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Debating Natural Gas Drilling; Iran Frees U.S. Hiker; Is Overweight the New Normal?
Aired September 14, 2010 - 09:58 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: And earlier this morning, after more than a year of being held in an Iranian jail, American hiker Sarah Shourd has been freed. Shourd and her two hiking companions were taken into custody in the summer of last year after they allegedly strayed into Iran. Iran had demanded a $500,000 bail.
Tehran's prosecutor general talked about it just a short while ago.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ABBAS JAFARI DOLATABADI, TEHRAN PROSECUTOR GENERAL: We came to this conclusion that because of the situation that she was staying in, we decided to kind of give some assistance and from detention we decided to set her free through $500,000 bailout, and then today the representatives of this lady who accepted to bail her out. It was paid in Muscat a community bank of Iran. The money was paid there, and she -- the judge issued the release order and Miss Shourd was simply set free, and she can leave Iran if she wants to.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: The other two Americans with Sarah Shourd are still being held in Iran. CNN's Reza Sayah will join us from Islamabad, Pakistan in a few minutes with more.
All right. Let's talk about the way forward in San Bruno, California five days after that gas explosion and fire blasted through a neighborhood there. Survivors whose homes were destroyed are getting some help from the utility company.
PG&E says it will set up a $100 million fund to help rebuild the area. Homeowners can get up to $50,000 depending on the damage. More than three dozen homes were pretty much blown apart on Thursday. At least four people were also killed and four others are still missing.
That blast blew a 28-foot section of natural gas pipe, about 100 feet, through the air. Part of the ruptured pipe is going to a lab in D.C. for inspection now.
CNN's Ted Rowlands has more on the investigation.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TED ROWLANDS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This gas station's surveillance video shows the first moment of last Thursday's explosion. Watch closely as the man in the red vehicle gets out.
First, you can see chunks of asphalt and debris, and then a massive wall of flames shooting into the sky. Within seconds, the fire grows larger. A woman carrying a baby runs across the street away from the flames while others seem attracted to the blaze, some actually drive toward the fire. Nobody knew what was going on.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My first thought is a plane went down. OK. And I run up halfway down there. You know, the fire was pretty bad.
reporter: Across the street, inside this grocery store, people said they first heard a strange hissing sound.
Now, watch as the sliding doors push in from the explosion. Watch it again in slow motion. The store quickly turns to chaos. People start running away from one of the exits while others desperately try to get out of the store. Still unanswered, what caused this massive explosion. Many people here are getting impatient waiting for answers.
BILL MAGOOLAGHAN, SAN BRUNO RESIDENT: My kids play at that park which is now melted. You know, these are neighbors. You know, the woman down the block, my dog played with her dog and she's dead. It's not fair.
reporter: The investigation is centered on this section of pipe which is installed in 1948. Did the gas company, PG&E, miss warning signs that something was wrong before the explosion?
ROWLANDS (on camera): Several people in this neighborhood say in the days leading up to the explosion they smelled gas. One person even says he saw and talked to a PG&E crew about a gas leak, but PG&E says, according to their records, since the month of July, they've only been here twice.
CHRISTOPHER P. JOHNS, PRESIDENT PG&E: In one instance, there was a small leak at the meter, which we replaced and fixed it right away, and the second instance, there wasn't a leak found anywhere.
ROWLANDS (voice-over): We may never know if there was a second leak and if so, whether or not it was associated with the explosion. The pipe itself was last inspected in March. Keeping them honest, we asked for the results of that inspection but we were told they couldn't be provided because of an ongoing investigation. We got the same response at a press conference.
GEISHA J. WILLIAMS, SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, PG&E: That is part of the NTSB investigation and I can't share the findings of that particular assessment.
ROWLANDS: PG&E is taking responsibility, setting up a $100 million fund for victims, and this week, they plan on giving everyone whose home was destroyed up positive $50,000, no strings attached.
They claim it's the right thing to do. What's still unclear is what PG&E might have done wrong and whether there's a chance it could happen again.
Ted Rowlands, CNN, San Bruno, California.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: All right. So let's take a look at how many old pipelines are out there and how often they're involved in accidents. Josh Levs has been looking into this for us this morning.
JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes.
PHILLIPS: We were talking about the Minneapolis bridge that was, you know, taken down by something like this.
LEVS: You know, it's interesting to talk about that because it's another example of infrastructure concerns inside the United States, things that need to be updated. You are hearing about some of the decades-old and certainly not the only pipeline that is decades old in this country. A great many of them are.
