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V.P. Decision Time; Fay Continues to Pound Florida; Taxpayers Foot Convention Bills; Age Questions Dog Chinese Gymnasts

Aired August 22, 2008 - 15:00   ET

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

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Choose a running mate, check. Let the others down gently, check. Alert the media -- uh, not quite yet. Barack Obama bides his time in wrapping up his pre-convention checklist.
What about how the delegates' wish list? We know how they will vote, but each comes to Denver with his or her own agenda. We will hear from several this hour.

And why won't Fay go away? Five days in Florida, two feet of rain, vast amounts of flooding, it's still a tropical storm.

Hello, everyone. I'm Kyra Phillips at the CNN world headquarters in Atlanta. And you're live in the CNN NEWSROOM.

Barack Obama has made a decision on a running mate, but he sure knows how to keep a secret. The Democratic candidate is spending the day at home in Chicago. The last time he met with reporters, he refused to give an inch.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D-IL), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: You are not going to get anything out of me of the vice presidential, nothing.

(CROSSTALK)

QUESTION: Have you made up your mind, though?

(CROSSTALK)

QUESTION: We're just wondering if...

(CROSSTALK)

OBAMA: I can save I have made the selection. And that's all your going to get. All right?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Well, let's go to Denver and bring in our senior political analyst, Gloria Borger.

Gloria, why is it taking it so long for him to spill it?

GLORIA BORGER, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, you know, we think it's taking him so long, but -- because we're all on pins and needles trying to find out, Kyra.

But, actually, this was their plan. I believe that he has told the person. He said he's chosen the person. I believe that he's actually told the person he's picked, and maybe last night, maybe this morning, who knows. And I think they want to raise the suspense for this. And that is exactly what they're doing.

PHILLIPS: All right, what about Congressman Chet Edwards of Texas? His name came up today. Do you think he's a serious contender? Apparently, he was vetted.

BORGER: Right. Well, you know, there are lots of folks who have been vetted. And some of those folks, like Senator Tom Daschle, have been told that they're not going to be the pick. I think that Chet Edwards is somebody that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was talking up.

And so I think Nancy Pelosi has been a loyal supporter of Barack Obama lately. So I think clearly they vetted Chet Edwards because she wanted him on that list. He's very well liked. He's a moderate who works across the aisle. I don't think he's at the top of their list, but I do think they gave him a very serious look.

PHILLIPS: All right. I have been asking our entire political team this. And I get various answers. I'm going to ask you the same thing. What's your gut? When do you think -- if you were somehow involved, and in your experience, would the time be to announce later today, anytime today, tomorrow, when he speaks at the Capitol?

BORGER: I think tomorrow when he speaks at the Capitol. I think also this has to do with technology, Kyra. They want to text message their supporters across the country to empower them, as they say, to give them a sense that they're really a part of this campaign.

And I think the technology has a lot to do with it. They want to figure out the right time to text message folks when they're actually sort of maybe sitting at home with their telephone or at lunch. Or who knows? So, I think there are a lot of things in play here.

There are only a handful of people who know who this choice is. And this campaign is well known for being able to keep a secret. Barack Obama has made it clear to his staff that he wants no leaks on this. And so far, it's working.

PHILLIPS: All right, Gloria, thanks.

And as Obama prepares to accept his party's nomination, Democrats are looking toward November. After all, Democrats have gotten burned in recent years, at times, flying high in late summer, only to see their fortunes sink in the fall.

Our chief national correspondent, John King, has more now on what some call the Democrats' August curse.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN KING, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Barack Obama is about to take charge of a party with a mild case of the jitters.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A lot of people look at a guy who was on Harvard Law Review, taught at the University of Chicago and they wonder, is he going to be tough enough?

We will know in Denver. If he runs a convention like John Kerry did where we speak no ill about the party opposite, he'll lose just like John Kerry did. But if he gets up there in Denver and pick ups a 2 by 4 and starts hitting John McCain and George Bush over the head with it everyday, he's got a real chance to win this thing.

OBAMA: Let's go change the country.

KING: Democrats have every reason to be upbeat.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The democrats have all the advantages on the macro element - the direction of the country, the move towards the president, the sense of change.

KING: Yet veteran pollster Peter Hart says Obama is far from closing the sale.

HART: Voters are wading through who is more experienced, who's got the right set of qualities, who is going to be safe, and who is going to be able to deal as commander in chief?

