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CNN Live Today

Discussion with Bishop T.D. Jakes; Life on the Terror Watchlist

Aired May 04, 2005 - 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.


DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Emergency personnel responded to a scare at Montreal's airport last night. Reports say at least 17 people got sick from a suspicious white powder that spilled over from a package. Four workers were hospitalized. That powder apparently came from a package that arrived on a British Airways flight from London. The hazmat team sprayed down the people who came in contact with the powder.
A couple changes coming in airline security this summer. "USA Today" reporting the government will start collecting the full names and birth dates of passengers. Travelers won't be require to give that information when they book tickets, but government officials say people who do give it will be less likely to be stopped for questioning at airports.

And starting in August, the government's takeover of background check from the airlines will get a test run as well.

Life on the terror watchlist. That's the government's roster of individuals suspected of possible links to terrorism. Sometimes just the suspicion is enough to throw someone's life into limbo.

CNN investigative correspondent Drew Griffin has that story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DREW GRIFFIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Juan Carlos Merida's bleak situation didn't really hit home until last week, when he realized he couldn't get home.

(on camera): When you heard your dad had another heart attack, Juan, I'm sure the instinct was to go Panama?

JAUN CARLOS MERIDA, WATCHLIST SUSPECT: Immediately.

GRIFFIN (voice-over): His father lay in a hospital bed in his native Panama, his son stranded here in Oklahoma, afraid that if he left the United States, even to see his father, he might never be able to return.

MERIDA: What are you doing this afternoon?

GRIFFIN: Juan Carlos Merida is one of thousands of people who, after the attacks of 9/11, were judged to be potential security risks and found themselves on the federal government's watchlist.

MERIDA: This is when I was skinny.

GRIFFIN: But how this former Panamanian air force pilot, who says he loves his adopted country, got on that list is one of the more baffling stories of post-9/11 America.

(on camera): Do they think you are a terrorist, that you had something to do with this guy?

MERIDA: I would say no, but my name is on the list.

GRIFFIN (voice-over): Merida's nightmare began in February of 2001. He was working as recruiter and instructor at this flight school in Norman, Oklahoma, when his boss, Brenda Keene, asked him to pick up a new student flying in from overseas.

BRENDA KEENE, AIRMAN FLIGHT SCHOOL: I asked him to pick him up at the airport. You know, he just did what he was told.

MERIDA (on camera): Following his boss' orders and driving to the Oklahoma city airport that day to pick up a foreign student turned out to be one of two mistakes Juan Carlos would make.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: We'll get back to Drew Griffin's story in a moment. First let's got to Washington D.C. and President Bush.

(JOINED IN PROGRESS)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: ... a top al Qaeda operative. Abu Farraj Al-Libbi represents a critical victory in the war on terror. -a critical victory in the war on terror.

(APPLAUSE)

Al-Libbi was a top general for Bin Laden. He was a major facilitator and a chief planner for the Al Qaeda network. His arrest removes a dangerous enemy, who is a direct threat to America and to those who love freedom.

I applaud the Pakistani government for their strong cooperation in the war on terror. I applaud the Pakistani government and President Musharraf for acting on solid intelligence to bring this man to justice. The fight continues. We'll stay on the offensive until Al Qaeda is defeated.

(APPLAUSE)

Franklin Roosevelt did a wise thing when he set up the Social Security system.

KAGAN: Brief comments there from President Bush on the capture of a suspected Al Qaeda operative, Abu Farraj Al-Libbi, believed to be perhaps the number-three man in Al Qaeda.

With more on the significance of the capture, let's bring in our David Ensor in Washington D.C. today.

DAVID ENSOR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Daryn, U.S. counter-terrorism officials are calling this a very significant capture indeed. And you heard the president just now talk about the Pakistanis acting on solid intelligence. Officials are telling me that that solid intelligence came from human intelligence sources of the United States.

