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CNN Live Saturday

Cuban Exiles Rally in the Streets of Miami, in Reaction to Fidel Castro's Illness and Possible Death; Lebanon Disagrees with U.N. Draft Resolution; White House Press Briefing Room Getting a Much Needed Makeover; Landis tests positive again

Aired August 05, 2006 - 17:00   ET

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

CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: Now in the news, a new videotaped message from al Qaeda's second in command. In it, Ayman el-Zawahiri says that members of an Egyptian militant group have joined the ranks of al Qaeda.
And the U.N. Security Council right now considering a new diplomatic plan aimed at ending the fighting in the Middle East. The United States and France finished hammering out the draft resolution earlier today.

But Israeli commandos stormed the beaches of Tyre, Lebanon and attacked an apartment building in Israel -- Israel, actually, attacked an apartment building in Tyre, Lebanon. Israel says Hezbollah is using it as a launching site.

Now, Hezbollah has plenty of firepower. At least 170 Hezbollah rockets hit northern Israel today.

And a second doping test has come back positive for Tour de France winner Floyd Landis. The race director says Landis is not considered the winner anymore, though his title has not officially been stripped. Landis insists he didn't take performance enhancing substances and he says he's going to appeal the latest findings.

An Iraqi police officer shot to death this morning in Baghdad. Nine more bullet-riddled bodies were also found across the Iraqi capital. And in Baquba, a bomb exploded near a market and bus station, wounding at least nine people.

Down in Cuba, Cuba's vice president says Fidel Castro is on the mend from intestinal surgery. Meanwhile, former Cuban revolutionaries say they're ready to defend the country in the event of a U.S. attack. But the Cuban government has also mobilized citizen militias. The United States says that plan is ridiculous.

Now, in Arizona, two men are being held without bond in a serial shooter case. Phoenix police think that they're responsible for killing six people and wounding 18 others. Now, those shootings terrorized the city for more than a year.

Our big story today, the crisis in the Middle East.

CNN has reporters all across the region bringing you up to date on the fighting and the diplomatic efforts to end it. That is our big story today.

Plus, out International Desk is monitoring Arab media. So we are plugged into all the angles.

We want to catch you up now on a war bulletin.

Right now, the U.N. Security Council is meeting behind closed doors. The United States and France have submitted a draft resolution calling for the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah to stop. Now, the Security Council has been trying to do something for two weeks, and now, theoretically, it has a piece of paper.

So in this hour, we're going to hone in on whether it will prove anything to be more useful than just being a piece of paper.

Is it going to really make a difference in that region?

Now, we know from our John Roberts, embedded with Israeli forces, that soldiers know about that draft resolution.

Their reaction? That they'd better hurry and finish the job on Hezbollah before the world community interferes.

Karl Penhaul is in Tyre, Lebanon tonight, showing us what went down there in an Israeli raid.

And earlier today, nearly 200 Hezbollah rockets raining down on northern Israel. Three Israeli women were killed in Galilee.

Our Arab affairs editors also tell us that word on the street is that there will be a cease-fire early next week. Just a rumor right now. But our Aneesh Raman is staying in the same hotel as the secretary general of the Arab League. He is working on getting an interview right now.

But first, let's go to CNN's Richard Roth, live from the United Nations headquarters in New York -- Richard, tell us more about this draft resolution, what it means, what it could do as the Security Council continues to meet behind closed doors?

RICHARD ROTH, SENIOR UNITED NATIONS CORRESPONDENT: Well, this provides the international authority, legitimacy, for U.N. member countries, and in this case, Israel and Lebanon, to react and accept or not accept. It also provides a safeguard, a climbing down from positions. This is it. They're going to work off of this paper, as long as there's some sort of inter-governmental authority still going on in the world.

Under this resolution, the key language, it calls for a full cessation of hostilities based on an immediate cessation of Hezbollah of all attacks and the immediate cessation by Israel of all offensive military operations.

That does not mean that Israel withdraws at this time. That's what some Arab countries are concerned about. The French ambassador, who worked closely with Ambassador Bolton of the U.S. to work this out, just told us, minutes ago, he thought in the Security Council just now that he was encouraged by the reaction to the text. He thought it was received very -- with a positive reaction.

Earlier, some similar sentiments from the French ambassador.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JEAN-MARC DE LA SABLIERE, FRENCH AMBASSADOR TO UNITED NATIONS: First, the text calls for a full cessation of hostilities based upon, in particular, the immediate cessation by Hezbollah of all attacks and immediate cessation by Israel of all offensive military operations, that is to say, naval, ground and air.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROTH: The United States ambassador, John Bolton, called it a fusion resolution. France said it wasn't a compromise. There are loads of terms and complexities in this resolution regarding existing problems in Lebanon, involving Israel and Syria.

