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Heavy Fighting Around Imam Ali Mosque; Kerry Blasts 'Swift Boat Veterans' Ads; Google Goes Public

Aired August 19, 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.


FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: New pictures from the intense fighting raging in Najaf. A CNN producer inside the Imam Ali Mosque compound is reporting heavy fighting and heavy damage in the area. Militants loyal to radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr are keeping up against a fight against Iraqi government and American forces.
In Boston, war of words over a war record. The record of a critic of Kerry's war record is disputed itself. And now Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry is blasting television ads that attack his service. He's also calling on President Bush to denounce the commercial saying, not doing so signals the president endorses them.

Talk about a strong opening, the No. 1 search engine, Google is making its debut on the Nasdaq stock market today. Shares open at $100, well above the initial offering price of $85. The stock is trading under the symbol GOOG.

And Boston's mayor, Thomas Menino, is in the hospital, and he's in good condition. A spokeswoman from Brigham and Women's Hospital says Menino was brought in overnight with lower abdominal pains and discomfort. It's not clear when he will be released.

Keeping you informed, CNN, the most trusted name in news.

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Well, if you are watching LIVE FROM yesterday, you heard a Texas minister's amazing story of how he discovered seven American kids at an orphanage in Nigeria. When the pastor made officials in the United States aware of their plight, the State Department got all seven of the kids out of Africa and back home to Houston, Texas. The children ranged in age from eight to 16 and had been there for 10 months. They were sick, and they were skinny, and they just wanted to get home.

Well, the woman who adopted them and allegedly abandoned them in Nigeria is now under investigation.

Joining me now to talk about the case, retired FBI agent Don Clark.

Great to have you with us, Don.

Let's talk about the criminal aspects here, and what can be pursued toward this woman.

DON CLARK, FMR. FBI AGENT: Well, Kyra, clearly there seems to be some thoughts that there are criminal acts here, because right now, what you have going on is the Houston Police Department is looking into what could have happened to the kids while they were here in the city of Houston. The office of inspector general is looking at the fraud aspect, the money that could have been gotten, that should not have been gotten for this, and even the FBI, Kyra, has joined in this in a review process, and I don't think they're looking for terrorism here.

PHILLIPS: Well, let's look at the larger criminal picture here. We've talked about the abandonment issue, but also you were telling me through your investigation you found that, according to your sources, she didn't have a job, and she was collecting about $500 on each child?

CLARK: Well that's right. The minimum, when I talked to the people here, the minimum that you can collect is $3,500. Now, there is a very -- a relatively low threshold as to what a person needs to have financially. I guess the burden of proof is really just to show that you can take care of the kid, and I haven't been able to establish a dollar amount there.

But the other question is, Kyra, that during the time that these kids were over in Nigeria, this money, to the best that I can find, was still going to this lady, and there is very little indication that that money was going overseas to these kids.

PHILLIPS: So, Don, how does this woman even get the chance to adopt these seven kids? Who would let this woman have seven children?

CLARK: Very good point, Kyra, but here's what the system is down here. The Child Protective Service, they will contract out adoption agencies to really vet and get a long application process. And I know I've seen, and I think you've seen also, that there is an extensive application process for this agency whom this lady went through, to go through.

Now the question is, is that if all of the information that's put on there is absolutely accurate, or was it detailed enough or steeped enough in fraud so that she could get through with a lot of misinformation.

PHILLIPS: So it's common to falsify everything that these adoption agencies ask for?

CLARK: Well, I think you can falsify. Now the adoption agency say they have a process that they go through to try to vet this, but people who really do this consistently have ways of getting around some of that. So it is a possibility, everything can be counterfeited and frauded today -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right, let me talk to you about the adoption agencies. There's so many of them, so many different kinds. Are there some adoption agencies or maybe a little more lenient, some say, hey, we'll let you slip through the system in some instances just so you can have your child, because have you to pay for these children, don't you? CLARK: Well, you've got two different types. And, Kyra, one time you have the individual agency, where if you or I wanted to go and adopt a child, as a parent, to be a parent to that child, you could go to that agency and they could then go through the process. And I found some information about some of those agencies who say that they can minimize all of the stringent information that you need to provide for the state and get around certain things.

However, in this case, you have the Child Protective Service who contracts out. So they, in fact, vet the agencies that they actually contract out to and hope that no one within those agencies are not complying with the rules.

