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False Mammogram Results; Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf Not Backing Down; CNN Equals Politics Listening to You; What's Hot; Faceless Afghan Candidate; Help for Small Business
Aired September 08, 2010 - 12:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DREW GRIFFIN, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Drew Griffin. Tony Harris is off today.
Top of the hour in the CNN NEWSROOM, where anything can happen, usually does. Here are some of the people behind today's top stories.
Cancer deception -- more than a thousand patients given false mammogram results. How you can make sure your medical tests are handled properly?
The imam behind the controversial Islamic center and mosque near Ground Zero is speaking out on U.S. television. Where else? Right here, for the first time, in an interview with CNN.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
IMAM FEISAL ABDUL RAUF: The major theme in Islam is the oneness of God, and that we should worship the one God, love and adore the one God.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRIFFIN: You're online right now, and we are, too. Ines Ferre is following "What's Hot" -- Ines.
INES FERRE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Drew.
A lot of you are wondering what Google is going to announce today on ways to improve the way you search. And also, asteroids passing by the Earth. And Josh Levs will have an update on that later on in the hour.
GRIFFIN: All right. Let's get started, shall we, with our lead story?
Hundreds of women who had mammograms are told they do not have cancer. The problem is 10 of them actually did have cancer. A doctor never looked at the results.
Yesterday, a grand jury in Macon, Georgia, indicted a former radiology technician on 20 charges. The technician accused of submitting more than 1,200 false mammogram results. She allegedly never gave the scans to a doctor. The D.A.'s office would not comment on a possible motive, but is hoping that that technician is going to turn herself in.
Now patients are having to be screened again for breast cancer.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LINDA HARRINGTON, PATIENT: She put 1,289 lives in danger. You kind of lose your faith. And you're supposed to be able to trust yours hospital. I'm fortunate, hopefully, that mine's going to be fine, but I don't know. I have to sit and wait for six months.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRIFFIN: Well, joining me now to talk about the implications of this is Kathleen Gundry. She's associate professor of radiology at Emory University's Winship Cancer Institute.
Kathleen, you know, you heard from that woman there. Disturbing to know that this happened one case. Is this an anomaly, or do we need better precautions, better safeguards to make sure that the test results are be viewed properly?
KATHLEEN GUNDRY, DIRECTOR OF BREAST IMAGING, GRADY HOSPITAL: Well, I really think that this truly is an aberration. I mean, it's making national news. I think that shows that it is an aberration.
You know, we do have standards. There is the FDA, the Mammography Quality Standards Act, which we have federal regulations which define who can read a mammogram and how it can be read, and how those results are given to patients. So I think, actually, mammography is probably one of the safer areas of medicine because of that.
GRIFFIN: So you're not seeing any sense for panic from people who weren't involved in this case certainly?
GUNDRY: No, I don't think so. You know, as I say, I think this is kind of a one in a million kind of case. I mean, it's a tragedy for these patients, and a very sorry thing for them, but for the average woman going for a mammogram, I don't think this is something that they need to be that worried about.
GRIFFIN: And while I have you, there's been a lot of discussions about mammograms of late, when we need them, when we don't need them. What is Emery health care saying about when women should start having mammograms?
GUNDRY: Well, we, along with the American College of Radiology, the American Cancer Society, ,recommend that women begin annual mammograms at age 40 and have them every year until whenever she and her doctor decide at some age, due to other medical problems or whatever, that they don't need to continue.
GRIFFIN: All right. Kathleen Gundry, thank you so much for joining us on this disturbing story --
GUNDRY: Thank you. GRIFFIN: -- but hopefully isolated case. Thank you.
And you can learn more about how to be an empowered patient by going to cnn.com/empoweredpatient.
New York Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf not backing down. He is the spirit al leader behind the contentious plan for an Islamic cultural center and mosque that's just blocks away from the World Trade Center towers that came down. Today, in an op-ed piece for "The New York Times," he announced the project is going right ahead.
CNN's Deb Feyerick is in New York.
What's the reaction there, Deb? Your reaction, first, to what he had to say in the article, and the reaction to everybody who says, hey, don't build it here?
DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, it has become such a divisive issue. And anybody you speak to can really sort of portray both sides of the story, both sides of the argument.
What's interesting is that now this will not be just a Muslim prayer space, but they're going to have other spaces for prayer for Jews and Christians and people of other faiths. So there has been some movement on that front.
But the organizers, the people who initially started planning this Islamic center, reached out to local groups. They had no idea just what a national issue this would become and how a man who is usually not controversial has now become as controversial as the best of them.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FEYERICK (voice-over): You have never heard him speak, this is what Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf has to say.
