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Terrell Owens Suicide Attempt?; Dow Nears All-Time High; Suspicious Package Found at Entrance to U.S. Courthouse in Washington, D.C.; Tension Among Allies

Aired September 27, 2006 - 11:01   ET

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

TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Spend a second hour in the NEWSROOM this morning and stay informed.
Good morning, everyone. I'm Tony Harris.

HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Heidi Collins.

Terrell Owens, T.O. to NFL fans -- we're going to straight to Dallas now to hear the very latest on a possible attempted suicide.

Let's listen.

LT. RICK WATSON, DALLAS POLICE: Let me give you a little bit of background.

First of all, I want to apologize for it taking so long. OK? But we wanted to make sure that what we had was correct and we didn't want to release any information that was not correct. OK?

Now, I'm going to be limited with the amount of information that I can release today, OK, on this incident, basically because of the Privacy Law Act and also the medical issues in this incident. OK? So -- and I'm not going take any questions afterwards.

So is everybody ready? OK.

Yesterday -- yesterday evening, a little bit before 8:00, officers responded to the 3800 block of Commerce Street. And this response was requested by the Dallas Fire Department paramedics. When the officers got there, they were met by the paramedics who were treating Mr. Owens.

The paramedics told the officers that they were going to have to proceed to the hospital. The officers followed the ambulance and they went in, and in the course of this and our investigation, we determined that at this time that this is not a criminal offense. This is a medical type of situation in the incident that occurred.

It's my understanding that there was some information that was released prior to me speaking to the media, and what I want to say is that information that went out, we are the official spokespersons for the Dallas Police Department. How that information got out, I don't know. But this is the official statement.

The Dallas Police Department does not have any other investigation going on, on this incident. Any information that you need, you'll have to contact Mr. Owens or you'll have to contact the medical staff.

Now do I need to repeat any of that?

QUESTION: (OFF-MIKE)

WATSON: They've got no comment, or they've not said anything to me with respect to that.

(CROSSTALK)

WATSON: Guys -- guys, I'm not going to take any questions. I just want to make sure that what I said, that you all got it and you fully understand.

QUESTION: Are you denying 30-something pills and attempted suicide?

WATSON: I'm not confirming anything. OK?

QUESTION: If there were a suicide attempt, would there be calls to police to investigate further?

WATSON: Brent (ph), like I said...

QUESTION: In a hypothetical situation, in the real world, if there is a suicide attempt would police have been called to further investigate?

WATSON: Brent (ph), with respect to that, I'd be speculating. And I don't -- I'm not going to go there.

QUESTION: We're not talking about...

WATSON: I understand that.

QUESTION: Why were you called by the paramedics? Why is police (INAUDIBLE)?

WATSON: You all, that's all I am going to go on this. OK?

QUESTION: Can you release the 911 tape?

WATSON: That will -- if you want the 911 tape, you'll have to make the request to the fire department. They are the -- they are the keepers of the 911 tapes. So that's where would you go to get that released. All right?

QUESTION: Is this document speaking about attempted suicide?

WATSON: It is not a criminal offense.

QUESTION: Is this document incorrect then?

WATSON: I'm not verifying anything. Thank you all very much. I appreciate it.

HARRIS: All right, Heidi.

COLLINS: So there you have it and there you don't.

HARRIS: Yes.

There is a report -- there is a report from the Dallas Police.

COLLINS: Yes.

HARRIS: I guess what we do know is that Dallas Police were called in by the paramedics who were already on location.

COLLINS: Already treating him, yes.

HARRIS: And already treating Terrell Owens.

COLLINS: And that Dallas Police are not happy right now.

HARRIS: Absolutely not happy.

COLLINS: Yes.

HARRIS: So there are probably more questions than we had a half an hour ago, an hour ago, with regard to this investigation, what actually happened, because remember there are reports that the lady that was with Terrell Owens last night at about 8:00 in the evening when this incident started to unfold, maybe slightly before that, there were reports that she was trying to get the painkillers to pull them away from Terrell Owens. And I don't know. I don't know if we want to go any further with this until we get more information, or maybe we can get that spokesperson on our air here.

COLLINS: I have a feeling he will not say more just probably -- simply because of his demeanor, saying that there was some information released to the media that he did not want to verify. This is not a criminal offense, he said, it is a medical situation, period and dot. No more comments.

