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Greece Threatened by Roaring Flames; Powerball Winning Ticket in Indiana; Camilla Turns Down Invite to Diana Memorial Service; How Did Balloon Crash Happen?; American Tourist Returns Home from Jamaica; Ayad Allawi Making Headlines; Investigation Into Katrina Hospital Deaths

Aired August 26, 2007 - 19:00   ET

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

ERICA HILL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Marble temples and stadiums in harm's way. The original homes of the Olympics now threatened as fires sweep through Greece.
Plus a memorial service for Princess Diana. Her sons, William and Harry, have drafted the invite list. But one person has already turned down that invitation. The royal ditch, coming up.

And if you're looking for your ticket, you might want to stop. The chances are, you didn't win. But someone did and we're going to Richmond, Indiana to find the world's newest multimillionaire.

I'm Erica Hill in tonight for Rick Sanchez. You are in the CNN NEWSROOM.

Threatened on all sides by roaring flames, one of the most treasured and historically important places on Earth tonight. This is Greece, the birthplace of western civilization and much of that country right now is burning. From ancient Athens to the hills of Olympia, thousands of acres scorched and dozens of people dead. The line of fire stretching more than 100 miles, though is not stopping for villages. It has all of Greece's firefighters and resources pushed to the limit.

This picture here that you're seeing here running on Greek television and in newspapers today. Check this out, it highlights two people who are believed to be responsible for a fire that threatened Athens this weekend. The Greek government believes at least some of the fires were set deliberately, apparently by political extremist.

For a better look at the areas in most danger tonight, Jacqui Jeras is going to give us a top-down view that will give us a better idea. Jacqui?

JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes, I want to start off by showing you a satellite picture. This came in from NASA, to give you a good idea just to show you how extensive the fires are.

And all the little red dots that you can see in this area and also up here, that's the hot spots as being detected as the hot fire areas.

And all of this that looks like cloudiness, that's smoke from the fires. And it is traveling just hundreds of miles away from the location of the fires - so it's a very extreme situation here. Winds are blowing in from the north and to the east. High pressure is in control. So it's hot, it's dry and the winds have been very, very strong.

I'm going to switch over to our Google Earth source now and it's going to show you some of the areas that are being affected. And most of this is right here, on the Peloponnese peninsula, down here onto the island.

And why do you care about that? Well, if you know Greek history, and Greek mythology, Olympia is the location where the first Olympics began, and fire was encroaching on this area earlier today.

Look at all this area, all of the shrubs and all of the trees around there. A lot of them have been burned already. But apparently the ruins have not been compromised. The museum was evacuated earlier today as well. It looks like they've got a handle on that situation.

Now, the city of Athens, you've all heard of that, we'll take you over there and zoom in, way over on this side of the country and zoom you in. That is the location of Acropolis, where the Parthenon is, the temple of Athena. You've heard about that.

Well, there were some fires just to the south and west of that area. They also have a very good handle on what's going on in that area as well now. So the good news is, those fires are no longer threatening those structures.

But the fires are still widespread across the country. Unfortunately the winds are expected to be picking up again tomorrow and the temperatures should be really pulling up, we think, too, by the middle of the week. Erica?

HILL: All right Jacqui, we're going to keep an eye on it too. Thanks, Jacqui.

In the meantime, after the human life and the property damage, there is enormous concern, the immeasurable wealth of Greece of all the historical sites in Greece that Jacqui just pointed out to you. CNN's Frederik Pleitgen is in the ancient city of Olympia this evening. Frederik, in that area, how are the fires right now? Are they somewhat contained?

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, some of the fires here, Erica, have been contained. But certainly there are others that be still very much raving here, or raging here around the countryside.

Really, what Jacqui was saying before, that's something that we've actually been seeing play out here. We're seeing fires all over the place. We were driving into this area around Olympia today, and there were literally fires on every corner threatening villages.

We saw houses burned, we saw people in the streets basically not being able to do anything but watch their houses burn. And all across the country, especially here on the peninsula, there are still a lot of people who are trapped in by the fires, and as helicopters trying to get them out.

Now one of the things that the Greek government says is very positive is that they have been able to get some international help in here, which means they have more helicopters, more planes. They're just basically able to throw a lot more of that at the fire, and dump a lot more water on the fire.

That, they say, is helping somewhat. Certainly the area right here around Olympia, still very much still in danger. One of the things the authorities were telling us today, this was a very, very close call. I mean, these archaeological sites, they were very much in danger of being destroyed. Erica?

HILL: All right, Frederik, thank you.

