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Possible Terror Plot Test, Hurricane Earl Eyes U.S. East Coast; Piles of Flies, Maggots, Big Manure Piles; Iraq Never Over for Some Families; American-Born Drug Cartel Leader Captured in Mexico; Drilling Begins on Rescue Shaft for Trapped Miners in Chile

Aired August 31, 2010 - 09:00   ET

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

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR, "CNN NEWSROOM": Good morning guys. Thanks so much.

Hurricane Earl is getting bigger, stronger and if you live along the East Coast, you might feel him this week.

Rodents, mice and a mountain of manure eight feet high. The federal report investigating are investigating egg farms -- egg farms, rather, explains probably why we had a salmonella outbreak.

Booze, smokes, Viagra. We've seen a lot of products advertised on TV that we never thought we'd see beamed into our living rooms. Well, add one more product to the list. Marijuana.

It's 9:00 a.m. on the East Coast, 6:00 a.m. out west, I'm Kyra Phillips. You're live in the CNN NEWSROOM.

Labor Day weekend looming. This story may rattle the nerves of the nation's air travelers and the people in charge of keeping them safe. Two men were taken into custody and another one after stepping off of Chicago to Amsterdam flight.

They're being questioned about suspicious items inside their luggage. They include a cell phone taped to a bottle, three cell phones taped together, several watches taped together, and a box cutter and three large knives.

CNN's Atika Shubert is at the airport just outside Amsterdam.

So does homeland security think that this was a dry-run for something bigger, Atika?

ATIKA SHUBERT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, that's the fear. Dutch officials here are basically keeping a tight lid on the information. They won't see what the charges are against these two men if there are any at the moment.

We are expecting a statement from them within the hour. What they did say, however, is that they acted on information from the U.S. authorities. And what U.S. officials have told us is that there was nothing inherently dangerous in these -- what was in the luggage but that it was suspicious to see these cell phones taped to an empty bottles, watches, knives, box cutters. And the fear is they may have been trying to test security in domestic airports but also internationally.

PHILLIPS: So, Atika, how concerned are authorities right now, for example, with this Pepto-Bismol bottle taped to a cell phone and these other items that they found? And does that mean that eventually we're not going to be able to take anything through security because of this?

SHUBERT: Well, I'm sure that's what a lot of passengers are fearing. But as you can see there's no -- like big security alert happening here at (INAUDIBLE. It's business as normal.

And what's important to point out perhaps is that this -- the luggage, it was checked in and it went through from -- originally it was supposed to go -- their itinerary was to go to Washington, D.C., and on to Dubai.

Instead these two suspects, instead, went from Chicago to Amsterdam. Their luggage, however, went on to Dulles Airport and Washington, D.C. When it was scanned at Dulles is when they took out those suspicious items and they're now investigating it.

It did not go on to that international flight as for international regulations. So for those passengers who may be concerned really in this case all those international security regulations were in place. That went fine.

And the Department of Homeland Security has said -- pointed out that there was nothing inherently dangerous with these objects. It's just suspicion that they may have been trying to test security.

PHILLIPS: All right, Atika Shubert, appreciate it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

THOMAS VEIRA, CNN IREPORTER: Waves are roaring. There's quite a bit of damage. Trees down.

(END OF VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: One of our iReporters sent us these pictures of Hurricane Earl pounding the coast of St. Kitts. Right now Earl is a category 4 storm with winds of around 135 miles per hour.

It looks like it could hit the U.S. by the end of week. Its winds have already snapped trees and power lines across the island of St. Martin. Leaving only a few people with power right now.

The storm is trekking towards Turks and Caicos.

Meteorologist Rob Marciano is tracking the hurricane for us.

So, what's the latest, Rob?

ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Well, still a category 4 as you mentioned. The pressure has come up just a smidge from the hurricane hunter aircraft that were in this thing just a little while ago. But nonetheless, it hasn't weakened a ton.

The center of it is about 200 miles to the north-northwest of San Juan, Puerto Rico. It's kind of got a glancing blow from this. But the U.S. Virgin Islands and British Virgin Islands, as you saw, got beat up pretty good. And now it's headed towards the -- towards the Turks and Caicos.

So that's not the next item that's -- going to be a concern here. Here's a satellite picture. The diameter of the eye is about 30 nautical miles but it looks like it's gotten a little cloud cover shrouded there.