The 911 tape, I'm sure there will be a request put in to hear that. Not sure how much more information that will provide us, but we'll watch it for you.

HARRIS: And one other note, that no further investigation, according to Dallas Police, is need in this incident. So there you have it.

COLLINS: There you have it.

All right. Moving on a little bit now, we have been keeping an eye, a close eye on Wall Street, where the Dow is approaching a new record.

Cheryl Casone joins us from the New York Stock Exchange with the very latest.

(STOCK MARKET REPORT)

HARRIS: All right. So how can you benefit from the stock market action? It's all about you and me, right?

CNN Personal Finance Editor Gerri Willis joins us now from New York.

Gerri, OK, first off...

GERRI WILLIS, CNN PERSONAL FINANCE EDITOR: Hi, Tony.

HARRIS: ... give us a sense of what is driving the markets up here.

WILLIS: Well, there's a lot going on. Strong quarter profits, oil prices are falling, and there seems to be a general consensus that the Fed has managed to steer the economy to a soft landing. That is, the economy hasn't totally fallen apart.

There's also optimism that the Fed is done with its two-year-long series of interest rate increases. And just yesterday we got a sharper-than-expected increase in consumer confidence. Of course, that matters, because consumers spend a lot of money which fuels the economy and corporate profits.

HARRIS: Got you. So if you -- if you have some extra money just sort of lying around -- we all do, right? OK. What's the best option right now?

Are we talking CDs, stocks? What do you think?

WILLIS: Well, if you're looking to put some money to work, remember that old market cliche, buy low, sell high. An up market isn't always the best time to buy in. Just because the market is all of a sudden on the front page again doesn't mean you should jump in with both feet.

HARRIS: I see.

WILLIS: This is the time, though, to check in on your asset allocation. Do you own a lot more real estate than you do stocks? Do you have no bond investments whatsoever?

You'll want to make those changes to make your asset allocation correct.

And third, if you're really looking to spend, there is no shortage of options. However, if you don't already have a three to six-month emergency cash fund, now is the time to think about it.

You know, you may think, Tony, that CDs are your grandma's investment, certificates of deposit.

HARRIS: Yes. WILLIS: But yields are pushing 5 percent, so that is a solid option.

HARRIS: OK. Let's talk about housing.

Sales are down. What does this mean for -- for buyers and sellers?

WILLIS: Well, big news this week. The median housing price went down for the first time in 11 years. Big news.

But don't get too worried, not yet anyway. Prices have gone up 60 percent over the past five years. And a 3 percent decline, which is what one trade group is projecting, it's simply not big by comparison.

However, what may really need attention is your adjustable rate mortgage. If you have one of these, find out if you're going to be on the hook for higher mortgage payments anytime soon. I'm telling you, Tony, this is the one thing that consumers need to check today.

HARRIS: Very good. All right, Gerri. Good to see you again. Twice in one show.

WILLIS: Good to see you.

HARRIS: Man, it's a big day for us.

WILLIS: Wow. My head's spinning.

HARRIS: All right, Gerri. Thanks.

WILLIS: Thank you.

COLLINS: We want to get you back to Washington, D.C., now quickly, where the U.S. district courthouse there has been evacuated due to a suspicious package. That investigation ongoing. We saw some gentlemen go into the building with hazmat suits on. So we want to get the very latest now.

Paul Courson, our CNN producer stand big to do just that.

Hi, Paul.

PAUL COURSON, CNN PRODUCER: Hi.

Well, they've been very reluctant to actually give us an update. It looks status quo as we stand here on the street. But we do know that just as many people are deployed to this site as were before. So they must obviously still be doing some work.

To recap, this all started around 9:30, when the court security officers on a routine walk around the building found something suspicious near a construction trailer near the front doors of the courthouse. They called in a dog. The dog turned positive, and then we had this (INAUDIBLE) emergency workers at the scene. They evacuated the building around 9:40. The judges at district court were moved to a secure predetermined but undisclosed area, and things continue as you see here.

COLLINS: Yes. And Paul, we mentioned a little bit earlier that it is a little bit rare to have everybody evacuate. And now you're mentioning that those alarms went off about 9:30. People evacuated just 10 minutes later. Does that add anything to the seriousness of this possible suspicious package?