Look at this giant map next to me right here. This is a map of the U.S. and these are the gas pipelines, specifically natural gas pipelines in the U.S.. The blue all over the country are the interstate pipelines that go across different states. The red is intrastate. You can see certain states out there have a lot of pipelines that operate within the states.
Let me give you some facts here. To put this in perspective for you, show you how many we are talking about in this country, 2.5 million miles of gas pipelines in this country, enough to circle the earth 100 times. And I want to show you this breakdown here. Because you have a lot of them carrying hazardous liquids. They got (INAUDIBLE) gas transmission, and then the natural gas distribution is by far the majority of it.
2.1 million miles just of that, and overseen by 3,000 different companies. So we're talking about a lot of companies overseeing millions and millions of miles there of these pipelines. In fact, we have some pictures for you. Let's take a look of what we have here. There is a report earlier this year from the Congressional Research Service, looking at safety issues, and they were taking a look at what happened.
And this is a couple of things that they said, first of all, said that for their few annual fatalities compared to other product of transportation modes. Companies operating natural gas transmission pipelines reported an average of one death per year, from 2004 to 2008, and the Department of Transportation said 63 natural gas transmission pipeline accidents in 2008.
So when you're looking at all of these miles and miles and miles, certainly it's not like this is happening every day. That said there are a lot of experts out there, Kyra, who take a look at this and say all of these miles of pipelines out there, they need to be watched really carefully. A lot more needs to be done. Some people say it's a real serious safety concern in America. PHILLIPS: It's up to these companies to investigate the pipelines, right?
LEVS: That's right. I mean, this is part of what is the concern about it, ultimately who is going to be taking a look at it and who isn't. In fact, the Federal Department of Transportation has about 80 inspectors who take a look at this and was bumped up recently with more money from Congress, about 100 but it is largely up to the state, individual states to have inspectors that oversee what the companies are then doing it. So you have kind of a web structure of who needs to oversee it and Kyra, that's another part of the challenge as well.
PHILLIPS: Well, how do you keep these pipelines safe? One accident is obviously too much.
LEVS: Right.
PHILLIPS: But we're talking about decades and decades old pipe.
LEVS: Right.
PHILLIPS: And there's got to be - I mean, obviously they can't replace all of it but there has to be something done to make it safer.
LEVS: Exactly.
And that's what they're trying to do. They're taking a look at some of the different examples that are out there. You certainly have some more experts out there, saying "look more inspections are needed to take a look at that." But let me show you something interesting here. We can go out on this.
This is something I just saw from the Department of Transportation, Department of Energy. Can you get a shot of this? This a new technology that they're creating as a censor to detect defects in buried natural gas pipelines. You would actually put it inside and it would move around on its own and it would search for any defects, any potential leaks, any potential holes. Now whether this itself will ultimately be a solution, I don't know but it is very comforting to see that there are people out there working on technology in addition to efforts to increase inspections. So hopefully you get humans and robots doing their jobs to try to update some of these things and watch out for holes, it could - it could - help us stay safe. Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Thanks, Josh.
LEVS: Yes.
PHILLIPS: Coming up at the bottom of the hour. We're actually going to talk about the increasing need for pipeline safety in cities across the country. Rick Kessler who is with the Pipeline Safety Trust will bring us up on what more that needs to be done, an advocacy group based in Washington.
Well, seven weeks from today, voters head to the polls and the all-important midterm elections but today we find out which candidates will make the final cut to earn a place on those ballots. Seven states are holding primaries today, so as the District of Columbia.
Today's voting will not only shape the races but also set the tone of how worried and angry voters are before the midterm elections. We are covering all the angles of today's races with the best political team on television.
All right. Let's begin in Delaware where the GOP establishment is facing a tough challenge from the tea party, CNN political producer Shannon Travis has reported extensively on the upstart conservative movement and he joins us live from Dover.
Hi, Shannon.
SHANNON TRAVIS, CNN POLITICAL PRODUCER: Hey there, Kyra, Delaware isn't used to getting this much attention for a Republican Senate primary, but when you put Sarah Palin, Joe Biden and the tea party movement in the mix, you are going to have us here and a lot of other media attention.
Let's take you through this. Obviously, Sarah Palin and vice president Joe Biden battled for the vice presidential slot and he obviously won that. Will she in her preferred pick for this race win this battle? You've got Christine O'Donnell, the conservative Republican who is running against Mike Castle, Congressman Mike Castle, who critics say that he is way to liberal, way too supportive of the Obama agenda, of Democrats, and right now, we are outside of an Elks Lodge where Christine O'Donnell will gather tonight.
