Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Flood Insurance Needed in Risky Areas; Virtual World Relationship Leads to Arrest; Dems Gather in Denver for Convention; Prisoners Practicing Yoga; A look at the Beijing Elections; Iraq Heroes Honored by Race.

Aired August 24, 2008 - 16:00   ET

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

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN ANCHOR: Straight ahead this hour, democrats prepare for a party. Protesters prepare for a demonstration. And McCain stays on the attack. His latest ad makes use of another Obama foe turned friend.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: His character was described as a lion and her character was a virtual woman. And they had a full-scale relationship online.

KEILAR: But the face-to-face meeting didn't quite go as planned. In fact, it was a total disaster.

And yoga behind bars. Convicts taking deep breaths. Does this calm approach to correction work?

KEILAR: Hi there, I'm Brianna Keilar in for Fredricka Whitfield and you're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

The democrats aim for Denver. Barack Obama campaigning today on the eve of his party's convention. His team, deflecting questions over past policy rifts with his running mate. The campaign says Obama doesn't need a "yes" man, he needs Joe Biden. And with the party faithful filing into Denver, they're not the only ones. Protest groups gathering as well. With the story for us live, CNN's Joe Johns. Joe, what's going on there?

JOE JOHNS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Brianna. The truth of it is, we wanted to talk to you a little bit about protests, simply because it's kind of a microcosm of what the authorities go through out here in Denver in trying to secure this entire area. Right around the corner from the CNN grill, which is where I'm sitting, there is a security gate.

We have some video of this. There was a demonstration that just sort of popped up, almost out of nowhere. However, the authorities have told us the folks had a permit. It was not too noisy, but the sum effect of it was that people who were coming in through this gate, which is in fact the only gate that lets you into the convention complex had to stand out on the street. The authorities had to shut down that entrance to the convention complex for a while and there was a bit of a standoff. They sent out about six police officers in riot gear who did absolutely nothing. It was completely peaceful.

Nonetheless, it caused something of a traffic jam for a little while here. And that's the kind of thing the authorities are dealing with. They're going to have to shut down a gate like that if they have a bunch of people and it makes it very hard for people to get in. So we're watching and waiting, of course. The big event is tomorrow. There have been predictions of thousands of protesters here in Denver, but those kind of predictions come every time there is a national political convention and frankly you just have to wait and see. Brianna, back to you.

KEILAR: Yes, we know you'll be keeping an eye on it for us, Joe. Joe Johns for us there in Denver. Thanks.

The Democratic Convention starts in one day, as Joe Johns said, but you don't have to wait until tomorrow for your dose of politics. Tonight at 8:00 Eastern, get a preview of all the convention action live from the convention floor in Denver. Join Wolf Blitzer and the best political team on television for a CNN convention kickoff. Again, that is tonight at 8:00 p.m. eastern. Heading into Denver, the Obama campaign has been turning up the heat on McCain. At a cookout today in Wisconsin, Obama tossed more polls on the fire and skewered his opponent, saying that he's out of touch.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: John McCain was asked at the Saddleback forum, what's your definition of rich. He says, oh, I don't know, $5 million. Which means if you're making $4, then, you know, you're scrimping. You're having a tough time. You're middle class. If you only have $1 million, I don't know what - you qualify for food stamps.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: CNN's new poll of poll showing Obama hanging on to his lead. With today's release of an ABC-"Washington Post" survey, Obama is now up four points on John McCain. That is up two points from Thursday. And we should tell you, these three polls that we averaged were done before Joe Biden was named Obama's running mate. John McCain is taking a day off from campaigning, but in an interview he had some kind words for his opponent's running mate.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Well, I think he's a good selection. Joe and I have been friends for many, many years and we know each other very well. So I think he's probably made a very wise selection. I know that Joe will campaign well for Senator Obama, and so I think he can be very formidable. Obviously, Joe and I have been on different philosophical sides, but we have been, I consider him a good friend and a good man.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KIELAR: McCain's campaign team, though, isn't being quite as charitable. A new ad released today suggests Obama passed on Hillary Clinton as a running mate because she criticized him during the primaries. A Clinton spokesman responded that the New York senator agrees with Obama on the race's major issues and that both disagree with McCain. The McCain camp says the ad is running in key states, but refused to provide anymore details.

Well, Fay might have lost some steam, but it's still causing all kinds of problems.

