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Stem Cells, Ron Reagan and the Democratic Convention; Scientists Believe They've Found Genetic Reason Why Most Animals Are Promiscuous

Aired July 12, 2004 - 13:30   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.


KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Politicking on the road. The presidential candidates are on the campaign trail. President Bush talking terrorism in Tennessee. He spoke before a crowd in Oak Ridge. The president also paid a visit to the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, which stores nuclear parts handed over by Libya recently. Well the president says it was sobering evidence of a great danger.
Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry stumping in his own back yard today. The senator from Massachusetts attended a breakfast in Boston and will hold a rally later today.

We're looking at live pictures right now. Actually you can see Teresa Heinz Kerry at the podium. Kerry is announcing that he's spending $1 million to air Spanish language television ads.

Well when Kerry and vice presidential pick John Edwards head to the Democratic Convention this month, this son of a conservative legend will also be there. Ron Reagan will speak to Democrats about his father's late father's battle with Alzheimer's and the importance of stem cell research. CNN's Kelly Wallace reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KELLY WALLACE, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A senior Kerry adviser says Ron Reagan's decision to speak at the Democratic convention will have "big appeal to Independents." Reagan has been an outspoken critic of President Bush on many issues, including his decision to limit federal funding of stem cell research.

RON REAGAN, RONALD REAGAN'S SON: They're playing politics with it, and it is shameful. It is shameful.

WALLACE: A Bush-Cheney campaign official said it was not surprising that a "committed liberal would speak at the Democratic convention," and added that George's Democratic senator, Zell Miller, will speak at the Republican convention.

SEN. JOHN KERRY (D-MA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Will you let me borrow John Edwards for at least four years?

(APPLAUSE)

WALLACE: After wrapping up they're "proving they get along tour" in John Edwards' home state of North Carolina Saturday, team Kerry- Edwards separates this week, launching what aides call the front porch tour focusing on hometown values, with Edwards traveling solo to Iowa, Illinois, Louisiana, Texas, California, Florida and North Carolina.

One question both men were repeatedly asked this weekend, if they regretted their votes on the Iraq war resolution after the release of a Senate report which found the CIA's judgments on Iraq's weapons deeply flawed. Pressed on CBS's "60 Minutes," Kerry eventually said...

KERRY: Well, I don't regret my vote. And I believe based on the information we had, it was the correct vote.

WALLACE: And another vote the senators could possibly cast this week, a vote against a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage. The senators say they oppose gay marriage, supporting civil union unions instead but believe this is a matter for the states decide.

Kelly Wallace, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Now to a presidential snub. At least that's what the NAACP is calling it. The civil rights group is upset that President Bush has turned down another invitation to speak at the convention in Philadelphia. Reporters of Alison Harmelin of CNN affiliate WPHL has reaction now from the convention.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALISON HARMELIN, WPHL-TV CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Amidst the photo-ops, applause, networking and entertainment, there's an undercurrent of controversy at 95-annual convention of the NAACP.

MAYOR JOHN STREET, PHILADELPHIA: I think it's very unfortunate that President Bush chose to ignore this convention.

KWEISI MFUME, NAACP PRESIDENT: I've written and written and written, requesting a meeting or an opportunity to talk about pertinent issues. We've written, inviting him to come and address us and we've gotten no response. It's been absolute silence.

HARMELIN: For the fourth year in a row, President Bush has declined the NAACP's invitation to address the group. In spite of 30 visits to battleground state of Pennsylvania, the president turned down this visit, citing scheduling problems.

MFUME: I think the larger picture is in an election that's going to be as close as this one, no party can afford slippage or to write off an entire group of voters, because you may not agree with them on one issue or another.

HARMELIN: But the president has said his issues are with the NAACP's leadership.

Quote, "I will describe my relationship with the current leadership as basically nonexistent. You've heard the rhetoric and the names they've called me." But at years-largest gathering of African-American community leaders, Philadelphia's mayor believes the president's absence sends a message that will be heard around the country.

STREET: People here will go back to their respective cities. And the president will have to answer for -- answer the question, why didn't you come to the NAACP convention?

