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Deadly Flooding in the South; Chaos in Honduras; America's Friend or Foe?

Aired September 22, 2009 - 14:00   ET

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

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: And we're pushing forward in part to the Southeast, water as far as the eye can see, homes and businesses swamped by record-setting floods. At least seven deaths in Georgia are confirmed, including a toddler swept from his home. Another person in Tennessee missing and presumed dead. Seventeen counties in Georgia under a state of emergency.

Chad Myers is tracking this deadly storm for us right here in the CNN weather center. Also, we're on the scene with CNN's Susan Hendricks and Rob Marciano right there in the flood zone.

CNN's Rob Marciano, let's go ahead and begin with you in Austell.

ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Record-shattering amounts of rain over the past few days has led to scenes like this. This community inundated with water. They have a small creek that just winds around the back side of this subdivision. And it quickly grew into a massive torrent of water, inundated this subdivision. Thirty to 40 homes, not just flooding the basements, but flooding the entire first floor, and in some cases going up to the top floor.

As you can imagine, a number of personal and in some cases, harrowing stories to tell.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We started thinking about what we could recover to take to the top step, but before we could even think about that, the bottom level was flooded. So, we got up there and we watched this guy with the car. I'm not sure if you can see the shot. He was driving down the street and I couldn't understand where he was going. And his car cut off and he watched his car just get completely submerged.

And soon after, the water pretty much got to the top level. Someone did -- my neighbor had a boat and he started rescuing people, so we were very thankful for that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MARCIANO: That's the car she's talking about. The gentleman lives right up there. He had his two kids in the car, and they just splashed right into a pond they didn't expect to see on their street, on their way to school.

The women lives right there that was in that little piece with her garage door opened still from letting that water in. She didn't know what was coming either, and then later had to be rescued by a boat.

The waters here are receding somewhat, certainly lower than they were a day ago. But there is still a slight chance of seeing some rain today, tomorrow, and the rest of the week, but certainly nothing like what these folks saw yesterday.

Rob Marciano, CNN, Austell, Georgia.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: All right. And now to Susan Hendricks. She's in one of the hardest hit areas in Atlanta.

Susan, is the water still rising where you are?

SUSAN HENDRICKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Kyra, as Rob said, the water is receding here a bit as well. I would say about three feet, but still, for the people who live behind me, it doesn't even put a dent into the damage that they are seeing. Really mass amounts of water in a short amount of time has made it a true nightmare for these folks who live behind me.

I want to bring in Sharon, one of the residents who lives in this area, and she plays tennis directly there.

Sharon, if you'll join me right now, tell us what you think about all this when you saw what used to be just 24 hours ago.

SHARON BARROW, RESIDENT: I know. I came down here last night about 7:00 and it was still a little drizzly, and of course the water was much higher, but I couldn't believe -- the tennis courts are right there. They are just totally devastated. I mean, you cannot -- obviously, I don't think with water receding anytime soon, it's going to make any difference.

The clubhouse is completely destroyed. The playground, which is right behind us -- this was all grass and a soccer field, and kids play tee ball and pitch tents and spent the night, and it's just completely destroyed. It's just unbelievable to think about that.

HENDRICKS: I talked to your neighbors who lived through Hurricane Ivan and said this is so much worse, the devastation is extreme.

Were you here during Ivan? And what do you think about this compared to that?

BARROW: I didn't live in the area at the time, but I've talked to some friends of mine that said that they haven't seen it like this in maybe 20 years, plus. It could be even longer than that. At least in this particular area it hasn't been this bad, and I couldn't even tell you how long.

HENDRICKS: Sharon, how do you rebuild from here? This community is certainly a tight-knit one. I don't doubt that they will. Where do you go from here? Do you feel helpless?

BARROW: I don't think so. I mean, you know, it's a great community, and we'll pull together and we'll figure it out. You know, I think these tennis courts have been resurfaced at least once before, so hopefully they will and the playground will be back. And we'll be back, we'll be OK.

