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Three Top Syrian Defense Officials Killed; Panetta: Syria "Spinning Out Of Control"; Historic Drought Getting Worse; White House To Respond To Drought; Romney: Obama Is Anti-Business; Billionaire's Son Due In Court; Sign: Take Down Paterno Statue Or We Will; WSJ: New iPhone Will Be Thinner; A 71-Year-Old Shoots At Robbery Suspects; Iowa Mom: Girls May Have Been Taken; "Blade Runner's" Unfair Advantage?; Romney Goes on Offensive; Hearing Looks at Flight School and Terrorists; South Africans Honor Nelson Mandela; Stuck Gas Pedals on Fords and Mazdas

Aired July 18, 2012 - 10:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning to you. I'm Carol Costello. We begin with breaking news.

You see the cheering there. That's because two top Syrian officials have been killed in a rebel attack. This new video just coming in to CNN shows rebel troops celebrating their deaths.

It could be a pivotal moment in the uprising. That's because the two people killed are in the Syrian president's inner circle. In fact, the deputy defense minister is President Bashar Al-Assad's brother-in-law.

Arwa Damon is live for us to tell us more. Good morning, Arwa.

ARWA DAMON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol. Just to update our viewers, now three members of the Syrian government, senior members reported to have been killed according to state television adding to the two names you mentioned that also of the president's security adviser General Hasan Tukmani.

Now the most significant out of all of these deaths as you mentioned there is the death of Shawkat. Because not only was he the president's brother-in-law, he was also an extremely close friend.

Although he was the deputy minister of defense, he was also the former head of the military intelligence, a unit that's really loathed and feared by the vast majority of the Syrian population.

So this most certainly is going to be sending a message to the Syrian government that they perhaps are no longer as safe as they once thought they were.

This strike taking place during a senior meeting that was being held at the National Security Building. Most certainly one would assume a very secure location.

Now the Free Syrian Army, that rebel fighting unit, is taking credit for the blast saying it was caused by a highly explosive device that came about after some pretty sophisticated coordination across a number of Free Syrian Army brigades, not just from Damascus but other parts of the country as well.

One would assume the strike also included the help of someone who had access to the location where that meeting was taking place. Syrian state television saying it was carried out by a terrorist suicide bomber and promising that it will crack down immediately -- Carol.

COSTELLO: All right, Arwa Damon reporting live. By the way, the pictures beside Arwa are from Daraa, Syria. You could see people there. They've heard the news. They are celebrating there as well. More from Syria a little later on in the newsroom.

This just in to CNN too, this is a statement from Syria's former ambassador to Iraq who has since defected. He says, "I think what happened today is a big and important operation that hit the heart of the regime.

I believe the regime will escalate against the Syrian people, but at the same time it started getting weaker and weaker. The ability of the rebels to reach to this place in this way is a great achievement," end quote.

We are also getting new reaction from American officials. Let's head to the Pentagon and Chris Lawrence. What are you hearing, Chris?

CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Carol. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta welcomed his counterpart, the U.K. Minister of Defense Philip Hammond within the last hour.

Both had very strong words on this situation in Syria. In fact, Secretary Panetta said it is rapidly spinning out of control.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LEON PANETTA, DEFENSE SECRETARY: It's obvious that what is happening in Syria represents a real escalation in the fighting and that all of the concerns that we have expressed about the need for Assad to step down.

The need for a peaceful transition, the need to achieve a peaceful solution to that situation, that by ignoring those appeals by the international community, that the violence there has only gotten worse and the loss of lives has only increased, which tells us that this is situation that is rapidly spinning out of control.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LAWRENCE: Rapidly spinning out of control, words we have not heard before from Defense Secretary Leon Panetta. His counterpart, Philip Hammond, the U.K. Minister of Defense also voiced a lot of concern over the safety of Syria's stockpile of chemical weapons.

