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Live From...
Rumsfeld Testifies Before Senate Armed Services Committee; Bomb Explodes at Children's Soccer Game in Iraq; Hot & Bothered in New York; Cuban Exiles in Miami Speak Out
Aired August 03, 2006 - 14:01 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: This hour, Larry King goes one-on-one with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. He joins us live to talk about it. Rice just returned from the hostile region, and Larry asks her what she's doing about peace in the Middle East.
The second hour of LIVE FROM starts right now.
Well, it's been a busy day for Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld. He spent the morning on Capitol Hill testifying before the Senate Armed Services Committee.
Pentagon Correspondent Barbara Starr joins me now with more, I guess, of what Rumsfeld had to say.
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kyra, the hearing went on for several hours. The secretary was accompanied, of course, by General Peter Pace, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and General John Abizaid, the head of the U.S. Central Command.
Both of those top generals talking in some detail about their views about whether this high level of sectarian violence could lead to civil war. They both were very sober-minded about it and said they were worried it could lead to civil war, but they don't think it's there yet, that they both think that the government of Iraq is holding its own at the moment. But, of course, very difficult times right now in Iraq.
And Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld also very sober-minded, very blunt, saying that there was simply no choice but to continue to work U.S. policy in Iraq, and he gave a very candid reason why.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD RUMSFELD, SECRETARY OF DEFENSE: We can persevere in Iraq, or we can withdraw prematurely until they force us to make a stand near home. But make no mistake, they are not going to give up, whether we acquiesce in their immediate demands or not.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
STARR: Rumsfeld trying to, of course, respond to the move by Democrats on Capitol Hill to set a timetable for a U.S. troop withdrawal, saying that the U.S. can't commit to that, but, of course, also saying that the U.S. is trying to pressure the Iraqis to take more responsibility for security in their country. Kyra, turning to another matter, there was an extended discussion, perhaps unexpected, about the situation in Lebanon. General Abizaid is the head of the U.S. Central Command, offering some very detailed U.S. military views about what he thinks an international peacekeeping force in Lebanon needs to look like.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GENERAL JOHN ABIZAID, COMMANDER, CENTRAL COMMAND: Robust rules of engagement means that the commander has the ability to effect the mandate that's been given to him by the international community to include the use of all available means at his force's disposal. And I think in the case of southern Lebanon, he'll have to have capabilities that are just not minor small arms, but would include all arms.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
STARR: Again, a bit of military strategy warning there from General Abizaid, that if the international community is going to field a peacekeeping force in Lebanon, he says it's got to be robust. And he also went on, Kyra, at length to say that the international community, including the United States, has to boost the Lebanese army, because in his view, the only way peace will come to that part of the world is if the Lebanese army is stronger than Hezbollah. And clearly, at the moment it is not -- Kyra.
KAGAN: Barbara Starr at the Pentagon.
Thanks, Barbara.
Iraq was a big topic at that hearing on Capitol Hill, and for good reason. The violence continues at a troubling pace.
Earlier today a bomb exploded in central Baghdad.
For the latest, let's get more now from CNN's Harris Whitbeck. He's in Baghdad.
Hey, Harris.
HARRIS WHITBECK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Kyra.
Iraqi civilians in Baghdad and the rest of the country have been the targets of violence for quite some time now, but an attack that occurred yesterday was particularly shocking not only because of where it took -- where it took place, but because of who the victims were.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WHITBECK (voice over): The mangled remains of bleachers, a bloodied soccer shoe, evidence of the unexpected carnage during an afternoon soccer game in a Shia neighborhood of Baghdad. The game suddenly interrupted when a bomb exploded, killing dozens of players and spectators, including three teenagers.
Ali Rashid (ph), 16 years old, survived the attack. His body is freshly scarred from flying shrapnel.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): We were having fun and we were so excited during the game. And during halftime I was chatting with my friend Sala (ph), but suddenly a huge explosion through me backwards. And I ran for more than a kilometer, I was so scared.
WHITBECK: A day after the bombing a funeral tent has been erected not far from the field. Teammates and relatives of a stricken spectator mourn his death.
"Sports should be respected and not targeted," says this man. "The victims did nothing to deserve what happened to them."
Outside the tent, two youths, not much older than some of those killed, stand guard against more attacks. It's not unusual for mourning relatives to become targets themselves.
The Iraqi government and the U.S. military hope a new plan to put more American troops onto the streets will go a long way towards curbing the growing sectarian violence.
(on camera): But this is Baghdad, where violence is so random, so endemic, that even going to a soccer game can become a matter of life and death, where even children at play can become the targets of violence they have nothing to do with.
(voice over): In the midst of constant tit-for-tat killings, ordinary Iraqis can only plead for a different life.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): We should all challenge these difficult circumstances. We should start rebuilding our country. I hope we can live together as we did before.