PHILLIPS: Don, finally, does this woman have a defense at all? And secondly, will these kids have -- will they go back to this woman?

CLARK: Well, it doesn't look defensible at this point. There's been information that's come about from schoolteachers or other people that said, look, we thought that something was going on there.

And the question as to whether or not they will go back, Kyra, I say right at this point, it doesn't look very good, because the burden of proof for what Child Protective Service needs to keep the kids away is much less than what they need to prosecute. So while she may not be prosecuted, it doesn't look to me like she's going to get them back.

PHILLIPS: Retired FBI agent and also acting attorney, Don Clark, thank you so much.

CLARK: Good to talk to you, Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Pleasure.

WHITFIELD: Well, six days after Hurricane Charley's deadly rampage, Florida is slowly getting back on its feet. Emergency crews say all roads have been cleared and reopened, but nearly 400,000 customers are still without power, and only three hospitals along the storm's path are fully operational. The estimated damage is now up to $17 billion, too, in insured properties alone, and the official death toll is now up to 22.

Recovering from Charley is difficult for everyone in Florida, but it's taking an even heavier toll on the area's elderly population.

CNN's John Zarrella reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN MIAMI BUREAU CHIEF (voice-over): Gary Paro spent the day struggling to sift through the sun-scorched remains of his mobile home. Paro has been living in his car since the storm passed.

(on camera): It's got to be awful hard on you in (ph) this heat.

GARY PARO, PUNTA GORDA RESIDENT: It's not easy. Life's not easy.

ZARRELLA (voice-over): His daughter, Terry (ph), came to help him sort through what little is left. She's tried to get him to leave. He won't.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He's guarding his rubble.

ZARRELLA: For the elderly here in Punta Gorda and Port Charlotte, life after Charley has been particularly difficult. A third of Charlotte County residents are over 65. The Red Cross and other relief agencies are desperately trying to get those left homeless by the storm into shelters.

CHERIE DIEFENBACK, VOLUNTEER NURSE: If they can at least come in at night, get some sleep in an air-conditioned space, get hydrated, get some food, let us assist you. We have a lot of able-bodied young people that are just waiting to help them that will go to their homes with them.

ZARRELLA: Sonny and Stella Luninfeld (ph) did come in. They are among about 200 elderly people here at this Red Cross shelter. Stella was suffering from heat exhaustion when they got here.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They told me we were going to die and, of course, that's going to build up your blood pressure and staying out in that heat until we finally came here.

ZARRELLA: Health care professionals worry that elderly people refusing to leave their homes and suffering through the heat will add to Charley's death toll. Many are running short of medications.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Two hundred and seventy-five scarves, one set of dentures.

ZARRELLA: Bobbi Houseman (ph) is 72. Her husband died six years ago.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And I'm tired. I don't know what to do. I don't have no idea what to do next.

ZARRELLA: Houseman is like many of the elderly. Memories lay in that rubble. Bobbi's engagement ring is in there somewhere. She managed to find a box of valuables.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is what I've got. It's all I've got. I'm going to go to the clubhouse that's down here this way.

ZARRELLA: John Zarrella, CNN, Punta Gorda, Florida.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: America's swimmers and gymnasts are in the spotlight at the Olympics. Wisconsin's own Paul Hamm kicks it off in grand style. We're live from Athens.

Plus, a real life white elephant turns up in Sri Lanka. The exclusive scoop. just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: News around the world now. In Geneva, New York, and Baghdad, the U.N. pauses to remember one of the darkest days in its history. Exactly one year ago today, a devastating truck bomb tore through the U.N. Headquarters in Baghdad, killing 22 people. Somber ceremonies were held to remember that and honor the victims.

In Britain, more dreaded rain. Heavy downpours are in the forecast after torrential rains caused flash flooding in southern England and two landslides in Scotland. Military helicopters rescued 57 people from stranded vehicles.

And in Sri Lanka, a very rare and lucky find: Researchers for the Wildlife Trust say that they have the first every pictures of a wild white elephant. Her name is Sue. She has no pigment in her skin and is believed to be an omen of good luck.

WHITFIELD: Well, first a stumble -- or should I say a fall -- then gold. American gymnast Paul Hamm quite literally turns the tables at the Olympic Games. And in the swimming pool, Michael Phelps gets medal number six.

For the latest from Athens, let's go to CNN's Larry Smith. And Larry, the Americans are on fire.

LARRY SMITH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, they really are. But you know, it wouldn't be the Olympics without some controversy, right? I mean, this is the controversial Olympics; it'll go down in history like that.