RAUF: The major theme in Islam is the oneness of God, and that we should worship one God, love and adore the one God.
FEYERICK: People who know Imam Feisal say he's a voice of moderation. The State Department --
P.J. CROWLEY, STATE DEPT. SPOKESMAN: -- his work on tolerance and (INAUDIBLE) diversity is well known.
FEYERICK: -- the developer of the controversial Islamic center near Ground Zero --
SHARIF EL-GAMAL, CEO, SOHO PROPERTIES: He is somebody who has sacrificed his life to building bridges within communities.
FEYERICK: -- Islamic scholar and university professor John Esposito --
(on camera): How would you describe him? Is he a threat? PROF. JOHN ESPOSITO, GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY: Feisal is -- from my point of view, he is Mr. Mellow.
FEYERICK (voice-over): Imam Feisal is a Sufi Muslim, at the other end of the Islamic spectrum from the radical theology that feeds groups like al Qaeda.
ESPOSITO: He approaches Islam spiritually. He is a Sufi in background, which means one pursues, if you will, a more kind of spiritual, mystical path. He's somebody who would find terrorism and religious extremism as abhorrent. He's run a mosque in this area for years and years and years.
FEYERICK: That mosque, the Masjid al-Farah, is 10 blocks from Ground Zero and has co-existed peacefully in the Tribeca neighborhood for 28 years.
ESPOSITO: He has integrated himself into the community.
FEYERICK: According to his biography, Feisal Abdul Rauf was born in Kuwait in 1948 into an Egyptian family steeped in religious scholarship. In 1997, he founded the nonprofit American Society for Muslim Advancement. Its mission described on its Web site as "strengthening an authentic expression of Islam based on cultural and religious harmony through interfaith collaboration, youth and women's empowerment."
Several years later, Rauf founded the Cordoba Institute to improve relations between the Muslim world and the west, writing how American Muslims can help bridge the divide. The State Department noticed sending him as a cultural ambassador on four trips to the Middle East, most recently this summer.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They try to get people who reflect the best aspects of American society.
FEYERICK: Rauf is often asked to speak at meetings like the World Economic Forum in Davos. He was criticized after 9/11 for saying U.S. support of oppressive regimes was partly responsible for the attacks but maintained his remarks on "60 Minutes" had been taken out of context. Rauf supports Israel's right to exist but says as a bridge builder he can't condemn radical Palestinian group Hamas as terrorists.
As for the proposed Islamic center and mosque near Ground Zero, he says that, too, is about bridges.
RAUF: This is also our expression of the 99.999 percent of Muslims all over the world, including in America, who have condemned and continue to condemn terrorism. This is about our stand as the Muslim community, which has been part of this community.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FEYERICK: And a Pew study finds that western mosques actually do a lot to prevent radicalism, that they give people a place to express both their ideas as Americans and as Muslims, as well -- Drew.
GRIFFIN: Deb, thanks. We'll all be watching tonight.
Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf will talk exclusively to CNN's Soledad O'Brien, tonight on "LARRY KING LIVE" at 9:00 Eastern, only on CNN.
Talk about 9:00 Eastern only on CNN, we are pleased to announce that Piers Morgan will join CNN's primetime lineup in January. Most of us know this guy as the tough but playful judge on NBC's "America's Got Talent." He also has a long career in journalism in the U.K.
Once again, CNN welcoming Piers Morgan to the 9:00 Eastern slot, as Larry King goes into a sort of semi-retirement. I don't think Larry would enjoy me saying that. He's going to work on a lot of specials. But Larry is going to give up the nightly spot, Piers Morgan in, and that's happening in January.
And happening now, the small college town of Gainesville, Florida, city leaders and members of the clergy holding an interfaith prayer service. It is the first of several events planned to counter a Koran burning scheduled for this Saturday, the anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks.
A pastor and his small church say they're going to burn Islam's holy book to protest "radical elements." U.S. officials say the event could incite new violence against American troops.
Here's what Secretary of State Hillary Clinton had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HILLARY CLINTON, SECRETARY OF STATE: I mean, it's regrettable that a pastor in Gainesville, Florida, with a church of no more than 50 people can make this outrageous and distressful, disgraceful plan and get the world's attention, but that's the world we live in right now. I mean, it doesn't in any way represent America or Americans or American government or American religious or political leadership.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRIFFIN: And 1.8 million tons of steel and debris have been cleared away, thousands of workers are spending every day rebuilding it. Friday, we are going to take you on a tour of the World Trade Center site. You'll see the construction site like you've never seen it before and hear from the people who are bringing this site back from that unforgettable devastation. It is ground zero up close only in the CNN NEWSROOM Friday with Tony Harris.
