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Schools Suffer from Budget Shortfalls; Will Public Option be Dropped from Health Reform?; Signs of Recovery on Wall Street; Manhunt on for Texas Doctor's Killers; Candidates Contest Afghanistan Presidential Election; Swine Flu Vaccine Being Readied; Malaysian Woman's Caning Sentence Lifted Temporarily; S. African Female Runner's Gender Questioned; Justice Dept.: Reopen CIA Prisoner Abuse Cases

Aired August 24, 2009 - 13:00   ET

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

KYRA PHILLIPS, HOST: Tony, thanks so much.

We're pushing forward to the end of the line. Time is running out to get government cash for your gas-guzzling clunker, and so is dealer patience with the paperwork. You can still make a deal, but work fast: seven hours and counting.

Seconds thoughts in Scotland, but not from the judge who freed a Lockerbie bomber. He's defending his decision and denying a quid pro quo.

And back to school means bracing for H1N1, that dreaded swine flu. Keeping kids safe while keeping schools open is keeping educators up at night.

Hello, everyone. I'm Kyra Phillips, live at the CNN world headquarters in Atlanta. You're live in the CNN NEWSROOM.

Money, school, safety nets. We're pushing forward on states pushed to the brink by recession and on the cost of the people who need help most. Recession means fewer tax dollars paid in and a lot more dollars paid out. That means coast-to-coast battles over tax hikes, spending cuts, or both.

More than eight weeks into fiscal 2010, the states of Connecticut and Pennsylvania still haven't made ends meet. If Pennsylvania doesn't have a budget by Friday, it will almost be $900 million into its public schools.

Schools are struggling all over. A school in Detroit asked kids to bring their own light bulbs, trash bags, even toilet paper with them. A district outside Cleveland is using closets as classrooms. In Yonkers, New York, and countless other cities, buildings are falling apart. And we can't forget the enterprising calculus teacher in San Diego who sold ad space on his exams to cover the cost of printing them.

Let's talk more about the budget standoff in Pennsylvania with Megan Shreve. She's executive director of the South Central Community Action Program. She joins me now live from Harrisburg.

And Megan, let's just get away from the politics for a moment and get right down to the people. Tell me exactly how this budget impasse is impacting real people right now.

MEGAN SHREVE, SOUTH CENTRAL COMMUNITY ACTION PROGRAM: Yes, thanks, Kyra, for having us on.

The budget impasse is really impacting communities all across Pennsylvania. In our county, Adams and Franklin County, there are 23,000 clients that we serve, and it's impacting every one of those, including private contractors, other businesses and child-care centers.

PHILLIPS: Let's talk about these people that you're mentioning, these thousands of individuals. I mean, I'm looking at how they're going to lose housing, emergency services, career programs. I mean, what will they do now?

SHREVE: You know, we don't know. These kind of programs support the social infrastructure in communities. And as they all start to fall away, we're not sure what they'll do.

In our communities, community groups like the faith community have really started to try and help us fill gaps. But those are only temporary measures. I mean, it's just critical that a budget is passed soon.

PHILLIPS: Now you say that all of these cuts aren't due to the budget and budget cuts, but rather it's a man-made crisis. Tell me what you mean by that.

SHREVE: Yes, exactly. You know, through the years, our program has been in existence for more than 45 years. So we've seen budget cuts. We've seen new programs come and go.

But this time, you know, it's the first time we've ever had to close our doors. And it's not due to budget cuts. It's due to the fact that lawmakers can't decide. They can't come together and reach some kind of compromise to pass a budget.

PHILLIPS: So what's your solution?

SHREVE: Well, you know, those of us in the community have been working every waking hour trying to figure out community solutions. And I think the budget committee that should be working together to resolve needs to do the same. They should be meeting every waking minute of every waking hour to try and come to a resolution. And as I understand it, they haven't met for two weeks.

PHILLIPS: Two weeks. All right. You now -- I'm taking notes here. You're saying three weeks? Is that what you...?

SHREVE: Two weeks.

PHILLIPS: Two weeks. OK, got it. All right. Megan Shreve, stay with us. We've heard how it's affecting your community programs. You've named the number of people that have been affected already.

Let's push it now forward and bring in Governor Ed Rendell and talk about the fact that you heard Megan bring up point, sir, that the budget committee hasn't even met for two weeks. You would think, as governor of this state, that you would be telling that budget committee, "All right. We've got thousands of lives in limbo here. We have got to make a decision."

GOV. ED RENDELL (D), PENNSYLVANIA: Well, Kyra, I have been calling for the conference committee, is what it's been called -- I've been calling for the conference committee to get back to work for every day of those two weeks.

It's really incredible that we have these problems starting to crop up, and the key committee that's assigned to hash this out hasn't met for two weeks. Now, there are some behind-the-scenes negotiation, but that committee is charged with meeting in public to try to iron out the differences between the two sides.

