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CNN Live Today
Crisis In The Middle East; Castro's Condition; House Explosion; Border Insecurity; Lessening The Pain Of Blackouts
Aired August 02, 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: Let's start by telling you what we know at this hour with the Mideast crisis.
Israel troops plunge deeper into central Lebanon. They raid a hospital in Baalbek, about 70 miles north of the Israeli border. The Israeli military says Hezbollah used it as an outpost. The Israeli army says special forces killed 10 militants and captured five others.
Meanwhile, Hezbollah bombards northern Israel with at least 190 rockets. That's the most it hit Israel in a single day. One hit the northern west bank. That is the farthest south that a Hezbollah rocket has hit.
Prime minister Ehud Olmert standing firm. The Israeli leader says his country will keep hitting Hezbollah forces until southern Lebanon is secure. And, he says, that will require international troops.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
EHUD OLMERT, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER: Israel will stop fighting when the international force will be present in the south parts of Lebanon. We can't stop before it because if there will not be presence of very effective, robust military international force, Hezbollah would be there and we will have achieved nothing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAGAN: The Israeli leader also looked ahead in an interview with the Associated Press. The outcome of the fighting, he says, may create new momentum for Israel's planned withdrawal from much of the West Bank.
Our Matthew Chance is in northern Israel and he brings us the latest from there.
Matthew.
MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Thanks very much, Daryn.
Well, there's a lot of fighting been taking place across Lebanon with the Israeli forces really entering into southern Lebanon in some considerable force. And, of course, you can hear the ferocious artillery strikes that are still taking place from this side of the border across into Israel. Much of the focus has been on the southern part of Lebanon where Israeli forces have entered to try and carve out a broad strip of buffer zone, which they intend to keep until such times as the multi-national force is ready, they say, to be deployed.
In the meantime, there have been other operations as well, particularly one in Baalbek, in the northeast of Lebanon. The furthest north in is conflict the Israeli forces have been deployed. It was a special forces operation designed to target what was described as a Hezbollah remote logistic base where leaders of the movement were believed to be.
The soldiers deployed there also raided a hospital, killing 10 Hezbollah fighters, according to the military, and capturing another five suspects. Those suspects brought back to Israel. And so a lot of activity, a lot of military activity underway across the country at the moment as the diplomatic clock, of course, ticks towards a settlement.
Daryn.
KAGAN: Matthew, on that military front, I understand you, in recent minutes or hours, were able to talk with a general from the Israeli military. What was he able to tell you?
CHANCE: Well, we're talking mainly about the operation in Baalbek that I just described to you. That it was a special forces operation. That it was intended to capture some Hezbollah leaders. They've captured five people and killed 10. Some of those people were killed inside the hospital itself, and so it looks like a very controversial scene that was played out there yesterday.
The other issue that he brought up was the extent of this operations going on in Lebanon. He refused to put a time frame on them. Now I know there's been talk in the United States from Condoleezza Rice, the secretary of state, about a cease-fire being a matter of days, not weeks.
But certainly the feeling from military officials here is that to achieve the overriding military objectives, to crush Hezbollah as military force, it's going to take a lot longer than a few days to achieve that. And so they're really racing against the clock now here in Israel, the Israeli military in Lebanon, trying to cause as much damage as they can to Hezbollah and to capture as much territory as they can before any kind of internationally broken cease-fire is implemented.
Daryn.
KAGAN: Matthew Chance in northern Israel. Thank you.
Let's get to the battle that we're fighting here in the U.S., and that is against the soaring temperatures. Cities are sweltering and a lot of people are waiting for a dangerous heat wave to cool off. Chicago is under an excessive heat warning again today. The power outage has forced about 15,000 people to abandon their apartment buildings. The mercury hit 93 in Boston. Air conditioners and fans were hot sellers at home improvement stores.
Electricity used in the six state New England region could break another record today. Temperatures are expected to top 100 in Dallas, Tulsa and St. Louis. In the east, Philadelphia and Baltimore will reach 100 degrees or hotter. Richmond, Raleigh and Virginia Beach are also expected to be in triple digit territory.
So when does the big cool off come? We will check in -- look how hard Chad is working over there in our Weather Center.
Hey, Chad.
Because big weather is big news, we've got the big Weather Center and we have Chad Myers. We will check in with Chad in just a bit.
Meanwhile, on to Cuba and the party line there is stable condition. Good spirits. It's said to be straight from Fidel Castro himself. No details about his surgery and certainly no pictures to prove it. That stirs speculation today about Castro's true state. Let's go to Cuba, to Havana, to CNN's Morgan Neill.
What's being said there in Havana, Morgan?
MORGAN NEILL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Daryn, the latest we've heard is that statement Tuesday afternoon saying simply that the president was in stable condition, in good spirits, but that we would have to wait a few days for a further update on his condition.