And according to this document, Carol, it opens the door toward working on all of this, as the U.S. has wanted, not just a quick-fix cease-fire.

Here's Ambassador Bolton.

(AUDIO GAP)

All right, and here at the Security Council, there are going to be more meetings on the text in the next 24 hours.

Could it be adopted within two or three days? The French and the U.S. would certainly like that. But reaction is anticipated from the key Arab members in the hours ahead -- back to you.

LIN: All right, Richard, thanks very much for rolling with us as we're getting these elements in as you are speaking.

So, thanks very much, as we're practically in rolling coverage, as these developments come in very quickly.

Suzanne Malveaux traveling with the president, who is vacationing at his Crawford, Texas ranch -- Suzanne, the fact that the United States is calling for an end to the fighting in this draft resolution, does it mean that the president has changed his mind about calling for a cease-fire?

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, certainly President Bush hasn't changed his mind about it. And it's really interesting to take a look at this the language here, very careful language saying, of course, that Israel cannot continue what is called any kind of offensive military operations, that is has to stop that.

But Israel all along has said that it's been conducting defensive operations.

So it is very vague and carefully crafted language here to try to satisfy all sides.

Now, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley are at the Crawford ranch with President Bush. They arrived shortly before noon, really to participate in what is turning into a critical and busy time for the president, despite his 10 day Crawford vacation. And, of course, all three of them putting their heads together this afternoon to try to figure out a way to convince the other U.N. Security Council members to sign off on that resolution.

There is another resolution, of course, that is in play later on down the road to determine just when Israeli forces are going to pull out of Lebanon. So that is something that they are also working on this weekend.

We are told by the press secretary, Tony Snow, that the president did sign off on this first draft resolution, essentially saying that he is happy with the progress that is being made, that he doesn't have any delusions, however, about what is ahead in terms of stopping the violence. And, as you have mentioned, a very important point, this is simply, for now, a piece of paper. The future peace really depends on what happens on the ground.

LIN: (AUDIO GAP) Suzanne Malveaux, we're working on the audio here.

Thank you very much for that report.

Of course, the Lebanese government and Hezbollah, specifically, has to agree to the contents of this resolution should it be passed by the U.N. Security Council. And a U.S. diplomat is claiming progress after talking with the Lebanese government, despite the fact that Lebanon isn't happy with the U.N. peace proposal.

CNN's Jim Clancy explains from Beirut.

JIM CLANCY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, as we look at the situation now on the ground in Lebanon, you can't say that the U.S. isn't trying. And I think that that's where this U.N. resolution, the draft resolution, lies right now.

Finally, something is about to be put before the Security Council that calls for an end to hostilities. But there are flaws, if you look at it from a Lebanese perspective.

Now, David Welch, the U.S. assistant secretary of state for Near East affairs, was in Beirut this day. He was talking with Nabi Beri, the speaker of the parliament, representative of many Shia Muslims here in Lebanon, a go-between with Hezbollah, if you will, and the government. He was also talking with Fouad Siniora, the prime minister, trying to convince them, number one, the U.S. decries all the civilian casualties here, as well as the damage, some $2.5 billion of it, to the infrastructure here. But trying to convince the Lebanese that the best way to go forward is to allow Israeli troops to remain on Lebanese soil until an international peacekeeping force can be put together and put in place, which, frankly, might be months, was where he fell short.

That, according to Fouad Siniora.

Here's what he had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

CLANCY (voice-over): More than 3,000 wounded have been carried into Lebanon's hospitals since the conflict began three weeks ago. Saturday, the medical community warned the hospitals themselves may be the next casualty.

SULEIMAN HAROUN, PRESIDENT, HOSPITAL SYNDICATE OF LEBANON: Today we have three hospitals in Lebanon that are shut because of the lack of fuel. In two days, we will have a dozen. In 10 days, all of the hospitals in Lebanon are going to stop operating unless we get new supplies of fuel.

CLANCY: For Saint Teresa Hospital in Beirut, with windows shattered by Israeli bombing raids on the southern suburbs nearby, a shut down is imminent.

Sister Jean Marie Katura (ph) says the life of her hospital has already come to a halt.

"We have four operating rooms," she told us. "We normally do 20 operations a day. But now, know we have shut down."

(on camera): Lebanon faces a full blown hospital crisis in the coming days and the medical community says it is powerless to stop it, literally.

(voice-over): The power station at Gia, 30 kilometers south of Beirut, still smolders three weeks after its fuel depot was set ablaze by Israeli air strikes. While it's only part of Lebanon's power source, it's shutdown and air strikes on a second power station in Southern Lebanon have forced power cuts across the country.

