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Bringing Troops Home; Iraq Amnesty Plan; Israel Demands Immediate Release of Soldier

Aired June 26, 2006 - 14:00   ET

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

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, everyone. I'm Kyra Phillips, live at the CNN world headquarters in Atlanta.
A blueprint for peace? As Iraq's prime minister unveils plan for the country's future, bombers and gunmen kill at least 20 people.

Relentless ran in the Northeast with no end in sight. Drenched East Coast residents brace for yet more flooding.

And find out how this sleepy cable guy became an Internet celebrity. The dot-com details ahead.

The second hour of LIVE FROM starts right now.

Americans keep asking, when will U.S. troops start coming home from Iraq? Well, a plan could finally be on the table and it's raising all sorts of new questions.

Ed Henry just got out of the White House briefing.

Ed, what do you know?

ED HENRY, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, good afternoon, Kyra.

That's right, certainly a lot of talk about the fact, as CNN first reported last Thursday, military sources say General George Casey, the U.S. commander in Iraq, has a plan that would basically rotate out two combat brigades somewhere in the neighborhood of 7,000 troops out of Iraq, some point later this year. Probably beginning in the fall. The Casey plan including the potential for even more U.S. troops, far more rotating out in 2007.

Democrats charging the White House is engaged in hypocrisy here, that it was just last week during that very heated Senate debate we saw Republicans charging that a similar Democratic plan was "cut and run." And basically that plan, the Reed-Levin proposal, voted down in the Senate, called for a phased redeployment of troops, didn't have a fixed deadline, but a phased redeployment starting this year, which sounds similar to what General Casey is saying.

But White House spokesman Tony Snow, during that briefing today, insisting this is just one of many plans General Casey is considering. And he also noted there is a big difference between this plan and any of the Democratic plans on the table.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TONY SNOW, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: The premise -- General Casey proposes lots of things and actually laid down more than one option. And everybody is fastening on one.

It's certainly something that is under consideration, but I would warn you again, saying this is what he's saying, this is what he wants. The president has made it really clear. When General Casey makes a recommendation -- note when -- it hasn't happened yet, there's not a firm recommendation. He has not recommended, OK, let's do this by the end of the year. When he makes a recommendation, the president's going to follow it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HENRY: And Tony Snow added that it will be based on facts on the ground, whereas the Democratic plans were mostly based on timetables.

They also note that General Casey and what he's throwing out there leaves in a lot of flexibility so that the U.S. military can be sure that, in fact, Iraqis can take over security before there's a full hand-over of responsibility. That's a far cry from the second Democratic plan that was on the table last week, so-called Kerry- Feingold, that had a fixed date, July of 2007, for all U.S. troops to be out of Iraq -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Ed Henry, live at the White House.

Thanks, Ed.

HENRY: Thank you.

PHILLIPS: Will some Iraqi militants be set free even if they have blood on their hands? Well, Iraq's prime minister is pressing a reconciliation plan aimed at the ending violence in his country, but U.S. lawmakers feel it could also free militants who have killed U.S. soldiers.

Our senior international correspondent, Nic Robertson, has details from Baghdad.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: When announcing his 24-point reconciliation plan, Nuri al-Maliki, the prime minister, said that those that would be eligible for early release from prison for a pardon would be people not involved in terrorist acts, people who haven't been involved in criminal activities, those who haven't committed war crimes or crimes against humanity. This appears to be ruling out anyone who's been directly involved in the insurgency. He said that anyone who did want to be released from jail would also have to say that they were committed to the new government.

Now, when the U.S. ambassador here, Zalmay Khalilzad, was asked whether or not insurgents could be released under this amnesty, insurgents who had been involved in attacks against U.S. troops, he said that as far as he was concerned, no irreconcilable elements, people he said such as Ba'ath Party supporters, he said people who were trying to oust the new Iraqi government, or any al Qaeda elements, but he did leave the door open for perhaps the nationalist elements of insurgency here who have been fighting what they see as a U.S. occupation in Iraq. He did appear to leave the door open there, saying that anyone who agrees to put down their weapons and support the new Iraqi government could be eligible for getting early release from jail.

The Iraqi government has said that it will release about 2,500 people -- 2,500 people form the jails. This appears to be an effort as part of this massive -- this 24-point reconciliation plan that is strong on rhetoric but seems to be short on details. It does seem to be an effort to win support, perhaps from the Sunni community, and bring them, perhaps, closer into the way of thinking of the new Shia- dominated government here. That appears to be the effort that Nuri al-Maliki, the prime minister, has laid out here.

