Return to Transcripts main page
Live From...
Avoiding Identity Theft; "American Voices"; Bear Visitors
Aired June 07, 2005 - 14:31 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: "Now in the News," the stand-off becomes a little more intense, as you can see by these live pictures via KCAL out of Los Angeles, California. The SWAT team has moved in on this kidnapping suspect. Don't know exactly who's inside that van. We do know there is one suspect who is driving that car. Police believe he is armed. They're trying to establish communications with him. Obviously, moving much closer to the vehicle. We'll let you know what happens as this unfolds.
The Senate has ended a two-year filibuster on one of President Bush's most controversial judicial nominees. The Senate is now expected to confirm Janice Roger Brown's nomination for U.S. Appeals Court in the nation's capitol. Democrats argue that Brown is too conservative. Republicans say she's well-qualified for the job. The full Senate is expected to vote on the nomination tomorrow.
Republican Congresswoman Katherine Harris of Florida says she'll run for the Senate next year, against Democratic incumbent Bill Nelson. Harris is serving her second term in Congress. She was praised and sharply criticized for her role as Florida secretary of state in the 2000 presidential recount.
The chief prosecutor in Aruba is expected to decide today whether to continue holding two suspects in the case of a missing Alabama student. Police say the two men were known to go around to hotels approaching women, but that no complaints were filed. 18-year-old Natalee Holloway vanished more than a week ago during a trip to the Caribbean island to celebrate her high school graduation.
TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: A CNN "Security Watch" now. If you think you're not at risk of having your identity stolen, think again. One woman who knows about it all too well has made it her mission to educate people about identity theft and teach them just to say no.
Here's CNN'S Alina Cho.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Her business card lets you know instantly who Mari Frank is because once, another woman, a woman who didn't even look like her became her.
MARI FRANK, IDENTITY THEFT VICTIM'S ADVOCATE: When they searched this woman's home, they found a whole desk full of me. They found credit cards. They found checks. They found a suit against me at her house for Thrifty Rental Car for the car that she rented and totaled. CHO: In 1996, the woman posing as Frank's business associate requested and got her credit report, which listed her Social Security number. Once she had the number, Frank says, the woman went to town.
FRANK: She basically was able to get my whole life, not only my personal life but my professional life, with just one thing. The Social Security number.
CHO: It took a year for Frank to clear her name and her credit.
FRANK: That Social Security number is the key to the kingdom of identity theft.
CHO: When Social Security numbers were first issued in 1936, the federal government promised they would never become national I.D. numbers, but over time, as a practical matter, that's exactly what's happened. So much so, today's Social Security is the most frequently used and abused record-keeping number in the United States.
FRANK: I became an expert by necessity, sort of speak.
CHO: Frank is the author of two books on identity theft. She also counsels victims on how to deal with it, how others can avoid it.
FRANK: Practically speaking, you cannot live your life without giving your Social Security number, but you can be stingy with it. The key issue for any consumer watching this is, always ask why do you need this? Is it necessary to the transaction that I'm giving you?
CHO: Frank says the only reason legally to give out your Social Security number is for a specific government purpose. Like, taxes. The doctor's office would only need it to put it on a death certificate. Credit card companies always request it for background checks but Frank says they don't need it and consumers don't know they can say no.
FRANK: They can use your name, your address, and other identifiers but they will push on you and they can deny you credit if you refuse give your Social Security number, because you're going to look suspicious.
CHO: Another tip, never carry your Social Security number in your wallet in case it gets stolen. I had mine on my health insurance card.
FRANK: Yes.
CHO: This looks like a Social Security number.
FRANK: That is my Social Security number.
CHO: OK, not a good idea.
Mari Frank is very serious about letting the world know who she is and her picture, she feels, is a better and safer identification than any number. Alina Cho, CNN, Boston.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: CNN is committed to providing the most reliable coverage of news that affects your security Stay tuned to CNN for the latest information, day and night.
And tonight on a special edition of "NEWSNIGHT" with Aaron Brown, learn more about what you can do to protect yourself against identity theft. That's at 10:00 Eastern, 7:00 Pacific.
PHILLIPS: Well, still ahead, two lost fishermen rescued after more than a month at sea.
HARRIS: And way too close at home. A couple in Virginia says a bear charged into their home, tearing up the place. The bear and 911 ahead on LIVE FROM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Well, a number of hot topics in our "American Voices" segment today. The Senate is back at work on judicial confirmations. Today the nomination of Janice Rogers Brown was cleared for a final floor vote, expected tomorrow. Has the compromise, led by the moderate gang of 14, done anything to improve the public's confidence in Congress?