KING: When democrats lose, they often speak of an August curse. 20 years ago, Michael Dukakis left his July convention up 17 points. But soon after, George H. W. Bush got what he liked to call his mojo. In the end, Dukakis won only ten states. Four years ago, John Kerry was up a little in the polls at the end of July. Down as many as ten points in one when August gave way to September.

This year, the numbers aren't as dramatic. The CNN poll of polls in mid-July gave Obama a six-point lead over John McCain. Now it's down to a two-point margin. While Obama excels at the big event, some democrats worry he's too professorial or too subdued in debate- style settings like last weekend's faith forum.

OBAMA: Now the one thing that I think is very important is for us to have some humility in how we approach the issue of confronting evil. Because, you know, a lot of evil has been perpetrated based on the claim that we were trying to confront evil.

KING: Pollster Hart says in many of the places where Obama needs to improve his standing, like in small town in rural America and among white suburban women, voters aren't sure how all his talk of change will specifically impact them.

HART: One thing Barack Obama has got to do is move from long paragraphs into simple sentences. Yes, we can is a phrase. Now there needs to be meat on the bones and simple sentences voters in rural areas and suburban areas can understand and say, that's my man.

KING: John King, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Some anxious moments yesterday at John McCain's campaign offices in Denver and New Hampshire, but apparently no real danger.

It all began with a threatening letter at McCain's Denver office. While authorities were investigating that, another letter arrived at a McCain office in New Hampshire with a Denver postmark. The postmark raised suspicions, but officials say the first letter appears to have been a hoax and the second letter was innocent.

Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick has refused to cut a deal in court. A prosecutor offered to drop one of two assault charges if Kilpatrick agreed to resign. The mayor's new lawyer said no and not guilty pleas were entered. The judge scheduled a bond hearing for Monday. That's opening day of the Democratic Convention in Denver.

And Kilpatrick says he's still hoping he will be there. But right now he is not allowed to leave Detroit.

Record rains that seem to never end, communities beyond saturated. President Bush has declared a state of emergency for much of Florida. Tropical Storm Fay is pounding the state for a fifth day. This is the St. Johns River overflowing near downtown Jacksonville. In some areas, the storm has dumped more than two feet of rain. National Guard troops are rescuing folks who have been stranded. And at least seven death are blamed on this relentless storm.

Besides all the flooding, Fay is also triggering some possible tornadoes.

Let's get straight to it, Chad Myers.

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Still a potential tonight of tornadoes, because we have a watch box anyway.

But, Kyra, really, this is going to be a storm that has its mark all the way from Florida now through Georgia and Alabama. And as it moves on by, all of these storms, any one of these little red storms, any one of those could actually be spinning, because the entire system is spinning. So, this is kind of a no-brainer. Any time that you have a hurricane or tropical storm moving onshore, any of the bigger cells can put down a small F-1, F-2 tornado, not the big Kansas tornadoes.

Jacksonville, you were really underneath it for about an hour ago, but now it's in the clear. And still all you're getting is that wind blowing water into the St. Johns River. That video of him up here where the St. Johns goes all the way up and around and then back down into Jacksonville proper. Watch out for any kind of street flooding from that, obviously.

This is a big center of the storm. There's not an eye. But the wind is blowing from the west here, blowing from the east here, blowing water onshore here into the islands here from Brunswick all the down through Sea Island. I suspect we're getting some flooding here, just piling up of the water, the wind blowing that water from one side to the other, almost like taking your coffee cup and trying to cool off the top layer.

As you blow the coffee, you're actually blowing the coffee to the other side of the cup. Well, that's what we're doing. We're blowing the seawater into this other side of the cup. And that's why we're getting the flooding there. That's why we're getting the flooding down to Crystal River as well. The storm does move to the west finally and spreads out some rain, no more places with 22 inches coming.

We will take five or six, if you can handle that -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: That's a good question. Can they handle that?

MYERS: hope so.

PHILLIPS: All right, Chad.

Well, CNN's John Zarrella was in Key West when Fay flew blew ashore. He's now in Melbourne, one of the most saturated parts of the state right now.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The Allens -- Ron and Mary -- left their home in the Lamplighter Village in such a hurry, they forgot their medicines. Florida wildlife officers in a swamp buggy brought them back in to get what they needed. The Allens hadn't seen their home since the floodwaters started rising.

