Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

President Bush Announces Support of Amendment to Immigration Bill; Battle for Gaza; 'CNN Heroes'

Aired June 14, 2007 - 11:00   ET

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

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: It's important for the people to know their government is serious about meeting their benchmarks. One common concern is whether the government will provide the resources to meet the goals in the bill. It's fine to talk about it. Are you actually going to do something?
To answer these concerns, I support an amendment that will provide $4.4 billion in immediate additional funding for securing our borders and enforcing our laws at the work site. Funding will come from the fines and penalties that we collect from those who have come to our country illegally.

Matching our benchmarks for these critical funds, we're going to show the American people that the promises in this bill will be kept. And so I call on the senators to pass this amendment and to show the American people that we're going to do our jobs of securing this border once and for all.

But by moving forward with this bill we'll also help meet the needs of a growing economy. When the economy grows, people are looking for workers. That's economics one.

You're probably some who are looking for workers. As you get expanded -- expanded work orders, you're wondering whether you can find the workers to meet the needs. That's what happens when the economy grows. You need workers to make the economy grow.

The reality is in America, that the construction industry and other sectors depend on foreign workers to fill jobs Americans are not doing. That's the reality of the world we live in.

So once our border security and work site enforcement measures are in place, this bill will create a new temporary worker program. The program will establish a lawful and orderly process for foreign workers to come to America on a temporary basis. This will help reduce the number of people trying to sneak across our border.

If you're truly interested in border security, it makes sense to give people a legal way to come to do work Americans aren't doing on a temporary basis. You see, people are sneaking in because they want to work. It makes sense to me to say instead of sneaking in, here's the temporary worker card that's tamper-proof that you can go fill jobs that Americans aren't doing. Therefore, you don't sneak across.

Such a system will take pressure off the border and let our border patrol agents focus on drug runners or gun runners or terrorists. I strongly believe that it's in our economic interest and in our security interest to have a temporary worker program.

This legislation will also create a merit-based point system for admitting new immigrants to our country. The system will reward new applicants based upon skills and education so we can ensure that America continues to have the world's most talented work force.

It's a reform of an immigration system that hadn't worked. It's -- the bill is a practical way to address problems that have sprung up as a result of an immigration system that hasn't worked. By moving forward, this bill will resolve the status of those who are here illegally, already here illegally.

Look, we need to do this without animosity and without amnesty. I know there are some people who, I guess, believe that we can just kick them out of the country.

That's just totally impractical. It won't work. We need a practical solution to a problem that has arisen as a result of a bill that didn't work, the 1986 immigration bill.

Amnesty is forgiveness with no penalty for people who have broken our laws to get here. In contrast, this bill requires illegal workers to pay a fine, to register with the government, to undergo background checks, to pay their back taxes, to hold down a steady job, and to learn English in a set period of time.

(APPLAUSE)

If at the end of eight years they want to apply for a green card -- in other words, get in line for citizenship after eight years -- they'll have to return to their home country so they can apply from there, pay an additional fine. In short, they will prove themselves worthy of a great land.

The legislation will also help newcomers to our country assimilate into our society. One of the great beauties of America has been people can come to this country with a dream and become Americans. That's assimilating.

(APPLAUSE)

Carlos Gutierrez' story is a great story. Mel Martinez's parents put him on an airplane from Cuba to Florida because a tyrant emerged on that island. He was in my cabinet.

I was at the Coast Guard Academy the other day, and the number one graduate at the Coast Guard Academy talked about his migrant worker grandfather who came to America with a dream, and now the grandson stands in front of the president talking about the beauties of America.

You know, Americans must be confident in our ability to assimilate newcomers. We have done so in the past and we will do so in the future.

It's -- people newly arrived with dreams lift our soul. They invigorate our society. They work hard to become Americans. And it's important for us to help them assimilate.

And the key to that, the key to unlocking the full promise of America, is the ability to read, write and speak English. And so the bill affirms that English is the language of our land. And the bill will expand opportunities to help new immigrants learn our language and the shared ideals that make us all Americans.

We have an historic window of opportunity to act now. Now's the time to get it done.

We've got to summon the political courage to move forward on comprehensive reform. Doing nothing is not a solution.

(APPLAUSE)

If we fail to act, the problems of 1986 will continue. The pressures on our border will not be alleviated.

