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Citrus Farmers Hard Hit by Charley; New Mexico Native Americans New Mexico Favoring Kerry; Bush's Approval Rating Above 50 Percent; Bride Uses Web to Try to Find Cell Donor; Google Asks Permission to Close Out IPO; FBI Questioning Activists
Aired August 17, 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.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Florida's Agriculture and Consumer Services Commissioner Charles Bronson, has been touring that damage, also. He's with us from Tallahassee.
Obviously, Commissioner, we have a lot to talk about, not just the citrus situation. But let's go ahead and start there and talk about how Charley has affected it.
I was reading that Florida ranked ninth nationally in agriculture sales last year, about $7 billion, the industry contributed about $62 billion to the state economy. And of course, we're talking about the production of oranges, a big part of that. What's going to happen now?
CHARLES BRONSON, FLORIDA'S COMMISSIONER OF AGRICULTURE: Well, we're in -- we're in real deep straits early on. We won't know the total damages for another four to six weeks. But we believe that, in some areas I saw yesterday, we will lose anywhere from 40 percent loss -- total loss of oranges, up to 100 percent in certain areas.
The nursery industry also was damaged very heavily by this storm.
PHILLIPS: So, put this in the perspective for us that we like to eat oranges, drink orange juice: Does this mean less produce on the shelves?
BRONSON: Well, it will mean less orange juice, for sure. There wasn't near as much damage in that area to fresh fruit as there was to the orange juice oranges that were to be picked this next year.
PHILLIPS: So, will the farmers be able to receive a certain amount of money? How quickly will that money and that aid get to them?
BRONSON: Well, luckily yesterday when I made my tour, I told the governor that I was going to make a full tour of agriculture and give him a report, which I have done.
But U.S. Undersecretary Bill Hawks flew with me yesterday, along with Congressman Adam Putnam, to view the actual and, really, in my opinion, to have a USDA person to see it directly is much better than me sending a letter or phone call to tell them how bad it is. It's good for them to see, and they were there.
PHILLIPS: Sure hope it speeds up the process, too.
Let's talk reconstruction. We talked a little bit about this yesterday, too. When you think of all the necessities, the wood and the building supplies to reconstruct the areas that have been hit hard, you look at the contractors that have gone over to Iraq to help there.
Are you strapped with regard to supplies and workers?
PHILLIPS: Well, so far, we've had a lot of good corporate businesses that have come in and volunteered to send supplies to us at all levels.
I have at least seven divisions of the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Service that are -- personnel are out there working right now on 12-hour shifts. We have two shifts going around the clock.
And the supplies are coming in. The ECO at the state and local levels have been working very good together.
And it looks like we have learned -- we have learned a lot from the major Hurricane Andrew down in south Florida in '92. A lot of those issues have been taken care of. We were able to get a lot more help to the people a lot quicker this time.
PHILLIPS: That's good. Good news at least. What about voting in the election process? I know you've got a primary election just around the corner. Are you concerned about that?
BRONSON: Well, I'm glad that's not part of my job description, but I believe the Secretary of State Glenda Hood is working on that along with the governor. They're trying to make some decisions on whether or not the full election can take place or the primary can take place with the damage that's down there. They're assessing that.
And I understand that they'll be coming up with a decision here before too long.
PHILLIPS: Well, Commissioner, I finally have to ask you about this -- and it's something that all of us find so hard to believe when people are already devastated by something like this -- but the price gouging and the looters, please address both of those.
Tell me how you're dealing with it. Tell me how you're going to prosecute and how bad it really is.
BRONSON: Well, we made a statement the other day that we're not playing around here. For those people who come into the state of Florida to rip off our citizens who are under stress from a major catastrophe, we will prosecute if it's a criminal offense. We will fine them if it's an offense against a rules and regulations on price gouging.
And we do have a number of those calls in, and we are processing them. We plan to hit them pretty hard with some fines. And if there's any criminal activity, we will work with the attorney general's office to make sure that they are fully prosecuted.
PHILLIPS: Florida's Agriculture and Consumer Services Commissioner Charles Bronson. I know you're a busy man, and you're working around the clock, too. Sir, thanks so much for your time today.
BRONSON: Thank you.
PHILLIPS: The perfect gift for a New Jersey bride to be isn't from the usual department store. Instead, click on the Web site that could save her life.
Also ahead, protest at your own risk, the FBI is watching you.
