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McCain Speaks to NAACP; Marshals, Law Enforcement Round Up Fugitives; No Negotiations Planned for Iranian Meeting

Aired July 16, 2008 - 13:00   ET

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

DON LEMON, CO-HOST: John McCain takes his case to the NAACP. Barack Obama takes stock of national security. Both candidates take pains to broaden their appeal. You'll hear their pitches this hour.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CO-HOST: Operation Falcon strikes again. U.S. marshals, county sheriffs, city cops, and federal agents team up to round up more than 19,000 fugitives in June alone. CNN rode along.

Hello, everyone, I'm Fredricka Whitfield at the CNN World Headquarters in Atlanta.

LEMON: Hi, Fred.

I'm Don Lemon. You are live in the CNN NEWSROOM.

For years, President Bush's stand on Iran has been firm. No talks with Tehran on its nuclear program until it stops enriching uranium. Now that policy, well, is changing, up to a point.

The No. 3 official at the State Department will take part in a meeting on Iranian nukes this weekend in Switzerland. And our White House correspondent, Elaine Quijano, is actually at a briefing right now on that development. And she'll join us just as soon as that briefing is over.

WHITFIELD: Threats to national security, front and center today for Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama. A short time ago, the Illinois Senator held a forum at Purdue University in Indiana. Among other things, Obama said one of his goals as president would be a world without nuclear weapons.

He also said it's time the U.S. looks forward instead of back ward in its assessment of threats facing the country.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D-IL), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The danger, though, is that we're constantly fighting the last war, responding to the threats that have come to fruition instead of staying one step ahead of the threats of the 21st century. This is what the 9/11 Commission called our failure of imagination. And after 9/11, nowhere was this more apparent than in our invasion of Iraq.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Meantime, John McCain hopes to close a huge gap that separates him from Barack Obama among African-American voters. The presumptive Republican presidential nominee is in Cincinnati, where he spoke today to the NAACP convention. CNN's Dana Bash joins us now from Cincinnati.

Did his message resonate?

DANA CONGRESSIONAL BASH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, he certainly tried, Fredricka.

You know, when you talk about the gap, it really could not be any wider. A new poll out today says that just 2 percent -- 2 percent -- of black voters are saying that they're willing to vote for Senator McCain. So Senator McCain knew full well that he was coming into a place here at the double -- NAACP annual convention where he wasn't going to likely sway a lot of voters.

So he tried to sort of soften -- soften things a little bit. The best applause line that he got was by talking about the fact that he understands Barack Obama is having what he called a historic campaign.

But he really focused on the issue of education. And on one of the perhaps traditional hit lines on Barack Obama on the issue of education. It didn't exactly go over very well. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R-AZ), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Senator Obama dismissed public support for private school vouchers for low-income Americans as, quote, "tired rhetoric about vouchers and school choice." All that went over well with the teachers' union, but where does it leave families and their children who are stuck in failing schools?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASH: Now, at the end of that, there was a dead silence, and that line kind of landed with a thud here. But if you talk to McCain advisers, they will say that pushing for issues like he has pushed for today -- merit pay for teachers, school vouchers -- that's something that's important to Senator McCain, no matter what kind of audience he is speaking to.

But also, Senator McCain's advisers hope shows the kind of thing that they're trying to show across the board, that he is a different kind of Republican, willing to go into places where he might not win very many votes, and certainly, that was evident here in Cincinnati, Fredricka.

One thing he did that Barack Obama, who of course got thunderous applause Monday night when he spoke here. One thing he did that Obama did not do is he waited, and he took some questions. And he took some tough questions from some NAACP members here. And he decided to stay and do that.

And again, he was trying to prove that "I understand we have differences, but let's -- let's have them out" -- Fredricka. WHITFIELD: All right, Dana Bash in Cincinnati. Thanks so much.

All right. Let's look at the big picture now in our nationwide poll of polls. Barack Obama has widened his lead a bit over John McCain. Forty-seven percent of registered voters said they support Obama. Forty-one percent backed McCain; 12 percent still unsure.

At the beginning of the week, Obama led McCain by 4 percentage points. The poll of polls is an average of five different surveys.

So he's on John McCain's radar screen as a potential running mate. You'll want to hear from former Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, what he has to say on CNN's "THE SITUATION ROOM" with Wolf Blitzer. That's coming up 4:00 p.m. Eastern.

LEMON: Well, you know what? We certainly don't have to tell you that you're paying more for gas and food, but the latest government numbers show how badly we are all getting squeezed. The Labor Department says the annual inflation rate has hit 5 percent, a 17-year high fuelled by gas prices and higher food prices.

