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Obama Open to Compromise for Drilling for Oil; Anthrax Investigation: Suspect Commits Suicide; 'At Home' for Olympics; Sneak Peak at 'Buddha's Warriors'; The Candidates in Their Own Words; Getting Tough on Tainted Toys

Aired August 02, 2008 - 10:00   ET

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

BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: Take a look at this woman. She was attacked by a bear. One of her eyes was even knocked out of its socket. But hear how she survived.
ROB MARCIANO, CNN ANCHOR: And tainted gold. A live picture now from Beijing. One American athlete won't be going to the Olympics, several others are stripped of their gold medals.

NGUYEN: From the CNN Center, this is CNN NEWSROOM. It's Saturday, August 2nd.

Good to be back. Good morning, everybody.

I'm Betty Nguyen.

MARCIANO: And I'm Rob Marciano. As soon as she's back, her partner, T.J. Holmes...

NGUYEN: Takes off.

MARCIANO: ... takes off. Don't know what that means.

But it's 10:00 here on the East Coast in Atlanta. Let's get started with this.

Politics straight away. A possible shift in Barack Obama's opinion about offshore oil drilling.

Just within the last hour, Obama addressed the nation's energy troubles. He says he's still skeptical about drilling proposals in a bipartisan energy bill, but is open to compromise if other proposals support energy independence.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D-IL), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: What I will not do, and this has always been my position, is to support a plan that suggests that drilling is the answer to our energy problems. If we got a plan on the table that I think meets the goals that America has to set, and there's some things in there that I don't like, then obviously that's something that I would consider because that's the nature of how we govern in a democracy.

(END VIDEO CLIP) NGUYEN: Alex Marquardt is our political producer. He is traveling with the Obama campaign and he joins us now by phone from Florida.

All right, Alex. Break this down for us. Is this a flip-flop, or is this a way of Barack Obama trying to find some kind of a compromise here?

ALEX MARQUARDT, CNN POLITICAL PRODUCER: Well, it's certainly a compromise, and it's certainly a softening of positions. As you noted, he said that he's skeptical about offshore oil drilling, but as recently as Thursday, he had much, much harsher language, saying that it's not going to provide short-term relief, medium-term relieve, or long-term relief.

So it may be perceived as a shift. He's insisting that it isn't a new position, that it's a compromise. That, in fact, what he said is that he's interested in getting things done. He doesn't want the best to be the enemy of the good.

NGUYEN: All right. He says it's not a new position but a compromise. But he's been a long opponent of this.

I want our viewers to take a look at this CNN poll on offshore drilling and where the folks have stood on this issue. Those in favor, 73 percent. Those who oppose, 27 percent.

Do you think Obama is taking these types of polls and talking to the people across America, and that's really being reflected in what we're starting to hear from him today?

MARQUARDT: Oh, certainly. I mean, the CNN/Opinion Research poll that came out the other day said 70 percent of Americans are in favor of offshore drilling. And the same day he noted that in his speech. So it certainly could be reflective of the fact that he's following these polls.

But he is standing firm, saying that he doesn't believe that this could be -- that this will bring down gas prices. But he's saying that if it's part of a more overarching strategy that includes more aggressive approaches that include nuclear energy, financial reform, as well as a solid investment in alternative fuels, then he's willing to consider it and he's willing to let it pass.

NGUYEN: All right. CNN producer Alex Marquardt, who is traveling with the Obama campaign and joins us by phone from Florida.

Thank you, Alex.

MARCIANO: John McCain also on the offensive this morning in a radio address today. Here's what he had to say about Senator Obama's position on energy.

"Senator Obama says he wants energy independence, but he doesn't support anything that serves that goal. He is opposed to new domestic drilling, opposed to nuclear power, and wants to add taxes to coal producers."

"He has said that the high cost of gasoline doesn't bother him, only that it rose too quickly. He believes every domestic energy source has a problem. And I believe every energy source needs to be a part of the solution."

And to help you make a more informed choice about the presidential election, we're going to play more of what the candidates are saying in their own words. That's coming up a little bit later in this newscast.

NGUYEN: Here's news on this story. The chief suspect in the 7- year-old anthrax investigation kills himself just as investigators close in. And now the government is considering closing the investigation.

CNN Justice Correspondent Kelli Arena reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KELLI ARENA, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT (voice over): When Bruce Ivins killed himself, the net was closing fast.