And great Google: Last call to get it on the ground floor.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Well it's less than three months until Americans go to the polls and vote for president. CNN's Richard Quest has jumped the pond from London to gauge voter sentiment here in America. His latest stop, Gallup, New Mexico.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RICHARD QUEST, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The desert southwest. This is true Native American country. Where, during the summer months, Indian dancers put on a show.
Getting here has taken me along America's most famous road, Route 66, to Gallup, New Mexico, and a local land mine.
The El Rancho Hotel where Hollywood stars John Wayne, Doris Day, even Ronald Reagan stayed when they made western movies. Today it's a perfect place to hear from the Navajo tribal leader about why he's endorsed Senator John Kerry.
JOE SHALEY, PRESIDENT, NAVAJO NATION: Right now, we're not sitting at the table. We're being treated like programs, you know, by the U.S. government. And that's not like being treated like a nation.
QUEST: Polls show Native Americans who support President Bush are few and far between. But they rally strong arguments in his favor.
JOHN GONZALES, NATIVE AMERICANS FOR BUSH: I believe very firmly in what President Bush has -- is doing as far and as the fighting terrorism is concerned. I don't want terrorism to be fought in this country. I'd rather have it fought in their country.
QUEST: The Indians remain among America's poorest people. Issues of sovereignty, healthcare and education are top priorities. And they believe when the U.S. government is involved, help should begin at home.
MAYOR BOB ROSEBROUGH, GALLUP, NEW MEXICO: We're 140 years after the conquest of Navajo people. Navajo people, by and large, do not have running water. We're intent in solving the world's problems, solving problems in Afghanistan, Iraq, many of which are justified. But we have forgotten about the unsolved issues in America.
QUEST: A sacred tribal ceremony of mixing a cake to mark passages, coming of age. I've been honored that I can take part.
Four years ago in the presidential race, the Democrats won New Mexico by 366 votes. And that means this time everyone is courting their support.
SHALEY: I do believe that the Native Americans collectively can be the swing vote in several states. I don't know if you call that power; we like to believe we can make a difference.
QUEST (on camera): The total number of Native Americans is relatively small. And what a state like New Mexico shows is that in a tight election, like 2004, these minorities take on a new importance. So, the American Indians are enjoying more electoral power than they have in decades.
Richard Quest, CNN, Gallup, New Mexico.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: From politics to the polls: Some new figures about the president's job approval rating may be pretty popular at the White House today.
Gallup editor-in-chief Frank Newport is crunching the numbers for us in Princeton, New Jersey.
And Frank, now that the president's approval rating is above 50 percent, how does this look historically?
FRANK NEWPORT, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, GALLUP: Well, the 50 percent line has gotten what I would call symbolic importance over the years, although if you look at it technically, Bush's job approval rating was at 49 percent just a few weeks ago. So, a movement from 49 to 51 ordinarily would be no big deal.
But we do draw this kind of line for an incumbent at 50 percent, the majority line. Presidents who have won reelection, incumbents who have been reelected, have had above 50 percent. Actually, a little more about 50 percent, 51 over the years.
And those who've lost have had quite a bit below. In fact, Bush's father at this point in 1992 was way below 50 percent, down in the 30 percent range.
So, it's symbolically important for Bush that he's above 50 percent. But he's not much above. And we'll have to wait and see whether that drops back down again or stays up before we begin to use it as any kind of guide for his probability of being reelected -- Betty. NGUYEN: Frank, the Dow soared on Monday, a lot of investors happy about this. Is this an indication that people have come out of their economic depression?
NEWPORT: Well, it is not. All of our data suggests that we cannot get the American public to kind of break out in bursts of optimism about the economy. In fact, if anything they've become slightly more pessimistic nationally about the economy in recent weeks.
Notice as recently as mid-July, 51 percent of Americans said the economy in the U.S. was getting better; 38 said it was getting worse. But that gap has actually closed. And now in our most recent Gallup poll for August, it's dead even. As many Americans say it's getting worse as say it's getting better, and that's certainly not progress, attitudinally speaking.
In fact, here's our August readings at Gallup, for a question we've been asking since the '30s. What's the most important problem facing the country? It's the economy, Iraq, terrorism, unemployment and healthcare. Those you hear a lot about, of course, on the campaign trail. Candidates trying to address these issues.
But notice, if you put the economy and unemployment together, you've got well over 30, even up to 40 percent of Americans who mention some aspect of the economy. So, all in all, I would still say the economy is a major issue for American voters at this point.
