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CNN Sunday Morning
Flooded River Could Overwhelm Canal Lock; Obama Campaign In Iowa; Breaking Down Romney's Job Plan; Penn State Reacts To First Loss; NATO Suspends Training of New Afghan Police
Aired September 02, 2012 - 06:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
RANDI KAYE, CNN ANCHOR: From CNN world headquarter in Atlanta, this is EARLY START WEEKEND.
The hurricane may be over, but a new threat emerges. A New Orleans dams in immediate danger of failing. Now evacuations are underway.
The lights are up, the stage is set, and the teleprompters are ready to roll. The DNC is coming to Charlotte. We'll have a preview.
Green on blue attacks reaching a crisis point. Now NATO is taking action to prevent more troop deaths.
It is Sunday, September 2nd. Good morning, everyone. I'm Randi Kaye. Glad you're with us.
We start this morning with news of mandatory evacuations in St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana. It is the latest problem caused by heavy rain from Isaac. Up to 2,000 people being told to leave their homes because a canal lock in the Pearl River is at risk of failing. That could flood entire neighborhoods. The river is practically overflowing. And it's not just the canal locks. Water is about to overtop the banks in another part of the river, as well. That would flood 35 subdivisions.
On the phone with us now is CNN's George Howell, who is on his way to the area this morning.
George, tell us what you're seeing and what you expect to find there.
GEORGE HOWELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (via telephone): Well, Randi, you know, what we know at this point, these officials say that they have opened valves on lock two. And they are optimistic that -- it's still unclear, you know, exactly what will happen with this river. Keep in mind, again, that that flood stage is right around 16 feet. The river, at last we checked, right around 18 feet. They released these valves to take some of the pressure off that river.
So they're hoping that that will work. But as a precaution, they told everyone to get out of the way. As you mentioned, this mandatory evacuation we're talking about, you know, thousands of people. Many homes that could be affected by this. They're trying to get people out of the way just to be safe.
KAYE: And where are these people going, George?
HOWELL: Well, you know, people are going to stay with friends, people are going to shelters. People are just doing what they can to stay out of the way of this river. And it will be an hour-by-hour affair. You know, we're going to watch this river, see what happens. It's expected to crest Monday. So, you know, the waters definitely still rising.
And, Randi, you know, that's what you find throughout the area. You see several of these rivers that are swollen from all of the rainfall from Isaac. So keeping a very close eye on several rivers, but this one in particular where this mandatory evacuation has been ordered.
KAYE: And do we know how long the evacuation is going to last or when these folks might be able to get home?
HOWELL: Sure. Well, you know, the critical time right now should be Monday, because all of the water is still coming down this Pearl River. It shoots right off the Peace River. The Peace River, the main river. So all of the water's still coming down, going then off into the Pearl River. And we just have to watch this water as it continues to flow out toward the Gulf. And that's the thing. Monday should be the day we know, you know, what happens with this particular river. And then I think people in the next -- in the coming days will be able to return to their homes optimistically. But right now we're just keeping a close eye on what happens here.
KAYE: And why is this happening now given that the storm hit days ago?
HOWELL: Sure. You -- well, you know, when you think about this, you know, tributary system, you have all of this rainfall that accumulated over an extended amount of time from Isaac, it's got to go somewhere. And it's going down these rivers and it's making the rivers, you know, swollen. We're seeing above flood stage in several different places. So not surprising that we're dealing with the river situations after such a big rain event.
KAYE: George Howell, appreciate that. Stay safe getting there, as well.
To politics now and the countdown to the Democratic National Convention. President Obama keeping busy on the campaign trail by taking aim at Mitt Romney. We get more from CNN political editor Paul Steinhauser.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Now, Iowa, this is our first stop on the road to our convention in Charlotte, North Carolina.
PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN POLITICAL EDITOR: The president's first stop was sentimental.
OBAMA: There was a reason for me to begin the journey right here in Iowa, where it first began more than four years ago, because it was you, Iowa, who kept us going when the pundits were writing us off.
STEINHAUSER: Today he's in Colorado, the state where he was first nominated for president four years ago. As he's getting ready for his big speech, Mr. Obama's criticizing GOP challenger Mitt Romney for offering up reruns at the Republican Convention.
OBAMA: If you didn't DVR it, let me recap it for you. Everything's bad. It's Obama's fault. And Governor Romney is the only one who knows the secret to creating jobs and growing the economy.
STEINHAUSER: While the president stumps in Colorado, his wingman, Vice President Joe Biden, campaigns in Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. The Republican ticket's off the campaign trail today after teaming up yesterday in Florida. Saturday was kickoff day for college football. Republican running mate Paul Ryan tailgated in Columbus, where his alma mater was playing Ohio State. And Romney talked sports to make his case.
MITT ROMNEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Let me tell you, if you have a coach that's 0-23 million, you say it's time to get a new coach. It's time for America to see a winning season again, and we're going to bring it to them.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
STEINHAUSER: And we've also learned that Mitt Romney's going to be off the campaign trail for a couple of days this week to start his preparations for debates.
Now hare in Charlotte today, we hear that the Occupy movements and some protesters from the Occupy movement will be marching around. They're going to be coming very close to the Time Warner Cable Arena right behind me here. It's going to be a busy day, Randi, and security's already starting to beef up big time in advance of Tuesday's convention.
Randi.
KAYE: And, Paul, looking ahead to this week and the kickoff of the convention, what does the schedule look like?
STEINHAUSER: It's a busy schedule. Right off the bat on Tuesday night, some big speakers. First Lady Michelle Obama, of course, will be speaking in primetime on Tuesday night. And you're going to get to know a lot more about Julian Castro. He's the mayor of San Antonio, Texas. Why will you get to know more about him? He's the keynote speaker on Tuesday night
Wednesday, former President Bill Clinton in a much-anticipated speech. And then Thursday, Randi, we move from the Time Warner Cable Area a couple blocks away to the football stadium. That's where Vice President Joe Biden and President Obama will be speaking in primetime. Randi.
KAYE: All right, Paul Steinhauser, thank you very much. Check back with you later on this morning.
The chief of staff for Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, is out of a job this morning. Suzanne Barr has resigned amid allegations she helped create a culture of sexual discrimination against men. It follows a discrimination lawsuit filed by New York's ICE chief against the Department of Homeland Security. James Hayes says he was passed over for promotions in favor of less qualified women. He contends Barr, quote, "created a frat house-type atmosphere that is targeted to humiliate and intimidate male employees."
