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Can Corn Cure America's Addiction to Oil?; Zarqawi's Death Possible Turning Point in Iraq;

Aired June 09, 2006 - 15:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Two 500-pound bombs, buildings demolished, six bodies found in the rubble -- incredibly, we now know one person, the man target -- the main target, rather, initially survived.
Here's how U.S. Major General Bill Caldwell in Baghdad, speaking to reporters at the Baghdad, responded to CNN's Barbara Starr.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MAJ. GEN. WILLIAM CALDWELL, U.S. ARMY: Zarqawi, in fact, did survive the airstrike. The report specifically states that nobody else did survive, though, from what they know.

The first people on the scene were the Iraqi police. They had found him and put him into some kind of gurney, stretcher kind of thing, and then American coalition forces arrived immediately thereafter on site.

They immediately went to the person in the stretcher, were able to start identifying him by some distinguishing marks on his body. They had some kind of visual facial recognition.

According to the person on the ground, Zarqawi attempted to sort of turn away off the stretcher. They -- everybody re-secured him back on to the stretcher, but he died almost immediately thereafter from the wounds he had received from this airstrike.

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: To clarify, then, you can confirm that U.S. troops themselves saw and can confirm to you that Zarqawi was alive? That is confirmed by U.S. troops on the ground? And his attempt to turn away, would you describe that as an attempt, even in the state he was in, to escape at that point? Why did you -- was he strong enough for anyone to have to re-secure him?

CALDWELL: Again, I'm reading the report. I did not talk specifically to any uniformed person. But, according to the report, we did in fact see him alive. There was some kind of movement he had on the stretcher. And he died shortly thereafter. But, yes, it was confirmed by other than the Iraqi police that he was alive initially.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: And what about the reward? Remember that. The U.S. offered a $25 million bounty for al-Zawahiri, dead or alive. The question is, will it be paid? And, if so, who gets it? No government agency has claimed it. Intelligence agencies credit an al Qaeda insider with leading them to al-Zarqawi's spiritual guru, who died in the bombing with al-Zarqawi. Twenty five million dollars is also being offered for the world's most wanted terrorist, Osama bin Laden.

The green bag has made the trip from Iraq to Quantico, Virginia, now, where the contents are under FBI microscopes. The face, the scars and the fingerprints taken from a victim of Wednesday's airstrike indicate that al Qaeda's chief in Iraq is indeed dead.

But FBI experts are analyzing DNA samples to make absolutely, positively sure it was Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. Test will also compare the new samples with evidence taken from terrorist safe houses to help figure out where he had been and whom he was with.

A lot of people in and out of Iraq are rejoicing over al- Zawahiri's death. But what about the families of his victims?

Jack Hensley was an engineer from Atlanta who was kidnapped by al-Zarqawi's group two years ago. He was later beheaded. Ty Hensley last saw his brother at his wedding, eight months earlier. He shared his thoughts with CNN's "AMERICAN MORNING."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "AMERICAN MORNING")

TY HENSLEY, BROTHER OF JACK HENSLEY: For me, Zarqawi had to be removed. I did not want another American or anyone to die to remove Zarqawi or to arrest him. And I knew that was the thing. I may never get to talk to Zarqawi or yell at him. I don't care about what he has to say. So, I -- you know, I'm just thankful.

Zarqawi has to be removed. He was going to continue to kill. He was going to continue to be brutal. When he -- in the beheading of my brother, that video -- I don't know if folks -- and I didn't watch the actual beheading, but I watched the beginning of the video. You know, he took pictures of my family, Jack's daughter, and put it in a video, pictures of Jack with his friends. I mean, what kind of purpose is he trying to serve?

I mean, he really made it personal with me and my family.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Hensley's daughter, by the way, just turned 15 and plays in the softball league where her dad was a coach.

After al-Zawahiri, nobody expects the gruesome violence in Iraq to disappear, at least not soon. But many people hope and believe the terror leader's death will be the turning point, the beginning of the end. That group includes President Bush.

