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Angry Protests Over Koran Burning Plan; Pastor Controversial on Two Continents; Church Welcomes Muslims; Soldier Helps Stranded Motorists; Fire Rages on in San Bruno, California as Death Toll Rises; 30 Mosques in 30 States

Aired September 10, 2010 - 10:00   ET

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

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: 7:00 in San Bruno California and it's been a sleepless exhausting night there after a gas line ruptured, an explosion happened, a huge fireball and then a massive inferno.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was Dante's inferno in there. It was the worst, most horrific fire scene I've ever witnessed.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: That's just one of the many stories coming out of there. At least three people are reported dead. The fire captain expects that number to rise, too.

More than two dozen people have been hurt, more than 100 homes damaged and that fire is still burning. San Bruno is just outside San Francisco.

It's a neighborhood -- that neighborhood rather that we're talking about is just a couple miles from the San Francisco International Airport. Let's get straight to our Dan Simon. He's been covering this through the night for us. Dan.

DAN SIMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, good morning, Kyra. You can see that we have these microphones set up behind us. We're expecting a press conference in a little while this morning, hopefully get some more information.

But now that we have daylight, it's going to give crews hopefully an opportunity to go into those homes one by one and search for possible victims. Perhaps they might bring in some cadaver dogs to try to ascertain if, in fact, there might be some more bodies inside those homes.

The latest that we are hearing according to "The Los Angeles Times," six people confirmed dead, again, expecting that press conference in a little while.

Kyra, we actually had an opportunity to see some of these flames first hand a little while after the firefighters arrived to the scene and what we saw, it's a bit of a cliche, but it really did look like a movie set. We want to show you what it looked like firsthand.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SIMON: There were early reports that a plane may have crashed into the hillside. Those reports were not true, but you can understand why some might have been under that impression.

When fire crews got here, this neighborhood where we are was just totally engulfed in flames. You can see right now firefighters, all they can really do is take a defensive stance, try to put out some of these flames and try to prevent some of the other homes from catching on fire.

Here is another vantage point of homes that caught fire. You can see behind us just four or five homes totally leveled, fire crews doing nothing over there. A few minutes ago, we heard a very loud explosion. We didn't know what it was but it turned out to be this white station wagon, some kind of car explosion.

So that's another things that crews out here have to deal with. We are right next to what we think was ground zero. You were see behind me everything was completely leveled. To give you an idea just how hot the fire was, I want to show you this.

Look at the back of this white Volkswagen, the heat just melting this tail light, and if you walk to the front, you can see that the explosion caused the concrete to travel a great distance. It is just lying here on the windshield of this car, a little chunk of it.

One of the big problems firefighters are dealing with right now is the wind. You can see it on the crime scene tape, just kind of blowing around and you can city it with the smoke, helping to spread the flames.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SIMON: But eventually, the wind died down and that allowed firefighters to really get the upper hand on this blaze. Also, critical for them to really make progress is that they were able to shut down that main gas line that was fueling that fire for so long.

In terms of what happened, what we know, there was a natural gas rupture. How that happened, we just don't know whether or not there was some construction going on or if in fact, you know, there was some sort of a high pressure situation going on with that line.

Those are the questions that we're going to be asking these officials when they take to the microphones in just a little while -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Yes, we weren't able to get any answers out of PG&E. I know you haven't been able to, to this point either, Dan. We are waiting to find out if, indeed, they came out and investigated this strong odor of gas that residents there that you talked to have been talking about. They said that PG&E came out. They don't know what happened. Now you have this massive explosion. Do you have any idea, Dan, when members of this investigative teams, whether it's PG&E or NTSB are actually going to be there on site to start looking at what happened?

SIMON: Well, we are told that PG&E is already on site. The NTSB is on its way. Presumably they'll be dealing with separate functions, but in terms of this strong odor that we've been hearing about, it's a very, sort of, puzzling mixture to all this.

We're hearing at least from one neighbor that for about three weeks there was a strong odor of natural gas in the air. He says at one point PG&E actually came to the neighborhood and told him and some other neighbors to go inside their homes, close the doors, close their windows, because in this neighbor's mind, it was dangerous.