Its movement is west-northwesterly. Its movement, of course, is towards the U.S. By the way, immediately behind it, this is tropical storm Fiona formed yesterday afternoon. And that's going to -- kind of go right in the tracks of Earl. We'll just have to wait and see what Fiona does.

But I want to talk more about Earl because this is a major storm. It's going to make a close pass if not directly hit the U.S. here in the next few days.

Here's the forecast now for the National Hurricane Center brings it -- keeps it at Category 4 status. Early Thursday morning into early Friday morning, it will make a pass across the outer banks or near the outer banks. And then potentially across parts of eastern New England.

But notice the shaded area, Kyra, from North Carolina all the way to Maine. That's the area that is under the cone of uncertainty. Under the margin of area that the National Hurricane Center allows, meaning that they could easily either stay indirect impacts but they might see a direct falling -- landfalling hurricane.

So this is going to be a dicey situation over the next day or two. Certainly if you live on the outer banks prepare now for a hurricane strike. Hopefully this thing peels off to sea. But at the moment, it's too close to call -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Thanks, Rob.

MARCIANO: You bet.

PHILLIPS: If you're eating breakfast I'm going to warn you right now that the story probably will make you gag. We know just how disgusting the conditions were at the egg farms in Iowa. The ones believed to be at the heart of the salmonella outbreak.

CNN's Josh Levs has the gruesome details for us.

And I guess this -- we pretty much expected this.

JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We did. I mean here's the thing. It's so gross. What I'm about to tell you. It was really disgusting. But the fact is, we keep hearing people say we need more inspections. Well, you know what happens when you actually get those inspections. You find really gross stuff at some of these places. And what's happened here is that the FDA has now released inspection reports.

Noting violations at six farms operated you about Wright County Egg and Quality Egg, which are owned by the same company and then -- same family, rather. And also three Hillandale Farms locations.

These inspections took place in August after a bunch of new safety rules went into effect.

We have some examples for you now of what was found -- I'm going to tell you, we don't have pictures from the actual farms. We're using general pictures to help you get the idea here.

All right. Some of what was found here. Uncaged hence tracking manure at the Hillandale Farms locations. Manure leaking on to the floor in several places. Let's take another one here. Live rodents and rodent holes in a bunch of places. Inspectors finding these at the Hillandale Farm locations.

Now over at Quality Egg and Wright County Egg, a few things I'm seeing listed in these reports, then found some frogs. Some live frogs. A bunch of live wild birds that were not supposed to be there, flying in and out of different places over here.

A whole mess of flies, dead and alive, all over these places. Maggots. Always the word you want to hear in the morning when you're eating breakfast. And manure piles. Now they said that there were some manure piles that reached as high as eight feet tall.

And we want to help you envision what that is. I'm 6'1". So it's a couple of feet higher than me. But to do it even more clearly, and we're going to show you on the ladder over here. This is an eight- foot ladder. So imagine as I am going up here, everything I'm next to here is all manure, all the way up to here, a little bit past this ladder.

So that's how high these manure piles were in some places. Now I spoke to an expert just last week who said we really need to take some new steps to protect these farms. Here's what she told me.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CAROLINE SMITH DEWAAL, FOOD SAFETY DIRECTOR, CENTER/SCIENCE IN PUBLIC INTEREST: We think that high-risk facilities including these egg plants should be visited every six to 12 months.

That's critically important if we're going to see improvements in egg safety, in spinach safety, in peanut butter. And lots of these food products that have caused outbreaks in recent years.

LEVS: OK. And you think that if that's in place and that would actually do what it takes to protect the nation's egg supply, we wouldn't see this ever again in your interview?

DEWAAL: We -- we might see it occasionally but it wouldn't get so big. And --

LEVS: OK.

DEWAAL: And it's critically important that Congress act quickly.

(END OF VIDEO CLIP)

LEVS: And when you see the things I'm telling you about now today, these kinds of disgusting conditions that were found at these farms, you can hear why that's necessary.

Now to be fair, I want to tell you both companies have said they're cooperating with investigators. They're cooperating with authorities. They're taking all sorts of steps to clean up and make sure this doesn't happen again.

