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CNN Live Today

A Conversation with Crew of Apollo 11; Growing List of Precautions Surround Boston Hosting Democratic National Convention

Aired July 21, 2004 - 10:30   ET

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

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


FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Generations ago, outrage Bostonians rebelled with a tea party. Today the 't' stands for terrorism, and the growing list of precautions that will surround the city's hosting the of Democratic National Convention.
CNN Boston bureau chief Dan Lothian explains.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAN LOTHIAN, CNN BOSTON BUREAU CHIEF (voice-over): It's a massive security blanket covering Boston during the Democratic National Convention. In the harbor, armed Coast Guard units and new Boston Police speedboats.

KATHLEEN O'TOOLE, BOSTON POLICE COMMISSIONER: Capable of heading off threatening vessels at speeds up to 70 miles an hour.

LOTHIAN: Across town for the first time at least 75 high-tech cameras wired into a temporary surveillance network. Manhole covers have been sealed. Garbage cans and newspaper stands, potential hiding places for bombs, have been removed.

THOMAS MENINO (D), MAYOR OF BOSTON: The people of Boston can feel assured knowing that our city is more secure than ever.

LOTHIAN: But that tight security grip troubles some residents, who worry too much of a good thing may cross the line.

PROTESTERS (singing): We are no more safe than in the streets of Boston.

LOTHIAN: These protesters recently took to the streets calling the city's plans to conduct random person bag checks on the train system during the DNC week unconstitutional.

CAROL ROSE, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, ACLU: It is going to violate the fundamental right to privacy while potentially bringing the entire system to a standstill.

LOTHIAN: Civil rights advocates are poised to file lawsuits to challenge searches and halt them once they begin.

URSZULA MASNY-LATOS, NATIONAL LAWYERS GUILD: If we allow these searches to happen, what will be our next step? Are we going to allow searches of all cars? Are we going to allow searches of everyone who enters a mall? Where are we going to stop with this? LOTHIAN (on camera): The ACLU is also concerned about all the surveillance cameras which will be keeping a close eye on activity across the city, raising questions about oversight and safeguards, fearful that they could be used for the wrong reasons.

(voice-over): But law enforcement officials say they're just targeting criminals, not snooping on the general public, and that all the security measures, while inconvenient, are necessary.

O'TOOLE: This is a different world today. It's is post-9/11 world. We have to err on the side of caution.

LOTHIAN: Some residents are understanding.

RICHARD GROSSACK, BOSTON COMMUTER: You have to be somewhat sympathetic, no matter how much of a civil liberties person you are.

LOTHIAN: The law enforcement challenge, working to keep Boston safe and free.

Dan Lothian, CNN, Boston.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: The Democratic National Convention will be the platform to officially bestow the party's nomination on John Edwards and John Kerry. It's an accomplishment that didn't come cheap. Kerry's federal election report filed late yesterday shows his spending has nearly matched President Bush's since the primary ended. That's roughly $111 million in four months. Also included in that report, Kerry raised a party record of more than $186 million from January 2003 to last month. Well, Kerry's running mate Senator John Edwards and his wife, Elizabeth, will be guests on LARRY KING LIVE tonight. You can catch that 9:00 Eastern, 6:00 Pacific.

Jenna Bush set tongues wagging when she and her sister, Barbara, joined their father's re-election campaign. Apparently turnabout is fair play. The twins join their father on the campaign trail for the first time yesterday. Jenna playfully saluted the political press photographer corps at Lambert International Airport at St. Louis, Missouri.

Well, what would a political season be without a little fun. Fun and quite a few insults coming up in the next hour of CNN LIVE TODAY. Meet the guys behind the political cartoon of the season.