Working on emergency power as much as 16 hours a day, Saint Teresa and other hospitals have exhausted their supplies of fuel to run-emergency generators. The crisis threatens not just victims of the current conflict, but thousands of Lebanese who need medical help on a daily basis.

HAROUN: We had 3,000 casualties of war during the last 20 days. But along with these casualties of war, we still have to treat the normal patients. And we have at least around 10,000 admissions per day for normal patients, including a few cases like renal dialysis, like open heart surgery, etc. etc.

CLANCY: The answer is fresh supplies of fuel. Somewhere off the coast, two tankers are standing by. But their operators won't go in without insurance. The insurers want guarantees and Israel won't give guarantees so long as Hezbollah fires rockets across the border. And so one by one the lights are going out in hospital corridors across Lebanon.

The symptoms are clear enough. What the doctors would prescribe is a cease-fire. If the warring parties won't agree, it will undoubtedly be hazardous to Lebanon's health.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

CLANCY: Hazardous to Lebanon's health, as well, if they do not see a cease-fire here. Unemployment, other problems are going to continue to worsen. But so far, from the Lebanese side tonight, there's no indication that they're willing to trade all of that suffering coming to an end for allowing Israeli troops to remain for any length of time inside Lebanon -- Carol.

LIN: So, Jim, let's take a look at that the possibilities then.

You've got this draft resolution the U.N. Security Council is considering right now. You're saying that's a no go with the Lebanese. You've got the foreign ministers of the Arab League meeting in Beirut on Monday.

What sort of influence could they have on the possibility that the fighting could stop some time next week?

CLANCY: You're talking about diplomacy. Behind me, the Lebanese parliament building. You have to remember, the Lebanese parliament did not vote to capture two Israeli soldiers inside Israel. That was a decision that was made by the militant group Hezbollah. And the militant group Hezbollah is largely calling the shots here. They have set themselves up as the defenders of Southern Lebanon. They have public support there, despite all of this destruction that we have seen. In the south, they have strong public support. So they will be calling the shots.

But the Arab states are extremely concerned about this and the way that it reflects Iranian power and Iranian ideology here in the Middle East; here in Lebanon, which still stands as an example for democracy in the Arab world.

This is a very difficult situation. Nothing is written in stone at this hour. The prime minister was still very open. But all of the signals seem to be that the notion of allowing a continued Israeli presence in Lebanon is not going to be good grounds for a cease-fire.

The big question might be, Carol, the glimmer of hope might be here that if the rocket attacks were to stop, if the aerial bombardments were to stop, the civilian casualties would subside. There may still be military fighting along that area inside Lebanon where Israeli troops have taken up positions. And it may turn down the temperature. But right now it doesn't look like that comprehensive peace the U.S. hoped for is right around the corner by any stretch of the imagination -- Carol.

LIN: Jim, thank you very much. UNIDENTIFIED CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The attacks continue. The desperation grows. Now, possible light in the Mideast crisis.

BOLTON: We're prepared to move as quickly as other members of the Council want to move.

UNIDENTIFIED CNN CORRESPONDENT: Will the U.N. finally step in?

An American champ in trouble.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's a four year suspension and that, at 30 years of age, I'm afraid, is the end of Floyd's career.

UNIDENTIFIED CNN CORRESPONDENT: He won the Tour de France. But Floyd Landis could soon lose his title.

FLOYD LANDIS, WINNER, TOUR DE FRANCE: I would like to leave absolutely clear that I am not in any doping process.

UNIDENTIFIED CNN CORRESPONDENT: Out with the old, in with the new.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I know you've been complaining about the digs for a while. Let me just say, we felt your pain.

UNIDENTIFIED CNN CORRESPONDENT: From clutter and cramped space...

MALVEAUX: Directly under the briefing room is what used to be the presidential swimming pool, where Lyndon B. Johnson famously skinny dipped.

UNIDENTIFIED CNN CORRESPONDENT: To a brand new face.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LIN: We learn a lot about our viewers as to what you read on our Web site. These are some of the most popular stories on cnn.com right now.

Natalie Holloway's mother says she is crushed after a New York court dismissed her lawsuit against Joran van der Sloot, who was a teenager, one of the last people to see her daughter alive back in 2005.

And an Oregon inmate is in trouble for selling art he created behind bars. Donny Johnson used dyes from M&Ms and candies and brushes from his own hair to create postcard-sized paintings. Well, he was using the money to start a program for inmates' children. But officials say he started his business without permission.

And a New York man won't be giving his estranged brother-in-law a high five any time soon. Joseph Bloom says the man bit off one of his fingers yesterday. Bloom says he intervened when he saw the couple fighting about their impending divorce.

Yes.

All right, more stories like that on CNN.com; more details, as well.