Both he and Panetta said they are very concerned about the safety of that stockpile. But the minister of defense for the U.K. said there is disagreement over what to do about the safety of those chemical weapons between some of the international partners. And by that, he may be referring to both China and Russia.

There is a pending U.N. Security Council resolution that could authorize diplomatic and economic sanctions against Syria trying to push Assad out, but Russia has called that blackmail and they have voiced a lot of opposition to it.

China has said there is no justification for intervening in Syria even under the best intentions. So trying to get any sort of consensus from the United Nations at this point at least doesn't appear to be happening -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Chris Lawrence live at the Pentagon for us.

That historic drought affecting more than half of the United States could have a direct effect on the economy. Take a look at the map. Highlighted are 14 states that recorded their top 10 driest six-month periods from January to June of this year.

Six of these states are within the corn and soybean belt. The percentage of the Midwest that is in drought quadrupled in June. We have two reports for you this morning.

Rob Marciano is in Burnettsville, Indiana reporting on the impact of the drought and Brianna Keilar is at the White House with information on what the Obama administration may do to help.

But let's head to Indiana first and check in with Rob Marciano. Good morning, Rob.

ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Good morning, Carol. This is one of the worst spots as far as the drought and the heat goes. Indianapolis itself, 46-day stretch of less than a tenth of an inch of rain that's the driest stretch that they've ever seen.

The palmer index, the way we measure drought in this state, as low as it's been since 1988. That's the drought that these farmers are comparing it to.

Obviously, when you get drought though plus the 100-degree-plus heat, that only compounds the problem and what we have is corn that should be up over my head.

But as you can see it's waist, if not chest high. This is some of the healthier corns because we are near the side of the road. You go deeper in those fields where the circulation is not as good, the soil is not as good it's much, much less.

The stalks are smaller. The ears of corn are smaller as well. Talking to farmers around here, there is a lot of technical stuff. I got a little lesson on what corn is all about, how it pollinates and what the drought is doing to it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BOB SMOCK, INDIANA FARMER: During pollination, it's very important to have water to be able to cause the ear to be pollinated. During that stretch, we had 100-degree days so it can burn the silks coming out of the corn cob itself. Eighty percent to 90 percent of our corn has already, in this area, has already established itself already. The rain isn't going to help at this point.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MARCIANO: This is what an ear of corn should look like this time of year. It would grow just a little bit more, get a little bit more ripe. This is very difficult to find. This is more prevalent.

About half of the crop looks like this. In some cases not even pollinated. So that's what they are up against. Yields are expected to be less than 50 percent, maybe as low as 20 percent or 30 percent.

Right now, they are just trying to hold onto what they have. With the heat index up and over 100 degrees again today, that only adds to more evaporation. So they are up against the wall here. And like he said even if they get a lot more rain, it may be too late. Carol, back to you.

COSTELLO: Those poor farmers. In the next hour, like I told you, President Obama will discuss the drought with Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack.

Brianna Keilar is at the White House. Brianna, what can the president do for these farmers?

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: You know, a lot of what the president is doing, I think, is also dispatching Secretary Vilsack and USDA officials to take certainly some of the lead here.

To that end, Carol, USDA officials, federal officials will be fanning out across the U.S. This will continue in the coming weeks to a number of drought-stricken communities, agricultural communities that are really struggling.

Part of this is obviously to do a show of force that they are here on the ground helping some of the state-level staff and also to bring information back to Washington.

Pardon me, we have some construction here at the White House, as I'm sure you can hear. But the other thing and we have seen this coming from the Department of Agriculture is really raising awareness about some of the federal assistance that's out there.

And also there are emergency loans that are available for some of these growers. So to that end we've got the USDA reducing loan processing time for those and also reducing the interest rate for some of those emergency loans -- Carol. COSTELLO: We did manage to hear you though. Brianna Keilar reporting live from the White House. At least you weren't sprayed with the sprinkler. Thanks Brianna. We appreciate it.