We're a close-knit group. It will be OK.

HENDRICKS: Sharon, I don't doubt that, and certainly thanks so much for talking to me. I know you have a lot to go through, rebuilding, really, certainly keeping a positive attitude.

I spoke to a young gentleman earlier who was in from California and had to literally rescue his mother and father from the home behind me. And Kyra, as you know, Sonny Perdue declaring a state of emergency in 17 counties, really being proactive.

It's a nice day out today, very sunny and warm. The water has receded a bit. But officials are saying, look, this is not over yet, we can't let our guard down.

PHILLIPS: True. That's what Chad has been telling us as well.

Susan, thanks so much.

(WEATHER REPORT)

PHILLIPS: It's been five years since western North Carolina got so much rain, and much of that region is also reeling from the high water. Right now, at least 20 counties are feeling the impact. Among the hardest hit, Transylvania County, where people have had to flee their homes. Roads and highways are closed. Schools have also called off classes.

And in Chattanooga, Tennessee, a tragedy that didn't have to happen. Witnesses say that a 46-year-old man, Sylvester Kitchens (ph), bragged that he could swim a flooded storm ditch. After betting onlookers $5 that he could do it, Kitchens (ph) jumped in and was swept into an underground culvert. He is presumed drowned and searchers are still looking for his body.

Well, they kicked him out, he slipped back in, and today thousands of supporters of ousted Honduran president Manuel Zelaya went wild. They were running the streets with riot and police gear. They were firing tear gas, water cannons, all happening there in the capital.

Zelaya remains holed up in the Brazilian Embassy now, and CNN's Juan Carlos Lopez is there with the latest.

Juan Carlos, we're hearing the U.S. Embassy in Honduras has closed. Is that true?

JUAN CARLOS LOPEZ, CNN EN ESPANOL CORRESPONDENT: Yes. That announcement was made at the State Department, and the reason for closing the embassy is the fluid situation in Tegucigalpa, the Honduras capital.

Remember that President Zelaya was deposed on June 28th. He was sent to Costa Rica. He's been traveling all around, and then went off the radar for a couple of weeks. And he appeared in Tegucigalpa yesterday.

The interim government has asked the Brazilian government, who is hosting him in the embassy, to either turn him over or grant him asylum. It's a very complicated situation, but the president -- the deposed president is back, and the crisis in Honduras is deepening again.

PHILLIPS: And Juan Carlos, I should point out that you are actually not there. You are in Washington, D.C.

LOPEZ: No.

PHILLIPS: Sorry about that. We had a little slip-up in copy.

I guess the second question, will you be heading that way? And with regard to any role the U.S. playing in this crisis, what do you think?

LOPEZ: Well, first of all, the interim government closed the airport. So, right now, nobody's getting in, not even an international delegation that was headed there today by the OAS secretary-general. So, that's one issue.

The other issue is that many consider this an opportunity for the Obama administration to show the effects of their policy in Latin America. They have been supporting the return of Manuel Zelaya to power. They've been asking for all actors involved to avoid violence. And now they're going to have take a step further -- at least that's what the analysts I've been speaking with have been saying -- because it's at a point where it could turn into a real violent situation.

So, it's still up in the air, but they expect President Obama this week at the U.N. to talk this over with other Latin American leaders and find a solution.

PHILLIPS: All right. We'll track it.

Juan Carlos, thanks so much.

Who's who in American diplomacy? Stepping up to the podium and looking out on the U.N., it's sometimes pretty hard to tell allies from enemies. We're going to look at the world of issues facing President Obama.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: It's the ultimate town hall, U.N. headquarters in New York, site of an annual pilgrimage of world leaders for the U.N. General Assembly. They don't stay long, but they talk a lot about issues that don't seem to change much year after year -- war and peace, human rights, nuclear weapons and, more recently, climate change. That was the subject of President Obama's first U.N. address.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK H. OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Too many years, mankind has been slow to respond or even recognize the magnitude of the climate threat. It is true of my own country as well. We recognize that.

