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CNN Live Today

Crisis In The Middle East; The Fight For Iraq; Al Qaeda's Call; Bolton Confirmation; Tour de France Winner Tests Positive for Doping

Aired July 27, 2006 - 10:00   ET

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

DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: We do expect many more developments over the next couple of hours. We'll get started by taking a look at what we know right now.
The Israeli cabinet decides against expanding the offensive in Lebanon. Israel's military commanders wanted to ratchet it up.

Dozens of Hezbollah rockets pound northern Israel today. We're looking at a scene from one border town where a factory was hit.

Israel says some of those missiles have been fired from a Lebanese town of Tyre, so Israel has blasted that city. A 10-story building reduced to rubble.

From Lebanon to Israel, Syria to Cyprus, CNN has reporters all across the region bringing you the latest on fighting and diplomatic efforts to end it. Live reports are straight ahead.

We understand there's been new strikes in southern Lebanon in recent hours. So let's go to Ben Wedeman. He is in that Lebanese city of Tyre.

Ben.

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Daryn.

It is about noon. We heard yet another large blast coming from the center of the city. Our producer, Kyle Perry (ph), went to the scene. He described a large -- about a five-story building in which apparently a rocket had gone right through one of the windows. Not badly damaged. Not too much destruction. Not clear from local sources what might have been inside that building that would have interested the Israelis. We are hearing some reports that it may have been used by the Amal movement, which is the other Shiite armed militia that is operating in Lebanon.

But it was last night when we had our biggest strike on a 10- story building. We heard two huge explosions and saw a giant cloud of black smoke coming from the middle of town. In that case, apparently 10 people were wounded. It's still not clear how many people were killed because there may be, we're told by the mayor's office, bodies still in the rubble from that strike.

Now according to the Israeli army, they were targeting Nabil Kauck (ph), who they describe as the commander of Hezbollah in southern Lebanon. Hezbollah denies any of their people were killed or wounded in that strike. Meanwhile, the intensification of the bombardment has really set nerves on edge here in Tyre. People are leaving this city more than they were before. Shops that were open have now closed. Other people, in fact, we've noticed, local residents are coming to this hotel. Some believe that with all the international media here may be the safest place in town.

Daryn.

KAGAN: Ben, tell me a little bit more about this group that you mentioned that's different from Hezbollah.

WEDEMAN: Yes, the Amal movement was formed in the late 1970s. It was the first real powerful Shiite political group in Lebanon. And it was the pre-eminent Shiite group really through the beginning, almost to the early 1990s when Hezbollah gained power. Hezbollah's militia is widely believed to be more professional, better armed, than Amal.

But Amal is still very powerful. Nabih Berri, who is the leader of the Amal movement, is the speaker of the Lebanese parliament. And recently the Amal movement indicated that they would join or they have joined Hezbollah in its current confrontation against Israel.

Daryn.

KAGAN: Ben Wedeman live from southern Lebanon in the city of Tyre. Thank you.

Now let's head south across the border to Israel, to northern Israel, and that's where we find our Miles O'Brien.

Miles, a picture from there, please?

MILES O'BRIEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Daryn, just across the border -- as a matter of fact, that's the border right there. I don't know if you can see that fence just about 150 yards, 200 yards down this roads. All those hills. Everything you see surrounding us here in Metula is Lebanon. And from just over those hills are where many of those Hezbollah rockets are being fired from.

By the way, up here that's one of those U.N. observation posts. The United Nations interim force for Lebanon, or in Lebanon. Interim is not a very good description for it. It's been around since 1978. And, of course, a couple of days ago you know that the Israeli air force targeted one of those sites just across that hill killing four U.N. observers.

Now we talked about those Katyusha rockets. This little town of Metula, as far north as you can get in Israel, hasn't been hit by a Katyusha rocket. It's kind of the tip in the fingernail of the Galilee panhandle, if you will. Many people believe it's so narrow that Hezbollah doesn't dare try to target here for fear of hitting their own turf.

