with Florida, some areas could get close to 30 inches of rain, as you heard from Reynolds right there. And CNN's John Zarrella is actually in the central part of the state, which is beyond saturated right now.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This is Lamplighter Village in Brevard County. There are about 1,100 of these manufactured homes here. You can see how deep the water is, although the water has begun to come down a bit. As you look there at the siding, you see the water line was up another six, eight inches before it started coming down.
Now, way off in the distance there, that's a lake. And it used to be that the houses on this side and the houses on that side were separated by the lake. No longer. Now they're all joined by the lake. Take a look at how deep this water is. It's up to my knees here. So you're talking a good 18 inches of water right here.
And the only way to really get around in here to rescue the people is with the National Guard that's been in here. And, of course, the Fish and Wildlife Commission folks are here, and they've actually got a couple up there that they are taking out now who had to come back in to get some medicine. Now, that's a swamp buggy that we've been on with the Fish and Wildlife Commission folks, because, again, it is the only way to get out.
Now, they've taken most of the residents out of here, but there are a lot of folks that we've seen that will not leave. And one of the concerns that they have is that people have seen alligators in here. And certainly there is lots of fish.
We haven't seen any alligators, but it is a concern. And they want people to leave. The power's all been shut off in this neighborhood.
John Zarrella, CNN, Brevard County, Florida.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: Well, Texas is also reeling from heavy rains. Up to nine inches north of Dallas. It's been raining six straight days and more is on the way. Not what folks in south Texas need right now. They're trying to mop up from the flooding over the weekend.
There's been another fatal school shooting in a community already reeling from a deadly church shooting just a few weeks back. Police in Knoxville, Tennessee, say that a 16-year-old student was shot and killed this morning at the city's Central High School. It happened as classes were getting under way.
And police say the victim and suspect knew one another and that it was not a random act. The alleged gunman was caught just blocks away, minutes after the shooting. A little more than three weeks ago, two people were killed when a gunman opened fire on a Knoxville church.
Well, in the race for the White House, Virginia is one of the states that Barack Obama hopes to flip from Republican to Democratic. Obama's got two campaign stops there today. And just a short time ago, the Democratic candidate talked about economic issues in the town of Chester. Part of his focus, high gas prices.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D-IL), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Under my plan, every -- 95 percent of families would get a $1,000 tax break. A tax cut to get some relief from rising gas prices, rising fuel prices, to stimulate the economy, and to make the tax code more fair. Independent economists, independent analysts have said that my tax plan would provide three times the amount of relief to the average middle class family as John McCain's. That's just a fact. (END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Well, a couple of hours from now, Obama holds a town meeting in Chesapeake.
Hillary Clinton holdouts -- a lot of the senator's supporters are still not onboard the Obama bandwagon. In a new "Wall Street Journal"/NBC News poll, 52 percent of Clinton's supporters say they'll vote for Obama, 21 percent say they'll vote for McCain, 27 percent say they still haven't made up their minds or they'll vote for someone else.
Our senior political analyst, Bill Schneider, joins us now from Denver, where the Democratic convention begins just four days from now.
Bill, does this make the Clintons' role at the convention important for Obama's success?
WILLIAM SCHNEIDER, CNN SR. POLITICAL ANALYST: Absolutely crucial, because the Clintons are identified with the one issue that he has to rely on to win this election. And that is -- well, you remember -- "the economy, stupid," back in 1992.
That was Bill Clinton's signature issue. And that's also an issue that worked very well for Hillary Clinton in the Democratic primaries.
The issue that brought Barack Obama to prominence was the Iraq war. That's unlikely to win him this election, number one, because the economy looms much larger as a concern among voters. And number two, the polls show that voters trust McCain more than Obama to manage the Iraq war. So that means the economy is the big issues, and the Clintons are the ones who can try to reach out to their supporters, to some of those waverers, and bring them in to the tent to support the Democratic ticket.