Gallup editor-in-chief Frank Newport tabulating the reactions. Frank, yesterday the Supreme Court ruled that medicinal marijuana users are subject to federal prosecution, even if it's legal under state laws. Is there something -- or is this something, I guess, rather, the public will support?
FRANK NEWPORT, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, GALLUP: Well, that's two interesting questions there, One about Congress whether or not we've had an increase, the other about medicinal marijuana. Let's look at them.
First of all, Congress, look at this confidence today. Gallup does this every year. We've been doing it for a long time. How much confidence do you have in institutions? Congress is already pretty miserable. Congressional leaders say, oh, after the current contretemps, support's going to go back up for Congress, our elected representatives.
But, look at numbers: 22 percent confidence. That's down. In fact, that's one of the lowest of any of the institutions that we tested in our annual update on confidence in institutions. Just not a very good picture for, again, the people that we send off to Washington to represent us.
Now, on medicinal marijuana, I think that the American public's going to be really upset if the federal government does intervene in those 10 states that has laws which say, marijuana can be used for medical purposes. Look on the right, that's the percent of Americans who say yes to limited medical use of marijuana, almost three- quarters, Kyra. Now, on the left, for generalized legalization of pot, that's only about a third of Americans. But, for medical uses, public says yes.
PHILLIPS: All right, how about President Bush hosting British Prime Minister Tony Blair today? We've been talking about that at the White House. Both leaders definitely suffering hits to their image in recent months. How are they viewed with regard to handling world affairs?
NEWPORT: Well, it's not very good, particularly for Tony Blair, among his constituents. Now, these are some polls that we did earlier this year. We did parallel polling, both in the U.S. and Britain. These are Americans viewing George W. Bush on handling foreign affairs a little earlier this year, 50 percent. Look on the right. Those are Britons evaluating Tony Blair, prime minister, exactly the same question. Approval (INAUDIBLE) foreign affairs. They're only down to 32 percent, so a lot of negativity towards Blair despite the fact that he was recently re-elected.
By the way, Kyra, I thought you'd be interested in this. We asked Britons, do you think -- this is kind of reminiscent of that movie with Julie Andrews, remember, and James Garner, "The Americanization of Emily" -- we said, do you think Britain is being too Americanized? Six out of 10 Britons say yes, they're worried about the encroachment of the colonies back on mother country, I guess. Kyra?
PHILLIPS: All right, Frank, thank you so much.
HARRIS: News "Around the World" now.
Rescued after 57 days in a small boat adrift in the Pacific, two fishermen from the tiny central Pacific nation of Kiribati say they survived by eating raw fish and drinking rainwater. They became disoriented in heavy seas eight weeks ago.
A Japanese yachtsman has become the oldest person to complete a solo nonstop, around-the-world voyage. The 71-year-old sailor arrived home 234 days after he left for his seventh circumnavigation of the globe.
And a warning for Russian women: don't get hitched to a foreigner. If you do, you could be exiled and stripped of citizenship. Those restrictions are included in a proposed bill. One of its authors says, it's needed because -- listen to this -- Russian women who marry foreigners, in his words, are wasting the gene pool of the nation.
PHILLIPS: All right. Coming up next, looking to strike it rich online? Well, you can see if it's in the cards in today's dotcom desk report.
HARRIS: And, this is no Goldilocks story. We'll take you live to talk with a woman who came home and found a bear charging straight for her house. Hear how she survived. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: And, let's take you live now to Karl Penhaul who is in Aruba and he is following the latest developments in the Natalee Holloway investigation. Karl?
KARL PENHAUL, CORRESPONDENT: Tony, we've been talking this morning to Chris LeJuez. He's the attorney representing the two men who were arrested on Sunday. Those two men are currently in custody in separate jail cells, he's told us, at opposite ends of the island, so they can't communicate between one another.
The attorney has also told us that his men were not at work on the night that Natalee Holloway disappeared. He said they had been working in a shift pattern at the Allegro Hotel which is a short distance from the Holiday Inn, where Natalee Holloway had been staying. But he said, that night, at least one of them was out partying. He said the other was not out partying. He also says the crimes that they are formerly now accused of are homicide, accompliced homicide and kidnapping leading to homicide. This is what he had to say about his clients' views.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHRIS LEJUEZ, SUSPECTS' ATTORNEY: The hotel -- they have not been near the hotel at that hour, at that time. So there is no reason for them to have to admit to something that they did not do.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PENHAUL: He also went on to say, Tony, that his men, his clients, categorically denied involvement in anything to do with the disappearance of Natalee Holloway. Tony?
