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CNN Live Saturday

Space Shuttle Discovery Launch Delayed; Memorial Service for PFC Thomas Tucker; More Violence in Iraq; Watch Out For Moose; New Orleans Has More Water Problems

Aired July 01, 2006 - 17:00   ET

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

SUSAN ROESGEN, HOST: Well, it's been an afternoon of tough decisions for NASA. The latest on what's ahead for the Shuttle Discovery.
Family and friends of an Oregon soldier gather to remember his life. We'll have a live report.

And walking in Memphis -- the Japanese prime minister, a long time Elvis fan, follows in his idol's footsteps.

Hello and welcome to CNN LIVE SATURDAY.

I'm Susan Roesgen filling in for Carol Lin.

We'll have all of that and more after this check of the headlines.

The crew of the Space Shuttle Discovery will try for lift-off again tomorrow. NASA scrubbed today's launch because of concerns over thunder in the area around Kennedy Space Center.

A new message apparently from Osama bin Laden wishes good luck to the new leader of Al Qaeda in Iraq. Bin Laden urges this new leader to focus on fighting Americans and fighting everyone who supports the war there.

Chaos in Baghdad today. A car bomb exploded in a Sadr City market. At least 62 people were killed and 114 wounded by this bomb. It was apparently targeting a police patrol.

President Bush is calling for the release of an abducted Israeli soldier. The Palestinian militants holding him are demanding that Israel release 1,000 Arab prisoners in return. Israel says no deals will be made.

Doctors are giving Vice President Dick Cheney the all clear -- no problems during his annual physical. The vice president has had four heart attacks and he had a pacemaker implanted in 2001.

Mother Nature pulled the plug on today's scheduled launch of Space Shuttle Discovery. Now NASA engineers are looking ahead to their next window of opportunity.

Miles O'Brien is at the Kennedy Space Center -- Miles, we've talked all week about concerns about foam falling off, some technical issues today.

but in the end, it was something that NASA couldn't even control.

MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: There are some things that NASA cannot control, and this is certainly one of them. The weather is nothing to fool around with. And I have never seen them bend the rules for a weather constraint and this was no such exception today, Susan.

The countdown was going fairly well. There was one problem with a thruster on the space shuttle orbiter that would be used to guide it to its docking and the most precise, subtle of course changes. But NASA mission managers decided they would fly even if that particular thruster was not working and that it would be perfectly safe to do so.

But as the afternoon wore on, summer time here in Florida. The clouds built up, the thunderstorm activity began and those so-called sheered off thunderheads, called anvil clouds, were on the horizon.

Let's listen now to what happened as the NASA launch director, Mike Leinbach, made the call.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MIKE LEINBACH, SHUTTLE LAUNCH DIRECTOR:. This is a dynamic day and I think we're just playing it too close here. We've got anvils within 20 miles and other the trajec -- latest trajectory. It's not a good day to launch.

STEVEN LINDSEY, SHUTTLE COMMANDER: Yes, copy and concur.

Discovery launch director?

Go ahead.

LEINBACH:. Well, Steve, sorry to break your string, but we're not going to make it today. So appreciate your support, both from the crew and the whole launch team, and the team worldwide trying to get this vehicle off the ground today. But it's not a good day to launch the shuttle. So we're going to try again tomorrow.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

O'BRIEN: take a look at live pictures now, if you can, in the White Room. That's at the 195-foot level, where the space shuttle astronauts make their way onto the Discovery. And there you see pilot Mark Kelly (ph) making his way out. The commander, Steve Lindsey (ph), is still aboard. They will motorway to the crew quarters, get a meal, get some rest and try it all once again.

I'll tell you, the weather here was bad. The clouds built up and it was almost as if it was timed perfectly for that moment, that brief moment when the space shuttle had an opportunity, Susan, to rendezvous at the International Space Station. They can't just launch any old time if they're going on the make it to the Space Station. They have about a 10 minute window. They like to launch right in the middle of that 10 minute window, essentially when the Space Station passes overhead, so they can catch up.

Tomorrow, that 10 minute window is about 20 minutes earlier. The desired launch time, 3:26 p.m. Eastern time. And we will take you through on a ground hog day version of this launch countdown tomorrow.

So stay with us -- Susan.

ROESGEN: You know, Miles, I know you've covered so many launches. I've covered a lot of launches, too. And it always amazes me how much better, how much greater access we have in those pictures, even just now, that you showed us, of the astronauts right there either getting on the shuttle or getting off the shuttle. Incredible access.

O'BRIEN: Yes, there's cameras right on board that take you through the whole process of strapping in. You know, we have pushed NASA over the years to have a camera live in the cockpit as it rockets toward space, which the Russians do. That's where NASA draws the line.

