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President Obama Addresses Supporters in Chicago; Gold Medal Winner Becomes Olympic Chaplain; 3 Afghan Girls Come to the U.S. to Heal; Morsi Forces Generals to Retire; Who is Paul Ryan?

Aired August 12, 2012 - 16:00   ET

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

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Hello everyone. Thanks for joining us in the "NEWSROOM." I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

We begin in Egypt where the President Mohammad Morsi has ordered two top generals to retired. The Egyptian leader has also cancelled a constitutional decree issued by the Army limiting presidential powers. Our Ian Lee is live on the phone with us now from Cairo. So Ian, can Morsi do this? We are hearing already that the officials have been sworn in to new posts.

IAN LEE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (ON THE PHONE): Well, Fredricka, it looks like he can and he did. Egypt's former field marshal, Mantawi (ph) arguably was the most powerful in Egypt and now President Mohammad Morsi is. This is a - quite and achievement for President Mohammad Morsi and this is a real historical day for Egypt if this is allowed to continue because this is for the first time you have a civilian, elected civilian leader who has more power than the military, a first time in Egypt's history. As it looks right now it looked like this is going to be allowed to continue.

WHITFIELD: And what about this constitutional declaration? Morsi, does he have the authority to cancel it after the army imposed it?

LEE: Well, that's going to be the question the courts are probably going to have to decide and the Supreme Court. I'm sure there's going to be a legal challenge to that. This puts Morsi in very, very powerful position. A few things to point out. First of all, he is the president but now he has legislative power. The former decree gave legislative power to the Supreme Council of the armed forces, by knowing that that gave him that power. He also has power over the constitutional assembly. This is the body that is writing Egypt's Constitution right now.

If that committee cannot come up with a solution then it has to stand. And then President Mohammad Morsi will select the members to be a part of that body to then draft the new constitution. So he is in a very, very powerful position right now.

WHITFIELD: Ian Lee in Cairo, thank you.

Back here in the U.S. now in a race for the White House, a packed campaign schedule this weekend for both candidates. On the Republican side Mitt Romney and his new running mate Paul Ryan are touring key battleground states. Their bus tour made two stops in North Carolina today. CNN's national political correspondent Jim Acosta is there.

JIM ACOSTA, CNN NATIONAL POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: With Paul Ryan a little more than 24 hours into his role as Mitt Romney's running mate, there is a race to define the congressman with democrats stepping up their attacks and noting that Ryan once proposed a partial privatization of the Medicare program. Mitt Romney had two events here in North Carolina described Ryan as someone who came to Washington reluctantly in his late 20s when he was elected to Congress. Here is what Romney had to say earlier today at an event in High Point, North Carolina.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MITT ROMNEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: He planned on doing something else with his career but you know he looked at the country and recognized the real challenges we had and decided to go and try and make a difference. And so he went to Washington not to get along with everybody but instead bring some new ideas and help bring people together on both sides of the aisle. You see he's someone who recognizes that there are sometimes honest differences between honest people and he went there to change minds, define people across the aisle, he could work with. He has done it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: Meanwhile, the Obama campaign is ratcheting up its rhetoric. Obama campaign senior strategist David Axelrod on CNN's "State of the Union" said that Ryan is what he called "a right wing idealogue." As for Romney and Ryan they'll be wrapping up their day campaigning together in Wisconsin where the campaign is going as a homecoming for Paul Ryan and then Ryan goes out on his own in a solo mission. He'll be campaigning in Iowa on Monday, the same day President Obama will be in the state.

Jim Acosta, CNN, High Point, North Carolina.

WHITFIELD: Meantime the DNC is trailing Mitt Romney's bus tour with a bus tour of its own. Their logo reads Romney Economics, the middle class under the bus. This weekend they pulled in to Raleigh to stage this demonstration but Romney's bus wasn't there. The Republican presidential candidate cancelled his appearance in Raleigh to fit into (INAUDIBLE) stop in Ryan's home state of Wisconsin. The mayor of Minneapolis was there and blasted the GOP ticket's tax policies.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAYOR R.T. RYBAK, (D), MINNEAPOLIS: It's clear what we have now is a team that says that it is really a great idea to make massive cuts to the very, very wealthy at the expense of the middle class.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: President Obama is scheduling a back-to-back campaign event this week. Today he is in Chicago for five fundraisers. CNN's Athena Jones is covering all of that activity. She joins us right now, live from Chicago. So Athena, while the president's focus today is filling up his campaign war chest his campaign did make time to comment on Romney's new running mate, Paul Ryan and what did he say?