HARRIS: Karl, just a quick question. You mentioned that they weren't working that night as security guards. Do we know whether or not they were in this restaurant where Natalee was, this -- I believe it was Carlos and Charlie's?
PENHAUL: We don't know. The attorney has not yet seen the full statements made by his clients to police, although he says once he has seen that, then he may be able to comment further. What he did say, though, was one of the men was not out partying at all that night. He says that the other man was out partying with his wife. Tony?
HARRIS: OK, Karl Penhaul in Aruba for us. Karl, we appreciate it. Thank you.
PHILLIPS: Well, when bears attack a notion to attack humans, they usually do it on their own turf, the wilderness. Don't tell Karla Irving that because bears, well, they didn't do that in this case. Her encounter with the bear happened where you'd never expect it.
Jennifer Davis of our affiliate WTTG in Harrisonburg, Virginia, reports. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There is a bear trapped in the house.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A. bear in the house?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A bear in the house.
JENNIFER DAVIS, WTTG AFFILIATE CORRESPONDENT: Rockingham County sheriff's deputies responded very quickly when they got that call. You can see the movement by the window. That's the 200-pound black bear inside David and Karla Irving's home.
KARLA IRVING, CLOSE ENCOUNTER WITH BEAR: The thing that was going through my head was, oh, my god, it's a bear!
DAVIS: Irving was walking her dog just after 10:00 p.m. Saturday when she unknowingly got between the mother bear and one of her cubs that wandered into the Irving's backyard. The angry mother bear charged Irving, forcing her into the house.
IRVING: The bear hit the door, slammed me behind the door.
DAVIS: While the bear attacked the family dog, Irving managed to sneak out the door. That left the bear inside, along with Irving's husband and mother who were in separate parts of the house. The bear moved through the downstairs leaving paw prints on the counter.
IRVING: They're as big as my palm.
DAVIS: Then it tore the place up.
(on camera): As you can see, the bear destroyed my much of this bedroom as it frantically tried to get out of the house. It beat against the windows, ripped apart the wooden blind, and you can see it left claw marks on the wall.
What do you think when you see those claw marks?
IRVING: I'm glad it wasn't me.
DAVIS: The bear was inside for forty minutes before deputies go it out. Birdseed in the yard is what attracted the animals.
IRVING: Take all that away, bring it inside, put it in a secure room where she can't smell it.
DAVIS: They hope their warning prevents others from getting a similar, unwelcomed visitor any time soon.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's so surreal. You can't imagine having a bear come in your house.
DAVIS: In Harrisonburg, Virginia, Jennifer Davis, Fox 5 News.
(END VIDEOTAPE) PHILLIPS: All right, we're taking it a step further. Joining me now on the phone from Harrisonburg, Virginia, the survivor of the attack, Karla Irving. Karla, how are you feeling today?
IRVING: Oh, I'm fine, thank you.
PHILLIPS: You're fine? You're not worried about any more bears?
IRVING: No -- it's -- I know she's out there now and I'm prepared to look for her when I go outside.
PHILLIPS: So, tell me how this all happened. Where were you? How did you notice the bear? Kind of take me through step by step.
IRVING: I took the dog -- we have a fenced yard to keep my dog from wandering around the neighborhood. And I took my dog out into the fenced area where I normally do for her bathroom break at about 9:30 in the evening. She started barking at a tree that's there. And I noticed something run up the tree all of a sudden. And thought, oh, it's a raccoon. But when I looked, it was very black and very large. And it wasn't a raccoon, it was a bear.
About that time, she looked in another direction and started barking. And she started running toward the house. And it happened so fast. The mother bear came over the fence and took, it seemed like, two steps and was at the door. And in the meantime, I was heading toward the house like the dog was. The bear was a little bit too fast for me and I just didn't get the door closed quickly enough.
PHILLIPS: So now the dog, your dog Rosie actually distracted the bear? Is that right?
IRVING: Correct, correct. And I believe the bear was afraid for her cub, who was up the tree. The dog was threatening the cub. So the bear was mostly focused on the dog because she was doing the barking.
PHILLIPS: All right, so then what did you do? You actually closed the bear inside of the house, is that is right?
IRVING: Correct. I went back outside while the bear was attacking my dog.
PHILLIPS: All right. And then who called 911?
IRVING: My husband did, finally.