That said, we now see, Kyra, from what these inspectors have found right here, the fact is when they get there, when they take a good hard look at everything that is there, they find some really, really nasty gross stuff that you don't want anywhere near your food supply.

PHILLIPS: All right. I missed the part about the frogs.

(LAUGHTER)

PHILLIPS: That's really disgusting.

LEVS: Yes.

PHILLIPS: All right. I thought I lost it at maggots and manure but -- yes. It takes it to a --

LEVS: Frogster.

PHILLIPS: -- whole another level.

LEVS: Yes, you got it.

PHILLIPS: Yes. All right. We'll keep sifting through all the documents. Thanks, Josh.

All right. President Obama is leaving Andrews Air Force Base for Fort Bliss, Texas, where he's going to meet with troops.

Fort Bliss, by the way, is home to troops who have served at every stage of the Iraq war and it's a historic milestone today. By no means an end to the violence in Iraq. I think we realize that. But U.S. troops do mark the formal end of the combat mission.

But unfortunately, we're still bringing you a number of reports on bombings and deaths of U.S. troops and Iraqi civilians.

Tonight the president will address the nation and all this week here on CNN we're reflecting on the last seven years of what withdrawing U.S. troops means to both the U.S. and Iraq.

You know the withdrawal of troops can be pretty heart-wrenching for the families whose sons and daughters never made it home.

CNN's Barbara Starr joins us now live from Fort Campbell, Kentucky with more on that angle -- Barbara.

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kyra, we're here at Fort Campbell, the home of the 101st Airborne Division.

Like so many military units they have done a number of very tough combat tours in Iraq. We met a military mom here who says, for her, no matter what the president says, the Iraq war is never going to be forgotten.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SHEILA PATTON, MOTHER OF JAMES "JIMMIE" PATTON: I put it together on the anniversary -- four-month anniversary of his death.

STARR (voice-over): Sheila Patton shows us a book of tributes to her son, Army Ranger Staff Sergeant James "Jimmie" Patton. Photos, memories and letters of condolence.

(On camera): Your first is a letter from the president of the United States.

PATTON: Yes.

STARR: It's important.

PATTON: Yes, it is. It is. Very important.

STARR (voice-over): A home of memories.

PATTON: It is his dress blues.

STARR: Jimmy was killed in northern Iraq in April. That alone a tragedy. But there is more for this mother of three. Her husband, Command Sergeant Major Gregory Patton, Jimmie's dad, is serving in eastern Afghanistan.

When Jimmie was killed, his father flew to Iraq, picked up his son's body and brought it home.

This week the U.S. combat mission in Iraq officially ends. But the emotional cost of the war in Iraq for thousands of military families like the Pattons does not.

(On camera): For your family, which has made the ultimate sacrifice.

PATTON: Yes.

STARR: How long will Iraq be with your family?

PATTON: Forever.

STARR (voice-over): Patton has long counseled other army wives and mothers about the importance of being resilient. Now more important than ever before.

PATTON: To be honest with you, I think that's why I'm doing this interview. I think that I have something to share.

STARR: Patton says that many army wives and mothers are now sisters in arms. The backbone of military families.

PATTON: I have a voice and I'm willing to share my voice. I think that with Jimmie's death I have been given a mission and that mission is to try to help other families be resilient.

Because you've got to find humor, you've got to find laughter and you've got to be positive to get through it. Otherwise you're miserable and -- depressed and you can't take care of your children, you can't take care of yourself, you can't do your job. You know, so you have to have positive attitude.

STARR: Patton says she still feels Jimmie's presence in the quiet woods behind the house. Jimmie, she says, died the way he wanted to in combat with his buddies. In a war likely to be a part of the American experience for years to come.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

STARR: And Sheila doesn't expect to see her husband Greg home from Afghanistan until at least January. But here at the 101st here of Ft. Campbell, Kentucky, another unit of soldiers is already getting ready -- yes -- to deploy to Iraq to help support those 50,000 U.S. troops that will be there for many months to come --Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Barbara Starr, thanks so much. And President Obama will address the nation on Iraq tonight from the Oval Office. He's also going to talk about Afghanistan and the broader war on terrorism.

Join CNN for live coverage of that speech. 8:00 p.m. Eastern followed by our breakdown of the president's remarks and reports from Iraq, Afghanistan, and Pakistan.

