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Waiting on Obama's Running Mate; Russian Troops Remain in Georgia; Russia Warns U.S. About Missiles in Poland

Aired August 21, 2008 - 15:00   ET

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

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, everyone. I'm Kyra Phillips, live at the CNN Headquarters in Atlanta.
You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

Relentless, saturating, catastrophic -- Tropical Storm Fay simply won't leave Florida alone. In this hour, it's buffeting (ph) the Flagler Beach in the St. Augustine area. This is Fay's third run over the state this week and that's just going to add to the record rains there in the central part of the state. Water is waist high and rescuers are using airboats now to ferry some of those residents to safety.

Another concern, alligators swimming in the streets. That's not a good thing, Chad Myers. You need to get the storm out of here.

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Finally it's moving. It's finally moving now off to the west, across the peninsula and maybe into the Gulf of Mexico. And that point, I don't even care, I don't care if it gets in the Gulf -- gets a little bit stronger, it's not going to get strong enough to be a hurricane again. I just need to get this thing moving, because the rainfall totals are unbelievable.

Melbourne now, over two feet of rain and in Cocoa Beach, right up there too, 23.29 inches of rainfall coming down in the past -- about -- 48 to 72 hours.

Just notice the eye, and notice how much we're getting, a little bit more distance between the shore and the east side or the west side of the eye. It is moving to the west, slowly, but it's moving, drenching Lake County, all the way down here to parts of St. Johns County, into Orlando. That's about Orange County there, too.

And let it drench across, because at least now we're moving some rain around. Two to three inches in any one area, great -- 26 inches in one area, never a good thing, no matter what happens to that. It is never going to run off like you hope. Even in Florida soil, which is really a sandy soil, because it was all beach at one point in time, you just can't get all of that water to go down fast enough when you get two to three inches of rain per hour.

Finally some good news here, Kyra. We're getting it to move. And it is going to be eventually here into the Gulf of Mexico, maybe spreading some rain into a drought-parched Alabama as well -- Kyra.

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: All right, thanks, Chad. A Florida mother is out of the slammer and her daughter is still missing. A crush of cameras met Casey Anthony, free today on a $500,000 bond. The money, put up by an out-of-state bondsman and a bounty hunter, who says being out of jail might prompt Anthony to talk.

Her daughter, Caylee, disappeared in June. The child's grandmother reported her missing in July. Today, the mother entered a plea of not guilty to charges of child neglect, obstruction and making false statements.

Now, in the race for the White House, we're still on the veepstakes watch this hour. There is no e-mail or text message yet from Barack Obama on his choice for running mate. He's expected to announce his decision some time this week. And we're waiting for John McCain's decision as well. Sources have told us that it might be announced a week from tomorrow, after the close of the Democratic Convention.

Democrats gather just four days from now to kick off the convention.

CNN's Joe Johns joins me now from Denver.

Joe, security obviously going to be tight, right? But tell me about what's being called the Gitmo jail for protesters. Is it really as bad as people are saying?

JOE JOHNS, CNN SENIOR CORRESPONDENT: Well, probably not.

(LAUGHTER)

JOHNS: If you look at what the police are saying, they're looking at a worst-case scenario of anywhere between 20,000 to 50,000 protesters. But you know how this goes. Whenever one of these conventions comes up, everybody starts talking about the numbers they're expecting. And those numbers usually don't materialize.

Nonetheless, as you said, they do have this makeshift jail. They took over a warehouse essentially and set it up so that they have these pens in there to put people as they are arrested and brought through. The protesters started calling it Gitmo. They say it's un- American.

The authorities say, look, there was one convention -- that was the New York Republican Convention -- where they had more than 1,000 protesters and they had to do something, because they didn't have the facilities to book those people and get them into the system. That's what they're trying to accomplish. They have don't plan for people to stay even overnight in this temporary processing facility, Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right, temporary, hence temporary.

All right, you had a tour inside the convention center as well, right? What's the setup? JOHNS: Yes. Well, it's pretty nice. It's very, very fancy. CNN has a set down there where all the anchors are going to be basically based throughout the three days that the convention is here at the center, the Pepsi Center, in Denver. And then, as you know, it moves across the way several hundred yards to a mile to Invesco Center. That's the football field where Obama is expected to give his big speech.