ATHENA JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, of course, yesterday they released a statement and today senior advisor David Axelrod spoke with our own Candy Crowley on "State of the Union" and he summed up their view of the Romney-Ryan ticket. Let's listen to what he has to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAVID AXELROD, OBAMA SENIOR ADVISOR: I think it is to help further define the race. I don't think it's shaking up the race because Governor Romney has embraced many of the positions that Congressman Ryan espouses extreme as a sound - I mean he is for the trillions of dollars of tax cuts for millionaires.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JONES: And so there you have it. They are already linking Ryan and Romney or linking Romney to Ryan's proposals which they called radical. This is someone who wants to shrink government, who wants to make changes to entitlement programs like Medicare, Medicaid and cut other programs and they say that this is someone who is going to have Romney doubling down or doubling down on his policies that will help the rich and help corporations whereas the Democrats and the democratic ticket is going to be geared more towards helping the middle class. Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: And Athena, Romney has outraised the president for three straight months now. Will Obama gain some significant ground today or at least is that the hope?

JONES: Well, they are certainly hoping to do that. You know, the campaign is not going to be releasing an official total for the tally for these fundraisers but they believe that they're going to bring in around 3.5 to $4 million. We're talking five separate events that have a wide range of ticket prices. The one we are at right now, this (INAUDIBLE) fundraiser that is about to get underway ticket prices start at $51. That is, of course, the birthday the president just celebrated. You can see the live pictures here today as that gets ready to get underway.

But other events today that cost as much as $40,000 a person. I should mention though that the celebration they are having at President Obama's house, one of the contests that they had is people can donate as little as $3 to $5 for a chance to enter the contest to come to this high-dollar fund raiser at his house. And so it's really just a sign of all the steps they are taking to try to raise money, rev up his hometown crowd, bring in the cash. And of course, this is just the beginning of a bit of a tour of the midwest. He starts off in Iowa tomorrow on a three-day, seven-city tour. And of course, Iowa is where it all began for President Obama. Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right. Athena Jones, thanks so much.

And as Athena just mentioned President Obama is scheduled to speak at that Chicago fundraising rally in just about 20 minutes or so. We will be bringing that event to you live as it happens.

A U.S. destroyer, navy destroyer and a merchant ship collided early this morning. It happened near the Strait of Hormuz in the Middle east. The guided missile destroyer, U.S.S. Porter collided with a Japanese owned tanker. No one on either ship was injured. The "Porter" is now docked and repairs have started. Navy investigators are now assessing the damage but the collision left a huge gash as you see right there in the "Porter" side.

Officials in Iran say rescue operations are over after two strong earthquakes struck northwestern Iran. At least 250 people were killed and more than 2,000 hurt. The quakes destroyed scores of villages and damaged historic monuments in that area and a series of after shocks followed the quakes including one measuring 4.4.

All right. Now, to Syria where the opposition says President Assad's forces executed 10 young men in Homs.

And in the city of Aleppo a fierce battle is raging between regime forces and rebel fighters. Rebels are facing tanks, artillery and sniper fire in some areas and they're fighting to hold their ground against regime troops with better military equipment. At least 100 people have been killed around the country today alone.

All right. People from Congressman Paul Ryan's hometown are weighing in on his selection as Mitt Romney's running mate. And both Republicans and Democrats there agree on one potential problem.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right. Voters are getting their first look at the Republican team of Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan. But first here are live pictures in Chicago because they are awaiting President Barack Obama's appearance there. He is carrying on a number of fundraisers this evening and then he'll be off to Iowa where he will swing through that state trying to secure support.

Meantime his opponents, the team Romney-Ryan are in North Carolina trying to do the same thing. They are heading through a number of swing states from North Carolina. They will split up. Romney will head to Florida and Paul Ryan will be heading to Iowa, perhaps even running into the president there. That on Monday before the two will also try to carry on with their swing state tours of Ohio.

