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CNN Sunday Morning
Hurricane Watch in Southern Florida; Phelps Makes Olympic History
Aired August 17, 2008 - 07:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: From the CNN Center in Atlanta, Georgia, this is CNN SUNDAY MORNING for this August 17th. Hello to you all. I'm T.J. Holmes.
RANDI KAYE, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Randi Kaye, in for Betty Nguyen. It's 7:00 a.m. here in Atlanta.
A hurricane watch is out for southern Florida. We are closely watching tropical storm Fay to see where it goes.
HOLMES: Also, we are watching this morning, and we have seen history in Beijing. You can call him an eight-time gold medallist. You can call him the greatest Olympian of all time, or you can simply call him Michael Phelps.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAEL PHELPS, 8 GOLD MEDALS IN 2008: You know, I -- I said it all along. You know, I want to be the first Michael Phelps and not the second Mark Spitz.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: And he has done just that this morning. But some serious weather, a situation we'll be keeping an eye on happening over there in the weather center -- Randi.
KAYE: Absolutely, T.J. We begin this morning with a hurricane watch in the Florida Keys. The National Hurricane Center in Miami posted the watch just about two hours ago. Tropical storm Fay has left a path of flooding and damage across the Dominican Republic and Haiti. The "Associated Press" reporting at least four deaths.
Now, Fay could grow to hurricane strength where it reaches Cuba later today. Where it goes after that, of course, is hard to predict. As a precaution, Shell oil was preparing to evacuate about 200 workers yesterday from drilling platforms in the Gulf of Mexico.
And, of course, Reynolds Wolf -- he's in the CNN weather center, he has been tracking Fay.
And, Reynolds, exactly, tell us where Fay is right now?
REYNOLDS WOLF, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Well, right now, Fay is very close to Jamaica. And if you take a look on the map, Randi, and for our viewers at home, you'll notice it's just a disorganized mess. You see some deep convection, and you see some areas towards the center where right near the highest peaks of Jamaica, it's really causing quite a bit of damage, this storm.
You know, in many ways, we need to be thankful for the islands because if it weren't for these islands, this storm would have a chance to grow and expand with quite a bit of intensity. But for the time being, it is a mess. However, the latest we have for the storm, the winds are currently at about 50 miles an hour, a little bit stronger than they were yesterday, gusting however to 65. Now the sustained winds and even the gusts are far away from the strength that would be equivalent to a category one storm.
And the latest forecast map that we have, the path in the National Hurricane Center shows the storm strengthening but only to 65 miles per hour. And just south of the Cuban coast as we get to 2:00 a.m. on Monday, then moving just to the east of Havana into the Florida Keys as we get you early on Tuesday with winds of 70 miles an hour, close to a category one storm but still as a tropical storm, and then, moving to the south of Tampa, near the Tampa area by early Wednesday and then still moving over land into north Florida, not far at all from the I-75 corridor and then back into south Georgia and eventually up into the Carolinas.
Now, a couple of things you got to remember. Between the next 12 to 24 to 48 hours, there could be a lot of changes in this storm, not just in intensity, but where the storm might go. I want you to look at this cone of probability -- you'll notice that the storm could easily move more to the east, perhaps into the Atlantic, perhaps even more to the west over the open waters to the Gulf of Mexico where you could have rapid intensification. The storm could be a much bigger hurricane. (INAUDIBLE) possibly hitting parts of the Florida coast line and maybe Apalachicola, maybe even as far to the west as Alabama and Mississippi or even Louisiana.
There's a lot that can change, and for the very latest, you're going to want to stay here at CNN, your hurricane headquarters.
Let's send it right back to you, Randi.
KAYE: All right, Reynolds. Thank you for that.
WOLF: You bet.
KAYE: And we also want to let you know that we are awaiting any moment -- we hope to hear from Governor Charlie Crist from Florida to let us know what the preparations there are. He has declared a state of emergency there, so we hope to speak with him this morning.
But for now, T.J., I send it back to you.
HOLMES: All right, Randi.
From their views on abortion to their greatest moral failings -- the presidential candidates go on the record about their beliefs. John McCain and Barack Obama talked some tough issues last night on a forum on faith. It was hosted by Reverend Rick Warren in his megachurch in Lake Forest, California last night. We get the details now from senior political analyst, Bill Schneider.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WILLIAM SCHNEIDER, CNN SR. POLITICAL ANALYST (voice-over): In a sometimes uncivil campaign, the civil forum brought us this moment.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you guys.
SCHNEIDER: Their first appearance together lasted just seconds. In the middle of the forum that lived up to its name -- same questions, different styles and substance.
REV. RICK WARREN, SADDLEBACK CHURCH: What does it mean to you to trust in Christ?
SCHNEIDER: Some questions, of course, centered on religion.
SEN. BARACK OBAMA, (D-IL) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: As a starting point, it means I believe in that Jesus Christ died for my sins.
SEN. JOHN MCCAIN, (R-AZ) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: It means I'm saved and forgiven.
SCHNEIDER: Others are more politically pointed.
WARREN: At what point is a baby entitled to human rights?
MCCAIN: At the moment of conception.
(APPLAUSE)
OBAMA: If you believe that life begins at conception, then -- and you are consistent in that belief, then I can't argue with you on that. What I can do is say -- are there ways that we can work together to reduce the number of unwanted pregnancies.
SCHNEIDER: Obama tried to convince religious voters he is not a threat even when they disagree. McCain reached out to social conservatives trying to answer lingering doubts for some. The unique questions from Warren brought answers not always heard on the trail.
Obama on which Supreme Court justice he wouldn't have appointed.
OBAMA: I would not have nominated Clarence Thomas. I don't think that he was a strong enough jurist or legal thinker.
SCHNEIDER: McCain surprised the room with his answer on this biggest moral failing.
MCCAIN: My greatest moral failing -- and I have been a very imperfect person -- is the failure of my first marriage.
SCHNEIDER: McCain's lasting impression on the audience -- sharing personal stories to highlight the sacrifices he's made. MCCAIN: In a prison camp in North Vietnam, my father was a high- ranking admiral. The Vietnamese came and said that I could leave prison early. But I said no, and I'll never forget sitting my last answer and the high-ranking officer who offered it slammed the door and the interrogator said, "Go back to your cell, it's going to be very tough on you now."
SCHNEIDER: For Obama, thoughtfulness may have been his theme, with his answers often more complex.
OBAMA: Solving big problems like, for example, energy, is not going to be easy. If we pretend like everything is free and there's no sacrifice involved, then we are betraying the tradition of America.
SCHNEIDER: No ties for the candidates on this Saturday night. The next time they meet in the fall debates, the questions and the setting will be a little more formal.
OBAMA: Go get 'em.
WARREN: Thank you so much.
SCHNEIDER: Bill Schneider, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: Well, just some of the highlights there, but you can see it in its entirety tonight on CNN, a reply of that forum on faith hosted by Reverend Rick Warren. That's tonight at 8:00 o'clock Eastern and find out what happened behind the scenes at that faith forum. Rick Warren goes inside the scoop on "LARRY KING LIVE." That's tomorrow night at 9:00 o'clock Eastern, only right here on CNN.
KAYE: On the trail today, Barack Obama campaigns in Reno, Nevada. He meets this morning with former Texas oilman T. Boone Pickens. Pickens is promoting his plan to use natural gas and wind power to cut dependence on foreign oil. Later, Obama holds a town hall meeting in Reno.