So listen to how some kids at one school are learning math.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STUDENTS: Seven, eight, pinkie time, eight, nine, 10, 11, 12.

(END OF VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Well, it might not sound like your math teacher from back in the day but techniques like that are actually getting results that you just can't deny. We'll look at a real education success story next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Fix our schools. Those three words will drive much of what you see on CNN this week. Because, as America's children return to school, CNN has a mission. We've sent reporting teams across the country to document the education crisis in America. And most importantly, we'll shine light on success stories that can empower us to offer our children so much more than they're getting now. Success stories like this one from CNN's Randi Kaye of Rochester, New York.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KELLI RAGIN, MATH TEACHER: What is the measurement of the second angle?

RANDI KAYE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Take a good look inside this classroom. Notice what isn't happening. Not a single student daydreaming or doodling. Each one alert, focused, engaged.

RAGIN: What's the greatest of the three angles? Anthony C.?

KAYE: This fifth grade math teacher at Rochester Prep Charter School uses dozens of techniques she says make her students want to learn.

UNIDENTIFIED STUDENTS (chanting): What's in the bottom number? Seven. It's picky time, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12. How many do I got? 5. And Keep it lined up. Next house.

RAGIN: Instead of just doing a regular subtraction problem, they get a little boring after a while. You hit them with a song, and it is so much more interesting to them.

What type of triangle is it?

KAYE (voice-over): That's one of 49 techniques Kelli Ragin learned from this former teacher and principal. Doug Lamov says he's figured out how to take good teachers and make them great.

KAYE (on camera): You do not believe that a good teacher is born. You believe a good teacher is made.

DOUG LAMOV, AUTHOUR, "TEACH LIKE A CHAMPION": Yes, I believe great teachers are made.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I double dog dare you to word the -- use the word "adjacent" later on.

KAYE (on camera): What do you think makes a successful teacher?

LAMOV: I think the first thing that has to happen is the teacher has to have control of the classroom environment.

KAYE (on camera): Doug has been at this five years. He seeks out schools with high poverty and high performance, then asks himself what's in the water? Why does this work? He sits in the classroom, takes notes and records the teachers to perfect his techniques. He already has more than 600 hours of videotape.

KAYE (voice-over): Doug shares his favorite techniques with his teachers. Sort of like paying it forward. In this video the teacher asks a question. Then calls on a student at random. Even calls on the same girl twice in a row.

LAMOV: The kids really have to be on their toes.

KAYE (voice-over): And in this seventh grade math class, students snap if a classmate's answer is right and stomp if it's wrong.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Two stamps or two stomps on two. One, two.

(SNAPPING)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Nicely done. Number four, read it.

KAYE (voice-over): It forces the whole class to engage in the answer. Eighty percent of the students here come from poverty. This may be their only shot at a future.

KAYE (on camera): Here at Rochester Prep, some students arrive only able to read at a third grade level. Some don't even know their letters. But after just two years here, Doug says those same students are twice as proficient as the rest of the district. And ten times more prepared for college.

LAMOV: One hundred percent of the kids were proficient in seventh grade in math and in English, which out-performs --

KAYE: One hundred percent?

LAMOV: Every single kid.

KAYE: Good odds for improving public education. Randi Kaye, CNN, Rochester, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: All this week, we are looking at the problems facing our schools. Today we want to know, what makes a great teacher? Send us your thoughts at cnn.com. Our digital producer, Derek Dodge, is sifting through your e-mails right now. We want to hear from you.

Students are weighing in on this, too. And they're telling teachers to ditch the boring, predictable lesson plans and get creative. We're getting the view from the classroom next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Checking top stories. Rodents, piles of manure, and swarms of flies. That's what the FDA has found at the two Iowa farms at the heart of the huge egg recall. No wonder nearly 1,500 people have gotten sick from salmonella poisoning linked to those eggs.

Mexico's first drug cartel leader from the United States has been captured. American-born drug lord Edgar Valdez Villarreal, aka "La Barbie," was nabbed after a shoot-out.

And in Chile, drilling on a rescue shaft for 33 miners trapped nearly a half a mile underground has begun. Those miners have been trapped for three weeks, and it could still take three to four months to even reach them.

