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CNN Live Today

Fourth of July Celebrations; Mountain Mission; Holiday at War; Update on Found Idaho Girl;

Aired July 04, 2005 - 10:00   ET

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

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: To good work that the folks do here to educate the people of West Virginia. The history we celebrate today is a testament to the power of freedom to lift up a whole nation.
On Independence Day, we remember the ideals of liberty that led men from 13 colonies to gather in Philadelphia and pen a declaration of self-truths. And we remember the band of patriots who risked their lives to bring freedom to a new continent. July 4, 1776, more than five years of the Revolutionary War still lay ahead.

From the Battle of New York, to the winner at Valley Forge, to the victory at Yorktown, our forefathers faced terrible losses and hardships. Yet they kept their resolves. They kept their faith and a future of liberty. And with their hard-earned victory, we guaranteed a home for the declarations proposition that all are created equal.

Through the centuries, the Declaration of Independence has remained a revolutionary document. As President Kennedy said on the Fourth of July, 1962, the declaration unleashed not merely a revolution against the British, but a revolution in human affairs. The revolutionary truth of the Declaration are still at the heart of America. We believe in the dignity and rights of every person. We believe in freedom and equal justice, the rule of law and a government of the people, by the people and for the people.

Through the centuries, this creative freedom and equality has lifted the fortunes of all Americans. And we know that this great ideal of human freedom is entrusted to us in a special way. And that the ideal of liberty is worth defending.

Defending the ideals of our founding has required the service and sacrifice of every generation. And the men and women of our armed forces have always answer our nation's call. With their courage, they have crossed oceans, defeated murderous ideologies and liberated the oppressed. And today, on this Fourth of July, our grateful nation thanks our 25 million Veterans for their service to our country.

At this hour, our men and women in uniform are defending America against the threats of the 21st century. The war we are fighting came to our shores on September the 11th 2001. After that day, I made a pledge to the American people - we will not wait to be attacked again.

We will bring our enemies to justice or bring justice to our enemies. Our enemies in this new war are men who celebrate murder, incite suicide and thirst for absolute power. They seek to spread their ideology of tyranny and oppression across the world. They seek to turn the Middle East into a haven for terror. They seek to drive America out of the region. These terrorists will not be stopped by negotiations or concessions or appeals to reason. In this war, there's only one option, and that is victory.

We are pursuing a comprehensive strategy to win the war on terror. We're taking the fight to the terrorists abroad so we do not have to face them here at home. We're denying our enemies sanctuary and making it clear that America will not tolerate regimes that harbor or support terrorists. And we're spreading freedom, because the terrorists know there is no room for them in a free and democratic Middle East. By advancing the cause of liberty in a troubled part of the world, we will remove a source of instability and violence, and we will lay the foundation of peace for our children and our grandchildren.

Iraq is the latest battlefield in the war on terror. Our work there is difficult and dangerous because terrorists from across the region are converging on Iraq to fight the rise of democracy. The images of cruelty and suffering we see on television are real. And they are difficult for our compassionate nation to watch. Yet the terrorists violence has not brought them any closer to achieving their strategic objectives.

The terrorists tried to intimidate the Iraqi governing council, and they failed. They tried to delay the transfer of sovereignty to Iraq, and they failed. They tried to stop the free Iraqi elections, and they failed. They continue to kill in the hope that they will break the resolve of the American people, but they will fail!

The lesson of this experience is clear, that terrorists can kill the innocent, but they cannot stop the advance of freedom. This January, the world watched as the Iraqi people defied intimidation, dipped their fingers in ink and cast their votes in the country's first free and democratic election in decades. And last week, on June the 28th, the free nation of Iraq marked the first anniversary of the day when sovereignty was restored to its rightful owners - the Iraqi people.

By helping Iraqis build a free and democratic nation, we will give strength to an ally in the war on terror, and we will make America more secure. To continue building a free and democratic Iraq, Americans and Iraqis are fighting side-by-side to stop the terrorist insurgents. And our military is helping to train Iraqi forces so they can defend their own liberty. Our strategy can be summed up this way - as Iraqis stand up, we will stand down, and then our troops can come home to a proud and grateful nation.