And that the PG&E representative, if you will, wanted him to take shelter, take safety. So it's an interesting component to all of this. We asked PG&E about this earlier today, and they told us, at least the spokesperson told us, that he didn't have any knowledge about that.

And that he was still in sort of the fact-finding mission, if you will, and hopefully we'll get some more of those answers later today and later this afternoon, Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Great. Thanks, Dan.

And in about an hour, we are also expecting California's lieutenant governor to talk more about what's happening in San Bruno. We're going to listen in to that news conference and bring you the latest information we get from there.

Also new this morning, the planned Koran burning in Florida is on hold at least for now. Pastor Terry Jones says that at the moment, he and his congregation do not plan to burn some 200 copies of the Islamic holy book tomorrow, the anniversary of 9/11.

But he says that he hopes he can still meet with the developers of the Islamic center and mosque near Ground Zero, a meeting that he says was promised to him.

Developers say they did not make that deal. This comes as protests are erupting around the world in Pakistan, Indonesia, Iran and now Afghanistan.

Reuters is reporting that a protester was actually shot and killed outside a German-run NATO base. Reverend Jones says he's not responsible for that violence though.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do you feel you bear any responsibility for what happened? TERRY JONES, FLORIDA PASTOR WHO PLANNED TO BURN COPIES OF KORAN: We do not feel we bear responsibility, no. We feel what has actually happened is that we have brought awareness. It is very clear that Islam, radical Islam is much more dangerous, violent and radical than we ever thought. They are doing things although we have done nothing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Well, a lot of people want to know who this guy is. Reverend Terry Jones leads a tiny flock of a few dozen people at his Dove World Outreach Center. But before Florida, the pastor led a church in Cologne, Germany, until he got the boot. Our Phil Black looks at the controversy on two continents.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PHIL BLACK, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The leaders of Terry Jones' old church here in Germany, the Christianity community of Cologne believed that Jones will go through with his plans because, they say, that's the sort of person he is.

Stubborn, strong-willed, someone who once he set his mind to something always follows through with it, but the key to emphasize is that this church no longer has any association with Terry Jones.

They had a bitter separation back in 2008, we're told, over his style of leadership, the strength of his personality, the direction he was taking the church, but we have also spoken to a Protestant pastor here in Cologne who says he has counseled dozens of former members of Jones' church in this city.

People whose lives have been forever damaged, he says, by their relationship with Terry Jones. He says that Jones was not just a dominant personality, but he was manipulative, someone who through charisma was able to attract those who were lost, looking for answers and perhaps very susceptible to what he describes as Terry Jones' simple solutions, rules and interpretation of the Bible.

Terry Jones' critics here in Cologne believed that when he was forced to leave in 2008, he lost a great deal of influence and control over those people live. Now in the United States, he's desperately trying to get it back. Phil Black, CNN, Cologne.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Well, now, the complete opposite of what's happening with regard to that mosque being built near Ground Zero. A southern church opening is basically laying out the welcome mat to its Muslim neighbors and the two faiths now sharing a common bond. Reporter Jamel Major has the details from CNN's Memphis affiliate WMC.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JAMEL MAJOR, WMC-TV CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): These words say it all. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Once we put up the sign, probably within three days, people from the Islamic center contacted us, and they were overwhelmed with emotion you know that we would be so welcoming.

MAJOR: Steve Stone, pastor of Heartsong Church says when he heard about plans for the multimillion dollar Memphis Islamic Center Complex being built near his church, he knew he had to react.

PASTOR STEVE STONE, HEARTSONG CHURCH: I don't know a lot about Islam and I didn't know -- I know only one fellow who is a Muslim. It was going to be a learning process for me, but we follow Jesus, and he tells us to love our neighbors.

MAJOR: Stone says he hopes that by putting out a welcome mat for Muslims, it will send a strong message to those who may have associated Christians with being anti-Islam.

STONE: People who associate Christians with folks that are afraid of or don't like Muslims, I can't judge those people who are Christian, but I just believe to take the name of Christ and to be hateful and do hateful things is a real insult.

MAJOR: To prove his point, Stone says the Heartsong Church Congregation is taking its new relationship with members of the Memphis Islamic Center one step further.