Fed chairman Ben Bernanke warns Congress that inflation could drag down the economy for the rest of the year, along with the housing slump, the credit crunch, and fears that more banks could go bust.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BEN BERNANKE, CHAIRMAN, FEDERAL RESERVE: On the recent financial crisis, which has been quite severe, as you know, has revealed a number of weak points in our economy in our financial system. And they have required attention because we need to have a stable well working financial system in order for the economy to recover.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Bernanke also says a loss of investor confidence is putting a strain on Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. But he adds the mortgage-lending giants are in no danger -- no danger -- of failing.

Well, losing money, shedding jobs. American Airlines is laying off 200 pilots, all as part of an ongoing plan to trim the payroll by 8 percent or 6,800 positions. American also is cutting flights and grounding older gas-guzzling planes. Its parent company, AMR, lost more than $1.4 billion in the second quarter, compared to a profit of $317 million just one year ago.

AMR's performance this year is actually better than Wall Street had expected.

The same can be said for Delta. That airline reports a net loss of $1 billion in the second quarter. But its operating income still beat Wall Street expectations. Delta seemed to weather the spike in fuel costs.

Let's turn now to two brewing giants. They are joining forces and going on a beer run. Chicago will be the home of the new MillerCoors' joint venture, formed to compete against Anheuser Busch, which is about half the U.S. market. The two companies wanted a neutral site, deciding against Miller's home base of Milwaukee and Coors' home base of Golden Colorado. But home base is a relative term. Miller's owned by a South African company, Coors by Canada's Molson. And Anheuser Busch agreed this week to a Belgian company's taking over bid.

WHITFIELD: Almost 20,000 former fugitives are now behind bars after a record-setting coast-to-coast law enforcement initiative called Operation Falcon 2008.

CNN's Rusty Dornin is here with details on that.

That's pretty significant, isn't it? They're very proud of this.

RUSTY DORNIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: They are. It's one of the most effective round-ups in history. And I don't know if you know this, but 2 million people right now are wanted as fugitives.

WHITFIELD: Wow.

DORNIN: So they were able to round up, over a four-week period, almost 20,000 people: more than 1,000 sex offenders, 161 people wanted for murder.

Our producer, Wayne Drasche (ph), went along on a ride-along, actually, in June when they were looking for sex offenders. You can see the Atlanta police outside apartments, going in. Some of these guys had actually escaped because they cut off their sex offender bracelets and were able to get away.

At the press conference today was Michael Mukasey, the attorney general, and U.S. Marshal director John Clark. He was talking about the mission of the U.S. marshals is, of course, to apprehend fugitives, but it was sure nice to get a little help.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN CLARK, DIRECTOR, U.S. MARSHALS SERVICE: We arrest about 100,000 fugitives every year, about an 8,000-plus-a-month average. This is a concentrated effort. There are about, by estimations, about 2 million wanted individuals around the country. So obviously, we can't be out in full numbers getting all of them all the time.

Yet, this operation is designed to go after and target the most violent offenders, as noted by the cooperation we had with the state and locals who brought their most wanted lists to us.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DORNIN: One of the most interesting things about all this is 30 percent of those fugitives had already been arrested. They had been in custody, but for some reason were released. So they've been rearrested. And of course, officials say, "Look, you know, they have their day in court. If the judges decide to release them, that's not our fault. But we'd like to catch them again, if they do, indeed, have fugitive warrants."

WHITFIELD: So you have to wonder, is there already some sort of cooperation between federal, whether it's U.S. marshals, and local authorities anyway? Why do they now have to have this special designated, I guess, operation to say this is what we do together?

DORNIN: Well, think about this. There's 2 million people out there that are wanted. The local officials just don't have the money. They don't have the manpower to do this. So they were working some 16, 20 hours a day, trying to round these folks up.

The feds came in. They came in with money, nearly $1 million to help people out, to also -- and just -- and cooperation to try to really do a massive round-up and get people behind bars.

WHITFIELD: Really does help relieve some -- you know, relieve some of that burden on the local municipality.

DORNIN: Absolutely.

WHITFIELD: All right. Rusty Dornin, thanks so much.

Of course, we're going to have much more on Operation Falcon during the 2:00 p.m. Eastern hour, right here in the NEWSROOM. We'll speak with the director of the U.S. Marshall Service, John Clark, who you saw in Rusty's piece. But we'll elaborate a little bit further with him, widen the conversation right here -- Don.

LEMON: All right, Fred. We look forward to that.

As we mentioned at the top, a State Department official will attend a meeting on Iran's nuclear program in Switzerland. That'll happen on Saturday, but until now, President Bush has said no direct talks -- no direct talks -- with Iran unless and until it stops enriching uranium.