They're hoping for a victory party. But it has been nasty and it has been mean. Voters are heading to the polls toady with fresh barbs of attacks traded back and fort in their minds. It's anyone's guest what would actually happen tonight. The polls close at 8:00. Christine O'Donnell has actually voted.
So we'll see what happens but we've been hearing a lot around the state and on radio, different kinds of radio how nasty this race has gotten. So it's anyone's guess what will actually turn out.
PHILLIPS: So some analysts are saying that if O'Donnell wins it would give Dems a good shot at the seat.
TRAVIS: Yes, that's a slam that her critics are lodging against her, that she is way too out of the mainstream to actually win a general election. She may be able to pull it out in the republican primary but in a general election, that she might actually be able to pull out in a Republican Primary but a general election, a blue state like Delaware, that she would not be competitive enough and this might actually give Democrats a chance at a seat that a lot of Democrats had actually written off.
PHILLIPS: Shannon Travis, following the elections for us there, appreciate it. And for all the news on the big races and the latest development, log in to our website, cnnpolitics.com. And later today, President Obama is due to speak to the nation's school children. He'll urge the students to make the most of their education. According to the text of her speech, he'll tell them "your life is what you make of it and nothing, absolutely nothing is beyond your reach." This is his second back-to-school speech. His first last year was met with skepticism from conservatives.
They thought he would use it to push his political agenda. That concern proved unfounded. And he received phrase from both parties for delivering a positive message of education.
We're going to have live coverage of President Obama's back-to- school speech, it's scheduled for 2:00 Eastern, 10:00 a.m. Pacific.
Sarah Shourd's long ordeal in Iran is over. The American hiker was freed today and is now in the custody of here attorney. A live report coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: American hiker held more than a year in Iran is free this morning. Sarah Shourd was charged with espionage and illegally entering Iran. She has hiking with two friends when they allegedly strayed into Iran.
Live now, our Reza Sayah, he is in Islamabad, Pakistan. So, Reza, how exactly did this come up exactly come about? We haven't touched on the fact that she is concerned possibly she might have breast cancer.
REZA SAYAH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, I mean, that's what senior prosecutor in Tehran cited is the reason for the offer to release her for the $500,000 in bail money. On Sunday he held a news conference and said because of her medical condition, which, according to the representative for Sarah Shourd's family is the discovery of a growth in her breast. She was also suffering from a pre-existing gynecological situation. And that's why Iranian officials are saying they offered to release her.
We are getting some new information about her release. I spoke to her lawyer, and he said the release took place late this afternoon Tehran time. He said he walked into Tehran's (INAUDIBLE) prison and he signed her release papers. The two walked out and she was handed to officials from the Swiss embassy in Tehran, of course, because Tehran and Washington do not have diplomatic relations it is the Swiss embassy in Tehran that is playing the role of mediator in this matter. The lawyer said that the release papers clearly said -
PHILLIPS: All right. Did we lose him?
SAYAH: - prosecutor in Tehran spoke with state-run media -
PHILLIPS: All right. We apologize. We kept losing Reza's audio there but we will follow the story.
Bottom line, we don't know if this bail money was paid or not. We're still trying to investigate that, but the release apparently is due to some medical conditions that Sarah is going through. We'll work the story and try to bring you more information as we re- establish communication with Reza there in Islamabad.
All right. Let's check other international stories now. And we start in the Egyptian resort of Sharm Al Shaykh (ph) while Middle East peace talks are going on. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton stoke with Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak before she and special envoy George Mitchell began meeting with the leaders of Israel and the Palestinian authorities.
Today's talks are continuation of negotiations that were held at the White House earlier this month.
And we're off to the next, city of life, Paris, France, where the country's senate is voting today on a law banning any veils that cover the face. That includes the burqa, the full body covering worn by Muslim women. France's lower House of Parliament overwhelmingly approved the ban in July. Few global (INAUDIBLE) the French favor the ban by a margin of more than four to one. France has about 3.5 million Muslims.
And the city holy to three major religions, Jerusalem, remember that nanny in India who saved the life of an Israeli boy during the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks. Sandra Samuel (ph) says she would give her heart and soul for Israel. Now Israel is giving back to here. Samuel has been granted honorary citizenship and temporary residence in Israel. She's been caring for the boy since his parents were killed in that attack.
New pictures of Hurricane Igor, and it's a monster sized storm - we're going to tell you why you shouldn't worry about it too much though
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: All right. Checking the big board this hour. Dow industries down 18 points right now.
We're going to check our top stories.
Sarah Shourd, American hiker held in Iran for more than a year has been freed. Iran had charged her and here two companions with espionage and demanded $500,000 bail. It's not clear if that was actually paid though.