(on camera): You lose a lot of stuff in your house?

RON ALLEN, HOMEOWNER: Don't know yet.

MARY ALLEN, HOMEOWNER: We have no idea. No idea.

R. ALLEN: It may be OK. I know the air conditioner will be gone.

ZARRELLA (voice-over): There are 1100 homes in the Allen's Melbourne neighborhood. Many of the residents are elderly. Many won't leave.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If you decide you want to get out, you can give us a call.

ZARRELLA: One woman waves from her porch. Mary recognizes her.

M. ALLEN: I know her. She walks the dog every day. I can't believe she wants to stay in there.

ZARRELLA: On streets with names like Waterfront, one house after another is surrounded by water.

At the Allens' house, it's good news. Only the porch is under water.

(on camera): The lake is literally in your back...

R. ALLEN: Right.

ZARRELLA: .... Florida room here, family room.

(voice-over): The house is dry.

R. ALLEN: If it doesn't reach the bottom of the floor joist, I'm OK. You know? If it does, it will be a complete loss. ZARRELLA: Others are just that -- a complete loss.

(on camera): The houses over there and the houses over here were, at one time, separated by a lake. That's a lake right there in the middle. They're not separated any longer.

(voice-over): As the swamp buggy makes its way back out, the officers look for more people.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Let me ask you this. Can you guys climb?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She doesn't think she can.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You don't think she can? All right. I will get a truck in here. We'll come and get you.

ZARRELLA: Even those who tried waiting out the water are finally giving up.

John Zarrella, CNN, Melbourne, Florida.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: An Iraq war veteran could lose his job. Why? Because he's on the government watch list. How on earth did that ever happen?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: A deadly crash in Las Vegas today. Somewhere in the ruins of this burned-out home is the wreckage of an experimental plane that crashed through the roof. Fire officials first reported two deaths, the pilot and a person in that home. CNN confirms a third person has died. The FAA says that the pilot couldn't get altitude and radioed that he was going down.

And we have reported a lot on the watch list, hundreds of thousands of names that the government associates with terrorism. But that could also belong to innocent people. The list makes it very hard to fly and very hard for a Gulf War veteran in Pennsylvania to make a living.

CNN Homeland Security correspondent Jeanne Meserve has his story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) JEANNE MESERVE, CNN HOMELAND SECURITY CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Eric Scherfen was an infantry man on the front lines in the first Gulf War. Even has a signed photograph with him with the first President Bush. He later became a National Guard helicopter pilot and, after his discharge, got a job as a pilot with a small commuter airline.

Then last April, his employer told him he was on a watch list. He was banned from the cockpit and was told he would lose his job September 1 unless he clears his name.

ERICH SCHERFEN, SUSPENDED PILOT: My entire career depends on me getting off this list. I probably won't be able to get a job anywhere else in the world having this mark that I'm on this list, this undetermined list.

MESERVE: Scherfen is a convert to Islam. His wife, Rubina Tureen, an American citizen, was born in Pakistan. She sells Islamic books and DVDs.

RUBINA TAREEN, SCHERFEN'S WIFE: It's mainstream. It's a very moderate kind of perspective on Islam.

MESERVE: They have both been delayed at airports and borders, told by security personnel they are on a list.

(on camera) Are you guys terrorists?

SCHERFEN: No.

TAREEN: No.

MESERVE: Do you associate with people who are terrorists?

TAREEN: No.

SCHERFEN: No.

MESERVE: Do you give money to any organization which might have terrorist links?

SCHERFEN: Not at all.

MESERVE: Why do you believe you may be on a list?

SCHERFEN: At this time, we do not know. That's the problem.

TAREEN: Maybe because I'm a Muslim. And because -- because of my ethnicity.

MESERVE (voice-over): They have tried to find out. In May they wrote to the Department of Homeland Security, in June to the Transportation Security Administration traveler redress program. This week, after publicizing their plight by filing a lawsuit, they finally got a number to track their case.

WITOLD WALCZAK, ACLU OF PENNSYLVANIA: The TSA has set up a complaint system where you basically put your complaint, and it goes into a black hole. And you get no response, you get nowhere. And bottom line is, it is not the kind of effective process that the Constitution demands when the government is going to take away your life, liberty, or property.