Interestingly, the message, though -- and Megan's dead right about that. But the fight that's undertaken that right now is simply because I believe that we have to have a budget that balances with cuts -- and we've made almost $2.5 billion of cuts -- and reasonable revenue increases.

So we don't take child-care programs, for instance, and cut them by 50 percent. If we do that, some of the programs Megan's talking about would close down after six months or would have to layoff half of their personnel and service about half of the children they service now. That's an even worse result than the temporary shutdown now. And that's what we're fighting for.

The Senate no-cut -- no-revenue budget would cause us to take a billion dollars out of public education, notwithstanding the fact -- I don't know if you saw it, but CNN covered it -- Pennsylvania was reported by the National Center for Education Policy to be the only state in the union in the last six years to make achievement at every grade level and in every subject tested in national tests.

PHILLIPS: But Governor -- but at the same time, Steelton Highspire is taking out a multimillion-dollar loan, this school district. And then these day-care centers are closing; food banks are cutting back; libraries that low-income kids depend on are having to cut back.

RENDELL: And that's what the fight's all about...

PHILLIPS: So what...

RENDELL: The fight's all about making sure that those centers don't close for half a year, don't have to cut their budget by 50 percent.

PHILLIPS: So I'm still confused. If...

RENDELL: We need to have reasonable revenues. Well, the answer is we've got to get back to work...

PHILLIPS: Well, I mean, what can you do -- what can you do to get this conference committee to meet?

RENDELL: I can't. Unfortunately...

PHILLIPS: Why can't you do that?

RENDELL: Unfortunately, it is the sold purview of the legislature. There's a separation of powers. There were two budgets passed. They've got to reconcile those budgets and send it to me.

I have given them two broad, overarching principles. If they send me a budget that leaves no more cuts for health care and education and send me a budget that has enough recurring revenues to balance this year and next year, I will sign it, regardless of whether I think it's the best plan or the best program to meet those needs. But it has to be a mix between cuts -- and we've made $2.5 billion of cuts -- and revenue increases. And we should get to work and do it.

PHILLIPS: And -- and in the meantime, what happens to these people that are, as Megan has mentioned, have been left out on the streets? And you know that if a decision isn't made and more cuts are made to social services and education, you're going to have an even bigger problem down the line with unemployment and poverty.

RENDELL: Well, sure, but, again, what we're talking about, hopefully, is no more than a week- or ten-day delay. That's -- it's more important that we get it right than get it quick. As much as I want to avoid that short-term pain, it's a lot better to take that pain if it's means that we're not going to have to cut 50 percent out of our child-care programs.

PHILLIPS: All right, Governor, I'm...

RENDELL: We're not going to cut 12,000 kids off of our children's health-care program.

PHILLIPS: And I'll tell you what: I'm going to hold you to that, a week to ten days. I'm going to bring you back, and we're going to -- we're going to follow up. Sound like a deal.

RENDELL: Well, remember, though, Kyra, as I tell my constituents, they didn't elect me king. If they elected me king, we would have had a budget on June 30. No question about it.

PHILLIPS: You're the governor. There's a lot of people looking to you right now. We're going to check in with you, Governor.

RENDELL: Absolutely.

PHILLIPS: Ed Rendell, appreciate it. Megan Shreve, appreciate you, as well.

All right. Let's take just -- let's take you over, actually, to the CNN.com -- to kind of put it in perspective. I mean, we're talking about Pennsylvania, and we've talked about California and its budget crisis. And we've been looking forward to other states, as well, that are in trouble. On CNN.com, we actually have put together this map about how the stimulus can actually help your state and the states that are still in trouble. And you can actually click on to current unemployment -- current unemployment per capita -- per capita, rather. And also, foreclosures.

And this is just an example of the current unemployment and the states that are in the most trouble. Actually -- I think we do have the wrong -- if you go to CNN.com, and it's on our "Money" section. And I apologize for this. We got the wrong map up. But you can actually click on either unemployment or foreclosure and go state by state and actually see where the problems are the most.

And we're going to hopefully follow up on each one of those states and look to the next state that could be on the brink and in the trouble of financial disparity. And we will follow up.

All right. Now, let's move to cash for clunkers. And if you still plan to trade in your clunker for cash, you've got less than seven hours to do it. The popular government program actually ends at 8 p.m. Eastern.

The idea was to get drivers to trade in their gas guzzlers for more fuel-efficient cars. The incentive: rebates were $3,500 to $4,500. That program launched July 27 and started burning through funding much faster than expected, so much so that some dealers actually dropped out, fearing Uncle Sam won't reimburse them.

Well, some recent numbers: as of this morning, cash for clunkers credited for 625,000 deals and with nearly $2.6 billion in rebate vouchers handed out. Well, if you missed out, here's some consolation: you can still get a $600 tax credit for buying a new car.