All right, two strikes against Tour de France winner Floyd Landis. His second urine sample has come back just like the first -- positive for high ratios of testosterone.

So where does Landis go from here?

For that, we're going to turn to CNN's Larry Smith -- Larry.

SMITH: Well, Carol, you know, first things first.

Floyd Landis is still the Tour de France champion, though one Tour official says he no longer considers him as such. But Landis's quest to remain champion may prove tougher than winning the grueling race itself.

As expected, Landis's second sample tested positive for higher than allowable ratios of testosterone to epitestosterone -- in fact, nearly three times the allowed level.

Up next, now, this is where we go from here -- documentation from the positive tests will go to the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, which will, with the help of a review panel, decide if a penalty is appear. If Landis is banned, then it would likely be for two years. He can appeal and possibly take it all the way to the Court of Arbitration for Sports. That could take many months.

Now, the chief of the World Anti-Doping Agency and the head of the lab in France who conducted the tests both say the tests are valid and foolproof.

The 30-year-old said in a statement this morning: "I have never taken any banned substance, including testosterone. I was the stronger man of the Tour de France and that is why I am the champion. I will fight these charges with the same determination and intensity that I bring to my training and racing."

Many in the cycling community wish him luck.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What Landis will certainly want to prove is that the presence of testosterone at the higher levels in this test is naturally produced and hasn't been esthetically introduced into the system.

If it has, and they say it has, then, of course, he most certainly is guilty. If it hasn't, then they're destroying the career of a very good bike rider.

(END VIDEO CLIP) SMITH: Well, Landis adds that he was tested eight other times during the three week race and all of those came back negative.

The test in question was taken after the 17th stage, in which Landis rallied from 11th place to third place, in what's considered to be one of the greatest performances in the Tour's

Now, his fight begins to prove that it was a clean one. Otherwise, Landis will become the first Tour de France winner to have his title stripped -- Carol.

LIN: Larry, talk about how big this story has gotten. I mean we've heard speculation, anything from, well, OK, his defense -- the body produces naturally high levels of testosterone, that his own team members might have doped him without him knowing in the last leg of the race. I mean it's gotten crazy.

What are you hearing in terms of the theories that are coming up in his defense?

SMITH: Well, you're right. You go on the Internet and that's where we hear so many different stories of what could have happened, what might have happened. There is some talk now, maybe some legal action for that -- the results of that first test actually being leaked.

And one thing we do -- can rule out is the role of dehydration in terms of the water he received during that day. And so many experts have come out now and said that simply is not the case.

Still, it is unusual to think that eight other tests were negative, but this one was positive.

We'll have to wait and see how it all comes out.

LIN: All right, thanks very much, Larry.

SMITH: OK.

LIN: Castro is still alive, but some Cubans in Miami are already looking ahead to life after the dictator. And they're gathering right now for a major rally.

We're going to go there next.

And two national politicians lighting up the blogs today. We've got all the buzz, coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LIN: We want to take you now live to the United Nations, where U.S. ambassador to the U.N. John Bolton, talking about a draft resolution that the United States and France have put forth to the Security Council, which is considering it as we speak.

JOHN BOLTON, UNITED STATES AMBASSADOR TO UNITED NATIONS: ... go from there.

Any questions?

Yes, sir?

QUESTION: Mr. Ambassador, some news just a little before the Lebanese government rejected the draft.

Do you think there will be any room to adjust it or to listen to the Lebanese demands in this regard?

BOLTON: Well, I'd rather -- I'd rather not comment on reports like that.

I can say that we have been in touch with the government of Lebanon at the very highest levels throughout this negotiation. Secretary Rice has been on the phone with Prime Minister Siniora. We've had our assistant secretary for the Near East, David Welch, was in Beirut the past two days. So we've been in -- and we've been in discussion here in New York, obviously.

So we're working on this and I think continue to talk to the government of Lebanon, explain the text and go from there and hope for a positive response.

Yes?

QUESTION: Mr. Ambassador, some of the Arab ambassadors were expressing reservations about this in that they said that there would be Arab minister meeting and then they'll come out with definitive comments about it. One ambassador said over here with some meeting with our colleagues said that if Shebaa Farms is handed over to the Lebanon by the Israelis, the reason for Hezbollah to exist is not there anymore.

Do you have any comments on that?

BOLTON: Look, that question is a particularly sensitive one. The Shebaa Farms issue has always been an excuse for Hezbollah to retain its weapons. And we go back to the point we've made before, that the question really is in Hezbollah's court, whether it wants to be a normal political party or not. And it could do that whether or not the Shebaa Farms issue was resolved.

Any other questions then?

OK, well then we'll...

QUESTION: Mr. Ambassador, how long do you see...

BOLTON: Khalal (ph)?

