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Kerry Campaign Looks for Rural Voters; Martha Stewart Shares Views on Her Trial; Minority Voters Favor Kerry; Recovering from Burns Tough for Soldier
Aired July 20, 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.
ANN LEWIS, FMR. COUNSELOR TO PRESIDENT CLINTON: John Kerry and John Edwards think absolutely we ought to give our troops all they need. We ought to stand with our veterans and stop trying to raise the price of their healthcare.
And you know what? Let's have less money for Halliburton, more money going to the troops, who are risking everything.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: And Bush's -- he scored pretty well with rural voters if you look back at the last election. Are you going to have to adjust your tactics here at all?
LEWIS: Well, we're seeing much more interest from rural voters this year, much stronger support for the Kerry/Edwards team. You know, rural voters are really among the people who are getting so squeezed by George Bush's economy.
As so many people have said lately, this really is a two-tract economy. For those people who are already doing pretty well, they get to do even better. But for hard-working people who are just watching their paycheck week to week, watching those dollars, these are tough times.
The price of gas, which is higher now than it has ever been after three years -- again, with George Bush in office. As you've noticed, we're paying more for gas prices. Boy, that really hurts in rural communities. People have to drive farther. They use gasoline to operate farm equipment.
Farmers aren't working on much of a margin to begin with. And the cost to rural communities of the George Bush gas hike has been really devastating to some of their economies.
So, we have a strong economic message for rural communities, and it's being very well received.
PHILLIPS: Ann, I've got to ask you this, of course, a story we've been talking about today. And that is Former National Security Advisor Sandy Berger removing these secret documents from the National Archives to prepare for the 9/11 Commission hearings.
First of all, because Sandy Berger is an informal advisor on national security issues to John Kerry, are you concerned about this?
LEWIS: Well, of course, we're watching this very closely. And in fact, there is, as I understand, an investigation going on.
But let's be clear. Again, I want to talk about the bottom line. The 9/11 Commission has said that this is making no difference to their operations. They have the documents.
No one has suggested that those original documents are not still there. They are. What we're talking about is, as I understand it from the news sources, are some handwritten notes that Sandy made himself and some memoranda of work he actually worked on while he was in the White House.
So, again, in terms of the 9/11 Commission, which is preparing its report, they have the information they need. That, I think, is really important to all of us. And now let's see how this develops.
PHILLIPS: Ann Lewis, chairwoman of the DNC Women's Vote Center. Thank you very much. We appreciate you sticking around with us today.
We also want to let you know Wolf Blitzer reports tonight. Sandy Berger's lawyer, Lanny Breuer, will be joining him at 5 p.m. Eastern Time today.
Also, we want to take a quick check from Wall Street at the big board. Take a look at the numbers as we head off to the break.
LIVE FROM continues right after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Same story, different versions. Former National Security Advisor Samuel Berger calls it an unintentional mistake that he removed secret documents from the National Archives.
It happened while the former Clinton aide was reviewing records of the 9/11 Commission. Law enforcement sources tell CNN some of the papers were just stuffed into his socks.
A federal probe into the matter has been going on since October. Some question whether the news was leaked for political reasons.
We'll have a live report from CNN's Bob Franken just after the top of the hour.
Finally free: A Filipino truck driver released by his captors today in Iraq after his country made good on a promise to withdraw all 51 of its humanitarian troops. Kidnappers have been holding the father of eight since July 7th and had threatened to behead him if the Philippine government didn't meet their demands.
And it was 35 years ago today that the Eagle finally landed. Coming up in the next hour of LIVE FROM, Miles O'Brien recalls the mission of Apollo 11 and how the entire world was captivated by man's first footsteps on the moon.
Keeping you informed, CNN, the most trusted name in news. She was silent and stoic through her trial, but Martha Stewart is talking now. Last night she joined CNN's Larry King to talk about being talked about.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LARRY KING, HOST, "LARRY KING LIVE": We're back with Martha Stewart. We'll go to some of your calls at the bottom of the hour. What did you mean by shameful?
MARTHA STEWART, FOUNDER, MARTHA STEWART LIVING OMNIMEDIA: Well, it is shameful. It's shameful to me. I feel both shamed and that the situation for me was shameful, for my family, for my friends, for my company. It's a word.
