Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Hanna Heads for U.S.; McCain Accepts GOP Nomination; Condoleezza Rice in Libya

Aired September 05, 2008 - 11:00   ET

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

TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: And good morning again, everyone. You're informed with CNN.
I'm Tony Harris.

HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Hi there, everybody. I'm Heidi Collins.

Developments keep coming into the CNN NEWSROOM Friday, September 5th. Here's what's on the rundown.

Layoffs picking up speed over the summer. The nation's unemployment rate at a five-year high. It's issue #1.

HARRIS: The FDA calling for stronger warning labels on several arthritis drugs. They're linked to a killer respiratory fungus that mimics the flu.

COLLINS: Hanna heading for landfall in southeastern U.S. Florida looking over its shoulder at Ike. Tropical trouble -- in the NEWSROOM.

Several stories we are watching this hour, from storms off the coast to worries on Wall Street, to the race for the White House. Here now is what we are watching.

Tropical Storm Hanna headed toward landfall along the southeastern U.S. The latest on the forecast and storm preps for that.

Then, stocks off to a pretty rough start. You see the Dow there down 123 points or so. What's behind the slide?

And John McCain hitting the trail this morning after his big night at the Republican convention in St. Paul, Minnesota.

(BUSINESS REPORT)

COLLINS: Just getting some information in here to the CNN NEWSROOM on this. You are watching from our affiliate WLS Chicago, pretty nasty fire, obviously, by the looks of those flames and that very thick black smoke. Lots of crews on the scene there.

This is apparently a fire that has burned through the roof of a medical business. If you are familiar with the area, by any chance, we're talking about the northwest side Portage Park neighborhood. So, again, these pretty dramatic pictures coming in about this fire which burned through the roof of a medical building.

WLS, we appreciate those pictures out of Chicago today.

We'll keep our eye on that one for you.

Meanwhile, storms on two fronts. We are watching Tropical Storm Hanna, aiming for the Carolinas right now, a prodigious rainmaker being blamed for 137 flooding deaths in Haiti.

Also on our radar, dangerous Hurricane Ike still days away from Florida, but commanding very close attention. Rob Marciano is going to be joining us with details on both of those in just a couple of minutes.

HARRIS: Right now, let's check on the people in the Carolinas and how they're preparing for Hanna.

Our Kathleen Koch joins us live now from Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

And I would expect, Kathleen, with this storm approaching here, that it would be topic number one there in the Carolinas, and certainly where you are, probably above the fold in the local newspaper as well.

KATHLEEN KOCH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, yes, Tony, it was news above the fold in the local newspaper, but not the main headline. And while people are talking about it, they are not overreacting.

Tourism really is the lifeblood of this beach front community, Myrtle Beach. And that's where they're really seeing a lot of impacts. A lot of tourists have left.

This is a really big week for them, the Labor Day week. And hotels up and down the coast have huge occupancy signs out, vacancy signs.

Our hotel went from 80 percent occupancy to 30 percent with Hanna approaching. So what we're seeing is we're seeing the hotels bringing in the lounge chairs, the poolside furniture, bringing in the beach umbrellas. And we've talked to some tourists here on the beach who, despite the storm, they say they're going to stay.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We're a little worried, but we feel really safe here at the hotel. And we think that it might be a bit more dangerous to try to get home in the airplane in this weather. So we want to try to ride it out and go home when it's a bit safer.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Checkout is tomorrow and we're going to stay through tomorrow and ride it out. I think it will be fun and exciting and different, an experience to tell the kids when we get home.

(END VIDEO CLIP) KOCH: Now, the emergency operations center here in Myrtle Beach is telling people that come this afternoon, by around 3:00, about four hours from now, we should start having some high winds. Late tonight, when the storm really rolls in, they're expecting 70-mile-an-hour sustained winds and a nine-to-ten-foot storm surge.

They're starting to urge people, if you haven't battened down the hatches, do that. Do stay off the streets. This afternoon they've opened a couple of shelters for anyone who wants to evacuate. But there's not even a mandatory evacuation. Right now it's only voluntary for people in low lying areas, people in mobile homes, and in camper trailers, Tony.