Let's talk first about what happened just a few moments ago in swimming and about an hour ago at the swimming venue over at -- was the complex that's called OACA (ph). Aaron Piersol won the 200-meter backstroke, but then the fun began. And we'll show you some pictures from tonight.

Piersol was disqualified for an illegal turn. So, it appeared that the gold medal, instead, would go to one of his good friends, Markus Rogan of Austria. However, the U.S. team protested the disqualification and, well, it was overturned. So, Piersol set an Olympic record, goes on, as well, to win the gold.

As for Rogan, he said, "I don't want to pass judgment, because Aaron is one of my best friends. No medal is as beautiful as a friendship." Isn't that wonderful?

WHITFIELD: That is nice.

SMITH: Michael Phelps winning his -- yes. Michael Phelps winning his fourth gold -- as well, as you mentioned, his sixth medal. Phelps setting an Olympic record, breaking his own mark he set last night by winning the 200-meter individual medley. And also Amanda Beard, 200-meter breaststroke -- she also wins gold and sets an Olympic record, as well. So, not only gold medals, but some Olympic records, as well, to talk about for the U.S. Tonight.

WHITFIELD: And remarkable, you know, speaking about records, Natalie Coughlin, she might have had a record in the 200-freestyle, right, had she entered that as an individual. Instead, she and the other team were able to enjoy a relay gold medal. But I understand her first leg heat really outbeat the gold medal winner of the freestyle?

SMITH: Yes. Yes, well, she wanted to focus on just, you know, the one 100 earlier that she won -- the backstroke that she won gold in. She also took a bronze tonight, as well, behind Jodie Perry (sic) of Australia as she wins her event, the 100-meter freestyle.

Inge de Bruijn the -- many times has won medals in these Olympic Games, she of the Netherlands, one of her final Olympics, she took silver as -- Coughlin, again, takes a bronze as, again, a good night in the pool for the U.S. it has been a good night in the pool for the U.S.

WHITFIELD: Wow. Let's talk about gymnastics last night. A big night for men individual medalist Paul Hamm. And now, tonight, you know, all eyes will be on the women. Can, perhaps, this young lady, Carly Patterson, see gold tonight?

SMITH: She could. They are just underway. Their first rotation, the women's all-around gymnastics.

What a moment last night. You mentioned Paul Hamm of the U.S., the 21-year-old native of Wisconsin. Paul Hamm, winning the first ever gold medal by a U.S. male in the all-around. And it took near perfection in this final event, the high bar, to do it. And by the way, that winning margin, too, Freddie, .012. That's the closest margin ever in men's Olympic history.

WHITFIELD: That is remarkable. I know the South Korean was, like, devastated. His head in his hands, like, oh man, I almost had it. All right, well, lots of great action. Thanks a lot, Larry.

Well now, an Olympic history lesson. Much is being made of the fact that the modern Olympics had its origins in Greece. But do you how the marathon got its start? Do you, Kyra?

PHILLIPS: I've been waiting for this: Michael Holmes from Marathon.

WHITFIELD: That's right. He's going to explain it right now.

Well, Let's watch.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): One of the delights of an Athens Olympics is the return of at least some sports to their ancient home.

Welcome to Marathon, about 26 miles from Athens. No medals for guessing that's how a certain race ended up roughly the same distance with exactly the same name.

But at the risk of starting a debate among amateur sports and history buffs, time now for a little mythology lesson.

Let's go back to 490 B.C. when outnumbered Athenian and Plataean soldiers defeated the Persian invaders -- right over there near the ocean. The Athenian side won that famous battle. Under this mound, the bodies of the soldiers who fought so well. Buried with them, though, is the myth of who ran where to tell whom what.

Most widely believed, the outnumbered Athenians knew they needed help before the battle.

ALEXANDER KITROEFF, HISTORIAN AND AUTHOR: Therefore, they sent this runner, Pheidippides, down south to Sparta to tell the Spartans that the Athenians were facing the threat and enlist their support.

HOLMES: But another popular legend says Pheidippides was sent to Athens after the battle, where he famously uttered the word, "Rejoice, we conquer," and promptly died of exhaustion.

The problem is most historians now believe that probably didn't happen.

KITROEFF: We know the city was alerted somehow, but we don't have any actual evidence about someone running from Marathon to the city.

HOLMES: But as Socrates once may have said, "Whatever."