John McCain is also taking note of the energy plan backed by T. Boone Pickens. He met with Pickens last week to discuss the plan. On the trail today, McCain is scheduled to attend a private fundraiser in Florida if the weather doesn't impact his travel.
And, of course, speaking of the weather, let's get right to the storm preparations in Florida. Governor Charlie Crist joins us by phone from Tallahassee, talking about tropical storm Fay, which has headed your way. Governor, good morning.
GOV. CHARLIE CRIST, (R) FLORIDA (through phone): Good morning, Randi. How are you this morning?
KAYE: I'm fine, thank you. Thanks for your time this morning. Let's talk about the Keys. From what I understand, you're planning an evacuation in the Florida Keys. CRIST: Well, that's right. That's up to the local officials and they've indicated that. I should tell you that weather reports this morning indicate now we're under a hurricane watch in southwest Florida, including, of course, the Florida Keys.
We issued a state of emergency yesterday for the entire state just to be prepared and it kicks in certain laws that give us the opportunity to coordinate better with our local law enforcement officials and first responders. So, I issued that order yesterday afternoon.
But I think the watch word for Floridians is be calm but be alert. And any time your entire state is in the forecast cone of a hurricane, it's not a hurricane yet, but they anticipate it may well be before the next 24 hours pass, depending on the path, then you've got to be ready. And I would encourage my fellow Floridians to go to Web site: http://www.Floridadisaster.org". And that's spelled out FloridaDisaster.org.
KAYE: And what about the challenges just get -- I'm saying with the Keys here, in evacuating the Keys, this is a single lane highway that connects the Keys to the mainland and getting people out in that situation can always be rather difficult.
CRIST: Well, that's true. That's why I think the local officials have done the right thing. You know, they want special needs people to have the opportunity to get out first and tourists who may be less familiar or have challenges, obviously, getting out of the Keys. And, you're right, there's one main road that goes out.
So, it's important that as people start to migrate north and out of the Florida Keys, that they stay calmed, that they stay relaxed, but be vigilant. And listen to the local officials which is another important thing, I think, for all Floridians, as this storm continues to approach us, is pay attention to your local news, make sure you have a battery-operated radio, make sure that you have three days of water and, again, go to FloridaDisaster.org and get all the tips and information that you might need.
KAYE: You've said that the storm that's threatening Florida right now could turn out to be a major disaster, those were your words. What is your greatest concern about your state right now?
CRIST: Well, my greatest concern always is for the people. You know, this storm, it's already a killer storm. You know, four people have lost their lives in the islands as it came up the Caribbean. And so, my first concern, you know, first and foremost, is always with the people of the state of Florida.
We want to make sure that we protect, you know, our property, that citizens protect their homes. I mean, it's health, safety, and welfare first and foremost, and those are the things that our team would always be concerned with and certainly we are here, but, you know, Florida is very practiced with these things. I guess, unfortunately, we've had so many hurricanes in the past five years in our state. So we're ready. But, you know, we want to make sure that all of our citizens are ready, and they don't just depend upon government, that they make sure that they take precautions, stay tuned and be ready.
KAYE: And before we let you go, I know a lot of parents are concerned because tomorrow is the first day of school in Miami, Dade and Broward County, any plan as this storm begins to move north for those counties for school yet?
CRIST: Well, again, Randi, I think that the watch word here is -- is pay attention to your local officials. You know, county-by- county, whether it's Miami, Dade, Lee County, Monroe County -- I think the important thing is listen to your local news and find out what local officials, the school board and the superintendents are declaring as it relates to school openings or not.
KAYE: All right. Governor Charlie Crist, thank you very much for your time this morning and we hope that all goes well for you in the state of Florida.
CRIST: Say a little prayer for us, Randi.
KAYE: Will do. Thank you.
CRIST: Thank you.
HOLMES: Well, if you missed it last night, you missed history. He did it, folks. Michael Phelps set the new gold standard for the Olympics -- eight for eight.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: All right, everybody, take a look at these pictures. Yes. That is Michael Phelps. Here with his eight gold medals. Count them -- one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, and if you look, you know, he's kind of -- he's posing differently with each one.
HOLMES: How do you keep -- how do you keep changing the pose? I mean, you just -- you do it so many times.
KAYE: Yes, I know. But except for that one in the middle on the bottom there, he's got a pretty big smile, understandably for all of them, right?
HOLMES: That's amazing that he has posed just about the same for every picture. He's got this thing down. He's been doing this a while ago.
KAYE: His pot of gold, yes.
And, of course, if you're a big Phelps fan, a chance to ask him a question, CNN.com will be talking to Phelps this Tuesday. Go to iReport.com right now and submit your video question for Michael Phelps. Don't miss him live on Tuesday morning, 8:30 Eastern, only at CNN.com/live. HOLMES: So, it's official. It sounded improbable and impossible when it started, saying he was going to get eight. It sounded ridiculous almost but he's done it. He has picked up his eighth gold medal of these Olympic Games.
KAYE: Phelps slammed the third leg in the 400 meter medley. The Americans took the gold in world record time and helped Phelps set an all-time single Olympics record for the gold.
HOLMES: And we got some pictures here to share with you of the crown afterwards. That's him there in the middle with the hat if you can make him out, trying to get into the vehicle. But, of course, everybody wants a piece of him right now. This is him leaving the stadium, leaving the cube, the swimming cube. You can see the smiles on people's faces, everybody is trying to get a glance and get a look at this guy.
Our Larry Smith has been in Beijing and getting a pretty good look at the guy himself.
Again, like I was saying, Larry, when this thing started, thinking about him going for eight, it just seemed so improbable and like I said, impossible. But when he picked up two, three, four, five, we started thinking, well, maybe he is going to do this thing and here we are now.
LARRY SMITH, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, what is amazing what he has done, but you saw him in Athens where he got the eight gold medals, six of them gold -- so eight medals total, six of them gold. You say, well, maybe it's a possibility but what he has done has been simply incredible.
Here's a staggering stat for you. Michael Phelps in 17 finals in his Olympic career, he has won gold 14 times, leaving all of us speechless as he now has solidified his spot as a legend at just 23 years old.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SMITH (voice-over): There will be thousands of pictures to show what Michael Phelps did in Beijing this past week and millions of words to describe it. But years from now, what will not fade is eight pieces of gold, a shining testament to a transcendent performance.
MICHAEL PHELPS, 8 GOLD MEDALS IN 2008: The records are always made to be broken. No matter what they are, anybody can do anything they set their mind to. You know, I said it all along, you know, I want to be the first Michael Phelps, not the second Mark Spitz.
SMITH: Eight is a lucky number in Chinese culture. These games started on 8/8/08 and they were taken over by Phelps shortly thereafter. Each race became a fireworks show of its own, seven world records punctuating his perfection.
PHELPS: I guess it's a lucky number for me now, too. You know, it's -- you know, seeing 8/8/08 and, you know, opening ceremony starting at 8:08, I guess it was maybe meant to be. I don't know.
SMITH: To say Phelps is now a superstar is to understate his achievement. Seventeen races over nine days with both thrilling and dominating finishes splashed throughout. All live in front of a world captivated. If overcoming Mark Spitz is Olympic record of seven gold medals was historic, what comes next may be as epic as once building the Great Wall itself, possibly the greatest Olympian ever at 23 with a legacy still looking towards London in 2012.
