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President Obama in Cincinnati; Baucus Health Proposal; Terror Trial Verdict

Aired September 07, 2009 - 14:00   ET

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

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: So, an interesting energy there in Cincinnati, Ohio, and quite a switch from all the various forms and speeches we've seen for a number of weeks for a lot of fired-up folks, as we should put it, the president's theme today, asking a lot of members of Congress and the Senate about health care reform and what's going to happen. What's the deal with the public option? How's it going to benefit you and me and every small to large town across the United States?

The president there saying, look, I've appointed a new manufacturing czar, Ron Bloom. He's going to help with the job situation.

He still said he's very much in support of a public option, that is not going away. It's staying within his idea of reform.

And still speaking to the people there at this Labor Day picnic, talking about his 9.7 percent unemployment rate there. But he is the man to help each one of those individuals and all of us across the country. We'll have to see how it plays out.

But bottom line, the theme of the president's speech there, fired up. He got them fired up in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Meanwhile, we are firing up, talking about three days, three speeches and three opportunities for President Obama now to reclaim center stage like he did right there in Cincinnati. We're pushing forward on a big push from the White House on the economy, on education, and especially on health care, as you can see.

You just heard the president address the AFL-CIO at the Labor Day picnic in Cincinnati. Tomorrow he's going to speak to the nation's elementary and high school students -- some of them, anyway. We'll talk about that controversy.

And then Wednesday, brings a primetime address to a joint session of Congress. You heard the president mention it right there in his speech. He doesn't want the sound and fury from a month of town halls to carry on to Capitol Hill.

We've been covering those town hall, as you know, for weeks now. And you've seen the fire in the belly of so many Americans across this country.

But we begin with a star-spangled blue collar picnic in Ohio. If you just are tuning in, we've been following it for about 45 minutes now. But it's no picnic for the millions of American workers who'd love to get back into the labor force but can't. To them, their families, and everybody else, the president says, well, better days are coming, he promises.

Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK H. OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: So, our recovery plan is working. Bricklayers, too.

(APPLAUSE)

The financial system has been saved from collapse. Home sales are up. We're seeing signs of life in the auto industry. Investment is starting to stabilize.

For the first time in 18 months, we're seeing growth in manufacturing. When was the last time you heard that?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Jill Dougherty traveling with the president.

I mean, what was your take, Jill? I mean, that sort of energy about an hour ago when you and I were talking didn't go away. And then the president stepping up to the mike and definitely keeping it going.

JILL DOUGHERTY, CNN FOREIGN AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Yes, I mean, these are people who really like the president. These are the diehards, the core supporters of the president.

So, what did he have to give them? Well, these are people who are worried about jobs. So, in the beginning, you heard him talking about the economy, and it's a tough sell. The economy still has problems, but the president making the point in his view, we're on the road to recovery.

He also gave them a guy from their own ranks, a person who worked with the steelworkers, Ron Bloom, who's now going to be the manufacturing czar, the guy who's going to look at policy and proposals and strategy for bringing back manufacturing.

Then, the difficult thing was, these people, members of the union, AFL-CIO, do want a public option, but that is a key element in trying to get a health care plan that the president, if he really supports it all the way, runs into a lot of problems. So, how does he finance that? Well, he says public option within the basket of insurance options is a good idea, it can improve quality and bring down costs.

Did he say he's going to go to the mat with it? No, he did not.

He also talked about the health insurance exchanges, another idea.

And then finally, Kyra, this is a big week for the president. And as you mentioned, you have that school speech tomorrow that's become very controversial. And he also made this reference to, I'm going to be saying something on that, too.

So, the crowd at every moment was very supportive. And this is a very organized group. Signs all over the place, very professionally made by the AFL-CIO, "Health Care Can't Wait" -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right. You bring up a good point. Let's push forward to the president's speech tomorrow to students, to grade school, high school students.

We've heard about the controversy. Now we have the text. If you go to WhiteHouse.gov, any of us can read it now in its entirety. And let's just point out one part of that chunk of the speech. And there's been so much controversy, is this indoctrination or is this just insightful?

He writes in the speech that we're going to hear tomorrow, "Some of the most successful people in the world are the ones who've had the most failures. J.K. Rowling's first 'Harry Potter' book was rejected 12 times before it was finally published. Michael Jordan was cut from his high school basketball team, and he lost hundreds of games and missed thousands of shots during his career. But he once said, 'I have failed over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.'