In any case, just to the south of here, Kiryat Shemona, today, no less than three Katyushas landed, causing some damage to an apartment building, to some cars, caused a brush fire. But because people by this time are scurrying for the shelters when they hear those sirens or they've just left altogether, nobody was hurt.

Now, as this was going on, in Tel Aviv, the prime minister was meeting with his security cabinet. The issue was whether to really ratchet up this campaign in some dramatic way. In other words, turn it into something more akin to a full scale ground invasion. And the verdict from the cabinet after their meeting today was to continue the status quo.

And the status quo today here, Daryn, has been 120 millimeter canon fire over our head, coming from Israeli tanks and artillery. Katyushas coming from that direction. And ever widening kind of presence in Lebanon for the Israeli air force as it continues its strike and continued vows by Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Hezbollah, to go beyond Haifa and to launch rockets of greater range. All that would certainly change the complexion and would change the way the security cabinet would be thinking about what lies ahead.

Daryn.

KAGAN: Miles, how do you explain the town so close to the Lebanese border that hasn't been hit by rockets?

O'BRIEN: I think it's just too narrow. We're so tight in here. We are so surrounded by Lebanon, the Katyushas are terribly inaccurate. They can't hit the broadside of a barn. But it's a terror weapon. It doesn't need to be accurate. It just needs to terrorize civilians. Just hitting it generally to Haifa is fine. If you were to hit it here, if you were just off the mark, you'd hit some Hezbollah loyalists. So I think that might be the reason. That's the speculation.

KAGAN: Interesting. Miles O'Brien in northern Israel. Miles, thank you.

Katyusha rockets, Hezbollah's weapon of choice, but also part of a deadly insurgent attack today in Baghdad. Our Arwa Damon is in the Iraqi capital with details on that.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ARWA DAMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT, (voice over): Through the thick smoke, the luckiest escaped. As the dust settles, those unharmed helped the walking wounded. Some carry the limps of bodies of the dead. Rescue workers rush to help others trapped beneath the rubble.

Dozens killed, over a hundred wounded after a car bomb, mortars and Katyusha rockets devastated a central Baghdad neighborhood. A complex attack. Its specific target is unknown. Attacks like this in commercial areas take not only a civilian toll, they also deal severe blows to Iraq's already failing economy. State-owned TV was the first to broadcast the devastating images and angry reaction from the scene.

"We are asking," this man says, "where is this security plan that the government promised us?" It is being discussed an ocean away by Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The prime minister advised me that to support this plan he and General Casey have agreed to deploy additional American troops and Iraqi security personnel in Baghdad in the coming weeks.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: And our Arwa Damon live with us from Baghdad.

Arwa, tell us a little bit more about the use of Katyusha rockets. How big of a factor have they been there in Iraq?

DAMON: Well, you know, Daryn, there is quite actually the arsenal here in Iraq. It is essentially, and has been for quite some time, a shopping market for any kind of weapon that you would like to find anywhere. Be it Katyusha rockets or any other type of rocket. This has been used in the past.

We've seen it used by the insurgents here alongside mortar. Of course, you know, the roadside bombs, the suicide bombings. And in terms of, you know, is it more preferred over one to other type of rocket, other type of rocket, other type of weapon or not, that's tough to tell at this point.

But there is a vast amount of weaponry here available throughout this entire country, especially in the area that's up near to the Iranian border, as well in Iraq's volatile al Anbar province, just to the west of the capital, Baghdad. And that is part of the effort that's going on here is trying to clean these weapons off the streets and out of these weapons caches that are pretty much located almost everywhere. The prime minister was reiterating that in a number of press conferences that he has given, saying that the only way to fight the insurgents here is to clear all these weapons off the street.

Daryn.

KAGAN: And this neighborhood that was targeted in this latest attack. I understand a number of Shiite politicians were living there. Is there a belief that that was part of the aim?

DAMON: That, at this point, is tough to tell. And if we use this attack as an example. It is an area that is home to a number of politicians and offices of the supreme council for Islamic revolution in Iraq,, which is the leading Shia party here.