All right. So a first-hand look one day after the announcement of team Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan. Supporters are calling Romney's selection a rather bold one. But will it help or hurt with voters who are still undecided. Joining me to talk about Romney's choice is CNN's senior political analyst Ron Brownstein. So Ron, good to see you.

RON BROWNSTEIN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Hi, Fred.

WHITFIELD: So we are hearing words like, you know, risky, bold, et cetera. How risky is this? Or how bold is it? BROWNSTEIN: Exactly. I mean, it does capture both ends. You know, a lot of team thought Mitt Romney is going to do a do no harm pick for vice president. He has gone pretty much at the opposite end. Paul Ryan is a real asset. He's dynamic. He's personable. America is going to like Paul Ryan as a person. Whether they like his plan though is something else. He energizes conservatives. The budget blueprint he has put out over the last few years probably has done more to galvanize conservative, excitement, really anything since the Ronald Reagan supply side tax cuts 30 years ago.

But the plan itself is a very dramatic retrenchering of the federal role of the society. It's not really, I think properly understood as a deficit reduction plan. It anticipates federal deficits all the way until 2040. It's really about reducing the role of the federal government and including rolling back some of those major entitlement programs that benefit the middle class and have broad support like Medicare. And as a result this plan has never really enjoyed majority support particularly the Medicare components. And that's going to be a challenge for Ryan and Romney. Because now they are wed to it and certainly the Obama campaign is going to go after it.

WHITFIELD: Well, that now kind of alienates the Romney-Ryan camp particularly as it pertains to elderly voters as you talked about, rolling back, maybe even getting rid of Medicare and many of those voters might be saying well Medicare now then what's next?

BROWNSTEIN: Well, the Ryan plan really has big changes in it. Medicare now as it currently exists - you go to the doctor or the hospital the government pays them for providing you a service. Under the Ryan plan, you would get a check, a fix sum of money whether you call it a voucher or premium support to go out and either buy private insurance or stay in the current plan. Democrats say the way the program is structured would be very difficult, in fact, to stay in the current plan.

And that is something that has a level of change that is going to cause some strain even within the Republican coalition. Republican voters by and large do want smaller government. They don't like transfer programs like welfare and food stamps that benefit the poor. But there are a lot now, a lot more blue collar and senior wise who are part of this coalition who have shown in poling very consistently they are resistant to changing entitlements that benefit the middle class, primarily Medicare.

So Ryan is going to force this contradiction front and center. And it will be interesting to see if it provides any opportunity for Obama to reverse what has been a very dramatic Republican move among those groups of voters, white seniors, white blue collar, both about 60 percent Republican in 2008 and 2010.

WHITFIELD: So this ticket better appeals to the base so to speak because everyone knows, you know, conventional wisdom has been that Paul Ryan has very much appealed to the conservative Tea Party movement in particular but not necessarily the base together. Do they do that? BROWNSTEIN: Well, I think clearly Ryan provides a sense of mission to this campaign. It's about big changes in Washington. You know, the Romney campaign had often seemed more PowerPoint than passionate. And I think Ryan does give it a sense of mission and urgency. But the challenge, as I said, is selling the plan particularly to independent voters. There are going to be voters we have seen a movement towards a more generally skeptical view, towards government, in some ways a backlash to Obama's efforts to expand the role of government.

So at that broad philosophical level there is an audience for what Ryan and now Romney are talking about. On the other hand when you get down to the specifics and are talking about changing programs that benefit as many 40 million people who rely on Medicare and of course the families of those elderly Americans are affected by it as well, that's much much more challenging and it may be especially challenging with blue collar white women who are economically strain and show a lot of support (INAUDIBLE) leading Republican. Obama has made some gains with them in the last few months. That I think is where this battle is won or lost for the Ryan-Romney ticket and the implications of the Ryan plan.

WHITFIELD: I've heard the word energized a few times now as it pertains to Paul Ryan. So does it go both ways? Does Paul Ryan's selection also energize the Obama campaign.

BROWNSTEIN: Look, President Obama has not given us a very clear idea of what he would do in a second term. And I think, by the way, that is one area where Ryan's selection is going to increase pressure on him, to be more specific about where he would go. So there really hasn't been that much on the positive side to energize Democrats about a second term. Stopping the Ryan vision that Romney had praised earlier but is now wholeheartedly embrace is something that can mobilize Democrats, I believe.