CAPT. KEVIN GRUBB, FREDERICK, MARYLAND, POLICE: On the 27th, we received a call to assist fire board (ph) at 622 Military Road for an unconscious subject in the bathroom at that residence.

ARENA: The government has released no details of its case, but sources say at the time of his suicide the government was set to indict Ivins and seek the death penalty. His neighbors say he had been under suspicion for months.

BONNIE DUGGAN, NEIGHBOR: We started noticing the surveillance probably a year ago.

ARENA: So what led investigators to Ivins? Well, sources say a scientific examination showed the anthrax used in the 2001 attacks originated here, at Fort Detrick Army Lab in Maryland, where Ivins worked for nearly two decades.

The twisted irony here is that Ivins as a top microbiologist who was developing an anthrax vaccine. Officials say the FBI was looking into whether Ivins released the anthrax as a way to test his vaccine.

His lawyers say it was stress, not guilt that caused Ivins to kill himself. They contend he's innocent, that he fully cooperated with the government.

Another irony: According to sources, Ivins even helped analyze some of the anthrax found in letters used in the attacks.

The Justice Department is being tightlipped, saying investigative documents remain under seal and that it has to brief victims and families before the public. One of those victims is former senator Tom Daschle. TOM DASCHLE (D), FMR. U.S. SENATOR: I'm angered by the fact that we've been so left out of the dark, really, and unaware of what the circumstances are. I think we are owed more than that.

ARENA: Several officials say the FBI may soon close the investigation into the attacks that killed five people, indicating Ivins was the lone suspect.

(on camera): But there are skeptics, from members of Congress to anthrax victims, who say the government may be wrong. It focused for years on scientist Steven Hatfill, even publicly identified him as a person of interest, then had to pay him millions of dollars when he sued.

Those doubters say that Ivins won't have that opportunity.

Kelli Arena, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MARCIANO: Bruce Ivins has been described as a brilliant but troubled scientist. More on his personality and his friends.

CNN's Brianna Keilar live for reaction from Fort Detrick, Maryland.

Good morning again, Brianna.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Rob.

Yes, neighbors of Ivins here certainly surprised by this. We're at Fort Detrick, which houses the biodefense lab where Ivins worked for decades. And he really lived just down the street from here, so neighbors very shocked.

We also heard from Tom Ivins, Bruce Ivins' older brother. He has basically said that he wouldn't put it past his brother, the 2001 anthrax attacks. He also said that he was interviewed by federal investigators, though he couldn't be specific about what he told them.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TOM IVINS, BRUCE IVINS' BROTHER: They asked me about personal things of my brother's. I told them. That was it, and very nice chat for about three to four hours. Wow.

They left. And went to a restaurant, and bought me a sandwich and a beer. And I came back home. That was it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: We should tell you that Tom Ivins was basically estranged from his brother Bruce. They haven't spoken in some time, and Tom Ivins says that he has never spoken to his brother Bruce about the anthrax investigation. Now, neighbors here very saddened by the news of their neighbor, Bruce Ivins' death. They say he was very dedicated, committed to his community, very involved in his church. And Ivins' lawyer says that it wasn't guilt that drove him to kill himself, but that it was stress, the stress of being under investigation -- Rob.

MARCIANO: Well, Brianna, you mentioned that his brother and he are estranged, not speaking, but we're also finding out there was some sort of restraining order against Ivins. What do you know about that?

KEILAR: That's right. At the time of Ivins' death, there was a restraining order. It was actually put in place or requested by a female therapist for allegedly stalking, threatening physical behavior, or a threat of physical violence, I should say, as well as harassment. And that woman was actually subpoenaed to testify before a federal grand jury against Ivins in Washington on Friday.

That hearing was canceled in light of his death. But this is a case where a lot of details haven't come out. The government has not presented publicly the details of the case that it had against Bruce Ivins, so, really, there are a whole lot of unanswered questions at this point -- Rob.

MARCIANO: Questions we hope to have answers for at some point.

Brianna Keilar, live for us in Fort Detrick, Maryland.

Thanks, Brianna.

MARCIANO: Well, as we've said, it's been almost seven years since the anthrax attacks. Letters laced with the deadly bacteria arrived at congressional offices and news organizations just weeks after the September 11th attacks.

The letters killed five people, including two postal workers. Seventeen became seriously ill.

Early in the identification, officials identified researcher Steven Hatfill as a person of interest. He denied involvement and later sued the government. Hatfill recently settled for a one time payment of almost $3 million, plus $150,000 a year for the rest of his life. No arrests were ever made in the case.