Federal investigators are trying to figure out what caused a plane to explode in front of thousands of spectators in Iowa, killing the pilot. Everything started out normally with three planes flying in formation yesterday at the Quad-City Air Show. But then all of a sudden, one of the planes nose-dived into a field while attempting a 45-degree bank.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE) each other --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Uh-oh.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Uh-oh.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Uh-oh. No, no, no!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Uh-oh. Oh, he's down!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No. Oh, no!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: Witnesses watched in horror as the plane exploded into a giant fireball once it hit the ground.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And we saw two of them strip away like they were going to do another maneuver and the one was headed toward -- like back towards where it came from. And he went nose down into the ground and burst into flames. I was instantly in tears because I knew, more than likely, that he didn't survive.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: The pilot hasn't yet been identified. Officials temporarily halted the show for about an hour.
In Oregon, three people are recovering this morning after a mishap at a monster truck event. You're about to see video showing an out-of-control truck driving straight into the panicked crowd. Wow. An onlooker captured video on his cell phone as the truck headed for a mud pit in front of the seating area. He says the driver immediately got out after the crash to see if anyone had been hurt. The driver says the rear wheels on his truck spun out in the mud and crashed through a barricade.
A plan to add 12 million jobs. Mitt Romney is making it a cornerstone of his post-convention campaign. But can the plan work?
Plus, controversy at the kickoff of college football season. T- shirts mocking Penn State and the Jerry Sandusky scandal were seen at games across the country. You're going to have to see these. I'll show them to you just ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: Let's get back to politics and the economy. Jobs to be exact. During his speech at the Republican Convention, Mitt Romney unveiled his plan to add 12 million jobs. He talked about the plan again yesterday during a campaign stop in Jacksonville, Florida.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MITT ROMNEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I'm going to do five things. Five things that are going to get this economy roaring back to life. I'm not just kidding about this. This is going to make a dramatic difference. Number one, we're going to take advantage of our energy resources. Our oil, our coal, our gas, nuclear, renewables. We'll have North America energy independence within eight years. That makes a big difference.
Number two -- number two, I'm going to fix our schools and make sure that training programs for adults work to give us the skills we need. We're going to make sure our kids and their teachers come first, and the teachers' union comes behind (ph).
We're going to -- we're going to have trade that works for America. We're going to open up Latin American markets and other markets around the world and we're going to crack down on cheaters like China when they steal American jobs unfairly.
Number four, we're going to do something you have to do if you're going to have entrepreneurs risk their life savings to start a business. And that's to convince them that we're not going to end up becoming like Greece. And for that to be the case, we're going to have to show them that we can leave within our means. We'll stop spending more than we take in. So we're going to cut federal spending and finally get us on track to a balanced budget.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: Twelve million jobs. It seems like an ambitious plan, but will it work? Christine Romans has a look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Mark Zandi at Moody's Analytic said it's not really a very high bar to set, 12 million jobs. That would just be bring you back to maybe full employment. It's possible, he said, no matter which person is president.
A guy named Joe Minarik, another economist, the senior vice president of research at the Committee for Economic Development, he also told us it's possible under a second term for Mr. Obama. It's also possible under a first term for Mitt Romney.
And Mitt Romney, to be clear, in his economic plan, is very clearly stating he would do this in the first four years of a Romney presidency. "History shows," he says, "that a recovery rooted in policies contained in a Romney plan will create about 12 million jobs in the first term of a Romney presidency."
But here's the cold water for you, Carol. Because Diane Swonk, an economist who we often talk about and interview from Mesirow Financial, she says that Congress holds the key here. If we go over the fiscal cliff in the beginning of the year, no matter who's president, two million jobs -- up to two million jobs will have vaporized. So this is less about the policies of the president, economists are telling me this morning, and more about whether Congress derails all of this and messes it all up.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAYE: Jobs will be a big focus this week, as well. The new numbers for August are expected on Friday.
It began with racial slurs and taunting and it ended with this -- a man attacked while strolling through a Georgia town with his girlfriend. Why this is being called a hate crime.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: Fifteen minutes past the hour. Welcome back. Let's check some stories cross country.
An interracial couple in Georgia says they were the target of a violent attack. The woman says she was taunted, her boyfriend beaten by three men while walking to a party in Savannah. She says it's because he's white and she's black.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OLUFISAYO BAKRE, BOYFRIEND ATTACKED: I don't want to go into like all the gory details, but they could have stopped and they kept going. I just hope they get caught, really. I hope justice prevails at the end of the day. And this shouldn't happen in this day and age. I know we're in the south and all that, yadda, yadda, but, I don't know, it's time for a change, I think.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: The couple says this isn't the first time they've been targeted.
And taking you a little north of the border now, where police in Quebec are on the hunt for the crafty thieves behind a massive maple syrup heist. They say someone stole $30 million worth of the sweet indulgence from a warehouse. Police were called in when the workers noticed the barrels felt a little lighter than usual.
And a day at the beach became a rescue mission for hundreds of residents in Florida. A pod of pilot whales beached themselves along the Ft. Pierce coastline. Seventeen died, with rescuers not able to get them back into the water. Among those killed were five babies. It's unclear why the whales beached themselves, but experts believe they may have refused to leave a sick whale in their pod.
Some fans at Penn State broke down in tears after the football team lost its first game of the season. Not because of the loss itself, but because they wanted to show they could overcome everything that's happened since last football season. Former Assistant Coach Jerry Sandusky, convicted of child sex abuse, Head Coach Joe Paterno, accused of a cover-up, then he passed away. The team has been hit with several NCAA sanctions and even had to return all the trophies it won in the past 14 years. CNN's Joe Carter went to Penn State to talk with the team.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOE CARTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: In America, college football is king. Penn State University considered one of the best. Unfortunately, 10 months ago, a university that was considered world class and excelled in both academics and athletics, had a stunning and swift fall from grace. To start a football season was to mark a new beginning. A new era. Unfortunately, it starts with a stunning and very disappointing loss.