But this is a new day. It is a new era. And I'm proud to say that the United States has done more to promote clean energy and reduce carbon pollution in the last eight months than at any other time in our history.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Mideast peace is another perennial priority. After his climate speech, Mr. Obama sat down with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, then with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, then with both men together for the first time since Netanyahu was elected in March.

The goal was to restart a process that stalled over Netanyahu's refusal to stop building settlements in the West Bank. Mr. Obama wants both sides to get back to work.

Well, friend or foe, ally or enemy, a cast of international characters playing out critical scenes at the U.N. It's part two of our look at America's so-called friends and so-called foes.

Joining me once again, Jamie Rubin, former assistant secretary of state during the Clinton administration.

You know, Jamie, just looking at the video there of the president with Netanyahu and Abbas, you know, this seems to be -- you know, the answer to Mideast peace, that seems to be the subject matter every single year, no matter who the president is. And you just wonder, is this just the annual photo-op? Because what do we really achieve when this happens?

JAMES RUBIN, FMR. ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF STATE: Well, it is a little bit like Groundhog Day, and I think anyone involved in the Middle East peace-making business knows that. I think there's good news and bad news.

The good news is when the United States is involved, when there are meetings like this going on, it usually means that something terrible isn't happening in the Middle East, that the United States presence has helped avoid a war in Gaza, or a war in Lebanon, or a situation like that. And President Abbas, of the Palestinian Authority, has some good news to report to the world in that security has improved on the West Bank, economic viability has improved, the support for the Palestinian Authority rather than Hamas has improved.

The bad news, of course, is that this meeting was supposed to launch actual peace talks in which actual, real issues like an Israeli withdrawal from the West Bank and the establishment of a Palestinian state with a capital in Jerusalem would have to be negotiated. And those issues are 10 times harder in order of magnitude harder than the question of a settlement freeze, which couldn't happen in this -- in advance of this meeting, the issue that this meeting collapsed over, whether there would be a full freeze on settlements.

PHILLIPS: Well, it would be pretty amazing to observe a president finally getting the leaders of these two areas to come together and reach that Middle East peace.

Let's go ahead and talk about Moammar Gadhafi. Let's just go back for a moment. How can we forget this hero's welcome for a terrorist, the Lockerbie bomber? Let's take a listen.

You know, you see something like that, and it's so frustrating, especially for all of us here in the United States, to watch him welcomed -- see this man welcomed home as a hero. And yet, Libya is a part of the U.N. Security Council. So, when it comes to Moammar Gadhafi talking with him, listening to him, having a meeting, you know, why do we care so much about him, Jamie?

RUBIN: Well, Libya was a success story of the Bush administration. It gave up its weapons of mass destruction. It was on the road potentially towards a nuclear capability. It got out of the terrorism business in terms of sponsoring new terrorist attacks. It's also obviously an oil-producing nation.

So, the good news with Libya had been that it was moving away from foe towards, perhaps, adversary, a long way from friend. I think that all ended and it put a sharp pause on that transition with this welcoming of a terrorist back to Tripoli that occurred. And you're going to see more and more leaders trying to keep away from Moammar Gadhafi in the coming weeks than would have been true without that welcome for the terrorist.

PHILLIPS: Interesting.

All right. Let's go ahead and talk about Russia, shall we, Medvedev and the relationship with him? I mean, what do you think? If you look at trade, technology, nukes, I mean, this is someone the U.S. sees as a pretty strong ally.

RUBIN: I would put Russia and particularly Medvedev as what you might call a fair-weather friend. Fair weather in the sense that he's the fresher and perhaps a little bit more moderate face of Russia that we need to deal with when it comes to issues like terrorism, issues like the war in Afghanistan, issues like putting disincentives -- that is, sanctions -- on Iran for its nuclear program.