Mitt Romney hitting the battleground state of Ohio today on the heels of the president's speech in Cincinnati this week. While Romney speaks in Bowling Green that's in northwest Ohio, he'll have two big name supporters stumping for him in other parts of the state.

Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush will be in Hamilton while current Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal will be in Columbus.

Mitt Romney's latest line of attack on the president is that he's anti-business. Republicans point to an Obama remark on the campaign trail last week that they suggests shows the president is out of touch with exactly how jobs are created.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: If you were successful, somebody along the line gave you some help. There was a great teacher somewhere in your life. Somebody helped to create this unbelievable American system that we have that allowed you to thrive. Somebody invested in roads, bridges. If you've got a business, you didn't build that. Somebody else made that happen.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: While continuing his attack on the president over the handling of the economy, Romney surrogate John Sununu is stepping back from this remark about President Obama.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN SUNUNU, NATIONAL CO-CHAIRMAN, ROMNEY CAMPAIGN: The men and women all over America who have worked hard to build their businesses from the ground up is how our economy became the envy of the world. It is the American way. And I wish this president would learn how to be an American.

Frankly, I made a mistake. I shouldn't have used those words. I apologize for using those words. But I don't apologize for the idea that this president has demonstrated that he does not understand how jobs are created in America.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: So some are asking is John Sununu a liability for the Romney campaign. No way says GOP consultant Dave Carney. He tells the "Washington Post," Sununu, quote, "He's not your milk toast, metro sexual talking point surrogate," end quote.

Search dogs may be on the scent of two young cousins from Iowa who have gone missing. What one mother tells CNN she fears has happened to them.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: It's 15 minutes past the hour. Checking our top stories now.

The son of one of the world's richest men due in court today after his wife was found dead in his home last week in Britain. Hans Christian Rausing is the son of a billionaire who founded, Tetra Laval, a giant packaging company.

He was arrested on drug charges and then police found Eva Rausing's body. Her death is still unexplained.

Look at the plane that flew over Penn State. It's banner read take the statue down or we will, that's in reference to the statue of Joe Paterno. Penn State's president said they will make a decision very soon about that statue.

In money news, Apple's next iPhone could be the thinnest ever. According to the "Wall Street Journal," the new one will be thinner with new screen technology that would also produce better images on the iPhone. Apple has yet to announce a new iPhone, but one is expected later this year.

In Florida, two would be robbers storm an internet cafe with a gun and baseball bat, but they had the tables turned. They told everyone inside don't move.

That's when a 71-year-old customer in the back pulled out his gun and started shooting at the would-be robbers. He chased them out of the cafe before they were found. The suspects, that is. Later they were arrested.

The mother of one of the missing Iowa cousins tells CNN today she thinks the girls may have been taken. The 8-year-old Elizabeth Collins and 10-year-old Lyric Cook have not been seen since Friday.

Because they haven't been found Lyric's mother fears they were abducted. In the meantime, a search operation continues at a lake in Evansdale, Iowa. That's where our Jim Spellman has been for the past two days. Any update you can give us?

JIM SPELLMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Carol, they have been draining this lake since the day before yesterday. You can see how much the water level has gone down here on the banks, on this island and here on the shore as well.

They have people out in kayaks constantly monitoring the shoreline for anything that might be revealed by the water going away. They honestly don't think they are going to find anything in this lake.

For the family who, as you mentioned, are thinking more and more that this was an abduction they feel like they need to get over this process of draining the lake before they can move on. Here is Lyric's mom, Misty, talking about that. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MISTY COOK-MORRISSEY, LYRIC'S MOTHER: Because we haven't found them anywhere in this surrounding area I feel like maybe they were taken. I'll be more comfortable in that theory once they drain the lake and we find nothing there. So I'm glad they are draining it today.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SPELLMAN: The FBI brought in two scent dogs. They were able to go through the whole family members, sniff all of them to eliminate their scent.