COURSON: Well, I've got a hunch that when they interpret the alert they automatically scale it accordingly. As I -- as I mentioned earlier, there are homeless people in this area of the courthouse between here and the Canadian Embassy, sometimes they spend the night on the steam grates between here and the Canadian Embassy, and sometimes they leave their things behind. And apparently, this morning, in the walk by the court security officers, they determined it was enough to order up an evacuation of the court.

COLLINS: All right. Paul, we'll come back to you if anything should happen there.

COURSON: OK.

COLLINS: Thanks so much, live from Washington, D.C. today.

HARRIS: Well, President Bush playing referee. The beef between the presidents of Pakistan and Afghanistan will be hashed out -- sorry -- over dinner. A preview in the NEWSROOM.

COLLINS: And the fight for Iraq, the war on terror, and the crossroads on Capitol Hill. Protests erupt in the atrium and on the floor of the House and Senate. Examining the debate ahead in the NEWSROOM.

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: Looking at the numbers again. Let's bring those in.

There we go. It's just like magic.

(STOCK MARKET REPORT)

HARRIS: And Heidi, Dallas officials -- police officials wrapped up an interesting news conference a short time ago, where they were giving us an update on the Terrell Owens situation. Terrell Owens, of course, being the star wide receiver for the Dallas Cowboys.

What we learned is that Dallas paramedics were on the scene treating Terrell Owens before 8:00 last night and that they called in Dallas Police. Dallas Police officials describing this as a medical situation, offering no information about reports that this was an attempted suicide. No further investigation needed into the Owens incident, according to Dallas Police officials. But, of course, we will be asking more questions and there will be more reporting on this throughout the course of the day.

We'll continue to follow it.

COLLINS: And now the war on terror. Secrets and leaks. Part of an intelligence report declassified now by the president, a major political debate is erupting.

CNN's Tom Foreman looks at what it all means.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): For days Iraq's effect on worldwide terrorism has been debated. The White House, effectively, saying the war is beating terrorists down. Critics saying it is enraging them and building the terrorist threat up.

Now a summary of the report that started the scuffle is out. And, as it is with the war itself, neither side seems to have won.

Cal Temple is a former Department of Defense counterterrorism official.

CAL TEMPLE, TERRORISM RESEARCH CENTER: It is not a dismal bad news story, and it is not a frontline or headline newspaper saying that we're winning or we have won.

FOREMAN: Key judgments include plenty for America to worry about.

"Jihadists are increasing in both number and geographic dispersion," the report says. "If this trend continues, threats to U.S. interests at home and abroad will become more diverse, leading to increasing attacks worldwide. The Iraq conflict has become the 'cause celebre' for jihadists, breeding a deep resentment of U.S. involvement in the Muslim world and cultivating supporters for the global jihadist movement."

It says attacks in Europe demonstrate how radicals are hiding in Muslim communities there and seeking a gateway to America.

TEMPLE: Europe is six hours away from Manhattan, Washington, D.C., and nine hours away from L.A. And, so, it is the air bridge, if you will, to the United States.

FOREMAN: But other judgments show the administration's Iraq goals are on target.

"If democratic reforms in Muslim majority nations progress over the next five years, political participation probably would drive a wedge between intransigent extremists and groups willing to use the political process." It notes some moderate Muslim clerics are condemning terrorist violence, and most Muslims don't want an ultraconservative religious state.

The report says, if key leaders keep being killed or arrested, the entire terrorist movement will splinter and weaken. And, "Should jihadists leaving Iraq perceive themselves, and be perceived, to have failed, we judge fewer fighters will be inspired to carry on the fight."

(on camera): In many ways, no matter how you read this, it seems like it really does come down to Iraq.

TEMPLE: We have got a lot more hard work to do in Iraq. But, sure, if democracy succeeds there, we win; they lose. And, if it doesn't, they have won the battle.

FOREMAN (voice-over): Whether the White House won or lost politically by releasing the report is a whole different fight.

Tom Foreman, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: Tom Foreman, part of the team on "ANDERSON COOPER 360." "AC 360" airs weeknights at 10:00 Eastern. You'll see it right here on CNN.

HARRIS: President Bush tries to smooth tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan. At a three-way meeting, he's hosting the presidents of both countries together at the White House this evening. One point of contention between the allies, the whereabouts of Osama bin Laden and the border issues that arise if he is found.