And speaking of problems, online they were a match made in heaven. But when they met in the flesh, well, it was a match made for police.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KEILAR: A Boeing 737 passenger jet bound for Iran has gone down in Kyrgyzstan and the government spokeswoman says dozens of people have died. For the latest on this, let's go live to CNN's Matthew Chance. He's in Moscow. What do we know, Matthew?

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Brianna, details still very sketchy about the level of casualties in this latest air crash. It seemed it was a Boeing 737. The airline that took off from Manas International Airport in Bishkek, which is the capital of the central Asian republic of Kyrgyzstan. According to local officials on the ground, between 87 and 127 people on board. There are reports of survivors, as many as 25 survivors being reported after this crash.

Apparently it took off, encountered technical problems shortly after takeoff, tried to return to the airport, but failed to do so and crashed about six miles outside of the air base. We understand right now that U.S. personnel are on the ground from a nearby military base, which is used in the supply of equipment and things like that to Afghanistan. The U.S. military have supplied ambulances, fire trucks, as well as at least two dozen personnel to help in the rescue effort. So we're hoping to get more details on this in the hours to come as we try to get more information from the ground. Brianna.

KEILAR: All right. Matthew, we'll come back to you as we do get more details. Mathews Chance for us in Moscow, thank you.

The other big story that we're following is this, tropical depression Fay. It's the storm that really just will not go away. It's been around for over a week. Never hitting hurricane status, but Fay has made a record four landfalls in Florida, has spawned major flooding as well. These pictures just in from Tallahassee. You can see swamped streets, forcing actually some residents into boats.

And President Bush, he quickly declared a major disaster area in parts of Florida. We'll have more on that in just a moment. The system, though, it's been swirling over the gulf coast today, still dumping a whole lot of rain. Alabama's governor has declared a state of emergency and New Orleans, yes, New Orleans also bracing for Fay. The army corps of engineers has its flood watchers on alert to monitor city canals. And we're going to live to Florida in just a moment.

But first, let's get a big picture of this from meteorologist Jacqui Jeras in the severe weather center. Fay just will not quit, Jacqui.

JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: You know, it won't. Can I just tell it, you said it perfectly, Brianna, it's just the storm that won't go away. You know, it was two weeks ago today that I first talked about the beginnings of Fay on the air. It was just a cluster of thunderstorms out in the open Atlantic, it developed into a tropical storm, and you know, it's been two weeks now. We're talking probably another week at least before we can finally say bye-bye to Fay overall. So we still have a lot that we're going to be dealing with in the upcoming days and the biggest problem is that Fay is really going to kind of stall out.

In the upper levels of the atmosphere, the winds are very, very light here, so there's not a lot of steering. We were hopeful that a trough of low pressure was going to help to kick it up and push it up to the northeast and pull it out of there, but unfortunately high pressure is taking over and it's the dominant feature and it's just not going to budge. And that means some big-time troubles potentially for people in Mississippi and Alabama and even into Georgia for the next several days.

You know, the center of rotation is right in here near Meridian, Mississippi, and it's going to be on the east side of the storm or on the right side of the storm as you take a look at it like this. Because this is where the feed of moisture comes in from the Gulf of Mexico and it's also the area of greatest likelihood for tornadoes. And we have had some tornado reports in Alabama today, but no damage thus far. So cross your fingers. You can see the really strong thunderstorms west of Tallahassee, moving up toward the Maken area and into Lagrange.

And then on the other side of this storm, we're looking at more steady showers and we could see a good couple of inches here in the New Orleans area. Our computer model forecast showing the heaviest of rains in the next 24 hours in northern Mississippi and into western parts of Alabama. And tomorrow, Fay is really going to move, not a whole heck of a lot from today. So we're really kind of expecting a little bit of meandering, right into this area. And Tuesday through Thursday could really be a big deal for places like Georgia and the South Carolina for more flood potential. So tropical depression now, Brianna, but unfortunately, Fay is still going to be a real troublemaker for at least the next three to five days.

Record flooding. You know, some of these areas that got the worst of the rain, like Melbourne, for example. You know, the river, St. John River there hasn't even crested yet. We're talking about maybe Tuesday before they are going to start to see some relief.

KEILAR: I have a friend in Melbourne who said, we've waited through hurricanes before and they were nothing compared to this. You know their patio furniture didn't move at all, but the flooding is such a pain. It's just so destructive.