WHITFIELD: Ron Brownstein, thanks so much. Appreciate that. OK.

BROWNSTEIN: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: So you got the Team Romney-Ryan trying to crisscross the country, namely concentrating on those swing states. Ohio is going to be a stop they make as well as Florida. Right now they are still in North Carolina.

And President Obama, he is soon to arrive at this Richport art center south of Chicago, I understand. He will be trying to appeal to his supporters there and also trying to collect a bit of money at a number of fundraisers scheduled for this evening before the president then heads off to Iowa tomorrow.

All right. People from Paul Ryan's hometown are reacting to news that he is on the Republican ticket. CNN's Athena Jones has that.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ATHENA JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Folks here in Ryan's hometown of Jamesville, Wisconsin are reacting to the big news.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think he is an excellent candidate.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I personally like what he stands for.

JONES: The seven-term congressman who comes from a prominent local family is well known in this town of 63,000 people southwest of Milwaukee. He attended school here. He is a parishioner at the Catholic church. And his brick home on a quiet street sits near the home of extended family.

Neighbors describe him as down to earth.

CHRISTINE GARCHOW, JANESVILLE, WISCONSIN RESIDENT: We have spoken to him in the neighborhood. So we're friendly that way. Just a down home kind of guy. He is in the labor day parade with his kids and his daughter was selling lemonade.

JONES: At a water ski tournament on the river, voters celebrated what they called Ryan's vision and expressed hope that he will help the GOP win the traditionally blue state.

MATT FARRA, JANESVILLE, WISCONSIN RESIDENT: I think he wants to get the country going where it needs to be going budget-wise and the economy. But it also makes you feel good as a Wisconsinite. So I hope that helps some of the other people on the fence or whichever to lean on over.

JONES: While at the farmer's market just down the street voters from Ryan's district office, voters applauded Romney's choices for different reasons.

TOM SCHLEISNER, JANESVILLE, WISCONSIN RESIDENT: Very excited. And Inspired.

JONES: Why?

SCHLEISNER: Just because that Paul has a great vision for America and I think he is the right choice.

JONES: Some Democrats say the pick many conservatives are hailing as bold and outstanding because of Ryan's commitment to deep budget cuts will end up boosting the democratic ticket.

STEVE OLSON, JANESVILLE, WISCONSIN RESIDENT: I'm totally elated.

JONES: Why is that?

OLSON: Because it's going to be easier for the Democrats. They can attack two guys, two birds with one stone. They are a fiscal restraint. Read the records. They stand for that one percent and they are going to cut all the programs for the poor.

JONES: Both detractors and supporters have good things to say about Ryan. RICH BOSTWICK, JANESVILLE, WISCONSIN RESIDENT: He sticks to his beliefs and he is a big advocate for the district. I think he is a hard working person.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think he is a man of integrity.

JONES: But one thing voters we spoke with from both parties seemed a bit unsure of is whether the 42-year-old is ready to be president.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think he's not old enough yet to know what he's doing?

JONES (on camera): Do you think Paul Ryan, he's 42 - do you think he is ready to be president?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't know yet. I mean, isn't that kind of young.

JONES: While Paul Ryan has won this district seven times the state of Wisconsin hasn't gone red in a presidential election in nearly 30 years and it's hard to say whether a Romney-Ryan ticket will change that.

Athena Jones, CNN, Janesville, Wisconsin.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: So who is Paul Ryan? We will have details on the man Mitt Romney picked for V.P. 7:00 Eastern time today.

All right. Deadly cases of West Nile virus has one city here in the U.S. on edge. Now authorities fear an outbreak across the country.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right. Live pictures right now as they are poised and ready for President Barack Obama's arrival. They are in Chicago. He has a number of fundraisers this evening, as many as five I understand where he is trying to help raise millions of dollars for his campaign coffers. And then he'll be off to Iowa but first the crowd awaits there at the Bridgeport Art Center for his arrival.