CNN's David Ensor went looking for answers in this report for "PAULA ZAHN NOW."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAVID ENSOR, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The airstrikes that killed Zarqawi were a punch in the gut for al Qaeda in Iraq and worldwide. And the way U.S. officials say they tracked him down, with inside help from his associates, gives some analysts hope it could be a turning point.

THOMAS FRIEDMAN, COLUMNIST, "NEW YORK TIMES": It was a total inside job, and that they penetrated this movement in a very deep way. And that can build real momentum down the road, because, again, when people -- if people -- people think bin Laden and Zarqawi are winners, well, they will support them. But the minute they smell, these guys are losers, they'll run away from them.

ENSOR: Zarqawi was not just any terrorist, a heinous killer, yes, but a risk-taking charismatic one, who will not be easy to replace, though many may try.

BRUCE HOFFMAN, RAND CORPORATION: I think there are probably, doubtless, indeed, many others out there who will -- are likely going to be inspired and motivated by Zarqawi's example and will seek to be the next Zarqawi.

ENSOR: Last year, in a letter captured by U.S. intelligence, al Qaeda's number two, Ayman Al-Zawahiri urged Zarqawi to stop the public beheadings, to stop killing so many innocent Muslims. Yet, Osama bin Laden and Zawahiri publicly embraced his bloody reign of terror. Will they be sorry to lose him?

HOFFMAN: I suspect that, with the exception of President Bush and Prime Minister Maliki, the two figures in the world that are the happiest about Zarqawi's demise are precisely bin laden and al- Zawahiri, because Zarqawi has long been a competitor to them, a rival.

ENSOR: And he has been more effective in recent years than bin Laden, U.S. officials say, at attracting would-be jihadists in the Middle East and Europe.

DANIEL BENJAMIN, CO-AUTHOR, "THE NEXT ATTACK": He has done a pretty efficient job of building up the next network after al Qaeda.

ENSOR (on camera): That next network could be homegrown would-be terrorists in Europe or in the United States, inspired by Zarqawi or bin Laden. No one is counting that out.

David Ensor, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Be sure to watch "PAULA ZAHN NOW," weeknights, 8:00 Eastern, 5:00 Pacific.

Seven U.S. Marines, one U.S. sailor all could face trial in the death of an Iraqi civilian a month-and-a-half ago. We are told at least one has admitted helping cover up a potentially premeditated killing. CNN's Ted Rowlands is outside Camp Pendleton in Oceanside, California.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TED ROWLANDS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The father of a Marine being held in the brig here at Camp Pendleton is speaking out for the first time, saying he's upset with the way his son and other Marines and a Navy corpsman are being treated while the Marine Corps continues an investigation into the death of an Iraqi man.

John Jodka is a 20-year-old private 1st class in the Marine Corps. He's being held in solitary confinement here at the brig, or the military prison, at Camp Pendleton.

His father says he's upset, saying that his son should be treated as the hero he is for fighting for his country while this investigation goes on. He should be given the benefit of the doubt, but he says that isn't what is happening. He's upset with the conditions here. And he's also upset with what he calls a lack of support from the Marine Corps, all the way up to President Bush.

JOHN JODKA JR., FATHER OF DETAINED MARINE: While they are being investigated, they deserve to be treated like the heroes they are, like the combat Marines that they are, in the best mold of the United States Marine Corps and their battalion.

That -- there has been not word one, from President Bush, to Secretary Rumsfeld, to Peter Pace, to General Hagee, to Major General Zilmer in Iraq, any level of support for a full and fair investigation, or any statement that these men are still Marines.

And that is very disappointing. I don't know whether I'm past anger or whether I'm building up to anger. But I know that I'm very disappointed. I think that the Marine leadership has turned their backs on these men.