And the attack could have been focus there for a number of reasons. It could have been because it was a Shia party. Or it could have been because they are part of the government and this is an effort to intimidate members of the government and to discourage other individuals from joining the political process. Or it could just be to install more chaos into this society, to install more of this fear factor that preventing Iraqis from going out and really continuing with their daily lives. And it's like a lot of attacks that happen here in Iraq. Pinpointing specifically the cause, the target is often time unknown. And as we are seeing, there is an ever rising civilian death toll.

KAGAN: Arwa Damon live from Baghdad. Arwa, thank you.

Also this news out of Iraq. Closing arguments are over. The verdict will be next for Saddam Hussein. The court will reconvene for the announcement on October 16th. That is almost a year to the day that the trial started. Hussein and seven others are accused of crimes against humanity. If found guilty, they could be sentenced to death.

A call for Muslims to unite in holy war. The message today from al Qaeda's number two leader. Ayman al-Zawahiri says that the world is a battlefield and he points to Israeli attacks in Lebanon and Gaza.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

AYMAN AL-ZAWAHIRI, (through translator): The dangerous events going on in Gaza and Lebanon are proof to any sane person that the crusader zionist (ph) war is targeting us. No one budged for 10,000 prisoners in Israeli jail, however the whole world went up in arms for three Israeli prisoners.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAGAN: Let's turn to our CNN terrorism analyst, Peter Bergen. He's on the phone from Kabul, Afghanistan.

Peter, hello.

PETER BERGEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Daryn, hi.

KAGAN: What strikes you about the messages in this latest tape?

BERGEN: Well, I think the first thing is that it wasn't particularly surprising that Ayman al-Zawahiri would release this tape. I think we've been expecting it. I also think we'll be getting a tape from Hamas a little bit later.

Ayman al-Zawahiri seems to be in an area where it's easier for him to make more sophisticated videotapes and get them out quicker than bin Laden, who seems to be in some more remote location. But neither of al Qaeda's leader, I think, could resist the opportunity to try and insert themselves into the situation that's going on in Israel and Lebanon.

Al Qaeda, traditionally, has had not much of a presence in either the Israeli or Palestinian or Lebanon. But I think the one thing that's sort of worrying here, Daryn, is if Ayman al-Zawahiri seems to be calling for foreign fighters to engage in the struggle that is going on in Lebanon right now. And, as you know, foreign fighters had a (INAUDIBLE) effect in Iraq with conducting suicide operations, first led by their leader, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, who led al Qaeda in Iraq later by his replacement, al-Muhajir. So it would be an immense complication if foreign fighter elements started getting involved in the situation that's going on in Lebanon right now.

KAGAN: What about the look of the tape? And I don't even know if you've been able to see it in Kabul, but it is, for this type of tape, rather sophisticated. Looks like he's in from of some kind of chroma key graphic.

BERGEN: Yes, no, I did see it here and it's -- they keep upping the game. The al-Sahab, with is the al Qaeda's video production arm, which has been in existence since June of 2001, keeps getting more sophisticated at producing, you know, relatively complicated graphics, putting people in the kind of chroma key positions. They are subtitling their production in different languages, depending on the target audience. Ayman al-Zawahiri, for instance, released a tape addressed to the Afghan people recently, which was subtitled in Barring (ph) and Pastue (ph), the two local languages. So this video production arm keeps getting more and more sophisticated and it's Ayman al-Zawahiri who's releasing most of these tapes. I think (ph) the videotapes.

KAGAN: And what about the date stamp on it in terms of how current it is?

BERGEN: Well, I think it -- I mean, it's obviously responding to the situation that's going on in Lebanon and I think that what's interesting is the time delay between a current event and their ability to make this tape and get it out. And generally, for Ayman al-Zawahiri, it's about two weeks. For Osama bin Laden, it's about three weeks. And this sure fits the pattern. He's responding to events that have been going on for approximately two weeks and I think bin Laden will come out with something in about a week. I anticipate audiotape from bin Laden, not a videotape. I anticipate it probably not going to al- Jazeera, but the (INAUDIBLE) jihadist website.