STONE: Their facility is it not quite finished, still isn't and came and asked us if they could use our facility for Ramadan prayers, which we took as a high compliment.

MAJOR: Stone says it's the beginning of a friendship he hopes will inspire others to love their neighbors.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: A member of that Muslim center just like as you heard in that report, says that the growing friendship has helped break down a lot of stereotypes and misconceptions among both communities.

Ramadan and road trip may not seem like a natural trip but two Muslim bloggers visited 30 mosques in 30 states during the holy month. They have some stories to tell us about what they saw on the road. We're checking back in with our favorite two Muslims there that went on a very unique journey.

We are following the breaking news at San Bruno, California, a ruptured gas line and huge explosion and intense fire still burning. Several people killed, more hurt and many more suddenly homeless.

State's lieutenant governor expected to update us in less than an hour. We'll have it for you.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Take a look at this iReport from Jason Del Rosario of San Bruno, California. He shot this video not long after that huge explosion that happened more than 12 hours ago.

Before the fire started whipping through most of the neighborhood, which we are now covering full time for you, as an investigation is now looking into how this line ruptured in this neighborhood, already killing three, possible more people.

Let's find out how the weather is going to hopefully help the efforts to knock that fire down. Pretty windy in San Bruno, Rob, right?

ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes, but the winds have knocked down over the past few hours so that's the good news. That will probably pick up later on today. This is the time of year where you get the marine layer in the morning and then once that burns off, you get a pretty good sea breeze depending on the weather situation.

We think we'll probably see that again today, but this is what we saw yesterday, 21-mile-an-hour winds at 6:00, and at 3:00, they were pretty much calm. The timing of that explosion really couldn't have been worse as far as the weather goes. The winds were gusty right on through 10:00 at night.

As far as the weather situation around the rest of the country, we've got windy condition across parts of the inner mountain west and also heavy rain across the middle section of the country.

This is what's left over of Tropical Storm Hermine. It will finally rain itself out and wring itself out and we shouldn't see the torrential rains that we saw in the last couple of days in Oklahoma, Texas and Arkansas.

Little system rolling through the inner mountain west in northern plains and this is going to create wind gusts here in the boulder area of up to 30 miles an hour with low humidity. We have a red flag warning that's in effect for this area as they battle that blaze to the west of boulder.

Speaking of the mountains, this area, you are looking at the southern coast of Italy right here. Look at the video coming out of Altrani. Extreme terrain, five inches of rain in 12 hours, and debris flowed down this mountain community just totally wiping out everything in its path.

Look at all these cars piled up on top of each other trying to get through this tiny road, unbelievable stuff there. Probably well over a dozen cars being wiped down this mountainside community heading towards the Mediterranean, I guess.

I never have seen anything like that. Unbelievable stuff there in what is a typically beautiful coastline, some quaint little towns that dot the coast, and get a lot of rain like that, and the mud slide like that wiping out those cars. That's dramatic stuff.

PHILLIPS: Not fun, and you're right. It's actually a beautiful part of that country. Thanks, Rob.

MARCIANO: All right, see you.

PHILLIPS: Well, it's never fun when your car breaks down in the middle of the road in the middle of nowhere. Many times kind people will just pull over to help, but for this soldier, it's a full-time mission.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: A story now about a soldier who is going beyond the call of duty and definitely making his mark. After a long day at a an Army combat training base in South Carolina, Staff Sergeant David Schible travels the interstate helping stranded motorists.

Schible started his nonprofit one-man operation a year ago and has helped more than 300 people.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SGT. DAVID SCHIBLE, U.S. ARMY/ROAD WARRIOR: Anybody that's stuck on the side of the road, stranded for a period of time, I just pull over and ask them what they need.

I never will I leave a fallen comrade and that's part of the soldier's creed and that same thing applies to people on the road.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: And Schible has never asked for money for his services, but occasionally people will try to give him some. He never keeps it, though instead he donates it to a charity that helps wounded warriors.

Checking top stories now, firefighters are still battling a gas- fueled fire that's devastated San Bruno, California. At least three are dead and that number expected to climb. At least 53 homes destroyed. Pacific Gas and Electric says its gas line ruptured leading to that fire.