HARMELIN: And while George Bush got just 9 percent of the black vote back in November 2000, many here feel this is a slight that will further reduce those numbers.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There are a lot of the things I don't agree with what he's doing. So. And this is something he should be a part of.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: For him not to take time out of his schedule. That to me, that shows me what kind of president he is.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The one vote that he may have gotten black -- from the black community, he's not going to get now.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: The chairman of the NAACP today is calling for his organization to help push President Bush out of office. So is the president alienating black voters by skipping the convention?

We'll debate that question and a number of other issues with our two guests, Cynthia Tucker, editorial page editor of "The Atlanta Journal-Constitution" and CNN contributor Bob Barr, former Republican congressman from Georgia. Nice to have you both.

Let's start with the NAACP. What do you think, Cynthia? Does he need to show up? Does he need to say something? And no matter what criticism he gets or not?

CYNTHIA TUCKER, EDITOR, "ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION": Well I didn't see the downside for the president in going to talk at the NAACP convention. Why he get a hostile reception? Probably not a very warm one. But what's the downside? He doesn't lose anything by going. And it looks like a magnanimous gesture.

Besides, he's the president for all of us. For people who voted for him, for those who didn't. And he's supposed to be a uniter not a divider.

So I just didn't see that he would lose anything by going even to a skeptical audience.

PHILLIPS: Is this just a Bush thing or doesn't this hostility go back to the '60s, all the way back to Goldwater?

TUCKER: Oh, there is a long history now with African-American voters being very skeptical of Republican administrations going back at least as far as Barry Goldwater when he ran a state's rights campaign.

But I think that there are still many black Americans perfectly willing to vote for moderate Republicans. Now, they may be a dying breed...

(LAUGHTER)

TUCKER: ... but I think, you know, we've got a black Republican running for the U.S. Senate right here in the state of Georgia. His campaign is going fairly well.

And so if the GOP hopes to really establish itself as the majority party, it's got to reach out to African-Americans.

PHILLIPS: Now, Bob, what do you think? Because you were saying that the black leaders, a number of them are sort of getting off that fundamental message that Bush could actually come in and make an effect.

BOB BARR, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: No. It's a tremendous opportunity for him. I don't understand the politics of the insiders at the White House or at the RNC here. It's a tremendous opportunity. He can take his message of hope and economic freedom and community security and family values. And take it right to millions of African-American families.

And what better form to do that than the NAACP? Particularly during an election year where you're going to get tremendous coverage.

PHILLIPS: Will the NAACP listen to Bush? Will the crowd welcome him, Cynthia, and believe in him and think that what he's saying is true and not just what they want to hear?

TUCKER: Well I think Bob makes a good point in that it sort of doesn't matter what the audience in the room does. Is the NAACP leadership hostile to the president? I don't think there's any doubt about that. But his message would be translated more broadly. And that's what the president wants.

You know, he goes to black churches. If he goes to black churches, why not speak at the NAACP. And the message would be translated to millions of African-American voters.

PHILLIPS: Let's talk about speaking at the Democratic Convention. Ron Reagan talking stem cell. What do you make of this?

BARR: Well it's a very minor footnote for the Democrats. It's a little bit of a coup.

But in order for it to translate into any political gain for them, and after all that's the whole point of having a convention is for political gain, he would really have to say something far more than simply, "I support stem cell research."

PHILLIPS: What would he have to say? BARR: Well he would have to say that "the Republicans have strayed from the message of my father, the platform of my father. I'm no longer a Republican." Or something like that. Otherwise it's just going to be sort of a yawner.

PHILLIPS: Does Ron carry the weight, Cynthia, or is it Nancy?

TUCKER: Well, I think it is absolutely clear that Nancy Reagan has much more sway with Republicans than Ronnie Reagan does.

But let's face it, the GOP gets their token. Zell Miller, who is just a nominal Democrat at this point, will speak at the GOP convention. So the Democrats get their token Ronald Reagan.

I think the stem cell research issue, though, is a very interesting one for the Republicans because Nancy Reagan has been pressing President Bush to change his stance on stem cell research for some time now. She now has 58 senators, including several Republicans, signed on with her.

So I think the broader issue of stem cell research is one President Bush is going to be forced to deal with in this campaign, even before November.