NGUYEN: Well, this morning, a former employee of a book warehouse is accused of shooting and killing two other workers. It happened Friday in Bristol, which is a suburb of Philadelphia.

Police have arrested Robert Diamond. They say Diamond told them he had been harassed at work. And according to the warehouse, he was fired in April for not showing up.

MARCIANO: From south Florida, a story of one pet owner rescuing his dog by killing another. This surveillance video, it shows a man desperately trying to rein in his pit bull. The dog has reached through a fence and latched onto another dog in a death grip. The owner hears his dog shrieking and comes to the rescue with a handgun. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The dog ran in, grabbed my dog through here, was trying to pull him through.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: See that? Boom. Boom. Boom.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MARCIANO: The pit bull died at the veterinarian's office. His owner says he doesn't blame the man for shooting. The pit bull's owner could face some charges.

NGUYEN: Well, a convicted child molester in Florida is finally behind bars, and it's a story that we've been following for months now on CNN.com, and it's generated huge amounts of interest online.

Aaron Manhalal (ph) is a former Broward County teacher sentenced to 43 years for sexual abusing a 13-year-old student. And for the past year he's been out of jail pending an appeal. Well, a judge revoked Manhalal's (ph) bond yesterday because the property he has put up as collateral were discovered to be almost worthless.

(WEATHER REPORT)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: Want to give you live pictures of Beijing's national stadium. Check that out.

Well, you know, a little bit earlier this morning, it wasn't so dark, because there you go. Had some fireworks kicking off.

Rehearsals under way for the opening ceremony of the Olympic games. And we can't wait to see this show.

We're told that the fireworks will make the shape of the Olympic rings in the air. And get this -- this is, you know, part of the whole green concept. Well, some of these fireworks will use less smoking powder, which will minimize the smoke and the dust pollution. And that's something that they are really working on there in China, is minimizing that pollution, let me tell you.

But it's a beautiful sight nonetheless.

Speaking of the Olympics, tainted gold. Yes, we've got to talk about this morning, because the U.S. men's relay team that won gold in the 1600-meter race in the 2000 Olympics, well, they've had their medals stripped. That's right, the International Olympic Committee made the decision after one of the runners recently admitted using a steroid and a human growth hormone.

And U.S. Olympic hopeful Jessica Hardy, well, she's not going to get a chance to swim for gold this year. She's pulled out of the Beijing Olympics after testing positive for a banned substance at trials. Hardy denies taking the drug, but she says she won't contest the results. A statement from the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency says Hardy made the decision because she wants to do what's best for the team.

MARCIANO: So, the summer games start in less than a week. And for most of us, well, being there is a little bit beyond our budget. But if you can get there, you can't afford the $500 a night for a Beijing hotel, you can try bunking down with a Chinese family.

CNN's John Vause did.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN VAUSE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): On the fifth floor of this Soviet-style apartment block lives the Chen family, my Olympic hosts for the night.

(on camera): The third floor, right? Third. Two to go.

(voice over): That's Dave who is showing me the way.

(on camera): Hi. We're home.

Hi. I'm John.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Welcome to Beijing.

VAUSE (voice over): Oh, and that's grandpa Chen.

(on camera): Hello. Nice to meet you.

(voice over): And Dave's mom, Chen Ling (ph). Along with almost 600 other Beijing families, they are opening their homes for tourists who want that real China experience.

(on camera): Oh, cool. Very nice.

(voice over): Tourism officials inspected the apartments to ensure they're clean and safe, at least one family members speaks English, and there are luxuries like...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The TV.

VAUSE (voice over): But before settling in...

(on camera): So we're off to the police?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

VAUSE (voice over): ... every foreigner visiting China must register with the local police.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's to protect foreigners.

VAUSE (on camera): Right. Protecting foreigners.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

VAUSE: Right.

(voice over): And also to keep close tabs on them as well.

Back home over dinner, Ling tells me, "I think other foreigners would love to come here and see how the Chinese really live." Grandpa says everyone will be treated like family, including first dibs on the chow.

One of the criteria for the home-stay apartments is location: close to Olympic venues or tourists attractions.

The Chengs near live near Beijing's famous food street, but dog meat is now off the menu because officials worried that visitors more used to treating their pets than eating them may be upset. But there's still plenty of...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE)

VAUSE: Back home, time to turn in. You'll need a good book, because everything on television is in Chinese.

Most people here never get to see channels like CNN. So for me that means...