The president definitely knows how to talk and who to bring up to our high school and elementary kids.

DOUGHERTY: Yes, and he had other things to say. I mean, essentially, it was -- the message was, the best schools, the best teachers, the best parents won't do it all, that you as a student have to do it, too. And so that was really kind of, get to work. It was tough for me, too, but we have to do it.

He had another thing, don't be afraid to ask for help. He said, I do that every day. Asking for help is not a sign of weakness.

So, the message really was very supportive of the students and really challenging them to do what they have to do. But, again, this turned into a highly political situation because of that one phrase that was in part of the work explanation for how this would work for the teachers, which was, "How I can support the president."

That was the way it was phrased. The White House backtracked, said that was not a good way to phrase that. They took it out. And so, the speech, now parents can look at it and decide.

PHILLIPS: WhiteHouse.gov, they can read it in its entirety. It will be interesting to see who keeps their kids home tomorrow and who doesn't. We'll follow it.

Jill Dougherty, thanks so much.

And then on this Labor Day, the secretary of labor was with the president at that AFL-CIO event in Cincinnati that you just saw. Hilda Solis has been talking about the job market. She actually told CNN's "AMERICAN MORNING" that things are looking more stable and that some sectors are actually improving.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HILDA SOLIS, LABOR SECRETARY: Keep in mind, the recovery program is just in, like, its six months right now, and it's a two-year project. So, we still have more funding opportunities that will go creating and helping to build our infrastructure, so that will help in construction and manufacturing.

We're also going to see these new hybrid technologies created. And I think the money alone that I am providing through our department for job training won't be fully effective until, like, later this year, around October or November.

So, there are flickers of hope out there. And I would just hope people, please, come by and visit our one-shop centers where people with get free information.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Now, the president said near the end of his speech just a few minutes ago that Secretary Solis' top priority is protecting American workers.

Vice President Biden is in Pittsburgh this Labor Day. He told people at a rally that organized labor is the nation's backbone and that he and Senator Arlen Specter would keep fighting for workers. Biden also talked up the stimulus package and said Pennsylvania would have had to lay off more than 10,000 people without it.

A political career badly damaged over a 9/11 controversy. Van Jones, President Obama's adviser on green jobs, is stepping down for signing a petition in 2004 that suggested the government let the 9/11 attacks happen. But the administration says that the president didn't force him to quit.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERT GIBBS, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: The president accepted his resignation because Van Jones, as he says in his statement, understood that he was going to get in the way of the president, and ultimately this country, moving forward on something has important as creating jobs in a clean energy economy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Jones did apologize and now says that he doesn't agree with the petition, but he also claims that opponents of the president's health care plan are smearing him. Jones drew fire for making insulting comments about Republicans.

If we do get a bipartisan health care plan, it may mirror a long- awaited blueprint from a senator at the center of the action.

CNN's Brianna Keilar has that for us.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Kyra, Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus' proposal includes a nonprofit health care cooperative, as we expected, and the big tax that would pay for part of the overhaul is a tax on those Cadillac health insurance plans, those high-end insurance plans that some say encourage consumers to overuse health care. It's a tax insurance that companies would pay, but critics say that it will be passed on to all consumers.

Now, the price tag here, less than $900 billion. Significant, because this is about $100 billion less than the other bills before Congress.

This proposal is based on the negotiations of this key bipartisan group, the so-called Gang of 6 Finance Committee members. But it's Senator Baucus who is the one who put this together.

He wants to see if this group that's been seen as really the best chance for a bipartisan compromise can actually reach one. And no coincidence that he put this out ahead of the president's address to Congress Wednesday. He obviously wants to ensure that his committee has an opportunity to put its stamp on the health care debate before the president starts laying out some boundaries on Wednesday night -- Kyra.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Brianna Keilar, thanks so much.

And of course the best political team on television will bring you special live coverage of the president's health care speech Wednesday night starting at 8:00 Eastern.

CNN is your home for politics.

Prosecutors say it could have been worse than 9/11. There's a verdict today in a British terror trial that changed the way you fly.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: It would have been the deadliest terror attack since 9/11. A British jury today convicted three men of plotting to bomb at least seven airliners flying to the United States and Canada back to 2006.