But certainly in the countdown, while we're watching them get ready to fly, we get an up close and personal view of what it's like to strap into such a machine -- Susan.

ROESGEN: OK, we'll be looking for you again tomorrow, Miles.

Thank you.

Summer thunderstorms in Florida are no big deal for most people, but they're obviously a big deal for NASA.

So let's check in with CNN meteorologist Bonnie Schneider to see what's in store for Florida and the rest of us this weekend -- Bonnie.

BONNIE SCHNEIDER, ATS METEOROLOGIST: Well, Susan, when we're taking a look at the way these clouds are coming in, you can see, actually, things are looking better. But timing is everything. So some of those anvil cloud tops have now shifted to the south. It all is controlled by those upper level winds. Tough to predict and very, very changeable. And that's exactly what we saw when the actual anvil tops that are electrically charged came within 20 nautical miles of the landing strip. And that's why the mission was scrubbed for today.

But, what about for tomorrow?

Well, I don't have the best news to tell you, because of the way the dynamics of the atmosphere are setting up.

We're watching a tropical wave. Right now it's over the Bahamas. You can see Freeport and into Nassau. Areas here in orange indicate the higher cloud tops, where we have thunderstorms at this hour.

This tropical wave is forecast to work its way across Southern Florida tomorrow. And looking at the water vapor imagery, this shows you -- the areas in green indicate the more moist air. Areas in brown indicate the drier air. So we do have some drier air south of Orlando, north of Miami.

But you can see, as I step aside, some of this moist air that will be working its way across South Florida tomorrow.

It will be south of Cape Canaveral, but it may be close enough to just give a better chance for thunderstorms to fire up in the afternoon.

Still possible, still changeable. Something we'll be tracking, certainly, very closely, all through the weekend.

(WEATHER REPORT)

ROESGEN: As we have mentioned, a big concern at NASA is the chance of foam falling off the shuttle's external fuel tank. Now, those tanks are made in New Orleans and I was there this week for an inside look at how engineers have tried to fix the problem since the Columbia disaster.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

ROESGEN (voice-over): The foam is sprayed on wet and when it dries, it's about as stiff as Styrofoam. That foam cover is critical, because that's what keeps the tank from getting too hot or too cold.

Here at the NASA Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans, workers not only spray the foam on the tanks, they are now scraping some foam off the tanks for future shuttle flights.

The foam on the tank attached to Shuttle Discovery right now also has had large sections of foam removed.

(on camera): On most of the external fuel tank, the foam is only about one inch thick. But before Columbia, there were some areas of foam that were as much as a foot thick. And it's in one of those areas that some of the foam fell off, ultimately leading to the Columbia shuttle disaster.

(voice-over): These are two of the areas where large sections of foam have been removed from the tanks. NASA admits that some pieces of foam are still likely to fall off during the launch. But the hope is that any falling pieces will be too small to seriously damage the shuttle.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

ROESGEN: And NASA expects to make even more safety modifications after this upcoming Discovery mission.

So he remains silent for months at a time. But now it appears that Osama bin Laden is speaking out again, the second time this week. In an audiotape posted today on an Islamic Web site, a speaker believed to be the al Qaeda leader talks about Iraq. And for the first time, he calls on Sunnis in Iraq to rise up and fight Shiites, calling for a civil war.

CNN's terrorism analyst, Peter Bergen, told Fredericka Whitfield today that if this tape is verified, that message is significant.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PETER BERGEN, CNN TERRORISM ANALYST: This is the first time that I can think of that bin Laden has ever called for attacking the Shia. In fact, al Qaeda central has been very reluctant to even engage in that kind of thing. It has not criticized Iran. It hasn't criticized the Shia. And, in fact, there was a letter from Zawahiri to Zarqawi in 2005 captured by the U.S. military in which Zawahiri, the number two in al Qaeda, basically told Zarqawi to stop killing the Shias.

So this represents a change of direction for them.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROESGEN: And, in fact, more sectarian strife in Iraq today. That's apparently the motive behind this violent attack. A huge car bomb that tore through a crowded Shiite market in Baghdad. At least 62 people were killed and 114 people were killed.

In another part of the capital, a Sunni parliament member, a woman, was kidnapped, along with her eight bodyguards. No word yet on what's happened to them.

More Iraqi detainees have been released. Four hundred seventy walked out of prison today, part of Iraq's new national reconciliation program. In all, about 3,000 prisoners have been released over the past several weeks. The Iraqi government says none of those who were freed took part in attacks on coalition troops or Iraqi forces or civilians.