(on camera): Good night, everyone.

(voice over): John Vause, CNN, with the Chen family in Beijing.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MARCIANO: Outstanding.

Well, you can follow the Summer Olympics on our Web site if you can't get there. CNN has teamed up with "Sports Illustrated" to create "The Fan Zone," all the latest results, all the compelling angles. The address: CNN.com/fanzone.

NGUYEN: All right. So how would you like to make $1,500 a second? Somebody is doing it, and you are actually helping. Stay tuned.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: All right. You need a little bit of good news on your Saturday? Listen up, folks, because gas prices, they drop again today.

Yes, the cost of a gallon of regular unleaded is $3.89. That's about six-tenths of a cent lower than it was yesterday. Look, we'll take what we can get. OK?

But the best part of all? That 22 cents, that is 22 cents lower than the record high two weeks ago. So go fill up.

MARCIANO: That's a relative bargain.

NGUYEN: Yes. I mean, you've got to put it in context. But hey, we'll take the positive news whenever we can get it.

MARCIANO: That's right. But for most of us when you fill up, it still hurts. It's still a big chunk of change.

NGUYEN: Yes, it sure is. And a lot of that for a lot of us.

And unless you own oil company stock, you probably won't feel better about what Josh Levs is about to show you.

But go ahead. Give it to us, Josh.

JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Have you guys seen these figures? The oil profits for the second quarter?

MARCIANO: They're striking.

NGUYEN: Yes. They're nice. Unfortunately, we're not seeing any of that.

LEVS: Yes. I might have chosen a different adjective, but it is pretty amazing. You guys need to see these figures. This is one of our popular stories online, by the way: "Americans finger oil firms for run-up."

Let's take a look now at the second-quarter profits. There you go. In total for these five, $44 billion.

I just want to give everyone a moment to absorb, that's not annual, that's not net proceeds. That is profits for four companies in one quarter. And you can see ExxonMobil there at the top.

Betty, you were mentioning earlier $1,500 a second. People have broken down Exxon mobile's figures for one quarter, and you get $11.68 billion. Yes, that's about $1,500 a second.

So, to make sense of these figures, I'm going to show you now what our good folks at CNNMoney have put together that shows you what that can buy you, $44 billion.

It's the entire gross domestic product of Ecuador. You can buy a Big Mac for every person in the world -- not that you would, but you could.

1.7 million people could stay for free for a night at the Palms Hotel. It's also about half of the U.S. education spending last year. Just to put it in perspective for you.

Now, we know a lot of you have a lot to say about this and about energy and about the fact that Congress has gone on break without passing an energy bill. Let's close in on this headline here. I want you guys to see one thing people are looking at.

"Will voters punish Congress for coming up empty?" Your chance to weigh in is right here. You can't miss it -- ireport.com.

"Did Congress do enough?" It talks about the fact that Congress is now going off on its recess without any substantial action on higher energy prices.

Anything you want to say about this, go to ireport.com. Send us your photos, your videos, just your stories, let us know what you think. And then tomorrow morning we'll share some of what you have to say about these whopping prices and the whopping profits as well.

There you go, guys, $44 billion.

MARCIANO: Those numbers aren't that big. I mean, they would barely pay for an upgrade and renovation on Betty's bathroom.

NGUYEN: Oh, right. Look, we'll take those numbers in our salary any day. But unfortunately we're not going to see any of that. We're just going to be paying more, although it's a little bit cheaper at the pump today.

MARCIANO: Yes.

NGUYEN: So celebrate when you can.

MARCIANO: Hey, listen, it's capitalism.

LEVS: And hey, if your mutual fund has oil stocks in it, you might be happy. You never know. Some people have that.

NGUYEN: That's true. Some people are profiting from this.

MARCIANO: This is America. We have to make money somewhere. It's capitalism.

Another country though coping with disasters both natural and manmade. We're talking about Myanmar, and this gal right here, she knows first hand.

NGUYEN: Absolutely. Slipped into the secretive nation to witness the suffering -- you see some of the devastation there -- and share those images with you. This morning, find out what is being done to help the cyclone victims.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: Well, good morning, everybody. And welcome back to CNN SATURDAY MORNING.

I'm Betty Nguyen.

MARCIANO: And I'm Rob Marciano, in today for T.J. Holmes. Let's check our top stories.

(NEWSBREAK)

NGUYEN: Well, a country reeling from the cruelty of both man and nature. We're talking about Myanmar, the South Asian country once known as Burma.