PHILLIPS: So Bill, Obama is talking like a populist today. If you take a listen to some of the sound from him, he's taking a swipe at McCain. I want to just get your thoughts on the other side.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OBAMA: If you think that being rich means you've got to make $5 million, and if you don't know how many houses you have, then it's not surprising that you might think the economy was fundamentally strong.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Well, let's listen to what he said. Is this going to help him win over the Hillary Clinton supporters? What do you think?
SCHNEIDER: Well, it's a new tone that he's been adopting in the last few days, populism. He's never been known as a populist. In fact, his critics have called him an elitist. But with this new tone of his campaign, he stands a good chance of reaching out to some of those Clinton supporters.
One poll from the CBS News/"New York Times" poll shows that his support has been slipping among white men, and particularly working class white men. Precisely the kind of voters that Hillary Clinton appealed to.
Those are the voters who need to be brought in on the economy. And this new message, this new style of Obama, could seriously do it, because here's something you should remember: populism is popular. How about that?
PHILLIPS: Makes sense. Bill, thanks.
Well, for John McCain, a bit of a breather from the campaign trail. He's spending the day at home in Arizona with no public events scheduled today. And a little bit later this hour, Senator McCain in his own words. You're going to hear what he says when he compares his judgment to Barack Obama's.
And you can't get to the Oval Office without spending a lot of money. We know that.
Barack Obama actually spent $55 million in July, the most for his campaign, by the way, in a single month. And John McCain spent $32 million over the same amount of time. Now, both campaigns spent most of those big bucks on advertising.
And on the fund-raising side, well, records show that Obama raised $50 million in July. McCain had his best fund-raising month yet, more than $26 million.
Condoleezza Rice stopped off in Baghdad today unannounced, talking to troops, talking about security, long-range plans with the Iraqi government.
CNN's Arwa Damon reports that both sides are ready to reach a compromise.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ARWA DAMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Secretary Rice in Baghdad on Thursday to check up on the status of the agreement that is intended to replace the U.N. mandate that expires at the end of this year. The negotiations have taken much longer than either side would have hoped for. The top Iraqi negotiator telling us that they are pushing for a specific timetable that would see U.S. troops out of Iraqi cities in less than a year. The Americans wanting a much more flexible timeline.
CONDOLEEZZA RICE, SECRETARY OF STATE: We have always said that the roles, mission and size of the American forces here, the coalition forces, was based on the conditions on the ground and what is needed. We have agreed that some goals, some aspirational timetables for how that might unfold, are well worth having in such an agreement.
DAMON: The big fear is that a premature drawdown could see current gains reversed. And as everyone knows well, the relative calm here is fragile and could prove unsustainable.
Arwa Damon, CNN, Baghdad.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: Also on diplomatic duty, Great Britain's Prime Minister Gordon Brown. He's in Afghanistan, stressing the U.K.'s support for the new and troubled democracy there. About 8,500 British troops are deployed to Afghanistan.
Brown is visiting during a particularly deadly week for the multinational force there. Ten French troops were killed Tuesday fighting Taliban militants, and six soldiers, three Polish and three Canadian, died yesterday in separate roadside bombings.
Flags flying at half-staff today across Spain. It's to honor the dozens of people who died in an airliner crash. We have new amateur video, by the way, shot at the terrifying crash scene. We'll have a longer look at the status of the investigation coming up.
And a family reunited at the U.S. Embassy in Georgia. We're going to hear from the father of two young girls trapped for nearly two weeks by the march of the Russians.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Now watch this videotape with me. We just got it into CNN. It's actually the closest view that we've seen of the moments just after that passenger jet crashed and burned after takeoff at the Madrid airport yesterday.
Rescue and fire officials, they're on the scene. You can see that. It was reduced to just a scorched debris field. They're trying to preserve the evidence right now, and also collect the remains of the more than 150 people that were killed in that crash.
Investigators do have the flight data recorders now from the wreckage, and the task is, of course, after the sad victim I.D. process, they're going to try and determine what caused that plane to go down.
CNN's Cal Perry is in Madrid for us.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CAL PERRY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Originally intended to ferry passengers to a popular European vacation destination, Spanair Flight 5022 instead ended in horror. Spain's transport minister said the plane first had a technical problem which delayed it by an hour. But after takeoff, the worst happened. The plane went down in flames after leaving the ground. .