A federal judge says the "Don't Ask Don't Tell" policy is unconstitutional. The military policy bans gay men and lesbians from serving openly. The government is expected to file for a stay of the ruling pending another appeal.

President Obama holding his first White Nouse news conference since May, our live coverage begins in just about 30 minutes.

The U.S. puts out a kill or capture order on a suspected terrorist planner, but he could be more dangerous dead than alive.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: The U.S. wants Anwar al-Awlaki dead or alive. Top security experts believe that the al Qaeda mouthpiece may now be planning terror strikes, but even if U.S. operatives are able to take him out, they run the risk of making him a martyr. CNN's Drew Griffin looks at the development of a major Jihadist. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DREW GRIFFIN, CNN INVESTIGATIVE UNIT CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Four years ago in London, Bilal Baloch first herd and first began to see how this English-speaking cleric was attracting young Muslim students like himself. They all thought Awlaki was brilliant.

BILAL BALOCH, INTERNATIONAL SECURITY STUDENT: You know, there aren't that many Muslim-born American or British scholars, and he is one of them. So the appeal is obviously fantastic.

GRIFFIN: Anwar Awlaki was young and spoke American English eloquently. To many young Muslim, men seeking direction, he was a rock star, but then, almost overnight, Baloch said his message took on a more sinister tone.

BALOCH: The evolution is what worries me. Here is someone who is telling us we should be praying and behaving in a particular way and holding up the moral high ground as Muslims should, and suddenly he is saying there should be a call to violence.

GRIFFIN: Anwar Awlaki now preaches hatred and according to U.S. intelligence sources, he recently became not just a preacher of violence but a planner.

TOM FUENTES, FORMER FBI ASSISTANT DIRECTOR: He is not just recruiting and motivating Jihadists, but it's believed that senior al Qaeda leaders in the Arabian Peninsula, specifically Yemen, are listening to him.

GRIFFIN: In other words, this English-speaking mouthpiece for al Qaeda's global Jihad is now deeply involved in actual attempts to kill westerners, as believed was done by Awlaki follower and alleged Fort Hood shooter Major Nadal Hassan.

The U.S. government has decided Anwar Awlaki is an enemy and has issued a capture or kill order for him. Pat D'Amuro is former assistant director of the FBI's counterterrorism division.

(on camera): Should we kill him? Is that the right thing to do?

PAT D'AMURO, FORMER FBI COUNTER-TERROR OFFICIAL: The primary goal is to protect our citizens globally, and when you have information of individuals that are planning to conduct terrorist attacks in our espousing rhetoric to invigorate others or get others to conduct those attacks, then that individual is a threat to our national security.

GRIFFIN: But there is a risk. Awlaki was virtually an unknown just a few years ago, now he's front page news being compared to Osama Bin Laden himself. Killing him, says Tom Fuentes could turn him into a legend.

FUENTES: I think that many authorities in Yemen believed that we elevate him further if we actually do kill him. We'll make him a martyr, and his videos and recordings and writings will live on and on.

GRIFFIN: Well, Bila Baloch killing him, he says, will also eliminate any possibilities of learning why Awlaki turned from recruiting young men to Islam to now recruiting young men to kill.

BALOCH: I think killing him is going to add fuel to the fire. I think it's going to completely marginalize those who agree that his violent views now are wrong, but want to know why this happened.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Why this happened, and why an American would turn radical Muslim.

GRIFFIN: Yes, I mean, there is some value, although idealistically from this college student to find out why it happened, but really in dealing with these people and talking to counterterrorism officials, there is no national explanation to figure out why it happened.

Number one, they don't engage in rational conversation even with moderate Muslims or anybody from the west. And two, they basically, Kyra, they want Sharia law over the entire world.

They are in a thousand year war in their minds so there is no rational way to figure it out other than, you know, they're crazy.

PHILLIPS: Yes, you bring up a good point, even if you do catch him, he's crazy, so would you figure out what happened to make him switch like that?

GRIFFIN: Right, in the hopes of somehow trying to go and interject that thought on others who are following in his path. I mean, everybody has tried, looked at that.