So this was joint effort by the Pakistanis and U.S. intelligence, capturing Abu Farraj Al-Libbi, who is described as the No. 3 man in Al Qaeda, responsible both for two unsuccessful assassination attempts against President Musharraf, but also responsible for the global operations of Al Qaeda. Since 2003, when Khalid Sheikh Muhammad was captured, this man, according to U.S. counter-terrorism officials, has been in charge of those operations, including operations here in this country. So the intelligence that he may be able to provide about what Al Qaeda might be plotting against this country could be incredibly useful -- Daryn.

KAGAN: Well, and what about the kind of intelligence -- I mean, no. 3 is all well and good. But what about No. 1 and the trail to Osama Bin Laden?

ENSOR: You know, when you talk too professional counter- terrorism people, they're actually more excited at capturing No. 3 than No. 1. They regard Bin Laden and Ayman Al-Zawahiri as individuals who are so on the run and spend so much of their time trying to hide, that they are not that all effective operationally, whereas this man, U.S. officials believe, was the operations chief. He would know what Al Qaeda, in specific terms, in terms that you can actually use as law enforcement or intelligence officer going after these people. He may know specifics. So the next question is, who is going to hold him? Will Pakistan want to hold him, since he is obviously wanted for very serious crimes there, or will he be, as his predecessor, Khalid Sheikh Muhammad was, transferred to U.S. custody -- Daryn.

KAGAN: And then you have the twist that he's actually Libyan, right?

ENSOR: You know, I frankly don't know what his nationality is. I haven't had time to research that. But he was fluent speaker of one of the Pakistani languages and was married to a Pakistani woman and had gone very native in Pakistan -- Daryn.

KAGAN: All right, we'll be checking in more on that, but a lot of information there. David, thank you for that.

Still to come on CNN LIVE TODAY, talk about new and improved, this is not your daddy's driver's-ed course. Up next, the obstacles that some teens face before they hit the streets.

Plus, he's the leader of one of the fastest growing churches in America. still to come, his message, his mission and why he is interested in your spiritual growth. The Bishop T.D. Jakes joins me live.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(STOCK MARKET REPORT)

KAGAN: Let's take a look at other stories making news coast to coast today.

A suspected serial killer is now in custody in Mobile, Alabama. Turns out, he could have been stopped earlier if the FBI had properly identified his fingerprints. "The Atlanta Journal Constitution" reports the FBI failed to connect the prints to fugitive Jeremy Jones. He was freed by Georgia authorities in early 2004 and is alleged to have killed at least three women soon afterwards.

In Texas, where cheerleading is hugely popular, state lawmakers want overtly sexual -- sexually suggestive routines banned at school functions. That proposed law, however, does not spell what is and what isn't inappropriate. The cheerleading bill was passed by the Texas State House. It still must be approved by the Senate and sent to the governor's desk before it can become law.

And in Southern California, Magic Kingdom alumnus Kelsey Grammar was -- oh my goodness -- performing at Disney's California Adventures. He accidentally stepped off the theater stage. He was banged up a bit, but finished his routine, marking Disneyland's 50th anniversary. You might not know this, but as a teenager, Grammer had worked at Disneyland. He was a magician.

The shortest distance between two points is a straight line. That lesson comes from high school math. You know that. Here, though, is an exception. Some twists and turns may be the safest route to a driver's license for some teenagers.

CNN'S Sharon Collins explains.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SHARON COLLINS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Elizabeth Graper is leaving school early. It is one of those red letter days on any teenager's calendar, Elizabeth is on her way to take her driving test. She hopes to get her license today.

ELIZABETH GRAPER, TEEN DRIVER: A little nervous. But a lot of my friends have already done it.

COLLINS: Elizabeth took Driver's Ed at her high school, and she spent time driving with her mom at her side.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Lizzie, you need to pay attention, honey.

GRAPER: It's 25.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, and how fast are you going?

GRAPER: 40.

COLLINS: But Elizabeth also did a little something extra. Something that would ordinarily horrify any parent.

GRAPER: That's what you do!

COLLINS: It's called "Xtreme Measures," a new breed of driving schools springing up around the country. Today's class is held at a race track in Charlotte, North Carolina. Karl Kutcher started Extreme Measures six years ago after an accident that still haunts him today.