Meanwhile, the atmosphere here in the capital is calm. Traffic in the streets is flowing normally, just two days after President Fidel Castro announced that for the first time in 47 years, albeit temporarily, he was relinquishing power.
To give you an idea of how thing are going here today, let me show you. This is the front of the state-run newspaper, Groma (ph). With the headline simply -- Fidel, get better. The initial statement Monday night that President Fidel Castro was handing over power to his 75-year-old brother, Raul Castro, did spark shock among many Cubans.
Since then, however, it has been much more of a wait and see attitude. People say we still have to get up and go to work in the mornings. And while this was a huge, unexpected announcement, there's no sense of panic here.
Daryn.
KAGAN: In the spirit of wait and see, has anybody seen Raul Castro? Has he made any public appearances or announcements in the last day?
NEILL: No. And that's an interesting point, Daryn. We haven't seen either Raul Castro nor Fidel, from the hospital bed or otherwise. Neither have appeared in public. It is good to point out, however, that Cubans are not taking this as something so abnormal. They're used to seeing -- at certain stretches they'll see the president every night. He'll make a speech. But then, just recently, there was a period where we didn't see him for more than two weeks. So, again, this is not really playing into any sort of unusual unease here, aside from the fact that, of course, this is the sort of thing that hasn't happened in 47 years.
Daryn.
KAGAN: That would make it, indeed, unusual. Morgan Neill live from Havana, Cuba. Thank you.
Let's talk more about the medical aspect of Fidel Castro's situation. They're calling it "complicated surgery," "intestinal crisis." That is about all the Cubans will say about Castro's ailment. So let's see if we can shed a little light on what that might mean and welcome in our senior medical correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, who we find in Washington, D.C. today.
Sanjay, good morning.
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning.
KAGAN: So intestinal crisis. Did they teach that to you in medical school?
GUPTA: No. You know, it really sounds like, and maybe they're even being purposely vague here. Intestinal crisis due to stress. That's what I read. And I was trying to medically decipher that. And, you know, obviously, this is speculative to some extent. But, to me, it sounded like maybe this man's ulcer -- an ulcer problem. For a long time, as you know, Daryn, ulcers were thought to be due to stress. They're more likely thought to be due to a bacteria now.
What happens is, you can get a hole actually in your stomachs or in the first part of your intestine. They can be due in part to this bacteria or to painkillers. They actually have this hole there and it can bleed. It can cause significant bleeding sometimes. And an operation is often required to try and oversew it like you see there. Actually try and fix the hole or to actually remove part of the intestine or part of the stomach and sow it back together.
Whatever the operation is, it's a big operation. Now a lot times people can't actually eat anything by mouth for days afterwards. Sometimes they require the assistance of the breathing machine for days afterwards as well. It's a big operation. And a young person, obviously, even a bigger operation in someone who's 79 years old.
KAGAN: Right. About to be 80 years old. Other things that we know about his health. That he has Parkinson's Disease. What else do we really know about Fidel Castro's health and how it might play into this latest health crisis?
GUPTA: Yes, you know, it's interesting. Not a lot. You mentioned the Parkinson's Disease, which still some people still speculate about that. They talk about the possibility of having had a stroke in the past. They talk about the possibility of having had a lung tumor in the past as well.
Perhaps one of the most well visible incidents with him was actually when he tripped and fell off of some stairs after giving a speech. You see it there. He actually broke a couple of bones in that. That might be significant, Daryn. Because after something like that, he may have been on painkillers for a long time. And painkillers, again, as I mentioned earlier, could in part contradict to actually an ulcer either in the stomach or the first part of the intestine.
Again, you know, we're sort of reaching here a little bit because we don't have the exact facts. Doctors like to work with facts and here we're sort of speculating a bit. But this is how I was sort of piecing it together a bit for him.
KAGAN: All right, well thanks for actually making the effort then. Sanjay, thank you.
GUPTA: Thank you.
KAGAN: There's breaking news of a house explosion. Carol Lin at our breaking news desk with that.
Carol.
CAROL LIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Daryn, we want to show you these live pictures coming out of southern Illinois, near St. Louis, via our affiliate KSDK. Something catastrophic happened. This is a scene in a suburban neighborhood. Reports of a house explosion. Three people have been airlifted to an area hospital and that's all we know right now.
But in watching these pictures talking you were talking with Sanjay, I mean there is debris all over the streets. You know, pieces of plywood and charred bits of this house. So if these people were even inside this house, it's remarkable that anybody survived. So we're working this story from the breaking news desk as you're looking at these live pictures coming in from our affiliate KSDK.
KAGAN: Wow. We haven't seen an scene like that since we watched that explosion on the upper east side of New York a few weeks ago.
LIN: No. And look at that, barely anything left of this home.
KAGAN: Just that one small room wall there. All right, Carol, we'll check back with you as details and more pictures come in on that.