President Musharraf talked about that in "THE SITUATION ROOM" with Wolf Blitzer.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PRES. PERVEZ MUSHARRAF, PAKISTAN: I have been giving my comments that this is a sensitive area of -- and our decision is that we operate on our side of the border and U.S. forces and allies operate on the other side.

Now, having said that, we are hunting Osama and Zawahiri together. We are on the hunt, we are on the lookout for him. When we locate him, we have to take action, we have to take effective action to do away with him.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: Well, for more on what we can expect from President Bush's meeting with presidents Musharraf and Karzai, let's go ahead and bring in our White House correspondent, Elaine Quijano.

Obviously some tension there. What does that mean going into this very rare first time ever meeting tonight, Elaine?

ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, it means it will be an interesting meeting tonight, to say the least, Heidi.

COLLINS: Yes.

QUIJANO: But the reason that this is such a problem for the United States is that these two countries, Afghanistan and Pakistan, are so important. If they don't have the agreements going, certainly the United States cannot win the war on terrorism. And we have heard about these tensions between Afghan President Karzai, also General Pervez Musharraf, the president of Pakistan.

Really, the main issue is that both sides blame each other for the resurgence of Taliban activity along their shared border. This is something we have heard about in recent days, both sides trading barbs over this issue, if you will.

Just yesterday we heard Pakistan's president, Pervez Musharraf, saying essentially that Hamid Karzai didn't really understand the problems and the political environment that was contributing to pro- Taliban sentiment.

Here's a little bit of what President Musharraf had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MUSHARRAF: He is not oblivious. He knows everything. But he's purposely denying, turning a blind eye like an ostrich. He doesn't want to tell the world what are the facts for his own personal reasons.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

QUIJANO: So, against that backdrop, what you have now, of course, is the makings of a very interesting meeting, Heidi. We'll wait to see what happens later today.

By the way, some people asking, well, why is this meeting so late? There are a couple reasons.

Scheduling issues had to do with that, but also a significant time on the Islamic calendar. This, of course, is the month of Ramadan. And so the meal tonight will be breaking the traditional fast that occurs during the month of Ramadan for Muslims.

So a lot of symbolism wrapped into the meeting today -- Heidi.

COLLINS: And quickly, Elaine, we know that at least President Karzai is looking for something very specific out of this meeting. It has to do with the deal that President Musharraf struck with the elders of the tribes in his country that Karzai is quite skeptical of.

QUIJANO: Yes, absolutely, because the feeling -- and even U.S. officials were skeptical upon hearing of this agreement at first. The feeling initially was that this was an agreement with the Taliban, but we heard President Musharraf, who was at the White House last week, say, look, this is not an agreement with the Taliban, this was an agreement to fight the Taliban.

Whether or not in fact that is something that Hamid Karzai can accept, that will certainly be one of the issues that will be discussed tonight -- Heidi.

COLLINS: He very much wants them to agree that the terrorists will not be allowed to cross over into his country or deals off.

All right. Elaine Quijano, thanks so much for watching that for us.

We will have complete coverage of President Bush's meeting with presidents Musharraf and Karzai at the White House this evening. You can watch "THE SITUATION ROOM" with Wolf Blitzer beginning at 7:00 Eastern. We do expect to hear from the three leaders together around 7:50 Eastern Time.

HARRIS: And still to come, changing tactics every few weeks. The military's latest assessment on insurgents in Iraq.

Live to the Pentagon ahead in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: How about this, Heidi? New pictures into us now of the Day Fire, named because it was started on Labor Day. Just about a month now.

Still burning out in California, the Los Padres National Forest -- 3,800 firefighters have been working this since Labor Day. About 145,000 acres burned, 43 percent is what we heard from Chad just a short time ago contained at this point. I just want to bring you the very latest pictures courtesy of KABC, our affiliate out there in Los Angeles, of the Day Fire as it continues to burn in California.

COLLINS: Insurgents constantly changing their tactics in Iraq. That word today from the U.S. military.

CNN Pentagon Correspondent Barbara Starr joining us now live with the latest details -- Barbara.

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, Heidi, as the holy month of Ramadan continues, U.S. military officials are saying what is happening in Iraq is what they expected, and that is a rise in violence, a rise in attacks northeast of Baghdad.