So people are responding but not overreacting to this since it may only be a tropical storm when it comes in.

HARRIS: OK. Kathleen Koch for us this morning.

Kathleen, good to see you. Thank you.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COLLINS: Speaking of, Hurricane Gustav leaving a lasting mark on southern Louisiana. The region is far from recovered. Four days after the Category 2 storm roared ashore, power is out to more than 800,000 homes and businesses. That's nearly half the state.

About two million people, as you know, evacuated the region this week. Many of them returning home today will find some food and fuel shortages. The Salvation Army and Red Cross are providing hot meals across the state.

There are ways you can help victims of Hurricane Gustav. Find out at CNN.com's Impact Your World page. There you will find links to some organizations offering assistance, CNN.com/impact.

HARRIS: Police versus protesters. This got a little nasty. The two sides clash in demonstrations outside the Republican convention.

Well, police fire percussion (ph) grenades, as you can hear, to keep protesters at bay. Each time demonstrators tried to cross a highway separating them from the convention center, police moved to stop them. Officers in riot gear confronted one woman who refused to move and sprayed her with pepper spray. Police say they arrested almost 400 people last night, bringing the total for the week to more than 800.

COLLINS: Candidate of contrast. John McCain reaching beyond party lines as he accepts the Republican nomination for president.

CNN's Candy Crowley has the highlights from last night's speech.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CANDY CROWLEY, CNN SR. POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): An old warrior who survives hell and a political phoenix risen from the ashes of a campaign once declared dead. John McCain accepted his party's nomination Thursday and then painted himself as a non-party man.

SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R-AZ), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I've been called a maverick. Someone who -- someone who marches to the beat of his own drum. Sometimes it's meant as a compliment. Sometimes it's not.

What it really means is I understand who I work for. I don't work for a party. I don't work for a special interest. I don't work for myself. I work for you.

CROWLEY: He is facing the worst political environment Republicans have seen in decades. And he cannot win with Republican votes alone. So while McCain did tick off a number of solidly conservative positions, he also chastised his party for losing its way. Because this night was about the place most voters live, in the middle, where they look for something new.

MCCAIN: Let me just offer an advance warning to the old big spending, do nothing, me first, country second crowd. Change is coming.

CROWLEY: New is a hard sell for a 72-year-old with 26 years on Capitol Hill. But change is the watch word of the '08 election. So McCain sells the experience to bring change.

Still, even as he looks forward, the foundation of McCain's campaign is his past. The tale of a young soldier taken as a prisoner of war, tortured and imprisoned for five years.

MCCAIN: I fell in love with my country when I was a prisoner in someone else's. I loved it not just for the many comforts of life here. I loved it for its decency, for its faith, the wisdom, justice and goodness of its people.

I loved it because it was not just a place, but an idea. A cause worth fighting for. I was never the same again. I wasn't my own man anymore. I was my country's.

CROWLEY: The experience informs his life, infuses his campaign, and provides its overarching theme -- "country first." John McCain is on a mission.

Candy Crowley, CNN, St. Paul, Minnesota.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: And fresh from the spotlight, John McCain hits the trail in Wisconsin in less than an hour. McCain and running mate Sarah Palin hold a meet-and-greet in Cedarburg, and we will take you there live when that event begins.

And just minutes from now, Barack Obama scheduled to begin a town hall meeting in Pennsylvania. We will bring that to you live when Obama starts his remarks. Stay in the NEWSROOM for the latest developments from the campaign trail. And you can hear more from the candidates this weekend with the return of "CNN BALLOT BOWL," extensive cuts from the campaign trail, the candidates unfiltered, in their own words. "BALLOT BOWL" starting at 2:00 p.m. Eastern, that's Saturday, tomorrow, only on CNN.

COLLINS: A budding friendship with a former enemy. The U.S. secretary of state calls on Libya's leader today.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: Condoleezza Rice calling it an historic moment. She sits down today with Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi, the first secretary of state to visit Libya in more than 50 years.