Well, this spring it was struck by a devastating cyclone, and just several weeks ago I was able to actually slip into the secretive nation to document the tragedy and the suffering that was largely being ignored. The military government had stopped many relief shipments at the border.

So what is the situation there today? Well, earlier this morning, I spoke with a Red Cross official.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FLEMING NIELSEN, RED CROSS: Well, I think, first of all, there is a matter of infrastructure and geography. I think there are many parts in this disaster-affected area which is very, very difficult to get to. Simply just getting there by small boats, and that means that getting the relief out to those areas is extremely difficult in itself.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NGUYEN: It's difficult, and at the same time, maybe that's why we're seeing it not being distributed evenly, because when we were able to get inside Myanmar, we toured many of those hard-to-reach villages, and the aid had not reached many of them. Maybe just a few bags of rice and some tarp, but not much really to make much of a significance.

MARCIANO: Tell us about -- I'm curious about the people. I mean, how are they reacting to this? Is this kind of -- I mean, it's an unusual storm, obviously situation, but was it business as usual as far as what they expect from the government?

NGUYEN: Well, it has to be. And I think that's really what was so shocking about it all.

It's not like they were sitting there waiting on folks to come and help them, because they really didn't expect it. They really have never received it in the past. So they knew the only way to get up and make a living for themselves and to put their lives back together is to do it with their own two hands.

And you're looking at some pictures with some of the children there. And a lot of people have been asking me -- you see the paintings on their face.

MARCIANO: Yes.

NGUYEN: It's not a sign of mourning or anything like that. It's essentially a powder, a sunblock kind of agent that they get from a tree, from tree bark and material inside of it. So it's indigenous to the region, and that's what they use on their face.

And a lot of people, especially once we started seeing pictures come out of Myanmar after the cyclone, wondered if that had anything to do with the signs of mourning or anything like that. But no, not at all.

And I found the people, you know, just really honest and open.

MARCIANO: Yes.

NGUYEN: And that's what was surprising to me, how much they really wanted to talk about their situation.

MARCIANO: It's amazing. No matter what country, when you get away from the big cities, people are just people.

NGUYEN: Absolutely.

MARCIANO: But, you know, as a western journalist, I mean, you weren't supposed to be there. On a personal note, you had to be scared at some point.

NGUYEN: It was. It was nerve-racking, because, one, they banned all foreign journalists. So getting into the country was difficult. And more importantly, getting down to the devastation was near impossible, because the military has set up checkpoints in nearly every city leading down to the delta.

So you always felt like they're watching you. And you wondered when and if they would come to not only get you, but the locals who were helping you, because a lot of great risk was taken to bring these reports out of Myanmar.

The locals helping us not only face prison time, but some have even died while in jail because of this. And that's something that we had to be ever mindful of while traveling throughout the delta region and in the country. We wanted to bring the story to the folks at home since there had been a media blackout in Myanmar, but at the same time, we didn't want to risk someone's life.

MARCIANO: And if the media were allowed, certainly after two months there's often -- it goes out of the news cycle, we don't follow up.

NGUYEN: Right.

MARCIANO: But you made the effort. And we're glad to have you back home safe. Great job on that.

NGUYEN: Well, thank you. It was an important story, a tough assignment, but I'm glad that we were able to bring those pictures.

And speaking of the fight for freedom in Myanmar and Tibet, it's the focus of "Buddha's Warriors." It's a brand new CNN Special Investigation, and it premieres tonight.

Our Chief International Correspondent Christiane Amanpour gives us a sneak peek. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Betty.

"Buddha's Warriors' is part of our continuing investigation of faith and politics, much like we did with "God's Warriors," the series we did last year.

Here, we're exploring a fascinating new phenomenon in Buddhism, whereby, really, monks are on the front lines of the struggle for democracy and freedom against powerful autocratic regimes. And they are also struggle to reconcile their own faith and their religious principles of nonviolence with that struggle for freedom and for democracy.

And we found some fascinating insights.

I went to Dharamsala in India and interviewed the Dalai Lama, the head of the Tibetans, and also a government in exile in India there. And what he's facing now is a split within his own ranks whereby the younger generation of Tibetan exiles are getting impatient.

They want a much more confrontational approach to China. They say his middle way, conciliatory way, abandoning full independence for Tibet and just wanting autonomy, is just not enough. And besides, they say, it's not working.