The best you can do is capture him, try to find out what he knows about future terrorist attacks and try to avert that, but in terms of learning about his inner workings and why he comes to this somewhat rational conclusion that he has to kill Americans, I don't think it's going to go very far.

PHILLIPS: Yes, we look forward to your special. Drew, thanks so much. You can catch Drew's special, "Bin Laden's New Jihadist" that's tomorrow night 8:00 p.m. Eastern right here on CNN.

Well, road trip for Ramadan. These guys did 30 mosques in 30 states in 30 days. Once they got pulled over by a cop, but our interview actually helped them get back on their way. You'll hear the story straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Just about 15 minutes, our special coverage of a live news conference is going to take place with the president of the United States, taking Q&A. Our Candy Crowley, host of "STATE OF THE UNION," will join us in just about 15 minutes. She'll take over from there and help kick off that live event starting at 11:00 Eastern time.

Also, if you are just tuning in, we want to give you more information, especially if you live out on the West Coast about that gas line explosion near San Francisco. Survivors in San Bruno, California are now talking about how hellish last night's blast and fire have been. One guy even said it was like Dante's Inferno. Another compared it with an earthquake. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was like an earthquake and a lot of rattling, and the noise was phenomenal. It was so loud. And it just kept shaking probably a good ten minutes.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: And the fire is still so intense that crews can't even look for victims yet. At least three people are reported dead. However, "The L.A. Times" is reporting that six people have died in this explosion. Several more people have been hurt, many more homeless. And the gas company is promising to look into one resident's claim that he's been smelling gas in that area for three weeks. We're expecting California's lieutenant governor to talk more about what happened in San Bruno during a live news conference that should get underway next hour.

Well, a Ramadan road trip may not be the most conventional way to spent Islam's holiest month, but two bloggers loaded up their car on a 1,200-mile mission to document how Muslims around the country are observing it. They actually hit up 30 mosques in 30 states with the goal of tearing down barriers.

And in some cases, that meant their own stereotypes. Like when they pulled up to a Confederate souvenir store on their drive to Florida. The stars and bars, as you can see, were flying high. The bloggers say they were expecting some hostility, but, instead, they found some good old Southern hospitality.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Everyone else in the car says, "We're not going in, no, no, no. We're not going in." And I'm the kind of person, when you tell me not to do something that motivates me even more to do it. I said, "You guys are sissies, I'm going in." And as soon as I step outside the car, the people on the bench said, "Hey, great weather today, isn't it? Welcome, welcome." And even the guy inside was just as cool. And he's welcoming us, giving us (INAUDIBLE), talking all about his shop and he's like, "Man, I'm friendly to everyone."

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Thanks to our guys at CNN.com for documenting that.

Well, joining us for a live repeat performance, this time from Detroit -- I wish they were in studio with me -- comedian Aman Ali and filmmaker Bassam Tariq, both bloggers for 30mosques.com. Their journey is over.

Guys, did you have a good time?

AMAN ALI, MUSLIM COMEDIAN: We had a blast, man! We went all over the country. And actually, it wasn't 1,200 miles, it was 12,000.

PHILLIPS: Oh, major typo there! Sorry about that, Aman. Oh, my goodness. We have to get our facts straight. I apologize!

(LAUGHTER)

ALI: No worries.

PHILLIPS: All right. There's a couple things I want to talk to you about, And of course, there's some hilarious stories along the way, but some really serious stuff, too.

Let's start with Ross, North Dakota because I wanted to know what was one of the most memorable moments out of this whole trip. And you said it was this mosque, apparently the oldest mosque in the United States. Is that right?

ALI: That's correct. It's technically the first mosque that was ever built in the United States, built in 1929. And the cool thing about it, there was a cemetery nearby, and you saw all these gravestones of Muslims that were born in the 1800s, war veterans and all of these things. It shows you how rich and deep our roots are in this country.

I felt ashamed, because I'm a history nerd, and I didn't know anything about this place. And to think that I went on the Internet -- we found, like, a paragraph on the Internet on some random Web site about it. And we just got lucky to find it. And I really felt ashamed I didn't know how rich and how far back our history goes in this country.

PHILLIPS: Wow. Bassam, what about for you? What was the most touching moment about the mosque?