CNN State Department Correspondent Zain Verjee reports from Tripoli.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ZAIN VERJEE, CNN STATE DEPT. CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Ahmed Diaf is learning the words to a Bob Marley tune as we set out for a ride in his Tripoli cab. He says Libya's day has come. For the first time in 55 years, a U.S. secretary of state, Condoleezza Rice, flies in to meet with Libya's leaders. This time the once-shunned Moammar Gadhafi.

AHMED DIAF, TRIPOLI CAB DRIVER: We know that once that relationship was not good, but I would like to (INAUDIBLE) America. I would like to emigrate to America. I listen about America's freedom.

VERJEE: Libya's coming out of the cold. Better relations, Ahmed hopes, will be good for business.

DIAF: We hope the American (INAUDIBLE) there's no problem here, not a reason.

VERJEE: Libyans are plugged into what's going on in the U.S. Many homes have satellite dishes. People tell us that they're tuning into the American political campaign.

The capital, Tripoli, is sleepy during these long days of Ramadan, but happening at night. People stay out until the small hours of the morning.

We meet Hamida and Hajir out shopping with friends in the old city. Hajir is a student at Tripoli College, where her professors are all American.

HAJIR, TRIPOLI STUDENT: Our relationship with America is good, and I hope it will come more good with Americans.

VERJEE: Hamida agrees, but adds, "The U.S. needs to understand the whole Arab world more and help it make peace." At a nearby cafe, young men relax over a shisha (ph) pipe and card games. Jalal has lived abroad and tells us Libyans need American technology and help with education. "More U.S./Libya contact," he says, "will benefit young people who want to study in America."

JALAL OMRAN, TRIPOLI RESIDENT: I think I see a bright future for Libya. I mean, today's Libya and tomorrow's Libya, it's going to be a bright future.

VERJEE: A future these young Libyans say has the world at its feet and America in its sights.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: Zain Verjee joining us now from Tripoli.

Zain, just the idea that Condoleezza Rice is going to sitting down with Moammar Gadhafi, you've got to think about that for just a moment here. I guess the larger question is, do you think the Libyans are going to stick to this deal?

VERJEE: Well, that's a question that a lot of critics are saying, how can you trust Moammar Gadhafi? This was the man that many viewed as the Osama bin Laden of the 1980s. The U.S. says that he's changed, he's proved that he's rehabilitated his image.

The thing is, the Libyans were supposed to put hundreds of millions of dollars in this new fund that were supposed to compensate the remainder of the amount of money due to the families of the victims of the Lockerbie bombing, the plane that exploded over Lockerbie, Scotland, in 1988. And that has not been done yet.

Secretary Rice wanted that to happen before she came. She's going to be here shortly and it hasn't happened.

Gadhafi is also a pretty unpredictable, mercurial guy. Who knows if he's just stringing the U.S. out and trying to get the best for himself?

The families, Tony, are really outraged. They say the U.S. has really sold them out and that Secretary Rice shouldn't even be here.

The bottom line, though, in the short term is that the benefits of both the U.S. and Libya is in terms of oil. Libya has a huge amount of untapped resources. The U.S. companies will be able to move around and do their business with a lot less hassle.

One other last thing, Tony, is that Libya has actually been very helpful to the U.S. when it comes to counterterrorism, particularly with al Qaeda in this region, and stopping Libyan fighters from going over into Iraq. So they say those are the pros, but there are a lot of questions about this -- Tony.

HARRIS: Yes.

Our State Department Correspondent Zain Verjee in Tripoli, Libya, for us.

Zain, good to see you. Thank you.

COLLINS: You may think it's the flu, but it could be a deadly lung fungus. Arthritis patients need to pay close attention to this medical news.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: In today's "Daily Dose," a new health warning about several popular arthritis drugs. In fact, rheumatoid arthritis drugs. The FDA says the drugs can raise the risks of deadly infections and consumers need to know about it.

CNN Medical Correspondent Elizabeth Cohen is here now to talk more about this.