All right. Meantime other stories we are following. A deadly case of West Nile virus has health officials here in the U.S. on edge. Nine people have died and 175 are infected in Dallas, alone. Now authorities fear it could spread across the country. CNN's Susan Candiotti has more on how they're trying to prevent it from happening.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Since the first U.S. outbreak of West Nile virus in 1999, New York City has taken to the skies to spray for mosquitoes hoping to keep the virus in check. In Dallas, Texas, the outbreak is so bad officials plan to do the same thing this year.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is a major outbreak. That's why we are declaring that there is a disaster here.

CANDIOTTI: Scary words for Becky Dennis of nearby Plano, Texas. She was bitten by a mosquito on a trip to India and developed a strain of encephalitis similar to West Nile.

BECKY DENNIS, ENCEPHALITIS SURVIVOR: My entire, my left side of the body went numb and my left side was tingling. And it was very hard to breathe and to swallow. And so I basically sat there wondering if I would make it out alive.

CANDIOTTI: The infection was so bad she temporarily lost sight in one eye. She still has problems with her sense of taste. For two years Dennis said doctors thought she had suffered a stroke.

DENNIS: It is just amazing that one little tiny creature can take such a dramatic impact on the brain.

CANDIOTTI: She now helps others who have been infected.

DENNIS: It is very disheartening knowing this many people are exposed right now.

CANDIOTTI: Most who are infected never developed symptoms. Less than one percent suffer severe neurological illness like Ellen Garcia of San Antonio who became ill seven years ago.

ELLEN GARCIA, DEVELOPED WEST NILE VIRUS: I can no longer drive because I cannot tell the difference in the length of the car length or anything like that. I've got muscle loss, memory loss.

CANDIOTTI: Experts at the Centers for Disease Control say West Nile activity is a little higher and they won't know the full impact until summer is over nor are they sure what is causing the uptick.

DR. MARC FISCHER, EPIDEMIOLOGIST, CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL: It's not completely clear what those factors are but the milder winter and early spring and sort of hotter temperatures during the summer may be playing a role in that.

CANDIOTTI: In Dallas nine people have already died from West Nile.

CLAY JENKINS, JUDGE, DALLAS COUNTY: This is a matter of extreme concern. And we are going to follow the science and do whatever we need to do to ensure the safest outcome for the people.

CANDIOTTI (on camera): With no vaccine and no treatment for West Nile, authorities say prevention is the key. Use bug spray and wear long sleeves especially at dawn and dusk when mosquitoes are most active. And get rid of standing water. If you feel flu-like symptoms call your doctor right away.

Susan Candiotti, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Hey, we are going to have much more, straight ahead. President Barack Obama in Chicago trying to raise money for his campaign. There he is right there, live. We will hear his words right after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Kicking off a string of fundraisers this evening in Chicago. President Obama is there at the Bridgeport Art Center. Let's listen in.

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: In Chicago, we have got a long way to go. All of us know friends, neighbors, family members who are still out of work or whose homes are still under water. Too many folks are still burdened by enormous college debt. Too many folks still don't have a sense that tomorrow will be better than today. And so the question in this election is, which way do we go? Do we go forward towards a new vision of an America in which prosperity is shared? Or do we go backward to the same policies that got us into this mess in the first place?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Forward.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Forward.

CROWD: Forward!

OBAMA: You know, I believe we have to go forward. I believe we have got to keep working to create an America where no matter who you are, no matter what you look like, no matter where you come from, no matter what your last name is, no matter who you love, you can make it here if you try.

(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)

OBAMA: That's what is at stake in November. That is why I'm running for a second term as president of the United States of America.

(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)

OBAMA: Now, the good news is even though there are no quick fixes to our challenges, we have got everything we need to make things work here in America. We still have the best workers in the world. We still have the best entrepreneurs in the world. We have got the best colleges, the best universities, the best scientists, the best researchers.

We are a young nation, and we have got the greatest diversity of talent and ingenuity from every corner of the globe. Witness this room. It's an -- Chicago is an example of what makes this country great.

(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)

OBAMA: So what's holding us back is not the lack of big ideas or good plans. What is holding us back is a brand of Washington politics that says we are not going to compromise no matter what. It's gridlock and stalemates and dysfunction, and it's an idea propagated by the other side that somehow we are going to grow this economy from the top down, and that if people at the top are doing really, really well, then everybody else is automatically going to benefit.