Employers will be left without a reliable system for verifying the legal status of their workers. Jobs will go unfulfilled, hard- working immigrants will remain in the shadows of our society, and our nation will continue to have a broken immigration system.

The American people expect people in Washington, D.C., to solve problems. I believe we can express our feelings, disagree on certain elements of the legislation, and still come together on a solution.

I'm confident that we can pass a bill into law this year. And it will show the American people that we can prove we're serious about confronting the great issues of our time.

Now is the time to set aside all the political wrangling that tends to dominate the scene here in Washington, D.C., and do hard work and pass a comprehensive immigration bill. And I'm counting on your help to get it done.

(APPLAUSE)

Thank you all.

TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: And there you have the president speaking before the Associated Builders and Contractors at the Capital Hilton hotel this morning, making remarks on immigration. And the president said he is confident that a bill can be worked out and passed this year, showing the American people that the Congress and the president are serious about real immigration reform.

Our congressional correspondent, Dana Bash, is on the line with us.

Dana, the president has spent a good deal of time on Capitol Hill this week, trying to rally some more support from Republicans to move forward.

How do you gauge those efforts? DANA BASH, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, what you just heard, Tony, is a direct result of that trip that President Bush did take here to Capitol Hill just a couple of days ago. What he heard loud and clear, we are told from many Republican senators who were behind closed doors with him, is that essentially the American people don't trust the government. In fact, they don't trust the government to fulfill the promise in this immigration bill.

And that promise is to secure the borders first. You heard the president talk about that over and over again.

So, what the president just did in this speech is get behind a measure that is being put forward by a couple of Republican senators in order to alleviate or assuage those concerns. And that is, he said, look, I will support putting aside just over $4 billion, $4.4 billion, in order to fund the border security efforts that are promised in this bill. Because essentially what Republicans are hearing from their constituents loud and clear is that they understand this bill calls for greater border security, but they just don't see how the government will actually execute that.

HARRIS: Yes.

BASH: And this essentially is a good will gesture, saying, I understand your concerns and I support -- actually, and fusing some money into the system in order to make it happen.

HARRIS: All right. I'm just trying to sort of simplify this if I can. And maybe I won't go too far with this.

Are we getting close to two bills here? Again, the border security aspect of it, as you just mentioned, and then we will work out in other language and perhaps another bill what to do about the folks who are here?

BASH: Likely not. That is exactly, Tony, what some of the opponents of this immigration compromise want.

HARRIS: Yes.

BASH: They want to say, forget all the talk about, you know, giving legal status to illegal immigrants, let's do border security first and then worry about everything out later. But what is still being worked on, what the president talked about and what is being worked on in a meeting that's going to start in about 20 minutes here on Capitol Hill, is a way to revive what they consider the comprehensive approach...

HARRIS: Yes.

BASH: ... not just border security, but also dealing with the illegal immigrants who are in this country. And essentially what the president was talking about with this border security, the money for border security, would be an amendment to that. If this ever gets revived on the Senate floor, which is a big "if," that would be something that he would support in order to bring on board some of the opponents who simply say, again, that we don't think this does enough to secure the border to really bring it home and execute these border security promises.

HARRIS: Our congressional correspondent, Dana Bash, for us.

Dana, thank you.

COLLINS: We are following a developing story this hour in Illinois. Three children and a woman found shot dead in an SUV.

It happened in Will county, Illinois, about 40 miles southwest of Chicago. The vehicle was found along a service road.

Authorities say a man was also found inside. They say he was shot, but his injuries do not appear to be life-threatening. Officials say it appears to be a case of domestic violence, but the incident is, of course, still under investigation.

We will find out a little bit more information on this for you. Police are set to hold a news conference. We will monitor that for you and bring you any information we may learn.

HARRIS: Fighting for his freedom while he appeals his conviction. Former White House aide Lewis "Scooter" Libby goes back to court this hour. And there he is.

Libby's lawyers will ask a federal judge to put his two-and-a- half year prison sentence on hold. The judge has already indicated he's not inclined to do that.

Libby was convicted of lying to investigators in the CIA leak case. He says he is innocent. His supporters have called on President Bush to pardon him.

(NEWSBREAK)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: Hamas now cementing its control of Gaza. This follows days of fighting with Fatah, another Palestinian faction. Dozens of people have been killed.