West Virginians are serving with skill and honor in the war on terror. Some deployed from Camp Dawson, right down the road. Soldiers from the 201st Field Artillery Unit of the West Virginia National Guard carried out vital missions in Iraq. The soldiers are contributing to the proud history of their unit.

The 201st has been defending our freedom since the Revolutionary War. One of the battery commanders from the 201st is Captain Jeff Setzer (ph). Captain Setzer is a police officer in Charleston. He served a year in Iraq and he was in Baghdad during the Iraqi elections. He and his fellow West Virginia guardsmen escorted convoys and protected supplies and patrolled cities. Here's what he said. We treated people with respect, and they respected us. You could see that they were starting to walk on their own instead of leaning on us. The progress is just amazing.

Guardsmen and reservists are helping Iraq build in other ways. First Lieutenant James McCormick (ph), who's with us today. He's from Scott Depot, West Virginia. He served a 13-month tour in Iraq as part of the 518 Combat Gun Truck Company. His unit provided security for military convoys transporting troops and supplies. For his bravery, Lieutenant McCormick earned the bronze star and two purple hearts.

He wrote me a letter last week. Here what he said. If needed, all of us would return and continue the mission. It's a just and much-needed fight. Please know that many of us still live by the code of honor that so many soldiers before us had - from Bunker Hill to Baghdad. First Lieutenant McCormick is right. The men and women of America's armed forces are bringing great honor to the uniform they wear and to the nation they serve. And in this time of testing, our troops, whether they be stationed here or abroad, can know that the American people stand behind them all the way.

I thank all the military families who are with us today. Times of war are times of great sacrifice, and the burden falls especially hard on the families. You're playing a vital role at a crucial time in our nation's history. All Americans are inspired by the strength and the sacrifice of our military families.

Some of America's finest men and women have given their lives in the war on terror and we remember them on Independence Day. We pray for the families who've lost a loved one in freedom's cause. And we know that the best way to honor their sacrifice is to complete the mission. So we will stay until the fight is won.

On this Fourth of July, and in the days ahead, I ask every American to find a way to thank the men and women defending our freedom. There's so many ways to do so. You can fly the flag, or send a letter to the troops in the field, or help a military family down the street. The Department of Defense has set up a website, americasupportsyou.mil. You can go there to learn about efforts in your own community. And by the way, it's not too late to find something to do today. This time when we celebrate our freedom, our troops have got to understand that the American people support them all the way.

And on Independence Day, we remember that we also have essential responsibilities here at home - the unfinished work of American freedom. In a world moving towards liberty, we are determined to show the meaning and the promise of liberty. The greatest strength of America is the heart and soul of the American people. Every time a volunteer reaches out to a neighbor in need, our nation grows stronger and more hopeful.

Today when I landed at the airport, I met Chuck White (ph). He's a volunteer with the local United Way. For those of you who are serving as a member of the army of compassion in America, thank you for loving your neighbor just like you'd like to be loved yourself. By taking time out of your lives to help somebody else, you're helping to ensure that every American can share the blessings of liberty.

As we celebrate the fourth of July, we rededicate ourselves to the ideals that inspired our founders during that hot summer in Philadelphia more than 200 years ago. From our desperate fight for independence, to the darkest days of the Civil War, a hard-fought battles of the 20th century there were many chances to lose our heart, our nerve or our way. But Americans have always held firm because we have always believed in certain truths. We know that the freedom we defend is met meant for all men and women and for all times. And we know that when the work is hard, the proper response is not retreat, it is courage.

We've got a great future for our country. From the mountains of West Virginia, to the Great Plains, to our Pacific shores, the truths of the Declaration still guide America and remain the best hope of mankind. I believe that this century will be liberty's century. And I know that by carrying the spirit of 1776 into this new age, we will leave a stronger and better country for all who call this great land home.

It is a great honor to be the president of such a great nation. And it's my honor to be here to wish you all a happy Fourth of July. May God bless you. And may God continue to bless our country!

DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: We've been listening in to President Bush giving his Fourth of July speech at West Virginia University in Morgantown, West Virginia. The president using the speech as an opportunity to send support out to the troops serving overseas and encouraging Americans all around the country and all around the world to do the same.

Speaking of the troops, there's a situation that's been developing in Afghanistan with some special forces that have been missing. We're going to have the latest. An update from the Pentagon exactly on the search for those missing troops in Afghanistan.

That and a lot more news of the day coming up after a break on this Fourth of July morning. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: Welcome back to CNN LIVE TODAY. I'm Daryn Kagan. Let's take a look at other news of the day.

U.S. military searchers have now returned to the mountains of Northeastern Afghanistan. That's after crews successfully rescued a single team member of a stranded reconnaissance team. That team, you might remember, was the object of Tuesday's doomed mission. The rescue helicopter crashed killing all 16 aboard. CNN Pentagon Correspondent Barbara Starr has the latest on the situation.

Good morning. BARBARA STARR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Daryn.

Well, a very, very difficult July Fourth weekend for so many military families across the country. Good news for one family, indeed. The U.S. military has rescued one member of that special forces team that has been stranded in the eastern mountains of Afghanistan for nearly a week now.

All we are being told is that that member of special forces is in relatively good shape. The military will not say anything about his rescue. They will not say anything about the continuing search for the other men that were part of that special forces team.

They were the ones, of course, that called in for reinforcements when they were in a firefight last Tuesday in those mountains. The reinforcements came in by helicopter. One of those Chinooks, of course, crashing - believed to have been shot down by enemy fire. All 16 members onboard that helicopter perished. Those families now, of course, in very deep mourning this holiday weekend for their loved ones, even as the search goes on for the other members of the special forces ground team.

There are some additional developments, however. What we can tell you is that on Friday, a U.S. Air Force B-52 bomber conducted an air strike against a compound in that very area of Eastern Afghanistan. Intelligence showed at the time that they believed insurgents, possibly responsible for that shoot down, were inside that compound. Six bombs dropped by the B-52 on Tuesday. Now, today, the U.S. military reporting that while there was some insurgents at that site, they have now discovered an unspecified number of civilian casualties inside that compound. Men, women and children, they say, believed possibly to be family members of the insurgents who were using that compound that the U.S. still believes was a compound being used to launch attacks.

No additional word at this point from the U.S. military on the status of the members. They are still looking for them on this July Fourth weekend.

Daryn.

KAGAN: A very tense weekend for those families indeed.

Thank you, Barbara Starr at the Pentagon.

And now on to the mission in Iraq.

Insurgents today detonated a pair of roadside bombs in Baghdad. The first explosion apparently targeted a police convoy. It missed but it killed one civilian and wounded two others. The second bomb exploded less than three hours later. It killed two people and wounded two others. The explosions follow the latest surprise visit by a Bush cabinet member. That would be U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, recalled his own Air Force enlistment at the age of 17 and reminded troops that they are not alone. That message in unity and service carries special means on this day. U.S. troops recognize the Fourth of July with themes that seemingly transcended the miles. CNN's Aneesh Raman is at the forward operating base Hope in Baghdad. He filed this report just a short time ago.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANEESH RAMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A holiday weekend away from home for the troops in Iraq, but a holiday nonetheless. We're at a forward operating base in Eastern Baghdad with members of the 3rd I.D. 2nd Brigade. They're in charge of patrolling Sadr City, a place that just a year ago was the seen of pitched battle, house-to-house combat. Today, though, things have calmed down. And today for the troops, a day off from their daily routine. They've been taking the day to play some basketball. They've been doing some fire and maneuver techniques. The basketball tournament just winding up behind me. That you see the championship game. And tonight they'll have a big dinner, steak and lobster at the mess hall, as well as some fireworks. Not, of course, real ones - put up on a projection screen.

Joining me, though, Sergeant Scott Oliver and Sergeant Arthur Brantley.

Sergeant Oliver, we'll start with you.

