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Concerns About Koran Burning; Texas Tornado Outbreak; Bright Spot in Economy; Political Updates; What's Hot; Anger, Hurt Over Police Shooting
Aired September 09, 2010 - 12:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: And hello once again, I'm Tony Harris. Top of the hour in the CNN NEWSROOM, where anything can happen. Here are some of today's top stories.
Destructive tornadoes touchdown Dallas -- we will show you what news crews captured in the moments just after the twister flattened buildings.
Mosque controversy -- the imam behind the Islamic center and mosque near Ground Zero has a warning.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
IMAM FEISAL ABDUL RAUF, FOUNDER, THE CORDOBA INITIATIVE: If we don't handle this crisis correctly, it could become something which could really become very, very, very, very, very dangerous.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: You're online and we are, too. Ines Ferre is following what's hot -- Ines.
INES FERRE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Tony, on CNN.com, U.S. forces seize control of a pirate-captured vessel off the coast of Somalia.
Also a lot of people Googling this one, Rich Cronin, LFO singer, dies of leukemia.
HARRIS: OK, Ines, thank you.
Let's get started with our lead story -- from the Vatican to the Afghan battlefield to the Oval Office, condemnation of a planned protest against Islam appears universal. The FBI is warning law enforcement around the nation that Saturday's burning of a Koran could spark hate crimes. More on that in a moment.
The protest is supposed to happen at a small church in Gainesville, Florida on the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. For the first time publicly, President Obama is speaking out. He predicts a recruitment bonanza for terrorists and greater risk for U.S. troops.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: It is frustrating. Now on the other hand, we are a government of laws and so we have to abide by those laws. And my understanding is that he can be cited for public burning, but that's the extent of the laws that we have available to us.
You know, part of this country's history is people doing destructive or offensive or harmful things. And yet we still have to make sure that we're following the laws, and that's part of what I love about this country.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: OK. Once again, the FBI expressing concern about the Koran burning and other things.
Let's check in with Homeland Security Correspondent Jeanne Meserve.
Jeanne, what are you learning?
JEANNE MESERVE, CNN HOMELAND SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Tony, not just the FBI, but also Interpol, the international law enforcement organization. It has issued a global alert to its 188-member countries warning of a strong likelihood of violent attacks if plans for the Koran burning in Florida do go ahead. It says it issued this alert at the request of the Pakistani Interior Ministry.
In addition, the FBI has issued an intelligence bulletin. This went out on September 7th.
In it, the FBI warns of the potential for polarizing public opinion and extremist rhetoric. It does say specifically, however, that "The FBI currently has no specific credible information that international terrorist organizations are planning action against the United States because of these events." But it urges law enforcement to be on its toes because of potential implications.
Specifically, it cites this -- not only the potential burning of the Korans, but the controversy over building a mosque near Ground Zero in New York. Also controversies over the building of mosques in Tennessee and California.
It says, "All of these things could hinder outreach and engagement efforts with Muslim communities across the country, generating hate crimes against Muslims, or could even be used as propaganda tools by extremism." It notes that some media commentators have said that this is feeding into the "us versus them" mentality, and that some counterterrorism experts have said that incidents like this can serve to isolate American-Muslim youth and possibly drive them toward extremism.
It also goes on to talk a little about the history of the incidents like this. Specifically, you'll remember the publication of some cartoons in Europe depicting the prophet Mohammed which many Muslims found highly offensive. That has, in fact, triggered some terrorist attacks.
They're warning there is the potential for something like this here. But at this point in time, no specific credible intelligence indicating anything is coming down the pike.
Tony, back to you.
HARRIS: And you are following it for us.
Our homeland security correspondent, Jeanne Meserve, out of Washington.
Jeanne, good to see you. Thank you.
Now to the emotional controversy over the plans to build an Islamic center and mosque near Ground Zero. The religious leader behind the project says he didn't anticipate the fallout that the location would actually cause.
Here's parts of his interview with Soledad O'Brien on CNN's "LARRY KING LIVE."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, HOST: Given what you know now, would you have said, listen, let's not do it there? Because it sounds like you're saying in retrospect, wouldn't have done it.
IMAM FEISAL ABDUL RAUF, FOUNDER, THE CORDOBA INITIATIVE: Well, yes.
O'BRIEN: You would not have done it?
RAUF: If I knew that this would happen, it would cause this kind of pain, I wouldn't have done it. My life has been devoted to peace- making.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf indicates he is open to considering other locations, but he says moving the center would be a victory for radicals and could harm national security.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RAUF: If we move from that location, the story will be that the radicals have taken over the discourse. The headlines in the Muslim world will be that Islam is under attack. And I'm less concerned by the radicals in America than I am concerned about the radicals in the Muslim world.