Well, President Obama is in the nation's heartland pushing his plan to get the economy growing again. A couple of hours from now, he will outline his plan in Cleveland, Ohio. We're going to find out more about it.
And in Los Angeles, police bracing for a possible -- another night of turmoil on this day, after crowds turned to violence to protest an officer-involved fatal shooting. First, though, a random moment is 90 seconds away.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GRIFFIN: A very random moment of the day -- and it's just for the guys. Researchers say their new study proves a man can attract a woman with all the right moves. We're talking about dance moves.
This avatar -- pay attention, guys -- shows how men should not dance -- repeat, don't do this. It's halting, circular movements. It's not going to attract anybody.
Take a look at what they say will.
He has some cool moves. Yes, baby, you've got a lot of move of body parts at the same time in symmetry. That's what scientists say women want. Watch the man's head, trunk, wrist and knee. They all keep swinging around there. There you go. So keep him in motion.
All right, well, since he is off today, let's make fun of Twinkle Toes Tony Harris. That is him last winter dancing in a charity performance of "The Nutcracker".
What do you think, guys?
Is he attracting women?
Yes. A big finish there. Just the random moment of the day, Tony Harris.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GRIFFIN: Boy, we've got all kind of weather going on.
That's out in Boulder, Colorado. Winds spread a wildfire there. It burned down quite a few homes. It didn't hurt anybody, but they're hoping today's moisture is going to help that out.
And speaking of moisture, Chad...
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes?
GRIFFIN: We've got a lot of moisture developing from a mean sounding guy out there off the African coast.
MYERS: It's just started. I mean this is literally like less than an hour old -- Igor.
Did you ever see the movie, "Young Frankensteins?"
GRIFFIN: We -- we've been through this.
MYERS: So with Igor?
GRIFFIN: Igor. Yes.
MYERS: OK, you did this already?
GRIFFIN: Yes.
MYERS: All right.
GRIFFIN: He's got a big hump on his back, something heavy...
(CROSSTALK)
GRIFFIN: -- normal about it?
MYERS: Exactly.
GRIFFIN: Right?
MYERS: Yes. Exactly. He had a happy normal brain.
(WEATHER REPORT)
GRIFFIN: All right, we'll count on you, Chad, to get us through.
MYERS: Sure. (INAUDIBLE).
GRIFFIN: And we'll be right back.
Ali Velshi is going to join us to talk about what the president is hoping to do with the economy later today.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GRIFFIN: How can President Obama help small businesses?
Well, he's probably wondering, too.
He's pushing a plan of tax cuts and credits that he hopes is going to help.
But are they enough to stop the downward spiral?
Last hour, I spoke with three owners of small businesses and asked them what they want to hear the president say this afternoon.
We brought in Ali Velshi to address some of their concerns.
ALI VELSHI, CNN CHIEF BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Well, listen, everybody believes, Drew, that small businesses are the engine of job growth in America, good times or bad times. The bottom line is it's not the big companies, it's small ones.
So let me just tell you what President Obama has announced this week with respect to -- to spending. Some of it will affect small businesses, some of it not. But the stimulus bill, by the way, was about $750 billion. This week alone, there's been $350 billion put into it.
Let me just say describe to you what it is. There's a $50 billion plan that is meant to build roads, runways, air traffic control -- things like that, transportation infrastructure -- high- speed rail. Then there is $200 billion, which is an extension of an existing tax credit, which goes to companies that spend money on research and development, because so many people think that is going to be the -- the engine of growth. And then there's the $200 billion that you're talking about, which he announced today, which is a tax credit, again, for companies that build physical plant or -- or invest in machinery.
Now the -- the issue here is that small businesses are not investing for a couple of reasons. Some will tell you it's because of the tax structure that -- that they face. I'm not entirely sure that's true, because we don't have a higher tax burden on small businesses today than we did five years ago.
It largely has to come do with not having access to money. Small businesses, unlike major companies, get their money the way you and I do, from a bank. And banks have higher standards now. Small businesses are, by definition, riskier ventures than big businesses. They're having trouble getting loans. And that's why they can't expand. And they're also worried, if people don't come into my store to buy stuff, why am I going to hire more people right now and be stuck with somebody else on the payroll?
We should also point out that even though President Obama announces this, nothing happens quickly. First of all...
GRIFFIN: Well, it's not even a bill. I mean...
VELSHI: Yes.
GRIFFIN: I mean it's not a bill.
VELSHI: Yes.
GRIFFIN: It's not written up. We don't even know what the details are...
VELSHI: Right.
GRIFFIN: -- and will Congress do it, will Congress not do it?