Let's go live now to the region. CNN's Atika Shubert is joining us from Jerusalem.

Atika, what is the very latest on the Hamas takeover?

ATIKA SHUBERT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Hamas is consolidating its control, taking over yet another Fatah base inside Gaza City. This time the Intelligence Center.

It has also said on its radio station that it is now looking for senior Fatah leaders, branding them as traitors. That's an ominous development there, saying they will search out these Fatah members.

Hamas TV has been showing over the last few hours Fatah members being marched out into the street at gunpoint, apparently taken captive. It's not clear what Hamas will do with them.

In the meantime, in the West Bank we're starting to see a backlash from Fatah, dozens of Hamas arrests, including a gunfight in the town of Nablus during one of those arrests. And while all this is happening, Palestinians are asking, where is the leadership?

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has been due to make a statement. There's been no announcement yet. Palestinians are waiting for a decision on whether or not he will dissolve the parliament and assume emergency powers -- Heidi.

COLLINS: Atika, where are residents in all of this? Everyone inside their homes, inside buildings? Just trying to get a sense of what's happening in the streets.

SHUBERT: Residents have been trapped inside homes. They're not able to get out, not able to get food or other supplies.

Many of them are caught in between these running gun battles. In fact, a number of journalists -- for example, our own producer who is in Gaza, his home is very near to where the fighting has been going on. It's been damaged by some of the mortar shell attacks that have been going on there.

And water and electricity, these kind of basic services, have been cut off to many people. And to make matters worse, hospitals, doctors are now saying they don't have enough supplies. They say the blood is running out.

They're trying to get donations, but the fact is, the roads are completely blocked. The fighting is still ongoing, and there's just no way to get the supplies they need.

COLLINS: Wow. Certainly crisis mode, it sounds like.

All right. Atika Shubert, keep updating us, if you would. Thanks so much.

HARRIS: And changing gears a bit, Chad Myers is in the severe weather center.

(WEATHER REPORT)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: Toxic toothpaste recall. It looks like Colgate, but the company says it's counterfeit. It's being yanked from shelves in four states -- New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Maryland.

Look for "Made in South Africa" on the box. The FDA says it contains a toxic chemical found in antifreeze. The same chemical led to a recent recall of several brands of toothpaste imported from China.

To get your "Daily Dose" of health news online, log on to our Web site. You'll find the latest medical news, a health library, and information on diet and fitness.

That address, CNN.com/health.

HARRIS: Not sure you are aware of this, but today is World Blood Donor Day. And global health organizations are encouraging people everywhere to donate blood.

But today's CNN Hero doesn't need a special day or encouragement to do what he has been doing quietly for 33 years. Meet CNN Hero Wilbur Armstrong.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK, Wilbur.

WILBUR ARMSTRONG, CNN HERO: My name is Wilbur Armstrong. I've been donating blood for 33 years.

(BEGIN GRAPHIC)

Half of all Americans are eligible to donate blood ... but only five percent ever do.

Source: The Mayo Clinic

(END GRAPHIC)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Wilbur is a very good donor. He never flinches and he never complains.

ARMSTRONG: You know, so many people afraid of needles, but it doesn't hurt at all.

Every other day I go to donate blood. When I became legally blind, I couldn't drive anymore.

Hi there. Thank you.

I can travel around the public by myself. I take three buses. Roughly an hour and a half each way.

HARVEY SCHAFFLER, DIRECTOR OF MARKETING & DONOR RECRUITMENT: Wilbur is exceptional. Today he makes his 216th platelets donation. Patients with cancer, undergoing chemotherapy require platelet treatment. So it's really urgent that people donate.

ARMSTRONG: They told me I had a high platelet count and I was what they call a splitter. A split is a double donation. Whole blood takes about 10 minutes, a split for platelets will take you an hour and a half, but you'd be helping out two people instead of one.

RICHARD PRENDERGAST, RECRUITER: For all the platelets he's donated, he's bound to run into people that have his platelets running through their blood and that they are alive because of him.

ARMSTRONG: I don't know who these people are that I'm helping, but if I'm helping somebody. And if helping to keep them alive, it makes me feel good.

(BEGIN GRAPHIC)

Wilbur's blood platelets have helped an estimated 600 patients.

