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McCain Picks VP; President Bush's Reaction to McCain's Choice for VP; Interview With Congresswoman Heather Wilson
Aired August 29, 2008 - 14:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: All right. You can absolutely call this history in the making. Republican John McCain shakes up the presidential race. He names a woman, and a relative unknown, as his vice presidential running mate.
BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: And here we go again. The Gulf Coast is on alert as Tropical Storm Gustav churns toward warmer waters. We're going to have the potential dangers and the latest forecast track.
Hello, everybody, on this Friday. I'm Betty Nguyen, in for Kyra Phillips.
LEMON: And who'd a thunk, right?
NGUYEN: Yes, really. What a day it's been.
LEMON: What a day it's been.
And I'm Don Lemon. You're live in the CNN NEWSROOM.
All right. First up, a big surprise today for Senator John McCain. The Republican presidential candidate introduced a little- known, first-term governor, Alaska's Sarah Palin, as his vice presidential running mate.
If she is elected in November, Palin would be America's first female vice president. Republicans are hoping she will draw support from some of the Democrats who backed Hillary Clinton's failed presidential bid.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. SARAH PALIN (R), ALASKA: It was rightly noted in Denver this week that Hillary left 18 million cracks in the highest, hardest glass ceiling in America. But it turns out the women of America aren't finished yet. And we can shatter glass ceiling once and for all.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: All right. So when the pundits were handicapping potential McCain running mates, Sarah Palin wasn't high on the list of possibilities. I wonder if she was even there at all. So what are they saying now? CNN Senior Political Analyst Gloria Borger is in St. Paul, Minnesota, where the Republican National Convention will be held next week. They're getting ready for that.
OK. Obviously a dark horse, a surprise here. Was it a smart choice though?
GLORIA BORGER, CNN SR. POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, look, whatever it is, it sure is a game-changer. It's very clear that the McCain campaign took a look at this race. You know, these things just don't materialize out of thin air. They do dial testing, they do focus groups, they do daily tracking polls. And they clearly decided that that experience argument might not have as much salience as this notion of attracting those Independent women voters that the governor herself spoke about this morning, who they think they have a shot of getting.
She's also somebody who can appeal to those western gun owners. She's got an energy policy that the Republican Party loves.
LEMON: But Gloria, let me jump in here.
BORGER: So -- and a reformer. And by the way, a reformer. And McCain is a reformer. So they kind of felt that the whole thing was a good package for them.
LEMON: But that has been the backbone of the McCain campaign, at least against Barack Obama -- he is not ready to lead, not enough experience. And now the same thing.
BORGER: Yes. Right. Right.
Yes, they're going to kind of take a hit on it. You know, their answer to that is that she has more executive experience than either Joe Biden or Senator Barack Obama.
But I think in doing this, they're clearly giving up the experience argument. They're giving up the risk argument.
You know, the whole -- the big issue of this campaign is everybody wants change, but at what risk? OK.
LEMON: Yes.
BORGER: And she's the number two. John McCain turned 72 years old today. I think they understand that they're giving up a bit on that argument. They clearly feel it's worth it to them to get a woman on the ticket.
LEMON: Yes. And so, clearly, it adds some diversity, at least to that ticket.
BORGER: Well, and those Hillary Clinton voters. I mean, who did she pay homage to? Hillary Clinton and Geraldine Ferraro.
LEMON: Hillary Clinton. But was that a smart thing to do, to bring up other Democrats? And there are -- I have been listening to women, getting e-mails from viewers saying, you know, it's kind of an insult, because you just can't put any woman in there and expect women to vote for her because she's a woman. Hillary Clinton has a whole resume and a history of legislative success behind her.
BORGER: Right. And there are lots of women who are going to feel that way. But in her speech today, she said she's fought the -- sort of the old boys' club.
And they're clearly pushing her as the mother of five, somebody who knows how to get things done, somebody with executive experience, and somebody who can appeal to those disaffected women, particularly those women who liked Hillary Clinton in the Rocky Mountain states.
LEMON: Yes.