Back here in the U.S., the rain may have stopped for many, but the damage from the intense flooding in much of the Midwest is far from over. Ohio Governor Ted Strickland is again touring flooded areas of the bruised Buckeye State. Strickland expected to ask for federal disaster aid.

Meantime in Illinois, there may be no rain in the forecast, but more flooding is still possible there, thanks to swollen rivers that could still crest. Thousands of ComEd customers still without power tonight after Thursday's storms. The utility has brought in extra crews to try to restore electricity.

And in Oklahoma, there's actually some good news tonight for victims of last week's flooding. President Bush declaring a major disaster in three hard-hit counties. That means people can now apply for federal housing assistance.

But what does the week ahead look like? Let's hope there is no rain. Jacqui Jeras back in the CNN Weather Center - no rain for the Midwest, I hope.

(WEATHER REPORT)

HILL: Why did it happen? That is the question investigators are trying to answer right now after the horrific balloon accident in Canada. We have confirmed the woman and her daughter were killed in the fiery disaster. We want to get more though from CTV reporter Dave LeFebvre.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAVE LEFEBVRE, CTV CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Horrified cries and disbelief as the hot air balloon flies high above engulfed in flames. Trapped inside the gondola are two people.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Is there anyone in there?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't know, but it's coming this way.

TERRY HUNDAL, WITNESS: It was something like you see in the movies. It was horrifying, just looking at people screaming and jumping out of there. It was just awful.

LEFEBVRE: The balloon caught fire around 7:30 Friday night as it was preparing to lift off with a dozen passengers and its pilots.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: All of a sudden my friend Leann (ph) started screaming Diane (ph), we're on fire.

LEFEBVRE: One of the victims choked back tears as she described what happened from her hospital bed.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The balloon skyrocketed straight up. And I thought, OK, it's do or die. So I got my legs over the balloon. As I was leaving the balloon, I put my arms around the person next to me and I took her with me.

LEFEBVRE: When the gondola crashed to the ground, the scene was pure chaos. The gondola landed in an RV park sparking several explosions. Most of the passengers managed to escape before the balloon drifted high in the sky. Police have confirmed two people died in the fiery crash.

ROGER MORROW, SURREY POLICE: The family members present on the ground, watching their loved ones go up in probably a historic balloon ride and then tragedy struck.

LEFEBVRE: All the passengers were taken to hospital either by ground or air. At least two of them suffered burns, while another two were injured in the fall. The balloon is the largest in western Canada. To put it in perspective, it's even bigger than the Goodyear blimp. The reason it didn't catch fire is because it's made of a flame retardant nylon material. The balloon is registered to Fantasy Balloon Charters of Langley, B.C., a suburb of Vancouver. The company has been in business for 24 years.

JOHN REYNOLDS, TRAILER OWNER: It seems as if there were three people onboard. One which we know jumped from an unsafe distance, perhaps a couple stories.

LEFEBVRE: Arlee Mullin (ph) rescued her two grandchildren from inside a trailer.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The balloon had hit the bedroom. And it had -- the flames went right up underneath on both sides. So the heat was so intense.

LEFEBVRE: The Transportation Safety Board is now investigating how this sunset tour turned deadly.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HILL: Again, that was Dave LeFebvre from our affiliate CTV reporting. We're going to continue to follow that investigation for you, and bring you the details as they come in to us.

We want to take you now to Utah where rescuers are holding out hope they can still find those six missing coal miners. It's been nearly three weeks. Mine officials today announcing plans to drill a seventh bore hole into the mine. They also plan to lower a high-tech robotic camera into one of the earlier holes. Mine co-owner Bob Murray said he plans to shut down a different company mine at least temporarily for safety reasons.

(BEGIN VIEO CLIP)

BOB MURRAY, MURRAY ENERGY GROUP: I met with our miners yesterday and today and announced that we would be temporarily shutting down the Tower Mine and laying off 170 persons. This is temporary until the engineering studies are done by the 10 firms.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HILL: And Murray also said those 170 affected workers have been offered jobs at mines in either Ohio or Illinois. The six missing miners have not been heard from since August 6th.

Well first she said yes, now she says no. Coming up, Camille decides to stay away from Princess Diana's memorial service. The royal details when the NEWSROOM returns.

Plus, jackpot cracked. Just who is the nation's newest multimillionaire? We've got a live report for you from Richmond, Indiana, where a single winning Powerball ticket was sold. You don't want to miss it. See you if you know the guy.