All right. So we've got state budget battles going on. Schools with no money to restock their bathrooms and cash for clunkers coming to the end of the road. What's all this doing to the vibe on Wall Street? Well, Richard Quest, he's standing by live outside the New York Stock Exchange to probably put it all into perspective for us.

You know, you've left -- you've come over the pond from London, England, Richard. You're spending time in New York City. What's your take? You've been giving us a global prospective. Give us the domestic perspective.

RICHARD QUEST, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, as you know, I'm doing NY-Lon-Kong, which is New York, London and Hong Kong, traveling to the three major financial sectors to see how they are recovering (AUDIO GAP)

PHILLIPS: You know, we always love what Richard Quest has to say. God bless him. We're having a mike problem. We will try to work on that and get back to him.

Meanwhile, a story that gets even more grisly by the day. A swimsuit model killed, the suspect dead of an apparent suicide. Now, the mystery surrounding all of this, well, it appears it's only the beginning.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Tragedy in the wake of a storm. A young girl swept out to sea. It's the deadly legacy of Hurricane Bill.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: The president's on holiday, Congress is still in recess, and still, the nation grapples with so-called public option in the health-care debate. Critics call it a government take-over of American medicine. And it could be a make-or-break issue in a make- or-break month.

CNN's Jim Acosta has the latest.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JIM ACOSTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): With the president hitting the beach on Martha's Vineyard, the tide may be turning against the idea of a government-run insurance program or public option in health-care reform.

SEN. JOE LIEBERMAN (I), CONNECTICUT: I'm afraid we've got to think about putting a lot of that off until the economy is out of recession. There's no reason we have to do it all now.

ACOSTA: Add Connecticut's independent Joe Lieberman to the list of Republicans who doubt the president will get everything he wants.

SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), ARIZONA: I believe that one of the fundamentals for any of them would be that the president abandon the government option.

ACOSTA: The president is also feeling the heat from liberals in the House, threatening to vote no on reform unless it has the option.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Is he relying on (UNINTELLIGIBLE) saying, "I vote no?"

REP. MAXINE WATERS (D), CALIFORNIA: Absolutely. Let me tell you...

ACOSTA: At her own boisterous town hall, California Congresswoman Maxine Waters urged the president to start twisting arms in the Senate.

WATERS: ... everything that we can to organize the pressure on those senators, some of whom are Neanderthals. We're going to say to the president, "We want you to use every weapon in your basket."

ACOSTA: In his weekly address the president was more interested in what he sees as twists of the truth.

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: And we've all heard the charge that reform will somehow bring about a government takeover of health care. I know that sounds scary to many folks. It sounds scary to me, too. But here's the thing: it's not true.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The beach is nice this time of year.

ACOSTA: But before the president could say, "Cowabunga," an ad from one reform opponent accused the White House of a government takeover.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Because his public option health plan could lead to government-run health care.

DONNA BRAZILE, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: You need message discipline on the Democratic side. I can't speak for Republicans, but I can tell you, without message discipline, this has been a very difficult, uphill battle for the president.

ACOSTA (on camera): This week, the president's grassroots volunteer network, known as Organizing for America, is urging its members to show up at town halls and rally near local congressional offices. The move is right out of the playbook of reform opponents, who have raised their voices at town halls for weeks.

Jim Acosta, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Well, Bill is not a hurricane anymore, but it sure left a tragic legacy in its wake. The remnants of Bill now moving away from the Canadian coast in the Atlantic after churning up gigantic waves. Waves like these swept a group of surf watchers into the sea off the Maine coast yesterday, killing a 7-year-old girl. Bill is also blamed in the death of a 54-year-old Florida swimmer.

Chad Myers, where is the storm now, and how strong do you think it is?

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: It is no longer tropical, which means it doesn't have that warm part in the middle. That's why we call it a tropical storm, because it has a warm core. It's now lost that identity.

But it is going to be traveling all the way up, literally -- literally almost up to Scotland here in the -- in the U.K. This is going to be like Thursday morning. And that's still a 30-mile-per- hour storm. And by the time you get that far to the north, you also get more Coriolis Force, which makes things spin. It could even spin worse than that.

Here's where it is right now. There's Newfoundland. There's Nova Scotia. It rushed those Atlantic provinces here and then right through Atlantic Canada and out there. It's going to slide on off of the northeast.

There was an awful lot of big surf here in Newfoundland, as well. Obviously, the big surf that we've been showing you all weekend long was the one there in Maine, where that little girl lost her life as she was standing on the rocks, watching the waves come on shore. The whole thing is basically done now, completely out the way for the U.S., although the waves are still coming down in a lot of spots. We will see some showers across parts of Florida. And why do we care? Because later tonight, in approximately 12 hours, we're going to try to launch the shuttle. Twenty percent chance that that launch doesn't go because of lingering showers or maybe lingering high clouds from the showers of today.

Other than that, you may want to stay up and watch those -- that late-night launch. Those are always great. You can see the flame and the fire and the smoke going up.