JERAS: Absolutely.

KEILAR: OK, Jacqui Jeras, we'll be checking back in with you. Thank you so much.

And they're calling it historic flooding up and down Florida's space coast. The city of Melbourne, as Jacqui just mentioned, weathering more than 25 inches of rain. That's where we find CNN's Susan Candiotti. Hi, Susan. What are you seeing?

SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Brianna. Can you imagine, more than two feet of rain? Well, the damage is so bad in parts of Brevard County that Governor Charlie Crist even visited here last week, including this housing development over my shoulder called Lamp Lighter Village. A lot of senior citizens bought retirement homes here, but didn't have money left over to buy homeowner's or flood insurance. They hoped that they would be safe. Well, Fay had other plans.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

THERESA BISSON, UNINSURED FLOOD VICTIM: It's so beautiful and so peaceful. We feel very blessed.

CANDIOTTI (voice-over): Teresa and Conrad () in their 80s married nearly 63 years love living in their modest prefab home on a lake that Fay hit last week and the lake water rose to saturate their floor from below.

THERESA BISSON: It has a double floor on it.

CANDIOTTI: All right. So we'll walk on the right side here and feel the floor going up and down.

CONRAD BISSON, UNINSURED FLOOD VICTIM: That there is no good.

THERESA BISSON: I have an angel tree and all my things fell down. The table is certainly off, half skelter.

CONRAD BISSON: This area's really bad.

CANDIOTTI: Now they don't know what to do. In every room, the floor is close to sinking.

If you step off side this wooden plank, you can really see how soft the floor is. And of course, very dangerous to walk on.

THERESA BISSON: And our TV room and our computer room.

CANDIOTTI: And again, how are the floors in here?

THERESA BISSON: The floors are all gone in here too.

CANDIOTTI: Last week their community watched in disbelief when the lake started rising. Many neighbors had to be rescued from their flooded homes. What was going through your mind?

THERESA BISSON: My husband was in denial. He said this won't come much more. It won't come much more. But it did.

CANDIOTTI: The worst of it is, the Bissons have no insurance. Their old company pulled up stakes in Florida and now the Bissons cannot afford another policy. Many of their neighbors including Frank (Asera) are in the same boat or worse. He takes care of his disabled wife and hoped he wouldn't need insurance.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Destroyed. Absolutely destroyed. You know, without FEMA's help, I have no idea what I'm going to do.

CANDIOTTI: FEMA is their best chance for help. Starting over won't be easy and they still won't be able to afford insurance. The Bissons have a small nest egg and this might drain it. What do you think will happen next?

CONRAD BISSON: Who knows. God is in charge. God is in charge. I'm not in charge.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CANDIOTTI: And remember, next month is the heart of hurricane season. Remember, Fay was just a tropical storm. Well, what happens next? Well, of course, the seniors hope they don't have to go through this again. Power is still out. It is very hot here, in the 90s, and they are hoping as soon as they can get it to get that assistance from FEMA to either help them make repairs or possibly move out. Brianna.

KEILAR: Are you finding, Susan, some of these people who can't afford insurance policy, maybe they also can't afford to move or maybe they're well into their 80s and they can't even stomach the thought of moving?

CANDIOTTI: Oh, sure. This is home to them. They love this community in many cases. They have their friends here and it would be a huge disruption for them to move away from here. So that's why so many of them have their fingers crossed that FEMA will be able to come through for them.

KEILAR: All right. Susan, thank you so much. Susan Candiotti in Melbourne, Florida for us. And those uninsured Floridians we just heard Susan speak of, soaked financially by the storm. We saw it with Katrina as well. So what is different this time around? We'll be talking with an insurance expert in just about ten minutes here.

And if you would like to get involved in relief efforts for those affected by Fay, you can visit our "Impact Your World" page, you'll find links to groups providing food and shelter to people in need. That's at cnn.com/impact.

A former Olympian and his daughter, you may recognize her, they take a trip of a lifetime. Our Fredricka Whitfield relives a dream with her father, Marvelous Mal and she takes us along.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KEILAR: With the 2008 Olympic games now in the books, there have been plenty of great stories from Beijing, but there's one story we here at CNN cannot allow to go unreported and that is the reunion of the 1948 U.S. Olympic team. This squad includes medal winner Mal Whitfield, the father of our very own Fredricka Whitfield. She and her video camera caught some very special moments that you'll see only here.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Bye-bye, Atlanta. Hello, Beijing. Finally, arriving in this sprawling, tree-lined city of tall buildings, my dad, Marvelous Mal Whitfield, here to celebrate 60 years since his first medals along with other Olympians. All right, Dad, what a way to celebrate 60 years, huh?