PHILLIPS: All right, something else that everyone's become forced to deal with, gay marriage. Here we go again, back in the headlines. What's the deal? Is this an attempt to get the swing voters?

BARR: It is. This is an election year political issue. That's not all bad. I mean this is an election year and it is a political issue.

But there's no realistic chance at all that the Republicans would be able to get a majority, much less a super majority needed to really get this issue to the states. And it wouldn't pass in the House anyway. It's simply an effort to generate support and to get Democrats on record before the two parties have their conventions. That's all.

TUCKER: Let's face it. That's what it is more than anything else. It's an effort to embarrass John Kerry and John Edwards. Both are United States senators, both of them not coincidentally on the Democratic presidential ticket. So it's an effort to get them on the record. They have said they will vote against the constitutional amendment.

And this is not aimed at swing voters. This is actually more aimed at the Republican base. There have been many ultraconservatives who have been dissatisfied that President Bush has not been more outspoken on this issue.

He's approached this rather gingerly. Very few conservatives even want a constitutional amendment, no matter how they feel about gay marriage. PHILLIPS: You talk about embarrassment, Cynthia. But then you have Dick Cheney, daughter's a lesbian. I mean why hasn't he come forward and supported his daughter and maybe gone against what the president has come out and said? I mean as a parent, isn't -- it's surprising.

TUCKER: Well I was quite frankly surprised because in the debates in 2000, I thought he gave a very wise, very humane response on the issue of homosexuality, basically that gays and lesbians deserve to be left alone. They deserve to be able to live out their lives in pursuit of happiness as most Americans do. I'm paraphrasing, but that was the gist of it. More recently, however, he said that he supports the president on the constitutional amendment. That really surprised me, because I thought, in essence, he was selling his daughter down the river, when in fact, he could have said, i disagree with the president on this issue, and it really wouldn't have made any difference. As Bob said, they're not going to have the votes to get a constitutional amendment anyway.

PHILLIPS: Final thought on that, Bob, because Cynthia's saying hey, this is a chance for the Bush administration to embarrass Kerry and Edwards. Well, what about Kerry and Edwards coming forward and going, hey, you have a vice president that won't even won't stick up for his daughter.

BARR: Well, as with most election-year issues, there's always a downside and an upside to every one of these issues. There's more than just -- it's more than just looking at the presidential ticket. There are a lot of Senate races that are likely to be very close and I think that's another reason why the Republicans want to get some of their Democrat colleagues in the senate on record. It's all about politics.

PHILLIPS: It's all about politics. There's the headline right there. Cynthia Tucker, Bob Barr, thank you so much.

Well, still to come, problems with a cheating spouse? What if we told you that it was in their genes.

Coming up, why some of us so could be cheaters right from the start, hence the pandas.

And for those who want to be forgiven for their unfaithfulness, well, we'll tell you how one church is letting you repent right from the comfort of your car.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Well, the costar of classic TV comedy has died. We've just confirmed that Isabel Sanford, played Louise, as you remember, "Weezie" Jefferson, wife of millionaire African-American George Jefferson. Earlier this year, she was awarded a star on the Hollywood walk of fame. Her manager says that Sanford died of natural causes in her Los Angeles home. She was 86 years old.

Scientists in Atlanta believe they've found a genetic reason why most animals are promiscuous. While a small number are faithful to their mates, the research says that the findings may have bearing on human sexual behavior.

CNN's Denise Belgrave reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DENISE BELGRAVE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Love is in the air. Or maybe it's the genes. Dr. Larry Young, a scientist at Yerkes Primate Research Center, says it's not only a question of romantic love.

DR. LARRY YOUNG, EMORY UNIVERSITY: We're interested in the brain, what makes us be able to bond, form relationships, what makes us want to engage in social activity to begin with.

BELGRAVE: Dr. Young says about 95 percent of species are promiscuous. That means that they mate, but they don't form a bond with their partner. Prairie voles, one of the animals Dr. Young studied, are monogamous, but their cousins, the meadow voles are not.