PHILLIPS: I know.

MYERS: That's the only one I've ever seen, was at night. And it was very cool.

PHILLIPS: It is. All right. We'll watch it. We'll report back. Thanks, Chad.

MYERS: Sure.

PHILLIPS: Firefighters in Greece scrambling to take advantage of a brief lull in the winds, all too brief for their tastes. At least 90 wildfires have been burning since Friday around Athens, devouring hundreds of homes and burning nearly 60 square miles. Firefighters now trying to keep the flames from invading the capitol and its classical monuments like the Parthenon.

Thousands of people have fled, including dozens of nuns from their flame-threatened convent. No deaths reported there. Hundreds of fires burn in Greece every summer. Many are intentionally set.

Now other top stories.

Just hours left to trade in your clunker for something more fuel- efficient. The government-funded cash for clunkers rebate program comes to an end at 8 p.m. Eastern. Some car dealers dropped out of the program earlier, fearing Uncle Sam would not reimburse them.

Scotland's justice secretary defending his decision to free the Lockerbie bomber and send him back to Libya. His hero's homecoming sparked global outrage last week. Today, Secretary Kenny MacAskill tells an emergency meeting of Parliament that there was no financial deal behind the decision, which he says was prompted by compassion for the cancer-stricken terrorist.

One manhunt is over, another beginning in the killing of swimsuit model Jasmine Fiore. The man suspected in her death, reality TV star Ryan Jenkins, has been found dead of an apparent suicide in a Canadian motel room. Now authorities are trying to identify a woman who was seen dropping him off.

Who killed Dr. Jorge Mario Gonzalez? Five suspects are out there somewhere, and every cop in Texas is looking for them.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: So we've got our technical glitches worked out. We've got state budget battles going on, schools with no money to restock their bathrooms, and cash for clunkers coming to the end of the road. What's all this doing to the vibe on Wall Street? We're going to get back to Richard Quest, who can -- usually can talk so loudly we don't have to worry about technical glitches with the microphone. But unfortunately, he's fighting that Wall Street commotion.

Richard, great to see you.

QUEST: Now, you see, the problem was we didn't put enough money in the meter. There's a recession on, you know, and we were trying to save -- you've got to save every little bit where you can.

PHILLIPS: I thought you didn't pay your audio tech.

QUEST: Two tin cans and a bit of string, and that's how we're connecting to you today.

Now I'm on Wall Street. Last week I was in Hong Kong, which of course, is 12 hours a trip, where there was great optimism. I arrived in New York, expecting the lights to be switched off and everybody to be huddled around sort of a campfire, singing Boy Scout songs. It wasn't really quite as bad as that.

But I have to tell you, Kyra, one of things I did discover within the last few days of being here, just from my friends, my contacts, the people you talk to, there is a feeling that there's a complete divergence now between real life and Wall Street life.

Wall Street goes up 30, 40 percent from the March 9 flow, and real life sees job losses continuing. Real life sees home foreclosures still at record levels. Real life sees credit, bank loans not available. Cash for clunker schemes necessary.

And I think when you put that into perspective, things are starting to turn around. One architect I was talking to last night said, for the first time in six months, his phone is starting to ring again. And that's not just because he paid the bill.

PHILLIPS: so you've been talking about a lot of similarities from overseas to here. But what do you think -- what have you found to be the biggest difference, as you've been going to all the financial institutions. Is it the issue of bonuses that you brought up when you were in Hong Kong?

QUEST: No. I think within the financial institutions, yes, it's clearly not a -- it's a morality, it's an ethics issue and -- between, say, the Far East and what they view as being just the naked greed of Wall Street, and the city of London, that's got everybody into the mess in the first place, mainly the city of London and its derivatives.

But I think the really big question is one of confidence. When do people feel that things are going to start getting better again? At the moment in Asia they do believe things are getting better. In parts of Europe, like France and Germany, they look on the Anglo- American world as being the cause of all this misery, mayhem and confusion to start with.

Let there be no doubt, Kyra. When we talk about the mess that we are in, people believe it's an Anglo-American issue. It started in Britain and the United States, particularly the U.S., and transmitted elsewhere.

But what I'm hearing now, is everyone sees markets rallying ahead. And that's why I'm in New York this week, to really get to quick (ph) with property, with prices, with shoppers, with bankers, with consumers, all those issues.

And Kyra, what they're telling me so far is, there may be light at the end of the tunnel. But is it the M train coming towards them?

PHILLIPS: We'll track it. Good to see you, Richard. See you tomorrow.

We have a sad story that we got word of just about an hour or so ago. Buffalo, New York, a city in mourning right now over two fallen firefighters. They were killed when the floor of this burning convenience store collapsed into the basement. Police can't confirm reports about a third person right now. Apparently, a civilian may still be in -- trapped inside the rubble there. We'll follow it for you.