KING: How about the press and you? Especially some of the press. "The New York Post" has been very hard on you. The tabloid media very difficult on you.
STEWART: Well, f you go to the Midwest there's none of those stories. You know, just...
KING: So what do you think it is? You live in New York. You're an easy target?
STEWART: I think that it sells newspapers. That's really -- that's it. And the stories are really something. Aren't they?
KING: Do you ever wonder why people like to see bad things happen to prominent people?
STEWART: Well, I've been told during this whole process that in America, we like to build them up, we like to break them down, we like to see them suffer, we like to see success turn into failure.
I don't. I am a hero worshipper. I love the number one tennis player. I love the number one baseball player. I want to see those -- those records broken.
KING: You root for the Yankees.
STEWART: Of course, I'm a Yankees fan.
KING: Figures.
STEWART: Don't hold that against me.
KING: Oh, no, no, I like George.
STEWART: No, but, see, I have never felt that way. When someone is successful, I just applaud. And if they're doing good things, I applaud them even louder.
KING: How about an image that some people thought you arrogant?
STEWART: Well, again, in my letter to the judge, I said that... KING: You mentioned that.
STEWART: Yes, I have been perceived as arrogant. And -- and my explanation was that, you know, I work really, really hard. I'm really hard on myself, Larry. You know that. You know how many hours a day I put in at the job.
KING: You carry your own equipment.
STEWART: Whatever.
KING: You do.
STEWART: But I -- I have sometimes probably forgotten, and I know I have, forgotten pat the back of someone or said thank you, you know, enough times or even maybe once sometimes.
So I -- you know, I wish I were perfect. I wish I were just the, you know, the nicest, nicest, nicest person on earth, but I'm a businessperson in addition to a creator of domestic arts. And it's an odd combination.
No excuse. But if I were a man, you know, no one would say I was arrogant.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: Even as she mulls whether to appeal or serve her sentence handed down, Martha Stewart is already planning a new project based on her courtroom experiences which she described as, at one point, as dishonest.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KING: What was your reaction when the juror did speak out in a way that seemed prejudicial?
STEWART: Chappell Hartridge?
KING: Yes.
STEWART: Well, it's quite obvious that he did perjure himself, and that is one of the points in our appeal. To have a juror who misleads the process -- in the process is dishonest.
KING: What was your reaction? How did you hear it by the way? Just watch the news?
STEWART: Oh, I watched -- he was the first one out the door to talk to the press. And it's disheartening, because the judge was in such favor of the jury and had instructed them each and every day.
KING: This process taught you what?
STEWART: It taught me a lot of things. And I think I'll write a book, because I think it could be helpful to other people just about -- just about what lawyer to choose, how to behave, how to attend an interview.
I mean, there's things that -- you know, there's no how-to book about this.
KING: No, there isn't.
STEWART: There isn't. Not that, you know, it's going to be a big best seller, but for anybody who has to go through this process, there should be some guidelines, because guidelines would help.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: Tomorrow night: Politics takes center stage on CNN's "LARRY KING LIVE." Democratic Senator and VP Candidate John Edwards and his wife Elizabeth join Larry for the full hour. That's Wednesday night at 9:00 Eastern.
One small step, one big celebration. One tremendous assignment for Miles O'Brien. Today marks the anniversary of America's first moon landing. How much are you willing to pay to go to the moon in the future?
This Bud not for you: an American beer controversy brewing in Europe.
And the world's sexiest vegetarian. We cannot make this stuff up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: All the candidates face major issue, including wooing minority voters and concerns about the economy. That leads us, of course, as it does every Tuesday to our "American Voices" segment with Frank Newport, Gallup's editor-in-chief.
Frank, good to see you. Let's talk about this wooing of these minority voters. Is it working for the candidates?
FRANK NEWPORT, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, GALLUP: Well, we can show you our annual update, Gallup's annual update on minority and ethnic relations, including questions about politics.
We're able to break down with very large samples of both blacks and Hispanics. And we can tell you who you're going to vote for.