KAGAN: All right, we'll be looking for that. Peter Bergen on the phone from Kabul, Afghanistan. Peter, thank you.

KAGAN: Still ahead, civilians on the receiving end of some gruesome attacks.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's a scramble to get the wounded out of the bomb zone.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAGAN: For the victims, bombs and rockets are weapons of mass destruction.

Then to California. No milk. Cows take the heat. Dairy owners get the losses.

And also we're watching two live events at one time. You see White House Spokesman Tony Snow. The White House press briefing held a little bit early today. We're monitoring that. Also we are monitoring the U.S. ambassador to the U.N., John Bolton, trying to go for a Capitol Hill confirmation yet again. We'll tell you why it took two chances. That story is just ahead on CNN, the most trusted name in news.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: We're just past the quarter hour. Let's take a look at what we know right now. And take a look at starting at what we know right now. All right.

The Israeli cabinet decides against expanding the offensive in Lebanon. Israel's military commanders wanted to ratchet it up. One top Israeli general says his country's military offensive will last "a few more weeks."

Dozens of Hezbollah rockets pound northern Israel today. Taking a look at the scene from the border town of Kiryat Shemona.

Let's head to Capitol Hill for some national politics. John Bolton, already the top job as the ambassador to the United Nations. But really he's just a temporary. He's going for permanent positioning today. Democrats promising some hard questions for Bolton at his confirmation hearing. Our congressional correspondent, Andrea Koppel, is on Capitol Hill.

Andrea, with all that has gone on and as much as we've seen of John Bolton in recent months, give us a refresher on why he has to go through this process again.

ANDREA KOPPEL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Daryn, that's because when the Senate Foreign Relations Committee first took up his nomination, there was one Republican, George Voinovich of Ohio, who shocked just about everyone when he broke with his colleagues, crossed party lines, and voted against the Bolton nomination. It went to the floor of the Senate. There was a successful filibuster which then forced President Bush to make a recess appointment.

It got Bolton the job at the U.N., but his term was limited and it's set to expire early next year. That is why he is back before this committee. Now George Voinovich is saying he's had a change of heart. But Democrats like Chris Dodd making clear that they are still among Bolton's toughest critics.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. CHRISTOPHER DODD, (D) CONNECTICUT: My objection isn't that he's a bully, but that he's been an ineffective bully and can't win the day when it really counts. For example, prior to a vote earlier this month on the U.N. Security Council resolution intended to sanction North Korea for its provocative Fourth of July missile launches, Mr. Bolton publicly assured anyone who would listen that he could get support for a resolution with teeth, with a so-called Chapter 7 obligations. Turns out, of course, he couldn't. The resolution adopted by the U.N. Security Council fell well short of that. (END VIDEO CLIP)

KOPPEL: There have also been a couple of protesters in the audience already this morning, Daryn. We've seen two women get up. One of them said she was a 75-year-old resident. She said Bolton -- that's not her. That's the younger woman. She said he shouldn't go to the U.N. He's not representing our best interest. The older woman said, "we are the terrorists. We are being known as the enemy." There she is. She was also escorted out.

We can expect, Daryn, this to go on for the next number of hours. The questioning of John Bolton. Nevertheless, the expectation is, now that George Voinovich has signaled his support, that it will get voted out successfully out of the committee and probably won't make it to the floor of the Senate where there's still a bit of a question mark until after the August recess.

Daryn.

KAGAN: And what about these documents that the Democrats wanted last time around and some still want?

KOPPEL: Right. These are the 10 National Security -- the NSA intercepts that they allege Bolton had requested that had U.S. government officials speaking with foreign government officials. And the Bush administration is still blocking them. In fact, that's one of the reasons Chris Dodd says he still opposes the nomination.

KAGAN: Andrea Koppel live on Capitol Hill, thank you.