A multi-state hunt going on for this man, Dr. Emilio Luna of Phoenix, Arizona, Dr. Luna is a pediatrician suspected of distributing child porn. He was under house arrest but cut-off an ankle monitoring device and took off.
It's primary day in seven states and the District of Columbia. Today's voting will not only decide the November ballot but also set the tone of how worried and angry voters are before the midterm elections. And how about a view from above. This is what Hurricane Igor looks like from space - there we go, as the category 4 storm swirls out in the Atlantic. An impressive site but despite its massive size, Igor is expected to weaken and is more of a potential threat to Bermuda than the U.S.. Is that right, Rob?
ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: If that. If we can get it to miss Bermuda, it's the perfect storm because we can admire its beauty from outer space and have it just be kind of a fish storm. But we're not quite there year. That shot from the International Space Station, which flies pretty low.
This shot from our brand new ghost imagery satellite, which is geostationary so this is way up there. And it's really far away. It's pretty hard tech, just launched in the spring. And not only is it high resolution from that altitude, but we were able to rapid scan these. They can take these images. They did it yesterday afternoon when the sun was up at about a one-minute interval. So that's just an unbelievable pretty much a quick time image of how the storm to operates and you know, what the many intervals. Unbelievable. That eye is so distinct.
Here it is on the infrared. We can take this shot any time of night, kind of the night vision. Category 4 storm, 135-mile an hour winds. You can kind of see the cloud canopy getting a little bit fragmented but you also see this as important, a little bit of a turn. So we like that. We'll take that, and that's encouraging because once it starts doing that, we think that, you know, our forecast, the National Hurricane Center for it to continue at a northwesterly path and deep it away from the U.S., we gain confidence with that.
Bermuda is still in this cone. So we are concern for our friends there. And it's a big storm. That's for sure. So there's going to be big-time waves.
(INAUDIBLE) Julia, a category one storm and that's probably going to be a fish storm as well but it's pretty far out there in Africa. One other item of concern is this thing, just a disturbance right now but it's rapidly moving toward the Yucatan Peninsula. This may develop into something and will affect this area here over the next few days. So three things that we are watching -- we're in the peak of hurricane season. No doubt about that and mother nature not disappointing.
But you have a threat for seeing severe weather across the central part of the country. Here are some of the storms, actually these are left over from last night. Later on today, the back side of this may fill in just a little bit and we could see some gusty winds with maybe some hail. Certainly, some heavy downpours and frequent lightning. We could use the heavy downpours in places like Loveland, Colorado, where that fire almost at about 1,000 acres and 20 percent contained right now. Red Flag warnings up for parts of southern Utah.
That's a quick check on weather. Kyra, back over to you.
PHILLIPS: All right. Thanks, Rob. MARCIANO: You bet.
PHILLIPS: Tipping the scales and in denial. A new study says that three in 10 overweight Americans think that they're normal-sized. Maybe they're right. Even sounding off that weather overweight is the new normal? We'll be talking about it.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Going cross country. First stop, Detroit, where accused underwear bomber Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab wants to be his own attorney. The Nigerian national faces multiple federal counts relating to the attempted Christmas day bombing of a U.S.-bound plane from the Netherlands. His next court date is set a month from now.
In Kingman, Arizona, one of three suspects who escaped a state jail and allegedly killed two people while on the run. He appeared in court yesterday. John McCluskey is described as the ring leader and triggerman in the jail break and subsequent slaying of a vacationing Oklahoma couple. McCluskey and his fiancee were caught three weeks later when they were recognized at a camping area.
Last stop, New Hampshire, police say they recovered thousands of dollars from a suspected burglary ring which allegedly used Facebook to help case potential heists. Police say robbers just targeted as many as 50 homes that they knew were unoccupied by the Facebook postings of vacationing home owners.
Well, it's no secret that American waistlines are growing. More than two-thirds of adults qualify as either obese or overweight, according to the CDC. That's way up from a couple of decades ago but a new study says we're in denial about it.
"USA Today" reports that three in ten overweight Americans think that they're normal-sized even if the scale is screaming otherwise, and seven in 10 obese Americans think they're simply overweight. But you know, maybe they have a point. Heavy has become something of a national standard.
Take a look at this map showing the prevalence of obesity by state in 1985. That was 25 years ago and not a single state reporting to the CDC had an obesity rate greater than one in 10 residents but as the years passed, dark blue starts to dominate the map, and by 1997, they had to add new colors, red, dark red, yellow. Yellow shows the prevalence of obesity over 20 percent, And then red says the rates topped 30 percent in some states.