Still ahead, fake IDs, phony documents, major concerns. Details of a new border security investigation. That's ahead. You're watching CNN, the most trusted name in news.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAGAN: We've been looking at live pictures of this house explosion. This is just outside of St. Louis. Carol Lin has more on that.
Carol.
LIN: Daryn, we're working this from the breaking news desk here. I can't tell you much, except to say that our affiliate out there, KSDK, reports that three people have been airlifted to an area hospital. This is in southern Illinois. You're looking at -- you know, from what we can tell from these aerial pictures that we're getting into the CNN Center, that this is your average suburban neighborhood.
I mean this is middle America and something catastrophic happened at that house this morning. Right now we can't even begin to imagine what it could be. But, Daryn, look, you're seeing firefighters on the scene right now trying to put out these smoldering embers.
When the cameras pulled over and they were pulled out and they were panning the neighborhood, you could see large sheets of plywood, of roofing material just strewn all the way down that street. As they're trying to keep this potential fire from spreading to the house next door. They look like fairly substantial houses too. So as soon as we know more about this story, we're going to bring it to you.
KAGAN: I'm going to guess another thing to keep in mind for those firefighters, St. Louis, one of the places dealing with the intense heat today.
LIN: Absolutely. So it's a double whammy out there.
KAGAN: Yes, absolutely. All right, thank you, Carol.
On to our CNN "Security Watch." Border insecurity. Investigators using phony IDs are able to fool guards and get into the country. A Senate committee is holding a hearing this hour on the disturbing findings. Details from Homeland Security correspondent Jeanne Meserve.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MESERVE, CNN CORRESPONDENT, (voice over): Their drivers licenses and other document were fakes, but undercover government investigators were still able to get in to the U.S. from Canada and Mexico at nine border crossings according to testimony from the Government Accountability Office. In three instances, they didn't even show an ID. In all the others, border agents failed to detect the fraudulent documents.
CLARK KENT ERVIN, CNN SECURITY ANALYST: If government investigators can present fake documents and get their way through our borders, then certainly terrorists can too.
MESERVE: The GAO ran a similar test three years ago.
SEN. CHARLES GRASSLEY, (R) IOWA: You can't help but get the view that the door to America is very wide open.
MESERVE: But the new investigation concludes terrorists or criminals can still pass freely into the United States with little or no chance of being detected. The Department of Homeland Security says it has trained border agents to spot fake documents and more than 75,000 were intercepted last year. But right now, 8,000 different kinds of documents are used to enter the country, including easy to forge licenses and birth certificates. Experts say accepting fewer, more reliable documents is crucial.
ERVIN: We need to have tamper-proof documents that are also biometric in nature so that we can confirm that the traveler presenting the document is, in fact, the traveler to whom the document was issued and that that traveler is not a terrorist.
MESERVE: A law requiring travelers entering the U.S. to present passports or other secure documents is slated to take affect in 2008. But some members of Congress are trying to push that date back even further.
Jeanne Meserve, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAGAN: CNN "Security Watch" keeps you up-to-date on your safety. Stay tuned day and night for the most reliable news about your security.
OK, how secure are you in the idea that things could cool off? Chad Myers is here to tell us about that.
Chad, those are some very intense colors behind you.
(WEATHER REPORT)
KAGAN: Much more on what's happening out of St. Louis with that exploded house. Let's go to Carol Lin.
Carol.
LIN: Daryn, a house literally appears to have explode on a suburban street. Chris Schmidt, he's with a local newspaper out there in southern Illinois.
Chris, can you hear me?
CHRIS SCHMIDT, OWNER, "ENQUIRER-DEMOCRAT": Yes, I can.
LIN: All right. What paper are you with?
SCHMIDT: I'm sorry?
LIN: What paper are you with?
SCHMIDT: I'm with the "Enquirer-Democrat." It's a weekly paper in Carlinville (ph).
LIN: All right. Well, give me an idea of what you know about what happened to this house?
SCHMIDT: I was at the newspaper this morning at 7:30 when our lights flickered off for a couple of seconds and then I felt a concussion from the explosion. I went outside and saw the fire trucks heading in that direction. So I grabbed my camera and followed along.
When I arrived, fire and ambulance people were on the scene. The house was totally engulfed in flames at that time. There was debris scattered for a half a block in all four directions. The house adjoining the house where the explosion was, was also burning. The police were trying to keep people back because there were still minor explosions in the house at that time.
I can't imagine anybody surviving that blast. There's supposedly four or five residences, but I have no confirmed information on their condition or whether there are any fatalities. So I really can't comment on that.
LIN: All right. We have a report from our local affiliate there, KSDK, that three people were airlifted to an area hospital. But are firefighters on the scene giving you any idea what would cause this kind of catastrophic explosion?