NGUYEN: Let's talk a little bit about the Olympics now. Michael Phelps missed his chance at seven gold medals in Athens, but it seems like swimming is the sport to watch. Is that the case?
NEWPORT: Well, indeed. The people like swimming, but there's some interesting gender differences here.
We asked Americans right before the Olympics began what's your favorite sport to watch at the summer Olympics? And here's what men tell us. Actually, I have to say the gymnastics seems to be the big pivot point.
Notice, men it's track and field and swimming is right up there. Only nine percent say gymnastics. These are men. And interesting, only six percent of men volunteered that basketball is their favorite Olympic sport.
Look at women. What's tied for number one up there? Well, it is gymnastics, right up there with swimming, top sports. Then track and field. Diving comes in quite a bit below that.
So, if you're a woman, gymnastics really attracts your attention, along with swimming. If you're a man, it's track and field and swimming, but gymnastics kind of a "yecch" as far as the male of the species is concerned. At least based on our data -- Betty.
NGUYEN: All right, Frank Newport. Thank you -- Kyra. PHILLIPS: There are currently five million people on the national marrow donor program database. Seventy percent of them need stem cell transplants, and they don't have a matching donor.
Now, here's the story of one young woman who, along with her friends and family, have refused to accept the odds. Senior medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta introduces us to her using her own home videos.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Pia Awal, she's a 29-year-old beautiful woman. In so many ways, she's living the dream, working with children as a schoolteacher and recently engaged to be married.
PIA AWAL, CANCER PATIENT: Tim got a gift today for our engagement.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: For our engagement?
AWAL: Today was -- Today was supposed to be our party.
GUPTA: But that party didn't happen, because Pia also has cancer. In fact, on the day she and fiance Tim Dutta expected to be at their engagement party, she's in the hospital undergoing rounds of chemo.
TIM DUTTA, PIA AWAL'S FIANCE: Are you ready for your treatment, Pia?
GUPTA: She has had a relapse of a disease she thought she beat two years ago, acute myelogenous leukemia, a cancer of the blood in which immature white blood cells reproduce at an alarming rate.
AWAL: We are scheduling your treatments and finding a donor. It's like -- it's hard. It's hard to make that your life. It's hard to just have that be your focus instead of, you know, my job or a career.
GUPTA: Doctors now say Pia's best chance is getting a stem cell transplant. But of course, a transplant needs a donor.
DUTTA: For Indians and Pakistanis, there's less than 50,000 donors in the whole world. So, the chance of her surviving, this donor, is one in 20,000 or 1 in 100,000.
GUPTA: But the community has rallied. The desperate need to find a donor has spurred family and friends to organize donor drives. They have gathered over 4,000 possible donors at 65 drives in 15 cities.
AWAL: I'm so excited by this, because you know, not only will we potentially help me, we're potentially helping so many, you know, hundreds of other people who may need a stem cell transplant.
GUPTA: Still, for now, the odds have not been in Pia's favor. So, she and an entire community continue to wait.
Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN, Atlanta.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: And yes, Pia is still waiting for a donor. The odds are one in 20,000 to 1 in 100,000 in identifying an unrelated compatible marrow donor. They're much higher, however, for patients of minority heritage.
That's because stem cell transplants require matching certain tissue traits of the donor and patient. And because these traits are inherited, a patient's most likely match is another family member.
For more information, you can log on to matchpia.org.
NGUYEN: Shifting gears now, it's spelled GOOG for all your investors, the New York stock symbol that's got all the buzz. We're live in New York with that.
Plus, Scott Peterson's attorneys could get their turn to question his former mistress this afternoon.
And move over Bush and Kerry, it's Mr. Peanut versus Tony the Tiger and the AFLAC duck.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Well the Web's number one search engine is revving its motor, but it's market -- for it's market debut, rather. Wall street is watching closely for Google's initial public offering.
Mary Snow is, too. Hi, Mary.
MARY SNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, there, Kyra.
You know, just as a Broadway show, there's a lot of anticipation before it or a summer blockbuster. On Wall Street and on Main Street a lot of buzz about Google, this highly recognized name.
And Google really breaking from conventional Wall Street ways, having a Dutch auction for its initial public offering that has been so hyped.
In just a short while, Google has asked the Securities and Exchange Commission to formally give its OK by 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time today to give forward and be able to closeout the bidding process, which began on Friday. And that would set in motion Google being able to price its shares and possibly begin trading as early as tomorrow.