And after a wet and wild vacation on hurricane-ravaged Jamaica, we'll talk to an American who finally made it back home. Stay with us, you're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HILL: An American tourist in Jamaica got more than he bargained for when Hurricane Dean blew through. Ed Romaine ended up stuck for several days because he couldn't get a flight out. Last weekend, he spoke to us several times by phone from his resort right before the storm hit. At the time, though, he wasn't worried at all.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ED ROMAINE, TOURIST (on phone): I have absolutely no doubt in the world we'll be sitting in there playing pool, drinking mojitos and watching the wind go by.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HILL: Ed, who's New Jersey native has finally made it back to the states. He actually though is in Portland, Maine tonight. All right Ed, you joke about that, riding out the storm with a mojito in your hand. But is that really what happened?

ROMAINE: Pretty close. There were a few moments where the storm started bearing down and we took adequate cover. But after not very long, we went back out and we were playing pool, drinking mojitos and watching the wind blow by. HILL: Which is pretty crazy because when we look at the pictures, this storm - it's tough to forget, hit Jamaica as a Category 4. We're talking 145-mile-an-hour winds, two people were killed. Were you ever worried, though, at some point that you might not make it out of this?

ROMAINE: Not really. And maybe it's because I've never been in a hurricane before. So I didn't really know how bad it was going to be. But the people at the Royal Plantation did such a great job taking care of everything, that it was really -- it didn't feel life- threatening. It was certainly a rush to say the least.

HILL: A rush -- a rush of adrenaline? What was it like for you during this storm? Because you say that they did everything to make you feel comfortable apparently, not to worry.

ROMAINE: Right. We were in a bunker. One of the facilities with no windows and thick walls. It was interesting watching all the different people's reactions. You had people who were crying, to people who were sitting there playing Monopoly, having fun. So it was a true range of emotions, and how everyone deals with stress their own way.

HILL: It really gives you an insight into folks. The resort you stayed is actually on the northern side of the island. As we know, it was really in the south that a lot of the damage was found. I know you went out after the storm and kind of looked around. What did you see and were you able to make it to the south?

ROMAINE: I didn't try making it down to the south, because the roads were -- they were passable, but just so. It was a mess. There were trees, there was vegetation everywhere. It was a major storm, as you said. And it definitely took its toll on the internal system of the country.

HILL: You mentioned that you had never been in one of these storms before. But what from what saw out there walking around, did it compare to the pictures that you normally see on TV?

ROMAINE: Actually, it did. It's one thing to be sitting in a four-star resort in a bunker, and it's another thing to be living in a shanty style home watching parts of your livelihood and your home blow away with the wind.

So I can sit and make light talking about my mojitos and playing pool, but for many of the natives and the people who lived there, it had to be absolutely scary and a nightmare-ish type event.

HILL: Yes, tough to imagine. Ed, we're glad you made it home safely.

ROMAINE: Thank you very much.

HILL: William and Harry extended the invitation, but it looks like their stepmom is sending their regrets. The duchess of Cornwall, Camilla Parker-Bowles will not attend a memorial service this Friday to honor Princess Diane. She says she just doesn't want to be a distraction. This week marks 10 years since her death. Our very own Richard Quest takes a look now at what time does it heal?

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RICHARD QUEST, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Camilla's invitation to attend the service came from Princes William and Harry themselves. They have a close relationship with their stepmother and they wanted her to be there.

But in a statement from Clarence House, Camilla said her attendance would divert attention from the purpose of the occasion, which was to focus on the life and service of Diana. And so she would withdraw.

Camilla is probably right in assuming that the focus of attention would have been on her. After all, this is the woman who has always been at the center of the breakdown of Diana's marriage.

ROBERT JOBSON, ROYAL SPECIALIST: Up to 70 percent of the people thought it was wrong that Camilla should be there. She was seen as the person that broke up this marriage, rightly or wrongly. And the fact is, you know, it was going to be all about Camilla and not about Diana, and that would have been wrong.

QUEST: The service will now be attended by all senior members of the royal family besides the Dutchess of Cornwall, along with 500 invited guests, including Sir Elton John and the British Prime Minister Gordon Brown.

(on phone): In deciding to bow out gracefully, Camilla has shown sensitivity to the difficult position she's in when it comes to the princess of Wales. She knows that if she attended the service, she could have been accused of stepping on Diana's memory. And in any event, Camilla also knows that she enjoys the support and affection of Princes Harry and William. Richard Quest, CNN, Buckingham Palace, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HILL: CNN Special Investigations Unit is taking an in-depth at just how Princess Diana came to be one of Britain's most beloved royals. "Growing Up Diana" begins just after this newscast right here at 8 Eastern, only on CNN.