MESERVE (on camera): The Justice Department will not even say if Scherfen and Tareen are, indeed, on a watch list. But the TSA says it is trying to resolve their complaint. And a judge looking at the case asks that Scherfen's termination date be moved back to October 1. Thursday it was, giving everyone a little more breathing room.

Jeanne Meserve, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Oil prices were going down it seemed like every day recently. But that stopped yesterday. We are going to tell you how things are going today.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BUSINESS REPORT)

PHILLIPS: All eyes on Denver as the Democratic Convention approaches. You have heard the big talking points, but what about the other perspectives, the other interests? We're calling them our diversity delegates. And they're next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Three-twenty five Eastern time right now -- here are some of the stories we're working on in the CNN NEWSROOM.

The death toll in Florida stands at seven, as Tropical Storm Fay continues to torment the state. There's widespread flooding and the threat of tornadoes. The storm could dump several more inches of rain this weekend.

The White House says there is no final agreement yet on the future of U.S. troops in Iraq. But it says discussions are continuing and President Bush has been speaking with Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki over a video link.

More than 70 people are reported dead in Somalia after three days of fighting between an armed Islamic group and tribal militias. A human rights group says that more than 5,000 people in the port city of Kismayo have been forced out of their homes.

Next week's Democratic Convention is expected to bring 50,000 visitors to Denver, and not all will be delegates. Police say that they're prepared for protests as well.

But CNN's Joe Johns report, some of those plans are pretty controversial.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) JOE JOHNS, CNN SENIOR CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): You're looking at a sheriff's department dress rehearsal. They're practicing how to lock up law-breaking protesters at a Denver warehouse set up as a makeshift jail for the Democratic National Convention. The authorities call it an arrest processing center but critics it something else. Platte is a reference to the Denver geography. You get the rest. That's right. People who want to demonstrate during the convention are comparing the lock-up in Denver to the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

JORDAN HILL, ALLIANCE FOR REAL DEMOCRACY: This is America. We have a system in place so why aren't we using it? Why are we using warehouses?

JOHNS: But the sheriff's department says, hold on.

MARIE KEILAR, DENVER SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT: They're typical cells. They'll have the ability of water any time, phone calls colorful free phone calls, food and medical attention.

JOHNS: The warehouse can hold up to 400 people. I got a brief tour and would describe the place as Spartan. Then again, it's very temporary. No one is expected to sleep here. The overarching question is whether all of this is actually necessary, or are the authorities going overboard? They say absolutely not.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: To my right, you'll see a sign that says medical.

JOHNS: They're gearing up for the worst case scenario, anywhere from 20,000 to 50,000 protesters and there's always concern about violence, though they expect the vast majority of the activity to be peaceful.

Hundreds of protesters were arrested at the 2000 and 2004 national political conventions. This year's protesters will be voicing their displeasure against several government policies. For the record, there has been one protest against the lockup itself.

Joe Johns, CNN, Denver.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: The balloons, the bunting, the music, and the celebration. Whether you're a Republican or a Democrat, a national political convention is a grand old party. So, who is paying the bill?

CNN's Drew Griffin of our Special Investigations Unit says, you might be surprised.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DREW GRIFFIN, CNN INVESTIGATIVE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): If you check that little box on your tax return pledging $3 to presidential elections matching funds, you are contributing a lot to this.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I didn't know that. No, it does surprise me actually.

MUSIC: Let's all celebrate and have a good time.

GRIFFIN: It surprised us, too. Hold on to your goofy convention hats. The Federal Election Commission will give $34 million of your money, $17 million to each party to help pay for the party.

SHEILA KRUMHOLZ, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, CENTER FOR RESPONSIVE POLITICS: And you have to wonder what that buys us. The taxpayers are footing the bill for essentially four-day long campaign ads for the parties and their candidates.

GRIFFIN (on camera): So who came up with that idea? Come on, you already know, don't you?

SCOTT THOMAS, FORMER FEDERAL ELECTION COMMISSION CHAIR: It was an act of Congress.

GRIFFIN (voice-over): Yes, an act of Congress, of course. Former Federal Election Commissioner Scott Thomas says the idea was noble at the time. Back in the 1970s amid concerns over corruption, the push was to get private money, big donors out of presidential elections and equal the playing field for little known candidates. In a compromise, Congress decided each taxpayer could even choose to contribute by simply checking that box.