The Marathon is named after this place, and it is about the same distance as that of Marathon to Athens. And it will end in the same stadium where the Marathon ended back in 1896 -- the last time the Olympics were here.

(on camera): Of course, today's athletes should feel fortunate that they are not Pheidippides. If it were the Spartathon instead of the marathon, instead of running 26 miles that way to Athens, they'd have to keep right on going another 124 miles to Sparta in order to win the gold.

Michael Holmes, CNN, Marathon, Greece.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Well, straight ahead, Google is out of the gate and going gangbusters on Wall Street today. It prompted us to ask: Whatever happened to the dot-com millionaires of the '90s? That story next.

And did you hear about the -- you know, the one about the drunk bear, walked into a bar? Yes, I know. We can't make this stuff up. We're not kidding.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) PHILLIPS: Google has gone public on the Nasdaq. The search engine that gave a whole new lexicon as in "Google it," got out the blocks at $100 a share, $15 higher than its initial offering price. It is set to make its young founders instant billionaires. But before Google, there was the theglobe.com.

CNN's Jen Rogers has been Googling that.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEN ROGERS, CNNfn CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): He toasted champagne at the Nasdaq MarketSite, partied like a rock star at New York's hippest clubs, and was the media's Internet darling.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do you feel rich?

ROGERS: Before the Google guys, Steph Paternot and his partner, Todd Krizelman, two twentysomethings who started a Web-based community called theglobe.com, were the rich Internet entrepreneurs of the go-go '90s.

It all started in November 1998 when theglobe.com went public, setting a record at the time as the stock surged more than 600 percent on its first day. The company had yet to turn a profit.

STEPH PATERNOT, FORMER DOT-COM ENTREPRENEUR: The perception is you're a trillionaire. I mean, nevermind whether I was worth $100 million or a billion, I mean, people's perception are, you are worth an infinite amount of cash.

ROGERS: That image of wealth changed Paternot's life, even if his fortune, roughly $100 million, was mostly tied up in stock.

PATERNOT: Charities start calling, bankers are calling, you are getting anonymous mail, you are getting love letters with photographs of cute girls. I mean, getting photographs of cute guys. It's like -- it starts coming out from everywhere.

ROGERS: Juggling his admirers and a business valued in the billions proved a challenge, one Google's co-founders will be intimately familiar with.

PATERNOT: They can now look back at everything we did right, we did wrong, and what everyone else did right and wrong and not make a lot of those same mistakes.

ROGERS: Mistakes that included a laser-like focus on the company's stock.

PATERNOT: It takes over your life. People are miserable when the stock is down 20 percent. They are phenomenally happy when it is up 20 percent. So your emotions are tied to the stock price. And it starts to affect business.

ROGERS: Eventually business realities got to theglobe.com and the company collapsed, taking Paternot's job and his millions. Which brings us to his last bit of advice, focus on your own balance sheet as well as the company's.

PATERNOT: Well, I didn't do a very good job of managing my money otherwise I would have something left.

ROGERS: These days his most valuable commodity may be his tale of life as an overhyped Internet icon. He has already written a book and now he's working on the screenplay. Maybe these two will want to read it.

Jen Rogers, CNN Financial News, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Well, just in case you haven't gotten enough of Googling...

PHILLIPS: A little more Google stock. Your wait is finally over, OK? Rhonda Schaffler has more now from the New York Stock Exchange -- Rhonda.

RHONDA SCHAFFLER, CNN SENIOR FINANCIAL CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Kyra and Fredricka, and if you are really want to get in on the action, you, too, can have a little piece of Google. At this point you're going to have to pay about $100 a share to own a piece of that stock.

At the Nasdaq MarketSite where the company's founders rang the open, began the trading day, shares began trading around $100. And that is much higher than the company's offering price of $85. But even though trading today is going as Google had planned, the road to the IPO we know had been anything but smooth.

It has been hit by a wave of negative publicity and even some regulatory hurdles since it filed to go public in late April. And some investors remain concerned that at about $100 a share, the price is just too high for an Internet stock. We'll wait and see on that one -- Kyra, Fredricka.

(MARKET REPORT)

WHITFIELD: Well, the day's top stories straight ahead. Fighting rages from in Najaf right around the Imam Ali Mosque. The latest from the scene coming up next.

PHILLIPS: President Bush wades into the issue of importing cheaper prescription drugs. We'll talk about that.