O'BRIEN: But isn't that also saying you're less concerned about the voices of opposition here?
RAUF: No, no, no. I'm sorry. I don't mean it that way. I meant it that the danger from the radicals in the Muslim world to our national security, to the national security of our troops -- I have a niece who works in the Army serving in Iraq.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: 1.8 million tons of steel and debris cleared away. Thousands of workers spend every day rebuilding.
Tomorrow we will take you on a tour of the World Trade Center site. You will see the construction site like you have never seen it before and hear from the people who are bringing it back from the unforgettable devastation.
It is "Ground Zero, Up Close," midday, right here in these hours, tomorrow in the CNN NEWSROOM.
A bright spot today in an otherwise dark economy.
First, though, our "Random Moment" in 90 seconds.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: Well, a fumble in Major League Baseball, it is our "Random Moment of the Day."
The Oakland A's Coco Crisp slams a homerun into the stadium's barbecue terrace. Right?
Here we go. And a fan does -- look at this -- a painful-looking backflip to catch the ball.
Here's the replay. The poor guy just keeps -- here we go -- scrambling, hands, knees to get the ball, and it keeps getting away from him. Right?
Finally, the cameraman -- yes, there he goes. He ends the acrobatic homerun.
And there you have a really silly "Random -- have another look at it -- Moment of the Day."
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(WEATHER REPORT)
HARRIS: You know what? Let's do this -- let's take everyone back to Dallas and what the scene was like on the ground yesterday. Here's Steven Sheehan (ph) with CNN affiliate KDAF. He has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
STEVEN SHEEHAN, KDAF REPORTER (voice-over): Just moments after the tornado hit, we were the first on the scene to talk to the victims.
(on camera): Are you all right, sir?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, I'm OK. I'm OK. I'm OK. SHEEHAN: You say you're all right? You need help?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, I'm going to need some help.
SHEEHAN (voice-over): This man was in an 18-wheeler in front of the building when it was struck. As you can see, the damage is extensive. Half of the building was blown apart; the roof collapsed.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The tornado came through and I stopped to see if anybody was hurt. And that guy over there was standing inside that truck, and me and some other people pulled the door open to get him out. And I went to check (INAUDIBLE), but that was it.
SHEEHAN (on camera): How are you doing? Are you all right?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm good (ph).
SHEEHAN (voice-over): As the tornado moved, it (INAUDIBLE). It picked up a cloud of debris that could be seen far away. But on the ground it was too close for other business owners in the area.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I went to go shut the front door, tell everybody, get away from the door. And the next thing we knew, it was just like a high wind was whipping around and just smacked everything shut. I heard windows popping and then it was over.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: All right. When we come back, we will take a look at some -- dare I say, Ali, some encouraging economic numbers? OK.
ALI VELSHI, CNN CHIEF BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: We don't want to oversell it, but there is some stuff that is working in America, and I think it's fair that people know about it.
HARRIS: Yes, in just a moment.
You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: OK. Just getting some breaking news into CNN.
Iran is saying that it will release one of the three American hikers detained for more than a year -- boy, we have been following this story that long -- on Saturday, a day after the conclusion of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan. The source would not disclose which of the three would be released, but talk about anticipation, talk about the families of these hikers being on edge.
One will be released. Why not all three, I guess, is the obvious question here. But it's a start after a year of captivity for these American hikers.
So we're going to continue to follow developments in this story, to be sure, and bring you some additional information as soon as we get it.
Let's take a look at the markets now.
Do we have a picture of the Big Board?
I know we're in positive territory and we have been for most of the day.
Is that correct, Ali?
VELSHI: Yes.
HARRIS: Are we off of -- yes, it looks like we're at least off of session highs so far. We're up 65 points. Any numbers on the Nasdaq? Is that up as well?
VELSHI: It's because of those jobs.
HARRIS: Is that what it is?
VELSHI: Yes.
HARRIS: OK. So we've got welcome news on the economy today. The weekly jobless report is out. Ali, better than expected?
VELSHI: Yes, substantially better than expected, actually. Still a lot of people filing for first-time unemployment claims last week, still more than 415,000.
HARRIS: And that's a big number.
VELSHI: Totally big number. I mean, it's weird to explain this to people, but when you're down below 300,000 a week, it's actually thought of as not bad for the economy.
HARRIS: Right.
VELSHI: We've been up over 500,000 people, so this is an improved number.