And have all the diet trends impacted what you eat? Find out what Americans are really eating when CNN LIVE TODAY returns.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(STOCK MARKET UPDATE)

WHITFIELD: Well, seems like everywhere you look these days it's low carb, low carb, low carb. But guess what? Not all Americans are buying it. When it comes to losing weight, a Gallup poll shows that the majority of Americans believe a low-fat diet is the healthiest, 67 percent compared to 23 percent, who believe low carb is the way to go. Only about 27 percent of Americans say they are trying to avoid carbs, 33 percent are actually trying to include them, while 39 percent don't think about them either way, just eat what they want. Well, here's what people we talked to this morning say about the low-carb craze.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I have a lot of friend that actually went on South Beach and lost a lot of weight. So I'm not going to -- I don't really know about it as far as how healthy it is, but I know it does show results, but it comes back.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I tried the Weight Watchers, and we did the low carb, and then I tried just cutting back calories, stuff like that, and the low carb seemed to work the best. I've tried weight watchers, and it's like, it just didn't work for me. And the others low calories just -- I guess I couldn't stick to them or something, I don't know.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I eat a lot of carbohydrates; it gives me energy. And I don't really think carbs make you that big. The low fat, that's the way to go.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think there's a lot of fanfare around these diets and a lot of marketing being pushed. And you know, just eat right, exercise, stay healthy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Well, in our next hour we'll break down those diet numbers further, and we'll talk about all of those options with a dieting guru Dr. Jim Hill.

Well, celebrating 35 years of history with the president. Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins will join us momentarily to talk about the morning visit with the president.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: In 1988, a millionaire couple in Long Island, New York, hosted a late night poker game. Sometime after the game, someone killed them. Well, at the time, he was 17 years old and their son -- convicted of the murders. Well now, he may get a new chance to prove his innocence.

Our Maria Hinojosa reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MARIA HINOJOSA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): For 16 years, Martin Tankleff has maintained his innocence, insisted he didn't slit his father's throat, didn't bludgeon his mother to death. Why would this suburban teen from wealthy Belle Terre, Long Island, want to murder his parents? That question was never answered, but Martin Tankleff -- who was adopted -- was convicted of the killings and has spent 15 years behind bars. He was found guilty, says Tankleff, because of a coerced confession given to police soon after the attack when he was just 17 years old.

MARTIN TANKLEFF, CONVICTED OF KILLING PARENTS: The officers kept saying, "Listen, we know you did it. Just tell us what we want to hear. We know you did it."

HINOJOSA: This week, a possible second chance.

HOWARD ASNESS, RELATIVE: It's almost frightening to think the system could have broken down this way. Marty is an innocent young man who has spent 15 years paying the price for someone else's misdeeds.

HINOJOSA: The latest motion for a new trial was set off by a letter from a convicted criminal who says he drove the getaway car for two other men the night of the murders. And now, new evidence: a rusty three-foot pipe dug up near the Tankleff home. Defense attorneys say it might be the real murder weapon.

BRUCE BARKLEY, TANKLEFF'S ATTORNEY: The totality of the circumstances here clearly indicate that Marty Tankleff did not commit the crime.

RUTHIE TANKLEFF, RELATIVE: He is such a lovely human being. He never could have done anything like that.

HINOJOSA: Members of the Tankleff family have been going to this week's Long Island court hearing on whether Martin should get a new trial.

JOYCE FALBEE, RELATIVE: I think the investigation was very sloppy in the beginning. I've always believe that Marty's been innocent.

HINOJOSA (on camera): This is as close to a new trial as it's come for Martin Tankleff. Previous questions have been denied all the way up to the Supreme Court. On this case, prosecutors said, they had no comment. A judge is expected to rule sometime this summer.

Maria Hinojosa, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Well, let's take a look at other stories making news coast to coast.

Muslims in Hamtramck, Michigan, can continue to broadcast their call to prayer over loudspeakers. That after residents of the Detroit suburb approved a measure to keep a noise ordinance allowing Mosques to continue the chants over loudspeakers. Some in the city had argued that the calls to prayer are too loud. The men in these mugshots must really enjoy their beer mugs. Police say the Tennessee inmates twice broke out of jail to make a beer run. Then they went back to their cells to actually drink the drinks. Well, police say the inmates thought they wouldn't get in trouble because they came back -- and they came back, and they got in more trouble.