Nic Robertson, CNN, Baghdad.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Well, it's not OK to attack Iraqis, but U.S. soldiers are fair game. Members of Congress fear that's the message Iraq's prime minister is putting forth with this national reconciliation plan.

Let's get straight to Capitol Hill. Our congressional correspondent, Andrea Koppel, covering this story.

Interesting reaction. Quite mixed, Andrea.

ANDREA KOPPEL, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It is, Kyra. On the one hand, you have Republicans who are saying that they think the plan, this national reconciliation plan is a good idea, they are willing to cut the Iraqi prime minister some slack as he tries to put more meat on the bones of the plan. And, in fact, saying that -- one GOP leadership aide telling me that they've heard that he plans to try to meet with other governments that have dealt with reconciliation like South Africa, like Yugoslavia.

But Democrats, on the other hand, expressing much more skepticism, saying what is the definition of an active resistance? Is it possible that you could have those who were responsible for planting roadside bombs targeting Americans who are given amnesty? So, Democrats are much, much less willing to give the Iraqi government the benefit of the doubt at this point -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: So, what is Congress doing trying to stop amnesty?

KOPPEL: Well, at this point, really, what happened last week is sort of the bellwether at the moment. You had one of the Democratic senators from Florida, Bill Nelson, who put forward a resolution really calling on President Bush to draw a line in the sand, to tell the Iraqi government that amnesty for anyone who has attacked American troops is not acceptable. That was voted against by 19 Republicans who said they felt that there were mixed signals coming from the Iraqi government, that even though there was a story in "The Washington Post" that said amnesty might be offered for those who attacked American forces, that, in fact, that official was later forced to resign. And so they feel like because there are these mixed signals, Kyra, they need to kind of wait, give the Iraqi government a little more time, give the new prime minister a little more time to flesh out this -- this plan that he has now unveiled over the weekend.

PHILLIPS: Andrea Koppel on the Hill.

Thanks, Andrea.

Well, tensions are high in the Middle East a day after a brazen attack. An Israeli soldier is missing and Israel is threatening a harsh response. Palestinian militants are making demands.

CNN's John Vause joins us now live from Gaza City.

What's the latest, John?

JOHN VAUSE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Kyra.

Well, the demands have been made by the three Palestinian militant groups believed to be holding the 19-year-old Israeli corporal. This is a leaflet which was distributed throughout Gaza City earlier today. These demands were also broadcast over the loud speakers of many mosques around Gaza.

It's a very carefully-worded document. They refer to the Israeli soldier only as missing, not as a hostage. And they say they have information which they will give to the Israelis once Israel releases all Palestinian women and children being held in Israeli jails. Right now about 100 or so Palestinian women, about 300 Palestinians under the age of 18 are being held by the Israelis.

A short time ago, the Israeli government ruled out any prisoner swap for the 19-year-old, Gilad Shalit (ph). Instead, Israeli forces are massing on the border of Gaza. Tanks, armored personnel carriers, hundreds of troops waiting for the orders from the prime minister for a major ground offensive. There are also Israeli surveillance airships in the skies over Gaza. The crossings have all been closed. Israeli gunboats are patrolling the coastal waters.

The concern among Israeli authorities is that the 19-year-old corporal may be smuggled out of Gaza, taken to Egypt, and from there possibly taken even to Syria or Lebanon -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: So what is this saying about the Palestinian leadership at this point, John?

VAUSE: Well, really, it says that it's in disarray, especially here in Gaza. The Hamas government, the ruling Hamas government, the group essentially responsible, one of the groups responsible for this kidnapping, the political wing maintains it has had no advanced warning that its military wing was about to undertake this attack on the Israeli military post on Sunday morning. The Israelis don't buy that. But what this highlights is that anyone in Gaza who has a few guns can become a major player here -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: So what do you think? Could we see Israeli military action?

VAUSE: Well, really, that all depends on what happens with the negotiations ongoing right now. The Israelis are not holding direct negotiations, but there are Egyptian mediators here who have been in contact with the various Palestinian militant groups. The success or otherwise of those negotiations will depend on how long the Israelis are prepared to wait -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: John Vause, we'll follow up with you. Thank you.

Well, straight ahead, washed out roads and floating cars. Not a good way to start the north -- the work week off here in the Northeast. Live pictures now, and you've got pretty ominous skies over the nation's capital. We're going to go live to our own Bob Franken, who is wading through the Washington water for us.

More LIVE FROM next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Well, a good day for a docking. At this moment, a cargo capsule hitching up to the International Space Station. It was launched yesterday from Kazakhstan, with much-needed supplies on board.

The plan is to convert this capsule into a closet. The station's going to need it. The Shuttle Discovery is set to take off Saturday with even more supplies.