CNN International Security Correspondent Paula Newton joins us now from London.

So, Paula, this case really changed the way we fly, right?

PAULA NEWTON, CNN INTERNATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely. All those little bottles, Kyra, will never be the same again. And the reason is because of this case.

What's interesting here, Kyra, is this was actually a retrial. These three ringleaders, they were convicted last year of conspiracy to murder. But what the jury wasn't buying in the first trial, Kyra, was that they actually had the capability and intent to bring down those airplanes. No more. In the second trial, really a vindication for British authorities, who are saying, look, we told you so, this was warranted.

What was interesting was, during the first trial, the scientists came out with this experiment. And you could hear a pin drop when the jury saw this video of having these soft drink bottles, just bottles like this, something you and I would use and bring on to a plane, the kind of explosion that it would cause. And it certainly flew debris about five or six feet in either direction. It was really quite an impact.

And I think the other thing here, Kyra, is that we're all beginning to realize that after 9/11, everyone vowed never again. And I think this was very chilling for authorities who thought to themselves, hang on a minute, the terrorists are really improvising here, and we always need to be one step ahead of them -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: So, what do you think we've learned about how terrorists plot?

NEWTON: Well, I think it was this cell in particular. You know, this wasn't the normal profile. They were so-called upstanding citizens in their communities, in their Muslim communities.

And I've spoken -- many of them were from east London here. And I've spoken to people in those communities who feel absolutely betrayed.

There certainly was a link, Kyra, to Pakistan, and perhaps even al Qaeda. But nothing proven. And from the martyrdom video -- there were at least six of them -- you know, the words saying that, we intend to give back to you, we intend to get back at the West, enough is enough. All of this, people understanding that these cells are inspired in so many different ways.

What should give us a measure of relief is that they were under surveillance for several weeks. And there are plots like that going on right now, security authorities tell us, that are under surveillance and they learn more every day.

PHILLIPS: Well, that's good news. Paula Newton, thanks.

Fresh new controversy today in the fight for Afghanistan. Swedish aid workers say that U.S. troops looking for Taliban fighters actually stormed a hospital, tying up guards and entering women's wards. They say that doors were kicked in and patients were forced out of their beds.

The Swedish Committee for Afghanistan says the operation was a violation of humanitarian principles and simply not acceptable. NATO says it's investigating, but any operation in that area would have been Afghan-led.

U.S. forces in Afghanistan, meanwhile, are already facing criticism for an airstrike last week that allegedly killed dozens of civilians.

Dr. Sanjay Gupta will have more from Afghanistan tonight on CNN's "ANDERSON COOPER 360," 10:00 p.m. Eastern, 7:00 Pacific. One other note from Afghanistan. They're still counting votes from last month's presidential election. The running count gives incumbent president Hamid Karzai a comfortable lead, but not the majority that he needed to avoid a runoff. The election commission warns it can't certify any results until they look into 650 allegations of serious vote fraud.

A former U.N. worker and journalist is now in jail in Sudan. She faced 40 lashes for wearing pants and a blouse that were considered indecent. The court offered to fine her instead, but she's refusing to pay.

What's the point?

CNN's David McKenzie is watching this case from Nairobi, Kenya, and joins us on the phone.

David, what happened in court?

DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, that's right, Kyra. What is the point is the question.

And Lubna Ahmed al-Hussein, she used to be a U.N. employee and a journalist in Sudan. She's trying to make a stand in saying that this concept, this law of giving flogging to women, 40 lashes for a woman if she's wearing what the morality police deem as not part of Islamic law, she says this is incorrect, it's degrading, and it's backwards. And she's trying to make a stand.

Today, she went to court, she was offered the option -- or, in fact, she was given the verdict of guilty, though the judge didn't even allow her to state her case, according to her lawyer. And that she was offered to get a fine of around $210. But she instead said she will refuse to pay that fine because, according to her lawyer, this entire case is incorrect, and she would rather go to jail to try and make a point, that the law in Sudan is not progressive like some of the other aspects of that country -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: David, bottom line, is she trying to make a change?

MCKENZIE: Well, of course, that's the bottom line.

PHILLIPS: We lost David McKenzie, who's actually joining us by phone there from Nairobi.