ROWLANDS: Private 1st Class Jodka and the other Marines and the Navy corpsman who are here in the brig are being investigated as to what their role was in the death of a 52-year-old Iraqi in Hamandiyah, Iraq. This is separate from the Haditha incident.

Now, the Marine Corps says these members of the Marines and that the Navy corpsman are in solitary because of what was unearthed in the initial investigation, saying it warranted the decision to put them in the brig. The Marine Corps also says that they will get every right that is afforded to them in the Military Code of Justice.

Ted Rowlands, CNN, at Camp Pendleton in Oceanside, California.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: That Marine's father had lots more to say. Hear all of his comments tonight on "ANDERSON COOPER 360," 10:00 Eastern, right here on CNN. It's graduation day for a high school near Philadelphia. But the class president won't be there. He's in hiding. We will tell you why and why police think he's in serious danger.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Anguish on the beach -- Israeli ships fired into northern Gaza today, and cameras caught the aftermath.

We're about to show you the video, but we want to warn you, it is disturbing to some viewers. Here it is. Palestinians medics say that seven Palestinians were killed and 20 more were hurt. Israelis say that the attack were aimed at rocket-launching sites that were believed to be uninhabited. An Israeli newspaper say, defense officials have apologized.

Well, the feds take any threats to airline security seriously. I said any threats, and I said seriously. Just ask this man. He's a Saudi national. He lives in Idaho, and, this week, was turned down for a job as an Army interpreter at Fort Benning, Georgia.

He was overheard saying that he was so upset, he would bomb the airliner that would take him back home. And that's when he met the FBI. Saleh Al Suwailem says that he was just joking while driving some -- while having some drinks, rather. He's in jail now near Fort Benning, facing a Tuesday court date.

High school graduation is supposed to be special, every young person's rite of passage. Well, it has been ruined for an exceptional student from Truman High's class of 2006 in Levittown, Pennsylvania. Tyrone Lewis is class president and basketball star, but he's being kept away from tonight's commencement because police and the school fear for his life.

Tyrone's sister testified against a local gang in a murder trial. And the gang warns, it's going to kill him. Tyrone will address his classmates by video.

Up now to Alaska, where a very big fire threatens a very small town. Almost 300 firefighters are trying to keep a 15,000-acre wildfire from consuming the town of Nenana, population 500, between Fairbanks and Denali National Park. The fire forced authorities to close the main highway between Fairbanks and Anchorage for about two hours overnight. Now we are told more closures are -- and delays, rather, are likely.

Coming up: A very special delivery makes the news, no, not baby Brangelina -- the new issue of "People" magazine with pictures of baby Brangelina, desperately seeking Shiloh. I know you haven't had enough of this, right? We will bring you more.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Otis (ph), your daughter is adorable.

Well, babies are born every day in every part of the world. But, like it or not, when big names beget the bundle, well, it's news, huge honking news in the case of one Shiloh Nouvel Jolie-Pitt, less than two weeks old and already a cover girl.

In case you have been living under a rock, "People" magazine is out with a special edition today featuring the first authorized photos of baby Brangelina in North America. They won't say just how much they paid to acquire the shots of the celebutot and her 'rents. But "Advertising Age" magazine put the figure in the neighborhood of four million bucks.

"People' has, well, boasted the price of this special -- boosted the price, rather, of this special issue by 50 cents.

Can we see Otis' little girl again? Is that possible, Scott? We still got the camera in there?

Otis, I think -- oh, you only pay a dollar for the -- for Otis' daughter? I can't believe that. No, she is worth far more than a buck. That's a $4 million baby right there.

(LAUGHTER)

PHILLIPS: Well, a new telecommunications bill is taking an important step toward passage by Congress. But it's drawing criticism from both sides of the aisle.

Susan Lisovicz, live from the New York Stock Exchange, with all the details.

Hey, Susan.

SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Kyra.