QUESTION: ... how long do you see, sir, the formation of a force, an international force, will take? I mean you are very familiar with the cases and the problems -- to ensure the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Lebanese land? BOLTON: Well, we're prepared to move very quickly. As you know, we were prepared to have a meeting of potential troop contributing countries this past week. And we would look forward to rescheduling that and beginning to get countries to consider whether to make contributions or not.

I think our first task is to get this resolution passed and then we'll see where we go in terms of that question, as well.

Yes, sir?

QUESTION: Why did you object during the negotiations to the expression, "the immediate cessation of hostilities?" And what does the new expression bring that this expression didn't have, in your view?

BOLTON: Well, it doesn't have the word immediate, for one. The point we've made repeatedly is that the cease-fire or cessation of hostilities has to be in the context of a fundamental transformation of the issue in the region. Otherwise, we will simply risk a repetition, as we have countless times before, without actually solving the problem.

We think that this resolution is a workable resolution and that that will contribute to that ultimate solution. Because otherwise we're just repeating mistakes we've made in the past.

And I'll just take one more here and then I need to get out.

QUESTION: (UNINTELLIGIBLE)?

BOLTON: I beg your pardon?

QUESTION: Do you expect a vote on Monday?

BOLTON: I think it's possible. I think it really depends on what the members of the Council see, what instructions they get from their capitals overnight. If we're close to agreement, as I say, depending on the pace, if members of the Council want to proceed, we'd be prepared for such a vote. We're ready for it at any time.

OK...

QUESTION: (UNINTELLIGIBLE) the work takes place?

BOLTON: I don't know exactly what that possibility will be. I've explained to the Council that we think a ministerial meeting would show high level support for this resolution, which is very important. On the other hand, we also recognize we want to move quickly and ministerial schedules are hard things to turn around on a dime.

So we're -- but our first objective is to see if members of the Council are prepared to accept the resolution. That's the priority.

OK, thanks very much. LIN: All right, you're just hearing from the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, John Bolton, talking about a resolution that the United States and France have come up with, a draft resolution. Not any more calling for the immediate cessation of hostilities in the Middle East, but nevertheless, that those hostilities end, followed by an international force in Southern Lebanon.

Hezbollah has to agree to this deal. The Lebanese government has to agree to this deal. And the U.N. Security Council still talking about whether they like the idea to begin with.

So we'll be following the story with our Richard Roth at the United Nations. Any developments, we're going to bring them to you tonight.

In the meantime, another one of our big stories this week is the health of Fidel Castro, the leader of Cuba. And Cubans down there are keeping close tabs on his health.

Now, the Cuban government is ramping up security on the possibility of a U.S.-led invasion. Now, U.S. officials say such talk is nonsense.

Meantime, Cuba's health minister says that Castro is actually going to get back to the job once he recovers from intestinal surgery.

Now, he's 79 years old. He temporarily handed the reigns of the government over to his 75-year-old brother, Raul. But that has been all the talk in South Florida, a possibility of a post-Castro Cuba.

Thousands of former islanders are rallying in South Florida for just that very reason.

And CNN's Ed Lavandera is there live right now in Miami's Little Havana neighborhood -- Ed, earlier in the week there was quite a stir about this story because nobody really knew 1,000 percent that Castro was still alive.

Why are people feeling still now that they need to show themselves out on the street? What are they trying to accomplish here?

ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well I think if you speak with Cuban exiles here in South Florida they will tell you, to virtually every single one of them, that they just don't believe any kind of information that is coming out of the Cuban government. So any kind of speculation that says that Fidel Castro is alive, until the people here in South Florida actually see him make a speech on TV again, I think it won't be until then that people here are more or less convinced that he is still alive. So over the frenzy of the people in the street dancing and driving around, and filling up the streets with excitement has tapered off quite a bit in the last few days, but that could change here this evening as one of the big Cuban exile groups here in South Florida, a group called Democracy Movement, is expected to hold a candlelight vigil in support of their Cuban brothers back on the island. And essentially this is just keeping up the frenzy here in South Florida in the hope and the anticipation that perhaps with Fidel Castro's death that they will once again have some sort of opportunity to influence change in a democratic kind of way on the island. What they say they do not want to see here in this case is an opportunity to slip by, if Fidel Castro were to pass away, they don't want to see just power swiftly handed over to Raul Castro with no chance of trying to influence any kind of change. In their words, transferring from one dictator to another dictator just isn't good enough. So now a lot of what we've heard over the last couple of days is all of the different exiled groups coming out, speaking about how they can do and influence change on the island when Castro dies. Everything here is just trying to have some sort of influence on what happens next. Carol?

LIN: Ed, what's the music behind you?