CNN's Elaine Quijano joins us now from the White House with details on that.

You were just in a briefing. Did any news come out of that, Elaine?

ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, White House press secretary Dana Perino insisting just moments ago in the on- camera briefing that nothing has changed in terms of the U.S. strategy in dealing with Iran that, despite the fact that President Bush has signed off on a decision to send Undersecretary of State William Burns to Geneva, Switzerland, for what she says is a previously scheduled meeting with Iran's top nuclear negotiator and the foreign policy chief of the European Union, that it is not a negotiation.

Now, Bush administration officials, as you note, have said time and time again no direct talks unless Iran verifiably suspends its uranium enrichment program. That has not happened. What Mr. Burns is going to do, according to U.S. officials, is going to attend this previously-scheduled meeting and listen to what the Iranians have to say about a package of economic incentives. It's been put on the table by the Europeans delivered a few weeks ago. And at the same time, reiterate the U.S.'s position.

But she insisted in this briefing that the U.S. is not in any way giving in to Iran.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DANA PERINO, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: The issues, the seriousness from which we've been trying to tell all of you for many months, which is that we want to solve this diplomatically. We seek to do so. We are going to continue to work with our international partners in unison, which is what we are going to do on Saturday.

But the fundamental underlying principle is that there will not be any negotiations unless Iran suspends its enrichment of uranium.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

QUIJANO: Now, the question: what happens if this top Iranian official, Saeed Jalili, decides he wants to try and pull aside Ambassador Burns during the course of this meeting, pull him aside for maybe more extended discussions? It was interesting. That was a question posed at the State Department during their briefing this morning.

And the response was essentially that, look, Ambassador Burns is very experienced. He will be polite. But make it very clear that if, in fact, Iran wants extended talks with the United States on the issue of nuclear -- its nuclear program, that, in fact, Iran knows exactly what it has to do and that is to suspend its uranium enrichment program.

LEMON: All right. Elaine Quijano, thank you very much at the White House. All of those new details for us. We appreciate that.

And we're going to have more on the upcoming talks when we speak with an Iran expert, Karin Sanjapour (ph), later this hour. He has conducted dozens of interviews with senior Iranian officials, as well as Iranian intellectuals, clerics and dissidents -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right. It's 104 degrees in Phoenix today. That's pretty hot. But no swimming for you. Well, not in any of the city's 29 public pools, that is. Why? Well, people are getting sick. And the reason is actually in the water. But for how much longer? That's coming up.

And fresh or frozen? I'm not talking about food, but embryos. What type of embryo is best for in vitro fertilization? It's a question that has lingered for years, and now a new study might have a new answer.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Time for some news across America now. And I have to warn you, some of you just might find the first video pretty disturbing.

It is surveillance tape recorded during a workplace shooting last month in Henderson, Kentucky. Wesley Higdon killed five of his coworkers, then himself. Police say the shooting followed an argument about wearing goggles and cell phone use on the assembly line.

LEMON: Let's talk now about Wesley, California. The bodies of five people have been recovered from an irrigation canal. An SUV carrying farm workers collided with a work truck yesterday, sending both plunging into that canal. Hours later, the bodies of four men and a woman were pulled from the 17-foot-deep water -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: And everybody out of the water. Public swimming pools in Phoenix, all 29 of them, are closed after it turns out a parasite was detected in one of them. And a couple of people actually got sick. Dozens of life guards and other swimmers may also have the parasite.

City workers are hammering the pools with chemicals, and officials could announce today when they will actually reopen those pools. That's a big yuck. What terrible timing.

LEMON: Yes, a little bit weird. Terrible timing. Yes, but you know what? It is hot out there. And we want to talk to -- about a possible storm brewing in the Atlantic. Our Chad Myers on top of it all for us.

Chad, what do you know?

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Well, we know that Bertha is still out there spinning. The longest named storm in July ever on record, completely, period, end of story. There has never been a storm last so long as this one now. Plus ten days or so.

But we're watching down farther south from this, kind of into some warmer water, where another storm may be going. Because we know Bertha is just heading up into the north Atlantic.

Here we go. Windward Islands, Leeward Islands, Martinique, Barbados, the areas down here, this is the area of convection we've been watching the past couple of days. And the hurricane center's watching it too, because they have a plane that's flying into it right now.

Now, there's that plane right there flying over Martinique. If you look up and you're in Martinique, that's the plane flying over you. And they're flying right smack dab into the middle of that thing to see if there is any significant rotation to see whether it deserves a name to either be a depression or still a wave, or is it possibly even a storm?