Apologize for that.

We'll catch up with him a little bit later.

Other top stories that we're following now.

The H1N1 virus making its presence felt on Washington State University's home and campus. The school doled out free hand sanitizers to student's during this weekend's Stanford/WSU football game. More than 2,000 WSU students are sick with the swine flu. So far, none of them has been hospitalized. Rescue crews are scouring the side of a ferry disaster in the Philippines. Nearly 960 people have been rescued, including a woman who had been in the water for more than 24 hours. At least nine people were killed when the ferry capsized yesterday. One person remains unaccounted for.

Some Great White sharks are taking a toll on the beach fun that so many people enjoy on this holiday. Four Great Whites have been spotted off the Cape Cod coast, prompting the closing of many Massachusetts beaches. And for the first time, two of the sharks in the Atlantic have been tagged for research.

Firefighters are making progress against that massive blaze burning outside L.A. Is the end finally in sight for the Station Fire?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(WEATHER REPORT)

PHILLIPS: Well, talk about a pastor with a past. A sex offender about to be ordained. His old sins pushing the concept of forgiveness to its very limits.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: If a registered sex offender preached to you every Sunday in church, a guy who had been charged with sodomizing a child a few years ago, would you, could you listen to him? That's the challenge for one congregation in Kentucky now.

The story from Adam Walser from WHAS in Louisville.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ADAM WALSER, WHAS (voice-over): City of Refuge church proclaims that everyone is welcome. That's probably what attracted Mark Hourigan. Hourigan was charged back in 1998 with sodomizing, sexually abusing and intimidating an 11-year-old boy. He pleaded guilty to a lesser charge, served time in prison and agreed not to serve as a leader in any church where he would have contact with children.

But Hourigan's probation is over, even if his sex offender registration will never end.

PASTOR RANDY MEADOWS, CITY OF REFUGE WORSHIP CENTER: But us, as a society, we can't forget. We can't move on. And I preach in this church to try to allow God to move you on to a better life.

WALSER: Pastor Randy Meadows says the Lord has touched Hourigan's heart. Hourigan now leads praise and worship at the church, and he will become an ordained minister next Sunday.

MEADOWS: If we show people that someone with Mark's background, Mark's past can become someone that will be productive in society, then who else could reach out to other people but Christ's people?

WALSER: But former church deacon Kevin Pickerell (ph) says Hourigan was never straightforward about his past until he was confronted.

KEVIN PICKERELL, FORMER DEACON: So I had, of course, my piece of paper that I'd done my research on, and I handed it to him. I said, This is the problem. And his reaction was, Oh, you found out.

WALSER: Pickerell fears Hourigan would be tempted by children who gather at the church for weekly Sunday school. He worries he could reoffend.

PICKERELL: Maybe he's going to fall in that category of the low percentage that doesn't, but I don't want to take the chance.

WALSER: Pastor Meadows says Hourigan will sign an agreement not to minister to children.

MEADOWS: God is a God of love, and a forgiving God, and I'm doing what he's telling me to do. And if that's not popular, well, Jesus wasn't, either, so...

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: So we didn't hear from the man in question there, but CNN Richard's Lui talked with Mark Hourigan and the pastor who has faith in him. Take a listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RICHARD LUI, CNN ANCHOR: Why should parishioners that you go to church along with believe that you are in recovery?

MARK HOURIGAN, REGISTERED SEX OFFENDER: Well, I completed a sex offender treatment program when I was in prison and also since I was released, while I was on parole, so I've actually completed it twice. And I've learned a lot of tools through that program, and I've learned that I have to change the way that I think in order to change my actions and my behaviors. And I've learned a lot of things as far as what situations not to place myself in, and when I'm having problems on an emotional level, to seek out counsel from other people, such as my pastor or other members of the church, in order to deal with those so that it doesn't turn into something that it has in the past.

LUI: Pastor Meadows, the Catholic church has experienced, as you know, scores of sex offense cases over the decades, that have spanned the decades. And it has had significant financial repercussions. Aren't you a little bit worried at risk that you'll be facing here?

MEADOWS: I don't take anything lightly when it comes to someone's past. And please, I want everyone to know that. But I want everyone to know that this church in no way, shape or form will be putting the children of this church in harm's way, the members of this church or Brother Mark in harm's way. We are very aware of everything, and the one thing is that he has not hidden this from me or the board members of the church or the ministers. So we are very watchful of every situation that comes along in our congregation.