JOHN URSCHEL, PENN STATE OFFENSIVE GUARD: It's been an emotional year for us and, I mean, we were extremely happy to get out there and get playing football. And obviously we're not happy with the result. But we've got a lot of football left. We've got 11 games to go. And one game doesn't make or break a season.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was very emotional for us and for everybody in the stadium. And, you know, we just have to keep going on here and hopefully, you know, I know -- I don't have to hope, I know the supporters will be there.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It meant a lot. I mean, I just wanted to get -- get out on the field and play some football again. You know, you can't really change what goes on between the white lines, but I think it was good for the community and all of us as players just to get out there again.
CARTER: Not only has rookie Head Coach Bill O'Brien been faced with the enormous task of replacing legendary Coach Joe Paterno, he's also faced unprecedented obstacles in his first eight months in the job. Add one more to that list. After a stunning loss to Ohio University, he must now keep the spirits high among his players and among this Penn State football community.
Joe Carter, CNN, State College, Pennsylvania.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAYE: Penn State may have lost its first home game, but that's not what people will be talking about today. When it comes to college football, some fans will do just about anything to prove their school loyalty. Check this out. A t-shirt slogan is making its way across the Internet. It reads, quote, "I'd Rather Shower at Penn State Than Cheer For The Wolverines." That specific slogan refers to the Alabama- Michigan game played last night. But now similar shirts are showing up around the country for other rival universities, as well.
We want to know what you think about this and what you think of these shirts referring to the Jerry Sandusky and the Penn State child sex abuse scandal. Do you think they're crossing the line? I'd love to hear from you. You can tweet me @RandiKayeCNN. I'll read some of your responses later on this morning. So keep those coming in. Thank you.
President Obama's devious plan to downgrade America. It is the cornerstone of a popular new conservative documentary. I ask the filmmaker about his claims and what he assumes will happen over the next four years of an Obama presidency if he's re-elected.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: In his speech at the Republican Convention, Clint Eastwood said Republicans had plenty of fans in Hollywood. So I guess it shouldn't be surprising then that one of the top movies out there right now is a conservative documentary. Here's a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): Obama has a dream. A dream from his father. That the sins of colonialism be set right and America be downsized.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: It is called "2016: Obama's America." And it's already the most successful, conservative, political documentary of all time. I talked with filmmaker Dinesh D'Souza and asked him why he thinks the film is resonating with movie-goers.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DINESH D'SOUZA, DIRECTOR, "2016: OBAMA'S AMERICA": And I think also the documentary tells a quite riveting Obama story, which is the story of a kid who was abandoned by his mom and by his dad, who went on a sort of odyssey to find himself. And the film is shot in Hawaii, in Indonesia, in Kenya. I interviewed George Obama, the president's brother. So there's a lot here that's -- that leaves people feeling that this is an eye-opening film.
KAYE: Much of the film I thought was interesting is actually narrated by President Obama himself with the audio version of his book, "Dreams From My Father." Do you think that that could be a bit misleading for people who might think that the president actually had a hand or participated in making this film?
D'SOUZA: Well, we haven't had a single person who think that. But I think it does give a credibility and an authenticity to the film. If you compare our film, for example, with Michael Moore's "Fahrenheit 9/11," that was a film with a lot of conspiracy theories and dubious on the facts. Our film follows Obama's own journey and uses his voice at critical times. So it's kind of hard to argue because you're getting the message from the horse's mouth.
KAYE: No doubt this film has its fans. It also has a whole lot of critics. A couple of key points in the film that I want to ask you about this morning. First, you say that the president wants to put Americans deeper in debt. You point to the debt at $15 trillion now and you say, at this rate, we could be at $20 trillion by 2016. But I want you to look at this. Some numbers here with me. The debt has gone up by around 50 percent during the Obama presidency. It went up 86 percent under George W. Bush, and 186 percent under President Reagan. So why is President Obama's debt so much worse and intentional, as you say?
D'SOUZA: Well, remember that these percentages are -- depend on the base. You know, so, for example, Reagan's deficits were $200 billion. And that's a big number. But it's tiny compared to Obama's number. Even Bush's highest deficit was half a trillion, $500 billion. Obama's lowest deficit is $1 trillion. So Obama has been adding debt at a sort of unsustainable level. And all I'm saying is, we're a rich country, we can afford to be extravagant and even a little reckless, but at a certain point you hit a tipping point. And that's when you're risking --
KAYE: But why would it be intentional?
D'SOUZA: Well, I'm saying that if you look at Obama's anti- colonial ideology, which is an ideology essentially of global redistribution, to redistribute wealth and power globally. Now, just look at what the effect of debt is. If our children and grandchildren have $20 trillion of debt and $10 trillion would have been added by one man, Obama, then they're going to have to pay it back. And a lot of that debt is owed to the Kuwaitis, the Saudis, the Chinese. So debt becomes a form of global redistribution over time. Money ends up going outside of America and to the rest of the world.
KAYE: You also say that the president is trying to level this global playing field, as you saying, and grow more super powers. What countries do you think that he actually wants to be the new superpower?
D'SOUZA: I think that Obama would like to see China, Brazil, India, and Russia, along with the United States, share power. Remember that the world before colonialism was like that. It was a world in which you had a number of big empires. The Chinese, you had the Indians, you had the empires of the Americas, you had -- so a western civilization was only one among many. It's a rather odd situation now that a single country, America, dominates the world so much. We have an outside standard of living. We have an enormous military presence around the world. So I think Obama thinks that's globally unjust. He'd like to knock America off its pedestal so we're no longer number one. But we are just one nation among many sharing powers with other big countries.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: That was Dinesh D'Souza, director of the controversial documentary "2016: Obama's America." You can see the rest of the interview on our blog at cnn.com.
Also, many of you weighed in on this on Twitter. So keep those tweets coming to me, @RandiKayeCNN. I've been reading them all. They're still coming in since we did that interview. So thank you for those.
A possible big problem for pro football players as replacement refs take the field for the regular season kickoff. We'll take a look at the controversy and the words (ph).
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: Welcome back, everyone. Thanks for starting your morning with us. I'm Randi Kaye. It is half past the hour.
Today, we could see more flooding as a result of Isaac. Take a look here at this river in Louisiana St. Tammany Parish. It is so swollen it could overflow its banks and even cause a canal lock to fail. That could flood dozens of neighborhoods already. Officials have ordered up to 2,000 people to evacuate.
Meteorologist Tom Sater joining us now to tell us a little bit more about this. So, what's the challenge here?