But you know what I love about talking to you about business? You don't go in with some foregone conclusion. There are things that are not working in this economy, clearly, and there are some things that are working.
Let me take you over to the wall and show you some of the things that are working in this economy.
HARRIS: Perfect. OK. A couple of sectors maybe?
VELSHI: Maybe four things actually.
HARRIS: All right.
VELSHI: One of them is farming. In fact, the amount of farming goods sold in the last year is the second highest. 2008 was the highest. It's the second highest, largely because there are big economies in the world that continue to need what we grow in the United States.
HARRIS: China --
VELSHI: China, Brazil, places like that. So farming, also the value of some of those crops are higher. So we're taking in a lot of money on farming.
The other thing that's big, you and I have talked about this. There are lots of companies with lots of money on the side. Some of them are buying.
We have had some multibillion-dollar deals. And mergers and acquisitions are generally a sign that things are getting good, because those smart people with the money are saying I'm getting in before the price goes up. So mergers and acquisitions are up. That's a good sign.
This one is going to confuse a few people. The auto industry actually not doing all that bad. I'm going to stand here so I can get some light on me.
HARRIS: You've got to get some light, right.
VELSHI: The auto industry is doing a little bit better. Look, the last month of sales were not fantastic, but the reality is factories are opening again. They are building cars that people want to buy.
We've resized our cars, Tony, into smaller vehicles. So the auto industry is showing signs of life.
Remember a year and a half ago? We thought it was done in this country.
And finally, take a look at the last one. This is again going to get people to scratch their heads.
Manufacturing, we're not building a ton more in America. We actually lost factory jobs in the last jobs report. But the head of Adecco, which is one of the temporary staffing firms, is saying that there's been an increase in temporary staffing at factories, which means we're building more stuff and we need people to staff them.
So, again, I told you I don't want to oversell it, but there are signs that some things are happening in America. So we do not -- it's not like end of 2007, beginning of 2008, where everybody was talking about how it's all bad. It's good and bad.
HARRIS: OK. I like these three areas. I'm a little concerned about the M&A activity, because we traditionally think of mergers and acquisitions as leading to job cuts down the road as right-sizing takes place in that new company, right?
VELSHI: Correct. Right. When two companies merge, there's some duplication and some people go. But generally speaking, what it means is everybody who sitting on the sidelines with lots of money is looking for a sale. They're looking for something to buy.
HARRIS: I love that.
VELSHI: And that gives you some sense that if you didn't think the economy was -- if you only thought the economy was going down, and you had a lot of money in your pocket, you wouldn't buy stuff, you wouldn't buy other companies.
HARRIS: Right. Well, and I've been griping, and I've been hitting you hard, and you've been pushing back and giving me the proper perspective on this. On these corporations sitting on the sidelines with what, $2 trillion --
VELSHI: Lots of money. Lots of money, yes.
HARRIS: -- sitting on cash, and if you're telling me now we're starting to get some real pop in M&A activity, that's a good sign.
VELSHI: What you want to see is them hiring people --
(CROSSTALK)
HARRIS: That's what I want.
VELSHI: We're not fully there yet, but they are buying other companies, which tells me somebody thinks it's going to be good.
HARRIS: I could talk to you for the next 45 minutes, but you've got a show to get ready for.
VELSHI: Let's do it every day.
HARRIS: Yes.
You can catch "Ask Ali." We try to do this every day, right here in the CNN NEWSROOM. And you can send your questions.
We've got to get more questions from folks on the program.
VELSHI: Yes, I'd love to answer those.
HARRIS: You can send the questions to our blog, Facebook, and you know the addresses at this point. But Ali, back at the top of the hour, CNN NEWSROOM.
VELSHI: All right. Thanks, buddy.
HARRIS: See you then, Doc.
All right. Talking politics now and the economy, and listening to your concerns.
The CNN Election Express is on the road all week. Today's stop, Indianapolis, where the local economy and some of those big cities in Indiana have been helped because of the auto industry and some of the stimulus dollars and some of the things we just talked about with Ali. But T.J. Holmes is there for us.
In your conversations with folks there in Indianapolis, what are they saying to you about how this economy and this downturn is playing out?
T.J. HOLMES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: What they're saying, you know, a lot of people, it's a big complex issue --
HARRIS: It is.
HOLMES: -- the economy, where we're going. You hear different numbers from Republicans and Democrats.
If you just ask folks themselves how they feel about things, you can tell by their answers how they think things are going. And what we're finding here is a lot of people -- I mean, a lot of colleges around this particular area. And we ran in a ton of college students and decided to start talking to some of them.