A New York cabdriver is $500 richer but could have walked away with more than $70,000. He found the backpack filled with rare South Pacific black pearls in the back of his cab. But instead of keeping the treasure, he called the owner and drove the pearls all the way to Connecticut to return them. His reward was $500 and a huge hug.

Well, today is a big day for Lance Armstrong. Can he hang on to his first place position in the next major climb? The answer straight ahead on CNN LIVE TODAY.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: ... around the final bend, taking...

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: American cyclist Lance Armstrong is hoping to build on his lead and his odds of winning a record sixth Tour de France. Today, he had the luxury of going last today in the twisting ascent of stage 16. Armstrong began the day in the lead by nearly a minute-and- a-half.

Well, Orelon, I imagine you don't have a whole, whole lot of time to keep track of Lance Armstrong in between all these changes in the weather across the board.

(WEATHER REPORT)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NEIL ARMSTRONG, APOLLO 11 ASTRONAUT: That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: One of the century's most indelible moments. Where were you when Neil Armstrong stepped onto the moon? Believe it or not, it's been 35 years since that step.

Earlier this hour, the crew of Apollo 11 came together again for a presidential tribute in the Oval Office. And joining us from the lawn of the White House is space correspondent Miles O'Brien with a rare gathering. White House correspondent today, also space correspondent -- we'll try to put the two together.

MILES O'BRIEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wherever I go, it's all about space, I guess, Fredricka. Thank you very much. This is a rare gathering of the crew. Thirty-five years after that historic movement -- 35 years ago yesterday, of course, was the landing. And that initial walk by two out of the three gentlemen here. One of them was described, at that time, as the loneliest person or off the planet.

Joining us now, Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins, and Buzz Aldrin. The crew of Apollo 11 just spent some time with the president. Let's begin with the commander. How was the president today? What did he say about the current initiatives in space?

ARMSTRONG: The president was in marvelous spirits this morning. He didn't really talk to us -- he thanks us for our participation, but he really didn't talk so much about the future. He talked about the character of the country.

O'BRIEN: And you want to elaborate a little bit about that? What did he say...

ARMSTRONG: Well, I was extremely impressed with his knowledge and enthusiasm about our heritage.

O'BRIEN: Yes. Michael Collins, today there's new talk of returning to the moon and Mars on NASA's part. Of course, on a day- to-day basis, there are all kinds of obstacles to that, specifically who is going to pay the bills.

Are you optimistic that the feat which you accomplished 35 years ago might happen one day again in some form or another?

MICHAEL COLLINS, APOLLO 11 ASTRONAUT: I think certainly we'll go to the other planets. Mars is the next logical step as we go outbound. It's a fascinating planet, much more so than the moon.

You've recently seen a lot of information coming back from Mars, and I'd like to see that followed up with people actually populating Mars.

O'BRIEN: Thirty-five years ago, if we'd had this discussion, wouldn't you have predicted that there'd be a more permanent presence in space in the part of the U.S.?

COLLINS: I've always been a very bad predictor.

O'BRIEN: So, you wouldn't have predicted it, necessarily?

COLLINS: Not one way or the other.

O'BRIEN: Buzz Aldrin, your thought on where the space program is now and why it's taken 35 years to get to this point where it is focused on a destination?

BUZZ ALDRIN, APOLLO 11 ASTRONAUT: Back in those days, I think we were very pioneering. And in the pioneering age you move ahead very rapidly. We had competition in the world, and I think that spurred on the competition and spurred on the support for it. Things are a little different today. We're emphasizing cooperation in a world. And I think we need to have more evolutionary approaches. Much as I would like to see a growing permanence toward Mars, I think we have to start out by going back to the moon first, the asteroids and the moons of Mars in a very gradual evolutionary process, one that we can afford and one we can go as we're able to pay for it.