Source: New York Blood Center

(END GRAPHIC)

ARMSTRONG: I lost three kids in my neighborhood to cancer. That shakes you up. These kids, they were just beginning to live and they were gone already. So I said if I can prevent somebody else from dying like that, let me do it.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: There's a lot more about Wilbur Armstrong and his remarkable giving on our Web site. You can also nominate your hero for a special recognition later this year. All the details are at CNN.com/heroes.

COLLINS: Prosecutor on trial. The D.A. in the Duke lacrosse case fighting ethics charges and fighting to keep his law license.

What's ahead today for Mike Nifong? We'll tell you in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR, NEWSROOM: Good morning once again, everybody, I'm Heidi Collins.

TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR, NEWSROOM: And I'm Tony Harris. You're back in the CNN NEWSROOM. Good morning to you.

A story we're following yesterday, today and for days to come, unholy revenge in Iraq. Within hours of an attack on this sacred Shiite shrine, vengeful militants strike back, at least nine Sunni mosques hit in a wave of retaliation. A country mired in sectarian violence feacs a flashpoint. CNN's Karl Penhaul is in Samarra and he joins us via broadband. Karl, good to talk to you. OK, let's get to Karl Penhaul's report.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KARL PENHAUL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is what's left of the golden mosque in Samarra. For religious reasons, we can't take you inside the compound, but from here you can make out the glint of some of the gold that once coated the minarets that were bombed by suspected al Qaeda insurgents. U.S. military commanders say that they believe it was an inside job. Because of the height of the walls surrounding the mosque compound, they say it would have been impossible for insurgents to penetrate the compound without some insider knowledge from some of the Iraqi security forces on guard at the time. U.S. and Iraqi military authorities say at least 15 members of the Iraqi security detail have been hauled in for questioning about the bombing. We understand from those sources that other members of the security protection services have fled. The streets of Samarra for now, appear calm. Because of the symbolic significance of this Shiite shrine, the bombing has reverberated across Iraq. Iraqi authorities have dispatched additional Iraqi soldiers and police to Samarra in an effort to keep the peace. But now, the challenge for U.S. and Iraqi authorities is to ensure that this bombing does not spill over into widespread sectarian violence. Karl Penhaul, CNN, Samarra, Iraq.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: The ethics trial for the Duke lacrosse prosecutor, a third day of testimony under way right now in Raleigh, North Carolina. The state bar accused DA Mike Nifong of violating the rules of professional conduct. He could lose his law license if convicted. Up first on the stand today, an attorney for one of the lacrosse players. Another of the players, Collin Finnerty is attending the trial for the first time. Three members of the lacrosse team were accused of raping a stripper. They were eventually cleared of all charges.

HARRIS: Drama on the international space station. A computer glitch in the station's Russian sector threatening the mission and creating extra work for space shuttle "Atlantis" astronauts. The computers went down Tuesday. The shuttle "Atlantis" was forced to fire its thrusters to keep the space station in position. Russian controllers just re-established communication hours ago.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HOLLY RIDINGS, ISS FLIGHT DIRECTOR: Certainly in Moscow, they've been working overnight with their team in order to come up with a trouble-shooting plan. And just on this last Russian ground site (ph) pass, they were able to re-establish communication with the central computer on board the Russian segment of the space station.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: NASA says the Russians are still trying to find out why the computers crashed. The "Atlantis" mission has been extended. Astronauts will repair a thermal blanket that peeled back during launch. A space walk is planned to tuck the blanket down and staple it in place.

COLLINS: An incredible rescue, five kids pulled from a flooded creek bed in Dallas. Rescuers had to use ropes and harnesses to lift the children to safety. They were fishing when a downpour hit. The creek rose so quickly they couldn't climb out. The kids though are all fine.

HARRIS: And a double tragedy for sheriff's department in southeastern Louisiana. A tree fell on a cruiser during a thunderstorm crushing one of the deputies inside. A second deputy was critically hurt. The car was in a funeral procession for another officer killed last week while responding to an emergency call.

COLLINS: Intense flames, thick, billowing black smoke. Incredible pictures from a fiery crash in Tennessee that led one person dead. Authorities say a tractor-trailer loaded with fuel collided with a dump truck and burst into flames. It happened northeast of Nashville yesterday. Both vehicles were destroyed. The crash shut down a section of the highway. The flames so intense, they melted the asphalt on an overpass but inspectors say there was no structural damage.