And more American lives lost in Iraq. Today, the military announced that an airman and a member of a military police brigade were killed. The Pentagon says neither death was combat-related.

People in the Northeast are trying to dry out as much as they can. Ahead, you'll see the latest on the flooding.

And you know you do it. You know you shouldn't do it. Now a new study raises questions about the risks you take when you talk on your cell phone while you're driving.

We'll be right back.

You're watching CNN, the most trusted name in news.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROESGEN: Private First Class Thomas Lowell Tucker was an American soldier brutally killed by Iraqi insurgents. And the story of his death captured the headlines this week. But it's his life that's being remembered today in his home state of Oregon.

Reporting from that memorial service in Redmond, Oregon is CNN's Kareen Wynter, on the phone with us -- Kareen. KAREEN WYNTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And, Susan, community members here in Oregon say they couldn't be more proud to share their soldier with the world in this very public memorial service. The service is still going on inside. I'm coming to you right outside that service.

Private First Class, 25-year-old, Thomas Tucker was kidnapped and killed in Iraq this month. His body found brutally mutilated in an area of Iraq, along with Private First Class Kristian Manchaca of Texas, who was laid to rest this week.

I can't tell you, Susan, how many stories I've heard today from friends, from family members about how this Oregon native just wanted to make his family, his community proud, that he wanted to have some purpose in life. And for him, that meant serving his country.

There are a lot of tears being shed inside this memorial still going on, a lot of heavy hearts. A ceremonial procession to the grave site will follow, but some say here that this is just a celebration, also, of a short life. For example, we heard from Oregon's governor, who called Tucker an American patriot, that he was the best Oregon had to give.

And also, Susan, that it was just a year ago that this young man was doing construction, riding dirt bikes, and now he's suddenly a fallen American hero.

We also heard from Tucker's older sister, Tava (ph), who affectionately called her brother, her beloved brother Tommy, she called him a hero in an upbeat speech which traced the memories of his life. There was also a song, a video paying tribute to this young man.

Now, after this, there will be a ceremonial procession to a grave site. He'll be buried with full military honors, including the Purple Heart, the Bronze Star, a rifle salute.

But all around, Susan, as you can imagine, this is a very emotional and proud day here in Oregon.

ROESGEN: You know, Kareen, you talked about people wanting to come up to you and just share some stories about Private Tucker. I really think that in that way, you helped people there cope. This is their moment to say what a great person he was.

WYNTER: Absolutely. And they said that it would be selfish to close this ceremony that they -- that there are some people who have never heard of the name, PFC Thomas Lowell Tucker and now they will do so, and that there'll be -- his name will forever be in the memory of all Americans watching this. And it will also keep a lot of people (UNINTELLIGIBLE) knowing the bravery only if these young men, people who have loved ones fighting in Iraq knowing that the duty that they're doing for this country, it's just, it's just incredible -- Susan.

ROESGEN: Boy, it is tough today.

Thank you.

Kareen Wynter reporting for us on the phone live there in Redmond, Oregon.

Later today on CNN, can Iraq come together in peace?

We'll get analysis from Baghdad, Washington and from around the world.

Join John Roberts for "A WEEK AT WAR" at 7:00 p.m. Eastern, 4:00 p.m. Pacific.

Well, the cleanup is underway along the East Coast, recovering from some of the worst flooding there in decades. This week's floods forced tens of thousands of people out of their homes and killed at least 20 people.

Buildings along the Delaware and Susquehanna Rivers got some of the worst damage.

CNN's Jason Carroll has more on the cleanup from Trenton, New Jersey.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The Delaware River water levels are dropping and the water has receded. So now residents are wondering when they can return to their flooded out homes.

(voice-over): Jeffrey McKeen (ph) hasn't slept for days.

JEFFREY MCKEEN: I'm exhausted. I was up until 12:00 o'clock last night trying to stay ahead of it and it just kept coming up in the basement.

CARROLL (on camera): So this is your pump here, right?

MCKEEN: Yes.

CARROLL: Your (UNINTELLIGIBLE).

MCKEEN: But it was all the way up to the wall in the back.

CARROLL (voice-over): For the past 30 years, McKeen has lived in a section of Trenton, New Jersey called Glenafton, a section where dozens of homes are still waterlogged from the swollen Delaware River. More than 1,000 people were told to evacuate the area. McKeen stayed.

MCKEEN: Yes, I've been pumping steady for about three hours.

CARROLL: This isn't the first flood McKeen has been through. So this time he knew where the water would go and what it would do.

MCKEEN: It was up to the top step. You see where the gray step is right here?