MAL WHITFIELD, OLYMPIAN: So nice to see you.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, really.

WHITFIELD: This is really just the beginning. What's about to happen here is perhaps more extraordinary and definitely more beautiful than this extraordinary place. This is Prince Young Palace in the center of Beijing, built in the 1800s for the Ching Dynasty. Tonight, it's reunion center. Harrison Dillard, sprinter, hurdler.

WHITFIELD: Stop crying. I don't want your tears on my.

Herb Douglas, long jumper. What was the last time you were all together? Sammy life and his wife Rosalie. Hello. All right.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How old are you?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm 88.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm 86.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm 85.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, you guys are spring chicken.

WHITFIELD: So, Mr. Dillard, why do you think you guys have that particular special bond?

HARRISON DILLARD, OLYMPIAN: I don't know. It's not only because we like each other, but I think it's because we have so much in common at that particular time. We were all trying to prove something.

HERB DOUGLAS, CHAMPION OLYMPIC LONG JUMPER Well, you take these little men here, when we were born, 60 some years before we were born, slavery had just ended. And now this is our 60th anniversary. That puts everything in its right perspective. And we've seen the good, the bad, and the ugly.

WHITFIELD: Does it feel like 60 years, Dr. Lee?

SAMMY LEE, CHAMPION OLYMPIC DIVER: Yes.

DICK FOSBURY, CHAMPION OLYMPIC HIGH JUMPER: Their contributions that they've made are really meaningful to me. And that's why they're models.

WHITFIELD: Did you have any thoughts about what this would feel like? And then now that you're here, does it meet those expectations?

EDWIN MOSES, CHAMPION OLYMPIC HURDLER: You never could dream this. It's unbelievable.

WHITFIELD: And hurdler, Edwin Moses. How often do you think of your Olympic days?

You know, this time of the year, you begin to think of it. But generally you wake up in the morning and never think about it.

MAL WHITFIELD: I'm fine now. I'm not homesick.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm so happy to drink a toast to their health and a continued great life and see you in the next games. Cheers to everyone.

UNIDENTIFIED VOICES: Cheers!

MAL WHITFIELD: What a wonderful afternoon with my comrades.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KEILAR: And stick around as we take a look back at the poignant moments of this year's Olympic games. Some real honest to goodness gold half an hour from now here in the NEWSROOM.

And under water and uninsured. What, if anything, can be done to help people swamped by Fay? We'll get real answers from someone who knows.

And a virtual romance spills over into real life and one of the lovebirds ends up behind bars.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KEILAR: News that's happening right now. A shopping mall in Miami with a shocking addition. A hydroponics b filled with more than 200 marijuana plants worth millions of dollars. These plants were found in a storage area rigged with dangerous wiring that police say could have exploded at any moment. So far, no arrests have been made.

Help is on the way to Floridians hit hard by tropical storm Fay. Today, President Bush quickly declared four counties major disaster areas. That clears the way, of course, for federal aid. And Fay, though now a tropical depression, is expected to dump heavy rain across much of the south today and tomorrow. 11 deaths in Florida and one in Georgia are being blamed on the storm.

I-reporters, they have been busy documenting the effects of Fay. Beverly Dotter sent us this video from Tallahassee, Florida. Her horses trying unsuccessfully to stay high and dry. Beverly says that 24 hours of rain have left four feet of water in the pasture.

And another scene from Florida's capital. This one from Jennifer Krohn. She says the flooding just knocked out a 12-foot retaining wall behind her apartment complex. You can see that right there. And i-reporter Bruce Bline, he found dead fish scattered throughout his neighborhood. This is in Merritt Island, Florida. Bruce said the fish kill is a sign that there are some toxic stuff in the floodwaters that we have not been able to independently confirm that. And a lot of these people hit by these records rains, don't have flood insurances. As you may know, they may have never thought that they even need it. So let's get some information now from Bill Davis. You are the regional director of the Insurance Information Institute based here in Atlanta.