WHITBECK: A desire that shouldn't be farfetched, but one that seems increasingly difficult to reach.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITBECK: And whether that new U.N. security plan has any effect on the violence, Kyra, is a question that many Iraqis are asking day to day, even -- even more often now.
PHILLIPS: Harris Whitbeck in Baghdad.
Thanks, Harris.
Well, let's take this to heart. Relief is on the way for some of you, and you just have to get one through one more day of the sticky and stifling heat. We're talking about the news here back in the United States.
Our senior correspondent, Allan Chernoff, has found once place to stay pretty cool in New York.
Hey, Allan. ALLAN CHERNOFF, CNN SR. CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Kyra.
Kyra, you ever had one of those experiences that made you wish you were still a kid? This is certainly it.
PHILLIPS: Yes, looking at this live shot right now, taking a day off and going to the pool.
CHERNOFF: Absolutely.
Have a look at all of these delighted kids. I mean, everybody is having a great time over here. And this is definitely the place to be here in Astoria, Queens.
We've had three days of absolute misery. In fact, yesterday it hit 101 here yesterday. Right now, boy, it's over 100 degrees.
I think my thermometer is a little off, but nonetheless, it certainly feels well over 100 right now. It is toasty, but this is a great place to cool off.
And I've noticed one young lady here who's been here quite a long time.
Rosalee (ph), how long have you been in that pool?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I've been here for about three hours.
CHERNOFF: You haven't even gotten out?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No. I'm enjoying the pool today.
CHERNOFF: All right. Well, the water definitely looks fantastic, and it feels fantastic, too.
Kyra, I have to say, it's only torture for me just standing out here, not having my swimming trunks on and being able to jump in.
PHILLIPS: You have shorts on? It works just the same, Allan.
CHERNOFF: That's right. There's still time left in the day, that's true.
PHILLIPS: That's right. Come on now, it's all right. You'll dry off quickly.
All right, Allan. Thanks a lot.
Oh, there we go. Oh, he's not wearing shorts. Now I understand.
CHERNOFF: No, I'm not.
PHILLIPS: You should -- you should know to dress appropriately. Come on, Chernoff. All right. We'll talk again.
CHERNOFF: I had no idea we were coming here. PHILLIPS: Well, it's day 23 of the Middle East crisis. Here's what we know at this hour.
Israeli warplanes pounded Lebanon with some 120 airstrikes, including the first attacks on southern Beirut in nearly a week. Hezbollah, meanwhile, fired an estimated 160 rockets into northern Israel. Israeli police say that there were seven deaths, making this the second deadliest day of the conflict for Israeli civilians.
Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah has made another appearance on Lebanon -- Lebanese TV. In a statement aired just minutes ago, he threatened an Islamic attack on Tel Aviv.
Southern Beirut is back in the crosshairs. Israeli aircraft have renewed their attacks on suspected Hezbollah strongholds there.
Our Beirut bureau chief, Brent Sadler, is standing by -- Brent.
BRENT SADLER, CNN BEIRUT BUREAU CHIEF: Thanks, Kyra.
Hassan Nasrallah, the chief of Hezbollah, appeared on Al Manar -- that's Hezbollah's own TV station -- a short time ago in a statement in response to what the Israelis have been doing today over the southern suburbs of Beirut. The Israelis dropped leaflets there telling residents left inside the southern suburbs, again subjected to another Israeli airstrike last night, to leave four districts of that part of the southern end of the city.
The Israelis said in a statement from the state of Israel, "The wider operations of Hezbollah will result in a hurtful and brutal response, and that will be decisive, not just for Hezbollah." Opening up the possibility that Israel may launch strikes against other parts of Beirut.
Now, this is what Hassan Nasrallah said just a few moments ago in response to Israeli threats against Beirut. Here it is.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HASSAN NASRALLAH, HEZBOLLAH LEADER (through translator): If you hit our capital, we will hit your -- the capital of your -- of your entity. If you hit Beirut, the Islamic resistance will hit Tel Aviv, and is able to do that with god's help.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SADLER: Incrementally, Kyra, Hassan Nasrallah has stepped up the rhetoric, matching words with deeds. He said they would hit Haifa with their rockets, they did. He said they would hit beyond Haifa. They did. He said they would hit beyond, beyond Haifa, and they did that just yesterday, when a record number of Katyushas were fired into Israel.
And sources within Hezbollah are telling me that they do have the weapons capability to strike -- to strike Tel Aviv. If that is the case, and if Israel launches a wider attack against other parts of Beirut not necessarily associated with Hezbollah activities, we could very soon see a very sharp escalation in this conflict -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Brent Sadler in Beirut.
Thanks, Brent.
Israelis soldiers embattle hunting an elusive enemy. CNN's Anderson Cooper is with the troops along the Israeli-Lebanese border.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): On a forward base on the Lebanese border, Israeli troops prepare to join a battle already underway. They check their maps, their ammunition before rolling to the front.