SCHMIDT: The only thing I can say would probably be natural gas. That's what everybody is guessing at this point. Obviously, until the fire is extinguished, no one can say for sure. But it was quite an explosion. It blew out windows in neighboring houses. Like I said, I'm seven blocks away in a two-story brick building and I felt the concussion here. So the blast had to be substantial.
LIN: Chris, we can't help but ask whether there's a possibility that there might have been a methamphetamine laboratory operating inside that house. This is the kind of damage we see when there's an explosion of that chemical nature.
SCHMIDT: Yes. I do not have any confirmation on anything like that, but our reporter is still on the scene trying to gather what information he can. We're at our deadline here also, so we're trying to scramble to get what information we can.
LIN: All right. Chris Schmidt, thank you so much for giving us a scene there as we're trying to figure out, Daryn, what happened inside that house. And Chris was so graphically illustrating for us the debris flying in all four directions. Found a half a block away.
SCHMIDT: Sure.
LIN: So Chris Schmidt there, an eyewitness. And certainly because he felt the explosion, too, Daryn.
KAGAN: Right. Carol, yes, and, you know, this is exactly the kind of story we're talking about that we want people to help us with. This new program calmed "I-Report." Thank you, Carol.
We're starting this new thing here at CNN and we want you to be a part of it. Watch and learn how you can become a bigger part of the world's most trusted name in news.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ever wish you could say, I report for CNN? Well here's how you can join the most trusted name in news. When you have pictures or video of breaking news or cool stories from your part of the world, go to cnn.com and click on I-Report. There you'll get complete instructions on how to submit your stories on CNN. It's fast and easy. And if we use your pictures or video on air, you can tell your friends, I report for CNN.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAGAN: Well, Gerri Willis reports for CNN. She does. And she helps us with our consumer issues.
Gerri, what do you have today?
GERRI WILLIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I do indeed.
You know, temperatures are spiking across the country, as Chad said earlier. That means increased risk of power blackouts. What you can do to cope. "Top Tips" are next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAGAN: We're going to get to the markets in a moment. First we want to show you these live pictures that we're watching. This is Carlinville, Illinois. It's about 60 miles east of St. Louis. It's a breaking news situation that we're watching.
One to two houses absolutely leveled. It appears some on the scene say this might be a natural gas explosion. Three people taken to the hospital there. The extent of those injuries not known at this time. We will bring you more information and pictures as they become available.
Meanwhile, to the markets starting a little bit stronger than yesterday. The Dow is up 28 points. The markets have been open almost an hour. The Nasdaq also moving up a touch. It is up 10 points.
A scorcher across much of the country. With this record-breaking heat wave and stressing power supplies. Today Gerri's "Top Tips" get you ready for a possible power outage. You don't want it happen, but in case it does, let's talk about that.
Hi, Gerri.
WILLIS: Hey, Daryn, good to see you.
You know, blackouts are most likely for people in Illinois, Pennsylvania, California and New York. Here at the Time Warner Center they're turning the lights down in the hallways just to get ready for . . .
KAGAN: Hmm.
WILLIS: Yes, exactly. You can blame aging equipment and disincentives for power companies to improve the quality of the system. That's according to the experts we've talked to. And what's worse, that these experts say it will take at least a decade to see any substantial improvements in energy reliability. So it looks like we've got a long haul, Daryn.
KAGAN: Let's talk about how you can be proactive in case this comes to a neighborhood near you.
WILLIS: Yes, you never know when a blackout is really going to strike. But if you've heard numerous pleas to conserve energy from local officials, that's generally a sign the electrical system is stressed and your neighborhood could be headed for a blackout. Make sure you recharge your cell phone batteries, because you're going to need your cell phone. Have cold, hard cash on hand, since during a blackout you won't be able to use ATMs or your credit cards. And your gas tank should be at least half full because pumps won't work in a blackout.
KAGAN: Good, good points.
One of the big victims of heat are the elderly. How do you protect them?
WILLIS: That's absolutely true. You've got to secure your loved ones. Look, by law, nursing homes must have backup generators that light the entrances and exits, maintain life support systems. Nursing homes must also have an emergency evacuation plan. You'll want to get these plans in advance, know that they're being worked out. Find out where your loved one will be taken in case of an evacuation. And once a year nursing homes are inspected by the state. You can see these results by going to medicare.gov.
KAGAN: Now as the power comes back on, there's other concerns that come with that.
WILLIS: Exactly. If you actually have the blackout, you've got to unplug your appliances that you were using before the power went out. That's because there will be a power surge when the power comes back on and it can fry you appliances. So you want to make sure that doesn't happen to you.
Even if you're not sure what was on, unplug it anyway. You might want to leave just one light on so you know when the energy comes back on. Otherwise, it might be hard to figure out.
And a quick note here, Daryn. You've we've been following gas prices for you. They're holding steady today at $3 a gallon. But you know what state has the worst situation?