We'll keep watching it for you. As soon as that plane makes it, there'll be a reconnaissance fix. They'll send it right to us. And we'll let you know what it found, especially there -- especially if it's about a 30- or 40-mile-per-hour winds. That means something bad is going on inside that thing. Well, much more rain showers across parts of Florida, as well. We'll update you what's going on in the Gulf of Mexico. It looks right now just like a lot of rain for Florida for the next couple of days.

WHITFIELD: All right. And big bad Bertha living up to the name.

LEMON: Big bad Bertha.

MYERS: Long Bertha.

WHITFIELD: Longevity, right?

MYERS: Yes.

WHITFIELD: Gosh. All right. We'll check back with you. Thanks so much, Chad.

MYERS: You're welcome.

WHITFIELD: Well, there is some -- some concern, rather, that the airport security may need a little tweaking, especially if you get a look at the names on the terror watch list these days.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Hello, everyone. I'm Don Lemon. You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

Jib Jab's at it again. The folks who turn presidential politics into viral cartoons have taken on the 2008 campaigns.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Jib Jab.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (singing): Gather conservatives. Lend me a hand, unless you want this liberal left in command. I spent years in a rat hole in North Vietnam.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Now the Jihad needs containing.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So forget my skin cancer and...

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: All right. This is really unbelievable. And it's true. You may be on a list with some very unsavory characters, and you won't even know it until you get to the airport, as a matter of fact.

The American Civil Liberties Union estimates that TSA's terror watch list now includes more than a million names, one of which is this guy, CNN investigative correspondent Drew Griffin. Why does he raise eyebrows with terror watchdogs? Well, we'll hear from the horse's mouth coming up a little bit later on in the NEWSROOM. He'll tell us how he got on that list, why he can't seem to get off that list, like many people who get on that list, and why being on it, of course, is such a pain.

And also, we want to hear from you. Are you on the terror watch list? What about someone you know? E-mail us. Tell us your watch list horror story. Punch -- punch in our e-mail address, cnnnewsroom@cnn.com, and we may read your story right here on the air.

WHITFIELD: Meantime, more pain for your pocketbook. A new report shows Americans are paying more for a wide range of goods. Stephanie Elam is at the New York Stock Exchange with more on that.

And something tells me, Stephanie, not too many people are going to find that surprising. We're all paying a lot more for everything.

STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I don't think so, Fred. I think everyone knows what the situation is right now. This just kind of gives us the firm numbers behind it, that shows many of us already know that prices are paying -- the prices we're paying are going up, and they're going up fast.

A new government report shows consumer prices surged 5 percent over the past year. That's the biggest annual jump in 17 years.

And then there was a separate report showing that average hourly wages, they increased 3.4 percent over the same period. So if you take one, put it up against the other, it shows that our pay is not keeping up with the pace of retail prices. A lot of people already know that, as well. And that could cause shoppers to pull back even more and deal yet another blow to the economy, Fred.

WHITFIELD: So why the big jump? I mean, oil prices can't be blamed for everything, can they?

ELAM: Not for everything. But look all of the factors that we've been talking about over the past year. I mean, we do have those records in oil prices, same story for gas prices. We all know that food prices are going up, and then you've got airfare prices all moving to the north. And roll that all together, and you have some very worrisome inflation numbers.

Energy prices, which also include natural gas and some heating oil, they shot up over 25 percent over the last 12 months. Food, up 5 percent. Transportation prices jumped 12 percent.

And then Fed chief Ben Bernanke, he said again today that inflation could be a major drag on the economy. The combination of a slowing economy and rising inflation puts the Central Bank between a rock and a hard place. Policymakers will probably have to keep interest rates steady at this point to keep inflation in check.

But for today, inflation as far as oil prices are concerned are easing. Crude is actually sliding about, almost $4 right now. And that's giving a lift to the Dow. Look at that: the Dow up 181 points, 11,143. NASDAQ up 2.25 percent. So hopefully we can stay here, Fred and Don.

Back to you.

WHITFIELD: Wouldn't that be nice?

ELAM: Wouldn't it be nice?

WHITFIELD: Something tells me reality check is, nope, not going to happen.

ELAM: Well, we'll see. Everything happens lately. So we'll see where it ends up.

WHITFIELD: All right, thanks a lot, Stephanie. Appreciate it.

ELAM: Thanks.

WHITFIELD: Don.

LEMON: Has the Bush administration changed policy in the crisis with Iran over its nuclear program? We'll speak with an expert who's been based in Iran and has interviewed top Iranian officials.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Hello, everyone. I'm Don Lemon live here at the CNN World Headquarters in Atlanta.