And what they'll tell you is that, "I delayed graduation," if you will. They're staying in school as long as possible, going to graduate school. Some going to law school.
We also ran into a lot of people who just switched up their careers altogether. A guy was in construction, lost his job. He went into a nursing program.
Another lady, she had a bachelor's degree, she had a master's degree. That still wasn't good enough to get her a job. She still went back and got more education to try to change fields, going into the health care field as well.
That is a lot of what we're finding here. We just happened to talk to a lot of young people here, but a lot of young people were in this particular area where I am right now, Tony.
This is American Legion Mall. This where the president was. You might not recognize it here, but let me show you a picture you might recognize from two years ago, when then-candidate Obama had a huge rally right here two weeks, just two weeks before the election.
People thought he was nuts, Tony. They thought he was crazy because, surely, doesn't this Democrat know Democrats don't win here in Indiana? Hadn't won for some 44 years. Well, sure enough, the president won, but Indiana was a much different place then than it is now, 6.7 unemployment at the time he made that speech here, 10.2 percent now.
Listen to this young guy I talked to as well here in Indiana. He was one of those guys who stayed in school as long as he could.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PATRICK MERCHO, FINISHING DENTAL SCHOOL: People were telling me it was so hard to find a job, that it was just like, maybe I should go back to school for a little bit. I thought about getting my master's for a minute. But yes, it played a little bit, definitely a little bit of role in deciding to go back to school.
HOLMES: How scary is that as you go through four, five years of school, you're getting close to graduation, and you're like, oh, snap, it's hard to find a job right now? How scary is that?
MERCHO: That is pretty scary, man. I'm not going to lie. It's kind of a wakeup call.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: A wakeup call, as he said.
And Tony, next hour -- I know you were talking to Ali just a second ago, but I'm going to be in Ali's hour as well, talking to him.
I just talked to a guy who is running for Senate here. He's down in most of the polls by about 20 points. He says don't believe it. He's a Democrat, but he says he's a Brad Ellsworth Democrat, if you will.
We'll explain. This guy, Brad Ellsworth, down by 20 points, but he doesn't want to be affiliated with any Democrat other than Brad Ellsworth right now, some would say. So we'll be talking about that. But a chance, a seat here that was held by Evan Bayh, a Democratic Senate seat, could be going Republican -- Tony.
HARRIS: Terrific stuff. Love you talking to folks all across the country.
T.J. Holmes for us.
T.J., appreciate it. See you next hour.
And we have got more on a Florida pastor's plan to burn copies of the Koran on 9/11. We're live from Gainesville with reaction from the community there.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: Let's get you caught up on top stories now.
The weather could be a major factor as firefighters try to get a handle on that big wildfire near Boulder, Colorado. High winds and low humidity could make their job a lot tougher today. At least 169 homes have been destroyed.
The U.S. Army is charging five soldiers with murder in the deaths of civilians in Afghanistan last year. Another seven are accused of being part of a cover-up. All of the suspects are part of the same unit.
And in Chile, nonstop efforts to rescue those 33 men trapped in a mine now in day 34 of their ordeal. A welcomed diversion. They got to watch their national soccer team compete in the European Cup on a video player sent down to their safety chamber.
CNN's John Zarrella now. He is in Gainesville, Florida, the home of the University of Florida.
And John, as you join us, what are people there telling you about the possible spectacle of a Koran bonfire and what that would mean for their community?
JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You know, sadly, Tony, everyone here that we've talked to is saying that, look, this is sending and has already sent the wrong message about the town of Gainesville. This is a very tolerant place, many, many faiths co- exist here. And there are no problems here and have never been problems.
And many people say that the real fringe player in all this is actually Pastor Terry Jones, who we have not seen today here at his Dove World Outreach Center, has not come out. But a group of students from the University of Florida, Students for a Democratic Society, the local chapter, planning a big protest here on Saturday. And they announced the reasons why they are going to hold that protest here.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
I think Terry Jones has already gotten enough attention. And I think right now, that Pandora's box can't be closed. I think the only way now to respond to that is by putting Gainesville and putting the American people out here demonstrating to the world on the front lines that we don't tolerate this, we don't accept this.
This isn't who we are. And I think that that's what's going to be said at Saturday's protest very, very loudly.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ZARRELLA: And the students have said that they've had direct contact with Jones' people, because periodically Jones and his people will carry their messages against Islam right to the university campus. They have marched on the campus, the students were telling us, carrying signs. You know, again denouncing Islam.
So they feel it's their responsibility to come out here on Saturday. And again, 600 of them they say are going to come in from all over the country to be part of this -- Tony.