You were here a year ago and you've come now. Tell me how things have changed and tell me how things haven't.

SGT. SCOTT OLIVER, U.S. ARMY: Well, yes, sir, I was here a year ago. There's a lot less fighting now and people seem a lot happier to see us every day. So it seems things are going well. RAMAN: When you're out there interacting with people, you're out in Sadr City, a place that just a short time ago was the scene of incredible violence, what are your reactions with the Iraqi people?

OLIVER: We're just trying to find out how we can help them out and improve their day-to-day lives. That's pretty much it.

RAMAN: And Sergeant Brantley, days like this, holidays, it must be especially difficult to be this far away from home and also to be in the type of setting you're in?

SGT. ARTHUR BRANTLEY, U.S. ARMY: Yes, it is hard to be away from family and friends. But I'm here to help the Iraqi people and serve my country.

RAMAN: And the president said that when the Iraqi forces are ready to stand up, the U.S. can stand down. I know you guys are working with Iraqi forces. How is that going?

BRANTLEY: It's going good. And the Iraqi forces are starting to do a real good job.

RAMAN: Great. Anyone you'd like to say hi to back home?

BRANTLEY: Yes. I should say hi to my friends and family and tell them that I love them and I'll be home soon.

RAMAN: Great. And you?

OLIVER: I'd like to say hi to my wife Charity, my daughter Haylie (ph), and my son Conner (ph). Also to my parents. And I'd also like to congratulate my sister who was married yesterday.

RAMAN: Great. Well thank you guys both. Thank you for the service you're doing out here.

Independence Day celebrations in a country obviously still struggling to find its own peaceful independence with these the men trying to make that happen.

Aneesh Raman, CNN, Sadr City in Iraq.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: And from Iraq, we're going to check out some things happening here in the U.S. (INAUDIBLE) the weather. This one is a mess. Boats and campers tossed like toys in the marina. This is Kansas. Thunderstorms and high winds struck a wide section of the state yesterday. Trees and power lines were downed and roads were flooded. At least four people were injured.

And let's check in on weather. Chad Myers, working a long shift on this holiday weekend.

Thank you for doing that for us.

(WEATHER REPORT)

KAGAN: The price of a new home - talk about things that are hot - is on the rise in America. Here what the mid-range costs is these days. And we're going to go to different town and see what you get and what you give up with (ph) what you pay for.

And some amazing images from outer space. Wait until you hear what NASA pulled off while you were sleeping.

You're watching CNN LIVE TODAY on the Fourth of July weekend.

KAGAN: Coming up on the half-hour -- in fact, we're right there. Good morning, once again, I'm Daryn Kagan.

Here's a look at what's happening "Now in the News."

First to Baghdad: A pair of roadside bombs have killed three people today and wounded four others. The first was apparently targeting a police convoy and it missed. One civilian was killed there. The second blast killed two people and wounded two others.

In Afghanistan, the U.S. military now says a Friday air strike in the Kunar province killed not only enemy terrorists, but civilians as well. Coalition officials say the target was an operating base used by a medium-level terrorist leader and that it's not uncommon for terrorists to move their families into such operations. The military did not disclose details of how many civilians or enemy fighters were killed.

For the third time in four years, President Bush is celebrating the Fourth of July in West Virginia. Earlier this hour, Mr. Bush spoke at West Virginia University in Morgantown. It's that city's first visit by a sitting president since 1911.

To Iowa now, where hundreds of volunteers have canvassed the ground and an Air National Guard pilots, searching the skies. They are looking for a missing 5-year-old girl. Evelyn Miller was reported missing from her apartment on Friday. The search was focused on a three-mile radius of the rural area.

News of another missing little girl bringing mixed emotions in an Idaho community this morning. There is joy in the finding of an 8- year-old girl who's been missing since May 16th, but also fear that her 9-year-old brother is dead. CNN's Rusty Dornin is in Coeur d'Alene with an update on the Groene children.

Hello.

