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Wedeman Recounts Experiences in Iraq

Aired May 25, 2004 - 14:30   ET

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

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


DREW GRIFFIN, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back. From the CNN Center here in Atlanta, this is LIVE FROM... I'm Drew Griffin
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Kyra Phillips. Here's what's all new this half hour.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The recent Red Cross report on Iraq estimates that anywhere between 70 percent to 90 percent of detainees were arrested by mistake.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: CNN's Ben Wedeman fresh from the streets of Baghdad and inside Abu Ghraib Prison. He'll talk with us about what he's seen and heard in Iraq.

But first, the top stories that we're following for you.

GRIFFIN: Among the top stories right now, it is 2:30 p.m. Eastern time. Do you know where your 1995 Saturn SL is? New statistics showing those were the most stolen cars in the U.S. last year. A company that tracks trends for the insurance industry reports Saturns and Acura Integras accounted for the top five vehicles most likely to be lifted.

Coalition Spokesman Dan Senor says Thursday's raid on Ahmad Chalabi's compound was part of an Iraqi police investigation unrelated to a recent funding cut. Senor says the U.S. stopped paying Chalabi's Iraqi National Congress some $400,000 a month because it was inappropriate so close to the handover.

Meanwhile President Bush continues laying out his plans for the interim Iraqi government. Today he lobbied French President Jacques Chirac for support of a U.N. resolution to endorse the handover. However Mr. Bush agrees the U.S./British proposal will need further adjustments to win Security Council support.

PHILLIPS: Iraq is crawling with journalists right now covering every aspect of the war, the scandal at Abu Ghraib Prison, the insurgent attacks and the mood of the Iraqis.

Ben Wedeman is just here from Baghdad where his extra skills came in handy. He's fluent in Arabic. He's very humble about that. While others are waiting for translators, he was able to get straight to the Iraqis and talk to them one on one. It's great to have you here.

WEDEMAN: Glad to be here.

PHILLIPS: Let's talk about Abu Ghraib first. You spent a lot of time with the Iraqis outside of the prison. I remember seeing the pictures. They pretty much mobbed you.

WEDEMAN: Any journalist who shows up who can speak directly with them is like a magnet. Not only do they want to tell you the story of why their relative or loved one is inside the prison, but also they want to give you all their information about whoever's inside, their brother, sister, mother, father.

Date of arrest, why they were arrested, where they come from because they're hoping that you, the journalist, can somehow intercede and help free their relatives. And you don't want to say there's nothing I can do. You just say I'll see what I can do. But really there isn't much. But they're looking for help because they don't have it.

PHILLIPS: It's interesting because you told me that they think that foreigners can solve their problems. So here is a U.S.-led coalition in Iraq, yet people talk about a lot of the Iraqis not even wanting the Americans there. Is there an anti-American feeling, or is this just sort of an a resentment that things are taking longer than they expected?

WEDEMAN: Well, I think part of the problem is it's not anti- American, per se, as such, limited to that. It has a lot to do with frustration with everything in their daily lives. They want jobs, they want electricity, they want things to work, they want it to be a secure country.

And they focus their frustrations on the coalition which to them is synonymous with the United States, with the Americans. But it's not a personal anti-Americanism. It's focused on the coalition which they see is a direct representative of the U.S.

PHILLIPS: I have a question. As we saw the pictures back here in the newspaper and the video of a lot of the Iraqis being released from the prison and smiling and greeting loved ones, were those justified, those releases? Were these individuals that should have been released from the prison? And how did that go down?

WEDEMAN: If you read the Taguba report which was the internal Army report and the Red Cross's report on detainees in Iraq, the Red Cross says anywhere between 70 and 90 percent of those who were being held in U.S. detention facilities were arrested by mistake.

The Taguba report says that, I believe, it's 60 percent of those who were in the prison were not a threat to society. That was the expression they used.

And I asked General Geoffrey Miller, who runs Abu Ghraib, I said, were these people you've released innocent or guilty? He said either they were innocent or they were -- they posed no threat in terms of the coalition's security.

So it does look like these -- basically we had two major releases, I think numbering about 600 to 700. And they're expecting another release this coming Friday of somewhere between 500 and 600. It looks like many of those people were, in fact, innocent.