VELSHI: Right.
GRIFFIN: Let's go to the owners.
Mike Ghilotti, he owns a construction company in San Rafael, California.
Here's what he had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MIKE GHILOTTI, BUSINESS OWNER: Small business owners, such as us, have no confidence in the direction the economy is going, the uncertainty about the tax issues. We just don't have the confidence to invest in the -- in the economy right now. And that's the biggest challenge. There's no clear message coming from the government and from Obama on where we're headed and how we can plan to get there.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRIFFIN: I -- I hear this a lot, Ali -- what is my tax picture year?
VELSHI: Right.
GRIFFIN: What is my health care bill next year?
VELSHI: Yes.
GRIFFIN: They really don't know.
VELSHI: Yes. And, but again, look, confidence is obviously the most important thing. He said we have no confidence. The rest of what he said, though, puzzles me, because small businesses have been very hard hit if they try -- if they have tried to get health care in the past. There's -- we -- we don't know whether it's going to be more or less. So the -- the lack of understanding is -- I get that part. The lack of confidence in the economy I get. I'm not quite sure why so many businesses have taken to blaming this particular administration, for instance.
The taxes are not higher. And their health care costs -- we don't have evidence -- are higher, either. So I think a lot of it is picked up by conversations elsewhere. I think his biggest concern is where interest rates are going. And they are at historic lows. So he needs people to buy stuff so he can build stuff.
GRIFFIN: OK. Jim Zawacki, he -- this guy manufactures machinery springs and connector parts for the auto industry. He's actually hired 100 workers. Listen...
VELSHI: Wow!
GRIFFIN: Listen to what he had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JIM ZAWACKI, MFR: Both sides of the aisle, both administrations did nothing for manufacturing. So what we have to do now is we've got to start talking fair trade. There should be a border tax for all those people that are importing things here. And half of our unfavorable trade balance is caused by U.S. multinational corporations. They should be paying for this -- the importers that are bringing this stuff in, taking jobs away from U.S. companies.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELSHI: He makes a -- a very interesting point. He's right in saying, largely, neither this administration nor the prior administration has fundamentally taken on manufacturing as an issue. This isn't about the recession. Manufacturing has been in decline in the U.S. for more than 10 years.
Now, here's something interesting he said, we should have a border tax. The reason we have duties on things is to protect what is made in America from cheaper exports -- imports. The reason we lower those duties is because we want to be able to sell to other markets. So it's a bit of an -- a quick fix that doesn't necessarily solve the problem, to say we should have a border tax. I don't know what he means, because some things you pay a duty on and some things you don't, already.
So I'm not sure I -- I understand that whole thing. But we need to sell things to other countries. And, by the way, we buy cheap stuff. I mean, until America is not ready to not buy cheap t-shirts and cheap desks and cheap computers and cheap bicycles that are made elsewhere, if you want all those things made in America, you had better be prepared to pay several times more than you pay now.
So while I agree with him and he's right, we, as consumers, have not embraced the idea that we want to pay more for the same stuff the rest of the world buys for less money. That's why we lose jobs to other places.
GRIFFIN: You know, it was part of that conversation, because I did press him a little bit on that. And he said, you know what, I'm not scared of Mexico. I'm not scared of the workers in Mexico. But I'm scared of the ultra cheap manufacturing...
VELSHI: Sure.
GRIFFIN: -- that's going on in the Far East...
VELSHI: That's absolutely right.
GRIFFIN: -- and Southeast Asia.
But, Ali, really, you know, it came up during the campaign, those manufacturing jobs are not going come back, are they?
VELSHI: No. That...
GRIFFIN: They can't bring a manufacturing job back here.
VELSHI: That's -- so when he talks about a border tax, what it means is that you -- you prevent cheap goods from coming in and you manufacture those goods at home. But that means your $6 t-shirt at Wal-Mart may become a $60 t-shirt.
GRIFFIN: I ain't wearing no $60 t-shirt.
VELSHI: There you go.
GRIFFIN: (INAUDIBLE) enough.
All right, Ali.
Thanks a lot. Hey, we're going to hear from the president today at 2:00 p.m. Eastern time. Watch it live here on Ali's show.
Hey, Ali, good deal.
And you can ask Ali anytime, Monday through Friday, 1:00 to 3:00 Eastern time, right here at CNN.
Thanks, Ali.
VELSHI: OK, Drew.
GRIFFIN: Fifty-five days until the midterm elections. The CNN Election Express on the road, listening to your concerns, whether Congress is listening or not. Today's stop, Covington, Kentucky.
T.J. Holmes has been talking with people there about whether Washington is helping, hurting or ignoring, right?