Next stop, Baghdad. The city's school for the blind is a haven for the children who have grown up amid war and found refuge in their lessons.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight. Nine, ten, eleven twelve --

(APPLAUSE)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Mustafa stole all our hearts when we first introduced do you him. Now unable to see, kids like Mustafa have witnessed the war through the sounds of explosions. And we're going to tell you how these kids are going to be impacted as troops leave.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Let's head over to Wall Street where stocks are set for a weak open on this last trading day of August. Alison Kosik standing by at the New York Stock Exchange with a preview. Hey, Alison.

ALLISON KOSIK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Kyra. You know, we got a surprisingly strong report on home prices, and it may actually help the market avoid a big sell-off at least right at the open. As you mentioned, it is the final trading session of August. And I'll tell you what. It hasn't been a good month for investors. In fact, August could go down as the worst month in a decade. at least for stocks.

The Dow and S&P 500 are down more than four percent this month. That's as the NASDAQ has tumbled six percent. The Dow has only had seven winning sessions since the end of July. That's really a poor showing compared to the big rallies that we saw earlier in the summer.

This morning, investors are taking in a bunch of economic reports. At the top of the hour, we learned that home prices jumped in June. The S&P Case-Shiller index said prices climbed more than four percent across 20 US major cities in June, the last month the home buyer tax credit was available. This was the third straight monthly increase in prices.

Now, in 15 minutes we're also going to get the latest reading on manufacturing in the Chicago area, and at 10:00 Eastern Time, we'll get new figures on consumer confidence. All this data, of course, could wind up moving the markets.

Despite the influx of data we get over today and over the next few days, analysts do expect investors to continue to be jittery until we get the big report. I'm talking about the monthly jobs report on Friday. As we wait for the opening bell, keep this in mind. We're going to be watching the stocks for Saks Fifth Avenue, Kyra. The luxury retailer has had all these sorts of rumors about bankruptcy. And now, there are new rumors of a possible takeover offer. Saks Fifth Avenue shares right now are up over 30 percent. The Dow right now, down a bit, about three points, Kyra. We'll keep an eye on all the numbers for you.

PHILLIPS: All right, Alison. Thanks so much.

KOSIK: Sure.

PHILLIPS: As the U.S. enters the final hours of its combat mission, we thought that this was a good time to revisit some of the victories in Iraq. The resurgence of hope among its citizens and their refusal to give up. Nowhere was that more evident than at Baghdad's only school for the blind. It was one of the stories that I did while I was there that I'll never forget.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS (voice-over): Al-Noor Institute is Baghdad's only school for the blind. I thought that I was coming here as a reporter. But I ended up a student learning unforgettable lessons.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight. Nine, ten, eleven, twelve, thirteen, fourteen, fifteen, sixteen, seventeen, eighteen, nineteen, twenty. Twenty-one, twenty- two, twenty-three, twenty-four, twenty-five.

PHILLIPS: Ten-year-old Murtatta (ph) counts more than numbers. He counts his blessings.

God gives me things and takes things away, Mertatta tells me. Even though I'm blind, God gave me cleverness. The lowest grade I ever received is 85. Thanks be to God, I succeed every semester.

And his teacher, Amar Ali (ph), is making sure of that.

(on camera): You were a student here and now you teach here.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It is a kind of feeling that cannot be described. It is a kind of happiness that cannot be described.

PHILLIPS: Are you sharing that happiness with these children?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. Yes. I feel myself happy.

PHILLIPS: But we realized quickly Amar needed much more than just love for these kids, he needed supplies. So what better resource than the school where Helen Keller studied?

Perkins School for the Blind in Boston didn't even hesitate about a donation and the next thing we knew, Braillers, paper, dictionaries in Braille and sunglasses were headed to Baghdad. But it wasn't easy. From Boston to Baghdad, deliveries in a war zone can be life threatening. But these boxes made it with help from the charity IRD, International Relief and Development.

Here we go, says this teacher, who immediately typed a thank you note with the new Perkins Brailler, a special machine for the blind that types Braille. But it only got better. Meet Jakalo (ph). She has never owned a pair of sunglasses in her life.

Not on your hair, her teacher says, on your eyes. It's to protect them.

Remember the teacher Amar Ali?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm really, really happy. I can't believe myself to have a dictionary.

PHILLIPS: When's the last time that you saw a grown man cry over a new dictionary?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The school didn't have one until now in English. It was Mr. Amar, the teacher who was interviewed, made that request so that he would be better in his teaching. That was one of the important deliveries that was made.