Former Iraqi Interim Prime Minister Ayad Allawi making headlines in an exclusive interview with our own Wolf Blitzer. His agenda, getting rid of the current Iraqi government. We've got the full story for you straight ahead.

Plus, check out these young faces. They could be the next generation of secret agents, or public millionaires, and they can also be your kids. Get you caught up on Startalk next in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) HILL: Iraqi politics unstable, literally dangerous, often life- threatening for politicians. And it's still up in the air as to whether democracy is working there, or if it ever will. Well now today, Iraq's former prime minister, who left for his own safety, said he is actually coming back. In an exclusive interview, Ayad Allawi telling CNN's Wolf Blitzer today the time to reverse course in Iraq is now, and that he just may be the man to do it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

AYAD ALLAWI, FORMER IRAQI INTERIM PRIME MINISER: I want to save Iraq. I want to save the mission of the United States. I am building a plan. I am trying to stop the deterioration and violence in Iraq. I'm trying to reverse the course in Iraq and to less sectarian, non- sectarian cause.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HILL: Allawi says the current government is loyal to Iran and to Shiite groups. He says he will return to Baghdad next week.

Meantime, Iraq's government minister is getting down to business again in a few days, that's after taking the entire month of August off. CNN's Arwa Damon tells us just what's waiting for them.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ARWA DAMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: According to Ali al-Dabbagh, spokesman for Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, when parliament convenes on September 1st, they will have two key pieces of legislation to pass. Long awaited, the debaathification law and the law regarding provincial elections.

However, this rare show does not mean that Iraq's government is unified. According to a spokesman for Tadi al-Hasimi (ph), Iraq's Sunni vice president who was present at the press conference, the Iraqi accordance front has no intention to returning to the Iraqi government.

He also said that these meetings were not that significant. Al- Maliki is coming under increasing pressure both inside and outside of Iraq with the senior U.S. government and military officials, expressing their growing frustration with the government's lack of political progress.

Some U.S. officials taking it one step further, such as Senator Hillary Clinton and Senator Carl Levin going so far as to call for al- Maliki to be replaced. When al-Maliki responded saying to those comments, saying there are American officials who consider Iraq as if it were one of their villages.

NURI AL-MALIKI, IRAQI PRIME MINISTER (through translator): I disagree with Hillary, but I say Hillary and Carl have not gone through political problems in their political life to the depth of that which is happening in Iraq. That's why when they make their judgments, they do so without knowledge of what national interests requires. That's why I excuse them. It is true the national reconciliation is slow, but it is within the right path. Compared with others, it could be regarded as quick.

DAMON: Much of the criticism facing al-Maliki is an echo of what many Iraqis living the violence, the lack of water and lack of power are saying every day. Arwa Damon, CNN, Baghdad.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HILL: Don't be surprised if your kids start talking to you in Chinese or even Arabic soon. This summer, high school students are learning to speak some strategic languages, all part of a program sponsored by the Pentagon. CNN's Kara Finnstrom has more from Irvine, California.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KARA FINNSTROM, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Securing the nation in a post-9/11 world, one Bush administration initiative has nothing to do with high-tech weapons or secret agents. The mission? Teaching America's teenagers to speak little-known languages like Arabic and Chinese. The idea? We can't have better foreign relations and remain competitive if we can't communicate.

This intensive five-week summer program in Irvine, California, is part of a nationwide effort to increase language learning between kindergarten and the university years. Some students taking part have Chinese heritage.

AURORA SMEDLEY, STUDENT: It's inherent for me to learn the culture in my mom's side of the family.

FINNSTROM: Others like Steven Yadlowsky simply thinks learning Chinese is smart.

STEVEN YADLOWSKY, STUDENT: I've just got a lot of Chinese friends at our in school. And with the economy over there, it seems like it's worth a shot especially because I'm interested, in computers and electronics.

FINNSTROM: Yadlowsky's here because his high school doesn't offer Chinese. Very few do. Nationwide, the Department of Education reports 69 percent of high school students studying foreign languages learn Spanish, 18 percent French, and less than 1 percent take other languages, including Chinese and Arabic.

TIM CHENG, STARTALK PROGRAM, IRVINE: Even the Chinese class in the high school are increasing. But still, in big shortage throughout the country.

FINNSTROM: Perhaps one reason why? Chinese isn't based on the English alphabet and is tough for Westerners to learn. This class uses innovative computer programs.

(on camera): To give you an idea of the challenge these students face when learning English, you work with an alphabet of 26 letters. When learning Mandarin Chinese, you're memorizing characters like this. And teachers here say students must learn about 500 of these characters in order to just read a newspaper.