TOM SATER, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Well, the amount of rainfall, as we all know, is just incredible. So, it takes a while for all the water to get down the area streams and tributaries. And the Pearl River is an area that we've seen a large amount actually. What they're doing here -- and we'll show you besides the video the Google earth image. They are evacuating, as you mentioned, Randi, thousands.
Now, this is right along highway 41. Highway 41 is built up, it's almost like a levee itself. Now, if you get in close, you see the shaded area here in red. Those -- all of the residents, those are the areas that communities are evacuating. This is mainly east of highway 41. They do believe that in between lock one and lock two, lock two is at the top of the screen there, that a failure at lock two is imminent.
Now, you can imagine that you know, all of the -- the past several years, all the engineers and architects that build, you know, the world's largest pumping system in New Orleans, you know, they had time to do that. But now these engineers are faced with a problem immediately. KAYE: Yes. Our reporter, George Howell who is making his way there, told us the river was at 18 inches.
SATER: Yes.
KAYE: That's a problem.
SATER: In fact, I've got a graphic to show you because they're forecasting what could be a big, big problem. In fact, the current stage is right there in the blue line. It's about 17-and-a-half. That horizontal orange is a problem area. However, anything above that is going to be big-time problems. And you see the forecast and the dots there on the graph. Echoes up to a good 19. So, they are definitely expecting above flood stage. So therefore, an imminent problem with lock two.
KAYE: And so, how long would it take for something like this to go down?
SATER: You know, that's a great question. I mean, if --
KAYE: I know you're not an engineer.
SATER: No.
KAYE: Putting you on the spot here.
SATER: That's true. Obviously for as long as it took the rain to move in --
KAYE: Yes.
SATER: The several days, it's going to take that to go. Now, the problem is always downstream. Because you're going to find this continuing to be an issue as more rain. And they're still looking at isolated showers. And Isaac is still churning in the Ohio Valley. In fact, we've got -- we had 18 tornadoes, unconfirmed yesterday. Maybe about 15 will be in parts of Missouri, and Illinois, and Arkansas. We know that Susan Candiotti was in Farmington, Missouri yesterday.
KAYE: Yes. Waiting for the --
SATER: It's good news to get some rain but flash floodings is going to be a problem in Tennessee and Kentucky.
KAYE: Tom, I appreciate the update there.
SATER: Sure.
KAYE: Thank you.
The chief of staff for Immigration and Customs Enforcement or ICE is out of a job this morning. Suzanne Barr has resigned amid allegations she helped create a culture of sexual discrimination against men. The move comes after the head of ICE's New York office filed a lawsuit against the Department of Homeland Security alleging he was passed out for promotions in favor of less qualified women. In her resignation letter, Barr called the allegations unfounded and without merit.
Hal David, the Oscar and Grammy-winning songwriter has died. He wrote his music in the '60s, but his simple, heartfelt lyrics are still known around the world today. Here is just a sampling of some of his hits.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
So many great songs. A spokesman for the Music Association ASCAP says, David died in Los Angeles from complications of a stroke. He was 91.
Clark Atlanta University's marching band has been suspended temporarily as a deals with an investigation into hazing violations. A high school band replaced the university at last night's football game. For its park, Clark Atlanta says, there's no evidence that hazing or other foul play has happened.
And in Oregon, three people are recovering this morning after a mishap at a monster truck event. Watch this.
(INAUDIBLE)
(SCREAMS)
An onlooker captured this video on his cell phone as the truck headed for a mud pit in front of the seating area. He says the driver immediately got out after the crash to see if anyone had been hurt. The driver says, the rear wheels on his truck spun into -- spun out in the mud and then crashed through a barricade.
Well, are you ready for some football? The NFL season gets underway this week with the Giants and cowboys playing Wednesday night. But there is a cloud hanging over the start of the season and it is dressed in black and white.
CNN's Mark McKay explains.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MARK MCKAY, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): As another NFL season gets ready to kick off, disaster could be right behind.
UNIDENTIFIED MAN: Correction on the reporting of the foul. Both teams -- both fouls were on the kicking team. Five-yard penalty.
MCKAY: The NFL and its referees have been in a labor dispute ever since the last collective bargaining agreement expired three months ago. The NFL locked out the referees and hired replacements called from the lower levels of college football, as well as the high school ranks. Though the NFL continues to provide on-the-job training for these officials, the results have been mixed with some embarrassing moments that could put the credibility of the league at stake. TOM COUGHLIN, HEAD COACH, NEW YORK GIANTS: We just hope that these officials know the rules, know how to enforce them, and can keep the game under control and -- keep order.
MCKAY: There are 121 NFL referees. They're considered part-time employees who have other careers outside the NFL. Last year, officials were paid an average of $149,000 plus benefits.
BEN REITER, WRITER, SPORTS ILLUSTRATED: The NFL referees want a raise in that salary, and make no mistake, they're requesting a significant raise. They want more than double that over the course of five years. The NFL is countering with annual raises over the next seven years of five percent to 11 percent. There's quite a distance between those. There are also some issues about pensions and a few other things. At the end of the day, the problem is financial.
MCKAY: The NFL players association has criticized Commissioner Roger Goodell and the league saying they're jeopardizing player safety by using inferior referees.
ADAM PODLESH, CHICAGO BEARS PLAYER REPRESENTATIVE: On the whole, it's just, you know, in the back of our minds a bit of a concern because like we've said before, these referees have never refereed in an NFL season game. So, that's, you know, a bit of a concern.
REITER: Laws are only as good as their enforcement really. And in this case if players sense that they can get away with something, helmet-to-helmet hits, if they sense that orders is not being upheld, they will take advantage of that. And really, it's a public relations thing, it's the perception that the NFL is not doing everything it can to protect players playing a very dangerous game.
MCKAY: The first week of games could determine which side gets the upper hand in negotiations. If the games come and go without incidents, the NFL will continue using replacements, and the locked out referees will continue to lose paychecks. If not, the outrage from fans, coaches, and players will put pressure on the league to get a deal done.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAYE: That was CNN's Mark McKay. And coming up an hour, 8:00 hour this morning, I'll talk with former NFL star Tiki Barber about the impact of the replacement refs and the threat to player's safety.
You may not have heard of Julian Castro, but after this week, Democratic National Convention, everyone will know the name of the San Antonio mayor and rising political star. We'll tell you why in our look at this week "Most intriguing people."