KAGAN: Who? Where?
WILLIS: Hawaii.
KAGAN: Well, it's not too surprising.
WILLIS: Take as bit to get it out there. $3.37 a gallon. That's followed by Connecticut and California. And we'll be keeping an eye on gas prices for you. And if you have a question, send us an e-mail to "Top Tips" at cnn.com.
KAGAN: But once you fill up, you're in Hawaii! That's a good thing. Go to the beach
WILLIS: That's true. That's a positive. Walk to the beach.
KAGAN: All right. Yes. Thank you, Gerri.
WILLIS: You're welcome.
KAGAN: We're watching live pictures. Havana, Cuba. Not a lot coming out today about what Fidel Castro faces. We have reporters on the scene through. We're working on that. We're also in south Florida, bringing you the latest on what this transition of power in Cuba might mean. Also the latest on Castro's status. That's coming up.
First, though, let's tell you what we know about what's happened in the Middle East. We're at the half hour here.
Hezbollah shot at least 190 rockets at Israel today. That's the highest daily total so far. One of them struck an area in the West Bank. That's the farthest south a rocket has reached.
Israeli warplanes have launched more air strikes against targets in Lebanon. And on the ground, Israeli forces are pushing deeper into the country's south.
Our Ben Wedeman is with us. He is in Tyre, Lebanon, in the southern part of the country.
Ben, hello.
BEN WEDEMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Good morning, Daryn.
Well, it has been a real day of intense bombardment of this area by aircraft from war ships off the coast, as well as artillery in the distance. Not only incoming have we been receiving, but also we've seen multiple volleys of outgoing Katyusha rockets in the distance, going in the direction of Israel.
In fact, just about 38 minutes ago, there was a very large explosion as an army barracks, we believe -- we're not quite sure at this point -- was hit just to the east of here. So it has been a day of fairly intense bombardment after two relatively quiet days.
Meanwhile, here, also here in Tyre, there was a third mass burial that the town has undertaken since the fighting began. Basically what they're doing is they're emptying the morgues, which have filled up in the hospitals here, and burying them in an open field. Basically, the relatives of most of the dead have fled. Their dead have come from outlying towns and villages. When and if peace returns to this area, the families will come, take the bodies and bury them in their villages and towns.
Daryn. KAGAN: All right, Ben Wedeman in Tyre in Southern Lebanon. Thank you.
To Israel now, which says its offensive against Hezbollah could take weeks more. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, though, seems more optimistic than that. She says diplomacy is moving ahead and peace may soon be within reach.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CONDOLEEZZA RICE, SECRETARY OF STATE: If we really put our minds to it and work, that this week is entirely possible. Certainly we're talking about days, not weeks, before we are able to get a cease-fire. It's time to end the violence. But the reason that the United States has talked about an urgent cease-fire, but one that cannot lead to a return to the status quo ante -- so the Middle East has been through far too many of these spasms.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAGAN: That's Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.
Let's go ahead and take a closer look at a U.N. measure that could help end the crisis. Security Council Resolution 1559 was passed back in 2004, but it was never fully implemented. It calls for Lebanese government control over the entire country and for Hezbollah to be disarmed. The Bush administration wants at international peacekeeping force to help the Lebanese army achieve those goals.
Back here in the U.S., blistering heat. Is it a sign of the times? A closer look at global warming and any connection it might have to the heat wave. It's ahead on CNN, the most trusted name in news.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAGAN: Ooh, it is hot out there. But you knew that. And we are talking about the temperatures soaring and the cities sweltering. Everybody waiting for a dangerous heat wave to cool it.
Chicago's under an excessive heat warning again today. A power outage has forced about 15,000 people to abandon their apartment buildings. The mercury hit 93 in Boston. Air conditioners and fans were hot sellers at home improvement stores. Electricity usage in the six state New England region could break another record today.
Temperatures are expected to top 100 in Dallas, Tulsa and St. Louis. In the East, Philadelphia and Baltimore will reach 100 degrees or hotter. Richmond, Raleigh and Virginia Beach are also expected to be in triple digit territory.
The New York skyline will be a little bit dimmer for the next few nights. The Empire State Building and the Chrysler Building are turning down their trademark lights. They're doing it to conserve energy. New York could reach 104 degrees today, stressing electricity demand. Our senior correspondent Allan Chernoff has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ALLAN CHERNOFF, CNN SR. CORRESPONDENT (on camera): Another steamy day in the "Baked Apple." The temperature on the street right now already well above 90 degrees, and the forecast calls for the temperature to rise possibly as high as 104 degrees without humidity.
Then there's the subway. Underground, we measured the temperature a little while ago. Ninety-eight degrees on the platform. Certainly not a very pleasant commute for New Yorkers this morning.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Once you get in the trains, it's excellent. Once you're out of the train, the journey to up top is -- is deathly. You're kind of sweating by the time you get to the street level.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's my first day on a new job and I have to wear a new suit on the hottest day of the year. How's that?