WHITFIELD: And I'm Fredricka Whitfield. You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

LEMON: Time now to tell you what stories we're working on for you today right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.

First up, Operation Falcon sinking its talons into people on the run. The U.S. Marshal Service says the nationwide crackdown has caught nearly 20,000 fugitives. It is the fifth such operation of its kind.

Is Washington's hard-line stance on Iran easing? The U.S. envoy will attend a meeting with Iran's top nuclear official in Switzerland this weekend. A senior administration source tells CNN the trip was previously planned and has nothing to do with Iran's recent missile tests.

John McCain addressing the NAACP today in Cincinnati. Barack Obama addressing national security issues at a Purdue University forum. McCain's trying to woo skeptical African-American voters to his side. Obama is trying to boost his foreign policy and security creds -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: A stunning development in the rescue of Ingrid Betancourt and three Americans held hostage by Colombian rebels. Colombia president Alvaro Uribe, today said that a Red Cross symbol was used during the mission two weeks ago. And until today, Colombia had denied using international symbols in the rescue.

Joining us on the phone now, from Bogota with details on all of this, CNN's Karl Penhaul.

Karl, first of all explain, why is it against the rules to use the Red Cross, especially when in the end the hostages were free?

KARL PENHAUL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, first of all, all conflicts today, internal conflicts or international conflicts, are governed by the international rules of war, known as the Geneva Convention. And according to those conventions, then warring sides cannot misuse or abuse the Red Cross symbol or any of it's other variations such as the Red crescent.

That's precisely the cause. The International Committee of the Red Cross value their neutrality in any conflict which allows them to meet between all sides to carry out its humanitarian work. And so if these symbols are misused by the warring parties, if the warring parties use them to dupe the opposition, then that neutrality of the International Committee the Red Cross is put in place. And also, it could put aid workers at risk in the future.

And so what today the President Alvaro Urive said, he stepped up to the plate and tried to nip a brewing controversy in the bud saying, yes, in fact, mistakenly one of our military intelligence offices did use an International Committee of the Red Cross (INAUDIBLE). And that does in itself, constitute a breech of the Geneva Convention. That the Geneva Convention themselves consider a war crime, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: And so Karl, would there be a penalty? What comes with this admission?

PENHAUL: That kind of thing, those kind of (INAUDIBLE) something more likely that the International Committee of the Red Cross and the Colombian government will manage behind closed doors. Not because of any undue secrecy we're told. But because simply that's the way the International Committee of the Red Cross likes to operate.

The International Committee of the Red Cross has come out with its own statement in response to the statement by President Uribe. And it says, that it would like to remind all sides the Red Cross emblem is specifically protected by the Geneva Convention. And then it goes on to state what we've already said. That the reason it is protected is because international Red Cross workers need to work with neutrality and impartiality and be able to (INAUDIBLE) humanitarian services to all the warring sides in any conflict, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right. Karl Penhaul, thanks so much to that reporting from Bogota -- Don.

LEMON: Fredricka -- wailing and tears on one side. Cheers and a hero's welcome on the other side. Israelis wept today when Hezbollah handed over two black coffins with the remains of Israeli soldiers. In return, Israel freed Samil Kantar, convicted of killing a 4-year- old Israeli girl, her father and a policeman in an 1979 attack.

Now, Kantar was agreed as a conquering hero upon arrival in Lebanon. The capture of the two Israeli soldiers two years ago, triggered the 2006 war with Lebanon. Now officials had suspected they were dead and today their remains were officially identified.

NATO led forces have pulled out of a remote out post in Afghanistan, where nine U.S. soldiers were killed by Taliban militants. As many as 200 insurgents tried to overturn the base near the Pakistan border in an attack on Sunday. A NATO says, the base has been disestablished, but regular patrols in the area will continue. A source tells CNN that a key village in the area is to some extent controlled by the Taliban.

We have more now on an apparent shift in U.S. policy on Iran. A top state department official will take part in talks on Iran's nuclear program this weekend in Switzerland. The Bush administration has always ruled out direct talks unless Iran suspends uranium enrichment first.

And joining us from Washington with his insight, Iran expert Karim Sadjadpour of the Carnegie Endowment. He has been based in Iran and has spoken to numerous top Iranian officials and clerics, intellectuals and dissidents.

First of all, did this come as a surprise to you, sir?

KARIM SADJADPOUR, CARNEGIE ENDOWMENT: It did come somewhat of a surprise. Because for two, three years now, the Bush administration has been very consistent in saying they're not going to talk to the Iranians, at least in the nuclear realm, until Iran suspends enrichments of uranium.