PHELPS: There are some things that I still want to do. I want to-- you know, I want to raise the bar on the sport of swimming more. You know, it's come a long way and I think it can go even farther.
SMITH: This country is rich in a history colored by grand achievements that took millions, many years, to accomplish. Michael Phelps will now be a part of that history, but his wonder will be remembered as singular and it will only be one color -- gold.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SMITH: Well, in case you're wondering, what is a 23-year-old athletic legend do once he has achieved greatness? Well, he says take a vacation. Hang with his friends. And, for once, not be on a clock. His time will be his time.
Now, Michael Phelps, again, eight gold medals is a record. As we check the medal board standing here on this Sunday, just about halfway through these games, Michael Phelps, if you take his golds away and make him his own country -- Phelpistan maybe -- he will be fourth ranked in golds and 13th in total medals. USA leading by the way in total medals, including Phelps, second to China in gold. These are the Michael Phelps games. Let's go back to you.
HOLMES: Phelpistan, that's pretty good. You said he's going to take a vacation. I wonder if he goes to a beach if he'll go swimming. His folks in his hometown of Baltimore, they got a chance to -- they got a unique way to check him out. You know they've been following him pretty closely.
SMITH: Yes, absolutely. It was pretty cool to see that, too, after the Ravens preseason, NFL preseason game about 10,000 stayed around and watched the race on the big screen there at the stadium there in downtown Baltimore, and then cheered him on. I'm sure the whole city is going crazy.
You know, I tell you what -- if this guy takes a vacation he can't go to Baltimore. I mean, he's 6'4"; he's going to stand out in a crowd. He's got to go someplace like remote, on an island somewhere and just be by himself.
HOLMES: You're not kidding. At this point, he probably can't go anywhere, certainly not in his hometown and certainly not in the U.S., and probably not in the world without being recognized at this point.
Larry Smith, you're there yourself to witness history. We appreciate you. We'll be talking to you again, buddy. KAYE: We are keeping a close eye on tropical storm Fay which could possibly make its way to Florida either Monday night or possibly into Tuesday. Evacuation in the Florida Keys is under way -- apparently, at least certainly within the next hour or so.
We want to get to WSVN reporter, Blake Burman who was in the Florida Keys for us this morning.
Blake, what's the situation there? It looks pretty calm right now.
BLAKE BURMAN, WSVN REPORTER: Yes, it is very calm. Right now, we are in Key Largo, about 30 miles to our north is Miami, about an hour to our south is Key West. But right now, take a look behind me. You can see the water is extremely calm. It is almost postcard quality, about 75 degrees and sunny here, but the big news this hour, deals with evacuation.
Visitors have been told to get out of here starting at 8:00 o'clock, so in about 45 minutes from now, visitors will be forced out of the Keys. Of course, right now, in Key Largo, we are in that hurricane watch which stretches from Ocean Reef a little to our north and Key West all the way to our south. Residents will be told or have been told already, to leave as well, but we are told that the drive out of here will not get congested.
Keep in mind -- it is one lane in and one lane out, for most of the way until this afternoon. So, the drive will be tight starting this afternoon. A lot of people that we have talked to have said that they are simply not going to go, this is the "Conch Republic" as it's known down here. As one person told us today, he said, "We are conked so we've kind of been through this before."
Of course, the big question now in Key Largo and for all of Key West, will this hit here, will this hit elsewhere? And when it hits, if it hits, will it be tropical storm Fay or will it be hurricane Fay? That's the very latest in Key Largo, Blake Burman. Back to you.
KAYE: All right, Blake, thank you for that report.
And we, of course, will keep an eye on this storm as it makes its way towards that area.
HOLMES: Well, 24 hours now into a cease-fire and the two countries battling are still making claims against each other.
KAYE: And hundreds of people are living in tents rather than try to return to their war-torn towns.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: If your life is stored on laptop, protecting your privacy online, of course, is key. Well, in today's "Right on Your Money," Christine Romans has some very good tips.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): With the click of a mouse, you can review account information, pay bills, and research investments. But be aware, you may not be the only one screening your online information.
MANDY WALKER, SR. PROJECT EDITOR, CONSUMER REPORTS: If your computer is stolen or a hacker breaks in on the Internet, they get the whole list of all your passwords so they can get into all of your accounts.
ROMANS: But here is how to protect your identity online. Don't reply to or click on any link in an e-mail that asks for your credit card or bank account information or any other private information. Even if the e-mail looks like it came from your bank.
WALKER: Of course, it's usually phishing schemes that done this way. So, a cyber thief could be using your account number to get your password, to steal your identity or empty all your account.
ROMANS: Don't store passwords or logon information on your computer.
WALKER: It's certainly tempting because you probably got a different password for 19 or 20 different accounts, but do take note, don't click yes when they ask. If you want to remember your online information and delete any that you've already stored that way. Again, so they won't get hacked into.
ROMANS: One way to prevent thieves from opening new accounts in your name -- put a freeze on your credit file.
WALKER: It can be a bit of a pain if you're applying for a new loan because you have to give the creditor a pin number or you have to unlock it somehow to give them access. But it will stop identity thieves from opening new accounts which can be key if you suspect or going to be the victim or you have been a victim of identity theft.
ROMANS: And that's this week's "Right on Your Money."
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Hello again. And welcome back everybody, on this CNN SUNDAY MORNING. I'm T.J. Holmes.
KAYE: And I'm Randi Kaye in for Betty Nguyen.
HOLMES: Some of you just waking up and some of you may have missed it last night but he did it, folks. Michael Phelps, in fact, has won his eighth gold medal. We'll be talking about that plenty this morning.
KAYE: It was amazing to watch him swim. He swam the third-leg of the 4x100 medley in his final event. The win and the medal allowed Phelps to break Mark Spitz's record set in the 1972 games in Munich. Phelps says it's been an incredible journey.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAEL PHELPS, OLYMPIC SWIMMER: Every moment that I've had so far, in and out of the pool, will be with me forever. And, you know, it's just been one of the greatest week of my life if not the greatest and probably the most fun, the best, the best two months, you know, from trials, you know, or from trials until now. It's just been absolutely incredible.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: Phelps says he does plan on taking a vacation and hanging out with some friends.
HOLMES: Back over here at the international desk. Of course, our producers, editors monitoring the major international stories and certainly one they've been keeping an eye on the past several days, past week or so really as the conflict goes on between Russia and Georgia. We have conflicting reports this morning now whether or not Russia is actually adhering to that cease-fire agreement. The six- point cease-fire agreement that has been signed by all parties now and whether or not they are actually withdrawing from Georgia's breakaway province of South Ossetia.
Russian defense ministry spokesman tells the "Associated Press" that troops have not started pulling out yet but a Russian general says some troops have begun to leave. Now, Georgia's government has accused the Russian-backed militia of seizing 13 villages and a power plant bordering that region.
Our Frederik Pleitgen has been keeping an eye on things for us in Tbilisi. He's been in the Georgian capital. He's with us again this morning. There, I guess, kind of a humanitarian crisis certainly going on there as well. Give us the update on what you're seeing in terms of the troops and also how the people of Georgia doing right now.
FREDRICK PLEITGEN, CNN CORRESPONDETN: Sure, T.J., we've been in touch with the Georgian government all throughout this day starting from early this morning. And they say they have no indications that Russian forces are actually leaving the areas that they currently hold or making any preparations to leave the areas that they currently hold. They do say that there are some smaller towns that Russian tanks have actually gone out of at that point but they say they believe that the Russians are actually broadening their positions in that area that they hold.