BASSAM TARIQ, FILMMAKER: I think what was really cool is how we ended up there. Our car broke down in Montana. And when our car broke down, we actually had to go to Fargo, North Dakota, and it was about 12-hour drive. And our car got fixed around afternoon time, so we had about eight hours to get somewhere because we had to be somewhere to break our fast at 8:00.

So, we actually ended up in Ross, North Dakota, because we went to Google it and we searched Muslim community. And we found a place called Moslem Cemetery. And it was like m-o-s-l-e-m cemetery. So, we thought, great, we'll go there.

And we found -- the local pastor, actually, connected us with the person there. Which was great, because Ross, North Dakota only has 48 people. So, I think that's fascinating in itself, that the first Muslim community to ever really be built in America is in a place with only 48 people. PHILLIPS: Wow. All right, Alabama. Titled on the blog, "Epic Failure." Okay, what happened, Aman?

ALI: Okay, so we left Jacksonville, Florida, to go to Birmingham, Alabama. And before we left Jacksonville, we heard that in Mobile, all of the car dealerships are owned by Muslims. So, we're like, "Wow, that sounds cool."

So, usually, we notify people in advance that we're coming with cameras, things like that. And so, becuae of the day, we were driving down, frantically calling people. And we go to the mosque, and you know, they said, "Who are you? Who are you guys with?" And we're like "30mosques.com. And they're like, "What, okay?" And so, they didn't listen to the voicemail we left for them.

And then, we had some of the CNN.com guys that were hanging out with us, and so they come inside. The guy at the mosque was like, "Wait. Who are you guys with?" And they're like, "Oh, we're with CNN." And like a baseball umpire, he was like "Out!" And like, told us to leave. We were like, "What?"

And so, at first, we're all like, "Wait. What happened?" And we found out later, at least from what I understand, there was a student nearby who used to attend that mosque who actually went to Somalia to fight with this terrorist organization, then came back to Alabama and was spying on all these military bases. So, he was convicted. Brought all this, like, horrible evidence against him. And one of the people we spoke with was his father. So, that just like creeped us out.

But, you know, at the end of the day -- we were worried going to Mobile, like, "Oh my God, we're not going to have a post to write about," and we ended up having this post. So it ended up working out for us in the end.

(CROSSTALK)

PHILLIPS: And you had to draw pictures, right, Bassam? You couldn't take photos, so you guys actually sketched out what happened. I love this. "The Islamic society of Mobile, artist's poor depiction."

(LAUGHTER)

TARIQ: We didn't really have much to work with. And we felt really bad just taking photos from the outside, even though I guess it's public domain. We just thought, hey, we'll just draw it. I like making little scribbles, so, hey, it kind of worked out.

(LAUGHTER)

PHILLIPS: Yes, it did. Your creativity just befuddles me.

All right. Then comes another very memorable moment, and that was when you were pulled over by a cop, and the best part here is that Aman was driving, of course. And I think this was the issue, that you were singing along to Phil Collins "You'll Be In My Heart," and apparently swerving along the road. Beautiful. I can just see it, and I can hear it. Tell me what happened.

ALI: Exactly. We were driving late at night, and there was a cop behind us. And anytime a cop follows you, you think, "Oh, my God, was I speeding? Was I driving dangerously?" You start reflecting on your life, like "I know I burned a few CDs illegally a few years ago. Are they after me for that?"

And so, I moved to the far right that lane to see if he follows me, and as soon as I moved to the far right lane, his flashers turn on. I'm like, "Oh, man, here we go." And so, we pulled over to the side and he asked for my license and registration, and I give him my license and registration. And he looks at my license and says "I need to see your driver's license. That is a state I.D. card." I'm like, "What are you talking about? That's my driver's licence."

And then Bassam is sitting passenger, and he asked for his license, and we're all confused. And we're processing that this is really bogus, a bunch of crap. But for some reason, we're just complying. We don't want any trouble. We need to get to where we need to get to.

And so, he looks at Bassam's card and asks me to step out of the car. And I step out of the car and walk about ten feet behind the car. He starting asking me all of these questions. We told him, we're like, "We're blogging. We're going to all these Muslim communities." And then he says, "Okay, let me talk to your friend real quick." And he went to Bassam and asked him questions in the car.