O'BRIEN: This gradual evolutionary process, Neil Armstrong, is the approach right now, the Bush administration to NASA. Do you think that can work? It's a far cry what you experienced in the Apollo days.

ARMSTRONG: Yes it is a different approach. And I don't know a lot about the details of the plan. I think that's going to evolve over the next couple of years as this is discussed by NASA and the other members of technological community and put some flesh on the bones, and I think then we'll be in a much better position to judge what really makes sense.

O'BRIEN: On this 35th anniversary, though, I suppose it's nice to be having a conversation like this, which is forward thinking, as opposed to once again just regaling old tales?

ARMSTRONG: It certainly is. It's nice to be looking forward.

O'BRIEN: Michael Collins, as long as we're mentioning regaling old tales, this time 35 years ago, you were alone in that command module. What are your recollections today? What memories come to the fore? And what are your thoughts about the accomplishments 35 years later?

COLLINS: Well, I was very happy in the command module by myself. I was sort of glad to get these guys out of my hair for a few hours, a day or two.

No, I think the -- in my memory, it's that things went as well as they did go on that particular flight and on Apollo flights in general. There were just so many things that could go wrong, small things that could balloon into large tragedies and we were very fortunate that none of those things overtook us, and that did surprise me.

O'BRIEN: And up to and including the things that didn't go wrong, was when you pushed that button and the lunar module ascended from the surface of the moon. No redundancy there, just one motor, one firing, you could have very well been stuck there. Did you ever think about that?

ALDRIN: Well, I think we all learned to fly in single-engine airplanes, engines that can fail, maybe that hadn't had as much attention as some of the things that were put together in Apollo.

I think we had a system of faith in what had been put together by so many people. And I think that as we look into the future, we should project ourselves 20, 30 years ahead, and will those people in the future be proud of the decisions that we now carry out, given this vision that we have been given, this particular year, 35 years after we first reached the moon. I think it's a great responsibility that the American people have, that our leaders have, to try and fulfill a commitment to the future, that will make people 20, 30 years from now proud of the decisions that we have made.

O'BRIEN: Neil Armstrong, 35 years ago at this moment, can you remember what your biggest concern was? Did you have a sense that you had accomplished the hardest task, having manually landed that lunar module, avoiding boulders along the way?

ARMSTRONG: Well, I think we tried very hard not to be overconfident, because when you get overconfident, that's when something snaps up and bites you. We were ever alert for little difficulties that might crop up and be able to handle those. And in the subsequent flights they had their difficulties as well. But they were always able to surmount those problems. And it says a lot for the people that we worked with and who prepared us to go there.

O'BRIEN: And in hindsight, as you look back -- you mention today all the things that could have gone wrong but didn't -- are you in a sense almost more impressed by what not just you, but the whole operation collectively did during that amazing span of time?

ARMSTRONG: Well, it was a remarkable time. We had hundreds of thousands of people all dedicated to doing the perfect job, and I think they did about as well as anyone could ever have expected.

O'BRIEN: Michael Collins, would you go along with that?

COLLINS: I judge organizations by their parking lots, and at NASA in those days, the parking lot was full early in the morning, the parking lot was full late in the evening. People were very dedicated. They were competent. They did their jobs wonderfully well.

O'BRIEN: the crew of Apollo 11, Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins, Buzz Aldrin, a great pleasure having the opportunity to interview you together. And congratulations on the anniversary. We look forward to new adventures in space, which I'm sure you'll be cheering on.

ARMSTRONG: Thank you, Miles.

ALDRIN: Thanks, Miles.

O'BRIEN: Thanks for being with us -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right, thanks a lot, Miles.

Another wonderful moment in history having them all together like that. All right, thanks a lot. For more on the Apollo anniversary and all the latest from the ever-changing world of science and space, visit our Web site. That address is CNN.com/space.