CARROLL (on camera): Um-hmm.

MCKEEN: And then it was all the way up to the ceiling.

I'm a teacher and I'm moving into a new school. And I had to put, you know, all my stuff. These are all my tools from the basement.

Well, it's devastating. It's emotionally wrenching. I collapsed twice yesterday. I couldn't go any farther. I just had to lay down and breathe.

CARROLL (voice-over): McKeen is one of a handful of people who didn't leave. Emergency crews say those who did evacuate are now anxious for any word on how their homes fared.

STEVEN BARYLA, CEDAR BRIDGE MILITARY ACADEMY: I guess the toughest part about this is when you get out of the area and the residents want to know from you what does my home look like? And they're giving you house numbers. Are my cats alive? You know, and you have to be compassionate.

CARROLL: Steven Baryla took us on a tour of the neighborhood. He's an instructor at a military academy who volunteered when the floodwaters started rising.

(on camera): How high is the water here at this point?

BARYLA: We're probably at about three-and-a-half feet.

CARROLL (voice-over): Baryla helped emergency crews by offering the use of his military vehicle, an M35-A2. It can be driven submerged in water.

BARYLA: Every 15 minutes or so, we're bringing officers in with the officials to see how the water is going down. We're measuring levels on the vehicle.

CARROLL: Baryla helped not only emergency crews, but wary homeowners like Jeffrey McKeen.

MCKEEN: You have a nice day, sir.

BARYLA: All right. Stay well.

CARROLL: For McKeen, staying well could be challenging. He's only been working on the cleanup for a few days, but says it will easily take months to get the job done.

(on camera): This morning, most of the water in the Glenafton area had finally receded. The residents who were evacuated there should be able to return to their homes by the July 4th holiday.

Jason Carroll, CNN, Trenton, New Jersey.

(END VIDEO TAPE) ROESGEN: And we just got word that some federal help is on the way now in flooded areas in New York. We just got a statement the president today has declared that a major disaster area exists in the State of New York and he's ordered federal aid now to supplement state and local recovery efforts in that area. So hopefully those folks will get some much needed help.

In other "News Across America," New Jersey State workers may get a longer 4th of July weekend than they expected. New Jersey Governor Jon Corzine shut down non-essential state services today because of the budget impasse in the state legislature.

And here's a strange one. A grenade scare in Tucson, Arizona. A woman wrestled a hand grenade out of the hands of a stranger who walked up to her at a front yard birthday party. It was a World War II-era grenade. It turned out to be deactivated, but it did have a live fuse. The man who had it was taken into custody.

And a flea market find in California -- a man found his brother's boyhood baseball glove in a barrel of used sports equipment in Torrance (ph), California. Patrick Reynolds's (ph) name and his phone number were still legible on the glove 42 years after it disappeared.

If you're heading out on a car trip this holiday weekend, here's some sobering news. A new study says drunk drivers actually do better behind the wheel than drivers who talk on their cell phones.

CNN's Tom Foreman has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In their study of 40 drivers taking 160 trips in a driving simulator, researchers at the University of Utah expected a few fender benders. What they did not expect was that legally drunk -- yes, drunk test subjects would do better than drivers on cell phones.

FRANK DREWS, UNIVERSITY OF UTAH: I think that is a fair statement. I mean what we found is a significant increase in accident rates when driving and conversing on a cell phone. And we didn't find this increase in our study when people were legally drunk.

FOREMAN: Professor Drews demonstrated what he found. We conducted half our interview by cell phone while he was in the simulator.

DREWS: Hello?

FOREMAN: And just like his subjects, he says he was hitting the brakes more slowly, having trouble following the flow of traffic...

(on camera): And what's the speed limit where you are?

DREWS: It is actually -- a good question. I don't know.

FOREMAN (voice-over): And several times, he nearly crashed. DREWS: There's a big -- oh my gosh. There's a big...

FOREMAN: Still, there are questions about this research. It was a small sample of drivers who were barely drunk. And most drunk driving accidents occur with people well above the legal limit for intoxication. And a recent study from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration indicates that while cell phone talking is dangerous, the crash risk is even higher for people who are reaching for things, distracted by sights along the road or overly tired. In addition, the cell phone industry says, look at the real world.

JOHN WALLS, CTIA - THE WIRELESS ASSOCIATION: And what we see is over the last 10 years, accidents going down while cell phone usage has gone up almost 4,000 percent. So if it was as sinister of a behavior combination as many claim it is, we think we'd see a proportionate rise in accidents. And that's just not happening.

DREWS: Oh, gosh. Sorry.