THOMAS: With the checkoff, the concept is, you know, only if citizens are actually willing to basically earmark at that time a dollar of their taxes to go to this program, will it get there?

GRIFFIN: But here's what Congress never bothered to tell you about that checked box. It hasn't replaced private money or big donor influence. It doesn't give enough to even the playing field for lesser known candidates. And nowhere does it say check here to pay for a party.

(on camera): It sounds like the voters are getting hoodwinked on this thing.

STEVE ELLIS, TAXPAYERS FOR COMMON SENSE: Certainly, I think that most people, when they're checking that box, have no idea that they're paying for party conventions in Denver and St. Paul.

GRIFFIN (voice-over): Steve Ellis for Taxpayers for Common Sense says no matter how you look at it, it doesn't make sense.

Drew Griffin, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: The thrill of competition and the spirit of the game.

OK. But it's all about the medals, right? The United States still leads in overall Olympic medals, with 102 to China's 89. Russia is next with 60, followed by Great Britain and Australia. China leads in the gold department with 47. The U.S. has 31.

Well, the Chinese gymnastics program is standing firm, insisting that its young athletes are, indeed, old enough to compete.

The controversy that CNN's John Vause is covering for us in Beijing.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN VAUSE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): As China's gymnasts proudly showed off their Olympic gold medals on Friday, officials went on the defensive over repeated questions that as many as half their women's team may be under the 16-year age limit.

"Asians have different body shapes than people from the West, so that's caused their suspicions. They shouldn't be suspicious," says China's head gymnastics coach.

The International Olympic Committee isn't accusing anyone of cheating, but it is asking for more evidence the girls are as old as China says they are.

HUANG YUBIN, CHINESE GYMNASTICS COACH HILL: There have been questions that have been on the table and discrepancies that have been alluded to by certain parties. And the IOC is simply wanting to do its due diligence.

VAUSE: The are they or aren't they age debate is now almost a month old, first raised by a "New York Times" investigation and this week, a blogger, reportedly a U.S.-based security expert, claims to have found Chinese government cyber documents that one of their star gymnasts, He Kexin, was born in 1994, not 1992, making her 14, not 16.

(on camera): The blogger also alleges that any reference to He's younger age on the Internet is being systematically deleted. There's no way to verify those claims. But we did find one Web site from last year's Sixth National City Games here in China where the head of this country's sports bureau specifically referred to her as being 13 years old.

(voice-over): If He is, in fact, younger, it may be part of the reason why she beat American Nastia Liukin in a tie break on the uneven bars. Fourteen-year-olds, with their smaller, lighter bodies, are more agile and flexible than older competitors.

Chinese officials say all of these questions are because the U.S. team lost.

"It's because the Chinese women's team is such a strong competitor for the U.S. team. That's why there are such suspicions," he says. (on camera): As for the girl who seems to be the focus of this controversy, He Kexin says that now she wants to go shopping in Hong Kong and have a little fun -- perhaps just like most teenagers who are 16, or maybe 14 years old.

John Vause, CNN, Beijing.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: All eyes on Denver as the Democratic Convention approaches. You've have heard the big talking points.

But what about the other perspectives, the other interests?

We're calling them our diversity delegates and they're next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Millions of you are running to keep in shape, either jogging around the neighborhood or facing off with other runners in a race.

If you fall into the latter category, take note. Your speed time may be shortened by what you do before you run.

Here's CNN's chief medical correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: A shot of adrenaline for any competitive runner -- months and months of training, all for this moment. Sure, they run, they do drills, strength train.

But should they be training their brain as well?

DR. AMADEUS MASON, EMORY SPORTS MEDICINE: Just as bodies are designed better to run or to swim, their brains being better or more reactive or having a better reaction time would be, definitely.

GUPTA: Consider this -- according to a small study, starting with the right foot back may make a difference. A small one, but in the world of competitive running, perhaps enough to be the difference between winning and losing.

It's all about how your brain works. The left side of your brain controls the right side of your body. But it's also slightly better at executing the movement in the first place -- getting someone off the blocks just a little bit faster.

But Emory sports medicine expert, Dr. Amadeus Mason, says that's only part of the equation.

MASON: Being comfortable in the blocks would probably be more important than getting power out of the blocks, more important to your overall start. GUPTA (on camera): I'm right-handed. I'm not a competitive runner, but I like to run.