Scientists warn the only way to avoid a complete global food shortage is to eat more of these. Why they say vegetarianism is the only answer.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) KAYE: Let's check the latest mortgage rates. They're hovering around 3.5 percent. A year ago, 30-year mortgages averaged 4.2 percent. Take a look.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: A London bombing survivor competes in this year's Paralympics. A 37-year-old Texas mayor is this year's rising star at the DNC. And a former navy SEAL writes the tell-all of the year. But it may have him in hot water with the Pentagon.
Nadia Bilchik joins me now to discuss this week's most intriguing people.
NADIA BILCHIK, CNN EDITORIAL PRODUCER: Good morning. And Randi --
KAYE: Yes. Well, I was going to start with first, Martine Wright. She lost both legs in the London terror attacks in 2005, and now she's competing.
BILCHIK: And that's right. And, you know, every athlete in the Paralympics has an extraordinary story. And she has one, too. She lost both legs in the London bombing, 2005. She also lost 75 percent of her blood.
BILCHIK: Oh, my goodness.
BILCHIK: And after that, during recovery and rehabilitation, she started to learn various sports. And one game was something called sitting volleyball. So, in this Paralympics, she'll be playing sitting volleyball. She stops the -- after losing both legs beneath the knee, she got married, has a child. And she says something about all the athletes because think about it, every single one of them who's lost limbs, who's disabled, each has their story. But she says, we all have different stories and different histories. We are united in what life has dealt us. Anything is possible.
KAYE: Wow, what an inspiration she is. Speaking of inspiration, as well, San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro is going to be the keynote speaker at the DNC starting this week. Tuesday night. The same speech actually that launched Senator Obama into the big spotlight. Does he have anything in common with the President?
BILCHIK: Oh, a lot in common with President Obama. He went to Stanford and then Harvard like Obama. He was also raised by a single mother. And I think equally intriguing is Rosie Castro, the mother of Julian and his twin brother, Joaquin. And Joaquin who is running for Congress is going to introduce Julian. And then Julian is going to introduce Obama. When Obama met Julian, he looked so young, he said, is he an intern? Well, he's not so young although 37. But he says at the speech, he is going to be talking about San Antonio as the -- what he calls at the United States of tomorrow. And he promises us he will not be talking to a chair.
KAYE: Well, that's good. Hopefully not. All right. Now this next guy on your list, he could be in hot water with the Pentagon, right? This is the Navy SEAL who's writing this tell-all book about the Bin Laden raid?
BILCHIK: And it's so interesting and I know you've had lots of people on discussing his motives. But he's quite interesting. Matt Bissonnette aka Mark Owen, author of "No Easy Day: The Firsthand Account of the Mission That Killed Osama bin Laden," that he actually grew up in a remote Alaskan fishing town. That he learned things like ice fishing. And at that point, he's known as an exceptional athlete and an exceptional person.
He studied sociology at the evangelical Christian college in South California. When he joined the navy in 1999, he was part of a huge amount of special operations including the capture of Captain Phillips. I don't know if you remember, he was the American captain that was captured by Somali pirates.
KAYE: Oh, yes. That's right.
BILCHIK: So, since then, he's won many awards. And had he retired in 2018, he would have retired with the utmost security clearance, which would have given him access to enormous amounts of security jobs. So, why he chose to do this not sure. But we do know he is a registered republican in Alaska. So was the timing interesting remains to be seen? I know you're having lots of discussions.
KAYE: Yes. We certainly are. It's getting so much attention. So, it's supposed to come out Tuesday. And Nadia, thank you. And happy birthday.
BILCHIK: Oh, thank you.
KAYE: Don't you have any connections? You couldn't get your birthday off?
BILCHIK: You know, what? We get more interesting -- people say we don't change, I say yes, but there's some advantage. And Randi, I see in all of us, we become so much more fascinating.
KAYE: Right. You are aging wonderfully.
BILCHIK: Thank you.
KAYE: I hope you had a great birthday. Thank you for working on your birthday.
Veggies not your favorite food group? Well, you may want to get used to them. The world's population is growing at a rapid rate and as drought spreads, the global supply of meat is dwindling. Now, scientists say, we could run out completely as early as 2050. An extra two billion people are expected to be alive by then. And experts say, eating more veggies now will ensure enough water is available to grow food in the future.
The ultimate home brew from the nation's most famous house. We now know the secret to the President's favorite suds. So what is it? Let's just say it's something pretty simple.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: New this morning, NATO officials say, they are suspending training of about 1,000 new recruits for the Afghan local police and are riveting all the current police to make sure that they're not linked to the insurgency. This comes after a series of attacks where Afghan Security Forces or people disguised as such have turned their guns on NATO soldiers, many of whom were American. More than 40 people have been killed this year in attacks like this. People are outraged and worried over the so-called green-on-blue attacks.
CNN military analyst, General James "Spider" Marks is joining us now this morning to talk about this.
Good morning, General.
GEN. JAMES "SPIDER" MARKS, CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Good morning.
KAYE: So, how do these attacks affect the exit plan for Afghanistan do you think?
MARKS: Well, I think most importantly now that we have shut down the recruiting or at least suspended the recruiting operation for Afghans to move into both military and law enforcement roles, local police roles. And just logically, you would assume that that would extend the amount of time for the Afghan forces to build up and have the appropriate numbers that allow us to start our exit.
But I think we've established a date certain in terms of when we want to depart as opposed to establishing conditions that would facilitate that departure. So, it could extend the amount of time we're there, or it could be that we departed, we just don't have a sufficiently large and trained Afghan force.
KAYE: Yes. Which would really be an unfortunate experience if that was the case.
MARKS: Absolutely.
KAYE: The "Washington Post" is reporting NATO troops are being told to stay away from Afghan troops in vulnerable situations such as when they're sleeping, eating, exercising as a way to reduce the risk of an attack. Is that really the solution do you think?
MARKS: Well, that's part of a multi-pronged approach toward getting at the problem. Clearly, that helps. It's a bit counterintuitive when you're trying to build teams. You want to spend as much time together. And that's Afghans and U.S. or other NATO forces. So it kind of goes against the nature of how you coalesce and build teams and get them prepared for next missions and to increase trust. Well, the challenge with that now as we've seen is that the vetting process -- let's be frank, the vetting process has been exceptionally well executed.