What Dr. Young discovered is that a particular receptor in the reward center of the brain is responsible for the difference in the voles behavior. Here's how it works. When a male vole mates, the hormone dopamine is released to the reward center; the animal feels good. At the same time, the hormone vasopressin, so it has not effect. In the monogamous voles, the receptors are there, so the vasopressin hormone is processed and the male vole bonds with its mate.

Dr. Young says his findings square with prior research on humans.

YOUNG: There have been some brain imaging studies where people have looked at photographs of someone who they are deeply in love with, and it turns out that very similar brain areas are activated in the human just by looking at photographs of someone that they're in love with.

BELGRAVE: More studies are required to relate dr. Young's findings directly to human behavior.

YOUNG: It's going to be very exciting to compare gene structure across individuals with various aspects of their normal social behavior, like how long do they stay in relationships, are they social, antisocial?

BELGRAVE (on camera): Dr. Young hopes that someday the studies he's doing here will help people better understand behavioral and social problems such as autism or schizophrenia.

Denise Belgrave, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(BUSINESS UPDATE) PHILLIPS: Well, some of the nation's highest profile track athletes failed to make to make the Olympic team over the weekend? World-record holder Tim Montgomery finished seventh in yesterday's men's 100-meter final. Montgomery's been accused of using steroids and other performance-enhancing drugs. The 100 was his only chance to make the Olympic team. And on Saturday, Montgomery's girlfriend, Marion Jones, came in fifth in the women's 100 meters. She's being investigated in the ongoing track and field drug scandal also. Jones could still make that team. She's also competing in the 200 meters and the long jump.

Well, trouble on the Tour de France. The issue, new doping allegations. The organizers are asking two riders be withdrawn from the race because they're under investigation. Under tour rules, the riders -- no riders are allowed to race while involved in a doping inquiry.

Can't seem to make it to church on time? One minister has the solution. Keep your PJs on, grab your cup of joe. Up next, the comfort of worshipping without even getting out of your car.

Plus, paddling through the Gulf of Mexico, this little kitty's harrowing adventure, straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: A woman has caught quite a catch off the Florida coast. The woman, boating three miles off of the Gulf of Mexico, found this little kitten paddling furiously and meowing loudly. Officials have no idea how the 10-week old kitten even got out there. The woman's sister-in-law adopted the kitten and named him, what else, "Nemo."

Well, you've heard of undertones. How about sound waves? I can't vouch for the musicians or those wacky instruments, but hey, a real conductor suited up for the underwater music festival in Big Pine Key, Florida.

As my director says, I've had enough.

The key for all of the numbers was, all together now, "sea." Get it, 'C,' but far be it for us to crab.

Well, if you like going to church, except for the church part, we've got the church for you. At Gender Road Christian, near Columbus, Ohio, they offer all of the prayers with none of the pews, all the sermons, none of the squirming toddlers all around you. The good news at this church, you never have to leave your car. The minister speaks through your FM radio, and it's not a mortal sin to listen in your jammies, or to sing off key or maybe spill your coffee. A worshiper with grandkids says the drive-in service is a godsend.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REV. KAY MCCLINCHEY, GENDER ROAD CHRISTIAN CHURCH: They've never been able to sit in church together at this age because the kids can't sit still, or they're noisy or whatever. This way they can be in the car seat and we can give them crayons and things, and we can all be together as a family.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: By the way, that's also the church associate pastor. The pastor says people listen to Jesus from their boats, so we shouldn't object to convertibles or SUVs.

We've all done it, told those innocent little white lies, right, and we've all had our reasons, or so we thought. But what if there's something deeper behind our fibs? Are people programmed to lie from birth? Coming up in our second hour of LIVE FROM, these youngsters are put to the test in the truth about lying. LIVE FROM's very truthful hour of power begins right after this, I think.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Although we have not found stockpiles of weapons of mass destruction, we were right to go into Iraq.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS": President Bush defending the invasion of Iraq, and saying why his policy in the war on terror is working.

Could a terror attack delay America's presidential vote? We'll show you why election officials are making contingency plans.

The truth about lying. New research on why most Americans seem to be good at it.

And she was known to millions of TV fans as "Weezie." Actress Isabel Sanford has died.

From the CNN Center in Atlanta, hello, everyone, I'm Kyra Phillips. Miles is off. CNN's LIVE FROM starts right now.