So, there is a lot of work behind the scenes to try to make that quick pivot from Wednesday night to Thursday and be ready, because the last time this was done was 1960. That was when John Kennedy was nominated in Los Angeles. It was a lot easier in some ways back then. You didn't have those 24-hour news cycles and a whole bunch of people and cameras and equipment that you have to move in such a short time. So, it's a really technological challenge for folks at CNN to try to accomplish that and do it seamlessly. And they're working on it -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Yes. And I know you will be working it as well.

Now, what's interesting, through the years, as we well know, that people aren't allowed to get very close to the stage, in particular, the podium. I know that can be a tremendous security threat. Is that the same situation here?

JOHNS: Well, certainly that's true. And there is a lot of security in there. You actually have to take a special badge that you wave through a reader or whatever just to get in. Then you have to check back out when you come outside.

But there is also the issue of just suspense. The Democratic National Committee wants this big podium to be a big surprise. I can tell you, I have seen it. It's very high-tech. And the truth is, when I walked in and took a look at it, the first thing that came out of my mouth is wow. And reporters don't say wow a lot.

(LAUGHTER)

PHILLIPS: Yes, we do.

All right, I'm just thinking of the Beijing Olympics, right, and opening night and remember the guy running across the front.

(CROSSTALK)

PHILLIPS: Yes. Are we going to see anything dramatic like that?

JOHNS: Well, it should be pretty dramatic. I mean, I don't think you're going to see Barack Obama on that stage. I'm not certain of it. I mean, you're going to see whoever the vice presidential nominee is. You are going to see Bill Clinton out there. You're going to see Hillary Clinton out there. You're going to see Mark Warner, who is a keynote speaker. And you are going to see Barack Obama's wife, Michelle, speaking I think on the first night of the convention, so, a lot going on. But I think the big moment is with whatever it's going to be, tens of thousands of people they expect at Invesco Field, when Barack Obama goes accepts the nomination, goes from presumptive nominee to nominee.

PHILLIPS: Well, we will be with you through the entire thing. Hopefully all our viewers will stick with us as well.

Joe, thanks a lot.

Well, some Democrats consider him a turncoat. Senator Joe Lieberman was the party's vice presidential nominee eight years ago. And now he's one of the speakers at the Republican National Convention. That decision is also raising some eyebrows among Republicans.

Here's CNN's Ed Henry.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ED HENRY, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): John McCain's decision to put Joe Lieberman front and center at his convention has the unique distinction of unsettling both Democrats and Republicans.

SEN. JOHN MCCAIN, (R) PRESUMPTIVE PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: What can I say about Joe Lieberman my dear and beloved friend.

HENRY: Democrats are furious Lieberman is playing along with McCain's push for Independent voters. But some Republicans are also anxious, fearful this is one of many signs McCain may be opening the door to a running mate who supports abortion rights.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Are you going to pick a vice president that conservatives can actually rally around in the future, or are you going to give us someone who will cause us to want to stay home perhaps?

HENRY: At a town hall in New Mexico, McCain was pressed on the matter twice and kept his cards close to the vest both times.

MCCAIN: I will nominate a person to be vice president, my running mate, who shares my principles, my values, and my priorities. And that's the best that I can tell you.

I said on Saturday night that I have a proud pro-life record in Congress, and I am proud of that. I respect the views of others.

HENRY: Saturday was the Faith Forum, where McCain won raves from conservatives for speaking out forcefully against abortion. But the right is now bluntly warning McCain he will wipe out the goodwill from that forum if he selects someone who supports abortion rights, like Lieberman or Tom Ridge.

Veteran activist Richard Viguerie issued an open letter to McCain Wednesday, declaring, Poke the base of the Republican party, the conservatives, in the eye one more time by choosing a pro-abortion vice presidential candidate, and conservatives will show you that two can play the maverick game.

(on camera): There's chatter within the McCain campaign that the Lieberman- Ridge trial balloon has really just been a smoke screen for Mitt Romney. According to this theory, if McCain picks Romney, he can address any conservative concerns by saying, at least he's not Ridge.

KEN DUBERSTEIN, FORMER WHITE HOUSE CHIEF OF STAFF: He can nominate or try to nominate anybody he wants. He is, in fact, the leader of the party now going forward, but it would be a very bumpy road.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The next president of the United States.

HENRY (voice-over): Picking a moderate would be a road less traveled for sure, but as some McCain friends point out, the senator can be quite unpredictable, which is why conservatives are on edge.

Ed Henry, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: A multimillion-dollar scam allegedly operating out of a well-known university. CNN's Special Investigation Unit uncovering the scandal rocking one of the country's top research schools.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: An update now on a horrific robbery that we told you about earlier this week in the NEWSROOM.