CARL KIRCHER, XTREME MEASURES: One of my older daughter's best friends got killed. She got two wheels off the side of the road, over-corrected, hit a tree. And I knew right then that there had to be something that I could do that was going to help you guys get through. Get the car to slide. Get it to slide. Get it to slide.

COLLINS; Kricher has worked around auto racing all of his life. His classes apply lessons learned on the racetrack to emergencies encountered in everyday driving situations.

KIRCHER: You can't just take your child in a parking lot and show them defensive maneuvers, car control maneuvers as they did when I grew up. You can't do that anymore. So we provide them a place to learn how to do that at our expense in an oops-free environment so that they can learn what we've learn over 30 years of driving.

COLLINS: The teens practice recovering from skids. Handling the car when it runs off the road. And avoiding obstacles. His course is not a replacement for the basics of driver's ed, but it does teach students skills they wouldn't learn in a typical course.

SHARON GRAPER, ELIZABETH GRAPER'S MOTHER: I felt like I wanted Elizabeth to have some experience in extreme conditions so that she would know what to do if she was in that circumstance.

COLLINS: After a day of driving on the Xtreme course, Elizabeth felt pretty good about what she'd learned.

(on camera): So you think you got it down?

ELIZABETH GRAPER: Yes.

COLLINS (voice-over): But would it help her get a license? After her driving test, she feels pretty confident.

(on camera): How did you do?

ELIZABETH GRAPER: I think I did OK.

COLLINS: Did you? Well, good.

(voice-over): But the news is disappointing.

ELIZABETH GRAPER: I didn't get it.

COLLINS: Twice Elizabeth turned into the wrong lane. A relatively minor mistake, but one that could easily cause an accident. And a reminder of how even the best prepared teenager won't always make the right call.

Sharon Collins, CNN, Charlotte, North Carolina.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: You hang in there, Elizabeth. Your driver's license is coming soon.

His mega-fest 2004 became one of the largest religious gatherings ever. So what does Bishop T.D. Jakes have planned for this year? I'll ask him when CNN LIVE TODAY returns. There's the good bishop.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: God is calling you to change.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAGAN: Just a glimpse and a listen there of T.D. Jakes in action at last summer's megafest that took place right here in Atlanta. As Christian revivalists go, there really is nothing like it. The event goes on for several days, attracts hundreds of thousands of people, including many families. The one for this year -- this one, actually, though, set an attendance record of 560,000 million people. Half million people.

Megafest the vision of Bishop T.D. Jakes. He is in Atlanta today because of the phenomenal success of last year's event. The city and the Georgia Will Congress Center (ph) honoring him yesterday for the record-breaking attendance. Anything that could bring a half million people together -- good morning, Bishop Jakes.

BISHOP T.D. JAKES, FOUNDER, POTTER'S HOUSE: Thank you, Daryn. I'm excited to be here.

KAGAN: When we talk about attendance records, we're talking about usually sporting events or entertainment venues, not religious events.

What is going on there, do you think?

JAKES: You know, I think there's a rebirth of spirituality in this nation unlike anything we've ever seen, and even around the world people are just excited about it, and Megafest you can get the spirituality, the entertainment, all in one place and bring your family in a safe environment, and have a lot of fun and have church, too.

KAGAN: And so you're going to do it again in August.

JAKES: August 3rd through the 6th, we're going to be back in Atlanta again. Our emphasis is on families. We have special events for singles as well. And we're really going after young people this year in a strong way. A lot of special events, entertainment ministry, they're youthful just because we were just bombarded with teenagers, and parents said it really affected their lives last year.

KAGAN: So you think young people are looking?

JAKES: Yes, they are looking. And we've got special speakers. You have to communicate it in their language, but their responding. Of course we'll have the (INAUDIBLE) and the manpower that we always do. But...

KAGAN: I want to get to that, because you do have a message that is really interesting, I think. Anybody who's been flicking around, how I first met you, flicking around late at night and hearing some of your sermons and things. You have a big message about self- empowerment, but also self-responsibility. And you don't have a lot of patience for people who see themselves as victims.

JAKES: No, because you have to get on with it. Life hands all of us blows, and wounds and things that we wish were differently, but it's all about overcoming it. I mean, the crux of the Christian message is resurrection. And so, how can you believe in the resurrection from the dead and not believe in resurrection from adversity of life? That's what my faith is all about, overcoming obstacles.