The problem is there have been a number that have gotten through and have been motivated to carry out these green-on-blue attacks. And so that causes great concern. So you can't throw the baby out with the bath water. But you can modify the type of behavior that you have on the bases in between operations.
KAYE: Let's talk about this new book coming out on Tuesday. It's getting a lot of attention, written by a former Navy SEAL detailing the raid that killed Osama bin Laden. Some fear that the release of this book could actually inspire terrorists to target Navy SEALS. What do you think of this book being written, and what do you think about that?
MARKS: Well, the fact that -- let me address the second or the first question. The fact that navy SEALS might be targeted, there might be some type of revenge attacks, clearly that could be a possible outcome. But you can't -- you can't control that. What you can control is the fact that this incredibly talented SEAL who is a great patriot made a big mistake by publishing this book without getting the authorities to do it and without getting the appropriate redaction.
And the fact that the mission he was on was a classified mission, classified by the CIA. Not the Department of Defense. Not succumb. This was a CIA operation. So, only the CIA had the authority to declassify information that might be in that book. Now the author would say it doesn't have any of that classified information. But it's not his authority to designate that.
KAYE: So, certainly against the code of conduct, it sounds like.
MARKS: Well, certainly against his nondisclosure agreement that says, you can't talk about this, you can't talk about this forever. I mean, I still have a security clearance and I have access to information that took place years ago that I might think could be declassified, but it's not my authorization to do that, I don't have the authority to do that.
KAYE: General James "Spider" Marks, great insight. Always nice to have you on the show. Thank you.
MARKS: Thanks, Randi.
KAYE: Let's talk about your tweets. We asked what you thought about the shirts mocking Penn State's sex scandal. I read some of your responses, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: Let the brewing begin. The White House has just released its beer recipes. Beer enthusiasts were clamoring for it, believe it or not. One group even filed a freedom of information request to get the ingredients.
Well, now, White House Chef Sam Kass, has posted two of the recipes on the White House's official web page. You can make White House honey ale and White House honey porter at home. The secret is honey taken from beehives on the south lawn of the White House. I don't think you'll be able to get access to that honey. But you can find your honey somewhere.
All right. Earlier we asked what you thought about these t- shirts mocking Penn State's sex scandal to insult rival schools. Travis Warren tweeted me, "Funny and true, but we will find a way to make ourselves hate it because we have an obligation to be overly sensitive."
And Amy writes this, "I think it's disgusting and out of line."
And Patricia tweeted, "It shows the mentality that perpetuated the predator nature of the Penn State crimes and the ensuing denial. Disgusting."
We want to know what you think of these t-shirts. They're referring to the Jerry Sandusky and the Penn State child sex abuse scandal crossing the line. Are they crossing the line? You can tweet me @RandiKayeCNN, I'll read some of your responses later on this morning.
Thanks for starting your morning with us. We've got much more ahead on CNN SUNDAY MORNING which starts right after this.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KAYE (voice-over): From CNN world headquarter in Atlanta, this is CNN SUNDAY MORNING.
The lights are up, the stage is set, and the teleprompters are ready to roll. The DNC is coming to Charlotte. We'll have a preview.
The threat is over but a new one emerges. A New Orleans dam in immediate danger of failing, and now, evacuations are underway.
He's on the student council, sings in the choir, and now he's headed to the DNC. I'll talk with the convention's youngest reporter.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAYE: Good Sunday morning, everyone. I'm Randi Kaye. It is 7:00 on the East Coast, 4:00 on the West. Thanks for starting your morning with us.
We start this morning with news of mandatory evacuations in St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana. It is the latest problem caused by heavy rain from Isaac. Up to 2,000 people are being told to leave their homes because a canal lock in the Pearl River is at risk of failing. That could flood entire neighborhoods. The river is practically overflowing.
And it's not just the canal locks. Water is about to overtop the banks in another part of the river, as well. And that would flood 35 subdivisions.
On the phone with us right now is CNN's George Howell, who's on his way to that area this morning.
George, good morning. What's being done actually to prevent the lock from failing?
GEORGE HOWELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (via telephone): Hi, Randi. Good morning.
We've been on the phone with these officials, and what we've learned is they opened about on lock two. That will take some of the pressure off the Pearl River.
But again, this is an hour-by-hour affair. People are watching this river very closely. Just a minute ago I spoke with someone who lives in that area that would be affected. She said that, you know, she's been keeping a very close ear to the radio, watching the local news, trying to find out if she needs to pack up and get out of this area.
She said with Isaac, they almost got water in the home and now she's concerned that she's not in the clear yet. So people are watching closely.
KAYE: How high is the river, and why is it rising now?
HOWELL: So the river from what we last checked, Randi, right around 18 feet. Now, flood stage is 16 feet. So, you know, it's above flood stage.
And when you look at the data of other rivers in that same area, you find the same thing. A nearby river is also very high right now. And the reason for it is because of all the rainfall over the last several days from hurricane Isaac. That storm now passed off, but certainly we are still feeling the effects here. All of that water has to go somewhere, gone down into these rivers, tributaries, and it's al flowing out.
And now, we're seeing these communities that could be flooded.
KAYE: And as we talk about what's happening there, what about the evacuations? We're talking about a couple thousand people. Where are they going, and how long might they have to be out of their homes?
HOWELL: Well, you know, you find some people, Randi, who are staying with friends, relatives, some I'm sure are going to shelters, nearby shelters. This is the sort of thing where we're talking about thousands of people who have to have some sort of plan to leave their home behind and hope they can return to the home.
And right now, I should say that river -- nothing has changed. The river is still stable, but there's concern that as the day goes on, as this river crests, things could change.
KAYE: Yes. Certainly, a lot of concern there. Well warranted, as well.
George Howell, thank you very much.
HOWELL: Thanks. KAYE: To politics now. President Obama heads to Colorado today, continuing his preconvention push in the swing states. He was in Iowa yesterday while Mitt Romney hit Ohio and Florida. The Democratic convention starts to Tuesday.
CNN political editor Paul Steinhauser is in Charlotte, North Carolina, this morning well ahead of the president.
Paul, good morning. When are the delegates supposed to arrive there in Charlotte?
PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN POLITICAL EDITOR: Well, Randi, some of the delegates are actually already here in Charlotte. There were Democratic Party meetings yesterday. Some of the delegates took part. We're going to see a lot more flooding in today and tomorrow.
We've got the Carolina fest tomorrow, which is a big festival that includes music, food, and a little bit of politics. Some of them will be there.
And, then, of course on Tuesday, right behind me here or there, both ways, that's the Time-Warner Cable Arena. That's when the convention gets underway.
The first order of business Tuesday late afternoon will be ratifying the platform and the rules -- Randi.
KAYE: And there's also been some talk about a rift between the Democrats and the unions because of the convention being held in Charlotte. What can you tell us about that?
STEINHAUSER: Well, the location is the key here. Remember, North Carolina is a right to work state. So, when the Obama campaign and Democrats announced this is where the convention would be, unions, I think it's fair to say, were not so enthusiastic about that.
And we've seen and will see less union participation in this convention, and probably less union money -- a lot less union money going toward the convention. But is there a rift between the unions and Obama campaign? They tell me no. (INAUDIBLE) get out the vote efforts from September and October, and they say there's no rift whatsoever, Randi.
KAYE: All right. We know the president will be in Colorado today as we said. Where is he headed tomorrow?
STEINHAUSER: Well, yes, that's right, Colorado is battleground state. Iowa yesterday, tomorrow he's going to be in Ohio, another very important battleground state. And, as we know, he's going to Louisiana to tour the damage from hurricane Isaac. Tuesday's Virginia, another battleground state, and he's coming right here to North Carolina, another battleground state.
And, Randi, what more thing we learned -- guess who's going to be in North Carolina tomorrow, the day before the Democratic convention starts? Paul Ryan, the Republican running mate. That's right. Remember last week, Joe Biden, the vice president, was supposed to be right there in Tampa on the day of the Republican convention started. But, of course, hurricane Isaac rained all that stuff out -- Randi.
KAYE: Right. All right. Interesting planning, that's for sure. All right. Paul Steinhauser, thank you very much.
The chief of staff for Immigration and Customs Enforcement or ICE is out of a job this morning. Suzanne Barr has resigned amid allegations that she helped create a culture of sexual discrimination against men. It follows a discrimination lawsuit filed by New York's ICE chief against the Department of Homeland Security.
James Hayes says he was passed over for promotions in favor of less qualified women. He contends Barr, quote, "created a frat house- type atmosphere that is targeted to humiliate and intimidate male employees."
Federal investigators are trying to figure out what caused a plane to explode in front of thousands of spectators in Iowa killing the pilot. Everything started out normally with three planes flying in formation yesterday at the Quad City air show. Then all of a sudden, one of the planes nose-dived into a field while attempting a 45-degree bank.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Uh-oh.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Uh-oh.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, no, no --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He's down!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No! Oh, no.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: Witnesses watched in horror as the plane exploded into a giant fireball once it hit the ground.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We saw two of them strip away like they were going to do another maneuver. The one was headed toward like -- back toward where it came from. He went nose down into the ground and burst into flames. I was instantly in tears because I knew more than likely that he didn't survive.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: That pilot hasn't yet been identified. Officials temporarily halted the show for about an hour. In Oregon, three people are recovering this morning after a mishap at a monster truck event. You're about to see video showing an out-of-control truck driving straight into the panicked crowd.
(VIDEO CLIP PLAYS)
KAYE: An onlooker captured this video on his cell phone as the truck headed for a mud pit in front of the seating area. He says the driver immediately got out after the crash to see if anyone had been hurt. The driver says the rear wheels on his truck spun out in the mud, the driver said, and crashed through a barricade.
Hundreds of journalists will be in Charlotte this week to cover the Democratic National Convention. But one is standing out for a very special reason. He's only 13, and you're going to meet him.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: Welcome back. Twelve minutes past the hour.
Can you remember what you were doing at age 13? My next guest already dreams of attending Harvard and running a Fortune 500 company.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANDREW LIANG, SCHOLSTIC NEWS KID REPORTER: I'm Andrew Liang, Scholastic kid reporter at Autrey Mill Middle School in Johns Creek, located in suburban Atlanta, Georgia.
I will be speaking to the principal and the teachers here about the current state of education and how students and staff are improving it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: Andrew Liang is a Scholastic News kid reporter, as he told us. He's getting ready to head to Charlotte to cover the Democratic National Convention.
And he is stopping by our studio this morning to give us a little time before you head to the convention. Good morning.
LIANG: Thank you very much.
KAYE: How nice to have you here. So you're heading to the convention. First off, I'm curious how you became a scholastic kid news reporter.
LIANG: I've always loved to write, and I love watching reporting on TV like CNN. And when they had the opportunity, I jumped at the chance.
KAYE: That's great. You had to give a writing sample or how --
LIANG: Yes. There were a couple of writing samples I had to give. One was about what made my community special. The other was about how I would make a good scholastic kid reporter.
KAYE: So tell me who are you looking forward to speaking with? Are you going to get access at the convention?
LIANG: I hope so. I'm very excited about the convention. And anyone I could interview would be great, especially the top highlights, including President Obama and other Democratic Party officials.
KAYE: What about Michelle Obama? If you had a chance to talk to her, what do you think you'd ask her?
LIANG: I'd have to think about that. But I think it would be a great opportunity to talk to her.
KAYE: Yes. Let's talk about some of your previous interviews. They're pretty impressive. I got to tell you, one was Newt Gingrich. How did you get access to him?
LIANG: During the Republican presidential primaries, we were at one of his campaign stops here in Atlanta, Georgia. And I got the chance to ask him a couple of questions.
KAYE: And what did he have to say? Anything stand out?
LIANG: I can't say I remember the exact questions, but it was a great experience.
KAYE: Actor jack black, I'm sure that was a memorable interview.
LIANG: Very memorable. He was very funny. He was at zoo Atlanta for the naming of an Atlanta zoo panda.
KAYE: I love the picture of the two of you together. He was kind of fun?
LIANG: Yes. He was extremely funny.
KAYE: Who's been your toughest interview so far?
LIANG: My toughest interviews? I'd have to see my interviewees were all very cooperative. I had a great time interviewing them. Toughest interview --
KAYE: If gets harder. Trust me. They're not always so cooperative. So what are you planning to ask some of the folks at the convention?