HARRIS: Some students in middle Tennessee are riding high. Indeed, she's on cloud nine, huh? You would be, too. Listen to this.

Dozens of high school seniors took part in a program called drive for perfection. Those with perfect attendance were eligible for a drawing to win a new $16,000 vehicle. It was a car. Five students drove off in shiny new rides. The program apparently works. A number of seniors with perfect attendance was 69 through April. That is way up from 15 all of last year.

COLLINS: It is a fair question to a cabbie, where are you from? This taxi driver has quite an answer. CNN's Richard Roth reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

IBRAHIM SHUMMO, TAXI DRIVER: West 12th.

RICHARD ROTH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): That corner of Manhattan is a long way from Darfur, Sudan. That's where cab driver Ibrahim Shummo escaped from.

SHUMMO: The situation is still very bad. It is very bad.

ROTH: The Sudanese driver had been arrested twice. How do you feel working in New York as a taxi driver?

SHUMMO: It's very stressful. Many people drive crazy.

ROTH: Do you get bigger tips when you tell them you're from Darfur?

SHUMMO: No. 49 and 8th.

HILLARY LOVE, PASSENGER: When did you come here?

SHUMMO: I come almost eight years ago.

LOVE: Before the genocide. I'm very upset about it. I think it's terrible. I think the worst thing is that we can definitely do something about it and we haven't done anything.

SHUMMO: This is the one from --

LOVE: Is that your family?

ROTH: Ibrahim sometimes shows riders pictures of family back in Sudan. His wife and children live with him in Brooklyn.

LOVE: Have a great day.

SHUMMO: OK, thanks.

ROTH: How was the tip?

SHUMMO: A big tip, really big tip.

ROTH: Ibrahim says Darfur news has affected his driving.

SHUMMO: Maybe I got a ticket, maybe I get an accident.

ROTH: The driver is from Darfur, Sudan.

ISABELLE BORGATTA, PASSENGER: Oh, really? Oh, my.

ROTH: What do you think?

BORGATTA: That's a better place to be from than to be in. Right now.

ROTH: What do you think about the Darfur situation?

BORGATTA: Well, I think it's just absolutely shameful, that we've let it go on so long, that we haven't been more pro-active.

SHUMMO: Thank you so much. Have a good day.

ROTH: The president of Sudan, President Bashir (ph), if he got into your taxi, what would you do or say to him?

SHUMMO: I drive him to jail. (INAUDIBLE)

ROTH: Ibrahim says there are more than 100 New York cab drivers from Darfur.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do you have family that's still there?

SHUMMO: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You want to keep going.

ROTH: The fact that he's from Darfur, is that going to affect the level of your tip?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No.

ROTH: You are tough.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm a New Yorker.

SHUMMO: What do you think of the U.S. sending people to Darfur?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think they should. I think they should send peacekeeping troops absolutely. I think they should be there instead of where they are. On the left, straight ahead behind that motorcycle. And Yes, I've increased my tip because he's such a nice driver.

ROTH: Richard Roth, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: Take a look at this. Oh, man.

COLLINS: What are we looking at?

HARRIS: Bessie takes a dip. How they got her out. The story coming up in the NEWSROOM.

SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Susan Lisovicz at the New York Stock Exchange. Layoffs, plant closings and now union talks. The next big hurdle for Detroit's big three. Details next on NEWSROOM. You're watching CNN, the most trusted name in news.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: Detroit's big three have closed plants and laid off tens of thousands of workers. Now the embattled auto makers are nearing a critical juncture, the start of labor talks with their biggest union. Susan Lisovicz is at the New York Stock Exchange to tell us what's at stake for both sides. Hi Susan. This is never a clean and easy process.

SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely not. Wall Street analysts have been talking about this one for months, Heidi. This is pivotal. Contract talks between the nation's auto makers and the United Auto Workers union formally begins next month. The big three reportedly seeking unprecedented concessions from their workers. Published reports say the key issue for GM, Ford and Chrysler, eliminating most of the huge gap in labor costs between Detroit and its Japanese rivals. The auto makers say they generally pay workers about $30 an hour more when wages, health care, benefits and pensions are factored in. The big three have already eliminated more than 70,000 UAW members from their payrolls over the past two years in a desperate bid to improve efficiency. The focus now, cutting costs on the remaining 200,000 plus workers. Heidi?