And a prominent doctor shot to death at his Texas ranch. A convoy of killers lying low while police comb the state right now. My colleague, T.J. Holmes, is pushing this story forward for us at the breaking news desk.

What do you know, T.J.?

T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: Hey, there, Kyra.

That might be a good way to put it: a convoy of killers. We're talking about five guys that the police are now looking, five men they say who went into this doctor's ranch in the middle of the day, broad daylight, busted in, shot him and his ranch hand. The ranch hand survived, but of course, the doctor was killed.

You mentioned he is a prominent doctor. His name is Dr. Mario Gonzalez, Jorge Mario Gonzalez, who was the head of the critical care clinic at the Methodist Hospital there in Houston. They released a statement a short time ago. And surely, he's 56 years old, so he has certainly been around and in the medical community for a while.

So the statement from them says that "The Methodist Hospital family mourns the death of Dr. Gonzalez, secretary of the medical staff. He has been a pulmonary medicine leader at Methodist and across the medical center for decades. We will miss him terribly, both as a friend and as an outstanding clinician and researcher. Our prayers and thoughts go out to the family during his tragedy -- during this tragedy." And they have asked people to put up comments on the -- their message board, as well. And expecting a lot of those to come in.

But what happened here, there is no motive for this right now. He had a ranch that was just outside of Houston, some 60 miles out. On Saturday, for whatever reason, these five men burst in, killed him.

His wife and 2-year-old son were hiding in the home in a closet at the time. They were not harmed. They were not injured at all.

Well, his family a short time ago -- he has three adult children, as well. And one of his sons a short time ago came out and talked about what kind of man his father was.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JUAN MAURICIO GONZALEZ, MURDERED DOCTOR'S SON: He didn't want to harm anybody, so why would anybody harm him? He had nothing to do with anybody. He was a peaceful man. He was a wise man. He was just here to -- to make people better and nothing else.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: And another detail here. Interesting note is that, when police arrived, they responded to the scene after the 911 call. The suspects were apparently still there and actually met in the driveway. They passed each other, three suspect vehicles and the police car.

Well, according to police, one of suspects in one of those vehicles fired on the police officer. The police officer, however, was not hit. His vehicle was not hit either.

Now, later police were able to find a vehicle they think matches the discrimination of one of those suspect vehicles. However, they found the owner of that suspect vehicle, or what they thought was, that owner checked out, and he was allowed to go.

So right now police believe they have five men on the loose, armed and dangerous. No motive. Don't know if this could have possibly been a burglary or if this doctor was, in fact, targeted.

So Kyra, just a strange story, strange set of circumstances, tragic circumstances. But a lot of questions right now. But one of those -- the biggest questions, no doubt: who are these five men and where are they right now?

PHILLIPS: We'll follow the manhunt. Thanks, T.J.

HOLMES: All right.

PHILLIPS: CIA mock executions of terror suspects; others threatened with a gun and power drill. Harsh interrogation methods spelled out in a new Justice Department report. We're digging deeper.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Facing outrage at home and abroad, the Scottish justice secretary is defending his decision to free the convicted bomber of Pan Am Flight 103. As we told you last week, the Lockerbie bomber was allowed to return home to Libya on compassionate grounds because he's dying of cancer. At an emergency session -- OK.

Let's get to another story that we talked a lot about this morning. And it was sort of a juxtaposition of two stories taking place ironically on the same day. You know, it's just 18 days from now that we're going to mark one of the darkest days in the history of our country. It's the eighth anniversary of 9/11. Can you believe that it's already been eight years?

You know, those terror attacks were hatched from al Qaeda camps in Afghanistan, and that's why President Bush ordered the invasion of that country less than a month afterward. Well, eight years later, we're still fighting that war. Presidential elections held there last week are already being called corrupt. And then today, the final beam -- as you're going to see here in a minute -- was removed from the World Trade Center when 9/11 happened. It's actually being returned to ground zero.

Fifty-eight tons, 36 feet high, this column was a makeshift memorial to the victims of the attack, and it's being placed here.

Well, on the ground in Afghanistan, the war against the Taliban is going badly and getting worse. And that's the bleak assessment from Joint Chiefs Chairman Admiral Mike Mullen. He spoke with CNN's John King.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ADM. MIKE MULLEN, CHAIRMAN, JOINT CHIEFS OF STAFF: Well, I think it is serious, and it is deteriorating. And I've said that over the last couple of years that the Taliban insurgency has gotter better, more sophisticated.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: There's also growing signs that the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan will ask President Obama for more troops. CNN's Atia Abawi is in Kabul with more on the war's going. And from what you're seeing and hearing, Atia, is it as bad as what Admiral Mullen is saying?

ATIA ABAWI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, it depends on where you go, Kyra, really. In the south, they have thousands of Marines did flood into the country this summer to try to secure and hold areas for the election. But we also know that it was the south and the east of the country where many Afghans did not come out to vote out of fear of the Taliban threats and intimidation.