The second hour of CNN LIVE TODAY begins right after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com


Aired July 21, 2004 - 10:30   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Generations ago, outrage Bostonians rebelled with a tea party. Today the 't' stands for terrorism, and the growing list of precautions that will surround the city's hosting the of Democratic National Convention.
CNN Boston bureau chief Dan Lothian explains.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAN LOTHIAN, CNN BOSTON BUREAU CHIEF (voice-over): It's a massive security blanket covering Boston during the Democratic National Convention. In the harbor, armed Coast Guard units and new Boston Police speedboats.

KATHLEEN O'TOOLE, BOSTON POLICE COMMISSIONER: Capable of heading off threatening vessels at speeds up to 70 miles an hour.

LOTHIAN: Across town for the first time at least 75 high-tech cameras wired into a temporary surveillance network. Manhole covers have been sealed. Garbage cans and newspaper stands, potential hiding places for bombs, have been removed.

THOMAS MENINO (D), MAYOR OF BOSTON: The people of Boston can feel assured knowing that our city is more secure than ever.

LOTHIAN: But that tight security grip troubles some residents, who worry too much of a good thing may cross the line.

PROTESTERS (singing): We are no more safe than in the streets of Boston.

LOTHIAN: These protesters recently took to the streets calling the city's plans to conduct random person bag checks on the train system during the DNC week unconstitutional.

CAROL ROSE, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, ACLU: It is going to violate the fundamental right to privacy while potentially bringing the entire system to a standstill.

LOTHIAN: Civil rights advocates are poised to file lawsuits to challenge searches and halt them once they begin.

URSZULA MASNY-LATOS, NATIONAL LAWYERS GUILD: If we allow these searches to happen, what will be our next step? Are we going to allow searches of all cars? Are we going to allow searches of everyone who enters a mall? Where are we going to stop with this? LOTHIAN (on camera): The ACLU is also concerned about all the surveillance cameras which will be keeping a close eye on activity across the city, raising questions about oversight and safeguards, fearful that they could be used for the wrong reasons.

(voice-over): But law enforcement officials say they're just targeting criminals, not snooping on the general public, and that all the security measures, while inconvenient, are necessary.

O'TOOLE: This is a different world today. It's is post-9/11 world. We have to err on the side of caution.

LOTHIAN: Some residents are understanding.

RICHARD GROSSACK, BOSTON COMMUTER: You have to be somewhat sympathetic, no matter how much of a civil liberties person you are.

LOTHIAN: The law enforcement challenge, working to keep Boston safe and free.

Dan Lothian, CNN, Boston.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: The Democratic National Convention will be the platform to officially bestow the party's nomination on John Edwards and John Kerry. It's an accomplishment that didn't come cheap. Kerry's federal election report filed late yesterday shows his spending has nearly matched President Bush's since the primary ended. That's roughly $111 million in four months. Also included in that report, Kerry raised a party record of more than $186 million from January 2003 to last month. Well, Kerry's running mate Senator John Edwards and his wife, Elizabeth, will be guests on LARRY KING LIVE tonight. You can catch that 9:00 Eastern, 6:00 Pacific.

Jenna Bush set tongues wagging when she and her sister, Barbara, joined their father's re-election campaign. Apparently turnabout is fair play. The twins join their father on the campaign trail for the first time yesterday. Jenna playfully saluted the political press photographer corps at Lambert International Airport at St. Louis, Missouri.

Well, what would a political season be without a little fun. Fun and quite a few insults coming up in the next hour of CNN LIVE TODAY. Meet the guys behind the political cartoon of the season.