(on camera): This is an armored engineering unit about to cross into south Lebanon. At this space, there's constant activity. New troops moving across the border and troops weary from battle coming back here for a few hours' rest.
(voice-over): With a major Israeli offensive already underway, however, there is little time for sleep. On a nearby hillside, Israeli units are hunting down Hezbollah and trying to bring back five Israeli soldiers wounded in combat. You can see smoke rising from the Lebanese village of Aita al-Shaab. That is south Lebanon right over there.
(on camera): There's a military operation going on in that town right now. Israel is firing shells into the village, essentially to create smoke and provide cover for Israeli ground troops operating there right now.
(voice-over): We watch with Israeli soldiers as a tank moves toward the village. In the distance, a large cloud fills the sky. The fighting in Aita al-Shaab has been going on for three days now and shows no sign of letting up.
(on camera): What's the fighting been like?
ADAM DRAZNAN, ISRAELI SOLDIER: What's the fighting been like? It's tough. It's hard. But it's something you've got to do.
COOPER (voice-over): Adam Draznan just returned from battle four hours ago.
(on camera): Are you confident?
DRAZNAN: Confident? Of course I'm confident. Because I fight for something I believe in. And we'll go all the way unto the death.
COOPER (voice-over): Confidence may be high, but all these soldiers know the days ahead will be difficult.
Doron Spielman is a spokesman for the Israeli Defense Forces.
(on camera): Overall, big picture, what does the operation look like?
CAPT. DORON SPIELMAN, ISRAELI DEFENSE FORCES SPOKESMAN: We're basically pushing Hezbollah out of the northern border with Israel, out of southern Lebanon. We don't want a ground assault that simply takes over southern Lebanon. We don't want to be there. So we're focusing on their high intensity areas. We remove them from the picture and we move on.
COOPER: It may sound simple, but it's anything but. After weeks of air strikes and artillery fire, the battle has widened. A determined army faces a determined enemy. And the fighting only grows more intense.
Anderson Cooper, CNN, along the Israel-Lebanon border.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: And Anderson is live from northern Israel tonight. "AC 360" begins at 10:00 Eastern.
There is plenty of talk behind the scenes. Will there be a cease-fire in the Middle East anytime soon?
Coming up, I'll talk with the Israeli ambassador to the United Nations, Dan Gillerman.
Also this hour, Larry King goes one-on-one with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. He joins us live to talk about his interview.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Well, a food of speculation, but a bear trickle of information. Here's what we know right now about the condition of Fidel Castro.
The ailing Cuban leader has not released a new statement on his condition, and there's been no photos or video of him as he reportedly remains hospitalized after intestinal surgery. In Miami, Juanita Castro told reporters that her estranged brother is "very sick," but she's been told he's no longer in an intensive care unit and is expected to recover enough to resume control of Cuba.
And for reasons that remain unclear, there has still been no sign of Raul Castro, who was named to take charge while his older brother recuperates.
Well, forget no news is good news. As far as Miami's Cuban exiles are concerned, in the absence of solid information, only speculation runs amok.
CNN's Rusty Dornin has more once again from Little Havana as it waits to exhale.
Hey, Rusty.
RUSTY DORNIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Kyra. Well, speculation may run amok, but I think people are doing it either at home or at work now. As you can see, it's pretty empty compared to the last three days. And business is said to be really back to usual here at the Versailles restaurant, where people gather anyway to talk about politics, to share Cuban coffee, smoke cigars.
And also, today here we have two sisters who came here from Cuba in 1960, Eliana Suarro (ph) and Maria Smith (ph). And they came to hear what is going on, and what other people think.
But you were saying you think that he's alive. Why?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I do think he's alive.
DORNIN: Why?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He's in a very critical situation. He's incapacitated, but I do not think that he's passed on. He is alive.
DORNIN: Why do you think Raul Castro has not stepped forward?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, that's a question everybody has. Everyone has the same question.
He should have stepped out and talked to the Cuban people. Not that we matter, but the rest of the Cuban people in Cuba do matter.
DORNIN: Right.
What do you think? Do you think...
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think he's alive, but I want him dead. And very soon.
DORNIN: All right. Thank you. The two of you are sisters.
Been here since 1960 when they left Cuba then. Very concerned, as a lot of people are. Many in the Cuban exile community just take time out of the day to come by here, have coffee, talk to people and see what's going on. Of course, anxious for any news at all -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Boy, those sisters are straight and to the point, Rusty, aren't they?
DORNIN: Pardon me?
PHILLIPS: Those sisters were straight and to the point, weren't they?
DORNIN: They were very to the point.
PHILLIPS: All right, Rusty.
DORNIN: Passionate about their politics, too.
PHILLIPS: Always at the Versailles. Isn't that the truth? Rusty, thanks.
Well, our Larry King just finished interviewing Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. The full interview will air on tonight's "LARRY KING LIVE."
Larry joins me now to talk about their conversation.