PHILLIPS: And he was still inside?
IRVING: Yes. Actually, he was in the bathtub. I was more concerned about my 81-year-old mother, who was in the portion of the house where the bear and I were. And there was an open doorway so that the bear could have gotten into the area where she was.
PHILLIPS: Oh my gosh. So you locked the bear into just one...
IRVING: Section, yes.
PHILLIPS: One section of the house. So your husband and mom were in other rooms.
IRVING: Right.
PHILLIPS: OK, so then what happened to the bear? Did the bear finally break out the window?
IRVING; No, no, that's not what happened. I -- I was listening at the door. I didn't leave the door. I was listening. And I heard the bear go into the bedroom and start clawing at the windows and doors and knocking furniture over. So at that time, I stuck my head back in the door and screamed for my mother to shut the door that led into the rest of the house. And thank goodness she heard me because she was watching TV and she is 82 and is a little hard of hearing. But she heard me and did shut the door.
I started to -- after that, I -- and I really had no idea whether she heard me or not. So I knew I had to get back in the house. So I started creeping around the side of the house to get to another door. I knew all of the doors were locked, however, except the one that I came out of.
PHILLIPS: So basically when all of this was going on your husband's still enjoying his bath?
IRVING: Right, right.
HARRIS: Oh!
PHILLIPS: And there you are, fighting this bear off. Well, I guess -- so then tell me how the bear finally got out of the house.
IRVING: The bear was probably more frightened than I was, because I was outside and safe. But she -- she just kept tearing the house up. My husband did call 911 and the police came. They had never seen a situation like this before.
PHILLIPS: Unbelievable.
IRVING: So it took them a few minutes to gather their wits together and try to decide what they wanted to do. They really didn't want to shoot into the house.
PHILLIPS: Right.
IRVING: Because they weren't sure what they were going to hit. Finally, they just decided to open the door and see if the bear wouldn't come back out.
PHILLIPS: And sure enough, he did.
IRVING: Well, not right away. They opened the door. And my husband got on the intercom and started screaming at the bear over the intercom. PHILLIPS: Thank goodness for those intercoms.
IRVING: Yes, yes. And I guess that frightened her enough that she figured out where the door was and could get out the door and she just went on back out in the woods.
PHILLIPS: Karla, you are a brave woman. I'm glad Rosie, your brave little dog, is still alive and your mother and your husband. And we hope you keep your eyes wide open.
IRVING: Don't worry. Don't worry, I will.
PHILLIPS: I'm sure you will. All right, Karla, thank you so much.
IRVING: Thank you.
HARRIS: Thrust into action. Coming through.
PHILLIPS: Unbelievable.
HARRIS: Making the right calls, huh?
PHILLIPS: Yes.
HARRIS: Yikes. And husband's in taking the bath, huh? All right.
Volunteers. At the Vietnam Memorial, call it wall magic. You will really enjoy this story. Chance encounters that reveal a lifetime connection.
PHILLIPS: In our next hour, the true story of the Vietnam vet who met a nurse from Iraq. Well, here's what's so amazing. That nurse held his dying son in her arms. They're going to be our guests, coming up.
HARRIS: And first, just before the hour, let's check the markets. The Dow, as you can see, up 68 points. More LIVE FROM right after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
VERONICA DE LA CRUZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: SI.com examines the poker across the country, from college campuses to the Internet, in a special report, Poker Nation.
With poker's popularity booming, Web sites are cashing in. The sites make their money through tournaments and ring games. Most tournaments have an entering fee, while ring games are raked, meaning a fixed percentage of the pot is taken out.
According to a tracking service, pokerpolls.com, players pour nearly $200 million a day into online ring game pots. With a potential for huge profits, making sure no one cheats is a major concern. At Party Poker, the industry's largest site, more than 50 investigators monitor for suspicious activities.
Aside from the Internet, poker clubs are popping up across college campuses, like the Penn Poker Club at the University of Pennsylvania, which receives an average of $1,000 every semester from their student activities council.
For more on the game's popularity, you can log on to si.com/poker.
From the dot-com newsdesk, I'm Veronica De La Cruz.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: And "Now in the News," one foiled filibuster and California Justice Janice Rogers Brown is all but confirmed as a new judge on the powerful U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington. The final Senate vote on the controversial Bush nominee is scheduled for tomorrow.