BORGER: You know, that's really a battleground for this campaign right now. And so they believe that this takes it to Barack Obama there.
LEMON: All right. Senior Political Analyst -- I could talk about this with you all day. You're very knowledgeable.
BORGER: Me too. Thank you.
LEMON: Yes. But unfortunately, we have other news.
Maybe Gloria can join us a little bit later on.
Gloria, great work over the course of this campaign. Thank you for joining us today.
BORGER: Thanks.
NGUYEN: Well, Governor Sarah Palin's career hasn't been without controversy. An Alaska legislative investigation is actually looking into allegations that Palin fired the state's public safety commissioner because he refused to fire Palin's former brother-in-law, who is a state trooper.
Now, Palin has acknowledged a phone call was made by a member of her staff to the Department of Public Safety, and that the staffer suggested he was speaking on the governor's behalf. Palin also has acknowledged the call could be interpreted as pressure to fire the trooper, who at the time was locked in a custody battle with Palin's sister.
Governor Palin has expressed disappointment that the call was made, but in her words, "At no time did I authorize any member of my staff to do so." Palin has suspended the staffer who made that call, and the investigation, well, it continues.
So, who is Sarah Palin, you might be asking? Well, a lot of Americans will be probably asking that same question.
She is the first-term governor of Alaska, elected in 2006. She's 44 years old, the youngest person and the first woman to serve as Alaska governor.
Sarah Palin has lived in Alaska since 1964. She's married and she has five children. She likes to spend time outdoors and she is a lifetime member of the NRA.
And of course, we are going to have more reaction to John McCain's choice of Sarah Palin to be his running mate. That is just ahead. Our guests will include Republican Congresswoman Heather Wilson of New Mexico.
LEMON: OK. John McCain's Friday surprise came just hours after his Democratic rival Barack Obama electrified a crowd of 80,000 at Denver's INVESCO Field. Well, today, Obama and running mate Joe Biden are heading east to Pennsylvania, where they will kick off a tour of key battleground states.
In his acceptance speech last night, Obama built on his long running theme of political change.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: America, we cannot turn back. Not with so much work to be done. Not with so many children to educate and so many veterans to care for. Not with an economy to fix and cities to rebuild and farms to save. Not with so many families to protect and so many lives to mend.
America, we cannot turn back.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Well, Barack Obama's speech was a big draw for TV viewers. Check this. Early numbers show his remarks drew about 38 million people.
(WEATHER REPORT)
LEMON: Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff says in the three years since Hurricane Katrina, all levels of government have been planning, training and exercising for the next big storm. And he says it has certainly paid off.
Chertoff was in Katrina-battered Gulfport, Mississippi, just a short time ago. He is checking out how FEMA is preparing for Gustav's possible landfall, and he had this advice for the people of New Orleans...
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAEL CHERTOFF, HOMELAND SECURITY SECRETARY: If word is given to evacuate, people should evacuate. Do not expect that the city's going to be dry, because no matter how much the engineers do, the rain is going to fill the city up, to some extent.
(END VIDEO CLIP) LEMON: All right. So you know New Orleans still has a very long way to go in its recovery from Hurricane Katrina. Now, I went back to some of the city's shattered neighborhoods to see where things stand now.
Ahead this hour, we'll meet a woman who has battled cancer, and she battled cancer and Katrina at the same time. Now her survival spirit and get-tough attitude are helping save the city she loves.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I want New Orleans to be New Orleans again. We're willing to be honest with ourselves and each other in a way that I don't think most cities have to be. And so what I hope for this is that we're recognized for our own bravery as a city.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: In our next hour we'll go back to New Orleans and take a look at education and schools. The entire system has to be overhauled after Katrina. It's quite expensive and challenging for the school board, parents, as well as students.
NGUYEN: Let's get more on this pick today by John McCain. That being Sarah Palin as his vice presidential running mate there on that ticket.
The White House is, in fact, reacting. We want to take you now to CNN's Kathleen Koch, live now, joining us with the latest on what the president has to say about this.