ERVIGIO CORRAL, HEAD OF EMERGENCY SERVICES (through translator): When we arrived at the scene with the fire crews, we were faced with a desolate scene. You couldn't distinguish that there was an aircraft there, apart from the remains of the tail. If you didn't know, you wouldn't have been able to say there was plane. There was nothing of a fuselage.
PERRY: The proximity of the crash site to the airport perhaps an advantage to investigators. Evidence is close by as they quickly mobilized to determine the cause of the crash. While investigators get to work, a cloud of sorrow settles over the Spanish capital.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Try to imagine, we said good-bye to a 23-year-old boy. Today was his birthday, and now you don't have him anymore. So try to imagine how I feel.
PERRY: The scene makes it impossible to believe anyone could survive, but there are a lucky few, a handful of survivors, family and friends clinging to what many describe as a miracle.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): We were all so happy, friends and family, that we're going to celebrate it right now. He's been born again and he's been conscious all the time.
PERRY: The crash quickly became a national tragedy. The prime minister canceling his vacation and declaring three days of mourning.
(on camera): Authorities now have two priorities. First, to investigate the scene to try to make sure something like this does not happen again in the future. And second, the immediate and painstaking task of providing psychological assistance to the families and friends of those lost in Spain's worst air accident in more than 20 years.
Cal Perry, CNN, Madrid.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: Now reports from the Republic of Georgia today say that Russian troops in large numbers are going nowhere. That's despite Russian officials from the president on down promising a complete military pullback to pre-invasion lines by tomorrow.
A reporter in Georgia's Black Sea port city describes Russian soldiers as digging in, blocking bridges, and setting up mortar positions. Not the expected behavior of an army on the move.
Now, two New Jersey girls are safe and sound today at the U.S. Embassy in Tbilisi. Sophia and Ashley Evans, ages 7 and 3, were trapped by the Russian invasion at the farm of their Georgian grandparents for two weeks. They were delivered to the embassy overnight in a car with the French ambassador, who used his diplomatic pull to get past the Russian checkpoints. The girls' father has arrived from New Jersey and he's with them now, and he spoke to us earlier this morning.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOSEPH EVANS, FATHER: The French ambassador went himself with his team to do the extraction. And I've got to say, Viva la France. Thank you. And God bless America.
How did I feel? It was the biggest -- you can imagine the relief. And then they were in close contact with my wife back in the states. So it was really a big effort. So I'd just like to thank everybody.
Thank you.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: And we should let everybody know that 7-year-old Ashley is standing below you. And your 3-year-old daughter Sophia is right next to you in the arms of your brother-in-law.
What did they tell you, Joe, when you first saw them about what happened?
EVANS: Yes. Well, the baby, you know, she's a baby. So, you know, she's kind of not with the news.
But my other daughter was a little shaken up when they did the turnaround in Gori. So it was quite an experience for her to see. And I'm just glad I got her again. And they're keeping me busy.
COLLINS: Yes, I bet they are. And we should remind everybody, Joe, what you're talking about there.
EVANS: Yes, they are.
COLLINS: Yes. We should remind everyone that when your daughters were trying to get out of the area, they were trying to make their way to the embassy, but they were actually turned around by soldiers in Gori, which is the highway there that had been blocked off by Russian military vehicles. So obviously a very scary moment for them.
Joe, what happens next now? Are you going to be heading back home shortly, back to New Jersey?
EVANS: Yes. We have tickets scheduled. And we're going to be home as soon as possible.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Well, New Jersey Congressman Chris Smith was instrumental in getting those girls to safety. The State Department says it's monitoring the cases of some 30 Americans under 18 who are in Georgia right now without their parents.
Two hot social issues collide in the case of a comatose illegal immigrant. Should the hospital ship this man out of the country?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BUSINESS REPORT)
PHILLIPS: 2:27 Eastern time right now. Here are some of the stories we're working on for you.
We're waiting to find out who Barack Obama will choose as his vice presidential running mate. Obama is scheduled to appear with his choice on Saturday, but so far no word on who that will be.