Now the range is $108 to $135. The bidding process began on Friday. Because of regulations it's a quiet period. So, really, there's no say on how this bidding process is going.
But the fact that Google said it was ready to close it out has led to a lot of speculation, some saying that things perhaps are going very well, others saying that perhaps demand is weak.
And those who follow IPOs say that these kinds of auctions can be very Tricky, because as a potential bidder you don't really know what's on the other end.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TOM TAULLI, CURRENTOFFERINGS.COM: In a way, you're gambling. You know, hopefully you get a good price on this deal, but you may not. Maybe it is weak. And the company is trying to accelerate this auction to make it look like there's demand to encourage people to get off the fence and to start bidding.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SNOW: Now to just put it into perspective. The largest IPO to date is AT&T Wireless, raising $10.6 billion.
Despite all the hype about Google, it would not be the biggest. It is hoping to raise $3.3 billion, which would rank it about number nine on the list of top IPOs in the U.S.
If it does begin trading, it will -- tomorrow that is, it will be trading at the NASDAQ on -- under the ticker symbol, that is, GOOG -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: All right. Mary Snow, thanks so much. We'll keep watching it.
Chicago O'Hare Airport has gotten a lot of grief for its well- known delays recently, but a solution may be in sight.
NGUYEN: We want to go now to Rhonda Schaffler at the New York Stock Exchange for that.
Hi, Rhonda.
(STOCK MARKET REPORT)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Well, FBI tactics are raising a few eyebrows. Agents have been going door-to-door, questioning some political activists. Some call it detailed investigations; others call it intimidation.
CNN justice correspondent Kelli Arena reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KELLI ARENA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Twenty-one-year-old Sarah Bardwell has participated in some political protests in the past, but she has no plans to attend either political convention, and says none of her friends did, either.
Still, she says four FBI agents and two police officers showed up at her Denver home in July to ask her and her roommate if they or anyone they knew planned to engage in criminal activity in either Boston or New York.
SARAH BARDWELL, PEACE ACTIVIST: I think that the reason the FBI came to our house was to intimidate us out of using our First Amendment rights. And I think that they chose us, because most the people in my house have been politically involved.
ARENA: FBI officials acknowledge that after receiving information about possible disruptions at both political conventions, agents did interview a number of citizens in an effort to learn more.
Officials say the threat information was specific. For example, during the Democratic convention, the FBI said it had information about the possible bombing of media vans.
BARBARA COMSTOCK, FORMER JUSTICE DEPARTMENT SPOKESWOMAN: The FBI is following up on leads that they get to investigate criminal activity. But that is not chilling activity. That is normal, everyday police practice.
ARENA: The FBI has issued bulletins ahead of other planned protests, warning agents about potential violence. The Justice Department has said the bulletins were constitutional, because, quote, "threats of violent or destructive civil disturbance do not fall within the protection of the First Amendment."
But the American Civil Liberties Union charges the government with stepping over the line.
ANN BEESON, ACLU: It's when the FBI engages in tactics a like that, that we begin to think of what happened back in the 1960s and then 1970s when the FBI and the CIA intentionally targeted anti-war protesters.
ARENA: The ACLU says not only is the FBI interviewing protesters but infiltrating some of their meetings, all of which, it says, is seriously intimidating.
But not to Sarah Bardwell. She says the experience has made her even more committed.
Kelli Arena, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: The top of the news is next, including Oprah. She is back in the courtroom. Civic duty calls.
Plus the latest from Najaf. A tense day of battle and negotiations. All ahead on LIVE FROM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: Peace talks and explosions. We've witnessed both in the Iraqi city of Najaf today. In the midst of the gunfire, a delegation from Baghdad tries to negotiate an end to the standoff between U.S. troops and fighters loyal to a radical Shiite cleric. The latest in a moment.
Also, charges leveled in Britain against eight terrorist suspects who may have had designs on America. Police accuse the men of plotting an act of radiological terror, and evidence seized during raids this month hinted that targets are in the U.S. One of the eight is described as a key al Qaeda member.
More money for Florida and the thousands trying to get their lives back on track after Hurricane Charley. Eleven point two million dollars was allocated after members of President Bush's cabinet got a close-up look at the damage. In five minutes, we'll go to CNN's Bob Franken on the scene.
And a new prescription drug plan just for people in Illinois. Its governor says residents will soon be able to buy the medicine they need directly from pharmacy and wholesalers in Canada, Ireland and the United Kingdom. And it will all be done over the Internet.