LAVANDERA: They've already rolled out the music, a guy with a big truck, speakers playing the Cuban national anthem and other salsa music. People here at the coffee stand, already sipping on coffee as people start trickling in for this rally here this afternoon.

LIN: All right. Great scene setter, thanks very much, Ed.

Now coming up, fighting on the front lines. Our very own John Roberts, you have been watching him all day. He's embedded right now with the Israeli Defense Forces inside Lebanon. His pictures and story next.

And with every bomb dropped in the Middle East, another Bin Laden is born. That's what some are saying right now. But is it true? You're watching CNN, the most trusted name in news.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LIN: Our big story today, a possible peace deal for the Middle East. A joint U.S.-French outline for a cessation of hostilities as it's worded is before the United Nations Security Council and a vote could come as soon as next week.

Now Cuba's state-owned media says Cuban President Fidel Castro is on the mend. The Cuban News Agency says the 79-year-old is sitting up in bed and eating. Castro had abdominal surgery earlier this week.

And controversy continues to chase the Tour de France champ Floyd Landis. A second urine sample tested confirms a high ratio of testosterone was in his body when he won. But Landis maintains he didn't take anything and will be vindicated.

A long shot falls short for the family of missing Alabama teenager Natalee Holloway. Yesterday a New York judge threw out the family's lawsuit against Joran van der Sloot. The suit claimed Van der Sloot was responsible for Holloway's disappearance.

And can Georgia Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney talk her way out of this one? McKinney is facing a stiff challenge from Hank Johnson in next week's democratic primary. Today's debate highlighted the slapping incident between McKinney and a capitol police officer last spring.

Police say in Maryland they have arrested three people in connection with the theft of a laptop computer from a Virginia employee. Actually a V.A. employee, Veterans Affairs employee. Police believe the trio were a burglary ring and did not realize what they had stolen. The computer contains sensitive personal information about millions of American vets.

It is the bottom of the hour, we want to bring you up to speed with our war bulletin. A less than encouraging response from Lebanon to the prospects of a U.N.-backed peace deal for the Middle East. The draft agreed to by the United States and France calls for a full cessation of hostilities but does not call for it to be immediate. But Hezbollah is apparently balking at the language of the proposal noting that there is no mention of an Israeli withdrawal from Lebanese soil.

CNN's John Roberts is embedded with Israeli troops in southern Lebanon. All right let's take a look at the Lebanese ambassador, U.N. ambassador speaking right now about this draft resolution.

NOUHAD MAHMOUD, LEBANESE AMB. TO U.N.: -- would be reflected more clearly in the facts, we see some mention of that but we don't see it as clear as we'd like it to be. So just our preliminary reaction, sure there are other points, which are not as pressing as this one.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What is it exactly that you're willing to see in the (INAUDIBLE) regarding the Shebaa Farms. And also did you formally ask the sponsors to amend the text?

MAHMOUD: Well we presented some amendments to the text, in order to make it implementable in the ground because the Lebanese government would be the main partner in the implementation of this resolution. And we have to address the concern of the Lebanese people, otherwise, it won't fly there on the ground. We want something which can end the pain and the suffering of all Lebanese and everyone who is concerned.

[ speaking foreign language ]

MAHMOUD: [ speaking foreign language ]

LIN: All right, thank you very much. Just want to bring you up to speed while the Lebanese ambassador to the United Nations is responding to reporters' questions. And essentially the gist of it is that they want to make sure that this draft resolution is actually workable on the ground. The concern so far expressed by the Lebanese government that Israeli troops need to leave Lebanese soil before an international force can occupy a southern Lebanon and secure it, disarming Hezbollah. And that Hezbollah needs to also agree with this U.N. draft resolution in order for it to actually work.

You've been hearing also about the Shebaa Farms, it's a disputed territory that Israel captured during the six-day war with Syria. So it's a question as to whether that would be on the table in addition to a cessation of hostilities.

I was telling you also earlier that CNN's John Roberts, he's been embedded with Israeli troops in southern Lebanon. He's with those ground troops. He's had missiles flying over his head throughout the day and night. And he's in a terribly dangerous area. But he is eyewitness for this network of the Hezbollah rockets flying overhead. And earlier John described the conditions by phone.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

JOHN ROBERTS, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: A lot of fighting going on in the vicinity of where I'm embedded with an Israeli reserve group. We can hear tank fire outgoing, mortar fire, as well. The group that I'm with call themselves the tank hunters. We came in on foot, it's an infantry unit walking for about seven hours deep into Lebanese territory. Deep into the heart of where all of the action is. It's a very dangerous area. A number of Israeli soldiers have been killed in this general area in the last few days. Three in an area not too far from where I am right now. The goal of these tank hunters is not to go out and kill tanks because the only people that have tanks right now are the Israelis.