So about 10 minutes ago, we saw a story out of Melbourne, Florida, about a couple of folks, an older couple in their 80s and they lived in a prefab home and the water just kind of came up through the floors. I mean, for people like this, where they're already in trouble, their house is ruined, they don't have flood insurance, can anything be done?

BILL DAVIS, INSURANCE INFORMATION INSTITUTE: There are loans from the federal government through FEMA, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, but they are loans, so they have to be paid back. People need to have flood insurance. And we've been trying to drive that home for a number of years, but people either they say, well, I didn't think it would happen to me or they think, well, I don't live real close to the water, but look what's happened throughout Florida.

KEILAR: Some people have said -- and we heard this during the flooding in Iowa -- some people have said, I couldn't get flood insurance.

DAVIS: Anyone can purchase flood insurance, even if you live on a mountaintop in North Dakota. You probably wouldn't need it there, but you can buy it. The thing is, there is a 30-day waiting period. Once you apply for it, it's 30 days before it takes effect. So you can't go out and get flood insurance right before a storm comes. But everyone should be able to get flood insurance. That's something I don't understand why people say they couldn't get.

KEILAR: So people should be able to get it. Affording it may be another matter because we're talking -- this could be a commitment of up to $100 a month, maybe even more than. $50 to $100, we talked about in certain areas that may be are flood prone, maybe aren't but have certain risk factors.

Let me ask you about this. There's a conception that since Hurricane Katrina, it's become harder in the Gulf Coast areas to get flood insurance.

DAVIS: No, it's available. It's through the National Flood Insurance Program, which was created by Congress back in the 60s. So it's been around a long, long time. And it's because flooding is not covered under the standard homeowner's or renter's insurance policy. You have to have a separate policy more I policy for it.

KEILAR: But it could be more expensive, post-Katrina, in certain areas?

DAVIS: It depends on how close it is to the water and the risk involved. The rates are set based on the risk of how close the property is to the water. How many times that area may have flooded in the past. And the government has a website people can go and to find out exactly what risk they're at.

KEILAR: Well, some people, they get certain coverage they think is going to be good for a hurricane or a tropical storm, only to find out maybe when their house is damaged that it's no good, that it's not going to cover whatever the damage is. That's because wind damage and water damage are two different things. Talk how diligent you need to be as a consumer to figure out what kind of coverage you're getting.

DAVIS: The main thing is talk to your insurgent or insurance or insurance company representative and ask them what you need. And ask a lot of questions. Don't just accept, well, you need homeowner's insurance. Because homeowner's insurance, most people know they need to have to protect from wind and other perils.

But flooding is something people don't think about a lot. And in areas that are perhaps flat that were subjected to Tropical Storm Fay's immense rainfall, and just copious amounts of rain falling throughout the state of Florida over a period of days, this storm was around for about eight days and has made four landfalls. So it's just -- it just put down a lot of water, the water started rising, people who even live back from the coastal areas or from rivers or coastal inlets, their homes were flooded. Because once the -- the ground can only take so much water. and once it starts rising into your home, problems --

DAVIS: And we saw that, coming right up through the floors in some of those folks' homes.

Bill Davis, with the Insurance Information Institute.

Thanks for coming in. We really appreciate it.

DAVIS: Well, I wanted to say, the National Flood Insurance Program, their website is floodsmart.gov.

You may have shown that to your viewers.

KEILAR: OK. Floodsmart.gov.

DAVIS: Dot gov, g-o-v.

KEILAR: Check out, and do it 30 days out.

DAVIS: Do it now.

KEILAR: Do it now because you need to do it 30 days out of any potential disaster.

OK, thank you so much, Bill. Really appreciate your time.

DAVIS: Thank you.

KEILAR: If you would like to get involved in relief efforts for those that have been affected by Fay, you can check out our "Impact your World" page. That's at cnn.com/impact. A relationship in a virtual world spills over into real life and let's just say the two people didn't click when they met in person. A woman, now behind bars, charged with trying to kidnap her ex-boyfriend in the web community "Second Life."

Lauren Wilson, of CNN affiliate WPVI in Philadelphia, reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LAUREN WILSON, REPORTER, WPVI (voice-over): If this dog, named Gogi, could talk, he would have quite a story to tell. A story that began when his owner, 33-year-old Kimberly Jernigan, of Durham, North Carolina, went on this web site called "Second Life." It's here, police say, that Jernigan began having a virtual love affair with a 52-year-old man that lives at the Whitney Presidential Towers Apartments in Claymont. Police aren't identifying the man, saying only that his online character was the King of the Jungle.