The way you have to think about this, T.J., is what was happening in the beginning is the Russians had the main road and had the main towns along that main road and now are broadening their presence into sort of the villages and into the smaller towns that goes deeper into Georgian territory. That is the point of view from the Georgian side. The Russians, of course, say that their troops remain stationery in that area. The Georgians, of course, also are accusing the Russians of damaging key Georgian infrastructure. That's something we've been talking about for the last 24 hours, I would say. The Georgians accusing the Russians of destroying a key bridge that leads from Tbilisi, from the capital to the Black Sea coast, that's absolutely vital for this country's economic infrastructure. The Russians again saying they did not destroy that bridge.
Now, I want to get to the humanitarian situation for a moment here. We are, of course, in the center for displaced people right on the edge of the capital of Tbilisi. And the people that came here really do consider themselves and probably are the lucky ones so far in this conflict. They are here. They have enough food. They have enough water here in this camp.
And certainly what we're hearing from relief organizations and also from the Georgian government that does not seem to be the case for many of the people still in that conflict area. Still in towns like Gori and towns like Tskhinvali where relief organizations are just now starting to penetrate. We have been in touch with the Red Cross today and they say they are beginning to send convoys into those area. But you know, the big problem with that is they are allowed to go in there but it just takes a very, very long time. It's a laborious process. There's a lot of Russian checkpoints on the road there. A lot of documentation that has to be presented and a lot of distrust on the part of the Russian side, apparently, who believed that some of the Georgian convoys might be smuggling weapons into that area.
So, the relief organizations say while their efforts are increasing and while there is more aid coming into those very badly affected areas it still is a very, very difficult process. T.J.
HOLMES: All right. Our Frederik Pleitgen there for us in Tbilisi where we are still getting conflicting reports and conflicting ideas about what are really happening with the Russian troops. Are they pulling back? Or are they just fortifying their position? Frederik Pleitgen again for us in Tbilisi, thank you so much.
We are getting some reports, some i-reports. As always, people helping us tell the story. This coming to us out of a refugee camp in Georgia. Pictures here from Andro came to us. He says most of the refugees are from South Ossetia and says the conditions there are just terrible. He says there are no beds and he, himself, sleeping on the floor.
KAYE: Tropical storm Fay churning in the Caribbean, close to Jamaica, forcing tourists to leave the Florida keys. Well, what is next for Fay? Reynolds Wolf is tracking the storm from the CNN Severe Weather Center. Good morning, Reynolds.
REYNOLDS WOLF, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Good morning, Randy. Really, that is the answer everyone wants. Where is this storm going to go? Right now let's get things established by telling you where it is and what it has been doing just over the past couple of hours. Now, over the last couple of hours it has been spinning off Haiti and going towards Jamaica. It is just a mess right now. You see a little bit of the storm beginning to break up as it encounters Blue Mountain which is over 7,000 feet and extreme eastern Jamaica, not far from Kingston, at all.
The storm is still trying to feed off that warm water, trying to gain some strength and it has been doing a little bit of that going from 45 miles an hour to 50 just over the past couple of hours. Some gusts have been approaching 65 miles per hour but it has begun to slow down a bit, going north-northwest at 13 miles per hour.
Now, the latest path we have from the National Hurricane Center brings the storm a bit more on a west, northwesterly curve north of Jamaica just to the west of Guantanamo and into south Cuba. And again, in terms of intensification we only see, at least according to the forecast, going up some 10 miles per hour in terms of sustained winds by 2:00 a.m. Monday. Then crossing the island, just east of Havana, moving into the straits of Florida at 2:00 a.m. Tuesday, right past key west with winds of 70 miles per hour.
Then as we look more at that big picture, we're going to we pick it up from the keys and then into Tampa it goes as we get to late night on Tuesday and into 2:00 a.m. Wednesday north of Tampa and then right along parts of the i-75 corridor and into the south eventually moving into the Carolinas as an area of low pressure.
Now, what we got to remember about this storm is that over the next couple of hours, there's a good chance we may see some big changes in intensification. It could get stronger. It could get weaker. At the same time, I would not be surprised if we see the path push a little bit more to the east or west. There's a lot of uncertainty with the storm as it interacts with land and warm water. So it's certainly something we need to bear watching. Now, if you happen to be in Florida, obviously, you really need to begin to think about having a plan, begin to think about taking action.
Already we've had that evacuation into the keys for visitors. But, remember, the storm veer off course, could go towards the Alabama coast line and perhaps the Mississippi and even into Louisiana or it could curve even more to the east and affect the Carolinas. A lot we have to watch and for the very latest make sure to keep it here and we will give you the very latest details. Let's send it back to you at the news desk.
KAYE: OK, Reynolds. Thanks for update.
WOLF: You bet.
KAYE: Communism and Christianity, the Reverend Franklin Graham is just back from a humanitarian mission to North Korea.
HOLMES: He got a rare look inside that secretive communist nation. He's sharing with us next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Communism and Christianity. We're talking both this morning in our next "Faces of Faith" segment. And our next guest is recently back from a rare trip inside North Korea. The Reverend Franklin Graham and his group, "Samaritan's Purse," have been sending humanitarian aid to the secretive communist nation.
Reverend Graham joins us now from Boone, North Carolina to tell us more about his trip. Sir, good morning to you. So glad you could with us. Now, the trip you take to North Korea, you're not going as an official representative of the United States. You're not going as a politician and you're not going as a diplomat but, still, when you go, do you still view yourself as a representative of the United States and is that certainly how you are received as well?
REV. FRANKLIN GRAHAM, BILLY GRAHAM EVANGELISTIC ASSN.: Thank you, T.J., and good morning to you. Yes. When I go to North Korea, I am a citizen of the United States. But, more importantly, I'm a Christian and I want this country that has persecuted Christians that has discouraged faith, I want them to know that Christians can be a positive role model in their country, their Christians can not only help their country, but I think are very important part of their society.
HOLMES: Yes, tell me, have you run into some roadblocks there, because like you said, there, this is not necessarily, certainly not a Christian friendly country so how have your efforts been received? Have you run into some roadblocks and maybe some out and out hostility?
GRAHAM: Well, we've been working there now for 10 years. T.J., my mother went to school in North Korea when she was a little girl and so we have some relations with this country. And so it goes back not only my involvement for 10 years but my father before me made two trips to North Korea. So, yes, there have been roadblocks and there are difficulties and every time you go to places like this you just have to work through those and navigate through them, and you ask God to help you. I'm a Christian. I'm an evangelist and I want the people of North Korea to know that God loves them and cares for them and that Jesus Christ died for their sins and rose from the grave. I want them to know this.
And so our efforts have been humanitarian. It has been in the area of medicine. We have taken doctors over there. We have had dental clinics. We are continuing to work there. I have 16 staff members there today helping with a food distribution for the United States government.
HOLMES: Sir, will it take efforts like yours from private citizens to improve relations between these two countries? Because, unfortunately, maybe, some would say, because of the rhetoric from some of the politicians, that turns into, you know, the two countries, maybe the governments have problems with each other but does that permeate throughout the society as to where the average citizens then, you know, Americans might see North Korea as the enemy and North Koreans just the regular citizens see America as the enemy? Are you finding that as you speak to the North Koreans?