By last year, only Colorado and D.C. maintained an obesity rate under 20 percent. So the scale says one thing, but the mirror is saying something entirely different to a whole lot of Americans. Dr. Mwata Dyson is a health and wellness advocate. He's joining us live from New York.
I tell you what, doctor, just looking at these numbers, 30 percent of Americans say "OK, I'm fine. I'm normal, has overweight become the new normal? DR. MWATA DYSON, HEALTH AND WELLNESS ADVOCATE: Unfortunately, it has, Kyra, but I'm less concerned really with the BMI like was shown in this study and I'm more concerned with people's imagery. Most Americans will associate being an overweight based on what they see in the mirror, not really the numbers that they see on the scale.
PHILLIPS: And why is that?
DYSON: Because body image is really important to Americans. This is why we spend billions of dollars on health club memberships, on exercise equipment, on the fad diets and on cosmetic surgery.
PHILLIPS: But why don't people just want to be healthy and do what's right, eat what's right, exercise, so they have a longer life, they can be around to spend time with their grandchildren?
DYSON: Yes. I totally agree with you. I think part of the problem is we've been asking the same question, what, and not really concentrating on why. A lot of people, you have to be living under a rock to not know what's the difference between eating healthy or eating unhealthy or the importance of exercise, okay, but I think the issue here is why are people not doing this, you know? They know it's a health problem. They know it's a health risk, however, a lot of people are having concerns with being stressed out. So they're depressed about jobs, they're depressed about their employment, They have bad relationships, and this is one of the reasons that they don't eat healthy or that they don't exercise appropriately.
PHILLIPS: Now, you know, we've done a lot of stories before about vanity sizing, and just recently, it came out a number of men's stores were actually saying that pants were a size 36, but they actually were a size 41 with regard to inches. You know, why are companies doing this and lying to the consumer, and is this adding to the problem?
DYSON: Well, this is close to being correct, such that the best way to really measure somebody's weight is to measure their body fat - or their belly fat, excuse me. And it's easy to do. If you have a tape measure, you can start and end at your belly button, you go around your waist. If you do it once a week or even once a month and measure your waist in inches, ideally, men should have less than 40 inches around their belly fat, and women should have less than 35.
So, they are correct for making the association, because it's the percentage of body fat that's really associated with the increased risk of problems like heart disease.
PHILLIPS: You talk about advertising. What do you think about these television shows, these reality shows like "The Biggest Loser" and "Celebrity Fit Club"? Do you think these are good for us to see, good for society? Or do you think it's exploiting people who are overweight?
DYSON: Well, it appears to be beneficial for those who win because it appears they lose weight. Now for the rest of us who are watching it, the viewers, it's more important that we are involved and that we're active in some type of plan. And this is why I tell patients to one, find a partner, to execute a plan to help you and the person you're working with to meet your goals.
PHILLIPS: How do we get out of this? How do we stop taking being overweight as just a normal thing and an okay thing?
DYSON: Well, I think it's each and every one of us really being accountable at the end of the day. As I alluded to earlier, one of the major problems people are not doing this is because they're just stressed out or they don't have access to healthy foods or they don't have recreational centers where they can exercise in their neighborhoods. You know, it's a lot of factors involved, and I really think it's going to take a community approach in order to see some success.
I for one would like to see everyone take a pact with a partner and come up with a plan. I can tell you're concerned. I would like for us to start right here on live television to say you and I are going to do it. The next time I come on television, I'm going to tell you my waist size is to see if I've gone up or down. And hopefully, everyone else can follow the same trend.
PHILLIPS: OK! We'll see how honest people will be. Dr. Dyson, thank you for your time today.
All right, that brings us to today's blog question. We ask the question, has fat become a new normal? Not a ton of responses. But here's what some of you are saying.
Cindy said, " I suspect that the clothing industry has a hand in this, making clothes larger by inches but putting a skinny size on the tag. The best way to decide if a person is overweight is a good ol' tape measure!"
And Carroll said, "Being overweight is not normal at all. It's unhealthy and gives you health issues and a shorter life."
Patricia says, "We need to charge higher insurance premiums to obese people and offer free enrollment to local fitness programs, giving tax credits to any fitness program willing to allow programs like that."
Remember, we always want to hear from you. Just log on to CNN.com/kyra, share your comments. We sure appreciate it.
Well, that devastating explosion and fire in San Bruno is putting a spotlight on natural gas pipes throughout the country. We're talking to an expert about just how trustworthy those pipes are.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Well, we've seen what that natural gas explosion did to San Bruno, California. Let's go ahead and rewind to the moment that the gas explosion happened.