COLLINS: I've read a lot about unions and the idea that they just really don't have any power anymore. Does the UAW have any leverage in this case?

LISOVICZ: Well, it has more than 500,000 members overall. It is a huge union. And it does have some clout and it's argued that its workers shouldn't bear the entire cost of Detroit's restructuring. It's already agreed to work rule and benefit cuts for its retirees designed to save the auto makers billions of dollars a year. However, the big three are still in terrible shape financially. Ford and GM are losing money, their debt ratings have sunk to junk status. Chrysler is set to be sold by its German owner.

According to "the Wall Street Journal," the auto makers say that if they don't get the labor concessions they need, they'll be forced to move more production overseas and obviously that is terrible for the union. Shares of the big three all higher today, GM shares up more than 2 percent.

The Dow 30 stock, stocks overall, higher, too, adding to yesterday's rally, which was the biggest of the year. Investors today, cheering at (INAUDIBLE) core inflation at the wholesale level. Check it out. The Dow right now up 67 points, the Nasdaq Composite up 16, each of them up better than half a percent. And take a look at Eastman Kodak. Its shares are up 5 percent on word that it's developed digital camera technology that nearly eliminates the need for flash photography. No more blinking, perhaps no more red pupils, right? That's our snapshot in any case on Wall Street. Back to you Heidi and Tony.

COLLINS: I'm checking to see if my eyes are red. Susan, thank you.

LISOVICZ: You're welcome.

HARRIS: The U.S. Open golf tournament now under way in Oakmont, Pennsylvania. You probably heard of many of the players, but CNN's Ray D'alessio tells us about two guys you've never heard of on the course and living a dream. Ray joins us from Oakmont. Ray, good morning.

RAY D'ALESSIO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, good morning to you, Tony. Let me explain something just a little bit to maybe the people who don't follow golf a lot. Unlike say the masters or the PGA championship, the U.S. open is just that. It's open to anybody who qualifies. As a matter of fact, the majority of the players in the field got here through local qualifiers and one of those players is Jason Allen of Las Vegas, Nevada. Joining Jason here at Oakmont is his best friend and caddie, Pete Severson and let me tell you, the fact that Pete is even here is an absolute miracle. A year ago this past April, Pete was standing on a sidewalk when he was struck and nearly killed by a drunk driver.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JASON ALLEN, U.S. OPEN QUALIFIER: It wasn't a year ago that Pete was in a wheelchair. And you know, the doctors gave him a prognosis of not even being really upright walking on his own without crutches or anything right now. So to qualify, to have him on the bag and him lugging around, pulling me up hills, it's just amazing. It just says a lot for how strong he is and what a good person he is.

PETE SEVERSON, ALLEN'S CADDY: It's a great experience. I absolutely love it. I'm eating up every minute of it out here. It's just absolutely, can't say enough. This is -- it's great!

ALLEN: I'm just lucky to have him around. To have him here on the bag is just that much more awesome.

(END VIDEOTAPE) D'ALESSIO: Awesome indeed. For Jason Allen, this marks the second time that he is playing in the U.S. Open. He also played back in 1998. Actually how Jason and Pete got involved, the two were at dinner one night, they both struck a deal, whoever would qualify for the U.S. open, the other would caddie for each other. So basically, Jason got the better end of that deal. But I think we can all agree Tony, both guys are winners in this case.

HARRIS: How about that? That's a great story. Ray, great to see you. Have a great time there at Oakmont. Man, what a course.

COLLINS: Life lessons from an inspiring teen living each day like it's his last.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm still alive at my high school graduation. And for me, that's saying something.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: Battling cancer and marking a milestone in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: Investigators focusing on a rural area of southern Portugal today after receiving a tip about missing British girl Madeleine McCann (ph). It indicated Madeleine is buried in a rugged area close to the Mediterranean coast. Search dogs may be used today if the weather cooperates. The tip came in the form of an anonymous letter to a Dutch newspaper along with a map pinpointing the site. It is just miles from the hotel where Madeleine was staying with her family when she disappeared last month.