GRAHAM: Well, I find the North Koreans are people just like you and me. When you talk to them, they want the best for their family, they want their children to go to school, to have a job. They want to live in peace. That there is a lot of similarities. They are human beings that got made and created. And I think we need to talk to the North Koreans. We need to have an engagement with them. This is probably the most dangerous real estate in the world. And we are still technically at war with North Korea. So we need to talk. I think the more that we can do, the more that we can help them, the better it's going to be for this country in the long run.
HOLMES: All right. We return now to a little politics. I was talking to you there during the break and you said you watch every minute of the "Forum on Faith" last night. And I believe you said you have always said that you're not going to officially endorse a candidate. That still the case?
GRAHAM: I'm not going to endorse a candidate. And I was thrilled last night to see CNN in church. And I hope - I hope they'll do that more often. Rick Warren did a great job and I thought he was a great host. And I think the audience was respectful of both men. I think both candidates did very well. And to be honest with you, I was a little surprised how well John McCain did. He answered, I think, the questions very clearly, very succinctly, and I think --
HOLMES: Surprised at his performance?
GRAHAM: Well, yes. Because he comes across so stiff sometimes and he was not that last night. He just - I think he resonated with conservatives last night.
HOLMES: All right. Well, I'm sure he would be glad to hear you say that and certainly hope he did resonate with conservatives last night. Franklin Graham, Reverend Franklin Graham, sir, we absolutely appreciate you taking the time out and speaking with us this morning and getting up to talk to us. You enjoy the rest of your Sunday.
GRAHAM: Thank you, T.J.. And be sure to go to church after you get off.
HOLMES: All right. Sir, sure thing! Thank you so much!
KAYE: You can't really say no to that.
Well, we are continuing to watch tropical storm Fay which is churning out there and possibly heading towards Florida. You're looking there at some pictures of the area of Miami and the Tampa area there on your right side. Visitors already being asked to evacuate the Florida keys. We will have continuing coverage of this storm throughout the morning.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: Welcome back, everyone. As we've been telling you, Florida is preparing for tropical storm Fay possibly heading in that direction. Joining us on the phone right now is Becky Herrin from Monroe County, Florida. Becky, good morning to you.
VOICE OF BECKY HERRIN, MONROE CO., FLORIDA EMERGENCY MGMT.: Good morning.
KAYE: First of all, tell us where Monroe County, Florida is. Because I know that some of the Florida keys certainly visitors are being asked to evacuate at this point. Is that part of your area?
HERRIN: That's all of our area. We are the Florida keys which is the southern tip of Florida.
KAYE: And tell me the situation there now. Are people starting to move out? We know that they've been asked to as of 8:00 a.m. Eastern time.
HERRIN: We certainly hope people are beginning to do that, yes. You know, we haven't seen huge crowds on the highway and we don't really anticipate seeing huge crowds. We expect an orderly leaving of our visitors today.
KAYE: We know that there will be sort of a we'll call it a relaxed atmosphere in the keys for anyone who's ever been there and from what I've been reading and watching on television, a lot of the folks still hanging out at the hotel bar and saying that they are probably going to just ride out the storm there and maybe not leave. What is your advice to those people?
HERRIN: Well, they need to know this is a mandatory evacuation of visitors and it's important for them to listen when we tell them these things. The reason why is we can't guarantee their safety. Once we order this mandatory evacuation, it means if they decide to stay, they may be on their own at some point and, you know, that is a real consideration.
You call 911 and if there is a tropical storm force or hurricane winds we probably won't respond. So you have to, you know, be practical and think about what it means when you ignore mandatory evacuation warning like this one.
KAYE: All right. Well as we leave you as we look at this picture here, a live picture of Key Largo, Florida. Becky, before we let you go, just quickly, how many people are we talking about that need to get out of that area?
HERRIN: I don't have a number for you, but I don't think it's one of our busier times of year. So fortunately this is coming at probably a good time for that.
KAYE: All right. Becky Herrin from Monroe County, Florida, Emergency Management. Thank you for your time and good luck with the evacuation as they get under way.
HERRIN: Thank you.
KAYE: And, of course, Reynolds Wolf is tracking this storm, as well.
WOLF: That's right. You know, there are so many questions with this storm. Everyone wants to know how much stronger will the storm possibly get. And more importantly, where in the world is this thing headed. Well, coming up, we're going to give you the very latest on Fay and give you some ideas and also give you the latest forecast from the National Hurricane Center. That's moments away, you're watching CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: The first of the political conventions is just one week from tomorrow. And we want to help you make an informed choice on election day, so we're bringing you more of what the candidates are saying in their own words. Here's John McCain at the "Forum on Faith."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REV. RICK WARREN, SADDLEBACK CHURCH: At what point is a baby entitled to human rights?
SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: At the moment of conception. I have a 25 year pro-life record in the Congress, in the Senate, and as president of the United States, I will be a pro-life president and this presidency will have pro-life policies. That's my commitment to you.
WARREN: As an American, what is worth dying for and what is worth committing American lives for?
MCCAIN: Freedom. Our national security. Our security as a nation. Wars have started in obscure places that have enveloped us. We also must temper that with the ability to effectively and beneficially cause the outcome that we want. In other words, there's tyranny and there's tragedy throughout the world, and we can't right every wrong. But we can do what America has done throughout our history, and that is be a beacon of hope and liberty, freedom for everyone in the world. As Ronald Reagan used to quote a shining city on a hill.
And so there are conflicts that we can't settle. The most precious asset that we have is American blood. And throughout our history, Americans have gone to all four corners of the world and shed that blood in defense of someone else's freedom. No other nation on earth has ever done that. Americans tonight in California and all over America are sitting at the kitchen table, recently and suddenly lost a job, can't afford to stay in their home, education for their kids, affordable health care. These are tough problems. These are tough problems. You talk to them every day. Every day.
My friends, we've got to give them hope and confidence in the future. That's what we need to give them. And I can inspire. I can lead. And I know that our best days are ahead of us.
Throughout my life from the time I was 17 and raised my hand and was sworn in as a midshipman at the United States Naval Academy, I've always put my country first. I put my country first when I had the honor of serving in the military, and I had the honor of putting my country first as a member of the House of Representatives and in the United States Senate. America wants hope. America wants optimism. America wants us to sit down together. I have a record of reaching across the aisle and working with the other party. And I want to do that. And I believe, as I said, that Americans feel it's time for us to put our country first.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Barack Obama faced the same questions at that same "Forum on Faith." Here's what he had to say in his own words about abortion, America and making decisions on when to go to war.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I was just with my family on vacation in Hawaii, and visited the place where my grandfather is laid to rest, the Punch Bowl National Cemetery. And then went out to the Arizona, out in Pearl Harbor. And, you know, you're reminded of the sacrifices that have been made on behalf of our freedom. And I think that is a solemn obligation that we all have. I think we also have forged alliances with countries. NATO being a prime example, where we have pledged to act militarily for the common defense. That is in our national interest and that I think is something that we have to abide by.
I remember what my mother used to tell me. I was talking to somebody a while back and I said the one time that she'd get really angry with me is if she ever thought that I was being mean to somebody or unfair to somebody. She said imagine standing in their shoes. Imagine looking through their eyes. That basic idea of empathy. And that I think is what's made America special is that notion, that everybody's got a shot. If we see somebody down and out, if we see a kid who can't afford college, that we care for them, too.