Hey, Kathleen.
KATHLEEN KOCH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Betty.
Well, normally Press Secretary Dana Perino, from the podium, in the White House, really studiously avoids talking about the presidential campaign. She stays out of the politics. But she knew that this was a question that there was no avoiding today.
So right at the beginning of the briefing, she said that the White House is energized and excited by the choice of Alaskan Governor Sarah Palin. She said that the White House learned of the pick, McCain's pick, about an hour before it was announced.
She said the president called Palin before she came out, before the announcement was made. He wished her good luck, and he said that he believed that the McCain/Palin ticket was very strong. And he said he was looking forward to victory in November. Perino read then a paper statement expressing the president's thought.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DANA PERINO, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: President Bush will say, in his words, "Today, Senator McCain made an exciting decision in choosing Alaska Governor Sarah Palin to join him on his ticket as the vice presidential candidate. Governor Palin is a proven reformer who is a wise steward of taxpayers dollars and champion for accountability in government. Governor Palin's success is due to a dedication to principle and her roll-up-your-sleeves work ethic, and serves as a wonderful example of the spirit of America. By selecting a working mother with a track record of getting things done, Senator McCain has once again demonstrated his commitment to...
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KOCH: Now, regarding the president's speech at the Republican convention coming up on Monday night, Perino said that this is not going to be a time for the president to look backwards, to look at his legacy, to tout his accomplishments. She says this is about John McCain, so that's who the president will be focusing on, touting his ability to handle the challenges that the nation will face in the future.
And she says one thing he will also definitely avoid, and that is attacks on Barack Obama. Perino said the president did not watch Senator Obama's acceptance speech last night, but he did read some of the media reports about it today -- Betty.
NGUYEN: Oh, that's very interesting that he didn't watch last night. OK.
Kathleen Koch joining us live. Thank you.
KOCH: I'm sorry, Betty. I think I've lost the audio. I can't hear you.
NGUYEN: That's OK. Thank you, Kathleen.
LEMON: Well, America, meet Sarah Palin. Who is this woman? We're here to help you find out exactly. We'll speak in just a moment with Republican Congresswoman Heather Wilson.
NGUYEN: Also, inside an inferno. Firefighters in Boise in a fight for their lives.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: Let's get some more reaction now to John McCain's vice presidential decision. You see her right there, Sarah Palin.
Well, joining us now from Albuquerque, New Mexico, is Republican Congresswoman Heather Wilson to talk about this pick.
We do appreciate your time.
What do you know about Sarah Palin? And is she a good choice?
REP. HEATHER WILSON (R), NEW MEXICO: I think it's a great choice. She is the governor of an energy-producing state. She's got a reputation as a reformer who's taken on problems in government. She was the one who ended the Bridge to Nowhere in Alaska. And she's a working mom. She understands what it takes to help her husband run a small business and raise five kids. I thought it was a great choice that complements Senator McCain's strength as a reformer and an outsider.
NGUYEN: But she's only been governor for two years, and McCain has really hit hard with the fact that he says Obama is not ready to lead. Is Palin ready to lead with just two years under her belt?
WILSON: She is governor of a state. She's helped her husband run a small business and sign the front side of paychecks. She has raised five kids, one of whom serves in the United States military, so she's a blue star mother.
I think she has done things while Senator Obama has just talked about things. And I think that's a great contrast.
NGUYEN: Well, the role of the vice president largely is to step into that presidential role should something happen. Could you see her as president?
WILSON: Yes. And I'm surprised as a woman that you would say that, but...
NGUYEN: I'm not saying it as a female. I'm saying, when we look at the experience, this is a woman, like I said, who's only been in office for two years.
WILSON: She has -- you know, you say she's only been in office for two years. Senator Obama's been in the Senate for three years, two of which he's been running for president, and he hasn't really accomplished much at all.
While she's been governor, she's been reforming state government, stopping the Bridge to Nowhere, vetoing excess spending. I've been particularly impressed by her record as a leader getting things done.