HARRIS: See, I don't know. I'm just reaching here. Has there been any movement -- you mentioned that you haven't seen Pastor Jones today. Has there been any real movement in the story today?
ZARRELLA: Yes, there really has, actually, within the last 30 minutes or so. And we have no idea what any of this means. But for about 30 minutes -- it just ended and we have some video of this -- four men, they looked to be federal agents of some sort, from some agency, all dressed in suits, wearing lapel pins that had badges, shaped like badges, were inside Jones' church, and they spoke with whomever in there for a good 30 minutes. When they came out, they refused to answer any questions. They refused to even acknowledge the media, pushed past us, got into their two vehicles, an SUV and a Crown Vic, and sped away without saying a word to anyone.
So clearly, they came here either to talk to Jones or to deliver a message to Terry Jones from someone. And again, we don't know who they were, and we're waiting for perhaps Jones to come out, or one of his folks, other ministers to come out, and tell us exactly what transpired during that meeting and who these people were that came in to meet with him.
So there's certainly some movement. Something's going on, Tony. We just don't know exactly what it all means.
HARRIS: Forgive me. It just seems silly to just sort of blast by the media like that. The whole world is watching this story. Have some kind of statement prepared if you're going in. You know you're coming out and you know the world is watching this story. That just seems silly to me.
John Zarrella for us.
ZARRELLA: Yes, you would think.
HARRIS: You would think.
All right, John. Appreciate it. Thank you.
As of now, the burning of the Koran down in Florida is going ahead as planned. Just how much danger does it pose for our military?
We are talking to Barbara Starr at the Pentagon when we come back.
Good to see you, Barbara.
We're back in a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: Interpol has issued a global alert warning of an increased terror threat if Florida pastor Terry Jones goes ahead with his plan to burn the Koran on Saturday, the ninth anniversary of the September 11 attacks.
Let's talk to Barbara Starr. She's at her post at the Pentagon. Barbara, good to see you.
Now, look, what is the concern here when you think about the potential fallout from the burning?
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well you know, General David Petraeus issued a statement earlier this week after there were some initial demonstrations in Kabul when al of this really came to light. And the news of this event really, you know, went around the globe via the Internet, via social media. General Petraeus saying it could put U.S. soldiers at risk because of the reaction of people in the Islamic world to the potential, even, of this event happening.
What's interesting in terms of the U.S. military, Tony, is they are really leaving it to General Petraeus in Afghanistan, and General Lloyd Austin, now the top commander in Iraq, to make statements about this and to point out that it could put U.S. troops at risk.
So far, Defense Secretary Robert Gates, Admiral Mike Mullen, the chairman of the joint chiefs, are simply saying through their spokesman that they endorse what General Petraeus and General Austin have said, but not coming out in public here. Because here in Washington there is a feeling that it is a very delicate dance for the U.S. military. They can't get involved, they say, in issues which are legally at least the right of free speech. But obviously concern is growing. Tony?
HARRIS: OK, Barbara, appreciate it. Thank you.
You know, it sounds like science fiction. A woman regrows a severed fingertip. Really? You'll see it in "Empowered Patient."
We're back in a moment. You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: Wow, we had a couple of things to talk about. Have you ever left your doctor's office wondering if your doctor was taking the right medical approach? Well, you are not alone. Senior medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen is here to tell us about why it is so important for you to follow your instincts.
What do you have for us, Elizabeth?
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: I have a story about a woman named Deepa Kilkarney. And this woman may be the ultimate empowered patient. She has an accident that severs her pinkie off at right about there, sort of at the base of the nail. Slammed door, there it goes. She sees it on the floor. Lots of blood. There she is right there. The pinky that you see.
Now, it was severed off. I'm going to show you a picture, Tony. I hope you are not -- of the weak stomach variety. A little squeamish, because it is graphic.
HARRIS: Rock solid here.
COHEN: OK, OK. I think we have the picture, that's what fell off.
HARRIS: (MAKES GAGGING NOISE)
COHEN: But her finger -
(LAUGHTER) COHEN: -- but her finger grew back. It's fine now. That tip was off of her finger. And now it's grown back by using something called regenerative medicine. But what's incredible when she went to the emergency room, they told her, sorry, you lost the tip of your pinky. There's nothing we can do. We want to amputate more. And she said no -
HARRIS: Really?
COHEN: -- She said no. She said, "Bandage me up, give me some painkillers. I'm out of here." She spent several weeks doing research on the Internet and she found this place doing regenerative medicine where, basically, she dipped her finger in medicine and her finger grew back.