The reason I say fair weather is...

PHILLIPS: Because Putin has all control?

RUBIN: Exactly. Vladimir Putin is controlling the situation, and he doesn't really present as fair a face to the West. And the bottom line is that he runs the show, and Russian has become a much more repressive society over the last years. It's recently engaged in a war with its neighbor, Georgia, just a few months ago.

So, we're friends, but I think Medvedev is more of the fair- weather friend than a full-fledged friendship.

PHILLIPS: Well, we will be monitoring all the meetings and see if anything remarkable happens.

Jamie Rubin, great to see you. Thanks so much.

RUBIN: You're welcome.

PHILLIPS: Even if you're drowning in credit card debt, there are lifelines. Today's "Money & Main Street" might help you find one.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Well, credit cards, they make buying so easy. They can also lead to overwhelming debt.

Senior Correspondent Allan Chernoff tells us about one New York woman who's finally digging her way out.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALLAN CHERNOFF, CNN SENIOR CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Two years ago, Dawn Warfield was drowning in credit card debt to the tune of $80,000, nearly 10 times the $8,300 the average American family owes on their cards.

DAWN WARFIELD, RAN UP $80,000 IN DEBT: There was about 17 credit cards at that time.

CHERNOFF: Dawn was dealing with several factors against her -- high credit card interest rates, a divorce, and using her personal cards for the high expenses of opening up a second location of her video store.

WARFIELD: Every month, I was writing out 17 checks. And the interest rates, they ranged from, like, six percent to 33 percent. Quite honestly, living beyond my means is another part of it. I'll own up to that.

And just, you know, there's always unforeseen expenses. And when you're making the minimum payments on these credit cards when you can't afford to make more than that, they just -- they don't go down.

CHERNOFF: So, Dawn took matters into her own hands. She sold the second store location, stopped using her cards, and called for help.

WARFIELD: I sat down one day and I called each credit card one by one. And I asked all of them to work with me to lower my interest rate.

CHERNOFF: But that didn't go anywhere. Instead, she was directed to the debt management program of the not-for-profit Consumer Credit Counseling service.

Counselor Eric Jackson helped Dawn analyze her bills and expenses and created a plan to help her get lower interest rates. Now she makes a single monthly payment.

WARFIELD: I don't even have to think about it, which makes it a lot easier for me, because when you have a lot of debt, it's not just financial, but it's emotional, you know, even physical. You just think about it all the time.

ERIC JACKSON, CONSUMER CREDIT COUNSELOR: She's making her payments on time. They're posting to her creditor accounts. You know, she was very low interest rates. That was one of the benefits. And she's definitely doing well. So she is on track to get her debts paid off in full within the five years.

CHERNOFF: Today, Dawn is less than $40,000 in debt.

WARFIELD: I'm about halfway. Yes. It hasn't been easy, but we're getting there.

CHERNOFF: Allan Chernoff, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: And you can watch more "Money & Main Street" reports Thursday nights, starting at 8:00 Eastern, only on CNN.

Sports stadiums, hotels, subways and trains, all possible targets of a widening terror investigation here at home. And now the feds are looking for more suspects.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: A story that we've been following about a week in the CNN NEWSROOM, could a Madrid-type train bombing actually happen here at home? Well, sources are telling CNN that's one possibility being considered in a terror probe that is now widening. The focus is on about 12 suspects now.

Deb Feyerick in New York with the latest.

Deb, what are you hearing now?

DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kyra, as you mentioned, that is a big concern about backpack-type bombs. But a source is now telling CNN that a top priority for the Joint Terrorism Task Force and the FBI is locating material that could be used to make explosives.

The source saying that the big concern is the fact that several men believed to be Afghan nationals walked into a U-Haul facility, trying to rent a 25-foot truck on September 9th. And the big concern, the big implication, according to this source, is that those terrorists, if they are terrorists, may have bomb-making material in it large quantities that is either stored or ready to move. And that's why investigators are spreading out all across the area. They are questioning storage facilities. They're also questioning places that actually sell potentially dangerous materials to see whether, in fact, anyone has purchased those materials in any large quantities.