CPL. TRINIDAD NAVARRO, NEW CASTLE COUNTRY, DEL., POLICE: His character was described as a lion. And her character was a virtual woman. And they had a full-scaled relationship online.

WILSON (on camera): According to police, Jernigan drove here from North Carolina with her dog in tow after her virtual lover, the lion, broke off the relationship soon after meeting her in person.

JIMMY MESSINA, NEIGHBOR: (LAUGHTER)

(voice-over): Neighbors may be laughing, but police aren't. Not after investigators say Jernigan came here posing as a postal worker. She allegedly broke into apartment carrying handcuffs and duct tape, with one thing in mind, to kidnap her virtual lover.

NAVARRO: It was her intention to come to Delaware, to kidnap her ex- boyfriend and start a new life out west somewhere. That was what we learned -- that that was her plans.

MESSINA: Bizarre. Bizarre. I can't believe that.

WILSON: Police say it's all true, but when Jernigan's love interest spotted her inside his apartment, he fled and called 911. She apparently took off too, leaving her four-legged partner behind.

NAVARRO: After getting into the house, the dog was making, I guess, too much noise, so she had to duct tape the dog and put it in the bathroom, and leaving the dog behind when she fled.

WILSON: Kimberly Jernigan is behind bars after being picked up by police in Maryland. Gogi is locked up too at the SPCA until this bizarre case is settled in court.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KEILAR: The day before their parties' convention begins, the Democrats today restored full voting rights to delegates from Florida and Michigan. The party had penalized both, as you may recall, after their state parties guyed the democratic national committee and held early primaries. In May, officials agreed to seat the delegations with half voting rights. Now with Barack Obama's nomination assured, full voting rights were extended today in the name of party unity.

At this hour, the Democrats are filing into Denver. Our Bill Schneider is there already to set the scene for what will be a truly historic gathering.

And, Bill, you pulled out a special hat for the whole shebang.

BILL SCHNEIDER, CNN ANALYST: That's right. This is the hat you wear when you want to toss your hat into the ring. I'm not going to do that, but I did find it in the ring, so I'm wearing it to the convention.

This convention is supposed to be a great show of party unity after those bruising primaries, month after month after month, all across the country. The question is, will the Clinton forces and the Obama forces unite?

Clinton delegates represent perhaps 40 percent of the delegates here at this convention. and some of them are still bitter and angry, especially by which the process that Barack Obama chose his running mate, Joe Biden. They feel he might have been disrespectful of Senator Clinton, didn't vet her, didn't call her directly to let her know that she had not been chose chosen. So there are still some hurt feelings and a lot of this convention will to try to be to smooth those feelings over and come out united -- Brianna?

KEILAR: Tell us about the mood there because there are delegates from all over. What are they saying? I imagine they're very happy to be there.

SCHNEIDER: They are very happy. Of course, they are elated by the fact that the prospects look reasonably good for a Democratic victory. They're nervous but hopeful because the polls are still very close. And they are determined, many of them, most of them, to make a strong show of unity and support for Barack Obama. They are delighted with the Obama, Biden ticket and Clinton delegates are not complaining about the choice of Biden. They're complaining, as I indicated, more about the process by which he was chosen. So there will be some efforts to smooth those feelings over.

Bill Clinton will speak on Wednesday. Hillary Clinton will speak on Tuesday. So the Clintons will have a full chance to voice their support for their candidate, and the former president. and we expect that both Clintons will essentially call on their supporters to unite the party.

KEILAR: All right. Bill Schneider, our senior political analyst in Denver for us. Thanks, Bill.

And the Democratic convention starts in one day, but you don't have to wait until tomorrow for your dose of politics. Tonight at 8:00 eastern, you can get a preview of all of the convention action live from the convention floor in Denver. Join Wolf Blitzer and the best political team on television for a CNN convention kickoff. That's tonight at 8:00 eastern.

A notorious prison filled with violent criminals who are enjoying a new pastime. A look at an innovative jailhouse yoga program.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KEILAR: Thick, black smokes and flames pouring out of a fuel train in the Republic of Georgia. Georgian officials say the train exploded. Initially, they suspected the train hit a Russian mine planted on the tracks, but the Associated Press says officials are now backing off that claim pending an investigation.