What would you tell me?

MASON: I would say, first off, be comfortable. If you're comfortable in a start with your left foot forward, great. If you're more comfortable with the right foot forward, do that, because I think comfort would trump that millimeter of a second that you'll get, because you'll get that back with your stability and how fast you're going to be transitioning into full sprinting.

He is carrying himself very well. He's standing straight up. That conserves his energy. He's carrying his arms close to his body and bent. That also is conserving energy. But his stride is not as long or even as it should be.

GUPTA (voice-over): The bottom line, says Dr. Mason, good form, good strength and a sharply tuned brain.

Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN, reporting.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Democrats talk a lot about their party's ethnic diversity, with the Democratic Convention set to begin next week. We're going to talk with all three delegates.

Jennifer Pae is in San Francisco, Henry Garcia in San Antonio and Yaphett Eel-Amin joins us from St. Louis.

Great to have all three of you.

HENRY GARCIA, LULAC COUNCIL OF SAN ANTONIO, DNC DELEGATE: Thank you.

JENNIFER PAE, PROJECT DIRECTOR, POWERPAC, DNC DELEGATE: Thanks for having us.

YAPHETT EL-AMIN, DNC DELEGATE: Thank you very much.

PHILLIPS: And this was so great when we got into this discussion about wanting to talk to all three of you, to have more of an issue -- or a discussion on diversity, because the issue of Barack Obama being of many cultures came up. And, of course, that led us to the three of you wanting to talk about other issues that maybe we haven't been addressing.

Yaphett, it was interesting, when you talked about your top three, you said health care, jobs and incarceration re-entry initiatives. Talk to me about incarceration re-entry initiatives, because I have heard this come up among friends of mine that are attorneys. You're wanting to hear about this from the candidates. EL-AMIN: Yes. Thanks for allowing me to come on the show this afternoon. Incarceration and re-entry initiatives is a growing trend that you're seeing in many cities throughout the United States. And it's a great opportunity for the Democratic Party to give back and help to help those people who have had problems or bumps along the road get an opportunity to come back into the community, get adequate job training and education so that they can be healthy, productive, taxpaying citizens.

PHILLIPS: Is there a candidate you want to hear even more from on that subject matter?

Are you getting enough from John McCain, enough from Barack Obama, neither one of them?

EL-AMIN: Well, I think that the Democratic Party, and Barack Obama's campaign in particular, have spoke specifically to trying to reinvest dollars into communities and helping ex-offenders reengage themselves back into the American community. And I think it's a great opportunity next week for the Democratic Party to show their creativity as it relates to some of these values and showing how we can help to segue back into our communities people who have had problems with the law.

PHILLIPS: Henry Garcia, you name health, immigration, public education.

When we're talking about the Latino-Hispanic community, what's -- out of those three, what are the listening for first?

GARCIA: The health issue. Diabetes is the leading cause of death among Latinos. The complications -- kidney failure, the going on dialysis, that's devastating for families. Blindness. We need to hear something positive about these issues -- health care as a whole. The expense is just frightening.

PHILLIPS: Barack Obama, John McCain, is one giving you enough, not enough?

Who do you want to hear more from?

GARCIA: I would like to hear from everyone that can solve this problem. There's a lot of -- a big brain trust in this country -- this fine country of ours. And we ought to include everyone's opinions and seek help. This is something that needs to be addressed now.

PHILLIPS: Jennifer Pae, let's talk about the Asian community.

You say education, the economy, immigration.

Out of those three, what are you looking for first?

PAE: I mean, if anything, as having worked with the Asian- American community, with Asian-Americans for Obama, South Asians for Obama and the Pacific Islander community, it's very clear our community is very diverse. So even with that, I think for me personally, we need sensible, comprehensive immigration reform. As the daughter of Korean immigrants, it's clear that we need an immigration reform bill that's going to be fair and humane and keeps our families together.

In addition to that, I think as someone who's struggling with student loans, education is the top priority for young people and for the Asian-American community, to eliminate those barriers that we face every day for a qualified student to be able to go to school.

PHILLIPS: Who do you want to hear more from, Barack Obama or John McCain, on that issue on the forefront for you?

PAE: I mean, if anything, it's definitely got to be Senator Obama and the entire Democratic Party, as the previous speaker has said before. I believe that Senator Obama is going to be that person that's going to lead us in this next generation, because there's a lot at stake.