Then take smell tests out of the shoes of the girls and search the area behind me on the far shore of the lake. They were able to pick up a scent that led them to the water's edge.

We really don't know if that is going to end up being significant in this or where the girls might have gone after the point when the dogs weren't able to find them.

They are really trying to do what they can here to get any kind of lead that might help them find these girls -- Carol.

COSTELLO: So they are draining this lake. They have been doing it for the past couple of days. How much longer will it take?

SPELLMAN: Should be done by tomorrow at the latest, given the drought conditions it's draining faster than it might under other circumstances. It's really not that deep of a lake.

When they are done draining it, there will be one area that's ten feet deep. They may have to put divers in there to try to get through it. But by tomorrow at the latest, they should know if there are answers to this case in this lake.

COSTELLO: Jim Spellman reporting live for us this morning.

He's known as the "Blade Runner." Oscar Pistorius is the first amputee track athlete to compete in the Olympic Games, but another track star, Michael Johnson says the South African has an unfair advantage.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: So there is this amazing disabled athlete in the Olympics. His name is Oscar Pistorius. Carlos Diaz is here with me now.

As you can see he's running with prosthetic legs. Everybody say, it's great because he's qualified for the Olympics. This is the first time a disabled runner has competed against able- bodied people, so to speak.

And now track star Michael Johnson has come out and this is what he told "The Daily Mail" yesterday. He said, quote, "We don't know for sure whether Oscar gets an advantage from the prosthetics that he wears. It is unfair to the able-bodied competitors."

So he says maybe Oscar should not be in the Olympics. So Carlos, this debate has gone on for a long time.

CARLOS DIAZ, HLN SPORTS: It's a great argument. To be clear, Michael Johnson is friends with Oscar Pistorius. So he is not saying that you know, he's going against him as a friend.

He said, I like him as a person. He disagrees with the advantage he says he gets. It's not like Oscar Pistorius had his legs amputated two years ago.

He was born without fibula in his legs and his parents made the tough decision at a very early age to have his legs amputated. So he's had this his entire life. If you think that this guy is training on a magic carpet, you're wrong.

When he gets done with training, more times than not his stumps are blistered and bloodied. He's training as hard if not harder than other people in these events.

We are talking about the 400-meter event and the 4 x 400 relay. How many people had that marked on their calendar at this summer's Olympics, I've got to watch the 400 meter relay? That's going to be amazing.

COSTELLO: But it's still important to the other competitors in the race.

DIAZ: But the whole point of the Olympics I thought is competition, but it's also to inspire people. This guy, Oscar Pistorius from South Africa can inspire so many, quote, "disabled people" because of what he is doing on these artificial limbs.

I completely get where Johnson is coming from. There have been extensive studies since 2008 as to whether these limbs give an advantage. They are lighter than your normal legs.

So that's where they say there is an advantage there. But when it is windy he has a distinct disadvantage because you can see they are flat and catch the wind.

Also when it rains, he can't run in the rain because of the lack of traction. He doesn't really have ankles to absorb the blow.

So it still has not been scientifically proven whether or not it is an advantage or a disadvantage. So why not in this particular story just sit back and enjoy the inspiration of it?

COSTELLO: Well, I think Michael Johnson would think because this is the Olympics, and I know what you just said about the Olympics, but still people train all their lives for this competition.

DIAZ: But it's not like they picked Oscar up off the streets. He's been running in world championship events for years and he's earned the right, at least in one event to be there. There was a special exception made in the other event.

So that's the thing. I can see -- I completely see both sides of this argument. But if I had to lean one way or the other, I say let Oscar in because of the inspiration and because of the attention that it's going to draw to these events.

COSTELLO: It will be an interesting race. Now people will be paying attention.

DIAZ: People will be watching. Now they know the 400 meter and 4 x 400 meter relay.

COSTELLO: Carlos Diaz, thank you so much.