Negotiators are said to be close to an agreement on the future of U.S. troops in Iraq. Apparently, Iraq's foreign minister appeared at a news conference with the U.S. secretary of state, Condoleezza Rice, who arrived in Baghdad on an unannounced visit.
And two young New Jersey girls are safe after getting caught up in the Russian invasion of Georgia. They were visiting their grandparents at the time, but now they've been reunited with their father at the U.S. Embassy in Tbilisi.
Well, finally Tropical Storm Fay is moving inland, buffeting Florida's northeast coast with high surf and torrential rain. This is its third run over the state this week, by the way.
Floodwaters already have swallowed hundreds of homes. Rescuers are using airboats to ferry some residents to safety. And people are being warned to watch out for alligators. Not in the creeks, but actually in the streets.
(WEATHER REPORT)
PHILLIPS: Thanks, Reynolds.
Our i-Reporters have been documenting the storm as well. Veronica De La Cruz has their pictures and video.
Hey, Veronica.
VERONICA DE LA CRUZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Kyra.
You know, I've been watching the submissions pour in from our iReporters. And let me show you what I found so far.
Let's start in Melbourne, Florida. I think that Reynolds Wolf was saying 26 inches have fallen there so far. And folks as you can see, using any method they can to get around. This is video Kyra, sent to us by Rich Charron. He says the rain has been relentless. And a nearby lake has crested and has flooded everything in his neighborhood. He says Brevard County is trying to get sandbags out to people there. But he does unfortunately think it's too late.
And Jessica Blank is a college student. And the flooding in Port St. Lucie is keeping her from returning to school. She sent us this video and she says, if you look closely you can see a man standing in the water and he's asking the cars to slow down so they won't create a wake. You see hi right there, up ahead of the cars. Apparently Kyra, the wakes were causing flood waters to enter this man's business, which is located in that mini mall that you see there.
And last piece of video. This is the perfect example of what you do not want to do in a situation like this. Bryan Wynacht was able to shoot this video. People wading through the flood waters in Palm Bay, Florida. He says that they were ignoring warnings from city officials and they were playing in the water or they driving their trucks through it so they could splash the water around. So, not really setting a good example there.
You can send us your pictures and video. But please do stay safe in the process. You can log-on to ireport.com.
PHILLIPS: Are they crazy? There's alligators, snakes, all kinds of things that come out of the sewers.
DE LA CRUZ: I don't know what they're thinking. You know, I just don't.
PHILLIPS: All right. Thanks for tracking it.
Well, a big media crush today in Orlando, where the mother of a missing 3-year-old was freed on bond.
Let's take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Casey, did you kill Caylee? Did you kill Caylee?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Excuse me, excuse me, excuse me, get out.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Won't you tell us?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Get away! Get away!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Reporters going after her there, asking her if she killed her daughter. Casey Anthony freed today on half a million dollars. That money put up by an out of state bondsman and a bounty hunter who says, being out of jail might prompt Anthony to talk. She was taken to the home of her parents and fitted with a tracking device. Her daughter Caylee, disappeared in June. The child's grandmother reported her missing in July. Police say the mother lied to investigators and today she entered a plea of not guilty to charges of child neglect, obstruction and making false statements.
A comatose man is at the crossroads of a debate involving illegal immigration and health care. Immigration activists say the man is being denied due process by the University of Illinois Medical Center which wants to transfer him back to Mexico. They says it's defacto deportation. The hospital says it can't arrange local long-term car for 30 year-old Francisco Pantaleon. The uninsured car-washer and father of two, came to this country illegally 11 years ago. He suffered a brain hemorrhage last month.
Well, the economy. It's still far and away the top issue on the campaign trail. And it's Barack Obama's focus today as he campaigns in Virginia. At a campaign stop in Chester, he went on the attack against John McCain.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) OBAMA: Yesterday, he was asked again, what do you think about the economy? He says, well, I think the economy is fundamentally strong. He said, the economy is fundamentally strong. Now, this puzzled me. I was confused as to what he meant. But then there was another interview -- this is yesterday, same day, where somebody asked John McCain, how many houses do you have? And he said, I'm not sure. I'll have to check with my staff. True quote. I'm not sure. I'll have to check with my staff. So they asked his staff. And he said, at least four. At least four.