So, an arthritis drug could actually lead to someone's death?

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, apparently, according to the FDA. They say there's a link. And Heidi, these are very popular arthritis drugs.

COLLINS: Yes.

COHEN: Let's talk, first of all, about what drugs we're talking about. There are four of them that have been linked to these deaths due to a fungal infection. And these are Enbrel, Remicade, Humira and Cimzia.

COLLINS: I've seen the ads, yes.

COHEN: And they have been linked to -- right, sure. They've been linked to 45 deaths, people who develop a terrible fungal infection called histoplasmosis. In many cases nobody caught it, and it sort of ran amuck, to put it that way.

Here are the things you need to watch out for symptoms if you're taking these drugs. These are the symptoms: fever, cough, shortness of breath, and fatigue. Now, the problem is...

COLLINS: That's everything. It seems like, anyway.

COHEN: Exactly. Right. Right. It seems like...

COLLINS: The flu.

COHEN: Right, exactly. It seems like the flu, and so people are just maybe calling their doctor, and the doctor might say, oh, take two aspirin and call me in the morning. No. If you're on these drugs, you have to say, hold on a second. Could I have this horrible infection?

COLLINS: Because you could actually die.

COHEN: Right. COLLINS: I mean, it could get so bad...

COHEN: Right, if untreated, absolutely. Absolutely.

COLLINS: Because when you think about a fungal infection, you don't think of it being that big of a deal.

COHEN: You think of toes or something. No. It's a very big deal when it gets into your bloodstream.

COLLINS: Jeez. All right. So the makers of the drugs are saying what?

COHEN: Well, there are four of them. We contacted all four and got responses from three. So let me read to you what they had to say.

COLLINS: OK.

COHEN: The makers of Remicade said, "Patient safety remains our primary focus at Centocor. We will fully cooperate with the FDA to strengthen existing warnings in the label for Remicade regarding this risk of fungal infections."

From the makers of Humira: "Information on histoplasmosis" -- that's the fungal infection -- "is already available on the Humira label. Because this infection is rare and can go unrecognized, Abbott will strengthen existing education efforts and prescribing information to reinforce awareness among physicians."

COLLINS: Any particular group of people taking this drug that need to be more careful than others?

COHEN: Yes. People who live in parts of the country, the Ohio River Valley, the Mississippi River Valley. I know it sounds weird.

COLLINS: Why?

COHEN: Because this fungus is more prevalent in those areas of the country. So you're more likely to pick it up in those areas of the country. So, again, the Ohio River Valley, the Mississippi River Valley.

Now, I also have to tell you about one other thing. There are concerns that people 18 and younger who have rheumatoid arthritis and are taking these drugs, there might be a higher risk of getting cancer. There have been some reports of lymphoma. So that's something also to keep in mind.

COLLINS: OK. Yes, boy, a lot to keep in mind.

COHEN: Yes.

COLLINS: Elizabeth Cohen, sure do appreciate it. Thanks.

COHEN: Thanks. COLLINS: And to get your "Daily Dose" of health news online, log on to our Web site. You'll find the latest medical news, including simple tips to save a life and an in-depth reports on sex addiction. The address, CNN.com/health.

HARRIS: More than half a million jobs lost this year. Unemployment hits a five-year high. The CNN money team watching issue #1 for you.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: Campaign events today. Look at this. We split the screen. We've got campaign events for you. Barack Obama on the trail this hour. His town hall meeting with voters in Pennsylvania expected to begin actually anytime now. We will bring you the Obama event when his remarks begin.

And fresh from his big night at the Republican convention, John McCain hits the trail in Wisconsin. McCain and running mate Sarah Palin hold a meet and greet in Cedarburg next hour. We will take you there live when that event begins.

COLLINS: Tracking a tropical train. Hanna in front and bound right now for the Carolina coast. The storm's massive flooding blamed for 137 deaths in Haiti.

And we've got our eye on the next storm in line, Hurricane Ike. Still a few days away from a possible Florida landfall but it's already looking, as you can see for yourself, pretty scary.