CHERNOFF: A tough way to start a new job. But New York seems to be handling the heat fairly well. Thus far, no fatalities reported. Con Edison, the electric utility here, says it has had record demand for electricity. Right now, the utility says 1,200 customers are without power, including some apartment buildings.
Allan Chernoff, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAGAN: There is grief at a Georgia high school today. A 15- year-old football player dies from heat stroke. He collapsed after a pre-season practice. The school's in Conyers, Georgia; that's west of Atlanta. A school spokesman says the practice was voluntary and water was available throughout the training session. But the school has halted football activities because of the heat. Counselors have been brought in to help the students and staff deal with their grief.
No sign of a cooldown, and how long will the nation sweat out the heat? Maybe a while.
CNN's Rob Marciano takes a look for "ANDERSON COOPER 360."
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST (voice-over): If it feels hotter than ever, it is. This year so far, January through July is the hottest year on record -- ever. And this month especially.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's cooking. Like you have to get in the water to keep cool. Or otherwise, you'll pass out. It's too hot.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Too hot. Too much already.
MARCIANO: A heat wave has seared the country for two weeks now, breaking records that have stood since the 1930s Dust Bowl days. Three days in a row, the Mercury hit 101 in St. Louis, while Kansas City blazed a new record at 104. Los Angeles had 15 days of 90-degree heat. Sacramento had 11 consecutive days over 100.
And on the East Coast Tuesday, Baltimore and New York hit 99; Washington, 97.
(on camera): And those temperature readings were taken in the shade, and they don't include humidity. Out in the elements, your body feels a lot warmer. And the bad news is -- hot summers may be here to stay.
JAMES HANSEN, DIRECTOR, GODDARD INSTITUTE, NASA: Well, we're in for more than a couple of hot seasons. It's going to continue, on the average, to get warmer.
MARCIANO (voice-over): James Hansen has been studying climate change for 30 years. He says global warming is at least partly to blame for the high temperatures.
HANSEN: The climate dies are now loaded because of the greenhouse gases that humans have added to the atmosphere.
MARCIANO: And the heat has been lethal, killing as many as 164 people in California. More than 24,000 firefighters are battling Western blazes intensified by the high temperatures. And in Chicago, 20,000 people lost power last night. Even the zoo was sizzling. Polar bears were given ice blocks to cool off.
The heat wave is also burning up Europe, temperatures there averaging 12 to 16 degrees above average. And here in the U.S., it looks like another day of dangerously high temperatures.
Things should start to cool off across much of the country by Friday.
Rob Marciano, CNN, Atlanta.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAGAN: And Rob is part of the team covering the world for "ANDERSON COOPER 360." "A.C. 360" begins at 10:00 Eastern.
I want to go on to the Pentagon. There's new investigation about the investigation into the deaths in Haditha.
Barbara Starr has that -- Barbara.
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, Daryn, as people will recall, there's been a major investigation by the Naval Criminal Investigative Service into allegations that at least 24 Iraqis were perhaps deliberately killed in an incident in November, 2005 in Haditha, Iraq by U.S. Marines. That investigation has been ongoing for some time.
Now, what we can tell you is, the NCIS investigation is essentially complete, 95 percent complete, essentially, being turned over to prosecutors now. What they're trying to do is get this wrapped up as much as they possibly can. They are going to have the prosecutors look at it now, and it is expected that charges will be brought, frankly, against a number of service members. No one can say how many exactly at this point.
What they are -- when we say 95 percent complete, what the U.S. military's been trying to do, convince the Iraqi families to allow exhumation of bodies so they can gather more forensic evidence. So the door still remains open to that. The families in Iraq have refused to this point, but they're going to try and continue to press that. That's why people are saying, 95 percent complete. Frankly, it's all being turned over to prosecutors.
And at some point in the not-too-distant future, we are expected to hear about charges being brought in this very disturbing case -- Daryn.
KAGAN: Meanwhile, a Congressman, who's been outspoken about what's happened in Hadita and about the military general in Iraq, faces a lawsuit in connection to this?
STARR: He does. One of the soldiers said to the alleged -- allegedly involved in this incident has brought a lawsuit against Congressman John Murtha, objecting to the statements that Congressman Murtha has made in public about this whole case. This is one of the -- you know, there a number of cases under investigation. They're all very disturbing. This one is the one, of course, that centers around the issue of whether there was essentially a cover-up as well as a criminal act, because the Marines at first put out statement saying these people died in a roadside bomb attack, and then it became very clear, within weeks, that that simply was not true, and that there had been some shooting by the Marines inside a number of houses in this town in Haditha, and it all centers, really, around the question of whether there was a criminal act here. That, of course, to be sorted out by the military justice system, but Congressman Murtha has been very vocal about his views on this, and the Marines alleged to be involved in it are certainly objecting -- Daryn.