Now think about that. I guess if you think that being rich means you've got to make $5 million and if you don't know how many houses you have, then it's not surprising that you might think the economy was fundamentally strong.
We are going to reduce our dependence on foreign oil by 30 percent in 10 years. And we're going to do it by increasing fuel efficiency in our vehicles, helping Detroit make cars right here in the United States that get better fuel efficiency standards. Investing in solar and wind, putting millions of people back to work in areas like biofuels.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Now, for John McCain, it's a rare day off the campaign trail. the Republican candidate is at home in Arizona.
At a campaign stop yesterday in New Mexico, McCain raised questions about Obama's judgment.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Now on Iraq, Senator Obama says he wants peace but, he still opposes the surge that succeeded. He opposed the surge. He said that it wouldn't work. He announced his policy towards Iraq, the day before he left for the first time in over 900 days to visit Iraq. And then refuses to acknowledge that the surge has succeed. Remarkable. Remarkable.
I mean, no rational observer could go to Iraq and see what we've succeeded in doing in the last two years and say that the surge hasn't succeeded. That's what this is all about, my friends. This is what it's all about, securing our nation. Even in retrospect, with all we know today, he'd still choose the path of retreat and failure.
You know, yesterday Senator Obama got a little testy on this issue. He said, I'm questioning his patriotism. Let me be very clear. I am not questioning his patriotism. I am questioning his judgment. I am questioning his judgment.
I said on Saturday night, that I have a proud pro-life record in Congress and I am proud of that. I respect the views of others, but, I also happen to believe that the noblest words ever written in history were those that said, we hold these truths to be self evident, that all of us are created equal and endowed by our creator with certain inalienable rights, among these our life. I think liberty and the pursuit of happiness -- I believe that life applies to those that are not born, as well as those that are born.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Well, McCain has no public events on his schedule today.
And remember for late-breaking campaign news, the precious polls, the political ticker and analysis from the best political team on television, your online destination is CNNPolitics.com.
They were racing down the highway trying to get their dog to the vet. They got pulled over for speeding and now they're are in a deep dispute with police on an officer's behavior. The fate of their beloved pet.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Well, your personal computer is a real energy hog. And it can have a serious affect on the environment and your wallet. But there's a new way to solve your problem.
CNNMoney.com's Poppy Harlow has our Energy Fix from New York.
Hey, Poppy.
POPPY HARLOW, CNNMONEY.COM: Hey there, Kyra.
Well, yes, this is new software just released last week. It's called Edison and it aims to save you about 35 to 65 bucks a year on your energy bills. It does that by basically just scaling back the power your computer uses when you're not using it. The other goal of the company -- to help the environment.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KEVIN KLUSTNER, PRES. AND CEO, VERDIEM: People don't really understand the size of this problem. PCs consumer 40 percent of all the energy that electronic devices consumer in the world. There are a billion PCs in the world. Each consumes the equivalent of about 1,000 pounds of C02 emissions a year. That's the equivalent of an average car emissions for a year, which is pretty incredible when you think about it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARLOW: Now of course, that is only if you keep it on 24/7. But a lot of people do. And if you have a household with three PCs, like a lot of homes do have, you could save Kyra, about $200 a year.
PHILLIPS: Wow. Well, a lot of people can't stand it when their computer goes into hibernation mode while they're working.
Is this software going to be annoying at all?
HARLOW: That was our question to the CEO when we spoke with him yesterday. He says no. I guess you're going to have to try it out for yourself.