And this just in to CNN. The Associated Press is reporting news on new Tour de France winner Floyd Landis. The Phonak cycling team, which is a team that he cycles with, says it has been notified that Landis had a positive doping test by Tour de France officials there. What that means at this point, a little unclear. Landis was supposed to be in a race in Denmark this weekend but he's pulled out of that without explanation.

Once again, Floyd Landis, the American who won the Tour de France just Sunday. An incredible comeback story because he has a deteriorating hip and is about to undergo a hip replacement operation. His team has been told by officials that he had a positive doping test. Where it goes from here we will be following.

Meanwhile, let's move on to financial news. Gerri Willis is coming up with her Gerri's tips.

Hi, Gerri.

GERRI WILLIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, there. Good to see you.

Black-outs and brown-outs all over the country. We're going to tell you how you can use your power to get the lights back on, up next on "Top Tips."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) KAGAN: The markets have been open just about an hour. Just a little bit less. Stocks are doing better than they were yesterday. A strong start on Wall Street, in fact. You see the Dow is up 68 points. The Nasdaq also chugging away. It is up almost 13 points.

Fierce summer storms, sizzling July heat, both have triggered massive black-outs in many parts of the country. A few tips now that can help you restore your electricity later. Joining me with Gerri's "Top Tips," our personal finance editor Gerri Willis in New York City.

Hi, Ger.

WILLIS: Hey, Daryn.

You know, what's going on here? Brown-outs. Black-outs. One consumer advocate that we spoke to says it's not just unusually hot weather or heavy demand that's causing all the problems, rather deregulation and the politics behind it have taken away protections that would have forced utility companies to maintain their power lines and their equipment.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TYSON SLOCUM, PUBLIC CITIZEN: We no longer have any legal mandates. Companies are no longer required to reinvest a portion of their profits back into the system, into maintaining and ensuring reliability. So as a result, over the last decade, we have under invested in reliability and, as a result, reliability has suffered.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WILLIS: OK, Daryn, let's take a look at just how many black-outs and brown-outs we've had recently. Take a look at these numbers. They're pretty surprising. Look at the rise here. From 1995 to 2005, a quadrupling of black-outs and brown-outs. Not pretty.

KAGAN: No. OK. So let's say it happens to you. What's the first thing you need to do?

WILLIS: Well you've got to get heard. Let your utility company know you've lost power. You cannot assume that the power company will know about your outage. They rely on customer feedback to find out when they've got problems.

KAGAN: Here's what I learned this morning. You could actually get money, good luck to you, out of your power company if it happens to you.

WILLIS: Look, if the black-out is a result of the power company's failure or neglect, you may be eligible for compensation. In New York, for example, affected residents can get rebates of $150 because of food spoilage. And in California, you'll be able to recoup the loss to damaged equipment resulting from a power outage.

KAGAN: Who are you supposed to complain to? WILLIS: Go to your state's utility regulator. Now these regulators go by different names, like the public service commission or the public utility commission. To figure out how to get in touch with these groups, go to the state's website. You'll find information there.

Remember, we want to hear from you. Send us your questions to top tips@cnn.com. And, of course, if you missed anything at all, check out the website at cnnmoney.com.

KAGAN: What's coming up this weekend on your show "Open House"?

WILLIS: Well, we will be talking about energy. We've got a good interview in the show lined up for Saturday morning. We'll be talking about energy. We'll be talking about pets and how to get the right pet for you. Lots of fun coming up. It's 9:30 a.m. Saturday morning on CNN. And, of course, "Headline News" as well at 5:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

KAGAN: Don't forget to get those new pets spayed and neutered.

WILLIS: There you go. Good advice, Daryn.

KAGAN: My little tip. Thank you, Ger.

WILLIS: Thank you.

KAGAN: We're coming up on the half hour. Let's take a look at what we know right now.

Israel's security cabinet decides not to expand the fight against Hezbollah. Military commanders wanted to step up the campaign.

Israeli war planes pound more locations today. One of the main targets, the city of Tyre, where an earlier strike leveled a 10-story building.