Remember the surveillance video of a man we showed you attacking an 85-year-old woman inside a Brooklyn elevator? Well, he took $900 from her. She had just withdrawn it from a bank. He also swiped her cane. Can you believe that?

New York police say that they have arrested him, though. He's 36-year-old Cornelius Abson. He's allegedly confessed to the attack and one other assault. Abson was out on parole. He's a repeat felon, by the way, with 11 prior arrests. This latest attack is one of at least a dozen on elderly people in Brooklyn since late June. That victim, by the way, he choked her until she passed out, but she survived.

Well, if you have ever been bilked by a Ponzi scheme, you're hardly alone. A clever crook can trump can trump a savvy investor. And that appears to be the case in a scam rocking the University of Miami.

The story now from Abbie Boudreau of our Special Investigations Unit.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ABBIE BOUDREAU, CNN SPECIAL INVESTIGATIONS UNIT CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is the University of Miami, one of the nation's leading research schools. But investigators and alleged victims say that computers, employees and offices on campus were used in a massive fraud scheme that lost investors tens of millions of dollars.

WAYNE BLACK, PRIVATE INVESTIGATOR: Accountants, lawyers, retired law enforcement officers, business people -- it's a shame. Some dipped into their 401(k) for the quick turn around.

BOUDREAU: Those investors say the scheme, complete with detailed flow charts and fake invoices, was masterminded by this man, Andres Pimstein, a University of Miami business school graduate.

(on camera): These court papers from lawsuits filed against Pimstein outline how it allegedly worked.

(voice-over): Pimstein told investigators he was running a company called the Bottom Line of South Florida, selling perfumes and electronics to a big department store chain in South America called Ripley. There is no indication the chain knew anything about the alleged scam.

Instead, investigators say the Ponzi scheme was paying off early investors with late investors' money.

(on camera): How much more did you put in?

VICTOR GONZALEZ, INVESTOR: About $2 million.

BOUDREAU: $2 million.

GONZALEZ: Yes.

BOUDREAU: Wow.

GONZALEZ: Yes.

BOUDREAU: That hurts, huh?

GONZALEZ: Yes, hurts a lot.

BOUDREAU (voice-over): Victor Gonzalez is a real estate investor. When he heard Pimstein was offering an 18 percent return, he bought in.

(on camera): And do you think you'll ever see that money again?

GONZALEZ: Probably not, probably not.

BOUDREAU (voice-over): And other investors likely won't either. Overall, investigators tell CNN investors lost some $30 million.

BLACK: This Ponzi grew like a virus.

BOUDREAU: Gonzalez hired Wayne Black, a former public corruption supervisor in Miami who now owns a private investigation firm. Black found the links between the investment scheme and the University of Miami.

BLACK: Pimstein was able to convince a couple of people there to use their computers to control the bank accounts that he had laundered the money through.

BOUDREAU: Black says several university computers were used to monitor the bank accounts, and as many as three dozen investors worked for U.M., including two former senior officials of the school.

This building on campus is where some of the alleged victims told us the investment meetings took place. CNN learned Pimstein even had a joint bank account with the university's director of contract administration, a man named Alan Weber.

GONZALEZ: One time we met, just me, Pimstein and Weber the University of Miami in a conference room. There were specifics about what the interest rate was going to be. They wanted me to be on the board of directors of this company.

BOUDREAU: But Weber's wife told us her husband was also a victim and no longer works for U.M.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No, I can't comment on anything. Thank you.

BOUDREAU: The university told CNN it's "aware that authorities are investigating an investment program involving a few current or former employees and went on to say, "University funds are not involved and will cooperate fully with the investigation."

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: So, where's Pimstein? Did you track him down? Does he have anything to say?

BOUDREAU: Well, we did try to ask Pimstein some questions. But he says his attorney told him not to comment. And when we asked him who his attorney is, so we could try talking to him, he declined to tell us.

I did talk to an FBI spokeswoman, who confirmed the agency is investigating this entire scheme. But, beyond that, she gave no other details.

Now, Miami Dade Police told us Pimstein confessed on tape to the entire Ponzi scheme, and that confession is now in the hands of the FBI.

PHILLIPS: So, did you have a chance to anybody else at the University of Miami who invested in the program?