Well, the bill was passed by the House of Representatives last night. It would make it easier for phone companies to get into the cable TV business right now. Right now, most of us don't have much say about which cable provider to use. So, this bill could provide choice and competition.

And it would be the first major rewrite of the nation's telecom laws in a decade -- the bill a response to intense lobbying by phone companies such as AT&T and Verizon, which have struggled to break into the cable business. They see a bright future there -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right. Well, does the bill also address Internet services?

LISOVICZ: You betcha.

It authorizes the Federal Communications Commission to enforce what are known as Net neutrality principles, which require Internet providers to allow consumers to use the Internet as they choose, without any interruption in flow or any blocking anything.

But Democrats and technology companies, including Microsoft and Google, say the bill doesn't go far enough to protect the Internet. They are concerned the Internet service providers could charge extra fees to corporation and heavy-use customers. A Democratic amendment to strengthen Internet protections, by the way, was rejected -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right. So, the bill likely to become law?

LISOVICZ: Well, the legislative wheels grind slowly, Kyra, don't they?

The House of Representatives passed the bill by a wide margin. The White House supports the measure. It still has a long way to go to become law, because even if the Senate passes a telecom bill this year, a conference with House members to resolve differences in the bills could hit a snag.

The Republican chairmen of the House and Senate committees that have written the telecom bills are far apart on the issue of subsidizing phone service for rural and low-income consumers -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right. What is happening on Wall Street?

(STOCK MARKET REPORT)

PHILLIPS: All right. Sounds good, Susan.

Well, can corn solve America's dependence on oil? Ethanol advocates think so. Up next: back to the heartland with our Dan Lothian, an inside view of Iowa's hot new export.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TOM PONTAC, MARATHON RUNNER: I'm Tom Pontac. And I'm 70 years old. I have run probably 170 marathons. And, about six years ago, I started the Leisure Leggers.

We are the Leisure Leggers, strong and brave and bold. We may be getting older, but...

UNIDENTIFIED MALES AND FEMALES: We're not getting old.

PONTAC: We do marathons, half-marathons, 10-Ks, 5-Ks. And the average age is in their 70s. It's really made me feel special about myself. When you have a bad day, you say, yes, but I -- I can run a marathon.

VALERIE MORRIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): After retiring from a career in sales, Tom's life took off. He married fellow marathon runner Jean (ph) at age 63. She inspired him to finish college. And Tom graduated from Cal State Long Beach at the age of 64.

PONTAC: I had to pick the person that had the most positive influence on my life. And it would be Jean. She's a real partner, and hot.

(LAUGHTER)

PONTAC: She's a hot grandma.

MORRIS: This grandfather of two, with another on the way, still takes classes at Cal State, and works as the senior liaison between the school and his retirement community.

PONTAC: I honestly believe that the most happiness that I will ever have in my life is ahead of me.

Off to school.

MORRIS: Valerie Morris, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: He's dead and gone and, in the words of President Bush, will never murder again. But we now know Abu Musab al-Zarqawi did not die immediately when U.S. Air Force jets dropped a pair of 500-pound bombs on his hideout. Five others were killed in that attack, but the U.S. military revealed today that Zarqawi was found alive, at least initially.

Our Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr, asked about it at this morning's briefing.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

STARR: Can you give us the definitive word now? Do you have any information that Zarqawi initially survived the airstrike, that he was alive at any point in the hands of either Iraqi or U.S. forces?

CALDWELL: I'm reading the report. I did not talk specifically to any uniformed person.

But, according to the report, we did in fact see him alive. There was some kind of movement he had on the stretcher. And he died shortly thereafter.

STARR: Did anyone render medical assistance to him?

CALDWELL: As I was reading the report, they -- they went into the process to provide medical care to him.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: President Bush and many others see al-Zarqawi's death as progress in the war on terror. Al-Zawahiri's family does not. Here, they gathered at this Jordanian hometown of his to accept condolences. Such comfort will not come from many of their countrymen, who bear the scars of al-Zawahiri's attacks.