But what it allows you to do is you can pick times when you want to scale back that power. And it's designed to pop right back on the second you move your mouse. Of course, you're going to have to try it yourself. And this is pretty neat. It also allows you to track your energy and monetary savings right on your screen. Not just yours, but you can also watch everyone else who's using the program.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KLUSTNER: Consumers really want to do something about the climate crisis. And they're reaching out and looking for solutions to do that. And a project like Edison is very empowering because it shows consumers how they individually can have an impact, as well as collectively have an impact. And tell a friend about it to join the community. And so there's a real grassroots movement here that can empower consumers to really do something about the problem.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARLOW: It's a very neat idea. Something that could save you a few bucks. And also, here's the good thing, the software is completely free. You can download it at www.verdiem.com/edison. If you're interested, our whole interview with the CEO is on the Web site, Kyra, CNNmoney.com.
PHILLIPS: Sounds good. Thanks for the tips.
HARLOW: Sure.
PHILLIPS: Well, half a million older Americans are putting their health at risks because of a donut hole. That's according to a Keiser Family Foundation study that looked at the gap in insurance mandated by the 2003 Medicare law.
Under that law, the regular Medicare drug benefits stops at $2,400 per person. Recipients then have to spend more than $3,800 before catastrophic coverage kicks in. Now, the study says about 15 percent of the people caught in that gap, known as the donut hole, stopped taking drugs for diabetes, high blood pressure, or other chronic conditions, jeopardizing their health.
Well, their dog was dying, they were racing to the vet. And that's when they got pulled over to speeding. We're going to tell you what happened to their pet and why they're now locked in a dispute with the police.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: A grisly mystery in Alabama. Authorities say that county welfare officials discovered five bodies last night at an apartment outside Birmingham. According to reports, all five are men, all had slit throats. And our Birmingham affiliate, WBMA says, the victims are all Hispanic. Little else is being said about the case. The FBI Joint Terrorism Task-Force was among those called in to investigate. Well, a couple's dog died. A police officer has been reprimanded and it seemed like everyone in town has an opinion about what happened or should have happened late one night on a Texas interstate.
Here's Shannon Powell of KXAN.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SHANNON POWELL, KXAN REPORTER (voice-over): Officer Paul Stevens' dash cam video tells the story. Beginning when he captured Michael Gonzalez speeding down Interstate 35, near the San Marcos Outlet.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, he was probably doing about 100, maybe a little less than 100, down the expressway and weaving in and out of traffic.
POWELL: Gonzalez pulls over at a dangerous area and is instructed to move up. He takes off, speeding again, crossing numerous lanes. When he finally stops at another dangerous area, he gets out and his behavior is alarming.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Pull to the side.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My dog!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Relax.
POWELL: As the officer investigates, Gonzalez is on the brink of hysteria. Finally it is clear. The man's puppy is dying.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's a dog, OK.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Don't say that.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You can get another one. Relax. This is not your driver's license.
POWELL: This is the point where the police chief says Officer Stevens crosses the line.
CHIEF HOWARD WILLIAMS, SAN MARCOS, TEXAS POLICE: He's telling them that during this traumatic event in their life, he doesn't care.
POWELL: Behavior the chief says, is unacceptable. He says the officer should have cared and calmed Gonzalez and his girlfriend down.
WILLIAMS: He handled it poorly. It's not that he shouldn't have stopped the guy, and I don't believe for a second that he should have let the guy go ahead and continue after he stopped him and he found out there was a problem with the dog.
POWELL: That is what the Officer Joyce (INAUDIBLE) did after she rushed to the side of the hysterical passenger.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK. I have two dogs myself. They are my babies, OK?
POWELL: Her tone, soothing, her goal, calm the people down and find out what is happening. At one point you may not be able to see, she is trying to revive the puppy that did not survive. That is what the chief wants Officer Stevens to do the next time he encounters a situation like this.
WILLIAMS: The officer didn't handle the call properly, but there was really no major violation of law or policy that he committed.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: The dog's owner says the chief's decision to reprimand the officer isn't enough. In his words, "a person like that shouldn't be working in law enforcement at all."