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 July 12, 2004 - 13:30   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Politicking on the road. The presidential candidates are on the campaign trail. President Bush talking terrorism in Tennessee. He spoke before a crowd in Oak Ridge. The president also paid a visit to the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, which stores nuclear parts handed over by Libya recently. Well the president says it was sobering evidence of a great danger.
Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry stumping in his own back yard today. The senator from Massachusetts attended a breakfast in Boston and will hold a rally later today.

We're looking at live pictures right now. Actually you can see Teresa Heinz Kerry at the podium. Kerry is announcing that he's spending $1 million to air Spanish language television ads.

Well when Kerry and vice presidential pick John Edwards head to the Democratic Convention this month, this son of a conservative legend will also be there. Ron Reagan will speak to Democrats about his father's late father's battle with Alzheimer's and the importance of stem cell research. CNN's Kelly Wallace reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KELLY WALLACE, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A senior Kerry adviser says Ron Reagan's decision to speak at the Democratic convention will have "big appeal to Independents." Reagan has been an outspoken critic of President Bush on many issues, including his decision to limit federal funding of stem cell research.

RON REAGAN, RONALD REAGAN'S SON: They're playing politics with it, and it is shameful. It is shameful.

WALLACE: A Bush-Cheney campaign official said it was not surprising that a "committed liberal would speak at the Democratic convention," and added that George's Democratic senator, Zell Miller, will speak at the Republican convention.

SEN. JOHN KERRY (D-MA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Will you let me borrow John Edwards for at least four years?

(APPLAUSE)

WALLACE: After wrapping up they're "proving they get along tour" in John Edwards' home state of North Carolina Saturday, team Kerry- Edwards separates this week, launching what aides call the front porch tour focusing on hometown values, with Edwards traveling solo to Iowa, Illinois, Louisiana, Texas, California, Florida and North Carolina.

One question both men were repeatedly asked this weekend, if they regretted their votes on the Iraq war resolution after the release of a Senate report which found the CIA's judgments on Iraq's weapons deeply flawed. Pressed on CBS's "60 Minutes," Kerry eventually said...

KERRY: Well, I don't regret my vote. And I believe based on the information we had, it was the correct vote.

WALLACE: And another vote the senators could possibly cast this week, a vote against a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage. The senators say they oppose gay marriage, supporting civil union unions instead but believe this is a matter for the states decide.

Kelly Wallace, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Now to a presidential snub. At least that's what the NAACP is calling it. The civil rights group is upset that President Bush has turned down another invitation to speak at the convention in Philadelphia. Reporters of Alison Harmelin of CNN affiliate WPHL has reaction now from the convention.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALISON HARMELIN, WPHL-TV CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Amidst the photo-ops, applause, networking and entertainment, there's an undercurrent of controversy at 95-annual convention of the NAACP.

MAYOR JOHN STREET, PHILADELPHIA: I think it's very unfortunate that President Bush chose to ignore this convention.

KWEISI MFUME, NAACP PRESIDENT: I've written and written and written, requesting a meeting or an opportunity to talk about pertinent issues. We've written, inviting him to come and address us and we've gotten no response. It's been absolute silence.

HARMELIN: For the fourth year in a row, President Bush has declined the NAACP's invitation to address the group. In spite of 30 visits to battleground state of Pennsylvania, the president turned down this visit, citing scheduling problems.

MFUME: I think the larger picture is in an election that's going to be as close as this one, no party can afford slippage or to write off an entire group of voters, because you may not agree with them on one issue or another.

HARMELIN: But the president has said his issues are with the NAACP's leadership.

Quote, "I will describe my relationship with the current leadership as basically nonexistent. You've heard the rhetoric and the names they've called me." But at years-largest gathering of African-American community leaders, Philadelphia's mayor believes the president's absence sends a message that will be heard around the country.

STREET: People here will go back to their respective cities. And the president will have to answer for -- answer the question, why didn't you come to the NAACP convention?