NGUYEN: What about her record on foreign policy? Does she have the chops to stand up to someone like Joe Biden and go toe to toe, should they need to go at it when we see the rest of this political season carry on until November?
WILSON: One of the things that I think Senator McCain has done here is choose a vice president who complements him. His strength is in defense and foreign policy. Her strength is in energy and being an executive in state government. And I think that's a great complement.
NGUYEN: Well, you know, a lot of people outside of Alaska -- and we have to be honest about this -- probably don't know a whole lot about Palin. So does this perhaps make the Obama/Biden ticket seem a little safer?
WILSON: Well, I think it's an inspired choice to choose a governor. I'm glad that he chose someone outside of Washington. I think we need some fresh perspectives in Washington, and I think Governor Palin brings that to the table. She may not be well known to Americans outside of Alaska right now, or outside of Republican circles, but I guarantee you within the next couple of weeks she will be.
NGUYEN: And very quickly, she does fit a lot of holes for McCain. I mean, again, she's young, as we've been talking about, just 44 years old. She supports offshore drilling. She does support a lot of these things that really fit in line with the McCain campaign.
Wouldn't you agree?
WILSON: I think that she is a good complement to Senator McCain as being an executive of a state that's an energy-producing state. She obviously understands about energy. She's a small businesswoman with her husband running a -- you know, she's a pretty tough cookie. And I think it's a great choice.
NGUYEN: All right.
Well, Representative Heather Wilson joining us live today.
We do appreciate your time and your insight. Thank you.
WILSON: Thank you.
NGUYEN: And check out our Political Ticker for all the latest campaign news. Just log on to CNNPolitics.com, your source for all things political.
LEMON: Well, it's a tropical storm now, on track to becoming a mighty hurricane. We have got Gustav in our sights in the NEWSROOM.
NGUYEN: And bringing New Orleans back. That's the goal of one woman who's made it her mission to save her hometown. We have her story this hour.
(BUSINESS REPORT)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Hello, everyone. I'm Don Lemon live here at the CNN World Headquarters in Atlanta.
NGUYEN: Hello, everybody, on this Friday. I'm Betty Nguyen.
You are in the CNN NEWSROOM.
LEMON: We are talking politics today in the CNN NEWSROOM. It was a big surprise, big political story of the day -- John McCain's decision to make Alaska governor, Sarah Palin, his running mate.
Joining us live now, there she is, Republican strategist, Bay Buchanan.
Bay, always good to see you.
BAY BUCHANAN, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: Thank you very much. LEMON: It's been an interesting political season, hasn't it? And it just amped up today, didn't it?
BUCHANAN: It's been wild. It has been absolutely amazing.
LEMON: I'm going to start with the same question that I asked of our analyst, Gloria Borger. Was this a smart choice for John McCain?
It was very, very clever, very bold and an exciting choice.
LEMON: Why is that.
BUCHANAN: Well, as you probably know, I was a Mitt Romney fan. That's who I was pulling for here. I thought he would really strengthen the ticket. But what we have here is John McCain has sent a message first of all to conservatives -- we have set a place at the table for you, come on home. And I for one am thrilled to death that he has shown that he really does care about our part of the party, the majority of the party, the base. So he's excited us. Number one, that's what you have to do.
LEMON: OK. So Bay, listen, I've got to ask you this because I've been reading some of the e-mails about this. One person -- you mentioned Mitt Romney. Someone said, Don -- they e-mailed me -- "This choice is a colossal insult to Mitt Romney who received millions of our votes. It is an outrage."
And then someone else said, "Well just because you put a woman on the ticket, it doesn't mean women are going to vote for her just because she's a woman. It's an insult to women."
How do you respond to that?
BUCHANAN: What do you mean it's an insult to women? To choose a woman is an insult to women? I'll tell where that's coming from -- that's coming from feminists. This is going to be a our little side entertainment for this campaign as you see feminists melting and just collapsing and they're trying to effort to explain why they're not excited about a woman actually making history. That's the second strength of this decision, Don. We now not only have an energized party that can match the energized Democratic Party, which clearly is, we now are making history just like they are.