In fact, the U.S. military got into a firefight in the town of Baquba. When it was all over, four men and four women were dead. That's a pretty unusual circumstance.

But back in Baghdad, the chief military spokesman, General Caldwell, met with reporters earlier this morning and talked about what a tough week it has been.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAJ. GEN. WILLIAM CALDWELL, SPOKESMAN, MULTINATIONAL FORCE, IRAQ: In terms of attacks, this week's suicide attacks were at their highest level in any given week, with half of them targeting security forces. Last week, almost 50 percent of the vehicle-borne improvised explosive devices were suicide attacks.

The clear intent of these high-magnitude attacks are to produce mass casualties. But while we are seeing this increase in overall attack numbers, their effectiveness has not increased.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STARR: Heidi, what the general is saying is that, while they are seeing attacks on the rise, they are not seeing a proportional rise in the actual number of fatalities or casualties, at least by U.S. troops. However, as we approach the end of September, the statistics do show 65 U.S. service members have lost their lives in Iraq in the month of September -- Heidi.

COLLINS: It's a tough story, as always. Barbara Starr at the Pentagon. Thanks, Barbara.

HARRIS: And we've been following a developing story this morning out of Dallas on one of that city's brightest football stars. Several media outlets reporting that Terrell Owens tried to commit suicide last night. He was rushed to the hospital after reportedly overdosing on pain medication. Earlier this hour, Dallas police officials responded to those news accounts and the police report they cited.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

QUESTION: Are you denying 30-something pills and attempted suicide?

LT. RICK WATSON, DALLAS POLICE DEPT.: I'm not confirming anything, OK?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: And that was about it. Dallas police say it's been determined no criminal offense was committed in the incident.

COLLINS: And want to update you on this situation the best that we can. Live now to Washington, D.C., where the U.S. district court building there was evacuated. Alarm started sounding around 9:30 this morning due to a suspicious package that security officers apparently found, thought it was strange, called in bomb-sniffing dogs. Those dogs alerted to something, and the building was evacuated. Lots of officials still surrounding that area and checking out what the problem could be specifically. We saw HAZMAT members go in inside in HAZMAT suits, I should say. And we will follow it for you.

HARRIS: Once again, can -- do we have a moment, Michael? Can we show the big board? Because it's a story that we're following, obviously, throughout the day. The Dow, Heidi, has to close 54 points higher than it started the day. OK. What's magic number? Because you know this number I haven't internalized yet.

COLLINS: It's 11,722.98. But it has to go past that, which was set back January 2000. We got all kinds of people watching that board like, with binoculars.

HARRIS: And how about this? A long day still ahead. I mean, we have to close at that number to establish an all-time high. We have to close at that the number. But something tells me that if it happens during the course of the day, well, there will be confetti and everything.

COLLINS: Yes, the inter-day high doesn't really matter.

HARRIS: It doesn't.

(CROSSTALK)

HARRIS: So we'll continue to follow it. You're watching CNN, the most trusted name in news. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: And a developing story to update on now. Warren Jeffs, the polygamist sect leader, was in court today for a proceeding in order to determine when the next proceeding will be. How is that for confusing? November 21st, it was determined, will be the preliminary hearing for him. There are two counts of rape against him, among other charges. They are looking into whether or not a crime was actually committed and whether or not he actually did it.

Something to point out in this story certainly was the amount of security surrounding him, surrounding the building. No one even really knows when he arrived at that courthouse in Washington County, Utah. So that was something a little bit different. And also, that his attorneys did not ask for bond, so he will continue to stay in jail at the Purgatory Correctional Facility there. Lots of issues of flight risk. As you remember, he was on the run for quite some time before authorities picked him up.

So that one is something that we're watching and we'll continue to do that throughout the day.

HARRIS: How about this? The latest pictures out of California now as we continue to track the day fire at Los Padres National Forest. Crews are guarding several properties right now near the forest. Authorities have recommended the evacuation, actually, of some communities along roads west of Interstate 5.

Thanks to our affiliate out there in Los Angeles, KABC, for these pictures. It's being described as an open flame right now. A shift in wind conditions could actually push the fire toward more populated areas. Chad Myers, of course, is watching that. The blaze so far has burned nearly 145,000 acres and is 43 percent contained.