CNN, as always, will cover that launch live. Our space correspondent, Miles O'Brien, will be at the Kennedy Space Center.

Trouble for the Hubble. One of the main cameras on the space telescope has stopped working. Engineers say they're working on it. The Hubble, launched in 1990, has revolutionized astronomy, providing us with spectacular views of our universe and beyond.

Well, trees are down everywhere, even at the White House. There's so much water in D.C. that city leaders are urging people to avoid the downtown area. Of course, that's where CNN's Bob Franken went to explore what looks like a massive lake right now.

Hey, Bob.

BOB FRANKEN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, I know you've been following the progress of this lake as it slowly recedes, turning now into a puddle under the 12th Street underpass, which feeds from the various highways, the beltways, into the downtown part of the District of Columbia. PHILLIPS: Well, there you go. That's because of the weather there. As you can imagine, with all the heavy rains and the flooding, sometimes we lose our signal. We'll try to get Bob back to give us more of a gauge of what is happening there in Washington.

Well, they could be some of the most important papers of America's civil rights movement. When LIVE FROM continues, we've got some pretty neat details on this deal to keep the papers of Martin Luther King, Jr. right here in his home town.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: A mother back in court, same case, same question. Was Andrea Yates insane when she drowned her five children one by one in the bathtub? The oldest was Noah. He was 7 years old. The youngest Mary, just 6 months. Opening statements are under way in her retrial.

Court TV's Beth Karas is following developments at the Houston courthouse -- Beth.

BETH KARAS, COURT TV: Good afternoon.

Well, the jury is going to actually hear some testimony when court resumes in about 10 minutes. The state has just begun its case, calling a few short witnesses, and now the first police officer on the scene.

The jury heard very detailed opening statements earlier today, about 30 minutes on each side laying out what they expect their cases to show. The prosecution's case in chief will be pretty short because it's largely uncontested that she drowned her -- it is uncontested that she drowned her five children.

The real battle in this case will begin when the defense puts on its case, and that is the insanity defense. There'll be a number of psychiatric witnesses and people who had contact with her in the years and months and weeks and even days before she drowned her five children.

PHILLIPS: OK, Beth. We'll continue to follow it. Appreciate it. Thanks for that report.

Court TV's Beth Karas.

Well, a new surveys should raise some red flags for workers approaching retirement age. Susan Lisovicz live from the New York Stock Exchange with the details

Hey, Susan.

SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN FINANCIAL CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Kyra.

It's always a variation on a theme, we're not saving enough. And now a new poll backing up a troubling trend among American workers. Many of them coming up short in estimating how much money they'll need for retirement. According to a survey by "The Wall Street Journal Online" and Harris Interactive, 37 percent of retirees say their living expenses are higher than they expected before retirement. Forty-five percent say expenses are about the same as they expected, and 18 percent said expenses are lower.

Experts say the general rule of thumb is you should plan on spending at least 80 percent of your pre-retirement income if you want to maintain your standard of living after retirement.

There's also another interesting survey. This one on how employers prepare their employees for retirement. Especially interesting, because so many companies are getting rid of pension plans, putting more of the burden on us, the employee.

This new survey shows that employers are all but clueless when it comes to the retirement plans of their workers. According to outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas, only 6 percent of companies have asked employees approaching retirement age about their retirement plans. And among companies with 10 to 30 percent of workers reaching retirement age in the next five years, none have surveyed those workers to find out how many actually plan to call it quits.

That means they have no idea what a potential wave of retirements could do to their own operations. And two industries that could be severely affected by retirements in the near future, something we talk about quite a bit, auto manufacturing, as well as nursing.

And that's the latest from Wall Street.

Back to you, Kyra.

And that's the latest from Wall Street.

LIVE FROM will return right after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Let's get straight to the newsroom now. Tony Harris working details on a developing story.

Tony, what do you have?

TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: And Kyra, word of two attacks on civilians in Iraq. A bomb exploded in a crowded market area in Baquba, the city where Abu Musab al-Zarqawi was killed.

This new bomb attack today killed and wounded dozens -- put that in quotes -- "dozens." That's according to officials with the Diyala provincial Joint Coordination Center.

And earlier, police in Hilla reported 15 dead and 30 wounded in a bomb blast in that mostly Shiite town. That attack taking place in another crowded market area. In recent days, the people behind these attacks, Kyra, have taken to strapping explosives onto motorcycles, moving those motorcycles and parking them in these crowded market areas and then setting off those explosives by remote control.

Don't know yet how these attacks were carried out, but they have been deadly -- well, deadly successful in both of these cases today. We'll keep an eye on this developing story -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right, Tony. Appreciate it.