FOREMAN: Nevertheless, the professor says with nearly one in 10 drivers using a cell phone at any given moment, his research should give lawmakers something to talk about over this busy driving weekend.

Tom Foreman, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

ROESGEN: And Elvis Presley has a fascinating history with world leaders. A look at some of the King's more interesting interactions is just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

ELVIS PRESLEY: Warren (ph) threw a party in the county jail.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

ROESGEN: You might call it rock and roll diplomacy. President Bush treated Japanese Prime Minister Koizumi to a tour of Graceland today. Strange as it sounds, Elvis is the Japanese leader's hero. And going to Graceland was the realization of a long-held dream.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JUNICHIRO KOIZUMI, JAPANESE PRIME MINISTER: It's like a dream. I never expected this president came with me to visit this Graceland. Here's Elvis's song, to dream impossible now.

(SINGING)

KOIZUMI: To dream the impossible dream...

My dream came true.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROESGEN: A dream, a dream, a dream. Elvis has not left the building. Graceland and the White House are about 900 miles apart. But the former occupants of both mansions have a close and interesting history.

Here's our Bill Schneider.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

WILLIAM SCHNEIDER, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST (voice over): Presidents and Elvis -- it's an old story. Bill Clinton channeled Elvis in the 1992 campaign. .

WILLIAM JEFFERSON CLINTON, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES (SINGING): You know I can be found.

That's all I can do.

SCHNEIDER: Elvis, the first rock star...

ELVIS PRESLEY, SINGER: You could die...

SCHNEIDER: Clinton, the first rock star president.

(AUDIO CLIP FROM "ARSENIO HALL SHOW")

SCHNEIDER: Two bad boys who tried to do good.

Then there was the day in December 1970, when Elvis visited the Nixon White House -- unannounced.

Bud Krogh was the aide on duty.

BUD KROGH, FORMER NIXON AIDE: When Elvis came to the White House, it was just a total surprise. No one knew it was going to happen.

SCHNEIDER: What did Elvis want? He brought with him a handwritten letter to President Nixon: "The drug culture, the hippie elements, the SDS, Black Panthers, et cetera, do not consider me as their enemy....I can and will do more good if I were made a federal agent at large."

KROGH: What Elvis asked for was a badge from the Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs. And I remember the president looking, and he says, "Well, Bud, can we get him a badge?" And I said, "Yes, sir, Mr. President. If you want to give him a badge, we can do it."

SCHNEIDER: Followed by a very unlikely and unphotographed scene.

KROGH: Well, when Elvis heard that, he stepped across. He was just about three or four feet away from the president. He grabbed him, gave hip a big hug. And, you know, the president hugging was not the norm in that White House. SCHNEIDER: Elvis's badge is on display at Graceland. Prime Minister Koizumi, a huge Elvis fan who has put out an album of his favorite Elvis songs, could see it there.

(on camera): The most remarkable thing about Elvis's visit to the White House? It was kept secret for more than a year, until Jack Anderson revealed the story in a newspaper column.

President Bush may want to find out a little more about how they did that.

Bill Schneider, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

ROESGEN: Questions have been raised in NASA about whether this shuttle should be launched at all. It was scrubbed today. They're going to try tomorrow. But coming up, who's worried about it and why?

And in New Orleans, how the effects of Katrina are still being felt on a very personal basis every day of the week.

That's ahead on CNN LIVE SATURDAY.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROESGEN: In the news, NASA tries again tomorrow to launch Discovery. Today's scheduled launch was scrubbed due to bad weather around Cape Canaveral. Thirty people are injured in a Philadelphia suburb. Pennsylvania authorities are on the scene of a head-on train collision. They say they don't know why two trains going in different directions were on the same track at the same time.

Another message that could be from al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden. On a tape posted on the internet bin Laden talks about the new leader of Iraq's al Qaeda wing. And he warns against any international troop involvement in Somalia.

Iraq's insurgency struck again today. This car bomb killed 62 people and wounded 114 in a busy Baghdad market. Also, six bodies were found today and a member of the Iraqi parliament was kidnapped.

Well, NASA will try again tomorrow to launch the Space Shuttle Discovery. They scrubbed today's attempt when the storm clouds moved in. And when Discovery does take off, it will be NASA's first launch in almost a year. Miles O'Brien shows you why the launch comes with a good deal of controversy.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MILES O'BRIEN, CNN SPACE CORRESPONDENT: Before a space shuttle can fly, agency brass, engineers, contractors, astronauts must all sign on the dotted line. Written proof they believe the launch is as safe as it can be. But this time around, two of the signatures come with a catch. The agency's chief engineer, Chris Scolese and Chief Safety Officer Brian O'Connor penning in they are no go for launch. CHRIS SCOLESE, NASA CHIEF ENGINEER: Where the community is coming from, if we can prevent the problem or mitigate it, that's what we should do.