WHITFIELD: And later on LIVE FROM, the bear who says, give me a cold one.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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Aired August 19, 2004 - 14:30   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: New pictures from the intense fighting raging in Najaf. A CNN producer inside the Imam Ali Mosque compound is reporting heavy fighting and heavy damage in the area. Militants loyal to radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr are keeping up against a fight against Iraqi government and American forces.
In Boston, war of words over a war record. The record of a critic of Kerry's war record is disputed itself. And now Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry is blasting television ads that attack his service. He's also calling on President Bush to denounce the commercial saying, not doing so signals the president endorses them.

Talk about a strong opening, the No. 1 search engine, Google is making its debut on the Nasdaq stock market today. Shares open at $100, well above the initial offering price of $85. The stock is trading under the symbol GOOG.

And Boston's mayor, Thomas Menino, is in the hospital, and he's in good condition. A spokeswoman from Brigham and Women's Hospital says Menino was brought in overnight with lower abdominal pains and discomfort. It's not clear when he will be released.

Keeping you informed, CNN, the most trusted name in news.

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Well, if you are watching LIVE FROM yesterday, you heard a Texas minister's amazing story of how he discovered seven American kids at an orphanage in Nigeria. When the pastor made officials in the United States aware of their plight, the State Department got all seven of the kids out of Africa and back home to Houston, Texas. The children ranged in age from eight to 16 and had been there for 10 months. They were sick, and they were skinny, and they just wanted to get home.

Well, the woman who adopted them and allegedly abandoned them in Nigeria is now under investigation.

Joining me now to talk about the case, retired FBI agent Don Clark.

Great to have you with us, Don.

Let's talk about the criminal aspects here, and what can be pursued toward this woman.

DON CLARK, FMR. FBI AGENT: Well, Kyra, clearly there seems to be some thoughts that there are criminal acts here, because right now, what you have going on is the Houston Police Department is looking into what could have happened to the kids while they were here in the city of Houston. The office of inspector general is looking at the fraud aspect, the money that could have been gotten, that should not have been gotten for this, and even the FBI, Kyra, has joined in this in a review process, and I don't think they're looking for terrorism here.

PHILLIPS: Well, let's look at the larger criminal picture here. We've talked about the abandonment issue, but also you were telling me through your investigation you found that, according to your sources, she didn't have a job, and she was collecting about $500 on each child?

CLARK: Well that's right. The minimum, when I talked to the people here, the minimum that you can collect is $3,500. Now, there is a very -- a relatively low threshold as to what a person needs to have financially. I guess the burden of proof is really just to show that you can take care of the kid, and I haven't been able to establish a dollar amount there.

But the other question is, Kyra, that during the time that these kids were over in Nigeria, this money, to the best that I can find, was still going to this lady, and there is very little indication that that money was going overseas to these kids.

PHILLIPS: So, Don, how does this woman even get the chance to adopt these seven kids? Who would let this woman have seven children?

CLARK: Very good point, Kyra, but here's what the system is down here. The Child Protective Service, they will contract out adoption agencies to really vet and get a long application process. And I know I've seen, and I think you've seen also, that there is an extensive application process for this agency whom this lady went through, to go through.

Now the question is, is that if all of the information that's put on there is absolutely accurate, or was it detailed enough or steeped enough in fraud so that she could get through with a lot of misinformation.

PHILLIPS: So it's common to falsify everything that these adoption agencies ask for?

CLARK: Well, I think you can falsify. Now the adoption agency say they have a process that they go through to try to vet this, but people who really do this consistently have ways of getting around some of that. So it is a possibility, everything can be counterfeited and frauded today -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right, let me talk to you about the adoption agencies. There's so many of them, so many different kinds. Are there some adoption agencies or maybe a little more lenient, some say, hey, we'll let you slip through the system in some instances just so you can have your child, because have you to pay for these children, don't you? CLARK: Well, you've got two different types. And, Kyra, one time you have the individual agency, where if you or I wanted to go and adopt a child, as a parent, to be a parent to that child, you could go to that agency and they could then go through the process. And I found some information about some of those agencies who say that they can minimize all of the stringent information that you need to provide for the state and get around certain things.

However, in this case, you have the Child Protective Service who contracts out. So they, in fact, vet the agencies that they actually contract out to and hope that no one within those agencies are not complying with the rules.

PHILLIPS: Don, finally, does this woman have a defense at all? And secondly, will these kids have -- will they go back to this woman?