HARRIS: Get out of here!
COHEN: I know! Isn't that amazing? And she found it on her own, and had to find a doctor who was willing to try it.
HARRIS: Well, that makes her the ultimate "Empowered Patient!"
COHEN: It does.
HARRIS: Are there any broader ramifications for this medicine? Wow.
COHEN: It's incredible. She's not the only one. They've made fingertips grow back for various people. It's pretty amazing.
HARRIS: Wow. Does it grow hair?
(LAUGHTER)
COHEN: I'll call the doctor immediately and ask him that question.
HARRIS: Here's the other point I want to -- that's a terrific story.
But you are a terrific story here. Your book, "Empowered Patient," all right? This woman is an example, all right? But your book is doing -- do we have a copy of the book? Do we have it somewhere? It's doing really well.
Gloat for just a second. It's not really gloating. It's a great subject matter. You've done a great job with it over the years. Talk about the success you're having with this book and that people who are buying the book are having because they're following your advice?
COHEN: Well, yesterday I'm proud to say it went into its third printing. So, we're very excited about that. And for years, you and I have been talking on television about empowered patients and have been getting wonderful emails from people saying "Hey, I read your book and I was inspired to make better decisions about my health." To be more like this woman, who pushed and pushed and pushed until she got what she wanted.
HARRIS: And you taught me. We went to the doctor's office together, and you pushed me to be an empowered patient. It is good stuff. And we can't encourage you enough to go and get the book and learn from all of the great tips in the book.
Good to see you.
COHEN: Good to see you, too.
HARRIS: We can -- let's get some more information out to folks. You can learn yourself how to be an "Empowered Patient." Here's what you do, you go to CNN.com/empoweredpatient. And be sure to pick up Elizabeth's book.
A lot of families are broken-hearted in Colorado today. We have the latest on the canyon wildfire. Back in a moment. We're in the CNN NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: Let's get you caught up on the top stories right now. A Muslim civil liberties group is launching a "learn, don't burn" initiative in response to a Florida pastor's plan to burn the Koran on September 11. Today, President Obama is warning the act could be a recruitment bonanza for al Qaeda.
At least four tornadoes touched down around Dallas last night, knocking down walls and smashing cars. Just one serious injury was reported.
And in Colorado, 169 homes destroyed by the canyon wildfire, being called the worst fire in the state's history.
It gives us an opportunity to talk to Chad Myers. Chad, we're concerned about the fire. But we're concerned about weather conditions and maybe if the conditions are right, maybe firefighters can get a bit of a handle? Not going to happen?
CHAD MYERS, AMS METEROLOGIST: Wrong. Going the other way today.
HARRIS: Really?
MYERS: Yes, not good at all. Wind gusts 50, tomorrow 55 down the canyon. You know, I know a lot of the fire is out, right? But there are still sparks everywhere. Still hotspots that these guys can't get to. (INAUDIBLE) even get up into the canyons. Some of these places are so rough and this hot weather, this dry weather coming in, blowing in from the west-northwest. Today 50, although right now, right now in Boulder, the winds are zero.
It's -- amazing what's going to happen today as the air heats up. And then it's going to run down the mountains, going to run down here. The entire front range, especially just to the west of Denver. We're talking about literally west of the interstate here, the interstate goes all the way up and down. I-25, I-29. Did you know that all of the interstates that go north and south are odd numbers? And the ones that go this way are even numbers? So, it's always easy for us to remember --
HARRIS: It's one of the states you worked in, right?
MYERS: Nebraska? Yes, I lived over there.
Anyway, all the interstates that go north and south are odd- numbered, like 25 or 29 or 15 or I-95 or I-5 in the west. So, anyway, I digress.
So, all along the interstate, especially to the west of the interstate, front range, higher elevations, above 5,000 feet. Because literally, Denver is 5,000 feet. That's why it's the Mile High City. So, you're going to have to get west of there to get all of this high- wind warning. It will be high winds, of course, across the 14ers and across the high country here, but not as much of a fire danger up there because it's above the tree line, so nothing to burn and then you don't have to worry about it so much.
But it is an event that we're going to watch for today. We wish it would go away. But the windy conditions will be right in the wrong direction for these firefighters trying to get a handle on this. Let's hope that there's not enough sparking out there for this to rebuild. But I think we're going to see some bad fires.
HARRIS: It sounds like a tough couple of days to come. All right, Chad, thank you, sir.
MYERS: You bet.
HARRIS: American troops returning from Iraq get treated to hot dogs. Check out the hot dog vendor coming up here.