But the problem is they come out with a grudge. They're angry. They feel they were unjustly detained. And so people who weren't enemies of the coalition before may well have become that.

PHILLIPS: You're a journalist for CNN. You also speak Arabic. I know a lot of the journalists over there that work for other networks and they don't speak Arabic. I'm just curious, does did that help you with regard to getting a more balanced story? Did it get you to places where otherwise maybe you wouldn't have been able to get in or understand?

WEDEMAN: In terms of access to places, not necessarily. But what it does allow you to do is eliminate the middle man. You know exactly what they're saying.

And what's interesting, under the old regime, we spoke to lots of people. But nine times out of ten, we didn't really think that they were speaking their mind.

Now, you go out on the street in Baghdad, you talk to one guy. And if you've got a camera with you, it is a magnet. Within five minutes, there are 30 people there, every single one of them has to speak to you. Has to tell you why they feel this way, if they're angry or happy.

It's a refreshing change from the old days. But speaking Arabic certainly helps eliminate everything in between so you can get right to it.

PHILLIPS: How did you learn Arabic? Where did the interest come from? I've never asked you that before and here we are on live television.

WEDEMAN: Basically my father was with USAID and he was in Africa. And there were no schools there. So I went to Lebanon, to boarding school.

You got the usual choice, French, Spanish, German, Arabic. I said Arabic? So I took it. And it was very easy because, you know, the Arabs generally very hospitable people. And if you take the time to learn a couple words, they'll be delighted.

And so the more you learn, the better you find you get access and people communicate with you. And opens up a whole new world.

PHILLIPS: You said that you really enjoyed -- one of your favorite parts of your assignment was hanging out in the cafes and talking with the people.

WEDEMAN: Absolutely because this is -- the hangout place in the Arab world is the cafe. That's where people go to unwind, to discuss in a sort of calm, social atmosphere what's on their minds.

So yes, if you want to know what people are thinking -- men, in this case, because women, unfortunately, don't go to the cafes in Iraq -- that's a good place to just pick up on what people are thinking.

PHILLIPS: I wonder if that will change. You'll see men and women at the cafes. You never know.

WEDEMAN: Don't hold your breath.

PHILLIPS: We're not holding out breath. We know you're going to bring us all the stories. Ben Wedeman, thank you so much.

WEDEMAN: My pleasure.

PHILLIPS: They call it "Frizzled 6." You probably know if you've had it or not. And if you don't have it, you probably have used the phrase "bad hair day" more than, say, me, Drew. Details coming up.

Politics and movies, they can't seem to split up. Will the environmental disaster flick "The Day After Tomorrow" have an impact on a certain day in November?

A new baby for a family that had been, shall we say, on ice for 21 years? LIVE FROM.. is afraid to open the freezer door after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GRIFFIN: On America's mind today the war in Iraq and skyrocketing prices on gasoline. Here with more on how these worries are shading presidential politics is Frank Newport, editor in chief of the Gallup poll. Hi, Frank.

FRANK NEWPORT, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, GALLUP POLL: Hello, Drew. We hear a lot of negatives about the poll results and how bad the things are for Bush and the Iraq war. But actually when we really look carefully at our weekend CNN/"USA Today"/Gallup poll, we find a slight ray of hope for the Bush administration, at least reelection wise.

And that is that things have stabilized and actually increased just a smidgen. How are things going for the U.S. in Iraq. The actual low water mark was April 5 to 8 when 64 percent of Americans said things were going bad. That dropped to 62.

And now over the weekend 57 percent said things are going bad. That's still a big number, 57 percent negative on how things are going in Iraq. But you can see it's not as bad as it was.

Same thing for Bush approval. A lot of discussion now. Reports about polls showing the lowest Bush approval of the administration. That's what we showed at CNN/"USA Today"/Gallup a couple of weeks ago when Bush had a 46.

But is that Bush approval rating still falling further? No. Over the last two weeks it stabilized. It is now 47, his disapproval at 49. So it certainly is not getting a whole lot better, but it's not getting as whole lot worse either, so we're kind of in a holding period right now on Iraq and on Bush himself, Drew, waiting to see what happens next.

GRIFFIN: Frank, let's switch gears and talk about gas prices. Who do people blame for these rising gas prices?

NEWPORT: Well, that's a fascinating question. Let me show you that investors think they're horrible, gas prices. Seventy percent of investors in our UBS/Gallup index said that it is hurting the economy a lot.