TARIQ: Yeah, what's great is I had my laptop out, right? And I was like "Oh, (EXPLETIVE DELETED), the CNN interview just went up, so right when I saw your interview go up, I showed it to him,. and I was like, Hey, we were on CNN.com! And he was like, Oh, that's great. You guys are famous." And then he actually takes the flashlight to my face, and goes, "So, what do you think about the ground zero mosque?"

(LAUGHTER)

PHILLIPS: Oh, my gosh! He's engaging a conversation about the mosque controversy. I love it.

TARIQ: Yes!

ALI: So, about a month ago, Kyra, you interviewed us at the studio in Atlanta. And so we loaded up that video and he saw that video and he was like, oh, okay. So, you saved us from getting arrested. So, anytime I get a parking ticket, I'm just going to load that video, and fight it, and hope it gets me off.

(LAUGHTER)

PHILLIPS: There you go! Show our interview, and you'll totally be justified. Oh, guys, we got to leave it there. I could talk to you, just like last time, with all your pictures and stories, it's fantastic. I can't wait for the book, the movie. I know it's all coming soon. We will keep folks posted on your travels. Aman, Bassam, so great to see you guys again. Congratulations. What a fantastic trip.

ALI: Thank you so much.

TARIQ: Thank you so much.

PHILLIPS: You bet.

Want to let you know that we are keeping you posted on the breaking news in San Bruno, California, just outside San Francisco. That gas explosion and the fire that's destroyed this entire neighborhood. Well, it's still burning, and officials still have not been able to tell us the cause of what happened.

We're investigating it. We're following it. We'll bring you more right after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Let's check our top stories.

The death toll still climbing from that natural gas explosion in San Bruno, California. At least three people confirmed dead, but firefighters are unable to reach or be able to search for more victims. More than 50 homes destroyed, more than 100 others damaged. Dan Simon once again joining us from there. He going to give us an update on the investigation.

And then, in Florida, a preacher says he and his church are still considering the Koran book burning that has stirred anger and concerns across the world. Terry Jones said that he cancelled the event after he was promised that the planned Islamic center near ground zero would be moved. The developer denied that he's changing his plans.

And Iran says it will release one of the three hikers held for more than a year. Sarah Shourd will be released tomorrow, the end of the Muslim holy month, Ramadan. The two men who were hiking with her will remain in Iran, accused of spying.

Let's get you updated on the breaking news we've been reporting all morning out of San Bruno, California. That ruptured gas line that caused a huge explosion and an intense fire. And a whole neighborhood is now in ruins.

The fire has been burning for more than 13 hours. San Bruno is just south of San Francisco. The neighborhood we're talking about is a couple of miles from the San Francisco International Airport.

Dan Simon with the latest right now. Dan?

DAN SIMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, hi, Kyra. I think you have to say there are really two pressing questions right now. How many fatalities are we dealing with, and what caused that huge gas line to go up in flames? Was there some kind of explosion? Was there a high pressure within that gas line? That's really what we're trying to piece together here.

As you can see, there's a bit of activity behind me. You can see that there's a press conference that's been set up here, and we're anticipating some speakers to come to the microphone in just a short while. But, Kyra, the latest numbers that we have -- and they haven't fluctuated over the past few hours -- we're talking about 53 homes destroyed, 120 homes seriously damaged, and six people dead, according to "The Los Angeles Times."

But as we have been talking to firefighters and people who have surveyed the scene, and we have spent a decent amount of time there ourselves, everybody seems to be anticipating that now that you have daylight and the fact that they should be able to go in and search these homes a bit more this morning, they are expecting, unfortunately, to find more bodies. Kyra?

PHILLIPS: All right. Dan Simon covering that story for us in San Bruno, California. We'll continue to follow it with you, Dan. Thank you so much.

We're just about 15 minutes away now from the top of the hour, and we're standing by to bring you President Obama's news conference live from the White House. But, first, we're going to hand it over to my colleagues and political experts, part of The Best Political Team on Television. Candy Crowley and John King in Washington, D.C.