Our Rob Marciano in the weather center now to talk about the latest on both of these storms. So, Hanna first, then Ike.

ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Hanna's outer feeder bands are already rolling into the Carolina coastline. Here you go -- the outer banks, this has produced not only some gusty winds and some squally weather but also a couple of tornado warnings through Carteret County, Onslow County as well. But those have been allowed to expire. As a matter of fact, earlier this morning we had a waterspout that was detected off Salter Pass (ph).

Some active weather already being detected from Tropical Storm Hanna. The western side of it, closest to the center, we're seeing heavy thunderstorms in spots from Orlando down across, say, Lake Okeechobee and through West Palm, Coral Springs, maybe Ft. Lauderdale. So this thing is revving up and picking up steam, northwesterly, moving at 20 miles an hour now. It is forecast to drive into the coastline of the Carolinas here officially later on tonight and through early tomorrow.

Here is the track forecast. Note that we don't fill in these circles which indicates that we shouldn't get to hurricane status, but it's entirely possible. We go just another four miles an hour and boom we're at it. So this thing could come across as a Category 1 Storm. Either way, it's a strong tropical storm, it's going to do some damage, some wind damage. It's going to bring in some coastal flooding, anywhere from four to seven feet above the normal surge. And on top of that, power outages are going to be frequent as well.

Notice the track goes all the way through parts of Jersey and in through, potentially, Long Island. So this thing is going to be quite a weekend storm.

All right, this is going to be next week's storm, this is Hurricane Ike. It officially has winds of 120 miles an hour, it's a Category 3. Here is the latest forecast track from the National Hurricane Center. It doesn't look any better as far as getting rid of this thing than it did from the 5:00 a.m. advisory. Expected to regain Category 4 status potentially by the beginning of next week. Might be in Cuba, might be in Florida, might scoot through the Florida Straits and into the Gulf of Mexico. Either way, it's not a good scenario for sure.

But of immediate concern, obviously, battering wind and waves across the Carolina coastline and official landfall somewhere between Charleston and Wilmington probably later on tonight and early through tomorrow morning.

HARRIS: Boy, up into Long Island, huh?

MARCIANO: Yes, yes, they do -- it's been a while, but probably going to happen.

HARRIS: Isn't the U.S. Open tennis this weekend? We've got football. Hey, now, come on.

MARCIANO: Well I think it will probably stay east, like -- all towards the eastern fork out towards Montauk. The folks that like to party in the Hamptons may have a problem. You feel bad for them, don't you?

COLLINS: I do. I always do.

All right. Thank you, Rob.

MARCIANO: See you.

HARRIS: People in Carolina beach towns have a long history with tropical weather systems. As CNN's Stephanie Elam reports, many are placing Hanna in perspective.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The effects of Hanna will start being felt later today. But for many along the southern coast of North Carolina, it's business as usual. No boarded- up homes. No deserted restaurants for this beach community that's wrapping up it's peak summer season.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's such a beautiful day. It's been a beautiful week all week. I mean, you can't ask for anything all better. It's really surprising when you know something's out there coming this way. ELAM: But many locals don't think Hanna will be a devastating storm. In fact, the town of Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina, isn't forcing its residents to evacuate.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We look at it more or less as a nor'easter. A bad storm with some wind and some rain. But not hopefully a lot of damage.

ELAM: But as Hanna swayed between tropical storm and hurricane strength on its approach, North Carolina Governor Michael Easley said Thursday that he doesn't want people to take any chances.

GOVERNOR MICHAEL EASLEY, NORTH CAROLINA: It simply means people need to prepare now to get preparations out of the way today, first thing in the morning. You still have a little bit of time.

ELAM: The worst of the storm is expected to hit early Saturday morning and clear out by noon. The American Red Cross says it is prepared to help after Hanna churns through.

JOSEPH BECKER, AMERICAN RED CROSS: We feel confident that we're ready for Hanna. There's a lot more people behind the volunteers that are serving on Gustav.