Why won't he release the tax returns? That is the question dogging Mitt Romney as the Republican presidential candidate defies calls from high ranking members of his own party.

I will talk with one of them about Romney's strategy and whether the outcry will force him to change his mind.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: The great CNN producer, Laura Dolan got some information from Penn State. She called up the university and found out that it will be making a decision about this statue in front of Beavers Stadium.

Joe Paterno and whether that statue will be taken down. They will make the decision within 7 to 10 days. We told you earlier there are planes over the stadium with banners behind that exclaimed "take the statue down or we will."

But again, Penn State won't make a decision for 7 to 10 days, but a decision will come. Of course, when it does, we'll have it for you.

Turning our attention now to politics after a tough week, the Romney campaign is going on the offensive today. Releasing this ad slamming the Obama administration for steering millions in stimulus funds to people the Romney team says are Obama supporters and friends.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Where did all the Obama stimulus money go, Friends, donors, campaign supporters, special interest groups? Where did the Obama stimulus money go, Solyndra, $500 million taxpayer dollars, bankrupt? So where did the Obama stimulus money go, windmills from China, electric cars from Finland?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Seventy nine percent of the $2.1 billion in stimulus grants awarded through went to overseas companies.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Now there you saw the ad. The ad is an attempt to change the conversation from a subject that just won't go away -- Mitt Romney's refusal to release more of his tax returns. And it comes amid growing calls from fellow Republicans including former rival Rick Perry to release more documents so Romney can put the issue to rest.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. RICK PERRY (R), TEXAS: And I'm a big believer that no matter who you are or what office you're running for you should be as transparent as you can be with your tax returns and other aspects of your life so that people have the appropriate ability to judge your background.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Even the influential National Review Online had this to say about Romney's tax returns. This is an editorial. Quote, "Romney protests that he's not legally obliged to release any tax returns. Of course not. He is no longer in the realm of the private sector though where he can comply with the letter of the law with the Securities and Exchange Commission and leave it at that. Perceptions matter," end quote.

But Governor Romney remains firms two years of tax returns is quite enough he says.

Joining me now is Kirsten Kukowski, the National Press Secretary for the Republican National Committee. Welcome, Kirsten.

KIRSTEN KUKOWSKI, NATIONAL PRESS SECRETARY, RNC: Hi. Thank you.

COSTELLO: So we have to start with the tax returns. And I know you're probably tired of that line of questioning. But more and more Republicans are coming out saying, hey, we need to make this issue go away. So release the tax returns, for goodness sakes.

KUKOWSKI: Well, as you covered in your -- in your introduction there, Governor Romney has released 500 pages of tax returns, two years; very, very detailed personal financial statement.

So I think that he's been very, very transparent about his finances. He's done the exact same thing that Senator McCain did back in 2008. So I think every day that we spend talking about this, the President's team in Chicago is very happy because they are not talking about the fact that their jobs council which we learned today has not met in over six months.

So I think it's time that we start talking about what each of these candidates brings to the table as far as how we're going to create jobs and turn the economy around. Which is ultimately -- we really have to do it --

(CROSSTALK)

COSTELLO: That's true, but I think -- but I think, Kirsten what -- what many Republicans are concerned about, you know, there are a lot of people are writing articles wondering why Mitt Romney won't release more of his tax returns. There is speculation everywhere. And -- and I'm not saying Mitt Romney did anything wrong, but there is speculation out there as to why he's refusing to release more of his tax returns.

KUKOWSKI: Well, like I said, the Governor has spoken about this. He's given many, many -- 500 pages of tax returns, two years. He's been very transparent about this. So I think it's time that we all move on, start talking about jobs and the economy which is something obviously the President's team doesn't want to talk about because they keep feeding the beast tier on this discussion.

COSTELLO: Well, you mentioned, you know, on the tax issue Romney said he's provided as much information as John McCain and John Kerry. He also took a shot at John Kerry's wife who Romney says never released her tax returns.