Among whites, this is an aggregate across June, 53 to 41. Bush has a comfortable lead. Among blacks, it's really a question of turnout for the Democratic candidate. There's been no recent election in which a Republican presidential candidate has gotten a significant percent of the black vote.
That's the case now. Look at the numbers: 81 to 12. Blacks say they're voting for Kerry over Bush. So it's really just Kerry, the Democrats trying to get turnout.
Hispanics more in play. They are leaning towards Kerry at this point. Hispanic voters nationally 38 to 57.
But Bush is out there, you know? Last week, we saw him courting Cubans down in Miami. So the Republicans think they can up the percentage of Hispanics, apparently, at this point -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: All right. Alan Greenspan testifies on Capitol Hill today on the state of the economy, which is always an issue for voters. Americans starting to become more positive about the economy?
NEWPORT: Well, everything is relative. We are seeing some upticks in consumer confidence across a series of measures. Not overwhelmingly, but some uptick.
But look what's concerning Americans. Overwhelmingly -- this is quite fascinating, Kyra -- 78 percent of Americans are convinced that interest rates are going to go up further over the next six months. And another 62 say inflation is going to go up, and that's higher than the percent that are confident that economic growth is going to go up and quite a bit higher of the percentage who say the stock market is going to go up.
So, if nothing else, Americans are convinced that interest rates are going up. And that could be a damper on economic confidence, because a lot of Americans depend on lower interest rates for home equity and, of course, for credit card rates.
PHILLIPS: All right. We reported about the problems with obesity in American society. Last week the government decided to start classifying obesity as a disease. We talked about that.
What does polling show on that?
NEWPORT: Well, we just happened to have asked that exact question about obesity. We asked Americans is obesity a disease, which is what the government said it was, or is it just a lifestyle choice.
And look at this: Americans aren't very sympathetic to this disease model idea. In fact, overwhelmingly they're not sympathetic. Seventy-five percent of Americans say obesity is a lifestyle choice; only 21 percent go along with the disease.
Even those Americans who say they are overweight themselves in the survey still were no more likely than anybody else to say it was a disease. So there's no buy into this concept of obesity as a disease, at least at this point.
PHILLIPS: All right. Finally, Frank, an important day in history. Miles has been talking about it all day. Thirty-five years ago Neil Armstrong became the first man to step on the moon. We know President Bush wants to return to the moon, but are Americans willing to pay for it?
NEWPORT: Well, the operative word there is "pay for it." All of our polling, including some new polling shows that Americans like the idea of going to the moon, sending humans to the moon or even to Mars. Great concept, all in favor of it.
But if we put into the question wording would you be willing to spend billions to do it, the numbers plummet. Only 31 percent say yes. So the bottom line here is, great idea, but who's going to pay for it? That's what the taxpayer is concerned about -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: All right. We'll ask Miles in just a second. Frank, thank you.
Miles is going to be back with moon landing pictures you may never have seen before.
And here's to harmony at the World Cup. There's a fight brewing over who gets to be the official beer of the games. Why don't you tell us what you think?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Federal Reserve chairman Alan Greenspan testifying in Washington right now on the state of the U.S. economy.
Rhonda Schaffler joins us live from the New York Stock Exchange with the details -- Rhonda.
(STOCK MARKET UPDATE)
PHILLIPS: Rhonda Schaffler, thank you.
Sneaking out documents. Well, the former national security advisor is now the subject of a federal probe. We're live in Washington at the top of the hour.
But first, a long road back from the battlefields of Iraq. American troops rebuilding their lives after serving their country.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: The Iraq war has produced some tragic images and some heroic ones. What you're going to see now is a little of both. Soldiers whose bodies were altered by burns, but their spirits bear no scars.
Some of the images may be hard to take, but their courage makes it well worth it.
Here's our Beth Nissen.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BETH NISSEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This was Specialist Edward Stephenson in October. His lower legs were burned nearly to the bone after his convoy hit explosive devices near Tikrit.
This is Specialist Stephenson today after five surgeries and eight months of intensive physical therapy.
SPC. EDWARD STEPHENSON, 22ND INFANTRY DIVISION: In my heart I knew I was going to walk again. I was going to do whatever it took.
NISSEN: What it takes for those with serious burns to recover is intensive medical care, skin grafts, reconstructive surgeries and time.