KAGAN: Barbara Starr at the Pentagon. Barbara, thank you for that.
We'll head to Cuba just ahead. Fidel Castro's brother comes out of the shadows. We do our Homework on Raul Castro, Cuba's mystery man. That's ahead on CNN, the most trusted name in news.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAGAN: A lot of Cubans here in the states are celebrating. They're convinced that Fidel Castro is dead, or dying.
Our Rusty Dornin joins me now live from Miami's Little Havana.
Rusty, good morning.
RUSTY DORNIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Daryn. Things have calmed down considerably here in Little Havana at the Versailles Restaurant. But people gather here every morning to talk about the world, and of course now on the speculation about Castro's condition. As you can see, they line up drinking their caffe on leches, and they smoke cigars, and they talk about what perhaps could be happening.
Now we've been noticing that in the morning it's mostly the old guard, folks who really came over, escaped from Cuba in the '60s and '70s. As the day goes on, younger people join, their children join, for the celebration and the speculation about what's going on. They're getting their news from the Cuban media station, "The Roundtable," the show, where last night some of -- the commentator apparently quoted, or said that he quoted Fidel Castro, and Castro said that he was feeling much better, and that he was stable, and that sort of thing. Most people here do not believe that. And they say there is one date coming up that will make the decision for them.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: To me, my determining factor, when I will know 100 percent for sure, is on August 13th, his birthday. If he doesn't show himself why in time, I understand it's a long time away, but by that day, if he doesn't show, I believe he is dead.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DORNIN: Of course Raul Castro, there's a lot of speculation about what he would be like and that sort of thing, and most people here say that he just of course lacks the charisma, and some say that he has a heavy drinking problem as well and just could not hold the country together with that cultive personality that Fidel Castro has been able to do for the last 47 years -- Daryn.
KAGAN: Rusty, where are the people you're talking to there, the Cuban-Americans, where do they say they're getting their information from?
DORNIN: There's a variety. Of course, there's just rumor here and a lot conspiracy theories and that sort of thing. There was even the theory that President Bush was here the other day, and that was no coincidence; the government must have known. We're hearing even those sorts of things.
They are hearing from some relatives in Cuba, of course. A few people have had phone calls, that sort of thing. And then Again, as I said, the Cuban government station that has that show, "The Roundtable," they get a lot of information from that. That is something that was well watched by the Cuban exile community last night.
KAGAN: Rusty Dornin, live from Miami, thank you.
Now you heard Rusty talk about Raul Castro, the brother for Fidel, who has taken over temporarily in power. What do we know about him? Not much. CNN's Randi Kaye investigated for "ANDERSON COOPER 360."
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RANDI KAYE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): He has always been in Fidel Castro's shadow. His younger brother, his number two, his potential successor. Once he talked about a post-Fidel Cuba.
RAUL CASTRO, FIDEL CASTRO'S BROTHER (through translator): Is there going to be a transition here towards something? Yes. Towards a better form of socialism. And there's something you will like, towards a more democratic society.
KAYE: Precisely what he means by the words democratic society is still unclear, and a key question now. But what is clear is that Raul Castro has been in charge of Cuba's army for more than four decades. And his reputation is not exactly pristine.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Many people believe he is ruthless. There is a sense that either he is ruthless, or that his brother has used him as the -- sort of the government's hatchet man.
For whatever reason he has a reputation as being far more willing to crack down on opponents, on critics, especially within the system.
KAYE: But after the collapse of the Soviet Union, it was Raul who insisted on the creation of at least some free enterprise markets. Beans, he said, are more important than bullets.
If he in fact takes charge in Cuba, some experts believe the transition will be a difficult one.
JAMIE SUCHLICKI, UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI: Succession will be very fast and easy. And then a long period of transition, which will be complex and difficult.
KAYE: Raul himself once admitted that taking over from his brother will be difficult.
CASTRO (through translator): No one will ever again have as much authority as Fidel Castro has had. Because of who he is, because he made a true revolution.
KAYE: Some experts on Cuba believe there will be a period of political struggle, possibly violence, prompting Cuba's army and secret police to be deployed on city streets after the death of Fidel.
But the truth is, of course, no one knows for certain. What is certain is that Raul Castro, for decades practically unknown outside his native island, will take center stage in one of the world's most watched nations.
Randi Kaye, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAGAN: Randi is part of the team coving the world for "ANDERSON COOPER 360." "A.C. 360" begins at 10:00 Eastern.
(WEATHER REPORT)
KAGAN: U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, John Bolton, at microphone. Let's listen in.
JOHN BOLTON, U.S. AMBASSADOR TO U.N.: I think it's important in this case, given the seriousness of the situation, to underline the real good faith and intensity with which we're trying to resolve our differences.