Investigators have not yet released the identification of the men who tried to rent that U-Haul. The one person that has been identified is a New York imam, Ahmad Afzali. And he has been identified one of those who tried to rent the truck, but his lawyer says he had nothing to do with it, that it was a case of mistaken identification.

But again, investigators from the JTTf and the FBI are very concerned, they want to locate potentially dangerous materials, and they also want to find where they may be being stored. Kyra, that's what we've got so far.

PHILLIPS: OK. We'll be talking more. Thanks, Deb.

Georgia and its Southeastern neighbors could use some of that dry weather we complained about for the past two years. Nobody wants another drought, but 20-plus inches of rain is causing huge amounts of damage from the Atlanta area northward.

And now it's been blamed for at least seven deaths. Another man is missing and presumed dead in Tennessee. And Georgia's governor has declared states of emergency in 17 counties now. And is asking President Obama for a federal disaster declaration. Now, that would help cover some of the costs of first-response clean-up.

Now, if the Southeastern climate can sometimes feel like a roller coaster, well, the roller coasters are suffering, too. Six Flags underwater. That's just west of Atlanta, actually. A spokesperson says that the park plans to open on Saturday, weather permitting.

Now, among the Georgians who lost their lives in what experts are calling a once-in-a-century flood is a two-year-old boy. Preston Slade Crawford was swept out of his father's arms when an overflowing creek ripped apart the trailer's home in Caylor County -- Carroll County, rather. That's just near the Alabama line. The body of the toddler, nicknamed Scooter, was found just a few hours later.

Chad Myers is tracking the deadly flooding for us. Chad, what's the situation right now?

(WEATHER REPORT)

PHILLIPS: Well, yesterday, there were tons of delays. I mean, Atlanta airport was just jammed with thousands of people waiting to get on flights, Chad.

CHAD MYERS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Well, and we'll have iReports coming up at 3:00 showing one of the big roadways, called the Perimeter or the Beltway. Think of Washington, D.C. with part of the Beltway closed, what that would do to traffic. We'll show you what it looked like yesterday with feet of water over the roadway.

PHILLIPS: All right, Chad. Thanks.

MYERS: Sure.

PHILLIPS: So, did you guys catch Letterman last night? Dave actually devoted a big chunk of the hour to showcase the comedy styling of our commander in chief, and President Obama didn't disappoint, either, dropping lines like "I was actually black before the election." And this little exchange about his daughters' future dating drama.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAVID LETTERMAN, HOST, "THE LATE SHOW WITH DAVID LETTERMAN": What do you think it is like for them to have their father be the president? What does that do to the kid experience?

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: You know, so far, I think it's fine. This is seriously something Michelle and I think about all of the time. They're young enough where they don't notice it that much.

I worry a little bit when they get to be teenagers, right? Because I suppose they'll want to go out on dates. And I'll have all these men with guns surrounding them. And -- that may end up...

LETTERMAN: Yes.

OBAMA: Yes.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Well, CBS says this is the first time the sitting president has appeared on "The Late Show."

So, you want a bigger paycheck? Well, these days it may depend more on where you live rather than what you do.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: The mother of a 19-year-old Oregon woman who was kidnapped, raped and murdered in 2004 says she now feels a sort of gratitude, even to her daughter's attacker. Brooke Wilberger had just wrapped up her freshman year at Brigham Young University when Joel Courtney spotted her outside an apartment complex in Corvalis. He dumped her body in the woods but didn't tell investigators where until prosecutors agreed not to seek the death penalty in exchange for a guilty plea. Yesterday, Courtney pleaded guilty to aggravated murder.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CAMMY WILBERGER, MRUDERED STUDENT'S MOTHER: It might be hard for you to understand, but at this time, we just really feel gratitude. Even to Mr. Courtney, that he could see fit to tell us where he left Brooke. And for our family, what happens to him, we are thankful that justice was served, and that he will not have the opportunity for parole.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Courtney is already serving an 18-year sentence for kidnapping and rape in New Mexico.