PHILLIPS: All right. I'll tell you what, after each convention, Henry Garcia, Yaphett Eel-Amin and also Jennifer Pae, let's talk again and find out how you think they did.

PAE: It sounds great. We look forward to the opportunity.

PHILLIPS: All right. Thanks, guys.

PAE: Thank you.

GARCIA: Thank you.

PHILLIPS: Drivers sometimes have little mishaps. You might bump a curb or scrape the paint on the gas station. But one driver really went off the deep end, right into a pool, and we've got the pictures.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MYERS: Hi, everyone. I'm meteorologist Chad Myers.

A quick fickle Fay update here. Heading toward Tallahassee at this point. It has made its way past Gainesville. You are basically in the eye or center -- really, there's not an eye, but center of the storm. And then this tornado watch box up here for most of Southeastern Georgia.

We've had a couple of tornado warnings so far today, but nothing confirmed actually on the ground.

There goes the storm. It looks like it's just going to get into here -- the Gulf of Mexico just a little bit, maybe south of St.

Mary's and as it moves to the west.

The good news is it is moving. It is still moving and it's going to spread some rain out rather than put 22 inches down in any one area. Now some of these outside feeder bands are still going to be all the way down to South Florida and into some very flooded areas. So just because it's moving away doesn't mean you're still out of the woods from some of the heavier outer bands. And those outer bands, those are the ones that are making the tornadoes. So it's still not out of the question. You could see that tonight.

Look at this. This is the actual track that the tropical storm took. Remember, this never was a hurricane. Wiggling back and forth -- onshore, offshore; wiggling through Northern Florida and now, eventually, through Pensacola and then on up into Mississippi and Alabama.

I can guarantee you about the next 12 hours. With this forecast, you can never tell where Fay is going to go after that. But it looks like there's a good high pressure ridge in control here. It's going to go around the ridge and back up the other side and eventually into the Atlantic Ocean. But that's many, many days away. And let it spread some rainfall as it does.

More to come after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Well, the Democratic National Convention starts Monday and the City of Denver is front and center.

In today's Election Express Yourself, we took to the city streets hear from the locals.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think it could be an insane convention, especially with the acceptance speech given in front of 80,000 people and people clamoring for tickets. I mean tickets are going to be harder to get for this than they were the World Series last year.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There's a sense of excitement about what's going on. You can really feel it in town.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, I heard that it's the 40th anniversary of the MLK "I Have A Dream" speech. So I think he's got something special planned.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think they have to come together. If they've don't come together coming out of this, then it doesn't speak well for their chances in November.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's a brand new start. It's 1952 all over again. It's Stevenson versus Eisenhower -- Eisenhower being McCain and Stevenson being Obama. And it's -- it's really two different views of America. And I think it's really gotten the country energized.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: If everyone can kind of play nice and get along together and realize that we're trying to look at the bigger picture now, not just, you know, one side versus the other, I think -- I hope that that's what will happen.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Well, it could be the first in Native American history. Two young women plan to marry next spring on the coast of Southern Oregon. They finalized plans after the Coquille Indian tribe adopted a law to recognize same-sex marriage. The tribe is not bound by state's constitution and legal scholars say the tribal law is likely to stand unless Congress intervenes.

And here's another sign of the times -- same-sex wedding cards from Hallmark. They were added to the brand after California joined Massachusetts as the first state to sanction same-sex marriage. And gay activists note that given Hallmark's mammoth distribution, we'll probably see cards like these in mainstream stores, not just ones known for being a bit quirky.

An avalanche in August? You bet. Harrowing video from Washington's Snoqualmie Pass. Two teenage boys spent almost five hours trapped under thick sheets of ice yesterday before rescuers got them out. Authorities believe the boys were posing for a picture when the unimaginable happened.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Just -- I mean it just came down really quick. I mean it seemed like -- it was really fast. You could never tell that anything like that would happen.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There were just huge blocks of ice that had just come straight down. And then others were starting to break loose and fall down.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Now the boys are 14 and 17 years old. Both have hypothermia. One reportedly is in serious condition.

The closing bell and a wrap up of all the action on Wall Street is straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: All right. Time now to check in with CNN's Wolf Blitzer.

He's standing by in "THE SITUATION ROOM" to tell us what's coming up at the top of the hour.