(END VIDEOTAPE) PHILLIPS: Hourigan is set to be ordained next Sunday.

And a NEWSROOM follow-up. A jury in Florida recommends death for the man who kidnapped, raped and killed Denise Lee. You may remember Lee is the young wife and mother who called 911 from her attacker's cell phone and stayed on the line several minutes but never got rescued. A witness also called and described the suspect's car and location, but that was never passed on to police. A judge will formally sentence Michael King in the days ahead.

A brother of the man charged with a mass slaying at a mobile home in coastal Georgia is defending him. Guy Heinze, Jr., is charged with killing his father and seven other people. But his 16-year-old brother, Tyler (ph), says he's innocent and would never hurt his family. The younger Heinze spoke Saturday after his father's funeral. Tyler Heinze speculated that drugs may have played a role in the killings but didn't go into detail.

South Lake Tahoe never forgot Jaycee Dugard. This holiday weekend, the town celebrated the remarkable good news that the little girl snatched from a school bus stop 18 years ago is alive and a free woman. Here's CNN's Kara Finnstrom.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KARA FINNSTROM, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A sea of pink, girls walking arm in arm, a home town telling Jaycee Dugard they love her. It's all so familiar.

AMELIA EDWARDS, JAYCEE DUGARD'S CHILDHOOD FRIEND: It's very overwhelming. It's a good overwhelming.

FINNSTROM: Jaycee's childhood friend, Amelia Edwards, walked this route on the 10th anniversary of Jaycee's disappearance. Now, eight years later, this community is walking it backwards, symbolizing they've come full circle and Jaycee has come home.

EDWARDS: All of us are just, like, in awe. We keep getting goosebumps.

FINNSTROM: In the years since Jaycee vanished, this community has held its children tighter.

EDWARDS: I'm constantly trying to find out where she is and reach out for her hand.

FINNSTROM: That fear even more real for Edwards. The week before Dugard disappeared, Edwards says she told her parents a car with a man and woman inside followed her home from the bus stop.

EDWARDS: I remember hearing the tire tracks pull onto the dirt road behind me and freaked me out. And I remember walking faster, hearing the tires go faster. And that made me even more scared, and so then I ran home.

STEPHANIE TARPEY, AMELIA EDWARDS'S MOTHER: We just thought it was a 10-year-old being overly dramatic and didn't really believe her, actually.

FINNSTROM: Edwards says, at the time, she immediately recognized sketches of the car and the woman suspected of involvement in Jaycee Dugard's disappearance.

EDWARDS: At 11 years old, it was my worst nightmare coming true. My mom stated, you know, It's the boogeyman coming to life.

FINNSTROM: Edwards needed to do something.

EDWARDS: This is one of the original pink ribbons.

FINNSTROM: She started what became a massive pink ribbon campaign. Pink was Jaycee's favorite color. Eighteen years later...

FINNSTROM: We're getting lost in a sea of pink. It's the most beautiful thing I think I've ever seen!

FINNSTROM: Jaycee Dugard is not here with them, but Edwards now knows somewhere that missing girl, now a free woman, just may see and feel their joy. Kara Finnstrom for CNN, South Lake Tahoe, California.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: A protest outside an Arizona church. At the center of it all, a preacher who wants President Obama to die. This is a story a lot of you are talking about.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: President Obama praised the union movement at a Labor Day rally in Cincinnati just a short time ago. Speaking to the Ohio AFL- CIO members, he asked for help in his fight for health care reform. He also argued his economic recovery plan is working, but said he won't be satisfied until jobs are much more plentiful.

A major British terror trial ended today, one that changed the way we all fly. A London jury found three British Muslims guilty of plotting to bomb at least seven airliners flying to the U.S. and Canada. Four other alleged conspirators were acquitted, and the jury was unable to reach a verdict on another defendant. After the arrests just over three years ago, airline passengers face new restrictions on carrying liquids and gels.

And how much would you pay for one of Michael Jackson's gloves? At an auction in Australia over the weekend, a glove once worn by the king of pop went for $49,000. That's nearly double what they expected. The winning bidder was the Hard Rock Hotel and Cafe in Las Vegas.