We're keeping you informed. CNN, the most trusted name in news.
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Aired August 17, 2004 - 14:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Florida's Agriculture and Consumer Services Commissioner Charles Bronson, has been touring that damage, also. He's with us from Tallahassee.
Obviously, Commissioner, we have a lot to talk about, not just the citrus situation. But let's go ahead and start there and talk about how Charley has affected it.
I was reading that Florida ranked ninth nationally in agriculture sales last year, about $7 billion, the industry contributed about $62 billion to the state economy. And of course, we're talking about the production of oranges, a big part of that. What's going to happen now?
CHARLES BRONSON, FLORIDA'S COMMISSIONER OF AGRICULTURE: Well, we're in -- we're in real deep straits early on. We won't know the total damages for another four to six weeks. But we believe that, in some areas I saw yesterday, we will lose anywhere from 40 percent loss -- total loss of oranges, up to 100 percent in certain areas.
The nursery industry also was damaged very heavily by this storm.
PHILLIPS: So, put this in the perspective for us that we like to eat oranges, drink orange juice: Does this mean less produce on the shelves?
BRONSON: Well, it will mean less orange juice, for sure. There wasn't near as much damage in that area to fresh fruit as there was to the orange juice oranges that were to be picked this next year.
PHILLIPS: So, will the farmers be able to receive a certain amount of money? How quickly will that money and that aid get to them?
BRONSON: Well, luckily yesterday when I made my tour, I told the governor that I was going to make a full tour of agriculture and give him a report, which I have done.
But U.S. Undersecretary Bill Hawks flew with me yesterday, along with Congressman Adam Putnam, to view the actual and, really, in my opinion, to have a USDA person to see it directly is much better than me sending a letter or phone call to tell them how bad it is. It's good for them to see, and they were there.
PHILLIPS: Sure hope it speeds up the process, too.
Let's talk reconstruction. We talked a little bit about this yesterday, too. When you think of all the necessities, the wood and the building supplies to reconstruct the areas that have been hit hard, you look at the contractors that have gone over to Iraq to help there.
Are you strapped with regard to supplies and workers?
PHILLIPS: Well, so far, we've had a lot of good corporate businesses that have come in and volunteered to send supplies to us at all levels.
I have at least seven divisions of the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Service that are -- personnel are out there working right now on 12-hour shifts. We have two shifts going around the clock.
And the supplies are coming in. The ECO at the state and local levels have been working very good together.
And it looks like we have learned -- we have learned a lot from the major Hurricane Andrew down in south Florida in '92. A lot of those issues have been taken care of. We were able to get a lot more help to the people a lot quicker this time.
PHILLIPS: That's good. Good news at least. What about voting in the election process? I know you've got a primary election just around the corner. Are you concerned about that?
BRONSON: Well, I'm glad that's not part of my job description, but I believe the Secretary of State Glenda Hood is working on that along with the governor. They're trying to make some decisions on whether or not the full election can take place or the primary can take place with the damage that's down there. They're assessing that.
And I understand that they'll be coming up with a decision here before too long.
PHILLIPS: Well, Commissioner, I finally have to ask you about this -- and it's something that all of us find so hard to believe when people are already devastated by something like this -- but the price gouging and the looters, please address both of those.
Tell me how you're dealing with it. Tell me how you're going to prosecute and how bad it really is.
BRONSON: Well, we made a statement the other day that we're not playing around here. For those people who come into the state of Florida to rip off our citizens who are under stress from a major catastrophe, we will prosecute if it's a criminal offense. We will fine them if it's an offense against a rules and regulations on price gouging.
And we do have a number of those calls in, and we are processing them. We plan to hit them pretty hard with some fines. And if there's any criminal activity, we will work with the attorney general's office to make sure that they are fully prosecuted.
PHILLIPS: Florida's Agriculture and Consumer Services Commissioner Charles Bronson. I know you're a busy man, and you're working around the clock, too. Sir, thanks so much for your time today.
BRONSON: Thank you.
PHILLIPS: The perfect gift for a New Jersey bride to be isn't from the usual department store. Instead, click on the Web site that could save her life.
Also ahead, protest at your own risk, the FBI is watching you.
And great Google: Last call to get it on the ground floor.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Well it's less than three months until Americans go to the polls and vote for president. CNN's Richard Quest has jumped the pond from London to gauge voter sentiment here in America. His latest stop, Gallup, New Mexico.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RICHARD QUEST, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The desert southwest. This is true Native American country. Where, during the summer months, Indian dancers put on a show.