Women across the country are going to be excited. Maybe not the feminists that you bring on to talk about it. But we are thrilled to death to be able to break that barrier and put a women out there.
LEMON: OK. I understand what you're saying. But I've got to tell you that this whole argument about -- that the McCain campaign has been using about experience, that kind of throws it out the door.
Here is something, thought, that -- a couple things that Democrats are going to pounce on. One, is that she's a former beauty queen. They're going to talk about that.
BUCHANAN: Oh my golly, you so can't be good looking and smart too.
LEMON: So then this, something that's a little bit more serious. We're talking about a legislative investigation going on now in Alaska about a former state trooper involved in a custody battle with her sister. It is under investigation now. She admits to a phone call from someone of her staff that may have been perceived as trying to sway -- in some way to try to get this trooper fired. But then she said she was disappointed and disturbed to learn that the member of her administration had contacted the public regarding the trooper and then fired the safety commissioner.
So what do you make of all that?
BUCHANAN: Listen, I have spent a couple week -- I've had two trips up to Alaska in the past six weeks. And I know what they're saying up there. It's clear. And the governor herself has welcomed this investigation. She makes it very clear that she has done absolutely nothing wrong, that she does have some enemies up there because she has gone after the corrupt politicians time and again. A few of them are trying to stir something up against her. So she says, let's put it all out in the open because I did nothing wrong.
And I have looked into this. It's clear she did nothing wrong. There is no problem there. That's just mean-spirited politics that's coming out of Alaska.
LEMON: OK, Bay. And again, it's still under investigation and she also denies this. So, we'll see what happens.
But you know what? She likes Democratic women. She likes Hillary Clinton, she likes Geraldine Ferraro. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. SARAH PAULIN (R), VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: It was greatly noted in Denver this week that Hillary left 18 million cracks in the highest part of the glass ceiling in America. But, it turns out the women of America aren't finished yet and we can shatter that glass ceiling once and for all.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: OK.
BUCHANAN: That's great.
LEMON: Immediate comparisons to Hillary Clinton though. She brought it on herself.
(CROSSTALK)
BUCHANAN: Listen, this is perfect. Listen, what John McCain has done here has given women in this country who are so disappointed not to have broken the glass ceiling with Hillary -- it says, hey, we can still do this. Sure, the feminists for Hillary are not going to come aboard. This is a pro-life conservative woman who is very much a fiscal conservative, not their ilk philosophically. But there are mothers, working moms across this country, that are going to be thrilled to death. I got e-mails this morning from moderates, Democratic moderates, saying, looks like I might have to vote for your ticket.
LEMON: OK. Bay Buchanan -- and you know what? You're a Republican strategist, but you better save some of that energy. You have a long week ahead of you.
BUCHANAN: And we are excited. We are aboard and excited for this ticket.
LEMON: It is always good to see you. You have a great week.
BUCHANAN: Thank you very much.
LEMON: Thank you.
NGUYEN: Definitely can tell she is fired up for this one.
We are starting to receive i-Reports from CNN viewers reacting to John McCain's choice of Sarah Palin to be his running mate. Let's check in with our Josh Levs for more on what they have to say.
I know you have a lot on the list there, Josh.
(AUDIO GAP)
NGUYEN: We're having a bit of an audio problem.
There you go.
JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Can you hear me now? Can you hear me no? I don't want to do free publicity --
NGUYEN: Loud and clear.
LEVS: They're right over there. The real concern is if you can hear me. And now you can, so we're good.
All right. I was trying to say that it's really good to get i- Reports today of all days because we do keep in mind that while you're hearing the analysts and the strategists, this is a democracy and in the end it's all about the voters. That's why we at ireport.com are hearing from you, the voters. We want to share some of this with you. We're going to start off right now with a video that we've gotten from Rick Ceno (ph).
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Who better to woo disgruntled Hillary Clinton supporters who said that they cannot back Barack Obama than a working mom with five children? One of whom is in Iraq.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEVS: So he's obviously a big supporter of this decision.