RUSTY DORNIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Daryn, you know, their priority right now is to find Dylan Groene. That's the -- 40 investigators are out there and from what we understand, they're pretty fired up right now, because they've received some information from Shasta Groene, who's in the hospital still and apparently their interviewing her very slowly, but she's providing some insights as to certain areas that they could search.

But remember, the kids were taken and where they stayed over that six-week period. Now, they say that between that and physical evidence, which they received out -- from inside the car, that Jeep Laredo that apparently Joseph Duncan, the suspect, was driving, that they're limiting some of their areas to eastern Washington, northern Idaho.

Now, remember, northern Idaho is only 100 miles wide. So, there's -- it's a fairly -- it's within this area: eastern Washington, northern Idaho and western Montana. So, they seem pretty excited about that. We're going to hear more in a couple hours when they have a press conference.

Meantime, police also searched his home, Joseph Duncan's home, in North Dakota. We've been hearing a lot about some of the blogs. The police believe he was writing on the Web about how he had demons and how he wanted to harm society and then die and that sort of thing. Things that were written in the few days before the triple homicide, before these children disappeared.

So, they had police searching his home there, perhaps finding journals and logs there that they -- we don't know if they're going to be talking about that today or not -- Daryn?

KAGAN: Rusty Dornin, Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. Thank you.

We'll be back to you with the latest on that investigation.

Meanwhile, three suspects in the disappearance of Natalee Holloway are appearing before a judge this morning. That judge will decide whether those three will be released or spend more time in jail. CNN's Chris Lawrence is covering the story. He is in Palm Beach, Aruba.

CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Daryn, for the prosecutors it is the most important day so far, because prosecutors are not guaranteed that these suspects will even be in custody by the end of the day. Court has started. All three of the suspects have gone into the courtroom and the judge is starting to hear the evidence against them.

Now, he can rule that there's enough evidence for police to keep them in custody for up to two more months, or he can let one or all of them go free. It's such an important day that Natalee Holloway's mother and step-father both went into the courthouse this morning. They've never done that before. Although this is a closed hearing, so it's not quite sure if they will be allowed to actually go into the courtroom.

Now, police and prosecutors have been trying to firm up their case over the , last few days. Yesterday police took the three suspects back out to reconstruct what happened on the night Natalee Holloway disappeared. They took them to several points on the island: Places they drove by that night; places they stopped, including the beach where all three say their involvement with Natalee Holloway ended and that's where they say they last saw her -- Daryn?

KAGAN: Chris Lawrence, in Palm Beach, Aruba. Thank you.

Well, we're going to come back to the states, look at the recent string of shark attacks. If that has you concerned, then stay with us. We're going to have some expert advice on staying safe in the surf.

We are live, with John Zarrella, from Miami Beach, when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: We're going to do something a little different for today's "Top Five Tips." Buying a house is certainly not like it used to be: People are spending a much greater share of their income on a home. So, what do you get for your money? Gerri Willis profiles three families who bought homes for the same price in different places.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GERRI WILLIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Three families with three new homes.

ANTHONY PRUDENCIO, HOMEOWNER: My name's Anthony Prudencio. This is my wife, Kristina. Welcome to our house. WILLIS: Each purchased recently for a price very close to the current national median price of $207,000. That's more than a 12 percent jump in one year for buyers in the middle of the U.S. housing market. So, we looked around the country, what do you get and what do you give up for a couple hundred thousand?

We looked in places where the median price tag matches the national figure. Places like Hampton Roads, Virginia, Madison, Wisconsin and Portland, Oregon.

BEN FULLERTON, OREGON HOMEOWNER: This is our first house that we've purchased and it's really great. It fits all our needs. It's not exactly what we were looking for, but it's a cozy house for just the two of us.

WILLIS: Ben and Amanda Fullerton's house is in Hillsboro just outside Portland. If February, they were able to buy below the local median price, but it wasn't their first choice.

B. FULLERTON: This was actually our sixth offer that we placed on a house.

WILLIS: What the Fullerton's got, three bedrooms, two baths, a kitchen for her.

AMANDA FULLTERON, HOMEOWNER: Tons of counter space.