YADLOWSKY: When I started, I knew how to print out things. Now I can speak sentences. And I've learned a little bit of the grammar.

FINNSTROM: The hope here? To improve America's dialogue with countries around the world, one voice at a time. Kara Finnstrom for CNN, Irvine, California.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HILL: $314 million, that is how much a single lottery ticket is worth tonight. It apparently belongs to one lucky Hoosier. We're going to figure out who that is, coming up next.

Plus CNN investigates post-Katrina deaths in a New Orleans hospital. What really happened there? The details really just get more and more shocking.

And tonight's dog bone politics, Republican presidential hopeful Mike Huckabee taking on Fred Thompson. That's straight ahead in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HILL: Thirty-one minutes past the hour. Here's what's happening now in the news.

A desperate situation in southern Greece. Raging wildfires now burning in more than half of the country. More than 50 people have been killed by those fires. Today, firefighters dropping water and foam on the birthplace of the ancient Olympics to protect the 2,800- year-old ruins. Several people have now been arrested in connection with those fires.

New efforts to find the six trapped miners in Utah. A special robotic camera will be dropped into a hole already drilled into the mine. A new bore hole, a seventh one will be drilled into the kitchen area of the mine where workers are told in the event of a collapse.

Prince Charles' wife Camilla will not be attending this week's memorial service marking the 10th anniversary of Princess Diana's death. She was invited to the event and had initially accepted, but changed her mind saying her presence there would be too distracting.

We want to get you know to America's newest millionaire, whomever he or she may be. No one has yet come forward with the one and only winning Powerball ticket. We do have the numbers, though, for you, 2- 8-23-29-35-19. Those numbers, that one ticket, worth more than 314 million bucks, or if you'd like a lump sum payment, you can get a cool $145 million. The winning ticket was sold in Richmond, Indiana. That is where CNN's Jim Acosta is live with the latest. And Jim, I'm guessing you didn't buy that ticket because you're still at work.

JIM ACOSTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Erica. Actually, if I had bought that winning ticket, I wouldn't be here right now -- just kidding. Maybe I'd do this, then I'd go.

Yes, you're right, we're in Richmond, Indiana. And if you're at home right now and you're watching this, you may want to get those tickets out, spread them out on the kitchen table and put on your reading glasses, because yes, the Powerball numbers have been announced.

And that winning ticket, as you mentioned, was purchased here at this gas station, the speedway in Richmond, Indiana. And this sign behind me says it all, as we zoom in here. Powerball, we sold it, $314 million.

That is a staggering figure. And according to Hoosier lottery officials, that's the name of the lottery outfit here in Indiana, that person, or people who purchased that ticket, we could be talking about one ticket purchased by one person or by a group of individuals.

And so they should be looking out for these numbers. You just mentioned them, but I'll repeat them one more time, 2-8-23-29-35, and the Powerball 19.

And despite the fact that nobody has come forward yet, that has not worried lottery officials, because typically what happens in many of these cases, people start getting prepared, and lottery officials say that's exactly what you should be doing right now.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KATHRYN DENSBORN, HOOSIER LOTTERY: The cash prize, get this down, $145,985,099.64. Don't forget the 64 cents. Find the ticket. Sign the ticket. Keep track of the ticket. I would encourage them to talk to an accountant if they don't have one. They need to find an accountant that they trust. And they might either want to find a financial adviser or attorney to give them advice about how to protect this money and plan for it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: And lottery officials are spreading the Powerball love, and what do I mean by that, that's referring to this Speedway gas station behind me. Because they sold the winning ticket, they're going to get a cool $100,000.

HILL: Woo!

ACOSTA: Not too bad for selling a lottery ticket, Erica.

HILL: Not bad at all. Well maybe we'll have better luck next time, you and me, Jim - thanks.

ACOSTA: Sounds good.

HILL: The claws come out tonight in dog bone politics. Republican presidential hopeful Mike Huckabee taking aim at a rival who hasn't even declared yet. Now granted Fred Thompson has done everything but make his intentions official. But today on "Fox News Sunday," Huckabee had plenty to say about the high expectations surrounding Thompson.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MIKE HUCKABEE (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: People are expecting him to basically come in and be the fifth head on Mount Rushmore. Whether he can live up to that, I think there's a real challenge for anybody to live up to that, including if Ronald Reagan were to come back.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HILL: In Florida, a nasty little tug of war. Florida Democrats want to hold their primary on January 29th. The Democratic National Committee, though, this week rejected that plan saying it was just too soon. If Florida doesn't come up with an acceptable, alternative plan? Democratic delegates may actually be banned from next year's convention.