Getting here has taken me along America's most famous road, Route 66, to Gallup, New Mexico, and a local land mine.
The El Rancho Hotel where Hollywood stars John Wayne, Doris Day, even Ronald Reagan stayed when they made western movies. Today it's a perfect place to hear from the Navajo tribal leader about why he's endorsed Senator John Kerry.
JOE SHALEY, PRESIDENT, NAVAJO NATION: Right now, we're not sitting at the table. We're being treated like programs, you know, by the U.S. government. And that's not like being treated like a nation.
QUEST: Polls show Native Americans who support President Bush are few and far between. But they rally strong arguments in his favor.
JOHN GONZALES, NATIVE AMERICANS FOR BUSH: I believe very firmly in what President Bush has -- is doing as far and as the fighting terrorism is concerned. I don't want terrorism to be fought in this country. I'd rather have it fought in their country.
QUEST: The Indians remain among America's poorest people. Issues of sovereignty, healthcare and education are top priorities. And they believe when the U.S. government is involved, help should begin at home.
MAYOR BOB ROSEBROUGH, GALLUP, NEW MEXICO: We're 140 years after the conquest of Navajo people. Navajo people, by and large, do not have running water. We're intent in solving the world's problems, solving problems in Afghanistan, Iraq, many of which are justified. But we have forgotten about the unsolved issues in America.
QUEST: A sacred tribal ceremony of mixing a cake to mark passages, coming of age. I've been honored that I can take part.
Four years ago in the presidential race, the Democrats won New Mexico by 366 votes. And that means this time everyone is courting their support.
SHALEY: I do believe that the Native Americans collectively can be the swing vote in several states. I don't know if you call that power; we like to believe we can make a difference.
QUEST (on camera): The total number of Native Americans is relatively small. And what a state like New Mexico shows is that in a tight election, like 2004, these minorities take on a new importance. So, the American Indians are enjoying more electoral power than they have in decades.
Richard Quest, CNN, Gallup, New Mexico.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: From politics to the polls: Some new figures about the president's job approval rating may be pretty popular at the White House today.
Gallup editor-in-chief Frank Newport is crunching the numbers for us in Princeton, New Jersey.
And Frank, now that the president's approval rating is above 50 percent, how does this look historically?
FRANK NEWPORT, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, GALLUP: Well, the 50 percent line has gotten what I would call symbolic importance over the years, although if you look at it technically, Bush's job approval rating was at 49 percent just a few weeks ago. So, a movement from 49 to 51 ordinarily would be no big deal.
But we do draw this kind of line for an incumbent at 50 percent, the majority line. Presidents who have won reelection, incumbents who have been reelected, have had above 50 percent. Actually, a little more about 50 percent, 51 over the years.
And those who've lost have had quite a bit below. In fact, Bush's father at this point in 1992 was way below 50 percent, down in the 30 percent range.
So, it's symbolically important for Bush that he's above 50 percent. But he's not much above. And we'll have to wait and see whether that drops back down again or stays up before we begin to use it as any kind of guide for his probability of being reelected -- Betty. NGUYEN: Frank, the Dow soared on Monday, a lot of investors happy about this. Is this an indication that people have come out of their economic depression?
NEWPORT: Well, it is not. All of our data suggests that we cannot get the American public to kind of break out in bursts of optimism about the economy. In fact, if anything they've become slightly more pessimistic nationally about the economy in recent weeks.
Notice as recently as mid-July, 51 percent of Americans said the economy in the U.S. was getting better; 38 said it was getting worse. But that gap has actually closed. And now in our most recent Gallup poll for August, it's dead even. As many Americans say it's getting worse as say it's getting better, and that's certainly not progress, attitudinally speaking.
In fact, here's our August readings at Gallup, for a question we've been asking since the '30s. What's the most important problem facing the country? It's the economy, Iraq, terrorism, unemployment and healthcare. Those you hear a lot about, of course, on the campaign trail. Candidates trying to address these issues.
But notice, if you put the economy and unemployment together, you've got well over 30, even up to 40 percent of Americans who mention some aspect of the economy. So, all in all, I would still say the economy is a major issue for American voters at this point.
NGUYEN: Let's talk a little bit about the Olympics now. Michael Phelps missed his chance at seven gold medals in Athens, but it seems like swimming is the sport to watch. Is that the case?