T.J. HOLMES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Right. And I was just listening to your conversation there with my -- my dear friend, Ali Velshi. And he and I have been going back and forth on e-mail, talking off line about this very topic of -- and there are -- these are big, complicated issues. We're talking the health care bill, the stimulus plan. That's big stuff for anybody to get their head around.
But here on the ground with folks in Covington or Columbus or Pittsburgh, where we have been this week, it's just a matter of how things feel to them. They're not trying to break down numbers, statistics or -- or read through, quite frankly, a lot of people, that stimulus bill or the health care bill. People just, quite frankly, might not get it or understand that part. But they understand, like the small business owner I went and talked to last night, she understands she's been in business for 13 years. And she understands that right now, there are fewer people walking in her front door than ever to come in there and spend money. She understands that something is going on.
She understands that she covers her six employees' health insurance at 80 percent -- or at least that's what she did a few years ago. But now she only covers them at 50 percent, because she has seen literally on the paper that health care costs go up.
That's what she knows. That's what she feels. So she knows something is going on. And, yes, a lot of that anger is directed toward government and toward Washington. But a good conversation I was able to have with the folks in her restaurant, in her bar, last night.
Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: So how do you guys ever feel like you're making a difference or your vote counts or anybody is listening to you or -- or that politician is different? How do you all ever get that -- that sense that it sounds it's the same cycle all the time?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The pendulum swings back and forth.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Right.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's not necessarily a cycle. It's things coming back and forth.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The president, the same thing.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have this, we have that, we have that.
HOLMES: Who's working for you in Washington, the Democrats, Republicans or?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Nobody works for us. It's -- we vote for them. They do things that they think we want until we tell them we don't want it. And they knee jerk react back the other way.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And I don't...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's no one working for us.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't like the terminology Republican, Democrat. No, no, no. We're people working for one another.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
HOLMES: (INAUDIBLE)...
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We need money, bottom line.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. That's the truth.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You got some money?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We need -- yes. That's what -- we need money.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And unless...
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You need to make a living.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes...
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I need to make a living.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: everybody needs to make a living.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He needs to feed the dog.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The people who pay me need to make a living. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Exactly.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Everybody needs to make a living...
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: -- and there needs to somebody...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Survival. It's called survival.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: -- there needs to be someone out there allowing people to make money.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: You know, we need money. I mean, she was kind of saying that in jest. But a lot people do, in fact, feel that way.
We got new unemployment numbers not long ago. And even here in the state of Kentucky, they're up at 9.9 percent. That's above the national average. But quite frankly, this is the first time they've been below 10 percent in over a year -- almost a year and a half -- the first time they've been under 10 percent. So that's something.
But a lot of people here are leaving the workforce.
So, Drew, it really is -- and we debate in Washington. And there are a lot of people -- a lot of smart folks working on some big, complex problems. But for the folks here in Covington, Columbus or Pittsburgh, the places we've been this week, it's as simple as this -- I feel like things aren't right. I see less money in my account at the end of the month. And it is that simple for them. So they wonder what's going on and who is going to help out. And that's what they're looking to Washington for right now -- Drew.
GRIFFIN: And you know what, T.J.?
Those are the people who are really living this economy. They're not government workers...
HOLMES: Right.
GRIFFIN: -- who are now getting paid more than the private sector. They don't have a lot of job security. So those people, you know, whether it's a feeling or not, they are really living through what Congress is supposedly trying to fix.
HOLMES: They're living through. And a lot of them feel like they're just barely holding on. Diane, that small business owner, again, she's been in that business for 13 years now and the past five years has been a struggle. And she's cutting back and cutting back. She didn't want to lay off any of her workers, so what she had to do was cut back on their hours. So this is real on the ground here. And I'm not hearing anger -- I talked to you about this last hour. I'm not hearing anger from the people out here. You just hear disappointment. And quite frankly, they're -- they're just hurt right now. And they don't feel like help is coming from anywhere. And here we go through another election cycle and they don't feel too good about anything, moving forward -- Drew.
GRIFFIN: Well, we just saw the president live boarding Air Force One. He's on his way to Ohio for a speech very soon, T.J.
Let's see what he has to say, although we know a good deal of it. But maybe there will be some hope in that speech for those people you talked to.
HOLMES: Yes.
GRIFFIN: Thanks, T.J.
The CNN Election Express is on the road all week, carrying the best political team on television. And it's crowded. Jessica Yellin, John King, Gloria Borger, T.J. Holmes and Dana Bash all taking turns driving that bus. They're in Covington, Kentucky today.
That's in jest. And tomorrow, our team drives to Indianapolis.