WILLIS: A garage for him.

B. FULLERTON: A little work area back here.

WILLIS: But for their money, they also got a lot of background noise.

In Hampton Roads, Virginia, Naval Petty Officer Anthony Prudencio also bought his house in February. He deals with its biggest trade off every day.

PRUDENCIO: The commute. The commute. It's a longer commute for me. It takes me about 40 minutes to get to work in the morning, an hour, at least, to get home.

WILLIS: For their four-bedroom house, the Prudencios paid almost $5,000 above the area's median price. They and their son Jonathan like having a separate family room and a second story. But they spent more than they planned.

KRISTINA PRUDENCIO, VIRGINIA HOMEOWNER: We started looking in the price range of $150,000 to $175,000. And quickly found out that those homes were a lot smaller than what we wanted that were at that price. So, we upped it to around 200,000.

GINA GILLIS, REALTOR: They spent $207,500 on this particular home and I really think they could have probably, five years ago, got a house twice this big. WILLIS: Like the Fullertons in Oregon, the Prudecios spend about 40 percent of their take home pay on the mortgage. It's that trend, people paying a larger and larger share of their incomes on housing, that some see as a danger.

NICOLAS RETSINAS, HARVARD: In order to afford a $200,000 home, clearly a function of what you put down, but generally speaking, you'd have to make about $60,000 to $70,000 a year. The reality is, in today's economy, one-third of all jobs pay less than $25,000 a year.

WILLIS (on camera): But Americans keep right on buying, even in a market where the median sale price is pushed past $200,000. And while more people own homes than ever before, many may be biting off more than they can chew.

RETSINAS: Back in the 1950s, the rule-of-thumb was that the -- a home was about twice your salary. That stayed the same for many years. Today, it's more likely to be four-to-one and in some markets, particularly the super heated markets of the West Coast, it approaches nine-to-one.

WILLIS: Of course, some people get a house they can afford without having to make a lot tradeoffs. Like this family in the Madison, Wisconsin area. They just got lucky.

GERALD WRIGHT, WISCONSIN HOMEOWNER: Our friends a neighbor and we thought: Let's stop by and see it. And we came here and looked at it. Immediately called the realtor who it was listed under and it went like that from there.

WILLIS: Jessica Ace and Gerald Wright, a self-employed wine salesman, got the house they wanted for $7,000 less than it was appraised for. A good deal, considering the style and the details and the neighborhood. But their new home held some surprises, like the furnace.

WRIGHT: It was a nightmare. An absolute nightmare. It kept breaking down.

JESSICA ACE, WISCONSIN HOMEOWNER: Unfortunately, our hot-water heat is run through our furnace because we have an oil. And so when the furnace went down, than that also meant that we had no hot water in the house.

WILLIS: In the end, despite broken furnaces and stretched finances, all three families feel their $200,000 was well spent.

A. PRUDENCIO: We got a fair price, considering the amount of house we got.

ACE: Got a lot more living space. We have -- we actually have closets.

A. FULLERTON: It's ours.

B. FULLERTON: I think just that we could do whatever we want with it and it's ours.

WILLIS: That's life in today's housing market. It may cost you more than you'd like, maybe more than you should pay, but once you own it, it's home.

Gerri Willis, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: So, what if want to get away from home and you're planning spending the holiday at the beach? Weather may not be your only concern. If you are worried about what's in the water, stick around to find out how to avoid a shark attack.

And: A strange phenomenon at sea. Hear what's causing this scene. We'll tell you, in just a few minutes.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: Hey! Look who showed up for today's national holiday: The founding fathers, or some actors playing the founding father. They're outside the National Archives, in Washington, D.C. and talking about the Declaration of Independence. In case you're counting, it's the 229th birthday of America.

Let's check and see other news making headlines coast to coast.

Here in Atlanta, over 100,000 feet hit the streets: about 55,000 runners from all over the world pounded the pavement in this year's Peachtree Road Race. The course stretches 10 kilometers, includes a large stretch of Atlanta's thorough fair, Peachtree Road; biggest 10K in the world.