What they are tasked with is going out, finding the Hezbollah fighters, trying to neutralize them and also get a handle on these Katyusha rockets that are still being fired. While the ones that are hitting Haifa are being fired from the area of Tyre according to the Israeli Defense Forces. There are many more that are going into central towns and one eastern along the border. It's believed that they are being fired from this area of southern Lebanon. And so this group is going to go out very soon and start looking for those Hezbollah fighters, looking for those Katyusha rocket launchers, trying to neutralize them.

The goal here is to hold as much territory as quickly as possible so that they can get a buffer zone established in hopes that that international peacekeeping force or international stabilization force is going to come in -- you can hear the tank firing just there in the background. There is not a whole lot of trust here for this two-part resolution at the United Nations. The Israelis have seen what UNIFIL can and cannot do and it's mostly cannot do since 1978, since the U.N. force has been in southern Lebanon. And so an expansion of that force really isn't very satisfactory to them. They will need to pull out if this resolution is adopted. But it could be that once the resolution is adopted, and the U.N. force starts to expand, we've got a rocket coming in here. We've got a rocket coming in. And it seems to have passed overhead. Thankfully.

LIN: Goodness. Are you all right, John?

ROBERTS: What I was about to -- that was one of those Katyusha rockets flying right over our heads, ostensibly, presumably aimed toward northern Israel. Everybody in the unit that I'm with took cover. But as I was saying, it's likely that Israel would have to sort of drag it -- I don't want to say drag its feet, have a slow withdrawal from this area if its expanded United Nations force comes in. Because they do not trust the United Nations. They want this large, some 15,000 members is being talked about, international force to come in here. That's when they would fully withdraw.

(END OF AUDIO CLIP)

LIN: That was CNN's John Roberts on the front lines. He's going to be reporting with us throughout the night tonight. He can only call in periodically whenever he can get to a phone and the Israeli Defense Forces can clear him to do a shout-out to us. So stay tuned throughout our coverage tonight, because John Roberts is on the front line. He is our eyewitness to what's happening on the ground right now.

Now, we have seen some interesting developments around the Middle East when it comes to the specific conflict between Israel and Lebanon. In fact, just today, Al Jazeera had announced that it was going to air a recorded message by Osama bin Laden's number two man, who was going to announce that Al Jemaah Islamiyah leaders in Egypt are joining Al Qaeda. Perhaps the video of Israeli troops on the ground in Lebanon becoming a recruitment poster of sorts. Protests also taking place in Iraq protesting against Israel. Is there another Osama bin Laden about to be formed out of this conflict? Joining me to talk about this is Jim Walsh. He is an international security analyst at M.I.T. right now. Jim, we take a look at the events on the ground. And you see Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Hezbollah, take to the international airwaves not once, but twice this past week. What do you make of the -- of the new faces on the ground? What is to come of this?

JIM WALSH, INTERNATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST, M.I.T.: Well, Carol, certainly a reminder of days gone by of Osama bin Laden coming out on tape, trying to rally the troops to his cause, trying to recruit. Trying to say I'm still here, and I think he's taken a page out of Bin Laden's book. The fact is that each day this conflict goes on and now it's 25 days, and according to the last reports, it's probably going to go on for a while, not everyone is crazy about this U.N. resolution. It's going to continue and each day it goes on it helps radicals. It helps radicals in Iraq, like Moqtad Al Sadr(ph), it helps radicals like Osama bin Laden, and it also helps Hezbollah as it tries to consolidate or expand its power in Lebanon. And so radicals are winners every time there is blood shed in the Middle East.

LIN: And so what does it mean just a sheer number of recruits or the ability to actually more effectively target westerners?

WALSH: I think it's two things. There's a short-term issue and a long-term issue. In the short-term, it is partly about recruiting. It's partly about the internal politics. So radicals in Iraq grow stronger whereas moderates in Iraq get marginalized as emotions run high. But in the long-term, what concerns me, Carol, and you and I have talked about this before, is that we have what the CIA has called a social movement. This religious extremism. Violent religious extremism. And the question is, is this religious movement, is this social movement going to continue?

Is there going to be an Al Qaeda 2.0, five or 10 or 15 years down the line? And the answer to that question, whether there's a stronger Al Qaeda 10 years from now, is in part whether there are conflicts today that recruit the young people that become the Osama bin Laden's of tomorrow. That's what the Afghan Soviet war back in the 80's did, it created Osama bin Laden, and the concern is as this war continues as the war in Iraq continues, there's some young person who's 17 or 18 years old right now, who 10 years from now is going to be another Osama bin Laden.

LIN: Point taken. Jim Walsh, thank you very much.

WALSH: Thank you, Carol.