Hezbollah fires dozens more rockets into northern Israel this morning. No immediate reports of serious injuries.

Let's take a look at the latest death toll on both sides of the border. Israel says 50 people have been killed. And in Lebanon, at least 401 fatalities reported in a little more than two weeks of fighting.

A 10-story building. The Lebanese says it was home to many. It's now rubble after an Israeli air strike. Our Karl Penhaul has that story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KARL PENHAUL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Smoke billows seconds after an Israeli air strike. It's a scramble to get the wounded out of the bomb zone.

"Anyone over there?" Everything OK?," this Red Cross volunteer shouts.

Amid the confusion, this woman and her son are reunited with her husband.

"Something fell on us. We went downstairs to the neighbors," she tries to explain. "God destroy Israel," she adds with rage.

This is the spot where the war planes struck. Rubble and fire where homes stood just moments before.

(on camera): This is all that's left of a 10-story building. Residents say two Israeli rockets slammed into the roof, causing immediate collapse.

(voice-over): It was not immediately clear whether any victims were buried in the ruins, nor was it clear what the Israeli jets may have been targeting. Neighbors say this was an apartment building, and civilians lived here.

These survivors of this Israeli air strike are dragged bleeding to a waiting ambulance. "Where is she? Where is she?" this woman screams. She gets her answer seconds later, as a younger woman, like her, coated in cement dust, is pulled from an alleyway and placed on a stretcher.

Flames lick through the rubble; firefighters clamber to douse them. And in the chaos of dust and smoke, an act of faith. This man has rescued his holy book, the Koran.

We can hear the wails of the ambulances, the crackle of flames and the sobs of the survivors. And then, another sound: raw anger. "God will strike Israel, death to Israel!" they scream. And with raised fists, their chants of, "No surrender. With our blood and our souls, we will sacrifice ourselves for Hezbollah."

Karl Penhaul, CNN, Tyre, Southern Lebanon.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: So that's the scene on the northern side of that border. Let's head south of there, into Northern Israel, and check in with John Roberts. He joins me by phone -- John.

JOHN ROBERTS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Daryn.

We're up by the Israel-Lebanon border, where troops are massing reinforcements, staging to go into Lebanon at some point. Not exactly sure when they are going to be going in. But there are more troops up in the area, and they're getting ready to join the fight.

I talked with a couple of the soldiers from a combat engineering unit who are preparing to go in the next couple of days. Second Lieutenant Shi Battati (ph) and First Sergeant Omri Assali (ph). They told me that, you know, they were concerned about what happened in Bint Jbeil yesterday, with the eight soldiers killed there -- three of them, by the way, officers; another soldier also killed -- around Maroun al-Ras, which is the town that is just across the border, a little closer Israel than Bint Jbeil.

They told me that it makes everybody a little bit more anxious about going in. Hezbollah certainly does seem to be a pretty effective fighting force at times. They say that, certainly, they have shown their commitment to fight Israeli soldiers. But they also said that it gives them more motivation for the fight. It's not just a mission now, it's not just about defending their country. For many of these soldiers, it's become personal. And they'll be taking that with them when they go in.

A little bit earlier, on our way down here to the front lines, we were driving through Kiryat Shemona when the air raid sirens went off. Three Katyusha rockets came in, and one hit right beside the road that we travel on everyday, and landed actually just a minute or so before we got down there, caused a brush fire.

A little bit further toward Kiryat Shemona, there's a large shopping mall with a Burger King and children's playground. And, of course, there was no one in the playground. There hasn't been anybody in that playground since the war began, and don't know if there was anyone in the shopping mall. But it sort of landed -- the Katyusha landed between the shopping mall and the playground. It didn't seem to do any damage to the building.

But in one of the neighborhoods behind there, another rocket hit, took out a couple of cars, did some damage to some apartment homes. But we met the people who lived there. They had all heeded the air raid siren and gone down to the bunker. So as far as we could tell, in Kiryat Shemona, there were no injuries.