And have all the diet trends impacted what you eat? Find out what Americans are really eating when CNN LIVE TODAY returns.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(STOCK MARKET UPDATE)

WHITFIELD: Well, seems like everywhere you look these days it's low carb, low carb, low carb. But guess what? Not all Americans are buying it. When it comes to losing weight, a Gallup poll shows that the majority of Americans believe a low-fat diet is the healthiest, 67 percent compared to 23 percent, who believe low carb is the way to go. Only about 27 percent of Americans say they are trying to avoid carbs, 33 percent are actually trying to include them, while 39 percent don't think about them either way, just eat what they want. Well, here's what people we talked to this morning say about the low-carb craze.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I have a lot of friend that actually went on South Beach and lost a lot of weight. So I'm not going to -- I don't really know about it as far as how healthy it is, but I know it does show results, but it comes back.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I tried the Weight Watchers, and we did the low carb, and then I tried just cutting back calories, stuff like that, and the low carb seemed to work the best. I've tried weight watchers, and it's like, it just didn't work for me. And the others low calories just -- I guess I couldn't stick to them or something, I don't know.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I eat a lot of carbohydrates; it gives me energy. And I don't really think carbs make you that big. The low fat, that's the way to go.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think there's a lot of fanfare around these diets and a lot of marketing being pushed. And you know, just eat right, exercise, stay healthy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Well, in our next hour we'll break down those diet numbers further, and we'll talk about all of those options with a dieting guru Dr. Jim Hill.

Well, celebrating 35 years of history with the president. Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins will join us momentarily to talk about the morning visit with the president.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: In 1988, a millionaire couple in Long Island, New York, hosted a late night poker game. Sometime after the game, someone killed them. Well, at the time, he was 17 years old and their son -- convicted of the murders. Well now, he may get a new chance to prove his innocence.

Our Maria Hinojosa reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MARIA HINOJOSA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): For 16 years, Martin Tankleff has maintained his innocence, insisted he didn't slit his father's throat, didn't bludgeon his mother to death. Why would this suburban teen from wealthy Belle Terre, Long Island, want to murder his parents? That question was never answered, but Martin Tankleff -- who was adopted -- was convicted of the killings and has spent 15 years behind bars. He was found guilty, says Tankleff, because of a coerced confession given to police soon after the attack when he was just 17 years old.

MARTIN TANKLEFF, CONVICTED OF KILLING PARENTS: The officers kept saying, "Listen, we know you did it. Just tell us what we want to hear. We know you did it."

HINOJOSA: This week, a possible second chance.

HOWARD ASNESS, RELATIVE: It's almost frightening to think the system could have broken down this way. Marty is an innocent young man who has spent 15 years paying the price for someone else's misdeeds.

HINOJOSA: The latest motion for a new trial was set off by a letter from a convicted criminal who says he drove the getaway car for two other men the night of the murders. And now, new evidence: a rusty three-foot pipe dug up near the Tankleff home. Defense attorneys say it might be the real murder weapon.

BRUCE BARKLEY, TANKLEFF'S ATTORNEY: The totality of the circumstances here clearly indicate that Marty Tankleff did not commit the crime.

RUTHIE TANKLEFF, RELATIVE: He is such a lovely human being. He never could have done anything like that.

HINOJOSA: Members of the Tankleff family have been going to this week's Long Island court hearing on whether Martin should get a new trial.

JOYCE FALBEE, RELATIVE: I think the investigation was very sloppy in the beginning. I've always believe that Marty's been innocent.

HINOJOSA (on camera): This is as close to a new trial as it's come for Martin Tankleff. Previous questions have been denied all the way up to the Supreme Court. On this case, prosecutors said, they had no comment. A judge is expected to rule sometime this summer.

Maria Hinojosa, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Well, let's take a look at other stories making news coast to coast.

Muslims in Hamtramck, Michigan, can continue to broadcast their call to prayer over loudspeakers. That after residents of the Detroit suburb approved a measure to keep a noise ordinance allowing Mosques to continue the chants over loudspeakers. Some in the city had argued that the calls to prayer are too loud. The men in these mugshots must really enjoy their beer mugs. Police say the Tennessee inmates twice broke out of jail to make a beer run. Then they went back to their cells to actually drink the drinks. Well, police say the inmates thought they wouldn't get in trouble because they came back -- and they came back, and they got in more trouble.