ELAM (on camera): Now, while Hanna isn't causing too much of a disruption here, residents are keeping a close watch on Hurricane Ike, a much more powerful storm which could follow in Hanna's footsteps.

In Rice Hill Beach, North Carolina, I'm Stephanie Elam.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: And we certainly don't want to forget about another storm, and those who suffered through it. There are ways you can help the victims of Hurricane Gustav. Find out at CNN.com's Impact Your World page. There you will find links to some organizations already offering assistance. It's CNN.com/impact.

The labor markets take yet another big hit. A new government report shows the economy has now lost jobs every month this year. Susan Lisovicz is at the New York Stock Exchange with some numbers.

This was certainly not what anybody wants to hear, Susan.

SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN FINANCIAL CORRESPONDENT: No, but we were expecting bad and we got worse, Heidi. A troubling picture of the economy. The unemployment rate soared last month to 6.1 percent. That is a five-year high. A separate survey shows 84,000 people lost their jobs in August. Meanwhile, the job losses for June and July were revised to be much worse than originally thought. That brings the total amount of job cuts to more than 600,000 for the year so far. Remember, most economists expected the U.S. economy to be creating at least 100,000 jobs a month.

COLLINS: So where are we seeing the worst losses and maybe some of the best gains, some of the best opportunities? What industries are we talking about?

LISOVICZ: Well, it's pretty widespread, Heidi, because we're in a pickle, I guess, to put it in non-economic terms, where we're at right now. Inflation is soaring. The housing recession is deepening. The credit crisis isn't getting any better. So there are steep cuts in a lot of major categories of employment: 60,000 manufacturing jobs alone lost in August. That's the worst in five years, 20,000 retailing jobs were lost, 8,000 construction positions were cut. The list goes on to include business services, leisure and hospitality.

There were some gains, by the way, in education, government, and health care. But one analyst says the huge spread of job losses is a clearer sign yet of a recession. Employers also reduced the amount of overtime hours for workers, often a signal that more job cuts are on the horizon.

(STOCK MARKET REPORT)

COLLINS: All right. Susan Lisovicz, thank you for that.

LISOVICZ: You're welcome.

COLLINS: Will the buzz surrounding running mate Sarah Palin make it harder for John McCain to be heard?

CNN's Carol Costello has that story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Dare we say it? Some conservatives are. Sarah Palin is their Barack Obama. Charismatic, compelling, a rock star conservatives can love.

GOV. SARAH PALIN (R), VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The difference between a hockey mom and a pit bull? Lipstick.

COSTELLO: Talker Rush Limbaugh called her fabulous, a once in a lifetime politician who can spin a line.

PALIN: That luxury jet was over the top.

RUSH LIMBAUGH, TALK SHOW HOST: She sold the state jet.

PALIN: I put it on eBay.

LIMBAUGH: I put it on eBay. This lady has turned it all around, and John McBrilliant pulls this off with the gutsy choice of Sarah Palin.

COSTELLO: This from a guy who once said if John McCain got the nomination it would destroy the Republican Party. We'll say it again -- just check out the morning papers. Sarah Palin is a rock star.

LARRY ELDER, "LARRY ELDER RADIO SHOW": I sort of feel bad for John McCain. He's not a great speechifier. And given how high a decibel level the convention rose when Sarah Palin spoke, it's going to be hard for John McCain to deal with that.

COSTELLO: And that makes some Republicans nervous. Will this woman dubbed a maverick with her youth, her charm, her family and conservative agenda, overshadow the original maverick?

SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: My friends, she beat the odds.

COSTELLO: You know, the guy who is running for president.

JEANNE CUMMINGS, SR. CORRESPONDENT, POLITICO.COM: Risk with choosing someone who is fresh and new is that they will be the exciting element. They will be the person that's most intriguing to those watching the event. And so John McCain does have to follow her, and he does have to perform well and grab center stage back.

COSTELLO: Cummings says McCain's lack of star power was apparent when he took the stage after Palin's speech. He seemed overwhelmed in the presence of so many Palins. She says the only answer -- McCain and Palin should limit joint appearances and he should step it up.