CLARK: Well, it doesn't look defensible at this point. There's been information that's come about from schoolteachers or other people that said, look, we thought that something was going on there.

And the question as to whether or not they will go back, Kyra, I say right at this point, it doesn't look very good, because the burden of proof for what Child Protective Service needs to keep the kids away is much less than what they need to prosecute. So while she may not be prosecuted, it doesn't look to me like she's going to get them back.

PHILLIPS: Retired FBI agent and also acting attorney, Don Clark, thank you so much.

CLARK: Good to talk to you, Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Pleasure.

WHITFIELD: Well, six days after Hurricane Charley's deadly rampage, Florida is slowly getting back on its feet. Emergency crews say all roads have been cleared and reopened, but nearly 400,000 customers are still without power, and only three hospitals along the storm's path are fully operational. The estimated damage is now up to $17 billion, too, in insured properties alone, and the official death toll is now up to 22.

Recovering from Charley is difficult for everyone in Florida, but it's taking an even heavier toll on the area's elderly population.

CNN's John Zarrella reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN MIAMI BUREAU CHIEF (voice-over): Gary Paro spent the day struggling to sift through the sun-scorched remains of his mobile home. Paro has been living in his car since the storm passed.

(on camera): It's got to be awful hard on you in (ph) this heat.

GARY PARO, PUNTA GORDA RESIDENT: It's not easy. Life's not easy.

ZARRELLA (voice-over): His daughter, Terry (ph), came to help him sort through what little is left. She's tried to get him to leave. He won't.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He's guarding his rubble.

ZARRELLA: For the elderly here in Punta Gorda and Port Charlotte, life after Charley has been particularly difficult. A third of Charlotte County residents are over 65. The Red Cross and other relief agencies are desperately trying to get those left homeless by the storm into shelters.

CHERIE DIEFENBACK, VOLUNTEER NURSE: If they can at least come in at night, get some sleep in an air-conditioned space, get hydrated, get some food, let us assist you. We have a lot of able-bodied young people that are just waiting to help them that will go to their homes with them.

ZARRELLA: Sonny and Stella Luninfeld (ph) did come in. They are among about 200 elderly people here at this Red Cross shelter. Stella was suffering from heat exhaustion when they got here.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They told me we were going to die and, of course, that's going to build up your blood pressure and staying out in that heat until we finally came here.

ZARRELLA: Health care professionals worry that elderly people refusing to leave their homes and suffering through the heat will add to Charley's death toll. Many are running short of medications.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Two hundred and seventy-five scarves, one set of dentures.

ZARRELLA: Bobbi Houseman (ph) is 72. Her husband died six years ago.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And I'm tired. I don't know what to do. I don't have no idea what to do next.

ZARRELLA: Houseman is like many of the elderly. Memories lay in that rubble. Bobbi's engagement ring is in there somewhere. She managed to find a box of valuables.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is what I've got. It's all I've got. I'm going to go to the clubhouse that's down here this way.

ZARRELLA: John Zarrella, CNN, Punta Gorda, Florida.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: America's swimmers and gymnasts are in the spotlight at the Olympics. Wisconsin's own Paul Hamm kicks it off in grand style. We're live from Athens.

Plus, a real life white elephant turns up in Sri Lanka. The exclusive scoop. just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: News around the world now. In Geneva, New York, and Baghdad, the U.N. pauses to remember one of the darkest days in its history. Exactly one year ago today, a devastating truck bomb tore through the U.N. Headquarters in Baghdad, killing 22 people. Somber ceremonies were held to remember that and honor the victims.

In Britain, more dreaded rain. Heavy downpours are in the forecast after torrential rains caused flash flooding in southern England and two landslides in Scotland. Military helicopters rescued 57 people from stranded vehicles.

And in Sri Lanka, a very rare and lucky find: Researchers for the Wildlife Trust say that they have the first every pictures of a wild white elephant. Her name is Sue. She has no pigment in her skin and is believed to be an omen of good luck.

WHITFIELD: Well, first a stumble -- or should I say a fall -- then gold. American gymnast Paul Hamm quite literally turns the tables at the Olympic Games. And in the swimming pool, Michael Phelps gets medal number six.

For the latest from Athens, let's go to CNN's Larry Smith. And Larry, the Americans are on fire.

LARRY SMITH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, they really are. But you know, it wouldn't be the Olympics without some controversy, right? I mean, this is the controversial Olympics; it'll go down in history like that.