So the Dalai Lama spoke candidly to me about that, and so did some of the younger exiles. In fact, we followed them as they prepared for their protest march from Dharamsala, right, they hope, to get to Tibet ahead of the Beijing Olympics. And we also found that they really want to continue this struggle even though they know that it's a high-risk game, and even though it pits them against their revered spiritual head, the Dalai Lama.

So that is a confrontation really waiting to explode into the open.

In Burma, Myanmar, where Cyclone Nargis hit just a few months ago and caused so many casualties, a military junta is in charge there, and today it's the monks who are on the front lines of the people's movement, trying to get their freedom from this junta who has crushed democracy really for the last nearly 20 years there -- Betty.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NGUYEN: It is a fascinating report.

And we need to tell you that the government of China declined CNN's repeated request for an interview. But tonight and tomorrow night, Christiane Amanpour goes inside the world of Buddhism and the fight for freedom and democracy.

Don't miss "Buddha's Warriors" at 8:00 Eastern, only on CNN.

MARCIANO: As part of our effort to help you make informed choices when it comes to the presidential election, from now until November we're going to play more of what the candidates are saying in their own words on the campaign trail. John McCain spoke to the National Urban League in Orlando yesterday. Listen to what he had to say about improving education.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R-AZ), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Over the years, Americans have heard a lot of tired rhetoric about education. We've heard it in the endless excuses of people who seem more concerned about their own position than about our children. We've heard it from politicians who accept the status quo rather than stand up for real change in our public schools.

Parents ask only for schools that are safe, teachers who are competent, and diplomas that open the doors of opportunity. When a public school fails repeatedly to meet these minimal objectives, parents ask only for a choice in the education of their children.

Some parents may choose a better public school. Some may choose a private school. Many will choose a charter school. No entrenched bureaucracy or union should deny parents that choice and our children that opportunity.

We should also offer more choices to those who wish to become teachers. Many thousands, highly qualified men and women, have great knowledge, wisdom and experience to offer public school students. But a monopoly on teacher certification prevents them from getting that chance.

You can be today a Nobel laureate and not qualified to teach in most public schools today because they don't have all the proper credits and educational theory or methodology. All they have is learning and the desire and ability to share it. If we're putting the interest of students first, then those qualifications should be enough.

If I'm elected president, school choice for all who want it, an expansion of opportunity scholarships and alternative certification for teachers will be part of a serious agenda for education reform. I will target funding to recruit teachers who graduate in the top 25 percent of their class, or who participate in an alternative teacher recruitment program such as Teach for America, the American Board for Certification of Teacher Excellence, and the New Teacher Project.

We'll pay bonuses to teachers who take on the challenge -- and it's a great challenge of working in our most troubled schools -- because we need their fine minds and good hearts to help turn those schools around. We'll award bonuses as well to our highest achieving teachers, and no longer will we measure teacher achievement by conformity to process. We'll measure it by the success of their students.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MARCIANO: Meanwhile, Barack Obama will speak to the National Urban League this afternoon at a town hall not too far away in St. Petersburg, Florida. Yesterday, he talked about how he would get the economy back on track.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OBAMA: I had a conversation with my top economic advisers on Monday. And we agreed that the main risk facing the economy today is to do too little in the face of these growing economic troubles. And that's why I'm announcing a two-part emergency plan to help struggling families help make ends meet.

The first part of my plan is $1,000 emergency energy rebate that would go out to families this fall to cover rising prices not only in gas but also in home fuel.

(APPLAUSE)

So that rebate would offset the rising cost at the pump over the next four months. Or if you live in a state where it gets cold during the winter, it will help offset increased heating bills. Or you can use those rebates for other bills that you've got to pay.

But as we provide relief, we also have to be mindful of the swelling budget deficit. And that's why I'm proposing that we pay for the rebate by taxing the windfall oil profits of companies like ExxonMobil.

(APPLAUSE)

Now, keep in mind, ExxonMobil announced that it had made $12 billion almost -- almost $12 billion last quarter, more than any U.S. corporation has ever made in a single quarter. It's time we use some of those record profits to help ordinary Americans pay for record prices.

Now, the second part of my plan is $50 billion in stimulus to help jump-start job creation and help local communities that are struggling due to our economic downturn.