HARRIS: Sure thing.

PHILLIPS: Well, 40 years worth of ideas, notes and speeches. Now, a multimillion-dollar deal will keep the papers of the Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. at his alma mater, Morehouse College, right here in Atlanta. A record of life's work of the man called a drum major for justice.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS (voice over): Thirty-eight years after his death, Martin Luther King is remembered for his courage, his vision, and perhaps most of all for his words. Family members and former aides say the late civil rights leader was a prolific writer and kept almost everything.

DEXTER KING, SON OF MARTIN LUTHER KING: Every opportunity he got to jot down his thoughts, he would. And you see things on programs, pieces of paper, any and everywhere, legal pads.

ANDREW YOUNG, FORMER KING AIDE: Martin kept magnificent notes. He had notes of just about every sermon he preached at Dexter Avenue, as well as Ebenezer. He had his blue books from college. You could see the papers that he wrote as a student had some of the ideas that later became the march on Washington speech or the Nobel prize address.

PHILLIPS: The 10,000-item King library includes 7,000 hand- written documents. Among them, an early draft of what eventually became Dr. King's "I Have a Dream" speech.

DAVID REDDEN, VICE PRESIDENT, SOTHEBY'S: His original speech was called "Normalcy -- Never Again." And it wasn't anything like what he ultimately gave. And I think he read through that and said, you know, I just -- no. No.

Instead, he started writing out some thoughts. And on the back page of the speech, you see a whole series of thoughts written out, and all of those do appear in the final speech. But much of that speech was given extemporaneously.

PHILLIPS: Even the books King owned, books written by other authors, offer insight into King's thoughts and philosophy.

REDDEN: Dr. King is one of these marvelous readers who actually has a dialogue, a conversation with the author and writes his comments in the margin. Wrote entire essays on flyer leafs (ph). About 4,000 pages within these books are marked up in some way by Dr. King.

PHILLIPS: The collection also sheds light on Dr. King's personal battles with segregation.

REDDEN: Well, Dr. King and Mrs. King had applied to a private school in Atlanta for their eldest child, and they got a letter back saying the school had considered the application, but -- and the board -- but the board of trustees had a rule that no black Americans could be admitted. And we had the letter of rejection from the school, we have the returned application check.

PHILLIPS: Up until this past weekend there were fears the King library might be auctioned off to a private collector who might lock it away. But not now. King's alma mater, Morehouse College, got it. And that means it's now available to generations of future historians.

KING: When my mother was living, it was always her dream to see the papers at a place that would be an appropriate custodian. In fact, my father, during his lifetime, had talked about Morehouse being a custodian.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The core mission is to provide broad access to those papers, both for scholarly efforts and also for exhibitions. So we want those papers to be seen by as many people as possible.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Well, Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin led the effort to raise $32 million to obtain the King papers. Corporate and civic leaders helped make the deal happen just ahead of a Friday night deadline. Thousands of documents covering 40 years of King's life will now go to Morehouse.

Joining us to talk about the incredible acquisition, Walter Massey, president of Morehouse College, and Lawrence Carter, dean of the Martin Luther King, Jr. International Chapel.

Gentlemen, great to have you.

WALTER MASSEY, PRESIDENT, MOREHOUSE COLLEGE: Pleased to be here.

LAWRENCE CARTER, DEAN, MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. INTERNATIONAL CHAPEL: Thank you.

PHILLIPS: So tell me the real rumors. Was he a straight A student? Come on, tell me. Did he ever get a bad grade?

MASSEY: Yes.

PHILLIPS: He did?

MASSEY: He was not a straight A student. I think there's one part of his biography that notes he didn't quite blossom as a student at Morehouse. But he -- We have his transcript, of course. And I think it's in the collection.

PHILLIPS: Oh, I didn't get a chance to see that. I'll be looking at -- But, dean, I guess you can't expect straight as for a 15-year-old who got into college. Right?

CARTER: No, you can't. He finished with a C average. But, what he got was sufficient because he blossomed in graduate school magnificently.

PHILLIPS: This just goes to show that SAT scores and grades don't matter. It's the person, right? It's the character. And we see that within this amazing collection. Mr. President, what do you think -- do you have a favorite piece in this collection and why?

MASSEY: My favorite piece is the letter from Birmingham jail because I think the one document which is not very long, for me it sort of summarizes and encapsulates everything about Martin Luther King Jr.'s philosophy of non-violence and why he thought that it was the way mankind, humankind can bring itself together. I say that and Lincoln's second inaugural address and the Lincoln Memorial in Washington are my two favorite pieces of writing.

PHILLIPS: Well noted. Dean, how about you?