And I want to be president because that's the America I believe in and I feel like that American dream is slipping away. I think we are at a critical juncture economically, and I think we are at a critical juncture internationally. We've got to make some big decisions not just for us, but for the next generation. And we keep on putting it off, and unfortunately, our politics is so broken and Washington is so broken, that we can't seem to bring together people of goodwill to solve these common problems.
I think I have the ability to build bridges across partisan lines, racial, regional lines to get people to work on some common sense solutions to critical issues. And I hope that I have the opportunity to do that.
I am pro-choice. I believe in Roe versus Wade. And I come to that conclusion not because I'm pro-abortion, but because ultimately I don't think women make these decisions casually. I think they wrestle with these things in profound way, in consultations with their pastors or their spouses or their doctors, their family members. And so for me, the goal right now should be, and this is where I think we can find common ground, and by the way, I've now inserted this into the Democratic Party platform is how do we reduce the number of abortions? (END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Again, that's Barack Obama at the faith forum. And you can catch it again. We will have a replay of it, an encore presentation tonight, 8:00 o'clock Eastern, right here on CNN.
KAYE: Good morning from the CNN Center, this is CNN SUNDAY MORNING. It is August 17th. I'm Randi Kaye, in for Betty Nguyen.
HOLMES: And hello to you all. I'm T.J. Holmes. It's called Fay. And it's going to be a bit of a problem right now in the tropics. This tropical storm is now heading to Cuba, but where is it going to go next? That's pretty much anybody's guess. If you live or are vacationing in Florida, you need to be paying attention. We will be talking about Fay plenty this morning. Reynolds Wolf is tracking it for us in the severe weather center.
Meanwhile, the presidential candidates are tackling some tough questions on faith. They shared their views on abortion, talked about their moral shortcomings; it was part of a forum on faith that was hosted by Reverend Rick Warren at his church in Lake Forest, California.
CNN's Patty Lane has the highlights now.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PATTY LANE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): How will your values form you as a president -- was a central theme at a forum held for Barack Obama and John McCain on Saturday night at a southern California church. Asked about a time when he had to go with his conscious against what was popular, Obama spoke about his early opposition to the Iraq war.
SEN. BARACK OBAMA, (D-IL) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: There were a lot of people who advised me, you should be cautious. This is going to be successful.
LANE: On other issues, Obama said is he pro-choice, but supports ways to reduce the number of abortions and said he would go to war without United Nations approval if he felt it was justified.
Halfway through the forum, John McCain joined Obama on stage before the stage was turned over to the Republican senator. McCain on moral failures, both his own and the nation's.
SEN. JOHN MCCAIN, (R-AZ) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The failure of my first marriage, it's my greatest moral failure. I think America's greatest moral failure has been throughout our existence, perhaps we have not devoted ourselves to causes greater than our self interests.
LANE: On abortion, McCain said he believes life begins at conception and said his presidency will have strong pro-life policies.
I'm Patty Lane, reporting from Atlanta.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: Some perspective now on the faith forum from someone who's actually at the faith forum, Bryan Crute, senior pastor of Destiny Metropolitan Worship Church here in Atlanta.
Yes, the forum was in California last night, he is back in Atlanta this morning after the red eye. The man has four services to preach. You are working. We appreciate you being here with us this morning.
REV. BRYAN CRUTE, DESTINY METROPOLITAN WORSHIP CHURCH: Thank you.
HOLMES: That forum last night, just the format itself, how did you like how it was set up, some of the same questions asked back to back pretty much of these two candidates? Did you like how they separate?
CRUTE: I did. I liked the forum. I thought it was -- it created parity for both candidates and it gave us an opportunity to really peer into their hearts and hear exactly what answers they would give.
HOLMES: Have we been talking enough about, have they been talking enough, even the media, we've been asking enough questions about religion, should those questions be asked?
CRUTE: Well, you know, I think when you deal with the evangelicals, events like that give a platform for us as Americans to really see exactly what are the values that these candidates use in their decision-making process, both personally and publicly. So I believe that, yes, the questions do need to be asked and maybe, I don't know, the jury may be out on that, but I think we could ask more questions because everyone has a world view. Everybody does.
HOLMES: Tell us now, what stood out to you, maybe one thing from Obama, one thing from McCain, if you can -- what stood out, something that kind of jumped out, maybe even shocked you to hear from this?
CRUTE: Well, you know, when I listened to Senator Obama, one of the things that really struck me, never having met him before, he's a very warm, very compelling, very engaging. And when he was asked about really the underpinnings for his political philosophy, he referred to his upbringing with his grandmother. And he quoted scripture actually from Micah 6:8, you know, "What does the Lord require of me, to do good, to act justly, and to walk humbly before thy God."
That was kind of an eye opener for me, I thought that was an incredible underpinning for what he aspires to do and to be.
HOLMES: What about on McCain's side -- any impressions?
CRUTE: McCain was surprisingly engaging, very inspirational, using a lot of anecdotes to answer questions. I didn't expect that from him. Just looking at him on television, I didn't think that he would be that engaging. But I think really, T.J., when they talked about their personal failures and moral failures, and the fact that he just in a vulnerable way talked about his failed first marriage, that was pretty an eye opener to me.
HOLMES: And I read and certainly I was watching it as well, but when he said (INAUDIBLE) there was an audible gasp in the room, Obama's answer to the question of abortion, to the question of when life begins, when a child has human rights -- how did you take that answer in which he pretty much said and he's probably going to get beat up about this politically, saying it is above his pay grade and give kind of a, again, nuance, is how it's been described, nothing direct like McCain did.
What was it like in the room when he did give that answer? What do you think of his answer?
CRUTE: There was a gasp particularly after he had so clearly articulated the fact that he was a Christian and the means by which you become a Christian. He said I've been, you know, washed for the remission of my sins. So you're thinking, wow, OK, what next? And then not to answer the question at what point, does a human being have life -- oh, goodness, it was shocking. It was really shocking for me.
HOLMES: All right. Well, that is certainly a moment a lot of people are talking about. You were in that room when you said there was that gasp. You were in that room last night on the west coast.
CRUTE: Last night.
HOLMES: And here you are for us this morning. Brian Crute, you said four services you have?
CRUTE: Four services today.
HOLMES: One of them starting right about now (INAUDIBLE).
CRUTE: Right about now.
HOLMES: Well, you look good and I guess our makeup artists are good. You look good this morning after the trip. Again, sir, thank you so much.
CRUTE: Thank you.
HOLMES: Appreciate you coming in and give us your time, you were in the room there last night.
And again, you can watch John McCain and Barack Obama tonight, CNN, replay of that forum on faith, hosted by Reverend Rick Warren, 8:00 o'clock Eastern Time. And you can find out what happened behinds scene, as well at that forum. Rick Warren giving us the inside scoop on "LARRY KING LIVE." That will be tomorrow night, 9:00 o'clock Eastern, again, only right here on CNN -- Randi.
KAYE: Visitors to the Florida Keys are being told to leave right now because of a possible hurricane within the next 24 to 48 hours. A mandatory evacuation order has just gone into effect by urging vacationers to leave now. Officials are hoping to avoid a mass exodus that would clog the Keys' only highway.
A few minutes ago, I spoke to an official in the Keys and she says, so far, the evacuation appears to be going well.