And tough talk in the Big Easy. Get ready to plenty of it as Barack Obama, the first to put in an appearance this week as the second anniversary of Hurricane Katrina draws near. But he is not the only politician in line. Others also scheduled to make appearances there, John Edwards, Hillary Clinton, Duncan Hunter and Mike Huckabee, all expected to pass through.

We want to get you now to our political blogger. This is where we take the left and the right, let them face off over the week's hottest political news. Son on the left tonight, Morra Aarons from Blogher.org and on the right, "National Review Online's" Jim Geraghty. Good to have you both here tonight.

We're going to start off with this one which people around the country really stood up and took notice of. President Bush this week making a comparison between Vietnam and Iraq. Let's take a listen first.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRSEIDNET OF THE UNITED STATES: Whatever your position is on that debate, one unmistakable legacy of Vietnam is that the price of America's withdrawal was paid by millions of innocent citizens whose agonies would add to our vocabulary new terms like boat people, reeducation camps, and killing fields.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HILL: Jim, there's been a lot of talk that this seems a little strange for the president to all of a sudden make this parallel when Republicans have been rejecting this idea, when Democrats brought it up for years now.

JIM GERAGHTY, NATIONAL REVIEW ONLINE: Yeah, I think the irony meter exploded this week. As we had the president of the United States finally saying, yes, this is a parallel to Vietnam, that I'm perfectly willing to use the ramifications for the region, the loss of innocent civilian life after the departure of U.S. forces. After saying, no, no, this is an inappropriate comparison for all the time he uses it, and now Democrats are saying, how dare you? This is a completely inappropriate analogy. These two countries are nothing alike.

One has deserts, one has jungles. They're completely different. It's just one of those things here I think the partisan wrangling we've seen on this debate is getting kind of tiresome.

It's one of those where it gets beyond -- I wish the president hadn't made this point, because now the question is going to be, is it like Vietnam? I think a better question would be, what happens now? Petraeus is going to make his report in September. What should our policy go forward from here?

HILL: Morra, is that what this is going to boil down to?

MORRA AARONS, BLOGHER.ORG: No Jim I think you have to admit that it was just plain bizarre of the president to evoke the biggest failure of post-war America.

This is a guy who doesn't even like to admit failure when it's real. Social Security, forget it, who cares? And he brings up a huge failure at an awkward time. Where is Karl Rove when you need him is what I say.

HILL: Jim, do you want to bring Karl Rove back?

GERAGHTY: Well it didn't take long to notice his absent tongue. But I don't know if I like calling Vietnam a failure. I think the people who fought they might disagree with that assessment. I think it was more of a sense of lack of will with the American people to continue with this.

AARONS: I think you can take that point. But you have to admit that Vietnam is regarded as a military failure and it's a very un-Bush like tactic to take, especially at this very tense time.

HILL: Well fair to say too probably that on all sides, it is also a very touchy subject, and one that should be approached with caution. I don't think either side is going to deny that one.

I want to move on to this one though. Let's take a look at the Democratic race for the White House because we cannot ignore it any longer, in case you haven't noticed. Both John Edwards and Barack Obama making some comments this week that really got a lot of attention, a lot of talk about whether or not they're taking swipes at Hillary Clinton. Let's listen first to what former Senator Edwards had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN EDWARDS (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDDATE: We cannot replace a group of corporate Republicans with a group of corporate Democrats. Just swapping the Washington insiders of one party for the Washington insiders of another is not what we need. (END VIDEO CLIP)

HILL: Morra, is that a jab at Hillary Clinton?

AARONS: I think this is Edwards trying to get into the Obama- Hillary fight about Bush-Cheney light. I think this is him, you know, really repositioning his campaign. He said last week that if we pursue the politics of the '70s, '80s, '90s, they are obsolete. I think George Bush can take a page from that.

You know, and I really think this is Edwards calling Hillary - you see this on the blogosphere -- on she likes to bring up the successes of the Clinton years, but she can't deny the failures.

She can't deny the Lincoln bedrooms, et cetera. So this is Edwards prodding Hillary and calling her out on making the '90s seem too golden a time, I think.

HILL: Jim, you want to weigh in on that? Is that the right way to do it?

GERAGHTY: Sure. I was glad you mentioned the reference to renting out the Lincoln bedroom.

AARONS: Sorry, I set that one up for you, I really did.