But none of that is exactly true. I mean, Kerry released more returns and both he and McCain have been filling out forms for years as U.S. senators and plus both of them lost the election. And let's face it, Mrs. Kerry wasn't running for president. So the argument doesn't hold, even with many Republicans.

KUKOWSKI: Well, like I said, he's filled out a very, very detailed personal finance disclosure. And you know what Carol we all want to talk about transparency. We want to talk about transparency, too.

Just today, actually, we are talking about where did the stimulus money go that this President promised was going to create jobs? We have a couple of examples of where it's going. I heard you play the Team Romney's ad that they are up with today. You know, stimulus money going overseas for outsourcing jobs. We are focused on some donors who have received millions and millions of taxpayer dollars through the stimulus.

So I think that, you know two can play the game on transparency. And if the President really wants to have a -- have a discussion about it we are here and waiting.

COSTELLO: Yes. But you -- you claim the President isn't being transparent, but many people say Mitt Romney isn't being transparent either. So who's setting the example here?

KUKOWSKI: Well, the President did claim to be the most transparent administration ever. So I think as the President of the United States who's been in office for three and a half years he definitely has some questions to answer. And he ultimately is the one asking to be rehired. So it is our responsibility to ask questions about why he thinks he deserves to be rehired when he isn't being transparent and we're -- and we're not seeing the results that he promised.

COSTELLO: But doesn't a candidate for president -- I mean, mustn't a candidate for president hold to the same standard?

KUKOWSKI: Well, of course. He's going to make his case for why he believes that he can do things better than President Obama. And he's going to have the next three and a half months to do that. We are going to know plenty about Governor Romney and how he believes that he is going to run this country.

But it is our job to hold President Obama to his promises that he has made. And on transparency it is very clear that he just simply has not lived up to those promises.

COSTELLO: Kirsten Kukowski, thanks so much for joining us this morning.

KUKOWSKI: Thank you. Have a good day.

COSTELLO: You, too.

Celebration in South Africa -- people are coming together to honor Nelson Mandela on his birthday in the most flattering way. I'll talk to someone who's interviewed Mandela many times over the years on his big day.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: More than a decade after the September 11th attacks, a government hearing looks at the possibility that American flight schools are still unknowingly training terrorists.

Pentagon correspondent, Chris Lawrence is following the hearing in Washington. Ok Chris this sounds disturbing.

CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: More than that, it's chilling Carol. Just a couple minutes ago at this hearing a federal government official was asked, "Can you assure the American people that right now there are no foreign nationals here in the United States training at flight schools with the purpose of trying to commit terrorism?" He said no, he cannot assure the American people of that.

In fact when you look at what this hearing has brought out Representative Mike Rogers called that extremely disturbing, it is basically saying that ten years after the September 11th attacks there may still be terrorists here in the United States training at flight schools just like Mohamed Atta did before he flew that plane into the north tower of the World Trade Center.

What we have heard is that immigration officials just a couple of years ago busted some illegal immigrants up in Boston. 25 of them had been authorized or signed off on by the TSA to go to flight school. In fact, three of them already had their pilot's license. Yet they were here in this country illegally.

That's really just the tip of the iceberg to some of the problems that still exist with trying to keep track of people who are in the country but also going to flight school -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Ok. In addition to what you have said, they are also supposed to release this report on weaknesses in the student visa program. So what are we learning from that? LAWRENCE: The student visa program is the way that a lot of foreigners come to the United States to go to school. It's one of the primary reasons there are nearly a million foreigners attending classes here in the United States.

It found that eight years after the government was supposed to do an audit of all these schools that only about 19 percent had been re- certified. Eight years after an audit, only 19 percent had been recertified. It also found that there are sham schools out there -- schools just giving out student visas to foreign nationals who have no intention of even going to class -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Wow. Chris Lawrence, you will continue to follow the story and have an update later. Thanks so much.

LAWRENCE: Yes.