CARTER: I would agree with the president but I'm curious to get my hands on the sermons.

PHILLIPS: Tell me why.

CARTER: Mainly because Claiborne Carson has said that in all the research on the published and unpublished sermons, no where does he invite the listener or reader to be Christian.

PHILLIPS: Really? And he -- within this collection there is a bunch of note cards, right? He jotted down favorite verses and thoughts and -- but he did so much ad libbing.

CARTER: Yes, you're right. It appears that the emphasis was on being a follower of Jesus. And he did a lot of note taking, all right.

PHILLIPS: So you think there's new insight to his spirituality or at least his belief in God or Jesus Christ?

CARTER: Yes. It's not new, but it's certainly not as popular today. Howard Thurman, class of '23 at Morehouse greatly influenced it. King constantly carried in the 12 1/2 years he led the movement Jesus and the disinherited. The whole emphasis is on the fact that Jesus mentioned that the kingdom of heaven is within you. The whole perspective or focus was radically changing your inner life. It's an inside job rather than being concerned about changing the world first. Changing yourself first and then the world will follow.

PHILLIPS: Interesting. So, Mr. President, what do you think? Will this new collection add to maybe new debate about what Martin Luther King believed in? Will it add to the classroom atmosphere in a new way? This is interesting what the dean says.

MASSEY: Oh, it has to. In fact, the most exciting part of this is not for the, I think, for us as an educational institution. It's not something to be able to exhibit those speeches and writings that we all know about, but to uncover those things about Martin Luther King, his thoughts about the world, those times, that scholars and the general public are not aware of. We're told, speaking of sermons, that there are at least five sermons that he wrote that he never delivered.

And so, it's going to be interesting to see why didn't he deliver them, what their message is there that did not get out? Were they consistent? I am sure it will be. But the whole point of scholarship is learning something new.

PHILLIPS: Did he ever make notes or will there be personal notes in this collection to maybe say, decide not to do this sermon because of these reasons?

MASSEY: Well, we'll have to find out. Certainly as David Retton (ph) said early on, there are a number of personal notes he jotted on everything. And that was his nephew Isaac King Phares (ph), wrote Phares last week about the papers and he said he was known to be, it was dangerous to have any piece of paper around him because he would write on it. Napkins, books, the margins. I've seen the dean's books and he writes in the margins.

PHILLIPS: He has got all those side notes.

MASSEY: He got that from Martin Luther King, no doubt.

PHILLIPS: And you mention the notes, how about the "I have a dream" draft. He didn't have many changes on that, did he? I mean, he didn't have a lot of scratches or crossing things out. He really, what do you think, dean?

CARTER: Well, he didn't get a chance to work on it long. In fact, we're told that when he stood up to speak it was half finished and he actually finished it on his feet. The people sort of drove him on. I was interested when we were at Sotheby's to notice much longer manuscripts than that and I was wondering were done afterwards.

PHILLIPS: And just real quickly. Shirley Franklin, I heard, if the mayor wouldn't have got on the phone within those past couple of days and pumped for local sponsorship, is it possible you might not have been able to get this collection?

CARTER: Oh, that's definitely true. We all owe Shirley Franklin all the credit for making this happen. And the other thing about it, I've had others, individuals and institutions call who I know were in the bidding. Some who have raised more money than we had here in the city, but they finally wanted it here. But even though they would have liked to have had them, I don't think there's any institution or individual who doesn't see this as the most appropriate place. I mean, it's just perfect. Everyone feels it. PHILLIPS: Well, I think both Mrs. King and MLK Jr. are looking down saying, that's right, that's exactly where I want it. Dean Carter, Mr. President, thank you so much for being with us. Really appreciate it.

CARTER: Thank you very much.

MASSEY: Thank you.

PHILLIPS: Well, torrential downpours and flooded roads. How much more rain can we expect? The news keeps coming. We'll bring it to you live from our nation's capital coming up after the break.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NICOLE LAPIN, CNN.COM CORRESPONDENT: Who matters in the world? We're not just talking about the tycoons. Cnnmoney.com is telling us 50 people who really matter these days.

The test to make the list. Just one question. What have you done for us lately? With that criteria, it's really no surprise that the Google guys made the cult and did you ever wonder what those self- professed Stanford geeks Sergei Brin and Larry Page actually look like. Click on this gallery and you can see the co-founders and figure out what their next brain child is.

And get this, we're actually telling you the people who don't matter. Big ouch for those big guys like Steve Balmer, CEO of Microsoft. We must admit Bill Gates did make the list of people who matter, but it didn't have anything to do with Microsoft. Take the quiz to get the real reason.