O'BRIEN: O'Connor and Scolese are concerned about three dozen pieces of foam on Discovery's external fuel tanks, so-called ice frost ramps, that could fall off during launch, damaging the orbiter. Precisely the scenario that inflicted a fatal breach on Columbia's heat shield three and a half years ago, dooming the crew of seven. Shuttle engineers are busy trying to redesign the vulnerable ice frost ramps. But NASA administrator Mike Griffin is unwilling to wait.

MICHAEL GRIFFIN, NASA ADMINISTRATOR: We are electing to take the risk. We don't believe we're risking crew. .

O'BRIEN: Griffin says if falling foam damages discovery, engineers will know about it this time and the crew can take refuge on the space station pending a rescue mission. O'connor and Scolese say they will not oppose that decision.

WILLIAM GERSTENMAIER, ASSOC. NASA ADMINISTRATOR: They do not object to us flying and they understand the reasons and the rationale that we laid out in the review for flight.

O'BRIEN: Griffin says he's anxious to fly now because the shuttle program is slated to end in 2010, and NASA is committed to flying at least 16 missions to complete the International Space Station. He worries delays now will lead to dangerous schedule pressure later.

GRIFFIN: I'm willing to take some programmatic risk now in order to prevent an excessive buildup of programmatic risk later on. This is, in fact, what you pay me to do.

O'BRIEN: So griffin has overruled his worried deputies, knowing full well it could mean sudden death for the space shuttle program.

GRIFFIN: If we were to lose another vehicle, I will tell you right now that I would be moving to figure out a way to shut the program down. I think at that point, we're done.

O'BRIEN: With that much at stake, the debate over shuttle safety is reaching a boil. Charlie Camarta, an astronaut who flew on the shuttle mission last summer and most recently the top engineer in Houston, this week was suddenly reassigned after rubbing senior managers the wrong way and expressing reservations about mission safety. The shuttle's sunset years seem destined to be anything but tranquil.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROESGEN: In Mexico, voters go to the polls tomorrow to choose a president, but only a small percentage of the Mexicans in the U.S. are taking advantage of their first chance to vote by mail. Of about six million Mexicans living here in the states, only about 40,000 have signed up to vote. In Mexico City, CNN's Harris Whitbeck talks to one first time voter about what this election means.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS WHITBECK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Jorge Arrendondo is learning how to use a precision lathe. How to solder. How to use his computer for sophisticated industrial designs. Jorge is a second year mechanical engineering student in Mexico City, just as he is learning how to build machinery, he is also learning how to build a country. At age 19, Jorge will be voting for the first time in Sunday's presidential elections. And he has volunteered to work at a polling station on election day. Jorge says he's excited about his participation in the Democratic process, but he says his decision about who to support has not been easy.

JORGE ARRENDONDO, FIRST TIME VOTER (through translator): I'm not completely satisfied about my decision. I should be voting for the candidate who offers the best proposals. But I'll end up voting for the least abrasive candidate.

WHITBECK: Jorge says the political campaigns disillusioned him because there were more attacks among the candidates than concrete proposals. He is disillusioned says too much is at stake. Last Spring, Jorge went on a religious mission trip to a small desert town in northern Mexico. He saw first hand the misery and insecurity that Mexico's majority poor live in. He says his experience helped him decide who to vote for. He also says he hopes his candidate will be worthy of the presidential office.

ARRENDONDO (through translator): Just because one candidate wins the other's proposals shouldn't be discounted. What's important here is not who wins, but that the nation should come first. It's a lesson in political maturity from someone who just reached voting age.

WHITBECK: Harris Whitbeck, CNN, Mexico City.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROESGEN: If you live in New Orleans, water woes are a way of life. We'll explain just ahead.

And a moose is a menace if you drive in his territory. We'll show you what happened after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROESGEN: Now New Orleans' water woes. After the Hurricane, you know there was way too much water. Now the city's struggling with way too little, and it's becoming a dangerous situation.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ROESGEN (voice-over): When the levees broke after Katrina, millions of gallons of water flooded the streets. Today the streets are dry, but millions of gallons of water are still flooding the city, underground.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I can actually reach in this as far, or further than my arm will go.

ROESGEN: The pool under the sidewalk in front of Greg App's house is filled with just some of the 85 million gallons of drinking water New Orleans says it's losing every day.

The hurricane tore apart the city's ancient pipes, and work crews have plugged 17,00 leaks so far.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No water to flush toilets, no water to make drinks, no water to wash dishes.