Take a look at this security video from a gas station. On the left, you're actually going to see smoke rising, and then boom. Explosion and fireball, 6:07 Pacific time Thursday. There it is. More than three dozen homes were blown apart or burned to the ground. PG&E says it will set up a $100 million fund to help rebuild that area, but four people are still missing and at least four people were killed, including a Janessa Gregg. She was only 13 years old.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JANESSA GREGG, 13-YEAR-OLD KILLED IN SAN BRUNO EXPLOSION: The pavilion is not available today.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: That's Janessa at her Catholic school. She was student body president. Three of them in the same family. Three people who are still missing are all part of that same family: a father, son and grandmother.
That gas pipe was laid in 1948. A section that rupture is going to a lab now in D.C. for inspection. And this whole episode has to make you wonder if something similar could happen it your neighborhood.
We are talking about that with Rick Kessler. He stays it can. He's with the Pipeline Safety Trust in Washington.
And Rick, I was reading a quote. I actually came across an article this morning and that's why I really wanted to talk to you. You actually said, "If this was the FAA and air travel that we were talking about, I wouldn't even get on a plane."
RICK KESSLER, PIPELINE SAFETY TRUST: Yes, that's right. I know I wouldn't, anyway, and I wouldn't recommend you do.
The agency that oversees pipelines, the Pipeline Hazards Materials Safety Administration - it's part of the Department of Transportation - we call them PHMSA -- is a very undermanned, underfunded agency that really doesn't have the authority it needs to regulate these things and maybe not even the will to regulate the pipelines.
PHILLIPS: So, what needs to be done? Because as I have been reading on, I mean, this pipe was decades old, and even some pipe is up to 80 years old, like the steam pipe that ruptured in Manhattan back in 2007? So, what needs to be done before something catastrophic like this happens again?
KESSLER: Well, at a minimum, the Pipeline Safety Act that governs nationally all oil and gas pipelines needs to be reauthorized, but it needs a major overhaul. We need more inspections. We need more people to inspect them. We need more stringent penalties. We need better training and all sorts of things. And we need a program to deal with these pipelines that are as old as you say.
The Natural Gas Act, which governs when they are laid, not their safety, dates back to 1935, so we have pipes in the ground from back then.
And there's a lot more. Plus, people don't know what's in their backyard. People don't know where the pipes are. They don't know anything about the inspection record. They don't know anything about how these pipes were fixed, if problems were found, what problems were found. So, we need a right-to-know for pipelines.
PHILLIPS: I thought Congress passed a law back in early, I think, 2002. I took some notes here, required --
KESSLER: I worked on it.
PHILLIPS: Okay, all right. So, you know what I'm talking about --
KESSLER: Oh, yes.
PHILLIPS: It required that these inspections be done on pipelines that run through heavily populated areas. So, what happened with that, Rick, because inspections were done, problems were found and what happened after that?
KESSLER: Well, you know, there's no real standards for things like leak detection and the repairs of these pipelines. So, problems are found, but what standard you have to repair to, what type of steel you use, the welding, all of these things, they are not strictly governed. We don't have the type of standards we need.
And the '02 act did a lot of good. It was a very bipartisan bill -- Democrats, Republicans, President Bush -- and it went a long way. But we were starting to use a football analogy from our own end zone and made a good jump out to the 30-yard line, but that's nowhere near the 50-yard line or a touchdown. So, there's a lot to be done, I think.
PHILLIPS: Well, the situation - well, I think everyone agrees with you on that point. Definitely a lot to be done.
And you know, we had a number of residents in the San Bruno area when this happened that said on camera, and I remember one in particular saying, that this smell of gas was so strong for weeks in this neighborhood. And they called PG&E, and that PG&E came out, and then a couple weeks later you had this explosion.
So, what can we do as consumers? Let's say I go home today and I smell gas and my neighbors smell gas and we know there's a problem? What can we do to get our utility company to do something immediately?
KESSLER: Well, Kyra, first, I have been remiss. Let me just say my heart goes out to the families of the victims and the hope for the survivors, the four that are missing.
What I think people can do is not just notify the utility, but I think they also need to call local government, whether it's the police, fire or the California Public Utilities Commission. But I think there's no reporting standard for these things in law that is of any real use. Congressman Mark Shower of Michigan, in whose district you just had this oil spill, this Embridge oil spill, has but in a bill that would require notification of local authorities within an hour, I believe, and I think that's something that is attracting bipartisan attention. I think that should be part of any reauthorization.