At least seven people are dead. Seventeen counties in Georgia are under a state of emergency as the state is trying to recover from widespread flooding. Some areas around metro Atlanta are seeking a touch of blue skies after days of torrential rains, but the danger is not over. Georgia's governor, Sonny Perdue, is expecting to ask the president to declare a federal emergency in the state.

Dangerous confrontations between police and protesters outside the Brazilian embassy in the Honduran capital. They have forced the closing of the U.S. embassy there. Police are using tear gas today to break up demonstrations by supporters of ousted president, Jose Manuel Zelaya. Zelaya secretly returned to his home country yesterday. He has been holed up in the Brazilian embassy ever since.

The arrest of three men in an alleged terror bombing plot may be the tip of a very frightening iceberg. Investigators are now focusing on a dozen suspects, and more arrests are likely. Sources tell CNN an unprecedented number of resources are being devoted to that investigation.

Lawmakers are trying to throw a financial lifeline to laid off workers who are nearing the end of their rope. The House is working on an emergency extension bill today. The legislation would provide up to an extra 13 weeks of benefits for unemployed workers. It would help some 300,000 jobless folks whose benefits are set to run out at the end of the month. But there is a hitch. To qualify, you have to live in a state where the unemployment rate is at least 8.5 percent.

It's renowned for its crab cakes, its Inner Harbor and its Naval Academy. But during the recession, perhaps its best feature is being the state with the biggest paycheck. Susan Lisovicz on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange with the details on a new Census Bureau survey. So, Susan, what states are at the top?

SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: States at the top are the states close to where I'm talking to you right now. And it's not only because of Wall Street, but the number one state with the fattest paycheck is Maryland.

Yes. The crab cakes, the Inner Harbor, Camden Yards (sic), all that. Maryland ranking number one, Kyra, for the third year in a row.

What are the big industries there? One of them is government. Also, a lot of high-tech jobs and food industry jobs. Think like food processing -- seafood, of course, is huge industry for Maryland. Followed by home state. Kyra, you've been there. New Jersey. Connecticut. Alaska and Hawaii.

On the other end of the spectrum. We're talking about states in the South. Mississippi, the bottom in terms median income. The median income falling just under $38,000, comparing to Maryland, which is over $70,000. Followed by West Virginia, Arkansas, Kentucky and Alabama. Agriculture is a common link between those states. Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Definitely not anything better than visiting New Jersey with Susan Lisovicz and going to the Boss concert.

(LAUGHTER)

LISOVICZ: We actually have some great farms there, too. I don't think I've taken you -- I don't think you have sampled the New Jersey tomato, for instance.

PHILLIPS: I need a little bit more. All right. Well, a bigger paycheck doesn't always mean a higher standard of living, right, when you factor in the cost of living?

LISOVICZ: That's exactly right. C-O-L-A, COLA, cost of living adjustment makes a difference. For instance, to live in, say, Maryland, it's about 50 percent higher than, say, living in Tupelo, Mississippi.

Let me give you a couple examples. One of them, you buy a dozen eggs -- just under two bucks in Maryland, whereas in had Tupelo, it's $1.50.

But maybe this will drive it home, pun intended a little bit more. The median home price in Bethesda, Maryland, over half a million dollars. Tupelo, $220,000, so it makes a big difference. The best bang -- best bang for your buck, South and Midwest. No question about it, Kyra. Back to you.

PHILLIPS: All right, Susan.

Well, with world leaders gathering in had New York to address climate change, American policy is under the international microscope. Will there be climate change, and a bill, more importantly, this year? Stephanie Elam has our "Energy Fix" from New York. Hey, Stephanie. What do you think?

STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Kyra. Yes. The House passed a climate bill in June but whether it will become law this year is really an open question at this point. The Senate could unveil its version of the bill next week.

But here's the catch. Majority leader Harry Reid has hinted that health care could push the climate debate into next year. Like the House version, the Senate plan will likely include a cap and trade proposal aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Under cap and trade, companies can only emit a certain amount of pollution. If they exceed the limit, they have to buy a permit.

But the idea is really quite controversial. Opponents say it will raise electric bills of companies pass their higher costs onto the likes of you and me, Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Yes. Well, why do environmentalists say that a bill needs to pass this year?

ELAM: It all has to do with December in Copenhagen. That's when nearly 200 countries, including the United States, will try to hammer out a global climate change pact. But even if President Obama signs a bill here, there's no guarantee there will be a global agreement. Take a listen

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OBAMA: As we head toward Copenhagen, there should be no illusions that the hardest part of our journey is in front of us. We seek sweeping but necessary change in the midst of a global recession where every nation's the immediate priority is reviving the economy and putting their people back to work. So, all of us will face doubts and difficulties in our own capitals as we try to reach a lasting solution to the climate challenge.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ELAM: Now, environmentalists say passing a climate bill at home could show China and other developing nations that the United States is serious about cutting emissions, but no doubt, Kyra, this is not going to be a quick fix, this is not going to be an easy one to make changes on.

PHILLIPS: It never is. Thanks, Stephanie.

Keep your eye on the ball. Actually, on the young athlete carrying the ball for a touchdown. It didn't win the game. But it's a winning play, all the same.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Live pictures now from our affiliate out in Los Angeles, California. KABC. This is actually Ventura County. Apparently, a huge fire has broken out in between the cities of Fillmore and Moorpark. That's in Ventura County.

The fire looks like it's moving more towards Moorpark. There's a lot of residential areas, of course, in Moorpark, a lot of agriculture, as well, oil fields, even some golf courses out there. Also, a number of stables.

Apparently they've got 127 firefighters out there right now, ten engines, eight fixed wing tankers dropping support from the air. Also, four helicopters fighting this fire, as well, with their tanking assets. They're taking the fire very seriously, because the conditions are hot, they're dry, they're windy. The fire is moving across Ventura. And it's not just L.A. County, but also CAL FIRE and the city of Ventura that are all assisting fight this fire.

It hasn't been named yet, but I know our Chad Myers will be tracking it, and we'll be tracking it as well and, we'll keep you, of course, posted on this blaze if it does start to threaten homes in that area. Well, when daycare workers say "What the...?" a call to 911 often follows. Such was the case in Newark, New Jersey, where a man allegedly shoved baggies filled with cocaine in his 4-year-old son's jacket and told him it was candy. Real nice father.

Allegedly, the dad feared cops would find the stash on him. So, you can actually write the rest of the story yourself. The child goes to daycare, shares the candy with his friends, teachers notice, get a little alarmed, call police. The kids went to the hospital, they're okay, thank goodness. The dad is charged with drug crimes and child endangerment.

Now, when your team is about to be blown out, big-time, finding a silver lining can be pretty tough. But the good news is, two high school football rivals made it happen, by giving one player his golden moment. We've got the story now from Bev Chapman from our affiliate KMBC.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAN MCCAMY, BENTON HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL COACH: Looking back, it's a great game. At the time, we were down 46-0, and it was probably the worst looking football game I've ever seen as a coach.

BEV CHAPMAN, KMBC-TV CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): But it gave Dan McCamy a chance to run a special play with 15-year-old Matt Diesel who has Down's Syndrome carrying the ball.

(off camera): Have you always wanted to play football?

MATT DIESEL, FOOTBALL PLAYER: Yes, I do. I play good.

MCCAMY: His effort is there all of the time, his want to is there all of the time, OK? he's just like anybody else on the team to us.