PHILLIPS: And you know what else is so remarkable about these students? Their humility. All these gifts received with wonderment and soft thank you's.

I thank everyone for this symbolic gift, says 13-year-old Yusuf. Things will be better now.

Better maybe. Hopeful, absolutely. Grateful, always.

GROUP: Thank you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: I have a few updates after seven years on a number of those kids, when we did that piece. First of all, I want to introduce to you the man behind those pieces that I did, my photographer and editor, an Iraqi, is here living in the U.S.

That was an awesome moment when we found out you were able to come over here on the refugee program. It was in one day you packed up and left. Right?

SARMAD QASEERA, CNN PHOTOJOURNALIST: Yes. Remember that day, I decided to leave because it was a really bad situation in Iraq and I was desperate because I work with the American company, CNN. And, yes, like what you said. In one day I have to leave Iraq.

PHILLIPS: And it's amazing that -- I mean, we worked together for so many months and throughout so many years.

QASEERA: Yes.

PHILLIPS: And I want to explain to our viewers what was so special about working with you is this was your country. I mean, this is where you were born and raised, and I told you we're not going to do stories on troops, we're not going to embed with the U.S. forces. I really want to do these pieces about the Iraqi people.

QASEERA: My people.

PHILLIPS: And you embraced that.

QASEERA: Yes. I remember that time, Kyra, when almost three years ago, it was a really bad situation in Iraq when we were doing the blind school, or show kids. At that time, a really bad situation. There's everyday bomb, every day, kidnapping people for reason or no reason.

And I'm really surprised when I put my camera and I look through my viewfinder and I see people trying to educate themselves. Every day go to school or go to college. At that time it really surprised me. And also, I'm so happy CNN, as American company think about Iraqi people, not just for American troops. I'm really surprised and happy, happy to be with you, with CNN, to shoot about my people. You understand?

PHILLIPS: It showed. You helped us. You helped me translate and you helped me with access. If we had hassles at security points, you were so pivotal in saying, look, this is what we are trying to do. It's a positive story on the people.

You mentioned Baghdad University. We attempted one time to get there. Remember we were both in tears because the tape got jammed in the camera. It was awful.

QASEERA: You know, and they give us like 40 minutes, we have to do everything, bureau, interview and I said, when we were back (INAUDIBLE) at the bureau, we don't have - we have nothing.

PHILLIPS: And it was hard for us. And we know because of security we thought we'd never get a chance go back but we did. And let's talk about what happened for a minute. I pulled that part from that piece that got you and me really shaken up that day.

QASEERA: All of us, not just --

PHILLIPS: That's true. The whole crew and the classroom.

QASEERA: The classroom when we hear the bomb outside the university.

PHILLIPS: Let's listen to it. We've got it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS (on camera): Are those bombs? those are bombs going off?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, yes.

PHILLIPS: How does that make you feel when you hear those bombs going off as you sit here in class? UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Fear, anxiety. I wonder if my family is OK, Yasser (ph) says, because we have no idea where those bombs are landing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Remember that? We were shooting the class, the college class, it was a Political Science class. And all of a sudden we heard the bomb. And remember the class didn't even really budge. They sort of -- they paid attention but then kept going.

QASEERA: Keep going. I told you, like in the beginning, they try every day. Every day they try to educate themselves. I'm really happy to see like still they have energy. Still they have something inside of them.

PHILLIPS: That wants to keep going.

We asked them about that right there in the middle of the class. Wow, this has become normal for you. And it became normal for us, but at the same time, not like normal for them. We had bodyguards. We had security. They spent every single day walking to school in this environment.

QASEERA: Walking and they not have cars, no vests, no helmets. Keep going. Every day. That surprised me. I'm really happy to see them and happy to do work like we do with this package.

PHILLIPS: Yes, it was pretty special.

Let me ask you before we go, we're going to talk again at 10:00 with a very powerful piece that you and I did. We actually had exclusive access into Saddam Hussein's cell and read his journals and his diary, and that impacted you tremendously. We're going to talk about that at 10:00.

Before we go, just one final thought about Iraq. You're living in the states now. Obviously you feel much safer. But do you miss your country?