LT. COL. LEE CANCIO, U.S. ARMY BURN UNIT: Progress in burn patients is sometimes slower than you see for other types of injury. Oftentimes, I have thought about this process as a kind of battle that will take months or even years to win.
NISSEN: A battle first to close wounds and prevent infection. This was Specialist Gabe Garriga last October with second- and third- degree burns over 53 percent of his body due to a fiery collision of two Humvees near Baghdad.
This is Specialist Garriga eight months later.
SPC. GABRIEL GARRIGA, 333RD M.P. COMPANY: Everything is a lot better than what it was before. I'm done with skin grafts. There's no -- I mean, there's no more skin problems. It's just pretty much healing now.
NISSEN: Specialist Aaron Coates is healing, too. Coates, seen here last October, was badly furnished on the face and hands when a rocket-propelled grenade hit the fuel truck he was driving near Kirkuk.
This is Specialist Coates today. Like most of the longer term burn patients here, he is fighting a new battle against scar tissue.
CANCIO: Scar tissue, even though it's intended to heal the wound, often causes complications. For example, the hands can contract into positions in which they can't be used.
NISSEN: Can contract into rigid claws.
SPC. AARON COATES, 173RD AIRBORNE BRIGADE: There are a lot of things I can't do, like tie shoes. I don't have the grip to open containers yet, because the thumb -- the joints in these fingers don't -- don't work.
NISSEN: Thick scar tissue has also formed on his face, restricting his facial expressions, his ability to speak.
COATES: They're going to do surgery to help fix that heal pretty soon. They haven't started anything yet, because it's still maturing and still have young scars.
NISSEN: Corporal Jose Martinez is further along in that process. More than a year ago, he suffered third degree burns on his arms, hands, head and face when his Humvee hit a land mine in Karbala, Iraq.
CPL. JOSE MARTINEZ, 101ST AIRBORNE: I heard people all the time saying that, you know, in a split second your life can change. One minute you're just a totally normal guy, and the next minute you're disfigured with all these scars all over. NISSEN: Martinez has already had 24 surgeries: skin grafts, fracture repair, plastic surgery, with more operations to come.
Sergeant Josh Forbess faces extensive plastic surgery, too. He was one of the few survivors pulled from the flaming wreckage of two Black Hawk helicopters after they collided over Mosul, Iraq, on November 15, 2003.
MAJ. SANDRA WANEK, BURN UNIT SURGEON: He had severe burns to his face and scalp that were down to the bone on his head. His eyes, the lids both upper and lower were burned. He had severe nasal burns.
NISSEN: Now an outpatient and hospital volunteer, Forbess knows his reconstruction will take two, even three years.
SGT. JOSHUA FORBESS, 101ST AIRBORNE: They're going to try to take these scars away on the right side of my face. And a slow process but I'll be done.
NISSEN: He knows he won't ever look like the young man he was just a few years ago.
CANCIO: No procedure can return a patient with very deep burns to their former state, by any means. There is no perfect solution to those problems.
NISSEN: A temporary solution? Prosthetics. A few weeks ago Sergeant Forbess was fitted with a prosthetic nose and ear.
FORBESS: I use adhesive and they just stick on there, and at the end of the day, take them off and clean all the adhesive off of them.
NISSEN: Eventually surgeons hope to be able to rebuild a nose from Forbess' own skin, give Forbess a more permanent prosthetic ear.
FORBESS: They're going to actually put posts in my head so I can actually clip it on from then on out.
NISSEN: A visitor to these physical therapy rooms have to look hard for anger, depression, self-pity, regret.
COATES: It could have been a lot worse. I was sitting on a thousand gallons of fuel and got hit, so a lot of people told me I shouldn't have walked away from it and I did.
STEPHENSON: I still get moments like a lot of the other soldiers that are here, you know, "Hey, send me back, have me do my job."
NISSEN (on camera): Would you go back to Iraq?
FORBESS: In a heartbeat.
MARTINEZ: I was going to follow any order that my -- that the president would give. And I followed that order. You know, and there's no regrets. There's no complaints at all.
NISSEN: No regrets?
MARTINEZ: No regrets.