ROESGEN: Thousands of people lose water and water pressure every day here now, a headache for many, a danger for others.

New Orleans' firefighters don't have enough of the one thing they need to put out the flames.

For weeks they've struggled with fires like this one, at a huge warehouse, where there simply wasn't enough water pressure to put the fire out quickly.

NICK FELTON, PRES., FIREFIGHTERS UNION: And when somebody's hamstrung like that and they don't have the water that they need, it's absolutely frustrating, because they want to do a good job.

ROESGEN: With hydrants unreliable, the firefighters used two helicopters to drop 800 gallons of water, but the helicopters are on loan from FEMA, and the contract expires at the end of this week. The city has asked for an extension, but time's running out.

Because an underground leak can't be seen, the city is installing sensors that can pick up vibrations from water spilling out of the leaks to try to find them. Greg App doesn't need one of those devices. He can hear the water from his own broken pipe running right under the floor in his living room.

GREG APP, HOMEOWNER: I mean, if you're quiet, you can actually hear the water flowing underneath here.

ROESGEN (on camera): Oh yes. I hear it.

APP: Yes.

ROESGEN (voice-over): Reporter: The strange thing is, even with all the wasted water underground, meteorologists say New Orleans is in the worst drought in more than 100 years. The city that had too much water in the hurricane is now way too dry.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROESGEN: And in fact, on Friday the fire department reported that it did not reach an agreement with FEMA to keep those choppers. The fire department brass says they're very dissapointed and they're very worried about what might happen in the next big fire.

Now, let's check in with CNN meteorologist Bonnie Schneider for a look at the Fourth of July forecast.

(WEATHER REPORT)

ROESGEN: If you are driving this weekend, you know that one of the biggest dangers is car crashes, of course, but in some northern states, there's another big danger on the road. Rob Marciano looked into the problem for "PAULA ZAHN NOW."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ROB MARCIANO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Imagine your car plowing into 1,000 pounds of dead weight at night, and you never saw it coming.

BERNICE CLAYTON-MOOSE, CRASH VICTIM: They're impossible to see. I've had my high beams on, and constantly scan -- they're from this shoulder to the road to the shoulder to the road, constantly scanning, all the time. And I didn't see him.

MARCIANO: A massive animal shot through the Bernice Clayton- Seca's Chevy Lumina like a missile. She's lucky to be alive.

CLAYTON-SECA: They're very, very dark, their eyes don't reflect, and besides your headlights aren't reflecting that high up. They're a tall -- they're very tall animals.

MARCIANO: Bernice escaped with a bump on the head and a broken hand. Amazingly minor injuries when you consider that a moose, easily half a ton, flew through her windshield at 60 miles-an-hour. The massive animal ended up in her backseat with its head and neck through the back glass, resting on the trunk.

Moose are found in northern states from New England to Washington and south into the Colorado Rockies. In scenic areas where families vacation and take summer road trips, they're especially dangerous.

Signs on Route 4 in Maine warn of the danger. Duane Brunell of Maine DOT says 80 percent of crashes happen at night. He says deer collisions are more common throughout the United States, but that most people don't realize moose pose a danger too, in unexpected places.

DUANE BRUNELL, MAINE TRANSPORTATION DEPARTMENT: If you struck a moose, and they have fairly spindly, skinny legs, you hit a moose and you clip those legs out from underneath it, all that body weight is coming out the passenger compartment.

MARCIANO: Just 40 miles west of Boston, this enormous bull moose became an unwanted passenger, sitting in the front seat with its head sticking through the windshield. As incredible as it seems, the driver was OK. Emergency workers had to remove the roof of the car to extricate the moose, which later died.

(on camera): Late spring and early summer is prime time for moose on the roadways. Moose collisions here in Maine peak in the month of June. They come out to the roads because there's actually salt left over from when they cleared the roads during the winter months and the moose like the taste of that sold, they like that nutrient. There's actually tracks that come across the road -- look how pressed those tracks are and well-defined on. They continue down into what's called the moose wallow, where the moose actually hang out and feed.

(voice-over): Maine's wildlife biologist Eugene Dumont has studied the moose in their natural habitat for 34 years. He says when it comes to traffic, these animals have no fear.

GENE DUMONT, WILDLIFE BIOLOGIST: They've evolved to the point where because of their size, that they don't really fear other objects. In fact, their method of defense when they have a natural predator like a wolf, is to stand their ground. So they'll tend to stand their ground with a pickup truck or a car or a big logging truck coming at their way.