CNN's Kevin Flower explains.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) KEVIN FLOWER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: While much of the world knows Abu Musab al-Zarqawi as the terrorist scourge behind beheadings and car bombings in Iraq, Jordanians will forever remember him as the mastermind behind this: nearly simultaneous suicide bombings targeting tourists and others in the country's capital last November.

Some 60 people were killed, the bombs exploding at three popular hotels. Thirty-eight died here as they were celebrating a wedding. It was the first large-scale terrorist attack in the small, sleepy kingdom, and served as a wakeup call that Jordanians were not immune to the violence raging in their next-door neighbor, Iraq.

The Jordanian government was well-acquainted with Zarqawi. A full decade before becoming public enemy number one in Iraq, Jordanian intelligence was tracking its native son.

GEN. ALI SHURKI, ADVISER TO KING HUSSEIN: He started to plan attacks against visitors, tourists coming into Jordan..

FLOWERS: He was imprisoned in 1992 for conspiring to overthrow the monarchy, but later freed under an amnesty granted by the king, then sentenced to death in absentia for his role in planning the 2002 assassination of an American diplomat in Amman. But it was his grisly handiwork in last year's hotel bombing that brought thousands of Jordanians to the streets in vocal opposition to his tactics.

In his hometown, news of Zarqawi's death has been met with more ambivalence. "We do not know if he was fighting for Islam or his beliefs," this resident says. "If he was fighting for Islam, may God let his soul rest in peace. If he was not, God will judge him."

And for some of his family members, pride and admiration for Zarqawi's legacy. "He is the martyr of Islam," his brother-in-law says. "And he is the imam of all Muslims. I'm happy about his martyrdom. This is not a death. It is martyrdom."

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Abu Musab al-Zarqawi was a big fish, but not the biggest. Most would agree that when it comes to the world's most wanted, Osama bin Laden is still number one. Jonathan Mann previews his "CNN PRESENTS," airing this weekend.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JONATHAN MANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Osama bin Laden's journey towards jihad and global terrorism began in Saudi Arabia in 1957. He was the 17th of more than 50 children of a self-made billionaire. His father was from Yemen.

But by the time Osama was born, he was head of what would be the largest construction firm in Saudi Arabia. A friend of the royal family, Mohammed bin Laden, would die in a plane crash when Osama was 10.

PETER BERGEN, CNN TERRORISM ANALYST: As a teenager, bin Laden was religiously quite devout, according to both family members and also people who knew him.

MANN: It was in his late teens that Osama bin Laden married the first of his four wives, a Syrian-born cousin. Then in 1979, Soviet troops invaded Afghanistan and Osama bin Laden, like many young Muslim men of his generation, found his calling: joining the Mujahedin, the holy warriors, who were helping the Afghans fight against the communists, influenced in part by one of his professors, Sheikh Abdullah Azzam, who would become his mentor during the Afghan struggle.

Bin Laden first helped with money, using it to set up a series of guesthouses for the Mujahedin coming to Afghanistan and neighboring Pakistan from around the Arab world. He also obtained construction equipment from Saudi Arabia, and used skills he had learned working in the family business.

BERGEN: He applied the lessons he learned from the demolition side of the business to building crude shelters in the mountains of Afghanistan.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Saturday and Sunday night at 8:00 Eastern on CNN, "THE WORLD'S MOST WANTED." One name can now be stricken from that list. Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, he is dead, but Osama bin Laden and his top deputy remain at large. "CNN PRESENTS" profiles, this trio of terror this weekend at 8:00 p.m., "THE WORLD'S MOST WANTED" only on CNN.

Then Saturday at 7:00 Eastern, Wolf Blitzer hosts "IRAQ: A WEEK AT WAR." CNN's team of correspondents around the world bring you the only in-depth look at major events in the war on terror: the strike on al-Zarqawi in Iraq, the new tape from al-Zawahiri, and an alleged terror plot foiled in Canada. CNN's Wolf Blitzer hosts "IRAQ: A WEEK AT WAR" Saturday night at 7:00 p.m. Eastern, only right here on CNN.