Now, this kind of top-down economics is central to Governor Romney, and it is central to his running mate. Just yesterday morning, my opponent chose his running mate, the ideological leader of the Republicans in Congress, Mr. Paul Ryan. I want to congratulate--

(BOOS)

OBAMA: No, no, no, no. Look, I want to congratulate Congressman Ryan. I know him. I welcome him to the race.

Congressman Ryan is a decent man. He is a family man. He is an articulate spokesman for Governor Romney's vision. But it's a vision that I fundamentally disagree with.

(APPLAUSE)

OBAMA: My opponent and Congressman Ryan and their allies in Congress, they all believe that if we just get rid of more regulations on big corporations, and we give more tax breaks to the wealthiest Americans, it will lead to jobs and prosperity for everybody else. That is what they are proposing. That is where they will take us if they win. And this is not speculation. It's on their websites. It's embodied in the budget that the House Republicans voted for repeatedly.

The centerpiece of Governor Romney's entire economic plan is a new $5 trillion tax cut, a lot of it going to the wealthiest Americans. This is on top of the Bush tax cuts. Last week we found out that to pay for this $5 trillion tax cut, not only would we see them gut education investments, gut investments in science and research, gut investments in things like rebuilding our roads and our bridges, but it turns out that Governor Romney's tax plan would also raise taxes on middle-class families by an average of $2,000 each.

(BOOS)

OBAMA: Not to reduce the deficit, mind you. Not to create more jobs. Independent economists have looked at it and they said there is nothing in Governor Romney's plan that would create jobs right now. This would all be in order to give another $250,000 tax cut to people who are making $3 million a year or more.

(BOOS)

OBAMA: Let me tell you something. They have tried this before. They have tried to sell us this trickle-down fairy dust before.

(LAUGHTER)

OBAMA: And guess what. It did not work.

WHITFIELD: Listening to President Obama there in Chicago, offering congratulations to Congressman Ryan. He says he knows him, has worked with him, et cetera. He is a standout guy. He says -- at the same time he is also an articulate spokesperson for Governor Romney's vision, a vision that President Obama says that he disagrees with, namely what he is calling the top-down economics, which he is claiming that the Romney/Ryan ticket will be proposing tax cuts for people making $3 million or more. President Obama this evening also going to be the centerpiece of a number of fundraisers this evening before he heads on to Iowa on a series of campaign stops in that state.

All right. Meantime, this woman that we are about to introduce you to won gold as a runner in the 1968 Olympics. Today she is inspiring athletes as a chaplain.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: American athletes keep piling up the gold medals at the London games, three more times in the last 24 hours alone. In a premiere event today, the U.S.A. basketball team beat a surprisingly tough Spanish squad, 107-100. Kevin Durant led all scorers with 30 points to help America repeat as gold medal champs. USA leads all countries with medals, with 103, and 45. China is second.

American diver David Boudia pulled off a shocking upset in the ten- meter platform diving. He beat the heavily favored Chinese late last night. It is America's first gold in the event since 1988, and Greg Louganis.

America also won a gold in wrestling. A Ugandan won a thrilling marathon today, and Britain won the superheavy weight boxing gold.

A former Olympian no longer hears the roar of the crowds, but she is still a big part of the games as a chaplain. Richard Greene has her story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(MUSIC)

RICHARD GREENE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Madeline Manning Mims is a gospel singer and a chaplain at the Olympic games. That's an arena she is no stranger to. She used to be a track and field star herself. She made history at the 1968 Olympic games, shattering the myth that black women were no good at the 800 meters. She got a pretty special pep talk before her race from the man who had stood up to Adolf Hitler and his racist Nazi ideology, Jesse Owens.

MADELINE MANNING MIMS, GOLD MEDAL WINNER: He reached out and hugged me and he said, listen, you're ready. You're ready to go out there and do it. This is your time. Go out there and get that gold. And I said yes, sir, and proceeded to do that.

GREENE: The 1968 games saw controversy in the form of Black Power protests, but nothing like what happened at Mims' second Olympics at Munich in 1972. The Israeli team was attacked by Palestinian terrorists. From the balcony of her dorm, Mims and the other U.S. women could see it, but it took them a while to realize what was happening. MIMS: It must have hit us all at the same time, because we all just turned and ran for the door. Of course, we blocked the door and nobody could get out, and I could just imagine bullets riveting through my back. And I was so scared.