Let's talk first about what happened just a few moments ago in swimming and about an hour ago at the swimming venue over at -- was the complex that's called OACA (ph). Aaron Piersol won the 200-meter backstroke, but then the fun began. And we'll show you some pictures from tonight.

Piersol was disqualified for an illegal turn. So, it appeared that the gold medal, instead, would go to one of his good friends, Markus Rogan of Austria. However, the U.S. team protested the disqualification and, well, it was overturned. So, Piersol set an Olympic record, goes on, as well, to win the gold.

As for Rogan, he said, "I don't want to pass judgment, because Aaron is one of my best friends. No medal is as beautiful as a friendship." Isn't that wonderful?

WHITFIELD: That is nice.

SMITH: Michael Phelps winning his -- yes. Michael Phelps winning his fourth gold -- as well, as you mentioned, his sixth medal. Phelps setting an Olympic record, breaking his own mark he set last night by winning the 200-meter individual medley. And also Amanda Beard, 200-meter breaststroke -- she also wins gold and sets an Olympic record, as well. So, not only gold medals, but some Olympic records, as well, to talk about for the U.S. Tonight.

WHITFIELD: And remarkable, you know, speaking about records, Natalie Coughlin, she might have had a record in the 200-freestyle, right, had she entered that as an individual. Instead, she and the other team were able to enjoy a relay gold medal. But I understand her first leg heat really outbeat the gold medal winner of the freestyle?

SMITH: Yes. Yes, well, she wanted to focus on just, you know, the one 100 earlier that she won -- the backstroke that she won gold in. She also took a bronze tonight, as well, behind Jodie Perry (sic) of Australia as she wins her event, the 100-meter freestyle.

Inge de Bruijn the -- many times has won medals in these Olympic Games, she of the Netherlands, one of her final Olympics, she took silver as -- Coughlin, again, takes a bronze as, again, a good night in the pool for the U.S. it has been a good night in the pool for the U.S.

WHITFIELD: Wow. Let's talk about gymnastics last night. A big night for men individual medalist Paul Hamm. And now, tonight, you know, all eyes will be on the women. Can, perhaps, this young lady, Carly Patterson, see gold tonight?

SMITH: She could. They are just underway. Their first rotation, the women's all-around gymnastics.

What a moment last night. You mentioned Paul Hamm of the U.S., the 21-year-old native of Wisconsin. Paul Hamm, winning the first ever gold medal by a U.S. male in the all-around. And it took near perfection in this final event, the high bar, to do it. And by the way, that winning margin, too, Freddie, .012. That's the closest margin ever in men's Olympic history.

WHITFIELD: That is remarkable. I know the South Korean was, like, devastated. His head in his hands, like, oh man, I almost had it. All right, well, lots of great action. Thanks a lot, Larry.

Well now, an Olympic history lesson. Much is being made of the fact that the modern Olympics had its origins in Greece. But do you how the marathon got its start? Do you, Kyra?

PHILLIPS: I've been waiting for this: Michael Holmes from Marathon.

WHITFIELD: That's right. He's going to explain it right now.

Well, Let's watch.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): One of the delights of an Athens Olympics is the return of at least some sports to their ancient home.

Welcome to Marathon, about 26 miles from Athens. No medals for guessing that's how a certain race ended up roughly the same distance with exactly the same name.

But at the risk of starting a debate among amateur sports and history buffs, time now for a little mythology lesson.

Let's go back to 490 B.C. when outnumbered Athenian and Plataean soldiers defeated the Persian invaders -- right over there near the ocean. The Athenian side won that famous battle. Under this mound, the bodies of the soldiers who fought so well. Buried with them, though, is the myth of who ran where to tell whom what.

Most widely believed, the outnumbered Athenians knew they needed help before the battle.

ALEXANDER KITROEFF, HISTORIAN AND AUTHOR: Therefore, they sent this runner, Pheidippides, down south to Sparta to tell the Spartans that the Athenians were facing the threat and enlist their support.

HOLMES: But another popular legend says Pheidippides was sent to Athens after the battle, where he famously uttered the word, "Rejoice, we conquer," and promptly died of exhaustion.

The problem is most historians now believe that probably didn't happen.

KITROEFF: We know the city was alerted somehow, but we don't have any actual evidence about someone running from Marathon to the city.

HOLMES: But as Socrates once may have said, "Whatever."