Joe Biden is also passing out compliments. We'll name the recipient in "CNN Equals Politics.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: Love this, time for your "CNN Equals Politics" update. How about this, senior White House correspondent Ed Henry is part of The Best Political Team on Television. Ed, good to se you. What's crossing right now, sir?
ED HENRY, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Tony, it's so hot off the political ticker I can barely hold the paper in my hands here.
As you know, I think the first item that's funny is Vice President Biden decided to go on "The Colbert Report." He's had a few gaffes over the years, so it's kind of dangerous territory for him out there. But this was kind of an easy one for him. He was there with troops returning home from Iraq. That sort of been one of his key issues. He was thanking the troops in the audience for "The Colbert Report." And there was an even a kind of interesting light moment. Let's take a little bit of a listen to that.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
STEPHEN COLBERT, HOST, "THE COLBERT REPORT": I'll take -- I'll take a dog. Hey, hey, hotdog guy! Hotdog guy! Hey --
JOE BIDEN, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Hey, man, to you, it's Mr. Vice President hotdog guy.
COLBERT: Mr. Biden, Mr. Biden, sir, I'm sorry. I didn't expect --
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: That's good.
HENRY: So, you can see right there. Later Colbert also said, "How's it feel to be the second most important man in the United States?" Number two behind Colbert himself, not President Obama.
But they turned to serious talk. You're going to have to go to the political ticker and go to cnn.com to see what Vice President Biden had to say about former President Bush. It was actually quite a surprise here among some of us in the White House press corps.
Second item to point out is President Obama was on "Good Morning America" on ABC this morning and for the first time really spoke out about this potential Koran burning this weekend. And basically called it a stunt. Implored this pastor down in Florida to cut it out, saying basically this is against American values of religious tolerance. But the president stopped short of actually taking any sort of action. They feel inside the White House here, they're in a difficult position because there's not too much they can do to actually stop this.
Finally, the president, on ABC as well, you know, Rahm Emanual, his chief of staff, is trying to play it coy on whether he's going to run for mayor of Chicago. Most people think he's going to because he's been public before about saying he wants to run for this someday. Richard Daley now stepping down.
Well, the president decided to go on ABC -- when he was asked about this, he said that Rahm Emanual would be, quote, "an excellent mayor." And I can tell you that stopped some people around here saying, sounds like he's pushing him out the door ever so slightly. Maybe in a good way because he wants them. But Rahm Emanual can't possibly pretend for much longer that he's not going to run if you've got the president sort of pushing him, saying he's going to go.
Also, the president was saying that he thinks he'll wait on an announcement, though, until after the mid-term elections. This is something to pay attention to. We've got it on the political ticker right now because mid-term elections, November 2nd. But the filing deadline in Chicago is November 22. So if he waits, Rahm Emanuel, until say November 3rd to announce a run for mayor, he's got just a few weeks to get all the signatures you need, start raising the money. It's going to be a very tight window. So we'll have to watch the timetable closely there, Tony. HARRIS: Terrific.
Good to see you, Ed.
Senior White House correspondent Ed Henry with us.
And your next political update coming up in one hour. For the latest political news, cnnpolitics.com.
What's a Snooki? Well, she's "What's Hot" today. And a judge says she's -- well, she needs to pay a price for being so annoying. We're back in a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: So we've been surfing the web. We've found some things. Flying fists, flying watermelons and a reality star -- Snooki? Snooki?
INES FERRE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Snooki. Snooki.
HARRIS: Hi, Ines.
FERRE: Hi.
OK, so she -- so a judge sentenced her to two days of community service and $500 for being annoying on the beach.
HARRIS: For being annoying, yes, yes.
FERRE: Right. And this is really funny because hours later she was, I guess, stuck in traffic.
HARRIS: Yes.
FERRE: So she tweets -- "Ugh, stuck in Newark traffic is no fun." So, guess who tweets back?
HARRIS: Not the judge. Don't say the judge.
FERRE: The mayor of Newark.
HARRIS: The mayor.
FERRE: "Snooki, I'm the mayor. Where are you so I can give you a ticket for texting and driving."
HARRIS: Oh, that's good.
FERRE: "We need revenue."
HARRIS: That is very good. Very good.
FERRE: Really funny.
OK, and this next one is -- this one's from "Amazing Race."
HARRIS: Right. Oh, the TV show?
FERRE: And this is -- yes, yes. This is a Tweet (ph) bid. And we want to show this to you. So this -- this woman is on there with a slingshot and the watermelon.
HARRIS: Right.
FERRE: And you'll see right there.
HARRIS: Right.
FERRE: And the watermelon --
HARRIS: Did I miss it?