And over the last five, six years or so, it's the Bush administration which has consistently had to redraw its red line. So, this is definitely a departure from past policy of the Bush administration.

LEMON: It's a departure, is it a softening, though?

SADJADPOUR: I think it is somewhat of a softening. It's sending the signal to Tehran that ultimately Washington does want to resolve this diplomatically. The military option, despite the bluster of President Bush who constantly declares that all options are on the table. I think this sends the signal to Tehran that the Bush administration is indeed interested in resolving this issue diplomatically.

LEMON: At least internationally, the Bush administration has been criticized for not having, or lack of diplomacy.

Why diplomacy this time, do you believe?

SADJADPOUR: They may have seen some success with the recent talks with the North Koreans. But also I think -- it's simply -- you know, simple pragmatism. That over the course of the last two years, not talking to Iran really hasn't born any fruit. Iran has moved forward with its nuclear program. Iran has tremendous leverage in Iraq and Lebanon and Palestine. Oil prices are soaring. So, there was basically zero indication that the Iranians were going to suspend enrichment. So I think the Bush administration finally recognized reality.

LEMON: The concern lately has been a war between Israel and Iran. I'm sure Israel paying close attention to this and Israel really does not want the U.S. to negotiate with Iran.

SADJADPOUR: Well, I think the mood in Jerusalem is mixed among Israeli leaders. It's true, the more hawkish leaders don't want to see type of U.S.-Iran diplomatic accommodation. But, I think the pragmatic Israeli leaders recognize that if the U.S. and Iran talk and if there are certain amends made and certain nuclear comprise made on Iran's behalf, then diplomacy is certainly a good thing.

LEMON: Karin Sadjadpour, we appreciate your time.

SADJADPOUR: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: Fresh or frozen? What type of embryo is best for in vitro fertilization?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right. If you're trying to have a baby and using in vitro fertilization, listen up. The number of IVF procedures in the U.S. has gone way up since the first successful one, just 30 years ago. But along the way, lots of questions have been lingering. Namely, is it better to use fresh embryos or frozen ones? Now, a new study has some answers.

Our medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen is here to share.

So, what did they find?

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: What they found is that it really doesn't matter and a lot of people were surprised. They thought gosh, fresh embryos must be better, right? I mean, they're fresh. Right. Right. It just seems to make sense.

But these researchers said let's put that conventional wisdom to the test. And what they found was that when people used frozen embryos the babies were on average 7 pounds, 14 ounces. Fresh, 7 pounds, 7 ounces. And so, statistically there's really no difference. And of course, we know birth weight is very important when it comes to babies.

And then they looked at other indicators of health. Did they did have genetic defects? Did they have other kinds of diseases? And, no, it didn't really seem to matter. And Fred, this should be good news to families who use frozen embryos to start a pregnancy. And also for couples who are going to go through fertility, using frozen embryos is going to save people a lot of money. And we know how expensive IVF is. WHITFIELD: Oh, it's very expensive.

So in general, when does one or a couple or whomever, start thinking about, do I need to do this? Is this the route I want to go?

COHEN: Right. This is another controversy that has been going on. How long do you try before you go the infertility route?

And this is what one specialist told us. He said if you are under 35 and have trouble conceiving for a year, you should seek fertility assistance. But if you're over 35, don't wait a whole year. If you can't get pregnant after six months of trying, you should seek out a fertility specialist.

WHITFIELD: Wow. That really is something. I can't believe it's been 30 years.

COHEN: Isn't it amazing? It seems like just yesterday.

WHITFIELD: It really does. Yes.

COHEN: It's effected so many people, helped so many people.

WHITFIELD: Well, I know a lot of folks are really fascinated and interested in any new study or any new results. You know, it keeps their interest.

COHEN: That might help them get that baby. Yes, absolutely.

WHITFIELD: Yes. All right, thanks a lot, Elizabeth. Appreciate it -- Don.

LEMON: All right here's a question for you. Can a sour economy pay political dividends for Democrats?

CNN's Tom Foreman takes a look.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Faced with job cuts in Detroit, fear about banks and continuing pain at the pump, Republicans are scrambling. President Bush talking about expanding oil production. Shoring up financial institutions, easing consumer worries.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I think the system basically is sound. I truly do.

FOREMAN: But with the White House up for grabs this fall and a chance to take even more seats in Congress, Democrats are hitting back.

REP. STENY HOYER (D), MAJORITY LEADER: It's crystal clear this administration's economic policies are demonstrably, evidently, not working. And have not worked for average working men and women.