Therefore your question, who is to blame? We asked the public that over the weekend. Open ended. We didn't prompt them. We just said to Americans, why is the price $2.25 where you fill up? Look what they told us.

No. 1 answer, 22 percent of Americans say it is price gouging, that the oil companies are trying to get more profits. Kind of a negative, cynical response. Nineteen percent said it's directly due to the war in Iraq, 9 percent OPEC manipulation.

And just 8 percent say supply and demand. That's the answer a lot of economists give. But a lot cynicism here, people blaming the oil companies.

GRIFFIN: That's the answer the oil companies give, too, supply and demand.

One final question, we can't let you go, the horse race on to November. Who is ahead right now, George Bush, John Kerry?

NEWPORT: Too close to call. I get tired of saying that. We've done three polls now. CNN/"USA Today"/Gallup polls in the month of May.

Look at the numbers: 49, 48, 47. Just too close to call every time we do it (UNINTELLIGIBLE) voters. So right now, Kerry has a two-point lead. Statistically that's meaningless. It looks just like the end of the 2000 race where the two candidates are tide -- Drew.

GRIFFIN: Frank, thanks for that report. You don't look like a guy who has a bad hair day, but if you are be having a bad hair day, you might actually be having a bad air day. What do we mean by that? You might lack a certain gene that would direct your hair to behave. Ironically the gene you want has the name "Frizzled 6" which directs hair to lie in orderly patterns.

Scientists first discovered frizzled genes while studying wing hair and bristle patterns in fruit flies. Yes, fruit flies have hair.

Bottom line, it's yet another reason the blame your parents for all of your problems -- including bad hair.

PHILLIPS: What do you say about winged hair? I thought that was in style. All right, speaking of genetics, an amazing story from England about fatherhood delayed. Damon Green of Independent Television News brigs us the details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAMON GREEN, ITV CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It was 1978 when Louise Brown, the world's first test tube baby, was born. And in vitro fertilization was still in its infancy two years later when a 17-year-old cancer patient provided his sperm sample not knowing that he would be 38 before he and his wife would become parents.

DR. ELIZABETH PAGE, ST. MARY'S HOSPITAL LONDON: They're really just enjoying their 2-year-old. I think when you've been through the amount of treatment they've been through, the duration of the time they were with us, it takes a while to get back on to a normal keel, and really to enjoy the little boy they have.

Whether they will or won't look to any further children in the future, is up to them to decide.

GREEN: A department of health spokesman said they're trying to let everyone in need have a chance at IVF treatment. And that the offer of a single treatment is merely a recommended minimum. Many doctors agree it is right to limit treatments on the NHS to those with the best chance of success.

DR. ADRIAN LOWER, FERTILITY EXPERT: Health is really a bottomless pit. We can pour as much money into that as we possibly can. If we restrict treatment to women under the age of 39 then we're going to treat those people who are most likely to succeed.

GREEN: So one man won his battle with testicular cancer. But as special is began a campaign to alert others to the dangers, they insist those dangers need not now include a threat to their hopes of having children.

Damon Green, ITV News.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GRIFFIN: Forget "American Idol," try a real contest, huh? "American Idol" Chinese style. That's where a superstar can beat the overwhelming odds in what could be the world's biggest competition.

PHILLIPS: Find out what historically significant body part is behind bulletproof glass inside this golden thing. LIVE FROM.. is on display in style, right after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GRIFFIN: And then there were two. Two remaining contestants and two remaining episodes of this season's "American Idol." It has taken months to get down to two, but tonight's showdown at the Kodak Theater has two big voices taking the stage. In one corner Fantasia Barrino from High Point, North Carolina. And in the other corner Diana DeGarmo from Snelville, Georgia.

After tonight's performances, viewers get to vote. The winner will be announced tomorrow night.

PHILLIPS: Meanwhile, "Idol" mania has spread to yet another nation. This time Chinese singers with a yen for fame will battle it out. The odds are only 1 billion to one. CNN's Jaime FlorCruz gets in on the act.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JAIME FLORCRUZ, CNN BEIJING BUREAU CHIEF (voice-over): Dressed up, made up and anxious to sing, aspiring to become the next singing sensation in this nation of 1 billion people.