Eight climbers are missing after an avalanche swept down a mountain in the French Alps. A huge block of falling ice there triggered the slide on Mt. Blanc. Eight other climbers were hurt. The search for the missing climbers had to be suspended today due to rising temperatures. Rescuers there fearing they could trigger another avalanche.

Think of exercise in prison and you might picture convicts pumping iron, right? Well, inmates in some high-security prisons in Mexico are actually being taught yoga as a form of rehabilitation.

CNN's Harris Whitbeck reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS WHITBECK, CNN NEWS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's a long way from this gritty prison courtyard in Mexico City to Nirvana. But Christian Rodriguez is getting a little bit closer. For three months now, he and 90 other inmates have been receiving weekly yoga classes.

Yolanda Acevedo is their teacher.

YOLANDA ACEVEDO, YOGA TEACHER: When you know where you really are and when you recognize what you have done before the world, you would be better (ph).

WHITBECK: Christian, 24 years old, is addicted to cocaine. He's been in prison for two years. He was busted for selling coke. He's got eight years left in his sentence. Yoga, he says, has helped him deal with the harshness of his life.

CHRISTIAN RODRIGUEZ, INMATE (through translation): Through your mind, you can do anything. The person guiding the medication can transport you to a nice forest, for example. And if you concentrate hard enough, you can go there with your mind.

ACEVEDDO: Exhale.

WHITBECK: It was hard at first, before he went to prison. he says he never imagined himself doing yoga. Now the practice offers him and other inmates hope.

RODRIGUEZ (through translation): I want to stop doing drugs. I'm learning things here that I would have never learned out on the street.

WHITBECK: Prison officials agree.

EVA MONTANO, PRISON OFFICIAL (through translation): If we just keep them here, just punishing them, they won't leave here with a different spirit, another mentality. That would be a disservice to society.

WHITBECK: These are hardened criminals, convicted of stealing, of kidnapping, of even killing people. Yoga instructors try to look beyond that. They say they try to connect with a humanity they believe still exists within their pupils.

ACEVEDO: We are the base of God's creation and we are acting as the worst. But when you recognize who you really are, made in the image of God, you have to act as a god and see the other person as a god.

(SINGING)

WHITBECK: Wisdom from an ancient practice, preaching souls few had ever reached.

Harris Whitbeck, CNN, Mexico City.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KEILAR: The Olympic Games have ended, the torch is passed, time to take a look at the best moments of the 2008 Olympics.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KEILAR: Well, the good news is you won't be staying up too late for days on end anymore, because Beijing is taking a bow, from the glory and the heartbreak to the successes and the scandals, the 2008 Olympic Games coming to a close. The torch has now officially passed to London, host city for the 2012 summer games. The British celebrating with a pop concert in front of Buckingham Palace.

Host China won the most gold medals, but the USA had the most medals overall with 110.

From Michael Phelps' pot of gold medals to Usain Bolt's world record runs, Larry Smith looks back on a spectacular 16 days in sporting history.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LARRY SMITH, CNN NEWS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The 29th Olympiad began like many things in this country, with grand expectations put forth by an overwhelming number of people. It didn't take long for those expectations to be exceeded or for the numbers to become staggering.

Fire lit up the sky the first night of these games, but it was water that dominated the opening week. A wondrous marvel in blue on the outside, the water cube was home to a true force of nature. Michael Phelps had a record-breaking performance for the ages, more impressive than the Forbidden City, more imposing than the great wall itself.

MICHAEL PHELPS, U.S. OLYMPIC SWIMMER: Coming into here, I thought anything was possible. It's fun for me to have people say it's not possible and be able to come out and do it. It makes it ten times better.

SMITH (on camera): Nestled just behind the curious cube, the Bird's Nest was struck by lightning, not once but three times by Jamaica's Usain "Lightning" Bolt. He electrified the night with three world- record performances, introducing himself as the Olympic's greatest star, not named Phelps.

USAIN BOLT, JAMAICAN OLYMPIC SWIMMER: I'm the greatest. Beyond the greatest, I'm a normal, fun person and they know my personality. That's all I am. And I'm happy to come here and put on a great show for myself and my family and the country.

SMITH (voice-over): And if Phelps and Bolt provided the jolt, it was the gymnasts who showed that grace also has a place in competition. The host nation saw its greatest wishes granted with nine gymnastics golds, a part of the game's high 51 golds that left the country proud, but the world questioning the age of China's gymnasts.