NISSEN (voice-over): Beth Nissen, CNN, San Antonio.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
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Aired July 20, 2004 - 14:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ANN LEWIS, FMR. COUNSELOR TO PRESIDENT CLINTON: John Kerry and John Edwards think absolutely we ought to give our troops all they need. We ought to stand with our veterans and stop trying to raise the price of their healthcare.
And you know what? Let's have less money for Halliburton, more money going to the troops, who are risking everything.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: And Bush's -- he scored pretty well with rural voters if you look back at the last election. Are you going to have to adjust your tactics here at all?
LEWIS: Well, we're seeing much more interest from rural voters this year, much stronger support for the Kerry/Edwards team. You know, rural voters are really among the people who are getting so squeezed by George Bush's economy.
As so many people have said lately, this really is a two-tract economy. For those people who are already doing pretty well, they get to do even better. But for hard-working people who are just watching their paycheck week to week, watching those dollars, these are tough times.
The price of gas, which is higher now than it has ever been after three years -- again, with George Bush in office. As you've noticed, we're paying more for gas prices. Boy, that really hurts in rural communities. People have to drive farther. They use gasoline to operate farm equipment.
Farmers aren't working on much of a margin to begin with. And the cost to rural communities of the George Bush gas hike has been really devastating to some of their economies.
So, we have a strong economic message for rural communities, and it's being very well received.
PHILLIPS: Ann, I've got to ask you this, of course, a story we've been talking about today. And that is Former National Security Advisor Sandy Berger removing these secret documents from the National Archives to prepare for the 9/11 Commission hearings.
First of all, because Sandy Berger is an informal advisor on national security issues to John Kerry, are you concerned about this?
LEWIS: Well, of course, we're watching this very closely. And in fact, there is, as I understand, an investigation going on.
But let's be clear. Again, I want to talk about the bottom line. The 9/11 Commission has said that this is making no difference to their operations. They have the documents.
No one has suggested that those original documents are not still there. They are. What we're talking about is, as I understand it from the news sources, are some handwritten notes that Sandy made himself and some memoranda of work he actually worked on while he was in the White House.
So, again, in terms of the 9/11 Commission, which is preparing its report, they have the information they need. That, I think, is really important to all of us. And now let's see how this develops.
PHILLIPS: Ann Lewis, chairwoman of the DNC Women's Vote Center. Thank you very much. We appreciate you sticking around with us today.
We also want to let you know Wolf Blitzer reports tonight. Sandy Berger's lawyer, Lanny Breuer, will be joining him at 5 p.m. Eastern Time today.
Also, we want to take a quick check from Wall Street at the big board. Take a look at the numbers as we head off to the break.
LIVE FROM continues right after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Same story, different versions. Former National Security Advisor Samuel Berger calls it an unintentional mistake that he removed secret documents from the National Archives.
It happened while the former Clinton aide was reviewing records of the 9/11 Commission. Law enforcement sources tell CNN some of the papers were just stuffed into his socks.
A federal probe into the matter has been going on since October. Some question whether the news was leaked for political reasons.
We'll have a live report from CNN's Bob Franken just after the top of the hour.
Finally free: A Filipino truck driver released by his captors today in Iraq after his country made good on a promise to withdraw all 51 of its humanitarian troops. Kidnappers have been holding the father of eight since July 7th and had threatened to behead him if the Philippine government didn't meet their demands.
And it was 35 years ago today that the Eagle finally landed. Coming up in the next hour of LIVE FROM, Miles O'Brien recalls the mission of Apollo 11 and how the entire world was captivated by man's first footsteps on the moon.
Keeping you informed, CNN, the most trusted name in news. She was silent and stoic through her trial, but Martha Stewart is talking now. Last night she joined CNN's Larry King to talk about being talked about.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LARRY KING, HOST, "LARRY KING LIVE": We're back with Martha Stewart. We'll go to some of your calls at the bottom of the hour. What did you mean by shameful?
MARTHA STEWART, FOUNDER, MARTHA STEWART LIVING OMNIMEDIA: Well, it is shameful. It's shameful to me. I feel both shamed and that the situation for me was shameful, for my family, for my friends, for my company. It's a word.