Within the hour, President Bush is expected to welcome British Prime Minister Tony Blair to the Oval Office. Among other issues, the two allies are expected to discuss aid to Africa. But the president is unlikely to commit as much money as Tony Blair would like to see.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired June 7, 2005 - 14:31 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: "Now in the News," the stand-off becomes a little more intense, as you can see by these live pictures via KCAL out of Los Angeles, California. The SWAT team has moved in on this kidnapping suspect. Don't know exactly who's inside that van. We do know there is one suspect who is driving that car. Police believe he is armed. They're trying to establish communications with him. Obviously, moving much closer to the vehicle. We'll let you know what happens as this unfolds.
The Senate has ended a two-year filibuster on one of President Bush's most controversial judicial nominees. The Senate is now expected to confirm Janice Roger Brown's nomination for U.S. Appeals Court in the nation's capitol. Democrats argue that Brown is too conservative. Republicans say she's well-qualified for the job. The full Senate is expected to vote on the nomination tomorrow.
Republican Congresswoman Katherine Harris of Florida says she'll run for the Senate next year, against Democratic incumbent Bill Nelson. Harris is serving her second term in Congress. She was praised and sharply criticized for her role as Florida secretary of state in the 2000 presidential recount.
The chief prosecutor in Aruba is expected to decide today whether to continue holding two suspects in the case of a missing Alabama student. Police say the two men were known to go around to hotels approaching women, but that no complaints were filed. 18-year-old Natalee Holloway vanished more than a week ago during a trip to the Caribbean island to celebrate her high school graduation.
TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: A CNN "Security Watch" now. If you think you're not at risk of having your identity stolen, think again. One woman who knows about it all too well has made it her mission to educate people about identity theft and teach them just to say no.
Here's CNN'S Alina Cho.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Her business card lets you know instantly who Mari Frank is because once, another woman, a woman who didn't even look like her became her.
MARI FRANK, IDENTITY THEFT VICTIM'S ADVOCATE: When they searched this woman's home, they found a whole desk full of me. They found credit cards. They found checks. They found a suit against me at her house for Thrifty Rental Car for the car that she rented and totaled. CHO: In 1996, the woman posing as Frank's business associate requested and got her credit report, which listed her Social Security number. Once she had the number, Frank says, the woman went to town.
FRANK: She basically was able to get my whole life, not only my personal life but my professional life, with just one thing. The Social Security number.
CHO: It took a year for Frank to clear her name and her credit.
FRANK: That Social Security number is the key to the kingdom of identity theft.
CHO: When Social Security numbers were first issued in 1936, the federal government promised they would never become national I.D. numbers, but over time, as a practical matter, that's exactly what's happened. So much so, today's Social Security is the most frequently used and abused record-keeping number in the United States.
FRANK: I became an expert by necessity, sort of speak.
CHO: Frank is the author of two books on identity theft. She also counsels victims on how to deal with it, how others can avoid it.
FRANK: Practically speaking, you cannot live your life without giving your Social Security number, but you can be stingy with it. The key issue for any consumer watching this is, always ask why do you need this? Is it necessary to the transaction that I'm giving you?
CHO: Frank says the only reason legally to give out your Social Security number is for a specific government purpose. Like, taxes. The doctor's office would only need it to put it on a death certificate. Credit card companies always request it for background checks but Frank says they don't need it and consumers don't know they can say no.
FRANK: They can use your name, your address, and other identifiers but they will push on you and they can deny you credit if you refuse give your Social Security number, because you're going to look suspicious.
CHO: Another tip, never carry your Social Security number in your wallet in case it gets stolen. I had mine on my health insurance card.
FRANK: Yes.
CHO: This looks like a Social Security number.
FRANK: That is my Social Security number.
CHO: OK, not a good idea.
Mari Frank is very serious about letting the world know who she is and her picture, she feels, is a better and safer identification than any number. Alina Cho, CNN, Boston.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: CNN is committed to providing the most reliable coverage of news that affects your security Stay tuned to CNN for the latest information, day and night.
And tonight on a special edition of "NEWSNIGHT" with Aaron Brown, learn more about what you can do to protect yourself against identity theft. That's at 10:00 Eastern, 7:00 Pacific.
PHILLIPS: Well, still ahead, two lost fishermen rescued after more than a month at sea.
HARRIS: And way too close at home. A couple in Virginia says a bear charged into their home, tearing up the place. The bear and 911 ahead on LIVE FROM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Well, a number of hot topics in our "American Voices" segment today. The Senate is back at work on judicial confirmations. Today the nomination of Janice Rogers Brown was cleared for a final floor vote, expected tomorrow. Has the compromise, led by the moderate gang of 14, done anything to improve the public's confidence in Congress?