An ought of control biker in Utah. We're going to show you what happened when he slammed head-on into an SUV.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Well it's not every day that you see 300 men and women engaged in armed combat in a local park. Every other weekend outside of Baltimore, you can. It's called Darkon, and while the weapons aren't real the intensity is. Darkon is even governed by an official 223-page rule book. CNN photojournalist Oliver Janney gives us a look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Imagine a martial arts tournament where you had all the matches all at once.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's full contact.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's the best part of hockey. There's no puck.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Full force fighting.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I go out there, I beat a few guys up.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Darkon.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Darkon.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Darkon.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is Darkon, it's (ph) full contact combat.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A little more physical in the sense that here the point is just to hit and knock people into submission.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's just really a good recreation. People come out here, they get to put on a costume and assume a role for a few hours.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I've been playing for about 23 years.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: 27 years.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: One year and two months.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A little over 15 years.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The active membership is probably around 2,000.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's just really all segments of society, but out here everybody is on even playing field.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I do mineral and gold prospecting.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm an attorney. One of the guys in my country is a doctor. We have an FBI agent, federal marshal.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: As far as the weapons are concerned it is a very safe game.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A yellow weapon may only safely hit to the head with a downward swing, which means I've got to do that.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's a clean rules of conduct.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I can't swing to the side of his head, I can't swing on an angle to the side of his head. It has to be straight down to the crown of the head.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There are referees.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The first hit is a light, second hit is immortal (ph).
Any other questions (INAUDIBLE)?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We form up into two teams out on the field. We go at it. People are dead in about five minutes. We get up, do it again, and we continue to do that throughout the day.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We basically come out just because it's a good release of aggression. There you go. You have a hard day at the workweek, you throw on some armor and beat the crap out of somebody with a pillow. We're pretty much glorified pillow fighters.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's also like an ego boost, I think. I'm 40 now. I just don't want to stop. I don't want to get old. I don't want to grow up.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: Well, you can see more sports and focus (ph) stories, everything from frisbee golf to skateboarding, on our Web site, CNN.com.
A 6'5 robber wearing a mask and holding a shotgun burst into a store. What does the clerk say? Oh no you don't. It's all caught on camera, and we're going to tell you how it ends.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Drama on a road in northern Utah. A mother scrambles to save her two children before her SUV explodes. The cause of the fire? A motorcycle rider who was hightailing it from police and who walked away from this horrid collision. A police camera caught him allegedly doing 100 miles per hour just moments before the Monday crash. Police quote him as saying he didn't know why he fled, but it always worked for him in video games.
Well at first glance, you wouldn't give her much of a chance. But the clerk behind the counter when a man burst into her California convenience store waving a shotgun and demanding money was more than up to a challenge.
Steve Large of KOVR has the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
STEVE LARGE, KOVR REPORTER: Amy Anand is sporting a black eye and cuts to her face and arms. But somehow, she is still laughing after taking on a 6'5, 215-pound man holding a shotgun.
AMY ANAND, CLERK: I could have died, yes.
LARGE: Surveillance video captures it all. You can see Anand trying to rip the shotgun from his hands. She actually breaks it, then throws a phone at him.
A. ANAND: I told him that, you know, you are on the camera, we are recording you right now. And he said, I don't care, just give me the money.
LARGE: Their fight didn't end there. As another employee watches, Anand follows the gunman to the other side of the counter where she attacks him again and again only to get hit again and again.
Anand's husband of 14 years says he had never seen this side of her before.
BOBBY ANAND, CLERK'S HUSBAND: I thought she was a little kitten. I won't mess with her myself.
LARGE: Anand ended up chasing the man out of the store.
A. ANAND: We could only see his eye -- one eye --
LARGE: Police now say his name is James Benefield. He ended up arrested later that night following a hit and run. Despite all her bruises, Anand says she doesn't regret fighting back, or risking her life. A. ANAND: People like that, they have already made up their mind. They don't think that if that's a woman or a kid in front of them -- they're going to do stuff like that unless you stop them.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: And her husband is never going to mess with her again. It's perfect.
Steve Large of KOVR bringing us that feed.
The next hour of CNN NEWSROOM punches on right now.
Flooded homes and frustrated residents, when will Tropical Storm Fay move on?
An alleged $30 million investment scheme uncovered on a major college campus. Investigators say the mastermind was a professor.
Hello, everyone. I'm Kyra Phillips live at the CNN Headquarters in Atlanta, and you're in the CNN NEWSROOM.