This is China's version of "American Idol." Called "My Show 2004," it has attracted nearly 4,000 contestants who try to outbest each other with funky renditions of familiar songs and even cutting edge hairdos.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): We want more people to know about our band and to showcase our talent.

FLORCRUZ: The most talented will pick up a $120,000 U.S. recording contract with Universal music, which is co-producing the show with its local partner.

HARRY HUI, UNIVERSAL MUSIC: When using a reality based singing competition coupled with a drama series, a story telling and a journey through the creation of a star, I think will be a very exciting programming concept for China.

FLORCRUZ (on camera): Why not? When you have million of singing idol wannabes getting opportunities to hone their skills in karaoke bars you are bound to have a huge pool of promising crooners. YMCA!

(voice-over): Nineteen-year-old Li Yixuan showed more promise. She was only one song away from making the next cut, except she may have chosen the wrong kind of song.

LI YIXUAN, CONTESTANT (through translator): When I started singeing a Chinese folk song, I overheard one of the judges whisper to another wondering what the heck I was singing. I guess they think pop idols should be singing only pop songs.

FLORCRUZ: The college freshman encountered the Chinese equivalent of Simon Cowell, the hyper-critical judge of "American Idol." She was booted out after the first round, leaving the top 100 contestants to vie for the top prize. But Li's soaring ambitions endure.

YIXUAN (through translator): hey said I'm not what they're looking for this time. But as long as I have talent I'll shine one day just like gold.

FLORCRUZ: She's already rehearsing for next season. Jamie FlorCruz, CNN, Beijing.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GRIFFIN: And in Hong Kong, major news there for Buddhists as a holy relic arrives from mainland China. Arriving in Hong Kong amid much pomp and ceremony this is a finger, we're told, from Buddha. It arrived on the tarmac behind bulletproof glass for a ten-day tour of the largely Buddhist territory. It is just in time for Buddha's birthday celebrations in Hong Kong. That's tomorrow.

(MARKET UPDATE)

PHILLIPS: Headline, one of TV's favorite bachelors is engaged, but not to any reality show beauty. Dirt and entertainment headlines, just part of the LIVE FROM... home stretch. Coming up after this. I bet you can't wait, Drew.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com


Aired May 25, 2004 - 14:30   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DREW GRIFFIN, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back. From the CNN Center here in Atlanta, this is LIVE FROM... I'm Drew Griffin
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Kyra Phillips. Here's what's all new this half hour.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The recent Red Cross report on Iraq estimates that anywhere between 70 percent to 90 percent of detainees were arrested by mistake.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: CNN's Ben Wedeman fresh from the streets of Baghdad and inside Abu Ghraib Prison. He'll talk with us about what he's seen and heard in Iraq.

But first, the top stories that we're following for you.

GRIFFIN: Among the top stories right now, it is 2:30 p.m. Eastern time. Do you know where your 1995 Saturn SL is? New statistics showing those were the most stolen cars in the U.S. last year. A company that tracks trends for the insurance industry reports Saturns and Acura Integras accounted for the top five vehicles most likely to be lifted.

Coalition Spokesman Dan Senor says Thursday's raid on Ahmad Chalabi's compound was part of an Iraqi police investigation unrelated to a recent funding cut. Senor says the U.S. stopped paying Chalabi's Iraqi National Congress some $400,000 a month because it was inappropriate so close to the handover.

Meanwhile President Bush continues laying out his plans for the interim Iraqi government. Today he lobbied French President Jacques Chirac for support of a U.N. resolution to endorse the handover. However Mr. Bush agrees the U.S./British proposal will need further adjustments to win Security Council support.

PHILLIPS: Iraq is crawling with journalists right now covering every aspect of the war, the scandal at Abu Ghraib Prison, the insurgent attacks and the mood of the Iraqis.

Ben Wedeman is just here from Baghdad where his extra skills came in handy. He's fluent in Arabic. He's very humble about that. While others are waiting for translators, he was able to get straight to the Iraqis and talk to them one on one. It's great to have you here.

WEDEMAN: Glad to be here.

PHILLIPS: Let's talk about Abu Ghraib first. You spent a lot of time with the Iraqis outside of the prison. I remember seeing the pictures. They pretty much mobbed you.