Tropical storm Fay is blamed for at least four deaths in Haiti and the Dominican Republic. Fay is expected to become a hurricane later today as it approaches Cuba.
We also spoke with Florida Governor Charlie Crist last hour. He had this advice for people evacuating.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
GOV. CHARLIE CRIST, (R) FLORIDA: So, it's important that as people start to migrate north and out of the Florida Keys, that they stay calmed, that they stay relaxed, but be vigilant. And listen to the local officials which is another important thing, I think, for all Floridians, as this storm continues to approach us, is pay attention to your local news, make sure you have a battery-operated radio, make sure that you have three days of water and, again, go to FloridaDisaster.org and get all the tips and information that you might need.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
KAYE: And Reynolds Wolf is tracking tropical storm Fay from the severe weather center and, I guess, Reynolds, you've been saying that one of the hardest things to really determine is the strength of this hurricane -- of this tropical and what it might do when it does reach Florida, if it does.
WOLF: Absolutely. You know, that's the big thing. You know, Randi, to have a storm, to have one of these storms really become powerful, you need a couple of things, but one, you need really wide open waters. You also have to have water temperatures that are in the mid to upper 80s. That certainly helps, at the same time, a minimal shear environment.
Well, Fay is in a minimal shear environment. It has the warm water. What is does not have is wide open ocean.
In fact, this storm has really been island-hopping right past the Dominican Republic, right through Haiti, where really the high elevations in some locations in excess of 10,000 feet over towards Blue Mountains in Jamaica, you have a peak that's in excess of 7,000 feet, then really has a detrimental effect on the storm and its development. But what the storm is still trying to do is still trying to retain a little bit of that shape, kind of hard to find that center of circulation, what looks like eye, or what would be considered an eye is trying to reform at this point just to the west and to the northwest of Jamaica.
Now, the latest model that we have or at least the latest numbers we have, show the winds are at 50, gust to go 65, moving west/northwest at 13 miles an hour. And the latest forecast we have from the National Hurricane Center brings that storm still to the west and as we get into 2:00 a.m. on Monday, the storm making or moving westerly turn to the south of Cuba, moving diagonally across the nation and then east of Cuba by the way, in the east of Havana back into the Strait of Florida.
Now, in the Strait of Florida, I can tell you water temperatures there, as I mentioned, are very, very warm. There's the chance this storm could really pop with power. And then moving across the Keys west of Miami, right here near Tampa, as tropical storm at 2:00 a.m. on Wednesday with maximum sustained winds at 60 miles per hour and then into parts of Georgia and into the Carolinas.
Speaking of Tampa, let's take a look at Tampa very quickly if we can. It looks pretty good; it's kind of hazy this morning. The sun is coming up, should be a lovely day, but keep in mind, very quickly as you come back here one more time, Tampa, again, although the line goes right through, keep in mind, you still on that cone of probability, the storm could move further to the east or further to the west, still a lot of mystery to this storm. Let's send it back to you.
HOLMES: All right. Reynolds, we appreciate you keeping an eye on it for us this morning. We'll be checking back in with you plenty.
WOLF: You bet.
KAYE: Meanwhile, he is being called the greatest athlete ever. And that could mean a lot more endorsement deals coming his way.
HOLMES: And, of course, we're talking about Michael Phelps here. He makes it number eight in '08.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: New this morning, signs that Russia is preparing to honor the cease-fire agreement with Georgia. Russia's president says Russian troops will start their pullout from Georgia beginning tomorrow. That word this morning from the Russian government press service.
In another development, Georgia's government is accusing Russian- backed militia of seizing 13 villages and a power plant bordering the region near the Georgia border, and also, of destroying a key railway bridge. For its part, Russia says its work in Georgia is devoted to peacekeeping problems.
HOLMES: Well, even after those troops leave Georgia, humanitarian aid for those displaced by the fighting will still be need it.
KAYE: Our Josh Levs has some iReports from one of the refugee camps -- Josh.
JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi and good morning, guys. You know, I was just talking to you yesterday about this being one of the big concerns right now, the humanitarian efforts going on for these people and the U.N. saying -- at least 118,000 people have been displaced in this, that includes refugees and internally displaced people. We've gotten some photos now from one of these refugee camps as you said.
Let's go into the screen here. I want to show them to you right here, so we can close in a little bit. They're beautiful. They're from Andro Kiknadze, who visited this camp in Tbilisi. Let's see if we can go way and so people can see the actual pictures of the kids here.
Let me just scroll through some of this. He visited children. He visited families that are there, trying to grapple, trying to deal. And apparently, they're from different ethnicities and they come from different parts of the country. We do know people have been displaced from many areas.
He also sent us some video. Let's go to that right now for a little bit and I'll tell you what he told us. He says that conditions there from what he's been able to see are pretty terrible, but they do finally have enough food right now. He says he's seen people lying up for toilet, some people did not have beds, but apparently, they've now started to get the basics that they need. And he says that when he was there yesterday, when he saw the biggest concern, and something I talked to you guys about yesterday, and that is a presence of military, Russian military as we heard from our reporters yesterday, along the major east-west road and major east-west train line.
In order to get any kind of basic supplies -- food, medicine, beds -- two people, particularly in Tbilisi, they need to be able to travel along that road and travel along that train. So that's one of the big concerns right now.
Let's close in a little board, I know we don't have too much time, but I just want to go through a few of these photos a little bit more and let you see how powerful some of these images are that he sent us.
Now, if you're wondering what with I do to help, we always like to point over here: CNN.com/impact, this is "Impact Your World," if I can get to the screen. All right, it's freezing up on me. There you go, "Impact Your World," right here. We talk about some of the ways you can help: world vision, save the children, other major organizations. You will see it at "Impact Your World," part of CNN.com.
And obviously, we're all thinking about these people and this is one of the big things, guys, we're going to keep following in the coming days, the conditions for the refugees and displaced people there in Georgia.
HOLMES: All right, we appreciate your keeping an eye on it for us this morning, Josh Levs. KAYE: Well, well, well. What an Olympics for Michael Phelps -- a record eight, yes, eight gold medals in these games. That breaks the record set by American swimmer Mark Spitz at the 1972 Munich Games.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAEL PHELPS, 8 GOLD MEDALS IN 2008: I just wanted to make sure I took every single moment in and every single swim in, and every moment I have with my teammates in, so I would remember them. And, you know, like I said, I've had so many great moments here in China and, you know, they are moments that I'll never forget.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: And fans who couldn't get inside to watch Phelps' record setting Olympics got to watch on an outdoor screen. And look at them cheering him on even from the outside.
Well, Phelps is certainly in the spotlight in Beijing and around the world.
Now, CNN.com will be talking to him and you can, too. Phelps joins CNN.com live this Tuesday. And if you are a big Phelps fan, you want to chat with him, just go to iReport.com right now and submit your video question for Michael Phelps. I know you're doing that, you've been doing that all morning, making some videos for him.
HOLMES: You know, that's kind of cool, to talk to Michael Phelps.
KAYE: It's awesome. A lot of people out there want to do that -- say congratulations.
HOLMES: And the man is (ph) -- I mean, I did get to meet him in Athens when I was at the Olympics there, and I cover some of his trials before he went -- and pleasant guy, no doubt happy for him.
KAYE: It seems kind of unaffected by all that's going on, doesn't he?
HOLMES: Yes.
KAYE: He's kind of nice.
HOLMES: He has been on a mission for years now.