GREENE: Eleven Israelis, a German policeman and five terrorists died in the Black September attack, but the games went on. And so did Mims, who found herself mothering her teammates more and more.

MIMS: A couple of times I didn't run such good races when I was up at 2:00 and 3:00 in the morning trying to help another athlete deal with different issues.

GREENE: Only later did she realize this was all preparation to become a chaplain. London is her seventh Olympics as a chaplain. Sometimes she says all she has to do is listen to athletes.

MIMS: Let them think out loud and reflect. And a lot of times, they will get up and say, you have been so helpful, I feel so much better now, and I haven't said anything. I'm just like, mm-hm, yes.

GREENE: But when they do need her to speak, she has something to say.

MIMS: You are right where you are supposed to be, doing exactly what God created you to do, and it's OK. He is happy with you.

GREENE: Richard Greene, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: And as they say, when in Rome -- but actually, when you are in London -- you have got to experience tea time. It's tradition, and as I found out from an expert, there is a whole lot more involved.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Travelers to London for the Olympic games likely fit in some pub time while there. And if visitors were really going for a true British experience, there are plenty of tea parlors to choose from, from traditional to trendy. While there for the games, my brother, Olympian dad and I decided to opt for the trendy. With travel expert Kate Maxwell of Jetsetter.com. She showed us the do's and don'ts.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: That's gorgeous. What a selection.

KATE MAXWELL, JETSETTER.COM: Beautiful.

WHITFIELD: Wow.

MAXWELL: Wow!

(CROSSTALK)

MAXWELL: Yes, it's these sandwiches with a real twist.

WHITFIELD: (inaudible) ever seen before.

MAXWELL: New variation on the cucumber sandwich, with asparagus at the top. I love this. Look at this egg sandwich with the real egg.

WHITFIELD: It's so pretty. I (inaudible) eat. But we'll eat.

MAXWELL: I know.

(CROSSTALK)

(LAUGHTER)

MAXWELL: So you are supposed to eat the savories first, and then you work your way up to the top of the tower. So we have got some sort of fancies right there right on the end.

(CROSSTALK)

MAXWELL: I started from the bottom. I really (inaudible) sandwiches.

WHITFIELD: That looks like a little (inaudible) maybe.

MAXWELL: Yes, I think so, yes, smoked salmon. Delicious. What are you going to go for?

WHITFIELD: I think I have got to try this cucumber because it is just so pretty.

MAXWELL: Great.

WHITFIELD: With the asparagus.

MAXWELL: Right.

WHITFIELD: I think I will grab one of these. Do I just grab it off the plate?

MAXWELL: Yes.

(CROSSTALK)

MAXWELL: Thank you. All right. Lovely. Can I give you some milk?

WHITFIELD: Yes.

(CROSSTALK)

MAXWELL: Is that enough?

WHITFIELD: Yes. That's perfect.

MAXWELL: OK.

WHITFIELD: And so that is just an issue of preference. Color. MAXWELL: Yes. Exactly. Exactly. And then obviously you stir it (inaudible), but you're not supposed to do it too vigorously.

WHITFIELD: No clankity-clank.

MAXWELL: No.

(CROSSTALK)

WHITFIELD: It's the etiquette.

MAXWELL: And apparently you are supposed to put -- place your spoon on the other side of your saucer, in the same direction as the handle of the cup. Oh, that's better. Thank you. Never put your pinky out when you are drinking tea.

WHITFIELD: Strong.

MAXWELL: Right. You can smell the smokiness, can't you?

WHITFIELD: I can. It's actually making me hungry because it is making me think of smoked salmon.

MAXWELL: Right. It is a really unusual taste. Do you like it?

WHITFIELD: Yes.

Oh, a little gelatin on there.

MAXWELL: Oh, looks good. All right.

(CROSSTALK)

MAXWELL: Mine has got that (ph) kind of jam in the middle. What's yours?

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: OK, it was very yummy and tasty all of it, top to bottom, bottom to top.