HARMELIN: And while George Bush got just 9 percent of the black vote back in November 2000, many here feel this is a slight that will further reduce those numbers.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There are a lot of the things I don't agree with what he's doing. So. And this is something he should be a part of.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: For him not to take time out of his schedule. That to me, that shows me what kind of president he is.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The one vote that he may have gotten black -- from the black community, he's not going to get now.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: The chairman of the NAACP today is calling for his organization to help push President Bush out of office. So is the president alienating black voters by skipping the convention?

We'll debate that question and a number of other issues with our two guests, Cynthia Tucker, editorial page editor of "The Atlanta Journal-Constitution" and CNN contributor Bob Barr, former Republican congressman from Georgia. Nice to have you both.

Let's start with the NAACP. What do you think, Cynthia? Does he need to show up? Does he need to say something? And no matter what criticism he gets or not?

CYNTHIA TUCKER, EDITOR, "ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION": Well I didn't see the downside for the president in going to talk at the NAACP convention. Why he get a hostile reception? Probably not a very warm one. But what's the downside? He doesn't lose anything by going. And it looks like a magnanimous gesture.

Besides, he's the president for all of us. For people who voted for him, for those who didn't. And he's supposed to be a uniter not a divider.

So I just didn't see that he would lose anything by going even to a skeptical audience.

PHILLIPS: Is this just a Bush thing or doesn't this hostility go back to the '60s, all the way back to Goldwater?

TUCKER: Oh, there is a long history now with African-American voters being very skeptical of Republican administrations going back at least as far as Barry Goldwater when he ran a state's rights campaign.

But I think that there are still many black Americans perfectly willing to vote for moderate Republicans. Now, they may be a dying breed...

(LAUGHTER)

TUCKER: ... but I think, you know, we've got a black Republican running for the U.S. Senate right here in the state of Georgia. His campaign is going fairly well.

And so if the GOP hopes to really establish itself as the majority party, it's got to reach out to African-Americans.

PHILLIPS: Now, Bob, what do you think? Because you were saying that the black leaders, a number of them are sort of getting off that fundamental message that Bush could actually come in and make an effect.

BOB BARR, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: No. It's a tremendous opportunity for him. I don't understand the politics of the insiders at the White House or at the RNC here. It's a tremendous opportunity. He can take his message of hope and economic freedom and community security and family values. And take it right to millions of African-American families.

And what better form to do that than the NAACP? Particularly during an election year where you're going to get tremendous coverage.

PHILLIPS: Will the NAACP listen to Bush? Will the crowd welcome him, Cynthia, and believe in him and think that what he's saying is true and not just what they want to hear?

TUCKER: Well I think Bob makes a good point in that it sort of doesn't matter what the audience in the room does. Is the NAACP leadership hostile to the president? I don't think there's any doubt about that. But his message would be translated more broadly. And that's what the president wants.

You know, he goes to black churches. If he goes to black churches, why not speak at the NAACP. And the message would be translated to millions of African-American voters.

PHILLIPS: Let's talk about speaking at the Democratic Convention. Ron Reagan talking stem cell. What do you make of this?

BARR: Well it's a very minor footnote for the Democrats. It's a little bit of a coup.

But in order for it to translate into any political gain for them, and after all that's the whole point of having a convention is for political gain, he would really have to say something far more than simply, "I support stem cell research."

PHILLIPS: What would he have to say? BARR: Well he would have to say that "the Republicans have strayed from the message of my father, the platform of my father. I'm no longer a Republican." Or something like that. Otherwise it's just going to be sort of a yawner.

PHILLIPS: Does Ron carry the weight, Cynthia, or is it Nancy?

TUCKER: Well, I think it is absolutely clear that Nancy Reagan has much more sway with Republicans than Ronnie Reagan does.

But let's face it, the GOP gets their token. Zell Miller, who is just a nominal Democrat at this point, will speak at the GOP convention. So the Democrats get their token Ronald Reagan.

I think the stem cell research issue, though, is a very interesting one for the Republicans because Nancy Reagan has been pressing President Bush to change his stance on stem cell research for some time now. She now has 58 senators, including several Republicans, signed on with her.

So I think the broader issue of stem cell research is one President Bush is going to be forced to deal with in this campaign, even before November.

PHILLIPS: All right, something else that everyone's become forced to deal with, gay marriage. Here we go again, back in the headlines. What's the deal? Is this an attempt to get the swing voters?