Well, BP releases its report on the largest oil spill in U.S. history and there's plenty of blame to go around.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GRIFFIN: Five months after the largest oil spill in history, BP is releasing its findings of the internal investigation that company had into that disaster. The company does admit mistakes, but pointing the finger elsewhere, as well.
Ed Lavandera joins us with the details on this one. Ed, have you had a chance to look through it and see what they're saying?
ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We're still plowing our way through it. It's 193 pages long. It's really part of a multimedia packet. The company also released a 30-minute long video, a lot of it animation showing what they believe happened on the day the oil rig exploded and kind of the factors that led up to that.
But essentially what the company is saying, that there's not one reason why this disaster happened and that the blame essentially lies on several people, including not only BP, but Transocean and the company Halliburton. So, this is not much different from back in May when all three company executives went on Capitol Hill and started pointing fingers at each other. You remember kind of the public relations fallout from that. Much of that continues here in this report, as well.
Essentially, BP pointing to several factors that led to the disaster happening, one being the cement mixture that was sent down into that oil well, which should have kept the oil and natural gas from flowing up. They say that is Halliburton's responsibility and that they messed that up. There's also some questions about pressure readings in the well in the blowout preventer in the hours leading up to the explosion. BP says that some of its employees and some Transocean workers didn't read that properly. So, a lot of blame going around.
You can imagine this won't go over well. Transocean released a statement a little while ago, saying that essentially this report is self-serving in an attempt to conceal the critical factor that set the stage for this disaster. And that was what they say, BP's fatally flawed well design.
So, the fallout continues. There is an independent report investigation being worked on as we speak that is part of the government investigation involving the Coast Guard and the former agency known as the Minerals Management Service. But that won't be due out, Drew, until sometime in December.
GRIFFIN: Ed, I know all these companies are trying to protect their rear ends, but is there one thing in that report that you have identified as the first trigger of what happened? Did they get that specific?
LAVANDERA: They do get very specific, and it gets extremely technical. but as they mentioned from the get-go from their vantage point, that there isn't just one thing that led to this -- That you talk about the cement mixing process that went into sealing off that well. then you've got issues with the blowout preventer.
But it did talk about what led to the actual explosion, and they do talk about how natural gas had been -- had come up through that riser pipe on into the rig, which should have been sent overboard. They say that was another problem. And that they believe that somehow that natural gas made its way into the engine rooms, and it was there where the massive amount of gas received its spark and called the multiple explosions, killing 11 people.
GRIFFIN: All right, very interesting. Ed, thanks for that report from Dallas. Ed Lavandera live from Dallas. Thanks, Ed.
Violent demonstrations in the streets of Los Angeles end with the arrest of almost two dozen people. We'll tell you what the people there are so upset about.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GRIFFIN: Out in Los Angeles, police facing a possible third night of protests developing over a shooting of a Guatemalan laborer who was shot.
INES FERRE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, that's right. And this happened in downtown Los Angeles in the West Lake Area around 6th and Union. And the protest happened around here, as well. And police shot the 37-year-old Manuel Jaminez after he allegedly had a knife in his hand, a switchblade. Now, hundreds of angry protesters are saying that this was not justification for him to have been shot. So, they protested last night, and also there was some protests the night before. Twenty-two people arrested yesterday; about 200 officers that had to clear out the protests, the crowd there.
And what police are saying is that this is really in self-defense. They were saying that, look, they asked the gentleman to put down the knife, to put down the switchblade, and they asked him in Spanish and in English. And instead they say that he raised it and he came towards the police. So, an officer shot him.
GRIFFIN: Yes. And the guy has a history, from what I understand.
FERRE: Right.
GRIFFIN: And he also -- police were called to the scene because of this guy.
FERRE: Yes, exactly. They received a call that there was a guy that was wielding a knife in his hand and that he was acting crazy. And what happened is that the cousin of this - Jaminez -- told The L.A. Times that he had seen his relative drinking that more than, that he had some problems with alcohol. And so protesters are saying, look, this guy was drunk. There was no need to shoot him fatally. The cousin even said they could have shot him in the leg rather than kill him.
But chief of police is saying they'll do an investigation, but they're defending this. They're saying this was in self-defense, there was 40 seconds between the time that they made contact with him and the time of the shooting.
GRIFFIN: OK. Ines, thanks for following it. We'll see what happens tonight in Los Angeles.
Well, in cosmic terms, this is going to be a close call. Two flying space rocks the size of tractor trailers visit our little corner of the universe.
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GRIFFIN: Two asteroids passing closer to the earth than the moon on the same day. One passed by early this morning. Did you feel it? Second one on the way. Josh Levs, did you feel it?
JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I did not feel it. We did not feel it. Trust me, we did not feel it.
But it's really cool. And it's unusual for two at once. And this is something NASA is talking about today. Let me show you this image right here, and talk to you about what's been going on. You're seeing the lines, I'll talk you through it.
Double encounter. This is unusual. This one right here is RX-30 and it passed within about 150,000 miles of earth a little before 6:00 a.m.. And this one here they're calling RF-12. This expected to pass within 50,000 miles just after 5 p.m. today. Not visible to the naked eye. You're not going feel it. And they don't pose a threat.
But NASA is saying that it's a reminder that there needs to be close monitoring of this kind of thing, space rocks. They have (INAUDIBLE) and the Web site here, a really pretty impressive design that talks you through what can happen and the kinds of things that can head toward earth.
We'll go over to a video. I'll show you two things. One, I'm show you their designs here at the (INAUIBLE) Laboratory of what have you need to watch out for, what kind of things you can watch out for. Let's jump over to this section here, which is called "Size Matters." It shows you the sizes they can be. And then I'll end by showing and you map that actually lets you see some of the craters in the U.S.
So, basically, the idea is that it's only every couple of million years or every few million years that anything big enough comes along that could actually threaten civilization. But every couple thousand years, there's something that could hit that could be the size of a football field. And they know that to some extent because of what they've been able to do here with the crater map.
Take a look here. In fact, I think we'll end with this one. Arizona, it shows you a pretty big crater there. Fifty thousand years old, three quarters of a mile in size. And you can check out any of these. There's aerial videos right here. NASA.gov.
So, look, Drew, nothing to worry about. We're safe, but it's just really cool to see this stuff and be reminded that there's all this junk flying our way all the time.
GRIFFIN: How do you know there's nothing to worry about? They don't know what's coming.
LEVS: What are the chances that, like, we'll be here during this, like, every couple million years thing?
GRIFFIN: What if it's now?
LEVS: It could be.
GRIFFIN: All right. I swear I felt a breeze.
(LAUGHTER)
GRIFFIN: What's popping on the campaign trail today? Well you can count on "CNN Equals Politics" update in the CNN NEWSROOM. Stay with us, will you?
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GRIFFIN: Time now for your "CNN Equals Politics" update. Senior congressional correspondent Dana Bash, part of the best political team on television. Dana.
DANA BASH, CNN SENIOR CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hey there, Drew.
Well, first of all, on the ticker, actually a couple of different places is the debate raging over whether or not the tax cuts that President Bush put in place for the wealthiest Americans, those making $250,000 or more, should be extended, whether they should be allowed to be lapsed or whether they should just be extended temporarily for the next two years. The president is going to give a speech in just a couple of hours in the state behind me, in the state of Ohio, in Cleveland, and he is going to talk about the fact that his campaign promise to do away with the tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans is still intact as far as he is concerned. But out on the campaign trail we have seen, we have heard from Republicans even today that they think that that is a bad economic policy and that those tax cuts should be extended, at least perhaps temporarily.
Also on the ticker is something that we just put up on a congressman, Democratic Congressman John Boccieri. He's from the state of Ohio. The fact that this is news is a sign of the times, Drew. He has decided to go and attend the president's speech later today in Cleveland. He is in a very, very conservative district in a neck and neck race to save his seat. It is a district that President Obama did not win and it's really unclear if it helps or hurts him to be with the president, but he has decided, in the words of his spokesman, to go and stand with the president because he's talking about jobs and that is a very important message for this congressman.
And lastly, just want to mention that CNN, along with the "St. Petersburg Times," is hosting a debate on October 25th for the governor's race in the state of Florida. Rick Scott, who is the Republican candidate, has just accepted CNN's invitation. We are waiting for final word from the Democrat, but we are hoping to get that soon. That would be hosted and moderated by CNN's chief national correspondent John King. And that is also going to come a day, Drew, after the Senate debate that CNN plans to host also there with -- being moderated by our chief political correspondent Candy Crowley.
Drew.
GRIFFIN: All right, Dana, this is the spot for the politics. And for the latest political news to go, you know where to go, cnnpolitics.com. And your next political update coming up in one hour.
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GRIFFIN: Oh. You know Ines Ferre is checking "What's Hot" on the Internet. I was just goofing off, but maybe down in New Orleans they're saying, who-dat got that Heisman Trophy?
FERRE: That's right.
GRIFFIN: Who-dat.
FERRE: And we're talking about Reggie Bush. And this is what a lot of people are talking about online. So Heisman Trophy Trust say, look, we have not made a decision regarding Reggie Bush. And you'll recall that yesterday, Yahoo Sports had reported that according to two sources that Heisman Trust would be stripping him of the award by the end of the month.