So with that, why don't I take a question?
QUESTION: Mr. Ambassador, well, unfortunately, I'm going to raise differences.
There seem to be serious philosophical differences between the American approach and the French approach, and I wondered how you believe these could be bridged, and whether you are still hopeful or optimistic that there can be an agreement in the coming days or next week or when.
BOLTON: Well, I don't think there are philosophical differences. I mean, these don't rise to the level of Cartesian magnitude.
There are differences in approach to the nature of the cessation of hostilities and how to make it permanent, but there is near complete agreement on the fundamental political framework that has to be put in place.
We've been making progress on that here in New York and in the exchanges between capitals. And I think that's really significant, because it underlines the fundamental notion that we do not want to see a return to the status quo ante. So I think that's very significant.
Now, how that issue gets resolved, in part, tells us how the force composition and mandate issues get resolved, as well. And these are some of the questions that we're working on.
And I think we're -- we find the results of the conversations to encouraging so far, although more work remains to be done, there's no question about that.
QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE) two resolutions, one which would have a cease-fire and a second one which would deal with the, sort of, broader political deal. Is that something that the U.S. is moving toward agreeing to?
BOLTON: What we're talking about now is something that will certainly set out the framework of the larger political foundation for a sustainable cease-fire, as we've said repeatedly. I don't think that a cease-fire without more is sufficient to lead to a fundamental change in the situation in the region.
But the precise way that this will be done, how many resolutions would be involved, remains to be seen, in part, because things are changing on the ground, as well.
QUESTION: Ambassador, what's this talk about a lead force going in before the major force goes in?
And since there are -- forgive me to also bring out the differences -- there are differences of what comes first between you and the French, if so, such a lead force is to be considered, who is going to lead it?
BOLTON: I think one of the alternatives that's being considered is two different kinds of forces in two different kinds of periods, because the situation at the outset when a force might go in could well be substantially different than a period, say, six months later and over the longer term. And I think that really is just a statement of the obvious.
But there's no decision on that and there's no real split. I think everybody's trying to weigh these factors back and forth, and that's a considerable part of the discussion we're having.
QUESTION: Could a strengthened UNIFIL play a bridging role to help ensure that, during a cessation of fighting, that neither side is able to take advantage and exploit that lull?
BOLTON: I don't want to try and get too much into the specifics of what we're talking about. I don't really think it's useful at this point to display them in public -- to say, "Well, this is a possibility," or "That's not a possibility."
We're having almost continuous discussion on this point, and different ideas come in and out of play. But the point I want to underline is the essential agreement we have on the basic need for the next council action and subsequent council actions to be part of a framework that leads to a substantial change in the region.
QUESTION: Ambassador, if you were to get a resolution embedding the political framework in a resolution, would you at that stage be willing to support an immediate end to the violence?
BOLTON: As I said, I don't want to really characterize how this might come out, because I think that it's important that we and others who are engaged in this discussion keep flexibility. And it's important that players in the region are part of it as well. And that often is a circumstance that doesn't play out well with public discussion.
QUESTION: In terms of disarming Hezbollah, is there talk now that a new U.N. force would help the Lebanese government disarm Hezbollah? Or is that not being discussed so directly?
BOLTON: Well, I think it is fundamental to 1559 -- to the full implementation of 1559, that Hezbollah has to give up being an armed force, a force that carries out terrorist action.
If it wants to be a political party, it needs to be a real political party. And that's certainly an end state that I think we need to have full implementation of 1559, and we're looking at different ways to do that.
QUESTION: If the French ambassador told us on Monday that he cannot see France playing a role in a force that would disarm Hezbollah, and that should be left to a dialogue internally, and you are stating, or the administration is stating that disarming Hezbollah comes first actually, can you see a middle solution between these two? They seem too polarizing.
BOLTON: Well, that is exactly the exercise we're now engaged in, to see if there is a way to bridge these conceptual differences. And it's been a discussion that we've had at, I think, very serious levels, very intensely, and in real good faith, because it is important, I think, for long-term stability in the region, for the safety and democracy of the people of Lebanon and the safety of the people in Israel that we reach this conclusion.
I'll just take one more here.
QUESTION: Is there any evidence that either Israel or Hezbollah would be ready to accept a call for an immediate end to violence?
And is there any evidence that a combination of Lebanese armed forces and possibly a strengthened UNIFIL would be able to prevent further arms being brought to Hezbollah during a cease-fire?
BOLTON: Well, I think those are some of the questions that we're in the course of examining. And I think that it is -- for us it's a significant element that Syria and Iran and others who have been supplying Hezbollah with arms and finance take seriously their obligations under 1559 to stop that supply. And that's going to be an important point for us, however this works out.
Now, as I said, that was the last question, so I'll...
KAGAN: U.S. ambassador to United Nations, John Bolton, sticking to his limit.
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