WILLIAM JEFFERSON CLINTON (D), FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I, William Jefferson Clinton, do solemnly swear...

FORMER: Democrats are reminding voters of the prosperity under the last Democratic president. And pointing out that some Republican- backed solutions, like protecting the solvency of mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, are just temporary measures.

Christian Weller is with the Liberal Think Tank, the Center for American Progress.

CHRISTIAN WELLER, CENTER FOR AMERICAN PROGRESS: Largely, Democrats have been making the argument that things have been going off the wrong track for quite some time. That we need change in economic policy. And not just the short-term crisis but also the long-term problems. The debt build up, the lack of labor market growth, the failing manufacturing sector and so on, and so forth.

REP. ADAM PUTNAM (R), FLORIDA: There are no excuses and scapegoats left.

FOREMAN: Some Republicans, of course, say Democrats are to blame, for cynically failing to report Republican economic reforms. And if the Dems get more power, they say, watch out.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The house will come to order!

EAMON JAMES, POLITICO: Right. Republicans say that the Democrats will be dangerous for the economy because they would increase taxes, which would provide a drag to the economy. But, generally speaking, a bad economy is bad for the people in power because voters blame it on the guy in the White House no matter what the rhetoric is.

FOREMAN (on camera): The nation's economy is so enormous and so deeply tied to global markets now, neither party can change its course very fast, no matter what they try.

(voice-over): But polls suggest most voters believe Democrat Barack Obama will at least point the ship in the right direction.

Tom Foreman, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: All right and leading our political ticker, an appearance in Indiana that's sure to fuel speculation about whom Barack Obama will pick as his running mate.

Former Senator Sam Nunn of Georgia, and Senator Evan Bayh of Indiana, both joined Obama today at Purdue University, to talk about security issues. Nunn and Bayh are widely believed to be on Obama's vice presidential short list.

On the Republican side, Mitt Romney's vice presidential stock just might be rising. John McCain seemed to suggest that a fundraiser in New Mexico this week and his former rival, would make a good running mate. McCain said quote, "I'm appreciative every time I see Mitt on television on my behalf. He does a better job for me than he did for himself as a matter of fact," end quote. That's from John McCain on Mitt Romney.

He's on -- you'll want to check out "THE SITUATION ROOM" with Wolf Blitzer this afternoon. Mitt Romney will be talking about the race for the White House and whether he wants to be McCain's running mate. That's coming up 4 p.m. Eastern, right here on CNN.

Oh, so you may remember JibJab's spoof on the presidential race just about four years ago. Well, they're back and still making people chuckle. Check out jib jab's view of the outgoing president and the candidates who hope to replace him come November.

You've got to wonder, do those candidates like being spoofed like that? Because it is kind of funny. All right. Check out our political ticker for all of the latest campaign news. Just log on to CNNPolitics.com, your source for all things political.

LEMON: All right. We have been hearing a lot about the situation in Afghanistan, probably -- possibly escalating with the Taliban. There is some news to come out of that now.

Our Jamie McIntyre, senior Pentagon correspondent Jamie McIntyre, just left a briefing at the Pentagon and he joins us now with some new developments -- Jamie.

JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN SR. PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, Don, you know,, up to now, the Pentagon's been saying it's not really going to be able to send reinforcements to Afghanistan until they're able to complete those troop reductions in Iraq.

But today, the Defense Secretary Robert Gates, said that they are looking at options to get additional U.S. forces to Afghanistan quote, "sooner rather than later." He did, however, say that he was not considering further troop extensions, that is not to extend any of the troops already there in Afghanistan, beyond the Marines that he already extended an additional month. And he said he is not considering a return to the longer 15-month tours in Afghanistan. He says he wants to keep those tours at 12 months.

Nevertheless, recent events including this deadly attack on Sunday, in Kunar province, in which nine U.S. soldiers were killed, have just reinforced the fact that the situation in Afghanistan demands more troops and commanders there have been asking for them for months.

Again, Secretary Gates said no decisions have been made, no formal requests are in. But they are looking at options at how they might do that. Including possibly redeploying some of the forces in Afghanistan and accelerating the integration of additional forces from other NATO countries. But again, underscores the urgency of the situation there, Don.

LEMON: Hey, Jamie, can you talk just a little bit more. Did anything come out in this briefing? Anything more about that event, an out post? MCINTYRE: Well, we've learned a little more about what happened in that.

What was going on there, was a group of 25 American soldiers from the 173rd Airborne Combat Brigade from Italy, was out in that eastern part of Afghanistan, along with some 20 Afghan soldiers. And they were setting -- they were about to set up one of these combat outposts. They were just in the early days of sort of digging in, taking a look at the area. They'd gone to bed for the night. The large group was sitting around with their vehicles, they were dug in, had some barbed wire around.