But still, pretty dramatic demonstration of the level of threat that people in northern Israel still face from those Katyusha rockets. There were almost 160 of those fired yesterday. And it just goes to show that Hezbollah still remains very capable of harassing northern Israel, causing terror in its cities, despite the successes that the Israeli army is claiming against Hezbollah -- Daryn.

KAGAN: John Roberts, live on the phone from northern Israel. Thank you. We're going to let John go because we have breaking news here in the U.S.

Apparently there are some problems at an airport in Louisville, Kentucky. Fredricka Whitfield has more on that -- Fred.

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Well, apparently, Daryn, a FedEx plane went off the runway, and that was because the pilot aborted the flight. It's unclear why the pilot aborted the flight, only that the plane was scheduled to take off from Louisville, Kentucky, and scheduled to make its way back to Memphis, which is home base for the plane. Something went wrong, provoking the pilot to abort the flight. There were three crew members on board. No reports of damage to the plane or any reported injuries to the crew.

More when we get it -- Daryn.

KAGAN: All right, and I also can hear in the background of what's buzzing here in the newsroom. I think we're just getting some pictures in. So as soon as those are available, we'll also show those to our viewers, as well. Thank you, Fred.

Meanwhile, a huge scandal is erupting over Floyd Landis. He is the American who just won the Tour de France. Officials saying he has tested positive for doping. What's that about? How can he appeal? We'll talk to a cycling expert just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: We're getting more information and more pictures about what's happening at the Louisville, Kentucky, airport. Fredricka Whitfield has that -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: Well, that's right, Daryn. As promised, here are some new pictures right now of this 727 cargo plane, FedEx plane, that skid off the runway because, FAA officials are saying, the pilot aborted the flight. But what's unclear is to why the pilot aborted the flight. This plane was heading from Louisville, scheduled to go to Memphis, Tennessee, which is where FedEx is based. But for some reason, the pilot made a decision that this plane was not going to take off as scheduled.

But these are the pictures that we're getting in. No reported injuries of the three crew members on board. And we're told no damage to the plane. And so you're just seeing it on its nose right there, at the end of that runway.

KAGAN: If your package doesn't arrive today, that's why. Maybe it's on that plane.

WHITFIELD: Yes.

KAGAN: All right, Fred, thank you.

WHITFIELD: All right.

KAGAN: Got a huge scandal erupting in the world of sports. Floyd Landis, the American with the incredibly inspirational story when he won Tour de France on Sunday with a bum hip, was scheduled to go in for a hip replacement -- well now they're saying he has tested positive for the steroid testosterone, for doping. He could lose and be stripped of his Tour de France title.

With more on this, I want to welcome in Dave Shields, cycling expert and author. Literally has written a book on Tour de France -- Dave.

DAVE SHIELDS, AUTHOR/CYCLING EXPERT: How are you doing?

KAGAN: I'm doing OK. I'm shocked by this news about Floyd Landis.

SHIELDS: Oh, I'm devastated.

KAGAN: What's your reaction? SHIELDS: Yes, I'm just simply devastated. I know that it's probably too early to jump to tons of conclusions. We know, apparently, that he tested positive for testosterone. We don't know if there are other explanations for why the levels would be elevated. We know that he gets his right -- have the B sample tested in his presence.

KAGAN: Right, i want to talk about the process in a second. There's a statement from his team, the Phonak Cycling team, and they say the writer will ask in coming days for counter-analysis to prove either this result is from everything a natural process or that it's resulting from a mistake in the confirmation. So there's two cycles of tests, is that right?

SHIELDS: Well, that's correct. There's the initial A test that shows that he's positive, and then the B test gives the athlete an opportunity to try to, No. 1, confirm the results and, No. 2, show that the results are occurring for a specific reason, that is a legal reason. It's not illegal to have testosterone in you your system, obviously. We don't know yet what kind of information that this test has extracted, whether they somehow know this is synthetic testosterone or whether there's a chance that something that went on with Floyd caused his testosterone levels to be elevated.