NEWPORT: Well, indeed. The people like swimming, but there's some interesting gender differences here.
We asked Americans right before the Olympics began what's your favorite sport to watch at the summer Olympics? And here's what men tell us. Actually, I have to say the gymnastics seems to be the big pivot point.
Notice, men it's track and field and swimming is right up there. Only nine percent say gymnastics. These are men. And interesting, only six percent of men volunteered that basketball is their favorite Olympic sport.
Look at women. What's tied for number one up there? Well, it is gymnastics, right up there with swimming, top sports. Then track and field. Diving comes in quite a bit below that.
So, if you're a woman, gymnastics really attracts your attention, along with swimming. If you're a man, it's track and field and swimming, but gymnastics kind of a "yecch" as far as the male of the species is concerned. At least based on our data -- Betty.
NGUYEN: All right, Frank Newport. Thank you -- Kyra. PHILLIPS: There are currently five million people on the national marrow donor program database. Seventy percent of them need stem cell transplants, and they don't have a matching donor.
Now, here's the story of one young woman who, along with her friends and family, have refused to accept the odds. Senior medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta introduces us to her using her own home videos.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Pia Awal, she's a 29-year-old beautiful woman. In so many ways, she's living the dream, working with children as a schoolteacher and recently engaged to be married.
PIA AWAL, CANCER PATIENT: Tim got a gift today for our engagement.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: For our engagement?
AWAL: Today was -- Today was supposed to be our party.
GUPTA: But that party didn't happen, because Pia also has cancer. In fact, on the day she and fiance Tim Dutta expected to be at their engagement party, she's in the hospital undergoing rounds of chemo.
TIM DUTTA, PIA AWAL'S FIANCE: Are you ready for your treatment, Pia?
GUPTA: She has had a relapse of a disease she thought she beat two years ago, acute myelogenous leukemia, a cancer of the blood in which immature white blood cells reproduce at an alarming rate.
AWAL: We are scheduling your treatments and finding a donor. It's like -- it's hard. It's hard to make that your life. It's hard to just have that be your focus instead of, you know, my job or a career.
GUPTA: Doctors now say Pia's best chance is getting a stem cell transplant. But of course, a transplant needs a donor.
DUTTA: For Indians and Pakistanis, there's less than 50,000 donors in the whole world. So, the chance of her surviving, this donor, is one in 20,000 or 1 in 100,000.
GUPTA: But the community has rallied. The desperate need to find a donor has spurred family and friends to organize donor drives. They have gathered over 4,000 possible donors at 65 drives in 15 cities.
AWAL: I'm so excited by this, because you know, not only will we potentially help me, we're potentially helping so many, you know, hundreds of other people who may need a stem cell transplant.
GUPTA: Still, for now, the odds have not been in Pia's favor. So, she and an entire community continue to wait.
Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN, Atlanta.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: And yes, Pia is still waiting for a donor. The odds are one in 20,000 to 1 in 100,000 in identifying an unrelated compatible marrow donor. They're much higher, however, for patients of minority heritage.
That's because stem cell transplants require matching certain tissue traits of the donor and patient. And because these traits are inherited, a patient's most likely match is another family member.
For more information, you can log on to matchpia.org.
NGUYEN: Shifting gears now, it's spelled GOOG for all your investors, the New York stock symbol that's got all the buzz. We're live in New York with that.
Plus, Scott Peterson's attorneys could get their turn to question his former mistress this afternoon.
And move over Bush and Kerry, it's Mr. Peanut versus Tony the Tiger and the AFLAC duck.
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PHILLIPS: Well the Web's number one search engine is revving its motor, but it's market -- for it's market debut, rather. Wall street is watching closely for Google's initial public offering.
Mary Snow is, too. Hi, Mary.
MARY SNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, there, Kyra.
You know, just as a Broadway show, there's a lot of anticipation before it or a summer blockbuster. On Wall Street and on Main Street a lot of buzz about Google, this highly recognized name.
And Google really breaking from conventional Wall Street ways, having a Dutch auction for its initial public offering that has been so hyped.
In just a short while, Google has asked the Securities and Exchange Commission to formally give its OK by 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time today to give forward and be able to closeout the bidding process, which began on Friday. And that would set in motion Google being able to price its shares and possibly begin trading as early as tomorrow.
Now the range is $108 to $135. The bidding process began on Friday. Because of regulations it's a quiet period. So, really, there's no say on how this bidding process is going.