Now not everybody is. I've gone through some of these ones we're getting at ireport.com. Pulled out some quotes for you. Let's go to the first graphic we have here, which will give this quote coming from Michelle Filipovich who says this.
Do we have that?
She says, "I'm a Republican, and will now not vote. I'm in total shock. This is the most horrible choice available."
People not holding back here.
But, Jeanne Coleman -- now we have her -- saying "She's a mother first, governor second but is highly successful at both. Her approval ratings are huge. I'm happy with McCain's pick and I can see a lot of strategic reasons why he did it."
Balancing out now, I'm going to end with this from Joel Najera who says this, "Wow. I didn't think it was going to be this easy for the Democrats. I almost thought he was going to pick Romney."
He there, obviously being John McCain.
If you want to weigh in you can do so at ireport.com.
We've got another camera here. Let's zoom in on this screen. I'm going to show you some of what's going on here. We're getting so many videos all day long. If I click over here you can this is some of the videos we're getting. I've been refreshing it every couple of minutes and new things keep showing up.
Let me just see if I can show you some of the quotes that we're getting, where people are just writing us. This person says, "It's so obvious he's trying to appeal to disaffected Hillary voters. It's blatant opportunism. I think it's going to totally back fire on him."
On the flip side, this one saying, hey, "She's pro-life, pro all the other Second Amendment stuff, and seems to be a great gal. I'm happy with the pick. I can see a lot of strategic reasons why he did it."
Obviously we love to hear from you at ireport.com. Send us your photos, your videos, your stories.
And Betty, we're going to keep sharing them here throughout the day.
NGUYEN: Yes, there are a lot of people talking about the strategy behind this pick today, and we'll be delving in to that much more throughout the hours to come.
Thank you, Josh.
LEVS: You got it. NGUYEN: Democrats are heading home following their national convention in Denver. So if you would like to watch any of the big speeches again, we will be streaming them all day long on CNN.com/live.
LEMON: OK. Oh, boy, here we go again. People on the Gulf Coast are watching TV like crazy. Watch for Gustav to get stronger. It's over open water again right now. And after swamping Jamaica, it's taking aim at the Cayman Islands and Cuba. Now we've seen more flooding and landslides. But so far, no deaths. Unlike Haiti, where the toll has jumped to 59 people.
By the time it hits the U.S. Gulf Coast next week, Gustav is expected to be a monster of a hurricane. One Louisiana man says some people already are having -- quote -- "border line panic attacks."
And it's how many days away, Chad Myers?
And I can attest to that. I was there on Monday and Tuesday. Tuesday, it was sunny and people were nervous already and it wasn't even that close yet. They have didn't even know where the path was going.
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: It could be as early as Monday morning right around daybreak. It could be as late as Tuesday morning because it still has so many thousands of miles to go. One mile per hour faster or slower will make hours worth of difference as you get that far up into the Gulf of Mexico.
Here are the numbers right now -- 18.18 and 79.3. But that's the number you need to worry about, back up to 70 and getting stronger. Most of the computers out there are saying well into hurricane category later on this afternoon. There are also some new computer models saying this thing could go left into Texas maybe sparing New Orleans. But, obviously, if it goes left into Texas, there is a very big city there named Houston to worry about.
I'm only going to take you out this far. We're not going to go any farther, but I want you to see how far and wide this cone is for now. At 120 miles per hour, we could be talking Mobile, Pensacola or still angling over towards Galveston. That's the rub right now.
And the new computer models are just out. Here are the lines of those models. We call this the spaghetti map. The storm down here, notice these last couple. Look at this turn to the left right here on the last couple of storms that -- they're the southern-most storms, but now there is nothing into Florida at all. So all these models are shifting ever so slowly west, west, west.
So watch out Monday. It's going to be a big day for somebody in the Gulf Coast, Don.
LEMON: Oh boy. Hey Chad, you know they've been calling this -- what -- Katrina of India. Do you know what I'm talking about? Did you see that?