And, hey, there could even be a spot out there for you. We are not kidding. Go to cnnmoney.com to find out. For the .com desk, I'm Nicole Lapin.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: That's not New Orleans. Believe it or not, that's Washington, DC and other parts of the Maryland area. You've seen the pictures, we've had the video. Bonnie Schneider following the conditions now watching it all from CNN Weather Center. It's unbelievable what these rains have done, Bonnie.

BONNIE SCHNEIDER, CNN METEOROLOGIST: It's unbelievable, Kyra, and it's not over yet. We could still see two to four more inches of rain. And here's the reason why. Look at the radar pictures and notice the colors going from blue to red here. This indicates we're getting some very heavy downpours in Manassas, Virginia up towards Potomac into Maryland and right over the Dulles Airport, coincidentally.

So we're seeing these thunderstorms sort of training along, rather than moving across quickly to the east from the west, they're coming up from the south and, unfortunately, that steady flow over the same area again and again on a ground that is completely saturated is causing more flooding and that's why you see such a large batch of precipitation and you also see an area that is under flood warnings straight through the evening hours.

This a look at Washington, DC and Baltimore, Maryland. A flood warning in effect until 5:00 p.m. tonight for Washington. And we can show you the reason why. Take a look now, a live picture of the capitol. You can see kind of the overcast skies and it almost looks like the skies have brightened up, the problem is that there is rain just to the west and we certainly could see more rain develop because of the way this system is shaping up.

Another area we're very concerned with is the place we've seen the most rain. The Eastern Shores of Maryland into Sussex County, into Delaware and here's Seaford where they were reporting almost a foot of rain yesterday. Still getting spotty showers, some heavy at times. And any time you see a thunderstorm like this, it could produce one inch of rain in just an hour's time.

If you're wondering why we are getting so much rain over such a widespread area and it keeps on coming, it has to do with the way things are set up right now meteorologically. Our stationary front is off to the west, we have two areas of low pressure. Since this front is not moving, it's kind of blocked by high pressure off here in the Atlantic, it's tapping into tropical moisture.

Earlier in the weekend, we were talking about the possibility of a tropical system developing in the Bahamas. It didn't happen but it did kind of kick up the moisture and all that drifted to the west. So we're looking at this moisture coming in and it's kind of riding along the frontal boundary.

So until this front moves, we're still going to see the rain. And that's why we're keeping rain in the forecast for the flooded areas. And that will go straight through tonight and the chance of spotty rain will continue as we work our way through the next couple days.

The only good news in this whole mess is that some beneficial rain is coming over parts of Georgia and into the lower sections of the Carolinas and Florida. And as you know, Kyra, here in Georgia we could use the rain, it's just unfortunate it's coming down so heavy and hard in places that don't need it.

PHILLIPS: All right. We'll keep following it, Bonnie, thanks so much.

Well, a pair of decisions from the nation's highest court today dealing with capital punishment and campaign spending. In a close five to four vote, the court upheld the death penalty in Kansas. That state's law requires a death sentence when evidence for and against the death penalty appears to be equal. And by a six to three vote, the high court struck down campaign finance law. That law, the toughest in the U.S., strictly limits how much candidates for state offices can spend. President Bush calls the leak "disgraceful." Last week the "New York Times" and two other newspapers revealed a program that monitors the financial transactions of suspected terrorists. The "Times" declined a White House request not to publish the story, calling it a matter of public interest. But critics say outing the program could harm national security. "New York Times" columnist Frank Rich and President Bush's former speech writer David Frum debated the issue Sunday on CNN's RELIABLE SOURCES.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAVID FRUM, FORMER BUSH SPEECHWRITER: One things that is amazing about the "New York Times," as while it regards the secrets of the United States as anybody's game, it insists on absolute, of course, confidentiality for itself. So it doesn't tell us how it does the story, but when you read these stories, you get, if you know how the news business works, if you worked for a paper ...

FRANK RICH, "NEW YORK TIMES": Hello, all newspapers, including the other two that publish the story follow those same procedures. So does CNN, the network we're on.

FRUM: You can archeologically undig ...

RICH: Time to go to journalism school, guy.

HOWARD KURTZ, CNN HOST: Let me jump in for one second. David, give me a second.

FRUM: You can learn by 20 years of practice, as well.

KURTZ: I should point out that Eric Lishbow (ph) is one of the co-authors of that story and of the domestic surveillance story broken by the "Times" some month ago. Told "Editor & Publisher" that the "Times" held the story for several weeks to weigh the administration's arguments. And in fact, that allowed the other papers to catch up. It does look like the "Times" was out front ...