COLLINS: In South Carolina this morning, police are searching for a suspect in a deadly shooting. It happened outside a mall in Columbia. Police say a man who had been stalking a woman confronted her in the parking lot yesterday evening. According to authorities, the man shot the woman and her father. He father was killed and the woman was taken to a hospital. Her condition and identity not released. Police are looking for 21-year-old Michael James Young Jr. They say he was last seen driving a green Honda Accord.

HARRIS: A deadly motel fire, now authorities say it was arson. Five members of one family died in the fire in suburban Atlanta a week ago. Three motel residents and three firefighters were injured. The fire destroyed the Budget Inn motel. Remember these pictures last week? Investigators say it started in a stack of mattresses below the unit where the victims died. There's a $10,000 reward for information leading to an arrest.

COLLINS: Check the toy box for Thomas and friends. The wooden railway toys are being recalled. Some pieces could contain lead paint that can pose a serious health risk to young children. The recall includes more than a million wooden trains, buildings and others railway parts made in China and since sold since 2005.

HARRIS: For most teens, going to their high school prom and graduation marks the beginning of their adult lives. But for one 18- year old facing the end of life, those things mark the achievement of a dream. CNN's Carol Costello explains.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MILES LEVIN: I can't quite believe I'm standing here.

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): When we first met Miles Levin a few weeks ago, graduation was a faraway dream. He was afraid he wouldn't live long enough to get his diploma. It was a fear he explored intimately while blogging about the cancer that's killing him and the discomfort of yet another debilitating chemotherapy regimen. Miles gentle wit and his words of hope have gained extraordinary power, touching thousands around the world. Where do you get your strength?

LEVIN: From seeing how many people are changing for the better. And then I multiply that by thousands and thousands and that's where it comes from.

COSTELLO: Somehow Miles' big spirit has come back to lift him. June 6th his doctors at Sloan Kettering cancer center told him he had more time, just enough to go to his prom the next day and wear his cap and gown at graduation.

LEVIN: You have to be thankful for the time you have been given with your loved ones in your life. The memories you still take with you. It's hard, though. There's no easy way to get around that.

COSTELLO: But, still, he got a night he dreamed about, his mother overcome, blogged to his online fans.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: In March we didn't know if he'd make it to graduation. In June, he was walking, talking, smiling, ready to dance the night away. He looked fabulous in his brand new Hugo Boss black suit.

COSTELLO: His fabulous look thrilled his girlfriend, Robin.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So how did I feel standing there watching my son and friends drive off in the limousine for a night of fun, excitement and abandon? I don't have words to capture my feelings about the uncertainty of his future. I know I'm proud. I know I'm happy that he gets to experience the incomparable sweetness of prom.

COSTELLO: But the best was yet to come, graduation. Do you have a sense that you beat something? Or is it a sense of accomplishment or are you just thankful?

LEVIN: I know cancer's not (INAUDIBLE) -- as I graduate, but I feel somehow like I'm sticking it to cancer. I am grateful as well.

COSTELLO: Miles' message has always been, every day is precious. This week it was. He got to be a typical teenager, to hold a diploma and even speak at his graduation. A wonderful week, he never thought he'd see.

LEVIN: I'm still alive at my high school graduation and for me, that's saying something.

COSTELLO: Actually, that's saying a lot. Carol Costello, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: Fighting for control of Gaza. Palestinian factions battling it out. There are new developments and new concerns. We're taking you there live at the top of the hour. You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: You can't see enough of it really can you? It's an unusual police standoff in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. Residents of this home found a cow in the pool. They called the police. After a brief stare down, workers brought in a ramp and pushed and pulled the reluctant bovine out of the water. How do you think it go there in the first place and what did that look like I wonder?

HARRIS: Just wanted to take a little dip.

COLLINS: Went off the diving board?

HARRIS: What's all the fuss about, come on. Give me a break here. And while you're at it, we got a little lotion on the side here, don't want to tan unevenly.

COLLINS: Doesn't want to get out.

HARRIS: All right, well, hey (INAUDIBLE) CNN NEWSROOM does continue just one hour from now.

HARRIS: "Your World Today" is next with news happening across the globe and here at home. I'm Tony Harris.

COLLINS: And I'm Heidi Collins, have a great day everybody.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.voxant.com