LIN: Coming up, CNN is going to take you back to the front lines.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

This is CNN space. Three of us work here and it is 100 degrees in Washington today and there's no air conditioning. This is our cooling system.

(END OF VIDEO CLIP)

LIN: We're going to be talking about a much-needed makeover also at the White House. The White House finally making its briefing room a little better.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LIN: So what are you all talking about on the bloggosphere? Let's find out. You hear about this Senate race that's going down the tubes for Senator Joe Lieberman so far? Looks like he's in political quicksand. From vice presidential candidate to embattled Senate incumbent. His apparent slide continues and now "The New York Times" is endorsing Lieberman's opponent, Ned Lamont in Connecticut's democratic primary. Voters go to the polls Tuesday. Now in a race that seemingly gets uglier by the day, Lamont, on the right of your screen, is complaining over flyers that have been distributed near black churches questioning his record on civil rights. Lamont says Lieberman's camp is behind the campaign.

Georgia Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney's re-election bid is getting plenty of play as well on the bloggosphere. You remember McKinney's very public confrontation with a capitol police officer? Well, it's a big bullet point for her opponent Hank Johnson, is using his bid to unseat McKinney. Both candidates held their second debate today. Peach state voters go to the polling places next week as well.

Now reporting from the White House isn't all glitz and glam.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BUSH: You want to double the size?

Yes.

BUSH: Forget it!

(END OF VIDEO CLIP)

LIN: CNN's Suzanne Malveaux was in the briefing room when the president was talking to the reporters. She's going to have the inside story on a long overdue makeover there. Stay with CNN, the most trusted name in news.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LIN: This just in to the CNN Center, Reuters wire service quoting a senior political source saying that Lebanon does not agree with the U.N. draft resolution to end the conflict with Israel. That's one of our big stories today. So I invite you to stay tuned in seven minutes we'll bring you up to the speed at the top of the hour on a possible peace plan before the U.N. Security Council.

Also, in to the CNN Center, CNN has confirmed that Israeli Defense Forces raided, surrounded a West Bank house, and according to the Reuters wire report once again, they are detaining Palestinian parliamentary speaker Aziz Drake a leader of the governing Hamas movement in a raid on his West Bank home. We don't know why, but as soon as we find out we're going to bring it to you. All the breaking news right here on CNN.

In the meantime, let's talk renovation. 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, one of the most prestigious addresses in the world. But that briefing room is quite an embarrassment. As Suzanne Malveaux reports, the improvements are long overdue.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BUSH: My best moment in here is when my press conference ended.

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): President Bush, six generations of press secretaries and media icons gathered to say good-bye to the White House briefing room. It's getting a major face-lift, and will be closed for nine months for renovations.

BUSH: I know you've been complaining about the digs for a while. Let's just say we felt your pain.

MALVEAUX: The press will now work out of a building across the street. Helen Thomas, who's covered nine presidents, is a little suspicious.

HELEN THOMAS: I think it's nice that they're going to renovate, if we can guarantee coming back here?

MALVEAUX (on camera): Here's what our briefing room looks like on the TV program "West Wing," glossy, high tech and big. But here's what it's really like. This is where we sit. Each of the seats has a name plate. This one is ours. You just kind of squeeze in and flip the desk over, kind of like you were in third grate.

The broken ones are towards the back, amid the clutter of cameras, equipment and bodies. Tourists are stunned.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I thought it was very small. It seems bigger on TV.

MALVEAUX: But they really don't get to see the half of it.

(on camera): We're going to ignore this. I'm going to take you to the back where we do our work.

(voice-over): Chipping paint. Tattered chairs. Creative signs and relics. Most offices are no bigger than a small closet.

(on camera): This is CNN's space. Three of us work here and it is 100 degrees in Washington today, and there's no air conditioning. This is our cooling system.

(voice-over): For many of us our workplace has become home base. A place full of fond memories.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is where I met my wife.

MALVEAUX: A place chock full of history.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I was here in October of 1994 when a lone gunman with an assault rifle fired 29 shots at the White House. The only one that actually came into the White House was right here in the briefing room.

MALVEAUX: And a place full of secrets.

(on camera): Directly under the briefing room is what used to be the presidential swimming pool, where Lyndon B. Johnson famously skinny dipped. And now for journalists, the tradition is to sign these wooden planks. Ok, for posterity's sake.

(voice-over): So what can we expect for our new briefing room?

BUSH: We may have some air conditioning if we decide to.

MALVEAUX: In whatever condition, we'll be back. Suzanne Malveaux, CNN, the White House.

(END OF VIDEOTAPE)

LIN: Still much more ahead on CNN. We have reporters across the Middle East bringing you up to date on the fighting and the diplomatic efforts to end it. We're going to continue to bring you the very latest news as the story develops. Stay right there, we're back in three minutes.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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