Conservatives say they're not worried, though.

ELDER: Will she overshadow him? If she does, is that a bad thing? Most people are going to vote for a president based upon the president, not on No. 2.

COSTELLO (on camera): It is interesting. Conservative talkers were quick to point out that Sarah Palin's teleprompter was rolling too fast forcing her to ad lib. It was as if to say, see, our rock star can ad lib and theirs can't.

Carol Costello, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: OK. Let's split the screen again. Live events, John McCain/Sarah Palin in Wisconsin, Barack Obama in Pennsylvania. Both events coming up within minutes right here in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: Both campaigns getting back to work in earnest today. It really is go time. Live events coming up in just minutes here. John McCain/Sarah Palin in Wisconsin, Barack Obama in Pennsylvania. Both events for you this morning, when they begin, right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.

COLLINS: A U.S. Navy command ship arrives in the Republic of Georgia. It's anchored outside the key port of Poti. U.S. military officials say the USS Mt. Whitney is delivering humanitarian supplies. It's intended for Georgians affected by the conflict with Russia. Two other U.S. ships have already brought in aid, Moscow is not happy about it.

HARRIS: Syria and Israel, arch enemies that could soon take an historic step toward peace. An exclusive interview with CNN, Syrian president, Bashar Al-Assad says indirect negotiations with the Jewish state will hopefully lead to face to face talks. Al-Assad talked about that possibility and other critical issues, like Iran's nuclear ambitions, during a summit with the French president and leaders of Turkey and Qatar.

CNN's Cal Perry has more from Damascus.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CAL PERRY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): We were given a very rare opportunity to speak one on one with the Syrian president, Bashar Al-Assad in English, which, of course, is something that he does not normally do. We hit on all the major issues that were discussed in this summit, but first and foremost the issue of Iran.

Now very recently the Syrian president traveled to Tehran. I asked him what was discussed in those meetings.

BASHAR AL-ASSAD, SYRIAN PRESIDENT: We don't support any military nuclear program, whether in Iran or in any other country.

PERRY: And did you say this while in Tehran?

AL-ASSAD: Yes, of course. They know this. And they said -- they agree with this, with our stand (ph).

PERRY: So clearly an agreement already regionally about, as the president told me off camera, weapons of mass destruction and the need to not have nuclear weapons within the region or in Iran. He was very explicit on that point.

I, of course, took advantage as he was speaking English, and as I was at the presidential palace, to ask him his thoughts on the U.S. presidential election and whether or not he was following the election closely.

AL-ASSAD: Of course. Any president would be welcomed here to make dialogue about everything with no exception. But we don't bet in Syria on who's going to win. We're not going to bet. It's an American matter. We cannot say who's going to be better for me, who's going to be better according to my issues. This issue -- my occupied land, that is directly in the Middle East, including Palestine, Iraq, Lebanon, Syria, everywhere surrounding and affecting us -- that's what our concern is now.

PERRY: Now, this summit may have been billed at the beginning as a regional summit, but certainly by the end it became a global summit. Syria is not just figuratively in the middle of everything when you look at the Israeli/Palestinian conflict, when you look at Syria potentially negotiating with Israel, Syria is geographically and literally in the middle of everything.

Cal Perry, CNN, Damascus.

(END VIDEOTAPE) COLLINS: One person still missing after a coast guard helicopter crashed off the coast of Hawaii. A military spokesman says three of four crew members have been recovered from the Pacific Ocean. No word on their conditions. They were taken to a hospital following last night's crash. A search continues now for the fourth member of the crew.

Civilians caught in the cross fire. The U.S.-led coalition in Afghanistan says two civilians killed an two wounded today. It happened during a firefight in Farah Province. The coalition says militants ambushed U.S. and Afghan troops. Six militants were killed.

HARRIS: CNN heroes. Everyday people who do extraordinary things, nominated by you, the viewer. Today we profile Tom Henderson, a man in England who helps people a world away recover from devastating natural disasters.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TOM HENDERSON, COMMUNITY CRUSADER: As we speak, around the world there are thousands, sometimes millions of people displaced by disasters and war. There will be no power, no buildings, of course, very little water. So that the whole situation is (INAUDIBLE) that people have been overwhelmed.