MYERS: Yes, absolutely.
LEMON: Unbelievable.
Take a look at this video, because in southeast India, it is a fight for survival as soldiers race to rescue tens of thousands of panic-stricken flood victims surrendered by water. They are huddled on rooftops, begging for help.
Isn't that amazing?
It is the worst flooding in India that they have seen in 50 years. Caused when a river broke through an embankment hundreds of miles away in Nepal.
NGUYEN: Protesters versus riot police in Thailand. Look at this. Police used tear gas to disperse a crowd of at least 2,000 today outside the city's police headquarters. It is the third day as steadily rising tension in Bangkok. A pro-democracy group is demanding the ouster of Thailand's prime minister and urging followers (ph) to disrupt travel hubs and public spaces throughout Thailand.
And you should be glad that you can't see this scene better. This is in eastern Mexico where police have a mystery on their hands. They found 11 human bodies stacked one on top of the other. All decapitated. Their heads have not been found and a 12th body was found 120 miles away.
What is going on? Well, all are the apparent victims of drug traffickers battling over routes to smuggle drugs into the United States. More than 2,600 people have died in Mexico's drug cartel wars this year alone.
LEMON: Boy, well New Orleans' neighborhoods were ravaged by Hurricane Katrina to say the least. We'll meet a Katrina revolutionary who is on a mission to save her city.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: All right. All this coverage by the best political team on television. Last night they wrapped up their coverage, and today, of the Democratic National Convention in Denver, Colorado. Some 80,000 people watched last night from INVESCO Field, and then 30,000 more watched by television. High numbers for everybody, and especially for CNN -- the best political team on television. More people watched last night than any other broadcast or cable network. Amazing. The most trusted name in news.
And now, of course, the attention turns to the Republicans. And John McCain in Dayton, Ohio, today where he made his choice -- his announcement for his vice presidential pick -- Sarah Palin, governor of Alaska. Of course, their convention happening in St. Paul starting next week. We will be covering that all week for you.
Now we want to turn to the weather and tell you about what's happening on the Gulf Coast, as they keep a wary eye on Tropical Storm Gustav in the Caribbean. New Orleans and the Mississippi Gulf Coast are marking the third anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. It was today, three years ago.
I just got back from New Orleans where I met a remarkable woman who survived Katrina and cancer at the same time. She was going through chemo. Her can-do attitude is helping save the city she loves. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON (voice-over): A revolution is brewing in Karen Gadbois' New Orleans home.
SARAH LEWIS, BLOGGER/ACTIVIST: We've got a lot things (ph) to put together.
LEMON: Real kitchen table politics by the city's newest breed of activists, online bloggers.
(on camera): When you just started blogging, when you realized, wow, I can put a picture on the Internet in one minute, did you realize that it would result into -- all of this?
KAREN GADBOIS, BLOGGER/ACTIVIST: No. No. We had no sense that it would affect a system change.
LEMON: (voice-over): A system change? How about sparking a federal investigation with the FBI seizing files from an agency hired by the city in 2006 to fix up Katrina-ravaged homes owned by the poor and the elderly. Elderly like Andrew Lea.
ANDREW LEA SR., NEW ORLEANS HOMEOWNER: They did say they did it, but they didn't do anything.
LEMON (on camera): Nothing?
LEA: Meanwhile, my brother-in-law (ph) and I did all the work.
LEMON: What do you think of this woman, this little sleuth right here, who helped --
LEWIS: These two sleuths.
LEMON: -- these two sleuths who helped?
LEA: Well I think they're doing a great job.
LEMON (voice-over): With researcher Sarah Lewis, Gadbois uncovered Mr. Lea's story and others, first by blogging to encourage neighbors to fight to save their homes from the wrecking ball. But when she drove across the city to check out work done by the New Orleans Affordable Homeownership Cooperation, or NOAH, --
GADBOIS: This property was on the NOAH list, and it's the worst house on the block.
LEMON: -- she noticed some of the homes on their fix-up list had never been touched. Mayor Ray Nagin first denied Gadbois' claims, then later conceded discrepancies, and ultimately moved to shut down the program.