But that being said, there were districts in Helmand, where these Marines are, where the majority of these Marines are, that some Afghans did actually go out to the polls, Afghan that were afraid to before, but still the turnout was very low, lower than it was in the 2004 presidential elections and even lower than it was in the 2005 parliamentary elections.

So, there are certain parts of the war that is going well. There are are other parts -- and you have to also remember it's the Afghan government that the Afghan people don't necessarily trust at the moment. This is an election that many Afghans didn't necessarily not go to the polls because of safety reasons, but because they didn't trust their government. And right now, we're seeing a presidential candidate accusing the other candidate, the incumbent, President Karzai, of stealing the elections, of massive fraud. Let's listen to what Dr. Abdullah had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. ABDULLAH ABDULLAH, AFGHAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The Afghan people view the international community as (INAUDIBLE) of the credibility of the process. They failed in their mission. It will have consequences for Afghanistan for all of us. So, I hope that all together we will be able to save it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ABAWI: Dr. Abdullah there asking the international community to make sure that massive fraud does not occur, that the results don't come in until the complaints are filed and investigated, because he feels that he is the winner. But at the same time, the Karzai campaign not taking this sitting down, because they feel that they are in the lead and that Dr. Abdullah is just using propaganda. Let's listen to what President Karzai's election spokesperson had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WAHEED OMAR, SPOKESPERSON, KARZAI CAMPAIGN: They are making irresponsible comments, and this is disrespectful to the process. This is disrespectful to the mechanism which is in place, which is the institution, and this is disrespectful to the voice of the people. So, obviously the elections, there are violations all over the world (ph) in the election, but there are mechanisms to take care of it. And the only way that we (INAUDIBLE) in this new democracy in Afghanistan is to respect the mandate of these institutions. If we do their job, then obviously, we have not helped democracy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ABAWI: The good and bad of this situation is, you do see democracy there. You see two presidential candidates fighting for their position. They want to be the president. They fought for it. They have the supporters that have supported them. But the bad side of this is when you talk to the average Afghan, they see this fighting, they see these tit for tat accusations, and they don't feel that their government is really looking out for them as much as they're looking out for their own parties and their own candidates, and not for the Afghan people -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Atia Abawi, thank you so much.

And as we mentioned, that last massive steel column removed from ground zero returned there today as a symbol of rebirth. We look at this and remember what happened eight years ago. And I think we all can agree we'll never forget that moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: And your top stories, a grisly mystery at a mobile home park near Fort Worth, Texas. Bones, apparently from more than one infant, turned up in a garbage bag left by a former tenant. Investigators aren't sure yet what crimes if any were even committed.

And Cash for Clunkers is in its final hours. The wildly popular government program designed to spur car sales and save gas winds down at 8:00 p.m. Eastern, a little over six hours from now. Dealers love all the foot traffic but hate the paperwork and delays in getting paid.

And the town of Anadarko, Oklahoma is stunned by the murder of a visiting pastor. Carol Daniels was found dead inside Christ Holy Sanctified Church, which doesn't have a congregation but where Daniels came every Sunday for anyone who wanted to worship. An autopsy is planned for today.

Well, get well soon and don't report to class until you do. Elizabeth Cohen, I know you've been talking about this story. That's what the University of Kansas is actually telling students who've come down with the H1N1 virus this semester, commonly called swine flu, as you know. The school already has 47 apparent cases. The main campus is 1,000 acres with about 30,000 students, just the kind of close quarters where swine flu thrives, by the way. Sick students are asked to stay put in their dorms. Their roommates will move out for now.

Well, swine flu has health officials getting ready for what's being called the biggest vaccination drive in U.S. history. And senior medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen is with us now to -- you were actually at the White House recently, right, Listening to what they were saying about swine flu. And I'm just seeing what's happening here at the university, and a perfect excuse for students not to have to go to class, but no excuse not to study, right, because they're in their room with their books. But seriously, a lot of people are getting concerned about what to do.

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Right, and at the White House, federal officials were very clear that they knew they have a tough job in front of them. They're trying to vaccinate half of the population, half of the population of the United States in less than three months. That's because the swine flu vaccine isn't ready yet. They are expected to have some vaccine ready in mid-October, but not all of it.

Now, let's take a look at who is supposed to get the swine flu shot. These people should be first in line: pregnant women, anyone ages 6 months to 24 years old, anyone ages 25 to 64 with health problems and parents and caregivers of babies under the age of 6 months because babies that young can't get the shot.

Now, there are of course logistical problems trying to vaccinate this many people between the middle of October and the end of December. But there are some other problems, too. You'll notice people on that list, younger people, pregnant women, those are people who are not really used to getting flu shots. And so, there's some concern that some of them won't want to get flu shots, when really the CDC wants people to get vaccinated for swine flu.

PHILLIPS: All right. And, you know, the question we always have to ask and bring up, because there's always a few people in the editorial meeting, OK, let's not forget, more people get the regular flu than they do these other types of flu. So, put into perspective the difference.