A New York cabdriver is $500 richer but could have walked away with more than $70,000. He found the backpack filled with rare South Pacific black pearls in the back of his cab. But instead of keeping the treasure, he called the owner and drove the pearls all the way to Connecticut to return them. His reward was $500 and a huge hug.

Well, today is a big day for Lance Armstrong. Can he hang on to his first place position in the next major climb? The answer straight ahead on CNN LIVE TODAY.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: ... around the final bend, taking...

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: American cyclist Lance Armstrong is hoping to build on his lead and his odds of winning a record sixth Tour de France. Today, he had the luxury of going last today in the twisting ascent of stage 16. Armstrong began the day in the lead by nearly a minute-and- a-half.

Well, Orelon, I imagine you don't have a whole, whole lot of time to keep track of Lance Armstrong in between all these changes in the weather across the board.

(WEATHER REPORT)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NEIL ARMSTRONG, APOLLO 11 ASTRONAUT: That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: One of the century's most indelible moments. Where were you when Neil Armstrong stepped onto the moon? Believe it or not, it's been 35 years since that step.

Earlier this hour, the crew of Apollo 11 came together again for a presidential tribute in the Oval Office. And joining us from the lawn of the White House is space correspondent Miles O'Brien with a rare gathering. White House correspondent today, also space correspondent -- we'll try to put the two together.

MILES O'BRIEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wherever I go, it's all about space, I guess, Fredricka. Thank you very much. This is a rare gathering of the crew. Thirty-five years after that historic movement -- 35 years ago yesterday, of course, was the landing. And that initial walk by two out of the three gentlemen here. One of them was described, at that time, as the loneliest person or off the planet.

Joining us now, Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins, and Buzz Aldrin. The crew of Apollo 11 just spent some time with the president. Let's begin with the commander. How was the president today? What did he say about the current initiatives in space?

ARMSTRONG: The president was in marvelous spirits this morning. He didn't really talk to us -- he thanks us for our participation, but he really didn't talk so much about the future. He talked about the character of the country.

O'BRIEN: And you want to elaborate a little bit about that? What did he say...

ARMSTRONG: Well, I was extremely impressed with his knowledge and enthusiasm about our heritage.

O'BRIEN: Yes. Michael Collins, today there's new talk of returning to the moon and Mars on NASA's part. Of course, on a day- to-day basis, there are all kinds of obstacles to that, specifically who is going to pay the bills.

Are you optimistic that the feat which you accomplished 35 years ago might happen one day again in some form or another?

MICHAEL COLLINS, APOLLO 11 ASTRONAUT: I think certainly we'll go to the other planets. Mars is the next logical step as we go outbound. It's a fascinating planet, much more so than the moon.

You've recently seen a lot of information coming back from Mars, and I'd like to see that followed up with people actually populating Mars.

O'BRIEN: Thirty-five years ago, if we'd had this discussion, wouldn't you have predicted that there'd be a more permanent presence in space in the part of the U.S.?

COLLINS: I've always been a very bad predictor.

O'BRIEN: So, you wouldn't have predicted it, necessarily?

COLLINS: Not one way or the other.

O'BRIEN: Buzz Aldrin, your thought on where the space program is now and why it's taken 35 years to get to this point where it is focused on a destination?

BUZZ ALDRIN, APOLLO 11 ASTRONAUT: Back in those days, I think we were very pioneering. And in the pioneering age you move ahead very rapidly. We had competition in the world, and I think that spurred on the competition and spurred on the support for it. Things are a little different today. We're emphasizing cooperation in a world. And I think we need to have more evolutionary approaches. Much as I would like to see a growing permanence toward Mars, I think we have to start out by going back to the moon first, the asteroids and the moons of Mars in a very gradual evolutionary process, one that we can afford and one we can go as we're able to pay for it.