Gadbois says the mayor went up against the wrong woman, because battling Hurricane Katrina and cancer at the same time made her fearless.
GADBOIS: When they put the chemo in you, like pure fury (ph). They replace your blood with rage.
Within a very brief period of time, I saw that everything could be lost, that I could lose my home, that I could lose my life.
LEMON: And she wasn't about to lose the city she loved.
(on camera): We've driven all over, we've seen all these properties and you -- what do you want to come of all this?
GADBOIS: Well, I want New Orleans to be New Orleans again. We're willing to be honest with ourselves and each other in a way that I don't think most cities have to be. And so what I hope for this is that we're recognized for our own bravery as a city.
LEMON (voice-over): One woman, indomitable spirit of survival, helping to save a struggling city.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: She is a remarkable woman.
And in our next hour, a contentious issue in New Orleans. We'll check out the city's schools, the education system. The entire thing has to be overhauled. It is going to take years. Overhauled since Hurricane Katrina.
NGUYEN: Well the fire that started in a vacant field then ravaged a neighborhood. An up close look at the battle to save lives and homes in Boise.
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NGUYEN: It's a blast that hurled a fire ball hundreds of feet into air, shook an area near Charleston, West Virginia, last night, sparking fears of a chemical leak. One person died and another is hospitalized from the explosion at a Bayer Crops Science Plant, which makes insecticides. State environmental officials say air quality tests find no signs of chemical exposure on-site or nearby. The plant produces the chemical blamed for killing thousands of people during a 1984 leak in India.
LEMON: Well Betty, you can call this a perfect storm of circumstances in Boise. Authorities now say a piece of heated metal fell from a power pole and ignited dry brush. Gale force winds then fueled an inferno that devoured a neighborhood. Today, a dramatic look at the battle by the city's firefighters.
Here's Kristen Thorson, of CNN affiliate KBCI.
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KRISTEN THORSON, KBCI REPORTER (voice-over): It started as a call of a grass fire in southeast Boise. And then the fire engine arrived on the scene.
The Boise Fire Department released this video taken from inside one of their firefighter's helmets. You can see police quickly moving to bring hose lines behind homes, hoping to keep the flames away. Thick smoke and high winds made that job much harder as fire spread from one home to the next. Calls for help (INAUDIBLE) radio, one after the other.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I can't get through on the damn radio. He's bringing my engine around. I've got two of my hoses in here right now.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I've got three houses in here. I've got someone (INAUDIBLE) and it's sweeping out further.
THORSON: Embers can be seen flying through the air, hitting homes, firefighters, even fire hoses.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's kind of burning out there. It melted a hole in it.
THORSON: And when they couldn't save a home anymore, the firefighters moved on.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's what we've been trying. I don't think we can get it. It's in the attic.
THORSON: Working their way down Sweet Water (ph), you can see firefighters busting through back yard fences, trying to protect the homes they could with all the resources they had.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: That was our Kristen Thorson, of CNN affiliate KBCI. Well the fire on Monday is blamed for one death. Nearly 20 homes were destroyed or damaged.
NGUYEN: Three adults and two kids were in this home that you're about to see in Las Vegas. Look at that. When a twin engine airplane plunged from the sky and caught fire. All five escaped serious injury. But the pilot, he died. He had radioed engine trouble shortly after takeoff and was trying to turn back to North Las Vegas Airport. The story sounds somewhat familiar. It is the second time in a week that a small plane has crashed into a home in Vegas.
LEMON: Well, in Australia, investigators confirm an exploding oxygen cylinder caused a rupture in the fuselage of a Quantas airliner. But, they can't yet say why the cylinder blew. The accident happened last month as the 747 was over the South China Sea. It landed safely in Manila, though. The emergency oxygen canister was one of seven stored below the cabin floor.
NGUYEN: John McCain names his running mate and he takes a lot of people by surprise. Sarah Palin and her impact on the White House race in the next hour of CNN NEWSROOM.
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