KING: How about the press and you? Especially some of the press. "The New York Post" has been very hard on you. The tabloid media very difficult on you.
STEWART: Well, f you go to the Midwest there's none of those stories. You know, just...
KING: So what do you think it is? You live in New York. You're an easy target?
STEWART: I think that it sells newspapers. That's really -- that's it. And the stories are really something. Aren't they?
KING: Do you ever wonder why people like to see bad things happen to prominent people?
STEWART: Well, I've been told during this whole process that in America, we like to build them up, we like to break them down, we like to see them suffer, we like to see success turn into failure.
I don't. I am a hero worshipper. I love the number one tennis player. I love the number one baseball player. I want to see those -- those records broken.
KING: You root for the Yankees.
STEWART: Of course, I'm a Yankees fan.
KING: Figures.
STEWART: Don't hold that against me.
KING: Oh, no, no, I like George.
STEWART: No, but, see, I have never felt that way. When someone is successful, I just applaud. And if they're doing good things, I applaud them even louder.
KING: How about an image that some people thought you arrogant?
STEWART: Well, again, in my letter to the judge, I said that... KING: You mentioned that.
STEWART: Yes, I have been perceived as arrogant. And -- and my explanation was that, you know, I work really, really hard. I'm really hard on myself, Larry. You know that. You know how many hours a day I put in at the job.
KING: You carry your own equipment.
STEWART: Whatever.
KING: You do.
STEWART: But I -- I have sometimes probably forgotten, and I know I have, forgotten pat the back of someone or said thank you, you know, enough times or even maybe once sometimes.
So I -- you know, I wish I were perfect. I wish I were just the, you know, the nicest, nicest, nicest person on earth, but I'm a businessperson in addition to a creator of domestic arts. And it's an odd combination.
No excuse. But if I were a man, you know, no one would say I was arrogant.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: Even as she mulls whether to appeal or serve her sentence handed down, Martha Stewart is already planning a new project based on her courtroom experiences which she described as, at one point, as dishonest.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KING: What was your reaction when the juror did speak out in a way that seemed prejudicial?
STEWART: Chappell Hartridge?
KING: Yes.
STEWART: Well, it's quite obvious that he did perjure himself, and that is one of the points in our appeal. To have a juror who misleads the process -- in the process is dishonest.
KING: What was your reaction? How did you hear it by the way? Just watch the news?
STEWART: Oh, I watched -- he was the first one out the door to talk to the press. And it's disheartening, because the judge was in such favor of the jury and had instructed them each and every day.
KING: This process taught you what?
STEWART: It taught me a lot of things. And I think I'll write a book, because I think it could be helpful to other people just about -- just about what lawyer to choose, how to behave, how to attend an interview.
I mean, there's things that -- you know, there's no how-to book about this.
KING: No, there isn't.
STEWART: There isn't. Not that, you know, it's going to be a big best seller, but for anybody who has to go through this process, there should be some guidelines, because guidelines would help.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: Tomorrow night: Politics takes center stage on CNN's "LARRY KING LIVE." Democratic Senator and VP Candidate John Edwards and his wife Elizabeth join Larry for the full hour. That's Wednesday night at 9:00 Eastern.
One small step, one big celebration. One tremendous assignment for Miles O'Brien. Today marks the anniversary of America's first moon landing. How much are you willing to pay to go to the moon in the future?
This Bud not for you: an American beer controversy brewing in Europe.
And the world's sexiest vegetarian. We cannot make this stuff up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: All the candidates face major issue, including wooing minority voters and concerns about the economy. That leads us, of course, as it does every Tuesday to our "American Voices" segment with Frank Newport, Gallup's editor-in-chief.
Frank, good to see you. Let's talk about this wooing of these minority voters. Is it working for the candidates?
FRANK NEWPORT, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, GALLUP: Well, we can show you our annual update, Gallup's annual update on minority and ethnic relations, including questions about politics.
We're able to break down with very large samples of both blacks and Hispanics. And we can tell you who you're going to vote for.
Among whites, this is an aggregate across June, 53 to 41. Bush has a comfortable lead. Among blacks, it's really a question of turnout for the Democratic candidate. There's been no recent election in which a Republican presidential candidate has gotten a significant percent of the black vote.