KAGAN: This will in the news when it in happens. I want to run a couple of other headlines by you that are taking place.

JAKES: OK.

KAGAN: We were just talking in the commercial break about the death of the pope and the selection of the new pope, and people I think being overwhelmed by the reaction that that received around the world.

JAKES: Yes, it has got an incredible response. I think we're all starting to realize, whether we're Catholic or not, that we're affected by religious leaders, that they influence our culture, our art, our politics, the way we see life and everything, and we're becoming more involved. We're becoming communal as a society than we've ever been before.

KAGAN: A story that's captivated the nation in recent days has been this runaway bride from here in the Atlanta area, Jennifer Wilbanks. If you could counsel this young woman, what would you tell her?

JAKES: You know, I found it disturbing that this young woman ran away from life. It's unfortunate that we have those types of examples, because many people are trying to escape from things that they need to confront. There are no hiding places from the vicissitudes life. I wish she had run to run to a clergyman, or counselor or somebody who could talk to her, and we could get on to really important news, like our boys overseas and our girls overseas. But this woman has run away from life. And I think the bottom-line message we need to get from that, there's no hiding places from life. You have to deal with issues as they come up in your life. KAGAN: And then a story we're expecting to hear, a family later on, this firefighter in Massachusetts, 10 years, perhaps in a coma, but certainly not kind of clicked in. And suddenly he wakes up and starts talking, and science cannot explain it.

JAKES: They cannot explain it. I mean, that's where faith becomes so central. There are some things for which there are no medical explanations, just only God, and I hope that we never get -- appreciate science and all of the technology, but I hope we never get so technical that we don't leave space for those unexplainable things that make life so phenomenal to all of us.

KAGAN: It is hard for some people to accept that miracles sometime just happen.

JAKES: Until they receive one, then you don't need an explanation.

One of the things that we learned after September 11th is there are some tragedies that we can not explain. There are some pains that we can not fix. And we find out that we do need God in our lives in a very personal and intimate way, not just organized religion, going to church, but in a personal way, having a deep experience, a faith. I need faith raising my children. I've got teenagers. I need God to help me with my kids.

KAGAN: You need a lot.

JAKES: Yes, that's true. I think everybody does.

KAGAN: And about a half million people will be looking for that. The numbers you're expecting here in Atlanta in August?

JAKES: Unprecedented. We don't know what to expect. We're being bombarded with mail from all over the world. People are coming from everywhere, and the thing that was great about last year, is that it was still in the midst of all that crowd, a place where grandmothers came, and they could get back and forth from the hotel to the event faithfully and comfortably without being pushed and shoved.

I just met with the city of Atlanta. They said they never hosted an event of our magnitude, where there was no crime, there was no violence. People singing on the bus and MARTAs, having a great time. It's unlike anything you've ever experienced before. And I want everybody to know you're welcome, not just blacks, Hispanics, whites, doesn't matter who you are. You can be an atheist. You still need to come and experience. Who knows what will happen before you leave.

KAGAN: It's Megafest. It's August. It's here in Atlanta. Is there a Web site?

JAKES: Yes, they can log onto our Web site mega-fest.com, or they can dial 877-TDJ-MEGA.

KAGAN: Very good. Well, we hope -- it's going to be a busy time. We hope you'll make time to stop by. JAKES: I will. Thank you.

KAGAN: Bishop T.D. Jakes. Thank you, bishop.

JAKES: Appreciate it, bishop.

KAGAN: Well, let's check the time, 10:54 here on the East Coast and 7:54 for those of you on the West. We'll be back with a check of your morning forecast.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: A forgetful man is being blamed for a fire at a gas station in New York. The motorist begin filling the tank of his black Mercedes. He went inside to purchase a pack of cigarettes. He came out and drove away. One problem, he forgot to take the gas hose out of the car's tank. The car pulled the pump down. Watch what happens here. And it starts a fire.

Thank goodness for a quick-thinking attendant triggering the fire-suppressant foam, and the foam extinguished the fire.