So, Larry, what do you think? Does she seem frustrated, calm about the situation?
LARRY KING, HOST, "LARRY KING LIVE": She's always calm. She was a provost at Stanford University, and all the years I've known her and interviewed her, she's always well within herself.
Condi Rice, the secretary of state, is never flustered. And that's probably what makes her a pretty good diplomat going back and forth, meeting heads of state in times of trouble, depending well on others.
By the way, she still talks to previous secretaries of states. She just met, in fact, with Secretary Powell and former Secretary Baker. Also talks to Madeleine Albright, although not about the current crisis.
Wouldn't tell us what they had to say, though.
PHILLIPS: Now, the latest news that we reported, Larry, about an hour ago, was that the State Department was coming forward, saying, I think we can get it, a U.N. resolution by tomorrow to try to end the violence in the -- in the Mideast. I know that was coming through just as you were getting ready to sit down and talk to her.
KING: Yes.
PHILLIPS: I'm guessing she probably wanted to talk about that.
KING: It's the first thing I asked her, and I think we have a clip, and we can show you the response.
PHILLIPS: All right.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CONDOLEEZZA RICE, SECRETARY OF STATE: We're certainly getting close. We're working with the French very closely. We're working with others.
We've wanted very much to see an end to this conflict. We need to end the hostilities in a way, though, that points forward a direction for us, sustainable peace. And we are working -- we've worked with the parties when I was in the region to come up with those principals, with those elements.
We're now working on a Security Council resolution, and hopefully we can get that passed. And I think it will certainly be within days. (END VIDEO CLIP)
KING: Yes, she wouldn't describe it, Kyra, as imminent, but she said within days. She did not say or confirm that it would be tomorrow.
PHILLIPS: Larry, you've talked to her about a lot of issues. You've known her for a long time. Do you think this is probably one of the toughest tasks she's had to take on since taking over this position?
KING: Absolutely. It's a selling job. She's -- she's -- she has to walk a delicate balance.
Our nation strongly supports Israel, that's known from the get- go, yet surprisingly President Bush has not spoken to Prime Minister Olmert.
We also strongly support the young democracy that is Lebanon. Lebanon is very angry at Israel. They should be -- we think they should be more angry at Hezbollah than they are at Israel.
Nevertheless, she has to walk that -- that tender line, and now she has -- I asked her about that, too, Nasrallah saying today that he will retaliate against Tel Aviv. Now, if he retaliates against Tel Aviv, then this will, as she said, get worse before it gets better.
It is a very troubling time. Not easily solved.
PHILLIPS: Senator John McCain on your show tonight as well, right, Larry?
KING: He'll be on right after Condi.
PHILLIPS: All right. Look forward to it.
Hey, thanks for spending some time with us. I appreciate it.
KING: Thanks, Kyra. Good seeing you.
PHILLIPS: You bet.
Well, Israel's in a dilemma. If the bombing stops, Hezbollah guerrillas will claim victory. If the bombing continues, civilians in Lebanon will continue to die.
We've asked Israel's U.N. ambassador, Dan Gillerman, to join us, but before we talk together, I want us both to take a look at these images from Lebanon.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, we went looking around in Bint Jbeil and found residents who survived the bomb. We found many elderly people stranded there. They couldn't evacuate because of the closed roads and too much rubble. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): Oh, god, my three children! Oh, god, I lost my three children!
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): I left my house and came to shelter here. Where should I go now? I have six kids and my husband. Where should I take them? We have no place to go.
What do you want me to say? Do I have to beg someone for this madness to stop? I'll beg.
Who should I beg? Should I beg Nasrallah?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): We can't take it anymore. We have had enough. It has been 20 days now. We've had enough war, enough massacre. We are tired.
Honestly, this is too much. We can't take it anymore.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: Ambassador, I'm just curious to what you think about that last part of that interview. The woman saying, "What do we need to do, beg Nasrallah?"
DAN GILLERMAN, ISRAELI AMB. TO U.N.: Well, first of all, I find it quite disturbing that you are showing scenes from Lebanon and not scenes from Israel, where eight civilians, including a father and a child, were killed today. But in answer to that poor woman, the answer is, yes, she should beg Nasrallah and she should blame Nasrallah, because if there were no Nasrallah and there was no Hezbollah, this would not happen.
PHILLIPS: You mentioned the deaths in Israel. Let's talk about the numbers for a minute. And this is why I wanted to ask you about the civilian casualties.
Lebanese authorities saying 603 civilians and soldiers have been killed, more than 2,288 wounded.
Israel's military saying 56 people have been killed. You're mentioning two more today. So that could be -- bring the number to 58, 19 civilians and then 586 wounded.
Now, 603 civilians versus 19 civilians, obviously nobody wants any deaths in this conflict, but those numbers are pretty staggering, the gap and the difference between the two.