Kate Maxwell joins me every week, and you can find a lot more travel tips from her and lots of other information on cool destinations at Jetsetter.com/CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: In Afghanistan, three sisters were celebrating at a festival in Kabul when disaster struck. A suicide bomber blew himself up, killing at least 70 people and wounding 200 others. The sisters were among those badly injured. Jim Clancy has a story of their road to recovery.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JIM CLANCY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Tamima is 11, Fatima, 10, and their sister Gulmina is just 6. They are from Kabul, Afghanistan, but for six weeks this summer, they were transplanted to North Carolina.

GULMINA (through translator): I liked everything here. I would like to buy everything. I love the beach. It was huge.

FATIMA (through translator): Almost everything. I almost love everything here.

TAMIMA (through translator): We got fat. We got healthier.

(LAUGHTER)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You got fat--

CLANCY: They're happy, carefree children, but their story is full of pain. In December last year, the girls attended Ashura ceremonies in Kabul when Shia Muslim men whipped themselves in repentance. A suicide bomber killed at least 70 people, many of them women and children.

Photographer Massoud Hosseini won the Pulitzer Prize for capturing the aftermath of the explosion. In this photo, you can see 10-year-old Fatima in her bloodied yellow dress in the background. Gulmina lies nearby.

TAMIMA: It was afternoon. We were in front of the mosque when the bomb exploded, and then the next thing I knew, I was bleeding.

GULMINA: There was a woman behind me. She was screaming. And then I fainted.

FATIMA: There was me and Gulmina and my uncle, but Tamima was lost.

CLANCY: Not just lost, but left for dead.

TAMIMA: A guy came up and took me, thinking I was dead, and zipped me up in a plastic bag and put me down with a lot of other dead bodies.

CLANCY: Then a U.S. serviceman realized Tamima wasn't dead, just unconscious. All three were wounded. Tamima was deafened.

FATIMA: Tamima's head was in pain. She was screaming. Gulmina's hands and body were hurting, and she couldn't sleep for days. Then I started getting headaches.

TAMIMA: For the whole winter I couldn't hear anything.

CLANCY: Two charities worked together to bring the sisters to the United States. The Christian group Solace for the Children arranged host families and medical care in the Charlotte area. They were part of a group of almost two dozen Afghan children, each would be hosted in a separate home. Gulmina was visibly apprehensive, and her host Lane and Lorie West, well, not much better.

LANE WEST, HOST PARENT: It's like, it was hard to breathe, seriously hard to breathe.

CLANCY: Laurie took charge with a stuffed toy and a blanket and plenty of smiles.

LORIE WEST, HOST PARENT: The universal language is just playing and love. And I think if you do that, that's a good start.

CLANCY: Fatima and Gulmina worked with a physical therapist, and all three girls underwent surgeries to remove shrapnel still lodged in their bodies from the December bombing.

TAMIMA: A lot of positive changes in our bodies now.

FATIMA: It was hurting so much, and I couldn't even touch it with my hands. Now it is fine. It's healthy.

CLANCY: Gulmina told us her surgery in Afghanistan left her with ugly scars, but treatment here has fixed that.

GULMINA: When I came to America, I'm over pain now. It got better.

CLANCY: Besides the treatment, the sisters made friends, and got to enjoy their new surroundings.

FATIMA: I like it here. I don't want to go back.

TAMIMA: There is a lot of dust, and I don't want to go back.

CLANCY: Lane and Lorie, who don't have any children of their own, felt the same way.

LANE WEST: Five and a half weeks into this thing, I dread Monday.

CLANCY: Lorie notes that the Solace program is meant to open lines of friendship between people who would otherwise never meet. A message for Gulmina to take home. But parting is tough for both of them.

LORIE WEST: I can tell part of her doesn't want to go, because she wants to stay here, and she even says, you know, me stay.

CLANCY: But in the end, she did not. Gulmina, Tamima and Fatima are all at home again in Kabul. We haven't used their last names to protect their families identity. Gulmina had her own message about the kindness of strangers.

GULMINA: I'm thanking everyone so much.

CLANCY: Solace will be looking to help other Afghan children in the coming year. Six weeks in Charlotte did change these sisters to be sure, but it probably changed their American hosts even more.

Jim Clancy, CNN, Charlotte, North Carolina.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: And back to presidential politics. Straight ahead, President Obama making his first public comments since Mitt Romney's selection of Paul Ryan as a running mate. Find out what he had to say. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)