GERAGHTY: I was ready to write a check to John Edwards right there. Unfortunately I'm not voting in the Democratic primary. That's one of those things where I think this is a perfectly fair point for John Edwards to raise. My sense is that Democrats having been used to defending the Clintons in the 1990s, the last thing they want to do is go over all these cycles again. And so I think you might see some backlash against this. I think a lot of Democrats are going to accuse this of a desperation move.

AARONS: See, I completely disagree with you. You have a week now when the president abusing his power quietly while Congress is in recess kills SKIP, which is a program that almost everyone acknowledges.

GERAGHTY: What does that have to do with this?

AARONS: And you have Bush actually taking away all the programs that were domestically strong during the Clinton years.

GERAGHTY: We're talking about John Edwards? Where is this come from?

AARONS: All I'm saying is about bringing back domestic leadership to America. I don't care if John Edwards evokes it or Hillary Clinton. But I think it's the Democrats saying we will lead domestically and we will go forward.

GERAGHTY: Nice talking points, Morra.

HILL: Jim Geraghty, Morra Aarons, we're going to have to leave the talking points there. But we'll take them all up again, I have a sneaking suspicion. Thank you, both.

AARONS: Thank you so much.

HILL: The Katrina hospital deaths, nine people died inside this New Orleans hospital as Katrina raged outside. Some medical experts say it was homicide. CNN investigates.

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HILL: Two years ago this week, Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans. In the post-storm chaos, there was a story that was pretty tough to believe -- allegations that medical professionals at one of the most respected hospitals killed patients instead of evacuating them. The accused denied it, including Dr. Anna Pou but now CNN has learned the search for truth might have ended inside a New Orleans grand jury room. Here now, investigative correspondent Drew Griffin.

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DREW GRIFFIN, CNN INVESTIGATIVE CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Just before Katrina struck New Orleans, Carrie Everett got a call from her wheelchair-bound husband Emmett. The 61-year-old, 380-pound man was recovering from an infection but upbeat because he had just been moved to the biggest hospital in the city, Memorial Medical Center.

(on camera): How did he sound?

CARRIE EVERETT, VICTIM'S WIFE: To me, his old self. He wasn't complaining of hurting or nothing.

He said, "I'm in Memorial, I'm on the seventh floor." He gave me the room number, the telephone number.

He said, "Everything is fine. I love you. Talk to you later."

GRIFFIN (voice over): But within hours after family members were forced to leave Memorial Hospital in a chaotic final evacuation, Emmett Everett and eight other patients would all be dead. And expert reports obtained by CNN through a public records request say all of them were deliberately killed.

DR. ART CAPLAN, MEDICAL EXPERT: The evidence in this case for going forward to a trial is absolutely overwhelming.

GRIFFIN: Dr. Art Caplan, one of this country's leading experts on medical ethics, was one of five medical experts hired by the state to review toxicology and autopsy reports. Like the other experts, he believes all nine patients are homicide victims.

(on camera): How were they killed and why did all of them die together? For two years, CNN has been trying to get the answer to that lingering mystery. Now records have been released showing five renowned experts say there is no mystery. Their answer is right here in these scientific reports -- all the patients were homicide victims.

(voice over): And like the other experts, Caplan does not believe a grand jury ever saw his reports, and certainly never got to hear him or his colleagues talk about their conclusions.

CAPLAN: I was never called to the grand jury. As far as I know, the grand jury never saw my report.

GRIFFIN: And that's apparently fine with New Orleans district attorney Eddie Jordan, who says simply the case is closed and no one will be charged in these homicides.

CNN wanted to ask District Attorney Jordan why, but he refused our request to be interviewed. Instead, he sent this statement. "It's inappropriate to disclose what the grand jury did or did not consider," he says. "The Orleans Parish grand jury concluded that there was insufficient evidence to indict Dr. Pou on any violations of criminal law."

CNN first broke this story of suspicious deaths at Memorial two years ago, when this doctor said doctors and nurses openly discussed euthanizing patients because they would be difficult to evacuate. A year later, Attorney General Charles Foti announced he was charging Dr. Anna Pou and two nurses, Lori Budo and Cheri Landry, with second- degree murder in the deaths of four patients.

Foti said all four died from drug overdoses of the painkiller morphine and the sedative Versed.

CHARLES FOTI, LOUISIANA ATTORNEY GENERAL: Either one of them can kill you, but when you use both of them together it becomes a lethal cocktail and guarantees they're going to die.

GRIFFIN: But by Louisiana law, the case had to be turned over to New Orleans district attorney Eddie Jordan, along with all the evidence that the five experts had that Attorney General Foti thought was irrefutable. A grand jury was convened and then -- and then nothing. The charges against the nurses were dropped after they were granted immunity in exchange for their testimony. The grand jury then last month decided not to indict Dr. Pou or anyone else.