WEDEMAN: Any journalist who shows up who can speak directly with them is like a magnet. Not only do they want to tell you the story of why their relative or loved one is inside the prison, but also they want to give you all their information about whoever's inside, their brother, sister, mother, father.

Date of arrest, why they were arrested, where they come from because they're hoping that you, the journalist, can somehow intercede and help free their relatives. And you don't want to say there's nothing I can do. You just say I'll see what I can do. But really there isn't much. But they're looking for help because they don't have it.

PHILLIPS: It's interesting because you told me that they think that foreigners can solve their problems. So here is a U.S.-led coalition in Iraq, yet people talk about a lot of the Iraqis not even wanting the Americans there. Is there an anti-American feeling, or is this just sort of an a resentment that things are taking longer than they expected?

WEDEMAN: Well, I think part of the problem is it's not anti- American, per se, as such, limited to that. It has a lot to do with frustration with everything in their daily lives. They want jobs, they want electricity, they want things to work, they want it to be a secure country.

And they focus their frustrations on the coalition which to them is synonymous with the United States, with the Americans. But it's not a personal anti-Americanism. It's focused on the coalition which they see is a direct representative of the U.S.

PHILLIPS: I have a question. As we saw the pictures back here in the newspaper and the video of a lot of the Iraqis being released from the prison and smiling and greeting loved ones, were those justified, those releases? Were these individuals that should have been released from the prison? And how did that go down?

WEDEMAN: If you read the Taguba report which was the internal Army report and the Red Cross's report on detainees in Iraq, the Red Cross says anywhere between 70 and 90 percent of those who were being held in U.S. detention facilities were arrested by mistake.

The Taguba report says that, I believe, it's 60 percent of those who were in the prison were not a threat to society. That was the expression they used.

And I asked General Geoffrey Miller, who runs Abu Ghraib, I said, were these people you've released innocent or guilty? He said either they were innocent or they were -- they posed no threat in terms of the coalition's security.

So it does look like these -- basically we had two major releases, I think numbering about 600 to 700. And they're expecting another release this coming Friday of somewhere between 500 and 600. It looks like many of those people were, in fact, innocent.

But the problem is they come out with a grudge. They're angry. They feel they were unjustly detained. And so people who weren't enemies of the coalition before may well have become that.

PHILLIPS: You're a journalist for CNN. You also speak Arabic. I know a lot of the journalists over there that work for other networks and they don't speak Arabic. I'm just curious, does did that help you with regard to getting a more balanced story? Did it get you to places where otherwise maybe you wouldn't have been able to get in or understand?

WEDEMAN: In terms of access to places, not necessarily. But what it does allow you to do is eliminate the middle man. You know exactly what they're saying.

And what's interesting, under the old regime, we spoke to lots of people. But nine times out of ten, we didn't really think that they were speaking their mind.

Now, you go out on the street in Baghdad, you talk to one guy. And if you've got a camera with you, it is a magnet. Within five minutes, there are 30 people there, every single one of them has to speak to you. Has to tell you why they feel this way, if they're angry or happy.

It's a refreshing change from the old days. But speaking Arabic certainly helps eliminate everything in between so you can get right to it.

PHILLIPS: How did you learn Arabic? Where did the interest come from? I've never asked you that before and here we are on live television.

WEDEMAN: Basically my father was with USAID and he was in Africa. And there were no schools there. So I went to Lebanon, to boarding school.

You got the usual choice, French, Spanish, German, Arabic. I said Arabic? So I took it. And it was very easy because, you know, the Arabs generally very hospitable people. And if you take the time to learn a couple words, they'll be delighted.

And so the more you learn, the better you find you get access and people communicate with you. And opens up a whole new world.

PHILLIPS: You said that you really enjoyed -- one of your favorite parts of your assignment was hanging out in the cafes and talking with the people.

WEDEMAN: Absolutely because this is -- the hangout place in the Arab world is the cafe. That's where people go to unwind, to discuss in a sort of calm, social atmosphere what's on their minds.

So yes, if you want to know what people are thinking -- men, in this case, because women, unfortunately, don't go to the cafes in Iraq -- that's a good place to just pick up on what people are thinking.

PHILLIPS: I wonder if that will change. You'll see men and women at the cafes. You never know.

WEDEMAN: Don't hold your breath.

PHILLIPS: We're not holding out breath. We know you're going to bring us all the stories. Ben Wedeman, thank you so much.