BOUDREAU: Yes, well, we did have an interview actually scheduled with a woman who said that she lost about $25,000. And at the very last second, she canceled the interview. She said that university officials told her she shouldn't be talking about her case to CNN. So, there is a just lot more to this story. We're going to keep digging. We have already found out -- you know, heard from other investors. And I think this is just the tip of the iceberg.

PHILLIPS: The hardest part is that none of these investors will probably get any of that money back.

BOUDREAU: Well, that's what it seems like, yes.

PHILLIPS: All right, Abbie, thanks.

BOUDREAU: Thank you.

PHILLIPS: Well, it turns out it's not just the housing industry feeling the crunch. Even the publications that cover housing are hurting. We head to Wall Street for an explanation in just a second.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BUSINESS REPORT)

PHILLIPS: Well, the cars of tomorrow are here today being scrutinized for safety and efficiency.

CNN's Jacqui Jeras has more on "The Next Big Thing."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST (voice-over): This Toyota Prius looks just like any other on the road today, but, inside, its trunk hides what could be the next big thing in alternative fuel, a high- pressure hydrogen tank.

SALVADOR ACEVES, LLNL ENGINEER: With this vehicle, and our pressure vessel, we were able to demonstrate the longest driving distance for a hydrogen car, at 650 miles.

JERAS: The 40-gallon tank is made of carbon fiber and lined with aluminum. It's part of an ongoing research sponsored by the Department of Energy at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California. The vehicle is battery-powered to run on electricity at low speeds and hydrogen at high speeds. Hydrogen is a highly flammable element, but researchers say the tank is safe.

TIM ROSS, LLNL CHIEF TECHNICIAN: We did a gunshot test with this tank, and it passed successfully the gunfire test with an armor- piercing bullet, went into the tank, but did not come out the other side.

JERAS: They also placed the tank in a bonfire for more than 30 minutes and dropped it from a height of 30 feet. While safety is incredibly important, so is the environmental benefit.

ACEVES: So, you can tune the engine to produce basically zero emissions of regulated pollutants. JERAS: And what comes out of the tailpipe is water vapor. Researchers say the next step is to make a smaller tank that can fit underneath the vehicle.

Jacqui Jeras, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: They say they're leaving, but Russian troops are still in Georgia. And it's not just Georgians that are nervous.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Three twenty-seven Eastern time right now, and here are some of the stories we're working on for you.

Tropical Storm Fay has come back ashore for the third time in four days. This is near Flagler Beach, Florida. The slow-moving storm has caused flooding and evacuations.

Barack Obama made an appearance today with Virginia Governor Tim Kaine, but he was mum about whether Kaine will be his vice presidential running mate. Obama is expected to reveal his choice by Saturday.

Negotiators are said to have reached a tentative agreement on the future of U.S. troops in Iraq. Iraq's foreign minister appeared at a news conference today with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who arrived in Baghdad on an unannounced visit.

It's been two weeks now since Russian troops and tanks crossed the border into Georgia, and there have been promises that they were pulling out, but it hasn't happened yet. Now, once again, the Kremlin says all Russian forces will be out of their dig-in -- or their dug-in positions, rather, by tomorrow evening. But that's not looking very promising.

According to reports from across Georgia, Russian forces still occupy several key cities and regions, with no apparent urgency to move out. And that includes the Black Sea port city of Poti.

So, what got us to this point, this stubborn stare-down in the former Soviet Union? Well, North Ossetia, South Ossetia, who wants to break away from Georgia, and why does Russia care, and, for that matter, why should we?

All of these questions, and nobody better to break it down for us than our former longtime Moscow bureau chief, Jill Dougherty.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JILL DOUGHERTY, CNN INTERNATIONAL U.S. AFFAIRS EDITOR (voice- over): About the only thing both Georgia and Russia agree on is that tension between Georgia and its breakaway region of South Ossetia was escalating. Peacekeepers from Georgia, Russia, and Ossetia stationed in the region since 1992, after a bloody civil war, were unable to stop mounting sporadic border clashes.

In July, both sides carried out planned military exercises. Russia launched the Caucasus 2008 war games. Georgia began a smaller joint exercise with forces from the United States. Also in July, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice traveled to the Georgian capital, Tbilisi, in a public display of support for Washington's close ally, President Mikhail Saakashvili.

Privately, however, aides say, the U.S. was warning Saakashvili not to risk a fight with Russia by starting military action against the breakaway republic.

At the beginning of August, there were lethal provocations on both sides. Georgian policemen were killed, the South Ossetian capital of Tskhinvali came under fire from Georgia.