But, you know, only seven percent of these pipelines, the pipeline mileage, is actually required to be inspected under the 2002 law. We need not only to expand that but a process for continuing to expand the areas of pipeline that have to be inspected. And they've got to be inspected with more rigor than they are today. It's really up to the pipeline company.
PHILLIPS: Sure. And we have aging gas pipes nationwide, that's for sure. Rick Kessler, appreciate your time today.
KESSLER: Kyra, thank you very much.
PHILLIPS: You bet.
Checking top stories now. Sarah Shourd, the American hiker held in Iran for more than a year, has been freed. Iran has charged her and her two companions with espionage and demanded $500,000 bail. It's not clear if that full amount was paid, though.
In Egypt, Israeli and Palestinian diplomats have resumed the long-awaited Mideast peace talks. U.S. special envoy George Mitchell says both sides have begun a serious discussion on core issues.
And going on right now, a multistate manhunt for this man, Dr. Emilio Luna. Phoenix, Arizona, a pediatrician suspected of distributing child porn. Luna was under house arrest but cut off an ankle monitoring device and bolted.
Finally, something to clap and cheer about in Bell, California. This little dot in an expensive Los Angeles County is mostly poor. The median annual income about $40,000 per year. But the city manager was pulling in nearly $800,000 a year. This is a story we just haven't wanted to stop talking about because other city officials were also making curiously huge salaries, too, before people in Bell got wind of it and ran them off.
Well, now we've got an update. Property owners will get some of their money back. The lieutenant governor made it official at a ceremony yesterday. About 300 bucks per household. Not a huge amount, but definitely a start.
But the story doesn't end here. People in Bell are working on a petition now to boot several city council members who were making about $100,000 a year for their part-time service. Both state and federal agencies are investigating that city.
But you had to know that Bell wasn't alone. Vernon, California, now, just a few miles away. It has 90 residents. Listen to what their top city managers were making. About $1.6 million a year, and getting perks like first-class airline tickets in a town that's laid off workers and cut health care benefits because of budget problems. Makes you wonder how many more Bells and Vernons are out there.
Former president Bill Clinton still very much in demand. He hits the campaign trail for Democrats in trouble. Just one of our stories from The Best Political Team on Television. That's two minutes away.
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PHILLIPS: Time now for the latest news from our Best Political Team on Television. Deputy political director Paul Steinhauser at the desk now. What's crossing, Paul?
PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN POLITICAL DEPUTY POLITICAL DIRECTOR: Kyra, brand-new this morning on the CNN political ticker. Where else? On CNNpolitics.com.
I'm talking about tax cuts. Remember, Republicans and Democrats in this town and across the country on the campaign trail are arguing about whether those Bush-era tax cuts should be extended for wealthy Americans.
So, what do you think? What do Americans think? A brand-new poll out this morning by Pew indicates that 3 in 10 say yes, extend the taxes for everybody, including the wealthy Americans. That's what the Republicans say. Another 3 in 10 say, you know what? Extend them for the middle class but not for the wealthy. That's the Democrats' argument. And another 15 percent, Kyra, say, you know what? Forget it. No tax cuts extension for anybody.
Another brand new thing this morning on the CNN Political ticker, check it out. If it's Tuesday, it must be Ohio. I'm talking about former president Bill Clinton. He's really kind of become a rock star for the Democrats on the campaign trail this year. Today, he is going to be with Ted Strickland, the governor of Ohio, a Democrat who faces a tough reelection this year. Clinton is campaigning with him twice today. Yesterday, he was in Pennsylvania for another Democrat, Joe Sestak of Pennsylvania, who's running for the Senate there.
And finally, can you believe this? The Tea Party and Coffee Party, are they getting together? The Coffee Party, we talked about it a lot earlier this year; it is maybe a progressive alternative, they like to think, to the Tea Party. The Coffee Party is having their first national convention later this month, 25th of September in Louisville. And guess who is going to be talking there? One of the top Tea Party leaders, Amy Kramer, from the Tea Party Express. Maybe there's a little kumbaya here. We'll have to find out and see, Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Tea Party, Coffee Party. What's next? What do you drink in the morning?
(LAUGHTER)
STEINHAUSER: I can't talk about that on TV.
PHILLIPS: OK. Could be an interesting party, though. Thanks, Paul.
We're going to have your next political update comes in an hour. And a reminder. For all the latest political news, just go to our Web site, CNNpolitics.com.
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PHILLIPS: Well, about this time everyday, we honor a fallen servicemember in Iraq or Afghanistan. We call it "Home and Away." And its a project that we're doing with CNN.com.