FERRE: Yes.
HARRIS: Oh, wow.
FERRE: There you go. The watermelon --
HARRIS: I see the aftermath.
FERRE: Oh, yes, you see the aftermath. Actually if we can just go --
HARRIS: Can we rerack (ph) it?
FERRE: Back right before to where --
HARRIS: What happened? So everyone at home saw this and I didn't see it. And I didn't see it --
FERRE: The watermelon -- we'll show it to you. The watermelon actually slings --
HARRIS: Here it is.
FERRE: Right back in her face. That one's OK --
HARRIS: Right.
FERRE: But then.
HARRIS: Right.
FERRE: Check it out. This one comes right back, right in her face.
HARRIS: Oh! Oh!
FERRE: Yes. Yes.
HARRIS: Is she OK?
FERRE: She seems OK, though. She looks OK, though. And, yes, that's a preview. Oh my goodness.
HARRIS: That looked like some whiplash and everything going on there.
All right, we got time for one more?
FERRE: One more.
HARRIS: Let's do it.
FERRE: One more. This one's from Live League and this is in a province in Russia. Some wedding photos. And --
HARRIS: What's going on here?
FERRE: In Minana (ph) Russia province. And, yes, the cameramen start fighting.
HARRIS: Oh. Oh, I love it. A good beat-down. You know why I love beat-downs?
FERRE: They start fighting -- why?
HARRIS: Because folks have lost their minds. They've lost control of themselves. It's a teachable moment.
FERRE: Is at a wedding. They're taking a picture.
HARRIS: A different kind of wedding.
FERRE: That means don't take pictures at the wedding.
HARRIS: All right. Are we done? We have one more?
FERRE: No, that's it.
HARRIS: That's it. That's it.
FERRE: Snooki.
HARRIS: OK.
FERRE: More, more, more we're chanting in --
HARRIS: We don't have more, Ali. We're done. We're so done.
Thank you.
Let's -- I'm not going to do that to you. Let's go to a break. You're in the CNN NEWSROOM. We're back in a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: L.A. residents, furious over the police shooting of a Guatemalan laborer, gave the police chief an real earful last night at a town hall meeting. KCAL's Serene Branson reports. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SERENE BRANSON, KCAL-TV CORRESPONDENT: Minutes into the meeting, the crowd booed LAPD Chief Charlie Beck and chanted "justice." Guatemalan native Manuel Jamines was fatally shot Sunday afternoon at 6th and Union Avenue. Police say he was drunk and threatening officers and women with this knife. And when he didn't obey commands to drop it, a bike officer fired. Chief Beck read what he said was a woman's statement to police.
CHIEF CHARLIE BECK, LOS ANGELES POLICE: She referred to the officers as her angels that descended from heaven and she said -- and she said that the officers saved her life.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I know Mr. Jamines should not have had a knife, but Coparti Hernandez (ph) should not have had a gun and should never have one again. Why haven't you even suspended him?
BRANSON: A man claiming to be Jamines' relative spoke in Spanish.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The question is, why did they have to shoot him instead of just disarm him?
BECK: We don't teach police officers to take knives away from people.
BRANSON: Jose Larrios claimed the officer was known in the community.
JOSE FELIX LARRIOS, WESTLAKE DISTRICT RESIDENT: I'm very angry because the officer that killed Manuel, the people is -- the officer is very bad (ph) person. Very bad.
BRANSON (on camera): Why?
LARRIOS: That's every day. He every day he working in the area. Many incidents, him.
BRANSON (voice-over): The past two nights, tensions escalated in the streets. Officers in riot gear kept a rowdy and destructive crowd under control. They hurled bottles, set dumpster fires and charged LAPD's Rampart Station.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You guys need to stop portraying my people like we're the ones causing all the ruckus around this community because there's a lot of people that are just waiting for an opportunity to erupt so they can start another L.A. riot.
BECK: I promise you a fair and transparent investigation. While that investigation continues, we have peace in our streets.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: OK, that was Serene Branson from CNN affiliate KCAL with that report. And just in, a programming note, tomorrow, 11:00 a.m. Eastern Time, we're expecting President Obama to hold a live news conference. And, of course, we will bring that to you live. That's tomorrow, 11:00 a.m. Eastern right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.
CNN NEWSROOM continues right now with Ali Velshi.
ALI VELSHI, CNN ANCHOR: Loved the watermelon thing you do. I love, Tony, that once in a while we can actually just get away from the news for a second.
HARRIS: Yes.
VELSHI: Good to see you. Have yourself a good afternoon, Tony Harris.