On the evening of August 7th, the Georgian president went on television, announcing a unilateral cease-fire, calling it a difficult decision.

(on camera): Both Russia and Georgia have released these written detailed timelines of what they claim was happening in the early hours of the conflict. And it's at this hour, in the evening of August 7th, that each paints an entirely different picture.

(voice-over): Moscow claims just a few hours after the Georgian president's cease-fire announcement, Georgia launched a massive offensive against South Ossetia with all types of weapons, hitting the capital, Tskhinvali, killing civilians and Russian peacekeepers.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): The entire responsibility for the conflict, for the cruel actions committed rests upon the shoulders of the Georgian leadership.

DOUGHERTY: Georgian officials claim that Russian troops struck first -- invading through a tunnel into South Ossetia. They insist Georgian troops never entered South Ossetia until 4:30 the next morning.

GEN. ANATOLY NOGOVITSYN, RUSSIAN MILITARY DEPUTY CHIEF OF STAFF: And, in fact, they were already inside my territory. The truth was that we fired back at a Russian incursion. We excused the right of self-defense against the people who were already inside our territory.

DOUGHERTY: Both sides claim the outbreak of fighting caught them by surprise. Georgia says President Saakashvili cut short a vacation in Italy and returned to Tbilisi as tensions mounted.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev was on a working vacation on the Volga River and returned quickly to Moscow midday on August 8th.

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin was in Beijing at the opening of the Olympic Games, in the company of U.S. president, George W. Bush.

Both sides accused each other of planning this war in advance. VASIL SIKHARULIDZE, GEORGIAN AMBASSADOR TO U.S. (THROUGH TRANSLATOR): At the moment, the offensive began, which was planned perfectly, according to the textbook of military science, the Georgian Army was confronted by 587 lightly armed Russian peacekeepers and small groups of South Ossetians. They outnumbered them 12 to 1. From the military point of view, this advantage is overwhelming.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I want to be clear. The Russian invasion was a highly organized, well planned (INAUDIBLE) military operation. You just don't move more than 1,200 tanks and 15,000 soldiers into a country within 12 hours without previous planning.

DOUGHERTY: Why would Russia or Georgia resort to force?

Military analyst Pavel Felgenauer believes Russia wanted to prevent Georgia from joining NATO.

PAVEL FELGENAUER, DEFENSE ANALYST: Russian generals said that they were ready to use force to prevent that. And that was, of course, the main objective -- to not just simply overthrow the Saakashvili regime right that's present right now in Georgia, but basically smash the Georgian state. For that, you also have to fully destroy the Georgian military.

DOUGHERTY: But another Russian military expert disagrees.

RUSLAN PUKHOV, RUSSIAN MILITARY ANALYST: I don't think that Russians really wanted this. And you can see the consequences -- two thirds of the world against Russia and like morally and spirituality, we're lost. Like physically and militarily, we won. But the consequences are very terrible.

DOUGHERTY: The war in Georgia ended with a cease-fire after little more than a week. But both sides will be adding up the price they paid for it for a long time.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Jill Dougherty now joining us live from Moscow -- Jill, is this tomorrow pull out deadline promised by Russia really a realistic thing?

What's your take?

DOUGHERTY: Well, it's supposed to be. I know there's been a lot of confusion about that and the United States and the West are quite fed up with a lot of the information that's been getting back and forth.

But the way it's supposed to happen, tomorrow, Friday the 22nd, at 6:00 a.m. Moscow time, those troops that Russia sent in are supposed to pull back out of Georgia.

Now we have to define what's Georgia. It means Georgia proper. They will be moving into South Ossetia, that breakaway region. And there's a zone -- a security zone around it. They'll be in that zone, too. Some will go back to Russia.

And then, finally, the Russian military is saying, in 10 days, those troops will be all the way back on Russian soil.

However, there will be peacekeepers who are allowed to be there according to a 1992 agreement. And they will still be in Georgia -- or at least in Ossetia in that border -- along it.

I hope that's clear, Kyra.

PHILLIPS: It's clear, all right. We'll be talking tomorrow. We'll see what happens.

Jill Dougherty, thanks so much.

And Russian leaders have other concerns on their borders besides Georgia. In a flashback to the cold war, officials in Moscow are warning a neighbor of a possible military attack if plans to build an American missile defense system materialize.

CNN's Zain Verjee now in Warsaw.

She joins us live -- Zain.