(WEATHER REPORT)

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 May 4, 2005 - 10:30   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Emergency personnel responded to a scare at Montreal's airport last night. Reports say at least 17 people got sick from a suspicious white powder that spilled over from a package. Four workers were hospitalized. That powder apparently came from a package that arrived on a British Airways flight from London. The hazmat team sprayed down the people who came in contact with the powder.
A couple changes coming in airline security this summer. "USA Today" reporting the government will start collecting the full names and birth dates of passengers. Travelers won't be require to give that information when they book tickets, but government officials say people who do give it will be less likely to be stopped for questioning at airports.

And starting in August, the government's takeover of background check from the airlines will get a test run as well.

Life on the terror watchlist. That's the government's roster of individuals suspected of possible links to terrorism. Sometimes just the suspicion is enough to throw someone's life into limbo.

CNN investigative correspondent Drew Griffin has that story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DREW GRIFFIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Juan Carlos Merida's bleak situation didn't really hit home until last week, when he realized he couldn't get home.

(on camera): When you heard your dad had another heart attack, Juan, I'm sure the instinct was to go Panama?

JAUN CARLOS MERIDA, WATCHLIST SUSPECT: Immediately.

GRIFFIN (voice-over): His father lay in a hospital bed in his native Panama, his son stranded here in Oklahoma, afraid that if he left the United States, even to see his father, he might never be able to return.

MERIDA: What are you doing this afternoon?

GRIFFIN: Juan Carlos Merida is one of thousands of people who, after the attacks of 9/11, were judged to be potential security risks and found themselves on the federal government's watchlist.

MERIDA: This is when I was skinny.

GRIFFIN: But how this former Panamanian air force pilot, who says he loves his adopted country, got on that list is one of the more baffling stories of post-9/11 America.

(on camera): Do they think you are a terrorist, that you had something to do with this guy?

MERIDA: I would say no, but my name is on the list.

GRIFFIN (voice-over): Merida's nightmare began in February of 2001. He was working as recruiter and instructor at this flight school in Norman, Oklahoma, when his boss, Brenda Keene, asked him to pick up a new student flying in from overseas.

BRENDA KEENE, AIRMAN FLIGHT SCHOOL: I asked him to pick him up at the airport. You know, he just did what he was told.

MERIDA (on camera): Following his boss' orders and driving to the Oklahoma city airport that day to pick up a foreign student turned out to be one of two mistakes Juan Carlos would make.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: We'll get back to Drew Griffin's story in a moment. First let's got to Washington D.C. and President Bush.

(JOINED IN PROGRESS)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: ... a top al Qaeda operative. Abu Farraj Al-Libbi represents a critical victory in the war on terror. -a critical victory in the war on terror.

(APPLAUSE)

Al-Libbi was a top general for Bin Laden. He was a major facilitator and a chief planner for the Al Qaeda network. His arrest removes a dangerous enemy, who is a direct threat to America and to those who love freedom.

I applaud the Pakistani government for their strong cooperation in the war on terror. I applaud the Pakistani government and President Musharraf for acting on solid intelligence to bring this man to justice. The fight continues. We'll stay on the offensive until Al Qaeda is defeated.

(APPLAUSE)

Franklin Roosevelt did a wise thing when he set up the Social Security system.

KAGAN: Brief comments there from President Bush on the capture of a suspected Al Qaeda operative, Abu Farraj Al-Libbi, believed to be perhaps the number-three man in Al Qaeda.

With more on the significance of the capture, let's bring in our David Ensor in Washington D.C. today.

DAVID ENSOR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Daryn, U.S. counter-terrorism officials are calling this a very significant capture indeed. And you heard the president just now talk about the Pakistanis acting on solid intelligence. Officials are telling me that that solid intelligence came from human intelligence sources of the United States.

So this was joint effort by the Pakistanis and U.S. intelligence, capturing Abu Farraj Al-Libbi, who is described as the No. 3 man in Al Qaeda, responsible both for two unsuccessful assassination attempts against President Musharraf, but also responsible for the global operations of Al Qaeda. Since 2003, when Khalid Sheikh Muhammad was captured, this man, according to U.S. counter-terrorism officials, has been in charge of those operations, including operations here in this country. So the intelligence that he may be able to provide about what Al Qaeda might be plotting against this country could be incredibly useful -- Daryn.