LIANG: The folks -- for example, if I had the opportunity to interview the president, I would love to ask him -- he's been president for four years, and what he thinks are the highlights of his first term and what he would like to accomplish in his second term.
KAYE: I spoke to some of your colleagues last Sunday who were covering the Republican convention. All of you are so talented. It's so nice to see. But I asked them what issues they would like to see Obama and Romney address.
I know you're passionate about the issue of bullying.
LIANG: That's right.
KAYE: Why does that concern you, and what would you lake to see happen with that? What other issues would you like them to address?
LIANG: First of all, bullying, I think it's a big issue between kids -- especially since I'm in eighth grade. I go to middle school here in Atlanta, Georgia. I think it's important to address bullying. We don't have many situations like that at our school, but I think it's skill very important to make sure kids know that bullying is completely not right.
And I'd also like to see the president and Romney address top issues, including foreign policy and education because it concerns kids, and so other things like health care.
KAYE: Very, very good. Of course, you're planning on going to Harvard, right? So education is very important to you.
LIANG: I would hope so.
KAYE: You have your sights set. Who would be a dream interview? If you could interview anyone in the world, who would it be?
LIANG: Anyone in the world --
KAYE: Yes.
LIANG: I think the president would be a very good interview. I've always respected and admired the leader of the United Nations, Ban Ki-moon. That would be a very interesting interview.
All of the interviews are dream interviews. Every single time I do an interview, I think this is a dream come true.
KAYE: That's great. So nice to see somebody your age so passionate about this business and journalism, it's really nice to see.
So thank you, Andrew. And good luck.
LIANG: Thank you very much.
KAYE: Good luck at the convention. I hope you get that interview with the president. If so, you bring it to us, OK?
LIANG: All right. Yes, ma'am.
KAYE: Nice to see you.
The civil war in Syria is worsening. Thousands more are dying. Now, humanitarian crisis as food and shelter dwindle.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: The U.N. says more than 18,000 people have died since the Syrian uprising began more than a year and a half ago. The violence is showing no signs of stopping.
(VIDEO CLIP PLAYS)
KAYE: Heavy shelling is being reported in the city of Homs and to the north in Aleppo. And now, the crisis is spilling over the border, as hundreds of thousands of Syrians flee the violence in camps across Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq, and Turkey.
Senior international correspondent Nic Robertson is on the Turkish/Syrian border this morning.
Nic, good morning. How bad is the refugee crisis becoming?
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The Turkish government say they're struggling to handle it. There are thousands of refugees stuck on the Syrian side of the border. The Turkish authorities won't allow them across. They already have 80,000 refugees here. They're building three more camps that should be ready in the next few weeks that will house another 30,000 refugees.
Part of the problem for the Turkish authorities, though, is they have almost 20,000 refugees in schools and government buildings. The schools here restart in a couple of weeks. So half that new capacity will be taken up by existing refugee here.
The concern is if they open the borders to freely allow Syrians across the border, more and more people will flock across. What we're seeing is people driven to the borders when their villages are bombed. The Free Syrian Army are telling us they can sort of create safe areas on the ground to stop military forces attacking by ground. But they can't stop the artillery and can't stop the bombs dropping from aircraft.
And that's where we're seeing so many people now being pushed across the borders, Randi.
KAYE: Yes. And yesterday, Nic, rebel fighters say they captured an air defense base in eastern Syria. The government obviously has the advantage in the air at this point. Is this the latest tactic, do you think, by the opposition?
ROBERTSON: It's certainly looking that way. I was talking to people from the Free Syrian Army yesterday. And they told me that they're trying to capture an air base, as well, in the west of the country, close to the border with Turkey. They haven't been able to do that yet. It's close to the town of Idlib. They say they've destroyed several fighter jets, several helicopters on the runway.
Hard to confirm those claims. But it does appear as if the air base in the east of the country Deir ez-Zor, is now under rebel control, Free Syrian Army control. And the reason is simple, they say. If they control the air bases, that stops those fighter planes from taking off and dropping bombs on them. Of course the Syrian government has plenty of other air bases with aircraft with long enough ranges to target anywhere in the country. But that does seem to be part of their strategy.
Also when you look at other conflicts, if they get control of those air bases, there's always that possibility they could fly in much-need supplies themselves, certainly if they get international backing and support for it. So there's a double incentive to get those big concrete strips air bases, Randi.
KAYE: And, Nic, do you have any information on reports of new explosions in Damascus this morning as well?
ROBERTSON: Yes. We're getting reports from the state news agency in Syria that two IEDs went of in Damascus. They say four people wounded. These appear to have gone off in the center of Damascus close to a security battalion building is how we understand it at the moment.
We don't have more details. There's certainly the images that we're getting from the state news agency in Syria appears to show smoke rising up in that area. Of course, the battle around Damascus has been very intense -- the government trying to reclaim control of many of those suburbs.
And for the Free Syrian Army and the rebels, Damascus, if they can win parts of that, that's really going to unsettle Bashar al Assad -- Randi.
KAYE: Yes. No question about that. Nic Robertson for us this morning on the border with Syria. Nic, thank you very much.
Well, if you think that you have a busy week ahead, just wait until you hear about President Obama's schedule.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: Welcome back, everyone.
We have a big week ahead. So, let's take a look.
On Monday, President Obama is going to Louisiana. He's going to view the storm damage from hurricane Isaac. As you know, Romney beat him to the punch there. He was there earlier, but Obama will go.
And on Tuesday, the famous book called "No Easy Day," this is written by the Navy SEAL. That's expected to come out. It was supposed to actually come out on 9/11. We, of course, have been following all the developments because the Navy SEAL who's written the book could actually face some federal charges.
Also on Tuesday, the Democratic National Convention kicks off. Jimmy Carter's going to be speaking, the first lady will be speaking as well. Michelle Obama. CNN will, of course, be carrying all of this live for you.
And on Wednesday, President Bill Clinton will be speaking at the DNC. You probably recall one of the last times he spoke at a convention. It was a really long speech. When he said "in closing," the crowd cheered.
On Thursday, President Obama and his Vice President Joe Biden will officially accept their Clinton will be speaking at the DNC. That's a big night. We will, of course, have all the coverage for you here on CNN.
I'll be back at the top of the hour with the latest on flooding in Louisiana and the rest of the day's headlines.
"SANJAY GUPTA, M.D." starts right now.