The only question about Nastia Liukin's five gold medals about whether hers was the greatest performance by a U.S. gymnast ever.

NASTIA LIUKIN, U.S. OLYMPIC GYMNIST: Walking away with five medals is more than I would have ever dreamed of.

SMITH: Finally, the games ended Sunday with redemption. Team USA proved once again it was the best basketball squad on the planet, just as these Olympics helped China prove themselves too, worthy hosts of the flame, the games, and the expectations of billions.

Larry Smith, CNN, Beijing.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KEILAR: Inspired by sacrifice, a group of runners make a cross- country journey in memory of thousands of hometown heroes.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KEILAR: The democratic convention starts in one day, but you don't have to wait until tomorrow for your dose of politics. A live look now from Denver. Tonight at 8:00 eastern, you can get a preview of all the convention action live from the convention floor in Denver. Join Wolf Blitzer and the best political team on television for a CNN convention kickoff. That is tonight at 8:00 eastern.

For the past ten week, they have been pounding the pavement, running in honor of U.S. troops killed in Iraq, running one mile for every fallen soldier, sailor, airman, and Marine. The cross-country journey began in California and it ended today in Virginia.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MEN: Ready, set, go.

JON BELLONA, FOUNDER, RUN FOR THE FALLEN: This is the start of Run for the Fallen, which is a 72-day memorial run, beginning here at Painted Rock, Fort Erwin (ph), and taking us 4,000 miles through 13 states and ending at Arlington National Cemetery on Sunday, August 24th.

The inspiration really came from knowing my best friend and Hamilton College-roommate, First Lieutenant J. Cleary.

Our mission to run one mile for every service member killed in Operation Iraqi Freedom. At the end of each mile, we'll be placing an American flag and service memorial placard in remembrance of a fallen soldier.

ERIN KAVANAUGH, FIANCE KILLED IN IRAQ: To have the freedom to run from one end of the country to another is pretty spectacular.

ERIC JANES, RUNNER: Because I realize that I'm running for somebody's child or somebody's friend or somebody's sister or somebody's brother, that I can run four more miles. I can run two more miles. It's OK. I can get through that.

KAVANAUGH: We have a lot of legs out here to help us run those miles for those men and women.

BELLONA: Run for the Fallen is a living memorial. It is not just dedicated to more than the 4,000 brave men and women who gave their lives, but to the families, loved ones, and active duty who currently are in harm's way. Today we've gone over 10 million steps to be here at the doorstep of the most sacred place in America, Arlington National Cemetery.

KAVANAUGH: My fiancee who was killed in Iraq. and there's not a day that goes by that you don't think about them.

BELLONA: We must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words but to live by them.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KEILAR: The next hour of "CNN NEWSROOM" starts right now.

Next in the "NEWSROOM," the eyes of the nation will be focused on this building right here this week. We'll be taking you live to the sight of the Democratic National Convention in Denver for word on some last- minute changes. Plus this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

AD NARRATOR: She won millions of votes, but isn't on his ticket. Why? For speaking the truth. (END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: It's campaign ad warfare and the missiles are flying.

And the countdown to 2012 has begun. The Olympic torch is passed to London.

Hi, there, I'm Brianna Keilar, in for Fredricka Whitfield. And you're in the "CNN NEWSROOM."

The Democrats are aiming for Denver. Barack Obama campaigning today on the eve of his party's convention. Obama attended a barbecue in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, and grilled his rival, john McCain, saying he's out of touch. The road to Denver leading Obama to Davenport, Iowa, tomorrow. He'll be in Kansas City on Tuesday; Billings, Montana, Wednesday; and he'll arrive in Denver on Thursday for the historic nomination.

We'll be spending a whole lot of time this hour talking about the convention.

Josh Levs will tell us about a new political attack ad.

Bill Schneider will have the latest on the Democrats' efforts to coax Clinton supporters back to the party.

We'll start with CNN's Suzanne Malveaux. She's setting the scene for us live from Denver.

Suzanne, what can you tell us?

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN NEWS CORRESPONDENT: Brianna, there's an awful lot of excitement, obviously, in anticipation of the convention. Behind us really is where the first three days are going to take place. They'll roll out their speakers. And then they're going to switch over to the Invesco Stadium, Mile-high Stadium.