RICH: And by the way. One other thing about that. We also learned that as the "Times" was holding the story, that's when the administration decided to tell members of Congress and brief them about this program, which it hadn't previously done.

KURTZ: But David Frum is not the only conservative who is upset about this. Bill Bennett, the conservative commentator on CNN's AMERICAN MORNING on Friday had this to say. Let's take a look.

BILL BENNETT, CONSERVATIVE COMMENTATOR: The fury this morning was about the "New York Times" and it wasn't fury about people having their bank records looked at. It was hundreds of people calling and saying, look, we're on a war on terror and people are wondering about the "New York Times" and other outlets as to when they will stat stop interfering with these intelligence programs.

RICH: Look, I think that's a very good polling of sentiment in Vegas and I support his saying that. KURTZ: You are being very dismissive of the notion that a lot of people are offended by this.

RICH: People have a right to be offended by it, but I would also argue what is going on now, when you have a war that is going south in Iraq is people are looking for scapegoats and for side arguments and that's what this is about. The administration has repeatedly bragged about its expertise, and thank God they have it, in tracking down the financial shenanigans of terrorist groups and this added one little wrinkle to that story.

FRUM: Sorry, no. The records that we're looking at are international wire transfers and I think the terrorists may have assumed that wire transfers into and out of the United States might be watched, but they did not understand that wire transfers around the planet were being watch would the help of a consortium other banks. That was a true secret and it caught, it caught important people in the past and it will never catch anybody ever again and that responsibility lies at the hands of one newspaper that consulted itself as to its definition of the nation's security.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: I'll be sure to catch CNN's RELIABLE SOURCES every Sunday morning at 10:00 Eastern.

So did these media reports hurt America's national security? What do you think? E-mail us, the address is livefrom@cnn.com. I'll read some of your comments later in the show.

Well, straight ahead, entertainment news with A.J. Hammer of SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. Hey, A.J., good to see you.

A.J. HAMMER, CNN HN HOST: Hey, nice it see you as well, Kyra. It's a wonderful weekend for actress Nicole Kidman and one Backstreet Boy is saying bye-bye. I'll have the details when LIVE FROM continues and I'll get a lozenge too.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Well, Warren Buffett makes it official, the world's second richest man says he is giving much of his fortune away to the world's richest man and his wife, Bill and Melinda Gates. Their charitable foundation will receive $1.5 million from Buffett every year. The first donation is due next month. Buffett says he admires the foundation's mission to fight disease, reduce poverty and improve education.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WARREN BUFFETT, INVESTOR: If you're accumulating wealth it's very natural, or if you wish to accumulate wealth, to go to someone who can handle money better than you can, an investment manager of some sort, whoever it may be, and turn your money over to them and say, you can do a better job than I can do, make me some money. Well I got some people where I can say you can give it away better than I can, so I'm turning it over to you and you'll do a better job of giving it away than I would.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Well, Bill and Melinda Gates say that they are awed by Buffett's decision.

Stars wed down under. Time to quit being a Backstreet Boy and Hollywood loses a true giant of television. We get more on all of that from SHOWBIZ TONIGHT's A.J. Hammer. Hey, A.J.

HAMMER: Hey, Kyra.

Big loss over the weekend. As we've been reporting, veteran TV producer Aaron Spelling died. Spelling was the creator of a massive number of hit TV shows. On that list "Charlie's Angels," "Dynasty," "Love Boat," "Fantasy Island," "Beverly Hills 90210," "Melrose Place," the list goes on.

He died Friday at his home in Los Angeles after suffering a stroke back on June 18th. Spelling lives behind a wife, daughter Tori Spelling and son, Randy. He was 83 years old.

And the Backstreet Boys are saying good-bye to the oldest member of their band. Thirty-three year old Kevin Richardson is leaving. Richardson released a statement that said, in part, "it was a very tough decision for me, but one that was necessary for me in order to move on with the next chapter of my life."

The remaining members are A.J. McLean (ph), Nick Carter, Howie Doral (ph) and Brian Littrell (ph) and all have said they have no plans on replacing Richardson. The Backstreet Boys' three albums have sold a total of more than 35 million copies around the world.

And what a wedding down under it was. Actress Nicole Kidman and country singer Keith Urban finally tied the knot over the weekend in Australia. The Oscar-winning actress exchanged vows with the Grammy Award-winning country music star in a tearful candlelit ceremony. It happened yesterday. The beaming bride wore a flowing white Valenciaga (ph) gown and pearl drop earrings. Her cream-colored Rolls Royce limousine drove from her Waterford Mansion across the Sidney Harbor Bridge.