Some people without wheels -- now they have transportation. Sound Ludacris? You're right! The rapper and actor partnered with a dealership in suburban Atlanta and gave away 20 cars to people who nearly lost their jobs because they didn't have a ride. About 4,000 submitted essays to the rapper's foundation saying why they deserve that car.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LUDACRIS, RAPPER/ACTOR: We have our own stimulus plan, man. We're just doing our part as a foundation, as an organization to give back. We know it's hard economic times. And like I said, Luda-day (ph) weekend -- we thought up (ph) Luda-day weekend. It's a whole list of events geared towards charity and giving back, leading by example. You know, with great power comes great responsibility, and I'm -- like I said, I'm just doing my part.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Along with that free car, the winners also got free gas for 30 days.

And when you head back to work tomorrow, it might take you a bit longer to reach the office, but the longer commute may be a sign of economic recovery. Stephanie Elam has the breakdown from New York. Stephanie, you going to roll out with us?

(LAUGHTER)

STEPHANIE ELAM, CNNMONEY.COM: Well, it makes me want to do this.

PHILLIPS: Roll out!

ELAM: Exactly!

PHILLIPS: I was waiting for you to do the video for me.

ELAM: Yes, well, you know, we always see something a little different on these holidays, Kyra, you and me. We've had a long tradition of it.

(LAUGHTER)

ELAM: I figured I wouldn't stop now. But you're right, after a year- and-a-half of decreased congestion, it's getting a little more crowded on America's roads. That's according to Enrits (ph), a company that monitors traffic patterns nationwide using over a million GPS-enabled cars and trucks.

The average American will spend about 30 hours stuck in traffic this year, and that's a slight increase from 2008, but it's still well off the 41-hour average Americans -- that Americans spent in traffic in 2007, back before the recession began.

Now, Enrits says the increase indicates an increase in economic activity. In some cities, that means more people going to work. For example, Washington, D.C., saw one of the largest increases in travel time, a result of more government workers.

But you know what? It's not always jobs. Enrits says its numbers take into account several factors, including an increase in shipping volumes and also lower fuel prices, Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Well, now, what about the federal stimulus packages? A lot of that money was meant to fund road projects. So is that also contributing to the increase in the traffic?

ELAM: Yes, it definitely is. The Department of Transportation received $27.5 billion from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. So far, that's funded over 6,000 road projects nationwide, which led Enrits to says that that's a 40 percent in delays during off-peak construction hours from the first half of 2008 to the first half of this year.

Now, take a look at this map, and you can see where some of the biggest relative delays are, starting with Albuquerque, New Mexico, their I-40 project. And then in St. Louis, multiple interstate projects are in the works there. The Massachusetts accelerated bridge program has Boston, Worcester and Springfield all in the top 10 in terms of increased overnight delays.

And number one on that list would be Portland, Maine. There are plans to redesign I-295, and that is one of the area's main arteries. Of course, you can follow the recovery from every angle at CNNmoney.com, including a related story about some of the more unusual stimulus projects.

And I never thought we'd be able to talk stimulus and Ludacris in the same little story. That's amazing, Kyra. Only you and I could do that!

(LAUGHTER)

PHILLIPS: That is true. It's all about, you know, giving back, making money, help everything get better, right?

ELAM: And rolling out.

PHILLIPS: There you go! All right, Steph. Thanks.

Hey, Chicago, mind if I borrow Michigan Avenue for just a few days? I promise to give it back. Only someone like Oprah could pull that off, and she is, about three blocks of the city's "magnificent mile" downtown closing through early Wednesday. Oprah's going to use the spot tomorrow to kick off the 24th season of her show. The taping doubles as a free party for the public, with music from performers like Jennifer Hudson and the Black Eyed Peas.

No rest for work crews on the San Francisco/Oakland Bay Bridge this Labor Day. That's a live look as they patch up a crack in a steel support bar. That bridge closed last week for a seismic retrofit, but this weekend, they actually discovered the crack, which was big enough on its own to force closing the bridge. The hope is to get the bridge fixed before rush hour tomorrow morning. More than 260,000 cars and trucks cross the Bay Bridge every day.