And do we know that tropical storm Fay is on a mission to become a hurricane possibly.
KAYE: We will continue to track its path and let you know where it is expected to go next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: Tropical storm Fay is what we are talking about. Our affiliates in Florida are covering from all angles as are we. And this is the broadcast here, the live broadcast from WSVN in Miami.
Now, just about 20 minutes ago, evacuation order went into effect in the Florida Keys. And we want to go live now to WSVN reporter, Blake Burman who is in the Florida Keys for us this morning.
And, Blake, last hour when we spoke with you, it was pretty calm. It seems to be the same situation right now.
BURMAN: You know, the only thing that's really changed is, I think, it's about 10 degrees warmer now, but everything is still beautiful. That evacuation that you talked about, that is for visitors, that 8:00 deadline for visitors to get out of here. If you're watching us, hoping to come to the Keys, you have vacation plans coming up -- at this point, emergency officials are telling nobody to go to our south, which is where Key West and most of the Keys are. They are telling people to stay out.
As for the residents who live here, those evacuations, a lot of people are telling us that they're simply just not going to do it. You know, our crew was at a Publix (ph), a local grocery store a couple minutes ago buying water for us for the next couple days and they said very few people were there. A lot of people we have also talked to have just said, "Look, we've been through this before, we've been through storm after storm after storm, and this is just a tropical storm."
Now, I want to show you out on the water, a sight that we've been seeing for a good portion of the morning, people getting on their boats and going out on their morning fish, you know, they're just going out there having a good time. We've been seeing this all morning. And it should stay that way through the rest of the day, at least the next couple hours, as people tell us they probably will not evacuate as long as this is a tropical storm.
For now, that is the very latest in Key Largo, Blake Burman, back to you.
KAYE: Blake, before I let you go, so, just talk to me for a moment about that single lane bridge to get out of the Keys which is connected to the main land. Obviously, you don't think a lot of people are going to be evacuating, so you don't think that bridge is going to be a problem?
BURMAN: Well, here's what the Monroe County sheriff's office is saying that it will be a problem later this afternoon. Keep in mind you have about -- we're at mile marker 103, you have 100 miles south to get all the way down to the southern most point in Key West. So you have lot of area in between.
So, even though a lot of people say that they, at this point, are not going to evacuate, it's one lane in and one lane out. So we have about 100 miles here of just island after island after island that people live and tourists are here, as well. So, once you talk about one lane over 100 miles, that's where the backups can occur as we have seen in previous hurricanes.
KAYE: Right. All right, Blake Burman for us from WSVN, thank you.
BURMAN: Yes.
HOLMES: The first of the political conventions is just a week from tomorrow and we want to help you make an informed choice on Election Day. So we are going to be bringing you more of what the candidates are saying in their own words.
Here now, Barack Obama at the forum on faith last night talking about taxes, marriage, and his biggest moral failure.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. BARACK OBAMA, (D-IL) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I have a difficult youth. My father wasn't in the house, I've written about this. You know, there were times where I experimented with drugs. I drank, you know, in my teenaged years.
And what I trace this to is a certain selfishness on my part. I was so obsessed with me and, you know, the reasons that I might be dissatisfied that I couldn't focus on other people. And, you know, I think the process for me of growing up was to recognize that it's not about me.
The question that I think we have to ask ourselves is -- if we believe in good schools, if we believe in good roads, if we want to make sure that kids can go to college, if we don't want to leave a mountain of debt for the next generation, then we've got to pay for these things. They don't come for free. And it is irresponsible...
(APPLAUSE)
OBAMA: I believe it is irresponsible, inter-generational, for us to invest or for us to spend $10 billion a month on a war and not have a way of paying for it.
I believe that marriage is a union between a man and a woman. Now, for me as a Christian...
(APPLAUSE)
OBAMA: For me as Christian, it's also a sacred union. You know, God's in the mix. But -
(APPLAUSE)
REV. RICK WARREN, SADDLEBACK CHURCH: Would you support a constitutional amendment with that definition?
OBAMA: No, I would not.
WARREN: Why not?
OBAMA: Because historically...
(APPLAUSE) OBAMA: Because historically, we have not defined marriage in our Constitution. It's been a matter of state law. That has been our tradition.
I do believe in civil unions. I do believe that we should not -- that for gay partners to want to visit each other in a hospital, for the state to say, you know what, that's all right, I don't think in any way inhibits my...
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: As we've been telling you, there is evacuation order under way in the Florida Keys. We have some new information here coming to us from our affiliate, WSVN. Let's listen in.
UNIDENTIFIED WSVN MALE ANCHOR: ... a forecaster, but we did just talk to the National Hurricane Center. What concern do you have in Miami-Dade County of a last minute turn in our direction or an intensification over the water that maybe hasn't been forecast at this point?
DOUGLAS BASS, MIAMI-DADE EMERGENCY MGT. DIR.: Well, we're still in the cone. And as long as we're in the cone and we're also under a watch for a tropical storm, we have to take that seriously because these aren't exact sciences. And the forecasters tell us on a regular basis that we should concentrate on the cone, not necessarily the track. And that's what we do here at the emergency operations center.
UNIDENTIFIED WSVN FEMALE ANCHOR: And, Mr. Bass, we have so many close calls here in Florida that sometimes people just become apathetic. They don't really think it's coming, they don't really want to prepare. Now, what would you say to people out there who are kind of thinking, you know what, we've been through this before, we don't really need to go through this again?
BASS: Well, people that have already taken precautions and made their preparation should be able to relax at this point. For those who have not, then, of course, that's a different dilemma. We encourage people who have not made plans and who have not put their emergency plan into action to go ahead and do that and to talk with their family.
Also, it's a good time to make sure that your neighbors and people that you know, especially those with special needs, have everything they need, too.
UNIDENTIFIED WSVN MALE ANCHOR: OK. Director Douglas Bass at the Miami-Dade County Emergency Operation Center...
KAYE: And there you have it, listening there to live coverage from our affiliate, WSVN. That is why we had to interrupt Barack Obama's comments just a moment ago. He's saying it's not an exact science when it comes to the cone and the track of the hurricane, and they are preparing possibly for the tropical storm to approach Florida within the next 36 hours. We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: And, of course, John McCain and Barack Obama faced pretty much the same questions last night at the forum on faith. Here now, what McCain had to say in his own words about marriage, taxes, and the toughest decision he's had to make.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JOHN MCCAIN, (R-AZ) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: It was long ago and far away in a prison camp in North Vietnam. My father was a high ranking admiral. The Vietnamese came and said that I could leave prison early. And we had a code of conduct that said you only leave by order of capture.
I also had a dear and beloved friend who was from California named Ed Alvarez who had been shot down and captured a couple years before me, but I wasn't in good physical shape. In fact, I was in rather bad physical shape.
And so I said no. Now, in interest of full disclosure, I'm very happy I didn't know the war was going last for another three years or so, but I said no. And I'll never forget sitting my last answer in the high ranking officer who offered it slammed the door and the interrogator said, "Go back to your cell, it's going to be very tough on you now." And it was.
But not only the toughest decision I ever made but I am most happy about that decision than any decision I've ever made in my life.
(APPLAUSE)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: All right. Well, Randi and I will see you back here at the top of the hour for more news, and, of course, Reynolds Wolf is tracking Fay with us. But "HOUSE CALL" with Dr. Sanjay Gupta starts right now.