COHEN: Well, actually, this year, we don't know how many people are going to get each type. It's really kind of tough to say. What's interesting is that symptomwise, there aren't a lot of differences between swine flu and the regular seasonal flu that we see every year. The big difference is who gets very sick from each kind of flu.

Swine flu victims are much younger than victims of the regular flu that we have every year. Seventy-five percent of hospitalizations under the age 49 for swine flu -- I'm sorry, 75 percent of the people hospitalized with swine flu are under 49. That's very different than regular flu, which mostly hospitalizes older people. Sixty percent of the deaths from swine flu in the United States have also been for people under age 49. So, this is a very different group of people than what we usually see for flu.

PHILLIPS: All right. Elizabeth, thanks.

COHEN: Thanks.

PHILLIPS: Elizabeth is going to actually be back at the top of the hour. We're going to get answers for you on how schools plan to stop the swine flu, straight from the person leading the charge at the Centers for Disease Control. We're actually going to talk with Lisa Barrios.

A Malaysian was ready to take her punishment, but the Malaysian government decided it wasn't ready to give it. Yet the beating for a beer controversy still brewing.

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PHILLIPS: She drank the beer almost two years ago, but the hangover just won't go away. A Malaysian woman due to be flogged today for having alcohol, well, she's getting a reprieve. She'll still be caned, by the way. She just gets another month or so to think about it. Let's get straight to CNN's Anna Coren in Kuala Lumpur.

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ANNA COREN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's been a dramatic day for 32-year-old Katika Shukano (ph). The mother of two was prepared to face her punishment. That was of course, receiving six lashes of the cane and a week in prison for drinking alcohol in a public hotel here in Malaysia. This of course is a crime as a Muslim under Shariah law.

Well, court officials came to her family home and led her away. Amazingly, she only got 100 meters up the road before authorities intervened and issued her a temporary release.

Now, there was a great deal of confusion as to what this actually meant, whether all charges had been dropped. But a minister confirmed that she would still be punished, that she would still become the first woman to be caned in Malaysia. It will just be taking place after the holy month of Ramadan which we are currently in. Well, let's have a listen to Katika (ph) after she was issued that temporary release.

KATIKA SHUKANO (ph), SENTENCE TO CANING: I don't know what's happening.

QUESTION: How do you feel? You've been released.

SHUKANO: Actually, I feel -- don't know what's happening. Even (INAUDIBLE) I don't know. I need time to discuss.

COREN: Legal representatives met with Katika and her family. They believe that she's been deeply traumatized by this 18-month saga. She has chosen not to appeal the sentence. One of the reasons being is she feels she has brought shame to her family, and she just wants to serve her punishment so that it can all end. But the lawyers say that the shariah legal act, the criminal act, must be overturned, it must be reviewed, otherwise it will set a dangerous precedent for other Muslims here in Malaysia.

Anna Coren, CNN, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

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PHILLIPS: Stories we're pushing forward next hour. Literally, dressed to kill. Would-be suicide bombers detained in Pakistan, accused of targeting the very heart of the government. CNN Cal Perry lands the exclusive.

Also ahead, RIP with a VIP. In just over an hour, the crypt of Marilyn Monroe goes to the highest bidder. More from the woman who's selling it on eBay and booting her husband to do it.

Speaking of Marilyn, aka Norma Jean, she's got a brand-new namesake. Remember this video that we showed you on Friday of Deb Feyerick playing midwife to a cow? Of course you do. None of us can forget it. Well, it turns out, after all that hard work, Deb and the crew got to name the newborn. Meet little Norma Jean. She cleans up real nice, doesn't she?

Six South Carolina men set to be sentenced today for one of the biggest armored car heists in U.S. history. Well, they're begging the judge for mercy. Their families saying that these guys are just misguided youths, not hardened criminals.

So, let's see, three guys beat a guard, broke his nose, his bones, knocked out his teeth, duct-taped him and left him for dead on a deserted road. Then they spent some of their stolen millions on strippers and sneakers. Oh, and by the way, Mother's Day gifts, too. Clearly not criminal masterminds, but mercy? We're going to let you know when the sentences come down.

A sprinter's sex hurdle doesn't faze folks back home. They're running to the defense of their golden girl after her gender's called into question.

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PHILLIPS: For 18 years, they've known her as a her. Friends and family of the South African runner being gender tested, they're fired up, furious that her success is being spoiled and suggesting maybe this is more black and white than it seems. More now from CNN's Nkepile Mabuse.

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NKEPILE MABUSE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In South Africa, Caster Semenya's mother proudly shows off her daughter's achievements. But in Berlin, where the teenage runner won yet another gold medal last Wednesday, the spotlight was on her gender.

The decision by athletics body the IAAF to verify Semenya's sex has angered many in her home country.