COSTELLO: More gas accelerator problems for Ford and Mazda. Dozens of driver complaints. And now the possibility the issue caused multiple crashes, including one where someone died.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Birthday wishes in South Africa going out to Nelson Mandela; the former South African president and anti-apartheid icon, who spent 27 years in prison, is turning 94 today. He became the country's first black president in 1994, four years after his release from prison. Many South Africans are honoring Mandela in a special way. They're devoting at least 67 minutes to public service. That's in commemoration of the years Mandela devoted to helping others.

This is a picture of Charlene Smith with Nelson Mandela. She's a journalist and she wrote a book about his life called, "In Celebration of a Great Life". And we welcome Charlene. Hi.

CHARLENE SMITH, JOURNALIST: Good morning. Thank you, Carol.

COSTELLO: Give us a sense of Nelson Mandela, the person. You have talked to him many times.

SMITH: If you walk into a room, as an example, and there are lots and lots of important people in there, Nelson Mandela comes in, he will ignore the most important people or the most famous people in the room. And he'll head straight for the person who is maybe a humble cleaner in the corner who thinks nobody notices him or her. Or he'll greet the security guards first.

He has a wonderful way of making ordinary people feel special. In fact, it's not just something that he tries to project. He actually feels this. He remembers things. For example, once my son had been ill. I saw him six months later. He said, "How's Matthew?" I said, "What's wrong with Matthew?" He said, "He had flu last time."

He meets thousands and thousands of people but remembers everything about you. He makes you feel special. COSTELLO: Bill Clinton told a wonderful story to CNN -- Bill Clinton and Chelsea Clinton had I think lunch or dinner with Nelson Mandela yesterday. Bill Clinton says whenever Nelson Mandela would call he would also want to talk to Chelsea when Chelsea was school age and he wanted to talk to Chelsea about her homework and how things were going in school. And then he got down to business with President Clinton at the time.

How do you think that Nelson Mandela managed to keep that humanity after all that he went through?

SMITH: I think it's because of all he went through. I mean remember he was in jail for 27 years. It was 21 years before he was allowed a contact visit with his wife. It was 12 years before he had a visit with his children. In the first few years he was allowed only one 500-word letter every six months. Only a 30-minute visit every six months.

And I think in that time he had lots of time to contemplate, to think about things. He knew that there was going to be a bad end, the sort of end that we can expect in Syria, unless he found a way to make every South African feel that they belonged.

And to do that, you have to speak to your enemy. You have to make your enemy your friend. That's what he deliberately started doing in prison so that by the time that he came out, he'd been practicing this for such a long time.

And just a quick reference to Chelsea. What I forgot to say was that in any group he'll go for the women and children first. That's who he wants to speak to first. And all of those (inaudible) islanders for 27 years they didn't see women and children.

COSTELLO: Nelson Mandela is 94 years old. How is his health?

SMITH: Well, he struggles to walk. He's feeling all the pains of being 94. And at this stage he's tired. He's done his bit. He's had a wonderful time with his grandchildren. He married at the age of 80, Graca Machel, who has been a real gift. And she's probably the heroine of the latter part of his life.

When Mandela goes, we are all readying ourselves for that and it's going to be a time of great tragedy for the people of South Africa.

COSTELLO: I think for people all around the world. Charlene Smith, thanks for sharing your stories.

SMITH: Yes. Thank you.

COSTELLO: We are just getting in new pictures of Nelson Mandela. Stay with us, Charlene for a second because Nelson Mandela is sitting down with his family, having his favorite dish which I think is tripe. Can you see the picture, Charlene?

SMITH: I can't, I'm afraid. But I saw some pictures earlier this morning of him. He's looking very frail. He's struggling to walk. If you remember, one of the things he loves the most is to dance. And he can't dance anymore. He can't exercise anymore.