That's the case now. Look at the numbers: 81 to 12. Blacks say they're voting for Kerry over Bush. So it's really just Kerry, the Democrats trying to get turnout.
Hispanics more in play. They are leaning towards Kerry at this point. Hispanic voters nationally 38 to 57.
But Bush is out there, you know? Last week, we saw him courting Cubans down in Miami. So the Republicans think they can up the percentage of Hispanics, apparently, at this point -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: All right. Alan Greenspan testifies on Capitol Hill today on the state of the economy, which is always an issue for voters. Americans starting to become more positive about the economy?
NEWPORT: Well, everything is relative. We are seeing some upticks in consumer confidence across a series of measures. Not overwhelmingly, but some uptick.
But look what's concerning Americans. Overwhelmingly -- this is quite fascinating, Kyra -- 78 percent of Americans are convinced that interest rates are going to go up further over the next six months. And another 62 say inflation is going to go up, and that's higher than the percent that are confident that economic growth is going to go up and quite a bit higher of the percentage who say the stock market is going to go up.
So, if nothing else, Americans are convinced that interest rates are going up. And that could be a damper on economic confidence, because a lot of Americans depend on lower interest rates for home equity and, of course, for credit card rates.
PHILLIPS: All right. We reported about the problems with obesity in American society. Last week the government decided to start classifying obesity as a disease. We talked about that.
What does polling show on that?
NEWPORT: Well, we just happened to have asked that exact question about obesity. We asked Americans is obesity a disease, which is what the government said it was, or is it just a lifestyle choice.
And look at this: Americans aren't very sympathetic to this disease model idea. In fact, overwhelmingly they're not sympathetic. Seventy-five percent of Americans say obesity is a lifestyle choice; only 21 percent go along with the disease.
Even those Americans who say they are overweight themselves in the survey still were no more likely than anybody else to say it was a disease. So there's no buy into this concept of obesity as a disease, at least at this point.
PHILLIPS: All right. Finally, Frank, an important day in history. Miles has been talking about it all day. Thirty-five years ago Neil Armstrong became the first man to step on the moon. We know President Bush wants to return to the moon, but are Americans willing to pay for it?
NEWPORT: Well, the operative word there is "pay for it." All of our polling, including some new polling shows that Americans like the idea of going to the moon, sending humans to the moon or even to Mars. Great concept, all in favor of it.
But if we put into the question wording would you be willing to spend billions to do it, the numbers plummet. Only 31 percent say yes. So the bottom line here is, great idea, but who's going to pay for it? That's what the taxpayer is concerned about -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: All right. We'll ask Miles in just a second. Frank, thank you.
Miles is going to be back with moon landing pictures you may never have seen before.
And here's to harmony at the World Cup. There's a fight brewing over who gets to be the official beer of the games. Why don't you tell us what you think?
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PHILLIPS: Federal Reserve chairman Alan Greenspan testifying in Washington right now on the state of the U.S. economy.
Rhonda Schaffler joins us live from the New York Stock Exchange with the details -- Rhonda.
(STOCK MARKET UPDATE)
PHILLIPS: Rhonda Schaffler, thank you.
Sneaking out documents. Well, the former national security advisor is now the subject of a federal probe. We're live in Washington at the top of the hour.
But first, a long road back from the battlefields of Iraq. American troops rebuilding their lives after serving their country.
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PHILLIPS: The Iraq war has produced some tragic images and some heroic ones. What you're going to see now is a little of both. Soldiers whose bodies were altered by burns, but their spirits bear no scars.
Some of the images may be hard to take, but their courage makes it well worth it.
Here's our Beth Nissen.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BETH NISSEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This was Specialist Edward Stephenson in October. His lower legs were burned nearly to the bone after his convoy hit explosive devices near Tikrit.
This is Specialist Stephenson today after five surgeries and eight months of intensive physical therapy.
SPC. EDWARD STEPHENSON, 22ND INFANTRY DIVISION: In my heart I knew I was going to walk again. I was going to do whatever it took.
NISSEN: What it takes for those with serious burns to recover is intensive medical care, skin grafts, reconstructive surgeries and time.