GILLERMAN: Well, I'm truly sorry that we -- we don't have more dead to show to make everybody happy. I don't think this is about numbers. I think this is about a terrorist organization that has attacked Israel for absolutely no reason after we left Lebanon six years ago, and about a democracy defending itself.
This is about a very cruel, cynical, brutal terror organization which is also cowardly and cowers and hides behind civilians, using women and children as human shields. Many of those people who were killed were killed because the Hezbollah used them as human shields.
The Hezbollah uses homes in Lebanon in which a room is specifically designed to house a missile. If you go to sleep with a missile, don't be surprised if you don't wake up in the morning.
PHILLIPS: So let me ask you a question about that. You're talking about Hezbollah guerrillas using women and children as shields. I just want to show you one clip from the Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation, and this mother, with a number of children wrapped in plastic, killed in one of the explosions. I want to ask you a question following this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): What can I say? They destroyed Lebanon. They destroyed the south.
We had civilians there. They were all kids. They didn't have bread. They were hungry without food for five days.
Look at them, they were kids. They were all killed in their homes.
We don't have resistance here. The resistance is at the borders fighting. They will defend us. Nasrallah will defend us.
We were not terrorists. These kids were not terrorists. Show them the images of the children. Show these pictures to Bush and Rice.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: So we see those images, Mr. Ambassador, and I just am wondering, where are the images of the Hezbollah guerrillas that are being killed in these -- in these targeted bombing runs? Where are the arrests?
I guess you see the children that are dying, but at the same time, I want to see what you're talking about as well. I want to see the images and the pictures of these Hezbollah guerrillas hiding out in these areas just to understand why the death toll is rising among children.
GILLERMAN: The death toll is rising because the Hezbollah is a cynical and brutal and cowardly organization that uses children, which shoots from areas in which children and women reside, which uses densely-populated areas in order to shoot and kill as many Israelis as possible. There's a huge moral disequivalence (ph) between the two sides, because while the Hezbollah shoots thousands of missiles and rockets into Israeli towns and villages, with the specific targeting of civilians, of women and children, claiming and aiming to kill as many innocents as possible and to destroy Israel, we are a democracy that is defending itself against this brutal enemy and proxy of Iran. And when wars are waged, tragically, sadly, children and women and innocents are hurt.
PHILLIPS: Mr. Ambassador...
GILLERMAN: We grieve -- we grieve for every Lebanese child, but the big difference is that, while for us every dead Lebanese child is a huge mistake and a tragedy, for them, every dead Israeli child is a victory and a cause for celebration.
PHILLIPS: So as the military goes forward, the Israeli military, what -- what about ground troops going in, and, as you say, dealing with those Hezbollah guerrillas on the ground, one on one, face to face, versus bombing runs, where we are seeing a high civilian death toll?
GILLERMAN: Well, the Israeli army is doing and will do whatever is necessary, and it is fighting very, very tough battles on the ground. The reason this is taking so long is precisely because we are being very careful and very measured and very cautious not to hurt civilians.
But, in a country which has been taken hostage by terrorists, in a country in which in the words of their own ambassador to the U.N., of the Lebanese ambassador, you cannot distinguish between Lebanese and Hezbollah, because Hezbollah is everywhere, has infiltrated the whole of Lebanon and has become part of Lebanese society, unfortunately, people are killed. And these people may be killed by Israeli fire.
But they are the victims of the Hezbollah and of the fact that Lebanon, rather than gain its sovereignty and its freedom and exercise its power over the whole of Lebanon, has allowed its south to become a terror base and a launching pad for missiles against Israel. And as that woman said at the beginning of your program, she has only one person to turn to and to blame, and that is Hassan Nasrallah.
PHILLIPS: And he spoke today. I want to take a bit of that interview and get your response.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NASRALLAH (through translator): If you hit our capital, we will hit your -- the capital of your -- of your entity. If you hit Beirut, the Islamic resistance will hit Tel Aviv, and is able to do that with God's help.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Are you concerned? Do you think that is possible, that Hassan Nasrallah and his forces could hit Tel Aviv?
GILLERMAN: It is possible, and we are concerned. As I said, Hassan Nasrallah is an instrument of Iran. He is the proxy of Iran. He is the finger of the long and blood-stained arms and the twisted minds of Iran. And the president of Iran said today that Israel should be destroyed.
It is the second or third or 10th time that he has said that Israel should be wiped off the face of the map. There is a man who denies the Holocaust while preparing the next one, so I'm not surprised that his protege, the person who enjoys $100 million worth of funding from Iran every year, is talking the way he does.
PHILLIPS: One final question -- would Israel consider a 72-hour halt in the bombing, in the troops going into Lebanon, so that UNICEF and other organizations can get aid to those people, the innocent people, that are suffering in Lebanon?
GILLERMAN: We already agreed and had a 48-hour humanitarian truce in which we allowed United Nations personnel to come in with medical equipment, with supplies, and with food. We have created two humanitarian corridors, both by land and by sea, to enable that to happen throughout. And we think that the answer today is not in another lull or another short cessation of violence.