GRIFFIN: Do they confiscate it from his house? Do they have to go and get it or will he give it back?
FERRE: That's a good question.
GRIFFIN: It's never happened, right?
FERRE: Because that's what one of the users online said also. He's like, well, how are they going to get it from him?
GRIFFIN: Right, right, right.
FERRE: But in any case -- so Yahoo Sports had said that the trust would agree with the NCAA that Bush wasn't eligible to play in 2005. Heisman Trust, they were really quick to respond. They said, look, we just have not made a decision on this.
GRIFFIN: What are people saying about this?
FERRE: We want to just check out what some of the comments are. Mangi saying, "It would appear to me that being awarded the Heisman Trophy already accomplished the ultimate goal, which was to land a lucrative contract with the Saints." "Really, if they do strip him of it, how are they going to force him to give it back?"
GRIFFIN: There you go.
FERRE: "Yank it, plain and simple." And then, "He won the Super Bowl. That's more important than college football trophies and awards, and certainly makes you richer."
GRIFFIN: It certainly does. Reggie Bush, keeping that Heisman Trophy.
FERRE: Yes.
GRIFFIN: All right, well, hey, thanks a lot, Ines.
FERRE: Yes.
GRIFFIN: Appreciate it.
Campaign time in the U.S., also in Afghanistan. Did you know that? We're going to meet the faceless candidate to find out why she went back under the burqa.
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GRIFFIN: On September 18th, Afghanistan is going to hold its first parliamentary elections in five years, and there are a record number of women running. As many as 400 women on the ballot. Now, in a crowd that big, with that many women, one female candidate is hoping to get ahead by adopting a symbol many consider a huge step backwards.
CNN's Jill Dougherty has that report.
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JILL DOUGHERTY, CNN FOREIGN AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Faces, faces, faces. Political posters are everywhere in Kabul. With more than 600 people running for parliament in the capital alone, a candidate's got to stand out.
FARKHUNDA ZARAH NEDERI, CANDIDATE FOR AFGHAN PARLIAMENT: Even myself, when I go outside, I get confused.
DOUGHERTY: Twenty-nine-year-old Farkhunda Zarah Nederi has chosen a symbol where faces are hidden. A symbol that much of the world reviles. The Afghan women's cloak known here as the chadri, the same dress the Taliban forced many women here to wear when they were in charge.
DOUGHERTY (on camera): In the west, this burqa, or the chadri, usually has a very negative connotation.
NEDERI: Yes.
DOUGHERTY: That women have to be hidden, they cannot show their faces, they're basically in their houses. You know what that is.
NEDERI: Yes.
DOUGHERTY: Why would you choose something that seems to be a bad symbol, at least for some people? Not -- maybe not here (ph).
NEDERI: Yes, it's a very good question. And I have to say, if reality is cruel, we have to first accept it. After accepting that, it doesn't mean you have to accept and continue it. You have to accept, then you have to find a solution for that.
DOUGHERTY (voice-over): Nederi says women in Afghanistan aren't taken seriously. Even in politics, she says, it's about makeup and how you look. This chadri is faceless, and Nederi uses it in her posters, on her website, www.chadri.af, and on her Facebook page. Today, she's sending a team of children to promote her campaign. This little girl is wearing a graduation gown made out of a chadri.
NEDERI: My thought is that Afghan women, through power of knowledge and education, can turn this little window to a window of power.
DOUGHERTY (on camera): You will campaign, or at least you appear in burqa, right? You wear burqa or --
NEDERI: No, no, I do not wear that.
DOUGHERTY: You cannot (ph) wear (ph).
So it's only a symbol.
NEDERI: Yes.
DOUGHERTY: In other words, you do not, walking around the streets, wear a chadri.
NEDERI: No. No, no. As you can see myself.
DOUGHERTY (voice-over): Nederi says she respects women who wear the chadri, but she doesn't want little Afghan girls to have to wear it.
DOUGHERTY (on camera): These little Afghani girls, what do you, as a candidate for parliament, want to do for them, for their future?
NEDERI: Of course, education, safety.
DOUGHERTY (voice-over): By deconstructing the chadri, Nederi says she's challenging people to go inside it. To understand it.
NEDERI: If chadri so far has been Afghan women's witness, no one can change this but Afghans themselves. Let's get together and turn this weakness to a strength.
DOUGHERTY: Jill Dougherty, CNN, Kabul.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GRIFFIN: Unique reporting here on CNN.
And the CNN NEWSROOM continues right now with Ali Velshi.