In the nation's capital, preparations are under way for tonight's July 4th fireworks festivities. Hundreds-of-thousands will gather on the mall. In addition to the dazzling displays, there'll be a parade and an evening concert. Many streets around downtown are closed.

And the U.S. is welcoming 15,000 new citizens this Fourth of July week. This morning at Freedom Park in Arlington, Virginia, one group took the citizenship oath. They came from 25 countries including China. It's just one of the many ceremonies during the week-long event called: Celebrate Citizenship, Celebrate America.

July Fourth holiday means fireworks, picnics, the beach, for a lot of people, but some people heading to Florida beaches might be a little hesitant about going in the water. That is due to three recent shark attacks. The latest reported incident happened Friday in the Gulf of Mexico. An Austrian tourist was bitten by a shark as he stood in chest-deep water. He's been released from the hospital in Fort Myers, following surgery.

Our John Zarrella is checking out the mood of beach-goers after the attacks. Hopefully, the good mood of the sharks as well. From Miami Beach, John, are the sharks in a festive, very giving, nice mood today? JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I tell you, Daryn, you know, the reality of the whole thing is that shark attacks are exceedingly rare, even here in Florida. Even though there were three in a week- and-a-half, it's exceedingly rare to have shark attacks; certainly fatal attacks: one every four or five years in the United States.

And today is picture-perfect weather. Tens of thousands of people are going to be on the beaches in Florida. And while the news of those three shark attacks is certainly been on people's minds, and can you see a lot the folks out there are staying close to shore but, quite frankly, the news hasn't kept people out of the water.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ZARRELLA (voice-over): Matt and Tracy Musgrove never thought for a minute about changing their Daytona Beach vacation plans. But The Atlanta family, like many visitors, say the shark attacks in Florida have certainly made them both more aware and more cautious.

MATT MUSGROVE, FLORIDA VACATIONER: As a matter of fact, when we drove up on the beach, my wife said, "make sure we set up camp near the lifeguard stand, just as, you know, as a precaution."

ZARRELLA: A good idea, since the Musgoves picked a place at the very top of the shark attack list. Daytona beach is in Volusia County on Florida's east coast. Since 1882, according to the international shark attack file, there have been 171 attacks here. Most minor, but still, more than double the next closest county and about half of the 60 unprovoked shark attacks worldwide every year, take place in Florida. Particularly in summer: School is out; families are on vacation.

GEORGE BURGESS, INTL. SHARK ATTACK FILE: What you have is a mix of a lot of bait fishes, sharks feeding on the bait fishes and surfers doing their best to like bait fishes. So, this is the time when we put the most people in the water and more opportunity to have a shark and human interact.

ZARRELLA: Most of the time, Burgess says, that interaction is hit-and-run; dangerous, but not deadly. That's what happened five years ago to Heather Van Ols (ph), as she was boogie-boarding.

HEATHER VAN OLS (ph), SHARK ATTACK VICTIM: As I was on my way out, I was paddling, so of course, there was a lot of splashing. So, the shark probably thought I was some bait; just grabbed my leg; just bit and let go.

ZARRELLA: Doctors needed four hours and 500 stitches to repair heather's leg.

ZARRELLA: Do you still go in and do you still boogie-board?

VAN OLS: Yes, sir. Actually, I haven't boogie-boarded since the incident, but I have surfed, which, I mean, is very similar. And I've been in the water, a lot. ZARRELLA: Heather considers herself very lucky. She was the same age, doing the same thing and attacked by a bull shark, the same species that killed Jaime Daigle two weeks ago.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ZARRELLA: Now, there are some very basic common sense things can you do to avoid any risk for shark attack: Swim in groups; don't swim alone; don't go out too far; avoid swimming near inlets or channels, that's where sharks tend to come in and out to feed; don't swim between dusk and dawn, again, a feeding time; and don't wear shiny jewelry, because sharks tend to mistake that for bait fish. And perhaps the smartest thing you can do, stay close where the lifeguards are. That's the best advice we can give you -- Daryn?