The answer is in a comprehensive, political solution which will put an end to the reign of terror which the Hezbollah has inflicted, both on us and the Lebanese people. And hopefully, the Security Council will reach such a resolution very, very soon and will enable Lebanon to become free and Israel to be safe.
PHILLIPS: And we're being told that that could happen possibly by tomorrow. U.N. ambassador -- Israel's U.N. ambassador, Dan Gillerman. Appreciate your time as usual, sir.
GILLERMAN: Thank you very much.
PHILLIPS: Let's get straight to the newsroom. Carol Lin working a developing story right now -- Carol.
CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: Well, Kyra, it appears that a federal appeals court has refused to let the Texas Republicans remove indicted former Congressman Tom DeLay's name from the November ballot. Now, obviously, the Republicans wanted to improve their chances of reclaiming that seat, while Tom DeLay has moved to Virginia.
He's awaiting trial on money laundering and conspiracy charges. So it appears that he is going to head to trial, his name is going to be on the November ballot, and the Republicans are going to have to figure out what else to do about that to try to keep that seat.
But this U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a previous ruling back in July, which apparently said that DeLay's name had to stay on the ballot, even though he quit Congress and no longer lives in that state, Kyra. It'll be an interesting election.
PHILLIPS: We'll continue to follow -- oh, yes, it will be very interesting and we'll follow every bit of it, of course, with our best political team on television, right here on CNN. All right, Carol, thanks.
Coming up on LIVE FROM, I'm going to talk with two men who made the dangerous crossing from Cuba to America in a bid for a better life. What do they say about the country and the people they left behind? That's straight ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Well, we're starting something here at CNN and we want you to join in with us. Watch and learn how you could become a bigger part of the world's most trusted name in news.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): Ever wish you could say, I report for CNN? Well, here's how you can join the most trusted name in news. When you have pictures or video of breaking news or cool stories from your part of the world, go to CNN.com and click on I- Report. There you will get complete instructions on how to submit your stories to CNN. It's fast and easy, and if we use your pictures or video on air, you can tell your friends, I report for CNN.
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PHILLIPS: Well, on a raft and a prayer, that's how many Cuban exiles made it to the U.S. Two men who survived that desperate journey join me to talk about the land they left and their concern for the people that remain. LIVE FROM covers all the angles on the day's biggest news.
But first, a check of the markets. Take a look at the big board now. The Dow down -- or Dow up -- looks like -- yes, the Industrials up 54 points. Sorry. Thanks for bringing it closer, Robert.
We'll have more LIVE FROM in just a moment.
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PHILLIPS: Well, the fierce fighting raging in Southern Lebanon, it's no easy task getting aid to refugees. CNN's Karl Penhaul joins us live from the coastal city of Tyre -- Karl.
KARL PENHAUL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Kyra, that certainly seems to be the problem, because we have seen, over the last few days, a lot more aid coming into the port itself. Yesterday, for example, we saw an International Red Cross ship loaded with 200 tons of aid come here, and then the United Nations has also been pretty effective in bringing down food convoys from Beirut. And now the coastal road is reopened. That makes that easier.
Once it gets to Tyre, there comes the problem. Because it's very difficult to get out to the more remote villages, to the outer-lying villages, because they're still being shelled by artillery positions on the Israeli side of the border. And also the Israeli warplanes flying overhead are bombing at will on those roads. And, so, the aid convoys have to get clearance from both Israel and also the Hezbollah militia before they can go in. And from the aid workers say, more often than not, they're getting a red light, not a green light -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Karl Penhaul in Tyre. Karl, thank you very much.
We want to get straight to the news room. Carol Lin is working the details on a developing story. Actually, it's -- looks like it's wrapping up, Carol, in Miami?
LIN: It sure is. A dramatic standoff on the Dale Mabry Highway down in Tampa, Florida. A man was holding off police there after allegedly trying to kidnap a woman from a nearby restaurant. Shots were fired at that restaurant. He ended up in his car,crashing it along the way, and then ended up on this highway.
You're watching the scene now live as -- we're trying to see what picture -- because we've -- I've been monitoring like three different screens. There he is, lying on the ground. He is injured. We don't know exactly what happened to him. But the standoff has been going on for a little more than an hour, about an hour and a half.
And apparently was some kind of a domestic dispute, Kyra. And he went to this restaurant. And just so happens that deputies were coming up on that parking lot when he was trying to force a woman into his car, and they intervened, and that's how this chase went down.
But north and southbound traffic on the Dale Mabry Highway was stopped and blocked off. Media helicopters were asked to back away, because this guy was saying -- he getting agitated by the sound of the helicopters. But you're seeing -- it appears that he's on the ground and he is being treated for whatever injuries he sustained in this standoff -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: All right, Carol, appreciate it, thanks.