The Marathon is named after this place, and it is about the same distance as that of Marathon to Athens. And it will end in the same stadium where the Marathon ended back in 1896 -- the last time the Olympics were here.

(on camera): Of course, today's athletes should feel fortunate that they are not Pheidippides. If it were the Spartathon instead of the marathon, instead of running 26 miles that way to Athens, they'd have to keep right on going another 124 miles to Sparta in order to win the gold.

Michael Holmes, CNN, Marathon, Greece.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Well, straight ahead, Google is out of the gate and going gangbusters on Wall Street today. It prompted us to ask: Whatever happened to the dot-com millionaires of the '90s? That story next.

And did you hear about the -- you know, the one about the drunk bear, walked into a bar? Yes, I know. We can't make this stuff up. We're not kidding.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) PHILLIPS: Google has gone public on the Nasdaq. The search engine that gave a whole new lexicon as in "Google it," got out the blocks at $100 a share, $15 higher than its initial offering price. It is set to make its young founders instant billionaires. But before Google, there was the theglobe.com.

CNN's Jen Rogers has been Googling that.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEN ROGERS, CNNfn CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): He toasted champagne at the Nasdaq MarketSite, partied like a rock star at New York's hippest clubs, and was the media's Internet darling.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do you feel rich?

ROGERS: Before the Google guys, Steph Paternot and his partner, Todd Krizelman, two twentysomethings who started a Web-based community called theglobe.com, were the rich Internet entrepreneurs of the go-go '90s.

It all started in November 1998 when theglobe.com went public, setting a record at the time as the stock surged more than 600 percent on its first day. The company had yet to turn a profit.

STEPH PATERNOT, FORMER DOT-COM ENTREPRENEUR: The perception is you're a trillionaire. I mean, nevermind whether I was worth $100 million or a billion, I mean, people's perception are, you are worth an infinite amount of cash.

ROGERS: That image of wealth changed Paternot's life, even if his fortune, roughly $100 million, was mostly tied up in stock.

PATERNOT: Charities start calling, bankers are calling, you are getting anonymous mail, you are getting love letters with photographs of cute girls. I mean, getting photographs of cute guys. It's like -- it starts coming out from everywhere.

ROGERS: Juggling his admirers and a business valued in the billions proved a challenge, one Google's co-founders will be intimately familiar with.

PATERNOT: They can now look back at everything we did right, we did wrong, and what everyone else did right and wrong and not make a lot of those same mistakes.

ROGERS: Mistakes that included a laser-like focus on the company's stock.

PATERNOT: It takes over your life. People are miserable when the stock is down 20 percent. They are phenomenally happy when it is up 20 percent. So your emotions are tied to the stock price. And it starts to affect business.

ROGERS: Eventually business realities got to theglobe.com and the company collapsed, taking Paternot's job and his millions. Which brings us to his last bit of advice, focus on your own balance sheet as well as the company's.

PATERNOT: Well, I didn't do a very good job of managing my money otherwise I would have something left.

ROGERS: These days his most valuable commodity may be his tale of life as an overhyped Internet icon. He has already written a book and now he's working on the screenplay. Maybe these two will want to read it.

Jen Rogers, CNN Financial News, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Well, just in case you haven't gotten enough of Googling...

PHILLIPS: A little more Google stock. Your wait is finally over, OK? Rhonda Schaffler has more now from the New York Stock Exchange -- Rhonda.

RHONDA SCHAFFLER, CNN SENIOR FINANCIAL CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Kyra and Fredricka, and if you are really want to get in on the action, you, too, can have a little piece of Google. At this point you're going to have to pay about $100 a share to own a piece of that stock.

At the Nasdaq MarketSite where the company's founders rang the open, began the trading day, shares began trading around $100. And that is much higher than the company's offering price of $85. But even though trading today is going as Google had planned, the road to the IPO we know had been anything but smooth.

It has been hit by a wave of negative publicity and even some regulatory hurdles since it filed to go public in late April. And some investors remain concerned that at about $100 a share, the price is just too high for an Internet stock. We'll wait and see on that one -- Kyra, Fredricka.

(MARKET REPORT)

WHITFIELD: Well, the day's top stories straight ahead. Fighting rages from in Najaf right around the Imam Ali Mosque. The latest from the scene coming up next.

PHILLIPS: President Bush wades into the issue of importing cheaper prescription drugs. We'll talk about that.

WHITFIELD: And later on LIVE FROM, the bear who says, give me a cold one.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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