CHAPMAN (voice-over): So McCamy approached the opposing team.

MCCAMY: I did go over to some confused looks. They're like, "Ten seconds left in the game, 46-nothing. What is he, throwing in the towel?"

CHAPMAN: Instead, he asked them to give up the shutout and let them run what they call, Matt's play.

MCCAMY: I don't want him touched, I don't want any physical contact, but I want it to be as real as possible.

CHAPMAN: To add to it, McCamy ran along the sidelines shouting.

MCCAMY: Yeah, they're right behind you, Mattie. You've got to go, you got to go, they're gonna get you, they're going to get you.

CHAPMAN: But they didn't. The Maryville team played like champions and let the 5'3, 105-pound running back have all of the glory of the goal. Now people are treating Matt like a superstar, including us.

(off camera): Can I get your autograph?

DIESEL: Sure.

CHAPMAN: You can sign it wherever you want.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The people that were tremendous at Maryville and are fans have always been supportive. You hear the loud cheer, and you see the support that they gave him. You know, it's a sign of true sportsmanship. A sign of, you know, giving kids an opportunity, and that winning is not the most important thing, or shutouts are not the most important thing.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: I tell you what, of all the stories that we talked about today, that one tugged at our heartstrings. Congratulations, Matt, and to both of those teams. Well played.

Istanbul, known as the gateway between Europe and Asia, but plans to modernize this bustling city have hit a snag. Ancient history, artifacts worthy of Indiana Jones.

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PHILLIPS: Indiana Jones isn't on the dig, but archaeologists consumed by the same kind of passion are combing the site of an ancient seaport in Istanbul. The lucky find has proven unlucky for a much-needed subway project. Our Ivan Watson explains.

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IVAN WATSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's a common sight in Istanbul's traffic-choked streets, angry drivers. Most residents quick to tell you, and each other, the city's transport system is overwhelmed.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Istanbul is a dynamically changing city. Every year increasing population. So, therefore, we are in need of radical systems.

WATSON: The radical solution, build a new subway tunnel beneath the Bosphorus Strait, the spectacular body of water that cuts the city in two.

NUSRAT ILBAY, ENGINEER: We will connect two continents, Asia and Europe.

WATSON: First engineers dredged a trench. They then submerged and buried 11 massive tunnel segments, each longer than a football field. Workers now toil in the gloom of this 1.4-kilometer-long tube on the bottom of the sea. Since Istanbul is located in an active earthquake zone, engineers have had to prepare for the worst. Building an emergency bunker beneath the sea. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If the sea comes in, and the water level comes to that level, everybody gets inside, close the sealed door and...

WATSON (on camera): Survives in here.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

WATSON (voice-over): When this tunnel is completed, subway trains are expected to carry more than 1 million people a day between Europe and Asia. But, in their rush to modernize Istanbul, city planners ran into an unforeseen obstacle, the lost fourth-century Byzantine port of Theodoseus, discovered right where one of the subway stations is to be built.

PROF. YUCEL YILMAZ, GEOLOGIST: I think it's one of the unique projects, not for us but for the world.

WATSON: Here, hundreds of meters from the sea, an army of workers and archeologies have uncovered a fleet of 34 thousand-year- old boats.

(on camera): This is the biggest ship that's been discovered at this archeological site, a 40-meter-long cargo ship that archeologies have nicknamed the Titanic. They believed it carried wheat from Egypt to Constantinople.

And look -- next to the ancient timbers that are being preserved as they're uncovered here with water, you can see remains of when this was a port -- an old sheep bone, old ceramics that we can see here from more than 1,000 years ago, and even oyster and clamshells from when this was a natural harbor.

(voice-over): Excavating this treasure trove of history has delayed construction of the tunnel by at least four years and added untold millions of dollars to the new transport project. In the rush to move forward, an accidental discovery of this city's ancient past.

Ivan Watson, CNN, Istanbul.

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