Gallup editor-in-chief Frank Newport tabulating the reactions. Frank, yesterday the Supreme Court ruled that medicinal marijuana users are subject to federal prosecution, even if it's legal under state laws. Is there something -- or is this something, I guess, rather, the public will support?
FRANK NEWPORT, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, GALLUP: Well, that's two interesting questions there, One about Congress whether or not we've had an increase, the other about medicinal marijuana. Let's look at them.
First of all, Congress, look at this confidence today. Gallup does this every year. We've been doing it for a long time. How much confidence do you have in institutions? Congress is already pretty miserable. Congressional leaders say, oh, after the current contretemps, support's going to go back up for Congress, our elected representatives.
But, look at numbers: 22 percent confidence. That's down. In fact, that's one of the lowest of any of the institutions that we tested in our annual update on confidence in institutions. Just not a very good picture for, again, the people that we send off to Washington to represent us.
Now, on medicinal marijuana, I think that the American public's going to be really upset if the federal government does intervene in those 10 states that has laws which say, marijuana can be used for medical purposes. Look on the right, that's the percent of Americans who say yes to limited medical use of marijuana, almost three- quarters, Kyra. Now, on the left, for generalized legalization of pot, that's only about a third of Americans. But, for medical uses, public says yes.
PHILLIPS: All right, how about President Bush hosting British Prime Minister Tony Blair today? We've been talking about that at the White House. Both leaders definitely suffering hits to their image in recent months. How are they viewed with regard to handling world affairs?
NEWPORT: Well, it's not very good, particularly for Tony Blair, among his constituents. Now, these are some polls that we did earlier this year. We did parallel polling, both in the U.S. and Britain. These are Americans viewing George W. Bush on handling foreign affairs a little earlier this year, 50 percent. Look on the right. Those are Britons evaluating Tony Blair, prime minister, exactly the same question. Approval (INAUDIBLE) foreign affairs. They're only down to 32 percent, so a lot of negativity towards Blair despite the fact that he was recently re-elected.
By the way, Kyra, I thought you'd be interested in this. We asked Britons, do you think -- this is kind of reminiscent of that movie with Julie Andrews, remember, and James Garner, "The Americanization of Emily" -- we said, do you think Britain is being too Americanized? Six out of 10 Britons say yes, they're worried about the encroachment of the colonies back on mother country, I guess. Kyra?
PHILLIPS: All right, Frank, thank you so much.
HARRIS: News "Around the World" now.
Rescued after 57 days in a small boat adrift in the Pacific, two fishermen from the tiny central Pacific nation of Kiribati say they survived by eating raw fish and drinking rainwater. They became disoriented in heavy seas eight weeks ago.
A Japanese yachtsman has become the oldest person to complete a solo nonstop, around-the-world voyage. The 71-year-old sailor arrived home 234 days after he left for his seventh circumnavigation of the globe.
And a warning for Russian women: don't get hitched to a foreigner. If you do, you could be exiled and stripped of citizenship. Those restrictions are included in a proposed bill. One of its authors says, it's needed because -- listen to this -- Russian women who marry foreigners, in his words, are wasting the gene pool of the nation.
PHILLIPS: All right. Coming up next, looking to strike it rich online? Well, you can see if it's in the cards in today's dotcom desk report.
HARRIS: And, this is no Goldilocks story. We'll take you live to talk with a woman who came home and found a bear charging straight for her house. Hear how she survived. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: And, let's take you live now to Karl Penhaul who is in Aruba and he is following the latest developments in the Natalee Holloway investigation. Karl?
KARL PENHAUL, CORRESPONDENT: Tony, we've been talking this morning to Chris LeJuez. He's the attorney representing the two men who were arrested on Sunday. Those two men are currently in custody in separate jail cells, he's told us, at opposite ends of the island, so they can't communicate between one another.
The attorney has also told us that his men were not at work on the night that Natalee Holloway disappeared. He said they had been working in a shift pattern at the Allegro Hotel which is a short distance from the Holiday Inn, where Natalee Holloway had been staying. But he said, that night, at least one of them was out partying. He said the other was not out partying. He also says the crimes that they are formerly now accused of are homicide, accompliced homicide and kidnapping leading to homicide. This is what he had to say about his clients' views.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHRIS LEJUEZ, SUSPECTS' ATTORNEY: The hotel -- they have not been near the hotel at that hour, at that time. So there is no reason for them to have to admit to something that they did not do.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PENHAUL: He also went on to say, Tony, that his men, his clients, categorically denied involvement in anything to do with the disappearance of Natalee Holloway. Tony?