KAGAN: Well, and what about the kind of intelligence -- I mean, no. 3 is all well and good. But what about No. 1 and the trail to Osama Bin Laden?

ENSOR: You know, when you talk too professional counter- terrorism people, they're actually more excited at capturing No. 3 than No. 1. They regard Bin Laden and Ayman Al-Zawahiri as individuals who are so on the run and spend so much of their time trying to hide, that they are not that all effective operationally, whereas this man, U.S. officials believe, was the operations chief. He would know what Al Qaeda, in specific terms, in terms that you can actually use as law enforcement or intelligence officer going after these people. He may know specifics. So the next question is, who is going to hold him? Will Pakistan want to hold him, since he is obviously wanted for very serious crimes there, or will he be, as his predecessor, Khalid Sheikh Muhammad was, transferred to U.S. custody -- Daryn.

KAGAN: And then you have the twist that he's actually Libyan, right?

ENSOR: You know, I frankly don't know what his nationality is. I haven't had time to research that. But he was fluent speaker of one of the Pakistani languages and was married to a Pakistani woman and had gone very native in Pakistan -- Daryn.

KAGAN: All right, we'll be checking in more on that, but a lot of information there. David, thank you for that.

Still to come on CNN LIVE TODAY, talk about new and improved, this is not your daddy's driver's-ed course. Up next, the obstacles that some teens face before they hit the streets.

Plus, he's the leader of one of the fastest growing churches in America. still to come, his message, his mission and why he is interested in your spiritual growth. The Bishop T.D. Jakes joins me live.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(STOCK MARKET REPORT)

KAGAN: Let's take a look at other stories making news coast to coast today.

A suspected serial killer is now in custody in Mobile, Alabama. Turns out, he could have been stopped earlier if the FBI had properly identified his fingerprints. "The Atlanta Journal Constitution" reports the FBI failed to connect the prints to fugitive Jeremy Jones. He was freed by Georgia authorities in early 2004 and is alleged to have killed at least three women soon afterwards.

In Texas, where cheerleading is hugely popular, state lawmakers want overtly sexual -- sexually suggestive routines banned at school functions. That proposed law, however, does not spell what is and what isn't inappropriate. The cheerleading bill was passed by the Texas State House. It still must be approved by the Senate and sent to the governor's desk before it can become law.

And in Southern California, Magic Kingdom alumnus Kelsey Grammar was -- oh my goodness -- performing at Disney's California Adventures. He accidentally stepped off the theater stage. He was banged up a bit, but finished his routine, marking Disneyland's 50th anniversary. You might not know this, but as a teenager, Grammer had worked at Disneyland. He was a magician.

The shortest distance between two points is a straight line. That lesson comes from high school math. You know that. Here, though, is an exception. Some twists and turns may be the safest route to a driver's license for some teenagers.

CNN'S Sharon Collins explains.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SHARON COLLINS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Elizabeth Graper is leaving school early. It is one of those red letter days on any teenager's calendar, Elizabeth is on her way to take her driving test. She hopes to get her license today.

ELIZABETH GRAPER, TEEN DRIVER: A little nervous. But a lot of my friends have already done it.

COLLINS: Elizabeth took Driver's Ed at her high school, and she spent time driving with her mom at her side.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Lizzie, you need to pay attention, honey.

GRAPER: It's 25.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, and how fast are you going?

GRAPER: 40.

COLLINS: But Elizabeth also did a little something extra. Something that would ordinarily horrify any parent.

GRAPER: That's what you do!

COLLINS: It's called "Xtreme Measures," a new breed of driving schools springing up around the country. Today's class is held at a race track in Charlotte, North Carolina. Karl Kutcher started Extreme Measures six years ago after an accident that still haunts him today.

CARL KIRCHER, XTREME MEASURES: One of my older daughter's best friends got killed. She got two wheels off the side of the road, over-corrected, hit a tree. And I knew right then that there had to be something that I could do that was going to help you guys get through. Get the car to slide. Get it to slide. Get it to slide.