BARR: It is. This is an election year political issue. That's not all bad. I mean this is an election year and it is a political issue.

But there's no realistic chance at all that the Republicans would be able to get a majority, much less a super majority needed to really get this issue to the states. And it wouldn't pass in the House anyway. It's simply an effort to generate support and to get Democrats on record before the two parties have their conventions. That's all.

TUCKER: Let's face it. That's what it is more than anything else. It's an effort to embarrass John Kerry and John Edwards. Both are United States senators, both of them not coincidentally on the Democratic presidential ticket. So it's an effort to get them on the record. They have said they will vote against the constitutional amendment.

And this is not aimed at swing voters. This is actually more aimed at the Republican base. There have been many ultraconservatives who have been dissatisfied that President Bush has not been more outspoken on this issue.

He's approached this rather gingerly. Very few conservatives even want a constitutional amendment, no matter how they feel about gay marriage. PHILLIPS: You talk about embarrassment, Cynthia. But then you have Dick Cheney, daughter's a lesbian. I mean why hasn't he come forward and supported his daughter and maybe gone against what the president has come out and said? I mean as a parent, isn't -- it's surprising.

TUCKER: Well I was quite frankly surprised because in the debates in 2000, I thought he gave a very wise, very humane response on the issue of homosexuality, basically that gays and lesbians deserve to be left alone. They deserve to be able to live out their lives in pursuit of happiness as most Americans do. I'm paraphrasing, but that was the gist of it. More recently, however, he said that he supports the president on the constitutional amendment. That really surprised me, because I thought, in essence, he was selling his daughter down the river, when in fact, he could have said, i disagree with the president on this issue, and it really wouldn't have made any difference. As Bob said, they're not going to have the votes to get a constitutional amendment anyway.

PHILLIPS: Final thought on that, Bob, because Cynthia's saying hey, this is a chance for the Bush administration to embarrass Kerry and Edwards. Well, what about Kerry and Edwards coming forward and going, hey, you have a vice president that won't even won't stick up for his daughter.

BARR: Well, as with most election-year issues, there's always a downside and an upside to every one of these issues. There's more than just -- it's more than just looking at the presidential ticket. There are a lot of Senate races that are likely to be very close and I think that's another reason why the Republicans want to get some of their Democrat colleagues in the senate on record. It's all about politics.

PHILLIPS: It's all about politics. There's the headline right there. Cynthia Tucker, Bob Barr, thank you so much.

Well, still to come, problems with a cheating spouse? What if we told you that it was in their genes.

Coming up, why some of us so could be cheaters right from the start, hence the pandas.

And for those who want to be forgiven for their unfaithfulness, well, we'll tell you how one church is letting you repent right from the comfort of your car.

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PHILLIPS: Well, the costar of classic TV comedy has died. We've just confirmed that Isabel Sanford, played Louise, as you remember, "Weezie" Jefferson, wife of millionaire African-American George Jefferson. Earlier this year, she was awarded a star on the Hollywood walk of fame. Her manager says that Sanford died of natural causes in her Los Angeles home. She was 86 years old.

Scientists in Atlanta believe they've found a genetic reason why most animals are promiscuous. While a small number are faithful to their mates, the research says that the findings may have bearing on human sexual behavior.

CNN's Denise Belgrave reports.

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DENISE BELGRAVE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Love is in the air. Or maybe it's the genes. Dr. Larry Young, a scientist at Yerkes Primate Research Center, says it's not only a question of romantic love.

DR. LARRY YOUNG, EMORY UNIVERSITY: We're interested in the brain, what makes us be able to bond, form relationships, what makes us want to engage in social activity to begin with.

BELGRAVE: Dr. Young says about 95 percent of species are promiscuous. That means that they mate, but they don't form a bond with their partner. Prairie voles, one of the animals Dr. Young studied, are monogamous, but their cousins, the meadow voles are not.

What Dr. Young discovered is that a particular receptor in the reward center of the brain is responsible for the difference in the voles behavior. Here's how it works. When a male vole mates, the hormone dopamine is released to the reward center; the animal feels good. At the same time, the hormone vasopressin, so it has not effect. In the monogamous voles, the receptors are there, so the vasopressin hormone is processed and the male vole bonds with its mate.