And later the pair was spotted boarding Kidman's private jet. This, of course, because the paparazzi and all kind of speculation on where they might be spending their honeymoon. Now there are several reports suggesting the pair might rent the exclusive Bokiah (ph) club resort for a week in Fiji or maybe in Tahiti. It was Urban's first marriage and Kidman and Tom Cruise divorced back in 2001 after 10 years of marriage.

It sounds picture perfect, Kyra, and, as you heard last week, she is rewriting the playbook on how you deal with the paparazzi. Bringing them beer, letting them sing to her and now releasing that photo that we've been seeing of the wedding and suggesting that if you are running this photo, please make a donation to my charity. PHILLIPS: All right, very good. And we're waiting for the Keith Urban love song that he is going to write it her now, or has that already happened and we just don't know?

HAMMER: You know what? We'll look into that, Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right. The follow-up. Thanks so much, A.J. What else is coming up tonight?

HAMMER: Tonight on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, sudden death and the super model. We're going to talk about how a startling new development could impact Anna Nicole Smith's ugly battle for her late husband's fortune. We've got the inside story for you on TV's most provocative entertainment news show, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, 11:00 p.m. Eastern on CNN headline prime. Hope to see you then.

PHILLIPS: Thanks, A.J.

HAMMER: Thanks, Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Please hold for the next available operator. That's enough to tick anyone off, but in the case of one Comcast cable tech, well it made him doze off and that got him laid off. The cable guy was on hold with the home office for more than an hour, so long he fell asleep on a customer's couch. Thinking quickly, the customer shot this video of the tired tech and post it online.

It's a very popular download, by the way, generating a lot of laughs. Comcast isn't laughing, though, it promptly fired the guy. Poor guy.

AOL, you got taped, taped demonstrating that even in the information age at the height of the service economy, well, the customer isn't always right or so you would have us believe. CNN's Jeanne Moos listens in.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): That AOL catch phrase --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You've got mail ...

MOOS: Has been temporarily eclipsed by ...

VINCENT FERRARI, CANCELED AOL ACCOUNT: Cancel the account.

MOOS: Bronx resident Vincent Ferrari had heard so many tales of how hard AOL supposedly makes it to cancel your account, that when he went to cancel his he recorded the call.

FERRARI: I don't know how to make it any clearer.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Last month was 545 hours of usage.

FERRARI: I don't know how to make it any clearer so I'm just going to say it one last time. Cancel the account.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Will you explain to me ...

FERRARI: I'm not explaining anything to you. Cancel the account.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, what's the matter? I'm just trying to help here.

MOOS: Vincent posted the call to his own blog, "Insignificant Thoughts" and sent it to other Web sites.

FERRARI: I think it touched a nerve with people. I mean, everybody -- everybody apparently knew this was going on, but nobody had ever taped it before.

MOOS: It took Vincent a total of 21 minutes to cancel his account, the highlight was the four or five minutes he spent with a customer service rep who identified himself as John.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Is mean, is there a problem with the software itself?

FERRARI: No, I don't use it, I don't need it, I don't want it. I just don't need it any more.

MOOS: Eventually, things escalated.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't know what anybody has done to you, Vincent.

FERRARI: You're annoying the (expletive deleted) out of me. That's what you're doing to me. Cancel the account, please.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That goes both ways, friend.

MOOS (on camera): What was your favorite part of the call?

FERRARI: Favorite part was when he asked to speak to my dad.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Is your dad there?

FERRARI: I am 30 years old, the account's in my name, the card is in my name and there he is going, oh, yeah, can I speak to your dad. It's like, come on, man, my dad ...

MOOS (voice-over) As the recorded call generated news coverage in countless e-mails, Vincent got a personal call and personal apology from AOL, CNN's sister company.

(on camera): "We have zero tolerance for customer care incidents like this.

"Deeply regrettable and also absolutely inexcusable."

MOOS (voice-over): AOL says John is no longer with the company. (on camera): The guy got fired, do you feel bad?

FERRARI: You know, you never want to be the reason the a guy lost his job. But in the end, I wasn't the reason he got fired. He was the reason he got fired.

MOOS (voice-over): And all those e-mails sent to Vincent's blog by folks angry at AOL, the head of corporate communication said they're being sent to service reps marked "required summer reading." Vincent says although AOL brass were sure nice to him -

(on camera): They must hate you now.

FERRARI: I'm thinking right now I'm probably on a dart board in his office.

MOOS (voice-over): Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Well, AOL also said this to Vincent Ferrari in a letter. "We're going it learn from this and continue to make the necessary, positive changes to our practices. This was an aberration and a mistake."

Well, major anger hits the minor leagues. Coming up, the mad manager, the ump and the call that brought the two face to face.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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