MARCIANO (on camera): Now that it's dusk, this is a time when the moose finally come out into the open. You can see this mature bull moose easily 1,000 pounds out in the wild now, taking in some nourishment. But the real danger comes when night falls and these animals begin to wander out into the road.

(voice-over): At night, the moose are tough to spot. You can see this one on the side of the road only after a high-powered flashlight is pointed directly at it. And it's not just remote roads deep in the woods that are dangerous.

Busy highways can be deadly. Cindy Lincoln wasn't in the car with her family 10 years ago. Her husband Stephen was driving the kids home on Interstate 95 in Maine. Cindy's son Steve had been up front with his dad, while daughter Heidi was asleep in the back seat.

HEIDI LINCOLN, SURVIVE MOOSE COLLISION: When I woke up in a startle from the dream that I had, the moose was hitting the exact same time it was all happening. And I feel like I looked at that moose straight in his eyes. And I remember him flying over the car into the left side.

MARCIANO: The 1,300-pound animal crushed the driver's side and Cindy's husband died in the collision. His feet were still on the brake when the police arrived.

STEVE LINCOLN JR., SURVIVED MOOSE-CAR CRASH: It's just a speechless feeling. I look over and I see a very gruesome scene that I never want to see again in my entire life.

MARCIANO: Ten years later, Cindy Lincoln has made a good life for her family.

CINDY LINCOLN, WIDOWED BY MOOSE COLLISION: Everything I've done I think he would be proud. I hope he would. I think I've done OK, but it certainly has not been easy. I miss my husband a lot.

MARCIANO: It's almost certain that there will be similar tragedies in the coming months. There's no surefire way to avoid collisions with moose, but it helps to be alert, especially when driving at night, and of course, to slow down. Rob Marciano, Augusta, Maine.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROESGEN: That story comes from "PAULA ZAHN NOW." Be sure to join Paula weeknights 8:00 P.M. Eastern.

The dirt flies in one of the most popular sports around. Get down and dirty with us. You're watching CNN, the most trusted name in news.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROESGEN: All over the U.S. racers are doing their best to leave the competition in a cloud of dust. That's because they're racing on dirt tracks. And maybe the biggest sport you've never really heard of. And it's this weekend's "CNN Presents." Here's CNN's Miles O'Brien with a preview.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: On dirt. They still do, 800 tracks in 49 states, 30 million fans every year. An estimated billion dollar a year business. Dirt track racing is the biggest sport you've never heard of.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's a lot of action all the time.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's so close. Any seat in the house, you're right on top of the action.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's dirt flying in the air. There's dirt in your beer. There's dirt in your hamburger. It's in your face. Literally, the dirt's in your face when you leave.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You're running sideways, and you're on the gas, and you're throwing dirt over the fence.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I can't believe we're going that fast sometimes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And the noise and violence and contact.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Dirt track racing is Americana.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's grass roots, it's blue collar, and it's all across the United States.

TIM LEE, EDITOR, DIRT LATE MODEL MAGAZINE: Short track Saturday night dirt track racing is like the summertime equivalent of Friday night football, especially in smaller towns. It's a center of community where people gather. And for local racing, they go watch their cousin or their brother or their mechanic out there doing their thing. When the big races come to town, they go to see their heroes like your Scott Bloomquists, Chuck Francin (ph), whoever.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's a lot of people say if you're not eating dirt, you're not racing. I don't prefer to eat it. But I do prefer racing on it.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROESGEN: CNN Presents, Dirt Track Warriors. It's the story of great characters, great speed and a great slice of American culture. Catch it tonight at 8:00 Eastern only on CNN.

Did you know that Washington, D.C. has the nation's worst HIV problem? Why is that? What's the city doing about it? Will everybody be tested, even President Bush? That's coming up in our next hour.

And terrorism analyst Peter Bergen joins us to talk about this apparent Osama bin Laden audio tape released today. Bergen says it could be significant. Find out why straight ahead.

Then will al Qaeda pull Iraq apart? Analysis from around the world tonight at 7:00 Eastern with John Roberts.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROESGEN: Hello. This is CNN SATURDAY. I'm Susan Roesgen filling in for Carol Lin. Ahead this hour ...

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is a dynamic day. I think we're playing it too close here. We've got anvils within twenty miles and over the launch trajectory. It's not a good day to launch.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROESGEN: Anvil clouds cause concerns, so NASA plays it safe.

A deadly disease out of control in the nation's capital. Now a new test to test everybody to stop the spread.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's easy to consider abolishing it. It doesn't have any value.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROESGEN: They are around your house, under your couch, under your car seat, but for how much longer? Jeanne Moos has the story.

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