(APPLAUSE)

Half of the stimulus will go to state governments that are facing big budget shortfalls. When state governments are forced to cut spending on essential services, like police or firefighters, it doesn't just undermine our communities, it makes our economic problems even worse. By offering $25 billion to state governments, we can help ensure that they don't have to let workers go or freeze their salaries or raise property taxes on families who are hurt. And we can also help ensure that they continue providing foreclosure counseling and other services to help families stay in their homes in areas that have been hard hit by our housing crisis.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MARCIANO: That was yesterday. This is now. Senator Barack Obama speaking at a town hall meeting in Titusville, Florida. You are looking at live pictures from our affiliate, WKMG.

And remember, for the latest on the presidential race, you can log on to our Web site, CNNPolitics.com, 24/7. It's the most politics on the Web.

NGUYEN: Do you recall all those toy recalls last Christmas? Well, lawmakers say they are finally getting tough on tainted toys, but is it too little, too late?

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NGUYEN: So, thinking about a little vacation? Maybe Disney World, Disneyland? OK. Well, listen to this: A trip to Mickey Mouse's pad is going to cost you more beginning tomorrow, so you better go today.

Disney is raising the price of a single day admission ticket. Listen to this. If you are older than 10 years old, it will now cost you $75. That is up $4.

MARCIANO: Wow.

NGUYEN: Yes. And a ticket for a child 3 to 9 goes from 60 bucks to 63. So get out the cash.

MARCIANO: Mickey making money.

All right. Remember all those recalls of so-called tainted toy this past holiday season? There were 45 million toys and children's products recalled last year, mainly due to safety concerns over lead poisoning and dangerous chemicals.

Now it looks like lawmakers are finally getting tough on the makers of these potentially dangerous toys. Earlier this week, lawmakers passed a bill that bans lead and other dangerous chemicals from kids' toys, toughens rules for testing toys, and doubles budget of the Consumer Product Safety Commission. President Bush says he will sign the bill.

So, is it enough? Let's ask our next guest, Don Mays, senior director of Product Safety for Consumers Union. They're the publisher of "Consumer Reports."

Good morning, Don. Thanks for joining us. Let's get right to this.

DON MAYS, SR. DIRECTOR, PRODUCT SAFETY, CONSUMERS UNION: Good morning, Rob.

MARCIANO: I mean, you've been doing this a while. I assume you like the bill.

What's the one thing that stands out that's most impressive to you?

MAYS: Well, the fact is that the levels for lead for all children's products, not just paint, is going to be reduced to just very minute amounts. And even the lead quantity in paint is going to be reduced.

Plus, children's toys are now going to have to be tested for safety prior to going to market. They're going to have to comply with the standards that have always been voluntary, but now they're going to become mandatory. We think that's going to help to reassure consumers that the toys that they buy in the future are going to be safe for their children to play with.

MARCIANO: You know, you mentioned -- this word "voluntary" just kind of jumps out at me. How can it be voluntary for so long? I mean, we have so many other regulatory agencies that regulate our drugs, regulate our food.

Why has it taken this long to get this item of concern regulated?

MAYS: Well, our government has been relying on voluntary standards to help protect the safety of consumers with the products that they use. That system just has not been working. That's why there were so many recalls of products last year, and those recalls are continuing this year.

What we need now are mandatory standards. You know, manufacturers, they're going to have to meet the voluntary standards for toys, and also for all-terrain vehicles which have been killing hundreds of people every year. Now there are going to be mandatory standards for those also.

MARCIANO: So have the products changed? Because I just -- you know, I think -- if you think back 20, 30 years ago, 40 years, were we making better kids products and it wasn't as much of an issue, or are we just getting more paranoid now?

MAYS: Well, one of the things that's been going on is a lot of cost-cutting, and as well as outsourcing of the manufacturing of toys. Eighty-five percent of the toys that are coming into this country have been produced in China. And industry hasn't done a very good job of monitoring themselves, policing themselves to make sure that the products that are being produced for them are safe for children to use.

So what's going to happen now is the government has stepped in. They're going to say, well, industry, you're not going to continue to police yourself. We're going to put systems in place and safeguards in place so that toys are tested and carry a certification mark prior to coming to market. That will make sure that not only the retailers are sure that the products they stock on their shelves are safe, but consumers, when they buy those toys, can look for those marks to ensure that the products have been tested.

MARCIANO: Don, you mentioned a country, China. I mean, we get a lot of products from them a lot of toys as well. How is this going to affect the toys and kids' products coming over from China?

MAYS: Well, certainly it will help to end some of the unscrupulous business practices that have been going on over there, where substandard components have been substituted in products. It's also going to make sure that manufacturers are more vigilant in testing the toys on a regular basis. So we're hoping that that's going to help ease the pain that the American consumer has been suffering in regard to jeopardizing the health and safety of their children.