My name is Tom Henderson. I created a product called Shelter Box. It's to help victims of disasters around the world. We're thinking of the whole package -- mosquito nets, blankets, cooking pots and pans, a 10-person tent. The Shelter Box is designed to be small enough so two people can carry it, but it has to be large enough to get enough equipment in for 10 people. It's a simple package of aid delivered to the most needy people in the shortest amount of time.

A huge cyclone struck Myanmar in May of 2008. It was the largest recorded disaster in that country. Millions of people left homeless, over 130,000 people were killed. We were one of the first aid agencies into the country delivering our Shelter Boxes. We want this to last for years to come, not just to get it them through that disaster, but perhaps as a springboard for moving forward.

If people have lost everything, why should they lose their dignity as well? So we were very keen, as well as delivering aid, to give people back their dignity, put them back in control.

ANNOUNCER: Get involved. CNN.com/heroes.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: They might get special treatment on the campaign trail, but what happens when the son of a candidate is sent to war?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: Some news just into us here at CNN. The "Associated Press" now reporting that President Bush will make his announcement on new troop levels in Iraq next week. CNN's sources say the top U.S. general in Iraq is recommending a reduction of 8,000 troops through January. Some top military commanders had concluded it would be impractical to make significant troop reductions this year. Right now, 146,000 American forces are in Iraq. And one of the plans being considered is diverting a small portion of them to Afghanistan.

HARRIS: Well, whoever wins in November, one thing is certain, there will be a son of a president or vice president at war. Will that military man get special treatment?

CNN's Jamie McIntyre reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PALIN: I'm just one of many moms who will say an extra prayer each night for our sons and daughters going into harm's way.

JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN SR. PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Army officials tell CNN that an extra prayer is about the only extra 19-year-old Track Palin can expect as the son of the Republican's VP nominee. For security reasons, the Army won't say exactly when his Alaska National Guard unit deploys to Iraq. But mom is pretty sure it's next week.

PALIN: September 11th, he'll deploy to Iraq with the Army infantry in the service of his country.

MCINTYRE: Under law, the Secret Service is not required to protect the children of presidential and vice presidential candidates, but it does when they're young. But when the VIPs volunteer for the U.S. military, they are just like any other GI says the Pentagon.

Take John McCain's Marine sons, 19-year-old Jimmy just back from Iraq, or 21-year-old Jack who could go next. Senator McCain makes a point of not talking about them. And his campaign makes a point that McCain never took special treatment when the Vietcong offered to release him early because his father was a four star admiral.

In contrast, when Britain's Prince Harry was dispatched got Afghanistan, the international news media was sworn to secrecy. The argument being that as third in line for the throne, he'd have a bull's eye on his back.

PRINCE HARRY, ENGLAND: I need to keep my face slightly covered, just on the off chance that I do get recognized which put other guys in danger. I'm called the bullet magnet.

MCINTYRE: Once the news leaked, Harry was called home.

Should the Democrats win, there will also be a veeps son in the war zone. Delaware Attorney General Beau Biden, son of Joe Biden, will spend a year in Iraq with his guard unit. But it sounds like he won't be on the front line.

NATHAN BRIGHT, DELAWARE NATIONAL GUARD: Captain Biden is part of an administrative staff that's going to go with them and he will be acting as a trial lawyer. MCINTYRE (on camera): The Pentagon says when it confronts the situation it will -- quote -- "consider all factors." But the reality is if your parent is the president or vice president, people are going to be looking out for you, and you could be quietly reassigned.

Jamie McIntyre, CNN, the Pentagon.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: All right. Quickly, we are getting closer to these live events. In fact, it looks as though Senator Barack Obama has taken the microphone in Pennsylvania. And I think we should go ahead and listen in for just a moment and see what he's saying. We'll get to the McCain event just as soon as it happens.