ZAIN VERJEE, CNN STATE DEPARTMENT CORRESPONDENT: Good afternoon, Kyra.

Well, Poland has come under attack in the past and they're hoping that it's not on the cards again in the future.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

VERJEE (voice-over): Warsaw seems like just another buzzing European capital. But the nightmare of communism is still burned into Poland's psyche.

PIOTR KASPRZAK, ARTIST: The world is changing, but they are not changing (INAUDIBLE).

VERJEE: The artist, the author of "Kashuk (ph)," is disgusted, but not surprised, by Russia's recent invasion of Georgia, saying the Kremlin is back to its old games.

KASPRZAK: The lesson is to prepare for some kind of danger and be prepared and be some kind of a system to be secure.

VERJEE: This week Warsaw signed a deal with the U.S. to base the missile defense system on Polish soil. Russia is threatening a nuclear attack against Poland, its former Soviet satellite.

But Kasprzak calls those empty words. Poland, he says, can count on American and NATO support.

KASPRZAK: I'm very happy we're going to have this system because, you know, if you won't keep the peace, get ready for the war. VERJEE (on camera): This mermaid stands as Warsaw's coat of arms. She lives in the Vistula River and carries a sword and shield, representing the fighting spirit of the city.

All around Warsaw, symbols of Poland's battles and scars.

(voice-over): Like this memorial to the Soviet invasion of 1939, when Poles were seized and loaded on railways, then massacred throughout the Soviet Union. Another for the 1944 Warsaw uprising. More than 200,000 were killed.

The Poles feel they were betrayed by allied forces, who never helped.

Mieczylaw Rogala and Stanislaw Focht witnessed those horrors.

"Russia is our neighbor, so why have an enemy?," Mieczylaw says. "Why create so much tension?"

They will never love Russia, but both men agree it benefits Poland to be friendly with Moscow. They also worry tensions will force up the price of oil and food.

"Russia is strong," Stanislaw says. "We have an enemy now. Simple people pay the price of grand political ideas."

We asked the two old buddies if they had faith the U.S. would fight for Poland if it became Russia's next target.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's very funny.

VERJEE: "You must be joking," Mieczylaw says.

This city, which has come so far, is again on edge -- aware the Russians there could once again threaten their mermaid's fighting spirit.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VERJEE: Kyra, these magazine headlines really capture the mood here in Poland. You can see this one shows a picture of the Russian prime minister, Vladimir Putin. And he has a little Hitler-like mustache and his hair is swept back. And the slogan here says "Adolph Putin." This is the polish edition of "Newsweek". And on the cover is the president of Poland. And he's in the cockpit of an airplane. And the headline is "Don't Be Soft On Russia" -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Wow!

So what do you think, are most Poles for or against the missile defense?

VERJEE: Well, there was a poll done fairly recently and they were asked just that. And I want to share those numbers with you. Forty-five percent of Poles were actually for it. They supported that. Thirty-six percent were against it. And 19 percent say they just don't know -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Well, yes. It doesn't surprise me you found the cutest old guys in the park.

Are you having a good time?

VERJEE: They were really, really cute. And we had a great time, actually. Warsaw is a beautiful place. I've never been here before. We had a little time to have some delicious pierogies. And while we were out there, we're learning how to speak a little Polish. Tresh (ph) is hello -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right. Outstanding. I'll look forward to some more.

Thanks, Zain.

Well, from sibling rivals to Olympic teammates, two brothers and a sister compete in taekwondo. And brother number three is the coach.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: All right. Let's check the latest Olympic medal count from the Beijing Games.

The United States leads with 95 total medals now. China is second with 83, followed by Russia, Great Britain and Australia. The Chinese actually led -- or lead, rather -- in gold medals, with 46 to 29 for the U.S.

Well, not a bad morning for America's first family of Olympic taekwondo. We're talking about the fighting Lopez clan. With youngsters Mark and Diana energy their first ever medals earlier today with an older brother to thank.

CNN's Larry Smith has our profile.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEAN LOPEZ, USA TAEKWONDO COACH: You know, I think you have a better chance of winning the lotto than seeing something like this happen.

LARRY SMITH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's one thing to have an Olympian in your family -- but imagine being an Olympic family. Meet the fighting Lopezes -- three siblings, all world champions in taekwondo, all U.S. Olympians -- the first time that's happened in more than 100 years.

J. LOPEZ: Actually, we broke that record because the older brother is coaching them. So there's four siblings on our Olympic team.