COLLINS: U.S. District Courthouse in Washington, D.C. is empty at this hour. It was evacuated due to a suspicious package that security officers found near the entrance of that building. Happened around 9:30 this morning. People were everyone shortly, after that -- about ten minutes after that -- evacuated. Bomb sniffing dogs called in. We saw people in HAZMAT suits going into to sweep the building. Haven't heard the very latest until now.

We have Paul Courson on the line. He's a CNN producer right there in Washington, D.C., to give us the latest.

Paul, what do we know?

COURSON: Well, apparently, in the past 10, 15 minutes or so (INAUDIBLE) emergency vehicles. We have since been approached by one of the security folks here who tells us they expect to reopen the courthouse in about ten minutes time. We're looking at some sport utility vehicles that are with the Metropolitan Washington Police Department, that this officer told us is where judges were taken when the building was evacuated around 9:40. If we're lucky, we'll be able to give you a picture of the judges walking back into this courthouse as this thing comes to an end. But right now, no all clear yet.

COLLINS: OK, so about 10 or 15 minutes or so, it sounds like we may have an update to give about possibility of reopening the U.S. district court building there in Washington D.C. Constitution and Third is exactly where we're looking at it.

Paul Courson, thank you.

HARRIS: Hey, this is just an amazing story we wanted to bring to you this morning. Put it this way. It's hardly hard time prisoners, police say, running their own crime ring behind bars. Until this week.

Here's CNN's Anderson Cooper.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): With helicopters hovering above, the raid began early Monday morning. The operation was dubbed High Impact.

Police came equipped with shields, masks and batons, soldiers backed up by armored vehicles. Three thousand men came to take back control of what was supposed to be a government-run prison.

Guatemala's minister of defense says it's been 10 years since the prison system lost control of the place to the inmates.

Convicted gang members, drug dealers, murderers and the like, seized control of Paban (ph) prison in 1996, building a lawless city on the property that officials say included drug labs and organized crime dens as well as restaurants and churches.

The felons inside, officials believe, directed much the crime and drug dealing in the rest of Guatemala.

The inmates put up a fight, hurling grenades and firing automatic weapons smuggled in from the outside.

Guatemala's police chief says many of the armed inmates stood in the back behind the unarmed inmates, to protect themselves while firing on police. Seven inmates were killed in the raid, dozens of resisters were assisted and nearly 1,600 renegade inmates were transferred to a maximum security prison nearby.

A bloody struggle, but one small victory in Guatemala's battle with soaring crime.

Anderson Cooper, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: And find out what is happening around the world on "ANDERSON COOPER 360." Watch weeknights, 10:00 p.m. Eastern, only on CNN.

COLLINS: Want to take you now to what was previously known as the day fire, because of when it started, Labor Day. But many, many, many days later, about a month now, we're looking at these pictures coming into us from our affiliate KABC in California. Nasty, nasty smoke. A lot of flames to continue to watch. Firefighters really working their tails off to get this thing contained.

HARRIS: About 145,000 acres so far burned. It's about 43 percent contained. And the authorities now have real concern that communities near Interstate 5 should probably evacuate right now just in case this gets totally out of control. The fire can move quickly. We'll just keep an eye on it for you.

COLLINS: And something else we're watching, the Dow. The Dow. Look at it. More movement, up 43. Last time we looked, I think it was up 34. We are now resting at 11,711. That number, once again, 11,722. So we have about 11 more points to go before we break that record set back on January of 2000.

Again, it does have to close beyond that to break the record. What's it all really mean for you, though? You know, you have to decide that for yourself.

HARRIS: We're going to watch it. We'll get you some answers, that's for sure.

You are watching CNN, the most trusted name in news. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: "YOUR WORLD TODAY" coming up at the top of the hour. Jim Clancy, standing by with a preview.

Good morning, Jim.

JIM CLANCY, CNN ANCHOR: Heidi and Tony, the whole world is focused on Iraq this day. Beyond the politicians in Washington and the upcoming national elections, certainly Nic Robertson's going to take us inside the most popular T.V. show in Baghdad that specializes in one thing: what Iraqis think about their predicament.

And then, we're going to take you live to the Iraqi capital to talk with CNN's Michael Ware about recent opinion polls, in fact, three of them that show a majority of Iraqis think their lives would be better if the U.S. just pulled its troops out. There's some surprises within those numbers.