Well, coming up on LIVE FROM, I'm going to talk with two men who made the dangerous crossing from Cuba to America in a bid for a better life. What do they have to say about the country and the people they left behind? Straight ahead.
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PHILLIPS: How is that for a beauty shot? For hundreds of thousands of Miami Cubans, these are pretty anxious times. And as much as Cuban exiles are eager to see the end of the Castro regime, well, many are gravely worried about what happens next to the people who still live in their homeland.
Arturo Cobo fled Cuba in 1960, went a year later to fight in the Bay of Pigs invasion. Since then, he's worked in Miami to help Cubans that risked all they had to make that treacherous journey to America.
Wilian Leiva was just 19 when he fled Cuba in 1992 on a raft. Now he's now a director with CNN Pipeline right here in our company.
Great to have you both. Arturo, I'll get to you in a moment. But, Wil, let's start with you. What do you remember about life in Cuba?
WILIAN LEIVA, CUBAN EXILE: Life in Cuba was a constant struggle. A struggle for just meeting your basic needs: food, clothing, transportation. Of course, living there, that was the only reality I knew. I had nothing to compare it to. And only after we left, and I came to Miami, did I -- was I able to compare and realize how hard a life we all were enduring.
PHILLIPS: You didn't even realize it until you got here how bad it was?
LEIVA: Until I got here, yes.
PHILLIPS: So when you were there, were you forced to march and wave the flag and say I love Fidel and this is -- this is a great life?
LEIVA: Nobody sticks a gun to your face, but if you don't go, someone will come talk to you, and then they'll make -- each person in Cuba has a personal file, a record. If you're a student, you have a record. And they'll write things on there, and then when the time comes to decide whether you can go to the university or not, they'll pull out that file, Wait a second, Wilian didn't go to this march that day. And (INAUDIBLE) can be used against you, so you better, you know, walk the line.
PHILLIPS: Now, Arturo, you were there -- you're a little bit older than Wil. What do you remember from your experience in Cuba?
COBO: Say it again?
PHILLIPS: Can you hear me OK, Arturo?
COBO: Yes, now I hear you. Say it again?
PHILLIPS: Talk to me about life in Cuba, what you remember. We heard from Wil what it was like for him. You were there for a much longer period. What do you remember about life in Cuba?
COBO: What I remember life in Cuba is -- we have a nice country. Our family was half-American, half-Cuban. So when I -- when I was in my country in '58, my uncle was a mayor of Key West. So when I saw Castro putting signs that say, "Yankee, go home," I feel insult. So I say, I'm going not going to tolerate this. That's my family -- what they say go home. That's -- I never see nothing like that in my life. And then I see execution, and then I start to see confiscation. And then I said what has happened to my country?
I decide to left my country, but not to left it to leave it. I say, I going to leave and I going to enjoy -- because I know that America was recruiting people to go and fight Fidel Castro. So I came to Key West, where, at that time, like I say, my uncle Delio Cobo (ph) was the mayor. And then I came to Miami, and then I flew to Guatemala, and I invade Cuba. And I was captured, and I served 20 months in Cuban jail. After, I was released by the President Kennedy.
PHILLIPS: What was it like...
COBO: 1962, $1 million for us.
PHILLIPS: Tell us about the Cuban prison. What was it like, Arturo?
COBO: To be -- to be a Cuban?
PHILLIPS: To be in the Cuban prison.
COBO: It was bad. They shoot us. They -- sometime they go with soldiers and shoot us. People that need medical attention die there, because they don't say -- we don't have any doctors. If you have any problem, you know, it's nothing. Was uncommunicated (ph) completely. I remember with the crisis of October, they did not take our desperation, and they say that American invade Cuba, they going to blow up also. They used caliber-50 to shoot us, and it was -- and then they were going to a trial where they said that we were going to be executed or serve 30 years in jail.
So like I say, after that, President Kennedy take responsibility, paid $62 million for us and we was released and came. In 1962, we came to the United States again.
PHILLIPS: Wow, I can see you shaking your head. You are listening to him. You can totally identify with him, can't you?
LEIVA: Well, this man is a hero. I did nothing. I can't, you know, sit here in front of you and say that I was -- fight the revolution, because I did not. You know, that man is a hero, and many like him defied today that revolution, in spite whatever repercussions which are harsh.
PHILLIPS: And he helps young men and women and families get out, just like you did, on rafts. What do you remember from that? Were you scared? Were you excited? Were you anxious?
LEIVA: Well, I didn't exactly leave on a raft. I left on a little ...
PHILLIPS: It was a small boat.
LEIVA: It was a small boat.
PHILLIPS: OK.
LEIVA: A big difference, but from the journey, I remember that once we left Cuba and we thought that we were in international waters where we were out of reach for the Cuban government to reach us, you felt like you left everything you had, that you were until that moment, that you fought for and then you left it all behind.
And you had no country. The expectations were tremendous. What's going to happen to me? Because, again, we knew very little about life in the United States. I knew very little.