WEDEMAN: My pleasure.

PHILLIPS: They call it "Frizzled 6." You probably know if you've had it or not. And if you don't have it, you probably have used the phrase "bad hair day" more than, say, me, Drew. Details coming up.

Politics and movies, they can't seem to split up. Will the environmental disaster flick "The Day After Tomorrow" have an impact on a certain day in November?

A new baby for a family that had been, shall we say, on ice for 21 years? LIVE FROM.. is afraid to open the freezer door after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GRIFFIN: On America's mind today the war in Iraq and skyrocketing prices on gasoline. Here with more on how these worries are shading presidential politics is Frank Newport, editor in chief of the Gallup poll. Hi, Frank.

FRANK NEWPORT, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, GALLUP POLL: Hello, Drew. We hear a lot of negatives about the poll results and how bad the things are for Bush and the Iraq war. But actually when we really look carefully at our weekend CNN/"USA Today"/Gallup poll, we find a slight ray of hope for the Bush administration, at least reelection wise.

And that is that things have stabilized and actually increased just a smidgen. How are things going for the U.S. in Iraq. The actual low water mark was April 5 to 8 when 64 percent of Americans said things were going bad. That dropped to 62.

And now over the weekend 57 percent said things are going bad. That's still a big number, 57 percent negative on how things are going in Iraq. But you can see it's not as bad as it was.

Same thing for Bush approval. A lot of discussion now. Reports about polls showing the lowest Bush approval of the administration. That's what we showed at CNN/"USA Today"/Gallup a couple of weeks ago when Bush had a 46.

But is that Bush approval rating still falling further? No. Over the last two weeks it stabilized. It is now 47, his disapproval at 49. So it certainly is not getting a whole lot better, but it's not getting as whole lot worse either, so we're kind of in a holding period right now on Iraq and on Bush himself, Drew, waiting to see what happens next.

GRIFFIN: Frank, let's switch gears and talk about gas prices. Who do people blame for these rising gas prices?

NEWPORT: Well, that's a fascinating question. Let me show you that investors think they're horrible, gas prices. Seventy percent of investors in our UBS/Gallup index said that it is hurting the economy a lot.

Therefore your question, who is to blame? We asked the public that over the weekend. Open ended. We didn't prompt them. We just said to Americans, why is the price $2.25 where you fill up? Look what they told us.

No. 1 answer, 22 percent of Americans say it is price gouging, that the oil companies are trying to get more profits. Kind of a negative, cynical response. Nineteen percent said it's directly due to the war in Iraq, 9 percent OPEC manipulation.

And just 8 percent say supply and demand. That's the answer a lot of economists give. But a lot cynicism here, people blaming the oil companies.

GRIFFIN: That's the answer the oil companies give, too, supply and demand.

One final question, we can't let you go, the horse race on to November. Who is ahead right now, George Bush, John Kerry?

NEWPORT: Too close to call. I get tired of saying that. We've done three polls now. CNN/"USA Today"/Gallup polls in the month of May.

Look at the numbers: 49, 48, 47. Just too close to call every time we do it (UNINTELLIGIBLE) voters. So right now, Kerry has a two-point lead. Statistically that's meaningless. It looks just like the end of the 2000 race where the two candidates are tide -- Drew.

GRIFFIN: Frank, thanks for that report. You don't look like a guy who has a bad hair day, but if you are be having a bad hair day, you might actually be having a bad air day. What do we mean by that? You might lack a certain gene that would direct your hair to behave. Ironically the gene you want has the name "Frizzled 6" which directs hair to lie in orderly patterns.

Scientists first discovered frizzled genes while studying wing hair and bristle patterns in fruit flies. Yes, fruit flies have hair.

Bottom line, it's yet another reason the blame your parents for all of your problems -- including bad hair.

PHILLIPS: What do you say about winged hair? I thought that was in style. All right, speaking of genetics, an amazing story from England about fatherhood delayed. Damon Green of Independent Television News brigs us the details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAMON GREEN, ITV CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It was 1978 when Louise Brown, the world's first test tube baby, was born. And in vitro fertilization was still in its infancy two years later when a 17-year-old cancer patient provided his sperm sample not knowing that he would be 38 before he and his wife would become parents.