"If she hadn't won, would they be asking these questions?" her mother remarks.

At Semenya's home in the northern province of Limpopo, preparations are under way for a huge celebration when the athlete returns on Tuesday.

"I'm not worried at all. I'm not even stressed. I know what my child is because I gave birth to her. I'm not going to be shaken by anyone," says her mother.

She believes jealousy and racism are to blame for the whole debacle.

"White people don't want to be outperformed by black people," she says. "That's why they're causing all this trouble."

The IAAF began looking at Semenya's gender last month and admits the private inquiry should not have become public just before the Berlin games. Still, it strongly denies racism was behind the decision. (on camera): It is here on this dusty field in rural South Africa that caster laid the foundation of a gold-winning athletics career. Before the world championships in Berlin, where controversy around her gender arose, she won gold at the Commonwealth Youth Games last year and again at the African Junior Championships.

(voice-over): Her former headmaster, Eric Modiba, says while some kids used to remark that Semenya runs like a boy, at school, there was little doubt.

ERIC MODIBA, FORMER SCHOOL HEADMASTER: I'm 100 percent sure that Caster is a girl because when we admitted her, we admitted her and knew that she's a girl. Even the certificate, of course, can (INAUDIBLE) to us, can be a weakness (ph) to us.

MABUSE (on camera): The birth certificate?

MODIBA: The birth certificate, yes. This was a shock to me, in fact, and I think this is a humiliation to Caster.

MABUSE (voice-over): Boitumeno Thantsha is also aggrieved. She says she used to run and play football with Semenya, and they shared a room on many occasions during high school trips.

BOITUMENO THANTSHA, HIGH SCHOOL FRIEND: I feel angry because of I know that Caster's a girl.

MABUSE: The South African government and the public have rallied behind the gold medalist. People in her home village have been rejoicing for days. To them, she remains an inspiration.

Nkebile Mabuse, CNN, Limpopo.

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PHILLIPS: And we're pushing forward now. It's in every state. It's killed hundreds of people. Now there's fear swine flu may be waiting in your child's classroom. From preschools, which can be germ factories, all the way to colleges like the University of Kansas, now telling sick students to shut themselves in their dorms. New classes, new books, new worries.

Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius holding a news conference on the H1N1 virus. We're going to take it live as soon as it begins.

Well, chill out and take a walk on the beach. That's President Obama's advice for reporters covering his family's vacation on Martha's Vineyard. The first family arrived on the island for a weeklong stay yesterday. The White House says no public events are on the agenda, but we know that work of some sort usually pops up during these presidential summer vacations.

We already know one big issue on the president's table this week, a special terrorism interrogation unit to be supervised by the White House. Administration sources tell CNN that Mr. Obama has approved the new unit. Also a new Justice Department report comes out today, and we've learned it recommends reopening dozens of CIA prisoner abuse cases. The report contains examples of alleged harsh mistreatment of terror suspects.

Here's CNN's Elaine Quijano.

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ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In separate incidents, CIA interrogators threatened, Abd Al-Rahim Al-Nashiri. He's the man suspected of plotting the deadly bombing of the USS Cole, according to knowledgeable sources familiar with the 2004 CIA report.

Sources confirm one interrogation session involved a gun, another an electric drill, both meant to scare the al Qaeda prisoner into giving up information. And "Newsweek" reports mock executions were staged, including one where a gun was fired in a room next to a detainee to make him believe another prisoner had been killed.

The American Civil Liberties Union, which sued to get the CIA report released, called the tactics under the Bush administration, quote, "not only reprehensible but illegal," and said the American public has a right to know the full truth about the torture that was committed in its name. Although the government had authorized such controversial techniques as waterboarding, the use of a gun and drill fell outside approved tactics. A CIA spokesman said, quote, "The CIA in no way endorsed behavior, no matter how infrequent, that went beyond formal guidance," and added that Justice Department officials reviewed any cases of alleged misconduct.

But the report could renew questions about whether the Bush administration went too far in the name of national security. Former Vice President Dick Cheney has maintained the interrogation program as a whole was needed to keep the country safe.

DICK CHENEY, FORMER VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The intelligence officers who questioned the terrorists can be proud of their work, proud of the results because they prevented the violent death of thousands, perhaps hundreds of thousands of people.

QUIJANO: For the Obama administration, the report's release means a delicate balance.

ERICK HOLDER, U.S. ATTORNEY GENERAL: We will not be doing anything that would endanger the American people or in some ways lessen our national security.

QUIJANO: But some fear the release will have a chilling effect on intelligence officers trying to do their job.

GEN. MICHAEL HAYDEN (RET.), FORMER CIA DIRECTOR: We will teach timidity to a workforce that we need to be vigorous and active.

QUIJANO (voice-over): Attorney General Eric Holder is expected to announce soon whether he'll appoint a special prosecutor to investigate the Bush administration's interrogation policies. Elaine Quijano, CNN, Washington.

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