Hey, Wolf.

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Thanks, Kyra.

America's watching, the world is watching and waiting for the big announcement -- who will Barack Obama choose as his running mate? He knows that person. Several of the candidates who aren't getting tapped, they know now, as well, that they're not getting the nomination.

When will you find out? It could be any time now.

CNN's best political team on television is covering every potential candidate. As soon as we know, we promise you you'll know.

Plus, a withdrawal for U.S. forces from Iraq. A new deal calls for American troops to actually be off Iraq's streets in only 10 months.

Will it work? What will happen?

And an upgrade for the TSA watch list. But CNN has learned the new program may have more problems than the current one. You're going to want to see this story.

All that, Kyra, and a lot more coming up right here in "THE SITUATION ROOM" as we await the big word.

PHILLIPS: Yes, we do. All right, Wolf, thanks.

Well, sometimes history can leave a pretty big mess.

(VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: That was the old vacant Centennial Firehouse in Peekskill, New York. It was built in 1890 and being moved just a block away to make way for the highway project when this happened. The historic firehouse is now history.

No running, no diving and for Pete's sake, no jeeps in the pool. This is how a police chase ended in Lowell, Massachusetts -- with a big splash in someone's backyard. Police chased a burglary suspect until the guy literally went off the deep end. Police found a couple of stolen televisions inside the jeep, by the way, which -- well, the jeep was stolen, as well. Nice.

And no need to worry over Southern California's latest shark tales. Schools of leopard sharks turned up from Venice Beach to Marina Del Rey and beyond. And as menacing as they might look, they're no real danger to people. Experts say that leopard sharks are shy and they prefer the taste of shrimp and anchovies.

Let's get one thing straight -- we would never ever compare a presidential race to a cockroach race. But maybe that's just us. In New Jersey, where they know something about politics and something about cockroaches, they race roaches every four years to predict who the next president will be.

This year, a roach representing John McCain defeated a roach representing Barack Obama in the cockroach racing equivalent of a landslide. That left Obama supporters -- for lack of a better term -- bugged. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Before the race, he looked a little sluggish. And McCain came right out of the chute and it wasn't even a contest.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think it was fixed. I think it was fixed. It was a fixed roach race.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Shades of Florida 2000. Let's just hope nobody starts talking about hanging chads or hanging cockroaches.

The closing bell is about to ring on Wall Street.

Stephanie Elam is standing by with a final look at the trading day -- now, Steph, I just want you to know, the cockroaches called it last election and they were correct.

STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And they called it -- yes, they were. So everyone is going to be putting their money on the roaches now.

All right. Have you been watching the Olympics -- Kyra?

PHILLIPS: Yes, I have. You have. And I know you have, Miss. Swimmer.

ELAM: I've been caught up...

PHILLIPS: You were keeping up with Phelps.

ELAM: I was keeping up -- trying to keep up with "Team America" everywhere. The track and field has been a little rough, but, you know, we figured we'd look a little bit broader here and take a look at the other winners around the globe and what they're taking home for winning a medal.

Let's go ahead first to Afghanistan. Rohulla Nikpai of that country, he took the bronze in the men's taekwondo. It's the first medal ever for the country. A local welfare organization gave him $10,000 for his win. But then President Hamid Karzai -- he said the government will give Nikpai a house. Nice.

Moving on to panama, where Irving Saladino won a gold medal in the long jump. That's the Central American country's third medal, the first since 1948 and the first ever gold. He will have a new sports complex in Panama City named after him.

So obviously there's pretty cool things around the globe for people bringing home medals for the first time ever for their country.

I know I rooting for David Oliver in the men's 110 meter hurdles. He got the bronze. He went to my alma mater, Howard University. So way to go, Bison. That was cool. Very (INAUDIBLE).

PHILLIPS: Were you a hurdler, as well?

ELAM: No. I stayed far away from the track.

PHILLIPS: You're just jumping through hoops now.

ELAM: Yes, right. Like the markets have been doing, too. They've been keeping me busy around here. But the Olympics have been fun to watch, even though they're wrapping up this weekend. We have another four years and we get to do it again. Well I guess there's a Winter Olympics, too.

(STOCK MARKET REPORT)

PHILLIPS: Now let's take you to "THE SITUATION ROOM" and Wolf Blitzer -- Wolf.