Switching sides in Samoa -- and before you say, What the -- I mean, the country, not the Girl Scout cookie. And I don't mean American Samoa, but the other one. How about halfway between Hawaii and New Zealand? At the top of this hour, about 52 minutes ago, Samoa became the first country in almost 40 years to switch the side of the road that it drives on. It switched to the left to be like its bigger neighbors, where a lot of former Samoans live and where they drive cars they can't ship home because the steering wheels are on the wrong side. Now they're not. To smooth the transition, Samoa called a two- day national holiday and banned the sale of alcohol for three days.

You've heard about the Arizona preacher who says he wants President Obama to die. Well, we're going to show you how people are responding.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: This just coming in to CNN. Now, we've been able to confirm that former congressman Joseph Kennedy II says he will not run for the Senate seat held by his late uncle, Ted Kennedy. The former six-term congressman says he's going to continue to work on causes that he cares about, like decent housing, fair wages and health care.

So right now, at this point, officially, Martha Coakley, the Massachusetts attorney general, is the only one that has officially declared that she will be running for that seat. Also possibly potential Democratic candidates, Stephen Lynch. We are told that he has obtained the nomination papers, but still 56-year-old Coakley is the first one to officially declare.

Apparently, not everyone is willing to turn the other cheek. There was a protest yesterday outside the church of an Arizona pastor who said that he wants President Obama to die. Melissa Gonzalo of CNN affiliate KPNX was there.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MELISSA GONZALO, KPNX (voice-over): People lined Southern Avenue Sunday morning, spreading their message of love.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: ... because I, too, am a minister, and I would never get in the pulpit and preach hate.

GONZALO: This is video of one of Pastor Anderson's sermons posted on YouTube.

PASTOR STEVEN ANDERSON, FAITHFUL WORD BAPTIST CHURCH: I hate Barack Obama! And I'm going to prove it from the Bible tonight why I should hate Barack Obama, why God wants me to hate Barack Obama, why God hates Barack Obama!

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm appalled that anyone would talk about killing the president. And as a religious leader, I'm appalled that anyone would do it from a pulpit.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's more of us who believe God means peace and love than hatred and wishing the president's demise.

GONZALO: But Pastor Anderson is standing by his message. He refused to be interview, only saying...

ANDERSON: I'm not changing anything that I've said.

GONZALO: Last Sunday, he told us...

ANDERSON: Do you want to know how I'd like to see Obama die? I'd like to see him die of natural causes.

GONZALO: Herb Rice (ph) attended Anderson's service. He admits preaching about wanting President Obama to die is extreme and offered this solution.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think Obama could maybe reach out to Pastor Anderson, and I would pray that they both come to some kind of agreement.

GONZALO: Other members of Faithful Word Baptist Church are continuing to stand by Pastor Anderson.

(on camera): How was the sermon today?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Real good. You guys ought to go.

GONZALO (voice-over): This member even admitted he has prayed for the president and others to die.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If people do evil in this world, things will happen to them, OK? The Bible says God is a god of judgment.

GONZALO: Tom Johns (ph) says not his God.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: That was Melissa Gonzalo, CNN affiliate KPNX, reporting from Tempe, Arizona. Nearly 100 people attended yesterday's protest, by the way.

Rick, that's a story that you were on top of as soon as he came out and said those controversial comments.

RICK SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: We broke that story when it first came out. What's interesting is -- I can't help but say this. I think most people are probably thinking it. It's amazing what things people can find in the Bible if they look for it. It's almost like you can use -- or people use the Bible oftentimes to substantiate just about anything that they want to, whether it's good, bad or indifferent.

I mean, if nothing else, it seems to be -- ever since we did that story, I've talked to a lot of people who are in the religious community, people who are theologians, and they've all dispelled the notion that what this man is preaching, which is that God stood for killing someone like the president of the United States because you may disagree with his policies -- by the way, we've got...

PHILLIPS: (INAUDIBLE) congregation? I mean, does he have a lot of followers or (INAUDIBLE)

SANCHEZ: No, no, no.

PHILLIPS: (INAUDIBLE) spouting out to 20 people? SANCHEZ: It's not. It's -- in fact, that's one of the reasons that I -- he's asked if I would interview him. And so far, we've decided not to interview him because we think we'd be giving him a bigger platform than, really, he deserves. I mean, here's a guy who's got 20 people. Yes, he's become big news because of what he said, but we've decided not to put him in that situation and interview him for that reason.