KAGAN: Which would be on the sand, far away from the sharks in the ocean.

ZARRELLA: Yes and don't look like the bait fish, don't look like a mullet when you're in the water.

KAGAN: And that would be good for everybody.

Thank you, John. John Zarrella, Miami Beach.

Have a good, safe holiday.

Well, it is a little bit like threading a needle, but at a very high speed and millions of miles away: More dramatic pictures like these, also an explanation of why NASA's caused this comet collision -- they want wanted it to happen.

We'll explain, just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: Experts say the eruption of an underwater volcano in the Pacific Ocean, off southern Japan -- look at these cool pictures. The volcanic activity spotted Saturday near Iwo Jima, sent a column of steam high into the sky. Weather experts in Japan say there's no danger of an eruption causing a tsunami.

Well, you can consider this next story addition by subtraction. Early this morning, NASA lost a spacecraft in a suicide mission that could actually help them gain invaluable insight into comets and the very origins of our solar system.

Our technology correspondent, Daniel Sieberg, explains.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DANIEL SIEBERG, CNN TECHNOLOGY CORRESPONDENT: It's a very happy Fourth of July for scientists at NASA's jet propulsion lab. High fives all around, over these striking images. The first-ever of a man-made object colliding with a comet. A dramatic explosion 83 million miles from Earth, that occurred at 1:52 a.m. Eastern. NASA predicted plus or minus three minutes, but in the end, it was right on the money.

RICK GRAMMIER, DEEP IMPACT PROJECT MANAGER: A lot of people said we couldn't do this or wouldn't be able to pull it off and the team stuck together through a lot of adversity and problems to work out, and made it happen. And it happened like clockwork, and I think that's something to be proud of on America's birthday.

SIEBERG: Deep Impact was launched aboard a Delta II rocket in January. After 173 days and 268 million miles, the NASA spacecraft had comet Temple I in its sights. Twenty-four hours to impact, the 11-foot craft was about 500,000 miles from Temple I, when it released a small copper-fortified probe into the path of the comet. Scientists back on Earth steered the mother ship into a front-row position about 5, 000 miles away, to take close pictures of the impact event.

The impactor probe was on autopilot for the final two hours, course correcting for a head-on collision, producing an explosion comparable to five tons of TNT and leaving a crater that could be the size of a football field, though NASA is still looking at the data.

MICHAEL A'HEARN, DEEP IMPACT CHIEF SCIENTIST: Interpreting that's going take a little bit of time. There are lots of structure in it that's of interest to understanding the nature of the comet. We'll be working that out over the next half-day and weeks and months and years. And I just look forward to a wealth of data that will take me to the retirement.

SIEBERG: The flyby ship took these pictures of the collision debris and crater. This glimpse beneath the surface of a comet was the whole purpose of mission.

(on camera): Scientists call comets, "undercooked leftovers," from the sprawling cloud of dust and gas that formed our sun and planets more than 4.5 billion years ago. They hope this up-close look will provide a look back in time. Studying the ingredients of a comet could provide answers to basic questions about the origins of our solar system.

Daniel Sieberg, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: We have a lot more ahead in the next hour of CNN LIVE TODAY, including: We're going to visit with a woman, who just today, becomes a U.S. citizen. Her story, coming up at the top of the hour.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: Let's take a look at what's happening "Now in the News."

Celebrating the nation's birthday: Iraq war veterans read portions of the Declaration of Independence. That as Fourth of July celebrations get under way in the nation's capital. A live preview of the day's events coming up in a minute.

President Bush returns to West Virginia to deliver his Independence Day message. It's the third time in four years he's made the mountain state his July 4th destination. He called on the country to support U.S. troops overseas and their families.

In Iraq, a pair of roadside bombs killed three people and wounded four in Baghdad. Also today, five Iraqi soldiers died when a joint patrol came under attack, south the Iraqi capital.

Meanwhile, the military says combined U.S. and Iraqi forces rounded up at least 100 suspected terrorists during an operation targeting terrorist safe houses.

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