SMITH: I stand corrected.

(VIDEO CLIP) Leading the way is 29-year-old Steven, a two-time Olympic gold medalist who hasn't lost a match since 2002. Joining him as Olympians for the first time are little brother Mark and baby sister Diana.

STEVE LOPEZ, 2-TIME GOLD MEDALIST: I think it's been the toughest part to be the princess, the little sister; also having three older brothers who picked on her a lot as she was growing up. But I think that's what's made her the toughest.

DIANA LOPEZ, FIRST-TIME OLYMPIAN: They opened the doors and the road for me, you know, to make it easy for me. I train with the best. I train with guys. No one is going to be stronger or faster in the ring.

(VIDEO CLIP)

D. LOPEZ: You know, the sky is the limit for Marky. You know, he's Hollywood. You know, he does his back flips after he wins.

MARK LOPEZ, FIRST-TIME OLYMPIAN: Yes, I like to please the crowd. I like to blow kisses. I like to show my appreciation when they support me.

SMITH: Not only do the Lopezes share a deep commitment for each other, but all are driven by a fiery competitive spirit that never takes a day off.

D. LOPEZ: We can never have this little friendly game of poker or anything because it just excels and it becomes competitive.

J. LOPEZ: Having four siblings, the nature of going home for dinner and knowing that if you're late for dinner, that, you know, you wouldn't have any food left because, you know, we -- we're big eaters, can drive anyone to be competitive.

SMITH: But knowing how and when to push that drive is big brother and USA coach, Jean.

M. LOPEZ: He's the most essential part of the formula. Without him, we wouldn't even be on the national team together. We wouldn't be in this sport together. I mean, he's a father figure, a psychologist, our manager, our agent. He's everything.

J. LOPEZ: At the end of the day, it's the unconditional love for each other that, you know, pushes each other to levels that we never thought that we could accomplish.

S. LOPEZ: The question has been asked, you know, would you rather win your third Olympic gold medal or them win their gold medals?

And I mean, that's a no-brainer. You know, I would rather them win two gold and me not win.

SMITH: But for the Lopez family, coming up one short just isn't an option. (END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: And Mark reportedly came in one tick and one second from gold today. Little sister Diana earning the bronze.

They're known as bullet bikes and they can be extremely dangerous. We're going to tell you the outcome of this terrifying crash involving a bullet biker in Utah.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Well, here's the kind of twister that you wouldn't mind seeing in person. It's Colorado's cutest tornado. The finger like funnel emerged from a cloud near Denver, as storms swept through today -- or yesterday, rather. Nothing came of it.

And score one for this store clerk in this robbery Caught on Camera. It happened in California, where a clerk, Amy Anand decided to take on a masked robber and his shotgun. She wrestled with the 6'5" gunman, followed him around the counter, eventually chased him out of the store. Police caught the suspect later, after a hit and run accident.

And drama on a road in Northern Utah -- talk about brave women. A mother scrambles to save her two children before her SUV explodes. The cause of the fire -- a motorcycle rider who was hightailing it from police and who walked away from this horrid collision without an issue. A police camera caught him allegedly doing 100 miles an hour just moments before the Monday crash.

And one of the most amazing parts about this videotape -- the mother -- well, first of all, you can see the father and the mother. The mother going back to the car and pulling her two kids out of that SUV.

And Jenny Hill joins us on the phone right now.

And, Jenny, I don't know if you can see this video as we're watching it. You probably have seen it since you -- it made air. But tell me what went through your mind.

What did you feel? What do you remember from that moment?

JENNY HILL, INVOLVED IN ACCIDENT WITH CYCLIST: I can just remember I needed to get my kids out of the car. It was -- it was like instinct. It wasn't anything I had to think about. And I just remember hitting the motorcycle and getting out of the car and seeing that it was on fire and knowing that I needed to get my kids out.

PHILLIPS: Now you actually felt something and saw it was a motorcycle rider, right, and you got out to check on him and then realized your car was on fire?

HILL: Yes.

PHILLIPS: So you... HILL: I thought that maybe he was under our car. And I thought -- I got out to check on him and saw that it was on fire.

PHILLIPS: Unbelievable.

What was going through your mind?

HILL: I was hoping that he wasn't actually under the car and knowing that I needed to get my kids out before it went up and they were hurt.

PHILLIPS: So you've got a 5-year-old son, a 7-year-old daughter. Were they saying anything to you? What was their reaction to all of this?