HARRIS: Karl, just a quick question. You mentioned that they weren't working that night as security guards. Do we know whether or not they were in this restaurant where Natalee was, this -- I believe it was Carlos and Charlie's?
PENHAUL: We don't know. The attorney has not yet seen the full statements made by his clients to police, although he says once he has seen that, then he may be able to comment further. What he did say, though, was one of the men was not out partying at all that night. He says that the other man was out partying with his wife. Tony?
HARRIS: OK, Karl Penhaul in Aruba for us. Karl, we appreciate it. Thank you.
PHILLIPS: Well, when bears attack a notion to attack humans, they usually do it on their own turf, the wilderness. Don't tell Karla Irving that because bears, well, they didn't do that in this case. Her encounter with the bear happened where you'd never expect it.
Jennifer Davis of our affiliate WTTG in Harrisonburg, Virginia, reports. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There is a bear trapped in the house.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A. bear in the house?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A bear in the house.
JENNIFER DAVIS, WTTG AFFILIATE CORRESPONDENT: Rockingham County sheriff's deputies responded very quickly when they got that call. You can see the movement by the window. That's the 200-pound black bear inside David and Karla Irving's home.
KARLA IRVING, CLOSE ENCOUNTER WITH BEAR: The thing that was going through my head was, oh, my god, it's a bear!
DAVIS: Irving was walking her dog just after 10:00 p.m. Saturday when she unknowingly got between the mother bear and one of her cubs that wandered into the Irving's backyard. The angry mother bear charged Irving, forcing her into the house.
IRVING: The bear hit the door, slammed me behind the door.
DAVIS: While the bear attacked the family dog, Irving managed to sneak out the door. That left the bear inside, along with Irving's husband and mother who were in separate parts of the house. The bear moved through the downstairs leaving paw prints on the counter.
IRVING: They're as big as my palm.
DAVIS: Then it tore the place up.
(on camera): As you can see, the bear destroyed my much of this bedroom as it frantically tried to get out of the house. It beat against the windows, ripped apart the wooden blind, and you can see it left claw marks on the wall.
What do you think when you see those claw marks?
IRVING: I'm glad it wasn't me.
DAVIS: The bear was inside for forty minutes before deputies go it out. Birdseed in the yard is what attracted the animals.
IRVING: Take all that away, bring it inside, put it in a secure room where she can't smell it.
DAVIS: They hope their warning prevents others from getting a similar, unwelcomed visitor any time soon.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's so surreal. You can't imagine having a bear come in your house.
DAVIS: In Harrisonburg, Virginia, Jennifer Davis, Fox 5 News.
(END VIDEOTAPE) PHILLIPS: All right, we're taking it a step further. Joining me now on the phone from Harrisonburg, Virginia, the survivor of the attack, Karla Irving. Karla, how are you feeling today?
IRVING: Oh, I'm fine, thank you.
PHILLIPS: You're fine? You're not worried about any more bears?
IRVING: No -- it's -- I know she's out there now and I'm prepared to look for her when I go outside.
PHILLIPS: So, tell me how this all happened. Where were you? How did you notice the bear? Kind of take me through step by step.
IRVING: I took the dog -- we have a fenced yard to keep my dog from wandering around the neighborhood. And I took my dog out into the fenced area where I normally do for her bathroom break at about 9:30 in the evening. She started barking at a tree that's there. And I noticed something run up the tree all of a sudden. And thought, oh, it's a raccoon. But when I looked, it was very black and very large. And it wasn't a raccoon, it was a bear.
About that time, she looked in another direction and started barking. And she started running toward the house. And it happened so fast. The mother bear came over the fence and took, it seemed like, two steps and was at the door. And in the meantime, I was heading toward the house like the dog was. The bear was a little bit too fast for me and I just didn't get the door closed quickly enough.
PHILLIPS: So now the dog, your dog Rosie actually distracted the bear? Is that right?
IRVING: Correct, correct. And I believe the bear was afraid for her cub, who was up the tree. The dog was threatening the cub. So the bear was mostly focused on the dog because she was doing the barking.
PHILLIPS: All right, so then what did you do? You actually closed the bear inside of the house, is that is right?
IRVING: Correct. I went back outside while the bear was attacking my dog.
PHILLIPS: All right. And then who called 911?
IRVING: My husband did, finally.
PHILLIPS: And he was still inside?