He died in the same explosion that wounded CBS News correspondent Kimberly Dozier. Today a funeral was held for the Army Captain James A. Funkhouser Jr. at the Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery in San Antonio. Funkhouser, an Iraqi translator, and two members of Dozier's crew were killed in a Memorial Day car bomb attack in Iraq.

Several other soldiers were hurt, among them Corporal Michael Potter, who attended today's funeral. Funkhouser is survived by his wife and two young daughters. He'll receive two posthumous honors, the Bronze Star and the Purple Heart.

We now bring you more of the names and faces behind the casualty numbers in Iraq. Here are other stories of our fallen heroes. His wife says Army Specialist Armer Buckart of Rockville, Maryland, wanted to join the military since the sixth grade. He was killed May 11th by a roadside bomb while on patrol in Baghdad. His wife Christi (ph) describes him as a big bear and a great hug -- famous for his big, cuddly hugs.

Army Sergeant J. Adan Garcia of Irving, Texas, graduated high school in 2003. According to his former teacher, Garcia said after September 11th, he wanted to join the military. The 20-year-old died May 27th, five days after being hit by small arms fire in Baghdad.

Marine Lance Corporal William Leusink was known simply as B.J. in the Iowa town where he grew up. He died of wounds suffered in combat in Anbar province May 22nd. He told the pastor of his church, quote, "If something happens to me, this is what is supposed to happen. I'm doing what I've been called to do." He leaves behind his wife, his parents, a brother and two sisters.

These are just three of the 2,486 men and women who have sacrificed their lives in Iraq.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: There are no easy answers to high gas prices, but many people in the Midwest say ethanol should be in more Americans' tanks. CNN's Dan Lothian visited an ethanol plant in Mason City. It's the final installment of his weeklong series, "Paying the Price in the Heartland," as first seen on CNN's "AMERICAN MORNING."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAN LOTHIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): All across the heartland, a new crop is sprouting out of the ground and the harvest is golden.

DAVE SOVEREIGN, GOLDEN GRAIN ENERGY: This is a home run for real America.

LOTHIAN: Tucked in between corn fields and often snuggled next to key railroad distribution lines, ethanol plants, like Golden Grain Energy in Mason City, Iowa, are seen as a good bet against high energy prices.

SOVEREIGN: We're using corn and partially the storage grains from...

LOTHIAN: Dave Sovereign, a farmer for much of his life, is also this company's chairman. He's invested heavily in four ethanol producing plants and one other alternative fuel project and his spending spree isn't over.

SOVEREIGN: Ethanol's just a natural part of that agriculture. In fact, an extension of what we've been doing.

LOTHIAN: With so much corn to fuel production, Iowa has become the country's leading maker of ethanol. The fuel touted as a cleaner, more efficient alternative to gas. Twenty-five plants have been built here so far. Three in just one week. At least 17 more are on the way. The boom is projected to create thousands of jobs and struggling farmers who got in early are reaping huge benefits.

DWYANE LYNCH, GOLDEN GRAIN ENERGY: It makes you feel pretty good when you walk uptown and you run in to these people.

LOTHIAN: Golden Grain, which is expanding, says it's 750 investors received more than $9 million in tax credits and cash dividends last year. The gold rush starts here as soon as the corn arrives. It then enters a maze of conveyor belts, pipes and vats. A fully automated system starts breaking it down.

CHAD KUHLERS, PLANT MANAGER: You're milling and your cooking. Now you're fermenting. Then you start distilling. Then you decant.

LOTHIAN: And then, three days later, out pours this clear liquid, ethanol.

(on camera): Is this really the answer for our fuel needs?

SOVEREIGN: This is definitely a part of the answer.