But the fact that Google said it was ready to close it out has led to a lot of speculation, some saying that things perhaps are going very well, others saying that perhaps demand is weak.
And those who follow IPOs say that these kinds of auctions can be very Tricky, because as a potential bidder you don't really know what's on the other end.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TOM TAULLI, CURRENTOFFERINGS.COM: In a way, you're gambling. You know, hopefully you get a good price on this deal, but you may not. Maybe it is weak. And the company is trying to accelerate this auction to make it look like there's demand to encourage people to get off the fence and to start bidding.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SNOW: Now to just put it into perspective. The largest IPO to date is AT&T Wireless, raising $10.6 billion.
Despite all the hype about Google, it would not be the biggest. It is hoping to raise $3.3 billion, which would rank it about number nine on the list of top IPOs in the U.S.
If it does begin trading, it will -- tomorrow that is, it will be trading at the NASDAQ on -- under the ticker symbol, that is, GOOG -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: All right. Mary Snow, thanks so much. We'll keep watching it.
Chicago O'Hare Airport has gotten a lot of grief for its well- known delays recently, but a solution may be in sight.
NGUYEN: We want to go now to Rhonda Schaffler at the New York Stock Exchange for that.
Hi, Rhonda.
(STOCK MARKET REPORT)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Well, FBI tactics are raising a few eyebrows. Agents have been going door-to-door, questioning some political activists. Some call it detailed investigations; others call it intimidation.
CNN justice correspondent Kelli Arena reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KELLI ARENA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Twenty-one-year-old Sarah Bardwell has participated in some political protests in the past, but she has no plans to attend either political convention, and says none of her friends did, either.
Still, she says four FBI agents and two police officers showed up at her Denver home in July to ask her and her roommate if they or anyone they knew planned to engage in criminal activity in either Boston or New York.
SARAH BARDWELL, PEACE ACTIVIST: I think that the reason the FBI came to our house was to intimidate us out of using our First Amendment rights. And I think that they chose us, because most the people in my house have been politically involved.
ARENA: FBI officials acknowledge that after receiving information about possible disruptions at both political conventions, agents did interview a number of citizens in an effort to learn more.
Officials say the threat information was specific. For example, during the Democratic convention, the FBI said it had information about the possible bombing of media vans.
BARBARA COMSTOCK, FORMER JUSTICE DEPARTMENT SPOKESWOMAN: The FBI is following up on leads that they get to investigate criminal activity. But that is not chilling activity. That is normal, everyday police practice.
ARENA: The FBI has issued bulletins ahead of other planned protests, warning agents about potential violence. The Justice Department has said the bulletins were constitutional, because, quote, "threats of violent or destructive civil disturbance do not fall within the protection of the First Amendment."
But the American Civil Liberties Union charges the government with stepping over the line.
ANN BEESON, ACLU: It's when the FBI engages in tactics a like that, that we begin to think of what happened back in the 1960s and then 1970s when the FBI and the CIA intentionally targeted anti-war protesters.
ARENA: The ACLU says not only is the FBI interviewing protesters but infiltrating some of their meetings, all of which, it says, is seriously intimidating.
But not to Sarah Bardwell. She says the experience has made her even more committed.
Kelli Arena, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: The top of the news is next, including Oprah. She is back in the courtroom. Civic duty calls.
Plus the latest from Najaf. A tense day of battle and negotiations. All ahead on LIVE FROM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: Peace talks and explosions. We've witnessed both in the Iraqi city of Najaf today. In the midst of the gunfire, a delegation from Baghdad tries to negotiate an end to the standoff between U.S. troops and fighters loyal to a radical Shiite cleric. The latest in a moment.
Also, charges leveled in Britain against eight terrorist suspects who may have had designs on America. Police accuse the men of plotting an act of radiological terror, and evidence seized during raids this month hinted that targets are in the U.S. One of the eight is described as a key al Qaeda member.
More money for Florida and the thousands trying to get their lives back on track after Hurricane Charley. Eleven point two million dollars was allocated after members of President Bush's cabinet got a close-up look at the damage. In five minutes, we'll go to CNN's Bob Franken on the scene.
And a new prescription drug plan just for people in Illinois. Its governor says residents will soon be able to buy the medicine they need directly from pharmacy and wholesalers in Canada, Ireland and the United Kingdom. And it will all be done over the Internet.
We're keeping you informed. CNN, the most trusted name in news.
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