IRVING: Yes. Actually, he was in the bathtub. I was more concerned about my 81-year-old mother, who was in the portion of the house where the bear and I were. And there was an open doorway so that the bear could have gotten into the area where she was.
PHILLIPS: Oh my gosh. So you locked the bear into just one...
IRVING: Section, yes.
PHILLIPS: One section of the house. So your husband and mom were in other rooms.
IRVING: Right.
PHILLIPS: OK, so then what happened to the bear? Did the bear finally break out the window?
IRVING; No, no, that's not what happened. I -- I was listening at the door. I didn't leave the door. I was listening. And I heard the bear go into the bedroom and start clawing at the windows and doors and knocking furniture over. So at that time, I stuck my head back in the door and screamed for my mother to shut the door that led into the rest of the house. And thank goodness she heard me because she was watching TV and she is 82 and is a little hard of hearing. But she heard me and did shut the door.
I started to -- after that, I -- and I really had no idea whether she heard me or not. So I knew I had to get back in the house. So I started creeping around the side of the house to get to another door. I knew all of the doors were locked, however, except the one that I came out of.
PHILLIPS: So basically when all of this was going on your husband's still enjoying his bath?
IRVING: Right, right.
HARRIS: Oh!
PHILLIPS: And there you are, fighting this bear off. Well, I guess -- so then tell me how the bear finally got out of the house.
IRVING: The bear was probably more frightened than I was, because I was outside and safe. But she -- she just kept tearing the house up. My husband did call 911 and the police came. They had never seen a situation like this before.
PHILLIPS: Unbelievable.
IRVING: So it took them a few minutes to gather their wits together and try to decide what they wanted to do. They really didn't want to shoot into the house.
PHILLIPS: Right.
IRVING: Because they weren't sure what they were going to hit. Finally, they just decided to open the door and see if the bear wouldn't come back out.
PHILLIPS: And sure enough, he did.
IRVING: Well, not right away. They opened the door. And my husband got on the intercom and started screaming at the bear over the intercom. PHILLIPS: Thank goodness for those intercoms.
IRVING: Yes, yes. And I guess that frightened her enough that she figured out where the door was and could get out the door and she just went on back out in the woods.
PHILLIPS: Karla, you are a brave woman. I'm glad Rosie, your brave little dog, is still alive and your mother and your husband. And we hope you keep your eyes wide open.
IRVING: Don't worry. Don't worry, I will.
PHILLIPS: I'm sure you will. All right, Karla, thank you so much.
IRVING: Thank you.
HARRIS: Thrust into action. Coming through.
PHILLIPS: Unbelievable.
HARRIS: Making the right calls, huh?
PHILLIPS: Yes.
HARRIS: Yikes. And husband's in taking the bath, huh? All right.
Volunteers. At the Vietnam Memorial, call it wall magic. You will really enjoy this story. Chance encounters that reveal a lifetime connection.
PHILLIPS: In our next hour, the true story of the Vietnam vet who met a nurse from Iraq. Well, here's what's so amazing. That nurse held his dying son in her arms. They're going to be our guests, coming up.
HARRIS: And first, just before the hour, let's check the markets. The Dow, as you can see, up 68 points. More LIVE FROM right after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
VERONICA DE LA CRUZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: SI.com examines the poker across the country, from college campuses to the Internet, in a special report, Poker Nation.
With poker's popularity booming, Web sites are cashing in. The sites make their money through tournaments and ring games. Most tournaments have an entering fee, while ring games are raked, meaning a fixed percentage of the pot is taken out.
According to a tracking service, pokerpolls.com, players pour nearly $200 million a day into online ring game pots. With a potential for huge profits, making sure no one cheats is a major concern. At Party Poker, the industry's largest site, more than 50 investigators monitor for suspicious activities.
Aside from the Internet, poker clubs are popping up across college campuses, like the Penn Poker Club at the University of Pennsylvania, which receives an average of $1,000 every semester from their student activities council.
For more on the game's popularity, you can log on to si.com/poker.
From the dot-com newsdesk, I'm Veronica De La Cruz.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: And "Now in the News," one foiled filibuster and California Justice Janice Rogers Brown is all but confirmed as a new judge on the powerful U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington. The final Senate vote on the controversial Bush nominee is scheduled for tomorrow.
Within the hour, President Bush is expected to welcome British Prime Minister Tony Blair to the Oval Office. Among other issues, the two allies are expected to discuss aid to Africa. But the president is unlikely to commit as much money as Tony Blair would like to see.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