LT. COL. LEE CANCIO, U.S. ARMY BURN UNIT: Progress in burn patients is sometimes slower than you see for other types of injury. Oftentimes, I have thought about this process as a kind of battle that will take months or even years to win.
NISSEN: A battle first to close wounds and prevent infection. This was Specialist Gabe Garriga last October with second- and third- degree burns over 53 percent of his body due to a fiery collision of two Humvees near Baghdad.
This is Specialist Garriga eight months later.
SPC. GABRIEL GARRIGA, 333RD M.P. COMPANY: Everything is a lot better than what it was before. I'm done with skin grafts. There's no -- I mean, there's no more skin problems. It's just pretty much healing now.
NISSEN: Specialist Aaron Coates is healing, too. Coates, seen here last October, was badly furnished on the face and hands when a rocket-propelled grenade hit the fuel truck he was driving near Kirkuk.
This is Specialist Coates today. Like most of the longer term burn patients here, he is fighting a new battle against scar tissue.
CANCIO: Scar tissue, even though it's intended to heal the wound, often causes complications. For example, the hands can contract into positions in which they can't be used.
NISSEN: Can contract into rigid claws.
SPC. AARON COATES, 173RD AIRBORNE BRIGADE: There are a lot of things I can't do, like tie shoes. I don't have the grip to open containers yet, because the thumb -- the joints in these fingers don't -- don't work.
NISSEN: Thick scar tissue has also formed on his face, restricting his facial expressions, his ability to speak.
COATES: They're going to do surgery to help fix that heal pretty soon. They haven't started anything yet, because it's still maturing and still have young scars.
NISSEN: Corporal Jose Martinez is further along in that process. More than a year ago, he suffered third degree burns on his arms, hands, head and face when his Humvee hit a land mine in Karbala, Iraq.
CPL. JOSE MARTINEZ, 101ST AIRBORNE: I heard people all the time saying that, you know, in a split second your life can change. One minute you're just a totally normal guy, and the next minute you're disfigured with all these scars all over. NISSEN: Martinez has already had 24 surgeries: skin grafts, fracture repair, plastic surgery, with more operations to come.
Sergeant Josh Forbess faces extensive plastic surgery, too. He was one of the few survivors pulled from the flaming wreckage of two Black Hawk helicopters after they collided over Mosul, Iraq, on November 15, 2003.
MAJ. SANDRA WANEK, BURN UNIT SURGEON: He had severe burns to his face and scalp that were down to the bone on his head. His eyes, the lids both upper and lower were burned. He had severe nasal burns.
NISSEN: Now an outpatient and hospital volunteer, Forbess knows his reconstruction will take two, even three years.
SGT. JOSHUA FORBESS, 101ST AIRBORNE: They're going to try to take these scars away on the right side of my face. And a slow process but I'll be done.
NISSEN: He knows he won't ever look like the young man he was just a few years ago.
CANCIO: No procedure can return a patient with very deep burns to their former state, by any means. There is no perfect solution to those problems.
NISSEN: A temporary solution? Prosthetics. A few weeks ago Sergeant Forbess was fitted with a prosthetic nose and ear.
FORBESS: I use adhesive and they just stick on there, and at the end of the day, take them off and clean all the adhesive off of them.
NISSEN: Eventually surgeons hope to be able to rebuild a nose from Forbess' own skin, give Forbess a more permanent prosthetic ear.
FORBESS: They're going to actually put posts in my head so I can actually clip it on from then on out.
NISSEN: A visitor to these physical therapy rooms have to look hard for anger, depression, self-pity, regret.
COATES: It could have been a lot worse. I was sitting on a thousand gallons of fuel and got hit, so a lot of people told me I shouldn't have walked away from it and I did.
STEPHENSON: I still get moments like a lot of the other soldiers that are here, you know, "Hey, send me back, have me do my job."
NISSEN (on camera): Would you go back to Iraq?
FORBESS: In a heartbeat.
MARTINEZ: I was going to follow any order that my -- that the president would give. And I followed that order. You know, and there's no regrets. There's no complaints at all.
NISSEN: No regrets?
MARTINEZ: No regrets.
NISSEN (voice-over): Beth Nissen, CNN, San Antonio.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
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