COLLINS; Kricher has worked around auto racing all of his life. His classes apply lessons learned on the racetrack to emergencies encountered in everyday driving situations.

KIRCHER: You can't just take your child in a parking lot and show them defensive maneuvers, car control maneuvers as they did when I grew up. You can't do that anymore. So we provide them a place to learn how to do that at our expense in an oops-free environment so that they can learn what we've learn over 30 years of driving.

COLLINS: The teens practice recovering from skids. Handling the car when it runs off the road. And avoiding obstacles. His course is not a replacement for the basics of driver's ed, but it does teach students skills they wouldn't learn in a typical course.

SHARON GRAPER, ELIZABETH GRAPER'S MOTHER: I felt like I wanted Elizabeth to have some experience in extreme conditions so that she would know what to do if she was in that circumstance.

COLLINS: After a day of driving on the Xtreme course, Elizabeth felt pretty good about what she'd learned.

(on camera): So you think you got it down?

ELIZABETH GRAPER: Yes.

COLLINS (voice-over): But would it help her get a license? After her driving test, she feels pretty confident.

(on camera): How did you do?

ELIZABETH GRAPER: I think I did OK.

COLLINS: Did you? Well, good.

(voice-over): But the news is disappointing.

ELIZABETH GRAPER: I didn't get it.

COLLINS: Twice Elizabeth turned into the wrong lane. A relatively minor mistake, but one that could easily cause an accident. And a reminder of how even the best prepared teenager won't always make the right call.

Sharon Collins, CNN, Charlotte, North Carolina.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: You hang in there, Elizabeth. Your driver's license is coming soon.

His mega-fest 2004 became one of the largest religious gatherings ever. So what does Bishop T.D. Jakes have planned for this year? I'll ask him when CNN LIVE TODAY returns. There's the good bishop.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: God is calling you to change.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAGAN: Just a glimpse and a listen there of T.D. Jakes in action at last summer's megafest that took place right here in Atlanta. As Christian revivalists go, there really is nothing like it. The event goes on for several days, attracts hundreds of thousands of people, including many families. The one for this year -- this one, actually, though, set an attendance record of 560,000 million people. Half million people.

Megafest the vision of Bishop T.D. Jakes. He is in Atlanta today because of the phenomenal success of last year's event. The city and the Georgia Will Congress Center (ph) honoring him yesterday for the record-breaking attendance. Anything that could bring a half million people together -- good morning, Bishop Jakes.

BISHOP T.D. JAKES, FOUNDER, POTTER'S HOUSE: Thank you, Daryn. I'm excited to be here.

KAGAN: When we talk about attendance records, we're talking about usually sporting events or entertainment venues, not religious events.

What is going on there, do you think?

JAKES: You know, I think there's a rebirth of spirituality in this nation unlike anything we've ever seen, and even around the world people are just excited about it, and Megafest you can get the spirituality, the entertainment, all in one place and bring your family in a safe environment, and have a lot of fun and have church, too.

KAGAN: And so you're going to do it again in August.

JAKES: August 3rd through the 6th, we're going to be back in Atlanta again. Our emphasis is on families. We have special events for singles as well. And we're really going after young people this year in a strong way. A lot of special events, entertainment ministry, they're youthful just because we were just bombarded with teenagers, and parents said it really affected their lives last year.

KAGAN: So you think young people are looking?

JAKES: Yes, they are looking. And we've got special speakers. You have to communicate it in their language, but their responding. Of course we'll have the (INAUDIBLE) and the manpower that we always do. But...

KAGAN: I want to get to that, because you do have a message that is really interesting, I think. Anybody who's been flicking around, how I first met you, flicking around late at night and hearing some of your sermons and things. You have a big message about self- empowerment, but also self-responsibility. And you don't have a lot of patience for people who see themselves as victims.

JAKES: No, because you have to get on with it. Life hands all of us blows, and wounds and things that we wish were differently, but it's all about overcoming it. I mean, the crux of the Christian message is resurrection. And so, how can you believe in the resurrection from the dead and not believe in resurrection from adversity of life? That's what my faith is all about, overcoming obstacles.