HILL: They were totally silent. They didn't have anything to say. They were in shock, I think.

PHILLIPS: Now, what did you learn about yourself, as a mom, as your ability to react. I mean when it was all over did you -- were you holding your kids thinking oh, my God, I cannot believe what just -- what happened and what I just did?

HILL: I don't think I did anything different than any other mother would have. It's just automatic that you're going to do anything you can to save your kids. So I don't think I did anything anybody else wouldn't have done.

PHILLIPS: I'll tell you what, Jenny, you remained pretty calm and you reacted pretty quickly.

Your husband was driving the car, right?

HILL: Yes, he was.

PHILLIPS: Now, what did he say once all this started happening?

Did he say OK, you grab the kids, I'll -- I mean how did all -- how did you coordinate with him?

HILL: He -- actually, all I can remember him doing is sitting in the car with his hands on the steering wheel saying please don't let him be under there, please don't let him be under there.

PHILLIPS: Wow!

HILL: And I got out and looked. And all of it was on fire.

PHILLIPS: And I know this is -- you're probably feel the emotion remembering that moment right there. You actually are at work today.

When you got to work, did it kind of hit you at one moment? Did everybody want to talk to you about what happened? Was it a little overwhelming today?

HILL: It hasn't been too bad, knowing that he is OK and everybody else is OK. It's easier to think about it and laugh about it than think about it in horrific -- a tragic moment. It's easier just thinking and just think oh, wow, my car is toast now. It's just easier to laugh about it instead.

PHILLIPS: Well, you are a trooper.

Jenny Hill, you're an amazing mom. Your kids, your 5-year-old son, 7-year-old daughter and your husband all OK.

I hope people think twice when they start thinking about bullet biking. Not a smart thing to do.

We sure appreciate you talking with us, Jenny. Thank you very much for the interview.

PHILLIPS: You bet.

The closing bell and wrap up of all the action on Wall Street straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Well, catching a cold right before an important event -- it can happen to anyone, even Barack Obama.

Here's Jeanne Moos.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): He's sniffling.

SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Thank you.

MOOS: He's sneezing.

OBAMA: Everybody who's discharged...

(SNEEZING)

OBAMA: Excuse me.

MOOS: The candidate known for his cool caught a cold.

Wouldn't you know it, right before one of the biggest command performances of his career -- the convention.

OBAMA: (COUGHING)

I'm all right.

(SNEEZING)

OBAMA: That's OK. That's why I've got my handkerchief here.

MOOS (on camera): Now, normally it's the candidate who travels around with a supply of hand sanitizer and worries about getting infected by well-wishers.

(voice-over): But if you want to stay well, stay well away from him.

OBAMA: Wash your hands after you shake my hand, (INAUDIBLE).

MOOS: The threat of presidential candidate cooties didn't deter this crowd. Senator Obama said he caught the cold while vacationing in Hawaii with his kids.

OBAMA: They all got little germs.

(LAUGHTER)

OBAMA: I love them, but they have germs.

MOOS: All that hand holding.

OBAMA: They were wiping each other -- wiping noses.

MOOS: Now he's the one doing the wiping. Since he got back from vacation, think of all the germs he's spread to those shaking his hand, doing his makeup.

OBAMA: Here, you can borrow mine.

MOOS: Grabbing his contaminated mic. He shook this little girl's hand and posed with her, then her fingers went straight to her mouth.

As part of our continuing coverage of Infection '08, we can only warn supporters to look but don't touch. For instance, when the candidate dropped his water cap.

OBAMA: I lost my cap there for a second.

MOOS: Don't pick it up.

OBAMA: Thank you.

Thank you very much.

MOOS: Too late.

Months earlier in the campaign, the senator blew his nose.

(VIDEO CLIP)

MOOS: And it got a murmur of applause, sort of like when this panda started sneezing.

(VIDEO CLIP)

MOOS: As long as it's from a distance, sneezing can be crowd pleasing.

(VIDEO CLIP) MOOS: Jeanne Moos...

(VIDEO CLIP)

MOOS: ...CNN...

(VIDEO CLIP)

MOOS: ...New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Stephanie Elam, the candidate cooties -- is that like the Wall Street willies?

(LAUGHTER)

STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That panda was hilarious.

OK, I'm so caught up with that. That was funny.

(STOCK MARKET REPORT)

PHILLIPS: Let's take it now to "THE SITUATION ROOM" with Wolf Blitzer -- Wolf.