PHILLIPS: So does that mean that we should stop talking about it, as well?

SANCHEZ: No, I don't think so. I think if it's news, it's news. I mean, no. I mean...

PHILLIPS: OK.

SANCHEZ: No, I mean, I know you're asking that -- it's a serious question, actually. I mean, do -- I think you report it because it shows that there's something going on in this country that we all have to be aware of. It doesn't necessarily mean you elevate him.

Listen, by the way, I just heard from Sean, and Sean is covering this story about the eight people who were killed out in Brunswick, Georgia. He thinks he's been able to nail down what may be the motive in this case, why this Heinze fellow killed his own family, all eight of them, possibly nine. And we've also got going on with Tila Tequila and this Merriman story. What an incredible story that this NFL linebacker would be arrested for allegedly strangling her.

PHILLIPS: What's so incredible about that? I mean, if he's beating her, he's a thug, then he deserves to go to jail. Move on.

SANCHEZ: Well, if that's the case. The whole thing with her and him is what may be the -- the confluence of those two, what makes this such an interesting story, I believe.

PHILLIPS: Yes. They need therapy. All right, Rick. See you later.

Well, something happened 11 years ago this month that changed your life. Well, at least your vocabulary. On September 4th, 1998, computer geeks Larry Page and Sergey Brin incorporated Google. They didn't conquer the on-line search business overnight, but almost. "PC" magazine named Google one of the top 100 Web sites of 1998, saying, "It has an uncanny knack for returning extremely relevant results." Well, that's putting it lightly.

Well, here, bear. Here, bear. Luring one of these guys doesn't seem like the smartest thing to do, but believe it or not, some scientists are hoping it's going to make them and the bears much smarter.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: So why would anyone want to lure a bear? Well, some Florida scientists want to lure a lot of them, and their goal is to keep them out of your back yard. We're going to find out now if our John Zarrella is smarter than the average bear.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): For researchers John Cox and Wade Ulrey, trapping bears is about appealing to their sweet tooth.

(on camera): Well, they didn't get the pastries.

JOHN COX, UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY RESEARCHER: They didn't get the pastries, no.

ZARRELLA: More often than not, they do. The bear gets the goodies, while at the same time managing not to get caught in one of Cox and Ulrey's elaborate traps or snares.

COX: Since this project's been going on for five years now, we have several bears with advanced degrees in trapping.

ZARRELLA: For three days...

COX: (INAUDIBLE) even touched the pastries here.

ZARRELLA: ... twice a day, we watched as Cox and Ulrey checked traps baited with doughnuts and other sweets.

(on camera): You guys have got to stay one step ahead of the bears, basically.

COX: You have to try to be smarter than the average bear, so to speak.

ZARRELLA: I knew you were going to say that!

(LAUGHTER)

ZARRELLA (voice-over): This bear hunt ends empty-handed.

COX: This looks like a young one.

ZARRELLA: Weeks later, another try. This time, a young bear is caught in a snare.

COX: Well, usually, the thing that you'll see is a little bit of an abrasion where they've rubbed some of the fur off or maybe a cut.

ZARRELLA: It climbs a pine tree trying to escape. The researchers wait for the bear to come down. A tranquilizer is attached to the end of a long pole.

COX: OK, we got him. Let's back off.

ZARRELLA: The University of Kentucky scientists are studying the movement of Florida's black bears, how they get from place to place, the corridors they travel that need to be set aside.

TRICIA MARTIN, THE NATURE CONSERVANCY: It's wonderful because the bears are telling us what habitat we need to protect. ZARRELLA: The bears are fitted with a collar that every 15 minutes sends text messages back to the university, telling the researchers exactly where the bears are. This one, a female, is too young. She won't get a collar. And when they pass the reader over the back of her neck, a microchip is detected.

COX: This is a bear that we've captured before.

ZARRELLA: As wilderness dwindles, bears, simply trying to get from one place to another, inevitably run into humans. A 300-pound male is captured in a community west of Ft. Lauderdale, another dumpster- diving in Ft. Myers. Our young black bear is awake now. She takes off into the forest, her home. John Zarrella, CNN, Highlands County, Florida.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Thanks for joining us. Happy Labor Day. Rick Sanchez takes it from here.