But he does have a lot of love around him. That love isn't just the love of his family. I think he knows and he feels that all around the world people are loving him. And that 67 minutes of community work, South Africans call on people everywhere in the world to do something. You can pick up litter for 67 minutes. It's nothing. It's small. But it means something.

COSTELLO: Yes. And it's meaningless next to what Nelson Mandela has accomplished in his life. Thank you so much Charlene for joining us this morning.

SMITH: Thanks.

COSTELLO: Ford and Mazda are under a federal microscope today amid concerns and complaints about gas pedals sticking in certain vehicles. We'll take you to Washington for a live report.

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COSTELLO: Checking our top stories now.

A deadly explosion hits a national security building in Damascus. State media reports Syria's defense minister and deputy defense minister who happens to be President al Assad's brother-in-law were killed. Syria state media also says two others were killed, a presidential security advisor and an interior minister.

Just this hour we learned Penn State will make a decision in 7 to 10 days on the future of Joe Paterno's statue on campus. This comes one day after a plane flew over Penn State with a banner reading, "Take the statue down or we will."

And check this out. This is dramatic video of flames shooting out of a six-story Bronx apartment building in New York. A fire department spokesman says two people and 28 firefighters have minor injuries because of this blaze. The fire started on the sixth floor, quickly spread throughout the building and it caused the roof to collapse.

Stuck gas pedals on Ford Escape and Mazda Tribute vehicles again. The federal government now investigating whether they played a role in one fatal crash in other car accidents that resulted in multiple injuries.

Nearly 100 reports have been filed by vehicle owners prompting an investigation by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. More than half a million of the same vehicles all from model years 2001 through 2004 were recalled eight years ago for speed control cable issues. More than 700,000 still on the road today.

Let's head to Washington, D.C. to find out more. CNN's Athena Jones is there. Good morning.

ATHENA JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning Carol. As you mentioned -- I'm sorry. Go ahead.

COSTELLO: No, go ahead Athena.

JONES: Well, as you mentioned, NHTSA, the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration is looking into 730,000 of these Ford Escape and Mazda Tribute SUV model years 2001 to 2004. Those two car makers recalled those same vehicles, nearly 600,000 of them, back in 2004 for an accelerator cable problem. Some of the new complaints allege that the failures may have been related to repairs made in response to that earlier safety recall. So a lot this morning will be under investigation here -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Well, I'm sure that people who owned these cars are wondering what they should do. Should they drive their vehicles?

JONES: Well, you know, we spoke with Ford and Mazda. We reached out to Ford and Mazda. Ford says that they are cooperating with the investigation. They are not likely to say much more until NHTSA comes up with its findings. But if you're someone who has one of these vehicles you can subscribe on the NHTSA Website to a recall notification e-mail system. That way, once a decision has been made you can be notified immediately as to what to do with your vehicle -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Athena Jones, reporting live from Washington. We'll be right back.

JONES: Thanks.

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COSTELLO: A cool refreshing drink. It's what we need after a long day at work during these hot summer months. But now there is a new benefit, depending on what you drink. For today's "Daily Dose" here's Dr. Nicholas Perricone with summer drinks that can actually protect your skin.

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DR. NICHOLAS PERRICONE, DERMATOLOGIST: It's summer time. And there is nothing we enjoy than a cool summer drink. Something as simple as iced tea whether it's black tea or white tea or green tea, contains powerful antioxidants and anti-inflammatories that actually make our genes regulate certain chemicals that protect our skin.

My favorite drink for the summer is what I call my berry mix. I take about a quarter of cup of blueberries, a quarter of a cup of raspberries and a quarter of a cup of strawberries. Put it in a blender and add about half a cup of apple juice. Blend it until smooth. Drinking this can actually fight fine lines and wrinkles. It's loaded with phytonutrients that can actually change the way we look.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: I'm doing it right after this show. In fact, that does it for me. I'm Carol Costello. Thank you so much for joining me today.

You hear Kyra Phillips back there. It's her turn now.