I just knew that they -- from what the Cuban communist propaganda in Cuba tells you, the United States, they bomb everyone. Everyone is killing each other in the streets because everyone carries a gun, and that they discriminate people, burn people on -- you know, the Ku Klux Klan, the KKK. And that's the image you carry with you when you're coming here. So for me ...
PHILLIPS: So you're wondering, oh my gosh, I'm going from chaos to chaos again. But, then, it was totally different for you.
LEIVA: But there were glimpses of hope that you got from certain people. Maybe there is freedom there. In that country you can actually say what you think. You can buy what you want. You can do with your life what you want to do. And that alone -- that's a powerful thing, you know, that leads you to take that plunge, you know, freedom.
PHILLIPS: Arturo, I want to talk about that freedom. I know you have friends and family in Cuba. Do they want this dictator to die?
COBO: Say it again.
PHILLIPS: Do they want this dictator to die? Your friends, your family, those that you talk to in Cuba?
COBO: Well, yes, we have contact to the people that is against Fidel Castro. We always got in contact with them. For example, now we've got a contact for the situation that we have inside of Cuba. It's the first time that the Cuban dictator announced that he's -- and it's an insult to us, because to be waiting for our -- to implant a government, a free government, with a human rights, respect to human rights.
He say that now that he been in power for 48 years, that now his brother is going to take over, and we, as a Cuban-American say, what is that? This is a dynasty? What is that, that he's going to die or he's going to be very sick and now his brother is going to take over?
And then Raul is going to say after I die -- Raul is Fidel's son -- is going to take over? The people in Cuba, we are tired of that. We want democracy in our country. We want to see a freedom. We want to see the people can move free from Cuba.
Let me tell you, when I was received in 1980, in the Marillo (ph) operation 125,000 refugees. And then in the operation that we had in Cuba that still to come, we receive 15,000. But before Fidel Castro, never a Cuban get on a boat or get in a raft to try to leave Cuba. No, we have another options in there.
When Castro take over, it's when we start seeing people escaping, (INAUDIBLE) because came in a raft to try -- the chance that they got to get here is almost impossible. And you assume that, that Castro used to shot the people that -- that come to get to rich freedom. You can remember in July of 1994, the revolt 13th of March, that was shot by Fidel Castro and 13 children die.
So we're talking about a situation like that, so people trying to escape, looking for freedom. They want to leave and come to this country, why? Because this is the most close point. It's 90 miles from Key West. To live in the communist system and come to the United States and they got a chance.
And we're talking people that they risk their life and they lost their family in the travesty. They lost -- I guarantee you, there are more than 70,000 people die in the Strait of Florida trying to reach freedom. And that's what it -- my -- what I want to tell the world, that we need democracy in our country is what we ask. Democracy.
We want to come, reunify the family. We can travel -- to be free to travel and I can see my people in Cuba, can see my family in Cuba, and they can reach -- they can come to here, the United States, and the American people can go to Cuba like they used to do. They don't be chasing, they don't be ...
PHILLIPS: Arturo Cobo, I can see why you went back and fought in the Bay of Pigs Invasion.
COBO: What?
PHILLIPS: I can see why you are so involved and so passionate. You have an incredible heart. Arturo, thank you so much. A man that you call a hero, a man that has helped you, people like you, get a better life. And we'll talk more as this goes on, really. It's interesting what your family says, too, in Cuba that they want change as well, but they can't say it publicly.
LEIVA: No, they can't. They can't. Nobody in Cuba can speak. Of course, they will not say that to a camera,
PHILLIPS: Right.
LEIVA: But behind closed doors in their kitchen talk ...
PHILLIPS: They want a democracy.
LEIVA: People will say that they will say they want a change in Cuba, they want to see the change. They need it, the country needs it.
PHILLIPS: And you were there recently. Wil, thanks so much. Appreciate it. Great it have you here.
LEIVA: Thank you.
PHILLIPS: Well, Ford announces a major recall. Details ahead.
And storms in the Midwest. Where are the rains headed next, and who will get relief from the heat soon? More LIVE FROM straight ahead.
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PHILLIPS: Well, a major recall for Ford. The nation's second- largest auto maker is recalling 1.2 million large pickup trucks, SUVs and vans. The problem? A cruise control system that could spark a fire. It involves some F-250 and F-550 super-duty trucks from 1994- 2002; also Excursion SUVs, the 2000 to 2002 models; and Econoline vans built from 1994 to 1996. Plus, if you have an E-450 van from the years 1996 to 2000 or a 1998 Ford Explorer or Mercury Mountaineer, get it to your deal per.
In rare instances, Ford says the brake fluid can leak through the cruise control switch and that can lead to corrosion, overheating, and a possible fire. I sure hope you remembered all those years and all those cars.
When we come back, the four letter word Americans hear way too much in August, heat. We're going to hear how people are coping. More LIVE FROM straight ahead.
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