A smaller group had taken up an observation area on higher ground, when both areas were overrun simultaneously, or I should say both areas were attacked simultaneously by a very large group of well- armed enemy fighters that had mortars, grenades, rocket propelled grenades, automatic weapons. And it was a fierce fight.

Now, the Pentagon disputes that the areas were overrun. But, the result was, there were significant American casualties. Those nine soldiers. As many as 35, perhaps as many as 100 enemy fighters were killed in that engagement. And the U.S. has temporarily withdrawn from that area where they were about to build a post, while they sort of reassess what happened.

Needless to say, whenever you have that kind of loss of life, there's an after action review underway to try to figure out if the U.S. troops were undermanned for what they were doing. Or whether there was a failure of intelligence to detect this large group of enemy fighters that have apparently taken up residence in houses and apparently even a mosque nearby -- Don.

LEMON: Senior Pentagon correspondent Jamie McIntyre. Thank you, Jamie.

WHITFIELD: Well, it's an all too familiar scene. Drug defendants in court awaiting prison sentences. But now, an alternative.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: So for years now, critics have argued that the war on drugs targets African-Americans and that black drug offenders are much more likely to go to prison than white drug offenders. In today's "Black in America" report, CNN special correspondent, Soledad O'Brien, looks at African-Americans, drugs and sentencing.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JUDGE DORIS DOWNS, FULTON COUNTY SUPERIOR COURT: Court come to order. You may be seated.

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This could be any courtroom in America. But for these multiple offenders...

DOWNS: We've got a huge calendar today you all.

O'BRIEN: ... this is drug court.

DOWNS: We're not going to be long-winded.

O'BRIEN: This Fulton County, Georgia, drug court is a chance for many of them with multiple offenses to turn their lives around.

DOWNS: They say that you are -- your attitude is better, everything is --

O'BRIEN: Chief Superior Court Judge Doris Downs tracks the progress of more than 2,000 participants in the county's program.

DOWNS: We have had great success in treating those that are addicted to drugs and thus reducing the chance that they will commit a crime in the future.

What made you choose drug court?

O'BRIEN: Participants are required to go through an intensive regimen of treatment, random drug testing and graduated sanctions.

DOWNS: Many of the people are facing huge jail sentences if they don't get treatment, and so that's the way we sort of force them into the treatment.

O'BRIEN: Most of the offenders, who stand before her, are African-American males under the age of 30. But this is only a small sample of what many say is a trend on the federal level.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Black men are 12 times more likely to be sent to prison on drug charges than white men. Blacks maybe account for -- somewhere between, let's say, 15 and 20 percent of all drug offenders in this country. Yet 50 percent of the people who are sent to prison on drug charges are black.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My name is Juan (ph).

O'BRIEN: And she believes that most low-level drug offenders of all races should be handled with sanctions and substance abuse treatment, not prison time.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Why do we need to know why we're here?

O'BRIEN: Like the treatment Judge Downs sentenced both Juan Ponder (ph) and Willie Crawford to in her drug court. Both are graduates of the program and are now in recovery.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Crack cocaine is our biggest thing. The first time I ever tasted it or smoked it, I had made up my mind, at that very moment, that this was what I was going to do for the rest of my life. My life stopped.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You understand where I'm coming from? Because this is the choice I made. But when I first came here, I was addicted to crack cocaine. And it was just -- nowhere to go. I just -- I was just tore up. And I didn't have no idea that I would ever get clean until I came here.

O'BRIEN: In this courtroom, the alternative approach to prison time gives each offender the chance to get help getting clean and get on with their lives.

Soledad O'Brien, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: Make sure you join Soledad O'Brien for "Black in America." This special documentary series airs Wednesday, July 23rd at 9:00 p.m. Eastern and Thursday, July 24th, at the same hour.

WHITFIELD: Operation Falcon strikes again. More than 19,000 fugitives snatched up. CNN rides along.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Vapors in the fuel tank. Almost 12 years after TWA flight 800 exploded, the FAA mandates a fix. We're live in New York with new responsibility for airlines, new protection for passengers.

WHITFIELD: Murder suspects, sex offenders, fugitives and felons from coast-to-coast. Operation Falcon swooped them up by the thousands in a single month. We've got the staggering facts and figures.

Hello again, everyone. Welcome back to the NEWSROOM.

I'm Fredricka Whitfield at the CNN World Headquarters in Atlanta.

LEMON: I'm Don Lemon. You are live right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.