LOTHIAN (voice-over): Nothing is wasted in the process of turning corn into fuel. This mountain, the by-product, is sold as cattle feed. While everything is running so smoothly right now, Sovereign, who has experienced the highs and lows in farming, realizes there is a potential risk in this business, too.

SOVEREIGN: I think, overall, there's going to be some growing pains, but, overall, we're going to survive it.

LOTHIAN (on camera): Just to give you a sense of how fast interest has grown in ethanol plants, when Sovereign tried to raise funds to build this project four years ago, it took him 90 days. That was pretty fast at the time. Now you can do it in about 24 hours. And he says just about every day, he hears from investors who want in.

Dan Lothian, CNN, Mason City, Iowa.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Well, you can see more of Dan Lothian's reports on "AMERICAN MORNING." Join Soledad O'Brien and Miles O'Brien every day at 6:00 a.m. Eastern.

Everybody knows if you want a cheesesteak, well, you go to Philly, right? But if you go to Geno's, you better order in English. Joseph Vento is the owner, and a while back, he posted this sign that says "This is America. When ordering, speak English." Some of his neighbors aren't very happy, but Vento, whose grandparents come from Sicily, is standing his ground. He says immigrants are lucky to be here and they ought to learn the language.

Sometimes a wave can get you in trouble. Michelle Medina waved to family at her high school graduation in San Antonio, Texas, and that got her kicked out. You see, San Antonio schools have a strict policy for graduations. No waving, period. Michelle got her diploma later, but she never got to walk across the stage. Her mom says it's a moment her daughter will never get back.

Well listen to this. Betty McNeil vowed to get her college degree before her grandchildren got theirs. And yesterday, she did. From Harvard, no less. She's 82 years old. Did I mention that? But in some ways, she is no different from her classmates.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BETTY MCNEIL, 82-YEAR-OLD HARVARD GRADUATE: Well, I'm a procrastinator. And actually, I wrote my essay on procrastination and turned it in about a half an hour before it was due.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: McNeil spent nine years procrastinating in getting that degree while working for Harvard's health services department until her retirement last year. She also won an award for academic achievement and character.

She's 96, she's in a wheelchair, but she doesn't back down. A robber in Tulsa, Oklahoma, picked the wrong target when he broke into Elvie Toliver's house. She pointed her gun at him, but he took it from her, then knocked her from the chair. He fled with 80 bucks and her gun. Elvie says the robber should be glad that he escaped.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ELVIE TOLIVER, ROBBERY VICTIM: If I had got the chance, I would have hurt him. Sure as I'm sitting in this chair, I would have hurt him.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Well, after her attacker left, Elvie was able to pull herself back in her wheelchair. A church volunteer stopped by later and called the police. The robber is still on the loose with her gun.

And if the bear falls in the woods, does anybody hear it? What if he falls in the middle of a busy suburb? Oh! We'll tell you how this tale of entrapment ends when LIVE FROM continues.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: True blue friend gets a Purple Heart. Aaron (ph) the police dog was shot in the jaw last month while chasing a suspect in Oklahoma City. He kept right on going and caught the perp. Well, the city's fraternal order of police awarded him the Purple Heart just last night.

A black bear spent part of Tuesday morning in the courtyard of a condo complex in suburban New York. Hundreds of people gathered to watch the dramatic eviction. Nina Pineda of CNN affiliate WABC picks up the story from there.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NINA PINEDA, WABC REPORTER (voice-over): After being shot twice with tranquilizer darts, one sticking out of each haunch, the bear lost its balance but managed to dangle from his paw, hanging on in the condo courtyard treetops 45 feet in the air by one big claw until his own weight finally pulled him down.

(SOUNDS OF SCREAMING) UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Just a vision of him tumbling down was horrible. We went head over -- you know, end over end, and he landed. I thought he bounced. Then he bounced up again.