Dr. Young says his findings square with prior research on humans.

YOUNG: There have been some brain imaging studies where people have looked at photographs of someone who they are deeply in love with, and it turns out that very similar brain areas are activated in the human just by looking at photographs of someone that they're in love with.

BELGRAVE: More studies are required to relate dr. Young's findings directly to human behavior.

YOUNG: It's going to be very exciting to compare gene structure across individuals with various aspects of their normal social behavior, like how long do they stay in relationships, are they social, antisocial?

BELGRAVE (on camera): Dr. Young hopes that someday the studies he's doing here will help people better understand behavioral and social problems such as autism or schizophrenia.

Denise Belgrave, CNN, Atlanta.

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(BUSINESS UPDATE) PHILLIPS: Well, some of the nation's highest profile track athletes failed to make to make the Olympic team over the weekend? World-record holder Tim Montgomery finished seventh in yesterday's men's 100-meter final. Montgomery's been accused of using steroids and other performance-enhancing drugs. The 100 was his only chance to make the Olympic team. And on Saturday, Montgomery's girlfriend, Marion Jones, came in fifth in the women's 100 meters. She's being investigated in the ongoing track and field drug scandal also. Jones could still make that team. She's also competing in the 200 meters and the long jump.

Well, trouble on the Tour de France. The issue, new doping allegations. The organizers are asking two riders be withdrawn from the race because they're under investigation. Under tour rules, the riders -- no riders are allowed to race while involved in a doping inquiry.

Can't seem to make it to church on time? One minister has the solution. Keep your PJs on, grab your cup of joe. Up next, the comfort of worshipping without even getting out of your car.

Plus, paddling through the Gulf of Mexico, this little kitty's harrowing adventure, straight ahead.

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PHILLIPS: A woman has caught quite a catch off the Florida coast. The woman, boating three miles off of the Gulf of Mexico, found this little kitten paddling furiously and meowing loudly. Officials have no idea how the 10-week old kitten even got out there. The woman's sister-in-law adopted the kitten and named him, what else, "Nemo."

Well, you've heard of undertones. How about sound waves? I can't vouch for the musicians or those wacky instruments, but hey, a real conductor suited up for the underwater music festival in Big Pine Key, Florida.

As my director says, I've had enough.

The key for all of the numbers was, all together now, "sea." Get it, 'C,' but far be it for us to crab.

Well, if you like going to church, except for the church part, we've got the church for you. At Gender Road Christian, near Columbus, Ohio, they offer all of the prayers with none of the pews, all the sermons, none of the squirming toddlers all around you. The good news at this church, you never have to leave your car. The minister speaks through your FM radio, and it's not a mortal sin to listen in your jammies, or to sing off key or maybe spill your coffee. A worshiper with grandkids says the drive-in service is a godsend.

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REV. KAY MCCLINCHEY, GENDER ROAD CHRISTIAN CHURCH: They've never been able to sit in church together at this age because the kids can't sit still, or they're noisy or whatever. This way they can be in the car seat and we can give them crayons and things, and we can all be together as a family.

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PHILLIPS: By the way, that's also the church associate pastor. The pastor says people listen to Jesus from their boats, so we shouldn't object to convertibles or SUVs.

We've all done it, told those innocent little white lies, right, and we've all had our reasons, or so we thought. But what if there's something deeper behind our fibs? Are people programmed to lie from birth? Coming up in our second hour of LIVE FROM, these youngsters are put to the test in the truth about lying. LIVE FROM's very truthful hour of power begins right after this, I think.

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GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Although we have not found stockpiles of weapons of mass destruction, we were right to go into Iraq.

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PHILLIPS": President Bush defending the invasion of Iraq, and saying why his policy in the war on terror is working.

Could a terror attack delay America's presidential vote? We'll show you why election officials are making contingency plans.

The truth about lying. New research on why most Americans seem to be good at it.

And she was known to millions of TV fans as "Weezie." Actress Isabel Sanford has died.

From the CNN Center in Atlanta, hello, everyone, I'm Kyra Phillips. Miles is off. CNN's LIVE FROM starts right now.

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