QASEERA: Sometimes I miss my country. When I hear about anything about the news, when I hear something going on there, and I'm glad to have another country, I have another family, they respect me and they try to help me.

I'm surprised when I came here the first day, second day, all of CNN crew they tried to help me. They came to my apartment. They said what you want? We can give you this, that. I'm really glad. And very happy, very happy with you guys and America.

PHILLIPS: Well, you have to know you did so much for us and we love you and it's obvious. I think our viewers know that, too, when they listen to you and get to know you. You're a special human being and we're lucky to have you working for us and being here.

QASEERA: Thank you. PHILLIPS: You're going to come back at 10:00 and we'll talk about another piece we did, OK?

QASEERA: OK

PHILLIPS: All right, Sarmad, thanks so much.

The war in Iraq, it's lasted longer than World War II. For many Iraqi children, it's all that they've never known. Just ahead they're going to tell their stories of growing up and bloodshed and the heartbreak that they've experienced.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Checking top stories. Hurricane Earl could ruin the Labor Day weekend for the East Coast. After dealing a glancing blow to Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, Earl has moved back into the open Atlantic. Winds, 135 miles per hour an hour.

Rodents, piles of manure, and swarms of flies. That's what the FDA found at two Iowa farms at the heart of the huge egg recall. No wonder nearly 1,500 people have gotten sick from salmonella poisoning linked to those eggs.

Two men that took a Chicago to Amsterdam flight are in custody in the Netherlands. They're being questioned about knives, box cutters, and bottles attached to cell phones and watches in their luggage. Homeland Security officials believe this might have been a dry run for a terrorist strike.

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PHILLIPS: Fix our schools. Those three words will drive much of what you see on CNN this week, because as America's children return to school, CNN has a mission. We sent reporting teams across the country to document the education crisis in America.

Most importantly, we're going to shine a light on success stories that can empower us to offer our children so much more than they are getting right now.

Teacher performance plays a big part in students' success. Not a lot of argument there. But evaluating the person standing in front of that blackboard with chalk in hand could be pretty tricky. So we want know what students are actually looking for from their teachers.

Carl Azuz from CNN Student News had a candid conversation with students. On talking about how -- well, I guess how willing were they to open up about their teachers and actually maybe talk a little smack.

CARL AZUZ, ANCHOR, CNNSTUDENTNEWS.COM: Yes, Kyra. I would say they hold nothing back.

PHILLIPS: Ok, well, that's good. AZUZ: And it was a very good thing, because it was a wide- ranging interview. We didn't just want to find out what worked and as far as their teachers were concerned. We wanted to know about teaching styles and what they responded to and in some cases what they didn't respond to.

So I'm going to have more of that coming up later on this morning. But for now Kyra, I have a special segment just for you. You're going to love it. It's about what makes a great teacher. I'm going to go ahead and let them do the talking.

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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's the fact that they are willing to stay after school, to be there before school. To walk around during lunch and come say, oh you're working on the homework, or how are you doing.

AZUZ: So have passion and dedication and humor. Let's say your administration asks you to sit in on a hiring session. What qualities are you going to be looking for, if you could make that decision to hire a teacher?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I would say someone that always prepares you for the next step.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I would definitely ask them to talk about the subject. Maybe talk of their favorite ways to teach. Because my teacher -- well, she doesn't teach the same way every day. And she finds different ways to communicate the information and it really sticks once you make -- once you laugh about it.

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AZUZ: Laugh about it being three words we heard from a couple of students. There was another young lady who talked to us about how because her teacher made jokes in the classroom, whether it was about the students or herself or even just the lesson, it helps students actually refocus on what they were learning.

So there was sort of a human factor in what they felt made a great teacher -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: So they want a creative process and a fun process, right? When have you a boring teacher, you don't have any interest in learning, right?

AZUZ: That's -- you know, to some extent that's true. And additionally, you know, a lot of the teachers I have spoken to -- my mom is a teacher and I know a lot of teachers. And they say that without a sense of humor many of them wouldn't make it through the day.

PHILLIPS: Yes it doesn't surprise me. Facebook, do they -- did you talked to them about this?

AZUZ: Oh yes. PHILLIPS: I mean, did teachers Facebook with their students, or they block their students? How does -- how does all of that play in?