And finally, back in history, and forward in tourism, the ancient Iraqi city of Babylon is reopening now for the first time since the U.S. toppled Saddam Hussein. Very interesting. Tourism in Babylon, how realistic is that?

Join us for "YOUR WORLD TODAY" at the top of the hour at noon Eastern -- Heidi, Tony.

COLLINS: We will do that.

All right, Jim. Thank you.

Hey, the Dow. It started today about 50 points away from its all time high. So how close is it now?

Cheryl Casone, watching it very, very closely. What's the word? I'm waiting for party hats, and a little horn and all of that.

CHERYL CASONE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Maybe there will be some fireworks in the New York Stock Exchange.

HARRIS: Careful.

CASONE: There's going to be definitely some cheering if we hit it. We will all know, believe me.

Here we go. The Dow is creeping closer to that record close. 11,723, that's the magic number. Right now we're at 11,710. Nine, it changes every second, as you can see here. So we're very, very close right now. A bit further away from that inter-day high of 11,750 that was set on the same day back in January of 2000.

Meanwhile, though, let's not forget the NASDAQ. The NASDAQ composite right now is adding a fraction of a percent, as well. Investors are certainly not having a lot of reaction to the jump in August new home sales, but it really is all about the Dow right now. Guys, back to you.

HARRIS: We're watching it.

COLLINS: I like it a lot. In fact, we like it so much, we want to bring in another player, Cheryl.

Ali Velshi standing to talk the talk on this.

ALI VELSHI, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: There's nothing I like better than being called a player. COLLINS: Well, I'm not going to say anymore about that.

But, Ali, these numbers are huge.

VELSHI: Yes. And here's the thing, you have the Dow that's almost at its all-time high. By the way, just to remind everybody I brought my Dow board.

COLLINS: I love that.

HARRIS: Beautiful.

VELSHI: Eleven-seven-twenty-two. That's the Dow high, as Cheryl said, it hit higher than that during the day that it hit this record. But you've got the S & P 500, which is a broader range of stocks. The Dow is 30 stocks that were designed to represent, you know, pretty much all of business in America.

And they still represent a very large proportion of business in America, but, really, the smart investor is more broadly invested. They may have things that are in this S & P 500. It's still a lot lower. And you'll remember that back in 2001, when these records were set, a lot of folks were involved in tech stocks on the NASDAQ. Well, the NASDAQ is 65 percent below its record.

And even with the stock market where it is today, we still have housing prices sort of settling, those interest rates that were creeping up. So, it's a strange phenomenon. I've heard people saying, it's like , what's this all about? It doesn't mean everything is great.

HARRIS: I can tell what you it is all about, Heidi. Ali, this is about the energy sector.

VELSHI: In large part, you are absolutely right. The energy stocks have had quite a run in the last couple years. If you had invested in, let's say, Exxon Mobile ten years ago, you would have doubled your money twice. Now, in the last few weeks, we have seen a change, but that's exactly right.

The energy sector is a very big part of what's going on in the market today. That's why you're seeing market that's really high and yet you are seeing that energy price hurt consumers. And that's why they're spending a little less. It's causing interest rates it to go up to contain inflation.

So you're absolutely right. Energy is the core to why we are seeing almost a record market, and yet not the strongest economy all across the board.

HARRIS: Heidi, he said, Tony, you're absolutely right three times. I wanted to mark that for you.

COLLINS: Here's what he did...

VELSHI: That's a record in... COLLINS: There's Google Dow economic indicators. Why?

HARRIS: But here's a question, housing, that market is slowing down. It sounds great right now, but down the road, look, it's problematic, potentially.

VELSHI: Two things make people feel rich in American society. One is the stock markets that go up, well, because we have investments in 401k's and IRAs. But more important than that, Tony, absolutely is your house.

It's the housing price increases through the early 2000s and in the late 90s that made people feel rich. They took that money out, they used their homes as a bank as opposed to an asset. With that going away, that is going to be the thing, Tony, that causes people to say, as we head into the holiday shopping season, I need to pare it back a bit.

I saw some stat today that said late payments, it's a small measure, but late payments on credit cards, credit cards that are being paid more than 30 days late are starting to inch up. These are the little things that worry people.

HARRIS: Beautiful.

COLLINS: All right, Ali.

HARRIS: Appreciate it. Thank you.

COLLINS: Thanks for playing.

VELSHI: Talk to you later.

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