KAGAN: This will in the news when it in happens. I want to run a couple of other headlines by you that are taking place.

JAKES: OK.

KAGAN: We were just talking in the commercial break about the death of the pope and the selection of the new pope, and people I think being overwhelmed by the reaction that that received around the world.

JAKES: Yes, it has got an incredible response. I think we're all starting to realize, whether we're Catholic or not, that we're affected by religious leaders, that they influence our culture, our art, our politics, the way we see life and everything, and we're becoming more involved. We're becoming communal as a society than we've ever been before.

KAGAN: A story that's captivated the nation in recent days has been this runaway bride from here in the Atlanta area, Jennifer Wilbanks. If you could counsel this young woman, what would you tell her?

JAKES: You know, I found it disturbing that this young woman ran away from life. It's unfortunate that we have those types of examples, because many people are trying to escape from things that they need to confront. There are no hiding places from the vicissitudes life. I wish she had run to run to a clergyman, or counselor or somebody who could talk to her, and we could get on to really important news, like our boys overseas and our girls overseas. But this woman has run away from life. And I think the bottom-line message we need to get from that, there's no hiding places from life. You have to deal with issues as they come up in your life. KAGAN: And then a story we're expecting to hear, a family later on, this firefighter in Massachusetts, 10 years, perhaps in a coma, but certainly not kind of clicked in. And suddenly he wakes up and starts talking, and science cannot explain it.

JAKES: They cannot explain it. I mean, that's where faith becomes so central. There are some things for which there are no medical explanations, just only God, and I hope that we never get -- appreciate science and all of the technology, but I hope we never get so technical that we don't leave space for those unexplainable things that make life so phenomenal to all of us.

KAGAN: It is hard for some people to accept that miracles sometime just happen.

JAKES: Until they receive one, then you don't need an explanation.

One of the things that we learned after September 11th is there are some tragedies that we can not explain. There are some pains that we can not fix. And we find out that we do need God in our lives in a very personal and intimate way, not just organized religion, going to church, but in a personal way, having a deep experience, a faith. I need faith raising my children. I've got teenagers. I need God to help me with my kids.

KAGAN: You need a lot.

JAKES: Yes, that's true. I think everybody does.

KAGAN: And about a half million people will be looking for that. The numbers you're expecting here in Atlanta in August?

JAKES: Unprecedented. We don't know what to expect. We're being bombarded with mail from all over the world. People are coming from everywhere, and the thing that was great about last year, is that it was still in the midst of all that crowd, a place where grandmothers came, and they could get back and forth from the hotel to the event faithfully and comfortably without being pushed and shoved.

I just met with the city of Atlanta. They said they never hosted an event of our magnitude, where there was no crime, there was no violence. People singing on the bus and MARTAs, having a great time. It's unlike anything you've ever experienced before. And I want everybody to know you're welcome, not just blacks, Hispanics, whites, doesn't matter who you are. You can be an atheist. You still need to come and experience. Who knows what will happen before you leave.

KAGAN: It's Megafest. It's August. It's here in Atlanta. Is there a Web site?

JAKES: Yes, they can log onto our Web site mega-fest.com, or they can dial 877-TDJ-MEGA.

KAGAN: Very good. Well, we hope -- it's going to be a busy time. We hope you'll make time to stop by. JAKES: I will. Thank you.

KAGAN: Bishop T.D. Jakes. Thank you, bishop.

JAKES: Appreciate it, bishop.

KAGAN: Well, let's check the time, 10:54 here on the East Coast and 7:54 for those of you on the West. We'll be back with a check of your morning forecast.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: A forgetful man is being blamed for a fire at a gas station in New York. The motorist begin filling the tank of his black Mercedes. He went inside to purchase a pack of cigarettes. He came out and drove away. One problem, he forgot to take the gas hose out of the car's tank. The car pulled the pump down. Watch what happens here. And it starts a fire.

Thank goodness for a quick-thinking attendant triggering the fire-suppressant foam, and the foam extinguished the fire.

(WEATHER REPORT)

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