AZUZ: Some do. That was the question I have for them is whether or not teachers and students should be friends on Facebook. And I don't want to give everything away right now but what I will tell you is they were sharply divided on this.

I'm saying it's useful for lessons and questions about homework, others are saying teachers need to teach, students need to be students.

PHILLIPS: Did teachers actually -- do some of them have the philosophy of blocking their students?

AZUZ: I think -- I'm sure that any philosophy you can think of, teachers have at some point along the line. Because there are going to be those who feel like it's a great way to connect with their classroom and then there are going to be others who say -- no way.

There was a student who told us that her teacher would not Skype, would not Facebook. She wanted that divide between them. And you know, to some extent I think that fosters an environment of respect.

PHILLIPS: Interesting. All right, so you're featuring these on CNN's Student News as well.

AZUZ: Oh yes.

PHILLIPS: Right? Let's remind our viewers all the ways they can access what you're doing.

AZUZ: The best I would say to check out CNN Student News is CNNStudentNews.com. We're on HLN, we're on iTunes. There's a free downloadable podcast but everything we do, so far this school year, everything we've done is at CNNStudentNews.com and that includes the commercial free show and teaching materials, you name it we got it.

PHILLIPS: Great, Carl, thanks so much.

AZUZ: Thank you Kyra.

PHILLIPS: And of course we want to hear what -- well, we heard from the students. Now we want to hear from you. Let's ask you the question. What do you think makes a great teacher?

Send us your thoughts at CNN.com and you can see our digital producer there, Derrick Dodge (ph), he's sifting through all your e- mails right now. We'll read some of them a little later in the hour.

Well, we've seen a lot of products advertised on TV that we never thought we would see beamed into our living rooms. Add one more product to the list -- marijuana, maybe for the first time ever. I want to get your take on this in just a few minutes.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) PHILLIPS: Well, if you're like me, once in a while you'll see a commercial and think to yourself I cannot believe I'm seeing this on television, like this one.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Talk to your doctor about Viagra, Americas --

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PHILLIPS: Yes, Jacqui remembers that too. Viva Viagra, middle aged guys singing about their rescued sex lives. I'm still recovering from that one and by the way do you notice no women are in that one.

Anyway, of course, we've all seen commercials for condoms, lubricants, male enhancement, stuff that you'd never see on TV 25 years ago. Well, here's the latest one, but it isn't a sex product. It's for medical marijuana. This could be the first ad like this to run on mainstream TV.

A medical marijuana dispenser paid for it. It's running on the Fox station in Sacramento. You hear patients tell them how pot has helped them. But you never see a pot plant and you never hear the word marijuana. They call it Cannabis. The ad is not being buried in the 2:00 a.m. timeslot either. It's running pretty much all day.

The lady with the group that paid for the ad says quote, "Hey, we're not trying to get people high. We're just trying to get them well and let them know that we're here to help". A lot of critics say that the ad is a bad idea because it makes marijuana seem mainstream, and there's a pressing reason that critics don't want it to be mainstream.

California voters decide in November whether to legalize pot for everyone over the age of 21. So what do you think? Does medical marijuana have a place on TV in California? It's legal, after all. Or are some things best left off the air waves?

Go to my blog at CNN.com/kyra and leave your comments.

Here's what we're working on for you in the next hour of CNN NEWSROOM. Jacqui Jeras is tracking hurricane Earl.

JACQUI JERAS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Oh, yes. Really powerful storm now Kyra; category 4, packing winds of 135 miles per hour. It's pulling away from Puerto Rico but heading towards or very near the U.S. Coastline. How soon will the Carolinas start to feel the impact of Earl? We'll let you know coming up with your forecast at the top of the hour.

POPPY HARLOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Also coming up in the next hour, like the city itself, Detroit's public schools drowning in debt. The high school graduation rate just 59 percent. But there are two math professors that are making an incredible impact through, of all things, a math camp. We'll tell you all about it, coming up in the next hour.

CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: There's been a lot of talk about no more American combat troops in Iraq, but you may be surprised who's really going to be fighting the last phase of the war here. I'm Chris Lawrence live in Baghdad and I'll have that story coming up at the top of the hour.

PHILLIPS: All right guys. Thanks so much.

And also next hour, I'm going to take you to the last place that former Iraqi strongman Saddam Hussein called home prior to his execution -- his prison cell.

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