MARCIANO: Don Mays, an expert on consumer safety joining us.

Thank you so much for your help, Don. Enjoy the rest of your weekend.

MAYS: You're very welcome. Thank you.

NGUYEN: Well, it is a ship fit for a king, or a dictator, anyway. Check out the Basrah Breeze. Find out the real story behind the ship on who used to own it.

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MARCIANO: Well, you learn something new every day. You may not know this, but the late Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein had a little boat.

NGUYEN: Yes.

MARCIANO: Or actually a yacht.

NGUYEN: I was going to say, a little boat? The boat is now anchored along the French Riviera. And CNN got an exclusive look at this fabulous floating palace.

And Josh Levs, he actually has the video of it.

LEVS: The video, some incredible stuff. And you know what? Saddam Hussein never set foot on this thing.

NGUYEN: Really?

LEVS: No. Let's take a look at this video. You guys have got to see what's on this.

We're told that in order to recreate it today, it would be about $155 million. And it's called the Basrah Breeze. Let me just tell you about some of the things that they have on there.

They have these staterooms with golden fixtures on the inside. There's eight of these.

They have Jacuzzis on the inside. There's a deck that can land a helicopter. Obviously, it had a big, fancy master bedroom that, you know, could work for a dictator. But here's the basic idea of what happened. Our Jim Bittermann got to go on this thing. Almost no one has seen it.

Apparently, no one has been on it except for 32 crew members, because Saddam Hussein gave it away during the war with Iran. And then he gave it to Saudi Arabia, which ended up giving it to Jordan. And now Jordan is trying to hold onto it.

Anyway, there was just a court case. The Iraqi people now own it.

That's our Jim Bittermann, who will be joining us in the noon hour today to tell us more about that. And also, you can see more of this on CNN.com right now, this incredible video from one of the fanciest yachts you will ever see in your entire life.

NGUYEN: Maybe the Iraqi people will put it on eBay.

MARCIANO: Exactly. Put that puppy on eBay.

NGUYEN: Get some money for this thing.

LEVS: You know what? They're talking about making it a floating museum to remind everyone of what Saddam made people do for him.

NGUYEN: That's a good idea. All right.

MARCIANO: Thanks, Josh.

NGUYEN: Thank you, Josh.

LEVS: Thanks, guys.

NGUYEN: Listen to this -- mauled by a black bear.

MARCIANO: Yes. Somehow, this woman survived. This morning, she's talking about that gruesome attack.

Stay with us for that.

NGUYEN: And next hour in the NEWSROOM, there is something about my (ph) car. Thieves want it, and they'll do almost anything to get it.

Find out how you could be at risk and how police are cracking down.

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NGUYEN: This morning we do have some new details from a gruesome bear attack in California. The woman who found herself clutched in the jaws of black bear last week is actually sharing her story with us for the first time.

MARCIANO: Yes, she did survive, but as you can see, Allena Hansen has some extensive injuries to her face. Doctors say part of her scalp was actually hanging off when they saw her after she went for help. We want you to hear from Hansen directly, but we must warn you, it's pretty graphic and disturbing.

Take a listen.

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ALLENA HANSEN, SURVIVED BEAR ATTACK: My first sensation was that, a little, tiny bear, but what a bully. Then I found myself down on the ground.

I heard "Chomp, chomp, chomp." I felt it go through my skull. I felt it bite through this eye.

I heard, you know, kind of a squishy, crunchy pop. I went, "There goes my eye."

Then it got a hold of my face and started shaking, you know, worrying (ph) it. And I could feel it tearing off. I could feel the blood -- you know, the wetness. I could see it dripping. I could hear it whooshing. And I think the one thing that was most vivid to me was watching that little bugger spit my teeth out.

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NGUYEN: Called him "a little bugger." I think I would have called him a lot more than just that.

She was so calm about it. You know, "Crunching through my head." And then she felt her eye come out of its socket. My goodness.

MARCIANO: Most people would go into shock and not remember a thing.

NGUYEN: Right.

MARCIANO: But she remembers everything, especially getting very upset at that bear who spit her teeth out.

NGUYEN: Teeth out.

MARCIANO: Well, her dogs were there to help her out. I mean, they weren't seriously injured, but they've been credited with potentially saving her life.

NGUYEN: Good thing.

MARCIANO: Officials say though they're still searching for the bear.

NGUYEN: I hope they find it.