KAGAN: And turns out, and this is one of the European wires are reporting, that was the 17th stage at Morzine, that he tested positive. That was the day that he had that incredible ride. Some people are calling it the most incredible ride they have ever seen at Tour De France, where he made up that eight-minute deficit.

SHIELDS: Well, I'm one of those people. No doubt, it was the most amazing incredible ride I've ever seen. I have had the opportunity to talk with Landis a number of times, not since the Tour De France, though. I really believe in this guy. I just have such a hard time thinking that he would do this, and obviously for that reason the news is so devastating. If he did make that choice, if he said, OK, despite everything that's going on in cycling, despite all the efforts to clean it up, I'm going to take a "win at all costs" approach, I think it's really, really sad.

KAGAN: Knowing the man you would find that hard to believe.

Now you know the sport, good side and bad. Is testosterone, is that an agent that cyclists use?

SHIELDS: It's not one of the things that we've commonly seen in recent years. There's no question about that. Now, what it would -- most of the effort that doping have been centered around what they would call blood doping, different methods of being able to carry more oxygen. Testosterone could potentially enhance recovery, and obviously that would be what a lot of people would say was going on here, he needed some serious recovery in a seriously short amount of time. And maybe he turned to testosterone in order to do that. I don't...

KAGAN: You want to wait until the whole process is complete. SHIELDS: Absolutely. I want to wait until the whole process, because there's -- the character of a guy is so important, and I just -- I have such a positive feeling about him when being around him, that I just have a hard time believing that he would have done this.

KAGAN: All right, Dave, thank you. That's Dave Shields, cycling expert and author, joining us on the phone.

Again, the news that Tour De France champion Floyd Landis, the American, officials say he has tested positive for doping with testosterone, but another round of tests would be needed before he would be stripped of his Tour De France title. More on that as that story develops.

We also will go back to the Middle East. A rally call for terrorists: al Qaeda's No. 2 puts out a new high-tech videotape to recruit more militants. You'll see it on CNN, the most trusted name in news.

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KAGAN: a story ahead about a man born here in the USA, fighting for Israel. That story is ahead on CNN, the most trusted name in news.

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KAGAN: And we will get to Chadly (ph) in just a moment.

First, though, a developing story out of Indonesia. Another powerful earthquake struck a short time ago, this one off the coast of Sumatra. The U.S. Geological Survey put the magnitude at 6.0. There are no reports of injuries or damages. No tsunami warning was issued.

Well, just not in the mood. Extreme heat does that to cows, as well. A Northern California dairy owner says his milk production is down 20 percent during the current heat wave, and he's expecting a lot fewer calves to be born next spring.

And for people, the nighttime might not be the right time. Check out some of these high lows in the West. Needles, California, dropped to 90 degrees this morning. Got down to 87 in Palm Springs, the same in Las Vegas. Well, there's a lot of air-conditioned casinos there. Scottsdale, Arizona, oh, chilly, chilly, chilly! Eighty-three degrees.

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KAGAN: The ink, it is still drying on one of the nation's most important civil rights bills. Just last hour, President Bush renewed the landmark 1965 Voting Rights Act, which gives another 25 years to a measure that opened the polls to millions of African-Americans. The signing ceremony took place on the South Lawn. The Voting Rights Acts ended poll taxes, literacy tests and other Jim Crow laws that kept African-Americans from voting. It requires nine southern states get Justice Department approval for any ballot rule changes.

Speaking of the president, he will sign the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act today. That establishes an Internet sex offender database. You can watch that bill signing at 1:15 Eastern right here on CNN with Kyra Phillips. It comes on the 25th anniversary of Adam Walsh's abduction. His father, John Walsh, will be a guest on CNN's "LARRY KING LIVE." That's tonight, 9:00 Eastern, 6:00 Pacific.

To international news now. A fiery attack in the heart of Baghdad. Enraged residents want to know where is the security plan? We're live from Iraq, ahead on CNN, the most trusted name in news.

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