DR. ELIZABETH PAGE, ST. MARY'S HOSPITAL LONDON: They're really just enjoying their 2-year-old. I think when you've been through the amount of treatment they've been through, the duration of the time they were with us, it takes a while to get back on to a normal keel, and really to enjoy the little boy they have.

Whether they will or won't look to any further children in the future, is up to them to decide.

GREEN: A department of health spokesman said they're trying to let everyone in need have a chance at IVF treatment. And that the offer of a single treatment is merely a recommended minimum. Many doctors agree it is right to limit treatments on the NHS to those with the best chance of success.

DR. ADRIAN LOWER, FERTILITY EXPERT: Health is really a bottomless pit. We can pour as much money into that as we possibly can. If we restrict treatment to women under the age of 39 then we're going to treat those people who are most likely to succeed.

GREEN: So one man won his battle with testicular cancer. But as special is began a campaign to alert others to the dangers, they insist those dangers need not now include a threat to their hopes of having children.

Damon Green, ITV News.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GRIFFIN: Forget "American Idol," try a real contest, huh? "American Idol" Chinese style. That's where a superstar can beat the overwhelming odds in what could be the world's biggest competition.

PHILLIPS: Find out what historically significant body part is behind bulletproof glass inside this golden thing. LIVE FROM.. is on display in style, right after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GRIFFIN: And then there were two. Two remaining contestants and two remaining episodes of this season's "American Idol." It has taken months to get down to two, but tonight's showdown at the Kodak Theater has two big voices taking the stage. In one corner Fantasia Barrino from High Point, North Carolina. And in the other corner Diana DeGarmo from Snelville, Georgia.

After tonight's performances, viewers get to vote. The winner will be announced tomorrow night.

PHILLIPS: Meanwhile, "Idol" mania has spread to yet another nation. This time Chinese singers with a yen for fame will battle it out. The odds are only 1 billion to one. CNN's Jaime FlorCruz gets in on the act.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JAIME FLORCRUZ, CNN BEIJING BUREAU CHIEF (voice-over): Dressed up, made up and anxious to sing, aspiring to become the next singing sensation in this nation of 1 billion people.

This is China's version of "American Idol." Called "My Show 2004," it has attracted nearly 4,000 contestants who try to outbest each other with funky renditions of familiar songs and even cutting edge hairdos.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): We want more people to know about our band and to showcase our talent.

FLORCRUZ: The most talented will pick up a $120,000 U.S. recording contract with Universal music, which is co-producing the show with its local partner.

HARRY HUI, UNIVERSAL MUSIC: When using a reality based singing competition coupled with a drama series, a story telling and a journey through the creation of a star, I think will be a very exciting programming concept for China.

FLORCRUZ (on camera): Why not? When you have million of singing idol wannabes getting opportunities to hone their skills in karaoke bars you are bound to have a huge pool of promising crooners. YMCA!

(voice-over): Nineteen-year-old Li Yixuan showed more promise. She was only one song away from making the next cut, except she may have chosen the wrong kind of song.

LI YIXUAN, CONTESTANT (through translator): When I started singeing a Chinese folk song, I overheard one of the judges whisper to another wondering what the heck I was singing. I guess they think pop idols should be singing only pop songs.

FLORCRUZ: The college freshman encountered the Chinese equivalent of Simon Cowell, the hyper-critical judge of "American Idol." She was booted out after the first round, leaving the top 100 contestants to vie for the top prize. But Li's soaring ambitions endure.

YIXUAN (through translator): hey said I'm not what they're looking for this time. But as long as I have talent I'll shine one day just like gold.

FLORCRUZ: She's already rehearsing for next season. Jamie FlorCruz, CNN, Beijing.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GRIFFIN: And in Hong Kong, major news there for Buddhists as a holy relic arrives from mainland China. Arriving in Hong Kong amid much pomp and ceremony this is a finger, we're told, from Buddha. It arrived on the tarmac behind bulletproof glass for a ten-day tour of the largely Buddhist territory. It is just in time for Buddha's birthday celebrations in Hong Kong. That's tomorrow.

(MARKET UPDATE)

PHILLIPS: Headline, one of TV's favorite bachelors is engaged, but not to any reality show beauty. Dirt and entertainment headlines, just part of the LIVE FROM... home stretch. Coming up after this. I bet you can't wait, Drew.

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