O'BRIEN: This gradual evolutionary process, Neil Armstrong, is the approach right now, the Bush administration to NASA. Do you think that can work? It's a far cry what you experienced in the Apollo days.

ARMSTRONG: Yes it is a different approach. And I don't know a lot about the details of the plan. I think that's going to evolve over the next couple of years as this is discussed by NASA and the other members of technological community and put some flesh on the bones, and I think then we'll be in a much better position to judge what really makes sense.

O'BRIEN: On this 35th anniversary, though, I suppose it's nice to be having a conversation like this, which is forward thinking, as opposed to once again just regaling old tales?

ARMSTRONG: It certainly is. It's nice to be looking forward.

O'BRIEN: Michael Collins, as long as we're mentioning regaling old tales, this time 35 years ago, you were alone in that command module. What are your recollections today? What memories come to the fore? And what are your thoughts about the accomplishments 35 years later?

COLLINS: Well, I was very happy in the command module by myself. I was sort of glad to get these guys out of my hair for a few hours, a day or two.

No, I think the -- in my memory, it's that things went as well as they did go on that particular flight and on Apollo flights in general. There were just so many things that could go wrong, small things that could balloon into large tragedies and we were very fortunate that none of those things overtook us, and that did surprise me.

O'BRIEN: And up to and including the things that didn't go wrong, was when you pushed that button and the lunar module ascended from the surface of the moon. No redundancy there, just one motor, one firing, you could have very well been stuck there. Did you ever think about that?

ALDRIN: Well, I think we all learned to fly in single-engine airplanes, engines that can fail, maybe that hadn't had as much attention as some of the things that were put together in Apollo.

I think we had a system of faith in what had been put together by so many people. And I think that as we look into the future, we should project ourselves 20, 30 years ahead, and will those people in the future be proud of the decisions that we now carry out, given this vision that we have been given, this particular year, 35 years after we first reached the moon. I think it's a great responsibility that the American people have, that our leaders have, to try and fulfill a commitment to the future, that will make people 20, 30 years from now proud of the decisions that we have made.

O'BRIEN: Neil Armstrong, 35 years ago at this moment, can you remember what your biggest concern was? Did you have a sense that you had accomplished the hardest task, having manually landed that lunar module, avoiding boulders along the way?

ARMSTRONG: Well, I think we tried very hard not to be overconfident, because when you get overconfident, that's when something snaps up and bites you. We were ever alert for little difficulties that might crop up and be able to handle those. And in the subsequent flights they had their difficulties as well. But they were always able to surmount those problems. And it says a lot for the people that we worked with and who prepared us to go there.

O'BRIEN: And in hindsight, as you look back -- you mention today all the things that could have gone wrong but didn't -- are you in a sense almost more impressed by what not just you, but the whole operation collectively did during that amazing span of time?

ARMSTRONG: Well, it was a remarkable time. We had hundreds of thousands of people all dedicated to doing the perfect job, and I think they did about as well as anyone could ever have expected.

O'BRIEN: Michael Collins, would you go along with that?

COLLINS: I judge organizations by their parking lots, and at NASA in those days, the parking lot was full early in the morning, the parking lot was full late in the evening. People were very dedicated. They were competent. They did their jobs wonderfully well.

O'BRIEN: the crew of Apollo 11, Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins, Buzz Aldrin, a great pleasure having the opportunity to interview you together. And congratulations on the anniversary. We look forward to new adventures in space, which I'm sure you'll be cheering on.

ARMSTRONG: Thank you, Miles.

ALDRIN: Thanks, Miles.

O'BRIEN: Thanks for being with us -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right, thanks a lot, Miles.

Another wonderful moment in history having them all together like that. All right, thanks a lot. For more on the Apollo anniversary and all the latest from the ever-changing world of science and space, visit our Web site. That address is CNN.com/space.

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