Today, we salute Sergeant Michael Christopher Hardegree of Villa Rica, Georgia. This photo of Mike with his girlfriend at the Atlanta airport was taken by his mom. He was on R&R and was returning to Iraq. Mike was killed September 10, 2007 when his vehicle rolled over in Baghdad. Six other soldiers died in that same incident.
Family friends say that Michael entered the Army, quote, "as an 18-year-old boy and died a man." He had planned on going to college, get a degree be become a member of the Army Special Forces just like his dad and his grandfather. This blue-eyed, redheaded sergeant from rural Georgia loved music and get this, sardines. Sergeant Mike Hardegree was just 21 years old.
It's an honor to remember those who lose their lives in service to this country. And if you'd like to help, you can. Just go to our Web site, CNN.com/homeandaway. You'll see a map of the United States. Click on a town, pull up one of the many bios there, follow the directions to upload your comments, your pictures, even your home videos. That way you can help us remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice.
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JAY LENO, HOST, "THE TONIGHT SHOW WITH JAY LENO": How is this for coincidence? I didn't tell you this, Ricky. I'm in the Raul's market on Sunday morning, I'm in the meat department, I run into Lady Gaga.
(LAUGHTER)
Apparently she was looking for something to wear to the VMA Awards. I guess she went with something from the Oscar Mayer De La Renta collection.
Did you see the dress she had on? Did you see that? It was made of meat! The dress was made of meat! It caused us problems at the awards. Show what happened.
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PHILLIPS: Well, if you think that late night had a field day over Lady's Gaga wardrobe choice, don't forget Jeanne Moos. You know, the outfit is giving her plenty to chew on today.
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JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Who on earth would shop for a dress in a butcher shop?
CHER, SINGER: Lady Gaga!
MOOS: There she was, head to toe in not-so-prime cuts.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Doesn't look like the highest quality meat, so I don't know -- I don't see a lot of marbling.
MOOS: But you've got to give Lady Gaga credit for mounting the stairs, wearing raw steak wedges.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, my God.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't like the shoes, actually.
MOOS: Lady Gaga left Cher holding the bag -- her bag made of meat.
LADY GAGA, SINGER: I never thought I'd be asking Cher to hold my meat purse.
MOOS: At New York's Fashion Week...
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Raw meat! Oh, my gosh, it's amazing!
MOOS: Gaga's meat outfit met with raised eyebrows.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Wow. That's pretty rare.
MOOS: but even some of the rare birds at fashion week didn't find Lady Gaga's look well done.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was revolting.
MOOS (on camera): Revolting?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I find it disturbing.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Did it smell, is what I want to know.
MOOS (voice-over): Sure didn't seem to hurt his appetite, though. The animal rights folks at PETA gagged on Gaga's latest stunt, calling meat "the decomposing flesh of an abused animal."
"MTV Style" first reported that designer Frank Fernandez created the outfit and posted photos of it on his blog, saying the meat came from his family butcher.
Unlike Cher's full-on body hug, Ellen DeGeneres kept her distance. Ellen's a vegan and presented Gaga with a veggie bikini and skirt.
ELLEN DEGENERES, TALK SHOW HOST: How's that?
MOOS: In the past, the bacon bra has had a moment of fame on Flickr, and contestants on America's "Next Top Model" had to compete wearing.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So, I have to wear beef panties, and they wrapped it around my neck.
MOOS: Gaga wore meat once before on the cover of Japanese "Vogue"-
LADY GAGA: I am not a piece of meet.
MOOS: -- but which pieces did she wear? The director of meat at Fairway Market thinks it was brisket or flank steak.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You can see some resemblance to some of the parts of the outfit, with the way the lines are running.
MOOS: And then there's that hat.
(on camera): I'm pretty sure that hat is flank steak?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, it looks like it.
MOOS (voice-over): The meat wasn't dripping, but Lady Gaga's eyes were as she belted out her new song.
LADY GAGA (singing): Because God makes no mistakes.
MOOS: But he does make steak.
Jeanne Moos, CNN -
(on camera): So, we were thinking this is the first dress would you have to refrigerate.
(voice-over): -- New York.
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PHILLIPS: Tony Harris, you hungry? What are you having for dinner?
TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: A little Gaga rare.
PHILLIPS: Or bacon. A little steak.
HARRIS: Do you knead that? Do you tenderize that? What do you do with that? PHILLIPS: You lightly fry it.
HARRIS: You lightly fry it? Have a great day, Kyra.
(LAUGHTER)
HARRIS: We'll ponder.