The case, according to District Attorney Eddie Jordan, is closed. But should it be? When we come back, find out what five leading forensic experts say about the evidence they reviewed.

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HILL: We continue now with our report on the deaths of nine patients inside a New Orleans hospital during Hurricane Katrina. Once again, here's CNN's investigative correspondent Drew Griffin.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GRIFFIN (voice-over): New Orleans district attorney Eddie Jordan said a grand jury decided not to indict anyone in the deaths of the Memorial Hospital patients, but others think he is closing the books before justice has been served. Look at the near identical findings of five medical experts hired in the case. Dr. Michael Baden, forensic pathologist, concludes, "The immediate cause of eight of the deaths was acute morphine and Versed poisoning and of one death was acute morphine poisoning; and that the manner of death for each is homicide.

Dr. James Young, former chief coroner of Canada's Province of Ontario, "The manner of death in all nine of these cases is homicide."

Forensic pathologist Dr. Cyril Wecht, "The cause of death, acute combined drug toxicity. The manner of death would be classified as homicide."

And Dr. Frank Brescia, a specialist in end of life care, concluded, "The manner of death obligates the legal process to consider them as homicides"

Remember, not one of the experts appeared before the grand jury investigating this case.

Dr. Brescia says Emmett Everett's case is the most troubling.

DR. FRANK BRESCIA, ONCOLOGIST: But he was -- seemed to be fine. In fact, he -- in the notes, he's stable, he's eating, he's comfortable, he's not febrile. And he's dead.

GRIFFIN: The Louisiana attorney general who made the initial arrests worries the homicides will remain unsolved.

Kris Wartelle is his spokeswoman.

KRIS WARTELLE, LOUISIANA ATTORNEY GENERAL'S OFFICE: Nine people died, according to one of the experts, in a three-hour period. One of the experts called that beyond coincidence. People -- the loved ones here want to know what happened to their family members.

GRIFFIN: Attorneys for the two nurses say the grand jury's actions speaks for itself and the medical experts opinions are irrelevant.

In a lengthy written statement to CNN, Dr. Pou's lawyer denied that the combination of morphine and Versed is a lethal cocktail. In addition, Rick Simmons said Pou's own experts said it was well known among scientists that blood levels of morphine are "greatly increased" in patients who have been dead for many days.

However, in an interview with "Newsweek," Dr. Pou said she did give the patients drugs, and, "If in doing so it hastened their deaths," she told "Newsweek," "then that's what happened. But this was not, 'I'm going to go to the seventh floor and murder some people.' We're here to help patients."

Pou's attorney is now in court, along with the hospital's former owner, Tenet Healthcare, and a number of other attorneys, trying to have all the records sealed so they never become public. If that happens, the victims' families may never know the truth.

CNN is in court now fighting to get call the records released. Drew Griffin, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HILL: And be sure to join Anderson Cooper for an "A.C. 360" special this Wednesday: "Katrina, Two Years After the Storm." Again, that's this Wednesday at 10 p.m. Eastern right here on CNN.

Finnish flinging phones. Sounds like a far-flung story that's got to be told with a lot of alliterations. The details straight ahead in the NEWSROOM.

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HILL: Get you caught up now in some of the wackier, stranger stories from around the globe. Like this one, phone throwing. The world championships were held in Finland this weekend. Did you know there was a championship for this? A Finnish phone flinger took the gold for long distance, pitching a cell phone nearly 98 yards -- fairly close to the record. Nice arm.

In the streets of Tokyo, samba teams shaking up the shy and image of the Japanese in the 27th Asakusa Samba Festival. Dancers wowing the crowds, quick stepping to Brazilian rhythms.

And back here in the U.S. in the Lonestar State, it is a first for the city of Austin. The Red Bull sponsored Flugtag event, daredevils showing off their human powered flying machines today. Dozens of teams took off from a 22-foot-high ramp over Lady Bird Lake. Or as you saw there, they tried to actually. A team named Skate and Destroy won the competition, although I think it's probably fair to see the real winner would be gravity. They just happened to ride the gravity out that pier the furthest.

I-Reporters have been sending in scores of images of those raging forest fires in Greece, shooting their pictures and videos from the roofs of apartments or sometimes the yards of homes. Often, a little too close for comfort. Take a look.

Just ahead at the top of the hour, "Growing Up Diana." Soledad O'Brien is going to investigate the Diana you never knew. And then at 9 Eastern, Christiane Amanpour and "God's Jewish Warriors."

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