PINEDA (on camera): Why was it necessary for him to hit the ground that hard? Do you think the net was sufficient or insufficient?

OFC. PAUL DEOUL, SPRING VALLEY, N.Y. POLICE: Insufficient. He's a big bear. And when they fall, they have gravity and bear body. And they just fall. So the net somewhat breaks up the transition from air to ground.

PINEDA: It hit with a thud, but the male black bear, estimated to be eight years old, only lost a tooth in the fall. It bled from the mouth, but began blinking its eyes, safe and sedate, just hours after its sighting in the apartment complex had moms pulling their own cubs indoors.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I quickly grabbed them in when I found out that there's a bear running around in the area, because we don't know where it is.

PINEDA: Because of the dense population, authorities say they elected to shoot twice quickly.

DEOUL: This is the time of the year -- in another couple of weeks, this will be their breeding season. And so he's out roaming around, looking for a girlfriend. And he ended up in Spring Valley.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: That was Nina Pineda from affiliate WABC reporting.

Well, car hoons are being Manilowed in Sydney, Australia. Car hoons being the local term for teenage loiterers, and Manilow being the weapon of choice to get rid of them. Authorities hope the hoons will think Barry Manilow music is so uncool, they won't want to hang around. Two of Barry's songs come to mind: "Somewhere Down the Road," "Maybe This One's For You." And if the kids leave, "It's a Miracle" or "Looks Like We Made It." More LIVE FROM right after a quick break.

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PHILLIPS: Straight to the newsroom, Fredricka Whitfield working details on a developing story -- Fred.

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kyra, outspoken, a Marine veteran and a senior member of Congress. John Murtha of Pennsylvania announces that he will run for House Majority leader if the Democrats return to a majority in the House after the midterm elections.

Our senior political analyst Bill Schneider (ph) joins us now from Washington. And Bill, you have to wonder, six months ahead of the start of a new Congress and nearly four months before midterm elections, why would he make this pledge now?

WILLIAM SCHNEIDER, CNN SR. POLITICAL ANALYST: Essentially for the reason that he gave yesterday. With the elimination of Zarqawi, and with the new government in place in Iraq, including security and defense and interior ministries, he argued yesterday that it's time to begin to talk about a timetable for withdrawal.

He has in the past talked about the need for rapid redeployment of American troops out of Iraq. This would clearly define the Democrats position on the issue of Iraq going into the campaign. And he sees the Zarqawi elimination as an opportunity to talk seriously about withdrawal.

WHITFIELD: He's been an outspoken critic against the war in Iraq or at least talking about withdrawal, now setting a timetable. What is it that many political insiders believe that he brings to the table by throwing his hat into the ring?

SCHNEIDER: His supporters would say courage. He was outspoken. He essentially broke open the issue when he called last November for a rapid redeployment of American troops. It would define the Democrats very clearly on the initial. Remember, the number one Democrat in the House is Nancy Pelosi. If the Democrats gain the majority in the election, she would be in place to be elected speaker of the House. That's why he says he would then run for the open position that she now holds of majority leader because the Democrats would then be in the majority.

He might have to have some competition for that from the second- place Democratic leadership position right now, Steny Hoyer, who is the Democratic whip. Nevertheless, he's expressed his intention. He's trying to line up support. This would very clearly mean Iraq would be an issue that the Democrats would run on to try to regain the majority.

PHILLIPS: John Murtha, not at all afraid of being in front of camera. Any idea of when we just might be seeing him or at least hear from the horse's mouth any more details about his plans?

SCHNEIDER: Not clear, but did he send a signal to his colleagues. He I said I would appreciate your consideration and vote and look forward to seeing you personally. So you can bet he's going to be doing a lot of campaigning, at least behind the scenes.

WHITFIELD: Senior political analyst Bill Schneider, part of the best political team on television. Thanks so much.

SCHNEIDER: Sure.

WHITFIELD: Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right, Fred, thanks so much.

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